Darkus by Sir D
7pm to 9pm - Every Thursday
An addictive cocktail of music, reviews, interviews and randomness, Sir D style.
Do you like exploring new tastes, and trying something fresh, new and different? If so this is the show for you. New Talent is something Sir D admires, be it rock, indie, electro, dance the list goes on.
Tune in every Thursday 7pm till 9pm LIVE on BishopFM for a show which will blow your mind! E-Mail him at sird@bishopfm.com.
Please scroll down for the Sir D inerviews!!!
Playlist for Thursday, 7th August 2008
Anberlin - Never Take Frienships Personal
Showbread - The Sky
Devil Wears Prada - Number Three, Never Forget
Endwell - Homeland Insecurity
Taking Back Sunday - Timberwolves at New Jersey
Emanuel - Make Tonight
Biffy Clyro - Semi-Mental 4/15ths
Boys Like Girls - On Top Of The World
Blast Stereos Loud - A Hollywood Ending
Devil Driver - Head on Heartache
Waterdown - Cut The Chords
Mayday Parade - When I Get Home You're So Dead
We The Kings - All Again For You
From First to Last - Worlds Apart
Something Corporate - Down
Within Temptation - All I Need/p>
The Black Maria - The Perilous Curse
Motion City Soundtrack - Point of Extinction
I am Ghost - Pretty People Never Lie, Vampires Never Die
Drop Dead Gorgeous - Well I Never
Three Days Grace - I Hate Everything About You
Playlist for Thursday, 31st July 2008
Thieves and Villans - Shimmer
Jamies Elsewhere - I didnt mean to Interupt
Nineteen Ninety Seven - One Track Mind, Four Track Heart
You Me At Six - Gossip
The Scenic - Lights Out
Alesena - This is Usually The Part Where People Scream
Fear Before The March Of Flames - Taking Cassandra To The End Of The World Party
The Used - Ripper
Atreyu - No One Cares
Alexisonfire - 44 Caliber Love Letter
Meleeh - Vittra
Brand New - Guernica
Alkaline Trio - Sorry About That
AFI - Rabbits are Roadkill
Billy Talent - Cut The Curtains
Paramore - Misery Business
Sugarcult - Daddy's Little Defect
Still Remains - The River Song
The Dresdon Dolls - Dear Jenny
Grace will Fall - Down Down Down
Playlist for Thursday, 17th July 2008
Sum 41 - Jester
Atreyu - Cant Happen Here
At the Drive In - One Armed Scissor
I am Ghost - The Ship of Pills and Needed Things
Alesena - Seduction
Motion City Soundtrack - Point of Extinction
The Devil Wears Prada - HtmL Rulesz D00D
Souls - Thought Machine
Bullet for My Valentine - Waking The Demon
Sound and Fury - Runaway
The Redjumpsuit Apparatus - Justify
Distance in Embrace - Awake with Imaginary Dreams
Simple Plan - Holding On
Dragonforce - Heros of Our Time
Silverstein - The Sand Will Turn to Glass
Four Letter Lie - Cake Eater
Showbread - The Sky
Boys Like Girls - Five Minutes to Midnight
Playlist for Thursday, 10th July 2008
InMe - Just a Glimpse
Aiden - Son Of Lies
Run Kid Run - I'll Forever Sing
Glasseater - Everything is Beautiful when You Dont Look Down
MXPX - Kings of Hollywood
Sum 41 - Confusions and Frustration in Modern Times
Showbread - The Journey
Motion City Soundtrack - Fell in Love With You
Alesena - Obsession is Such a Ugly Word
Soulfly - Unleash
Black Stone Cherry - Blind Man
Take The Crown - Take Control
Bless The Fall - Higina
From First To Last - My Heart Your Hands
Dashboard Confessional - Hands Down
Dead Poetic - Narcotic
Family Force Five - Wake the Dead
Celldweller - Switchback
Herbrightskies - To Write Love on Her Arms
Say No More - Long Drive Home
Far Above - Echos
Chiodos - Teeth the Size of Piano Keys
Playlist for Thursday, 3rd July 2008
Take the Crown - Game Overdose
Billy Talent - Try Honestly
I am Ghost - Pretty People Never Lie
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Atrophy
Fakie for Nothing - Dance Like This
Sharp End First - Dividing Infinity
No Album Reviews - On the Outside
Marissa Burns Trey - Hopeless Waits For
Kill Hannah - Kennedy
Watch Out Theres Ghosts - Shake Up
Paramore - Miracle
Kids in Glass Houses - Dance all Night
DevilDriver - Guilty as Sin
Drop Dead Gorgeous - Fashion Your Seatbelts
From First to Last - The One Armed Boxer
Atreyu - Slow Burn
Friskado - Miners of Friskado
Playlist for Thursday, 26th June 2008
I am Ghost - Pretty People Never Lie
Bless This Fall - Rise Up
Bullet for My Valentine - Say Goodnight
Simple Plan - Holding On
Goodnight Nurse - My Only
Bayside - Duality
Fear Before The March of Flames - My Deer Hunter
Drowning Pool - Bodies
Isotopia - Feel Inside
InMe - Just a Glimpse
AFI - The Leaving Song Part
Boys Like Girls - Broken Man
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Waiting
Sharp End First - Blinded By Belief
Kill Hannah - Lips Like Morphine
30 Seconds to Mars - Attack
Electric Valentine - A Night With You
Playlist for Thursday, 11th June 2008
Family Force Five - Drama Queen
Red Jumpuit Apparatus - Fates Hand
Boys Like Girls - The Great Escape
Bless This Fall - Wait for Tomorrow
Chiodos - I didnt say I was Powerful, I said I was a Wizard
Kids in Glass Houses - Good Boys Gone Rad
Biffy Clyro - Folding Stars
Aiden - One Love
Take The Crown - Hour Glass
Brand New - Guernica
Armour for Sleep - Truth About Heaven
Kill Hannah - Black Blood Poison
Circa Survive - In Fear and Faith
Muse - Hysteria
Bullet For My Valentine - Scream Aim and Fire
Drop Dead Gorgeous - Girl Are You On Your....
