Heroes Wear Red and the MK Music Video Project

With the release of the new Heroes Wear Red single “Bring Me Love” only weeks away, the announcement of the MK MVP winners is incredible news for the band about to take your breath away.

MK Music Video Project (MVP) - top 10 announced

Ten local artists will each get R50k from MK to produce a music video

Lights, camera, action! The top 10 MK Music Video Project (MVP) artists for 2010 have been selected. Aiming to invest in and uplift the South African music and production industry, MK recently commissioned 10 local music videos by putting a tender out to pitch. 196 pitches were submitted in the space of a month.

To enter, bands had to partner with a reputable and registered South African production company and conceptualise a superior quality, creative music video concept for one of their as yet un-filmed tracks.

With a balance of both established artists and newcomers, the music videos are set to be world class. The top 10 are:

• Jack Parow, Tussen Stasies submitted by Ten10 Films
• Foto na Dans, Die Vloed submitted by Admit One Productions
• The Cavalier, Kiss and Tell submitted by Tough Sunday Productions
• Will Mono ft. Jax Panik, Ken My Nie submitted by Foml Films
• Thieve ft. Die Heuwels Fantasties, Way To Go submitted by The African Attachment
• MC, Earl & Algemi, Dakskroef submitted by Blixem Productions
• Heroes Wear Red, Bring Me Love submitted by Mannequin Productions
• Winterstasie, Los My submitted by The Magic Factory
• 4am, Steering Ships submitted by Unleashed
• CrashCarBurn, Long Live Tonight submitted by 7Films

The top 10 were chosen by a MK selection panel who considered elements such as the production company’s experience; the choice of artist and song; the creative concept and treatment of the music video; the budget and production value; how well the concept complemented the MK brand and the appeal for its viewers.

Says Victor Edward Eckard, Head of Content at MK: “MVP was created to recognise and expose the wealth of talent that the South African music industry has to offer. It aims to encourage collaboration, uplift the industry and offer both bands and production companies a platform through which to showcase their work. Year on year we hope to grow this project and if the quality of the pitches we received is anything to go by, we can look forward to some interesting and powerful collaborations and of course, exceptional content.”

Song of the week: One Headlight - The Wallflowers

Jakob's dulcit tones never fail to calm the soul.

Who you should be listening to

While I was listening to the new album from The Rescues recently, it dawned on me how many awesome artists Athousandguitars.com has let me stumble upon and I thought some of them needed to be reiterated.

We've featured a lot of bands, all of which we enjoy, but the ones that are just jaw-droppingly, adjective-eludingly awesome are these:

The Rescues have come to save your hope in melodic rock
The Monroes: A new hope for South African rock
Learning how to do Doo-Wop Punk with Locksley
The soulful, sultry vibe of Joshua Grierson
Empires - our new favourite band
Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers: the soundtrack to life
Bringing life to house music with GoodLuck
Paper Tongues: brilliance in the making
Electric Owls: the future of indie rock

And of course, my favourite Ron Pope.



These are the best of the best we don't think you can carry on without listening to!
Who else do you think falls into this category?

Green Thursdays: Assemble your own windowfarm

 
Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray with the first window farm, May 2009 (Photo: Julia Makarova) 

Wishing for some homegrown greens but don't have any balcony or outdoor space to grow food in your apartment? Warren covered it before, but now you can actually order a kit and assemble your own windowfarm - a hybrid, hydroponic gardening system that's made out of recycled materials and hung vertically in your window. Created in 2009 by artists Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray for an artists' residency at NYC's Eyebeam Center for Art and Technology, the project is an open-source collaborative effort that's been developing through communal R&D.I.Y (research and do-it-yourself). The artists talk about the latest developments in this video:


According to the Windowfarms website, thanks to the efforts of the 13,000-strong windowfarming community, there have been a number of significant upgrades to the original design (now in version 3) including these features:

- quieter
- easier to set up
- more elegant, but still do-able with recycled water bottles
- more plants for less electrical input (up to 32 plants on one air pump)
- modular, meaning you can have vegetative, fruiting, and flowering plants all in one system
- can allow up to 25 plants to grow simultaneously year-round

Though we're a little skeptical of the impact that large-scale vertical farms will actually have, small-scale, low-impact vertical gardens such as the windowfarm concept may be a more realistic proposition. And it's not just the satisfaction of enjoying the fruits of some good ol' urban gardening dreamed up by a community of DIYers: the kits themselves are put together by disabled veterans and other physically & medically handicapped workers at Poughkeepsie NY's Mid-Hudson Workshop for the Disabled.

