After stumbling across Erin this month in the scoutrooms there was only ever going to be one choice for Aprils Artist of the Month, she delivers catchy pop numbers with hints of Taylor Swift, so flick the track on grab yourself a piece of our Birthday cake and have a read!

Piewatch - Hi Erin, first things first congratulations on being number one in the STP charts!

Thank you!

Piewatch - Are you interested in the financing side of Slicethepie? Could we be helping fund an Erin Frith album soon?

I AM VERY interested in the financing side of Slicethepie. I would love to record a full length album; I would need some more time for writing, etc…

Piewatch - If you received the £15,000 tomorrow what would be the first thing you spent it on?

If I received 15,000 tomorrow there could be many things I would spend it on-band van-etc. BUT assuming that this needed to go towards an album, I would put it towards that. =) I would love to get more info on that.

Piewatch - We notice the EP was released lately, give us the details?

I released the EP in March of this year. It is entitled”Runaway”…and was recorded in Brentwood, Tennessee with producer and engineer Chris Wright, with Frontier Productions. This is my first time that I’ve attempted to write my own music, and I am very proud of it. Chris also co-wrote 2 of the songs on the album, including “This is Not Love”, and “December”. The picture on the cover was taken at a park that I grew up in, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Piewatch - How did your musical journey begin?

Well, I’ve always sang, as long as a can remember. In middle school I sang in many different children’s choirs. My mother somewhat forced me to try out for my catholic church’s lifeteen band when I was about 14, and I’m glad she did. It was a great experience for me to be able to learn from the people in the group, not only about growing up as a teenager but as a musician. I sang with the group for about 4 years, and then started singing for a cover band in Baton Rouge with a few friends. We did 90′s covers, and a lot of rock music. It taught me to become more versatile as a singer, and as an 18 year old I was making great money! haha. After the band split, I was looking for more ways to perform in Louisiana, and starting working with some local musicians that eventually formed the art-rock, progressive band “The Lazarus Heart”.  We played around Baton Rouge for about 2 years. Things kind of fell apart in the end when I had dreams of moving to Nashville. On a personal level, I had suffered a huge loss in my life in the summer of 07, and I subconsciously needed an escape from my town. As much as I LOVE rock music and I’ve always listened to it, I wanted something more….something different. I wanted something that really represented me as artist and as a singer. As much as I loved the band, and all the musicians that I played with, I thought there was something out there that would better suit me. I moved to Nashville, TN in January of 08, got a job, and tried my best to understand what every other musician was doing in this town. I didn’t do much for the first year, other than work, and drink, and meet new people, but I was silently creating new material in my head. I loved the sound Nashville had to offer, and the rawness of it. I started digging into Americana, and folk music. Eventually, at my old job, I met Chris Wright. Within a few months we started recording my songs. I never thought I’d finish writing them, and then all of the sudden they were down-and all mine, for the first time ever. And I was really happy with the way they came out. I was honestly proud of myself, for the first time as an artist.

Piewatch – The Piewatch team are big fans of the track “Runaway” what’s the story behind it?

Runaway is the first song I wrote in Nashville. It’s about leaving Baton Rouge, driving to Nashville, getting a shitty job, going out at night, meeting new people, drinking with them, and somehow pretending that everything in life is perfect. It’s just an easy going pop song. I met SO many people when I first got here. Everybody asks the same questions: where are you from? Did you come here for music? Etc….I’d say that maybe twenty percent of the people I’ve met here are actually from here….and majority of them are here as a musician. It’s a beautiful city though, and the people are great.

Piewatch - Who are your biggest musical influences and why? Any unexpected ones?

My influences come from ALL OVER THE PLACE, in EVERY Genre. James Taylor, Kathleen Edwards, Fleetwood Mac, Nicole Nordeman, Plumb, Death Cab for Cutie, Maria Taylor, Fiona Apple, Sarah McLachlan, dido, more recently-the rolling stones, Jeremy Enigk, Theresa Anderson, Pete Yorn, Dredg, Beck….and so many local musicians here….

Piewatch - If you could work with any producer/artist in the world who would it be?

I’m not sure….there are so many. I would love to work with Stevie Nicks, she’s amazing.

Piewatch – Who do you currently like in the charts?

Ray Lamontagne, Kings of Leon, Muse, Phoenix, Alicia keys, and I guess I’m supposed to say Lady Gaga.

Piewatch - Describe your music in three terms…

Honest, easy-going, pop

Piewatch - What is your biggest musical achievement to date?

Honestly at this point, finishing this solo EP has been my greatest achievement so far.

Piewatch - Any comical gig moments?

I recently performed in my hometown for my “Louisiana EP Release Show”…one of the songs on the cd “K is for Kathleen” is about losing my mother to breast cancer. A lot of my family was present, and many of my friends that I had not seen in years. Performing that song was going to be a challenge, not only for me, but for the crowd full of people that loved my mother deeply. I had a whiskey in my hand, and I warned the people in the front that if they started crying during the song that I was going to throw my drink on them, haha. My old high school friend in the front starting loosing it a little bit, and I pretended to throw my drink on her. It was a good way to lighten up the mood a little. All together it was a wonderful evening.

Piewatch – Any irrational fears?

Hhmmm…..bad pictures, my friends have so many ridiculous pictures of me. I’m just waiting to be black-mailed one day.

Piewatch - If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Flying! Duh…

Piewatch - Any last comments, plugs, or shout out’s to the fans?

