*KT Tunstall - Saving My Face (Video)

Fabulous new video with exploding guitar bits.



*Fun fact*:

The name of this blog "Get Glucky" was bestowethed upon me by the genius word melding mind of Tunstall.

*WIN WIN WIN - (Because it's not just the taking part that counts)

Hey Kids, it's the start of a new week and you now what that means? IT'S TIME TO WIN. Now it's not always going to be prize-giving time every Monday so why not seize the day and add some music to your library of CDs, vinyls and lover mixtapes on cassette?

So here's the deal, there are 5 little CD sets up for grabs and all you have to do to get one is the following:

*Spread the word about "Get Glucky" - this can be in any format, on artist forums, myspace/facebook music groups, blog sites, instant messaging all of your wonderful musically inclined friends or even hiring a plane and writing our link in the sky. Really it's up to you, the bigger impact the better.
Once you've done your magic elf work, just pop it into an email (links to sites, groups where you've posted the link/written about the blog or pictures of your plane in the sky) and send it on over to:
getglucky@googlemail.com with the subject: CDs? Yes Please! and let me know in the email which bundle you want.

If you win we'll get right back in touch to send you the goodies.
Last emails will be accepted up until midnight on the 5th November
"Oh if only everything in life was this simple and fun" we hear you cry. I know kids, I know.

Bundle 1:
Dirty Pretty Things - Bang Bang You're Dead EP
Graham Coxon - Happiness In Magazines
Nine Black Alps - Everything Is

Bundle 2:
Joe Purdy - Stompingrounds
Rachael Yamagata - Happenstance
Five For Fighting - Two Lights

Bundle 3:
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City (Limited 2 Disc Edition with 'A Weekend In The City' DVD
Faithless - Live In The UK 2007 (2 Disc Set)

Bundle 4:
Pharrell - In My Mind
Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape
Cute Is What We Aim For - The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch

Bundle 5:
Most Serene Republic - Underwater Cinematographer
Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War
Land Of Talk - Applause Cheer Boo Hiss

*Friends Forever*
----Glucky----

*Fionn Regan - Night & Day Cafe Manchester (Live)

In a very hot Night and Day café in Manchester a cheery, delightful, new band (Slow Club) are warming up for Fionn Regan. But soon after, Regan took the stage and it was immediately apparent his audience was a loyal one, and not just a bunch of people swayed to a gig by a Mercury Prize nomination. Opening with “Hey Rabbit” to excited applause, there are clearly impressive things about Regan’s performance; the throwback sound of the harmonica, the pure and clear sound of him and his guitar and then not so impressive - a very enthused punter shouting, “YEAH” after everything he did.
Although Fionn is better known for his “singer-songwriter” numbers, he shines more this evening during the faster folkier numbers and whilst paying “Put a penny in the slot” he changes the lyrics to relate to Manchester’s own ‘Heaton Park’ met unsurprisingly with rapturous applause. His downfall however comes with his lack of conversation. It’s always a shame when artists don’t banter, and there was barely a word spoken between songs. The lack of personality revealed, was in part my struggle to relate to his performance and music. It’s not the kind of music that has immediate impact and so with no real conversational flow it’s hard to feel passionate about his performance. The songs are clearly well written, and the musicianship accomplished – but that’s not really the question at hand. Transferring songs from CD to live performance is crucial and most of the songs seem to drift by without being truly distinctive. A highlight however was his encore, starting with “House Detective” and finishing with his most widely known song, “Be good or Be Gone” demonstrated how the rest of the show should have been; purposely setting up the room with barely any lights and no bar chat, Fionn strummed and sang along delicately, and clearly reaching everyone in the room as moments later he was joined by the crowd singing every word along with him. Regan has lots of time to work out the kinks in his live shows, but it’s important that he does, because when you leave a venue remembering more about the support act than the headliner, something hasn’t gone quite right.

5/10

*Slow Club - Night & Day Cafe Manchester (Live)

It's always a nice, somewhat new, experience to turn up to a show to review it (with no prior knowledge of the support band) and walk away from the show caring far more about them than the headliner. Tonight I experienced the lovely "Slow Club" the kind of band who make you realise being happy can be great fun. They play the kind of music that, on a winters day, you would wander around the city, thinking about cupcakes and either holding someone's hand or wishing you were. They were excitable, cheerful and humbled by an appreciateive audience. They've toured with The Noisettes, Au Revoir Simone and Fionn Regan but hopefully they will be touring as a shiny, happy band in a venue near you soon.

http://myspace.com/slowclub

*Jenny Owen Youngs - F*ck Was I (Video)

Hurrah, the video to the beautiful single is finally out. Props to Andrew Futral who you'll notice in the pinky red t-shirt being unnecessarily (or it seems, quite necessarily) violent.

*Tegan & Sara - Ragged Mag (Feature)

Short but really good interview with T&S in Ragged Magazine (Part of Filter) read, browse, skim, enjoy.

