Xan Phillips

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2009-05-21T08:12:00.001+01:00

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Live Review: ‘Loz Bridge and the Box Social’ supporting ‘The Boy Least Likely To’

2009-03-26T21:33:00.006Z

Another fulfilling night at The Joiners in Southampton where we discovered some happy pop mixed with social blues and jazz.

A thin crowd were throughly entertained by the first act of the evening, Loz Bridge and the Box Social. Although sometimes it’s a bit disconcerting when the band sit and the audience stand but that's the case when it's their acoustic line-up.

Featuring Loz on piano, Andrew Foster on guitar/banjo and Matt E sitting on a cajon - a Cuban/spanish box drum which you play with your hands.

It’s a remarkable instrument which adds enough bass to the mix so that you are not too disappointed about the missing double bass player.

Also missing were my table and chair, glass of wine and a smoky atmosphere which would have really suited the mood as Loz and the band mix blues and jazz with a touch of modern day reality.

They had everyone’s attention with the haunting ‘Sarah & the Wolves’ a song about unfair dismissal and a subject rarely covered by bands like Coldplay, or even Radiohead.

And then you have ‘Witches’ which has the catchy “I hate my job” chorus and is no doubt the anthem for most musicians unable to make a living from their art.

My only complaint is that Matt E had to “sit out” the song ‘November’. I’m sure he could find something percussive to gently waft while Andrew Foster uses his effects peddles to wrap sonic landscapes around the crooning Loz Bridge.

Maybe he could just read a book. Something dark to suit the mood; Edgar Allan Poe is a suggestion.

Due to conversations with the above and others I missed all but the last song of the second act "The School" so can't really pass comment apart from my usual "more effort in the stage gear required".

The night's headliners were ‘The Boy Least Likely To’ who I was ashamedly unaware of but they were such a fun act they won me over very quickly with their infectious, good time stomp and harmonies which seemed to spark up the pleasantly full room.

Formed around the duo of Pete Hobbs (instruments) and Jof Owen (singer) this seven piece smiled their way through a set of merriment that quietly hides a dark and sinister side.

“A lot of our lyrics are sad anyway,” Jof told me, “that’s kind of our trick to undercut the upbeat stuff.”

They describe their music as ‘Country Disco’ which does it justice but there is also a pure and natural Englishness about their sound which might be why they are loved in America and little known in the UK.

According to Jof: “America seems to understand us a little bit better. They seem to get the tongue in cheek, they get that we are not entirely serious and the sounds that we use are because we think they are quite funny.”

It’s the kind of aural flavour that gets XTC such great respect but enough awareness among the general public and it fills their second album “the law of the playground” which has taken two years to release thanks to legal wranglings with their former record company.

In fact in the past two years ‘The Boy Least Likely To’ couldn’t have record any new tracks as their old company would have owned those as well. It is a valuable lesson to anyone who still wants to get signed to a record label and maybe the resolution of these problems brings out the big smiles on stage.

From the new album the best example of their dark side is the song “I box up all the butterflies” which says enough really. The lyrics are wrapped up in the shades of summer that only an English band can create while hiding the definitely un-politically correct content within.

They are definitely a band for the economic crisis as plenty of people need uplifting and even if the feeling only lingers then at least music, in this case, has done its job.

CD Review: Loz Bridge and the Box Social

2009-03-24T00:23:00.003Z

The debut EP “Witches” from Loz Bridge and the Box Social kicks off with the stomping sing-a-long title track whose memorable and resonating chorus has the immortal line: “I hate! I hate! I hate my job!”

Loz Bridge's song is the natuarl anthem for the frustrated musician who needs a day job to survive and has to suffer the pain of the 9 to 5.

The former Suburbian singer wrote it from the heart and office chair and it is naturally an audience favourite although in this time of financial crisis I am sure many people will be singing along while hoping that the boss doesn't hear their true feelings.

The second song on the EP is the set opener China on which Andrew Foster on banjo and Matt E on drums drive it along with a true head nodding vibe.

Its a perfect EP to re-create the live experience and any new fan will be delighted with the purchase.

But for me this collection wins with the two songs that some people seem to causally pass by. Both “November” and “Sarah and the Wolves” are classic songs that ooze a blues/jazz feel yet hold a commercial edge.

They are also a place where Loz's piano and Andy Booth's double bass can add their charms.

Maybe its the age I've reached that sees me leaning towards these tracks but there aren't many people writing with this kind of feel and, if I had a record company, I would be pleading with Loz to deliver an album full of these songs.

However it is unlikely I could persuade him as the forcing of songs into straight jackets is something he did with Suburbian and now he says: “I made a contentious choice not to go in that direction. I'm keen to go in whatever direction is appropriate for the song. Either people like it or they don't.”

Either way you'll love this EP and, if you do hate your job, you'll have something to hum as the boss walks past.

Here's what they look like in the flesh...

I Spy A Super Villain

2009-02-17T07:43:00.002Z

Oh Hollywood come hither! I bring you a script suitable for Bond or Bourne because there has to be a super villain out there toying with our security services, proving the extent of his or her evil abilities, because recently...

Two satellites have collided in space (first time ever) and also a pair of nuclear submarines have 'touched' mid-Atlantic (equally rare).

No doubt these two incidents have been demonstrations of a dastardly device created by an 'evil one' (possibly Dr Collido) just to prove how she, or he, can control our best machinery and make it look, well, stupid.

So if Big Ben strikes twice at one o'clock then no doubt our leaders will have given in the demands of the deranged Dr Collido.

And if, dear Hollywood, this scenario is too simplistic for our cinema goers, why not add a twist of science fiction with meteors flying over Sweden and Texas as seen below.

We could call the film: "Dr Collido's Moon Threat"

Sweden

Texas

Miracle Star seen around world

2009-02-12T08:07:00.004Z

The first pictures of the ‘miracle star’ have been published on Share International’s web site and there have also been some videos surfacing in various forums around the internet.

This picture was originally printed by Norwegian newspaper Harstad Tidende and the others from places like Miami. Costa Rica and Pakistan.

The pictures show a bright object in the sky which some say “looks as big as a tennis ball in comparison with adjacent stars.” You can seen the full set here

The background to this story is fascinating as well as deep but if you are new to this story then here is a brief summary:

Share International’s editor Benjamin Creme says we are about to see the Emergence of Maitreya, a World Teacher, who can guide us to a much better future than the one we are on course for.

Although Creme has been preparing the way for the past thirty years there hasn’t been a right moment for Maitreya to appear.

However thanks to the global financial crisis, and its serious implications to everyone on the planet, now is the time.

And to mark the start of Maitreya’s Emergence it was announced by Share International at the end of 2008 that:

“In the very near future a large, bright star will appear in the sky visible to all throughout the world – night and day.”

Well they couldn’t have picked a better or worse time.

The good news is that 2009 is the Year of Astronomy, marking the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first peak through a telescope, so no doubt many eyes will be looking up at the celestial wonders above us.

However the bad news is that Venus is resplendent at the moment and, to be honest, it has fooled me on a number of occasions. (I have found the Neave Planetarium invaluable if I am unsure as to what star or planet is putting on a display).

This planet has also sparked wild debate on the Internet and where you find someone discussing a strange star in the sky you’ll also find someone pointing to Venus.
When I last looked the thread “STRANGE VERY BRIGHT STAR LIKE THING” at www.godlikeproductions.com it had run to almost 70 pages of discussion, insult and argument.

However in that forum this video was posted (you’ll find more here)

The next event to look out for is Maitreya’s first interview which will be on American television. In the Jan/Feb edition of Share international, Benjamin Creme’s Master writes:

“On that open, public occasion, still unannounced as Maitreya, the World Teacher will present His views on the economic and financial chaos which now grips the world. He will explain its origins and final outcome, and present, to some extent, His recipe for amelioration of the present heavy burden on the poor of the world. Thus He will prepare the way for a more detailed and specific announcement of His ideas.

How will viewers respond? They will not know His background or status. Will they listen to and consider His words? It is too soon to know exactly but the following may be said: Never before will they have seen or heard Maitreya speak. Nor, while listening, will they have experienced His unique energy, heart to heart. Also, this is a unique time in history with whole nations stunned and apprehensive for the future. Therefore it can be assumed that many who hear His words will be open and eager to hear more.”

Exciting times! You can read more here:
http://www.shareintl.org/magazine/old_issues/2009/2009-01.htm

File sharing works “Wonders” for unsigned duo.

2009-01-29T00:25:00.008Z

Last year the unsigned UK pop duo Georgia Wonder tasted minor but traditional success through supporting Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall on his first solo tour.

This year an unconventional approach has seen their debut EP “Hello Stranger” downloaded over 30,000 times in four days by users of Frostwire, one of the file sharing programmes the music industry would prefer to shut down rather than harness.

For Georgia Wonder’s vocalist, Stephanie Grant, the opportunity was irresistible:

“What Frostwire helped us achieve is incredible. Their support has put our music into the hands of tens of thousands of potential fans in a matter of days.”

And all Frostwire did was add a link to the duo’s songs on the programme’s welcome page, their spokesperson Kademlia explained (via email) that Georgia Wonder was an act they believed in:

“When we first heard Georgia Wonder's EP, we couldn't stop humming 'The Girl You Never Knew' (see below). We knew there is something unique about them, because this doesn't really happen within our team. Another interesting thing was that we immediately felt the need to share the word about them.”

Even though this altruistic attitude has given a massive boost to Georgia Wonder’s listener base, Frostwire’s software is also helping a vast amount of people share music that should have been purchased.

When you read the latest statistics you can’t blame record companies from gnashing their teeth over the huge sums of money they are potentially losing.

Figures recently published by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) showed that forty billion files were illegally shared in 2008.

As these statistics are based on results from only 16 countries the extent of their problem is potentially much bigger.

Sharing this many files has been made very easy thanks to the “BitTorrent protocol” which allows a computer programme to download a file from many sources instead of the traditional one point of contact.

For example: if you were using the BitTorrent protocol to buy a book in the physical world, individual pages would be sent to you by hundreds of people instead of the whole book delivered from just one shop.

This type of data transfer is known as Peer-to-Peer (P2P) with the “peers” being thousands of domestic computers running programmes like Frostwire.

If you visit the charts hosted at “The Pirate Bay” you’ll see what is currently popular in the BitTorrent universe.

Heading music’s Top 100 is Pink Floyd’s full discography – all 27 albums wrapped up in a file that is just under 4 gigabytes in size.

Also in the charts are established groups such as U2, Metallica, Coldplay and The Beatles as well as a host of present day artists.

Unbelievably, unsigned Georgia Wonder are rubbing shoulders with these giants and, during the period their EP was available on Frostwire, they broke into the Top 20 – which is a remarkable achievement.

It would take many months for Georgia Wonder to reach a similar number of listeners using networking sites such as MySpace, YouTube, ReverbNation and Facebook but at least with those places a firm relationship can be developed with the visitor.

However, as Frostwire only promote music they believe to be a worthy listen, they themselves will form a relationship with their users and that level of trust will mean many more digital artists knocking at Frostwire’s door.

As Kademlia points out: “Music just seems to be the natural thing to share and young and up-and-coming musicians seem to be first to understand and utilize the advantages of peer-to-peer distribution. After all, today's new artists are the pioneers of the future music industry, one which will not be controlled by a hand full of record labels.”

With this type of success it won’t be long before the music industry embraces P2P trading and, with yearly downloads of 40 million; even fifty percent of that traffic would be a tidy sum.

For Kademlia the future is obvious: “P2P has been proven to be an effective media distribution technology. It's been embraced by millions organically. Hopefully, the music industry will evolve and figure out way to use it, instead of fighting it.”

Goodbye to Dark Age 2

2009-01-19T07:46:00.001Z

The inauguration of Barack Obama sees the world start a new and more positive chapter in its life.

For the past 100 years the planet has experienced its second Dark Age: two world wars, a cold war, the incredible rise of materialism and the ensuing deterioration of our environment.

It seems that humanity has been wandering around with an executioners sack on its head, waiting for the chop. Since the arrival of Barack Obama, people are beginning to feel the sun on their face and the light in their eyes.

His arrival also sees the beginning of the retreat of the people who have been holding the world back.

George W Bush will be remembered for his financing of the fight against Aids in Africa but had he approached Afghanistan, Iraq, Wall Street and the environment with the same conviction we might be looking back fondly on his eight years in power.

However for many his tenure will be seen as the cold part of the night just before dawn.

The new President will still face opposition to his message of hope in the Parliaments and Presidential palaces where the idea of change conflicts with the desire for power.

Within those walls there is a belief that the current system will survive the financial meltdown and that eventually Obama will be drawn into the fold; in a similar way Tony Blair succumbed in the UK.

Blair was also elected on a wave of optimism and hope but it wasn’t long before he was enthralled by the financial world and men of money who seemed to be saying: “If you make change it will be bad for the economy!”