My family members are the most amazing people in the world. They have been such an amazing support, and loving part of my life. I want to say thank you to them for always being there for me, and for just being straight up AWESOME. =)

Piewatch - Thanks Erin!

Want more Erin? Check these out!

At Piewatch, we love coming across quality independent artists and music, hidden gems and breaking talent.  So when we discovered Aimee Terrin floating around the Slicethepie scout room, we knew we had discovered someone very special.  With massive commercial appeal, an array of independent chart topping hits, and a proven crossover appeal, Aimee Terrin is the real deal!  Scratch a little deeper and it’s easy to see why Piewatch were extremely excited to have the opportunity to interview Aimee.  So, with great pleasure, it is our privilege to introduce Aimee Terrin, our Artist of the Month for March.  Sit back, click the player and read on to discover a truly remarkable independent artist.

Piewatch – Hi Aimee, Thank you for chatting to us! So talk us through how you first got into music?

Aimee Terrin – I don’t think I first got into music, I think music first got into me…[laughing to myself]  My father, actually was one of those parents that recorded everything that his sons and daughters were involved with – literally – including recording my own birth at Day 1.  You see, I have audio of me being born and apparently as I came out of my mothers womb, I wasn’t really crying as most babies do… My Uncle Levon, in his heavy Armenian accent, can be heard in the delivery room (which makes me think – who knows why he was in there, now that I think about it) saying “She’s singing, she’s singing – she’s going to be a singer” — Ironic perhaps, but nonetheless I’ve never put much thought into what the Cosmos might have had in store for me — I just do my thing.

I guess from there, I learned early that when the cameras where rolling, it was my time…so as most performing arts kids probably do, I traumatized my family at an early age to the “Annie” phase of my singing metamorphosis, by performing at the dinner table…in fact, I clearly remember my Grandfather appreciating my ‘talent’ so much on one particular evening, that he ‘advised’ me to go outside where the “acoustics were more suitable”…in other words, “Not at the dinner table kid”…[laughing to myself]

Piewatch – How would you describe the music you make?

Aimee Terrin - If you were to combine my influences that are all essential to my musical evolution, my style could be interpreted as (if I may be allowed to quote my favorite Jeopardy! category) – a ‘Potpourri’ – of Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McCray, Nancy Wilson, Mel Torme, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack, Sade, Earth Wind and Fire, Sly Stone, Donnie Hathaway, Bill Withers, Rakim, EPMD, Mobb Deep, RUN-DMC and Beastie Boys.

In other words, music is a journey and not a destination and thus everything from that church choir you were traumatized to in your teenage years each and every every Sunday, to that Broadway Musical you couldn’t stop singing, to the first time you heard hip-hop…it’s just that journey that no one but yourself is truly aware of that is no more responsible for your stylistic evolution than the perceived destination that brings you before a crowd to which you are performing, that describes the type of music you make.

Which also reminds me, did I mention Journey as part of my influences…[laughing to myself]…geez I hate when bands break up…

Piewatch – How did you come across Slicethepie, and what do you think to the concept of fan funding?

Aimee Terrin – You know artists, myself included, have one fatal flaw that is crucial to sustaining an existence in this fine world – ‘We would perform for free, just to hear applause’.

Now with that said, if this was our hobby – instead of being our occupation which provides the means of affording those luxuries known as food and rent to us artists, applause would be great at the end of a performance…[laughing]   Music is funny to me and albeit a CD or a Hard Drive is a tangible object of perceived monetary value, music itself – and by that I mean the sound waves – are not tangible…strange concept when you get down to the meat and bones of it…sound waves are able to illicit a chemical response within a living (or who knows, perhaps non living too) being.

SliceThePie to me was a very interesting concept that had crossed my mind in the past and was intrigued to see a community of artists and non-artists alike supporting each other.  To me STP was the a group of ‘insiders’ who understand exactly how difficult it is to quantify sound waves into dollars…so I guess what I’m saying is “If it makes dollars, it makes sense”.

Piewatch – You’ve had dealings with some pretty big names during your musical journey.  Tell us a little about your collaborative works and how they came about.

Aimee Terrin – How many kilobytes does this hard drive hold?  [laughing]  This is a loaded question with stories within chapters within volumes.  I signed my first agreement with Jazzy Jeff in Philly through Touch of Jazz, his production company.  From there, Dr. Dre heard some heat and I flew back out to my native Los Angeles.  I remember playing keys and performing Nothin’ Feels Right in the foyer of his house on a $100,000 Bosendorfer Grand Piano…I think William Hung could have sounded great with those acoustics in that foyer, but whew what a privilege to play on a Bosendorfer…damn right Nothin Feels Right with regards playing keys since then.

From there I was asked to perform and produce with a laundry list of individuals from various musical genres over the years including collaborations with artists such as Rakim, P.O.D., and Floetry to name a few and also producers such as Massive Attack, Dr. Dre, Andy Johns, Glen Ballard and George Clinton.  Most of the material that was produced from these sessions is still yet to be released to the public and will be available on my debut project.

Some of these records can be found on the Indie charts at Independent Artists Company where I currently have 4 #1 Records in 4 different genres, including the #1 and #2 positions in their ALL GENRES charts, which is analogous to Billboard Hot A/C.

Piewatch – You were recently the winner of AKON’s HITLAB 2009 Showcase! How did it feel to win and perform live for Akon?  

