The Blueprints Online Interview

Hey guys. Hope you are all doing well and that you are going to have a great weekend. Today we get to learn about the guys of The Blueprints. Learn about how they formed, what they would describe their sound as and what their plans are for the next year. Read on to find out more: 

How did you guys meet one another? 

I went to school with Russ, and he's always been a very gifted musician. A great keys player and drummer, and he also plays guitar, bass and pretty much anything that makes a sound. We were the only two in our year to do A level music, and we have played music in various forms together ever since. It's become kind of instinctive, if I come in to rehearsal with a new idea he'll have a grasp on it straight away and will know what needs doing to make it go. 

I met Sophie through the local scene and from gigging with her previous band, who were really great. She's by far the most qualified musician among us, a great guitarist and a brilliant songwriter and singer. She joined initially on keys to replace our last keyboard player, but we swiftly decided to get her on guitar as it seemed crazy not to utilise her skills. She has a great style which gives us a much bigger sound live and on record. And she has cool guitars. Also in the meantime we got engaged and get married next year!

Mark and I met through playing in a band together called The Alpha Waves. He's a great great bass player and we're lucky to have him. His style is very melodic and always locked in with the drums, he gives us the grounding we need. We've also worked together in various music shops for years now. And we live on the same street. So it's a bit like The Beatles in 'Help!' round our way, only on a budget and with marginally lower record sales.

How was the band name created? 

A lot of thought and planning has always gone into what we do, and the name kind of came from there. All of the records we release will have a general theme running through them, and the arrangement of the songs and the artwork will reflect that. We're lucky to know some talented artists which help us to turn our ideas into tangible designs. We've worked with Milk Club Creative www.milkclubcreative.co.uk and Dog Eat Cog www.dogeatcog.co.uk and they have both done some amazing work.

How would you describe the music your band creates? 

We write pop songs, but play them with loud electric guitars. Lots of harmonies too. We're really focused on writing the best songs we can, and we've developed our own sound over the years. We once got described as 'If The Beatles had existed in the 90's' which we were very happy with. A 60s band trapped in the modern age.

What are some of the themes and messages that come across in your songs? 

It varies, it all depends on the mood of the song. We're definitely a 'music first lyrics second' band, so the melody will dictate the lyrical themes. Our first EP 'The Shipping Forecast' had maritime references throughout, the second 'The Mountaineer' mixed nature with urban imagery. And our new single 'Multiply/Circles' is more direct, discussing zero hour contracts and the realities of life in the current climate. Which all sounds very serious, but both songs are super hooky to soften the blow!

What are your plans for 2016? 

We've just released our latest single 'Multiply/Circles' on Limited Edition 7" transparent yellow vinyl, so we'll be promoting that as we'll as writing and recording the follow up. So fingers crossed we'll have another record out by the end of the year.

Where can people find you on social media? 

Facebook www.facebook.com/theblueprintsuk

Twitter @theblueprintsuk

New single - https://theblueprintsofficial.bandcamp.com/album/multiply-circles-double-a-side-single

Finally, if there was only one album you could listen to for the rest of your life which one would you choose and why? 

'Revolver' by The Beatles as it's just all there isn't it? It's 50 years old this year and is still relevant. 'Tomorrow Never Knows' sounds like it was recorded tomorrow. An incredible record.

Thanks to Stuart from The Blueprints for answering the questions. If any other bands would like to be featured on this blog please email me at rachelcolley@msn.com and I will send you the questions. Thanks again to Stuart. 

Hope you enjoyed this blog post, 

Rachel. 

A JOKER'S RAGE Online Interview

Hey guys. Hope your week has been good. Today we get to talk to A JOKER'S RAGE  and learn more about them as a band and what they hope to accomplish this year. Read on to find out more:  

How did you guys meet one another? 

We all met through the band scene in York, everyone in AJR has been in several local bands over the years and after experimenting with different line ups we finally found a chemistry like no other in the current line up. 

How was the band name created? 

I was living in Dubai for a while during a break from music all together, re-focussing my energy after a bitter break up with my previous band. I had no intention of creating any new projects but the writing started to flow naturally. It was during the time Christopher Nolan just released ‘The Dark Knight’ and I really connected with the joker character. All though we don’t want to ‘watch the world burn’ as he does, I felt the music I was writing came from a similar craving for chaos and escape from the mundane reality of everyday issues. 