*Kid Harpoon - The First EP (EP)

Kid Harpoon – The First EP (Young Turks)

Kid Harpoon has toured with the likes of; The Kooks, Jamie T, Mystery Jets, Larrikin Love and Fionn Regan. With all of these names attached one would expect something new, jittery and exciting. One would be unfortunately mistaken. This EP is an incredibly odd selection of songs to choose to release. The travelling train momentum of ‘Milkmaid’ - the opening track on the EP is promising, the lyrics while being completely unrelatable, are quirky enough to attract the attention for a closer listen. But it seems this song would be more fitting at a country hoedown than something to present to entertain a gig audience. Harpoon’s voice has a definite appeal but the material just lacks any kind of excitability factor. ‘As it always was’ is probably the best song on the EP, a simple acoustic number with simple charm. ‘Aeroplanes and Neon lights’ sounds more like a theatrical number in a play, and suggests that Harpoon’s work might suit the world of poetry more than music. ‘Small town war’ rounds off the EP slightly switching between a rougher and more polished quality of sound recording giving the song more character than the others. The EP finishes with one of Harpoon’s demos, ‘The Water’ but fails to have any real redeeming qualities. The prediction is that people will be disappointed with this as the first real offering from Kid Harpoon, and will have expected more. A charismatic fellow he clearly is, but as for the EP - it rarely rises above bland.

3/10

*Land Of Talk - Applause Cheer Boo Hiss (Album)

Land of Talk – Applause Cheer Boo Hiss (Hart Media/Maple Music)

Canada. I cannot stop singing its praises. I think people are starting to get sick of it. However, until I am handed something awful from Canada, the praise will continue. The latest quality import to hit our shores, Land of Talk, have arrived with a fistful of brilliant songs. The songs carry with them an assumed musical intelligence, but manage to do this without, in any way, being beyond reach of whoever might choose to listen. The album is full of potential cult hits. Particular highlights being; Summer Special, Magnetic Hill, All My Friends and Sea Foam. The lead singer, Elizabeth Powell, simply has “one of those voices” magnetic and intriguing whilst retaining an air of mystery. Throughout the album her vocals switch on songs, some settling you in comfortably, others, haunting your ears. Occasionally carrying qualities reminiscent of other females (Merrick, Mazzy Star) on tracks, ‘Summer Special’ and ‘Magnetic Hill’ the band can move over to darker, moodier and more wistful territory with ease as heard on, ‘Street Wheels’ and ‘Sea Foam’. It is this variation of sound that makes the album so refreshing. On the fantastic, punk-inspired ‘All My Friends’ she hollers, “Fucking around, pretending there’s a problem, figure it out….hustling leaves me white-hot, blue in the face, eyes blood shot” their genre description of "Anti Folk Basement Rock" feels particularly fitting after that song. So it seems whatever you’re into there is something on offer from Land of Talk; whether it’s drifting melodies, hazy vocals or some good old “Anti-folk basement rock” they have it all on offer for only $9.99 (okay that part is a lie, I’m not sure exactly how much the disc costs but any self respecting music retailer should be able to tell you).

8½/10

*Tegan & Sara (General Hilarity)

Kids.. I do wonder what would life be without youtube... productive, that's what.





WORD.

*New Kids On The Block - Part 2 (Lyla Foy)

Second batter up:

Lyla Foy

Please, for the record, state:

1. i) Name and Current residing/Music making location?
Lyla Foy. Residing in London. Making music in bedroom studio on a daily basis.

ii) Please share a fun fact about you (Music related or otherwise)
I used to want to be a professional ice-skater because of all that lycra.

2. A little summary of your sound? Any artist comparisons to help people fit you into their mental record collection?
At gigs I tend to choose the happy, bouncy songs but on my album it's a lot darker. My songs are quirky and ploinky, cute yet ironic; a combination of Tori Amos and Alisha's Attic, Regina Spektor and Wallis Bird but equally nothing like any of them.

3. What was the first ever concert you attended? (Preferably no lies, even if it’s embarrassing, my first was The Spice Girls so no judgement here)
It was honestly The Red Hot Chili Peppers - or at least I've been telling that story for so long that if there was anything before it I can't remember. I would love it to be more embarassing. Thankfully I don't cringe at the thought of my parents at a gig anymore, but at the chili's my mum had to come because me and my mates were 13 and i almost died! In the end we were all standing on our chairs and having a giggle though - she loved it!

4. Which artist/band would be a dream collaboration for you?
Oh so many! I am a little obsessed with Terra Naomi at the moment but she's a fairly new artist I guess. If Nick Drake was still alive I reckon we could have done a nice love ballad.

5. Where can we find/hear/buy your angelic music?
I've got some songs up on myspace and soon I'll be putting up some album edits. I'm planning on releasing a single in the next few months with the album to follow in 2008. http://www.myspace.com/lylafoy

other links:
http://www.lylafoy.com
http://www.youtube.com/lylafoy

*Remi Nicole - Rock 'n' Roll (Single)

(Cool Delta)

Lyrically this song makes me chuckle. In a good, “it’s summer and I have nothing to do” way. I really want to like Remi Nicole; she’s young, sparky and feisty, but there is something purely lackluster about this single. Considering all the other young London talent currently out there (Laura Marling, Adele, Florence & The Machine etc.) she just doesn’t seem to measure up in voice or depth. The song feels too much like one of your friends could have penned it in a few hours down the pub. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s got memorable parts to it “Did you not see me dancing the other night, like the girls on Channel U” plus it gets the foot tapping, it’s alright – but it’s just alright. Put it this way, if I was dwindling at the bar at a gig and this came on I wouldn’t rush back to my seat.

