Blink and you’ll miss it. Yes, the New Year has arrived, so now is the time to make promises you might never keep! Only joking. Resolutions are fantastic tools because they encourage you to be better, which is always a healthy thing.
For musicians, 2021 is the perfect opportunity to take your musical prowess to the next level. After all, setting goals and targets will propel you from a casual player into a semi-professional and professional player. Yes, creating goals can be challenging, yet it doesn’t have to be with the following advice.
Here are four targets you should attempt to hit this year.
Create A Practice Routine
To practice playing an instrument should be the easiest thing in the world. You pick it up, play, and don’t stop until you feel like stopping. Sadly, practicing is not as straightforward as it appears, not when life gets in the way and prevents you from investing the necessary time into your hobby. As well as establishing a routine, you should set out how long you plan on playing each day or week, too. Then, you’ll have a framework you can refer to that highlights your progress.
Start Taking Lessons
If you don’t think you have the time to practice, or you lack the motivation, there are other ways to fine-tune your musical skills. The best option is to take lessons again as you can benefit from a formal class with a professional instructor. Many musicians need a push in the right direction since doing everything from home gets samey. With a teacher, you can pick their brains, ask for advice, and fix problems before they escalate out of control. Plus, it’s a smart and more exciting way of boosting your motor skills and knowledge of music as you have another person to bounce off.
Compose & Record Music
Copying music is a good place to start as it gets you in the groove. However, it’s only a beginning point. If you want to go to the next phase, it’s essential to compose and record original songs because the composition is what sets the weak from the strong. As a songwriter and musician, you can curate music for yourself or others and use songs to make money. All you have to do is run Garageband on Windows and you can kick start the process. Songwriting is a type of therapy. You’ll love the sensation when you play a melody you have created.
Perform
Lastly, it’s time to leave the house and perform. Only by performing on stage, in front of people, do you hone your skills. And, this doesn’t only mean your ability to play an instrument and sing. It also includes how you deal with a crowd and create a fluid set that flows from the first song to the last. Covid makes performing in public tough, although you can busk on the street, while Zoom and Microsoft Teams are excellent programs for aspiring musicians to spread the word.
Are you a musician? What are your New Year resolutions?
Alexi Laiho, longtime frontman for the Finnish metal outfit Children of Bodom, has died at the age of 41. The acclaimed guitarist passed away last week at his home in Helsinki, Finland, after suffering from “long-term health issues,” according to a statement from his label, Napalm Records.
“We are crushed by the sudden passing of our dear friend and band member,” the surviving members of Bodom After Midnight – a band he formed with Daniel Freyberg, Mitja Toivonen, and Waltteri Väyrynen after Children of Bodom disbanded in 2019 – wrote. “Words cannot describe this shock and the profound sadness that we feel.”
Born in Espoo, Finland, in 1979, Laiho grew up in a musical household; his dad played piano and organ, while his mother played flute and sang in a choir. Laiho’s first instrument was the violin, but he was eventually drawn to the guitar, and he credits his sister for introducing him to the world of heavy metal. He formed the group Inearth as a teenager, before the group changed its name to Children of Bodom in 1997. They released a series of successful albums, beginning with their 1997 debut Something Wild and including the critically acclaimed LPs Hatebreeder, Follow the Reaper, and Hate Crew Deathroll. The group’s most recent album was 2019’s Hexed.
In addition to Children of Bodom, Laiho also played in Sinergy, Warmen, Kylähullut, and the Local Band. Prior to his death, Bodom After Midnight recorded three songs and a video that will be released posthumously, according to their publicist.
Laiha’s three longtime Children of Bodom bandmates — Jaska Raatikainen, Henkka T. Blacksmith, and Janne Wirman — published a statement via Facebook: “More than 25 years of friendship. We lost a brother. The world lost a phenomenal song writer and one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Memories and Alexi’s music will live forever. Our thoughts are with Alexi’s family during this difficult time.”
Laiho’s wife, Kelli Wright-Laiho, wrote in a statement: “Alexi was the most loving and magnificent husband and father. Our hearts are eternally broken.”
