Christmas songs needed for the AMS virtual advent calendar!

We all love a good Christmas song. And we know it’s a little early to be thinking about the C-word, but we’ve got something quite exciting in the works….

We’re planning something a little different for our online advent calendar this year, and we want YOU to get involved! We’re calling for AMS students, alumni and staff from every centre, including AMSonline, to submit Christmas songs to us (either originals or covers) for unveiling over ’12 days of Christmas’ throughout December.

There’s 12 slots available so send us your tracks now for a chance to be featured!

Ideally, we’ve love some video content submissions, but if you don’t fancy showing your face, that’s absolutely fine, you can also send us an audio recording of your track for consideration. 

Tracks can be either re-worked covers of existing Christmas songs, or your own original material! If can you, aim for the track to be between 2 and 3 minutes long. 

Please send entries via email to our social media manager Isobel: [email protected] 

Or you can message us on any of our (main UK) social channels: @ams_uk | Facebook | Twitter 

We can’t wait to hear from you!

AMS x


Many Hats with Richy Muirhead, Creative Director & founder of SAMAs

Welcome to “Many Hats”! Our career blog series that explores the various tricks and trades of the music industry. First up, we had to chance to chat to Richy Muirhead, Creative Director and Founder of the Scottish Alternative Music Awards – or SAMAs as you might know it – for a the low down on how he’s crafted his career, how a music education has helped him along the way, and the ‘many hats’ he’s adorned over the years.

SAMAs has been supporting underground Scottish music talent for a number of years now, including the likes of an up-and-coming Lewis Capaldi, with its 2019 edition even awarding some of our own talented students! But it’s not been a clear-cut path for its founder, with a varied career under his belt, Richy reflects on how he’s got to where he is today.

Why ‘Many Hats’ you ask? Well, we thought it fitting because it was a term that cropped up in almost every interview we did for the project. People working in the biz we call music often adopt ‘many hats’ during their careers, balancing and trying out a range of jobs and skills whilst also crafting their passion – we think that’s fab and totally under-appreciated in the wider world of work! There’s so much to be gained from a career in music. But don’t let us do all the talking…


Hey Richy! Can you tell us a bit about the organisations you work with, and what your role involves?


Currently I am Creative Director of the Scottish Alternative Music Awards and an Advisory Board Member for the Scottish Music Industry Association. The SAMAs are an annual music awards based here in Scotland. We celebrate multiple genres like hip hop and rock, plus live and newcomer categories. It’s always a diverse shortlist of artists featured and we work with a range of creative organisations – from Creative Scotland to Academy of Music & Sound and Drygate Brewery. The whole purpose is to identify artists that do amazing work and shouting about that through events, social media and marketing. We also host events with Liverpool Sound City and we have our own music festival in Paisley – a two day music bash and really good fun!

Some award winning artists you might be familiar with from SAMAs include Lewis Capaldi through to The Ninth Wave, Be Charlotte, The Dunts, VanIves and many more. This year we’re moving into the virtual space which is going to be interesting! It’s an opportunity to attract a larger audience – a global audience – and we’re working with some great partners to make sure it’s delivered to a high standard. It’s a chance to learn about different genres bubbling in Scotland, a little bit about what’s going on up north, and to embrace a new challenge.

 

What is day-to-day work like at the moment?

Day-to-day I typically look after the majority of things! Because it’s all virtual at the moment, it’s a lot of meeting with partners via Zoom/Teams and ensuring our social media campaign is in place and going to be effective, as well as looking at new issues that could arise because of corona. 

We’re planning stuff for next March and it involves a lot of careful monitoring of what’s happening right now and how to mitigate possible risks. It’s also about making sure the event is as strong as it can be. So, talking to people in the industry to get feedback and generate some ideas that might separate SAMAs from other music awards and develop its identity and tone. Yeah, there’s a lot going on! And it’ll be so nice to get back into venues, begin recording and work with a large team again. We’ve been having so many great conversations with people, even in the current climate, but it’s still relatively lonely on the ground! Usually the role involves socialising, going to gigs, checking out new music and so on.

Great! So loads of responsibility then. When did you first launch SAMAs? It must have been an exciting new challenge!