*Paramore - Crush, Crush, Crush (Single)

(Warner Music UK/Fueled By Ramen)

Oh Paramore, Paramore, Paramore. How I love you so. After the massive UK backlash of bands likes Panic! At the disco it seems like a guilty pleasure to love Paramore, but it would be a huge error to place them in the same category as the Panic/Fall Out Boys. For starters, what a difference a girl makes. Girls want to be her and guys want to date her. Instead of whiney acne ridden boys, Paramore is fronted by an 18-year-old powerhouse (Hayley Williams) of great vocal ability, GREAT hair and a good helping of cheeky attitude thrown in on the side. This is not to say the boys; Jeremy, Josh and Zac aren’t equally as important, after all they provide the musical undercurrent to all the catchy choruses, belting verses and carefully timed fist pumps. But by golly is Hayley good. Occasionally Paramore do risk venturing over into slightly cheesy territory, but they don’t need to be overanalysed – they’re quite clearly a young, very talented band out to put on energetic shows, make irresistibly catchy records and show the new generation how to fuse emo/rock/pop whilst wrapping it all up in a teen angst relieving package. “Crush, Crush, Crush” has a chorus that was written for audience sing-a-longs, with a constant heavy drum beat, timed with an anthem like repetition of “Crush…Crush…Crush” before launching into a stomping chorus – it’s a mini concert in your room. Paramore may only be on their second release, but with singles like this, coupled with their loyal and youthful following they could be ruling the charts, selling out shows and pumping their fists for years to come.

*New Kids On The Block - Part 1 (Sam Lewis)

no no, not the rockin' 80s/90s little group of joyful boys.
This boys and girls is a new section for the up and coming artists that are buzzing around my ears, eyes and hopefully not nose - there's just no reason for them to smell. I asked these wonderful newbies a handful of standard glucky type questions so you could get to know them all a little better, maybe go on a few dates and eventually fall madly in love with them. Don't say I don't ever do anything for you...

First batter up:

Sam Lewis


Please, for the record, state:

1. i) Your name and current residing/music-making location?
Sam Lewis based in London

ii) Please share a fun fact about you (music related or otherwise)
My dad is in my band!

2. A little summary of your sound? Any artist comparisons to help people fit you into their mental record collection?
The sound is a mellow mix of acoustic blues, folk and country sounds from a modern perspective.

3. What was the first ever concert you attended? (Preferably no lies to make you look cool, even if it's embarrassing, my first was The Spice Girls so there is NO judgement here)
The first gig i ever went to was Elvis Costello and I went with my mum.

4. Which artist/band would be a dream collaboration
for you?
Bonni Prince Billy.

5. Where can we find/hear/buy your angelic music?
My album "Everything You Are" will be available on itunes in 4 weeks time and for now there are songs up on the myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/samlewisrecordings

*Mash Ups

I am a HUGE mash up/remix fan (when it's done right of course). This post will be an ongoing list/download source for my favourite mixes that I find. Some you'll know already and some will blow your beautiful minds. Enjoy..

Tegan and Sara/Mylo (credit to Party Ben)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/mj32i9

Cold War Kids/Lupe Fiasco/Lily Allen (credit to team 9)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/v84crm

Peter, Bjorn and John/The Cure (credit to team 9)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/4smcu4

Notorius B.I.G/Spice Girls (credit to Popchop)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/eb3jcx

Paramore/Age of Rockets Remix
http://www.sendspace.com/file/7ypyf5

Apparently, "Someone in the paramore camp" heard it and loved it, i'm thinking it was the pint sized but powerful Hayley but Andrew seems to think it's more likely that it was "An assistant tour manager for france". Pessimism won't get you anywhere I say. But hey kids, if you enjoy this Paramore related magic then check out its creator, Mr Andrew Futral at:

http://www.myspace.com/theageofrockets - his band
http://www.myspace.com/therobotexplosion - more remix type things
http://www.myspace.com/oncemorewithfeelingcast - Andrew's podcast with Ingrid Michaelson, Jenny Owen Youngs and Bess Rogers.

(you will laugh at the podcast, if you find yourself not laughing... well, then you may want to get yourself checked out)

Vivek Shraya/White Stripes
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0ipl1g

*In The City - Tellison

Tellison @ Studio, Manchester.

The "In The City" time of year in Manchester is joyous. Free gigs with great bands and musicians and lots of people to make you hopeful for the musical future.

