DECEMBER 2008

NEWS...

TELL US YOUR NEWS !
We will add news about bands, gigs, recording studios, tuition, rehearsal rooms, venues - in fact anything to do with the Scottish music scene to this website under the "NEWS" section. It will also be added to our monthly emailed newsletters. Keep it brief, a maximum of 200 words only, please! (It would help us if you put "NEWS" as the subject of your email.)

CLICK HERE TO SEND US YOUR NEWS!

SKA DANCE CRAZE
FRIDAY 5th DEC - THE BONGO CLUB, EDINBURGH
Featuring This 'R' 2-Tone, 12 piece ska band, playing the classics from The Specials, Madness  & Bad Manners with special guest Roddy Radiation, guitarist & songwriter from the legendary band The Specials. Roddy also brings his own original band up from Coventry, The Skabilly Rebels for a set.  Further support comes from Edinburgh band Big Fat Panda & sounds from DJ Miggy.
Time : 10pm - 3am / Cost : £10 

http://www.myspace.com/skadancecraze

THE FIRST EVER SCOTTISH JAZZ AWARDS!
2009 sees the start of the first ever Scottish Jazz Awards. These awards provide a platform highlighting the strong and diverse mix of Jazz talent we have in Scotland and bringing it to the attention of the public and media. The competition will be judged by a "blind listening" panel of expert judges who will listen to recorded music submitted by the entrants. The judges will not be told who they are listening to thus ensuring fairness for all entrants.  The award ceremony is to be hosted by the Glasgow International Jazz Festival in June 2009.  Entry to the competition will be available from January 10th 2009. This is a fantastic opportunity for Scottish (and Scottish-based) jazz musicians in Scotland to raise their profile and reach new audiences. For further information and a full list of the judges please click here.

Tokyoblu
2008 has been a fantastic year for Edinburgh based live house collective which saw them conquer the Uk club charts with debut single Groove Tonight spending 10 weeks in both the DMC club chart and music week upfront club chart hitting No.3 and No. 6 respectively. This year also saw the act in great demand around the festivals playing T in the park, v festival, connect, becks fusions and rockness as well as several gigs out in Ibiza . To bring this fantastic year to a close Tokyoblu will be taking over the very cool subterranean club medina and it's sister bar Negotiants upstairs and transforming them into an all in one club space with fantastic decor and sound through-out. The band will be see-ing off a couple of old favourite songs and showcasing a couple of new ones as well as work for the debut album is well underway and due for 2009 release.

Add to this a selection of Tokyoblu's favourite DJ's and this will be one cracking way to see out 2008.

Club: Tokyoblu New Year
Venue: Medina & Negotiants
Address: 45–47 Lothian Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1HB
Tel: 0131 225 6313
Date: Wed 31st December
Doors 10pm - 5am
Entry £10 - £15
Line-up: Room 1: Tokyoblu (live), Tokyoblu DJ's John & Iain and FutureB
             Room2: Sexy funky party house and disco with Niall & Denis McKervey, John Hutchison,
                       Stuart Johnston & Adam Melvintronika

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Dave Arcari – Christmas show at Rockers, Glasgow
GLASGOW-based alt.blues artist Dave Arcari plays his last gig of the  year with a hometown Christmas special at Rockers, Midland Street,  Glasgow on Friday 19 December. The gig is a double header with Danny Bryant's RedEyeBand.

2008 has been a busy year for Arcari. He was a finalist (final four)  in the Indy Music Awards 2008; played an industry showcase at NxNE in  Toronto , Canada and toured Estonia , Finland and other parts of Europe as well as performing over 100 UK shows in the last 12 months.

He has also just finished production on his new solo album Got Me  Electric which is scheduled for release on Buzz Records on 2 March 2009 .

Dave Arcari's National guitar-driven alt.blues owes as much to trash country, punk and rockabilly as it does pre-war Delta blues – and it's a sound that's winning him fans across the country as he plays constantly all over the UK .

Arcari originally came to attention in his other role as frontman of  alt.blues pioneers Radiotones, but a full-time tour schedule taking in most of Europe and a bunch of dates with the mighty Alabama 3 – and  more recently with Seasick Steve, Jon Spencer and Son of Dave – have helped establish him as a formidable solo performer in his own right.

