The Listening Room

Sunday 26th May 2013: End of Neil (Hosted by Ed Ritchie)

End of Neil is a singer/songwriter from Stirling, Scotland. To date, he has supported bands like The Vaselines, Withered Hand, Hector Collector and The Lovely Eggs and played at Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival. Jim Gellatly has played him twice on his New Music Podcast and he is due to support Rachel Sermanni in Stirling on June 22nd.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

I’m an acoustic singer/songwriter at heart, but I also love collaboration, creativity and art in all its forms.

For me, singing is about spontanious performance where the emotion, fear, energy and creativity of the moment and channelled, so when you see End of Neil performing, I am doing it just that once, for you.

My manifesto is ‘change the way you think about your life.’

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Sunday 19th May 2013: Simon Herron (Hosted by Tom Watton)

Simon has been playing as a solo act for nearly two years now and recently released his debut EP, Masquerade. His sound could be described lo-fi indie-folk.

Early demos gave Simon a healthy following on Soundcloud and he was even awarded the accolade of “Soundclouder of the Day” earlier this year. BBC 6 music’s Tom Robinson described Simon as a “mysterious songwriter” whose “music speaks for itself”.

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | SOUNDCLOUD | BANDCAMP

Sunday 12th May 2013: John Porro (Hosted by Norman Lamont)

My name is John Porro and I try through writing poetry and songs to gain an understanding of what my own experiences and interactions with the world around me mean, what they say about me and my perception of justice, reality and existence. My leading inspirations are the poet Sylvia Plath and the singer song writer Neil Young although there are too many to mention that I love for aspects of their work. I play an acoustic guitar often accompanied with a harmonica. My songs are a mix of different styles but with roots in the English folk, Americana and blues traditions

For more, see my Facebook page and youtube channel where I have one of my songs uploaded. I have lots coming up in the pipeline including an animation for one of my songs which will be out in the next few months. You can search for John Porro Music on the web or find below some links.

FACEBOOK  |  YOUTUBE

Sunday 5th May 2013: Ekobirds (Hosted by Dave Keir)

Sam and Fiona first met at Betty’s Bar in Edinburgh, where Fiona was playing. Sam also played a few songs, and the two were invited to perform together the following week, with Fiona on violin and Sam on guitar. After a few sets, they adopted the name “Ekobirds”. The name doesn’t really come from anywhere - they just thought it sounded nice. In May 2012, their musician friend Ali joined as the percussionist. They also gig regularly in and around Edinburgh, and are releasing an EP later this year.

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Sunday 28th April 2013: Henry Bird (Hosted by James Whyte)

Henry Bird is a little country boy with a big voice come to the big city for the first time, guitar and knapsack in hand and walking shoes on his feet. Playing songs flecked with soul, folk and jazz he has been making his way round the scene supporting such people as John Smith, the Groanbox Boys and the Geordie Tentree’s Band as well as playing at the Sedbergh Folk Festival and Rowchester.

Whether you like the rolling fields and the reams of the fiddle or smoky jazz joints with them honky tonks, you’ll find something that speaks to you in the music.

MYSPACE

Sunday 21st April 2013: Calvin Arsenia (Hosted by Dave Keir)

A mix of the bizarre and experimental musings of Bjork with the swooping, hearty melodies of Amos Lee and the raw acoustic emotion of Damien Rice will form a gentle, heartfelt style that defines the music of Calvin Arsenia. Standing at 6 foot 5 inches, Arsenia strikes a commanding presence complimented by his equally powerful vocal capacity.

Hailing from Kansas City, Kansas, Arsenia performs his acoustic show in coffee shops and local venues around the city, often accompanied by a female harmony. In his sets, Arsenia displays his soaring vocal range that hints at classical training all the while holding on to the avant-garde arrangements that define his soulful style.

REVERBNATION  |  SOUNDCLOUD  |  MYSPACE

Sunday 14th April 2013: Colin Donati (Hosted by Scott Renton)

Colin Donati is a respected and admired member of the Edinburgh acoustic scene’s oldskool, though live performances these days are few and far between. If an easily accessible series of perfect three-minute pop songs is your thing, we suggest you maybe go somewhere else this Sunday evening.

He was the first Musician in Residence for StAnza Poetry Festival, St Andrews, in March 2012. As well as musician and songwriter he’s a poet and printmaker. Colin is currently (and belatedly) recording album of his own material with Graeme Mearns (PIG).

Colin will be joined this Sunday by Graeme Mearns, Hamish Whyte and cellist Robin Mason.

WEBSITE

Sunday 7th April: Ms Fi & the Lost Head Band (Hosted by Jim Igoe)

Edinburgh singer-songwriter Fiona J Thom is influenced by the songwriting traditions of the American Songbook, 60s psychedelia, Richard Thompson and rock and roll. Assembled from musicians from the acoustic music scene in Edinburgh and surrounding area Ms Fi & the Lost Head played in Princes Street Gardens in Aug 2012 and had so much fun playing together we decided to play some more gigs in 2013. Expect toe-tapping songs with wit, melody and edge.

