KBPS Interview: Paige Monroe

Paige Monroe is an exciting new pop singer hailing from Portsmouth who has released her debut EP which includes the single ‘Call It Love’, a track she describes as “really pumpy and energetic” with a Kelly Clarkson vibe.

“After we figured out a sound,” she said on the Clarkson comparison, “She was a good person to compare to.”

Putting the single together was a fun experience for Monroe. “I was in the studio for a couple of weeks and doing the EP at the same time. My producer Julian was lovely; he’s really talented and helped with the EP so much.”

Talking about the EP, Monroe selected the closing piano-based track ‘Don’t Break My Fall’ as her favourite on the release. “I like to think it will surprise people as it doesn’t sound like the other songs on the record. The other songs are quite pumpy, and that one’s quite slow.”

The music video for ‘Call It Love’ which is also out now, and you can see it below.

“Everyone on set was really lovely,” Monroe revealed to us. “It was really exciting at first but wasn’t nerve-wracking. It was really cool as it was my first music video. It was a little overwhelming at first but once I got into it it went really professionally.”

Paige Monroe has recently done some support sets for acts, and she has two distinct styles of sound, whether she’s going acoustic or not, with a balance between the big band sound “which gets everyone going” and the more intimate stripped back sessions.

“I’ve just done a gig with James TW, who’s a really good musician. His fans are amazing and they really loved my set. They’ve gone crazy all over my Twitter.”

Last year Paige Monroe did a series of acoustic videos called the Monroe Sessions and she’s expanded on that concept in 2016. “Right now I’m doing little ones in my bathroom just to give people the opportunity to hear my voice instead of music as well so they can get to hear my voice.

“In the near future we’re going to do a different type of session as well but I won’t tell you too much!”

We asked Paige how she picks the songs for covers, and she says it’s for either ones that are currently popular or ones her fans have requested.

Delving into her past, Paige has always had a passion for music since she was very young but has recently expanded into song-writing. “I was thrown into a writing session by my manager just to test me, and it turns out I can write songs and it just went from there.”

Since then Paige Monroe has been writing with a range of exciting writers, including James Birt, Jamie Sellers, Paul Burton and Sam McCarthy. “It’s great working with so many interesting people; if you work too much by yourself everything is just from one opinion or one sound, so when you work with other people it’s a good chance to merge the two brains and you can create a new flavour!”

Looking to the future, Paige has a few festivals lined up, with further writing sessions planned. “I like keeping a constant flow; always keeping myself busy and releasing new music for people, and just keep doing it!”

Ambitions for the year include playing more headline gigs and starting on a new record by the new year.

Finally, Paige Monroe is very active on social media, particularly recently when following Eurovision. “I love it! Every year me and my grandma sit down to watch it and commentate on it!

“I really wanted Australia to win as the singer and song were amazing,” she told us, responding to the controversy of their inclusion, “But my Eurovision fan side was angry because having Eurovision including Australia doesn’t work, which is a shame as they’re really good.”

Though a fan of the show, Paige was less keen about maybe singing in the competition in the future. “No, it’s not for me. I’m better at watching it!”

Find more about Paige on Facebook and Twitter.

KBPS Interview: whenyoung

whenyoung are a London-based band who have just released their debut single ‘See How They Run’, a track Andrew from the band describes their two-minute long debut as “short and punchy.”

“We wanted to start our debut single with a bang; it’s quite loud and brash and that’s how we want to start out! We’ve got a bunch of songs with different styles and melodies but [See How They Run] is what we’re going for with this.”

But how does this single, which has been receiving a great reaction online, compare to their catalogue. “It’s a good taster of what we’re about. I wouldn’t say you could categorise us with one song but it’s a taste of what we’re about and what’s to come.”

There is also a video for the song which you can see below. “We didn’t really have a budget so it was a case of seeing what we could do, calling up some friends and having some fun with it. We wanted to take certain elements of the song and recreate them in an interesting video format that keeps you entertained.”

Whenyoung are playing their first show next month and are building up to that now. “We’ve had interested blogs, lots of interviews. General feedback has been really good about it. It’s rare that a band starts off and is determined to release a song that’s two minutes long and in your face.

“I think bands are too nice these days!”

Working on their live show, Andrew says their sound will be intense. “We want to justify the songs live and even make them even better live, and we’re working hard on that.”

The band are set to play Brighton’s The Great Escape later this month and then a show in London on the final day of May. And what are their plans for after that?

“In the last six months we’ve been working hard at the actual recordings so we’ve got a lot of songs under our belt. As soon as we get this one out there and people start hearing it and we do some live shows it’s straight onto the next one.

