Hand By Calloused Hand goes International

Hi All,

That's right! You heard it here second, I've gone International. As well as writing about local unsigned bands I have been offered, by the awesome guys at Smokin' Charlie Brown, to partner up and write reviews of new music for them.

Everything I write will be available on both sites, but my main concentration will still be local bands. So look out for me in the crowd tapping my feet, struggling to type notes into my phone while holding a drink, and taking lots of pictures....So these days I don't stand out from anyone else really.

Thanks for reading

Trev - Hand By Calloused Hand

The Cryptics - Lennons Review

Hi all,

I promised myself that I would go and see The Cryptics live. I've been listening to their stuff in the car for about 2 weeks. So last Friday I left, at the last minute, to get to Lennons.

A quick note on this venue. If you are a band, you can do better. There is room for 3 people on that stage, no more. The sound guy is crap and doesn't move from his Troll hole and the stage is more of a recess into the wall.

It is the most uncomfortable place as a punter to be. You spend 10 minutes in between each band staring at the sound guys ass as he repositions the (pointlessly) mic'ed up drum kit, or generally gets in the way of the guitarist or bassist. That and it stinks of piss. And its dead. No, I mean dead. Even though it could hold about 100 people with elbow room.

The Cryptics were on at 9.30 so not exactly early, and I was expecting there to be a bunch of students in there as its on the way into town. I counted about 20 people in there.

I learned something valuable that night. Venue does matter. Did they play well? Yes. Was it a good set? Yes. Was it a good gig? Not really.

I met 2 out of 3 of the guys, and they seem like a great couple of blokes, but I think we all knew it wasn't going to be great.

The only advantage with the venue was that it was reasonably easy to get some pictures.

I will have to see them again to do this properly. Their next gig is at The Brook on the 1st, which is known for buzzing with people who like music and people not stinking of piss. I can promise that it will be a much, much better event.

Armada - New Single

Hi all!

Armada are a band from LA that have been compared to the likes of Spoon,
Wilco and Radiohead. I disagree with this - if I had to compare this track
to anyone it would probably be early Placebo in both style and vocal sound.

Especially in the case of "Badge & Gun" the bands new single.

The simple opening riff drags you into the track, and keeps you there
easily. The vocals - which are driving without being aggressive - are
clean. Cody Page wants you to hear his opinion and leave you knowing
exactly where you stand, without needing to shout at you. It shows a
maturity that you just don't get with some other bands at the moment.

It's worth mentioning the bass line at this point. Personally, I think they
could have brought it forward a bit more, as the bass riffs are definitely
worth playing with an EQ for.

In short, if you're looking for clean wholesome rock go with this. You
won't be disappointed.

Badge & Gun is a single released from Armada's debut Album "Paper Ghosts"
which will be released in August 2012.




You can find them here: http://www.armada-band.com

The Cryptics play The Lennons

Hi All,

Quick update for you.

The Cryptics are playing The Lennons in Southampton this Friday night.

Tickets are £5 (the band want to eat this week) and there may be an opportunity to be photographed with Andy's snakeskin boots.

So get down there to look at his boots, and maybe get a photograph, and maybe even listen to some great tunes.

See you there!

Dlugokecki - Village Hall Gala Review

Hi all,

Since starting this blog, I've actually found its a lot of work. Hunting down people, finding gigs, trying to fit them in with other commitments, it can be quite hard.

When the opportunity came around to see Dlugokecki last Saturday I had already been out nearly every night that week so I was in 2 minds whether to go or not. Yes ok, they have supported people like Snow Patrol and David Gray, so they must be good, but how good could it possibly be in a village hall? I mean, its hardly Wembley Arena is it?

Luckily for me I decided to go along, jumped in a car with a mate, boot full of booze and off we went.

The venue was a typical Village hall. It could hold about 150 people, had a kitchen with a serving hatch and a permanant stage.

I did a double take when the supporting act came on. I initially thought it was Jarvis Cockers younger, slightly more chunky, brother. He was actually a singer/songwriter from Liverpool. Normally you see these guys just jump on stage with a guitar covered in stickers, this guy brought along a Cellist. This made a huge difference. I do get tired of these accoustic only people singing samey kind of "against the government" and "I understand you now, Dad" songs. This guy actually sung songs that were fresh, and the Cello gave it a bit of bass which was appreciated, especially somewhere that just sucked all the bass out the sound.

If you want to look him up, his name is Rob Vincent, you can find him here: http://robertvincentmusic.com/. I would recommend it.

