Siobhan Mazzei Band

I first came across Siobhan Mazzei shortly before I started TheGuyWithaStick and was impressed by the quality of her songwriting and strong presence on stage and I have been a fan ever since.

Siobhan Mazzei is a very talented songwriter and musician who is not afraid of trying something different. Yes her music is influenced by folk and would sit easily between Janis Joplin and Suzanne Vega but don’t be fooled! Siobhan Mazzei is as comfortable with folk as she is with garage, in fact, Siobhan, through her music and words refuses to be hemmed in by narrow boundaries of genre, which makes TheGuyWithaStick very happy indeed!

The video below is an early one but exemplifies her willingness to be that little bit different….

Siobhan is clear, that, without lugging a guitar and, often an amp, around the streets to play in a local hostelry followed immediately by a street festival elsewhere you won’t develop as an artist. Yes! Siobhan Mazzei is very hard-working, very talented and very much eager to learn and develop her craft, and she’s doing a great job of it!!!

We like Siobhan Mazzei at TheGuyWithaStick!

The question, then, is what else can Siobhan do to progress, to perfect her craft, to take her in different directions without losing the very essence that is Siobhan Mazzei?  Well, Siobhan had added four elements to do just that and they are:

Joe Doyle on Bass, Tom Scarlett on lead guitar and production and Les Hayden on drums, all three highly talented musicians in their own right and all bringing to the table a depth of experience in songwriting, instrumentation and production to name but a few, on top of Siobhan’s own vocal style and songwriting talent.

Siobhan Mazzei Band performs ‘Waiting Awake’ (Not the best quality video i’m afraid)

I asked Siobhan what she thought the guys brought to the table and the way she answered was telling. Her excitement and enthusiasm for everything the guys contribute leapt out at at me, I didn’t think she would stop!! But, the biggest thing I think the guys bring is confidence and a much more relaxed stage presence.

It can be a long, lonely journey tramping the boards on your own week in week out, but, to find people, particularly experienced and highly talented people, who share your outlook is a rare commodity indeed but that is exactly what Siobhan has done! The SIOBHAN MAZZEI band have propelled Siobhan to much greater heights. Siobhan has gone from a really good warm-up act to an accomplished and talented singer/songwriter with a band to envy! Her voice is powerful, as powerful as any one and up there with the likes of Stevie Nicks and yes! Suzanne Vega with a hint of Tanita Tikaram if that’s at all possible… Hell! Anything’s possible with The Siobhan Mazzei Band!

Les Hayden’s drums are top draw, at times he hits them so hard you feel he has a real personal problem with them, Joe Doyle’s bass is clever and frames the set wonderfully while Tom Scarlett’s guitar is perfectly in tune with Siobhan, as though they think as one? These guys truly are a class act. No more Siobhan warming-up the audience for someone else (although she will continue doing what she loves), The Siobhan Mazzei Band are a magnificent headline act in their own right!

Wait a second, I did say their were four elements and I’ve only told you about three! Well, the fourth element is simple, it’s a touch of brilliance… Four different people with four different characters but one brilliant band….. The Siobhan Mazzei Band.

Siobhan Mazzei Band – ‘In Wolfs Clothing’ E.P. is available via the link below and should be in everyone’s collection…

https://siobhanmazzei.bandcamp.com/

 

fb.me.com/siobhanmazzei

Twitter: @shedthefred

 

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Acid Haystack and the Shattered Villain

 

I bumped in to these guys at an open mic session some time back and just on seeing them once and having an all too brief chat with them between venues, I became hooked!

 

 

Acid Haystack and the Shattered Villain, composed of Andrew Mills and Daniel Heath, have been getting into people’s heads for sometime now, largely through The TGC Project which brought together various music talent into one vast, live, jamming session. This new venture demonstrates what they have learned from their previous lives and presents it live to a growing fan base, of which TheGuyWithaStick is most certainly one!

Acid Haystack and the Shattered Villain have been making a name for themselves over the last few months, playing supporting spots with the Strangler Figs and Brandy Thieves and getting a write-up in Music In Leicester. Their style is folk/bluegrass. Their mastery of the guitar, banjo and mandolin is a joy to watch and fun to listen to as are their original lyrics, laced with humour but certainly not a comedy act, and then… before you know it you are hooked!

I don’t know when their next gig is but I hope it’s soon, we could do with a lift after the holidays.

All the best lads, we’ll see you soon!

 

jsb

TheGuyWithaStick Vid-List1+2

18 videos featuring some of the best bands on the circuit!!!

