Tag Archives: musician

CloudwatcherUno Podcast S7 Ep 7 ~ Alessia

CloudwatcherUno chats with Alessia about her EP “Sugar”. We get together after Alessia was recovering from surgery to help her breathe! The EP came about when Alessia was stuck in her native Switzerland and was based on her experiences of falling in and out of love. Even if something bad happens in life Alessia tries to take these happy moments and puts them into her songs.

“Sugar” by Alessia

One of the ways that Alessia produces music is when she plays on piano and is able to freestyle and use less lyrics and emphasise the chords of her music. “Sugar” the track was born in 2020 when other countries were in lockdown, Switzerland was not. The song is inspired by eighties disco pop funk music. The melody was born first and then the lyrics came afterwards for this track.

Alessia has collaborated with songwriters and producers across the world to show her vision of music . Her music is inspired by the music of Kylie Minogue, Abba and bubble gum pop.

Alessia is a born performer and loves to sing and dance on stage. Alessia is currently studying for her Bachelors degree in song writing from BIMM Institute, London BIMM Institute | Industry Leading Music Colleges and Music Schools

Alessia was touring in summer 2021 even when all the naysayers were saying it cant be done. Alessia proved them all wrong. Alessia goals are to travel around the world making music, getting that adrenaline kick of performing in front of a live audience. She loves it when the audience sings back her lyrics to her when she is on stage. Alessia is planning to play at festivals and making her name as the rising star of music.

Click below to hear more from the podcast with CloudwatcherUno featuring Alessia. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

CloudwatcherUno Podcast S7 Ep 6 ~ Ellis Bullard

Ellis Bullard sits down with CloudwatcherUno to talk about his single “Rollercoaster“, his forthcoming album and his musical influences. Ellis’s vision was to channel John Evan and Jesse Dayton’s music and gathered his friends and band mates Wyatt Langford, Cole Beddingfield and Sam Norris Esq together and bring them together in the studio to lay down the tracks for the forthcoming album.

With their help he began touring for seven or eight years including during the pandemic and earning their reputations as a phenomenal live act.

Rollercoaster” by Ellis Bullard

“Fortune favours those who are willing to risk, there is no Plan B”

It’s an honest contribution to the pantheon of country music following up from their childhoods in coastal southern Texan towns. Ellis and the band have played at The Broken Spoke and The White Horse where Joe Rogan was in the audience. Joe loved the music so much he posted a video to his 14 million followers on Instagram helping to push Ellis and the band into the spotlight. It’s been a long journey but eventually the ‘No’s’ have turned into ‘Yes’s’ and Ellis is now playing at the sort of venues that can make and break reputations not only within the Texas music scene but beyond.

Ellis is out there because he loves what he does, he loves music there is no elaborate scheme to become famous that is not the focus of Ellis’s energies.

Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Ellis Bullard. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Behind The Song with The Wooks

The Wooks—CJ Cain on guitar and vocals, Harry Clark on mandolin and vocals, George Guthrie on banjo and vocals, and Allen Cooke on Dobro—release  “Flyin’ High” on Friday 25th February 2022. In an exclusive for Behind The Song we have CJ Cain from The Wooks sing the track “Flying High” solo. The first time that he has performed this track without the rest of the band.

CJ Cain also goes into depth as to the story about the song and and explains the importance of the lyrics and the real life characters who inspired the song and how their lives were weaved into becoming a musical gem. We also talk about the music video for “Flyin High” and how the video has brought the characters to life and thus the song into the field of animation.

The Wooks

Click below to watch the full Behind The Song video from The Wooks on You Tube or listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Behind The Song with Sarah Elizabeth Haines

Sarah Elizabeth Haines releases her sophomore LP, Castaway, on February 25, 2022.  Castaway showcases Haines’ impressive instrumental skills on viola, violin, guitar, arrangements, and production, as well as her sharp songwriting and strong singing — both on the melodies and harmonies. In an exclusive for Behind The Song we get to hear Sarah perform her song “Water” acoustically for the show.
 
Sarah explains what the album and especially “Water” means to her as an artist singer and lyricist. We explore all the connotations of this word, this material to the world and beyond.

Click below to watch the full Behind The Song video from The Wooks on You Tube or listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Artist Showcase with Taylor Rae

This Artist Showcase features Taylor Rae a sensational musician, singer and songwriter who blends blues, jazz and country music to produce a mesmerising musical cocktail. Check out her album “Mad Twenties” to hear how special Taylor Rae and her music is.

