Hey Rosetta’s first album in nearly four years represents the longest musical gestation in the band’s history. And for good reason.  

SECOND SIGHT began life as a clutch of new tunes, all penned by songwriter Tim Baker, many of them solidly road tested over three years of touring in support of SEEDS, the group’s 2011 Juno nominated, Polaris Music Prize short-listed album. 
Audiences across North America, Europe and Australia had responded well to the new offerings by the seven-member indie rock band from St. John’s NL and the new album seemed ready to go. But by May 2013, as the group headed into a Montreal recording studio to begin work with producer Marcus Paquin, problems quickly emerged.     
 
“There was no concept, no over-arching theme to the work,” says Baker. “We had enough songs for an album – but what was the album about? What were we trying to say as artists? How did these songs relate to one another?” 

Over the next 18 months, SECOND SIGHT would experience a rebirth – the search for the project’s vital lyrical connective tissue would lead to months of rethinking, re-recording and reassembling to tease out the common threads in Baker’s lyrics. In the end, the “problems” that pushed Hey Rosetta! temporarily out of the studio and back to the drawing board were, in fact, the very message Baker had been subliminally playing with all along. 

“I’d been thinking about potential, about the great promise within all of us that we never seem to fully realize. About shifting your vision slightly – moving away from our everyday, rational, denotative, left-brain thinking for a while and embracing a more suggestive, intuitive, animalist and ultimately more interesting ‘second sight’. 

These are the ideas that tie SECOND SIGHT together.  Baker had instinctually been exploring the album’s theme and unknowingly feeding it into the lyrics for a couple of years - the need to take a second look at life itself, to abandon assumption and pre-fabricated thinking, to work with dormant senses and fresh eyes. 
  
You hear it in the lyrics to Soft Offering (For the Oft Suffering). The song, Baker explains, “is all about morning coming to tear down the vision that the sweet, irresponsible, unscheduled hours of the night provides.”

You hear it in the album’s first single Kintsukuroi, its title drawn from the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold, producing a new object of beauty where flaws are highlighted, where brokenness presents an opportunity for rebirth and reimagining.
    
You hear it in Kid Gloves:
 
see the arches of paint
see the ocean of dust
see the colours arranged 
and hover over us
like when we were little kids
lifted into our beds
didn’t’ we see it then? 
Before we turned our heads? 

And then there’s the music…..
From the band’s birth a decade ago, Hey Rosetta!’s sound has been unmistakable – the strong pop sensibilities, the compelling hooks, the use of string instrumentation, the superb musicianship and Baker’s hauntingly distinctive voice – all compellingly delivered in both recordings and dynamic live shows that have become a trademark.  
“As a band, as musicians, they can do anything,” says Paquin. “They’re incredibly talented players and they’ve been playing together long enough that, if they decide to go in a direction, they can move in that direction. There really aren’t any limitations.” 
SECOND SIGHT is also an experiment with fresh contemporary sounds and the choice of Paquin as producer was key to that musical shift.  Known for his work with Arcade Fire, Stars and The National, he immediately connected with the band, musically and personally, and ultimately became a true collaborator.
 
“Marcus is great,” says Baker. “He has many different skills. He’s a talented engineer. He’s very committed, as we are, to capturing sounds and having them fit, having them match the song and match the band. He helped us use our traditional sound palette but also what we are excited about now. In the studio, he fostered an atmosphere of experimentation and trust – trust in ourselves – and it felt great. The guy had so much faith in us that we just had to go for it.” 

The result of that process, SECOND SIGHT, is a work of shifting musical textures, instantly resonant choruses and poetic depth, with a sound that Hey Rosetta cellist and all-round instrumentalist Romesh Thavanathan calls “warm, yet mysterious.” 
Baker likens the process to “swimming in a river of modern music”, and eventually moving with the flow of that river into uncharted musical waters.  SECOND SIGHT is indeed the result of the group’s second look at its own musical style – an offering that bleeds new influences into the trademark Hey Rosetta! sound. 
Says Paquin: “I feel like it encompasses a wider range of musical influences than what I’ve heard from them before. Tim’s lyrics have expanded. Musically and dynamically, this record has a very wide range. And Tim’s unmistakable voice is the glue that holds everything together.  They’ve tackled a wider range of styles and dynamics on this record – but in listening, there is still that distinctive Hey Rosetta! sound.“
 
SECOND SIGHT takes Hey Rosetta! fans on a journey of reinvention, a reimagining. of the music fans have come to love from the group, without completely abandoning the band’s signature sound.  Baker is confident they will enjoy the trip, and at journey’s end, "If you just trust in your own taste, what you want to do, what excites you, then your fans will come with you," he says.   "They can trust you. If you like it, and they like what you like, it's probably going to work out okay."

