Out today are two live recordings from the CloudwatcherUno™ Live Sessions at The Camden Chapel in London in October 2022. Showcasing the very best of independent artists we feature Afreine and Blue Violet. Singing in her first sold out London show Afreine captures the hearts of the audience with her stunning vocals.
The main act of the evening were Blue Violet a phenomenal duo who bring a stripped back acoustic performance that focuses on their harmonies, guitar skills and killer lyrics.
So let yourself be transported to a front row listening experience as you hear these amazing artists sing live on stage in London. These incredible recordings are available on Spotify, Apple and all streaming platforms.
We catch up with CURRAN and talk about how the band got together with Drake White and opened up for him on his recent tour. Mark got his people to talk to Drakes people and the band got lucky. They previously toured across Europe in 2018. Then we talk about Long Road Festival and the shenanigans that Mark got up to the night before backstage and how he was paying for his sins on the Saturday morning playing with Jam Moncur.
CloudwatcherUno with Mark Curran (L) and Jam Moncur (R) at The Long Road Festival 2022
Playing a private show in New York and laying down tracks for the new album in Germany, Mark is keeping himself busy. CURRAN put out an EP in 2019 called “Lonely Road of Faith” and this was the title track and the tour finished in 2019 and started doing promo with a years worth of touring booked for 2020 and then the pandemic hit in Italy.
CURRAN in action opening up for Drake White in London 2022.
It will be rereleased with 5 new tracks as a full album after Mark took the decision to pull it from all streaming services. All the previous songs have been remixed and remastered so in essence it is a brand new record. After the pandemic artists have begun scrambling for venues as they are all competing to perform in front of global audiences. Streaming has killed income for independent artists and touring for opening acts has meant that they make no money.
“Rise Up (My City of Ruin) – Curran
So life as as artist is becoming an impossibility and the cost of touring has meant that prices of tickets have gone up. So spare a dollar for the independent artists travelling across the globe to bring the joy of live music to your ears. In an era of Talent Show winners and disposable pop stars, CURRAN stands out from the rest, not only as singer/songwriter’s but as bona fide Rock Stars.
In the podcast Mark plays an acoustic version of “Better Days” to hear this and to join in with the conversation with CloudwatcherUno and CURRAN click the link below. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Good things come to those who wait. Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson EMMA RICHARDSON (emmarichardsonart.com) were set to perform live after two years. On a cold February evening at St Pancras Old Church, London an intimate venue fans would see the Band of Skulls duo sing old and new songs from their self titled album “Marsden & Richardson” Band of Skulls | Official Site.
Every inch of the altar was taken up with microphones, speakers, amplifiers, cables, pedal boards, guitars and a string orchestra. The new album is a departure from their trademark loud rock sound and replaced with sweeping violins, strings, acoustic guitars, bass and is more focused on the magic of their lyrics. Their last album was “Love Is All You Love” released in 2019 and they had toured all over England and North America in venues many times bigger than this church.
Signed vinyl by Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson.
The songs for the new album had already been formed and written but never fitted their loud rock personas so during lockdown they rehearsed and then recorded 12 songs. The opening song of the night was “Outsider” the first track from the new album backed with a string orchestra the effect was completely exhilarating. Where there would have been an undulating bass and heavy guitars these had been replaced by the duo’s acoustic voices and filled every heart with awe and wonder.
Russell and Richardson | “Outsider”
In hushed anticipation the crowd listened to Marsden and Richardson sing more songs from the new album such as “One More Question“, “Closer Together” and “Lonely Hearts“. This was serious music for adults, each song hit the audience with precision, the strings carried the songs on an interstellar trajectory to undiscovered musical lands.
One of the outstanding moments of the night was when the duo did an even more stripped down version of “Beautiful Love” with Russell on piano and Emma using hand claps to generate a beat for the song. The effect was electrifying and sent the crowd into rapturous applause at the end of each song.
Old songs were given similar high octane orchestral riffs and songs such as “Honest” and “The Devil Takes Care Of His Own” were such a delight to hear and the result was a charismatic, addictive monstrous songs given new life. These repurposed songs showed the versatility of the song writing and strong foundation of the original lyrics.
