Name: James Gilberthorpe
Instrument(s): Guitar and Vocals
Style: Contemporary Singer-Songwriter
Type: Solo Artist
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James is a singer-songwriter from Mablethorpe whose excellent album 'A Form of Art' has now been released.
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Our first track from James' album is the lovely track "Where I Wanna Be In The Summer".
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James writes songs in the vein of Stereophonics, Oasis, The Beatles etc. and has enjoyed radio play from both local and national stations to date.
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JAMES GILBERTHORPE
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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Thank you for sitting down to chat to us ad agreeing to be the Lincolnshire Songwriters' Guild featured artist of the fortnight.
LSWG: So how long have you been a songwriter? What started you off?
[JAMES]: I’ve been writing songs for 18 years when I got my first guitar, I brought the guitar the day after I saw Oasis at Wembley Stadium.
LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[JAMES]: The music is acoustic driven Influenced by Oasis, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Stereophonics; folky pop.
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OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR DECEMBER: JAMES GILBERTHORPE
OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER: LOOP CYCLE
Name: Loop Cycle
Instrument(s): Guitars, Vocals, Beats,Samples
Style: Contemporary
Type: Solo Artist / Live Looper / Cyborg
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We are excited and honoured to relaunch our spotlight feature with Lincolnshire's very own human / cyborg hybrid songwriter; the one and only Loop Cycle!
Loop Cycle does live Looping - Original live looping cyborg using guitar, effects, voice, human beatbox, gadgets etc. Style - Hybrid Fusion.
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You have to check this out. Seriously. Loop Cycle's "Now it's gone" is as funky as it is cool and as cool as it is catchy...get yourselves on this one people!
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LOOP CYCLE
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[ARTIST]: Well, as the human host for the hiveminded cloud conciousness and cyborg that is Loop Cycle, I would tell them Loop Cycle transforms the sound of it's voice and guitar using technique and effects to create full pieces of music live using live looping, a technique that started in the 70s and has since been made famous by the likes of Beardy Man, Dub FX, KT Tunstall, The Petebox and Ed Sheeran to name a few.
What Loop Cycle does stylistically is Hybrid Fusion as it is a bit of everything. Music is about expression and therefore, Loop Cycle does not want to impose limits on it's creativity. Or I could just say, live looped guitar, effects, vocals and human beatbox! Nothing pre-recorded.
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OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 14TH SEPTEMBER - 27TH SEPTEMBER: MELO SONGS
Name: Melo Songs
Instrument(s): Guitars, Violin & Vocals
Style: Contemporary
Type: Solo Artist
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Melo Songs is a guitarist, violin player, singer, songwriter and player of a range of interesting stringed instruments.
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Launching his new acoustic album this month 'It's always the quiet ones' and described remarkably accurately as a "One man musical tour de force" Melo blends wit, passion and talent together to create his own unique style that is as engaging as it is enjoyable.
Available to purchase on bandcamp here is a little taster of "All right now" from what might just become your acoustic album of the year.
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MELO SONGS
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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LSWG: What is your process when writing songs? Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
[MELO]: Each song is different really. Sometimes it is a line I hear somewhere which sets me off thinking (I keep a book on the coffee table and record interesting phrases heard on TV or read in the paper etc.). Sometimes I am just messing about on an instrument and accidentally discover something to run with or I get side tracked while I am supposed to be practising a different tune.
Often picking up a ‘different’ instrument inspires me to take off in a new direction – even just changing the strings on an instrument creates a change in the sound which suggests inventive routes to follow.
The vast majority of songs I’ve written in recent years have been the result of ideas....
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OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 31ST AUGUST - 13TH SEPTEMBER: HELEN FLUNDER
Name: Helen Flunder
Instrument(s): Piano, Accordion & Vocals
Style: Contemporary
Type: Solo Artist
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On her music Helen says "I am a piano and music addict. I’ve met many wonderful people and made some amazing friendships through music. I love playing a wide variety of music, solo or with others. I went professional as a musician in 2013 and do all sorts of music as my day job, including teaching piano and music singalong / reminiscence sessions, piano and accordion gigs and concerts. I was taught classically but also play by ear and love improvising and jamming with others. Without music, life would be in black and white. There is room for all abilities and all genres. I co-host a songwriting group in Grimsby and the ONLY rule is that egos must be left at the door! Experienced musicians have a duty to support each other and help those starting out. Keep it live…and sometimes original! Btw Did I say I was a music addict?!"
