From: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org (oppositeview-digest) To: oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Subject: oppositeview-digest V3 #221 Reply-To: oppositeview@smoe.org Sender: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk oppositeview-digest Friday, September 7 2001 Volume 03 : Number 221 Today's Subjects: ----------------- OV: 16Down [Erik Jansen ] Re: OV: Hmmm...Anyone know anything on this bloke? [=?iso-8859-1?q?Chris] OV: spam for magnus [Alison Bellach ] OV: newsy news [Alison Bellach ] OV: hi [Wonderwoman681@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 13:01:25 +0200 From: Erik Jansen Subject: OV: 16Down Hi everyone After having been lurking for the last few years or so, I thought I'd like to get your attention for the dutch band 16 Down. I really appreciate that I got to know the music of a.o. David Gray by this list, and hope in this way I can repay the dues ;-) I don't know whether they are internationally known or released yet, but they are becoming more and more appreciated over here, playing a lot of gigs at festivals. The band's name is 16 Down and they are recently enjoying modest hits in the Netherlands with "Subtle movements" and "Heaven Still Cries" of their debut album "Headrush". I can strongly recommend their music, as their choruses are quite catchy. Above that I think the singer has the same kind of charisma in his voice as a one mr. Justin Currie. But that's my personal opinion, you'd better listen for yourself... Their website is at http://www.16down.nl/ I'd be happy to send an mp3 if anyone is interested: just mail me off-list. Bye Erik PS: Do not confuse them with an apparently american metal band by the same name ! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 12:33:27 +0100 (BST) From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Chris=20Quartly?= Subject: Re: OV: Hmmm...Anyone know anything on this bloke? He was the support act when I went to see Matchbox Twenty in London this year. I thought he was OK, but a lot of his songs sounded too similar and all the same pace. He's definitely in the singer-songwriter mould that's going round a bit at the moment, although like I have said before I think people like David Gray are a little too over-produced. Cheers Chris --- Jen Woyan wrote: > Is Tom McRae The Next David Gray (Or Jeff Buckley)? > Mercury Prize nominee is used to the comparisons. > > If there's one thing British singer/songwriter Tom > McRae learned on his recent > U.S. tour it's that Americans have more imagination > than Europeans. > > > Overseas, McRae is constantly compared to fellow > red-hot guitar-toting > performers David Gray and Badly Drawn Boy. In the > States, he hears Nick Drake > and Jeff Buckley. > > > "I'm trying to get away from David Gray and Badly > Drawn Boy," McRae said > Tuesday (August 28) from his London home. "I don't > think my music is anything > like theirs, except that it's a little bit acoustic > and we're all trying to > write songs." > > "It's not the sort of music you want to hear if you > are in a factory making > shoes."  Tom McRae > > > > Comparisons to Badly Drawn Boy likely stem from > McRae's nomination this year > for the prestigious Technics Mercury Music Prize, > England's equivalent to an > Album of the Year Grammy. Like Badly Drawn Boy last > year, McRae is an underdog > newcomer competing against more established acts > like Radiohead. McRae doesn't > think he stands a chance, though neither did Badly > Drawn Boy and he won it. > (This year's winner will be announced later this > month.) > > > McRae is just happy to be on what is dubbed "the > shortlist" along with > Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Basement Jaxx, Turin Brakes, > Super Furry Animals and a > few others (see "Gorillaz, Radiohead Up For Mercury > Music Prize"). > > > Upon learning of the nomination, "I was quite > pleased," McRae recalled. "I > think I shouted quite loudly in an airport in > Switzerland. Something like that > is something you hope for, but when you get it this > early it is quite a > surprise, really." > > > McRae's self-titled album, released August 28, is > his first recording outside > of some early bedroom demos. It's an intensely > personal record rooted in his > experiences moving from rural Sussex to London and > spending more than six years > struggling for a record deal. > > > "If you write an album like that and it's fairly > consistent in its tone, people > think you are a manic-depressive and that this is my > life," McRae > explained. "Well, some of it is, but some of it is > also from my imagination. It > was written at a time when I was quite frustrated, > and a lot of that comes out > in the lyrics. There's also some other things going > on in the songs and some of > them are bit more narrative. They may be about me, > but it's a little ambiguous." > > > The album's haunting opening track, "You Cut Her > Hair," is about a photo McRae > saw of a Jewish girl whose head had been shaven in a > World War II concentration > camp. McRae whispers the tune over gentle guitar > strums, a heartrending cello > and the crackling sound of an old record spinning. > > > "I just couldn't get around to how someone could do > that to another person," > McRae said. "It's