UK Music Demands More Help for Self Employed Hit by Coronaviras

UK Music Demands More Help for Self Employed Hit by Coronaviras

UK Music Acting CEO Tom Kiehl has called on the Prime Minister to offer more help for the self-employed hit by the coronavirus crisis.

Reacting to the package of measures outlined by PM Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak today, Mr. Kiehl said:

“While we welcome the much-needed help for those who are traditionally employed, the Government’s proposals fall far short of the lifeline needed by the self-employed in the music industry and creative sector.

“The Government should urgently look at setting up a Temporary Income Protection Fund for self-employed workers and freelancers.

“The self-employed make up around 72% of the music industry and are a vital part of its success.

They should be offered the same help as other workers who will get 80% of wages up to £2,500 a month if they cannot work due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Many self-employed are facing an immensely difficult time and are worried about putting food on the table, paying their rent or mortgage and other bills.

“The Government has talked about doing the right thing.  It must now do the right thing and help protect the self-employed and freelancers.”

See…

https://www.ukmusic.org/news

Rhiannon Scutt - News and New EP

Rhiannon Scutt - News and New EP                         Howdy folks                  Wow! Already over a week since the launch of the new EP, #9. A huge thank you to everyone who made the show and sold it out! So many people from different parts of my life all met for the start of the next chapter. The EP flew out on the night, and i'm glad to say there aren't too many copies left, so if you couldn't make it and would like to order a copy, you can purchase one on my new website; www.rhiannonscutt.com LIVE VIDEO Here is a live video taken from the night. It's of the fourth track on the EP, 'The Songwriter'. Accompanied by Sarah Heneghan and drums, Gregory S Davies on piano and Sarah Smout on cello.  #9 EP A little more about the record! On the 6th July 2017, I brought together four musicians who had never met or played together as a whole, to listen to five of my songs. I then asked them to create accompanying parts on the spot, and then soon after, we hit record. #9 EP is the result of that session. Cover art by Lynne Chapman I'M BOOKING 2018 SHOWS The dates are quickly filling up for 2018, and can be found on the shows section of the website. If you're interested in booking me or the full band, please get in touch. House concerts are very welcome too! Music, friends and food in the comfort of your own home... what could be better :)  Copyright © 2017 Rhiannon Scutt, All rights reserved. mailing address is: rhiannonjmusic@gmail.com

