Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The Fusiliers Rock!


(left to right and from back to front)
Oen - Bass/Backing Vocals
Savage - Drums/Percussion
Jonny - Lead Guitars
Tom - Lead Guitars
Gary - Sharp Dressed Vox Man


I had on 3 members of one of Scotland's hot Indie Bands - The Fusiliers.

Jonny - lead guitar - from The Fusiliers reached out to me a while back - maybe a month or 2 ago - and we emailed a bit and I remembered telling him that I was real busy but would listen to his band's music.

And, then I said to myself - ok - I've got time for one now and then another one and then another one and so on.
All I can say is Wow!

Raw Energy
Pure Energy
Exciting.
Fun.

One thing that stands out for me is actually the story behind the song - Holding On. Gary explained that the song came about because a former song writing partner wasn’t as into the music writing as he was. And folks - before we start a controversy here - there is no controversy. It was matter of fact the way Gary said it and, we need to realize as people that " WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT " and accept that for what it is.

On the phone we had Oen, Jonny and Garry. But, of course, like friends and some bands out there, they have their 'alternate names.'

Gaz - Vox Major
Jon - Lead Guitars
Tom - Lead Guitars
O-Dog - Lead Bass/Vox Minor
Savage - Lead Drums

And, it was great.
Conversational.
Fun.
Interesting.

How they recorded the EP is really interesting and was done using Reel To Reel Tape and not electronically so, when there was a mistake, they started over. And, I believe that one of the reasons that their sound is tight is because of this.

Studio time costs money.

Indie bands pay for everything out of pocket before getting a record deal. And even then who knows how much really comes out of the band's share.

And, you don’t want to screw around when these factors are involved.

How do you know a band or musicians are committed to the music? You know when they make a statement like: "if you do a gig and only 6 people show up, you have to make sure you play just as hard for them as you would for the times you have a crowd of about 3000."

Making music is an art form and carving out your own niche with your own sound is hard to do. And, The Fusiliers do it very well with a strong drum backbone and great vocal powers that allow Jonny, Tom and Oen to "walk on up the red carpet" - if you will - and round out the sound with strong guitar work giving The Fusiliers an intense sound that makes you take notice and want more.

I'm looking forward to having The Fusiliers on again and sharing their sound with more people.
------------------
The Fusiliers have an intersting story and I suggest you check them out at:
http://www.myspace.com/wearethefusiliers

Check out their music on their media player, but also, tucked away a little bit lower, you'll find a little yellow jukebox of some acoustic music of their's. Click on 'play' and take a moment to hear them stripped down. Great bands, when stripped of the electric options, sound just as good if not better. Like a woman who wears makeup and then doesn’t wear makeup. (And note, I'm not saying The Fusiliers wear makeup or are women. They're guys.) If she's attractive without the makeup - then, there you go. It's all about perspectives.

To purchase the music of The Fusiliers, go to http://www.mp3.com, http://www.napster.com, and, of course, iTUNES !

PROST!!!!
I say to THE FUSILIERS.
PROST!!!!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Shane Cooley - Live!

Oh - to be 20 years old again.





When I turned 20, it was between my sophmore and junior year of college.





Having a dream and following your heart......yeh - I like that.





Shane Cooley is out there touring this summer in various places like Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, and, hopefully - Toronto Canada and supporting his latest release - Whirlpool.





It's funny saying that his sound matures - but how can it not as he goes from album to album and grows musically and also in his life.

New experiences.
Loves found.
Loves lost.
Love's moments forever etched in his mind.





I won't bore you with some long winded explanation of his songs or his sound, but I will tell you that Shane had a crowd around him around the stage at Celebrate Fairfax - all people he did not know - so I hope this is a sign of good things to come for him.





And, I met his family. How great is that. Family - supporting their son/nephew/etc... How awesome.





This photo is of Shane belting out my favorite song of his - My Asbury Park. And, whether he's playing this song with his band or acoustic - it's fantastic to hear him sing and play.

Go check out Shane's music at:
www.myspace.com/shanecooley
and
http://www.shanecooleymusic.com/