Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Volunteering is Dope!
There’s no better Sunday morning wakeup call than receiving a text message saying “you’re going to V Festival” – brilliant! The weather was blazing, the atmosphere was phenomenal . OK Oasis did cancel their gig on the day but I still managed to catch Ladyhawke, Paolo Nutini, Elbow, Keane and Snow Patrol..
On top of that I got to hang out back stage at the Strongbow tent with a lot of artists who are enjoying the day sipping on cider and listening to the live music coming from the front. In addition I managed to chat to a few of them about the vinspired Lake of Stars project and and how important volunteers are to music festivals.
First we caught Mean Poppa Lean – a band loves Eating Funk from Brighton. http://www.meanpoppalean.com/
Rob – “You feel like you’re doing something a little bit wrong by helping out for massive companies but if it’s for a good cause, do something great to have a great time, you know you’ve done something kind.”
C- Dogg – “We basically volunteer ourselves all the time, I mean we are a small, new band who don’t get paid a lot to do things so we go out and we put so much effort in everything we do. For us music is volunteering because we go out there and we play really hard. The reason behind that is we want to make every event we play at to be a really special time for everyone.”
Christian – “Volunteering is dope!”
Johnny and Mike of Dang Dj’s – from London who play old school Hip Hop
Mike – “Volunteering is absolutely essential, it’s amazing just to see the amount of effort people put in, picking up stuff and dealing with it, and it means that V Festival can be an organized festival because of those volunteers helping out who makes it possible.”
Johnny – “We were here till the end last night and came back into the camp site at 10am the next day, and after leaving last night we notice the whole area covered in glasses, so it was good to come back and see that everything is all immaculate again – it was down to the volunteers.”
Sam & Patrick from Rogues. http://www.roguesmusic.com/ - Three brothers and two drifters
On top of that I got to hang out back stage at the Strongbow tent with a lot of artists who are enjoying the day sipping on cider and listening to the live music coming from the front. In addition I managed to chat to a few of them about the vinspired Lake of Stars project and and how important volunteers are to music festivals.
First we caught Mean Poppa Lean – a band loves Eating Funk from Brighton. http://www.meanpoppalean.com/
Rob – “You feel like you’re doing something a little bit wrong by helping out for massive companies but if it’s for a good cause, do something great to have a great time, you know you’ve done something kind.”
C- Dogg – “We basically volunteer ourselves all the time, I mean we are a small, new band who don’t get paid a lot to do things so we go out and we put so much effort in everything we do. For us music is volunteering because we go out there and we play really hard. The reason behind that is we want to make every event we play at to be a really special time for everyone.”
Christian – “Volunteering is dope!”
Johnny and Mike of Dang Dj’s – from London who play old school Hip Hop
Mike – “Volunteering is absolutely essential, it’s amazing just to see the amount of effort people put in, picking up stuff and dealing with it, and it means that V Festival can be an organized festival because of those volunteers helping out who makes it possible.”
Johnny – “We were here till the end last night and came back into the camp site at 10am the next day, and after leaving last night we notice the whole area covered in glasses, so it was good to come back and see that everything is all immaculate again – it was down to the volunteers.”
Sam & Patrick from Rogues. http://www.roguesmusic.com/ - Three brothers and two drifters
“Without these guys it wouldn’t be possible, they’d do it for a ticket, but in order for all to operate consistently they need to be here. Volunteers are what makes the world go round half of the time anyway.
We did a Macmillan Cancer Trust in Brick Lane couple of weeks ago, we got no fee for that, it was for charity and it’s not about getting paid all the time, it’s about getting the experience. “
Nikki Mac and Aaron from Cicada. http://cicadamusic.com/ - Mr Natural speaks out...