Dlugokecki (derr-lugo-kenski) are a 6 piece band, including Keys, Bass, Guitar, backing singer, Drums and Ben himself who sings and plays accoustic guitar. Initially I did wonder where Matt Hayward (Drums) had gone, he was about 14ft back from the front of the stage, in a black shirt, behind black drums against a black background in the shadows. I could definitely hear him though. It's nice to feel some other beats rather than the standard basic and slightly monotonous 4/4. It's also nice to see a drummer who sets up a kit and actually uses it all, and can use it all properly.
Aidan had a moment on Bass when a string snapped. He covered amazingly by playing exactly the same riffs but on 2 strings. If you can play, you'll know how hard that is to do. The keyboard player (Andy Wild) was great and when it came to solo time, he was impressive. Actually made me laugh, changing the song style completely. I know the backing singer quite well, (you may recognise Kelly if you scroll down a bit) unfortunately I couldn't quite hear her. This is what happens in Village Halls though. Your sound balance can go all to pot. Its my only negative about the whole night is that I was itching to go up on stage and sort it out.

Now, to be perfectly honest, I didn't think I'd like the music. I'd listened to a couple of tracks and they weren't for me. I'm more into heavier stuff. My initial thought was that it was too...I don't know...Pop.
This is why I'm glad I went. The meaning of the word "Pop" has been taken and stomped on by this crappy X-Factor rubbbish we have in the charts now. Yes its popular, but only for about 3 seconds. You wouldn't recognise half these songs in 10 years, let alone the artist. After Saturday night, the meaning of Pop for me has been restored. This was pop music as in "popular".

There were people there from all backgrounds, from all age groups (literally in this case. Ages from 4 and up to about 70) and they were all having a good time. Everyone was tapping their feet, jumping up and down and shouting. I think Ben was thrown for a bit when they hadn't finished their set and everyone starting cheering for more. The poor guy only stopped for a drink!

In short, it was a really good night. If they are around, go and see them. Go and visit their website. Go and rediscover what "pop music" actually means.

Visit their site here: http://www.dlugokecki.net/about_dlugokecki.html

Thanks for reading,

6 Bearded Fish

Hi all,

In 2002 a group of musicians were applauded from the stage for an event that went well. These men promptly escaped wailing fans to the Hampshire underground. Today, still wanted by weddings, corporate parties (but oddly not Bar Mitzvahs....yet), they survive as musicians of fortune. If you have an event, and no-one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the 6 Bearded Fish.

They are a really tight 4 piece functions band. I first came across them sort of by mistake at another gig, they very rarely come out and play a public set.

They say they don't have gills, and they say their aren't 6 of them – and that's mostly true. Their set list is immense and can pretty much play anything. I've met most of them and they are either professional musicians or teachers or both, or have a background in performance art or have just ridiculous amounts of experience and it really comes through. If you are looking to be blown away by a great gig, with technically brilliant people either hire them or try to see them live.

 You can find the 6 Bearded Fish here: http://sixbeardedfish.co.uk/

Meet JOS

Hi all,

It's 10 question interview time again. This time with John O'Shea and Rosie Botterill from JOS.
This has to be the most international band I have interviewed, and I've interviewed 3 (yes 3!) bands. Find out what makes some of these guys tick below.

1) I haven't been following you long, where have you been and where did you come from?
JO: Well I've been writing since I was 16, tried going solo in my early 20s which went nowhere so in 2010 I decided to record the first album I ever wrote called Ad Nauseam. After a year of preparation I met Anna Thomas in March 2011 and together we recorded the album in 7 days. Once the album was completed I met Rosie Botterill through Anna and Chris Pinkton through an advert. After just a few gigs another friend of Anna's Nathan Baldachino completed the line up of JOS.
RB: We formed around october last year, so we haven't been around long! I was the last to join after meeting John through Anna. I had been playing in a previous band who had just broke up when John got in contact with me. It was perfect timing!

2) How would you describe your music?
JO: Ummm... That's a bit tricky. We're a rock band, but we're rock in the broadest sense. For me rock is everything from Bob Dylan to Marilyn Manson and everything in between and the band reflects that. I think instinctively we're a grungy punk rock band, but as musicians we'd never limit ourselves. Also, I get bored really quickly of my own songs so the idea of doing the same thing twice I find utterly repulsive. As a result every album is different from every other album. We're no one trick pony.
RB: This is a tricky question for me because our style is very broad it's quite hard to explain. Although almost all the song fall in the rock category. You'll just have to come and see us to find out!