Aimee Terrin – This is actually quite an interesting topic of my current events in the last few months so I’m glad you asked.  I actually joined Akon’s HITLAB as sort of a novelty, so allow me to elaborate.  HITLAB and it’s competitors HitSongScience and uPlaya are Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs that utilize Dynamic Hit Scoring (DHS).  This technology is supposedly able to predict if your song has the potential to be a hit.  DHS breaks down your song into variables such as pitch, tempo, etc. and compares the structure of your music to the top 100 billboard charts of the past six years.  The more your patterns resemble the ones of hits, the higher you score.

Okay, so imagine the audacity of a program to think it can pick a hit song?  Come on…so I ran my records through Akon’s HITLAB and low and behold I was ranked 55 out of 23,000 artists, which I found to be intriguing at best.  Well a few months later, I received an email from HITLAB asking me to perform for Akon in Toronto at the 2009 HITLAB Showcase.  Now the reason why these Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs now have my undivided attention is exactly this…I was not the top scoring artist – in fact I was #55…but what is intriguing is that I was the 2009 HITLAB Showcase “Judges Choice”, which means a computer did not pick me as a hitmaker.  The Artificial Intelligence (AI) showed that I had hit song potential that when combined with my package, which includes my recording history, my collaborations, my Indie charting success at IACmusic and other variables – “I looked perfect on paper” – which allowed me to be chosen as an artist with Predicted Success in the mainstream music industry.

Piewatch – What is your greatest achievement to date?

Aimee Terrin – To be honest with you, my greatest achievement to date is that I am still even involved with the record business by recording, producing and constantly evolving in an industry that appears to be moving faster than the artists that it relies upon.   By this I mean, I originally believed that the “record business and technology had outgrown Aimee Terrin” and didn‘t really need artists like myself anymore, but I have found exactly the opposite to be true…much like a prisoner doesn’t escape from prison on the first day of incarceration but after 8 years they devise a plan of action, so too have I…

After being ‘held captive’ the last few years by the confusion that the record business exerts upon new artists, I have come to realize that the roadblock that existed for me all along was that “Aimee Terrin had outgrown the record business and technology“ long ago and now that AI technology is available to the masses, it can be combined with my Indie chart success to formulate a business plan.  Perhaps these indicators of predicted success will also prove successful with respect to artist financing and bring SliceThePie mainstream.

To make a long story short, I’m now the poster child for the next generation of artist development and predicted success utilizing an artist’s existing contributing indicators, which will now also include Artificial Intelligence (AI)…so with that said, I guess you can now refer to me as AImee Terrin [laughing to myself].

Piewatch – Have you ever had any comical or embarrassing moments whilst performing?

Aimee Terrin – Thankfully nothing in the universe like Lady Gaga’s “equipment” malfunction at one of her last concerts, but one does come to mind.  I was over at my friend’s studio having a few drinks and one of my all time favorite artists, Raphael Saadiq happens to arrive with one of my producer friends.  Come on this is frickin’ Tony Tone Toni you are in the presence of and he askes me to sing for him…on any given day, this is a dream come true, but did you hear the part that I was mentioned I was a bit tipsy? [Laughing]   Now, I’m always on my game and professional when I know I need to be, but I was sucker punched by his request.  I’ll make this story short and let’s just say, luckily I had the opportunity of singing for him again a few days later and in better condition, which he reminded me was “much different than my last performance for him and more on the lines of what he had expected to hear from Aimee Terrin“. [Laughing]

Piewatch – What are you currently working on at the moment?  Are there any exciting developments on the horizon?

Aimee Terrin – As I mentioned before, I’m now the poster child for the next generation of artist development and predicted success that could translate into a Showcase Opportunity at SliceThePie.  Investors might understand my current factors of predicted success and how they could be strong indicators for financial reward of an investment including:

1)  Former Record Deals w/ Dr. Dre and Jazzy Jeff

2)  Prior artist and producer collaborations as mentioned in this interview

3)  Artificial Intelligence Scores @ HITLAB

4)  Independent Charting Success @ IACmusic w/ 4 #1 Records in 4 Different Genres

5)  Top Attorney Representation w/ Barry Reiss

6)  Artist Appeal by being HitLab’s “Judges Choice”

Currently, I am developing a website with IACmusic founder Dave Walton that focuses on monetizing artists assets by utilizing predictors such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), independent charts and their existing catalogs.  The platform will expand upon IACmusic’s current social networking model and will serve to define Web 3.0 through the introduction of the next phase of the logical evolution of social networking, open source and distribution modalities as we bring current underground artificial intelligence technologies to the forefront of the net …perhaps all buzzwords for the moment, but will soon become as commonplace as blog and LMFAO in the upcoming months.

Piewatch – Finally, would you like to say anything to your fans?

Aimee Terrin – Thank you for taking a minute to get to know me, AImee Terrin.  In my opinion, without my music, none of this article even would matter, so check it out for yourself…xoxo A.T.

Piewatch - Love Aimee Terrin as much as we do? Be sure to check her out on;

Aimee Terrin Links:

Aimee Terrin  ranked #70 (at time of publishing) by HITLAB

(Why – 92%) (Work It Out – 92%) (Just Wanna Get To Know Ya feat. George Clinton – 91%)

(Anytime You Want – 89%) (Perfect Imperrfection – 89%) (Handle Your Business – 88%)

‘Handle Your Business’ (currently charting for 38 weeks @ #1)

#1 ALL GENRES INDIE CHART @ iacmusic

#1 R&B/SOUL INDIE CHART @ iacmusic

‘Fly’ (currently charting for 15 weeks @ #1)

#1 ALTERNATIVE POP ROCK INDIE CHART @ iacmusic

#4 ALL GENRES INDIE CHART @ iacmusic

‘Blue Skies’ (currently charting for 22 weeks w/ debut @ #1)