Now what we learnt tonight kids, was something we were sure we knew but.. just needed proof of. Tellison were amazing. It's now a fact - in my eyes anway. They are a great band on record, their album, "Contact! Contact" is full of catchy, guitar driven pop songs that make you want to pump your fists in unpredictable directions, stomp your feet and clap in time to the drums. What we saw tonight though, was that live, not only are they; catchy, worthy of fist pumping and feet stomping - but they played an electric, exciting and sweaty set with an intimate but dedicated crowd shouting almost every song back to the band. "New York, New York" is a particular crowd favourite, and makes me and every other sensible person in the room want to lose their mind, you know, in a contained and well behaved sense. So, be aware, keep your fists, feet, eyes and ears ready for Tellison. The question is not "Will they be huge?" but "Why on earth are they not huge already?!" Tellison are coming kids.









www.myspace.com/tellison



*All photos copywright of Lauren Glucksman

*Stephen Fretwell Interview

Interview with Stephen Fretwell (Oct 20th 2007)

Born in the town of Scunthorpe in 1982, English singer/songwriter Stephen Fretwell was introduced to the music of Bob Dylan at a young age. Using a borrowed guitar from his grandparents, the young artist began writing his own songs and made tapes for his family and friends. After an aborted attempt at university life - he lasted two days - Fretwell relocated to Manchester, where his clear northern voice, poetic lyrics, and melodic guitar work soon won him an audience. After a critically acclaimed first album, “Magpie”, his second release, “Man on the roof” sent him back out on tour around the UK.

I sat down with him shortly before a homecoming gig at Manchester Academy;

LG: Did you always want to be a musician?

SF: Yeah I think so, I think I wanted to be a train driver for a bit and then I wanted to be a musician.

LG: When I was little I wanted to be an acrobat.

SF: Really? That’s pretty cool.

LG: Then I grew up and had more sense, realised I’m not a gymnast.

LG: How nerve-wracking is it as an artist recording a follow up album to a well-received first album? (Magpie)

SF: I don’t know, I think for me it wasn’t a problem at all because I didn’t have any kind of huge success with my first album. Not a success on a scale of other bands or artists who sell millions and millions of records and then have to follow that up. I mean I have a healthy amount of success so recording this one was kind of easy. I’d have sooner had loads of money and had a difficult album to follow up. Don’t get me wrong! But yeah there was no pressure really for me because if anything I set out to be like Elliott Smith, that’s always what I wanted to be and then as soon as I started making music everyone else must have got the same idea because all of a sudden there were loads of singer songwriters around!

LG: There has been a massive burst in the last few years. It’s unfortunate that some of the male singer/songwriters who get famous …it doesn’t seem like it’s about really good song writing.

SF: It’s about making dinner party music isn’t it? The thing is, the people who like my music are the kind of people who download it for free off the Internet. Do you know what I mean? Because there’s too many people at the gigs, (laughing) if all those people at the gig… there’s too many people here for the amount of records I’ve sold! But people who are into good music do that though, those people don’t buy 6 cds a year in Asda.

LG: The Internet has changed everything, the whole Radiohead new album, being able to pay whatever you want for it…

SF: Yeah that’s a really good idea, if you’re on a major record label you only get like, 95p per cd for yourself so why not get it all yourself, if someone gives you £2 for your album you’ve already doubled your money! I mean it’s not as black and white as that i'm sure, but you know…

LG: Did you feel like the success of “Magpie” came to you at the right time? Or were there points where you felt like giving up?

SF: Well I always made money, from when I was about 20 I signed a publishing deal so I kind of sold the rights to my songs and ended up getting quite a decent salary. You know, nothing stupid, but enough to not work. So I kind of spent my whole time bumming around until the money had run out and then I’d try and sell another few songs. That was quite fun for a while and then around 24 was when “Magpie” came out and when that came out suddenly there was loads of work to do! So I did all that and was kind of struggling here and there but I’ve never been a struggling musician really.

LG: Have you ever written for anyone else?

SF: I tried to yeah, i've been given loads of briefs and I’ve tried to do a lot of them because I wanted the money but to write for somebody else, where you don’t actually care about what you’re saying… I could never do it and I think that’s because I don’t want to do it. Even if I give it the big guns “Oh I want the money” I think deep down I just couldn’t do it.

LG: It does take the personal element out of the song writing.

SF: Totally yeah

LG: Where did the name “Man on the roof” for the new record come from?

SF: A friend of mine, called Justin Farry, he worked in Toronto for a year and when I was in New York I’d get this 12 hour train up to Toronto, you know, to see him for a couple of nights while I wasn’t recording. One time I was just writing my finished lyrics on one of the train rides and I got there and was like “Look the label want a title and I’ve got no idea what to use for a title” He said, “Oh you should call it man on the roof, my dad always used to wear a bracelet that said man on the roof because he was a massive cowboy fan and in cowboy films there would always be a man on the roof who shoots people down and he’d always be the last man to get shot.”
I love it when nasty journalists ask me “So Stephen I suppose you’re saying with man on the roof that you’re going to be around for a long time, and that you’re really high up in your own estimations” I love that one, I love telling the story and then they all just go, “Oh yeah right, whatever.”

LG: I love when they ask questions and they don’t really listen to your answer!

SF: Some guy asked me before, he said, “Oh yeah I saw you at the Ritz for your homecoming gig, I was there, now did you play on your own or did you play it with a band?” And I thought well you were there mate; do you know what I mean? I played the show with a band and had made it a bit heavy by then, and yeah that just freaked me out, he just made me think you don’t know anything about me. But its better when people are just honest, tell you they don’t know much about you but it’s their job to find out.

