Independent musicians lack shows, venues to showcase original music

Ken Shiles and Cibon perform multiple shows each week in South Jersey, but they find one issue with every venue or show they play at: they're often asked to play covers rather than original music.

"We get around and do our cover gig, but when we play at Harrah's and other dates around here, 99 percent of them are gigs where we play cover songs," said Shiles, of Atlantic City. "There are a couple original music venues around here, but catering to what we're doing? I don't know. It's tough."

Shiles and Cibon, like other artists, are finding it difficult to find shows or venues to perform at.

The Boneyard Bar & Grill, which housed local acts and shows in Atlantic City, closed in the beginning of October. Another venue, Le Grand Fromage, closed around the same time.

Jerry Ryan is a festival organizer and the founder of the annual Elephants for Autism festival as well as the Elephant Talk Indie Music Festival, which takes place at The Watering Hole in Mays Landing.

While he said that there are still some places that house original acts, specifically in Hammonton and Mays Landing, venues are generally few and far between.

"From 2012 to 2015, we had, like, five different promoters in the scene booking bands and pushing original music," said Ryan, of Smithville. " There is a lack of venues and a drought in the scene. We're reverting back to the old days where original music is being forced out."

So when South Jersey bands can't play original songs, they head elsewhere.

Ken Shiles and Cibon will travel to Philadelphia and New York to play elsewhere.

"In my honest opinion, we could try and put original shows here, but I almost don't see a benefit in it as much anymore as it would be to go to Philadelphia," Shiles said.

The two artists recently took a trip to Nashville to check out local acts and play some shows. The scene, they said, was like day and night with South Jersey.

Cibon said that even the hole-in-the-wall spots had multiple acts each night. And the crowds would show up not to just drink and socialize but to sit down and really listen to an artist perform.

"You could hear a pin drop," she said.

The city had a real music-friendly atmosphere, with multiple artists playing in each venue every night, Shiles said. The scene was also less competitive and more accommodating.

"One guy told us next time we were there to call him and that we'd have a place to stay. It's heartwarming to see other musicians help one another," Shiles said.

At least one local venue is trying to create that same vibe.

Randy Beane is the bar manager for the Watering Hole in Mays Landing. He also takes care of live promotions. He's worked with Jerry Ryan to host Elephants for Autism as well as the Indie Music Festival.

Beane said it's all about a bar or restaurant or venue being willing to work with promoters and to host the shows. If the shows or festivals produce, they'll host them again. And if a band wants to contact Beane to play a show, he'll give them an available date and write them down.

"A lot of other venues are not helping, it puts the ball in my court and I can say ‘hey, I'm the only place available'," said Beane, of Mays Landing.

Beane said that shows vary: some more popular than others, adding that more music should pick up around March. He expected about 10 or more bands for the Elephant Talk Music Festival.

"It's great. Some bands I'm like ‘why aren't these bands on tour' and then some I'm like ‘you can probably stay in the garage.' Some bands that were not the greatest had friends there for a night to socialize and you can't even move," Beane said.

With the possibility of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City, Shiles and Cibon hope that it could bring original music back to the boardwalk.

"I'm optimistic about that but I don't know how they're going to do it or if it'll just be saturated with cover music," Shiles said.

"It depends on how they work it," Cibon said. "It could open up and be an awesome thing for musicians in the area."

Coming together for music

The South Asia Regional Conference of the International Society of Music Education will feature talks on the importance of music in education

The three–day South Asia Regional Conference, organised by the International Society of Music Education (ISME) in the city, will see nearly 40 speakers from across the globe talking on music education, special education needs in music and digitisation. The conference will be hosted by co-partners at the National Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS) from November 27 to 29. ISME is the premier international organisation for music education founded by UNESCO in 1953 and is affiliated to International Music Council in over 80 countries.

The theme of the conference is 'Learning to live together in and through music' and will feature prominent speakers from the fields of music and music education. ISME has built a coalition of partners within the country who are interested in music education for children with special education needs and the emerging field of digital humanities in music, says Vikram Sampath, who represents ISME in India. "The South Asia Regional Conference is one of the largest, bringing representations from the UK, Australia, China, Japan, Norway, Finland, Dubai, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh among others to interact with musicians, educationalists and scholars. The content will include a set of recommendations to the Government of India on how music education can be part of the new education policy and how lessons can be taken from other countries and customised to suit Indian realities."

The topics in the conference would hover around global challenges and opportunities with music in education programmes, customising educational practice to indigenous systems of learning, and using and creating digital resources for the multicultural classroom along with the preservation and archiving of our intangible cultural heritage.

