Adam Williams is a Cardiff based producer and multidisciplinary artist who has worked with and developed bands including Jem , Jimi Alexander and the Satellites, and Zervas & Pepper. He is also an award winning filmmaker with Birdhouse Films. His diverse career has seen him work extensively in supporting young, underrepresented people to access industry and educational opportunities through organisations including Community Music Wales, the Raspberry Pi Foundation and UpRising. You can check out his latest project at valleyofthecrow.co.uk
From decade to decade
2019 has been a year full of news, gigs and events that we have had the pleasure of covering through our articles, reviews and podcasts. We have decided to look back at the year as we enter the new decade and look forward to more exciting content and development at Keep Cardiff Live.
It has been exciting for us to meet and talk to some fantastic people involved in music this year, including our chats with Martyn Joseph, Phil Campbell, Alan Jones & Justin Ripassa. Every podcast gave us a unique insight into the person and the projects behind the persona.
We also looked way back into Cardiff music history as we developed our Retro Gigs section, publishing articles and reviews from gigs gone by and showcasing major music events in the city’s rich history. A selection of articles featuring Sex Pistols, The Kinks, The Beatles & Led Zepplin. Not forgetting reviews from the recent past featuring the likes of Squeeze, China Crisis, Tom Robinson Band & Inspiral Carpets.
Looking to the now, we at Keep Cardiff Live are always keen to highlight new talent emerging from Cardiff and artists from afar that visit here, reviewing and exposing them for your reading pleasure. Showcasing the diversity on offer in the Capitol we attended performances by Pete Tong, Ghost, Ibibio Sound Machine, The Debutantes & Tom Jenkins.
With 2020 now upon us Keep Cardiff Live is excited to develop and keep highlighting what amazing artists we have here, not just in Cardiff but the surrounding areas, not forgetting the major acts that continue to visit and inspire local bands and musicians alike. To keep up to date with us feel free to sign up to our mailing list, if you want to get involved please submit articles and reviews for us to consider via email, lastly if you wish to contribute directly to the development and preservation of Keep Cardiff Live the best way to do so is via our Patreon. Every penny goes into providing valuable resources that help us continue to bring exciting content to you, our readers and listeners. We want to see a thriving music scene here in Cardiff, your contribution would be a massive help.
Don’t forget to support the scene, go and see bands, go to venues and Keep Cardiff Live!
Sound & Education - A conversation with Professor Paul Carr
Paul Carr is Professor in Popular Music Analysis at the ATRiuM, University of South Wales, in Cardiff. His research interests focus on the areas of musicology, widening access, the music industry and pedagogical frameworks for music related education – publishing extensively in all of these areas. He is also an experienced performing musician, having toured and recorded with artists as diverse as The James Taylor Quartet and ex Miles Davis saxophonist Bob Berg. His most recent books are an edited collection for Ashgate (Frank Zappa and the And: A Contextual Analysis of his Legacy (2013)), a monograph on Sting (From Northern Lights to Fields of Gold, published in 2017.
Keep Cardiff Live were lucky to get some time to chat with Paul, click the link below to listen to the podcast.
LISTEN TO PODCAST
Passing By - Meet Justin Ripassa
Justin Ripassa is a singer-songwriter from Emmen, the Netherlands. While Justin always had a large passion for music, his medical condition kickstarted his ambition to make songwriting and performing the center of his life. The goal for him is to inspire young individuals to keep moving and following their passion despite sometimes feeling misunderstood.
His debut single ‘Another Friend’, produced by Jeff Zwart, is currently broadcasted frequently on radio and television in The Netherlands and Los Angeles. Another Friend is a song based on a true story in which the other person has found somebody new.
In August, Justin and Jeff Zwart released the second single ‘Passing By’ accompanied by a large release party held at NHL Stenden Hogeschool, at which among others the commissary of the king was present. Passing By is a song about the everlasting feeling of needing to pursue a ‘better place’.
Both songs have a music video used for distributing to television and online platforms, made by video creator and photographer Iris Sijbom.
In the near future, Justin wants to focus on creating new music and exposing this on live settings on international radio and television.
Justin is currently on a student exchange in Cardiff, we were introduced back in September 2019. Justin has actively been involved with Keep Cardiff Live as he is passionate about music and the Cardiff Music Scene. In face Justin is so taken by Cardiff that he is heading back in the new year when he will be releasing his latest singe across Europe and Asia.
As a result, Justin has been nominated for the rather prestigious Cultuurprijs Emmen, as recognition for his work as a singer-songwriter.
You can vote for him by clicking this button below.
Once on the page just click the orange button labelled ‘Stem hier/Vote here’, tick the box with Justin’s name and you are done!
