The Ruckus

The Interview: Martin Newnham

It was a chilly winter night in Southampton when I was first introduced to the musical styling of Martin Newnham. Life can be undeniably tough for a support act, but Martin made it seem effortless with his immense talent and easy-going charm. The anticipation to see the legendary Nik Kershaw perform on his solo acoustic tour "No Frills" was in the air. Martin managed to capture the audience within the first song - despite his lack of guitar strings! Upon realizing he'd broken a couple he declared honestly, "It sounds better with all the strings!" and with that the crowd was on side.

Hailing from the Isle of Wight, Martin now lives in Hanwell West London where he has made it his home for the past ten years to pursue his talent. A graduate from The Guitar Institute of London he continues to teach others how to master a guitar when not on-stage himself. A gifted singer and songwriter, he spent many years recording and performing in the band 'The Goondocks' before venturing out on his own in 2004 with 'Going Home'. In 2009 the critically acclaimed 'City Folk' was released amidst raving reviews. Having now shared the stage with Nerina Pallot, Newton Faulkner and Nik Kershaw it is hard to understand why he is still London's best kept secret. A real live treat and the answer to modern folk.

When I approached Martin about an interview he graciously offered his own home as the venue. Upon arrival I was offered a nice cup of tea along with the insistence to sit down and relax. It is rare to find someone as lovely a person as they are an artist but Mr. Newnham is a shining example. I am happy to present to you an insightful interview with Martin Newnham that I laughed and smiled all the way through. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did conducting it.

An obvious but essential question - who are your musical influences?

My Dad as he is a musician himself and got me into playing. The Counting Crows made me want to start writing songs. When I was 15 and 16 that was what I listened to, The Counting Crows, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, things like that. As a little kid my parents really impacted me musically. My Dad listened to a lot of Jazz, folksy stuff and everything from The Band to AC/DC, my Mum listened to things like Steel. [Laughs] I mean Sting and Seal.

That's good, I'll have to steal that now. Steel!

Yes - the love child of Sting and Seal! Just things like Fairport Convention, Nik Drake, The Stones and Phil Collins. I visited America several times over the course of a couple of years, after I'd moved to London - mainly because of a girl. I really got into Phish, the whole jam band scene and things like The Dave Matthews Band. It was all about a vibe and I met some really amazing people. I really love James Taylor, Ben Folds Five, The Beach Boys. Someone I've really gotten into lately is Bob Dylan, love Bob Dylan. When I was younger I really struggled with only enjoying listening to singers that can sing. [Laughs] But you know what I mean, like Alison Krauss - always perfect pitch and tone. But now I'm allowing myself to enjoy the emotions and the lyrics and not just the perfect singing voice.

In Pictures: Slak Jaw

Three Kings Tavern | Denver, Colorado | 26 March 2010 | Full Set

When I learned that the first band I was going to see this night was named "Slak Jaw" I immediately thought to myself: ‘Oh, a bunch of hillbillies!’ Then I saw the lead singer come out on stage to tune his guitar wearing a sport coat and slacks. He looked like a man I would see walking the 16th Street Mall coming from an office job on his way to the local watering hole. I decided to give these guys a chance.

I was glad I did.

Then out comes a man with braided pigtails, jeans and a ragged t-shirt, setting up a washtub base. A FUCKING WASHTUB BASS! I immediately thought of the Jim Henson movie Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas in which the main character destroys his mother’s washtub to make an instrument that inevitably won a talent contest. If you’ve never seen it…watch it!

The first song this band performed was called "Lemon Pie". The song is catchy...very catchy and my favorite of the set. This band has a different aura to them. I got the feeling as I was watching these men perform they had probably gotten bad reactions in the past from a more conservative crowd…but this is Denver. I would say this city is more open-minded that most. This band was comfortable in this environment and it came through in the performance. The crowd was receptive and the band fed off it.

The drummer never sat down. I feel this is another example of the energy this band produces. And this energy was contagious. The crowd was uplifted and cheered after every song. I was stomping my foot to every beat. This band was engaged with the audience from the get go; very appreciative of the positive crowd response. The vocalist is very proficient in his musicianship…the bassist could not care less what others think of him…all you had to do was look at him and internally you would chuckle. The man strummed a mean washtub bass!