How would you describe the music your band creates? 

Truthful and honest. We play rock and roll in the spirit that rock and roll originated. Our music has no limits nor boundaries. We don’t seek to ‘fit in’ with any particular scene or genre. Our writing is based on what ever pushes our buttons emotionally at the time. Our music varies but does tend to lean towards a dramatic edgy hard rock sound often combined with groovy rhythms that often engage that impulse to dance. If I had a quid for every time someone said “I don’t normally like this sort of thing but the way you

guys do it, it’s just so……well I love it.” I’d be able to afford to buy Heinz ketchup instead of the cheap shit every week!

What are some of the themes and messages that come across in your songs? 

A Joker’s Rage is our escape from the shackles of reality. Therefore a lot of our messages tend to encourage healthy rebelliousness or finding a means to deal with negative issues, grabbing life by the balls and saying “fuck it, bring it on!" Throw what you can at me and I will embrace it, learn from it and throw it back at you ten fold. Our concept of ‘GameFace’ as we call it i.e the faceprint, is to channel our alter egos like super heroes and become untouchable whether it’s for a day or whenever we need to. 

What are your plans for 2016? 

Any success we’ve been lucky to have has come naturally from the sting of our face paint as it runs into our eyes during a live show. We’ve never made the band a top priority in our lives nor tried to ram it down people’s throats via social media desperately seeking ‘likes’ and popularity. The evolution of the band has come the old fashioned way based on the quality of our music and performances. The difference this year is we fully intend on making it a priority to go full throttle and capitalise on the fact people are digging what we do. We started this year with over 7 festival slots booked in the diary and we didn’t apply nor kiss anybodies arse to get those slots, they came to us. We’re currently in pre production for our debut album

and we’re ready to go above and beyond this year with releasing as much creativity as possible in the hopes of making some jaws drop. We enter all these festivals this year as fresh blood, underdogs so to speak. We’ll leave each festival as kings. 

Where can people find you on social media? 

 facebook.com/ajokersrage

Finally, if there was only one album you could listen to for the rest of your life which one would you choose and why? 

 Simon & Garfunkel - the concert in central park live album. I’d much rather listen to Paul Simon's genius of story telling through music than hear some primped cool kid with a designer beard moan about all twenty of his relationships while boasting how much pretend booze and drugs he consumes to get through his day when in reality he lives off mummy and daddy’s hard graft and couldn’t operate a fucking toaster. 

Thanks to Dave from management for getting me in touch with the band and Zakk from the band for answering these questions. If any other bands would like to be featured on this blog please email me at rachelcolley@msn.com and I will send you the questions. Thanks again to Dave and Zakk for this. 

Hope you enjoyed this blog post,

Rachel. 

Glass Caves Online Interview

Hey guys. Hope the beginning of your week is going well. Another online interview today. I didn't realise I had sent this band a message and only realised that they exceeded my 10,000 followers limit on Facebook when I got the answers back. Maybe I'll add an odd band in over 10,000 followers every so often as a sneaky surprise? Maybe not, who knows? Anyways, enjoy reading and learning about this rock 'n' roll group from the county of West Yorkshire: 

Matt - Singer Elliott- Drummer. Connor-Guitarist and Will -Bassist

How did you guys meet one another?

So, Elliott and Connor were previously in a band after going to School together. I (Matt) met Elliott in Biology and then joined the band. Will joined later, we all knew Will because he was a feared name in Pontefract.

How was the band name created?

The band name came about plainly because we first started practising in A greenhouse so Glass Caves seemed fitting.

How would you describe the music your band creates?

We'd describe our music as a monologue of the mind played in rewind.

What are some of the themes and messages that come across in your songs?

We like to write about personal goings on mostly then throw in there relationships and spirituality and that's us.

What are your plans for 2016?

2016 we plan to break it and do what we love and help people with the riches we gain.

Where can people find you on social media?

We're on all social media just type in the band name. It's as easy as that.

Finally, if there was only one album you could listen to for the rest of your life which one would you choose and why?

Atm it would be Tame Impala - Currents because it sounds insane.

Thanks to the band for answering the questions. If any other bands want to be featured on this blog then please email me at rachelcolley@msn.com and I will send you the questions. Thanks again to the band. 

Hope you enjoyed this blog post, 

Rachel.