All artists and bands featured on TheGuyWithaStick  Vid-Lists also have reviews on http://www.theguywithastick.com just use the search box on the right of this page… ENJOY!

 

 

For a fuller list of Matt’s upcoming events follow this link

Hailing from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, Matt Henshaw describes his current location has Derby, Nottingham and Leicester… he gets about this guy! In fact, Matt Henshaw has to be one of the hardest working musicians around. It often seems there is not a day or night goes by that Matt is not adorning a stage somewhere in the UK, it’s quite understandable to suspect there may well be several Matt Henshaws, all cloned from the original, but no! I can assure you there is only one Matt Henshaw… only one, brilliantly talented, trend setting, soul saving, Matt Henshaw!

Matt describes his style of music as ‘rhythmic gospel’, and in doing so Matt invents a whole new genre which, without the blink of an eye or  a scratch of music journalists head, the genre is accepted… and why not! What Matt does, and does expertly, is his own thing! He’s not bothered about ‘pigeon holes’ or classifications, he is bothered about his life and his life is music!

Matt has had something of a rebirth lately, standing-down from his University job to concentrate on relaunching his career in music, following his epiphany on the road to stardom and alcoholism which saw the demise of his former, and very highly rated, band ‘Censored’ in 2008. Since this time Matt has done some amazing things, from recording a cracking album with MC Rudimental st al, to re-launching his career. You can’t keep this guy down, he is determined, he’s confident and he is one of the most decent human beings I have had the pleasure of meeting he’s also destined for success!!!

TheGuyWithaStick have included a couple of Matt Henshaw tracks on the acoustic playlist on the ‘Feature’ tab at www.theguywithastick.com

Matt Henshaw can be seen all over the UK including OSFEST Music Festival in Derbyshire on July 26 and Leicester’s Simon Says on July 27th

JSB

 

©Copyright: theguywithastick.com2014

 

Matt Henshaw

Elisabeth Cornish

 

The beautifully enchanting Elizabeth Cornish and her band, comprising of: on drums – Adam Wykes, bass – Jason Skinner and on additional guitar – Mark Riley Cardwell, are wonderful a tremendous acoustic folk band following in a great tradition, and doing it justice!

Influenced by the likes of David Gray, Alanis Morissette and Laura Marling (which comes across in Elizabeth’s guitar playing) with undertones of Susan Vega, Elizabeth Cornish and the band are becoming quite a force in the region. Elizabeth’s voice is well suited to the genre mature yet amazingly gentle…

 

… her finger-picking guitar play is highly complimented by Mark’s electric guitar and Jason’s bass play with it all brought together by Adam’s drums and Elizabeth’s vocal, and what vocals they are… a master class in folk pop!

I always thought that the best thing to happen on the 15th of March was my birthday, so you can imagine how distressed I was to be ‘gazumped’ by a piece of plastic!!! Ok! it wasn’t ‘just’ a ‘piece of plastic’, it was something much more precious it was the birth of an album… Elizabeth Cornish’s album called ‘Displaced’ which had it’s launch at the Cookie on March 15th this year… and what an album it is!

Below is the title track…

 

…It truly is a must for any music collection!

There’s an old saying about ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’, well, in time, Elizabeth Cornish and the band will be those giants!

 

Elizabeth Cornish can be seen at Leicesters SimonSays Festival on the 27th July and at The Musician on the 19 August… and you just know in between these dates they’ll be playing somewhere. x

 

JSB

 

©Copyright: theguywithastick.com2014. All rights reserved.

 

Philharmonia Orchestra: Resident at De Montfort Hall

 

The Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the world’s great orchestras. Acknowledged as the UK’s foremost musical pioneer, with an extraordinary recording legacy, the Philharmonia leads the field for its quality of playing, and for its innovative approach to audience development, residencies, music education and the use of new technologies in reaching a global audience.

Together with its relationships with the world’s most sought-after artists, most importantly its Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Philharmonia Orchestra is at the heart of British musical life. Alongside its programme of over 150 concerts per year across the world, the Philharmonia can often be found in the studio recording for CD and soundtrack for the latest film video game releases.