I failed to hear any mistakes.

To all you indie fans out there I say watch out for this band…they don’t give a shit what you think, they just play their original music and have a hell of a good time doing it.

Slak Jaw? Slak yeah!

In Pictures: Metric

Hollywood Palladium | Los Angeles, California | 26 March 2010 | Full Set

When Metric took the stage at the Hollywood Palladium on Friday, they were all energy, instant and constant. From a moody, synth-heavy, theremin-driven opening, singer Emily Haines emerged with the stage lights between musical duties to dance and rock all over the stage, reaching out to the audience, inciting them to join the energetic display.

Metric's set was unsurprisingly heavy on material from their latest, Fantasies, including great performances of "Help I'm Alive," "Satellite Mind," "Gold Guns Girls," and "Stadium Love" ("you give us love, we give you stadium love, stadium love, stadium love!") but one of the highlights of show was a killer performance of "Empty," the first song of the band's last album, Live It Out.

At the end, Metric closed on a quiet note, with guitarist James Shaw and Emily Haines alone for an acoustic rendition of "Combat Baby" that gradually worked its way into a huge audience sing-a-long.

Album Review: Evelyn Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn

As an admirer of both the work of Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley, I've really been looking forward to this project. The premise is a little confusing- Evelyn Evelyn are a fictional set of conjoined twin sisters (Eva and Lyn Neville) played by Palmer and Webley. The record is the story of Eva and Lyn, intermixed with Andrews Sisters style numbers. It is not unlike listening to a Broadway musical soundtrack, with three tracks devoted to the narration of the sisters' tragic life.

After a few listens, I found myself immersed in the sad and strange world of the Neville sisters. The tale is compelling and the emotion and expression of the songs draws you in, from the show-tune style "Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn?" to the folky "You Only Want Me 'Cause You Want My Sister," to the power ballad "My Space" (which is indeed about MySpace, which features an impressive guest line up.

Webley and Palmer are in top form. The vocals are impressive and poignant. One of my favorite parts of the album is the closing track, a cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart", one of my favorite songs of all time. Evelyn Evelyn's version is stripped down to just Palmer and Webley trading broken down vocals over soft ukulele accompaniment.

If you haven't already gotten the impression, this album is eccentric. It isn't going to be for everyone, like Webley and Palmer's solo work. However, those who give this project the chance and time will appreciate it immensely.

Evelyn Evelyn - Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn?

Evelyn Evelyn will be released on 11 Records on March 30th.

In Pictures: Zoë Keating

Largo at the Coronet Theatre | Los Angeles, California | 23 March 2010 | Full Set

Avant cellist Zoë Keating visited Los Angeles last Tuesday, playing a gorgeous set of her unique blend of classical and electronic music. Zoë uses the equipment accompanying her cello, a laptop running Abelton Live and some pedals, to create layers of looped cello sounds. Assembling all the pieces live, the result turns her into something of a one-woman orchestra and was nothing short of amazing. Even the percussion in the songs was created by Zoë either rapping her bow or hand against the cello.

In addition to pieces like "Tetrishead" (my personal favourite) and "Sun Will Set" (one she described as an old favourite), Zoë also played three songs from her forth-coming album, Into The Trees. The whole set was gorgeous and engulfing, although the sound emanated from only one person. Even a disastrous technical difficulty (Abelton crashing mid-song) only served to ratchet up the tension when Zoë played the song again rather than break the mood.

Her upcoming album, Into The Trees, is available for pre-order now through her website.

Watch This: The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition

I don't really make it a secret that "Sweet Disposition" is one of my favorite songs at the moment (my last.fm profile wouldn't let me anyway). I am completely in love with it, and the US version of the video is equally gorgeous - in fact, if I'm honest, it's my favorite of the three.

Big Tune: The National: Bloodbuzz Ohio

The National is another one of those bands that I expect nothing but the absolute best from. Matt Berninger's distinctive baritone is like a welcome home in "Bloodbuzz Ohio". The flow and imagery are gorgeous.

The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

Download it for yourself here.

"Bloodbuzz Ohio" is the first single from High Violet due out May 11th on 4AD.