Palestinian DJ Sama’ Abdulhadi has been released on bail after being arrested and detained for eight days for hosting a rave near a West Bank mosque. Palestinian authorities arrested Abdulhadi on December 28 after she pre-recorded a performance as part of Beatport’s The Residency series.
The dance event was held at Maqam Nabi Musa in Palestine’s West Bank – which is partly a place of worship but has also been operating as a cultural centre and tourist site since 2019 – and specifically in the courtyard of a hostel on the site, separate to the mosque and shrine. According to a press release, the performance was private and attended only by a total of 30 friends and production crew members. However, despite the Palestinian Ministry Of Tourism having previously granted permission, the event was shut down by authorities who claimed it was inappropriate for it to be taking place on a holy site. The police went to Abdulhadi’s house the following day, where she was taken to the general attorney’s office to be detained.
With Palestinian rights groups demanding her freedom as well as 100,000 signatories to an online petition, Abdulhadi has now been released from the Jericho jail where she was held on bail. However, she has been banned from travelling outside of Palestine and is subject to further investigation on the charges of desecrating a religious site and religious symbols as well as violating COVID-19 emergency protocols. If indicted, Abdulhadi could face up to two years of imprisonment.
“I am safe and well and would like to thank everybody who has spoken out in support of my situation and called for my immediate release,” Abdulhadi said in a statement (via NME). “I am overwhelmed by the support from my fellow musicians, artists, activists and the entire music community. I want to thank anybody and everybody who has made me feel so supported. At this moment, I just want to spend time with my family.”
In their own words, NewDad are “fun, easy-going and desperately trying to sound cooler than we are.” Hailing from Galway in West Ireland, the quartet have been making moves in the resurging indie scene currently occurring across the Irish Sea. With their debut EP Waves set to be released early this year, they already have an impressive following and a handful of genuinely exciting singles in their repertoire. Their debut single ‘How’ and follow-up ‘Swimming’ channel the bass-driven, dark energy of a grunge song, which, when melded with Julie Dawson’s vocals, calls to mind No Doubt, while ‘Cry’ – unsurprisingly considering their cited influences – reeks of Pixies in the scuzzy, ringing guitar. Single ‘Blue’ conjures a more introspective sound, reminiscent of The xx in the resounding guitar riffs; it’s in these eclectic soundscapes that the old and the new mix, where NewDad’s ethos of bringing “a fresh take to an old sound” comes to life. Their latest track, ‘I Don’t Recognise You’, is driven by the kind of slacker guitar and killer drum beat that immediately sounds like a Garbage song, recreating the raw dynamism of Shirley Manson’s voice and Duke Erikson’s throbbing guitar work. For a band that for all intents and purposes are just starting out, NewDad are already well on their way to success.
We caught up with NewDad for this edition of our Artist Spotlight Q&A series, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk about their music.
Hello! Hope you’re all staying positive and testing negative. This may seem like an odd question, but do you heavily identify with being an “Irish” band? By that I guess I mean do you think you’re influenced by where you’re from and do you think that’s reflected in the music you make?
We think there is something great about being an Irish band right now. The Irish music scene has always been amazing but until very recently didn’t get the attention it really deserved. There’s almost a sense of mystery and introspection behind being an Irish band because of the lack of coverage. In the past few years however a spotlight has really been shone on Ireland due to some really great acts emerging such as Fontaines D.C. and Girl Band, and we think an Irish perspective is something that comes from a really unique position.
We’ve got to talk about the name.. NewDad… where did that come from?
It’s very funny actually. NewDad comes from a random band name generator. It was between NewDad and Pants Two and I think we made the right choice in the end. It does also hopefully work on some level because we like to say we share the same awkward humour and scared enthusiasm that a real new dad would face with the task of raising their first child.
Who do you class as your biggest musical influences? Not necessarily the people who you think you sound similar to, more who resonates the most with you and in turn inspires you to create music?
We are all massive fans of bands like Pixies and The Cure and have been for a long time! So definitely their music was a huge influence and sparked our love for a lot of other alternative rock bands old and new! We don’t particularly try to sound like any of the bands we love but definitely hearing Doolittle for the first time is what made a lot of us want to be in a band in the first place!!
How did you all meet? What’s the story of your formation? Did it happen organically or did you set out with intent to form a band?