"The conference's larger goal is to create long-term, sustainable projects in these domains," says Vikram Sampath, who is reperesenting ISME in India.

For example, as part of the discussions on the impact of music on children's special education, Bombay Jayashri will speak on how her own trust HITAM addresses children with Autism. Jayashri had noticed that music education and a strong exposure of music to children magically brings out better motor skills and makes them relatively sharper in their responses. Vikram adds: "There is only anecdotal evidence, but no scientific evidence though. We are therefore partnering with NIAS which is keen to incubate such findings for a scientific deduction at a later stage."

Prof. Baldev Raj, the director of NIAS, says, "We are truly excited with the prospect of this collaboration, which we are looking at from a long-term sustainability perspective and not just this conference. Creating a regional cooperation, interdisciplinary studies and building scholarship and research capabilities in the domains of music with various stakeholders, is encouraged at NIAS and this conference is the starting point."

At the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts that works to create music educators, Bindu Subramaniam and Ambi Subramaniam say that building a teaching community is central to everything that they do.

"We work to the cause of having high-quality music education," chorus Bindu and Ambi, who are excited to partner with IMSE for the world conference.

Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej, who will be sharing his experience at the ISME conference, says, "My album Shanti Samsara is also dedicated to creating environmental consciousness. The album was launched at the Climate Change Conference in Paris by Prime Minister Modi.

The songs were created with themes of coexistence with nature; there are songs about the importance of rivers, effects of human – animal conflict, and there was also a song that I created in the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati, which will be the first country in the world to completely submerge due to climate change. All my music is about environmental consciousness, and I have dedicated my life and my art to this cause. Songs that we are taught during our childhood are songs that we remember till the day we die. So I use my art of music to spread a message for our planet."

Sandra Oberoi, founder of Harmony Music School, says, "This collaboration between ISME, a world authority on the advancement of music education, and several advocates in and around India, will surely bring about a change for the better."

MANE: 'I love anthemic pop music'

MANE's new single What If The Love Dies? heralds the Adelaide singer-songwriter as an emerging new force in national pop music.

"My immune system decided to crash in Edinburgh and I pretty much lost my voice," says Adelaide indie pop artist Paige Renee Court, known as MANE. "I was just backstage napping before I went on."

Having just returned from a recent recording session in Los Angeles and a whirlwind thirteen date tour of the UK and Europe, Court is feeling somewhat worse for wear.

"I've been burning the candle at both ends lately," she says, "and because I've been in this funk lately. I'm like ‘hey everyone, lets go party!'".

Court has been incredibly prolific so far this year, performing to industry representatives and prospective festival bookers at the Made in Adelaide showcase at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Arts South Australia partnered with Scottish music business event organisation Born to Be Wide to showcase local talent. The showcase also featured fellow Adelaide artists Carla Lippis and Wanderers.

"Touring Europe forced me to be organised," she says. "The crowds were really receptive, just pin drop silence. I'd like to go back next year to the UK and Europe. America is a bit hard [to return to] because you have to get a visa and it's just so ridiculously expensive."

Her new single What If The Love Dies was produced in collaboration with Grammy and ARIA award winning producer Eric J, known for his engineering work on Chet Faker's breakout album Built on Glass and Flume's sophomore album Skin.

"I love anthemic kind of pop music… that's what I want to be making," Court says. "I've been listening to a lot of Lorde's new album, I think it's amazing. I think she knows all the secrets of the world."

The song itself is an exploration of desire and longing that was written in response from the personal experiences of a friend.

"For the most part it is personal, but in this case I could relate to it.  One of my friends was in a long distance relationship — the person lived here and his visa ran out and he had to go back to Argentina. They'd been together for a few years and it was all very hard. I just caught her on a day where this big thing happened and he didn't know if he ever wanted to even come back to Australia but she then decided she would go chase him."

"She was literally a mess crying to me and she said, ‘What if the love dies?,' and I thought, ‘That's a great line'."

MANE will return to Adelaide for a hometown show before performing headline shows in Melbourne, Wollongong and Sydney. As a rising new talent, Court is apprehensive but enthusiastic about the east coast jaunt.

"I'm kind of nervous, but excited. It's my first headline tour so I'm not really sure what to expect but I know I've done everything I can do. I'm looking forward to it."