The windowfarm kits now being offered range from the Core kit ($39.95) which has only the basic, hardest-to-find parts and will take you 20 hours to assemble - to the Gourmet, which has all the parts and bottles and will take only an hour to assemble (but costing a whopping $749.95). But if you really want to take a crack at it yourself, Windowfarms.org has step-by-step illustrated instructions that will guide you through the process.

Windowfarms via Designboom

The Rescues have come to save your hope in melodic rock

It's rather a rare thing in the business of discovering new music that you'll stumble on a band that makes your jaw drop with each new song of theirs you listen to. Such was the case when I stumbled upon The Rescues. I'll admit that I only found them because their single "Break Me Out" was the single of the week on iTunes a while back, but after getting their whole album, my cloud of smugness was emanating a hells-yes-I've-hit-the-jackpot vibe. They’re going into my ‘awesome find’ file next to Ron Pope and Stephen Kellogg.

To give you an idea, The Rescues' new album Let Loose The Horses has the light melodic touch if Imogen Heap, the growl of The Hold Steady, with a bit of The Narrative thrown in. Check out the video for “Break Me Out” below to see what I'm on about:



Born of the City of Angels, Kyler England (cool name!), Rob Giles, Adrianne Gonzalez and Gabriel Mann have only just released their full-length debut album this June but are already garnering fans throughout the world.While they have an indie flavour to their music, they’ve already risen onto a major label (Universal Republic) from their indie singer-songwriter roots.

I’m stealing a bit out of their online bio that describes them as having “the earthiness of Fleetwood Mac”, because I think that’s the word I’ve been looking for this whole article - earthiness. There’s a wonderful raw and authentic element in songs like “You’re Not Listening” and “Let Loose The Horses” that doesn’t let you back the definition of the band into one distinct genre - they segue swiftly and effortlessly from polite indie pop to emotional folk tunes to ballads and it’s absolutely riveting.

Having already had songs on big-time shows like One Tree Hill, Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy, it looks like the only way from here is up for The Rescues and we’re so happy to be listening to them as they go there.

You can join the rescues online at www.therescues.com, Facebook, Twitter, or buy their music on iTunes.

ⓒ athousandguitars.com 2010

Gig Guide 28 July 2010

- Friday 30 July: Cameo @ The Woods, JHB
- Friday 30 July: Blue Steel @ DogBox, PTA
- Friday 30 July: Cutting Jade, Revenge On Murphy @ Muso's International, JHB
- Saturday 31 July: Miller Rock The Races @ Greyville Racecourse, DBN
- Saturday 31 July: The Plastics album launch @ The Assembly, CPT
- Saturday 31 July: Revenge on Murphy, Oursilnce, Live This Down @ The Black Dahlia, Boksburg
- Sunday 01 August: GoodLuck @ Vacca Matta, Suncoast

Remember to vote for Athousandguitars.com in the SA Blog Awards from the 1st to the 27th of August!


Send all your gigs to monica@athousandguitars.com to get them featured here!

Locksley to perform free show in NYC

LOCKSLEY have announced a special free show this week in New York City. Fans of the band will get the opportunity to see the band perform live free of charge in the unique venue of Brooklyn Bowl. Come early! Stay late and challenge the band to a bowling match!

BROOKLYN BOWL
6:30pm Doors
8pm Show
Wednesday, July 28
61 Wythe Ave.
FREE
www.brooklynbowl.com

The band also recently stopped by NYC’s Fuzztopia studios for an acoustic performance. Check video now!

“Oh There’s A Love” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fmR33Fmbng

“The Whip” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFvlwXjMq5g

“Darling, It’s True” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptx_2yn3Zj4

Locksley’s latest album Be In Love is in stores now!

FOR MORE INFORMATION

www.locksley.com

www.twitter.com/locksleymusic

www.facebook.com/locksleymusic

Brand New 27 July 2010: Tom Jones, RIngo Starr, Avenged Sevenfold

There were a huge amount of releases for this week that I had never heard of, so we'll try and streamline it down to the best buys.

First up is Tom Jones. I had to fight the urge to put up a shirtless photo of the dude from the '70s here, so let's try and be serious and judge him on his current tunes. Jones has released so many studio albums that I didn't even try counting them up, but I will tell you that this one, entitles Praise & Blame excites me because the first single is a cover of a John Lee Hooker tune - "Burning Hell" - bring on the blues!

Ringo Starr, king of all things peace and love, is releasing Live At The Greek Theatre 2008 this week. I tend to be a bit judgmental of live albums - one or two songs is cool but a whole album is sometimes a bit much - but Ringo is known to use an all-Starr band and give really fun shows, so we'd recommend this record.

And to sate the appetites of those not nostalgic for the '70s is Avenged Sevenfold. Called Nightmare (there's just no way to get any more hard rock) this is the Californian band's fifth studio album and their first since the death of the band's drummer in 2009. We're actually quite big fans of Avenged Sevenfold so hope this is a worthy comeback!