3) What was the first album you bought?
JO: Can't remember. I can remember nicking my sisters copy of Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion II and listening to that constantly. I suppose the only album I can think of that I used to listen to a lot before that was Queen's Innuendo.
RB: I really don't think I can remember that long ago! Probably some bullshit, I didn't have a great music taste as a child hah. I think the 1st album I remember buying which I still have now was Evanescence's debut album Fallen. That was really big when it came out, I was 10 at the time so it was probably the 1st album I brought with my own money so I guess that counts.

4) Who are your influences?
JO: Another tricky one. Emotionally, Guns N' Roses and Led Zeppelin is where my heart lays. But as a songwriter Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson is where my head lays. Other artists and bands may have come along since them and sold more albums and done bigger tours and made more money. But on pure song writing talent alone no-one in the last 50 years has come close to those men, not by a long way.
RB: My biggest influence as a guitarist would be Slash. Guns is my favourite band, and they are what made me pick up the guitar in the first place. There are so many guitarists and styles I love its hard to pick a few! Players like Joe Perry, Joe Satriani, George Benson, BB King, Jimmy Page, Jimmy Hendrix, Nuno Bettencourt, Steve Morse.. I could go on!

5) What venue would you really like to play, who would you support and why?
JO: Citi Field Stadium in the USA. I would of love to have played Shea Stadium for obvious reasons but the idiots demolished it so Citi Field will have to do. Who would we support? Sod that, we'd be headlining!
RB: The ultimate goal Wembley Stadium! But being a bit more realistic I would really like to play Brixton Academy because I've spent a lot of time there and some of the best gigs I've seen have been at this venue. I would love to support Slash.. of course haha but any band that I admire and love their music, whether they're big or not, I'd be happy to support.

6) What is the most stand out moment you've had so far?
JO: There was something special about our first gig. This is the first band I've ever been in but even the others said there was 'something' about that night. I think that night we realized that there's 'something' about this band.
RB: I think for me personally the best moment/feeling I've had with the band so far would be on stage at our first gig. At that gig a lot of important people to me where in the audience and to see all my friends come out and show their support was really lovely. It was a great gig and it felt like everything had come together, like our work up till then had paid off. But there's still a lot more hard work to come!

7) What is the name of your DEBUT ALBUM?
JO: Ad Nauseam. The name came from the fact that I've spent 14 years trying to come up with a name for that bloody record and by the time I had come up with it I was sick of it.
RB: Our debut album is Ad Nauseam.

8) What should people expect from your DEBUT ALBUM?
JO: Well there's a variety of styles on it. Overall I'd describe the album as Garage Rock as the songs on it vary from Grunge, Punk, Indie and Psychedelia. Funny thing is I can't write songs like that anymore. Back then I had no idea how to write a song so there's naivety to the songs which my later songs don't have.
RB: Some awesome tunes ;)

9) Your fantastic NEW video for "When Giants Walked the Earth" features an animated amphibian, who came up with the video idea, where did the original video come from?
JO: Oh that's easy, the idea was inspired by laziness! Basically I did a video last year for the song 'Get Up' and it was a right royal pain in the arse sourcing all those clips then converting them then editing it them, bloody nightmare it was. It's a cool video but I had no appetite to do something as time consuming as that again, but I did want to keep a similar feel for 'When Giants Walked The Earth'. So the idea was to find footage that was already edit. I did find a strange 1950s strip tease collage video but it was kinda sleazy and then I stumbled upon that frog cartoon and thought that would be different and funny and it seemed to fit with the music so I used it. So if you're looking for a JOS video with meaning check out 'Get Up' if you're looking for a laugh then 'When Giants Walked The Earth' is the one for you.
RB: Erm John made this, I have no idea where it came from or what it is haha I was sent it when it was finished!

10) Whats next for JOS?
RB: Hopefully a lot of gigs to be booked. We're talking about putting on our own events, and playing student nights etc So hopefully we can get the up and running soon. Now we have our new member and we're all in good health we're gonna be upping out game! Watch this space!
Plenty. We've just released Ad Nauseam as a torrent. Here are the links:
https://tpb.pirateparty.org.uk/torrent/7343983/JOS_-_Ad_Nauseum
https://isohunt.com/torrent_details/394432781/JOS+Ad+Nauseum?tab=summary
https://kat.ph/jos-ad-nauseum-t6441811.html
We've also got a Charity gig coming up for Little Princess Trust and we're going to be hosting our nights in the autumn. So lots to look forward to!

JOS Torrent released!

Hi all,

JOS have released their Torrent for their new album 'Ad Nauseum' on isohunt.com.

You can find it here

As promised, I asked John why he wanted to release their album as a Torrent here is what he said:

HBCH: Hi John, Why you are using torrents (normally associated with piracy) to distribute your album? 

