Spheres The Band

Spheres are a dynamic four piece hailing from the North East of England. The band comprises of;

Joe - bass guitar

Johnny - guitar

Daniel - drums

Seamus - vocals.

The band began in the depths of their living rooms upon leaving school, this was before Seamus came on the scene. Their recording studio consisted of a dictaphone and micraphone.

To begin with they weren't really interested in taking the band anywhere, purely for personal satisfaction of the jamming sessions they held together. Over the last few years they have split and reformed upon numerous occasions, the last time 18 months ago, which is when Seamus came along. This is also when they decided to move the band onwards and upwards.

After having played numerous gigs over the last 18 months, the lads all agree that their favourite gig was Sedgefield Cricket Club, for the atmosphere, and their worst was The Fishtank because of the amount of stairs they had to lug their equipment up ! However, such an obstacle creates great team spirit, and this is something the this four piece are not lacking in.

Spheres have won Battle of The Bands twice now, the last one being earlier this year, culminating in the chance to open for Wheatus. Another gig they enjoyed, but there was one major observation made, there was no interaction from Wheatus. They just got on stage, performed and left, they didn't interact with anyone around them. This is one thing that Spheres have assured me will never happen with them, when their day comes.

As you read this, Spheres will be heading into the studio to record some new material and perhaps a little re-mastering of older songs, something to look forward to. This recording is also going to be pushed out to a multitude of record companies. Good luck guys !

Quote: Seamus "The recordings don't capture the dynamic we have on stage!"

That statement is very true, having witnessed the local phenomenon that is Spheres, the cd doesn't do them justice. To truly appreciate their unique amazing sound, a live experience is a must !

Currently the band are working on an official webspace, but do have a vast number of fans on their myspace page (see link below). An excellent place for them to showcase their music. Also floating around myspace and youtube are various pieces of mobile phone footage taken at various gigs. Not of the best quality, but... Perhaps a "live" recording could be an idea ?

When it comes to the writing of the material the whole band contribute. Joe, Johnny and Daniel come up with the music, they play it to Seamus who then comes up with the ideas for the lyrics. A good team effort.

As a whole the band don't pull in inspirations from anyone, they have their own unique sound, and in my humble opinion, can't really be compared to anybody else.

When it comes to musical influences, the chaps are very individual, with Daniel liking classical music and Seamus liking sounds from Garth Brooks to Skunk Anansie, and everything inbetween.

Their interest in music is something that has always been there from an early age, it never "just developed".

I asked the band what their all time favourite song was and got a mixed reply.

Daniel - "a song about feelings and emotions, all for different reasons"

Joe - "Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. There's a hook in it that just grabs you"

Johnny & Seamus - "it depends on the mood, we go through phases".

Over the 18 months the band have amassed a huge following in their area and have a few good achievements under their belts, what do they feel is their best achievement to date ?

Joe - "the following we've got, people coming up to us and giving their encouragement. To stand up on stage and see how much the whole band is playing, Dan hitting drums with some force, Seamus belting it out, all in the world looking at our photo's taken by other people. To see how much feeling there is, seeing the fans at the gigs, the looks on their faces."

There is no doubting how much passion Spheres have.

I asked the band what they thought of myspace...

"A lot of bands rely on myspace, but it's not the b all and end all, it's good exposure and gets youre music out there. It's all well and good having lots of friends on there, but if they're not going to the gigs, what's it worth?"

A very good and apt philosophy.

The name "Spheres" came from an interesting concept. It comes from atoms and particles, a sphere is a fundamental part of life, they are all around us. Hence the name..

A band that will be all around us, encapsulating our listening devices.

This is Spheres....

To catch them LIVE:

2nd Dec - Cassop Club, Cassop

6th Dec - Mohans, Middlesborough

7th Dec - Peterlee College

15th Dec - Trimdon Community Centre, Trimdon

31st Dec - Spheres New Years Party - Trimdon Labour Club (don't forget my 4 tickets lads!)

12th Jan 2008 - Battle of The Bands Semi Final @ The Independant Sunderland

http://www.myspace.com/spherestheband

Spheres Live @ The Crown, Spennymoor 27th October 2007.

I was lucky enough to get the chance to witness the Spheres phenomenom live last month, and what a gig it was. The venue itself was small and not ideal for such an event, but the atmosphere was highly charged.

The pub itself was full of Spheres fans and locals come to watch the band and the band didn't disappoint. They played a mixture of current material and a couple of new ones, but the ones that got everybody up dancing was the iconic "FighterFly" and "Writings on the Wall". The floor was full of heaving bodies, jumping and dancing to the music. Such energy on and off stage.