Finch - Bloodmarks and Bitemarks
Mainline - Set Free
Just Surrender - Body Language and Bad Habits
Playlist for Thursday, 4th June 2008
Sound and Fury - Night of the Ghouls
30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill
Last Winter - The Violent Things
Distance in Embrace - Versus the Archetype
Simple Plan - I cant Wait Forever
Paramore - Let the Flames Begin
Finch - What is it to Burn
Bullet For My Valentine - Hand of Blood
Silverstein - Vanity and Greed
Atreyu - We Stand Up
Bayside - Dear Your Holiness
He Is Legend - I am Hollywood
InMe - Otherside
Brand New - Guernica
Nickelback - Photograpgh
Billy Talent - Devil in The Midnight Mass
Playlist for Thursday, 15th May 2008
Anberlin - A Day Late
Kill Hannah - 10 More Minutes with You
We The Kings - Headlines Read Out
Biffy Clyro - A Whole Child Ago
Bless This Fall - A Message to the Unknown
Something Corporate - Only Ashes
Device - Automatic Fea
Taking Back Sunday - Cute Without the E
Aiden - Teenage Queen
Sum 41 - 88
GOB - When Life Gets Boring
I am Ghost - Killer Likes Candy
AFI - The Leaving Song Part 2
Goodnight Nurse - Milkshake
Chidos - Life is a Perception of Your Own Reality
Cookie Monster - C is for Cookie
Jack's Mannequin - Dark Blue
Glassjaw - Sieberien Kiss
Norma Jean - Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste
What is it to Burn - Finch
Faroar - 2 Escape
The Nothin Theory - This is England
Four Letter Lie - Naked Girl Avalanche
Playlist for Thursday, 1st May 2008
ComeBack Kid - Market Demands
30 Seconds to Mars - Modern Myth
Silverstein - True Romance
Atreyu - We Stand Up
Biffy Clyro - Whose Got a Match
The Black Maria (Van Gough)
I Killed the Prom Queen - Sharks in Your Mouth
Three Years Hiding - Right Play
Simple Plan - Your Love is a Lie
A Skylit Drive - According to Columbus
He is Legend - I am Hollywood
Sonata Artica - Replica
Greenday - Warning
We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet
Paramore - Fences
Something Corporate - Break Myself
New Found Glory - Understatement
MXPX - Your Not Alone
AFI - Summer Shudder
Madina Lake - House of Cards
Playlist for Thursday, 24th April 2008
Sugarcult - Your the One
Emmure - Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle
30 Seconds To Mars - The Story
Bayside - Duality
The Black Maria - Van Gough
Starting Line - Somebody's Gonna Miss Us
Resonate - Unplug Your Wires and Smash That Window Pane
Hurst Pier Point - Waiting Game
Four Letter Lie - Think of Your Favourite Place
We The Kings - Stay Young
Kill Hannah - They Cant Save Us Now
The Ghost of A Thousand - No One Ever Gives You a Straight Answer to Anything
Drop Dead Gorgeous - Dressed for Friends Request
Family Force Five - Love You to Death
From Autumn To Ashes - Recounts and Recollections
Simple Plan - Time to Say Goodbye
The Gallows - Staring at the Rude Bois
Haste The Day - Cry of the Afflicted
Green Day - Warning
Playlist for Thursday, 17th April 2008
Lost Prophets - We Still Kill The Old Way
Paramore - Misery Business
Moros Eros - Quit, Your Being Thoughtless
Kids in Glass Houses - Give Me What I Want
Still Remains - The Wax Walls of An Empty Room
The Summer Obsession - Where You Belong
Just Surrender - Youd Be In Great Shape If You Ran Like Your Mouth
Pendulum - Slam
Ashes of Pompeii - The Lovers Attempt to Despise
Biffy Clyro - Folding Stars
Billy Talent - The Ex
They Died Too Young - I am a Patriot
Project 86 - Spy Hunter
Head Automatica - Lying Through Your Teeth
Red Jumpsuit Appartus - False Pretence
Blaqk Audio - Stiff Kittens
I am Ghost - Dark Carnival
Tokyo Rose
Sugarcult - Champagne
Playlist for Thursday, 10th April 2008
Biffy Clyro - Living Is A Problem
Paramore - For A Pessimist Im Pretty Optimistic
30 Seconds To Mars - Was It A Dream
Green Day - Hitchin A Ride
