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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS MOORE & DAVE BELTON OF ECHO
CHAMBER
 If
it’s a diverse, refreshing and energetic music scene you’re after, look no
further than Southampton right now. Bands like The Queue, The Rebs, The Vision,
Recreation and Dlugokecki are creating a buzz around the city of late and it’s
not just those select few who are “in the know” that are getting excited either.
Diverse, refreshing and energetic could also be used to describe the music of
Echo Chamber, another Southampton based band with a terrifying amount of
potential and a sound with as much scope and room for experimentation as they
dare use.
“We don’t want to limit ourselves in anyway,” explains guitarist Dave Belton.
“If you pigeonhole yourself as a band, you can do yourself a disservice. It’s
good to throw in a bit of reggae or ska when people aren’t expecting it.” Singer
and bass player Chris Moore shares this view. “We’d hate to get bored when we
play live or when we practice” offers Chris. “We want to play music that is fun
for us to play.”
These ideals certainly come across in Echo Chamber’s music. “The Hounded” boasts
wonderful Byrds style melodies and urgent, purposeful playing whilst “Miss Liz”
is potentially the soundtrack to many lazy summer afternoons. The acoustic “Walk
To The Sea” shows a slightly more reflective laid back side to the band and
“Little Steal” recalls the American underground vibe of the 1960s. These songs
are the sound of a band bursting with ideas and influences.
Echo Chamber have been together for 3 and a half years. Dave and Chris met at
Southampton University although they are both from London. Dave initially met
lead guitarist Chris Heale, and, whilst jamming together, they met Chris Moore
who was originally a guitar player before turning his hand to the bass. When the
band’s original singer left to join the R.A.F., Chris took singing lessons and
decided to have a go at becoming the band’s frontman. The line up is completed
by drummer Will Coomber. “We’ve devoted a lot of time to practising and we are
finally happy with our sound and the line up,” explained Chris.
That practise culminated in what the band say has been their best week since
they got together. Last month, Echo Chamber supported indie darlings The Rumble
Strips at The Joiners before playing at The Hope & Anchor in Islington. “The
Joiners gig was amazing!” Chris enthused. “It was packed with people we did not
know and we were shocked by the reaction we got.” “At The Hope & Anchor show, we
had people singing back to us which was a pretty amazing feeling.” Dave added.
So, do Echo Chamber see themselves as part of the vibrant Southampton music
scene? “We’re on the fringes of it, I suppose” nodded Dave. “We’re keen to get
our foot in the door!” “We’re looking forward to getting some more recording
done and capturing our live sound and energy on disc” offered Chris. “We’ve got
some good new songs and we’ve got a live set that we’re happy with.”
Judging by the reaction of the crowd at The Rumble Strips show, Echo Chamber
have every right to be happy with their live set. With their contagious energy
and a unique sound that will keep audiences on their toes, this band have a lot
going for them. Not only is their music fun for them to play, it’s fun to listen
to and see live as well.
INTERVIEW BY PAUL LANE
DERRIN NAUENDORF, THE CELLARS AT EASTNEY, PORTSMOUTH –
TUESDAY MAY 19
 The
following preview is reproduced from The Cellars’ website:
This will be Derrin’s 7th Cellars show. Not seen him before? Then isn’t it about
time you checked out why we keep having him back?!
Determined to make something of his music career, five years ago Derrin
Nauendorf arrived at Heathrow airport from Australia with a guitar, £1200 and
several extra layers of clothing to acclimatise to the drop in temperature. From
this, Derrin spent those next five years playing anywhere that would have him,
sleeping on floors and living on tuna baguettes. Things looked up a few years
ago when he purchased an old Post Office van, which then became his home for the
next six months, more importantly, it allowed him to get gigs, and essentially
his music, out into the real depths of the UK. They've looked up and haven't
looked back yet.
