dry the river – and so she thinks

Yellow Bird Project

admin — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 01:19:20 +0000

Sometimes, when a little tipsy after a night out, and sitting on my sofa trying to sober myself up with a hefty portion of carbs to help prevent the inevitable hangover, I end up browsing online shopping. Lacking in willpower at the best of times, my bank account sometimes sees some unexpected purchases in the wee hours. One I have never regretted was the buying of Yellow Bird Project’s Indie Rock Colouring Book, something I discovered in one of those retail therapy twilight hours a few years ago. Set up to harness the creativity oozing from indie musicians and direct it towards something else valuable and meaningful, its founders Casey and Matt have worked with numerous bands and artists and grown the brand from strength to strength. Here they tell us more…
How did you come up with the idea for Yellow Bird Project? Most ‘music for good’ things are around charity gigs etc, whereas here you have something really original.
Back in the uni days we spent a lot of time listening to music and we went to gigs whenever we could. We’d splurge on the occasional band t-shirt, but for the most part we found these garments to be severely lacking. Most of them were plain, unoriginal, and uncomfortable. Worst of all, they were way too expensive. It was a rare thing to find a good band t-shirt that really stood out.
So as an answer to this problem we decided to take matters into our own hands. We went out and approached some of our favourite bands, asked them to create original designs and to choose a charity. Then we built a website and printed the t-shirts to sell online, with all profits benefiting the charity of said musicians. It was really just an experiment that sort of took on a life of its own.
The film Field of Dreams is cited as one of your inspirations for the project. What was it about the film that inspired you?
‘If you build it, they will come.’ Somehow that phrase really resonates with us. In a way, it sort of embodies the whole DIY aesthetic, which is: if you create something independently and you do it because you really believe it to be good, then likeminded people will always follow in your tracks. The concept grows and the dream can be shared with other people.
The hardest part is reaching that goal, facing the obstacles in between, doubting yourself and questioning; ‘is this really worthwhile’? You put all of this time into doing something different while the rest of the world looks on as if you’re some kind of crazy person! Kevin Costner understands…
It’s a nice, eyes wide open idea, and I can imagine you being full of enthusiasm as recent graduates. Are you still hopeful that the world will change in good ways, and the charities that you work with will achieve their aims?
We’re not recent graduates anymore, but yes, we are still very hopeful!
Which may explain your new project. You’ve just launched Analog.am. Tell us about that.
Analog.am is an online, independent record store, which we launched only just recently. It’s a side-project with similar aims: to raise awareness of independent artists and encourage people to buy their music.
After 6 years of indie rock fundraising, we decided it was time to turn the page. So with all of the experience we gained through Yellow Bird, we flexed our e-commerce muscles and built a web store stocked with over 50,000 vinyl records, mostly of the indie variety, but also other genres, such as punk, blues and electronic.
CD sales are falling and store-fronts are dropping like flies, yet despite this, vinyl records sales are actually on the rise. Who knows why? Maybe it gives people a better reason to pay for music? Is it the big giant artwork, the difference in sound quality, or the nostalgia that people adore? Nobody knows for sure, but one thing this trend does indicate is that people still love music. That will never change.
Who has particularly surprised you in their creations, either in what they have designed or their hidden talents?
We got a t-shirt design from The Dears, which came from Murray and Natalia’s (front man and keyboardist) 4 year old daughter, Neptune. She managed to write her name down, which was pretty impressive, I thought.
Do you ‘read’ the designs for hidden meanings? Let’s take the t-shirts, what do you think the following ‘mean’?

Beach House
Come check out our swanky little house, it’s made of NEON! Inside, you’ll find lots of wonderful things to play with.

Beach House

The National
Everyone is connected and life invariably comes full circle.

The National

Daughter
Youth is drowning.

Daughter

If you could get any artist to design for you, who would it be, and what you hope for?
It would be by Joanna Newsom and I would hope for a horse or a unicorn. That would be my dream t-shirt, I would wear it all the time.

The Great Escape 2012 – Festival Special!

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:40:40 +0000

It’s that time of year again, when It’s All Happening, along with thousands of music fans, hundreds of bands and a good percentage of the music industry head down to sunny Brighton, for The Great Escape. I could wax lyrical about it, but I will just let our special edition zine do the talking…
In it you’ll find our opinion on the following 57 bands, as well as where and when they are playing, to help you plan your weekend around maximum musical pleasure …Cut Ribbons, Deaf Club, Among Brothers, Alabama Shakes, Dry The River, Common Tongues, Mujeres, Me And The Bees, Ninette & The Goldfish, Seward, Amics del Bos, Oso Leone, The Suicide of Western C ulture, Furguson, The Robbie Boyd Band, Wet Nuns, Sonic Boom Six, Swim Deep, Yukon Blonde, Bos Angeles, Toy, Alt J, Maximo Park, Mystery Jets, Chew Lips, Dakota Beats, The Front Bottoms, Shabazz Palaces, Pikachunes, Tripple Nipples, BOY, Emily & The Woods, Rae Morris, Slow Down Molasses, Tall Ships, Fanzine, The Switch, Worship, Concrete Knives, Mammal Club, Saint Saviour, Spring Offensive, Gunning For Tamar, Clock Opera, Hymns, Dems, Munich, Escaoists, Team Me, The Joy Formidable, Warpaint, Katzenjammer, Rachel Sermanni, The Manic Shine, Hatcham Social, The Temper Trap & Jack Savoretti.
As well as the IAH team (Dan, John, Greta, Caroline, Michael, Katie and Francesca) the lovely Jen Long (BBC Radio 1), Chris Foster (Pop Noodle), Jordan Thomas (Recharged Radio), Ellie Coden – (Fierce Panda), and Steven Boniface (Labelled Independent) have all written guest articles – thanks guys!