#2 JAZZ INDIE CHART @ iacmusic

ALL GENRES INDIE CHART @ iacmusic

(#1 ‘Handle Your Business’) (#2 ‘In Another Lifetime’) (#4 ‘Fly’) (#8 ‘Stop’) (#14 ‘Anytime You Want’)

R&B/SOUL INDIE CHART @ iacmusic

(#1 ‘Handle Your Business’) (#2 ‘In Another Lifetime’) (#3 ‘Stop’) (#4 ‘Anytime You Want’) (#5 ‘Why’)

JAZZ INDIE CHART @ iacmusic

(#2 ‘Blue Skies’) (#9 ‘Do You Remember My Name’)

Aimee Terrin @ Akon’s HITLAB 2009 Showcase in Toronto

Piewatch - Hi The Perils, firstly congratulations on making the showcase!

Thank you for having us!

Piewatch - Who are The Perils?

We are a notorious four piece rock band based in Brighton
Danny Mcgurn : Singer/Guitar
Darren Richards: Lead Guitar
Jonny Scafidi: Bass
Tom Heron: Drums

Piewatch - How do you plan to get your own fanbase to invest?

We have a few cunning plans but basically come see us play. That’s how.

Piewatch - Mick Jones of the Clash, once said about you guys “Give it a year and they’ll be bigger than us”. What! When! Where! How?

That was after we supported his new project Carbon Silicon at Coalition in Brighton 2008. He invited us backstage and said it with a big grin on his face and a big spliff in his mouth. whoever said you should never meet your heroes was wrong!

Piewatch - The tracks you reached the showcase with are from your last album “Good People Do Bad Things”, how was that album recieved?

It was received very well, and we all feel it is a solid first album. Of course it got reviewed by a couple of death metal websites but we won’t go into that!

Piewatch – “Lipstick Sister”, excellent track! Whats the story behind it?

Lipstick Sister is a song about experiencing new things sung in a nostalgic way. Most of which can be found in clubs, beds and small plastic bags…..

Piewatch – How does your new material compare to the old?

The newer stuff we feel to be more mature in lyrical content and its definitely going for a bigger feel, be it with large loud riffs or thick rich harmony and melody. The new songs so far are about people we know and have known in particular stages of life and what has led to that.

Piewatch – Who are your musical influences? Any unexpected ones?

Rolf Harris mostly, but we are quite fond of the Doors, Kings of Leon, The Beatles, Blur, The Kinks, and loads of other stuff both old and new.

Piewatch - If you could work with any producer/artist in the world who would it be?

I think its safe to say that if Kings of Leon wanted anything to do with us we’d be more than happy! That band writes impeccable songs.

Piewatch - Which in your opinion is the best track you have written and why?

Its difficult to say as we have been playing them for a while but i think the general consensus is that The River is our strongest track. I think its because its very rocky, you can dance to it and its a bit of a sing a long as well, plus there is always the live version we play which goes down exceedingly well with a few drinks!

Piewatch - Biggest musical achievement to date?

Finding the brown note. Or possibly Headlining White Air Festival 09

Piewatch – Describe your music in 3 terms…

Peril As Fuck

Piewatch - How have you found slicethepie and the scout system?

We like it! We got us a showcase and the scouts seem to like our stuff, we had some strange reviews but mostly they were really positive.

Piewatch – Any comical gig moments?

You want a list? Danny knocking himself out and causing stage invasions at both ours and other peoples gigs, Jonny attacking his bass amp before jumping into the crowd and launching his bass at the drum kit (and being picked up whilst playing by a 20st stage invader)….. Tom destroying his drum kit in new and ingenious ways, Darren playing is guitar solos whilst rutting with Danny is quite a sight and on top of that we’ve played on a moving bus (Danny nearly fell out the window….. Tom lost a few sticks) and in a newsagent, we showered the crowd at White air with free beers which we launched into the air whilst playing. We are no longer able to talk about the party with at Zoe & Normans house where we played twister with Zoe, but it was fun!

Piewatch - Which member gets all the girls and why do you think this is?

Jonny. He’s Italian. Nuff sed…..

Piewatch - Second opinion needed! We thought we would ask your opinion on the currently debated issue here at Piewatch. What is the ultimate 90’s footwear; Reebok Pumps or Puma discs?

Pumps!!!!!

Piewatch - Any irrational fears?

We’re all scared of loud music and guitars.

Piewatch – If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

The power to fix our van permanently.

Piewatch – Any last comments, plugs, or shout out’s to the fans?

We’d just like to thank you for the support and invite you all to come watch us play, then get drunk with us and do freestyle rap songs in welsh on an old guitar.

For an up to date gig listing please visit: http://www.myspace.com/theperilsarecoming

Muchos Gracias!

Keep up with The Perils on

Welcome to our first Artist of the Month feature of the New Year.  To kickstart the new decade we decided we needed an extra special artist.  Introducing Ryan Inglis, a previous Slicethepie Showcase artist widely regarded within the Slicethepie community for his professionalism, friendly approach  and quality acoustic tracks.  But don’t just take our word for it….read on and see for yourself!  As an extra special bonus, Ryan is offering all Piewatch readers a FREE copy of his track ‘If I Fall’ (right click here).  If that wasn’t enough, there are a selection of quality downloads available here to help yourselves to….Special shout out to Kate Lee of KLEE photography for some great photos.

Piewatch – Who is Ryan Inglis?