We all went to school together! One day a few of us were actually out mitching school and we bumped into each other in a cafe and just started talking about it how we all love playing music and wanted to start a band so we thought we would give it a shot! We also needed something to do for our music practical because none of us liked performing alone and it’s nice to have people do a scary practical with 🙂
What was the first song you ever penned, including unreleased tracks? How was the first writing experience, what was the process like?
I can’t even remember the first song we wrote – it was so long ago and we have probably all blocked it from memory at this stage! Our very early songs were definitely not as focused as what we are writing now, I suppose we have just matured a bit since then. The title track of our debut EP, Waves, was actually written way back when we were still practicing in a shed in the early days but it’s gone through changes along the way to make it the tune it is today.
The music video for your latest single ‘I Don’t Recognise You’ is pure feel-good nostalgia. The pink big block TV genuinely is a delight to see and Jaffa Cakes against the backdrop of a campervan, it’s the stuff of British childhood holidays and I’m here for it. Talk me through the inspiration for it, how did the vision come about?
We took a lot of the initial vision for the video from the ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ music video. We loved how it was able to play off the props and scenery around it and create a narrative around them that left a lot of interpretation to the people watching it. We had another idea that fell apart because we went into a stricter lockdown, so it was a little bit of a rush getting everything together for the shoot, but we are so happy with how it came out. We let the set deteriorate and get messier as the visuals got more erratic and frantic. We had this idea as it ties in with the theme of someone slipping away. We had a lot of fun filming with Wojciech and Jamie and just made the most of the day. We thought if we were having a good time, it would be expressed through the video!
And finally, what’s a track you’re currently all listening to, something that’s managed to get you through 2020?
Oh definitely ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ by The Killers. Absolute banger! We have just been singing it and playing it so much it’s such a feel-good song and I suppose that’s exactly what we all need this year with everything going on.
NewDad’s Waves EP is set for release in early 2021.
Steve Brown, the British record producer known for his work with Manic Street Preachers, The Cult, Wham!, and many others, has died at the age of 62. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Brown’s first major credit came in 1977, when he took on the role of engineer on The Boomtown Rats’ Born to Burn. In the following decade, he went on to produce B-Movie’s 1982 12-inch Nowhere Girl, Wham!’s 1983 debut album Fantastic, and The Cult’s sophomore LP, 1985’s Love. He also reunited with The Cult on their follow-up, then titled Peace, though the group eventually scrapped the recordings and decided to enlist Rick Rubin.
In the 1990s, Brown struck a collaborative relationship with Manic Street Preachers, helming their 1992 debut Generation Terrorists as well as their third album, 1994’s The Holy Bible. He also produced The Pogues’ final album, 1996’s Pogue Mahone. Throughout his prolific career, he worked with artists including ABC, Alison Moyet, Freddie Mercury, and The Alarm, among others.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of legendary producer Steve Brown,” The Cult wrote in a tweet. “He was hugely influential in The Cult’s evolution and shall forever been entwined in our DNA our deepest condolences to Steve’s family our hearts are with you.”
Manic Street Preachers’ Nicky Wire also paid tribute to the producer, writing, “So very sad to hear of the passing of Steve Brown we had so much fun working with him. He taught us so much-so many memories and stories-Motorcycle Emptiness was his masterpiece with us but he produced many more-love and thoughts with his family and friends.”
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of legendary producer Steve Brown he was hugely influential in The Cult’s evolution and shall forever been entwined in our DNA our deepest condolences to Steve’s family our hearts are with you 🌹#RIP#SteveBrownpic.twitter.com/raRmfsIV5P
So very sad to hear of the passing of Steve Brown we had so much fun working with him-he taught us so much-so many memories and stories-Motorcycle Emptiness was his masterpiece with us but he produced many more-love and thoughts with his family and friends 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/S1Mta9Y1HR
Gerry Marsden, leader of the Merseybeat quartet Gerry & the Pacemakers, has died at the age of 78. Marsden’s death was announced by Pete Price, a broadcaster based in Liverpool, who wrote: “It’s with a very heavy heart after speaking to the family that I have to tell you the Legendary Gerry Marsden MBE after a short illness which was an infection in his heart has sadly passed away.”