Sometimes tormented, sometimes full of rage, Gecko Palace music sets up chilling gut-wrenching ambiances that bring you to improbable road movies where old hotels, that once aimed to be palaces, sought into oblivion... Dusty blinking neon lights will just remind you that the owners are not yet completely dead.

Discovered during its first Balkan tour, which went through Czech Republic, Hungary and Serbia, by the famous American producer Theo Hakola, Gecko Palace distils its single malt folk-rock’n’roll universe and on the razor-edge slices of life with an impressive live intensity.

Back from the prestigious Chantier des francos that revealed some of the finest French artists, Gecko Palace is signed by the Parisian label Demain la veille in 2006 and records its second album under the artistic direction of Theo Hakola (Orchestre Rouge, Noir Désir, Passion Fodder). The band tours France and plays with some of the most famous French artists (Cali, Jean-Louis Murat, Aston villa, Tété, Trust...).

In 2007, Gecko Palace is scheduled in national top level festivals such as the festival des inaperçus, in Paris, Attention talent scène of the Printemps de Bourges, the Garorock festival, or the magical site of the Théatre de la mer in Sètes for the Quand je pense à Fernande festival. During the same year, the band records a very personal cover of the French standard “Il est libre Max” for a rock compilation of national bands. This impressive version catches the attention of the author of the song who decides to release it remixed by Celmar Engel (Eurythmics, Françoise Hardy...).

In 2008, Gecko Palace is signed by New Track Music (The chase, Sidilarsen...) and releases its new album on the 13rd of October. This new record is unanimously acclaimed by the press:

"The folk-rock music of Gecko Palace has immense style..." - Rock & Folk

"A fascinating album that smells the dust and sweat of road movies... A real escape leaded by an intense spell-binding voice." - Nouvelle Vague

"A really impressive album in the folk-rock tradition... raging or moody guitars and tortured strings serve a fascinating voice..." - Chorus

"It is hard to present Gecko Palace music without being dithyrambic... this album stimulates the body, the heart, and the soul at the same time. Superb!" - Rock'n'France

"A very distinguished and personal album that is hard to categorise... Diversity and omnipresent inspiration have engendered an accomplished piece of work without any commercial concession." - Muzzart

"The perfect blend of folk and rock... Explosive ambiances and penetrating voice served by lyrics that literally carry you away... The wonderful surprise of this end of year!" - Le théâtre du bruit

“I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”
― Jack London

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aniyulka2011@gmail.com

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time
(c).Jack London


Mr Fist have been chugging and mashing there way through the music scene together now since the winter of 2003. This noisy yet melodic, instrumental five –piece have set out with one goal in mind….to make some f**king goodtunes!!...and to put on a f**king loud and awesome gig!! 
Fist reviews: 

Mr. Fist :: Jailhouse Fuck :: Hotpants Romance :: Monkeys In Love :: 18 March 2008 / Tiger Lounge / Manchester By Cath Aubergine  Mr. Fist have been getting quite a reputation locally for the sheer brain-splitting volume of their jerky post-hardcore instrumentals. They don't exactly look like the horsemen of some musical apocalypse - well, apart from the barefoot, swivel-eyed creature pawing at an effects box on the floor and occasionally yelping or acting as a sort of deranged MC between tracks ("That was a song, this is another one"). Multiply the most searing blasts of 65daysofstatic with the fractured prog-core of recent Forward Russia, throw in some distortion from the frenzied, noise-fried end of post-rock, and turn everything up til it hurts. 