not the most brutal of acts, but > just having her hair shaved > off was a way of stripping her from everything and > removing her self-esteem and > preparing her for death, really. It just seemed so > horrible and inhuman I had > to explain it to myself in this song." > > > Tom McRae is a sad album, he admitted, but a lot of > the songs have hope in > them, he said. > > > "Draw Down the Stars," for instance, is about one of > McRae's favorite things  > cities. While they are known for being fast and > stressful, polluted and > dangerous, he tries to see just the good in them. > > > "Having grown up in the countryside, cities are > something that represent an > exciting, different form of life to me," McRae > explained. "That song is about > being away and taking something with you and loving > a city and knowing that it > is actually killing you at the same time. I see > cities as frontier towns. > That's where the future is unveiled. Rather than > being in some countryside > setting writing about sunsets and crickets, I would > rather write about what's > going on in the city." > > > McRae recorded the album with producer Chris Hughes, > who also became his > manager and helped him get a record deal. He > released several singles from the > record in England, and though they sold well, he has > yet to really break > through to radio. His first U.S. single, "End of the > World News (Dose Me Up)," > is having the same issues. > > > "The trouble with that kind of music is because it's > often personal, a lot of > it is often quiet and doesn't fit the format for > playlists," McRae said. "It's > not the sort of music you want to hear if you are in > a factory making shoes." > > > McRae doesn't seem too worried that he hasn't made > the same splash Gray did. "I > try to make [my career] more organic and get away > from constant overexposure > and all the shouting at people to buy your record," > he said. "I want to creep > into people's subconscious and start from there." > > > Tom McRae tour dates, according to his publicist: > > 9/25 - Dallas, TX @ Trees > 9/26 - Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa > 9/27 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues > 9/28 - Nashville, TN @ 328 Performance Hall > 9/29 - Atlanta, GA @ The Roxy > 10/3 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club > 10/5 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza > 10/6 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza > 10/8 - Boston, MA @ Avalon > 10/10 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theater > 10/11 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall > 10/12 - Chicago, IL @ Metro > 10/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue Get your free @yahoo.co.uk address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk or your free @yahoo.ie address at http://mail.yahoo.ie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 14:06:10 -0700 (PDT) From: Alison Bellach Subject: OV: spam for magnus magnus, are ye out there? :) - ------------------------------------------------------------------- Alison Bellach: alibee@delamitri.com http://alibee.linex.com http://www.delamitri.com "If you want peace, work for justice." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 14:32:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Alison Bellach Subject: OV: newsy news hey y'all. iain and justin wanted everyone to have an idea of what's going on with the album. right now, there is a "firm" release date in the UK for the beginning of next year. i say "firm" because, as iain would agree, this could mean anything from jan 1 to feb 28. :) in the US, the situation is made more difficult by the fact that there is no counterpart to mercury yet set to release the record. this means that we could see a release near the same time as the UK or well into march. i want to please please PLEASE remind you all that album sales in the US are VERY important to the dels receiving/retaining a record deal in that market. although it's hard to believe, the US market is what tends to make/break bands (as unfortunate as that is), so a good release is VERY important to the del's future success. thus, if you live in the US and plan on buying the album import, please also purchase a copy when it is released in the US to help it chart higher. maybe a trading tree with the UK can be set up so everyone has two copies of the album :) as for site news, a new streaming movie was posted earlier this week, taken by the fantastic Nelson team. check it out! any questions, etc., are welcome (as usual). i hope everyone's doing great and excited about the TRIBUTE ALBUM! wooo! bye! alison (today is not a caplitalization day) - ------------------------------------------------------------------- Alison Bellach: alibee@delamitri.com http://alibee.linex.com http://www.delamitri.com "If you want peace, work for justice." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 18:07:03 EDT From: Wonderwoman681@aol.com Subject: OV: hi HI I am new to this & trying to figure out how to get this to everybody .... I know I know just have patience with me please ! :-D OKay so let me know if this worked Thanks all - -Anjule ------------------------------ End of oppositeview-digest V3 #221 **********************************