“They kind of keep it going really, I mean without the volunteers, these festivals won’t get off the ground, obviously they get something out of it, like see the other bands. It’s important to keep these things going as the money is getting tighter, volunteers are the life’s blood of the place. Festivals needs so much help as they can get, there’s so much organization are put in to it, so the more the merrier. “
James Connor – Drummer of Screaming Lights http://www.myspace.com/screaminglights
“It’s brilliant that are willing to volunteer and not get paid to do it, I think it’s a really cool thing to do. It must be a lot of hard work and a strange thing to do to come into work at a festival, with people around you having a holiday. “
Jon Carter – http://www.myspace.com/joncarterofficial - A man who specialises in the unexpected
“Places like Glastonbury, that’s been on for years have a lot of people who can’t afford the tickets, they work and clean up just to get in. And you have something like the Malawi Festival where there’s an incredible spirit from every single person involved and you see these two things and you’ll see a connection there.”
Big Special thanks to Jess from RPM for looking after us.
If you're 16-25 and would like to volunteer, find opportunities at vinspired.com
Words by: DwikoArie (http://www.dwikoarie.blogspot.com/)
Photos by: Justin Ng (www.flickr.com/photos/innov8)
Volunteering is Dope!
There’s no better Sunday morning wakeup call than receiving a text message saying “you’re going to V Festival” – brilliant! The weather was blazing, the atmosphere was phenomenal . OK Oasis did cancel their gig on the day but I still managed to catch Ladyhawke, Paolo Nutini, Elbow, Keane and Snow Patrol..
On top of that I got to hang out back stage at the Strongbow tent with a lot of artists who are enjoying the day sipping on cider and listening to the live music coming from the front. In addition I managed to chat to a few of them about the vinspired Lake of Stars project and and how important volunteers are to music festivals.
First we caught Mean Poppa Lean – a band loves Eating Funk from Brighton. http://www.meanpoppalean.com/
Rob – “You feel like you’re doing something a little bit wrong by helping out for massive companies but if it’s for a good cause, do something great to have a great time, you know you’ve done something kind.”
C- Dogg – “We basically volunteer ourselves all the time, I mean we are a small, new band who don’t get paid a lot to do things so we go out and we put so much effort in everything we do. For us music is volunteering because we go out there and we play really hard. The reason behind that is we want to make every event we play at to be a really special time for everyone.”
Christian – “Volunteering is dope!”
Johnny and Mike of Dang Dj’s – from London who play old school Hip Hop
Mike – “Volunteering is absolutely essential, it’s amazing just to see the amount of effort people put in, picking up stuff and dealing with it, and it means that V Festival can be an organized festival because of those volunteers helping out who makes it possible.”
Johnny – “We were here till the end last night and came back into the camp site at 10am the next day, and after leaving last night we notice the whole area covered in glasses, so it was good to come back and see that everything is all immaculate again – it was down to the volunteers.”
Sam & Patrick from Rogues. http://www.roguesmusic.com/ - Three brothers and two drifters
On top of that I got to hang out back stage at the Strongbow tent with a lot of artists who are enjoying the day sipping on cider and listening to the live music coming from the front. In addition I managed to chat to a few of them about the vinspired Lake of Stars project and and how important volunteers are to music festivals.
First we caught Mean Poppa Lean – a band loves Eating Funk from Brighton. http://www.meanpoppalean.com/
Rob – “You feel like you’re doing something a little bit wrong by helping out for massive companies but if it’s for a good cause, do something great to have a great time, you know you’ve done something kind.”
C- Dogg – “We basically volunteer ourselves all the time, I mean we are a small, new band who don’t get paid a lot to do things so we go out and we put so much effort in everything we do. For us music is volunteering because we go out there and we play really hard. The reason behind that is we want to make every event we play at to be a really special time for everyone.”
Christian – “Volunteering is dope!”
Johnny and Mike of Dang Dj’s – from London who play old school Hip Hop
Mike – “Volunteering is absolutely essential, it’s amazing just to see the amount of effort people put in, picking up stuff and dealing with it, and it means that V Festival can be an organized festival because of those volunteers helping out who makes it possible.”
Johnny – “We were here till the end last night and came back into the camp site at 10am the next day, and after leaving last night we notice the whole area covered in glasses, so it was good to come back and see that everything is all immaculate again – it was down to the volunteers.”