Beyond its London home at the iconic Southbank Centre, the Philharmonia has also been resident orchestra in Leicester since 1997 and during this time has played a central role in Leicester’s rich artistic life. Each Season consists of seven to nine concerts, featuring the world’s leading conductors and soloists, performing the same repertoire we take to concert halls as far afield as Tokyo and New York. Artists for this season include some of the most established names in the classical music world including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lorin Maazel and Hélène Grimaud, as well as introducing a new generation of artists such as conductor Nicholas Collon and violinist Esther Yoo.
Beyond the stage, the Philharmonia runs an extensive programme of education and community projects working with a wide variety of Leicester residents. Past projects have included commissioning and performing the opening ceremony fanfare for the Special Olympics in July 2009, involving Philharmonia players performing alongside youth brass bands and children from five Leicester City SEN schools. In March 2010, we worked in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company to create a major project around Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet working with five Leicester City primary schools culminating in a major performance at the Curve.

Currently the orchestra is running the exciting Orchestra Unwrapped project, offering every 7-11 year old child in Leicester the opportunity to hear the world-class Philharmonia Orchestra. Click here to read more about this groundbreaking project.

The Philharmonia is also in partnership with the University of Leicester to offer students the opportunity to receive individual instrument tuition with members of the Orchestra; the University’s various orchestras and bands receive coaching from Philharmonia players; and a new student audience scheme has been created for students to attend Philharmonia concerts at DMH.

Leicester has also provided the venue for some of the Orchestra’s cutting edge digital projects, including in 2010 the award-winning Re-Rite project, an interactive, virtual orchestra installation of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, which saw over 2000 people visiting the installation in five days.

You can keep fully up to date with the Philharmonia’s latest news, by visitingwww.philharmonia.co.uk. We look forward to seeing you at a performance at De Montfort Hall soon.

© All Rights Reserved, De Montfort Hall, Granville Rd, Leicester LE1 7RU. Box Office: 0116 233 3111.
De Montfort Hall is owned and funded by Leicester City Council.

Philharmonia Orchestra: Resident at De Montfort Hall

The Arcadians, Burton-on-Trent at its best.

The music scene in the East Midlands is kicking at the moment and nowhere more so than Burton-on-Trent. Burton are producing some top artists and band, we have previously highlighted Wet Lettuce and the Magik Bean… who have recently signed a record deal with LMC Records, well here’s another band to keep an eye on… the awesome Arcadians!

Formed in 2013, The Arcadians are a 4 piece indie/rock band playing original compositions. The band comprise of: Jamie Cavanagh – Vocals & Lead Guitar, Ed Petch – Rhythm Guitar, Jack Lenaghan – Bass and Dan Alton – Drums. A busy bunch, they have been winning friends across the East Midlands and have received some good reviews, not least from Burton’s own ‘Brew Town’.f you like indie then The Arcadians are right up your street, we like… a lot!

On stage it’s clear they know their stuff, its also clear that they enjoy what they do. We at theguywithastick.com try to avoid comparisons but with The Arcadians it’s difficult not to see a little more than a hint of The Arctic Monkeys. but, don’t let that fool you! The Arcadians are very much their own people, this isn’t a tribute band, this is a top-notch indie band with some great riffs and original thought which comes through in well thought-out original compositions…

 

They have great stage presence and draw their audience in with some really catchy riffs clever lyrics, you can’t help but get involved. If you just want to stand a look at a band playing, then, The Arcadians may not be for you, but, if you want to go to a gig, get right into the music and come away feeling you got your monies worth, then, go and see The Arcadians… you won’t be sorry!

The Arcadians can be seen at The Barefoot festival on the 26 July and Wardstock on the 23/24 August

Theguywithastick.com have included a video of The Arcadians on the site and included them in one of the playlists on the ‘feature’ page… enjoy!

 JSB

©Cpoyright: theguywithastick2014 All rights reserved.

MADE IN CORBY LAUNCH NEW ARTS PROGRAMME WITH EXCITING CONCERT

Make a date in your diary for an evening of great music played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and featuring Long Live The Flame a new and uplifting Song Cycle for Corby, written by international jazz singer Barb Jungr with local musicians, Corby’s Head of Snakes and the Deep Roots Tall Trees Choir.  Tickets are available here.

This action-packed concert at Corby Town Football Club also includes majestic music favourites, chosen by people from Corby, and played by the full Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights include Coates’ The Dam Busters and Mosolov’s Iron Foundry, with rhythms and associations that reminded people of the sound of Corby as a steel town.

This concert for Corby launches Made in Corby, a three-year programme of new arts events for Corby funded by ACE through its Creative People and Places programme. Arts Council England has now approved the consortium business plan to release £1 million, over three years, for new arts activities that take a new approach by working alongside communities and grass roots organisations to play a leading part in inspiring others to get involved with the arts.

