Hello all! You're probably wondering what I wanted to tell you about. Well, I'll get right to it. A couple weeks ago, I was writing one of my posts when I thought "Wouldn't it be great to actually get in touch with the artists I've been writing about and interview them? I considered sending them specific questions or Skyping, but while the one seemed too distant, the other seemed too intrusive. I've always loved the radio, and loved listening to interviews on it so I thought it would be pretty cool to do phone interviews. But who would I start with and how often would I write? It takes quite a while for both the artists and myself to find the time to talk for an hour and then takes me a while to transcribe the interview into written word. So, I decided I'll do this once a month, starting on September 1st.
Hopefully you're as happy as I am about this addition to Youtube's Underground Music Scene and I hope you'll read up once we get the first interview up. I've already done the first one and am happy to say it went really well. He's got a real heavy Liverpool accent and has become a good friend of mine via Youtube. He's the one and only Danny McEvoy! So, stay tuned and I hope you enjoy the interview that'll pop up on the blog on September 1st!
Alex Hamel
Hello all! You're probably wondering why I didn't update the blog this weekend as I promised. I found myself caught up between gigs and photo shoots, so I apologise for that. Still wondering what the big news is? Well, it's rather simple. But...let's not clog up this article on Pete. I'll be updating you on the good news over the weekend. I've arranged so that I have time to write. Now, regarding Pete, I just kept coming across him, no matter what! The same way I kept finding Danny McEvoy and George Possley, this guy was nearly everywhere. He's got over one thousand videos up, most of which are pretty good! He's been going strong for some time now and I can hardly recall what the first of his that I saw was. I do remember it was 2008, and for that reason, I've picked one of my favourite uploads of his from 2008. Here's his cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence"!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXY9u-j6SR8
Great stuff! He's one of those guys who just does the song the way it's meant to be. No fancy bits and pieces, just the raw, unplugged reality of each tune. There's a certain beauty to doing it that way. It just brings you down to earth to see another person doing that. It makes you feel like you can it yourself. It's really empowering really. I mean, how many people look at Christina Grimmie and say "I can do that!" There may be a few, but generally, it's rather intimidating. Nothing against Christina, because she's incredible. But it's great to know there are people out there who are just like you and me. Pete serves that awesome purpose.
So, if you're not one of Pete's many subscribers already, I'd definitely recommend him. He's always uploading covers and has a great deal of tutorials available. One thing you gotta know about Pete, is that he's a massive Oasis fan. Probably one of my favourite covers of his came shortly after Oasis broke up. As he said, their music will "Live Forever"! Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEdx1eb-KoE
Brilliant, isn't it? Played with utmost emotion, just the way all music should be. Once again, he just does the song disregarding the world around him. He gets into it and lives there. I love the incredible little solo he put together at the beginning, which streams beautifully into the stripped down version of the Oasis classic! Make sure you check out his other Oasis covers, as well as the tutorials if you're a guitarist and you don't know the songs yet.
Now, I've gotta admit, I've really had a good look around Pete's channel, but I can't find any originals unfortunately. He must be hoarding them somewhere. I certainly hope he gets some out there soon. In any case, I'll close the article on Pete with my all time favourite cover of his. Because of the whole vibe of the video, the technicality and simplicity with which he plays it and the beauty of the song itself. Here's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (The Beatles). Thanks for supporting Youtube's artists! Check back next Thursday for another fantastic artist!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iItkBDLFUX0
Alex Hamel
It's that time of the week and I've got another fantastic artist for you. Firstly, I'd like to wish you all a good month and secondly, I've been having a Smiths week! I must have listened to The Queen Is Dead at least 5 times the other day and seem to have picked up "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out." I covered the serenely, disturbing song a couple days ago and then found myself roaming through endless other covers of it. Surprisingly, most of them were pretty good! I usually have to dig through a bunch of videos to find a real gem. Nevertheless, Gina's cover of the song blew my mind. Performed with what seems to be an electric ukulele, Gina's cover stuck in my mind. Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTdp3XdZg0M
It's the definition of beauty isn't it? Who knew the Smiths would sound so good on an ukulele. Gina is loyal to the tune, in that she keeps the original melody. However, she keeps it rather laid back and emphasises the sweet side of the song. The overall simplicity of the cover attracts me, but something about the chemistry of Gina's voice against the electric ukulele is absolutely stunning. Probably one of the best covers of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" that I've seen, alongside Anthony Hill.
Now, if you're not convinced that you have to subscribe to Gina Almaguer you must be nuts! But in any case, amuse me and let me take another stab at it. She's got a bunch of great covers available on her channel including one of a personal favourite of mine called "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" (Creedence Clearwater Revival). I always felt bad that CCR never got to number one with one of their songs. People always covered their songs and took them to number one though, so that's pretty cool. Anyways, have a listen to Gina's cover!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYzVc4dERuE
Awesome! If that doesn't brighten your day, I don't know what will. Gina's a ray of sunshine, that's for sure. Her approach to this CCR classic was just right. Nothing fancy, but nothing less than perfect. She keeps that strong rhythm going and surfs on it with her melodic voice. And I personally love the fact that it's a black and white video. Once in a while I wish that all Youtube videos were black and white for a day.
Now aside from the great covers, Gina's got some incredible originals that you can check out on her channel! I caught a glimpse of a song called "Knowing" earlier on and am listening to it as I write. The song is such a blend of influences that I can seem to put my finger on it. What I can say though, is that it is unique. I certainly wish I had an album of her songs. She sounds like an incredible songwriter! Thanks again for supporting Youtube's artists! Check back tomorrow for an important announcement and check back next Thursday for another fantastic artist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jUAApdbIi0
Alex Hamel