Sam & Patrick from Rogues. http://www.roguesmusic.com/ - Three brothers and two drifters
“Without these guys it wouldn’t be possible, they’d do it for a ticket, but in order for all to operate consistently they need to be here. Volunteers are what makes the world go round half of the time anyway.
We did a Macmillan Cancer Trust in Brick Lane couple of weeks ago, we got no fee for that, it was for charity and it’s not about getting paid all the time, it’s about getting the experience. “
Nikki Mac and Aaron from Cicada. http://cicadamusic.com/ - Mr Natural speaks out...
“They kind of keep it going really, I mean without the volunteers, these festivals won’t get off the ground, obviously they get something out of it, like see the other bands. It’s important to keep these things going as the money is getting tighter, volunteers are the life’s blood of the place. Festivals needs so much help as they can get, there’s so much organization are put in to it, so the more the merrier. “
James Connor – Drummer of Screaming Lights http://www.myspace.com/screaminglights
“It’s brilliant that are willing to volunteer and not get paid to do it, I think it’s a really cool thing to do. It must be a lot of hard work and a strange thing to do to come into work at a festival, with people around you having a holiday. “
Jon Carter – http://www.myspace.com/joncarterofficial - A man who specialises in the unexpected
“Places like Glastonbury, that’s been on for years have a lot of people who can’t afford the tickets, they work and clean up just to get in. And you have something like the Malawi Festival where there’s an incredible spirit from every single person involved and you see these two things and you’ll see a connection there.”
Big Special thanks to Jess from RPM for looking after us.
If you're 16-25 and would like to volunteer, find opportunities at vinspired.com
Words by: DwikoArie (http://www.dwikoarie.blogspot.com/)
Photos by: Justin Ng (www.flickr.com/photos/innov8)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Taking It Easy (Well, Not Really)
I've been feeling bad about not being able to blog recently, but I see some of my fellow African music blogmeisters have also been slacking off this month! In my case the hiatus is due mainly to preparing for our first daughter's upcoming move to college - a big transition for all of us. To protect Aku's privacy I'm not going to say which school she's attending, but we're pretty happy with it, and of course we couldn't be prouder.
So I hope to be back in action in a week or two. In the meantime may I draw your attention to two worthy new additions to the African music blog scene?
ElectricJive specializes in South African jazz and jive, and I'm quite impressed with the first few entries, full-length LPs from Hugh Masekela, Barney Rachabane, Mahlathini and more, definitely worth your while. Then there's Afro-Synth, which for want of a better term features South African "bubblegum music," the synth-infused pop sounds that were all the rage back in the '80s and early '90s. For now the blog features mainly write-ups, but I understand it'll be adding more downloads as time goes by. I told Uchenna over at Comb and Razor this one was right up his ally! Not really my thing, but who knows? It might be yours.
Take care, and happy listening!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Maccabees: Volunteering a privilege
Following a tip off on twitter that The Maccabees are in East London for a photo shoot, vlos towers power into action to get the inside scoop on how they feel about being this years headliners.
The Maccabees; Rupert, Orlando, Felix, Huw, Sam
vTeam: Matt, Jenny and Brian
vMatt - The main thing is really why are you volunteering your time for lake of stars?
Orlando - I don’t feel like we’re volunteering. We so excited to be asked .We feel privileged. It’s the most farfetched thing we’ve ever done, its the biggest opportunity. It doesn’t feel like we’re volunteering, like we’ve been given something. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Felix- Were just so happy to be there, we’ve never been to Africa, we just wanna take the whole place in
O- well i went to Morocco once
Brian- well thats not “proper Africa”
F- Not sure they’d agree with that (everyone laughs)
M- It’s the kind of thing that’s life changing?
Rupert- Yeh, I’ve been reading literature on the history of Africa, such an interesting place, really can’t wait
F- Yeh, were really lucky to get to go
M- Who do you want to see at lake of stars?
O- Sway, we’ve seen him before and he’s good
M- How did you hear about lake of stars? What drew you too it?
F- Just got asked
R- And jumped on it. Sounded perfect
F- it’s the beautiful thing about being in a band, you get these opportunities
O- Yeh and many bands don’t get the chance
M- How do you think playing in Malawi will be different from playing in the UK?