Bullet For My Valentine - Deliver Us From Evil
Simple Plan - Take My Hand
Alkaline Trio - San Fransico
Mainline - One By One
A New Day - A1 B2 C3
Kill Hannah - Boys and Girls
Madina Lake - House of Cards
Evergreen Terrace - Tonight is The Night
Grace Will Fall - Total Panopticon
Lakarame - Raison D'Entre
Poison The Well - Letter Thing
Cry of The Afflicted - Take This Day
Adept - The Masquerade
AFI - Summer Shudder
Pendulum - Blood Sugar
Playlist for Thursday, 27th March 2008
Panic Number - Young Warrior
Kids in Glass Houses - Easy Tiger
Silverstein - Love with Caution
I am Ghost - Our Friend Lazaraus Sleeps
All Time Low - Six Feet Under the Stars
Sum 41 - Count the Blessings
Adept - When the Sun Gave Up
Her Bright Skies - Roses
The Author - The Title
2 Cents - Wedding Dress
Muse - Stockholme Syndrome
The Distillers - Drain the Blood
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Seventeen Aint So Sweet
Playlist for Thursday, 20th March 2008
Thrice - Stare at The Sun
Boys Like Girls - Dance Hall Drug
The Ghost of A Thousand - As They Breed We Swarm
Norma Jean - Blueprints for Normal Homes
Fischerspooner - Never Win
Poison The Well - Letter Thing
Paramore - Crush Crush Crush
Pain - Zombie Slam
Eightpage Pullout - The Good Times
The Horrors - Gloves
Four Letter Lie - Charlatan
Still Remains - Sleepless Nights Alone
Sugarcult - Destination Anywhere
Playlist for Thursday, 13th March 2008
AFI - Miss Murder
I am Ghost - Lovers Requiem
Motion City Soundtrack - Perfect Teeth
30 Seconds to Mars - Saviour
Less Than Jake - Shes Gonna Break Soon
Three Years Hiding - Live Together
Kill Hannah - Lips Like Morphine
Blast Stereos Loud - A Hollywood Ending
Panic At The Disco - Halloween
Cavalera Conspiracy - Ultra Violet
Alexisonfire - Rough Hands
Emanuel - Buy American Machines
Playlist for Thursday, 6th March 2008
Billy Talent - Suffering
New Found Glory - King of Wishful Thinking
Endwell - Drowning
Avenged Sevenfold - Scream
Alkaline Trio - Blue Carolina
GOB - Bully
Resonate - My Life Under a Bus Shelter
I am Ghost - Lazarous Sleeps
Still Remains - Dancing with The Enemy
Just Surrender - New Declaration
Take The Crown - Hour Glass
Playlist for Thursday, 28th February 2008
Muse - Hysteria
Sugarcult - Daddys Little Defect
Sharp End First - So Be It
30 Seconds to Mars - Echelon
Brand New - Jude Law and a Semester Abroad
Tribute to Nothing - Day In Day Out
Showbread - Naked Lunch
Airbourne - Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast
Down - On March The Saints
Six Shots At Midnight - The Final Call
Avenge Sevenfold - Scream
The Number 12 Looks Like You - My Sharona
Sum 41 - Over My Head
Playlist for Thursday, 21st February 2008
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Damn Regret
Still Remains - Anemia in Your Sheets
Bullet For My Valentine - Hand of Blood
Stigmata - Solitude
Device - Scatterred Fall
Oh Sleeper - Building The Nations
Anberlin - A Day Late
Cavalera Conspiracy - Hearts of Darkness
I am Ghost - Killer Likes Candy
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Milk Lizard
Tokyo Rose - We Can Be Best Friends Tonight
Stone Sour - Zzyzx Road
Playlist Thursday, 31st January 2008
Madina Lake - House of Cards
Megadeth - Never Walk Alone
Kids in Glass Houses - Easy Tiger
Ashes Of Pompeii - The Lovers Attempt to Despise
8 Page Pull Out - The Good Times
Device - Automatic Fear
Blast Stereos Loud - Leave Tonight Behind
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - False Pretence
Alesena - Apology
Spoken - Last Chance To Breathe
Family Force Five - Numb
The Higher - Weapons Wired
Jacks Mannequin - Dark Blue
Showbread - Mouth Like a Magazine
Playlist Thursday, 24th January 2008
The Black Maria - A Thief in the Ranks (Ride Your Bike)
Silverstein - The Sand Will Turn to Glass