“5:25” by Taylor Rae

We got to speak to Taylor Rae after recovering from Covid and suffering the effects brain god. Taylor’s plan to get through this was building upon her muscle memory and performing in front of audiences. Since 2015 Taylor Rae stopped doing everything and music became not only her passion but full time job.

Taylor has already played in Austin, Houston and Dallas, then travelling to California and fly out to Nashville to Washington DC and then Virginia. Taylor is driving alone along the west and east coast. Thankfully Taylor Rae has a team to support her but she is still driving across the country and performing alone on this tour.

Taylor Rae has her eye on the ball that is Music.

Taylor speaks about her love for Santa Cruz and splitting her time between there and Austin Texas. Hopefully Taylor will collaborate again with Jesse Daniel a childhood friend who she has made some brilliant videos such as “Jackson” which showcase the best of their voices.

“Jackson” cover by Taylor Rae and Jesse Daniel

We speak about the album and the genesis of songs which made it into the album but “Sink Or Swim”, “5:25”, “Letting You Go”. They follow a break up and Taylor’s Southern Rock Blues phase and Lounge Jazz Chill sound that she created by working in hotels and weddings.

Taylor sometimes did six times a week doing these gigs but felt that she was becoming human sonic wallpaper. Grateful for the experience she used it to have production ready songs. A guardian angel provided Taylor the funds to make a full album. Along the way Taylor met a top producer Michelle Robertson and her husband who helped her record the album in two days. The video for “Window” will be coming out soon. This year will focus on promoting “Mad Twenties” until the end of the year.

Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Taylor Rae. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

CloudwatcherUno Podcast S7 Ep 5 ~ The County Affair

The County Affair are lifelong friends Kevin Brennan and Tony Regan. CloudwatcherUno catches up with the duo after they had finished supporting Ward Thomas Ward Thomas | Official Website (wardthomasmusic.co.uk) on their national tour.

On tour with Ward Thomas. Photo: CloudwatcherUno™ © 2022

Kevin and Tony met up as teenagers in Nottingham in the late 70s. In their early twenties they toured the States coast to coast booking their own gigs, landing opportunities and building a reputation with over 200 gigs under their belts. Then a fork in the road came along and they had to choose, one path led to music and the other was corporate careers and settling down and raising families. They both chose this path.

Fast forward more than thirty years and around 2017 and the duo got back together again to concentrate on their music and formed The County Affair. Producer Tom Nichols heard their story on the radio and invited them to record their first album “Off The Grid” with him at the famous Abbey Road Studios.

“Man of Note” by The County Affair

The album includes such tracks as “Man of Note”, “Every Ghost” and “Playing Poker”. While on tour the duo have been busy writing songs and developing more material for a future release. They would love to bring their music to a live act and builds up their presence on the music scene.

“Every Ghost” by The County Affair

Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring The County Affair. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

With Kevin and Tony from The County Affair. Photo by Matt Bradshaw.

CloudwatcherUno Podcast S7 Ep 4 ~ Dylan Earl

Dylan Earl sits down with CloudwatcherUno to talk all things music and everything in between. We start off by talking about how the AMA UK music week had been cancelled resulting in Dylan and many artists from the United States, Canada and Europe not being able to fly to London and perform live in front of a live audience. It may be 2022 but it still feels a lot like 2020 is still trying for a third roll of the dice when it comes to gigs and events being postponed or cancelled outright.

Some of Dylan’s last great memories were in 2018, as the last couple of years has been a blur. Dylan was supposed to be at Black Deer Fest in 2021 but that was cancelled as well. Dylan was the only American artist who took the risk of flying into the UK when the restrictions meant you had to isolate for 10 days. In the end Dylan was left without the festival and it was only through the help of friends (Stevie Smith) that he was able to do a few gigs with Judy Blank.

Dylan Earl in action.

Dylan was there to perform with Judy Blank Judy Blank | Official website who he had collaborated previously on “Throwing Lines“. Dylan’s philosophy in dealing with disappointment is the same way he deals when Arkansas Razorbacks Football snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. We talk about how gigs and festivals desperately are trying to come back such as Tennessee Fields Festival where the first band that I saw was Morganway HOME | morganway , which was the last band I saw pre Covid.

Dylan loves nothing more than to perform in front of a live audience wherever they may be in the world.