When I was in education, about 11 years ago now – I’m getting old! [laughs] – I went to the MTV Music Awards in Berlin. I was lucky enough to be invited in some way or another and came back feeling really motivated and inspired about how great it was that music could bring people together from different backgrounds and cultures. I had to do a creative module in university, so I decided to create a national music award! A lot of people laughed at the time, and I completely understand why. We started things slowly, we worked it into the module, with outcomes, a lot of bullet points… And gradually we improved it every year. I started hosting other events and grew confidence, learnt who our audience were and developed it ever since!

Many artists are celebrated at the SAMAs and it gives them that platform and boost of confidence to grow. Whether that’s touring nationally or locally, collaborating with other artists or reaching new listeners, there’s that sense of achievement or award and community offered by being involved in SAMAs that I’m so proud of. I think I landed quite lucky with that university project!

 

Amazing! Has it always been a full time role?

I’d say in the last 4 years it’s really started to become full time which is nice. In the past I was juggling all sorts. As someone who currently works freelance across the music and events world, I do still find myself wearing a range of different hats and offering your skills to do a range of different things. And that’s a really important thing to be able to work with other groups of people and share skill sets – to learn from other people and teach others.

Recently I’ve worked on a  project with BBC Scotland producing content which was really good fun, but mainly the focus has been on SAMAs and it’s been fun and challenging to turn that into a full time job. Because for that we had to grow, so we had to think about showcasing outside of Scotland and hosting events we hadn’t done before, being ambitious with funding, and just upping our game that little bit every year – so far so good! Hopefully we can continue growing and hopefully when it’s safe, we can return to live events, because that’s really where we thrive!

 

One of my questions was going to be ‘what experience did you need to get the role you’re in now?’ – I guess you crafted your own experience as you grew SAMAs rather than go through the usual interview process?

Yeah, exactly. When I was in education we were always encouraged to try new stuff and given time where we were allowed to make mistakes and be adventurous.  The module project was a big part of how I began to hone my experience. But I also began to run smaller club nights, so I was learning the basics of how to run an event and what people’s expectations were  (from artists to the public) and getting an understanding of the various aspects of what needs to come together for an event – from ticketing, to what catering is needed for events and what a technical rider is.

Some things I enjoyed, other things I didn’t perhaps love so much. I learnt pretty early that I’d have to hire people who can do [the stuff I didn’t understand]. Things like web design are essential for marketing an event but I’d need someone to create it in the beginning and do all the technical stuff. But having the time and freedom during education to try stuff, and take internships when I could afford to, that was really important. 

 

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job – or working in the music industry?

I really enjoy the fact that everyday, listening to music is such a big part of the job. Whether that’s programming or curating an event, having to listen to a playlist – I could do that from here, I could do it on a train, out running or cycling – there’s no limitations. Always being immersed in listening to music is my favourite thing about the role.

Obviously, when we put on events there’s that extra wow-factor and it’s a memory and a really good moment for a lot of people. For me, how I like to operate being self employed and organising my hours and when I want to do things, choosing who we work with and how we do things, I really enjoy that responsibility. Plus the amount of streaming via Soundcloud and Spotify is outrageous! And it’s great when people send me music, I always try to get back to people – they don’t always expect it [laughs] so it’s always nice feedback! 

What was the most challenging bit of starting out in the industry?

It was – and still is sometimes – a lot of self doubt. Sometimes I don’t put enough value on what I do and I kinda imagine that other people think what I do is terrible – but it’s all just in my head! I think you can overthink things and that was one of the hardest barriers to overcome. It still can be! What I do tend to find is that when one door closes another one opens and more opportunities will come. But when you’re starting out you have to really go that extra mile, so it’s tough. And if you start to lose those skill sets doors can start to close as well, so if you want a career in music I think you really have to commit yourself, embrace it, go to events…

With many events moving into the digital space, now is a great time to visit other international events. Last week I went to Tallin Music Week virtually, which was cool! With events online they’re easier to attend and often cheaper. Plus the amount of people you can meet in a Zoom chat box is pretty cool! And if you’ve got a clear idea of what you want to be doing, you can spark up a connection pretty quick. There are opportunities, and it’s very difficult at the moment, however it’s always been difficult, it’s always been about your attitude and skill set and finding out exactly what you want to be doing.

 

Tell us a little more about your music education – what made you want to pursue a music degree? What did you learn?

Music was always part of me and my family, it was always on in the house so from an early age it was always what I wanted to do in some way. My parents weren’t fully committed to that – they wanted me to do something a bit more ‘secure’ maybe. However I wanted to really give it a bash. Going into education and having the opportunities from learning and meeting people in class who were like-minded, and then applying for voluntary internships allowed me to grow though that. 