Danger Radio - You All Believe
Anberlin - Glass to the Arson
Drowning Pool - Step Up
Darkest Hour - Convalensce
Take The Crown - Hour Glass
Meleeh - Malign
In Flames - Take This Life
Chiodos - The Undertakers Thirst for Revenge is Unquenchable
Kill Hannah - Lips Like Morphine
Sugarcult - Riot
Alexisonfire - Waterwings
Playlist Thursday, 17th January 2008
Transformers Theme Song
The Sleeping - Loud and Clear
Basshunter - Beer in a Bar
Anberlin - A Day Late
Muse - Hysteria
Billy Talent - Try Honestly
On The Last Day - Leaving the Citadel
Spitalfield - I loved the way she said LA
The Tossers - Be (17)
Silverstein - Smashed Into Pieces
Sugarcult - Stuck in America
Playlist for Thursday, 10th January 2008
Bayside - Choice Hops and Bottled Self Esteem
AFI - Love Like Winter
Fischerspooner - Cloud
Coheed and Cambria - Favour House Atlantic
Head Automatica - Beating Hearts Baby
Silverstein - Sound of the Sun
Blaqk Audio - Love Letter
Paramore - Born for This
Six Shots at Midnight- Final Call
Kids in glass houses - Me Me Me
Sonata Artica - San Sabastian
Playlist for Thursday, 3rd January 2008
Brand New - Sic Transit Gloria
Circa Survive - In Fear and Faith
Boys Like Girls - Dance Hall Drug
Kill Hannah - Crazy Angel
Jumpsuit Apparatus - Seventeen Aint so Sweet
Take the Crown - Ride of Die
Silverstein - Vanity and Greed
The Blackout - Prepare for a Wound
30 Seconds to Mars - From Yesterday
Robots in Disguise - Turn it Up
Spoken - Bitter Taste
Aiden - We Sleep Forever
Resonate - My life Under a Bus Shelter
Bullet For My Valentine - Hand of Blood
Playlist for Thursday, 6th December
Family Force Five - Drama Queen
From First To Last - Failure By Designer Jeans
A Change of Pace - A Song The World Can Sing About
Alesana - Apology
Six Shots at Midnight - Our Darkest Times
My American Heart - The Shake
Spoken - Bitter Taste
Playlist for Thursday, 29th November
Sonata Artica - Wildfire
Paramore - Born for This
Billy Talent - This Suffering
30 Seconds To Mars - From Yesterday
Rise Against - Prayer of the Refugee
Atreyu - When Two Are One
Alesana - This Conversation Is Over
Fischerspooner - Never Win
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - False Pretense
Showbread - Oh Emetophobia
The Starting Line - Something Left to Give
Still Remains - Stay Captive
Sugarcult - Riot
Rob Zombie - Superbeast
Playlist for Thursday, 22nd November
Project 86 - Promise
Evergreen Terrace - Tonight Is the Night
Halifax - Anthem for Tonight
The Audition - Warm Me Up
Aiden - One Love
The Used - The Bird and the Worm
Family Force Five - Luv Adict
Kill Hannah - Lips Like Morphine
Hawk Nelson - Bring Em Out
Underoath - It's a Dangerous Business Walking Through Your Front Door
Thrice - Identity Crisis
Sonata Artica - San Sabastian
Playlist for Thursday, 15th November
Inme - 7 Weeks
Billy Talent - Devil in A Midnight Mass
My American Heart - Boys Grab Your Guns
Paramore - CrushCrushCrush
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Seventeen Aint So Sweet
Competition Song - Panic at the Disco - This is Halloween
Thrice - Stare the Sun
Alexisonfire - Rough Hands
Underoath - Reinventing Your Exit
Six Shots at Midnight - The Final Call
Anberlin - Godspeed
Enter Shikari - Sorry Your Not A Winner
Head Automatica - Beating Hearts Baby
Family Force Five - Drama Queen
Rob Zombie - Superbeast
The Higher - Weapons Wired
Sonata Artica - Kingdom of Hearts
Sugarcult - She's the Blade
Distillers - Drain the Blood
Blaqk Audio - Cities of Night
Playlist for Thursday, 8th November
Allister - Radio Player
Moros Eros - Insane and Speechless
Endwell - Homeland Insecurity
Boysetsfire - Requiem
Taking Back Sunday - Cute Without the E - Whenever I was doing my coursework for Uni, this next song by back Taking Back Sunday always made me want to dance.
