Born in the South East of England and raised on a council estate in Basingstoke, singer/songwriter Michael J Lawford produces music under the pseudonym Stokie Local, a project that treads a fine line between garage rock and bedroom pop, honing in on influences such as David Bowie, Patti Smith and Perfume Genius. By the age of 14, Lawford already had a keen obsession with creativity and escapism. Self taught in how to play; bass, electric guitar and keyboard, he later went on to study performing arts at Queen Mary’s College where he formed his first band, predominantly rehearsing cover versions of Black Sabbeth and Jimi Hendrix songs. Realising this endeavour was going to require full dedication, they decided to decline further education and instead rent a house to write and record original material, thus leading to the formation of Habitats. Habitats went on to receive repeated airplay and toured the U.K. excessively, playing intimate venues and festivals as well as recording in some of the most iconic locations including; The Waterfront Studios in New York - Abbey Road, Metropolis and The Tin Rooms in London. After an abrupt but amicable end, Lawford eventually decided he wanted to write and record as a solo artist, utilising the spare room at home to create a vast soundscape entwined with intricate lyrics, channelling observations of a modern society. His first single “Karaoke Dare” was released in October 2020, with an upcoming album scheduled for 2021 ~ Chris Wilson.

Songwriter and home recording hobbyist. Learning as i go. Specializing in noisier rock and pop fare. Mostly demos and EPs. 

Projects:
Chlorine Eyes
Zachary Tyler Cole
Boy Negative (formerly Superdown)
Nerd Neck (Inactive)

Born conceptually in 2017 as an old-school Pop-Rock act, Inklinks is now a full-on solo project of its original founder, the Italian singer/songwriter/producer Leonardo Porro, combining his influences that span from Coldplay and OneRepublic all the way to the Imagine Dragons, Oasis and Classic Rock. Musically trained at Berklee College of Music, he had the chance to collect artists, producers and musicians from all over the world to be part of his initiative, some of them as guest artists, others as full-time members. Inklinks’ first EP “Ordinary Heroes”, featuring the main single “A Rush To The Stars”, embathed with classic Pop-Rock vibes, was released in May 2019 and starred the Inklinks’ original formation: Chris Heim (bass), Steven Viol (drums), Shayan Karimi (guitar), pianist Max Holm and featuring guest-artist Question. New music is currently set to release in Fall 2019…

Followers of James Goodwin