HELEN FLUNDER
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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LSWG: So how long have you been a songwriter? What started you off?
[HELEN}: I’ve always enjoyed making up tunes on piano from being a young child. I liked altering tunes I knew, then began making up complete ones. I wrote my first ‘proper’ song to perform, while I was a student, on the grand piano at college. I loved the acoustics of playing and singing in the music hall there. I was feeling particular angst-y one evening so did a whole song of deeply ‘misunderstoodness’ all at once!
LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[HELEN}: Piano-based songs and tunes in a variety of styles, from an emotional response to a situation, place or person. Or just daft tongue-in-cheek efforts!
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OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 17TH AUGUST - 30TH AUGUST: BEN SIMMONS
Name: Ben Simmons
Instrument(s): Guitar & Vocals
Style: Contemporary Blues / Folk
Type: Solo Artist
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On his music Ben says: "I am a singer/songwriter originating from Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. Intrigued by the arts at a younger age, I discovered my passion for music when I found my mother's old acoustic guitar in the attic. During my years in higher education studying the performing arts, I grew my songwriting with implications of gentle folk and gritty blues, drawing inspiration from a selection of favourite artists such as Ed Sheeran, John Mayer and Ben Howard."
With release of his new EP last week we hope you stick around to check out Ben and his wonderful music.
BEN SIMMONS
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[BEN]: I would say my music is primarily acoustic based with an occasional running theme of blues and jazz undertones. it’s also nice to see that I haven’t completely steered away from the modern folk genre either.
LSWG: What is your process when writing songs? Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
[BEN]: This can be tricky! I try not to pull from the ether as I struggle to write from nothing, the material I have written so far has either come from a personal experience of mine, or from a past event. For example, the four songs from my debut EP ‘Light & Shade’ were all written during my three years at university. I have yet to write from film or book, maybe that’ll be something I’ll use for reference in the future!
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OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 3RD AUGUST - 16TH AUGUST: ANTS ETHERTON
Name: Ants Etherton
Instrument(s): Guitar & Vocals
Style: Re-imagined rock and pop covers
Type: Solo Artist
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Ants is a unique member of the guild in the fact that the majority of his output is re-imagined workings of others songs. He goes far beyond a simple cover version and much prefers to take the essence of the song and 'make it his own'.
Of his music and approach Ant says that over the last 18 months he has taken to ‘re-imagining songs from the 50’s to the present day, sitting in whichever cafe will let him have a corner, and simply singing. "Little do they know...." he says that ..."for me it’s cheap therapy."
Ant says that past year or so has been the happiest time in his life, because he's doing what he has always wanted to do, but never really had the courage to before... just playing a few chords and singing a few songs.
ANTS ETHERTON
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
LSWG: If you had to choose just one artist that has most influenced your own song-writing who would it be and why?
[ANTS]: I’d say no-one and everything, but the first names that pop into my mind are always Sting and Paul Weller… but really I think Paul Buchanan of the The Blue Nile is a mega genius songwriter and singer. When I say singer I don’t mean a technically perfect voice, but he just has so much… stuff… in his voice and lyrics… tone, delivery style, class, intelligence, passion, poetry, imagery. In fact if hadn’t given up worrying about being judged may years ago, and given in to the ubiquitous voice in most of our heads that says, WTF are you doing singing, you’re crap and no one wants to listen to you, his genius alone would have stopped me in my tracks… except it didn’t. It spurred me on.
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OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 20TH JULY - 2ND AUGUST: JON HORNE
Name: Jon Horne
Instrument(s): Guitar, Piano & Vocals
Style: Acoustic Folk / Rock n Roll
Type: Solo Artist
Jon has been keepin' it largely fictional in the pubs and Pavilions of Whitby since 2004 (though has long been playing in and around in Lincolnshire also). Proof that we still support our artists event if they leave the tranquility of Lincolnshire.
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Of his music Jon describes it as: "Vocal, guitar, noisy songs with stories and tunes." And though true he also forgets to mention the sense of wit, humour and profoundness in his lyrics.
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Stick around for some excellent, original music from the 'many faces of Jon Horne'.
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JON HORNE
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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LSWG: Tell us about the best and worst gig(s) you have ever had…what did you learn from them?