Thrice - Identity Crisis
Alexisonfire - Rough Hands
Thousand Foot Krutch - Move
Cookie Monster - I Lost Me Cookie at the Disco
Less than Jake - Shes Gonna Break Soon
The Starting Line - Left Coast Envy
Waterdown - Cut the Cords
Hawthorne Heights - Saying Sorry
Toy Heroes - Disco Queen
Breaking Benjamin - Breathe
Boys Like Girls - Dance Hall Drug
Danger Radio - You All Believe
Lost Prophets - Burn Burn
AFI - Dancing Through Sunday
New Found Glory - Story So Far
Playlist for Thursday, 1st November
Billy Talent - This is How it Goes
Silverstein - Bodies and Words
Treble Charger - Brand New Low
Paramore - Crushcrushcrush
Head Automatica - Lying Through Your Teeth
Kill Hannah - I wanna be a Kennedy
Anberlin - Godspeed
Something Corporate - Space
Angels and Airwaves - The Adventure
Sonata Artica - Wildfire
Enter Shikari - Sorry Your Not A Winner
Coheed and Cambria - A Favor House Atlantic
Sugarcult - Bouncing off the Walls
Shay Tal - Deadly Nightshade
Playlist for Thursday, 25th October
MXPX - Play It Loud
Endwell - Single and Loving It
Four Letter Lie - Rocky Loves Emily
Toby Keith - I Love This Bar
The Starting Line - Given the Chance
Thrice - Image of the Invisible
Escape the Fate - Situations
Jacks Mannequin - La La Lie
American Hi-Fi - Flavour of the Week
Muse - Supermassive Black Hole
Enter Shikari - Sorry Your Not A Winner
The Higher - Insurance
Head Automatica - Beating Heart Baby
Thousand Foot Krutch - Move
Hawk Nelson - Hawk Nelson
The Dear and Departed - Run Away
Halifax - Anthem for Tonight
Sugarcult - Shes the Blade
A Kiss Could Be Deadly - Midnight Romance
Family Force Five - Drama Queen
Halo Friendlies - Me Against The World
Pens and Needles - Hawthorne Heights
Playlist for Thursday, 18th October
AFI - Kill Caustic
Emanuel - Breath Underwater
Bayside - Choice Hops and Bottled Self Esteem
Dope Stars Inc - 10,000 Watts of Artificial Pleasure
Endwell - Four Letter Words
Family Force Five - Drama Queen
Beat Union - She is the Gun
Atreyu - Shameful
Brand New - Sic Transit Gloria... Glory
Comeback Kid - Market Demands
InMe - Crushed Like Fruit
A Kiss Could Be Deadly - The Exit
Fischerspooner - Cloud
Evergreen Terrace - Tonight is the Night We Ride
Sugarcult - Destination Anywhere
Tiesto - In the Dark
Taking Back Sunday - Cute Without the E
Alexisonfire - Rough Hands
The Audition - You've Made Us Conscious
Thrice - Identity Crisis
Four Letter Lie - The Ordinary Life
Bleed the Dream - Confessions
Jack Mannequinn - Into the Airwaves
Sir D meets....Ashes of Pompeii
Questions By Bishop FM's Sir D - Answers By Ashes of Pompeii
Sir D: Where did the bands name originate from?
Ashes of Pompeii: A friend of Tobi's came along with the name. It is taken from a Mars Volta song.
Sir D: How would you define your band and the music you play, to people listening to your music for the first time may not be familiar with your music?
Ashes of Pompeii: I would say, that we play Indie-Rockmusic with some Hardcore-Elements.
Sir D: What, in your opinion makes you unique to other bands?!
Ashes of Pompeii: I think the special thing about our band is the friendship between the four of us.
Sir D: How did the members in the band meet?!
Ashes of Pompeii: We all come from the same small town in Germany but founded the band without knowing each other that well, because the other bands in which we played before split.
Sir D: Having signed to Lockjaw Records what things are you looking forward to the most, which you may of not had the opportunity to do before?!
Ashes of Pompeii: We are really looking forward to another UK-Tour, cause our first one in November was such a blast. And we are definitely looking forward to put out a new album on Lockjaw.
Sir D: What Have Been Your Highlights of your band so far?
Ashes of Pompeii: We played some support slots for the Taste of Chaos Tour in Germany, which was a lot of fun.
Sir D: What would you like to accomplish by the end of 2008?
Ashes of Pompeii: We hope to put out a new album and want to play shows and some more shows and some more...
Sir D: What factors help you to look for inspiration, when it comes to doing things such as the material for your songs?
Ashes of Pompeii: I think most of our ideas get to us through our environment and through the people around us.