REVERBNATION

Sunday 31st March: Nick “Splinter” Smith (Hosted by Caro Bridges)

Since my early teens I’ve wanted to write, invent songs and play well enough to satisfy myself and entertain an audience (it’s a Leo thing) well enough that one day i might sell a ticket or three to unsuspecting punters, who will listen, enjoy, then go away happy and thoughtful at the same time. 

We all, as “artists” have a certain responsiblity to reflect our lives and times in our work. and not just be “rhymers” or musical hacks, or pedantic old ratbags like myself. (Nothing like some good old-fashioned self-deprecatory bullshit to flog my ass with!)

I was part of an outfit called “Transcollective”, and may be a footnote to musical history in the category of “great bands that never bit the bullet and realised their potential”. Solo … we shall wait and see what the year brings!

REVERBNATION  |  MYSPACE

Sunday 24th March 2013: Gerrybhoy (Hosted by Jim Bryce)

Gerrybhoy has been impressing us all with his bittersweet songwriting style for some time now. He’s mostly been a recording artist only up to now, but tells us he’s keen to develop his live performances. We think he’s actually pretty damn good at it already.

IN HIS OWN WORDS:

Singerysongwritery type individual, a natural born weegieburger and lover of black country dogs.

Over the recent past my focus has been on writing and recording songs for participation in web based songwriting activities, such as:

50/90, write 50 song in a ninety day period, completed once

FAWM, February Album Writing Month, write 14 songs, completed twice, I think?

NASOALMO, National Solo Album Writing Month, write 40 plus minutes of solo work, completed once.

As a result of this work I recieved a very kind invitation to play Edinburgh Unlimited which turned my attention to thinking about playing live.
This resulted in playing spots at the Blue Blazer my favoured open mic night in order to prepare for the Edinburgh Unlimited Gig, which in turn led to a feature spot at the Blue Blazer.

I have over 100 original songs posted on Soundcloud with the help of some wonderfully talented collaborators.

To date I have considered myself as a bit of a virtual singer songwriter given my entire collection work is done in a studio and the audience web based.

Think it’s time to try out the real world, I don’t know where it’s going but I will know when I get there :)

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Sunday 17th March 2013: Jam Session (Hosted by James Whyte)

Instead of a feature act this week we’re going to have a jam session, so bring your instruments and jammable songs! First half of the night is the normal format, second half of the night those who want to can take the lead on a song or two whilst others who want to play along. There’s no set genre and of course it can be originals or covers. 

We’ve never done this before. Exciting, eh?

Sunday 10th March 2013: Graeme Mearns (Hosted by Nyk Stoddart)

A long-standing fixture of the Edinburgh songwriting scene and a well-known figure on the Scottish band circuit, Graeme is an established solo acoustic player and songwriter as well as an electric performer with both his own Legendary Graeme Mearns Band and high-paced punksters Joe Viterbo.

Covering a wide range of styles from mellow jazz through abrasive alternative to full blown punk rock his highly original material showcases his inimitable guitar style and blackly humorous - not to mention foul-mouthed - poetic sensibilities.

Albums range from the sombre acoustic tones of ‘So Far Away’ and the lo-fi eclecticism of ‘Real Life Cinderella’ to the rockier ‘Some Kind of Bliss’ and the simply weird ‘Into the Hollows’. Imagine Django Reinhardt getting drunk with the Stooges and you’re somewhere close.

WEBSITE

Sunday 3rd March 2013: Broken David (Hosted by Ed Ritchie)

“Broken David glimmers in the space between soaring and crashing to the ground. Creating narrative out of a fractured journey towards better things, he sings of hope, pain and bemusement. Original song writing with nothing new to say.”

SOUNDCLOUD  |  FACEBOOK  |  YOUTUBE

Sunday 17th February 2013: Dog on a Swing (Hosted by Nyk Stoddart)

My name is Ed and I play music under the name of Dog On A Swing. I am looking to bring in musicians on a fluid and flexible basis, so I’m delighted James Whyte will be backing me for some songs.

The last time I featured at The Listening Room, I was able to record the set by phone and the resulting EP is imaginatively titled At The Listening Room. I will have plenty of CD-R copies on the night, but you can stream and download the whole thing for free here.

I’m working on a recorded EP too, so you’ll hear all the songs from that as well as a brand new song I haven’t played live yet. See you there!

Sunday 10th February 2013: Lewis Mullen (Hosted by James Whyte)

Falkirk’s own Bard of the Beards, the Bumble Bees and the Bizarre. Expect songs of whimsy on such topics as talking woodland creatures, shapeshifting flatmates and falling in love with your hypnotist. Accompaniment on fiddle, guitar and a vintage casio keyboard by Colin McCulloch and Sam Hughes.

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