F- Well we have no idea what it’s going to be like. Everyone goes to places like reading expecting what you’re going to see. This is different. That’s what makes it special. .
O- We’ve been in a band for 6, nearly 7 years. Everything’s good, but we rarely get the opportunity to do something far out
Huw- Its gonna be really good to play with non UK bands
Sam- Yeh I’m really forward to seeing local bands
O- It’s just after we’ve finished our tour, doing all the academies. Not to complain, but compared to Preston or Stoke, Malawi sounds good.
F- I just worry in our hour slot on stage; will the people of Malawi be really into the Maccabees? (laughs)
Jenny- Well it’ll be sunny so it’ll all be good
M- We’re all volunteers, so if you could volunteer doing anything else except music what would it be?
O- Probably with mental health. The National Health Service is so underfunded and understaffed. I’d definitely do something in that.
F- I think the treatment of old people is really bad in this country. Like we throw them away when they’re passed their sell by date. It’s a lack of respect and an aspect of British culture. They know more about life, have more to give. Deserve more. I’d try and change that.
If you're 16-25 and would like to volunteer, find opportunities at vinspired.com
The Maccabees: Volunteering a privilege
Following a tip off on twitter that The Maccabees are in East London for a photo shoot, vlos towers power into action to get the inside scoop on how they feel about being this years headliners.
The Maccabees; Rupert, Orlando, Felix, Huw, Sam
vTeam: Matt, Jenny and Brian
vMatt - The main thing is really why are you volunteering your time for lake of stars?
Orlando - I don’t feel like we’re volunteering. We so excited to be asked .We feel privileged. It’s the most farfetched thing we’ve ever done, its the biggest opportunity. It doesn’t feel like we’re volunteering, like we’ve been given something. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Felix- Were just so happy to be there, we’ve never been to Africa, we just wanna take the whole place in
O- well i went to Morocco once
Brian- well thats not “proper Africa”
F- Not sure they’d agree with that (everyone laughs)
M- It’s the kind of thing that’s life changing?
Rupert- Yeh, I’ve been reading literature on the history of Africa, such an interesting place, really can’t wait
F- Yeh, were really lucky to get to go
M- Who do you want to see at lake of stars?
O- Sway, we’ve seen him before and he’s good
M- How did you hear about lake of stars? What drew you too it?
F- Just got asked
R- And jumped on it. Sounded perfect
F- it’s the beautiful thing about being in a band, you get these opportunities
O- Yeh and many bands don’t get the chance
M- How do you think playing in Malawi will be different from playing in the UK?
F- Well we have no idea what it’s going to be like. Everyone goes to places like reading expecting what you’re going to see. This is different. That’s what makes it special. .
O- We’ve been in a band for 6, nearly 7 years. Everything’s good, but we rarely get the opportunity to do something far out
Huw- Its gonna be really good to play with non UK bands
Sam- Yeh I’m really forward to seeing local bands
O- It’s just after we’ve finished our tour, doing all the academies. Not to complain, but compared to Preston or Stoke, Malawi sounds good.
F- I just worry in our hour slot on stage; will the people of Malawi be really into the Maccabees? (laughs)
Jenny- Well it’ll be sunny so it’ll all be good
M- We’re all volunteers, so if you could volunteer doing anything else except music what would it be?
O- Probably with mental health. The National Health Service is so underfunded and understaffed. I’d definitely do something in that.
F- I think the treatment of old people is really bad in this country. Like we throw them away when they’re passed their sell by date. It’s a lack of respect and an aspect of British culture. They know more about life, have more to give. Deserve more. I’d try and change that.
If you're 16-25 and would like to volunteer, find opportunities at vinspired.com
vinspired Lake of Stars at East Village
Thanks to all that came down to Shoreditch for our summer fundraiser.
Check out the photos and video from the night on our site.
http://www.lakeofstars.org/gallery.htm
Check out the photos and video from the night on our site.
http://www.lakeofstars.org/gallery.htm
vinspired Lake of Stars at East Village
Thanks to all that came down to Shoreditch for our summer fundraiser.
