Interview with King Eider!

Hello People,

So the other day I was listening to a band doing a 

session for BBC London, I was captivated by their

combination of folk and rock as well as their

brilliant use of the violin and horn.

King eider are a five piece 'Edinburgh-based folk-blues band'

who use three part harmonies to create haunting and 

atmospheric music. They have been compared to the soulful

acoustics of Ben Howard and the foot stomping wildness of Arcade Fire. This is one of their latest songs 'Drink Me Dry'

And so I did what I do with bands that I listen to and love;

I got an interview with them!

Without further ado here is my interview with...

King Eider

1. Could you introduce yourselves and your instruments?

Reuben Tighe - Vocals,Guitar, Harmonica

Sam Chapman - Vocals, Drums,

Lucy Frankel - Vocals, Violin

Josh Casali-Bell Linemann - Vocals, Keys, Horn

Sam Palmer - Bass Guitar

2.Who are you influenced by and how did you discover 

your "sound"?

Our influences span a spectrum of genres and decades. 

Lucy listens to a lot of traditional country and bluegrass. 

Reuben takes influences from his mothers CD collection of 60's blues and rock and roll. Sam brings in more modern influences 

such as Arcade Fire and The Wild Beasts. We share our music

taste so that all of them influence our music 

to some degree.

3.When did you form as King Eider - what made you choose 

the name?!

We formed Early 2012, and were originally named "Zopa and the Shakes" (after Reuben's middle name). After deciding a name change was in order, we decided on King Eider. We were in an ale pub drinking a beer named "YellowHammer", (also the name for a bird native to the UK) and decided we liked the name. Since this was already a popular band name, we decided to research all other UK bird names. It transpires that the King Eider duck is a bird which migrates to the lake district every year, which is home to Reuben, Sam Chapman, and Josh, so the name seemed a good fit!

4. Describe your music in five words.

Hmmm....

5. What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to

you before/after a gig?

Some one from the front row recently took his top off and 

attempted to lactate onto Lucy's shoes. That was pretty weird,

and somewhat aggressive...

6. State a fact that people don't know about you.

Two of us have Science PHD's

7. What are the top 4 songs on your playlist right now?

Wild Beasts - this is our lot

The Whitest Boy Alive - Islands

Supertramp - Bloody Well Right

Grizzly Bear - Ready,Able

8. What is the first album you remember buying?

 The first album which really had a musical impact on me was Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, self titled album. Peter Green still remains a big influence on me, the man is a genius.

9. Modern or Vintage Clothing? 

 No clothing is best.

10. What are you plans for the future?

After making the most of our album release, we intend to 

record a 4 track EP. We have been working on some new material

which we are excited to record, and intend to release it

some point early next year. Stay Tuned!

If you like the sound of King Eider then you can head to their

website here and check them out.

So long for now,

Poppy xx

If I Could Pick Any Song......

It would be......

Stay High (Habits Remix)

By 

Tove Lo ft. Hippie Sabotage

Bio: Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson, aka Tove Lo,

is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter as well as musician.

At 26, she has released her first EP 'Truth Serum'

and has written songs for many artists including

Icona Pop. The Stay High habits remix charted at

number 6 in the UK. 

I was recommended this song by a friend and at

first I wasn't sure about it. But after hearing it for 

the second time, I ironically became addicted.

It starts with an intriguingly repetitive

'Oh-oh' and after 15 seconds launches into an intense

beat. The lyrics are remixed to repeat and bounce around

the inside of your head - truly amazing stuff!

Tove Lo sings with desperation at needing

'something to numb the pain'. 

You can feel the hurt.

There's also the original version which is just as good but

has a slower tempo and smaller beat although the lyrics are 

just as smart and quirky (I eat my dinner in my bathtub/

then I go to sex clubs)

Crazy, I know!

Have a good evening,

Poppy x

Part II of Interview with The Majority Says

Hey All,

I hope you had a nice weekend.

I wanted you all to hear this song that I

recently discovered (although it is

from a few years back):

"Wake Up" by Arcade Fire

From the album 'Funeral'

It's this really beautiful song that reminds me

of camping in the summertime (idk why!), it was 

also used on the trailer for Where The Wild

Things Are which might help you to understand the

style of the song if you haven't heard it before.

It starts off as this strong rock sound but with soft, angelic melodies. And just when you think it's

going to do one thing it changes into a joyful, 

upbeat rhythm.

It's totally crazy but amazing!!

Next, is Part II of my interview with Swedish 

band The Majority Says! 

6. In 5 words describe your music.

 I’ll write six words here, since we’re 6 ;) (Whoops!)

Youthful, Playful, Mixed, Melancholy, Ploj, Epic.

7. What is the weirdest thing that has happened whilst performing or before/after a gig? 

Emil locked himself in the tour bus once by accident, we looked for him everywhere and he had 

no cell phone so we could not call him, he showed up just a minute before we should enter 

the stage, that was kinda weird actually. 

8. Have any of you got any strange hobbies or habits?I think we’re all kinda normal, myself (Axel), I’m into computers and programming and such, 

don’t know if that’s so strange though. We all try to do things we like, you know, it may 

vary from day to day.