Ryan Inglis – This question reminds me of that scene in ‘Anger Management’ where Adam Sandler is asked to describe himself. Ryan Inglis is someone who genuinely believes in Karma and acts appropriately so… he wishes no harm to anyone and does his best to be friendly and cooperative at all times. If you were to step on my toes I would simply keep walking and let fate deal with it. I don’t think there’s enough time in life to be vengeful. I like expressing myself but I only find I can do it through music. I’m not a heart on my sleeve type of guy though; I hold cards to my chest until the very last minute. I do believe in myself to be capable of doing anything but have a tendency to listen to Mr Self Doubt all too often. I can be very sensitive to criticism but I welcome it all the same. I like to set myself little goals in life and when I have something in my sights I see it through until the end. I am little self depreciating but not in a terminal downward spiral kind of way… I think it keeps my feet on the ground. Generally I am a happy person who feels very grateful that he gets to do what he does and that other people like listening to the noises I make.

‘My Weakness’ gives a good insight into the way I think and feel about myself… or at least did at the time of writing

“I wish I could show you how I feel but I don’t know if who I am is real”

Piewatch – What have you been up to recently?

Ryan Inglis – Recently I have been driving back from Cornwall where I played a couple of venues ‘VERTIGO‘ and ‘EIGHTBAR‘ it was organised by my friend Tony Haven (lap tapping guitarist & promoter).  I am currently looking for new audiences to play to and new places to visit – and new people to meet. After last years hard work, I have now set a goal to do even more… but I would like to exchange quantity for quality. My next real ambition is to play to room of people who have paid a few quid to listen and sing along with my songs. I can’t think of anything better. My ambition used to be to have a CD of my own material – 4 years later I did. It has taken me a year and a half to sell the damn things but it was totally worth it. Although I won’t be putting myself through that kind of financial uncertainty again!

I recorded an acoustic version of ‘You’re The Voice’ by John Farnham a few days ago (click here to listen) and like to keep peoples interest by covering songs that no one else does. A few others for example are ‘Talk Show Host’ – Radiohead, ‘Red Alert’ – Basement Jaxx & ‘Woman Trouble’ – Artful Dodger all of which can be found online on YouTube and such

Aside from recording acoustic covers and booking gigs I have also been spending time in the studio with my other project ‘VTKTM’ (Home/Myspace) .It’s completely different to what you might expect from me but when I was first learning the guitar all I would play were riffs from Led Zeppelin, Linkin’ Park Papa Roach… that sort of thing. I always wanted to be that kind of guitarist, nothing flashy just awesome riffage that anyone can play and feel good about. With this band I get to do just that. It’s a hip-hop/rock crossover band with catchy choruses and great musicianship. Everyone in the band are amazing at what they do. Our first gig is in W-s-M on 30th Jan at DB’s on Oxford Street

I am currently looking to get remixes done of my original material. So far DJ Paul C has done a funky house version of Destiny. Eventually I would like to have versions of every song or at least 5 or 6 and then release online and share the profits with the remixer person. You can check out Paul C vs Ryan Inglis “Destiny” here:

Also I have started writing a music column for the Weston Echo online newspaper (link) and I teach a few people guitar here and there.

Piewatch – When did you first start making music?

Ryan Inglis – My first songs were recorded on my little Fostex 4 track cassette recorder when I was about 18/19. The guy who lived a few doors down inherited it from his brother who had recently passed away and gave it to me. I still have it. It’s like a piece of my history that I will never part with as with my first guitar. I’m not sure what the first song was but ‘There’s A Scene’ was definitely one of the earliest as well as ‘Sometimes’ there are songs I started writing that long ago that I still haven’t finished… I just don’t want to release anything until I’m totally pleased that it fulfils its purpose. I like my songs to be neat little packages that contain everything it needs to get an idea across or to get something off my chest. If it’s not ready it stays in the ‘to do’ pile

Piewatch – You’re involved with Footprint, what is it and how did you get involved?

Ryan Inglis – ‘Footprint’ is a fund raising vehicle aimed at helping young musicians who need financial help i.e. with equipment they can’t afford or taking courses they need. Anyone can register an application for a bursary award but we really only award those who have shown a high level of ability, excellence or just hard work and effort. It’s no free lunch. These events also benefit the bands that perform to help raise the money in the first place… for example in 2007 we put on a gig at Cardiff’s Hard Rock Café and had The Automatic headlining (when Monster had only been out for a short time) My band played as well as The Sketch (no longer together but working on individual projects) and Viva Machine. Last year we held an event at The Playhouse in W-s-M that was a kind of talent contest. The winners received prizes donated by local music business, the radio and also from companies such as Tanglewood, Roland & Sennheiser. There is literally much much more to tell you but it would best to look on the website if you want to know more. Anyone is welcome to contact me at ryan@footprint.org.uk for further details

‘Footprint’ is also the title of one of my songs

Piewatch – Who are your musical influences? Any unexpected ones?

Ryan Inglis – Radiohead are definitely at the top of the list because they couldn’t write an obvious song if they tried. Everything they come up with is totally unique and out of the box… in fact they’re so out the box I don’t think they know what a box even is.  John Mayer is another due to the way he plays guitar more than anything; it took me 3 months to perfect ‘Neon’ I remember hearing it and wondering how the hell that noise was being created. Others include Andy McKee, Erik Mongrain for their guitar prowess and Foo Fighters for the rock your socks of with a kick ass melody aspect! I defy anyone to write a song as perfect as ‘The Pretender’

As far as unexpected influences go I could name loads… My mum got me into Dire Straits when I was younger and Daniel Bedingfield is a fantastic singer, he’s got some awesome vocal melodies in his repertoire. I also like Supergrass – ‘In It For The Money’ is prob an all time favourite album of mine.