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Everyone's Wild About The Wilders
It is three years since “the hillbilly hurricane from Kansas City , Missouri ”, aka The Wilders, first arrived in the UK to start blowing us all away. Since then, they have returned each year and won a reputation as one of the most highly-charged and entertaining acts to tour here. Following their first sensational sell-out run at The Famous Spiegeltent during Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006, they carried off a coveted Herald Angel (the equivalent of an Oscar) for their outstanding contribution to the event, and collected a clutch of five-star reviews. That led to television appearances and radio sessions north of the Border, invitations to return to Edinburgh in 2007 and 2008 (and even more accolades), a headline slot at Belfast's Open House Festival - and their own show at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall during Celtic Connections in January, 2009. Right now, their latest album (their fourth), ‘Someone's Got To Pay', and produced by Dirk Powell, has carried them to the finals of the annual Independent Music Awards in America, being nominated in two categories – Americana Song (Hey Little Darlin) and Alt-Country Album. After the four-piece blow in to the UK again to help kick-off the big Celtic Connections event, they will also play a string of other UK dates – to include their London debut at The Luminaire in a double bill with stablemates, The Hot Seats from Richmond , Virginia .The Sold Out signs went up when the band last toured here. The Scotsman told readers: “They generate the kind of tunes that should by rights leave vapour trails”.
Long ago established on the US festivals circuit as a “white-hot” act, the Stateside quotes tell the same tale.
“If this were old Salem , they'd be burned at the stake. They play like they're possessed," said one recent review.
Playing storming roots-of-country and old-time with an essence of early rockabilly attitude, they deliver a blistering fiddle/banjo/guitar/dobro/slap bass hoedown, playing music that's infectious and smile-inducing.
The invitation back to Britain follows a common pattern for the band…
Since first taking Doc Watson's MerleFest in North Carolina, by storm back in 2004, they have returned every year to build on their reputation there as event show-stealers.
Their latest CD, recorded in Louisiana , picked up more radio plays than any of their previous three albums, taking them into the American Roots of Country Top Fifty in July, 2008. One of the most highly-charged acts on the circuit, and led by singer, guitarist and wisecracker, Ike Sheldon, featured in each performance are hard driving old-time tunes presided over by multi-award-winning fiddler, Betse Ellis. Firmly anchored by the walking slap bass of Nate Gawron, the band resurrects 1940's and 50's honky-tonk heroes like Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell, a vital finishing touch coming from the slippery dobro, chugging clawhammer banjo and chunky mandolin of Top Gun jack-of-all-trades, Phil Wade.

http://www.wilderscountry.com

Friday, January 16: (with The Hot Seats) - Celtic Connections - Strathclyde Suite, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street Glasgow G2 3NY . 8pm. Tickets (£12.50) from 0141 353 8000 or http://www.celticconnections.com

Saturday 17: The Warehouse, Pitgaveny Quay, Lossiemouth , IV31 6TW . 8pm. Tickets (£10) from 01343 814004 http://www.thewarehousetheatre.co.uk

Sunday 18: The Lemon Tree, 5 West North St , Aberdeen , AB24 5AT . 7pm. Tickets (£10) from 01224 641122 or http://www.boxofficeaberdeen.com

Monday 19: Tin Hut Sessions, Bridge End, Gartly, by Huntly, Aberdeenshire AB54 4RX. Tickets (£7) from 01466 720247.

Learn to Produce Music Professionally
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PINUP NIGHTS
EVENT - PINUP NIGHTS MERRY CLIFFMAS
DATE - FRIDAY 19TH DECEMBER
VENUE - THE FLYING DUCK, 7 RENFREW COURT , GLASGOW
DOORS - 9PM - 3AM
ENTRY - £5/£4 OR FREE WITH A PINUP NIGHTS HOGMANAY BALL TICKET
GUEST DJ - JESUS CHRIST
LIVE - THE PARKERS, LEAN TALES, MEMBER OF THE WEDDING
MUSIC - INDIE, PUNK, SOUL & ELECTROPOP

WWW.PINUP-NIGHTS.CO.UK

On Friday 19th December Pinup Nights holds its seasonal celebration of Cliff Richards, featuring live performances and Christmas covers from The Parkers (in their farewell performance - though they'll be back in 2009 with something new), Member of the Wedding and Lean Tales. Rumours already abound of a massive 3 band rendition of "Fairytale of New York"!

This year returns to the tried and trusted format of live bands performing covers and some japes between their sets. You can expect all your favourite Cliffmas games including the legendary "Sit on Santa's Knee" and "Mince Pie Eating Contest" – and the greatest Guest DJ of 'em all, Jesus Christ, might just be popping in to spin some tunes.  The pictures fom Merry Cliffmas 2006 here will give you a good idea what to expect - http://www.pinup-nights.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=18

Also as a Christmas gift, anybody with a Hogmanay Ball ticket can get into this absolutely free!

EVENT - THE PINUP NIGHTS HOGMANAY BALL
DATE - WEDNESDAY 31ST DECEMBER
VENUE - THE FLYING DUCK, 7 RENFREW COURT , GLASGOW
DOORS - 9PM - 4AM
ENTRY - £12 IN ADVANCE, £14 ON THE NIGHT
GUEST DJS - MOGWAI, TWILIGHT SAD, ERRORS
LIVE - POP UP, MING MING AND THE CHING CHINGS, POOCH
MUSIC - INDIE, PUNK, SOUL & ELECTROPOP

Pinups is now 5 years old and have arranged a Hogmanay event to being in the New Year with some traditional Hogmanay fun!  You can expect lumps of coal, black buns, incredible music and some very special Scottish guests!!