“You’ll be definitely hearing more of us!”, promising a release of more songs. “If we get a couple of our live dates done and dusted we’ll know more about where we’re standing!”

Looking even further ahead Andrew would love the band to be on a support tour “to get out there and play a lot of live shows and really get to show people what we can do.

“As a musician it’s great to be able to play, record and rehearse your own music but when people take it on board and enjoy it it really makes the difference and that’s what it’s all about.”

Find whenyoung on Facebook and Twitter.

KBPS Interview: Eddie Prové

Eddie Prové is a musician from Reading and he’s just released his ‘Silent Love’ EP and I spoke to him about the release, the new single ‘Never Cared’ which he describes as a ‘soulful, pop song’.

“I tried to keep it quite simple structurally, to really put the lyrics across for that song. It’s very piano based, focus on the piano and vocals”.

Alongside this song Prové has also created a video for song ‘Love For A Day’ which will be out in a few weeks having been teased last week online. He has also been on the live circuit including a recent performance at Live at Leeds, a show he described as excellent.

“I’ve never been to Leeds or played live there either. A great crowd came along as it was a mixture between local bands and artists from around the country. It was a great kind of festival, a good turnout and everyone was in a great mood and it went really well.”

Eddie Prové is currently planning further dates after an upcoming one in Brighton and will be revealing more information soon online.

When he’s not playing music, Eddie is a keen golfer. “I like to get out on the course if I get a free moment. It’s a nice way to relax and get out into the sun. I’m not very good but I guess that’s why I keep playing, I just need to get better!”

Keen on social media promotion, Eddie loves interacting with his fans, and he’s also busy planning his next steps and promoting his EP through his social media. “We’re hoping to release a second EP by the end of the year.”

Looking ahead to the future, Eddie will be concentrating on this new extended play once the dust has settled on his latest release. “I’ve already got a lot of the songs that I’m thinking for the second EP, writing and recording them at the moment, trying to get ahead of ourselves. And also get some nice summer live shows going and making an impact with them and keeping the momentum going into the next year.”

Find Eddie Prové on Facebook and on Twitter.

One (Euro)vision

Record Store Day. What a washout. I had intended to write this month’s piece on it. Well, I queued for 2 hours to get into the store and found that the pieces I had intended to buy (Christopher Lee’s albums) weren’t even due to arrive until the following week – defeating the point of Record Store Day surely.

Still, there’s one big topic to talk about this month; the grand final comes too late but the palaver around it and the semi-finals are still entertainment enough, and ripe ground for mockery. It is of course the national joke that is Eurovision; the place where I got to know the later Sir Terry Wogan for his merciless barbs, a trend that Graham Norton has thankfully continued. 

And really, how can you not mock something that this year has had Australia continuing to enter, and getting into a dispute with the rules over whether facetime is an acceptable song lyric (it is as it turns out) and saw the British entry fight tooth and nail to be able to fly the Welsh flag (being from Wales) as the red dragon was seen as being a political statement and featured alongside the ISIS flag on the banned list.

So, the first semi-final; opened up with last year’s winner supported by a band of oompa-loompas throwing dance moves right out of 2005; no more really needs be said about how ridiculous it looked, and that’s not even the actual show underway – that began with Sweden welcoming Europe, for the intro of Final Countdown to start playing (and how we all wish it was the final countdown already on the songs with enough cheese in them to keep Wallace busy for the next few years).

As for the first semi-final: 
Finland were supposed to have a suede moose costume. I didn’t notice it first time, but the fact that I went back to watch again says a lot about how ridiculous they were. Greece sang about a rising sun and a utopian land, which just sounds like the Golden Dawn have abandoned running for parliament on a neo-Nazi ticket to just pen some sort of catchy tunes. Moldova were only notable for their failed Daft Punk hopeful – it’s robots not astronauts, read the memo next time.

Hungary and Holland put in professional performances with little spectacle; do they not know what this is about? At least Croatia understood, dressing their act in what appeared to be tinfoil and some feather rugs under a curtain while San Marino entered a background character from the Godfather and some leftovers from Star Trek to take the can’t be arsed award. 
Cyprus, decent song aside, seemed confused as to where they are: Eurovision isn’t a place for serious rock bands, and the amount of cages seemed more suited to an S&M dungeon than on a stage – somewhere Estonia’s entry seemed to want to take you judging by their appearance; there’s a line where come hither eyes become the stare of a creep with a windowless van and burlap sack outside. They crossed it and then some.
And the yearly surprise early elimination – that goes to Iceland. Possibly because of the Lovecraftian nightmare of ghostly hands, shadow monsters, Slenderman and Alfred Hitchcock’s Birds shadow play going on behind her; I wouldn’t vote to see that again. 
The second semi-final topped the first for the ridiculousness of the intro; a forced, hackneyed series of references that just made me think of an old radio show: And Be Done With It (Just the intro tune before the ed. changes anything).

