Upon This Rock

Photo by Steve Wheeler I spent an interesting 15 minutes interviewing double MOBO Award winner and UK grime artist Guvna B yesterday, backstage at Creation Fest. Born in the East End docklands area of London to first generation Ghanian immigrants, he has seen a lot of trouble in his life. As he grew up he experienced poverty, violence, drug abuse and personal loss. These experiences became instrumental in his journey to faith. He now spends his time recording and performing his own music, a mix of rap, gospel, grime and hip hop styles. He's a busy man and very difficult man to get hold of (I failed to grab an interview with him at last year's event), and I had to be patient, but after some time loitering around the backstage,  and a few false starts, I finally got to record an interview with Guvna B for CrossRhythms Radio , and it will be aired in the next few days. I also recorded enough conversation with him to do a pilot show for the new Upon This Rock series I'...

Photo from Wikimedia Commons Exeter based folk trio Wildwood Kin are one of the most exciting new acts to appear in CCM in the last few years. The band is an all female trio formed by sisters Bethany and Emillie Key and their cousin, Meghann Loney. The Kin play an ethereal, rootsy, indie folk Americana style. It is catchy yet ambient, blending a number of styles in a genre that is better to experience than to describe. Tribal drum rhythms  dominate many of their tracks, courtesy of stand-up drummer Meghann, while their unique style is accentuated by Bethany's bouzouki and keyboard playing, and great fretwork from Emillie. However, as any fan will inform you, the crowning glory of the Kin's performances will always be the immaculate vocal harmony style, an ingredient that has marinated from a life time spent growing together. Watching their performances reveals their secret - they absolutely love playing and singing as one, and this strong familial bond extends to embrace...

Image from the Flight Brigade Website One of my favourite tracks right now is being played out quite a lot on CrossRhythms radio. It's called 39 Steps and it's by Flight Brigade . The song has really got inside my head, and you would be well advised to check it out on YouTube. I think you'll like it. There are several versions, including a few live performances. Flight Brigade are going from strength to strength. They are masters of the memorable riff, and every track I've heard from this 7 piece outfit weaves melodic rock with intriguing lyrics. The track below, titled U Kill Me, illustrates this perfectly, and showcases the diverse talents of the entire band. The band's website opens their biography page with the following statement: "Think of Flight Brigade as a family as much as a seven-strong band and you start to understand the chemistry between them. Think of their songs as epic stories to which each member is essential and you begin to gra...

He is the genuine article. He walks onto stage with just an acoustic guitar, and within seconds of starting his song, you are drawn in, not just by his lilting Celtic vocals and superb imaginative fretwork, but also by the fact that Steph Macleod has done the hard miles, and is a survivor. You see, Steph's story is one of hope from despair and freedom from addiction. His story is infused in his songs, all of which are self-composed and many of which are biographical. Steph is big and bearded - the archetypical Scot through and through - and occasionally you may see him appear wearing his kilt with a full Celtic rock band behind him. Now he is an internationally acclaimed singer and songwriter who has performed with the likes of Matt Redman , Martin Smith and the Rend Collective . His music features regularly on BBC (Radio 2 and Songs of Praise) as well as other broadcasting channels such as UCB. But his life wasn't always like this. In his darkest years he was hopelessl...

One of the interesting highlights at Creation Fest was the lineup playing the second venue, known as the Big Top. One stand-out band that graced this stage, and made our ears bleed a little, was Amongst Wolves , who are a mission band. Along with Soulbox (who featured in an earlier post on this blog) they work for The Message, going into schools and other youth oriented venues to play their music messages of hope and faith. Amongst Wolves have toured extensively across the UK and in other countries including Germany. The band can best be described as alternative melodic rock, with sounds reminiscent of Paramore . They are a four piece made up of Mark (guitar and vocals), Kariss (vocals and guitar), Andy (drums) and Clarissa (guitar and keyboards). I met the band backstage at Creation Fest 2018 and asked them to talk about their inspirations, history, future and .... yep, how they got their name. Here's the interview: My next post reviews their 6 track mini-album Unspok...