LG: What made you record the new record in New York? As opposed to London like the first one or doing it in Manchester?

SF: Well I did a tour with Feist up and down the west coast of America but that was my last promotional duty for “Magpie” and when that ended it ended in Toronto. I met up with my mate and got a plane down to New York and just bummed around there for a bit. I’d never been and just really wanted to hang around there. So I was there for a week or two and just didn’t come back. I didn’t speak to the label for a bit because I’d finished the work and then when it came time to thinking about making a new album I said, “Well I don’t really want to come home, I feel like I live here now.” Then I met this producer who made the album over there and I just did it, it was all just pretty natural, felt like a natural thing to do. (Laughing) Although having said that I do hate when bands go over to America to do their second album, I just hate them, because it’s just like, “Oooh we went over to America.”

LG: There’s something about New York though, I lived there for 6 months and there’s just something about it that makes you want to be productive and creative.

SF: Yeah totally, I don’t know why. But I know what you mean, you just don’t have that feel over here. But that’s why we make the music that we do and why they make the music that they do I think. You’d never get The Smiths coming out of there; I can just imagine Morrissey being brought up in the Bronx. That would be pretty cool.

LG: I’m not sure how he would have turned out... gold hoop earrings maybe…

SF: (Laughing) yeah yeah, gold hoop earrings

LG: What’s your favourite song from the new record? And do you feel that fan favourites often match up with artist favourites?

SF: It’s always the weirdest ones for me I suppose, with the weirdest sounds to them. But favourite song off this record would probably be a song called “She” partly because it’s got a real massive production sound to it, it just sounds like someone like me shouldn’t really be doing it. I like stuff like that. But the fan thing, they’re stupidly loving the new songs which surprises me, like when I play old songs, the reaction, its just the same for the new songs and I thought that they might be a little bit cold with the new stuff. Saying that tonight is Manchester so they might be booing everything.

LG: No! It’s homecoming for you, surely not?

SF: That’s why they’ll boo me! That’s the problem

LG: They’ll be too critical of the hometown boy?

SF: Exactly!

LG: Have you toured much in the states?

SF: No, the only tour I’ve done there was the one with Leslie (Feist) that was fun, I’d love to go and tour America properly. Elbow asked me to come with them, but I turned it down because I’d just started doing the new album and I wish I’d taken them up on that really, because I would have just been on their bus with them, opening up for them.

LG: Your website says you have “A stock of anecdotes about former boy-band members”… care to share?

SF: Oh that’s because I told a journalist about Mark Owen coming to one of my gigs and I met up with him afterwards and he was a really lovely lovely guy. And I always tell everybody "Mark Owen - he’s a right dude” and they’re all like, “Shut up! It’s Mark Owen!” But I will stand by the fact that he’s a lovely, lovely man.

LG: What’s the connection with Smashing Pumpkins and their studio for this album?

SF: James from Smashing Pumpkins owns a studio and anyone can rent it, and I recorded in that. He actually plays a little bit on the album because he was there all the time and he wanted to do something so… I love stuff like that. Just random. Two members of Elbow are my backing band for this tour, that’s pretty weird when you’ve got your heroes, people you look up to, backing you up. And they’re like, “We’ll do it for you, sure!” I just talked them into it while they were drunk one night!

LG: There’s a recurring theme of “Meeting a girl and getting cheered up by her” in your music, do you find it easier to write about love etc. or more melancholy matters?

SF: I don’t know, I never know, honestly, what i'm writing about. There’ll be about ten minutes where ill be writing something and I wont know what’s going on and ill look back and it will just be there. But if I was writing a song for someone else, the easiest thing to write about would probably be love, I like you, you don’t like me, I’m going to cry, sit in my room dah dah dah.

LG: You worked at night and day café here in Manchester once upon a time didn’t you?

SF: Yeah! Did you see that on my myspace? They won’t put stuff like that on my official one. Yeah I used to live across the road from it, that’s where I first started doing music - pop by there every day, used to work the door, the owner wouldn’t let lads work behind the bar because he only wanted sexy women so he wouldn’t give me that job but he was like, “I tell you what Stephen, ill let you take the money on the door”. That was a great period of my life. Oldham street used to be a lot rougher but still had that edge and that’s where I met all the Elbow lads and the Kloot lads, they were all just getting their deals and putting their first albums out. They were helping me out with my music so it was a great period. I don’t go so much anymore because I live out in Chorlton now but i'm going to try and move back in to town because it’s a bit sleepy out there. One of my old mates says that’s where musicians go to die. And that I should move back to the city center!

LG: What are some of the biggest perks of being a musician and making a living this way?

SF: The biggest perks… hmm, probably the amount of beer that you get given at gigs because if you had to pay for the amount of alcohol that you consume you’d be spending a lot of money! The other thing is not having to get a proper job and not having to shovel shit for anybody. Things like that.

LG: Any down sides?

SF: There will be in a year when I’ve been promoting this for a year! But at the moment, I mean, without being schmaltzy or whatever, it’s a pleasure to talk to some people – like yourself, and awful talking to other people, because they’re just out to get you and I don’t see the reason why! I mean, because they’ll never get me (laughing) I’ll just outdo them with sickness. Just start talking about sick things and see how they like that.