Literally over 1000 gigs later (a lot of them listed on his website), Derrin
finds himself with fans not only in England, but Scotland, Holland, Denmark,
Sweden, Germany, France and his native Australia too. He has since managed to
sell over 12,000 albums from the back of that van, and become a bit of a hit on
the festival circuit too. He's supported Van Morrison and played to dignitaries
and politicians in grand Parisian castles right down to WW2 bunkers in Germany
and two-men-and-a-dog type shows in Denmark - all without the help/ hindrance of
a record label, manager, agent or press officer. Derrin is a determined sort and
this independence has meant that he can turn up anywhere and get a show out of
it.
His main focus, throughout all this, has been to make a name for himself and his
music. It can be hard work, "In Australia, my apprenticeship was hard. Towns and
cities are spread out and the living is hard. But while it was hard it made me
stronger and when I got over here I knew I'd be able to make the audiences give
me a chance" He's now played practically anywhere and everywhere, building up a
small barmy army of supporters who'll follow him for several dates at a time,
such support has allowed him to get re-booked time and time again. His favourite
places to play in the UK include "the South Coast, Jersey and the Channel
Islands, Yorkshire... everywhere!"
Derrin's album, “The Rattling Wheel” was actually his fifth release following
such titles as 2005's” New History” and 2003's “Wasteland” and it was also the
first to feature his band, adding new dynamics and allowing him to flesh out his
songs. The new stuff sounds like "A kind of post modern Steve Earle type thing -
more energetic, with a rougher feel - I'm writing more for a band now, rather
than just myself; exploring bigger sounds and arrangements".
Derrin’s 6th and most recent release, “The Skin of The Earth”has also received
solid reviews, scoring 4 stars from The Sunday Express, as he continues to
develop this new band sound with impressive results.
From selling the music out of the Post Office van to now having his songs on
iTunes; it's obvious things can only get hotter. An intense and raw performer,
Derrin works best in the live setting - it is, after all, how he got his
reputation - and why we're here now, at the cusp of the bigger, better things
for a man who's more than paid his dues and kept the receipts. The only way now
is up.
LAU – ASHCROFT ARTS CENTRE, FAREHAM – FRIDAY MAY 15
 Lau
is a formidable union of three of the finest and most innovative exponents of
modern traditional music in Scotland today; Kris Drever (guitar and vocal),
Martin Green (piano accordion) and Aidan O'Rourke (fiddle). In a little over
three years Lau have already become well established throughout Scotland and the
UK. Their debut album “Lightweights and Gentlemen” was released on Reveal
Records in March 2007 and has received considerable acclaim.
Aidan O'Rourke - is an incredible fiddle player and composer from Oban and was
recently voted Instrumentalist of the Year 2006 at the Scots Trad Music Awards.
A member of the hugely successful Blazin' Fiddles, Aidan's skills are much
sought after having performed on over 60 albums. Numerous successful commissions
include `Mantra Alba', welcoming the Dalai Lama to Scotland. Aidan's acclaimed
album “Sirius” was released in 2006.
Kris Drever- A native of Kirkwall, Orkney, Kris' distinctive guitar style and
singing voice have brought him much attention in recent years. His debut album
as a solo artist, “Black Water” was nominated for two BBC Folk Awards, winning
the The Horizon Award. Kris also plays in The Kate Rusby Band and Session A9.
Martin Green is a well known face both sides of the border. He has played with
many of the great exponents of folk and traditional music including Joan Baez,
Kathryn Tickell, Linda Thompson, and a long-term collaboration with Eliza Carthy
culminating in a duo album "Dinner" released to great acclaim in 2001. A keen
interest in composition led to work with John Rae's Celtic Feet, The Unusual
Suspects and The Daniel Lapp trio.
LUCY KAPLANSKY, FOREST ARTS CENTRE, NEW MILTON –
SATURDAY MAY 30
 Lucy
Kaplansky was originally from Chicago and at the age of 18, decided not to go to
college, and moved to New York City. She became involved in the city's folk
music scene, particularly around Greenwich Village where she played with, among
others, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin and Richard Shindell.
In 1983, she decided to become a psychologist, enrolling in Yeshiva University.