The financial crisis has drawn the rug from under that argument and no matter how many billions are pumped into the system it seems that nothing can stop the collapse.

On one hand Barack Obama brings hope and great expectance and but also the knowledge that we have many miles to travel before we can relax in a rebuilt world.

It was written somewhere that wisdom is intelligence with love, in Barack Obama that love of the people shines through and will hopefully saturate us all.

How To Stop a Miracle

2009-01-12T11:38:00.002Z

As we slowly roll into the middle of January the “Christmas Miracle” that Benjamin Crème predicted seems reluctant to appear.

If you are new to this story some background links are available at the end but, in summary, December’s issue of Share International and a subsequent press release announced a Christmas Miracle was expected:

“In the very near future a large, bright star will appear in the sky visible to all throughout the world – night and day.”

This “Miracle” would signal the beginning of the open Emergence of Maitreya, a person who will guide humanity to a golden future. Soon after the star’s appearance Maitreya, under a different name, would be interviewed on American television and start delivering His message of hope and change.

According to Benjamin Crème, editor of Share International, Maitreya is the One awaited by all religions who’s Emergence has been ongoing since His arrival in London in July 1977. It’s potentially a massive news story.

People who naturally deride this whole story see this new star’s non-appearance as yet more proof that Maitreya and the Masters of Wisdom do not exist as well as proof that Benjamin Creme has been deluding many people for many years.

However if Maitreya is of the stature that Crème suggests, someone who seems to be saving humanity from humanity, then no doubt any “opposing forces” would try to stop, or at least delay Him. They have been blamed before.

In 1987 twenty-two journalists gathered in Brick Lane, in the East End of London, to hopefully meet Maitreya or one of His envoys.

Crème has always stated that Maitreya needs the media to invite Him forward because He cannot infringe humanity’s free will. Which is why Maitreya is unable to launch Himself unannounced on an unsuspecting public during the final of major sporting event.

Maitreya sees the media as the true representatives of the people, so instead of “take me to your leader” it’s more like: “put me in your leader”.

So this group of expectant reporters met in a curry house at 8pm on 31st July hoping to start the ball rolling. Unfortunately for everybody concerned nothing happened; at least in that room.

An explanation from Benjamin Crème’s Master was printed in Share International (September 1985) and might well give some insight as to why the “Christmas Miracle” has yet to be seen.

“The advent of a Being of the stature of the Christ is an event of planetary and even cosmic importance and is governed by certain laws. Inevitably it also inspires the opposition of those materialistic forces, seen and unseen, planetary and cosmic, who stand to lose the power which has kept humanity in thrall for untold ages.

On that day, beginning about 12 noon, an initiative was launched by these forces which took the total attention of Maitreya and His Brotherhood of Light to contain. This was not achieved until about 3 am.

The unanimous advice of the Masters was to postpone the contact. This decision was finally made about 9 pm. It was decided that the reception through the news media channels would not be of the best, evoking more disbelief, opposition and fear than was desirable.”

As we have no idea what was happening in the unseen areas of our planet we have to look elsewhere and a search of the Internet reveals two “seen” events which could have a bearing on the above explanation.

In Mecca 400 Iranian pilgrims were killed in clashes with Saudi Arabian security forces and in Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) calls July 31st 1987 Black Friday because of a very strong tornado: “…the weather in Edmonton is reaching biblical proportions: torrential rains, rivers rising and severe hailstorms.”

Deadly Skies: Canada's Most Destructive Tornadoes

Another event that is probably unrelated, but still would have caused extra activity in the media, was the UK’s Attorney General deciding to sue the Sunday Telegraph over the publication of details from Peter Wright's Spycatcher novel.

That aside there are parallels with the previous two events and a couple surrounding the Christmas Miracle that Creme predicted.

The festive time frame for the miracle was only announced in December’s issue of Share International, although it was first mentioned at Crème’s public meeting* in October but then is was expected “soon” and not a specific period.

Since the press release was sent out, two situations have shaken the world: Israel has attacked the Palestinians in Gaza and the Russians have cut off gas supplies to many homes in Europe.

No one is suggesting that the leaders of Russia or Israel are in league with “the other side” but the influences of the forces of materialism were blamed before, so have they sown seeds of discontent and suggestion again?

* Benjamin Crème’s next public meeting is Thursday January 15th 2009 at Friends Meeting House, Euston, London, doors open 18:30. (free)

Background reading:

The Christmas Miracle Press release

Share International magazine

“Ponder on This” A compilation of extracts from the books on Esoteric Philosophy by Alice A. Bailey.

We need more journalists like Mick Brown

2009-01-02T13:23:00.003Z

It was good see journalist and author Mick Brown write in the Daily Telegraph’s blog about the expected “Christmas Miracle” (Bright star shines for Second Coming. Possibly)

He has also covered the Maitreya/Creme story in his book “The Spiritual Tourist” and once made a revealing documentary for BBC Radio 4 in which Crème not only spoke about his life’s mission to bring Maitreya to the public’s attention but also revealed what is was like to work with a “Master of Wisdom”.

But even though a writer of his standing is bringing this story to people’s attention you are left wishing that there were other journalists of Mick Brown calibre prepared to stick their neck out and create more awareness of Maitreya and the possibible benefits his emergency would make around the planet.

However "the sit back and wait approach" is apparently the way forward as Maitreya (under another name) will be interviewed on American TV a week or so after the “Christmas Miracle”.

Yet here we are, two days into the New Year and still no sign of any bright lights in the sky.

However I still haven’t stopped looking up at every opportunity hoping to catch that first glimpse of this new celestial object.

I’m usually looking to the north as logic dictates that if you are going to cause people to look up in awe, day and night, then away from the sun would be a sensible idea.

And we’ve had some lovely clear days and nights in England, almost perfect conditions since Christmas but still nothing.

Although remember this: Christmas is twelve days long and the last day, Epiphany, is on January 6th

I only recently found out that Epiphany in Greek means "to manifest" or "to show". So there is always hope of impeccable timing.

Yet the disturbing situation in the middle-east could prove a hindrance. With the Israelis attacking the Palestinians in Gaza I’m wondering if a cease-fire is needed before any light comes from above. Or would a new star in the sky cause people to stop their war?

Showcase UK's first podcast

2008-12-15T08:05:00.003Z

American poet Stephen Kalinich is the subject of Showcase UK's first podcast.

Stephen spent 2008 working with two British musicians: maverick classical guitarist Richard Durrant and dance producer Cal Gibbson.

However 2008 also saw Stephen release an album he recorded 40 years ago with beach Boy Brian Wilson. The album was a never released classic of its time. Maybe its time has come?

Sleeping 9 to 5 (or there abouts)

2008-12-15T06:48:00.004Z

There aren’t many groups, societies or clubs that I belong to, and none that I claim to have started, but I feel obliged to make you aware of people who find it hard to be creative in company time.

Their solution is getting up early and working from 5 to 7am.

My father wrote his book in the early hours, I’m sitting here in a similar fashion and my friend Carla White has recently used this two hour slot of peace and quiet to create an application.

It’s called "Gratitude!": a personal gratitude journal for the iPhone.

Unfortunately I don’t possess one of these sexy devices so can’t vouch for her creation but Carla is a great coder and, as we are informal members of the 5am club, I feel obliged to point you to her direction.

happytapper.com

or download it from iTunes

Now Is The Time For the Media to Meet Maitreya

2008-10-30T07:25:00.004Z

Over the coming weeks economic experts will continue presenting ideas on how to resolve the global financial crisis, but not many seem to be thinking about the future.

Proof that the city dealers haven’t learnt from this disaster came with the news that billions of pounds have been lost by hedge funds short-selling shares in German car maker VW

(VW goes from the Beetle to the world's most valuable company, The Guardian)

Even after all of their losses the city hasn’t learnt and their mistakes threaten our way of life.

There can’t be many people in this world who haven’t noticed the recent injustice of our financial institutions receiving billions of dollars in aid, while millions of Zimbabweans are on the brink of starvation.

This planetary imbalance of fortune needs to be addressed and there is one person who has consistently provided a blueprint to a better future for everyone.

His name is Maitreya and His plan for humanity includes: the end of starvation and war, Peace and Justice for all, with adequate food, housing, health and education as a basic right.

Maitreya not only sees our problems as easily solvable but also predicts that by following His plan we can expect this to be achieved within 25 years. All we need to do is see the earth as belonging to everyone and share its resources.

He has been generally ignored by the media for the past thirty years but now, with our economies on their knees, is the ideal time to test Maitreya’s ideas face-to-face and see if they stand up to intense scrutiny. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

However the media have always had a problem with who Maitreya is claimed to be and maybe that is why He isn’t a household name by now.

Since May 1975 Maitreya’s plans have been presented by Benjamin Creme during his monthly lectures at Friend’s Meeting House in Euston, London.

Along with annual talks in Europe, Japan and America, Creme says he has been “preparing the way” for Maitreya, once describing his role as a bit like John the Baptist but without any baptising.

Creme is also editor of Share International, a magazine in its 27th year of publication and in that time it has never taken an advert.

As you would expect the ‘share’ in this case is “Share and Save the World” and for Maitreya this is the only way forward for humanity.

In a series of messages given to Benjamin Creme, by Maitreya between September 1977 and June 1982, the idea of sharing was a regular topic:

"The answers to your problems are simple indeed. Many times have I told you that the will to share must govern your lives. Once again, I repeat: without Sharing and Justice, My brothers and sisters, man will know no peace."

(Message No. 133 December 16, 1981)

So who is Maitreya? And what is His background? On Share International’s web site they claim this about Him:

“He has been expected for generations by all of the major religions. Christians know him as the Christ, and expect his imminent return. Jews await him as the Messiah; Hindus look for the coming of Krishna; Buddhists expect him as Maitreya Buddha; and Muslims anticipate the Imam Mahdi or Messiah.

Although the names are different, many believe that they all refer to the same individual: the World Teacher, whose personal name is Maitreya.”

(Who is Maitreya? Share International)

If true this would be the biggest news story the planet has witnessed but maybe a claim the media have found impossible to stake their reputations on with an in-depth investigation.

They might have also had a problem with the notion that they need to invite Maitreya forward. Creme says Maitreya can’t just materialise on TV sets around the world as that action would infringe humanity’s Free Will, something a person of Maitreya’s standing sees as sacrosanct.

The media are also seen as the people’s true representatives. It is them and not politicians or religious leaders who are needed to put Maitreya’s plans forward but only after thorough testing and questioning of His qualifications.

Creme’s first attempt at bringing Maitreya and the media together was a major press conference in Los Angeles on 14th May 1982.

After placing full page adverts in newspapers around the world, ninety journalists from the main news outlets gathered to hear Benjamin Creme announce that Maitreya, The Christ and World Teacher, was living as an ordinary member of the Asian community in London, ready and willing to help humanity.

All the media had to do was go through the motions of looking for Maitreya and He would be able to start His emergence. In a Share International pamphlet Creme explained:

“A well-known journalist would need to be assigned to the task, so that on meeting Maitreya they would have sufficient professional standing to be believed by their fellow journalists.”

Unfortunately no one came forward. And in some respects you can’t blame them as the Share International adverts had proclaimed “The Christ Is Now Here”.

Now from Creme’s point of view he is telling the absolute truth but it must have seemed a very difficult task for the journalists, returning to their editors with the news: “Well, Christ wasn’t there, but Benjamin Creme says we’ve got to go and look for Him and then he will come forward.”

However the story did inspire some freelance journalists and twenty-two gathered at a curry house in Brick Lane, London on 31st July 1985 with the hope of meeting Maitreya, or an envoy.

A humorous account of the evening was written by Alan Rusbridger, the current editor of the Guardian newspaper, who since hasn’t written anything about Maitreya.

No one put in an appearance that evening and enthusiasm for the story diminished but, according to Creme, enough of an attempt had been made to begin the process.

In the September, 1985 issue of Share International he writes:

“Of course, all of us who have worked so hard to bring this gathering of journalists about were disappointed. From the viewpoint of the Christ, however, the evening was a great success. For the first time, a truly representative group of the world's media, East and West, made themselves available to be contacted. This represents a symbolic invitation from humanity to come forward and immeasurably frees Maitreya's hand to act directly Himself.

In the long run, the media have still to make Maitreya known to the world but the work of getting them involved is done. We can now await Maitreya's direct action with added confidence and faith.”

Twenty-two years later and with the same optimism and hope for the future Benjamin Creme is still giving lectures in Friend’s Meeting House and at the most recent (7th October 2008) he said Maitreya’s first TV interview was very close. It will be in the United States, He won’t be called Maitreya but he will put forward His views and ideas.

Creme even gave the audience a time frame in which this would happen and the details have been printed in Share International (November 2008).