And I even ended up wanting to study more! So I went from a HND in Sound Production, through to a BA in Commercial Music, which was more of an open book. You could decide if you wanted to work in the industry or if you wanted to be a performer. By that time I’d kinda figured out I wasn’t that great as a music player, so events were where I began to really find my feet.

Then there was a new Masters coming out about music entrepreneurship, so I wanted to jump on that. At that point it was great because there was more business development and more chance to look a bit more 360 at what you do instead of project to project. It was great to spend a year immersed in that working with some amazing people in the classroom and the lecturers too. I think there was a lot of important education, and it was so vital for  me to be doing what I was doing, but I was also very lucky to have gone to that music event in Germany. I realised how special it could be if a music award was delivered well, and had the right mentality.

So there was a lot of luck, and there always has to be luck, but there was a lot of patience too while going through education, when a lot of my friends had jobs and were earning a lot more than me and I was working part time in bars and so on… But if you want the career you’ll find a way to make it work. It taught me a lot of great skills and helped me find the opportunities I needed to get me to where I am today.


What advice do you have to give current music students, or those just starting out in the industry? 

I think my advice has to change a little now because of corona. I think there’s some generally essential skill sets that are gonna be here for a long time, stuff like social media and digital marketing, which don’t on the outside sound like ‘music jobs’, however they absolutely are! Whether it’s for a creative law firm that needs music for campaigns, or musicians and artists who need this support. So my advice would be to look at the current situation, think about which skill sets you can bring to the party and what could you begin to learn that could increase your visibility and increase your skill set. There’s  a load of digital tools out there for you to learn from. 

And if it’s events that you really want to get into, head along to stuff like Focus Wales, Wide Days, Resonate, Tallin Music Week, because you never know who you’re going to bump into in the chat box and it might just open up some opportunities. We’re now in a world where we can work from home, it’s certainly a lot more acceptable than it was 12 months ago, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it if you can be disciplined and still deliver your work to a high level. A lot of the businesses in the creative industry have a much more lenient approach. But it all comes back to reliability and being able to deliver on the goods, you need to be the real deal I think! 

 

Great advice! Now finally, what’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career?

Not sure if I have one specific piece of advice… But I think the importance of building networks and relationships is something that’s stayed with me. Someone who supports what you do, whether it’s a peer, or a sponsor or another artist, you can build a relationship and pat each other on the back and watch each other grow. I think that’s a really good thing and a way to get ongoing advice and lift each other up.

There are people and organisations who have been involved in the SAMA’s from the beginning and share the same passion, and that is something really special!  And we’ve worked with some great, dedicated partners along the way.  That respect goes a long way and gives you the confidence that you can really deliver. It fights away that imposter syndrome. I think everyone has a sense of that in one small shape or another… And that’s definitely heightened by social media mentality too. In truth, it’s all totally fine, just get on with it! [laughs].


SAMAs will take place virtually this year.
Check out the festival on their socials for updates:
@officialsamas | Facebook | Twitter 

Words: Isobel Trott
Photos: © SAMAs 2019.


BA student ams online virtual online festival

BA student plays virtual festival to support out of work musicians

Skilled guitar player Rene, one of our BA Music & Sound students - now starting on our MMus in Popular Music Performance - was involved with this exciting live stream project the other day. Playing at WZZUP Festival in Boreno, Rene played to raise money for out of work musicians suffering at the moment due to the impact of COVID.

Check it out in the player below! His performance starts at 3hrs 34mins.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEeY12_sG4F/

 


Students in a Conference Hall

Our partner UWL reaches top 40 in The Guardian’s official guide!

Some excellent news has come in recently! Our partner university, UWL (University of West London) has climbed an impressive 23 places to become one of the top 40 universities in the UK according to the influential Guardian University Guide.

The university is now ranked 34th in the UK – their highest position of any league table ever! They were also the top university in England for teaching satisfaction and the ranking reaffirms their position as the top modern university in England.

“We are so proud to be working with this progressive and outstanding university,” says The Academy’s own Mel Baxter. UWL (which encompasses London College of Music) has validated several AMS courses, including some AMSonline courses, and we’re thrilled the university is getting recognised for its outstanding dedication to teaching and student experience.

Congratulations UWL!

Students in a Conference Hall

About the University of West London

The University of West London is ranked as the top modern university* in London, 8th modern university* in the UK and ranked as the 50th university nationally by the Guardian University Guide 2019. 