Covid and politics features heavily early on our discussion as we lament the fact that we had and still have the most inept and useless self serving politicians in charge with the resulting outcome of the loss of many lives. Thankfully it’s not all doom and gloom Dylan tells the story of how he met Judy Blank and then formed a partnership which has resulted in some damn fine songs. The pair met at Graham Weber and House Of Songs Graham Weber | The House of Songs Songwriter Summit Camps where songwriters from all over the world come to grow, create and develop as artists, writers and musicians. Tanya Tucker, Glen Campbell, Elles Bailey were all influences upon Dylan at the retreat.

Judy Blank and Dylan Earl

Dylan cannot praise Judy Blank high enough as a true lyrical genius and master of her song writing craft. Seemingly Judy can create melodies out of the atmosphere and together the duo created a solid gold country and western hit “Never Said A Word“.

Never Said A Word” by Judy Blank and Dylan Earl

Many more collaborations have been with the very distant kinship Dylan has with his ‘cousin’ Nick Shoulders and friendship with his ‘uncle’ Willi Carlisle. The trio have a long deep friendship which has only been strengthened when Nick and Willi returned back from their wanderings from New Orleans and being on the road. Being around each other pushes Dylan and his brothers in arms to produce phenomenal storytelling and music with the result that all of their respective careers are going stellar.

If I Could Only Fly” by Nick Shoulders, Dylan Earl and Willi Carlisle

Dylan is working with Western AF in filming and producing an Arkansas documentary and the Delta area which is where Johnny Cash comes from.

There’s been a history of the outcasts, loners and weirdo’s breaking down the fences that gatekeepers have put up around country music and that all are welcome to this beautiful genre of music.

Dylan is working on his next album ” I Saw The Arkansas” and this will also be the first track released from this new album. In the album will be the track “Buddy” and reflects the touring experience and life led by both Dylan and Willi.

Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Dylan Earl. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Marsden & Richardson – Gig Review ~ St Pancras Old Church

Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson. Photo: CloudwatcherUno ™ © 2022

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.

Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson. caught in the moment. Photo: CloudwatcherUno ™ © 2022

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.

Russell and Richardson | “Beautiful Love” Video: CloudwatcherUno ™ © 2022
Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson. tuning their guitars between songs. Photo: CloudwatcherUno ™ © 2022

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.

With the guitar legend that is Emma Richardson. Photo: CloudwatcherUno ™ © 2022
The bands all here! With Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson. after the gig. Photo: CloudwatcherUno ™ © 2022

Artist Showcase with Good Morning Bedlam

Good Morning Bedlam is a Minnesota based band and is made up of members Isaak Elker (vocals, guitar), his wife Tori Elker (bass, vocals), and Sophie Mae Beyer (violin, vocals). CloudwatcherUno sits down with the band in Tampa, Florida to talk about their new album “Lulu” out on February 4th 2022. In the podcast we also get to hear the tracks “Salt” and “Lulu” from the album.

We talk about the origins of the bands name (Isaak thought it would be cool and now take it as a mantra to greet the chaos of everyday life) and how the band started ( Sophie then 17 and Isaak 19 were inspired to start a band after going to a Davina and The Vagabonds concert). Tori was dating Isaak at the time and wanted to be in the band so much that she sang with the band, sold merchandise and learnt how to play the upright bass.

Good Morning Bedlam’s music is an outpouring of how they are feeling rather than constrict themselves to a particular sound or genre. If they hear a Jazz song that they like then they will go all in and make a Jazz song but with their own unique take on what that should sound like.

“Lulu” by Good Morning Bedlam

Isaak says that, “We are a pop band pretending to be a string band”. Sophie , Teri and Isaak have used their theatre backgrounds to give everything they have and fully embody the energy, heart and passion on their live show. Influences for the band range from Billy Holliday, Otis Redding, Bon Iver, Pokey Lafarge, Oh Hellos and Phox.

Good Morning Bedlam are known for their contagious energy, with members careening about the stage, jumping and dancing with a wild playfulness. With tight soaring three part harmonies, and thumping kick-drum, they captivate their audience night after night with no intention of slowing down.

In February of 2021 Isaak, Sophia, and Tori returned to Carpet Booth Studios to work with Zach Zurn on their third full-length record Lulu. On May 28th of 2021 they released a single titled “Blue House,” and have continued to release one song off of the upcoming record every five weeks, which will culminate in the official release of the record on February 4th 2022. In July of 2021 they ran a successful Kickstarter for their upcoming album Lulu, where fans from around the world pledged a total of $34,000. It’s easy for artists to make art but it’s difficult for those artists to champion their art and requires a belief that people want to listen to their music.

Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Good Morning Bedlam. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

CloudwatcherUno Podcast S6 Ep 10 ~ Chris Roberts

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 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.