Sir D: Personally what do you think helps a band make their mark in the music industry?
Ashes of Pompeii: That's a hard question. Well I think its important to take your music serious and work hard for it, but first of all have fun and enjoy what you are doing.
Ashes of Pompeii: Sir D: What do you believe as a band and individually you have learnt about yourselves while being in the band?
Ashes of Pompeii: Another hard question...As I said, friendship is the most important thing in our band and it is the reason why we keep doing this.
Sir D meets....Across 5 Aprils
Questions By Bishop FM's Sir D - Answers By Brandon (Lead Singer)
Sir D: Where did the name of your band originate from?
Brandon: We stole it from an old book title about the civil war.
Sir D: How would you define your band and the music you play, to people listening to your music for the first time may not be familiar with your music?
Brandon: We're an aggressive band with melodic intentions sent here to take over the world.
Sir D: Do you think there is anything specific which makes you different from any other band out there?!
Brandon: We're a band that plays heavy music but can mesh well with lots of different styles. We could fit well on a Hatebreed tour as well as a Silverstein tour. We've been told that there's just something about our music that people can identify with.
Sir D: How did the members in the band meet?!
Brandon: We've all been real good friends for a long time and we've all been in bands previously. We all just see eye to eye when it comes to how we feel about playing music for a living.
Sir D: Having recently signed with Victory Records what things are you looking forward to the most, which you may of not had the opportunity to do before?!
Brandon: I'm hoping that Victory Records can help us get out to more people, both record sales wise and touring. We would like to play our music for as many people as possible.
Sir D: What Have Been Your Highlights of the year?
Brandon: We're about to go to Russia! We're pretty stoked on that.
Sir D: What would you like to accomplish this time next year?
Brandon: I'd like to be going to Japan and Australia and have a hit record out.
Sir D: For the material you write for songs - where do you look for inspiration?
Brandon: On the last record I wanted to convey what was going on in my head and I hinted at what I was wanting to say but no one got it.. So with this record I'm just flat out saying what I think and if you don't like it too bad. I'm singing about things that appeal to me. Things like running away from faith, being smarter than blindly believing something. And of course being a polar bear.
Sir D: Personally what do you believe are the key things to take into consideration for succeeding in the music industry?
Brandon: In our genre of music the keys to success are: 1. Tour your ass off 2 Be smart with your decisions on everything. 3. Lastly be happy with everything you do, it's not worth it if you hate what you're doing, be happy.
Sir D's Quest for New Talent!
Damaged Angels
On Saturday 24th November 2007, Sir D, that's me, went along to Legends in Newcastle to check out the local talent in the North East. It was one awesome experience - as it was good to see young people filled with so much passion and enthusiasm just to have their music heard, and them (the bands) taken notice of!
There was one band I was mainly interested in, Damaged Angels, a four piece, all female rock band from Bishop Auckland and the surrounding areas. Only listening to their music on their Myspace profile prior to the night, I was expecting to see a great female rock band. I will tell you something though after going and seeing Damaged Angels perform, not only was I left convinced that they were a top class north east band, but they were living proof of how local talent, something Sir D admires, have the potential to go a long way!
During the day these girls like many people out their lead a normal life of college and work - but through team work, focus and determination they have made Damaged Angels a band with style and fantastic and meaningful tunes. A credit to female rock bands, Damaged Angels are a band definitely worth paying attention to and acknowledging - these 4 young ladies are on target to create great success and popularity.
The Taste of Chaos 2007 Comes to the North East!
Once again the Taste of Chaos returned to UK shores, and like many rock fans in the North East, I, Sir D went along when the tour came to Newcastle's Carling Academy on Friday 23rd November.
You probably want to know my opinion of the evening, well where do I start?! The support act (Gallows) were quite good as they set the tone for the rest of the night. The Blackout were of the many big acts to perform - not only were there a electric performance on their account, but they pulled off a performance of sheer quality.
The next band to take the stage was Aiden. Having only heard their material, seeing them play was an experience on its own. A passionate performance if I do say so myself.
When the next band came on, this is when the real head banging began, not only for the audience, but for me as well. Rise Against - wow!! I may of only recognized one song, but they were fantastic to see, and left me wanting to check out more of their music.
Last but by no means least was The Used. Having been quiet for the past couple of years, it was good to see the band back, to show that they are still capable of being a fantastic band. Compared to the other bands, whom were all very impressive, it is fair to say that The Used literally owned the stage. Connecting to the crowd which words cannot describe, The Used gave the Taste of Chaos its extra edge.
At the end of the night, I may have been exhausted from dancing and singing along, but one thing for sure was nevertheless it was one of the most memorable and brilliant gigs I have ever been to. Bring on Taste of Chaos 2008!!!