98% of our graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduation**.

You can read more about UWL on their website, add check out our London College of Music validated courses here.


"Women in Music" The online course challenging inequality in music

According to ‘Counting the Music Industry‘, a study conducted by Vick Bain published recently in Music Week,  just over 14% of writers currently signed to publishers and just under 20% of  acts signed to labels are female. This large gap is indicative of widespread discrimination against women in the music industry – and a very real problem.  A similar study conducted by Women In Ctrl found that just 19% of female songwriters are among the top 100 played songs on the radio in 2020*, while female producers make up just 3% of this.

Bain, former BASCA CEO now freelance music industry consultant and director of the board of Parents & Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA), hopes her study will be a “wake up call” for the industry. Her experience on on the UK Music board, the UK Music Research Group and the UK Music Rights Committee, as well as the UK Music Diversity Taskforce, has cultivated her expertise and passion for equality in the sector and is one of many women in the industry today fighting for a greater sense of equal opportunity.

Empowerment and Employability

Our short course (taking place over 2 weekends, 3-11 October) will be led by two formidable women in music and AMS colleagues, Melisa Kelly and Karlyn King, and is aimed at female identifying students and women in the industry. While laying bare these deep-rooted problems, the class sets out to be an empowering experience that will provide women in music with the tools and knowledge of gender dynamics in the industry, and hopefully inspire an upcoming generation will the vision to create a more balanced sector.

From feedback of Women In Music courses been-and-gone, we found that one of the most important and valuable things students took away from class was the incredible sense of community and support found within the class – even though it was delivered online for the first time this summer! It was a great chance for students to network and connect with other women in the industry and develop a solid sense of community and uplift.

Throughout the week-long course, attendees will cover everything from getting a background of gender and representation in the industry, to creative CV and mock interview skills, an introduction into music management, and a songwriting/performance masterclass. Day 1 and 3 will be hosted by Karlyn, while day 2 and 4 is to be hosted by Melisa. Take a look below for a day to day outline of the course.

There’s certainly a long way to go before equal representation and opportunity is achieved. These gaps are of course far more prevalent for women of colour and other marginalised groups in the industry too. While opportunities for women in music are much more varied and appreciated than they used to be, it’s still a long road ahead. As a male dominated sector, feeling empowered and valued as a woman within it is a vital step to changing the status-quo. Our WIM short course not only aims to share knowledge of the gender gaps and disparities in music, but to empower and build a sense of community between female and female-identifying producers and creatives.

Women In Music Short Course: 3-11 October

The course will take place over two Weekends, starting on October 3rd and ending on October 11th.

Day 1:  We will cover why the course is necessary and start to  reflect on what valuable skills and experience we already have and want to gain.

Day 2: Refine your creative CV and mock interview skills.

Day 3: Learn how to deal with challenging work situations and get an introduction to music management.

Day 4: Songwriting and performance masterclass with Melisa Kelly (professional singer and songwriter and academic).

You will gain info on what other areas there are available to work in music, and how to gain access to them whether its performance or business, writing – how to monetize is a big focus.

 

APPLY NOW 


Check out some of Melisa Kelly and Karlyn King’s work…

Melisa is a successful performing artist and music tutor, perhaps best known for her leading role in the group, Melisa Kelly and the Smokin’ Crows.

Karlyn is a prolific academic, who specialised in music business and the vinyl record industry.


TEDxYouth Virtual Conference at Exeter Gandy Street

TEDxYouth at Gandy Street is a virtual conference coming to Exeter on the 21st of November. They are looking for young student speakers like yourselves to speak up about what important issues matter to you. 

TEDxYouth is independently organised event, promising a program of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live virtual speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. A great opportunity to share and spread knowledge!

This inaugural theme is set to cover "Bridging the Gap", and the conference aims to "create a sustainable and collaborative future for future generations." In a statement the team behind the event said; "we are passionate about providing a platform to inspire the generations to come."

They also invited young people to apply to speak about topics they are passionate about, be it science, politics, sustainability and even music! Applications closed on 14 September.

Watch this space for more details about the event! In the meantime, ahead to the TED official website for more info.

More about TEDx

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).


More AMS news here.

 

 


Meet alumni Michael Rennie, smashing it as Yungblud's drummer!

AMS Alumni Michael Rennie has been killing it drumming for hugely successful hip-hop-punk-pop infused artist YUNGBLUD. Read more about their recent collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon, and an interview with our very own Michael….