Also out this week:
Evans Blues - Evans Blue
Sky Sailing (Owl City side project) - An Airplane Carried Me to Bed

Get the A Thousand Guitars iPhone app

Athousandguitars.com is proud to unveil our new iPhone app! The app, A Thousand Guitars, is available online here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/a-thousand-guitars/id382029730?mt=8. (It will be available in any other country’s iStore under the simple search ‘A Thousand Guitars’.) It’s free, a small 2.1MB to download and very easy to use.

With links to our headlines, exclusive online content and our social network, we believe it’s the best of Athousandguitars.com in one easy-to-use app. If you do download it, feel free to let us know what you think about its design and usability!

For anyone out of the Mac world, we'll be heading into Blackberry and Android territory next - we're not leaving anyone out!

Endless love for Meat Loaf

Something I don’t think I’ve spoken about enough since the release of his eleventh studio album in May is just how much I love Meat Loaf. As that Will Ferrell/Wedding Crashers scene of “Mom! Meat loaf!” echoes in my head, I must verify that I am talking about the man and the legend - the only Texas-born musician I’ve heard of who can call his genre “Wagnerian Rock”, aka Marvin Lee Aday... but I think we all prefer Meat Loaf.

Hang Cool Teddy Bear (who needs a sensical album name) was released on May 11th to almost top the Uk charts, while it only peaked at 27 in America (you Yankee philistines) and it came fully packed with awesomeness. Although, I am totally biased here because I became a lot more appreciative of the record when I found out Jon Bon Jovi had co-written some tunes. But check out the video for the album’s first single - “Los Angeloser” below to see the awesomeness I’m talking about.



Not exceptionally talented, or exceptionally good-looking or really exceptional in any way I can think of right now, Meat Loaf just won’t get pushed off his pedestal of awesomeness. Perhaps because he’s the antithesis of a rockstar in every way one can think of does he manage to pull off being a slightly old dude making a non-sleazy pop-rock video with lithe young girls in.

And there’s a free download off the album - “Prize Fighter Lover” that sounds like my favourite kind of sweeping-gesture-grand-’80s rock (eerily similar vibe to “I would Do Anything For Love”...)  Grandiose musical gestures like “Everybody’s got someone they don’t wanna be/you don’t wanna be you/I don’t wanna be me” would fail for anyone else, I expect.

There are a few moments on the record that fail to win us over with a bit of musical schmaltziness, but overall, 29 years after his debut album, Meat Loaf is an all-round musical win and we hope he never stops.

ⓒ athousandguitars.com 2010

Free Music Monday: La Roux, Belle & Sebastian, Hanson

I go back and forth every time I hear La Roux's "Bulletproof". Can't decide if it's a catchy club-pop song or if I just plain old hate it. But I like to think that this free acoustic version of the hit song will strip away everything else, leave us with the essence of the tune and finally make me decide.
Download "Bulletproof" (acoustic) here and let me know if you think it makes the song better or worse.

I don't like to forget the indie kids so I'm bring you a live Belle & Sebastian download this week too. This is fairly good quality for a live recording - we always like some vibe with our tunes anyway. Belle & Sebastian will be on tour in the UK in December, but if you can't catch those shows, this song will have to suffice.
Download "I Didn't See It Coming" (live) here.

And finally - i just couldn't resist - there's a new Hanson song for download. I've put this up with a mix of my morbid fascination with pop music, because I think the fact that Hanson still exist is crazy funny and because once upon a time - I won't deny it, I did like this band. Anyway, apparently they've changed quite a bit and this track off their latest album "has the maturity of David Gray, and the pop energy of Rob Thomas." What do you think?
Download "Waiting For This" here.

Martin Clancy inks deal with Seaport Music

WHO IS MARTIN CLANCY?

Martin Clancy is a native of Dublin, Ireland who primarily writes and records in the medieval village of Haute De Cagnes, France. He is the first artist signed to New York’s Seaport Music record label. He is the artist in residence for the Seaport Music festivals. Martin DJs these events as part of his collective band gLab (pronounced Gee-Lab). In addition to gLab Martin has a dance outfit called Martin Clancy & The Witness Protection Programme. MC&TWPP will open for Yacht on August 6^th at the NYC Seaport.

WHAT IS SEAPORT MUSIC?

The new label owned by the New York Seaport organization, the same group of people that puts on free summer shows on the NYC coastline, whose huge outdoor festival has been home to Hot Chip, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Battles among hundreds of other Indie and dance acts. www.seaportmusicfestival.com. They just released a free compilation that features all of this year’s bands.

G-LAB “DELIVERY” MP3

MARTIN CLANCY & THE WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAMME “FLAT FOOT” MP3