One of the outstanding performances of Creation Fest 2018 came on Tuesday evening on the main stage from a band called The Moment . Based in the Midlands, they are a five piece band (there are actually 7 listed on their website!) who play rocked up worship and also some of their own original work. The Moment were outstanding not simply because of their music, which was superbly conceived and performed with passion. Their live CD is entitled Not Afraid. What struck me most about the set they played was the message of hope from their front man Dave Bell. His personal story of a miraculous life was very moving, and it's inspirational. In essence, when he was 16 years old, Dave was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer, and it was only by the great skill and dedication of his physicians that he pulled through at all. However, because of the intense radiotherapy Dave received, his doctors informed him that he would never be able to have children.... ...and I'll leave...

Interviewing drummer Ed Freitas was an absolute delight. He's one of the happiest people I've ever met, and this exudes from him in everything he does. I met him backstage at Creation Fest 2018 and we talked about his work, his drumming, digital programming, touring and .... world records. Yes, Ed is currently the holder of TWO Guinness World Records , but if you want the details, you'll have to listen to his interview which is below. As Cyba-X , Ed takes the stage with a massive, hi-tech array of equipment, arranged in what can only be described as Star Gate configuration. The electronics and digital technology behind what he does once he starts his performance need to be seen to be believed. Just take a look at the picture on this page. One of Ed's tricks is to trigger sequencers as he creates his music live on the stage in front of his audience. He is literally a one-man-band, and he can create new music out of just about any theme or sample, from classical ...

If you like rhythm and blues, or jazz, or soul, or even funk.... then you'll love Out of the Ashes . They are a duo, or a five piece, or even a big band, depending on where they play. When I saw them perform at Creation Fest 2018 I saw them as a five piece, and even then they created a very full sound. Husband and wife team Kevin and Penny are at the core of the act, he as lead guitarist, and she as lead vocalist. The band is colourful, eclectic and dynamic, their vocal harmonies are tight, and as you listen you can't help but join in with the fun as you move to the wonderful rhythms and swing/jazz/funk tempos the band generates. Out of the Ashes' music is cool, clever and captivating. The band goes beyond the music though. When I caught up with Penny and Kevin backstage at Creation Fest 2018, I talked to them about their inspirations and their message. They are keen to tackle cultural and social issues, especially around ageism and marginalisation in society. Many of t...

Question: What do you get when you cross Soul and Beatbox? Answer: Soulbox! And for the uninitiated.... Soulbox are two guys who blend soul, rap and beatbox into a funky mix that just has to be heard to be appreciated. They perform anywhere they are invited, and work alongside the Message  with other bands such as Amongst Wolves (of which more in a future blog post). I caught up with Ben and Jon at Creation Fest to talk to them about their motivations and inspirations, their mission to evangelise schools and youth through their music, and also to hear a bit of live beatbox. Click on the red and white arrow below to listen to the interview: Soulbox by  Steve Wheeler  was written in Washington, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License .

Interviewing the Simon Harper Band at Creation Fest 2018 When you hear the word 'worship' what comes to mind? It depends who you are I suppose. Do you think of a church service where people are singing traditional hymns accompanied by a pipe organ? A more contemporary setting where a group are singing choruses with guitars and tambourines? Gospel style choir singing, if you are a member of a charismatic or evangelical church perhaps? Hillsongs or Worship Central style maybe? There are as many styles of worship as there are styles of music of course. But have you heard of furious worship? Well, that's exactly what I experienced when I heard the Simon Harper band live at Creation Fest 2018 . I know, I know. It's my label for their approach to leading worship, but I think it's appropriate, because Simon and the lads know how to kick up a real storm as they abandon themselves to worshipping the living, vibrant and all-powerful God. Their music is loud, raucous ...