Apparently this August, Maitreya gave a bottle of hair conditioner to a woman stall holder the Esoteric fair in Magdeburg in Germany. He told her that: “If you are very sparing, the event will happen before this bottle is finished.”

Maitreya also gave her another sign that the moment was near: “The event will be announced by a bright star in the sky, which will be visible for everybody.”

Familiarity Breeds Yet Again

2008-10-03T12:45:00.004+01:00

Since Original 106fm stopped broadcasting I’ve been giving this expression a fair amount of use: "When one studio door shuts, another opens".

Although when it comes to continuing the Showcase, which puts unsigned and independent music on the radio, people seem to be cowering behind the studio door, fingers in ears, exclaiming the idea to be “dangerous”.

Well, dangerous might be a small exaggeration, but what I’m finding is that playing "new music" on commercial radio is seen as a bad idea because, the theory goes, listeners want familiar songs. Songs that they know and love and have heard many times before.

If they don’t hear a familiar song they’ll change channel.

And that’s even with the new music put into a “new music show” with a presenter telling you that there is “new music” about to come on.

It’s surprising the ‘familiar’ theory is so prevalent because pop radio has been with us for over 40 years and by now we should be used to hearing the occasionally different song.

The only person widely associated with broadcasting new music the late BBC broadcaster John Peel and bizarrely enough he became popular before joining the BBC playing new and different music on a pirate radio station.

So even in the late 60’s pirate radio fell into the trap of playing safe.

The message is loud and clear: commercial radio plays music you already know and new music is the BBC’s remit.

Commercial television doesn’t have a problem with untried talent. If you went to ITV chief Michael Grade and suggested he should drop “The X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent” I am sure he’d suggest you did something unprintable.

These two shows are their biggest ratings winners and although the format maybe familiar the acts aren’t. It is a sure bet that radio wouldn’t have discovered Leona Lewis or Will Young.

I’ve recently been reminded that “radio is a village”. A great analogy to be sure but, to my eye, commercial radio’s current attitude appears more like local gentry, living on a big hill near the village, with a loud speaker on the turret, expecting everyone to love them because of the familiar songs they broadcast.

The only time these gentry visit the village is to collect money from traders, or hand out prizes when ratings are being counted.

If, on these rare visits, they were to collect a few new songs from the village and then expand on that interaction, they might engender some respect, loyalty and more importantly for the traders - show they have a connection with the community.

Advertiser’s current worry is their message falling upon deaf ears because, if people are listening to familiar songs on the radio, are they really “listening”? Are they just treating it as background music?

Of course the other question radio should be asking is “How many times do people switch when they hear a song they are familiar with?”

Commercial radio is an excellent medium for musicians, listeners and advertisers to co-exist but for me the current trend of safety will widen the distance between the station and the community.

Planning for The National Climate March on December 6th 2008

2008-09-03T11:12:00.003+01:00

If the points below mirror your thoughts then there is a meeting you should be going to.

No - New Coal
No - Heathrow / Aviation expansion
No to Agrofuels

Yes to renewable energy, energy efficiency, low carbon transport, deep and rapid emission cuts, green jobs.

The National Climate march is going to be a big mobilisation of people concerned about our climate. There is a meeting on 4th October 2008 in London to plan for the demo as well as the year ahead.

Venue: Room G2 in SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), London. SOAS is off Thornhaugh street, off Russel Square – otherwise approachable from the other side from Malet street.

Nearest tube : Russel Square. G2 is in the main building where the Students Union is, up the stairs from the central courtyard.

Date and Time: London, Saturday 4th October, 11.00 am to 5.00 pm

The meeting is organized by the Campaign Against Climate Change who announced in a recent email:

"The National Climate March on December 6th is also part of a Global Day of Action on climate – last year more than 70 countries were involved. Help us build this international campaign still bigger- both for the Poznan Climate Talks this year and the all important Copenhagen 2009 Talks next year.

As well as joining other countries around the world to demand urgent action and climate justice from world leaders the National Climate March will be pushing 3 major issue/demands to the government

No New Coal

No Heathrow / Aviation expansion

No to Agrofuels

While these negatives are balanced by a positive

Yes to renewable energy, energy efficiency, low carbon transport, deep and rapid emission cuts, green jobs..."

http://www.campaigncc.org/

Don't Dump! - Freecycle!

2008-08-15T02:55:00.001+01:00

From pianos to old printers people are turning away from dumping and giving away their “almost rubbish” to people living near by.

It’s called Freecycling and these are the groups of people currently doing it in the south’s main towns – there are many others

Winchester - 3305 active members
Southampton - 9419 active members
Portsmouth - 3685 active members
Isle of Wight - 1904 active members
Bournemouth - 6472 active members

The above are main centres we've picked out but there are many other groups who could be much closer to you for example:

New Forest East - 1634 active members
Fareham - 1449 active members
Wimborne Minster - 754 active members
http://www.freecycle.org/group/UK

As they say…
“Freecycle groups match people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them.

Everything posted must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. When you want to OFFER something - whether it's a chair, fax machine, piano or an old door, simply send an email to your group.

Maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself? Post a WANTED message and a group member may just have what you're looking for. Alert the group with a follow-up RECEIVED email.”

The Best Couplet In A Song

2008-08-09T00:32:00.004+01:00

A great set of U2 lyrics can be found in 'The Fly' by U2, the first single from U2’s mold breaking album Achtung Baby (1991)

There is one couplet from that song which will always stick with me:

Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief
All kill their inspiration and sing about their grief

I wonder if Bono gave himself a large pat on the back upon completing those words because in my opinion it’s one of the best observations put into song.

The full set of lyrics can be read on a web site dedicated to U2 - u2wanderer - it is a joy to use this web site for the layout, content and no pop-ups.

Please Let The Pictures Do The Talking

2008-08-08T17:59:00.001+01:00

What a brilliant opening ceremony the Chinese have presented for the 2008 Olympics.

I wasn’t able to see it all but the moments I witnessed gave one hope for the future of mankind. The colour, the precision, the costumes and what a finale! It honestly brought a tear to my eye.

But what really irritated me was the commentators on the BBC broadcast. They couldn’t stop talking. They couldn’t let the action speak for itself. All sorts of scraps trivia were delivered.

It was like being at the cinema and having a couple chatting about production techniques during the whole film.

The moment I cracked was during the pianist Lang Lang’s performance and the presenters continued wittering away about banal and inane things.

I telephoned the BBC to complain but the line was busy so maybe others felt the same. I’ll let you know if my e-mail gets a response.

However should anyone ask you to commentate on such a spectacular event in the future, this handy quote from Confucius should be kept for future reference:

“Silence is the true friend that never betrays.”

The Joy of Compilations

2008-08-08T08:08:00.001+01:00

The first single from Birdpen’s debut album On/Off/Safety/Danger is released on Friday 15th August.

It’s called Breaking Precedent and is available to download from iTunes and Napster.

Birdpen first came to the original Showcase’s attention when we received the compilation “The Coming of The Railways” – the best of the south coast’s bands [search on ebay]

Collections like that are an ideal resource and, as the artists are from the same area, give a great musical snap shot of the local scene.

In that 19 band collection I had my first experience of Subgiant, Scarlet Soho, Plastic Toys and Sine Star Project all of which are Showcase regulars.

Last week another fine compilation landed on our desk and not only does it originate from the Isle of Wight but also serves another purpose.

Complied by John Cattle, chairman of the Save Ventnor Skatepark Group the CD “Transitions” is a major part in their fund raising process.

They’ve enlisted the help of Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher from The Bees and on this first volume you’ll hear some old favourites of the Showcase: acts like Jet Harris, Jackson Analogue, The Chancers and Shanklin Freak Show.

But I have also been introduced to the Wight Light Orchestra, The Shutes and The Peas.

This Sunday we’ll be playing three more songs from the album which, for £10, you get 22 bands of varying styles but definitely a high standard. Visit
www.wight-trash.co.uk to buy your copy.

NY Arts - The Vision of the Resurrection

2008-08-06T17:34:00.001+01:00

British painter Donald Pass has recently featured in NY Arts NY Arts - The Vision of the Resurrection

If you want to study his work further the video below gives you more images and excerts from an interview I conducted with him a couple of years back.

or visit www.donaldpass.com

Something big about Subgiant

2008-08-06T16:08:00.005+01:00

Every time I meet a band for a Showcase session I am always uplifted and inspired by their art and craft.

With Southampton based Subgiant I was also really surprised at the quality of the sound they produced and also the energy that exuded from their performance.

We squeezed them and their equipment into studio 2 and no matter how many technical gizmos you have; to stand out you need the tunes and Subgiant have them in bucket loads.

They played two songs in the session “Filthy” from the album Global Control and “Stunt Driver” which is a new download.

And if you are a collector of CD’s then get Global Control as Subgiant will only be releasing single pieces of music for a while.

This is “a response to what’s happening in the industry.” Bass and keyboard player, Olly Maw, told us. “It means we can talk to the fans more regularly rather than one big build up.”

This makes a lot of sense. Hours of time and effort are put into making and promoting an album and once released momentum is hard to maintain.

So for bands on Subgiant’s level a track once in a while keeps interest ticking over and continues building the fan base they are picking up from all the festivals they play.

This Sunday they are in session on the original Showcase after 6pm and live at Endorse it in Dorset, main stage, 15:00, Saturday 9th August.

Crop Circles point to August 1st Solar Eclipse

2008-07-29T00:53:00.001+01:00

This summer's crop circles seem to have a message.

If you visit the Crop Circle Connector you'll find a very interesting article by Bert Janssen under the pictures of the wonderful formation at Furze Knoll, Beckhampston, Wiltshire.

He starts:

“Most new crop pictures which have appeared so far in the summer of 2008 have told us about the astronomy of eclipses.”

Later on and after some convincing mathematics and astronomy:

“…the field alignment of Furze Knoll was seemingly meant to tell us:

"Your Sun and Moon will line up on Earth's horizon at 20 degrees east of north, for sunrise on August 1 during an upcoming solar eclipse."

http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2008/furze/furze2008.html

Large body of evidence for large UFO in Texas sky

2008-07-18T00:12:00.000+01:00

The mission of the Mutual UFO Network is clear: “The scientific study of UFOs for the benefit of humanity.”

And they have just released a very thorough report into a UFO sighting in Texas in the early part of 2008.

Using the Freedom of Information Act MUFON requested radar documents from the Federal Aviation Administration, military bases and other agencies under.

With this evidence and witness statements they suggest that an enormous craft, without transponders, travelling up to 2,100 miles-per-hour and "turning at angles not possible by military aircraft." was seen above the skies of Stephenville and Dublin in the state of Texas.

The pdf document can be found here: www.mufon.com/documents/MUFONStephenvilleRadarReport.pdf

Or just visit MUFON: www.mufon.com

Yorkshire Woman Videos Lights In Sky

2008-07-16T00:14:00.000+01:00

Mrs Lorraine Senior lives near Woodkirk Valley Country Club, Leeds Road, Dewsbury in Yorkshire.

She's been seeing lights in the sky for quite some time and as she didn't have any proof kept quiet about what she saw.

However once she had captured footage of these noctural apparitions she contacted the Yorkshire Evening Post.

They have some great quotes from her, this is one:

"Sometimes they fly in a triangular formation and shoot off at great speed. I would guess they are about half a mile away. There is nothing in the area but green fields. I'm a believer in them."

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Woodkirk-woman-spots-UFOs.4285639.jp

Hounslow UFO Video

2008-07-13T00:15:00.000+01:00

UFO sightings continue to be reported in regional newspapers and these stories are prompting people to come forward with even more reports and occasional some video.

On Sunday (6th July) people reported strange lights in the sky and then the Houslow Chronicle (July 11th) reports:

“Aaron Rhys Jenkins from Osterley saw three lights hovering above him at the Ashford Roundabout on New Year's Eve at around 3am and recorded them on his camera phone as he watched in awe.”

Full story: http://www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk/west-london-news/local-hounslow-news/2008/07/09/more-sightings-of-hounslow-ufo-109642-21303935/

How To Approach A Record Company

2008-07-11T13:00:00.000+01:00

Recently I was asked for advice about approaching a record company.

This brought back happy memories of my times in bands where we would all traipse up to a record company, meet someone in A&R, and play them our latest demo.

These were never successful meetings and I doubt A&R departments still allow young hopefuls through the door so this is how I would approach it now.

Find someone whose musical opinion you trust and ask them if you are any good. If they say no then either improve, or give up and stick to the day job.

If they say yes find the record label most suited to your sound; the one you would really love to sign to.

Then find out who is responsible for new acts and try and speak to them. You’ll need to be charming to get past the receptionist. Don’t be put off by a negative response.

Once you have a name; you have a contact. Send this person your demo but make sure the whole package looks impressive: a plain silver CD with a hand written note is going straight into the bin.

So maybe send your trusted friend from above the whole package and see what improvements they can suggest.

