New music from both sides of the globe!

So. I haven't blogged for a couple of weeks, really. I have been busy. Mainly writing and recording with The Urban Folk Crowd, and trying to get the various bits and pieces organised for the Edinburgh Unlimited monthly events. Next one of those is on Thursday 15th of November by the way, with Jo Hill, The Ferny Brackens, Gerrybhoy and Matt from Cancel The Astronauts. That's at The Meadow Bar at 8pm, and it's only £3 admission.

Now, again, i usually like to give you some exclusive music, but it takes me a lot of time to sift through the various music i've recorded out there in Musicland, and to contact the artistes before hand and to be honest i haven't a lot of faith that many people are downloading the music i put up, or even reading this blog, so it's kind of a disincentive to take time to do that, but never fear, i still have some excellent music for you, that you probably haven't heard of, even though it's not technically "exclusive".

By the way, send me an email, comment on this blog, or on the FB page, to let me know you're reading, and more importantly listening, and it'll spur me on to get some more properly exclusive music ready for your ears. I feel like i'm losing the war against apathy at the moment, and your comments will certainly help tip the scales.

Right, here's the new EP by Stephen Cope, he's one of my favourite singer-songwriters that i've heard on the web, and he's just bbrought out this EP "five songs written by the soul of the earth" - it's not free to download, but it is only $4, and it's free to listen, so check it out, i think it's really good and i hope you do too.

Next thing i was going to tell you about this awesome sort of psychedelic world/folk music album i just found out about, it's from 2007 and it's a self titled LP from Voice Of The Seven Woods but i can't find anywhere online where you can download it, and to be honest i don't really know how it got on my hard drive! But it's really good, so if you can find it anywhere then do get it if you can. And if you do find it, please post here in the comments saying where!

Tell you what, instead i'll give you the link to this EP by Blasfima Sinna and Conscious Route - it's a free download, but anyway check it out, you'll hear the goodness for yourself. Here's a review of the EP in case you need any more convincing.

And also, do get out of the house and go to some gigs. I know it's getting on for winter but seriously, you only live once. In fact come to my next gig this Saturday, it's free, i'm playing the featured act slot at "Out Of The Bedroom". Hope to see you there.

Anyway, i've got to get on, but yes, please let me know in the comments, FB page, whatever, if this blog is in any way improving your life, and i'll be back here next week, this time with some exclusive music you won't be able to get anywhere else.

See you out there in Musicland!

Calum Carlyle
Edinburgh Unlimited

Lisa Rigby live at Out of the Bedroom! (free download)

Lisa Rigby, and David Bowie

Hi everybody. This week i've got some live songs by Lisa Rigby (from the band Townhouse) for you. Here they are check them out. Good Sunday listening, i would say, plus you get an additional song if you download. All this for free, how can you argue?

Those songs were recorded live at Out of the Bedroom, Edinburgh's longest running open mic night, which also has a strict no-covers policy. OOTB has been taking a two week break recently but it's having a grand re-launch on Saturday 6 October at The Kilderkin near the bottom of The Royal Mile, that's at 8pm and it's 7:15pm-7:45pm for songwriters to sign up for a slot. Come along, it'll be awesome. And it's free. 

Also, the Ale House are having another one of their four day music extravaganzas next weekend with a huge ton of fantastic performers all performing acoustically! Click the link, check out the list. Also, i'm playing! I'm playing at 6pm on Sunday (7 October) so please come along.I  don't play many gigs and this is the first one this year i'll be bringing the twelve string guitar along to, so don't miss it. And it's free.

In addition to that i just wanted to mention i had a great time at Lorraine McCauley and the Borderlands' launch event at Coda Music yesterday, and they are doing another event on Saturday 13 October to celebrate the release of the CD too. That's at 5pm til 7pm so you can also get along to the second relaunched Out of the Bedroom immediately afterwards at Kilderkin on the Royal Mile.

Our next Edinburgh Unlimited event is on Thursday 11 October of course, featuring Jamie & Shoony, Cera Impala, Dave Keir, and The Urban Folk Crowd, for only £3 you need to come along to that as well.

And to think i was worried i wouldn't have enough stuff to tell you this week! Right, please put all that in your diary while you're listening to Lisa Rigby and i'll see you all out there in Musicland!

Calum Carlyle
Edinburgh Unlimited

Peter Michael Rowan, Baldruin, Least Carpet and The Leg.

Hi folks, okay so last night was a big shindig at Kilderkin to say cheerio to Peter Michael Rowan who's moving away to Cumbria, it was awesome and tons of great performers were there, and you can still download Peter's going away EPs, but do it now because it's only till the end of September they'll be available.

Now, life has been whooshing past me a bit recently but there are a couple of free downloads that caught my ear this week, here's a free song by The Leg, an Edinburgh band on Song, By Toad records, hope you enjoy it.

Next i think you should have a listen to this split tape where Balruin do one side and Least Carpet do the other side. You have to get the sides separately from each band's website:

Here's the Baldruin tape side
Here's the Least Carpet tape side

Really, go and get them, and i hope you enjoy.

I'm sorry i'm not really up to doing a lot of music discussion this week, but i will be back next week with a bit more, and i'm hoping to do a run down of my favourite open mics next week too, so stay tuned pop pickers!

Tallyho!

Calum Carlyle
Edinburgh Unlimited

Live gig coming up! Free music! and a NOT-NECESSARILY-ALCOHOLIC open mic night!