Sir D Meets Shay Tal
Questions By Sir D - Answers By Finn & Stephen
Sir D: Where did the name Shay Tal originate?
Stephen: Shay Tal is the name of a character in a book called Helliconia Spring by a writer called Brian Aldiss. She's a priestess on a planet called Helliconia - a very impressive character.
Sir D: What role does each of you play in the band?
Finn: I sing, play the guitar, clarinet and piano, and do keyboard parts on the recordings. We both write the music and do the arranging, although I write nearly all the lyrics and do a lot of the engineering.
Stephen: I play drums, percussion and the Autoharp, and also do some keyboard and backing vocal parts on the recordings.
Sir D:How would you define your band and the music you play, to people listening to the music for the first time who may not be familiar with it?
Stephen: We think the music's pretty difficult to define, as it doesn't fit into any category. We've never tried to write in a particular style - we've just done what comes naturally to us, and so we've ended up producing a very original sound. Also, it's always really hard to describe your own music, so we often suggest that people look at the website or come and hear us, or we give them an album to listen to. We send a lot of albums to be reviewed so other people can describe it for us! But if we have to try and describe it, we say it's got a style of it's own, it's very atmospheric, has strong melodies and includes elements from lots of different types of music, like rock, folk, classical - even some jazz influence. It's not dance music or drinking music - it's music for listening to.
Sir D: Do you think there is anything specific which makes you different from any other band?
Finn: All bands are different. You only have to look on myspace to see how many people are playing good and original music these days. But even though we've heard lots of great stuff, we've never come across any other music that's anything like what we do. I think it's partly because we've never tried to make it like anything else, and also because we both have very distinctive styles of writing and playing. We don't stick to set formats and time signatures and we often use unusual sounds and instruments when we're arranging the songs.
Sir D: While being in Shay Tal, what have you enjoyed the most?
Stephen: Oh, definitely all the VIP treatment, the free lunches, the money, meeting the Queen - stuff like that... Only kidding! We enjoy everything about it really. Writing and recording new material gives you the chance to experiment and be creative.
Finn: Yes, and it's really satisfying when you hear a piece finished and it sounds even better than you'd hoped.
Stephen: Playing live is great too, especially now we're getting better at what we do, and can worry about it less and just enjoy the feel of playing the music and interacting with the audience.
Finn: One of the things I love doing and would like to do more of is playing with other musicians. It's fun doing it as a duo, but I've always found you can get a real buzz playing with lots of other people, using their ideas and energy and enthusiasm.
Sir D: You recently finished your second album - Tambourina. What did you enjoy most about working on it?
Finn: It's good when you're feeling inspired and the ideas are coming, and also when a song you've been having problems with suddenly comes together. We worked with two different bass players on this album, and they were really fun to work with and had some brilliant ideas. But I suppose what was best about working on it was getting it finished. We sent it to a friend of ours, Tim Jones, for mastering. We gave him all the separate songs and he put them all together as an album and did the post-production work, and then sent the finished product back to us. We had no idea what he was going to do, and we were amazed at the result - it sounded great! Stephen helped another friend of ours, Mike Forse, do the cover and all the artwork - most of the artwork consists of Stephen's paintings - and they made a lovely job of it. And then we had the finished product in our hands for the first time - disc, cover, everything - and it was a marvellous feeling.
Stephen: Sometimes, when you're recording, you don't know what the song's going to sound like - if you've never played it live and you've never recorded it before, it's a new song with just guitar and vocal to start with - and as you're working on the arrangement you often find you get unexpected results - for instance, you decide to put a keyboard part down against the guitar, and it produces an effect you couldn't have predicted - that's the exciting part of creating music, the surprises.
Sir D: Which song off the album was most entertaining to make, if any?
Finn:'Deadly Nightshade' was good because of the way it came about. Stephen had just bought an electronic drum kit and he was trying it out and came up with this mysterious percussion pattern. I happened to have the keyboard set up and just started playing along, and all of a sudden we had the whole basis of the song. It took us quite a while to finish it - we kept adding bits over a period of time, but I just couldn't think of a vocal line. Then one day I was standing there at the mike and I just started singing it. I always like watching Stephen do percussion parts as well. He's incredibly inventive, uses strange unrecognisable objects to make sounds with. And we always have a laugh doing backing vocals. We make up parts which neither of us can sing, and then spend ages trying to hit notes that are out of our range. I can't imagine what the neighbours think!
Sir D:What have been your highlights of the year so far?
Stephen:Going on holiday.
Finn:Yes! But also, finishing the album, setting up our website on myspace, and finally getting the duo act together so that we can begin to play the music live.
Sir D:What would you like to have accomplished by this time next year?
Stephen: We'd like to get a full band together and work more with other musicians. We're hoping to do more gigs, particularly at festivals.