LG: What for you, personally, have been the biggest highlights of the last couple years?

SF: (Laughing) Sleeping more, between the albums. I don’t know, it’s a funny one really. I’m very worried about tonight, I’m very nervous because it’s Manchester and I hope it goes really well. So, fingers crossed when I walk away tonight this will be a highlight. Someone will probably throw a bottle at me or something!

LG: I hope not!

SF: Some of my mates will probably throw them!

LG: Finally… what are some of your finest memories of being a student?

SF: A student...? Oh you see I was never a student… I did behave like a student but I never really was one. My best memory of “being” a student, was every Wednesday night there used to be a venue called “The Venue”…

LG: It’s still there!

SF: Is it downstairs? Yeah! Well my best memory was; there used to be a really cheesy club called “Infinity” across from the central library and it used to have a free bar between 7 and 9. You had to pay 5 quid to get in. Of course the club hoped that if you went in at 7 you’d use the free bar for an hour or two and then stay in there for the rest of the night and buy drinks. But the best thing was all my mates and I would go there, and just neck drinks for five quid for like an hour and then fall around the street for an hour, finally ending up at The Venue where it was 50p a bottle and 50p a shot and just doing that every Thursday... that’s my favourite student memory! I remember finding myself sat outside the hacienda, at 8 in the morning; I just woke up not knowing what had happened since 8pm the previous night. But I think i've learned how to drink a bit better now…

LG: Well, thank you very much for taking the time to talk and ill be at the show later.

SF: Are you coming? Ah nice one!

LG: I wont throw a bottle at you though.

SF: Alright, wicked!

*Current Playlist

Tegan and Sara - Nineteen
I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse
Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye
Tellison - New York New York
Greg Laswell - Sing Theresa Says
Stars - My Favourite Book
Shout Out Louds - Please, Please, Please
Biffy Clyro - Now I'm Everyone
Motion City Soundtrack - Last Night
Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
Tegan and Sara - Call it off
Bess Rogers - See Me? See You!
Bloc Party - The Prayer
The Blow - Pardon Me
The Blow - Hock It
Catherine Feeny - Hush Now
Fink - If Only
Tegan and Sara - Like O, Like H
Ingrid Michaelson - Keep Breathing
Jenny Owen Youngs - Dissolve
Kings of Leon - Charmer
KT Tunstall - Bad Day
Laura Marling - Typical
Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Laura Marling - Ghost That Broke My Heart
Mozella - Say It Ain't So
Nostalgia 77 - Seven Nation Army
Of Montreal - Gronlandic Edit
Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining
Wallis Bird - 6 ft. 8
Willy Mason - Save Myself

*Laura Marling - My Manic and I EP

Laura Marling - My Manic and I EP (Virgin Records)

Only in her late teens, Laura Marling might be expected to merely sing about the trials and tribulations of youth, but on her new ep "My Manic and I" she demonstrates a wisdom far beyond her years harping through relationships, love, life and betrayal. Sometimes conversational, at other times haunting, her voice is always captivating and one that cannot be ignored. All four tracks on the ep are strong, "New Romantic" is a crowd favourite with strumming acoustic guitars, "Typical" a soothing ballad that shows her biting honesty; 'I'll keep on going i've got nothing to lose, I gave up morals when I took up you' while "Night terror" and "My Manic and I" float to the darker side of her songwriting. So for Marling, age really is nothing but a number and it seems she can only get better from here.

9/10

*Jenny Owen Youngs Interview

(Photo Copyright: Joe Cereghino)



Interview with Jenny Owen Youngs (Oct 14th 2007)

Jenny Owen Youngs is a lot of things, but disingenuous is not one of them. Not-so-simply put, she’s a feisty, hypersensitive, disease-free singer-songwriter and reformed Girl Scout who politely requests that you make room on your lap for her songs. Raised in the eastern deciduous forests of northwest New Jersey, our heroine spent her youth engaged in such rural activities as rock-skipping, bear-chasing, and waterfall-diving. She also logged countless hours spinning her mother’s copy of Revolver and learning every last word to Jesus Christ Superstar. Jenny seriously dated both the flute and the tuba before exchanging enthusiastic vows with the guitar at the tender age of thirteen. She adores sharks – a residual fascination left over from teenage ambitions toward a career in marine biology. Her album, “Batten the Hatches” is out now on Nettwerk.

I sat down with her before her show at Night and Day café supporting Jim White;

LG: So tell me how the UK tour with Jim White has been treating you so far?

JOY: It’s been going really well so far with the exception of… man it took us about 7 hours to get from London to Liverpool and as you may know its only about a 2 hour drive.

LG: Bad driver or Bad roads?

JOY: Highways were closed down, there was a lot of traffic, a lot of going around things, overall very bad… also I don’t know if you know this but London is constructed in a way that means no one is ever meant to leave, you’re just meant to stay in London for ever circling for ever…

LG: While you were making batten the hatches what were your main musical influences?