 Mr. Fist :: The Christophers :: 18 September 2009 / The Castle / Oldham By JA  It’s Castle time again with ManchesterMusic and in the face of a flagging economy, Oldham has few sweet spots still very much on the Map for Music. Before Gilly from the Inspirals starts his DJ slot, we decided to take along two very different bands – both loud, both confident, but working from opposite poles of the rock spectrum. MR FIST are from Wigan and mention that their home town is having similar trouble with an ever present stay-at-home culture seeing people through hard times, but having something of an effect on the live scene. But this sound is anything but depressing. Mr Fist is in effect a noise factory. In parallel with the kind of place that might make ships anchors and have massive testing sheds where they drop them from a great height. This is industrial, post-progressive rock. They have a singer, but he spends much of his time twisting and contorting his output through a series of pedals – he has an old analogue synth which he’d been soldering back together in the street outside earlier. Mr Fist compose music with an evil slant – it’s decibels are imposing and the structures are impossibly dense, its orchestrated cacophony enveloping the venue with a mass of sound waves far thicker the heavy veil of dry ice that’s been pumped to the front of the stage. A few years ago one of our esteemed reviewers accused them of "first degree bass rape" - well, errm...they're still at it. As the very last glass in the venue stops rattling, never has sound effected screaming and enjoyably distorted concertos sounded so marvellous.  

Mr. Fist :: Victorian Dad :: Capguns :: 04 June 2008 / Retro Bar / Manchester By Cath Aubergine  Mr Fist are fast becoming a favourite round ManchesterMusic HQ. How can you not love a band whose gleefully cheap but absolutely brilliant nine-track CDR album (they're giving copies away tonight; if you write to them and ask really nicely they night send you one) includes tracks entitled "Turd Fury" and "Pumpfucker"? Their set starts very much in the realms of jerky post-rock; abrasive and scratchy, but these Wigan lads are a million miles away from your stone-faced beard-strokers. What develops has more in common with Krautrock, both sonically - the bass and guitar sound like industrial noise - and in the sheer unhinged nature of things. Whilst guitar, bass and drums throw out cluster-bombs of dischord, your eyes are drawn to the front of the stage where a small sampling keyboard sits on the floor being pawed and palmed by Mr. Fist's completely off-the-wall frontman - in between crawling around and occasionally making semi-comprehensible pronouncements into a microphone. Soon it's all mutated into a full-blown psych-core noise-splurge; their last tune is absolutely magnificent, epic and twisted, and he's mouthing into the mic now, then scraping it up and down the speaker while the others build a rumbling squall like the inside of a jet engine. Ow, my ears! But in a good way.

 SEMI-NORMAL * demo of the week * :: Mr. Fist :: 03 March 2008 / Demo / 9 Trk CDR By JA  If you’ve ever stumbled into a Mr Fist show (some people actually turn up to have their skin sonically stripped from their bones), you’ll definitely be surprised. Whether that would be pleasant, obviously depends on your musical persuasion. From my perspective it was like being showered in the very elements of the universe, as atoms were shaken and the last vestiges of my hearing were battered against the wall. All good then. Mr Fist are an instrumental band, delving into the deepest regions of noise and distortion, whilst one of their troupe triggers delays and samples and the odd scream. From the cascading drum attack of “Shoplifting” this is an impressive, overwhelming sensory assault. For those old enough to remember The Sonar Yen at their early peak, Mr Fist are taking that legacy, applying 10,000 volts and then stamping on its body as the resulting flames take hold. The splintered re-interpretation of the “Day Tripper” riff is ground into dust on “Urban Fist” and elsewhere the gouging sounds of Sonic Youth under scrutiny, emerge from the bands artistic battleground. “Sage Chronicles” tries to submerge itself in the darkest depths of black metal. Mr Fist have come up with an album that ranks alongside my recent copies of stuff from Day For Airstrikes and Kong and as my favourite local post-noise outfit, especially when it’s littered with tunes called “Turd Fury” and “Pumpfucker”. Ace. MMMM ½ Resources: Mr Fist on MS 