The bands mere presence was enough to get the crowd going and the cheers will certainly have woken the neighbourhood. The band also invited the audience up on stage with them towards the end, not much breathing space left there.

This was an experience second to none and not one I'd like to miss again, roll on New Years Eve.

Jordan Gray

**NEWS JUST IN*** JORDAN WON THE H FACTOR LAST NIGHT! WELL DONE JORDAN***

There's a new talent emerging on the scene, showing off his wares on Myspace, he goes by the username Tall Dark Friend. I'd like you all to meet Jordan Gray..

Hi Jordan what got you started in music ?

Well, my Mom is a good singer and she had a fantastic record collection when we were growing up, a lot of modern country and motown. My Dad is big on the Elvis circuit, he used to do the whole Elvis mime dance thing and won every time, I can't dance like him though.I was a big MJ fan, still am, and in middle school I did two or three MJ tributes that got me going. I did the whole punk thing with a couple o' guys, got pretty big with a bunch o' mates singing heavy metal but eventually it got to be too much for me and so I settled back into a wonderful acoustic pop-rock trio.. with the two single most amazing guys I've ever worked with, Ben Sullivan and Joe Wilson really made the first few years worth while. When I realised they'd both be off to uni soon I taught myself piano and figured I'd go solo and see what happened. I guess I got lucky..

You taught yourself well, I personally, along with a lot of your fans, think you're an exceptional piano player, and am rather glad you went solo.Is there a genre you favour over others ?

I'm a big Jazz fan. Jazz and blues are difficult genres to pull off, especially nowadays, but they're totally worth it and stick with you for the rest of your life. Progressive acoustic rock is doing very well nowadays too.

They are worth it, and there is a lot more of both in the mainstream at the moment, with the likes of Jamie Cullum and Katie Melua.

What are your top 5 favourite songs ?

Ooh, no no no! lol


Ok, but they change..

5. 9 Crimes – Damien Rice


4. A Night In Tunisia – 'Yardbird' Charlie Parker


3. Human Nature – Michael Jackson


2. Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley (written by Leonard Cohen)


1. Lost Remembered Forgotten And Gone – Ben Sullivan of The Juniper Zoots





Some good choices there, mine change all the time too. One of mine is currently Ghostigator ;)

Aside from from music, what other interests do you have?

I write a lot, play table tennis, swim sometimes. To be honest, other than the music, food is my biggest interest. I love to eat, everything, and there's nothing wrong with that so long as you exercise, no diet can compare with a good exercise regime. I sometimes act in theatre if there's nothing else going on at the time.

Where do you draw your inspirations from ?

People are a wonderful source. I love people and how they interact with other people. I would bet most singer-songwriters are avid 'people watchers'. I was taken very ill between 2005 and early 2007 and I suppose I do draw a lot from those experiences.

Hmm yes, "people watching" a very lucrative pastime that one. It is amazing what you can get from watching a person.

If you had the chance to spend a day with one musician (alive or dead) who would it be and why?

I would love to have spent a day with the great Jeff Buckley, maybe even played a gig with him in Chicago or something. People who knew him say he lit up their whole lives with what he'd say and how he'd say it. I wish I'd been old enough to appreciate him when he was alive. Failing that I reckon a day with Ray Charles would have been a blast, I'm sure he could have taught me a thing or two.

Is there anything about the current music industry that you don't like ?

The music industry today seems more focused on the mainstream than they ever have before. A lot of big names today sound very British, Mancunian to be specific, which I suppose I do enjoy, but I think it is because they are more patriotic than they are talented that they make it big.I don't like the facelessness of today's industry either, things aren't very personal any more, not like the 50's and the 60's.

It has been very focused on commercialism, and it's a shame because there is so much unique talent out there.

What has been your biggest achievement to date ?

Well, the first album 'Beautiful' was entirely self produced, from the music, to the graphics, to the distribution, so I suppose I am very proud of that. Reaching the H-Factor finals (September 25th at The Four Seasons in Laindon) is a big thing for me, winning and heading off to the nationals would probably be one of the biggest things to date. There's been a recent major label interest which is exciting but just getting through these past few years and having something to show for it is by far my proudest achievement.

That is a fantastic achievement, and quite rightly you should be proud.

What are your plans for the future?

Ooh, lots of stuff. H-Factor Nationals (Jordan WON), 2nd album 'The Anti-Hero' just hit the studio floor, there's talk of a university tour across the country and a lot of work in London to promote the image.

Excellent, so we'll all get too see you touring the country. Something to look forward to.

Have you got anything in the pipeline ?