Signed set list by Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson.
If this is the future for Marsden and Richardson’s sound then the future looks and sounds totally royally awesomesaurous.
Adam Shoenfeld sits down with CloudwatcherUno to talk about his new album “All The Birds Sing“. The album was a team effort with his producer and wife Katie Cook and the album was produced in his home studio where he has access to his many guitars, drum kits and musical paraphernalia. The album was inspired by the music of ELO, George Harrison, TheBeatles and Tom Petty. Around 5 to 6 years ago Adam began singing lead vocals on stage and building his stage presence before a live audience. One of the highlights is is the track “The Sky Is Falling Down“. We also get to hear Adam’s cover of The Beatles “Norwegian Wood“
“The Sky Is Falling Down” by Adam Shoenfeld.
There’s a lot of authentic love in the lyrics in this album. The majority of the tracks were written by Adam or with Katie except for “Lose To Win“which was a collaboration with another songwriter. We discuss “Her Song“, “The Sky Is Falling Down” and “All The Birds Sing“. For Adam his songs come to him quite easily as he consciously tries to harness the electricity and magic that runs around in his mind. Adam played bass, keyboard, guitar and drums on all of the tracks.
The first songs for this album began life on 2018. In early 2019 after a particularly heavy day doing session work Adam told himself he would start work on an album and finished writing songs in Feb 2021. Adam explains how he was offered record deals in the past but studios wanted him to be more Country and he always saw himself as Rock and Roll. It’s because of that sound that he is one of the most sought after session guitarists in Nashville.
Adam Shoenfeld in action.
Adam’s album is a Modern Classic , drawing inspiration from sixties and seventies and bringing it bang up to date. Adam is looking forward to playing the album live in front of an audience and I for one would love to be at that gig.
Click below to hear more from the podcast with CloudwatcherUno featuring Adam Shoenfeld. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Season 6 of the CloudwatcherUno podcast comes to a close with a fabulous talk with the legend that is Chris Roberts. Chris was born in Austin, Texas, then moved to Aspen, and when we spoke we did so from his new home in Joshua Tree, California where he recorded his most recent EPs ‘Red Feather and ‘Lost and Found’. Chris fell in love with the Californian landscape and the vibe and moved in a blink of an eye.
‘Six Months Too Long‘ by Chris Roberts
Chris can’t wait to travel across the UK and Europe to bring his good time music to audiences who need to listen to this stunning artist and his sensational sound. To Chris it’s just Rock and Roll with a southern voice that gets tagged as Country Music but to Chris labels don’t mean anything. To Chris if you love the music then play another song and another until you are surrounded by the energy and warm embrace of Chris’s lyrics and songs.
‘Hate When You’re Gone‘ by Chris Roberts
Chris’s vision for his music is to showcase his energy, determination to tear the roof off with his rock and roll and bring joy to the fans. For Chris his music and his songs just pours out of him, there is no existential dread, no struggle with a blank page. An example of how awesome Chris’s music is his ‘Red Feather‘ EP which features songs such as ‘Hate When Your Gone‘ and ‘Remember That It’s Me’. An Ep that was made during the pandemic
Chris Roberts ~ A true original voice within the world of music.
Chris is a prolific artist and has also released his ‘Lost And Found‘ EP which features the songs ‘Loving Arms‘ and the classic Sammy Johns track ‘Chevy Van‘. All this from a musician who only recently took up playing piano and guitar. Chris has a gift and it needs to be shared with the world.
‘Jam In The Van‘ with Chris Roberts and his band.
Chris recently moved from Colorado and the most important thing to travel with Chris to Joshua Tree were his books filled with songs. For Chris trying to organise a set list takes time as he wants to give the best performance he can with a combination of killer songs, hooks and melodies. So if you hear that Chris Roberts is playing in venue near you make sure you run, don’t walk to that gig because you will be in the presence of greatness when the lights go up and Chris is on stage.
Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Chris Roberts. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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