Mr. Fist :: The Search Map :: The Generalissimos :: The Drake Equation :: 07 February 2008 / Dry Bar / Manchester By JA  Any band calling themselves Mr FIST is certainly worth a look any day of the week. More so, when you get an inkling of the fact that a high decibel count is as equally the name of the game as the headshrinking instrumental bouts of sonic assault. There’s no disappointment on this count from a band that don’t have a singer, but who do have a chap who contributes screams, manually triggered beats and swirling effects all from the floor of the front of stage. It’s the guitars and drums that get you like a shot gun blast in the rib cage. Their quieter prog-rock moments build and build until all the instruments focus into one massive tirade of distortion that must really be the sound of something akin to re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. The drumming is exceptional and it’s the perfect complement to what must be the equivalent of of half a dozen guys letting off army surplus bazookas at the audience. Mr Fist will certainly be on my must-see list again.  
MR FIST: "We first saw this band in the Dry Bar during ITC three years ago and frankly the Dry Bar barely survived the experience. Put quite simply - the most powerful, pulverizing and yet sonically superb racket you are ever likely to hear Part Chimp :: Riding Shotgun By Starlight With The Ominous Sight :: The Stray Dog Café :: Mr. Fist :: 09 April 2005 / The Tavern / Wigan By DH Mr. Fist may not possess much in the way of a distinctive tune which is in this case the noisier end of Mogwai only cranked considerably but they possess a hedonistic and surprisingly down to earth attitude not often found in their similar genre. In a normally intellectualised post-rock universe it’s a refreshing and amusing change to hear comments like “this song is fucking more mint than…(long pause) a fucking mint!” What Mr. Fist lack in actual music they make up in an admirably destructive live performance. One lad kneels over an old synthesiser frequently swigging from a bottle of white cider. He barks unintelligible nonsense into a karaoke microphone. It all seems strangely reminiscent of one of Gullivers’ Pub on Oldham Street and the sound engineer justifiably fearing for his beloved PA pulls the plug on him. Frustration with malfunctioning gear and the onset of Special Brew intoxication leads to a set that ends in what can only be described as first degree bass rape. We may not remember a single note played but Mr. Fist have probably to their delight, scarred our memories
HYPERLINK "http://www.killthenoise.net/65daysshow.html" http://www.killthenoise.net/65daysshow.html    

Mr Fist @ The Tavern 19/11/05
Last night at the Tavern, this band called Mr Fist did a good job at kicking the hell out of my eardrums. Bad or good? Well that depends on the next few paragraphs I write... I've seen Mr Fist quite a few times, this time, however, they seem to be rock solid. Sounding at times like Mogwai, Mono, Grails, GYBE! punching some psychedelic almost disco/pop influence in the face (if the former and latter were people of course). A song I recall is...that one that starts with the really fucking pounding drumbeat (on the toms and cymbals). It's instantly engaging you in a fixation of tension. Then you wait for the band to pursue. So they do. Loud, gooey, mixture of grinding strings and that fucking machine that’s producing some very high frequency sounds, which just don't agree with my recent (mild) tinnitus infection at all. Fuck that though I'm happy, I think you would be. If there’s anything positive but yet critical to say about MR Fist, it is that they can come across as simply 'noise makers' who enjoy a bit of the ol' white noise. From seeing last nights performance I can confidently say, to you my readers, that they are rapidly nurturing there noisey mess into a clean and organized pile of musical gold. Please continue Mr Fist. To conclude: Post-rock/ psychedelic disco/pop that can "FIST" your fucking scrotty asshole (asshole = eardrum), so to speak. Influences mentioned above can give you some added clarification.
http://www.wiganmusic.com/  The frontman of Mr Fist gives a colourful and uniquely offensive performance. He's almost an embarrassment to the band, leaping around in front of a twelve person audience swearing and throwing about other people's equipment. The rest of the band create impressive noise rock, with a heavy metal edge, building sound to a climax of epic guitars diffused with broken melodies.   HYPERLINK "http://angryape.com/reviews/2006/05/various-blipfest-manchester" http://angryape.com/reviews/2006/05/various-blipfest-manchester 

MR FIST are from Wigan and mention that their home town is having similar trouble with an ever present stay-at-home culture seeing people through hard times, but having something of an effect on the live scene. But this sound is anything but depressing. Mr Fist is in effect a noise factory. In parallel with the kind of place that might make ships anchors and have massive testing sheds where they drop them from a great height. This is industrial, post-progressive rock. They have a singer, but he spends much of his time twisting and contorting his output through a series of pedals – he has an old analogue synth which he’d been soldering back together in the street outside earlier. Mr Fist compose music with an evil slant – it’s decibels are imposing and the structures are impossibly dense, its orchestrated cacophony enveloping the venue with a mass of sound waves far thicker the heavy veil of dry ice that’s been pumped to the front of the stage. A few years ago one of our esteemed reviewers accused them of "first degree bass rape" - well, errm...they're still at it. As the very last glass in the venue stops rattling, never has sound effected screaming and enjoyably distorted concertos sounded so marvellous.