The action includes:
1. A 4am licence and Guest DJ sets from 3 of the best Scottish bands of the last decade - MOGWAI, ERRORS, and all of the boys from TWILIGHT SAD!
2. "A tall dark handsome stranger" (we're not allowed to name him yet but he's 99% confirmed) arriving as our first foot to help us sing Auld Lang Syne!
3. The Pinups resident DJs (John D, Higgy, Iain, James, Niall, Paul & we'll also be honoured to have a set from Grahame Ferguson) DJing across 2 rooms! AND
4. Live music from arguably one of the best bands in Scotland over the last 2 years: POP UP (recipients of XFM's Single of the Year and veterans of 2 trips to SXSW), in addition to 2 bands who are getting a lot of press attention and haved played in London several times in the last year: MING MING AND THE CHING CHINGS ("Destined to be one of the 'Bands to Watch,' in 2009." - Artrocker) and POOCH ("electroclash barking mad" - The List).

Another wee bonus is that a ticket for the Pinup Nights Hogmanay Ball will get you into Pinup Nights Merry Cliffmas on Friday 19th December for FREE!

Make Rap Beats Now!
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Unlocking the Guitar
Finally, the never before released methods are now available to show you how to Unlock The Guitar. Learn how to play any of your favourite songs, and perform like a seasoned player in less time than you have ever dreamed of! This course includes the new and revolutionary Muscle Memory Techniques? , countless "Press & Listen" sound files (no downloading required), easy-to-understand chord charts, over 150 quality pictures, and step-by-step instructions anyone can follow! more here...

Kerchoonz News!
Great News! We've just completed and ratified our Ad-Revenue Agreement and it's up on the site right now.
This shows exactly how we intend to pay artists and copyright owners for streams and downloads, as soon as we leave the Beta phase and officially launch the site.
We are all very excited here!

What's more, we are in the process of developing a revolutionary technology that will allow us to pay through (pro rata) even where only a part of the song has been streamed!
No-one else is doing this. In fact no-one else is doing half of what we are doing and there's loads more to come.

If you're a band and you haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for? Get in at the beginning and get a head start; upload your music, get people to hear it and start to build your base of friends and fans. Get your songs heard!

We want to hear the next U2 or Radiohead FIRST! Here on Kerchoonz!

If you just love music then sign up as a fan! You'll be supporting musicians every time you listen or download, and it's absolutely free! All the music on the site will be licensed legally and we are currently in discussions and negotiations with all the record companies; our aim is to bring you the most comprehensive range of music available anywhere in the world. FREE!
Come on in, sign up and help us create the best environment in the world for bands and fans and for music.

To all the artists and fans who have signed up so far: Thanks for the feedback and messages of support. It means a lot to us. We want to make this THE music destination and with your help we will!

All the best

Team Kerchoonz

www.kerchoonz.com/Ad-Revenue-Agreement/

MASTER ABSOLUTE PITCH AND RELATIVE PITCH
Most professionals agree that a good sense of pitch is one of the most important qualities of good musicianship. The Pure Pitch Method includes 39 daily lessons which encompass exercises designed to strengthen your inner ear and enable you to master the art of absolute pitch and relative pitch with ease! Not only will you learn how to identify any note by name, but also any interval, or common chord! more info...

Brian Kellock featuring Julian Argüelles

The Nine Mile Burn Sessions
Thick Records

www.thick-skinned.com

Brian Kellock is one of Scotland 's world-class performers, recognised as a stellar piano talent across the globe. He is equally at home with mainstream and contemporary jazz styles. “The Nine Mile Burn Sessions” (Thick Records) features saxophonist and composer Julian Argüelles. With 4 star reviews in both The Scotsman and the Herald and high praise from legendary jazz journalist John Fordham in the Guardian, this meeting of two great musical minds gives the listener a taste of Kellock's more contemporary side and introduces his fans to the wonderful sound of Julian Argüelles.

Kellock's last CD, Live At Henry's (released 2002 on Caber), won accolades from the BBC jazz awards and is a classic live album recorded in Scotland by Dave Gray of the Sound Café. The Nine Mile Burn Sessions, recorded at the Sound Café studio, gives the listener a sense of the musicians playing live in their living room!

TO ORDER THIS CD IN TIME FOR XMAS:

Order online from  www.thick-skinned.com

Call +44(0)1620 861000

Email: cathie@thick-skinned.com

To book Brian Kellock contact: cathie@thick-skinned.com or call 01620 861000.

Jam With A Professional Band, Anytime, Anywhere At Your Own Time And Pace ...
If blues is your passion, then you'll appreciate the value this amazing package gives you. 50Blues presents over 50 Rock/Jazz/Classic Funk Blues Styles, Jamming Tracks and Blues Guitar. Essential Course for the guitarist and it also works great for harmonica, harp or any blues instruments. more...

How To Become A Concert Promoter
If you ever wanted to find a way to make a comfortable living working full or part time in the entertainment industry, then this will be the most important letter you will ever read. Here's why.......click here