The Groove of Jackson Analogue

Jackson Analogue have a groove; the type that grabs your body and demands attention.

This groove comes from the Isle of Wight and contains infectious guitars acting as a whip to drive the beat or a counter balance to the emotionally charged vocals. All of this energy is seeped in Hammond organ.

Combined it makes Jackson Analogue one of the most authentic rock groups around.

They’re also willing to experiment. Their debut album “And then, nothing” (above) was mastered onto vinyl and then recorded back into a digital state. Thereby changing the tone of the recording and yet again finding the groove.

This album was also a way of cutting ties with the past and forging new relationships within the media and music industry for the future.

As guitarist Jim Holmes explained: “The deal we signed went sour and this album released all the music owned by that company. It’s had great reviews and brought the band to the front of people’s minds. But at the same time we are free to find people who can deliver more than we are capable of.”

Thanks to web sites like MySpace, YouTube and digital downloading, bands have access to more tools than some record companies release. So when they can’t any extra then bands have to move on.

As for future record deals Jim has this advice for himself and others: “Don’t rush into anything. Know who you are working with and get advice from as many industry people as possible.”

Jackson Analogue are in the process of making their second album which again will be recorded in the water tower on Osborne House on the Island. And have a new EP coming out soon via download.

They are playing The Bestival (Saturday, 6pm) an we’ll have a track lined up for this Sunday’s Original Showcase – 6pm original 106fm

The Appeal of Melissa

Every Sunday, after 9pm, the Original Showcase has Fanpower, in which listeners, or fans of an artist, can request more plays of their favorite acts.

If success was based on the amount of requests we receive then Southampton based Melissa would be top of the charts.

She consistently gets requests from all ages, genders and nationalities. And it is no surprise.



Her voice is excellent; her songs are about love and life, and the music is a mixture of laid-back jazz and country. She plays keyboard and flute, Dave accompanies her on guitar

The requests arrive by text, email and telephone and it’s during the calls you can hear that Melissa’s songs have tickled an emotional response with her fans.

“I write about what ever springs into my mind, or is triggered by events around me, even conversations on the bus.” Melissa explained. “The song ‘Who Knows’ was about a depressed and lonely colleague who was hoping for that special someone to come along. I just put myself I her shoes and wrote about how that would feel.”

There is nothing new in Melissa’s approach to writing but she definitely has something which links her music to the minds and hearts of the listener.

Thanks to the Internet this effect is being felt abroad with an appreciative following on the American country circuit.

As soon as the album has been recorded Melissa is hoping to head out to the States; but the album comes first and that should be with us by the end of the year.

The Original Showcase will be playing a song by Melissa this Sunday after 6pm on Original 106fm.

Dlugokecki Say "Hello" To The UK

Last week saw the conclusion of an eclectic tour of the UK by the Southampton based band Dlugokecki.

Named after the forthcoming album, the “How Do You Do” tour was their way of introducing themselves to the public and media in a way that mixes style with quality – very much a reflection of their music.


This adventure included venues such as the Mersey Ferry, Old Trafford, the London Eye, Stonehenge, and outside the Haunted House at Blackpool pleasure beach.

Where some rely solely on the internet this band have taken the camper van by the steering wheel and put some miles on the clock.

It’s also been a great way for Dlugokecki to collect plenty of footage for a video that will encompass the whole of the country.

This is music to cross borders and continents and the songs will also click within you. Ben presents stories and ideas we can all relate to.

Whether playing as a duo or a full band Dlugokecki ooze sincerity and charm.

One venue was the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth where Ben (vocals/guitar) and Andy (keyboards) played a strong set with the harbour and Isle of Wight as a back drop – and the island has a special connotation for Ben.

His fiancé used to live there and his song “Ocean” expresses his feelings about having a barrier between two people who love each other – in this case it was the Solent Estuary.

And I can’t see many barriers between his music and the rest of the world’s ears.

Birdpen – debut album announced

Whether it’s live, or on CD, you’ll always be impressed by Birdpen.

They started as a duo, combing guitar and synthesizers with killer riffs under a driving rhythm that commands attention.

Both Dave Pen (vocals, guitars, synth and centre) and Mike Bird (guitar, synth and right) are masters of studio technique and performance.

They also have James Livingston Seagull (Drums and left) who is an impassive powerhouse that compliments their laid-back yet powerful approach.



Their songs are thoughtful, intriguing and powerful. Each CD is carefully crafted and on stage they reproduce their recordings magnificently.

The mix keeps your ears firmly fixed on the layers of music surrounding you.

But in this country there aren’t many bands similar to Birdpen and, as most UK record companies seem to require groups that are part of a trend, Birdpen have one option: mainland Europe

As Dave Pen explained, “We have to prove ourselves in other territories before doors will open for us here, so we’re releasing our first album in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. We’ve had great experiences in Europe and their lack of inhibitions means they get our music immediately.”

His continental vision comes from also singing with Archive, the London based collective that recently supported Muse in front of 60,000 people in Paris.