Check out the photos and video from the night on our site.
http://www.lakeofstars.org/gallery.htm
Check out the photos and video from the night on our site.
http://www.lakeofstars.org/gallery.htm
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Man Behind the Music
Uncle Mike was not a well-known musician. He is remembered mainly for his stellar piano work on Nelly Uchendu's famous LP Love Nwantinti (Homzy HCE 005, 1976), and the great irony of this achievement is that the album was originally credited to Obianwu himself, with Uchendu playing only a supporting role. After Uchendu's acclaimed debut at FESTAC '77 in Lagos, the album was reissued with a new cover credited to "Nelly Uchendu and Mike Obianwu." Anthony tells me that his father released one other album in his own name, Crashes in Love, and I suspect he was present on other recordings as well. The other members of his band were Bassey Edim on bass and Willie Udor on drums, with Nelly Uchendu supplying vocals until her death in 2005.
Let's take a moment to remember Uncle Mike and the many other unsung heroes of African music. Here is a touching tribute in his honor by his family:
Ezennia Michael Davidson Obianwu, God saw you getting tired as your youthfulness turned gray. The days flew by as you celebrated your well lived 93years of aging memories. You were our ROCK and you will forever live in us, a befitting metaphor is your name OBIANWU. Your name will never die for we your children will carry on your legacy with every breath we draw. Your heart was so beautiful and pure, so meek and gentle, so loving and very forgiving. We became greedy, wishing you could hang around for another 93. We can now see that your every awakening and perseverance, is your way of hanging around to protect your loving family. The Almighty God knew this too, so HE wrapped his arms around you, and whispered, "COME TO ME."Wake will be kept for Mike Obianwu August 15th at 18351 Queen Anne Road, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, 20774, and his final resting place will be Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria on August 29. In Uncle Mike's memory let's listen to "Love Nwantinti":
You went through a journey very few can only dream about, you married your beloved wife and our mother Victoria Obianwu on December 26, 1949, and you were both rewarded with beautiful children: Chinwe, (ADA) Obianwu, Okechukwu (Diokpa) Obianwu, Ebelechukwu Obianwu, Nnamdi Obianwu, Anthony Obianwu and the most supporting group of in-laws: Amaechi Mbanefo, Cecilia Obianwu and Chilo Obianwu. Our Daddy Ezennia was also blessed with many grand children: Uchenna Obianwu, Jane Mbanefo, Patrick Mbanefo, George Mbanefo, Ifeoma Mbanefo, Adaobi Obianwu, Osita Obianwu, Nnenna Obianwu, Ebelechukwu Obianwu Jr., Odiakosa Obianwu, and Adaeze Obianwu. Ezennia is also survived by a long chain of brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, cousins and a sea of friends and well wishers. It goes without saying that you have led a fulfilled life.
After serving proudly, fighting as a soldier in Burma during the 2nd World War with sustained injuries to show for it, you worked at the Federal Ministry of Information in Lagos and retired proudly as a senior civil service worker. Despite all this, your love for music kept shinning through. You played music at famous hotels in Lagos like Gondola and the Federal Palace, including the Presidential and Hotel Metropole in Enugu, Nigeria. You became very famous in music and touched many hearts. Your genius earned you the name "Uncle Mike Obianwu" and you recorded two albums including the award winning folk song "Love Nwantinti". You became one of the respected Agbalanze of Onitsha and was crowned with the title; EZENNIA and for this we salute you.
Daddy, you were truly an accomplished man of God. He only takes the best. This is why He has called you home to give you rest. God's garden must be beautiful, and there must be a beautiful white Grand Piano, waiting for you in heaven, to strike beautiful melodies for God's listening pleasure and for the Angels to dance to. It was no surprise that on the day of your passing, you were jovial as usual and you told us how much you loved us. You then said "Tell 'V' I love her" (meaning Mom) and asked to let you rest. Your Doctor asked if you were ready to be discharged, your answer was "YES, I AM READY TO GO HOME" and home you went, drifting gently like the wind. When we saw you sleeping so peaceful and free from pain, we could not wish you back because the Lord needs you more now than we do.