She continued playing music while doing her PhD, and began to have some success
as part of a duo with Colvin. However, when they began to attract record company
interest, Kaplansky declined, choosing instead to set up a private practice and
become a staff psychologist at a New York hospital. For several years, she
concentrated largely on her work, and played little in the way of concerts.
However, she still did some session work, such as singing backing vocals in the
studio for Suzanne Vega..
By the early 1990s she found herself increasingly drawn back to music. Colvin,
who by this time had experienced some commercial success, offered to produce an
album for her. The result, “The Tide” a mixture of her own songs and several
covers, was released by Red House Records in 1994. At this time, she decided to
give up her psychology practice, and return to music full-time. She released
four more albums before her latest, “Over The Hills” was released in 2007.
In 1998 Kaplansky joined with Dar Williams and Richard Shindell to form the folk
trio Cry Cry Cry , which made an album and toured at length before going their
separate ways. Her “Ten Year Night” album in 1999 won rave reviews and boosted
her popularity, leading to performances on CBS-TV. Her album, “The Red Thread”
has a song about her experience of being a New Yorker on 9-11. Ironically, in
August, 2001, Kaplansky sang harmony with John Gorka in a concert on the World
Trade Center plaza.
RAY SAWYER, MR KYPS, POOLE – WEDNESDAY
MAY 27
 Ray
Sawyer, the spirited eye-patched singer of the group Dr. Hook, whose soulful and
sometimes comic vocals combined with the voice of Dennis Locorriere on numerous
hits during the 1970s and 1980s, is back on the road with a new band and a new
twist to his familiar sound, harder edged and more soulful, but still with
plenty of humour.
Born and raised in Alabama , Ray got his first job as a professional musician at
the age of 14 playing drums with a local band. His style was indelibly marked by
blending the black and white Southern music that kept Alabama dance halls and
clubs hopping. Where Ray grew up in Mobile, you play either country or rhythm &
blues , though down there they are just about the same thing,”its two races
talking about their lives,” Ray explains. Developing a style that extracted
honesty and emotion - the best traits of both genres, Ray sings with an
intensity and sense of conviction that truly moves an audience.
Ray’s trademark eye patch was acquired following a 1967 auto accident that left
him without his right eye and kept him laid up for two years. When he was back
on his feet, Ray set out for Los Angeles in 1968, working his way back East to
New York where the nucleus of Dr. Hook was formed in time to record the score to
a Dustin Hoffman film “Who is Harry Kellerman (and why is he saying those
terrible things about me).”
Accumulating 60 gold & platinum records worldwide with Dr. Hook, Ray toured the
UK many times with the band. His son Cayce has been touring with him since he
was 13 playing percussion and singing background vocals in the show. Now he is
the “Drummer” for the band.
Ray has had the honour of being Inducted into the Alabama Music Hall Of Fame in
April 2005.
MICA PARIS, THE BROOK, SOUTHAMPTON –
WEDNESDAY MAY 13
 Soul
diva Mica Paris has just hit the age of 40, and recently extended her TV career
by taking over presenting "What Not To Wear." But soul music has always been her
forte, and she'll be treating The Brook audience to songs from her new album and
her extensive back catalogue
As a teenager, Mica first entered show business when she joined the dance act
Hollywood Beyond and appeared on their album “If” in 1985. After a brief period
recording and touring with the band Mica signed a solo recording contract with
4th & Broadway when she was seventeen.
"My One Temptation" was the lead single from her debut album “So Good” (1988)
and is probably her best known song. The follow-up album, “Contribution” was
released in 1990. It featured the track “If I Love U 2 Nite” written by Prince.
"
With Omar Lye-Fooke, a classically trained musician, Mica recorded "I Should
Have Known Better" in 1990. It was issued on the B-side to "I Never Felt Like
This Before". Paris also recorded with Anita Baker, Bonnie Raitt and Natalie
Cole on the album “Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South
Africa” in 1990. She worked with the saxophonist Courtney Pine ("Redemption
Song" - 1992), the Stereo Mcs ("Don't Let Up" - 1992) and Bobby Womack ("I Wish
I'd Never Met You" - 1991).