There were more interesting costumes to come – Switzerlands flaming arm-pits and blind for a skirt (still the best thing about their act) and Polands Sargent Pepper knock-off with the supply teacher goatee – for such a brightly coloured jacket it shocks me that the colour of his life was a very grey beige judging by the tedium of the song. 

Worse still was the Israeli act – glittery fingerless gloves and a haircut that made it look like A Flock of Seagulls had been chucked through the American shop Hot Topic, with a complete misunderstanding of the vetruvian man works. It made the Belarussian CGI wolf guitarist, and the brief duet between Benjen Stark and Dr Manhattan look normal, and that’s not something I ever expected to say (although given he was supposed to be naked with real wolves, I think we still dodged a bullet).
It’s easy to poke fun at the rubbish acts, but Ireland definitely deserve it – like they tried to convince westlife to come back but couldn’t, so just threw together some lookalikes from down the pub, as opposed to the Macedonia act, who had clearly just come from the pub, screaming as she was for a doner, doner, doner (kebab).

While I could ask why Australia are taking part (it’s genuinely baffling), what is even more baffling is why she was wearing a strip of diamond encrusted wallpaper as a sash across her shoulder; proper Kanye West level of dress sense going on there. It wasn’t even the worst costume though – that goes to Bulgaria, who dressed herself in strips of reflective vest, creating shoulder armour, leg braces and a single ear-ring out of it – presumably to make the haircut the least stupid thing about her.

The final thing to note was the over use of lighting, particularly by the soviet bloc – Ukraine payed 20 grand for their lighting, while Georgia decided that raves were just too non-eventful, blinding everyone. Possibly to disguise the fact that their entry was Josh Widdicombe in a hat stolen from Pharrell Williams.

KBPS Interview: Malin

Originally from Northern Ireland, Malin headed over to live in America to live the dream in Nashville and one of the results of this time was single ‘Not About You’. I spoke to Malin as he was recording in a studio in America with some friends on a new project to ask him about the single. “It’s going great. We’ve finished basic tracking and we’re adding the overdubs and harmonies and all the good stuff.”

‘Not About You’ is a rock-pop based track based primarily around the electric guitar, riff and drum beat.

“[With] the main hook, I thought I’d heard it somewhere before. It was one of those paranoia checks. It’s ‘Not all these songs are about you, only the best ones are’ and I kept playing on that and I was convinced I’d heard it somewhere before but after Googling it I realised I hadn’t so I ended up finishing it up.”

The accompanying video, which sees Malin performing in a band stand in Battersea Park whilst an unconventional love story takes place around him, is a favourite here at KBPS. It also features an unscripted appearance by some dogs from the local dog’s home!

“The director of the video put out some ideas along with a few others competing for the job, and we liked the way the story overlapped with the busking in the park.”
The basic tracking for the song was done in Wisconsin, before Malin flew to Nashville to finish the mix, a time he describes as “phenomenal”.

“You’re soaking up the history and all the experience and talent in that town; it’s just amazing.”

Malin has also been recording more music, and his latest work has been mixed and mastered. “We’re adding a few UK mixes and then we’ll put that together as an EP. We’ve got more stuff in reverse for a second EP or to combine them into a record in the fall. Hopefully we’ll be touring for that in the summer!”

A fan of Crowded House and Squeeze, Malin describes them as the band’s who release songs you’d wish you’d written. “Once you start digging inside them and learning them, whether it’s the melody, the vocal delivery of Neil Finn (of Crowded House) or certainly with Squeeze I’m amazed how within one verse they can squeeze in some sneaky chord changes for the second verse, adding a little more depth to the music, and the writing is always inspiring to me!”

Malin takes his stage name from the area of water near Northern Ireland used in the shipping forecast. “I always find myself separated from Ireland and the UK by the sea and it’s always there and certainly growing up that was a word that was always floating around.

“When I began writing more original music I was always looking for twists and hooks, not just musically of course, in the lyrics as well. One of the things is that Malin Head itself is the most northerly part of Ireland, but it’s technically in the South but it’s more North than Northern Ireland and it’s west of where I grew up so it’s got most of the parts of the compass in there.

