Delta Maid

Delta Maid is an amazing singer-songwriter who I saw live at the Isle of Wight festival earlier this year. I conducted an interview with her via myspace a few months ago. Here it is!

What was performing at the Isle of Wight like?

Performing at the Isle of Wight was awesome, it was my first big festival to play at and although it was quite daunting, the atmosphere and the crowd's reception made me feel completely at home. I had a blast, would love to do it next year!

What have you been up to since?

Since then live wise I've been doing the festival circuit, some memorable ones included Hard Rock Calling and T in the Park and iTunes although they were all immense! I've had a ball this summer, there's nothing better than playing live so it's been incredible and there's still more to come. Aside from gigging I've been locked away at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool recording my debut album and this week we are in the final stages of mixing. I just can't wait for people to hear it now, I'm really proud of the end result!

What are your immediate plans?

Right now I'm working on rehearsing with a band and then after that gig, gig gig!! I feel really blessed to be doing what I love and it's great!



You can check out Delta at myspace.com/deltamaid

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MY BAND!!

Hello all, this is a very unusual post indeed. I usually promote other bands and artists on this blog, but in this post I am promoting myself! I have formed a band called The Painted Cat with Luke Robinson. We are a folk/blues duo who write our own songs and play our own instruments.

We've just started recording in Luke's home studio so we have a very raw sound right now.

Our sound has been likened to Pentangle and Incredible String Band

If you'd like to have a look and listen, please hop over to www.myspace.com/thepaintedcat

Many thanks!

CTVicky

Lou Reed and Velvet Underground

I think that more people need to be aware of Lou Reed and Velvet Underground. I've only just started really getting into them.

Not the greatest example of Lou Reed's creativity but a great piece of music, from David Lynch's 'Lost Highway' OST. The original was by Ben E King and The Drifters. I think this is one of those rare occasions where a cover is better than the original.



By the way, happy 70th birthday John Lennon, and my respects go out to Yoko Ono, a true Real Music fan!

Running

This is quite an unusual post, it's one I would never normally make but it's for charity. Basically on the 5th September 2010 I shall be running 5km in Hyde Park in London on behalf of Guide Dogs for The Blind. If any of my readers could spare a few pounds/dollars/yen or whatever your currency is to sponsor me I would be extremely grateful. So grateful in fact, you get to submit a song of your choice for a guaranteed post on this blog. When you've made your donation just make a comment with the song you'd like to be played.

I'm stuck on £22 at the moment which is a bit embarrassing!

Here's the link to my page with more information about me and the run and how to donate:

Click here

(Please note the website doesn't work on the Opera browser)

Many thanks,

CTVicky

The Incredible String Band

I really don't think enough people know about The Incredible String Band. Here is my favourite song by them:



They're a folk group that were very successful in the 1960s and are widely regarded by all folk lovers.

MiTo International Music Festival

The MiTo International Music Festival is being hosted in Milan and Turin in the beautiful country of Italy from the 3rd to the 24th September this year. Alexandra from NeoENews.Com sent me a press release explaining that "Among the many big names at MITO, there will be Lang Lang, who is performing at Palasharp in front of 8,000 people; Billy Cobham, the king of jazz; Maurizio Pollini,Cecilia Bartoli and Salvatore Accardo...Alongside the official programme, there is also a circuit of alternative events similar to
those at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fête de la Musique or Fuori Salone in Milan: parks,train and Metro stations, universities and cloisters will all host improvised events at the “MiToFringe”."

It sounds like it's going to be a spectacular event. I wish I could go but I'm flathunting in London for my second year at Uni. Maybe next year! I love Lang Lang, he's a very unique Pianist with real enthusiasm for what he does and just by listening to him you can feel his passion for his music. I love watching clips of him playing.

Terry Tufts, a deer and a cat

Well well, I have just been introduced to the sublime guitar playing of one Terry Tufts, via this amazing video on www.icanhascheezburger.com



It's too cute!

But the music is brilliant and it's the work of Canadian singer-songwriter Terry Tufts, who I think is about to see a surge in his fame, and deservedly so!

Delta Maid - Exciting new act!