Michael Rennie has been smashing it on the drums for YUNGBLUD for a while now. And things are going pretty well – having just collaborated with British rock group Bring Me The Horizon on a killer new track ‘Obey’, there’s bound to be exciting stuff on the ‘horizon’ for Rennie and YUNGBLUD.

Check out the track in the player below, and scroll down to read a great little interview with Rennie originally published on the official Marshall website! The music video features some epic CGI animation of a cyber-robot having a stomp, and has over 4 million hits! Keep on shredding Michael.

 

This article was originally published 28 March 2019 on marhsall.com.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YUNGBLUD’S MICHAEL RENNIE

In the midst of Yungblud’s biggest tour to date we managed to grab a few minutes with drummer Michael Rennie to talk techniques, tips and touring.

~

What encouraged you to learn drums?

Originally when I was about 8 years old I used to play keyboards and hated it! My dad was a drummer when he was younger, and for his 40th birthday he got a drumkit at the same time I was slacking off at the keyboards so he suggested I give the drums a go. It came really naturally to me, so I played in high school and did a bunch of classes. From there I didn’t really know where I was going with it until a mate suggested I try a music college and everything just spiralled from there.

 

What’s your practice routine?

Most of the time I just try and get in the studio to mess around. Fire on a playlist for a few hours and bash through songs or work on rudiments. Most of the time we are travelling so a lot of my practise is in rehearsals or soundchecks. When I’m backstage I’ll get out a practise pad and bash out some rudiments for an hour or so before a gig… well as much as I can!

 

How does it work for Yungblud, are you based mainly in LA or over in the UK?

We’re kind of based here (UK) and in LA. The label’s in LA, and management is out there as well as in London, so there’s two bases to go back and forth between.

You’re on a massive world tour with Yungblud at the moment, how’s it going?

Insane! Last year was pretty intense, we did 10 months of touring out of the whole year. We also had a European tour back in January that was sold out, and an Australian tour that was sold out too. Christmas was the longest period we had off and that was 3 weeks. At first I thought we were going to have the whole of December off but then we did some promo bits and ended up getting the show with Muse at the Royal Albert Hall and the diary filled up. I never complain about it though, it’s amazing to get out and play in front of all these fans who want to come and see the show. The thing I love about Dom is that he never turns down a show. If there’s a show we can do that means playing somewhere we’ve never been before, or playing in front of new fans then he wants to do it, so we’re lucky enough to play across the whole world and meet loads of people.

 

You play a Natal Maple Originals kit, how do you have it set up?

Pretty simple really, I’ve got a 22″ kick drum, 14″ snare, 12″ rack tom and 16″ floor tom, and that’s it. I’ve also got a ride and two crashes. I’ve not gone crazy with a huge kit with a million rack toms just yet!

 

So what’s next for you?

The last time we played the UK was September last year and it was only 4 or 5 dates but we’re currently on a proper tour and the shows have been mad. We played a great sold out show in Glasgow which is where me and Adam are from, and Manchester was insane because that’s around where Dom’s from. Newcastle sticks out too. The third song we played Dom got everyone jumping up and down and I’ve never felt a stage wobble like that. We had a couple of beers on top of an amp and because the place was moving so much they fell off the amp and I thought this is crazy!

We’ve got a bit of time after that to go in the studio then we’re into the whole American tour, which sold out in minutes, so it’s going to be a crazy year, which I can’t wait for.

 

There’s a Yungblud live album coming out, do you have to adapt to playing live or is it the same as when you’re in the studio?

Dom had produced all the songs from the first album so there’s not a lot of live drums or guitars on them, so when we were first starting out Dom had the idea of changing it up a little bit. For tracks like ‘King Charles’ and ‘I love you, will you marry me?’ we adapted them to be bigger and a bit longer. We worked on the breakdown sections and added some extra elements, so we will always get in and change things.

Even the new song ‘Loner’ is not the same live, there’s some added bits and a bit of a different feel to add a bit more impact, and to get the crowd involved and sing along. We try to change it up as much as we can so that people are still hearing the record but they’re hearing a different version of it live. Plus Dom bouncing across the stage for an hour and a half is quite interesting to see!

 

Who are your drum heroes?