Her third album, “Whisper A Prayer” was released in 1993. After various
collaborations with other artists, Mica released the album “Black Angel” in
1998. More collaborations followed with Seraphim Suite ("Heart" - 2003), Omar
("Confection" - 1994), and many more including Boy George, Jools Holland and
Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.
In 2005, Mica released the album “If You Could Love Me.” . The same year she
released an album, “Soul Classics” a collection of the most celebrated and loved
soul tracks chosen by listeners to her BBC Radio 2 programme 'Soul Solutions.'
PATRICK WOLF, WEDGEWOOD ROOMS,
PORTSMOUTH - MONDAY MAY 18
 PATRICK
WOLF is 23 years old and he’s been refining his talents for more than half a
lifetime. It all started 12 years ago when Wolf first experimented with car boot
sale keyboards and tape recorders and has resulted in one of the most
startlingly original and innovative voices now emerging in English pop music.
The roots of Wolf’s music embrace everything from PJ Harvey to Stockhausen and
English folk music to the legendary jazz trumpet player and singer, Chet Baker.
All this started, however, with a precocious obsession in early electronic
music. Indeed, Wolf was barely into his teens when he built his first Theremin,
one of the earliest fully electronic musical instruments invented in 1919 by
Léon Theremin.
By the time he was 14, Wolf was performing with pop-art collective Minty. He
also began writing and recording with an urgency that caught the attention of an
independent label called Fat Cat Records who, recognizing Wolf’s extraordinary
potential, gave him an Atari computer and a mixing desk, the tools that helped
hone Wolf’s unique production and programming. Stumbling across his mother's
Joni Mitchell records led to another insight into the art of songwriting.
Wolf left home at the age of 16 and spent the next few years making money from
busking in a string quartet and forming a group called Maison Crimineaux, a
noisy and rude duo that built its destructive ethics around white noise and pop
music. Fate then interceded in Wolf’s life.
Maison Crimineaux were asked to perform in Paris, a show seen by Capitol K, the
man who went on to release Wolf’s debut album, ‘Lycanthropy’. The album was a
chronicle of Wolf's teenage triumphs and disasters. It was not just the
songwriting that set his precocious talents apart - the lush tapestry of sounds
were used to astonishing effect, with Wolf’s trademark violin and baritone
ukelele joined by an electronic carpet of beats and bleeps.
‘Lycanthropy’ was released on a small independent label in the summer of 2003
and was met with enormous critical acclaim. Wolf was also making guest
appearances as a viola player with Chicks on Speed and The Hidden Cameras. The
Cologne-based label Tomlab picked up the album for America and Europe, the start
of a relationship which was to lead to Wolf’s second album, ‘Wind in the Wires’,
released at the start of 2005.
While ‘Lycanthropy’ was being recorded, Wolf took a year to study composition at
the Trinity College music conservatoire in London’s Greenwich, the fruits of
which can be heard on ‘Wind in the Wires’, an album that received even more
applause than his debut recording.
Wolf toured extensively in the UK and throughout Europe. Among his biggest fans
were Bloc Party, who invited Wolf to tour with them on their 2005 autumn tour.
The year culminated with Wolf’s own sell-out show at London’s Scala and his
first major record deal with the Loog label.
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS MOORE & DAVE BELTON OF ECHO
CHAMBER
DERRIN
NAUENDORF
THE CELLARS
AT EASTNEY PORTSMOUTH TUESDAY MAY 19
LAU
ASHCROFT
ARTS CENTRE
FAREHAM
FRIDAY MAY 15
LUCY KAPLANSKY FOREST ARTS CENTRE
NEW MILTON
SATURDAY MAY 30
RAY SAWYER
MR KYPS
POOLE
WED MAY 27
MICA PARIS
THE BROOK SOUTHAMPTON
WED MAY 13
PATRICK WOLF
WEDGEWOOD ROOMS
PORTSMOUTH
MONDAY MAY 18 |
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