9. Cinnamon Rolls or Princess Cake? 

Princess cake ofc.

10. Lastly, what are your plans for the future? Are you playing any gigs in Europe soon? 

 We’re releasing a new album in June, we hope to play the songs off it as much as possible of course. 

We’re going to Europe this summer to play, we’ll be doing shows from late May to November (both in 

Sweden and Europe), we hope to meet as many new people as possible and have as 

much fun as possible!

If you would like to see a sneak-peek of their album

material, follow this link to hear some of their new

song "Calling Your Name" 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCavTgNsp7U

This weekend, I'm going to Brixham with my

two friends so I won't be able to post but

I'll try and schedule one in for you ;)

Song recommendations, reviews and interviews

coming soon! 

Love,

Poppy x

Part II of Interview with Tenterhook

Good Morning (just) Everyone,

How was your weekend? Good,

I hope? 

Today I have Part II of my interview with

Tenterhook! In case you missed the first half,

click here to read it now.

6. In 4 words describe your music.

Ambient folk pop rock

7. What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened whilst performing or before/after a gig?

I am yet to play a show so hoping to see some odd things on the road later this year.

8. Have you got strange hobbies/habits?

I talk to myself a lot. People think I am very strange when walking down the street but I just seem to do it naturally without much conscious thought.

9. Brick Lane or Portobello?

I was brought up on portobello and love it there. Many on my songs were written when I busked there in my old band when I was 16.

10. Lastly, what are your hopes for the future? Are you playing any gigs soon?!

I am putting out an EP at the beginning of summer and going to do a small UK tour in support of that release. However at the moment I am concentrating on my first show which is on the 23rd of April at the Servant Jazz Quarters in Dalston.

Tenterhook's first show is now SOLD OUT!

Good Luck to him and I hope he enjoys it.

If you would like to listen to some of Tenterhook's 

songs, head over to SoundCloud where you can listen

to 'Stereo'. 

Have a nice day,

Poppy x

Ps. My next interview will be with a Swedish band who

sung a jingle for a recent Christmas advert,

any ideas who? 

Part I of Interview with Tenterhook

Hey Everyone! 

Today, I have Part I of my

interview with Tenterhook. A 19 year

old singer/songwriter called Archie

 from Portobello in

London. 

~~ Click here to listen to his  ~~

beautiful song "Stereo" 

1. Could you please introduce yourself

and your instrument?

I am Archie, I am 19 and I play guitar and piano

2. Where do you call "home"?

London

3. How did you come to chose the name Tenterhook?

I thought the name had a ring to it. I have been using

 various musical aliases and tenterhook was the name

 I felt most creative with.

4. How long have you been in the music business?

As I am only 19 probably only 6 months or so. I have always been

 in bands and written with friends however nothing serious and on

 the whole what I was doing was pretty poor.

5. Where do you find inspiration for your songs,

especially Stereo?

As all of the best songwriters know; in order to write a great song you

 need to write about something close to your heart. My main aim is to 

capture the emotion I am feeling at points in my life both lyrically and melodically. 

The story and meaning behind stereo is something I am not proud of and 

as of yet no one has grasped the true meaning behind the song and 

in some sense I would like to keep it that way.

19 year old Archie Faulks

Not only does he write beautiful songs but 

he also featured on XFM's Great X-Pectations

page, So make sure to watch out for him in the

near future! 

If you're interested in seeing Tenterhook live,

he will be playing The Great Escape Festival

on the 8th May 2014 (tickets can be found

here)

Part II of this interview will be available within

the next few days,so be sure to 

check-in again soon.

Lots of Love, 

Poppy x

If I Could Pick Any Song...

It would be...

Fever 

by

The Black Keys

Electro-pop/rock beats bop their way tunefully through

this catchy, foot tapping, head nodding experience.

Dan Auerbach weaves high notes in and out of the glorious 

effects, his passionate voice is enhanced by Patrick Carney's voice effects creating a brilliant contrast to the sharp tune.

One of The Black Keys' best so far!

And if you're feeling adventurous why not try

Lonely Boy or Gold On The Ceiling

by The Black Keys too?

Patrick Carney (Left) and Dan Auerbach (Right)

One last thing, I will be posting a few more

interviews soon and I will also have one of my first

official places-to-see posts!

I can't wait to show them to you.

Have a lovely evening,

Poppy x

If I Could Pick Any Song...

It would be....

She's Got You High by Mumm-Ra

(also featured in the film 500 Days of Summer)

I love his soft, raw voice and the repeating harmonies

that soar throughout the track. The lyrics are 

genius. Sounds a lot like The Beatles (at the

end) in terms of harmonies and tune, but also has a 

underlying hint of The Kooks. Perfect.

I'm very excited to tell you that within the next

few posts I will have an interview with Great Caesar 

for you (I uploaded their song on the last "If 

I Could Pick Any Song..." post)!

If you don't know them already check out 

their song "Don't Ask Me Why" - it's one to watch. 

Love always, 

Poppy Valentine x

If I could pick any song......

It would be......

"Don't ask me why" by Great Caesar

This song will make you feel amazing by the end. 

It's uplifting, moving and powerful.

So please click Play (please!).

Poppy Valentine x