And be prepared for a positive response. If they like you they will want to: see you play live as soon as possible and how many albums of material you already have.

Good luck!

Interesting UFO Footage

2008-07-11T00:17:00.000+01:00

According to the Islington Gazette

"The startling video was shot at 9.30pm by a 45-year-old mother-of-two from her second-floor home off Essex Road in April 2004. Two weeks later she filmed a second larger unidentified orb that appeared in exactly the same position at the same time -but has not revealed the footage until now for fear of being branded a hoaxer."

You can see both clips here:

http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/UFOFootage/UFOFootage.aspx

The World Needs Help

2008-07-10T10:58:00.000+01:00

The economic downturn is quickly becoming a crisis but, luckily for us, humanity only reacts when the situation gets really, really bad.

Thankfully it’s a financial crisis and not environmental otherwise we’d be looking at a dead planet instead of just negative equity.

But we do have to start looking for a new way of living because this current trend of growth and profit, over health and wellbeing, has been shown to be seriously flawed.

When you consider that India and China need double the current production of oil to reach the same standard of living that Americans enjoy, then it is obvious our current economic model cannot sustain such a level of development.

A different future can only come about if somebody brings a bag of sensible ideas to the table: ideas that offer a solution which gives everyone hope, purpose and a sense of justice.

It seems very unlikely that these ideas will stem from the current crop of elected people.

To put it politely the management of Earth has been inept and the proof of this weakness could be seen at the G8 summit in Japan.

Leaders from the countries at the top of the economic pile discussed the world’s food crisis. Instead of setting an example to us all, by showing sympathy towards the hungry and eating a simple meal, they dined to excess.

So if the top is rotten what about the base?

A new world will definitely be built by the many campaigners and organizations already doing great works spreading help, health and education to people who desperately need it.

And the positive result these people and their groups achieve is constantly reported by the magazine Share International.

The magazine’s editor Benjamin Crème (left) also states that our planet has enough resources for everyone to live a great life and that sharing should become humanity’s goal.

Their motto is “Share and Save The World” and since 1981 they have been spreading this message. In that time S.I. has never taken an advert which is itself a remarkable publishing achievement.

One of their suggestions for a new future has been bartering between nations. Recently the Australian newspaper recently reported that the current food crisis had prompted Malaysia to declare it: “would swap palm oil for rice with any rice-producing nation willing to make the trade.”

If all nations were to adopt this policy it would definitely be bad news for the world’s commodity markets but could potentially be one of the new ways forward for our global society.

So the highlighting of good works around the world and also the proposal of new ideas is two of the strands Share International puts forward.

Benjamin Crème has also consistently suggested we are about to meet a remarkable person: someone who has the abilities to unite humanity in a common purpose with out infringing religious beliefs, political persuasions and even free will.

This person, the Share International web site states: “has not come as a religious leader, or to found a new religion, but as a teacher and guide for people of every religion and those of no religion.

At this time of great political, economic and social crisis Maitreya (left) will inspire humanity to see itself as one family, and create a civilization based on sharing, economic and social justice, and global cooperation.”

This sounds like it has the potential to be the greatest news story since journalism began: to others, contemplating such a story is a sign of naïve utopian madness.

Optimists will agree that this “Teacher” should be given an opportunity to speak, his ideas tested by the world’s media and his answers debated in the community.

And if the ideas seem lacking then we will look for someone else because we need help and guidance and there must be someone who can send us in a new and better direction.

So as a broadcaster I am more than willing to call Maitreya forward for an interview but, as my audience is not as large as others, I’m quite happy to propose that someone from Sky News or the BBC take up the challenge and test Maitreya! You’ll have my full support.

Links: Share International

More and more reports about UFOs in the UK

2008-07-10T00:18:00.000+01:00

UFO was like a 'ball of flames'
Mid Sussex Today - Haywards Heath,England,UK

A MYSTERY UFO was spotted in the sky over Heathfield on Saturday night.
The Parker family from Mutton Hall Hill said they saw an object which looked like a ball of flames.

It appeared to be taking the usual flight path of planes coming in northwards from the continent towards Gatwick or Heathrow. But it suddenly veered off to the east before going out of sight.

Karl Parker said: 'I could have been a military flare of some sort as it appeared to go with the prevailing wind.'

http://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/509/UFO-was-like-a-ball.4265602.jp

UFO sighting in south Norfolk
Diss Express - Diss,England,UK

"I frequently walk my dog at night, but this is the first time I have ever seen anything like that. "It wasn't a plane or anything, it was definitely a UFO”

http://www.dissexpress.co.uk/news/UFO-sighting-in-south-Norfolk.4265441.jp

More sightings of Hounslow UFO
Hounslow Chronicle - London,England,UK

The mystery around a UFO seen swooping through Bedfont skies on Sunday deepens as more people contact us with similar strange stories.

Isleworth mum Kimberley Eliadef contacted us, adamant she saw something she could not explain in the night sky on Sunday.

"My neighbour thinks we're all barmy," she said. "But four of us saw itand so did two dog walkers I met in the park. There were three disk-like lights following each other and moving away, then meeting in the middle."

http://www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk/west-london-news/local-hounslow-news/2008/07/08/more-sightings-of-hounslow-ufo-109642-21303935/

UFO sighting in Southport during twister mayhem
Southport Visiter - Southport,UK

A UFO was captured on camera as a Southport nature enthusiast snapped away at Sunday's twister.

http://www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk/west-london-news/local-hounslow-news/2008/07/08/more-sightings-of-hounslow-ufo-109642-21303935/

Flintshire readers report more UFO sightings
Wrexham Leader - Wrexham,Wales,UK

By Kate Forrester Keen photographer Peter Jones, of Connah's Quay, believes that he has snapped scores of pictures of UFOs across North Wales.

Mystery of Caversham ‘UFO' light
Reading Evening Post - Reading,England,UK

Reading appears to be a hotspot for UFO sightings after another unidentified object was spotted in the skies of Caversham.

UFO mystery: More sightings over Harborough
Lutterworth Today - Lutterworth,England,UK

A FLYING saucer and a snake-like trail of red lights have been spotted by Mail readers looking to the skies since last week's UFO mystery. ...

http://www.lutterworthmail.co.uk/news/UFO-mystery-More-sightings-over.4267933.jp

Did you see UFO over Hatfield?
Times 24 - Welwyn Garden City,England,UK

Have you seen any UFOs in Times Territory or did you see either of the lights reported above?

No More Soggy Carrots

2008-07-09T01:13:00.000+01:00

The curse of soggy carrots sometimes strikes these orange vegetables in my fridge.

One day they are a tempting, crisp snack only to succumb 24 hours later to a case of the bends!

A possible solution to this soft problem was provided in article published by the Guardian: How To Cut Your Food Waste in 20 simple steps (Tuesday 8th July)

In step 5 they suggest we should be storage savvy and invest in an E.G.G. an "Ethylene Gas Guardian" (left) and, as the EGG web site points out:

“Much of the produce in your refrigerator is sensitive to the presence of even very low levels of ethylene gas. The refrigerator acts as a trap for the ethylene gas given off by the generating varieties, allowing it to build up to damaging levels. Although not hazardous to humans, the ethylene gas leads to the early aging and rotting of your produce.”

I intend to purchase one of these EGG's and will keep you updated as to my progress.

www.4theegg.com

The mother of all UFO quotes

2008-07-05T00:24:00.000+01:00

Here are some more local newspaper reports on the continuing appearance of strange lights in the sky around the UK. They could be spaceships, they could be lanterns but they are providing some great quotes, images and maybe raising expectations!

The best quote this week has come from a mother in Shropshire. She was putting her daughter to bed when they saw something in the sky as they were pulling the curtains.

“The light was out of this world. The light was the brightest I have ever seen in my life. It was just unbelievable.

“Seeing is believing and I believe now we have definitely seen something not from this planet.

“We were covered in goosebumps. It was unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.”

The full story is in the Shropshire Star: Readers report light sightings

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/06/26/readers-report-light-sightings/

In the same web site you can read about another sighting, this time from a Pilot…

Mystery sighting ‘may be a UFO' (Shropshire Star - Telford,England,UK) A pilot today claimed strange orange lights over south Shropshire could have been a UFO
http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/07/03/mystery-sighting-may-be-a-ufo/

Police See UFO - And Admit it!

2008-06-21T01:22:00.000+01:00

"They are convinced it was a UFO. It sounds far-fetched, but they know what they saw."

That's a quote from South Wales Police who reported that a helicopter crew were almost hit by a “saucer shaped” craft as they waited to land at the St. Athan MoD base in Cardiff.

They even chased it to Devon but ran low on fuel!

Full story here from Laura Clout:

Daily Telegraph - Police chase UFO over Cardiff

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2160814/Police-chase-UFO-over-Cardiff.html

Loz Bridge & The Box Social

2008-06-12T13:00:00.000+01:00

In this Sunday’s Original Showcase we have Loz Bridge and the Box Social in session.

Loz used to sing for the Portsmouth band Suburbian who split at the end of 2007 leaving him to concentrate on his song writing and find musicians to compliment his new direction.

The Box Social includes Showcase regular Andrew Foster on guitar (left) and Matt (right) on a rather beguiling Spanish drum that you sit on to play.

Every Showcase session is always a new experience and it sometimes feels like the old days of recording when we try to get the best positions for the microphones and balance the sound levels.

Afterwards a small amount of reverb is applied to give the songs a “live room” feel but we don’t add compression any more as it seems to take away something from the band’s performance.

I didn’t realise we were part of an “anti-compression” trend until I heard about the “Loudness War”.

Compression has been used to make songs louder and help them stand out on the radio. However if today’s songs are loud, tomorrow’s will have to be even louder!

To counter this vicious circle, and the resulting poor quality sound it produces, the “Turn Me Up” campaign has been started by music professionals Charles Dye, John Ralston and Allen Wagner.

You can find out more about their attempts to bring dynamics back to music at www.turnmeup.org

It will open your eyes and maybe your ears too!

The Groove of Jackson Analogue

2007-08-17T17:06:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-10T17:03:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-09T18:22:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-02T16:40:00.000+01:00

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

2007-05-28T13:19:00.000+01:00

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

2007-05-24T05:08:00.000+01:00

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!?

2007-05-24T03:58:00.000+01:00

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...

2007-05-10T01:50:00.000+01:00

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.

Inspired Inspirational Posters

2007-03-31T02:25:00.000+01:00

The proper term is actually motivational posters.

Offically they are a nice picture with some sort of insipid guff underneath which is supposed to get you going onwards and upwards.

These are usually hung up by managers who lack the ability to inspire and believe the poster will not only communicate their wishes to the staff but also get the staff... motivated.

It’s cloud cuckoo land thinking and I loathe ‘em.

I spent far too long at one job with three, unspiritual propaganda boards, hanging in front of me. They did little to inspire.

Imagine reading a joke every time you looked up, would it be funny after a month, a week, a day an hour?

I figure the answer is… strangely enough… yes.

These Star Trek inspirational posters are brilliant and this one is a prime example of humour married with observation and could quite happily hang on my office wall, if I had one.

In case you can’t read the text it says:

EXPENDABILITY

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Ensign Ricky are beaming down to the planet. Guess who's not coming back.
WEB SITE LINK:
echosphere.net/star_trek_insp/star_trek_insp.html

Big Goes Green

2007-03-02T00:37:00.000Z

Being environmentally friendly is easy in your head; putting it into practice needs commitment and with that the individual can achieve a certain amount of success by just recycling paper, bottles and cans.

But how can big things like football stadiums be green when they are so, well, big?

Apparently they need about 20,000 litres of water a day to keep the pitch in tip top condition. That amount of water makes a big demand on the system and if you want to be friendly to the environment then a new approach has to be found..

And a great example of ‘new’ thinking is the stadium recently built by Urban Edge Studio for Dartford Football Club in Kent.

The designers have designed a system which collects water from almost every flat surface that the stadium has and then stores it in two purpose built lakes near by.

This means they should never have to take water form the mains and could survive a drought for two months before they’d have to turn on a tap.

It’s an exciting development and you can discover what else they have achieved by visiting:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/first_eco_footb.php

AxisofLogic/ Media Critiques

2007-03-01T15:08:00.000Z

It's very tempting to say that the 2008 US elections are "not my fight" but America holds sway over so much of our world's politics and economy we should all be aware of what is going on.

Here's an interesting article by Jeff Cohen which highlights the plight of independent media in America and also 'alerts' us to the interesting progression of: "Bush I to Clinton I to Bush II to Clinton II".

AxisofLogic/ Media Critiques

Original Showcase Sunday 18th Feb

2007-02-18T22:27:00.000Z

Every Sunday evening at 18:00 on Original 106fm I present the Original Showcase which plays the best music from our region - Hampshire, Dorset, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.

These are the acts from last Sunday's show...