Darren Thornberry - On The Blog

Hi everybody! First of all let me say i am frustrated by the Edinburgh Council's decision to close Sneaky Pete's with no notice on the basis of noise complaints. I wonder why the Council has shown repeatedly that thousands of music fans mean nothing to them, while one complaining resident can pretty much close down a live venue. What sort of world do they want us to live in? This is a capital city! Why aren't the council supporting indigenous art such as live music? It's pathetic. And i am greatly sorry to see Sneaky Pete's closed down. It'll be missed. In response to this, Daniel Davis has started a FB group for those of like mind, you might consider joining.

Okay, well here's this week's featured download, it's a free four track EP from Thorn's Musical Journey. For those who don't know Darren Thornberry was a great mover and shaker on Edinburgh's acoustic scene, and was much loved by all. He moved to the US a couple of years ago and has been greatly missed, but here's his first ever band recording "Newtongrange", yours for free if you so choose.

Next i want to mention the upcoming Edinburgh Unlimited event, it's on Thursday the 13th of September at 8pm in the upstairs room of The Meadow Bar.

It's STILL ONLY £3 and for that you get to hear live performances from:

* KITE AND THE CRANE
* ECHO BOOMER
* THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC
* DARREN HENDRIE

So yeah, tell everybody you know, and i'll see you there.

There are a ton of other things on in Edinburgh, as you all know. Facebook has the details. :-) I just found out about an open mic night at "I heart cafe" near the top of Leith Walk on Wednesdays from 7pm to 10pm as well, it's a lovely venue and it's a CAFE which means you DON'T have to buy alcoholic drinks to take part. See you there on Wednesday and at Edinburgh Unlimited on Thursday, then.

Wait! one more thing, i heard this band called Lindby recently from the states. check them out, i like their stuff, it's quite upvibe. Hope you enjoy it too. Please consider buying their album as well, in the grand scheme of things that's a very fair price and you've probably spent a lot more than that on electricity, bus fares or food this week so get your wallet out for music as well. And while you've got that wallet out, please buy some of my music as well! ;-) (cheeky!)

Okay, see you all out there in Musicland! 

Calum Carlyle
Edinburgh Unlimited

Neofolk + more - free downloads...

Hi folks and welcome to the second episode of Edinburgh Unlimited online! Click the links, and please tell ALL your music loving friends to subscribe to the blog. I take time and effort to put a bunch of good music in the blog, and i want as many other people to get the enjoyment from this music that i have as well so spread the word!

Right, the first thing i want to mention this week is the next Edinburgh Unlimited gig. It's special for a number of reasons, firstly it will be the LAST one to be held at The Third Door. It has been good at The Third Door, and it's enabled us to put on some electric bands and suchlike, but we'll be moving on to the Meadow Bar in September, so keep your eyes open for that, on this blog or on our FB page.

So here are the details: It's at The Third Door (which is next door to Negociants), it's at 8pm (don't be late because the music's starting at 8:15pm) and it's on Wednesday 11 July. It only costs £3 to get in, and the performers this month are: Caro Bridges (doing a special solo acoustic set for us), Katie Forbes (from the excellent band The Dull Fudds), Calum Carlyle (yes it's me, and i'll be launching my new single Strange Skies, you can get a FREE copy if you come along in fact!, and Stevie B Good, he's a songwriter i've known for a while, and he's very good, but he rarely plays live. This is your chance to hear him performing.

I also wanted to mention that the excellent Dave Keir (i'm not kidding, if you like fingerstyle guitar playing and intelligent songwriting Dave Keir's your man) is playing the featured act set at The Montague Bar at 8pm this Saturday (7 July) AND launching his new CD too! AND he's also hosting the Listening Room at The Blue Blazer on Sunday 8 July too. And all this is free! Hard to believe i know.

Darcy DaSilva

So yeah, i'll see you at all of that, UNLESS you don't live anywhere near Edinburgh in which case let me just grab your attention back by presenting you with a downloadable set from Darcy DaSilva. She's a very good performer of original folk music, from Moniaive in SW Scotland. Here she is performing with her band last November at The Listening Room (click). Enjoy! Also, you can find Darcy on Facebook, Myspace and Soundcloud too.

Now i also wanted to just tell you about a few bands i recently heard of, because you might enjoy them too. First one is Sproatly Smith. Sproatly Smith's recently released third album "The Minstrel's Grave" is the best album i've heard so far this year. Have a listen, be warned, it's not a dip in and out type album, it's best enjoyed as a full album of music, i think, so stick it on when you have time to listen to it, sit back and enjoy.

Also, in a sort of similar vein, but totally different too (because they're American, part from anything else), it's Andrew Rose Gregory & The Color Red Band, with their 2011 album "Song Of Songs". Andrew Rose Gregory is most well known for his "Auto-Tune The News" videos, but let me assure you this album is nothing like that! I particularly enjoyed the second side of the album myself (yes, i still think of every album as side one and side two).

And finally i just heard a German (i think) artist on BBC 6Music, and he's called Fai Baba. I could only find two songs on the internet that you can listen to but here they are anyway, Peach Orchard Mama and Ocean's Child. Hope you enjoy!

I'm busy writing songs this week, now that 50/90 has started, if you're a songwriter and you need a bit of inspiration to write some songs, then 50/90 is for you, and this week is the best time to join up.

One other thing, this blog has a comment facility so please do comment, with additional links, your music recommendations, discussion, jokes, etc etc, but this isn't just me telling you about stuff, you can get involved too, communication's a valuable tool, let's make this a community rather than just a blog.

Okay, have a good week, come along on Wednesday 11th if you can, and i'll see you out there in Musicland!

Calum Carlyle
Edinburgh Unlimited