Piewatch – You’re a musician who’s involved in teaching and event organizing, playing both in a band and as a soloist.  What are the pro’s and con’s of each of these?

Ryan Inglis – Well the cons are probably not being able to have much ‘me’ time but I don’t like me much so actually it works out well. Teaching is great if the student really has an interest in learning. If I can impart some of my knowledge on someone they are welcome to it (for a small fee of course) The event organising isn’t such a big time consumer but it’s great to be involved with a project that helps so many people. This year’s event will be in W-s-M on August 8^th… more details to follow but I can tell you it is an all-day ‘family’ orientated extravaganza. < this is now officially my favourite word!

Being in a band would be a massive pain in the bum if it wasn’t for the fact that the musicians I work with are so professional and able to ‘blag’ songs at a gig if need be. We are slightly guilty of being a bit lax in that sense but any mistakes are barely noticeable to beer swilling public who just want to join in on the chorus of Summer of 69. Of course having to learn the lyrics to so many songs has its troubles but it doesn’t feel like a chore to sit at home for a few hours practising. VTKTM on the other hand is very serious and we rehearse very hard.

Piewatch – We notice you’re a big fan of YouTube, what’s your favourite track you have covered on YouTube and why?

Ryan Inglis – YouTube is one of the greatest things to happen to the world as it has allowed everyone to be in the public eye… some might argue this is a bad thing in some cases but you can’t deny its power to get to people. I asked a friend of mine to record a couple of my gigs in the summer of 2008 just after a close friend of mine had died suddenly. He was a great singer/songwriter called Max Shillinglaw (link).  PLEASE listen to STARLIGHT.  He didn’t leave behind the kind of legacy I sincerely believe he was capable of and unfortunately his recordings didn’t do him enough justice. He really had a good presence on stage and sing along songs… It’s a shame his songs may never be heard. I have written a few songs with him in mind ‘Footprint’ ‘Destiny’ & ‘Wonderkid’ the latter being a song nearing completion. So I digress… I wanted to make sure there was something of me to see once I am gone from this earth – the videos in total racked up a total of around 150,000 hits in about 6 months and is steadily increasing still.

My favourite cover is prob the latest one (You’re The Voice) but I also have some vids up where I am collaborating with friends in the music community like this one with Matt Baker or this one with Lorna Thomas  but there are like 150-200 vids on there I think so happy hunting for your favourite!

Piewatch – Is Ryan Inglis cooler in a band or as a solo artist?

Ryan Inglis – Ryan Inglis is so cool he doesn’t need to answer this question… but

Well that’s totally subjective. Personally I can’t wait to be playing VTKTM stuff live as it will be a complete departure to what I’m used to. When I’m singing acoustically it’s generally just me, a guitar, a mic and a stool. Arguably not much to look at… but with the band there’s an element of movement and aggression that some might find more appealing and maybe a little ‘cooler’

Piewatch – What are your biggest achievements to date (both musically and personally)? You released an album in 2008, what would you do differently releasing your next?

Ryan Inglis - Recording and releasing my acoustic album has definitely been what I would consider a major milestone in my life (which counts for both personally and professionally)

I have played at the C.I.A in Cardiff as part of an acoustic trio and supported Chesney Hawkes, The Automatic, Colin MacIntyre & Erik Mongrain. I would love the chance to get some other support slots with established artists.

I entered Live & Unsigned in 2008 and got through to the national finals in London. That’s the top 10 out of 10,000 entrants! Suffice to say I felt very proud to get that far.

Last year I did just shy of 200 live performances which I think is a testament to my work ethic and venues wanting to book me back time and time and again well in advance. Not every gig is a paid gig I hasten to add but CD sales through out the year def covered the petrol costs

Passing my driving test in April was a major personal achievement for me as I had a massive stigma about if for years due to various reasons. I now drive all over the south-west and south-east in search of work

Being in the STP hall of fame often gives me a wry smile and hearing I was at the top of the BEBO charts was amazing too.

KLEE photography has taken some amazing shots of me over the year of 2009. You can see her work here.  She has been a massive help to me and she deserves a lot of credit in general for increasing the appeal of local acts by making them look good

I have had lots of Radio coverage in my local area.  STAR 107.7FM have been very helpful with regards to getting me to play live on their shows. For example Chris Wakeling hosts ‘The Edge’ on Sunday nights that aims to showcase local original music. My interview for that show is here: (PART 1/PART 2)

Also I have been on BBC Bristol radio, Andover Radio & QuayWest. I have recordings of all radio appearances and will no doubt put them all online in one neat package at some point for everyone to giggle at. I have a terrible radio voice!

I came third in a Bristol based singer songwriter contest last July called Axe Factor. I am still in talks with Viper music to be signed as an artist with them.  Miss Skarlet came 2nd and Jemma Rycroft won but chose not to pursue the contract option.

My facebook group is now over 1800 members and still growing you can join the group here and be kept updated with everything I get up to. Although be warned… you may receive the odd message because I am a busy little bee.

I am currently in talks with a guitar string manufacturer for an endorsement. They actually contacted me which was a surprise. Keep your eyes peeled for more.

I think that’s most of the meat and bones… The rest of what I do are small victories such as learning how to make my first cheesecake and solving a Rubik’s cube in fewer than 3 mins

Piewatch – You are highly rated and a previous Slicethepie showcase artist.  How have you found Slicethepie and the scout reviews?