We thought it would be interesting for Justin to tell us about his experiences in Cardiff and some of the gigs he has played here along with the friends he has met on the way.
So keep an eye out for Justin’s blog on Keep Cardiff Live soon!
In the meantime take a listen to the podcast Justin did with us at KCL where he tells us a little about his life and some of his time in Cardiff, as well as treating us to a few live acoustic versions of his songs.
Listen To Podcast
Christmas Songs that get on your T£T$
So this is Christmas And what have you done....well....since the beginning of November we've been confronted by early decorations and toy adverts on the telly. Yet, hiding, just around the corner, in December, are the Xmas singles, as they were once referred to back in the day when vinyl ruled.
There's a long list of former hits that are guaranteed to drive you to drink at this time of year, Boney M's 'Mary's Boy Child', Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas' (A staggering £39m in royalties and Maria's cut? £376,000 per annum), Wham's 'Last Christmas', I could go on...and on...and on.
The big sing-along daddy of them all is Slade's 'Merry Christmas Everybody' which sold over 1.2m million copies and reputed to earn songwriters Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea £512,000 a year in performing rights and what Holder often refers to as his pension fund.
But what about Wales? Do we have any contenders? Well the answer is yes. Ely boy Michael Barratt better know as Shakin Stevens scored an enormous hit with 'Merry Christmas Everyone' a top ten hit all across Europe as well as a UK Christmas No 1, produced by another Cardiff lad Dave Edmunds, who himself had a Christmas No 1 with the not so festive 'I Hear You Knocking' in 1970.
Another one to grace the charts with another Xmas ear worm was little Aled Jones with 'Walking In The Air'. Jones is best-known for being the voice of The Snowman, and the song the highlight from of the animated classic, and, even though the original recording was actually sung by Peter Auty, it's become known as Aled's song after his version of it topped the charts in 1985.
Cardiff-born Catatonia warbler Cerys Matthews collaborated with Welsh legend Tom Jones to record a version of Frank Loesser's "Baby, It's Cold Outside" another Christmas classic yet it did upset a Cleveland radio station who subsequently banned it from the play-list saying that listeners said the song was inappropriate, and stood against the #MeToo movement.
Radio host Glenn Anderson said that although the song was written in a different time, the lyrics felt "manipulative and wrong". However, a poll on the station's own Facebook page showed that most people did not want the song banned.
Whilst hardly tinsel-themed, the Flying Pickets scored a Christmas number one with a acapella cover of Yazoo's 'Only You' in 1983, but there was a Welsh connection in the shape of Ebbw Vale-born actor singer Brian Hibbard. Hibbard who formed the group the year before with a group of actors from a fringe theatre group, took the lead vocal for the song that regularly gets dusted down this time each year, with no doubt Vince Clarke of Yazoo, rubbing his hands in glee in anticipation of a Xmas bonus.
I'm pretty sure there are more to add to this small list of Xmas hit makers from the Principality so please let us know of any that require a honourable mention.
Right, I'm off to find a dark, quiet room to hide in. See you in January!
Merry Christmas Everyone.
T. Woolway
A conversation with Alan Jones Podcast EP 3
In conversation with…
alan jones
Keep Cardiff Live was lucky enough to sit down with Alan to talk about his fascinating career in music. In this final episode Alan talks about owning iconic local venues and his latest project.
We hope you enjoyed all of our episodes with Alan, keep an eye on our updates for our next podcast guest.
Listen to podcast
Beyond The Stage: A conversation with Luke Bradshaw
Luke Bradshaw is well respected Welsh musician and tutor with over 20 years in the business.
A well as teaching Luke is also the principal songwriter, guitarist and producer of the band Coolhand that have released several albums available on commercial release worldwide.
Another project is a phenomenal tribute to classic rock, Luke was the original creator and producer of The Ultimate Classic Rock Show back in 2005.
One reviewer described the live juggernaught as “A fantastic two hour show, we were treated to songs by ELO, The Beatles, Dire Straits, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Wings, Deep Purple, The Eagles.......starting to get the picture? Every song was a hit and every foot was tapping along as the band tore through a wonderful set list.”
The Ultimate Classic Rock Show visit the Swansea Grand Theatre on the 28th of November 2019
Keep Cardiff Live had the opportunity to sit down with Luke and talk about his career in music, his various projects and guitar tuition.
Listen to podcast
A conversation with Alan Jones Podcast EP 2
In conversation with…
alan jones
Keep Cardiff Live was lucky enough to sit down with Alan to talk about his fascinating career in music, his experience in fashion that led him to LA, prompting visits from Michael Jackson, Roy Orbison & Tom Waits.
We hope you enjoyed Episode 1, we are happy to announce that Episode 2 is now live in our podcast library!
Episode 3 will be available on 27/11/2019.