To be honest I remember being asked this when I was at university, and there were probably twelve of us in this drum class and everyone started shouting out Steve Gadd and all these jazz drummers while I was thinking “I have no clue who any of these people are”! I always listened to bands but I never really followed a drummer for their style of playing. I just picked up my own thing based upon sounds I liked. When I was growing up pop punk was really in so Travis Barker was someone I did like, but looking back to the things like the Police and Sting, Vinnie Colaiuta was one of my favourite drummers, and then Chad Smith as well because he’s a very solid drummer. Also Matt Tong from Bloc Party. I think I’ve seen them five times live and from hearing the records to watching him live and seeing him do it is pretty insane, so he’s someone I’ve always looked up to.

 

What’s the best drumming advice you’ve been given?

Practise. Just no matter how difficult it gets or how many mistakes you make, or how many sticks you drop. I used to beat myself up when I made one tiny mistake on stage but more or less no one knows apart from you. Just keep practising and plugging away and you’ll get there.

~

Read the original article on Marshall.com here. Find Michael on Instagram.


Meet alumni Michael Rennie, smashing it as Yungblud's drummer!

AMS Alumni Michael Rennie has been killing it drumming for hugely successful hip-hop-punk-pop infused artist YUNGBLUD. Read more about their recent collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon, and an interview with our very own Michael….

Michael Rennie has been smashing it on the drums for YUNGBLUD for a while now. And things are going pretty well – having just collaborated with British rock group Bring Me The Horizon on a killer new track ‘Obey’, there’s bound to be exciting stuff on the ‘horizon’ for Rennie and YUNGBLUD.

Check out the track in the player below, and scroll down to read a great little interview with Rennie originally published on the official Marshall website! The music video features some epic CGI animation of a cyber-robot having a stomp, and has over 4 million hits! Keep on shredding Michael.

 

This article was originally published 28 March 2019 on marhsall.com.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YUNGBLUD’S MICHAEL RENNIE

In the midst of Yungblud’s biggest tour to date we managed to grab a few minutes with drummer Michael Rennie to talk techniques, tips and touring.

~

What encouraged you to learn drums?

Originally when I was about 8 years old I used to play keyboards and hated it! My dad was a drummer when he was younger, and for his 40th birthday he got a drumkit at the same time I was slacking off at the keyboards so he suggested I give the drums a go. It came really naturally to me, so I played in high school and did a bunch of classes. From there I didn’t really know where I was going with it until a mate suggested I try a music college and everything just spiralled from there.

 

What’s your practice routine?

Most of the time I just try and get in the studio to mess around. Fire on a playlist for a few hours and bash through songs or work on rudiments. Most of the time we are travelling so a lot of my practise is in rehearsals or soundchecks. When I’m backstage I’ll get out a practise pad and bash out some rudiments for an hour or so before a gig… well as much as I can!

 

How does it work for Yungblud, are you based mainly in LA or over in the UK?

We’re kind of based here (UK) and in LA. The label’s in LA, and management is out there as well as in London, so there’s two bases to go back and forth between.

You’re on a massive world tour with Yungblud at the moment, how’s it going?

Insane! Last year was pretty intense, we did 10 months of touring out of the whole year. We also had a European tour back in January that was sold out, and an Australian tour that was sold out too. Christmas was the longest period we had off and that was 3 weeks. At first I thought we were going to have the whole of December off but then we did some promo bits and ended up getting the show with Muse at the Royal Albert Hall and the diary filled up. I never complain about it though, it’s amazing to get out and play in front of all these fans who want to come and see the show. The thing I love about Dom is that he never turns down a show. If there’s a show we can do that means playing somewhere we’ve never been before, or playing in front of new fans then he wants to do it, so we’re lucky enough to play across the whole world and meet loads of people.

 

You play a Natal Maple Originals kit, how do you have it set up?

Pretty simple really, I’ve got a 22″ kick drum, 14″ snare, 12″ rack tom and 16″ floor tom, and that’s it. I’ve also got a ride and two crashes. I’ve not gone crazy with a huge kit with a million rack toms just yet!

 

So what’s next for you?

The last time we played the UK was September last year and it was only 4 or 5 dates but we’re currently on a proper tour and the shows have been mad. We played a great sold out show in Glasgow which is where me and Adam are from, and Manchester was insane because that’s around where Dom’s from. Newcastle sticks out too. The third song we played Dom got everyone jumping up and down and I’ve never felt a stage wobble like that. We had a couple of beers on top of an amp and because the place was moving so much they fell off the amp and I thought this is crazy!