we are a 5 piece noisy instrumental smash band from Wigan, UK
making noise and pumping riffs as a band for nearly 10 years!!
MR FIST:
Fil - Drums
Danton - Guitar 1
Iain - Guitar 2
Keithy - Synths, FX, Noise
Scrubber - Bass rape

RIPPING GUITAR...MASSIVE RHYTHM SECTION...POWERFUL VOCALS...EPIC ROCK AT IT'S BEST!!!

8 Steps to Madness are a New Zealand based band formed in 2012 by Peter Lewis (Jury, Bad Habits, Blue Vision) on vocals and Peter Hughes (Jury, Bad Habits) on guitar.  They decided it was time to push themselves out of their comfort zone and do what they’d always wanted to do….get their own material out of their jam room and into the public domain.     

So they started working....the name of the band came from the place where they created their music - the band room!  It was exactly 8 steps from the back door to the studio door - and with each step the guys would shed a bit of the daily dust and embrace the madness within to unleash the creativity and the magic.   

Devilskin invited 8 Steps to Madness to play support for them at three dates on their 2014 We Rise NZ Tour.  This was the kick-start they needed and more gigs, more songs, and more recordings followed, including support gigs with NZ Rock Royalty Knightshade, and a 4 song EP released in 2014.   

2014 also saw them settle on their line-up - a 4 piece of talented and experienced musicians.   Ross Porter (ex-Chuganaut) playing bass, and Luke Elliot (Pennydrop) on drums.   The combined effect is phenomenal - this line up sounds tight and loud - the rock hits you in the gut where it's supposed to, the vocals are strong and clear with lyrics that you catch yourself singing over and over - long after the gig is finished.

The band's music is fundamentally guitar-based rock.   They bring together various influences into their sound, with that smooth-yet-rough rock voice,  epic guitar riffs, and a massive kick-ass rhythm section - all superb musicians.  Their songs are diverse - from soulful ballads to roaring party-hard rock....they'll calm you down, and they'll rile you up.  It's NZ rock at it's best - they do what they do because they love it - their buzz is to play live, they feed off the crowd and always give 110% - this comes through in their performance, and their audiences love them!

Do yourself a favour ...Buy, stream, beg, borrow their music - listen to these guys or miss out on something special.  And if you ever get a chance to see them live - do it!  Their obvious love of playing live shines through - and you'll finish the night the better for it.

COWBOY X - Contemporary Australian Country

Cowboy X are a 4 piece contemporary country outfit playing original material and uniquely interpreted covers. Alan Rogers Guitar and vocals, Linda Rogers Vocals and percussion, Carl Holroyd Bass Guitar and Glenn Booth Drums deliver a dynamic, crowd pleasing show sure to get the feet stamping and the dust raising. After a 3 year lay-off the band have reformed with new energy and passion and are looking forward to a productive and bright future.


Here is what reviewer Deborah Minter said of the bands self-titled all original CD.

COWBOY X



Reviewed by Deborah Minter
COWBOY X are practically an institution in West Australia country music circles, having collected a swag of West Australian country music awards in the past few years. The band, from the ‘deep south-west’ (of WA) is LINDA ROGERS, ALAN ROGERS, GLENN BOOTH and CARL HOLROYD. The sound is all flash and energy; country rock at its best. Amazingly, the album took just 4 weeks to record – from concept to release. The songs are superbly written, with hot licks and riffs an integral part of the structure. “Long Way Back” encapsulates their style perfectly, with sizzling guitar, hot bass, a great beat and faultless harmonies. “Take This Love” has a deeper groove, a sure winner with late night rodeo crowds. They are equally at home in the emotional ballads such as “Raining” and “Stranger”. With superb musicianship, fine songs and memorable vocals, Cowboy X will certainly make an impression now they’re Australia-wide.


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