The development of the project has a strong association with The Core. In 2011, internationally acclaimed singer and writer Barb Jungr was commissioned to create a song cycle in Corby celebrating its fortitude, heart and soul.

The result was Deep Roots Tall Trees, the name symbolising the town’s long history, extending back through the steel industry and industrial revolution to the village before.

The artistic team, Rosalind Stoddart, Cultural Engineer, Kate Dyer of Corby Community Arts and Barb Jungr as Creative Director, were determined the work should be of the highest professional standard, elevating ‘art in the community’ to art on the main stage. They were supported by the team at The Core to develop the project.

The Core at Corby Cube

The Brandy Thieves

At theguywithastick.com we ask our people to write about how they feel about a band or artist, how they are moved and what they take away with them from a gig. We are not professional journalists and we reject, as much as possible, the requirement of professionals to ‘pigeon-hole’ everything and everyone. This is evident in the multitude of musical genres that purport to exist at the moment. If you constantly break everything down to its common denominator you limit yourselves, and, in the opinion of theguywithastick, you force artists to conform to that limited view, instead of enabling originality we stifle it! and then an artist, or in this case a band, comes along and sticks two fingers up to convention and with a swagger in their step and a wry grin on their faces, they set about ripping the guts out for the established ‘pigeon-holes’ and do what the hell they want… I give you The Brandy Thieves!!!

Listed as a four piece outfit, although they played as a five piece at the recent Western Park Festival, The Brandy Thieves, consisting of: Andrea Kenny, Cain Barriskill, Bernardo Mendes and Joe Carey, they play gypsy folk, in a punk rock manner, punctuated with ska… and they do it brilliantly!

Andrea’s mature, enigmatic, vocals start slow and clam enough but then she beats the crap out of you with fast guitar play and equally quick vocal hooks, aided and a betted by a rasping horn with bass and drums ensuring you can’t run off, and why would you want to? Their lyrics come across as joyful but they are drenched in social comment delivered in a rhythmic gypsy style, with two fingers in the air and smile on the face. Their energy is infectious, it’s simply impossible to stand still, you’ve got to move it… and then you’re hooked!!!

The Brandy Thieves are immense! They have won over audiences wherever they play and bit by bit they will take over the nation, the sooner the better!

So! would I pay good money to see The Brandy Thieves again, well it’s a no brainer… hell yes! However, there’s a gig I would love to see even more and that’s The Brandy Thieves on the same bill as Under A Banner, an electric folk rock band, reviewed by theguywithastick.com some months ago… I’m salivating at the thought!

Until that happens, theguywithastick.com have placed videos by both The Brandy Thieves and Under A Banner on the website along with tracks by both on the playlists under the ‘Feature’ tab.

The Brandy Thieves are playing Heather Music Festival on Friday 25 July and Leicesters SimonSays on Saturday 26 July

 

JSB

©Copyright Theguywithastick.com2014. All rights reserved.

Georgia Rose

Seen as a 4 piece, Georgia Rose is known as both a soloist and head of a cracking band that has its roots in U.S. west coast blues/rock and influenced by country.

The band, comprising of: Georgie Rose-Vocals & Guitar, Jan Gerighausen-Bass/vocals, Kegan Clark-Drums, Niall Glover-Guitar/vocals, Myles Graham-Keys/vocals. work well together; powerful drums complimenting the guitars and cracking banking vocals that are used as instruments in their own right, used sparingly but relevantly, they lift the set to even greater highs… it works well!

Georgia Rose’s voice is strong with hints of Stevie Nicks but great ‘dollops’ of Georgia Rose, she is familiar yet unique, influenced by Fleetwood Mac and the whole west coast neo-country scene… I l.o.v.e it!

 

 

Georgia Rose has/have taken the home City of Nottingham by storm with notable gigs at The Maze and Rock City and have received much local and national attention from the likes of XFM and  BBC’s Introducing East Midlands…

 

one review sums them up well…

‘Superb voice, brilliant songs and with national airplay on XFM and super star fans such a as KT Tunstall and Billy Bragg prepare to be awestruck’ – Nottingham Post

… which all bodes well for, what has to be, a truly bright future, we wish you well and look forward very much to seeing you again soon!

TheGuyWithaStick.com have included tracks from Georgia Rose in the acoustic playlist, available at http://www.theguywithastick.com/feature.html

 

JSB

©Copyright:TheGuyWithaStick.com2014