MOZYDARE - a fun packed Pop/Rock band from Gosport
www.myspace.com/mozydare

SARAH SAVILLE – excellent singer/songwriter from Southampton
www.sarahsaville.com

BIRDPEN – dark and mysterious indi sound from Southampton
http://www.birdpen.com/

LOS FANTASMAS (above) – Latin and reggae sounds from the isle of Wight
www.myspace.com/losfantasmas

BRIAN HOOPER – Long standing folk musician from Southampton
www.focsle.org.uk/SCoFF/brianhooper/

ILZE – Singer from Latvia now living in Southsea
www.myspace.com/ilzemusic

They'll come in peace

2007-02-14T05:16:00.000Z

In a recent posting Mr Meadows has rightly pointed out that ‘the people of Earth’ have been conditioned to think that any alien invasion would be a violent one.

I’m not surprised. Our history of discovery has always been a marred by bloodshed.

Newly discovered countries were always ripe for plundering and pillaging: from the Romans onwards it has been a succession of conquests.

Consequently people think aliens will mirror our base actions and motives and so they’ll take Earth by force.

But as far as I’m aware there aren’t space ships on the White House lawn, so this can only mean one of two things…

Aliens don’t exist or they have a policy of making themselves known when the time is right.

Look at it this way. Would you land on a planet that had millions of people starving to death, which was moving towards an environmental disaster and still used war as a method of solving an argument?

This planet is a beautiful place, and has enough for every one, but until we live in balance with ourselves and nature I don’t think we’ll be receiving visitors from afar.

UFOs Over London

2007-02-10T01:32:00.000Z

If you see something flying in the sky and you don’t know what it is, then it’s quite legitimate to call it a UFO – an unidentified flying object.

About 15 UFO’s were seen over London on Thursday 1st February 2007 (See above) It is reported some 40 people saw them and someone had a video camera.

On the Islington Gazette’s web site Alix McAlister, 34, a market stall trader from Archway gave this description:

"They were coming from the north and moving south. And then they kind of stopped and they were hovering. There was no sound. They seemed to fade away and I saw more coming and then they stopped. It lasted about 10 minutes."

And then there’s Tom Cull, of Summerlee Gardens, Fortis Green, 27, who had just finished a guitar lesson when he noticed a crowd of people staring up at the sky in Magdala Avenue.

He said: "There were at least 30 people watching. Cars had stopped. It was kind of eerie.

"What I found strange about these things was the way they moved. The fact that they were so high would suggest they were quite big."

You can read the full report and more importantly see the video at the Islington Gazette web site.

SEE: ARCHWAY UFO VIDEO: YOU DECIDE

There have been quite a few reports of UFO activity over the past couple of months.

The most interesting one was last year when many employees of O'Hare Airport in Chicago came forward and described a round gray object hovering just below cloud level around 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 7.

But this is the weird thing as the Exponent Online points out … “These employees are well-trained mechanics, managers and pilots whose main motivation for reporting the sighting was the safety of airline passengers. But even after such a large amount of people risked their livelihoods and reputations to report a UFO, nobody has taken them seriously.”

Government fails to look into O’Hare UFO

The Smell of Smoke

2007-02-09T06:24:00.000Z

Apart from the audience and the band what makes a good gig? Well most people would say the atmosphere, the smell of years of sweat, spilt beer and the smoke.

I disagree. After seeing two bands, in two days, this is my second night of sitting in the office stinking of cigarettes. As a nonsmoker it isn’t the greatest of smells.*

So I can’t wait for the smoking ban to begin on July 1st. In my opinion it won’t make gigs any worse and we’ll only be taking home memories of songs and not morsels of smog.

Rant over. Two bands from this region in two nights. It’s not a record (and that’s not a pun) but having heard their music on the Original Showcase I thought it was time to hear them in the flesh.

On Wednesday night I was at The Brook in Southampton to see Recreation support The Bluetones. On Thursday it was the same city to see Birdpen (above) at The Joiners.

Both bands have the potential to make it and I can see Recreation being at success in this country while Birdpen have a sound which will make them a hit in Europe.

If you were to ask which of the two groups would succeed first then I would have to say Birdpen.

Recreation have a great summer sound and are likely to appeal to the thinking public but they are in transition and have to find a new guitarist which always takes a few months to sort out.

While Birdpen have the advantage of their frontman, Dave ‘Pen’. He is also in a group called Archive who recently sold out the 6000 capacity Zenith in Paris. It must be strange to go from that to 100 people at The Joiners.

But he didn’t see too phased and the conversation we had after the show was punctuated with punters telling him how good the gig was. A sure sign of success.

They both gave me some new recordings and we’ll be playing them over the next couple of weeks on Sunday’s Original Showcase.

*As a former smoker I do appreciate the irony.

The Cardboard Letter

2007-01-31T09:37:00.000Z

The Original Showcase is receiving plenty of CD’s at the moment. It’s very exciting every time I arrive at the office; wondering who has sent their music in and what it will sound like. We don’t expect much in the way of presentation but ‘more’ is usually better.

The quality is varied. Sometimes we’ll get a really smart package with a great biog; other days it’s a silver CD with permanent marker detailing the track listing. We don’t care; it’s the music that counts.

But we’ve had never received a letter written on a piece of cardboard – until now.

The band is True Swamp Neglect and maybe it’s their environmental leanings, maybe their sense of fun or maybe they just don’t care, but on right you can see the letter they sent.

Torn too! It wasn’t even a full piece. I’m not complaining but I would like to know what became of the other piece. Who was that sent to?

From podcasting to broadcasting

2006-09-22T07:33:00.000+01:00

It brings me great joy to announce that I have joined Original 106fm one of the best radio stations in the UK.

It is not just because they decided to employ me that I hail them as champions of the airwaves but the fact that Original considered music and 24 news a priority.

Original 106fm is owned by Canadian media giant CanWest and this is the first time in UK radio history that a company from outside the country has done so. They have just won a second licence in Bristol and are aiming for more. I believe their positive apporoach to the medium and it's core reason for exisitng will change radio in this country for the better.

Under the guidance of Programme Controller John Evington we have been adding a vast selection of music into the system. I have been very impressed with the variety of tracks we have heard and can guarantee that there is no other local radio station with such a wide selection.

The photo above comes from our first photo shoot and shows the presenters in all their glory. I’m on the left and then next is Tim Butcher, Martyn Lee, Iain Meadows, Simon James, Hill and finally Nick Jackson.

They are delightful people to work with and all of us feel the same: we have joined something brilliant.

The Free Energy debate

2006-08-22T19:03:00.000+01:00

An Irish company called Steorn has announced, via a full page advert in the Economist, that they have discovered a way of producing energy for free:
Steorn is making three claims for its technology
The technology has a coefficient of performance greater than 100%.
The operation of the technology (i.e. the creation of energy) is not derived from the degradation of its component parts.
There is no identifiable environmental source of the energy (as might be witnessed by a cooling of ambient air temperature).
The sum of these claims is that our technology creates free energy.

Soon their system/device/box of tricks will undergo rigorous scientific testing, and if successful I am sure the planet will be delighted. But what will we do first?

Will we make more mobile phones or are we going to sort out the problems of the developing world? Because in the beginning the world cost nothing and now we have landlords and taxes. Will free energy gives us the one thing some crave: people free from poverty.

See also:

Steorn's free energy seems curiously expensive by Rupert Goodwins of ZDNet UK

Music from Malawi

2006-08-18T12:16:00.000+01:00

There are few musicians from Malawi who have been able to make an impression in the West; the band I would like you to meet have the energy to accomplish such a task.

The Sangalala AfroBlues Band represents a unique collaboration of Malawian musicians put together by an emerging artist named Kenny Gilmore (above on stone pillar).

Together they have created a new style of music which has captured the heart of the nation. They call it ‘AfroBlues AfroBlues’.

When Kenny Gilmore visited the UK in 2006 Xan Phillips interviewed him about the band, music in Malawi and the influences behind their latest album ‘Ngati Mafunde Mafunde’. The conversation is interspersed with three tracks: Musade Nkawa, Ngati Mafunde and Phwando.

The band can be contacted at www.myspace.com/sangalala

You can listen now by clicking the device below:

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Long Slow Train to Guildford

2006-08-05T18:19:00.000+01:00

When you have a load of good songs, some train sounds and a podcasting ability then it makes sense to throw them all together and give it a fancy name. Plus we can rely on the lovely Jenny to lend her luscious tones to the beginning and presto hey we must have a hit!

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All the music on this podcast comes from Guildford in Surrey, UK and we kick off a new song from Raising Sand who are an excellent four piece rock band. Legend has it they were dipped in a bucket of blues when they were born. Well worth seeing live and as this song is called Dirty Weekend I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

We carry on with the blues for the next two songs. The first is the next single from the Martin Harley Band – titled Carnival Girl it comes form the album Money Don’t Matter, both of which are available to won, love and cherish - soon.

Then we have more new music in the shape and sound of Jay Carter. Not only is he a young and gifted guitarist but he also teaches it too. This is a new composition and recording from him. It is called Make Your Change.

Next stop is Greedy Fingers, or Mr Greedy as he is sometimes known. He’s a producer and recording artist who works with a variety of people. The rappers Cage and Necro feature on his album Shady Sirens as well as this track I Sell Rhymes Like Dimes performed by Greedy Fingers & MF Doom/Megalon

The we have a chalk and cheese moment as this track slips quite nicely into When You Get to Heaven by Henta. We featured her in Volume and by now if you are listening to the podcast I hope you are suitably impressed by the quality of musicianship coming out of Guildford. And it continues with…

Hipslinky, the band with the best name in the world. This track is a b-side. It is called Time Comes Around was the second song to Had It Occurred To You? Both of which should appear on the next Hipslinky (great name) album

The last two artists, or stops, on this Long Slow Train to Guildford both begin with a W. But that is probably the closest either gets to the other. Rob Blackham’s latest project is called Way Out Cinema and this piece of music is a demo of the song Choose.

And we end with the other W - Wonderland Avenue. I haven’t seen Trisco (the man behind the desk) for a while as he’s been gigging in Russia and might even be doing a set in China. This piece of music is called Get Back and I can only describe the style as Hard Dance – I’m sure it’s not known as that but you should get the drift once you hear it.

And that’s it, we arrive in Guildford.

Perfect Song is Perfect Place

2006-08-04T10:30:00.000+01:00

In the Guildford area we have some great musicians and song writers. One of them is Alistair Cowan (left) and he recently previewed some new songs at Guilfest - Guildford's three day music festival.

One song really stuck out for me, it's called Perfect Place you can see the video from that festival on YouTube.

I interviewed Alistair after the show, he told me the fascinating background to the song and hope to have the podcast available soon, but as this audio recording is better than the one I made I think you should hear it immediately.

So don't delay: Perfect Place by Alistair Cowan it's lovely!

The Time is Right for Grown-Up Government

2006-07-31T12:03:00.000+01:00

The possibility that the UK government is going to commission another generation of nuclear power stations should be a catalyst for new thinking amongst those who object: and I am one of them.

The waste legacy of nuclear energy affects every person in the country and the decision should not solely be a ministerial one. The public should be given the chance to prove they don’t need it; they don’t want it and can clearly demonstrate these feelings in a responsible manner.

I’m suggesting that the British people should be set a target of energy saving which when reached would ensure that these nuclear power stations would not be built.

In my opinion this is ‘Grown-up Government’ – get the people to prove they can do something about a problem and then government will follow.

Human beings love a positive challenge and there could be nothing better than the collective struggle of saving energy with the reward of no more nuclear power stations.

I envisage television shows, web sites and competitions between towns and counties to see who can save the most power. After every weather bulletin we could have an energy update.

With the goal of a better and cleaner country it would be a positive experience that young and old could share. In turn it might make the UK a happier place to live in; one where the collective good is held in high esteem.

Or am I being incredibly naive?

Poem of the Year (2006)

2006-07-07T12:59:00.000+01:00

Inspired by our local poets and my views on a certain World Cup match I put finger to keyboard and came up with this short, but succinct poem.

He flies through the air with the greatest of ease,
Not blown by the wind, but a young girl's sneeze.
Falls to the ground as if he's lost his knees.
Yup, you guessed right, that chap's Portuguese.

Xan Phillips, July 2006
www.xan.co.uk

36 minutes from Guildford

2006-07-05T10:13:00.000+01:00

This NMC is the first of many featuring artists exclusively from my home town.

Not only is Guildford the spiritual home of podcasting but we also have a wealth of new artistic talent around the town and you are going to hear some great songs and of course some more poetry. Underneath it all, a thunder storm recorded in June 2006.