Open publication – Free publishing – More bands

Ones To Watch

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:29:06 +0000

It tends to take years, or at least months, for bands to form a following, to build a reputation and to get themselves heard. The arrival of January 2011 will not suddenly create a throng of new artists that until now have been hiding away, ready to form on New Year’s Eve and take the music industry by storm. That’s why the following list of artists are not necessarily ‘new bands’. You may have heard of them, they may already be huge or you may not have a clue who they are. But, either way, we love them and hope that they get the attention they deserve in 2011.

Wolf Gang – Electro indie pop genius. Recent single ‘Lions in Cages’ is an enjoyable, upbeat track that MGMT would be proud of. Wolf Gang AKA Max McElligott has a host of dates coming up in February and March, including a tour supporting popular Kiwi’s The Naked and Famous.

Yuck – Formed out of the ashes of the beautiful Cajun Dance Party, Yuck are a different animal altogether. The band fuse together a blend of grunge and shoegaze that creates a raw, scuzzy but downright fantastic sound. Singles Georgia and Rubber are two very different track which increases anticipation about the finished album, set for release in 2011. This promises to be a huge year for Yuck.
Trophy Wife – Trophy Wife became a internet buzz band in the latter part of 2010 with the exceptional single ‘Microlite’. The trio are set to build on this momentum throughout 2011 by seeing in the year playing with fellow Oxfordians, and influence, Foals at The Forum in London. Foals’ ‘Total Life Forever’ was one of the albums of 2010: don’t be surprised if Trophy Wife’s debut album gets similar plaudits.

Boy & Bear – Australian band Boy & Bear are the sort of band that leave you standing in awe, with the hairs on the back of your neck raised and a tingle down your spine. Debut EP ‘With Emperor Antarctica’ is an exceptional 5 track collection of indie folk. Having supported Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons in 2010, Boy & Bear are set to return to UK shores in the middle of 2011 with a debut album and a set of festival appearances. Don’t miss them.
Dry The River – In a similar vein to Boy & Bear, Dry The River produce beautiful songs with sing a long qualities. Songs such as ‘New Ceremony’ and ‘Family Tree’ start slowly and build in to a bubbling pace. 2011 looks likely to be a promising year for the London based quintet.
Cosmo Jarvis – “Yo-ho Sebastian, Let’s go far away, Somewhere where the captain won’t be mad. Yo-ho Sebastian, I want to love you good. We deserve much better than we’ve had” You need to be either a genius or a fool to write a song called ‘Gay Pirates’ about a homosexual pirate who loves fellow swashbuckler Sebastian. With over 540,000 views on YouTube consensus suggests that Cosmo Jarvis is. A genius, not a homosexual pirate.

Ross and the Wrongens – Ross has to be one of the nicest guys in the music business. Events conspired against Ross that meant the usual wrongens were unable to join him on stage to headline the November It’s All Happening gig. Not to be deterred, Ross was joined on stage by a part time wrongen and cracked out a fantastic set of upbeat indie pop. If Ross and the Wrongens are at a venue near you in 2011 then you must see them: they deserve great things.
Tall Ships – Tall Ships came on to the IAH radar in 2010 having released two brilliant EPs and an energetic live show that sees the trio pass instruments around like a hot potato. Part of the fantastic roster of reliable record label Big Scary Monsters and management Idle Hands Club, Tall Ships have a lot of talent and are sure to make big waves in 2011.
The Joy Formidable – Long term readers of IAH will probably be aware of our championing of The Joy Formidable. Debut full length album ‘The Big Roar’ is to be released on January 24^th 2011 and is set to be massive. The trio make an unfathomable layered sound that is so different from most bands in the current music scene. Having heard the promo copy, The Big Roar will be one of the best albums of the year.
Spring Offensive – Spring Offensive are a delightful band. They have a great ability of writing dark, but intelligent lyrics with unpredictably catchy tunes. With an EP and a mini album already under their belt, we’re expecting a full length album in 2011 from the Oxford quintet.
The Cast of Cheers – In all honesty, IAH don’t know what The Cast of Cheers have planned for 2011. New album? Tour? Split up? No idea. Hopefully it will be the former two because we have just had the joy of discovering 2010 debut album ‘Chariot’ and my gosh- it’s good! This Irish foursome have a Foals-esque brilliance about them: a calculated, jagged rock that wants you leaving more. Hopefully 2011 will be the year that everybody knows their name.