"For YOUR gift O'LORD, we will rejoice and be glad."
Rest in perfect peace, Good Bye, All Our Love is with you.
On Behalf of All of Your Children,
Chinwe, (ADA) Obianwu, Okechukwu (Diokpa) Obianwu, Ebelechukwu Mbanefo, Nnamdi Obianwu & Anthony Obianwu
Nelly Uchendu & Mike Obianwu - Love Nwantinti/Ada Eze/Onye Nwulu Ozuluike
vinspired Lake of Stars 2009 update
Will Jameson on announcing the festival venue, tonights East Village gig and our upcoming events.
vinspired Lake of Stars 2009 update
Will Jameson on announcing the festival venue, tonights East Village gig and our upcoming events.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Shoulder popping beats...
Time Out On The Up's Disco & Mercy warming up for East Village this weekend.
vinspired Lake of Stars volunteer Matt gets down to Westfield to check out Disco & Mercy supporting Frankmusik as part of Shimmer 09.
vlos M: What can we expect from your set on Saturday?
D: We like to play shoulder popping beats! We take those songs that people half remember and play them so when people hear them they go 'oh yeah'.
M: And shoulder popping beats..
Shoulder popping beats...
Time Out On The Up's Disco & Mercy warming up for East Village this weekend.
vinspired Lake of Stars volunteer Matt gets down to Westfield to check out Disco & Mercy supporting Frankmusik as part of Shimmer 09.
vlos M: What can we expect from your set on Saturday?
D: We like to play shoulder popping beats! We take those songs that people half remember and play them so when people hear them they go 'oh yeah'.
M: And shoulder popping beats..
Dekker and Johan Headliners at East Village!
Hey everyone!
We were lucky enough to have some very special visitors in the vLOS office on Tuesday evening. Dekker and Johan, the headliners of this Saturday's clubnight at East Village, popped in to chat about kickstarting the first of the vinspired Lake of Stars fundraisers.
They also left a message letting people know why they decided to play at this years festival in Malawi:
We were lucky enough to have some very special visitors in the vLOS office on Tuesday evening. Dekker and Johan, the headliners of this Saturday's clubnight at East Village, popped in to chat about kickstarting the first of the vinspired Lake of Stars fundraisers.
They also left a message letting people know why they decided to play at this years festival in Malawi:
Dekker and Johan Headliners at East Village!
Hey everyone!
We were lucky enough to have some very special visitors in the vLOS office on Tuesday evening. Dekker and Johan, the headliners of this Saturday's clubnight at East Village, popped in to chat about kickstarting the first of the vinspired Lake of Stars fundraisers.
They also left a message letting people know why they decided to play at this years festival in Malawi:
We were lucky enough to have some very special visitors in the vLOS office on Tuesday evening. Dekker and Johan, the headliners of this Saturday's clubnight at East Village, popped in to chat about kickstarting the first of the vinspired Lake of Stars fundraisers.
They also left a message letting people know why they decided to play at this years festival in Malawi:
Monday, August 3, 2009
Get to the Festival from £416!
Our travel partners are offering a great deal throughout the whole of August for flights to Malawi starting from just £416! Book now to secure the deal!
http://www.lakeofstars.org/festival.htm
Don't forget to get your Lake of Stars festival tickets here:
http://www.ticketline.co.uk/lake-of-stars-tickets
http://www.lakeofstars.org/festival.htm
Don't forget to get your Lake of Stars festival tickets here:
http://www.ticketline.co.uk/lake-of-stars-tickets
Get to the Festival from £416!
Our travel partners are offering a great deal throughout the whole of August for flights to Malawi starting from just £416! Book now to secure the deal!
http://www.lakeofstars.org/festival.htm
Don't forget to get your Lake of Stars festival tickets here:
http://www.ticketline.co.uk/lake-of-stars-tickets
http://www.lakeofstars.org/festival.htm
Don't forget to get your Lake of Stars festival tickets here:
http://www.ticketline.co.uk/lake-of-stars-tickets
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