Marsden formed the group, whose original lineup also included Gerry’s brother Fred Marsden on drums, Les Chadwick on bass, and Arthur Mack on piano, in the late 1950s. In 1961, Mack was replaced by Les McGuire, and a year later, the band was signed by Brian Epstein, who also managed fellow Liverpool band the Beatles. Their debut studio album, 1963’s How Do You Like It?, was recorded with George Martin, and scored them three No. 1 UK hits: ‘How Do You Do It?’, ‘I Like It’, and a cover of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, which has remained the anthem for the Liverpool FC team. In 1965, Gerry and the Pacemakers starred in their own film, Ferry Cross the Mersey. Despite their initial success, however, the group broke up in 1966 as Beatlemania took hold.
Marsden went on to become a popular cabaret and children’s TV performer before reforming the Pacemakers in 1972, though this time without his brother Fred. The group went on a 30th Anniversary tour in 1993 and continued to tour occasionally up until the late 2010s, when Marsden announced his retirement from music. In addition to re-recording a number of his hits for charity, he also released a handful of solo singles as well as an album of John Lennon and Paul McCartney covers.
Following the news of his death, Paul McCartney, with whom Marsden collaborated on a charity version of ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ in aid of those affected by the Hillsborough disaster, paid tribute to the singer on social media. “Gerry was a mate from our early days in Liverpool. He and his group were our biggest rivals on the local scene,” he wrote. “My sympathies go to his wife Pauline and family. See ya, Gerry. I’ll always remember you with a smile.”
Gerry’s voice accompanied our biggest nights. His anthem bonded players, staff and fans around the world, helping create something truly special ❤️
Sven Hauth, a gifted artist out of Kiel, Germany, presented a terrific series named Kiel Fragments. In this personal series, Hauth used the city of Kiel, his birthplace, to explore its buildings by separating them into solo elements. The series was done with the effort of photography and 3D renderings which helped recreate the missing parts of the buildings.
Writing about the series Hauth stated “I got the idea for this project while on a road trip across the eastern parts of Germany. At the time, I was taking a lot of photos of East German architecture, most of it sitting at lofty heights. This led to a constant struggle with perspective – the converging lines of the vertical vanishing points made it hard to arrive at anything visually pleasing, and I kept thinking I should just isolate the interesting parts to make them float in mid-air.”
As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, The Office officially switched over from Netflix to NBC’s new streaming service Peacock. To celebrate the show’s debut on the platform, NBC has now unveiled a previously unreleased cold open from the series finale. The five-minute clip, which was cut for time in the 2013 finale, sees Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) teaming up to convince Dwight (Rainn Wilson) he’s living in the real-world version of The Matrix. Watch it below.
The cold open is dedicated to late actor Hugh Dane, who passed away in 2018 and played security guard Hank throughout the run of the show. In the clip, Jim and Pam recruit Hank to play the part of ‘Dorpheus’, the brother of Laurence Fisbburne’s Morpheus from the original movie, who offers Dwight the choice between the red pill or the blue pill.
The Office is now streaming on Peacock, with the first two seasons available for free and Seasons 3-9 available to Premium subscribers. According to Mashable, Peacock plans on rolling out more extra content for The Office, including extended cuts, bloopers, mini-features, cast and crew interviews, theme-based episode collections, and playlists of the show’s best moments.
Bad Bunny has dropped a new video for ‘Booker T’, the latest single from the Puerto Rican rapper’s third album El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo. It’s named for the professional wrestling superstar, who also makes an appearance in the clip. Check it out below.
El Último Tour del Mundo, the follow up to 2020’s YHLQMDLG and LAS QUE NO IBAN A SALIR, was released in late November. Upon its release, it became the first entirely Spanish-language album to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. Last month, it was announced that Bad Bunny will be starring in the upcoming action film Bullet Train alongside Brad Pitt.
Out on January 8, GREENFIELDS is helmed by Grammy Award-winning Nashville producer Dave Cobb and includes contributions from Olivia Newton-John, Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, Brandi Carlile, and more. Previously, Gibb shared new versions of ‘Words of a Fool’ featuring Jason Isbell and ‘Butterfly’ with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.