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The first band in this podcast is the youngest group in Guildford that I know of. When ‘Arthur’ recorded "Heart Stopping Specialist" two of them were only 15 years old! They are being courted by record companies across Europe but are going to finish their studies before they think about a future in the entertainment industry.

http://www.myspace.com/arthurmusic

Next up are three acts that will be performing on the Ents24 Stage at Guilfest, the three day music festival in Guildford (14th – 16th July 2006)

http://www.guilfest.co.uk/

First we will hear Newton Falkner. This was recorded live during my show on 1350AM GU2 at the University of Surrey www.gu2.co.uk in early 2005. Since then he has been championed by BBC Radio 2 and The Independent of Sunday and in 2006 wowed the crowds at South by South West in Austen Texas.

He’s a great singer/guitarist and improved his skills at the Academy of Music in Guildford which is the main source of new talent in this town.

http://www.newtonfaulkner.com/

Newtown is playing at 8pm on the Ents24 Stage.

On the same day and a little bit earlier is another great singer/songwriter - Alistair McCowan. He was the former bass playing front man of Redwood. He’s ditched the four string for six and released a great solo album called “Why Can I See Stars”. The track I’ve picked from it is "Long Lost Friends". It has a great sentiment, a lovely flow and full of summer fun.

http://www.alistaircowan.com/

The final link in this Guilfest puzzle is the person who is probably most responsible for the rise of Open Mic Nights around Guilford. Due to the popularity of his evenings of songs and revelry Gavin Thomas inspired others to start their own nights.

Out of this came the Guildford Songwriters Night, a evening where you had to play your own compositions and the audience was expected to listen and not chat, talk or laugh. This too was popular and so it makes sense to play a recording of Gavin Thomas singing his lyrically song "The Game".

http://www.gavinthomas.com/

If you are going to Guilfest Gavin is the compare for the Ents24 Stage and will be playing a selection of songs before the first act each day – so get there early on Friday and hear Gavin, Alistair and Newton perform live. It is also on BBC Radio 2 and hopefully they might play a recording for these fabulous acts. So if you can’t get there due to the English Channel, Atlantic or Pacific Oceans then listen online

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/guilfest06/index.shtml

The next voice, and it is just pure voice, comes from Anan Tabbush. She is a folk singer/song-writer currently gigging the acoustic scene around London and South East England. She plays in a variety of bands as well as singing with the Tabbush Sisters and runs two community choirs, Brighton Vox and Guildford Vox.

http://www.myspace.com/annatabbush

Every podcast we try and have some poetry and this one comes from Gareth Strachen. He is English but spent some time in Canada running a furniture store and has also confessed to working in a book shop. He back in Guildford and planning an evening of poetry. This poem "New Mood Rising" is excellent.

It gives a great perspective on old age a subject that will become more important as the baby boomer generation suddenly realize that their working time is up and retirement is rearing its ravaged head. It is also gives an interesting perspective on shop working.

And we end with two songs about breaking up with your partner. They perfectly sum up the difference between men and women: how they think, how they react and what an ‘ending’ means to them.

The first is from Susie Clarke who is currently working with a variety of groups as well as being a solo artist. She is currently recording an EP with Nick Sowden the producer for Anna Tabbush and you can hear work in progress on her MySpace page. The song I'm playing is called "Like A River".

Those interested in trivia might like to know that Susie and her father took over the same bar that Gavin Thomas used to run.

http://www.myspace.com/susieclarke

In complete contrat that runs into a raucous piece of rock and roll from Carter Brown – a Guildford band that I met on MySpace. I love their sound and can't wait to see them live. Spill magazine said this about them: "If you like music that lays it’s nuts on the line, tries to snog your sister then drinks you’re last bottle of vodka. Carter Brown are you’re band… very cool indeed!!"

http://www.myspace.com/carterbrown

HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE NEW MUSIC COLLECTION
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Sven's Art of Football Management

2006-06-24T18:28:00.000+01:00

As a country we should be 100% behind the England team. I am and think England are going to win the World Cup Finals.

Compared to the last one in 2002 it looks like more of the population are rooting for the team because more and more cars and van around the country are bearing England flags.(photo: www.sillyjokes.co.uk) But you can’t help feeling that the more national flags on display the worse the England team seem to be playing.

There is already talk in the news that the manager’s halftime talks are not blood and guts and thunder that you would expect in an important battle. [BBC NEWS: England's second-half struggles]

In fact after 15 minutes in the company of Sven-Goran Eriksson the England team seem return to the pitch un-inspired and definitely lack lustre.

Strangely enough this is quite similar to how I feel after my shopping experiences at Ikea, the Swedish furniture store. So is there a connection between the England manger and this shopping experience? Is it being Swedish? Or just management? Let’s explore!

On paper both the England teams and Ikea products look great. But when you get them out in the open they seem to loose some of their sparkle.

On paper they look easy to put together but after many frustrating attempts to put them together some how they don’t quite fit.

The England team seems to have only one way of playing and when you visit the Ikea store… there is only one way of going around!

I’m sure there are more connections, and if you can think of any then please send them in but for now I conclude that it is management style rather than being Swedish which tempers the current situation in both camps.

Come on England!

Foon or Spork?

2006-06-20T11:45:00.000+01:00

Possibly the most useful picnic/fast food culinary utensil invented s the combination of fork and spoon. Some call it the spork, some call it the foon.

According to Wikipedia(and that will be the catch phrase of the next five years) the spork was invented in the middle ages and not, as I thought, in the last 100 years.

Personally I feel they work best when you are eating a baked potato with beans and cheese although some will say they are useless at being a spoon (too shallow) and for eating meat (forks too short).

You won’t find the words Foon or Spork in Microsoft’s spell check dictionary you will find them on the tip of your tongue.

How to tell if a pineapple is fresh

2006-06-19T16:37:00.000+01:00

The pineapple has to be the most dangerous looking fruit.
Just look at it.
It seems to be covered in armour plating. Look at those spikes on its flesh. You wouldn’t want those brushing your side. Feel its weight. You wouldn’t want that dropping on your head. It is more weapon than dessert.

The last thing it seems to be saying is: "Eat me." So how do you tell if it is ripe?

This was the question I found myself asking at the market on Friday. It isn’t like an avocado that you can squeeze at the top. It isn’t like a melon, which after a good push on its crown revels whether or not the fruit is ready. With the pineapple I was ready to be taught.

The lady behind the stall took hold of the pineapple and then pulled at one of the leaves. It came out easily and the leaf had a white base. It was ready to eat. So simple an answer. The picture above shows you what it looks like.

But is it dangerous to give out such information? With this fruit tip out amongst the food faddish public are we going to start seeing bald pineapples in the supermarkets?

It could happen because if you go to a market these days almost everyone is prodding and squeezing the fruit and veg. Going from avocado tip to avocado tip testing for freshness; digging their thumbs into peaches and some even sniffing the herbs.

That’s why you should washing your fruit and veg before eating it. It isn’t the pesticides you should be worried about it’s the germs from the handling they are given by the food cognoscenti.

HDTV World Cup at the Cinema

2006-06-15T11:55:00.000+01:00

And where will you be watching the England’s matches during the World Cup? At home, at work, in the pub with your mates trying to see the screen and wishing you had a chair and waiter service? Why not try the cinema?

That’s right the Odeon are showing all of England’s games in Widescreen High Definition TV. I went to the first one in Guildford to witness a bit of cinema history and was very impressed.

Although my drinking hand felt a bit underused I had a comfortable chair, an excellent view of the game and revelled in the quality of the picture.

I think that is why I am more positive about that football match than other commentators.

With widescreen you get more of the pitch and closer too. So when England kicked off you could see the whole team but you weren’t viewing them as tiny specks on the grass.

Once they started passing it around you could see more of their movement off the ball. This was wonderful. It was a revelation. Plus the screen was 40 feet across.

But the match wasn’t the best and we had to pay for the privilege but I really enjoyed the occasion and so did the others who went. We were given free flags too.

After the match I spoke to the happy fans as they left and then interviewed the man with the magic boxes, Geoff Hewitt, who is the Chief Technician at the Odeon Guildford.

You can listen to it now:

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or you can download it here:
http://www.xan.co.uk/audio/XanPhillipsPresentsVol_47.mp3

Hand Built Web Pages

2006-06-13T17:00:00.000+01:00

The world has changed since the birth of web page building. Back in the good old days (Web Beta anyone?) we used to make them by hand - typing the code into Notepad and, where possible, copying and pasting somebody else’s into your own work. For making images we used Paint Shop Pro.

As most people had a dial up connection, every line of code was scrutinised and reduced so that pages loaded quickly.

Simple web sites were all we knew and animated gif’s were considered a luxury. I still have a classic old page on my site.

Then along came big business and advertisers with their new browsers, WYSIWYG software such as Front Page and Dreamweaver and with them Microsoft's asp (Active Server Pages) and, as I wasn’t born with the maths part of the brain functioning, I drifted into site design and customer relations (i.e. management).

I’m currently casting my eye around the job sites and although web authoring isn’t currently my first choice of occupation I can do it, and do it well. But nowadays the job spec is crazy. This is what you are expected to know if you want to earn £25,000 per annum.

ASP; ASP.net; HTML; XML; XHTML; XSLT; JavaScript; CSS; RedDot; ADO; OLEDB; COM objects; SQL Server/Query Analyser; Dreamweaver; Contribute; Photoshop; MS Office; Flash.

I can do about seven of those skills but that isn’t enough as they also want…

Exposure to methodologies, processes and controls including at least some of: Rapid Application Development; Object Orientation; web integration; firewall technologies; MS Project

As I said above… In the good old days we used to make web pages by hand…

Holy Fathers of Punk Fathers

2006-06-12T18:25:00.000+01:00

The Stranglers have another greatest hit album out. I know it’s another because I already have one from a couple of years ago - bought second hand from Ben’s Record Collectors.

So I watched the advert intently wondering what new tracks they had found but there was no inkling of anything extra.

The voice over went through the usual motions, reminding the forgetful of this punk bands musical triumphs and, just as we got to the end, he announced, with no hint of irony, that this album “would be an ideal gift for Father’s Day.”

“What?!” I thought. “How can something that once seemed so rebellious now be suitable as a gift for Father’s Day?”

It makes commercial sense as most punks are now fathers. In fact I’m a recent father and this Sunday will be my first day of feet-up “I’m doing nothing honey it’s father’s day” attitude.

But to be told that The Stranglers, responsible for songs about heroin addiction, bottom watching and Leon Trotsky getting an ice pick that made his ears burn, were ideal gift material for something as soft as Father’s Day was quite a shock.

Bands Score With IndieStore

2006-06-09T13:46:00.000+01:00

I remember the day when I used to shake my head with despair when ever I heard someone say: "I remember the day!"

And yet here am I, looking back to the time when I was in a rock band, thinking that musicians nowadays never had it so good. MySpace, flickr, YouTube and now indiestore: a fantastic selection of tools.

Let me take you back to the late 1980’s. London was booming, yuppies were thriving and the east of the City of London was under massive re-development. If you could afford it you were buying property in the docklands if you couldn’t you were drinking with us.

Well, I exaggerate a little. It seemed like that. The band was based in Bethnal Green road at a pub called the Stick of Rock, close to the junction with Brick Lane.

From the front door you could see cranes and concrete going up around Liverpool Street station. The money was over there.

We played some great gigs at The Stick. Hot, sweaty and always fun. We had a mixture of rockers, skinheads and east enders willing us on and we had a pocket full of happy rock songs which people could dance and sing along to.

Naturally we decided to put some of our music onto vinyl. CD’s were just coming out but it seemed a pretty stupid idea for us to make one as no one we knew actually owned a CD player.

So we plumped for 2000 12 inch records. Why on earth 12 inch? Well, to help pay for it we had sold advertising squares on the back sleeve. Also it was said that it gave the songs more oomph.

I’ll cut this story short because those days were great fun and to get to the point would take ages but 2000 12 inch records is a weight and a half. You get 25 discs in a box and so that’s 80 boxes and strong young rockers can only carry two packs at a time. It took ages to load and then unload.

Nowadays? Ha! Bands never had it so good. You’ve got MySpace to help your fans connect and listen to your tracks, flickr to share photos, YouTube to post your videos and now IndieStore - somewhere to actually sell your music.

You can upload your songs for free and people can download them for 79p. You get 70% of the money.

To get onto iTunes you have to have someone distribute your music, here you are on in moments. You can for songs available for sale, at no cost to the band, within minutes.

Brilliant. You can even open a pro account and if your sales go massive you will enter the actually charts. No shops, no distribution just one pure connection between you and your fans.

This is a fantastic site for new acts that are prepared to gig and publicise their material.

Look at the Trophy Boyz and their World Cup song "Name on the Cup". They are number 3 in the Indiestore charts. With the right momentum a band can start selling.

But if you are just going to add your music and hope then nothing will happen.

If you have time to visit just click on the random band link and you’ll see hundreds of acts waiting for people to download their music and good luck to them.

Hard work, hard gig is and many miles in the back of a van will get you sales. It is how we did it. We sold 1600 copies at gigs and you still see one or two for sale on ebay. But if we had had an indiestore page...