“If there was a perfect lyric to capture that, I haven’t found it yet, but it’s a perfect analogy for what I’m looking for!”

Alongside his recording Malin has also been planning some unplugged sets. Malin told us his live set changes depending on who he’s gigging with, sometimes with the full band, sometimes just acoustic. “I wouldn’t quite say Simon and Garfunkel but we interpreted some of the songs as a duo. For the summer I’d like to do it with the whole band.”

And what’s Malin’s big ambition for the rest of the year?

“Just getting out there and getting [my music] known and increasing the reach. It’s nice that people who haven’t actually seen me first hand and asking me when I’m coming and when they can see me play live. I guess a goal for this year would be to have four or five significant shows, perhaps opening for larger acts alongside shows of my own.”

This interview will feature in KBPS #9 available Saturday 14th May.

KBPS Interview: Matthew Logan Vasquez

Matthew Logan Vasquez is a rock and roll artist from Texas and we caught up with him as he finished the sound check at his latest gig in the UK to talk to him about his new single ‘I Bet It All’. A solo track that is influenced by various artists including the Beatles, Vasquez has also worked as part of groups Delta Spirit and Middle Brother, and we asked him what it was like going solo.

“The comparison would be that now I get to call all the shots and have all the fun!”
On his new EP, which is out now, Vasquez recorded all the music, a process he described as a “blast”.

“It shows what I can do in the studio and kind of finish the material where the band would usually take over, but now I have the ability and the desire to finish the ideas. I’m really happy with the result.”

Working with The Night Sweats at live gigs, Vasquez described his live sound “like one thousand naked virgins coming together for one magical moment for the first time. Everybody’s been waiting for it, and it has finally happened and it’s insane to watch. The people in the crowd weren’t expecting that many naked people in the positions they find themselves in!”

Matthew Logan Vasquez is now touring in the USA. “All my fans back in the US are really excited to have me back and I’m excited to get back and kick them in their teeth!”

Looking ahead for the rest of the year, what is Vasquez’s key ambition for 2016?

“I’m going to tackle world peace this year. It’s not easy finding a thousand virgins every night but I think we’re going to beat ISIS. Tonight might be the night. World peace is in hand!”  

This interview will feature in KBPS #9 available Saturday 14th May.

KBPS Interview: Mavrick

Mavrick is an exciting new musician from Stockholm in Sweden and we spoke to him around the release of his new single ‘Funeral’ which he describes as a “chaotic, pop-song.”

“I think the melody is very poppy to me, and then I tried to mix it into a landscape of heavy bass and drums that are not as poppy.”

As well as making the music Mavrick also works on the production side of things, hoping to make something that has not been done before. “I like to mix different influences and not make it boring. I hate boring stuff!

“I want the listener to think it’s interesting and something new.”

Taking inspiration from gospel and one of his favourite bands ‘Rage Against the Machine’, Mavrick is also a big fan of Prince and he told me about his love of the artist in the interview, which was conducted before the sad death of the singer last month.

“I’m trying to stay away from Prince when it comes to making music as he’s a God and I’m not. I’m never going to be able to be as good.

“I listen to almost anything and mix in what feels good at that moment.”

Mavrick is currently working on his debut album, which is due to be released in August or September with one more single before then in May, and the process is going well and has almost been completed aside from a couple of finishing touches.

“I have to let go at some point. It’s never going to be 100% finished according to me but I have to release it so I have to let it go, but it’s 98% done.

“I’m eager to release it!”

Mavrick has also been gigging live recently including a performance in Oslo at a showcase-style festival called By:Larm. “That’s been one of my goals this year because it’s one of the festivals in the Nordic countries that I like the most. There were a lot of people there, more than I expected. It was really fun!”

Further live dates are planned for Mavrick in the summer.

Mavrick has also enjoyed success recently with Spotify highlighting him as an act as part of their ‘Spotlight’ pieces, and that service is something Mavrick enjoys when he’s not playing off vinyl, something he’s passionate about.

With Mavrick’s big ambition for the year to release his album things are looking great for the artist. “I’d also like to get on the road and win people over. At the moment I’ve only released two songs so it’s not that easy for people to see the whole picture of my sound, but I have big ambitions to take over the world!

“Maybe I have to be a little more patient for that, but my ambition is always high. When I’m making music I think it’s the best music in the world, Kanye West style, thinking I’m the best! I’m more low key though when I’m in the studio but I have high ambitions for everything!”

This interview will feature in KBPS #9 available Saturday 14th May.