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[Jon]: We Shall Overcome at Whitby Rifle Club, 2015. It was a fundraiser for the local food bank. Some of the bands were heavily political, which meant I didn’t need to be. I played my electric guitar through a 15W amp at my feet, started off with an Iggy Pop cover and didn’t hold back at all. I have a stammer, so speaking on stage can be stressful. On this occasion I didn’t speak at all, and blasted through a 10-song set in 25 minutes, getting louder and faster as it went on. I learned that this is a fun way to do a gig, but it’s only one way. These days I slow it down a bit, speak to the audience even if I don’t want to, and have a bit more interaction. Worst gig was Band Aid For Bosnia in 1993. We spent longer on the soundcheck than on playing our set. I learned...
OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 6TH JULY - 19TH JULY: JAZZ LINGARD
Name: Jazz Lingard
Instrument(s): Guitar & Vocals
Style: Contemporary Acoustic
Type: Solo Artist
Jazz Lingard is a singer-songwriter from Louth, Lincolnshire with influences from Wolf Alice, David Bowie and Radiohead. She started writing songs in school and started playing guitar after receiving one as a 15th birthday present.
Soon after she started performing her original songs and covers of favourite songs in public. Her style has been ever changing since then as she continues to write music and perform around her local area.
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Keep your eyes open for more from Jazz.
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JAZZ LINGARD
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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LSWG: So how long have you been a songwriter? What started you off?
[JAZZ]: I started writing songs when I was around 12/13 and I kind of started randomly writing little songs in my notebook at school, then when I started playing guitar I started putting everything together to make actual songs. A lot of what inspired me at that age was just listening to a lot of music and realising that I wanted to create my own.
LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[JAZZ]: My music can be soft and calming but with every song being different as my song writing changes all the time. Overall though I think my music has a kind of dark ambience to it.
LSWG: What is your process when writing songs? Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 22ND JUNE - 5TH JULY: KIT TINSLEY
Name: Kit Tinsley
Instrument(s): Guitar & Vocals
Style: Post-Punk / Alt. Rock
Type: Solo Artist
Kit Tinsley: Singer songwriter, author and filmmaker. His music is influenced by many artists from across the decades.
There are elements of indie, folk, electronic and metal in his music. However he is best described as post punk/alternative rock. Big guitars and big melodies. He has been playing guitar and writing songs for the last 25 years. He has fronted and written songs for a plethora of bands over the years, but this year sees the release of his debut solo album ‘1978’.
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KIT TINSLEY
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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LSWG: So how long have you been a songwriter? What started you off?
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[KIT]: I think I wrote my first song when I was about fifteen. I had always been a fan of music, and to some degree a singer. My older brother was in a band and wrote songs, so I think that was a big influence on me wanting to play guitar and write songs.
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LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
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[KIT]: I usually say that it is post punk/alternative rock. Though this does a disservice to the variety of styles I try to incorporate, but as a catch all that’s probably the closest description.
OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 8TH JUNE - 21ST JUNE: STRAY 13
Name: Stray 13 (AKA Rob Rayer)
Instrument(s): Electric Guitar & Vocals
Style: Punkabilly
Type: Solo Artist
Solo artist 'Stray 13' (AKA Rob Rayer) is an original songwriter working in the punk / rockabilly genres to create his unique brand of punkabilly. Using an electric guitar and FX pedals he creates original, punchy tracks that mix punk and rock n roll with horror stories.
Check out Stray 13 on his official page here:
STRAY 13
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
LSWG: So how long have you been a songwriter? What started you off?
[ROB]: I've been songwriting now for just over a year, although I have been in bands since I was fifteen starting on drums and then moving on to bass when I was 19 before eventually moving onto guitar a couple of years ago, I did have a lot of input into the music but always struggled with lyrics so left the songwriting to the other band members.
LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[ROB]: I would say its a mix between horror stories, punk and rock and roll
LSWG: What is your process when writing songs? Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 25TH MAY - 7TH JUNE: AUGUST TIDES
Name: August Tides
Instrument(s): Guitar, Bass, Drums & Vocals
Style: Indie Rock
Type: 3 Piece Band
Cleethorpes 3-piece Indie/Alt/Rock band, made up of Phil Stocks (guitar & vocals), Josh Davie (bass & vocals) and Matej Remper (drums).