New Music Collection - Midlands

2006-06-05T09:16:00.000+01:00

This is the second New Music Collection and its sub-titled Midlands. Maybe each one should have a number but I think numbers are good for just football players and houses; whereas odd subtitles suit art a lot better.

First act in the podcast are Overproof Soundsystem. They started life in 1998 as a monthly reggae night called "Overproof" held at the Medicine bar in Birmingham, England. The song I have picked is The Plea. Their version of kraftwerk’s The Model is brilliant it would make the Top 10 in the charts if released.

Next up it's way out cinema They are a new band fusing the sound of 60's west coast harmony rock with contemporary indie. They were formed in 2005 by Rob Blackham who needed an outlet for his original material. He is from the Midlands too and the song is called Drowning.

Second podcast in a row we have a poem from Greg Buddery. Greg’s a writer living in Guildford, South England and is currently attempting to publish a novella - "A Young Artist in the Modern World" and a poetry collection (working title- Self Help). This poem is called Drinking Poem and was recorded in one of the few pubs that doesn’t have music in it. The deep hum in the background is the air con.

Emerging from Northampton, InVerro draw together so many wide ranging influences it's hard to understand how they manage to blend them all together into such sweet melodies and driven beats – well that’s what is says on their MySpace site! This mild mannered Midlands meleody is called DimLo.

Another Fine Day
Between 1992 and 1994 Tom Green created his classic album Life Before Land which made the Top 3 ambient albums as chosen by the Independent newspaper. You’ll hear the song Esperanto as well as a clip from an interview in which he talks about the equipment and processes he used to make the album. Buy this album!

Desert Heat
come from rural Quebec and formed nearly 17 years ago. Apparently there has not been a major country band emerge from this part of Canada in industry memory. In 2006 they hope to conquer America. Their debut CD (which was co-produced by Wayne Warner) on the B-Venturous record label, is called “Forever Road” and this is the title track.

We end the podcast with a blast of electronica - Subsource. I know the bass player in this band. Although I didn’t know that he was in this band until I received their publicity photo. Stuart Henshall is his name and he also plays bass for the Naked Sunday Collective. Both groups play their mix music live so try and see either if you can. Subsource play breaks/drum and bass and this powerful track is called Fight ‘Em Off.

Play the podcast via Odeo

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HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE NEW MUSIC COLLECTION
If you have iTunes installed you can automatically launch it here: Direct Link to iTunes

Otherwise to download the show to your computer, right click on the link below and select 'Save As' or 'Save Link As' New Music Collection mp3

How To Save Celebrity X-Factor

2006-06-03T19:17:00.000+01:00

It is only when you are truly exasperated with something does it become pants.

This Celebrity singing competition, in which we discover if the said 'celebrities' have the X-factor, is pants for the very simple reason – it wouldn’t work on the radio.

If the audience only heard their voices people would switch off immediately. Most of the positive comments the X-Factor judges make about our 'celebrity entertainers' concern their looks not their vocal skills.

That's why Walt Disney, when auditioning actors for the voice of Snow White, asked them to sit behind a screen – he didn’t want to be distracted by their appearance.

So here is how to make the show interesting.

When they do the voting there should be one extra number for people to call. It is for those watching who think the show is pants. i.e we think “None of the above” should get our vote.

If that spare number gets the most calls a new celebrity should be added to the roster, the cast is therefore enlarged and the show has to go into an extra day, adding pain to the TV network that dare put on such puerile tripe.

This should be the law, because then they would actually put people on who could sing and we would start to celebrate art rather than these sad wailings.

There is only one person on that show who actually has the X-Factor and he is not a celebrity but a sportsman. Matt Stevens I applaud you.

Soft Targets

2006-05-30T17:40:00.000+01:00

The Bank Holiday – why should the banks have a holiday when people in essential services (nurses, police, fire) don’t get any special days?

What ever it is that banks have done for us they have been well rewarded for doing it. Extremely well rewarded. The question you should ask yourself during this shorter week is something like this: "Is it obscene that banks make huge profits?"

Apparently the Bank Holiday is a British tradition dating from the 1870’s but any visitor to these shores would assume that it is a day to celebrate half-price sofas and kitchen units. And are these items a rip-off the rest of the year?

Although I might appear angry, I am not. Frustrated yes, but angry no. Even though I watched Celebrity X Factor I am still below boiling point.

But that programme was like watching a slow motion car crash on the B road of life.

Never has so little been provided for an evening’s entertainment. Even when one of the judges had a go at two of the contestants (you can read the full details here) it still clung to life with the merest thread of hope.

These celebrities were rubbish before they opened their mouths. The 'singing' was dire, crass and offensive – and you won’t see that quote on the back of the DVD case!

It was pure guff from beginning to end. And that’s true – I watched it to the end – but I was transfixed, surely this couldn’t get any worse? It did. Like a leaf falling from a tree the quality declined until it hit the ground.

The only saving grace was the fact that some 'celebrities' who you thought were rubbish in their normal role slightly improved when attempting a tune.

People might say, "Calm down Xan, this is only a laugh and these well meaning celebrities are doing it for charity." Well I’m not laughing and I am not giving. It was appalling.

I am more impressed by my friend Emma who is taking part in Cancer Research’s Race for Life

Whereas Celebrity X Factor is like looking at the bottom of an empty bottle through the bottom of another empty bottle. The distortion makes you think there could be something in it.

New Music Collection - Videophone

2006-05-26T17:52:00.000+01:00

We start with some dance music from Wonderland Avenue and then leap into some excellent pop from the John James Newmand Band.

In my humble opinion there isn't enough poetry around so we recorded Greg Buddery reading "Londoner" in a street. We then slip quietly but darkly into a re-mix of Itchy Tits' Videophone.

whistle Jacket and Bebek were our international artists - the first is from South Africa and the second the States.

8 Fold provide an lovely tribute to Countdown host Richard Whitely and then we finish the show with "Name on the Cup" the England World Cup song by the Trophy Boyz.

Play the podcast now!

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The show is 30 minutes long. If you have iTunes installed you can automatically launch it here: Direct Link to iTunes

otherwise download the show here: New Music Collection mp3

Widescreen World Cup Smile

2006-05-26T11:42:00.000+01:00

People close to me, let’s call them 'neighbours who are not next door', have bought a new wide screen television; presumably in time for the world cup.

I can understand why. Big screen excitement improves your viewing pleasure and there is nothing better than a big screen.

I am sure the silky skills of Brazil, the sexy players of Italy, solid defence of Germany, big smiles of Trinidad & Tobago and David Beckham’s good looks will be enhanced by having a screen that is 42 inches wide.

But with all this heightened levels of excitement what will happen if your team looses? Will the disappointment be proportional?

Fear not. I know these people are English and this World Cup they will not be upset. In fact they are going to watch Beckham lift the cup in letterbox format.

Laws that Parliament Should Pass: No’s. 1 & 2

2006-05-26T10:58:00.000+01:00

While passing from one though to another I remembered the Law of Sod, or, as we call it in England, Sod’s Law.

In my mind it means: "If something bad is going to happen it will!"

So, if you are late for work and running for a bus you are bound to fall over or loose a shoe. It’s Sod’s Law.

But, I thought, what does the internet have to say about it? First stop wikipedia and it doesn’t disappoint...

Sod’s Law is similar to, but broader than, Murphy's law. It includes the idea that "anything that can go wrong, will", for example toast will always land butter side down, as well as other components.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sod%27s_law

Trust me to forget about Murphy’s Law...

"…a popular adage in Western culture, which broadly states that things will go wrong in any given situation in which error is possible. "If there's more than one way to do a job, and one of those ways will result in disaster, then somebody will do it that way.""
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy%27s_law

Understanding these Laws could go some way to understanding people from the British Isles. If you are still confused then this cartoon might help:

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/sods_law.asp

Sending Out Some World Cup Love

2006-05-24T09:00:00.000+01:00

There is only one England song for me during this World Cup and that’s "Name on the Cup" by the Trophy Boyz.

They had a Top 40 hit in 2005 with Du The Dudek - a great song about the goalkeeping antics of Liverpool’s European Championship hero.

The same song-writing team also made a recording about England’s Ashes victory against Australia. It was called "Ashes Back" but they could only get it released in South Africa because record companies in the UK didn’t think it would sell!

All of these songs have featured podcasts of mine and the latest mercilessly plugs their new, and I believe, classic tribute to English football.

The lyrics are excellent:

We qualified without Wembley
And forget the Denmark friendly
And Northern Ireland was just a bluff

When we’re on paper
We'll take them one and all
With the right formation
The nations ready for more

And how about this…

With Owen and Rooney
Who needs a back four
We'll bend it like Beckham
And lift it like Bobby Moore

The lyics are written by Adrian Zag, describe all that is good about being an English supporter and sung over a stonkingly upbeat groove.

Be warned English fans, it is a dangerous song this, because the more you listen to it the more you think Rooney is going to play and even if he doesn’t that England are still going to win the cup.

So, to help spread the word about “Name on the Cup” and simultaneously add a bit of love and humour to the weeks of soccer ahead, I’ve made a "World Cup Pass".

If you want to send a copy to someone please feel free to do so. Click on the image below for a bigger version.

At present I think this postcard is an original idea but if you have seen others please bring me down gently.

When football is concerned love doesn’t last forever and if I had a gauntlet I would throw it down at the feet of the Daily Telegraph’s podcast editor Guy Ruddle.

I sent a speculative e-mail asking if he wanted a shorter version of my Trophy Boyz podcast and he replied, quite legitimately, that they had already sorted out their World Cup songs and features. Always good to be prepared well in advance!

So I’m looking forward to hearing the DT’s selection of tunes but will any of them match the Trophy Boyz lyrical brilliance?

You can buy it online, from KarmaDownload for 89p

The Hard Cheese Scenario

2006-05-23T12:04:00.000+01:00

For a short time I worked in a kitchen. Nothing too fancy, I was mainly chopping vegetables. But I picked up some great tips from the chef.

Once, when I was chopping up the end of an onion, my fingers were perilously close to the knife. The chef came over and picked up my small piece of vegetable and told me: "This bit of onion costs under 10p. Your finger is much more valuable."

I took his advice and stuck to it. Even though I hate wasting food and prefer to recycle almost everything, sometimes you have to think to the future rather than the present.

Unfortunately yesterday, while trying to grate a rather hard and small piece of parmesan cheese, my grip was lost and my finger scrapped along the efficient metal teeth of this fine kitchen implement.

As the chef’s wise words came back to haunt me it made also me wonder: "What current political situation mirrors the hard cheese scenario?"

Podcaster Turns Guest

2006-05-19T22:07:00.000+01:00

This Friday evening I was broadcasting live around the planet on the BBC’s World Service! The programme was World Have Your Say and the subject was Eurovision.

I actually have a little history with this show as they interviewed me for the pilot in late 2005. They had wanted someone to talk about the internet and how it helped bands like Arctic Monkeys rise to prominence.

They gave me a good five minute grilling and I was able to say what I liked but, as it was a pilot, it was never to be broadcast.

So it was great to be invited back for a proper live show. And it is weird waiting for the telephone call, knowing that in a few moments your voice will be heard around the world, and all you are doing is sitting in your front room.

The instigator of this feature was Kevin Anderson who had decided that in celebration of the weekend’s forthcoming Eurovision competition, World Have Your Say would have it’s very own Your-o-Vision competition. People from around the world would nominate a new piece of music and the expert would decide which the winner was.

My role was to nominate Itchy Tits, local all-girl punk group who I had featured recently, and a band which Kevin had also taken a shinning to.

The only problem was that the BBC felt 'Tits' was not a word the world wanted to hear on a Friday evening in England and almost 11AM in America. So we decided to call them Itchy. The Itchies might have been better.

Time ticked by and I listened to the show to get a flavour on the day’s content. By 19:50 (ten minutes to the end of the show) they still hadn’t started the competition or even contacted me. I thought, "They are leaving this a bit late". In fact the feature didn’t start until 19:53 and they had still four songs to feature and they still hadn’t even called. I figured I wasn’t going to be on.

Then the phone rang, I was connected and asked to introduce the band and explain why I felt they should be on. It went by in a flash.

Moments later it was all over and I think Itchy Tits won. As Kevin liked the song the ‘official’ judge of the show, Mark Savage, was out voted 1 to 2.

Well that’s how it seemed at the time, it was all a blur and I’ll have a listen when the show is made available.

But it was great fun being the guest for once and I still have, using the Warhol method of calculation, 14 minutes and 45 seconds of fame left to use up.