Ryan Inglis – The reviews first of all came as a complete surprise. A friend of mine at the time called Lenny Savage told me about the site and within the first few months my average was high enough to get into showcases and people were talking about my music on the forums. I felt like a lucky little boy! If you can impress the reviewers on there then you are doing a good job; because of the anonymity of each review you get truth and truth is definitely what’s needed. Most criticisms I have received have been minor ones thankfully

The site itself is a great tool for promotion and really does serve its purpose in insuring the cream, as it were, rises to the top. Unfortunately though, as with anything, if you don’t write songs with broad appeal you can get left behind. Those diamonds in the rough usually get picked eventually though. I’ve been using the site since 2007 I think. I’ve missed out on financing twice to other acts I think but I’m not bitter… Although I do like the taste of sour grapes: they taste like ‘try harder’ and ‘stop complaining’!

Also thanks to you guys at Pie Watch more artists are getting the chance to have their voices heard and I for one thank you for your work.

Piewatch – You describe your music as “Music you see”. Can you expand on this?

Ryan Inglis – Well this ‘slogan’ was dreamt up during a meeting with VIPER music (Record label based in the Bristol area) we were trying to make what I do more of a brand and to simplify aspects of what I do into one sentence. We decided that because my style of guitar playing is apparently quite interesting to watch and that my lyrics stir up images in the listeners mind (allegedly) plus the fact I am better to watch live than hear on a CD that the phrase ‘music you see’ applies pretty well.

If you haven’t seen me play live then I guess it doesn’t make a whole lotta sense… so what you waiting for? Come see me.

Piewatch – You do a lot of gigging around the South West, any memorable moments?

Ryan Inglis – Mmmm, well let me think. To be honest I haven’t had too many nightmare gigs but on Boxing Day a fight broke out in the pub I was playing and it went on for about 10-15mins. I continued playing and even threw in a version of Help by the Beatles… anyone not involved in the scuffle appreciated the sentiment and the fact that I was un-phased by the situation and just carried on as normal.

Piewatch – If you could have any super power what would it be?

Ryan Inglis – I would like to be able to instantly know what would make a person happy or cheer them up. You know how those small things really make the biggest difference… well I’d like to able to give someone that piece of gum when their mouth is all yucky or let them use my phone when they have no credit left. That sort of thing

Piewatch – Elvis dead or alive?

Ryan Inglis – Even if he was alive he’d be so old by now that he would be dead

Piewatch – Any irrational phobias?

Ryan Inglis – Not a phobia as such but I hate eggs. I hate the taste, smell, texture as well as its aesthetic qualities… it’s basically an insult on all my senses. Except for hearing… but if it did make a sound I would no doubt despise it!

Piewatch – Any message for the fans?

Ryan Inglis – I would like to say a huge thank you to those of you who have bought my material either by CD or on iTunes. The difference a few quid makes is quite big. Music is easy to get for free these days and for buying it from me is very much appreciated. Also thanks for coming to see me at gigs and singing along with my songs… I cannot convey the way it makes me feel in words but it’s a great thing.

Be sure to check Ryan Inglis out on the following sites;

Additionally;

Secondary Myspace

BandEngine (2009 BETRA Award Winner)

SoundCloud

VTKTM

For bookings and info add Ryan on MSN at ryanjingles@hotmail.com

Seasons Greetings and welcome to our Artist Of The Month for December! Congratulations to Paul Shevlin, you might have heard this chaps name mentioned around the forum, or you may have had the extreme pleasure of hearing his tracks in the Scoutroom. For those who didn’t, Paul is a little known Northern Irish Singer Songwriter with a huge talent. Formally a member of Franklins Kite, a pretty awesome Northern Irish folk band.

Paul is obviously a talented musician and at the tender age of 17 produces some excellent piano driven melodies! So, as ever sit back, grab a mince pie, flip the track on and have a read and most importantly enjoy… a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Piewatch - Care to introduce yourself for those who haven’t heard you?

I’m Paul, I’m 17 and I’m from Northern Ireland…I feel we’re all a little bit closer now.

Piewatch – Is this a permanent move away from Franklins Kite, or a side project?

I’m afraid this is permanent…mainly because Franklins Kite are no more. Andrew and Jonny are now “The 1930s” and they’re awesome.

Piewatch - What have you been up to recently?

I’ve been working on the new recordings and writing a bit. I’d like to say I’ve been gigging but gigs are hard to come by over here.

Piewatch - When did you first start making music?

My first instrument was the flute, I wasn’t a particularly macho kid let’s face it. It wasn’t till a few years ago I realised that the piano could actually be cool. After that I wrote a song for the first time after listening to Duke Special, who I completely ripped off. It wasn’t till a few months ago that I sort of found my sound so to speak.

Piewatch – What would you say is your biggest musical achievement to date?

Playing the Ulster Hall in Belfast was pretty amazing…even if it was for some talent show thing. Apart from that I had my tracks played on BBC Radio Ulster recently which was kind of cool, I’m easily pleased.

Piewatch – Who are your major influences?

At the minute Foy Vance is a massive influence because I can’t stop listening to his album “Hope”. Apart from him I really like singer/songwriters like Ben Folds, Duke Special, Damien Rice, and Billy Joel…etc. Then obviously who can forget The Beatles.

Piewatch – What is your best rated track on STP? Why do you feel this is?

I think it’s “You Won’t Last The Night”, probably because it’s the most upbeat out of all the tracks and it has tambourine, and who doesn’t love tambourine?