JOY: Well I’m always listening to the Beatles, I feel like they’re the bedrock of civilised society and between Dan (the producer) and I, Dan listens to a lot of Beatles, David Bowie, Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev. and I guess around that time I had just started listening to a lot of Broken Social Scene and Nick Drake, Elliott Smith and all that fucking like boo hoo bullshit. Let the record state that I just gave Lauren a thumbs up.
Can’t see that on the tape.

LG: What’s your favourite song on your record and why?

JOY: I guess i'm rather partial to “Voice On Tape” because I don’t really feel like its similar to anything else on the record and its nice and repetitive, doesn’t really go anywhere. These are the things I look for in songs. No but I like that song, I think Meredith (of Gregory & The Hawk) did a really great job with her singing, I think it sounds really great.

LG: People will notice that Regina Spektor is on the intro for “Voice on tape” how did that happen?

JOY: Oh yeah, that message, Regina left me that message when we first became friends which was when I was a freshman in college and I did something awesome and she left me that message but it was about 3 minutes longer than you hear on the song. I saved it at the time because I thought I wanted to use it for something at some point and then it just seemed like the thing to do for that song.

LG: Awethsome.

JOY: Did you just say Awethsome?

LG: Yeah I think sometimes words with a lisp sound cuter.

JOY: It does, no you’re right.

LG: Is it a co-incidence that your initials spell out joy? Or was that something pre calculated on your parent’s part?

JOY: No it was pre calculated, my parents wanted me and my brother to have happy initials my brother got Gavin Andrew (Youngs), much to his elementary school dismay. That was a rough one.

LG: Can you share with the world an explanation for your obsession with sharks?

JOY: Yeah when I was 8 or 9 my brother had this book that I read about this diver’s experience working at an aquarium, taking care of sharks and it was really intense and that I started watching shark week every year and then I decided I wanted to be a marine biologist for a long time but then it turned out I wasn’t very good at science so then you know the music thing instead…

LG: Shark week, for those of us who don’t know?

JOY: Once a year in July or august the discovery channel runs all shark programming all week and it’s super badass and you should check it out.

(Bring out a baseball cap with the remaining questions in it)

LG: Now comes the fun part, for your JOY and your JOY only… Hat question time!

JOY: Yaaaay!

(Jenny draws from the hat)

LG: Fuck was I, was played at a really important moment in the TV show “Weeds” how important do you think TV is becoming in launching new artists?

JOY: TV is invaluable. It’s the new radio in a fucking post apocalyptic world where radio means nothing because it’s all bought and paid for. So now, you know, a lot of independent artists are looking to TV placements and music supervisors to fucking break them. Our friend Ingrid Michaelson recently got a few placements on Grey’s Anatomy and that lead to, among other things, an Old Navy ad and now she’s the number 1 indie artist on myspace and she’s selling 7000 records a week, its ridiculous, so TV is invaluable.

LG: I’ve heard you have an obsession with top 40 radio? What’s your current favourite song and why?

JOY: It’s been kind of bleak the last bit of time I’ve spent listening to the radio, like “Umbrella” that song was really big and I hate that song. As much as I want to like Rihanna because she’s so little and cute… no you know what I do love, her duet with Sean Paul, where he’s all like telling her to shake her body and she’s all like well I guess ill shake my body then…

LG: I love that he’s never told anyone to do anything else!

JOY: (Laughing) that’s true, he has no other priorities. I also really liked the Timbaland and Pussycat Dolls song, wait a minute girl why you trippin' like that...

LG: Her surname’s fabulous, the lead girl, it sounds Jewish and German and she’s obviously neither, it’s like “Scherzinger”

JOY: Jesus H Christ. You think she would have had the decency to change that so nobody would ever have to try and say it.

LG: Who has been your favourite person to sit on the lap of?

JOY: Not applicable, it’s a trick question because my favourite person that I’ve done something inappropriate with is Aimee Mann who I got to grab my ass the last time I was in London. Well I can’t think of any lap that’s been better than Aimee Mann grabbing my ass.

LG: Who are some of your favourite British musicians/bands at the moment?

JOY: Radiohead are good.

LG: How do you feel about the Amy Winehouse/Lily Allen crowd?

JOY: You know what I do like them both up to a point, after a point I cant really…they’re both so specific and really… (Overhearing a conversation on another table about meatloaf) YEAH that’s exactly it, like you’re ordering the meatloaf and you’re just getting the meatloaf. That’s exactly what they are. Amy Winehouse is meatloaf and you’re not going to get anything else apart from meatloaf.

LG: When “Back To Black” came out America went crazy

JOY: Yeah you know what I can say a lot of things about that, I will say only a couple, you know, Mark Ronson got the Dapkings in for it, and the drummer is a friend of mine from college. Sharon Jones has been making that sound for years and years and years and then you slap it on a little skinny Jewish white girl and a bazillion records have been sold. And I think Sharon Jones is probably more deserving of that kind of a mantle.

LG: Now on your bio it says, “Jenny is also a space camp survivor. Ask her about it sometime.” Care to tell us about it?