JOS: I'm treating it purely as a pragmatic exercise. Whatever my feelings towards file sharing the fact is 95% of music is now downloaded illegally. As JOS are an unsigned band looking to get as much exposure as possible do we try to appeal to the 5% of people who still download legally? Or the 95% who use torrents? Releasing 'Ad Nauseum' via torrent makes perfect sense. The internet has changed how people consume music so artists must change how they provide it.

I think John has a point. If you are a band trying to launch yourself, you can't get a bigger audience than torrents. Its quick, easy and you can get quite a bit of publicity. It's also a slightly different approach and that's what we need right now. It's blatantly obvious the current way albums are marketed and sold needs overhauling what with DRM and other protection methods only seemingly affecting people who obey the law.

It is getting better, but I think it's always worth trying some different to the mainstream.

Thanks for reading,

More than a Feeling - Boston - Guitar Cover

Hi all,

I've been playing guitar again. This time, More than a Feeling by Boston.

This is an easy one to play, although the solo is a little hard.

Slow finger picking through the usual D, C, G chords played clean, then a little riff then some Barre chords.

The solo isn't hard, but it is. Its just a scale. Which one I don't know. The important bit is making sure you have enough fingers left to play the twiddly bit.

As for the sound effect, on the ME-70 I use, pre-amp is off, its setup up so the overdrive is on metal, all controls pretty much vertical, and the delay is on CHO+Delay. Time control at about 1o'clock, feedback is the same and E-level is at about 11 o'clock.

I did mess up the solo below, instead of that bend, just hop up to the 12th fret instead, and skip down the scale in the right places.

Here it is then:



thanks for listening

Dlugokecki - Village Hall Gala #3

Hi all,

Dlugokecki, nope, try again. Nope. Go on. Nope. Look, its quite easy. Dlugokecki.

Anyway, these guys are big and they are touring around their home country for a change. They are Southampton based, well most of them so I can mention them here.

They are playing at the Hamble Village Memorial Hall on the 16th June. They are well worth going to see.

You can get tickets here:
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/161496

Thanks for reading,

JOS Video

Hi all,

I've been receiving messages. From beyond the internets. Things are happening and they are happening to JOS

Here's another video its for a track called 'Get Up':





I don't know what it is about JOS video's but they are always well produced, so 'nice work' to whoever they get to make them. Great sound as well.

Other news from JOS, they are going to be releasing their album on ISOHUNT.This is a torrent site filled with millions upon millions of pirated things. So why release on that medium?

I'll get back to you on that one!

Once I have the link I'll stick it up here

Thanks for reading

Vicki Musselwhite - New EP

Hi all,

Quick bit of news, my soundcloud timeline tells me that local songstress Vicki Musselwhite is releasing an EP.

How can I describe her music? Well first it's acoustic which makes a change to what I normally listen to, and it takes me back to when I used to just lie in my room in the pitch black and just listen to music while my mind would draw colours and shapes inside my eyelids.

I'm typing this in the dark right now while listening to it.

Tell you what. I'll shut up and you can listen to it yourself.




Thanks for reading,

Meet The Cryptics

Hi All,

Come with me and meet The Cryptics. 1/3 of which is bent on world domination, 1/3 is influenced by Dennis Bergkamp and the other 1/3 has 1/6 of the bands knee problems.

Read on to find out what they said when I went to find out more:


1) I haven't been following you long, where have you been and where did you come from?
AP - We're a three piece based in Hampshire, formed in January this year and consist of Ryan Osborne (Guitar & Vocals), Andy Pritchard (Bass) and Simon King (Drums). Sim and I have been playing together since we were 12, I hadn't played in a band for a few years and was really missing the buzz of playing live. So we started having a few jams with Bass & Drums down in Southampton before Christmas 2011 and searching for a front man. We had heard about Ryan and invited him down for a jam, we immediately clicked and within half an hour Ryan was improvising lyrics over some of our first riffs. We were blown away by his melodies and his range - that was that, we were formed.
RO - I'd been writing songs looking for a band to bring them to life....luckily I met these guys. I was really impressed, it was clear they'd been playing together for years. It didn't take long for us to get tight.
SK - Andy made me do it. I was reluctant at first, then we found 'Bry' and I thought this guy is the next Jeff Buckly - but with balls!

2) How would you describe your music?
AP - it's hard to say, we've written 10 songs so far and everyone's very different - if we played you the songs individually you could probably put us in 10 categories – when pushed I'd cop out with 'rock 'n roll'
RO - Yeah, there are elements of soul, reggae, as well as rock n roll....and we're growing as a band, so it's early days.
SK - Vital.

