If you are visiting Bristol specifically to visit their famous music venues, here is the run down of 4 that you must visit. These venues have held some of the largest names in music and have helped build the culture of Bristol and ‘The Bristol Sound.
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Most music festivals and other such events give away or sell tote bags as promotional items for everyone who attends. You might not have given much thought to what those bags are made from, but it’s something well worth considering. Read more
The truth that we all face is that we lose our valuable assets, mainly to theft, fires and accidents. This is a scary idea, especially for musicians or music lovers whose lives depend on their precious musical instruments. For musicians, instruments are their partners for life, so they spend good money to buy the best there is. Therefore, it is imperative to take out insurance for music instruments, especially for expensive and rare instruments.
When you are learning a new instrument for the first time, there is always a possibility that you will not see it through until the end. Each instrument requires different skills which include hand-eye coordination, finger dexterity, or lung capacity. There are times when personal hard work can overcome the initial gap between those who have a natural gift, and those who don’t. There are also times when people find other instruments as better fits. Read more
Nico Cartosio’s Snow Above the Earth – Requiem for the Tunes Unplayed is perhaps the answer to the question of just exactly what kind of music we fellow musicians listen to. Well it’s certainly the type of music I listen to personally – good music. Read more
York isn’t known as England’s City of Festivals for nothing, with many visitors based both locally and from all over the world descending upon this postal address just for its events and festivals. It would be foolish of me to say that upon your visit you will find something to your personal taste and liking to attend by way of the many festivals of York, which is true enough, but you’re better encouraged to drop in and catch a glimpse of some of those events you wouldn’t normally even bat an eyelid at. In other words, there’s perhaps a pleasant surprise waiting for you if you take the time to reward your curiosity!
The official list of the festivals of York will give you a solid base from which to select which ones you’re going to explore, but there are many more festivals on the go, some of which don’t take place annually, which makes them even more of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, the official list includes the Festival of Angels, the Viking Festival, Early Music, Late Music, Multicultural Food and Arts, Horse Racing (or the Ebor Race Meeting, as it’s more affectionately referred to), Mystery Plays, Food and Drink, Chinese New Year, and Christmas St. Nicholas’ Fair Festival.
I feel it pertinent to discuss some of my personal favourites and some of those which are more popular, but no amount of words can do any real justice to how the experience itself is. You simply have to be there to capture the essence of what a York festival is all about…
Taking place in February, this is one of the most iconic if not the most iconic festival of York. Needless to say its appeal comes from its representation of the very rich history of the city, but perhaps what makes this the swansong festival of the city is the fact that attendees of all ages can have a lot of fun here. There’s a lot of dressing up and role-playing – I mean who doesn’t love a bit of mock fighting, but it’s a very educational festival as well which seeks to highlight the importance of the Viking Centre.
The latter part of September each year plays host to the York Festival of Food and Drink, which places a special focus on Yorkshire food, but is balanced out with a drinks programme that is focussed more on wine and incorporates selections from all over the world. Enjoy the many events which include tastings, demonstrations, dinners and markets which run over 10 days. Kids can enjoy some hands-on cooking fun as well…
While they don’t run each year, these Medieval Passion plays were given a new lease on life following the Second World War, but basically this is where the surprise element comes into play because the plays vary between venue-changing formal renditions and traditional plays which are acted out on some floats which cover a lot of ground as they’re carried around the city.
If you’re visiting one of York’s many festivals this year (or next!) check out iknow-UK for great deals on a whole range of accommodation.
Louisa Johnson made history when she became the youngest winner of X Factor at the age of 17 in 2015. Prepared to release her next album this year, this 19-year-old singer has wowed music lovers with her collaborative song, “Tears”, alongside Clean Bandit. Read more
Learning to play the guitar over an extended timeline is quite a journey. It requires a lot of different steps, and no two people go through it the same way. However, there are always ways to break it down into a number of different pieces, and it’s good to go into your particular pathway by understanding what those pieces are. Read more
I’m sure some non-musical consumers of music (those consumers who don’t play any instruments themselves) who love music also feel the same way, but yeah, for those of us who do play one or two instruments ourselves and have a creative relationship with the art of music, there is a certain appreciation you have for music that is just so well produced. This is why you won’t find me watching channels such as Channel O, Trace and MTV Base. I have nothing against the “hustle” of the musicians whose music videos are often featured on those channels and on commercial radio stations, but for the most part it’s nothing but someone reciting lyrics over what are increasingly sounding like generic beats created on the computer. Read more
Music is an amazing thing and if you are living a life without it, you are definitely missing out on something great. Music can relax and motivate, it can inspire and create happiness, and it can even help with memory. Music is amazing on so many levels that not only is listening to music good for your brain but so is learning to play an instrument. Read more