WES FINCH - New Album 'Awena' out on June 8th

WES FINCH - New Album 'Awena' out on June 8th, booking live tour dates now Even though Wes Finch has released two previous albums ‘Asthill WES FINCH - New Album 'Awena' out on June 8th, booking live tour dates now Wes Finch Even though Wes Finch has released two previous albums ‘Asthill Grove’ and ‘Mayflower’ both of which were recognised in various guises, ‘Awena’ is his first fully studio‐realised album. The title is taken from his mother’s Welsh name and means, appropriately enough, ‘muse’ or ‘inspiration’. Produced by Gerry Diver (who has worked with the likes of such folk music new bloods as Lisa Knapp, Sam Lee and O’Hooley & Tidow, as well as on his own acclaimed solo album), the new album is forged out of a fruitful collaborative year that began with three Wes Finch demo tracks and allowed a special musical and personal rapport to develop and inform their work together. ‘Awena’ is made up of ten tracks, nine originals and one distinctive version of Elvis Presley’s ‘Love Me Tender’. There’s a s lightly discordant, sepulchral ambience to Awena’s opening song ‘Handfast’. Most striking, however, is Wes’s narrative and the impact of his storytelling. His unconventional use of song structure, prose poetry and narration allows his songs and stories to unfold in a natural, creative way. “I've always loved being read to” he says “and had all the sanitised bible stories and folk and fairy tales when growing up. I much prefer the darker ones I've discovered as a grown up” he adds. “I love to hear them but I'm a terrible oral story teller” (he says modestly) “but I have a great love for fiction and especially the short story form. I read a lot for pleasure and I've studied literature of different kinds. Good stories, lines, turns of phrase all inspire me in writing and I love to try and convey a good story through a song". Wes is a rare talent. Stylistically, he creates a sound that is at the same time both gentle and vulnerable but also epic in proportion. Wes is one of a new school of musicians who is rewriting our understanding of modern folk music. Recognised for support by the likes of Billy Bragg and Martin Carthy, Wes is an undeniably important figure for the future of British music. "A blast of originality, primal energy and musical magic in a market saturated with cloned artists and homogenised songs" - (Gerry Diver - Producer) Wes Finch - 'Smiling Loner' As an avid reader and walker, Wes takes his inspiration from stories, characters and landscapes of Old England. His songs offer a great deal of insight and observation and do not shy away from the tougher experiences of life. “There are a few songs” he points out “ that are inspired by some of my reading over the last year or so (Ronald Blythe, Robert Macfarlane, Alan Warner), a few that mix personal experience and personally collected stories and some just purely made up tales. There are some dark themes running through the songs: loss, tragedy, depression and death. Not to worry”, he laughs, “I'm feeling pretty good myself! “I brought all these lyrics to the table and Gerry and I worked on the arrangements of half of them together. We both agreed we wanted to Anglicise this record a little, if that makes sense; to avoid the Americana influences of my previous recordings which can often lead down easy, and overly trodden, musical paths. It felt right to approach the songs in this manner as so much of the subject matter is English in origin and outlook. ’Widow Thomas’ is about the wife of Edward Thomas going to meet the dying Ivor Gurney. ’Man of Bones‘ was written with the tradition of Death And The Lady in mind ‐ someone pleading with the Grim Reaper for more time, trying to bargain for life. ‘Red Coat‘ was inspired partly by a story related to the writer Ronald Blythe about a newly recruited soldier returning on leave to his family and partly by a story told to me by an artist I was apprenticed to about her brother on leave from the navy. 'Jackie's Stone‘ was sparked off by reading a passage in an Alan Warner novel and is a story about the often unsung Irish navvies who built the roads and canals of this country. ‘Handfast’ is about the pagan version of marriage." “Genre barriers seem to be less and less important to listeners now” Wes says. “People like what they like. Modern music is more about what elements you are bringing together. I'm without a traditional folk music upbringing; it was never present when I was growing up. I came through metal, rock, punk, blues and country before I got to folk music and I hope I can perhaps bring something with a unique new flavour to the table because of that. I think a lot of what we do as writers and musicians is to make interesting combinations of the many things that have come before. True originality is rare if not impossible today but there is always a fresh new way to approach and contextualise anything." “Some musical forms, the folk tradition especially can sometimes be resistant to any kind of evolution but, as with language, it inevitably will change and I think that's a healthy thing. Know the 'rules' and the tradition and don’t be afraid to break from it and bring your own interpretation. “Someone like Gerry, steeped in traditional Irish playing but also with a vast knowledge and experience of other styles of music and production, is an incredible person for an artist like me to work with. Gerry isn't scared of taking risks, getting edgy sonically and working in different ways. Partnering with him on a project like this really feels like a potent combination at the edge of modern music making.“ Click here to see Wes perform 'Jackie's Stone' Wes We are taking bookings for this extraordinary artist now to promote his new album, for all enquiries, promo copies and live dates on the album launch tour please contact: GAIL COOKE LAUGHING DOG MUSIC gail@laughingdogmusic.co.uk tel: + 44 (0) 7905 952 374 Click here for LAUGHING DOG MUSIC Click here for WES FINCH MUSIC

Kate Williams Septet Friday 11 April at Lincoln Drill Hall

New Jazz 5 present the Kate Williams Septet Friday 11 April 8pm at Lincoln Drill Hall

Kate Williams may be the child of acoustic guitar virtuoso John Williams but her sense of timing, phrasing and swing are all her own. This top UK pianist brings her swinging septet to Lincoln as part of a JazzServices supported tour and all seven musicians will be playing no less than a dozen different instruments during the performance.

Especially welcome are the dazzling flautist Gareth Lockrane, Steve Fishwick, a trumpeter who hasn’t been to Lincoln for some time, and saxophonists Julian Siegel and Ben Somers.

‘Lucid and inventive’ Humphrey Lyttleton

Tickets: £14 (£12 concessions / £7 students) from 01522 873894

 

www.lincolndrillhall.com

Drill Hall Unplugged 17 March 7.30 pm Invitation To Perform.

Drill Hall Unplugged 17 March 7.30 pm

 As part of Lincoln Drill Hall tenth anniversary celebrations for, one night only, the Drill Hall team are resurrecting the famous Drill Hall Unplugged Open Mic Night and are inviting local musicians to come along to perform up to three songs to an audience of other musicians and music lovers on Monday 17 March 7.30 pm.

 

To make matter easier and more predictable they are inviting local musicians to pre book slots, which you can do by sending an email.to keith@bluecrowmusic.co.uk

The evening, as the it’s title suggests, will be strictly unplugged although the will be a PA, microphones and DI boxes on hand.

Lincoln Drill Hall Free School Lane Lincoln LN2 1EY

www.lincolndrillhall.com