Image from the Lily-Jo Website Spending time talking with Lily-Jo at Creation Fest was a real treat. She is a soul/R+B singer from Manchester in England, and infuses her music with messages of hope and salvation. An EP released by indie label LIGHT called Unstoppable epitomises her stance on the mental health, self-esteem and identity challenges faced by today's youth. She knows what she is talking about, because Lily-Jo is also a fully qualified counsellor. Her  Lily-Jo Project website was set up to provide mental health resources for people battling with eating disorders, self harming, low self-esteem and childhood trauma. It is a useful, high quality and regularly updated set of resources that is being used well. The project has opened doors for Lily-Jo to speak on BBC TV and radio and through other mainstream media. It has been nominated and shortlisted for several awards, and in 2017 won a Premier digital award for ‘best use of digital media in youth work’. Sh...

Sisters Fern and Adrienne are on a mission. They gave up their jobs and left their home in 2011 to travel the country in a rusted old camper van. Their mission? To play their own particular brand of indie soul music to audiences wherever they could, because they believe they have a vital message for this generation. Seven years on from their decision to hit the road, Daughters of Davis have produced several albums, made numerous radio and TV appearances, shared the stage in the UK with the likes of Peter Andre , Sam Bailey , Leona Lewis and Beyoncé , and have toured across Europe with Eels and Rebecca Ferguson . And their mission continues. The sisters write and sing songs that bear messages for this generation, about relevant issues such as mental health, emotional conflict and self-worth. Their latest release, entitled #NotPlayingTheGame is a concept album that confronts the pressures society places on young people to conform to expectations of body and appearance, personal ...

Remember the late 1970s? If you were around back then you'll know that punk was all everyone in the music industry was talking about. The Sex Pistols , Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren (the photo on McLaren's Wikipedia site was taken by me) were being outrageous, and The Clash were tearing up the music rule book. Across the Pond, the New York Dolls and Iggy Pop  (so called 'Godfather of punk') were similarly disruptive. Punk rock was loud and basic, a distorted, fast moving and very aggressive form of music that captured the imagination of an entire generation of young people. The boundaries were blurred between the bands and their audiences, and it seemed as though anyone could join in. Punk overturned the acceptable norms and challenged conventions, because it was raw and honest, and it took no prisoners. Kids were angry about society, seeing injustice and corruption everywhere they looked, and they wanted their voices to be heard. But punk was more th...

An artist I really enjoyed sitting down to talk with at Creation Fest 2018 was British singer songwriter Philippa Hanna  (pictured left). The interview was played out on CrossRhythms Radio Plymouth the following day and you can hear it again below. She is a contemporary Christian artist who refuses to fall neatly into any one specific music category. She has written songs in a number of styles including roots, folk, blues and soul, and some may even detect a tinge of R and B. Born in Barnsley in 1984, Hanna's first public performance was in 2007, and since then she has released five solo albums, all as an unsigned independent artist. Her funding often comes from crowdsourcing. She has played over one thousand concerts, touring with the likes of Anastasia, Little Mix , Leona Lewis, Scottish pop legends Wet Wet Wet , Rebecca Ferguson, Blue, and yep - she has even 'danced on the ceiling' with a certain  Lionel Richie . Click on the red arrow below to hear the interview...

I'm just back from  Creation Fest UK , where I've enjoyed five days of listening to music from dozens of Christian artists.... and what's more, the entire festival was free! Held at the Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge, the festival site looks out on stunning views across the Cornish countryside. It's a great venue, because no matter the weather (and we had a mixed bag) the concrete roads and permanent buildings are unaffected by the elements.  The Big Shed, which has a capacity of around 3700 was the venue for the MainStage and joined onto the exhibition/vendor section with a large cafe and arts area. Many of the bands and artists performing at Creation Fest 2018 were new, but some who graced the MainStage have already made their mark on the mainstream music scene. A quick glance at the festival website shows the list of mainly British and US musicians, including Philippa Hanna , Wildwood Kin and Flight Brigade (all of whom I interviewed and who will fe...