New Music Collection

2006-05-15T09:49:00.000+01:00

The New Music Collection is regular podcast highlighting new music, sounds and people. If you know any artists who would be ideal for the podcast then please send me their details or ask then to contact me through the page I have set up at MySpace

The latest New Music Collections are:

The Long Slow Train to Guildford
36 minutes from Guildford
Midlands
Videophone

HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE NEW MUSIC COLLECTION

If you have iTunes installed you can automatically launch it here: Direct Link to iTunes

Otherwise to download the show to your computer, right click on the link below and select 'Save As' or 'Save Link As' New Music Collection mp3

There is Gold in Them Clippings

2006-05-08T19:13:00.000+01:00

I call them clippings, others call them press cuttings and companies like McCallum Media Monitor offer a service where relevant newspaper cuttings can be delivered to your door.

And there is nothing better than finding an old pile of clippings of stories which you found interesting about a year ago.

The trouble is I have started carrying them around with me. If the contents of a woman’s purse unlocks the mysteries of her personality then what does the content of a blogger’s rucksack reveal?

Should look into my bag you might well deduce from the content of the clippings that the newspaper world is in crisis and raw fish has something to do with it – you’ll find a small bottle of soy sauce from a take-away sushi tray.

But luckily for me my newspaper clipping habits could transform me into a rich(ish) man, having just found out that one page of a newspaper now cost £1.

I discovered this when I was trying to be 'Web 2.0 Clever' and start collating my collection of newspaper clippings online.

My idea was to copy the quotes that I wanted, and links to the articles, into an online document saved at RallyPoint

No problem with my Media Guardian collection, although articles are protected all I have to do is sign up for free and I can read the article.

But when I want to copy quotes from Stephen Glover’s article "Are the days of the newspaper numbered? I don’t think so."

I am invited to either join the Independent Portfolio or buy the article for £1. "One pound!?", I hear you exclaim. Yes indeed, my clipping is worth one pound. Thirty pence more than a whole copy of the Independent.

It is very tempting to offer you a photocopy for 50p.

Archbishop Reveals Hoodie Solution

2006-05-02T17:46:00.000+01:00

"Don't judge a young person by their hoodie!" That was a recent declaration from Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York. [BBC News: Archbishop woos hoodie generation]

Not only was he preaching the good message but he was also wearing the much derided fashion item which, according to almost all media sources, is the scourge of all non-hoodie wearers.

In many towns the hoodie is feared, it is loathed and you can't entre some shopping centres if you are wearing one.

But if you are a young person who feels that the world is against you and you need somewhere to turn it off when you're outside, then a hoodie is ideal. Or, as many people assume, a hood is quite handy when you need to avoid detection from CCTV cameras.

Of course the hood is part of British folk lore. One of our national heroes is Robin Hood who, because of his honest thieving habits, presumably had to wear a hood.

Don't forget that monks wear them, academic gowns have hoods attached and the Grim Reaper wouldn't be seen dead without one.

So congratulations to the Archbishop for encouraging tolerance and understanding but if he really wanted to make a difference he should be telling the older generations to copy his hood wearing style. Because if anything is going to stop a trend amongst the young it's the sight of older people following suit.

The Telegraph Sweetens The Deal

2006-05-01T13:22:00.000+01:00

You shouldn’t accept sweets from strangers but last weekend a lady from the Telegraph was quite persuasive.

Maybe it was the personal touch that persuaded me but, having just written that newspapers should stop giving away free DVD’s if they want to save themselves, I felt compelled to fall for the bribe.

The costs of DVD give-aways are described by media commentator Roy Greenslade in this BBC NEWS article: "How can papers afford to give away DVDs?"

"Knock-out 10,000 DVDs and you're looking at maybe 34p each; 100,000 at 25p each, half a million at 23p each. So when you get into the millions, which are what the tabloids sell, it's even less."

Having paid for their discs the papers have to add on top of that the licensing of the film which can vary from £50,000 to 250,000 and to entice their new readers they’ll need a TV advertising campaign – which also costs an arm and a leg.

The day after publication the editor is left hoping that new readers are persuaded by the print content of your newspaper to stick with you forever.

So a bar of chocolate must cost either a similar or lower amount and has to be better bang for bucks than a film we have all seen before.

Maybe the Telegraph has listened to Kim Fletcher’s new approach to the reader/customer relationship in his Guardian article: "If newspapers were more like supermarkets" ... (free registration required)

"If Tesco were running newspapers, it would be finding out exactly what its readers were up to, where they bought their paper, how often, what they liked and didn't like and what might make them buy it more."

Although I am not a fan of supermarket style and practices I can see his point. There is a natural tendency to accept your loyal shoppers for what they are and concentrate your resources on the new ones: never expecting the regulars to leave.

So here I am, doing a Sunday morning shop in an out of town shopping centre (sorry Gaia) and I am being asked if I want a free bar of Lindt Extra Fine Dark chocolate.

I still bought my regular paper but as I love dark chocolate and was interested in what the paper had to offer: soft or hard centre? Would the content compliment the free offer? Any chocolate stories inside? Would I be able to win a lifetimes supply of this bar? I bought the Sunday Telegraph

So a bit of valuable market research had been gained: man buys paper when offered free chocolate.

More interesting information was being collected across town where a relative of mine was also being offered this sweet incentive. Her response was to decline the offer.

At this point she was asked why she didn’t want it. Her reasons for not buying the Sunday Telegraph were that Saturday’s is big enough and lasted the whole weekend.

So no need for a Sunday paper but this exercise is personal giveaway proves its worth because you can gather valuable market data. In the case the telegraph’s Sunday sales will be improved by a smaller Saturday paper. But what can Sunday’s editor do about that?

This chocolate experience goes hand in hand with conversations I’ve had with Jenny, my partner, about alternatives to DVD giveaways, especially if your prospective new reader is a middle income woman.

We’ve come up with some obvious ones: from free samples of tights and perfume to airline style wash bags filled with luxury samples. One exclusive idea was to have the whole paper covered in a pleasant scent.

But whatever you give away, the personal touch – someone actually handing you the gift - is going to be the most valuable because you can target the customer in the flesh, whilst gaining strategic information from their reaction.

How Newspapers Should Adapt To The Web

2006-04-26T18:51:00.000+01:00

In most media pages, of most UK newspapers, the internal questions is "What are we going to do about the Internet?"

Newspapers feel they are under attack. Their once daily grip on the nation’s reading habits and opinion has been squeezed by the simple click of a mouse.

Visit Google News and one headline can have 100’s of different sources. Visit BBC News and you can have a good update of UK and International news in under ten minutes. A simple, twenty minute surf can satisfy your news urges.

If you crave specifics then visit an online log, blog as they are known. There you will get an idea of what is newsworthy, or be pointed in the direction the writer sees as interesting. Some blogs have become as popular and as ‘trusted’ as newspapers.

These trends are worrying newspaper editors and proprietors. I have a funny feeling though that journalists aren’t too bothered about this sea change.

The perceived prestige of being published in print is far great than being seen on the web. The fact that they are writing for a quality daily like the Times, Telegraph or Guardian masthead far outweighs a dot com suffix. What they don’t realise is that today’s papers fill tomorrow’s recycling bins.

An article on a web page will live for as long as the web server is connected to the internet. It is also easily indexed and made searchable and, irony of irony, blogable – if it’s an interesting article a blogger will link to it.

Quite bizarre when you analyse it. A journalist is happier to have their hard thought out piece published in a disposable container rather than have it permanently available to potentially thousands of people.

This is one of the major problems facing newspapers: the prestige of being published and the perceived demotion of appearing on a web site.

Another concern for newsrooms is that because people are spending more time reading blogs and using other news web sites they are not buying newspapers, so the habit of buying a daily paper is slipping drastically.

Each morning the question that probably runs through many minds is: "Why spend seventy pence a day on a quality paper when it is all for free on the internet?"

The paper habit is dying at the important youth end of the market. IF they don't buy now they won't in the future.

In turn this has led quality newspapers to a gradual change of content and style in order to maintain interest from the middle age group and attempt to attract a wider audience.

The trouble with this is that the older, loyal end (60+ years) has stopped buying their favourite rag because of what they see as a deterioration of content. In fact some will tell you that the only remaining quality pieces of writing are found in the obituary pages.

Sales are falling for every newspaper and the trouble is readers aren’t switching to a rival; they are actually disappearing and taking advertising revenue with them. That revenue is now going to the web.

So how do the newspapers combat this decline, establish themselves as the first port of call on the internet and make money at the same time?

First they should stop wasting money. Forget about free DVD’s they don’t work. We recently bought the Daily Mail because they were giving away the film Kind Hearts and Coronets. The film will be watched soon; paper has yet to be read. We saw it as a cheap way of buying a movie we loved.

So apologies to all the journalists who had articles printed in that paper. Hopefully they are still available on the Daily Mail web site and, if relevant to my research, I will eventually read them.

As well as dropping the unnecessary giveaways newspapers should avoid the habit of paying large amounts of money to opinion writers. Bloggers are doing it better, for a lot less. And there is nothing worse for your journalists moral to see excessive amounts of cash going towards front page puff.

The cost cutting exercise above could save hundred’s of thousands of pounds and that money should be spent on more staff. Does that shock you?

Opinion is dead; long live news.

It is true that some bloggers are the new opinion makers but all they are really doing is sitting at a desk, visiting web sites and reporting back (myself included although I get out and about when podcasting)

The newspaper buyers crave news from the world around them. That’s outside on planet earth.

So spend the money you can save above on more reporters, journalists, feature writers and photographers. And hire staff to go out, leaving the desk behind, and file stories from places where news is happening.

With this new talent fill the paper and web site with quality articles and loads of pictures.

A massive pointer to any newsroom should be the internet phenomenon of photo site flickr. It’s obvious but people love photos, love looking at them and especially having prints for the wall or backgrounds for the PC or mobile phone.

Some people can spend a happy hour just flicking through flickr - newspapers should be alive to this fact as eye ball hours on a site are very important to advertisers.

Papers should invest in a team of snappers visiting news stories and filing back hourly if not twice daily. You have web space, so use it.

And instead of having a style magazine at the weekend why not have one full of photographs. You are paying for snappers to snap, why use the image once in the newspaper? Put on the web and put into a glossy magazine at the end of the week, or end of the month, make something big of it and make those advertisers happy.

It is the same with podcasting. Some podcasts are excellent in quality but all of them are office/studio based. It’s as if the outside world doesn’t exist. Where are the sounds? Where a re the public? It’s a case of taking heads. It might be interesting to some but where is the life? Where is the colour that sound brings?

This is just a sample of where newspapers can go forward with their creativity. They have a hundred years of history and innovation behind them, they have built a name and it is one that can get them through doors. But first they have to get out of the office and spend their money on more staff.

The Climate for Humanity Change

2006-04-11T17:34:00.000+01:00

The lack of global political action towards solving climate change shouldn’t be a surprise: collectively we are ignoring three other major predicaments.

In this world of plenty there are still millions of people starving to death. We also have major health issues affecting not only countries but continents and war is still seen a sensible means of settling disagreements.

These four man-made problems are the potential catalysts to the demise of the human race. We can no longer stand aside as detached viewers and let these imbalances affect so many thousands of people. We have to turn and face them head on.

It is time for humanity to change its attitude

The rich have to help the poor; the educated have to use their wisdom and knowledge to provide simple, efficient and humanitarian solutions; the fit have to help the ill. And we have to start now.

For too long humanity has waited until the last minute before taking the drastic action required to solve a problem. If we wait until the last minute we will be too late.

When the smog of London was causing serious pollution in 1952 it became so serious that theatres had to close. Not because people couldn’t travel to the West End, but because the fog inside the building made it uncomfortable to watch the performance.

That is how stubborn we are as a race. It is only when the problem is there, inches from our face, will we do something.

For most humans it takes a serious, life threatening illness before they stop and change their ways – men are a great example.

Every woman knows that men only visit the doctor when the pain is really bad. It somehow seems ‘manly’ and ‘macho’ to struggle on, without complaint; until it gets so uncomfortable they have to seek medical help.

This attitude is mirrored in the Earth’s government.

The political and business leaders of this planet are neglecting our global problems for the sake of power and profit.

Yet power and profit should be seen as the rewards of the past. The health of all should be the new goal.

The affluent are so happy with their material success and wealth that they can’t see the poverty and illness that it causes.

They are simultaneously sticking their heads in the sand and up in the clouds.

To save itself humanity will have to change its way of thinking. In business they talk about thinking outside of the box. In this case we have to think off-planet.

We have to look at earth and decide how we can organise all the world’s resources and create a global standard where every person has the right to live a normal healthy life.

To do so we’ll have to say farewell to market forces. Market forces have had their day. If they were successful we wouldn’t have starvation, disease and environmental disaster banging on the door.

Our problems have to be solved tomorrow. Not in ten years time; not by 2030. They need to be solved now.

A massive public discussion is required. We need a week in which the newspapers, television and radio companies, around the world, are joined in debate.

We need a global call to the new thinkers and new economists to bring forward solutions that will provide for all in a fair and just manner.

It won’t be easy but humanity has to change its attitude or it will die.