We’ve got a bit of time after that to go in the studio then we’re into the whole American tour, which sold out in minutes, so it’s going to be a crazy year, which I can’t wait for.

 

There’s a Yungblud live album coming out, do you have to adapt to playing live or is it the same as when you’re in the studio?

Dom had produced all the songs from the first album so there’s not a lot of live drums or guitars on them, so when we were first starting out Dom had the idea of changing it up a little bit. For tracks like ‘King Charles’ and ‘I love you, will you marry me?’ we adapted them to be bigger and a bit longer. We worked on the breakdown sections and added some extra elements, so we will always get in and change things.

Even the new song ‘Loner’ is not the same live, there’s some added bits and a bit of a different feel to add a bit more impact, and to get the crowd involved and sing along. We try to change it up as much as we can so that people are still hearing the record but they’re hearing a different version of it live. Plus Dom bouncing across the stage for an hour and a half is quite interesting to see!

 

Who are your drum heroes?

To be honest I remember being asked this when I was at university, and there were probably twelve of us in this drum class and everyone started shouting out Steve Gadd and all these jazz drummers while I was thinking “I have no clue who any of these people are”! I always listened to bands but I never really followed a drummer for their style of playing. I just picked up my own thing based upon sounds I liked. When I was growing up pop punk was really in so Travis Barker was someone I did like, but looking back to the things like the Police and Sting, Vinnie Colaiuta was one of my favourite drummers, and then Chad Smith as well because he’s a very solid drummer. Also Matt Tong from Bloc Party. I think I’ve seen them five times live and from hearing the records to watching him live and seeing him do it is pretty insane, so he’s someone I’ve always looked up to.

 

What’s the best drumming advice you’ve been given?

Practise. Just no matter how difficult it gets or how many mistakes you make, or how many sticks you drop. I used to beat myself up when I made one tiny mistake on stage but more or less no one knows apart from you. Just keep practising and plugging away and you’ll get there.

~

Read the original article on Marshall.com here. Find Michael on Instagram.


Andrson launches Uploaded competition for unsigned artists

 

Andrson, an A.I. artist discovery platform, has launched Uploaded – an international song competition offering emerging musicians the chance to win a grand prize of €10,000. Open to artists globally, the competition runs until 11th November 2020 with monthly prizes available and will culminate in a live event showcase to declare the eventual winner – due to be held in Dublin, February 2021. Uploaded will not only reward unique musical talent, but will showcase some of the world’s best undiscovered artists.

Andrson invites all aspiring and emerging musicians, across all genres of music to enter by submitting an original song which will be judged by top level music industry execs. With no limit on the number of submissions, artists can enter up to one song per month until the competition closes in November – creating as much music as they like.

Each month, twenty-three artists will be chosen to advance to a semi-final whereby eventually the long list of semi-finalists will be whittled down to a shortlist of 10 talented finalists – chosen by a leading panel of handpicked judges from the music industry. The 10 finalists will then be invited to perform live in Dublin next year for a chance to battle it out to win €10,000. Additionally, a second prize will be available at the event offering the public a chance to vote for their favourite artist in the People’s Choice award and a cash reward of €2,500.

To enter the competition, artists can simply download the Andrson app from the App Store or Google Play, then upload their chosen song and lastly complete the entry form on the contest landing page. The grand final will take place in Dublin, in February 2021. The 10 finalists will be invited to perform their songs live in front of fans, music industry execs and a select panel of judges. Winners will be announced during the evening.

Neil Dunne, Co-Founder of Andrson, commented: “We want to be a course of inspiration and support to all budding musicians globally. By launching Uploaded, we hope w’eve created a space whereby not only can their music be heard by the right people, but ewe will hear the incredible talent from some of the best undiscovered musicians.” 

To launch Uploaded, Andrson has partnered with children’s charity, Make-A-Wish Ireland. Twenty percent of sponsorships and donations from the competition will be committed to the charity – raising vital funds to help grant wishes to seriously ill children.

Uploaded is an opportunity for all budding songwriters to showcase their talents whereby their music will be judged on originality, lyrics, melody, composition and the potential to be a ‘smash hit’.

A sound-driven A&R platform, Andrson is a brand new A.I.-powered tool which connects emerging artists to the right industry professionals, helping them to become discovered. For more information and to enter Uploaded, head to andrsonuploaded.com.

 

uploaded songwriting competition anderson andrson win

For full rules and eligibility of the competition, please head to andrsonuploaded.com/rules.