DONNA MACIOCIA
record launch
Matt Norris & The Moon
Live drawing from Too Much Fun Club
November 19th, 2011
Tickets here not the link above.
Attend the Facebook event here
Donna Maciocia (ma-chaw-cha) is an Edinburgh based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who possesses a stunningly unique voice inspired by the bygone era kings and queens of pop standards. With a Radio One Album of The Month (as front woman of Amplifico) and collaborations with the likes of KT Tunstall, Aberfeldy & The Banana Sessions under her belt, praise for Donna’s musical endeavours has already come from peers, press, bloggers and radio stations around the world. Her influences range from Michael Jackson to Rachmaninov, making her a little difficult to categorise, so to watch her live is to see Donna at her best. A one woman juggernaut of sound, known to single handedly layer vocals, piano, guitars and beat boxing along with the sounds of a ukulele and kazoo, she now shares the stage with drummer Neil Warrack (Super Adventure Club), bass player Lorna Thomas (Jill Jackson) and guitarist/fiddle player Lewis Rumney.
Donna and her band have their debut studio release on its way soon from LaChunky Towers Studios in Glasgow.
Some quotes about Donna & her former band Amplifico:
“A triumph in genuinely independent music”
THE LIST
“Creating the kind of music that would make Kate Nash et al wish they’d stayed at home”
BBC CLUB INTRODUCING
“Ballsy… great track, great band”
RADIO 1 (Album of the Month, March 2008)
“Really f**king intelligent, quirky pop that grabs you by the heart & soul”
LA CHUNKY STUDIOS
“Donna was amazing… Man, I just adore her voice… inspiring”
KT TUNSTALL
“Brilliant album”
JIM GELLATLY, XFM
“Simply the most beautiful voice I’ve heard in a long time… overwhelmingly talented in the least affected way.”
THE SKINNY
“Something quite fantastic”
THIS IS FAKE DIY
“Beautiful vocals”
DAILY RECORD
“Donna leaves me delightfully stunned”
17 SECONDS
“Her voice spans so many levels and ticks multiple boxes, it really is (and I repeat this because emphasis is needed) impossible not to fall in love with her voice”
21STCENTURYMUSIC
“Donna’s vocals sound excellent, to call the voice ‘lovely’ just does not seem rewarding enough”
SUBLINGUAL MAGAZINE
“Donna, well she has a voice to die for”
NIZLOPI
“She is a star”
RILEY BRIGGS, ABERFELDY
“A ludicrously talented songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and singer”
ACOUSTIC EDINBURGH
“Donna Maciocia’s vocals… touch the notes which were previously frequented by Freddy Mercury”
THE SKINNY, 4 out of 5
HOMEWORK
Album Launch
November 18th, 2011
Check the great new tracks at www.wearehomework.com
HALLOWEEN, ALASKA
Black Channel
Alan Smithee
November 17th, 2011
Released on Bon Iver’s Amble Down Records, the latest album from Minneapolis-based Halloween, Alaska is a lean and instantly engaging testament to the group’s evolution from a studio-born purveyor of lush ambient pop to a full-bodied rock band with equal tastes for winsome melody, warm atmospheric flourish, heady lyricism and freewheeling sonic detours.
In a deliberate departure from the slower, more methodical process behind previous albums, the bulk of All Night the Calls Came In was recorded live in a single room during a single week with all four members playing together — its toasty synths and spare electronic drum pads all struck with human hands, never programmed. A cozy bed of synths and spare, electro-flavored drums gives way to a sprawling, guitar-soaked radio-pop utopia.
Halloween, Alaska broke into the indie consciousness in 2004 with an auspicious self-titled set of electronically laced art-pop. Initially hatched by Diers and King as a low-key, studio-based diversion from other projects, the group soon took on a life of its own, spreading by way of Internet raves and unlikely T.V. placements to amass a sizable cult following.
Halloween, Alaska – “Empire Waist” from Amble Down Records on Vimeo.
THE LITTLE KICKS
We See Lights
Easy Tigers
November 15th, 2011
The Little Kicks are a 4 piece band based in Scotland who are becoming increasingly well known for their distinctly catchy upbeat indie pop songs combined with a growing reputation for a great live show.
Since their formation the band have toured across the UK in their own right several times to a great response. The band have also played at festivals such as T in the Park, Belladrum, Insider, Connect and other major Scottish music festivals. Debut album – “Boxing Clever” – was released in late 2009 to critical acclaim in the Scottish and UK music press. The album also won admiration from outside of the UK and has been featured on several European and American blog and online radio sites. Following the LP’s release the band also played shows in both Japan and Germany to a great reception.
Over time the band have shared stages with the likes of Foals, The Vaccines, Frightened Rabbit, Glasvegas, Maximo Park, Mystery Jets, Errors, The Kooks, Editors, The Macabees and many more. The band have recorded live sessions for XFM, BBC Radio Scotland and have also been played on national radio by both Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson. Not to be underestimated as one trick ponies the band are as comfortable playing live with a couple of acoustics as they are at headlining club nights to a packed dance floor.
Until recently the band also DJed at and ran their own weekly club-night (“The Dirty Hearts Club – DHC”) which became a legendary night in its own right and passed the 5th Birthday mark in January 2011. With a previous guest DJ list of MSTRKRFT, Liquid Liquid, Optimo, Holy Ghost, Juan Maclean, Hot Chip, Franz Ferdinand to name a few the night was a great success. The band decided to wind down the night in August 2011 but still run a new monthly night (entitled Loosen Up!) which has been greeted with a warm welcome by the regulars of the DHC. Furthermore, for the last two years the band have DJed at T in the Park festival, headlining the Fridays late night after-party field to crowds of 1000+ to a great response.
2010 saw the band take a break to accommodate a change in personnel and write new material.
Now in 2011 the results of their hard work will be seen with a new album release!
Over the summer of 2011 the band released a free download single (“Call Of Youth”) which gained airplay on both BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music. The single was a well received teaser for the bands forthcoming second release.
Entitled “The Little Kicks” the bands 2nd album will be released on the 28th November 2011.
Prior to the albums release the band will complete a 2 week tour across the UK.
