Small bands

I guess everyone has a different idea on what constitutes as a 'big' band. I'd say bands I like, such as say Chris Garneau, Bishop Allen, Whispertown2000 etc etc are fairly well known within the independent music scene, however if you were to ask anyone on Ashford highstreet who these bands are, I'd say 99.9% wouldn't know or care. And it's not just Ashford, most people just won't know who these bands are. So, for a band to be 'big' by my standards, they would basically be able to do music full time and tour alot, and make trips to Europe. Although, I know the 'big' which I refer to isn't 'big' by mainstream standards. So far my blog has focused more on the slightly bigger, well established bands I love, so I feel the smaller bands need some representation! Here are a few small bands who I think are fantastic and could make it 'big' (by my standards) some day. Also, most of them offer some free music downloads.

Ema and the Ghosts

http://www.myspace.com/emaandtheghosts

I basically wrote a whole paragraph about how great I think Ema and her Ghosts are, but it deleted itself and I'm too lazy to type it again. I'll paraphrase it though: Basically, she has a great voice and is also musically fantastic. She's got new songs up on her myspace but if you dig around a bit you can probably find her older ones, my favourite of which is Flohzirkus, a song about a flea circus. The song that really hooked me in though, is her cover of Leonard Cohen's song Memories. There's a video on youtube, I love the song to begin with but her stripped down version is really special. Make sure you watch this video! I have the mp3 rip if you want it. I can't wait to hear more from her.

Jacob Borshard

http://www.myspace.com/jacob

Endearing ukulele pop. It's gloriously simple, just Jacob and his uke. His albums are free to download on his website. He also released a 3" cd on WeePop records. If you have never heard of WeePop then you need to check them out right now. They are a fantastic DIY label, from the UK! It's great to have something good from the UK! They lovingly hand assemble their limited runs of 3" cds. Jacob's 'Coctail' cd is limited to 120 copies, and it's only £3! I love this record label. The Cd is beautifully packaged and each one is signed by Jacob. The photo above is of Jacob meeting Drew Barrymore, and if you check his myspace out he also wrote a lovesong for her, questioning her relationship with that pesky alien, ET. Lyrics "Drew, what does he have that I don't have? Is it the fact that he wears no clothes?".

Wendy Darling http://www.myspace.com/wendydarlingrock

A lovely folk/pop band from San Diego. They recently finsished their new album, which I will be purchasing soon, I just need to message the band to find out if they want a few bucks extra for shipping to England. You can hear some songs on their myspace, my favourite is the very catchy Persistence Of Will. The banjo is delightful, and I love Cori Rush's accent and vocals. Nate kindly sent me a few live tracks from the band, which I really enjoy, so I can't wait to get the album. I love the lyric"You know I get nervous when I don't get things perfect/ I am the kid who wouldn't raise her hand in class", it reminds me of me.

Best Friends Forver http://www.myspace.com/bestfriendsforeverandfriends
This band is from Minnesota in the US, and their 2007 release Romance Conflict Adventure was one of my favourite releases of last year. Their sound is fairly lo-fi pop. Their lyrics are witty and their vocals sound pretty good to me. Handpocket is my favourite of their songs. There's a live version available for download on their myspace. "Once my dad took me ice fishing/ I was cold and bored and found myself wishing that I was doing anything else but ice fishing/ so I wandered away with my head in outer space/ I fell into a hole my dad had drilled into the lake/ when he pulled me out my dad's friends could not stop laughing/ I almost died, it was so embarassing/ but I'm alive so you can fall in love with me". Cute indie pop, I can't wait to hear more from this band.