JOY: Oh yeah, sure. I went to space camp when I was I guess, 12 and I got to go on little simulators, train and run fake missions. At the time I was very shy and awkward and I didn’t like myself very much at that point because I was 12. Maybe I was a little early; I don’t know when normal people don’t like themselves? It was definitely interesting, i'm really glad I went but it was definitely lonely, i'm sure I cried a whole bunch. WEEEEE.

LG: Tell me five fun facts about Bess Rogers (friend and fellow musician). I saw the “youtube” video of her dancing. It was quite something…

JOY:
1) Jew.
2) Back when we were in school, Bess’ apartment was the place where we went to hang out, one time Bess and I were making pancakes at like 10 am and also trying to open a bottle of wine to go with the pancakes at 10 in the morning and Bess broke off the corkscrew so then she started kneading in the cork trying to get at the wine, she didn’t care how she jut wanted the wine. So she finally got it but it went everywhere. So Bess was once covered in wine during a pancake making party.
3) The other day we were driving to Jenny O’s house, who has a very similar name to mine and Bess is like oh i'm going to call her. And my phone starts vibrating and i'm like ooh Bess is calling me so I pick it up and i'm like laughing like “hey Bess” and she starts talking to me as if i'm jenny O even though i'm sitting right next to her. And that went on for a good 15/20 seconds before she looked over at me and was like oh, oh god.
4) Up until recently she ran a rock and roll camp for kids which is why videos about her theory on wine had to be taken off the internet, the theory is how 1 glass of wine is good for you, so your second glass of wine is really your first. So when you would have had 9 or 10 glasses you’ve actually only had 8 or 9 at which point its totally safe to drive a school bus of children anywhere.
5) (Long pause) OOOH she’s lactose intolerant. She’s lac-tarded.

LG: Ok Pop quiz literally, Britney, Paris and Lindsay are all in a life threatening situation, you can only save 1, who and why?

JOY: Britney…because there is no salvation for either Paris or Lindsay. We’re taking a very large poster of Britney from her glory days on tour with us in the states to remind us of how she was.

LG: You love doing covers, which artist would you like to have cover you?

JOY: That’s a really good question, way to go Lauren… Someone super top 40 that would sell a million records so I could make tons of royalties, but you know from an artistic standpoint… Metric.

LG: In the spirit of Q magazine publishing Avril Lavigne’s 10 commandments (look it up, they’re appalling) what would five Jenny commandments be?

JOY: Avril made commandments?! Do I get to keep this?! My five commandments are… to England: make better coffee, sort out your streets, drive on the fucking correct side of the road and give up the whole monarchy thing. You gotta let that go. And number five… man; give me an annual present for being awesome.

(Reading the Avril Lavigne's Commandments)
JOY: EW she has the fucking chutzpa to say, “Someone like Kelly Clarkson is beautiful and has a pretty voice but with me you get a much stronger image.” She is a moron!

LG: Have you started recording for the new album? Tell us a little about it.

JOY: Yeah I have, Dan and I have sketched out 4 songs and i'm touring through the end of the year i'm going to be home maybe 3 days, i'm coming right here from LA so I am not doing a whole lot of writing right now. But the idea is when I get back from tour is to take 3 months off and do some writing. I just wrote a Christmas song, my publisher asked me to and now that’s out of the way maybe now I can do some non-Christmas related songwriting.

LG: You come across in your songs as really genuine, do you feel like all your songs come from a really honest place/beginning?

JOY: Yes I do. Thank you for asking.

LG: Do you think it’s unfair that British people tend to assume a lack of understanding of sarcasm by the general American public?

JOY: Yeah, you guys don’t get sarcasm. What’s up with that?!

LG: No we get it! A lot of Americans, excluding you and your friends who all have a firm grasp of it, they just think you’re trying to be clever when you’re trying to be hilarious. Or they think you’re being rude and you’re just not. I just think they struggle with it…

JOY: Noo listen, I’ll give you some struggle. Some of the people who have come to these shows do not understand sarcasm…

LG: I love all your cover versions, Spice Girls, Boyz II Men, The Postal Service one was a favourite. Any special ones planned for this tour?

JOY: Dude! Someone posted the postal service one?

LG: Yeah it’s on youtube.

JOY: Oh good! Dude I gotta find that, but no I’m not actually doing covers on the UK tour, I played "Hot in Herre" the first night and it felt really weird and for the first time ever I lost my place and forgot where I was because I was so frazzled so I decided to can it and not play any covers.

LG: Not even if people heckle?

JOY: Well maybe it they heckle.

LG: Ok, i'm going to heckle.

LG: How was making the igloo video for hot in herre and who is the amazing older Santa figure in it? Did you have a stylist and all those fancy things?

JOY: Yeah there was a woman who came to dress me which is why i'm wearing dresses in the video, as you know that’s not my natural state. Everyone in the video with the exception of two of the penguins, works at Nettwerk (Jenny’s record label). But it was really hot and sweaty, there was no AC, we were at a sound station in LA and it was like 103 degrees.

LG: Finally… what are your best memories from being a college student?

JOY: Me?? Dude, everyday! Everyday was awesome, you know the people that I went to school with - we were all drunk all the time. Its better now though because were all actually doing stuff but at the time it was a lot of fun.

JOY: (laughing) You literally put all the questions in a hat...