3) What was the first album you bought?
RO - I think it was Green Day, Dookie.
AP - The Clash, London Calling - it's still my favourite album now (although i have bought more since!)
SK - St Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band on cassette from Our Price. Think I win bitches!

4) Who are your influences?
SK- Dennis Bergkamp
RO - Radiohead, Muse, The Strokes a lot of sixties bands, all sorts really. But then an idea for a riff or structure could come from anywhere.
AP - The Clash, RATM, RHCP, Radiohead, I also played in a Reggae / Ska band for a year so I'll say Various Reggae Artists

5) What venue would you really like to play, who would you support and why?
AP - I like little sweaty venues where the crowd get involved - I like to support bands I don't know well - I love new music and like to be surprised
RO - I'd like to play a venue that has people watching and a good sound, and I'd support Andy because of his dodgy knee....it just doesn't sound the same when he plays horizontally.
SK - Madison Square Gardens, O2 Arena or Glastonbury. Rather headline with QOTHSA and Radiohead supporting us, I like the sounds of that!

6) What is the most stand out moment you've had so far?
RO - Playing The Joiners in Southampton last Friday....it was a real buzz.
AP - When we recorded our Demo within 24 hours BBC introducing we're playing it - Was a nice surprise to get on the radio so quickly and gave us a massive boost
SK - Doing this interview.  [your pint is in the post - Ed.]

7) What was the last thing you bought for band use?
AP - Big Muff distortion pedal - makes me screw up my face every time I step on it
RO - A lighter
SK- Cowbell and some Liquorice rizla

8) What do you do when you're not on stage?
AP - I'm a builder so I spend my days trying not to cut my fingers off......
RO - Write songs and plan world domination.
SK - Get screwed by the council, 9-5, 5 days a week.

9) You had your very first gigs not long ago, how did you feel before going on?
AP - Excited - hadn't been on stage for a few years and my ego was diminishing!
RO - Really excited to get to show people what we could do after a few months getting the songs right.
SK - Like the Fonz

10) Whats next for The Cryptics?
SK - "Gonna Get Some More.... Gonna Get Some More... Gonna Get Some More" are those the lyrics Bry?
AP - We'll be gigging regularly in Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton & London over the next few months - we've got to choose which new songs to get recorded in the studio and get them out - definitely have some new material recorded by the end of June - and I'm particularly looking forward to playing Frolic Fest in August.
RO - I'm particularly looking forward to world domination.

The Cryptics can be found on facebook or you can find them at their next gig at Eastney Cellars, Southsea on the 8th June

Thanks for reading,

Video Game Cover #1 - Skitchin'

Hi All,

Skitchin' was a game released by EA in 1994. I've only played it a couple of times but the title music (music in general in fact) is quite good.

So here is my attempt at playing it. There doesn't appear to be any Tab for it so I made a lot of this up. It should also go some way to explain the missing bits. Anyway, enough!

Here it is:




Thanks for listening!

Vendetta - Golden Eagle - Southsea 4th June

Hi All,

Last night I went once more unto Portsmouth, This time to the Golden Eagle Pub in Southsea to see Vendetta.

The Golden Eagle Pub is a small venue, barely enough room for 20 people in the front bar, and about 5 people out the back playing pool.

Even though the temperature has dropped recently, it didn't seem to effect the bar itself which was warm and welcoming.
The barstaff were friendly and it reminded me a lot of the late 90's bar sports pubs you used to get before they all started selling sandwiches and pretending to be posh.

Picture by Pete Conlon

Vendetta were parked in the corner of the front bar, not a lot of room for the 4 piece but enough to wrap the sound around the walls. If you are looking to be immersed in the music, choose a smaller venue. The sound you get there was like being wrapped in the softest Kashmir as the bass coiled around the walls and then being hit with a lump of wood with 4" nails in - and I mean that in a good way.

The first 45 minute set went really well, with fairly slow rock anthems to get everybody going. Then Portsmouth being Portsmouth we had 1 particular ejit who was ejected quite effectually. After a slightly longer delay than usual Vendetta went back to the stage (corner?). After a few Happy Birthdays for their bassist (HB Katie!) and some locals (with longer and longer distances between today's date and their actual birthdays, nice try guys!) they finished their second set.

The event with the idiot must have stirred some blood as the second half rocked. I think they wanted to remind people why they were there. To have fun with their friends and enjoy some amazing music.

Which I certainly did.

Vendettas next gig is on 9th June at The Halfway Inn - Chandlers Ford

Thanks for reading