Sir D: When writing your material for your songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
Finn: When I first started listening to music, I liked music that took me out of myself and stirred my imagination and inspired me, that took me away from ordinary life, and when I started writing, that's the sort of thing I wanted to do too, so that other people would feel the same way. I use a lot of striking images in the lyrics, often taken from nature, and sometimes quite dramatic, and the lyrics and the music together paint a sort of picture, or create an atmosphere... Occasionally there's a story in the song, or sometimes it has an obvious theme: like 'If I Knew You Now' is someone thinking about a person they knew in the past and wishing that things could have been different. But if you mean what has influenced us, I think everything in a person's life is an influence - the music they listen to, the books they've read, the places they've been, the people they've met... On our site we've written a long list of influences - it's important to acknowledge that, I think.
Sir D: What do you believe has helped you to succeed this far as Shay Tal?
Stephen: Love of music. We love what we do. It's that which has kept us going even at times when the music seemed to be getting no recognition.
Sir D: What do you think are the key things to take into consideration when first entering the music world?
Stephen: You've got to ask yourself, 'Why am I doing this? Is it because I love music, or is it because I want to be rich and famous?' If you just want to be rich, there are lots of other ways of doing it - you could go into business, for instance. If someone asked you, 'Would you still do this even if there was no chance of ever making any money or becoming well known?' you should be able to say yes.
Finn: And you've got to enjoy it for its own sake. It's like Toby from Protohero said last week, if you're playing live, an audience can always tell if you're enjoying yourselves. You've got to love your music, love putting it across, and love your audience.
Sir D: What do you believe as a band and individually you have learnt about yourselves while being in the band?
Finn: I think we've both learnt a great deal about respecting each other's views and being patient when things aren't going well. We've also improved a lot - the music's better, we're better at playing it and recording it... everything. Stephen's taught himself to play the Autoharp, which means he can do more of the writing.
Sir D: What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a local band?
Finn: You've got to remember that even the most successful bands in the world were either once local bands themselves, or else they're made up of people who used to be in local bands. That's where you start. Some bands go on to become better known, and some stick to their local area. It can be difficult for a band like us to find places to play, because not everyone wants to hear original music when they go out. But the Internet has changed things, and so now everyone with a computer can put their music on a website and be heard to a certain extent. We haven't played much in Weardale yet, but that's mainly because we've been concentrating on recording, and have only just started to get a live set together. We've played at Thimbleberry music festival a couple of times, and hope we will again.
Sir D Meets Atomic Blonde
Sir D: Where did the name originate from?
Darcia: It took a couple of months of brainstorming to come up with a name we all agreed on. It had to be something that really encapsulated our style and energy in just one or two words. "Atomic" was the first thought that came to us, but that didn't seem complete. Once we added the "Blonde" we instantly loved it.
Sir D: How would you describe your band?
Darcia: Well, this isn't our own description but we've heard that we're like the love child between L-7 and the Runaways. Pure Atomic Energy :)
Sir D: What do you hope to achieve this year?
Darcia: An album and a tour!
Sir D: What have you learned about yourselves while being in the band - both individually and as a group?
Darcia: We've learned a lot about songwriting and performing, but we've also learned a LOT about getting along with different personalities. Although we have music in common, we are each very different and that can make it difficult at times to deal with decisions and stuff like that. The work and effort though is more than worth it.
Sir D: How did you meet?
Darcia: I placed an ad in the paper looking for a drummer. Kendra answered it and we hit it off right away. A few months later we were at a show and saw Amber playing guitar for her brother's band. So we stole her. Then a few months after that, Kendra found Danielle through an online ad. After emailing her for the first time, she (Danielle) packed up and moved all the way from NY within only 3 weeks. Once she got here we said, "oh, and by the way, you have 3 days to learn our entire set because we have a show." LOL! She did it though and that's how we all started together...
Sir D: What is it like to be a part of a band?
Darcia: A LOT of work but extremely rewarding! We've become a family and have had to help each other through some tough personal times.
Sir D: What do you use to inspire you (if anything) when creating material for your songs?
Darcia: Anything and everything. Most of the time I write from personal experience, sometimes I'll try and put myself into someone else's shoes and write from that perspective, just to change things up a bit. Life gives us plenty to write about so many times the hard part is deciding where to begin.
Sir D: What do you believe are the key things for a new band to entire the music industry for the first time?
Darcia: Practice, practice, PRACTICE!
Sir D: How have found the response of the audiences you have played to?
Darcia: They're amazing to us. You can see them with big smiles on their faces, and many times even singing along with us. That's the best part.
Sir D: What do you think makes you different from other bands?!
Darcia: I think we've done a good job at melding our different tastes in music together to form our own unique sound. Many times when bands get together the members have similar tastes in music, but we are all very different in that aspect. So in order for us all to be happy with what we play, we try and throw a little of each style into it.