Bon Iver review – gadget show becomes political and personal

It's a decade since Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, spent three months in isolation in a remote log cabin in Wisconsin and produced For Emma, Forever Ago, a debut of beautiful folky introspection. Two albums and collaborations with Kanye West and James Blake later, last year's more experimental, Autotune-enhanced, numerology-obsessed 22, A Million took him to No 2 in the US and UK charts. However, Vernon has felt uncomfortable with aspects of stardom and, after anxiety and depression, has expressed a desire to perform for audiences that are unfamiliar with his work.

It isn't working out. “Is anyone from Blackpool?” he asks this sleepy old seaside town, and gets the faintest chattering of cheers. Most of the audience have clearly travelled in, but it's the only awry moment as the ornate old Opera House provides the perfect backdrop for a magical evening of his music.

Last time out, Vernon was backed by so many musicians it's a wonder he could fit them all on stage. Here, it's just a drummer, a bassist who plays saxophone, and Vernon, who as well as singing and playing guitar and keyboard, tinkers with so many gadgets that he forgets to turn one of them up. “I was doing some really cool loopy stuff there,” he laughs, taking off his headphones, “that nobody could hear except myself.” This comical clanger aside, the trio prove more than adept at reproducing 22, A Million's playful sonic trickery without ever quite taking the focus off the singing or the songs. Older songs such as the hymnal Flume (for which they're joined by harpist Mikaela Davis) tap into Vernon's more traditional well of melancholy and sadness, but the new record's formidably titled 10 dEAThBReasT sounds as if he is accompanied by an Aphex Twin remix full of marching soldiers.

Lately, he has started to realise that he can use his platform as a force for change, whether personal or universal. He shouts out for the Lancashire Women's Centres – in attendance – and takes an angry jab at events in America: “People out there trying to take other people's freedoms away and that is just bullshit.” Mostly, though, he seems to be reconnecting with the simple joy of playing music for other people. “I tell you what,” he says, as songs – from his own 33 “GOD” to a stunning cover of Leon Russell's A Song for You – are met with ever louder cheering, “this – this! – is fun.”

Introducing Missy Dress – A Treasure Trove Of Bridal Accessories

Here we are in August! Can you believe it? I know that I'm definitely in shock. But, I have to admit that I've been looking forward to this feature for some time because I've got the huge pleasure of introducing you to one of my favourite accessory labels, Missy Dress. If you're looking for fabulous wedding jewellery, bridal headpieces or accessories for bridesmaids, then you're going to be so very glad that Missy Dress is a secret no longer.

Missy Dress is a multi award-winning accessory label and their collection includes over 700 designs from dainty and delicate designs to Art Deco and Old Hollywood inspired statement pieces for classic aisle style. Alongside those bridal delights, Missy Dress also curates one of the largest dedicated collections of coordinating bridesmaid accessories in the New Zealand.

Now, if you're a fan of Downton Abbey or Stricty Come Dancing, you'll have seen some of Missy Dress' designs on screen. Downton's Lady Mary wore the Vintage Wreath tiara and Strictly dancers regularly step out in Missy Dress sparkles. Missy Dress has actually been part of the wedding world since 2004 when founder Victoria Swan noted a gap in the market for beautiful yet affordable accessories. And beautiful they certainly are.

Missy Dress' collection is full of purse-friendly modern-day heirlooms' and their signature style infuses the beauty of bygone eras with a touch of modern charm. Even then most contemporary designs have a subtle vintage influence and every piece has a timeless quality. I can also speak from personal experience.

”That most common response we receive from our brides is that the quality of our jewels exceeded their expectations,”says Victoria. “We use a traditional method of craftsmanship, very similar to precious jewellery, and will only use high quality materials so the fact that our designs have an affordable price tag and yet do not compromise on quality is most definitely appealing to our brides.”

When it comes to our designs, we can be inspired by anything! There's the obvious classic black and white movies, old family photographs, past and current fashion trends etc. Then there's the not-so-obvious such as patterns on vintage homeware, the blend in colours in a beautiful bouquet – I just tend to always have my mind open to spot things that inspire me.

And there's a lot to inspire you in the Missy Dress collection. I absolutely adore so many of their headpieces and tiaras. The Delicate Pearl side tiara with its floral motif always makes me smile while the Exquisite Charm side tiara has a bygone style beauty that I just love. Pearls are always popular for weddings and the Elegance of Pearl earrings are so incredibly sophisticated – the perfect drop earrings for brides. I asked for the Pearls of Glamour necklace just last Christmas and have to say that finding that among my gifts made me so happy! It's just beyond gorgeous and whenever I wear it.