Some of that European support is also focused on Birdpen with fans crossing countries just to see them play. But that’s what happens when Birdpen get under your skin and into your nest.

The debut album is titled On/Off/Safety/Danger and released February 2008. It will be a hit.

New bands and a Storm on Original 106fm

Every Sunday evening at 18:00 (GMT) I host the Original Showcase on Original 106fm.

During the show we play the best music from our region of the UK – Hampshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight and West Sussex.

The rain was pouring down and we were receiving messages from people stuck in caravans, especially numbers 144 and 145 - for them the station made a grim day much better.

We also had a great response to the competition and congratulations go out to Jerry from Wimbourne who won away a copy of Storm Thorgerson’s excellent new illustrated book "Taken by Storm" (pictured above) - you can buy it from Amazon here...

Taken by Storm

If you want to find out more about Storm and the great album covers he has made visit this link: www.stormthorgerson.com

Here are the bands and features for the show on Sunday 27th May 2007...

FIRST HALF 18:00 to 20:00

In the show we also had an interview with Jackson Analogue moments after they came off stage from supporting The Who at the KC Stadium in Hull. Jackson Analogue are from the Isle of Wight and more can be found here: www.jacksonanalogue.com

ALSO WE HAD TRACKS FROM

ANDREW FOSTER
www.myspace.com/andrewfostermusic

MOONTOWN
www.myspace.com/moontownmusic

MOZYDARE
www.myspace.com/mozydare

SUBGIANT
www.subgiant.co.uk

TRUE SWAMP NEGLECT
www.myspace.com/trueswampneglect

IN FAN POWER - from 21:00
(as requested by fans and listeners)

THE STRANGE DEATH OF LIBERAL ENGLAND
www.tsdole.co.uk

WILFY WILLIAMS
www.myspace.com/wilfywilliams

STATE OF UNDRESS
www.stateofundress.com

A New UFO Theory

There are a lot of UFO stories around at the moment, plenty of photos and reports. The Archway, London video is a great example.

You also have the French Government putting their UFO files online and the British Ministry of Defence are going to follow suit: MoD opens its files on UFO sightings to public - The Guardian

To me it feels that something is going on.

And now we have these excellent (almost too good to be true) photos [April]
[May] of a small craft, hovering over trees looking like a humorous piece of kitchen equipment. It has been seen a couple of times and seems to be almost doing a tour of America.

Maybe we’ll see it in Europe soon. Casually flying around, not being threatening.

It would be an ideal way of bringing humour to what could be a highly emotive subject for a lot of people.

Think of it as the modern wooden horse. We get used to it, no one can explain it and little by little we come to the conclusion that it could belong to someone "off-planet".

A little later on we get a different craft, something bigger, brighter and more fun, making the surprise less shocking.

And after that… one with a pilot.

Hmm… UFO or UF Ho! Ho! Ho!?

The questions tumbling from many tongues boil down to these three.

Is it a hoax? Is it a new flying device being road tested? Is it a vehicle from out of space?

The first one is an easy answer. Yes, of course it is. Nice clear picture, looks like something made of spare parts from Star Wars and as it’s the 30th anniversary…

The second? Well some one could have developed a new form of aerial transport and what a way to get publicity. Show off a vaguely UFO device and get people to take photos.

Or it’s a UFO: as in space craft or, more interestingly, a recognisance vehicle for an orbiting space craft?

What you can’t see is the cone like shape of wires at the top. These are explained below by someone who has left a comment where the photos are posted.

I’m undecided and more likely to go for suggestions 2 and 3. But if it is 1, then congratulations, good job.

Here’s an edited version of the best comment I’ve read so far. It’s by robert3clemens

I think that this is NOT a hoax. It's not from outer space, either. I mean, look at the damn craft. It's got a number of ionization rods arranged around a central core. What does that tell you? It's driven by ion wind, i.e. the rods ionize the air (at their tips), and a powerful magnet draws them through the donut hole…

He then continues

By the way, the reason I don't think it's from outer space is because it's so obviously atmospheric. (Ion lifters don't work in space where there's basically no gas to ionize.)

LINK
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8418528@N06/506533536/in/set-72157600236430072/

SEE ALSO
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page2022.html?theme=light

A great idea for you to run with...

I like having ideas and this one is based on observations and conversations regarding shoe buying.

What has been noted by shoppers and staff alike is that many people have problems with their feet.

High arches, strange toes, feet too wide the problems are almost endless.

But the shoes on offer are basically designed to fit one type of foot and if it is yours then you’re in luck, but it can take many attempts before you find your perfect match.

Now shoes are very important but as our feet don’t grow after we’ve reached a certain age surely it would make sense to have shoes made for you.

And that’s my great idea. Shops where you can go and get your feet measure for shoes that are designed just for you.

You’ll probably needed some sort of 3d scanner, a computer controlled cutting device and people to put these together. It might not happen there and then but once the tempted is in the system you could have almost any style made by request

They won’t be cheap, but they will feel great and will probably last longer than the ones you have now. As long as they can be easily repaired and you’ll have a customer for life.

Now you might think that’s a load of cobblers, but I disagree.