I'd like to network with a bunch of established musicians and put together a collaboration of some sort. Any saxophonists out there interested in a slot on the 2nd album? Besides that the sky's the limit, I'm so excited I can't contain it really, all I can say is I hope people will lend their support and look out for me, things are moving pretty fast and it could be any day now that I get the break I need.

Jordan is a very humble and unassuming chap, who did a wonderful thing a few months ago, he actually wrote a song called Ghostigator for me to help raise funds for Cancer Research UK, for an event I'm doing. Thanks Jordan.

Thanks for taking the time to speak to me Jordan, I wish you well and all the luck in the world, but somehow I don't think you're going to need it. I look forward to hearing your CD.

If you want to see and hear more of Tall Dark Friend, please visit his myspace


page


http://www.myspace.com/talldarkfriend




Good luck with the H finals, please come back and let us know how you get on.

***Meet ANDREA BRITTON***

Andrea Britton is a singer / songwriter hailing from South East London, currently working on her solo album.
Andrea has been within the realms of the music business for many years, collaborating with some very well know names including Slovo; Lord Large; Oxygen; Dt8 Project and more recently Sunfreakz, to name but a few.
I caught up with Andrea ..
Q: What’s your all time favourite song ?
AB : Purple Rain by Prince.
Q: You’ve been writing for a number of years now, what started you writing?
AB: A boy, of course!
Andrea began playing piano at aged 6 and started writing at aged 12.
Q: Where do you draw your inspirations from ? Do you write from experience ?
AB: Yes mostly - but also I feed from others too!
As a writer I can appreciate that, as I draw a lot of inspiration from those around me and experiences. Makes for much more interesting reading.
Q: Outside of music and writing, what other aspects of life interest you ? (I see you have an interest in spiritualism, excellent taste)
AB: yes - am loving my spiritual journey - try to discover more and more as I go on. love giving advice to people! Also love running and spending time with my family.
Andrea recently read “The Celestine Prophesies” and “The Monk That Sold His Ferrari”, both very spiritually enlightening books.
Q: Out of some of the collaborations you have had over the years, Sunfreakz, Acid Jazz, Reflektive etc, are there any that particularly stand out to you, as something you are extremely proud of ?
AB: I am very proud of the title track to the Brit Flick ' Fakers' which came out a couple of years ago. I even had a small cameo in the film!
Maybe we will see Andrea on the silver screen in the future ?
Q: Why is "make you proud" one of your favourite tracks of your own ?
AB: because its a ditty to my son....advice to always make himself proud of himself.
Q: Reading between the lines, it sounds as if you have put your heart and soul into the writing of your album, what are your feelings when people can identify with a song ?
AB: That’s what music is about. Relating to it, learning from it, loving it and embracing all the feelings that arise from it! Nothing better!
I personally, love a song with a meaning. I love lyrics.
Q: Do you have any goals you wish to achieve before a certain time ?
AB: Well, I would like to appear on Jools Holland’s show and get a top 10 hit. Then after that - I suppose just to be comfortable and happy in life really. That’s my goal!
Keep an eye out !!
Q: I have noticed, in listening to some of your early stuff, that you weren't originally within the dance genre as such, what first changed your sound ?
AB: I fell into the dance area really. Wasn’t a dance bod at all but really got into it after a while. Its just so energizing and current. I think that all my styles of music get used in the dance stuff one way or another! But its also nice to keep things different and mix it up a bit.
Variety is the spice of life, is it not ? Life would be very mundane if we all like the same things.
Q: What do you blast whilst out in the car ?
AB: I often listen to stuff I’ve written in the car, I seem to get a better opinion of it there! but if I’m not doing that - Ill listen to BBC Radio 3!
Q: Is there any music you don’t like ?
AB: Ill listen to anything really but I’m not a metal fan!
Q: Would you say you are a very creative person, other than music ?
AB: I am certainly not academic! was terrible at maths at school and did really well in music and art! I suppose its an obvious trait eh!
Andrea has also been lucky enough to support the likes of kylie Minogue on the European leg of her tour, Moloko and Damien Rice, and has been described by Tina Turner as having an amazing voice. A fantastic compliment coming from a legend.
That, people is a short introduction to singer Andrea Britton, for more information, please visit her website and myspace page. Keep an eye out for her solo album, if what we’ve heard so far, is anything to go by, it is going to be a corker.
Thanks Andrea.
www.andreabritton.com
www.myspace.com/andreabritton

The digital release of Counting Down the Days, Sunfreaks featuring Andrea Britton is out now!

It can be dowloaded from ITUNES.

The physical release will be out in record shops on Monday 16th July...

It is a very upbeat song, one that sticks in your mind, and makes the sun shine on a wet day.

Please buy it and help Andrea get that Top 10 goal achieved..

Well worth the money !