Delta Maid is a singer, songwriter and amazing guitarist. I had the privilege of watching her live at the Isle of Wight Festival on the acoustic stage on Sunday 13th June 2010. This was the first time I had heard of her, let alone heard her music, and I was just blown away, as was my friend, whose perception and appreciation of music is very different to mine. My friend is an accomplished guitarist and he has studied music theory in depth, so not only is he able to play songs to a very high standard, he also writes great songs, so the fact that he was amazed by Delta says something about her.

Delta sings American blues and country music, and she hails from Liverpool, another reason why I like her. She has a very broad Scouse accent, and when she was describing what her songs were about in between playing them, that natural northern charm came straight through. Check her out at http://www.myspace.com/deltamaid and have a look at this video:



The same day she played at the festival, a fellow Liverpudlian by the name of Paul McCartney did a set. It was a glorious 1 hour and 45 minutes long, closed the festival and ended with fireworks. And I had the honour of watching this. Have a look for yourself, I think you'll agree I had a good time!

Oh yeah, while we're talking about Beatles, happy 70th birthday Ringo, you friggin' cool dude!

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me

Joanna Newsom has a brand new album out! It's called Have One On Me and I have to say it's every bit as good as Milk-Eyed Mender. There is a track on the new album that clearly stands out for me, and that is 'Good Intentions Paving Company'.



The song is amazing on so many levels. The lyrics are just great. My favourite line is 'How I said to you 'honey, just open your heart' when I've got trouble even opening a honey jar.' I also love the changes in tempo, the harmonies and the general message of the song. It's so honest, pure and real.

Just in case you needed to be reminded of just how amazing this woman is, have a look at this live performance from Later...with Jools Holland.

Born Free - MIA

For those that haven't heard of M.I.A, you seriously have catching up to do!

She has a new song out, Born Free. Since Paper Planes, everything seems to have gone quiet, but with this new release, she's suddenly getting a lot of attention. It's a very controversial video, and one that you can watch the full nine minutes of at her website. I will warn you, it's not for the faint-hearted. As a film it would be rated 18. You can't see it on Youtube.

As a song, I really like it. It's got a 'Born Slippy' feel to it, and maybe that was the intention, the title is a bit coincidental! But anyway, Born Free has attitude. I love M.I.A's voice, especially in this. It's got a spirit of passion and rebellion that's infectious. It's something I can imagine people going mad over at clubs and something that would be fun to listen to while driving. Initially it sounds like a load of noise that's been thrown together randomly but after a while you start to like it!

Getting back to the video, I'm not sure what to make of it. Obviously intended to be controversial, it's a political statement against ethnic cleansing, but the use of ginger-haired boys as victims has left me with mixed feelings. A lot of people don't seem to like ginger hair and find it funny to say things like 'ginger-haired people should be shot'. This always gets to me because I've always thought of myself as having a bit of ginger in my hair. So it's good that she's tackling the issue. On the other hand, it does seem a bit silly to have a source of humour for so many in a serious context.

As usual, a M.I.A. song provokes debate! What do you think about it?

Hem

Hem are an alternative folk group that I am just getting into. They have been going since 1999 and are fronted by Sally Ellyson who I must say has a beautiful voice. Here is the song that got me interested:

An apology

Hi everyone, I'm really sorry I'm hardly ever on the blogosphere. I started at University in September and I've been crazy busy since then. I'm going to try to post more often from now on but I can't promise anything.

I'm at University in Greenwich (London, UK), which happens to be a very good town for jazz and I have been going to see some very good jazz bands lately. I can't stress enough how important it is to go and see live music, whatever it is. It's good for your stress-release, your enjoyment, the local economy, culture and of course for music.

Last December I went to see Hawkwind live. They're not really my sort of band but I went with my mother who loves them. They had two professional dancers with them on most of their songs, and that was what I really enjoyed about the night. Each dance routine was different, the costumes kept changing and it was all incredibly inventive and inspiring.

Have you been to see any good live bands lately? Why were they good?

Blame It On The Boys

I love Mika's new album! Here is my favourite song from the album. It's fabulous.