Formed in 2016, the trio began to gain some local momentum and released their debut single, “Cairo” in December 2016. August 2017 saw the release of their debut EP and currently most successful release, “Kings”.
Check out August Tides on their official pages:
Facebook/Instagram: @augusttides
AUGUST TIDES
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
LSWG: So how long have you been a songwriter? What started you off?
[PHIL]: Pretty much as long as I can remember, really. I’ve always had a notepad of some description close by to jot down any little ideas…most of which don’t go anywhere!
LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[PHIL]: This is always a tricky one to answer, because we’ve taken a lot of little flavours from a lot of artists – it definitely depends on the song, but mostly I’d say just pure, punchy indie-rock
LSWG: What is your process when writing songs? Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
[PHIL]: I don’t think I really have a process...
OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 11TH MAY - 24TH MAY: PROJECT REDSHIFT
Name: Project Redshift
Instrument(s): Guitar, Bass, Drums & Vocals
Style: Hard Rock
Type: 3 Piece Band
Project Redshift are a three piece hard rock band based in Louth, Lincolnshire. Formed in September 2016, they have been writing their own music together since and gigging as much as possible. Having released their debut single "Sanity Catches" to fantastic feedback from fans and music bloggers, as well as being featured by BBC Introducing Lincolnshire,Lincs FM and more, they are eager for the next release and have some exciting new material ready.
Check out Project Redshift on their official website: https://projectredshift.wordpress.com/
PROJECT REDSHIFT
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
LSWG: So how long have you been a songwriter? What started you off?
[Pete]: We each started writing previous to the band, however we started writing together nearly two years ago. What started me off was when i could write numerous unique guitar parts and found i could slot them together to create a song i was proud of.
LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[Pete]: Hard Rock
LSWG: What is your process when writing songs? Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
[Pete]: I tend to pick up parts of a song from...
OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 27th APRIL - 10th MAY: ADIE SANDERS
Name: Adie Sanders
Instrument(s): Guitar, Vocals
Style: Contemporary Folk
Type: Singer / Songwriter
Adie Sanders is a veteran songwriter hailing from Lincolnshire. Taking influence from the likes of Billy Bragg, Richard Thompson, Bob Dylan and John Martyn. Of his music Adie simply says: "I believe in these songs. I really do. I just close my eyes give it my all and hope someone's listening when I open up again. And yeah, often, you are. Cheers Guys."
Adie plays locally and is available for paid gigs. You can find more information out about Adie on his website: https://adiesanders.wixsite.com/songwriter
ADIE SANDERS
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
LSWG: So how long have you been a songwriter? What started you off?
[Adie]: I’ve been writing songs for most of my life, but seldom finishing them. About 4 years I decided to go to Alford Acoustic to listen to others, play some covers, trad songs and also try out some of my stuff. I found them to be really encouraging and so went on to actually get some songs finished.
LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[Adie]: folkie – sort of.
LSWG: What is your process when writing songs? Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
[Adie]: I start with a theme usually, then the tune...
OUR SPOTLIGHT ARTIST FOR 13th APRIL - 26th APRIL: JAZ BEESON
Name: Jaz Beeson
Instrument(s): Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Style: Contemporary Pop / Country
Type: Singer / Songwriter
Jaz Beeson is a young singer/songwriter. Arising from Lincolnshire, she is a girl with a creative passion for acoustic melodies, emotional lyrics and a keen ear for harmonies. Her influences include country-folk artists such as The Lumineers and Rusty Clanton, and acoustic artists like Ed Sheeran and Dodie. At the tender age of 18 her passion for crafting lyrics is inherent as she captures her audiences' hearts, shown when taking on stages at festivals in 2017 such as 'Humber Street Sesh' and Festival 8. With her her debut EP release, The River (and the songs that led me to it), out now she is one to watch.
JAZ BEESON
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
LSWG: So how long have you been a songwriter? What started you off?
[Jaz]: I’ve been writing songs for about 6 years now, after taking up guitar in primary school and falling in love with acoustic and country music.
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LSWG: How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet heard it?
[Jaz]: It has been described as pop-country, with influences such as Kacey Musgraves and Rusty Clanton. I adore vocal harmonies and these have featured in some tracks from my EP, The River (and the songs that led me to it).
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LSWG: What is your process when writing songs? Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
[Jaz]: My process is quite fluid, as sometimes.....