Piewatch – Were you surprised by the response you got?

I was surprised actually, sometimes I feel a bit weird about my style of music so it’s comforting to know some people like it. I used to have moments where after listening to some great “rockin’” bands like Biffy Clyro I’d feel the need to change my sound in order to be cool…but I play piano…so that wasn’t going to happen. It took a while but right now I’m completely comfortable in the music I play because it’s me.

Piewatch – Where and when can we buy the tracks?

I’m not too sure about this one, if someone can let me know how to get them on iTunes then let the bidding commence.

Piewatch – Who do you currently like in the charts?

I’m not really much of a chart lover myself so I’m going to say “Rage Against the Machine”!

Piewatch – Our fave track out of the ones uploaded is “You Won’t Last The Night”, which is your favourite and why?

I’d say “More Than This” or maybe “6:00”. Not for their actual tunes just for the fact that I wrote them about things that mean a lot to me personally.

Piewatch – Are you interested in potentially being financed from Slicethepie?

I would love to be financed…finance me?

Piewatch – If you received the £15k financing tomorrow, what would be the first thing you’d buy?

A dirty, great, grand piano!

Piewatch – What’s next for you / Franklins Kite?

For me – trying to find some gigs!
For FK – greatest hits compilation.

Piewatch – If you could have any super power what would it be?

I’m going to say invisibility so I could just lift objects in front of people and see their face.

Piewatch – Elvis dead or alive?

That question sounds like a “Western Wanted poster”. But yes, Elvis can never die. Somewhere there is a painting of him in an attic getting older.

Piewatch – Any irrational phobias?

I’m not great with spiders…then again who is?

Piewatch – Hobnobs or Digestives?

Hobnobs!

Piewatch - Any last words?

Thank you for having me!

Show your love for Paul at

Once we heard Laura Broad for the first time, this decision was possibly the easiest we’ve ever had to make. Laura has over 5000 subscribers on Youtube has collaborated with some top songwriters and covered a heck of a lot of mainstream tracks to absolute perfection. Read on for all you could ever need to know about Laura Broad, our Artist of the Month for November!

Piewatch - Hi Laura, congratulations on becoming our Artist of The Month for November!

Thank you very much. I love the ethos here; it’s amazing to think of the opportunities slicethepie can give unsigned artists. I feel very privileged.

Piewatch - Your music encompasses many styles and genres? Which do you feel most comfortable with?

Well, I’m influenced by so many different genres and styles of music from classical, rock through to pop and soul, so it’s very hard to say I am comfortable with one specific genre. When writing I love getting lost in the creative moment and seeing how it turns out, whether it be a simple acoustic song, or a fully produced pop r’n’b number. Sometimes I write with a concept or feeling in mind, but in my experience the most interesting work comes from not trying too hard to fit a pre-existing mould. I don’t see anything wrong with being versatile, as long as you can truly connect with and convey the message in the song. Music is after all, about communication and staying true to yourself is an important part being successful.

Piewatch - Have you read into the Slicethepie concept, we noticed Baroli Music uploaded three tracks you collaborated on, would you be interested in financing?

I think I would need to research it more before I could confidently provide an answer to that.

Piewatch - Do you still play with a full band (as heard in “Crash”) or are you generally a “solo” artist?

I have always been a solo artist first and foremost, even with Crash, which although it has a ‘live feel’ to it, has always been a solo track. Saying that I have had stints in groups such power pop rock band called ‘Psycho Baby’, where we even got so far as performing on the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury in 2008. However, I have always felt more focused and that I can give more of myself in my solo work.

Piewatch - When did you first realise you had a talent for making music?

I have been singing ever since I can remember, but was very shy with it and used to lock myself away whenever anyone else was around, because I would get embarrassed. In my teen years I began to get a bit more confident singing in choirs and performing for friends and family. I remember at 15 my mum came home one day with a Spanish acoustic guitar, and I thought it was the most amazing gift – I swear I didn’t put it down for a month and that’s when I wrote my first song.

Piewatch - Who are your musical influences? Any unexpected ones?

Joni Mitchell, Sarah Brightman, Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge), Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Enya, Whitney Houston, Leona Lewis, Lea Salonga, Nerina Pallot, Amy Lee and Stevie Wonder & Vo Fletcher. Unexpected ones may be Tchaikovsky or Tangerine Dream (inspired from my favourite childhood movies).

Piewatch - What would you say is your biggest achievement to date?

Do I get brownie points for saying Artist of the Month on Piewatch? (Hehe). Being serious, I would have to say performing at Glastonbury 2008, or being a finalist in an online singing contest which meant I got to perform with Dave Stewart (Eurhythmics) at the Tower Of London Festival in 2007. It was quite funny at the Dave Stewart concert, because I really wanted to say hello to Bob Geldoff. He was sat on a chair at the side of the stage, but he looked so miserable I quickly withdrew. It was like he had an invisible force field of personal space that warned ‘do not enter’. That was disappointing, but everything else about it was incredible.

Piewatch - We notice you’re a big fan of YouTube, what’s your favourite track you have covered on YouTube and why?

This is a hard one for me, because each video catalogues a particular point in my life and embodies a mood or event, all of which are personal to me in some way. Saying that my current favourites are my latest cover of Leona Lewis’s ‘Happy’, which is the most relevant to be me currently, but I also like Pie Jesu because it shows a completely different side to my persona.

Piewatch - We noticed your wonderful YouTube video of ‘Pie Jesu’. Do you come from an operatic/classical background?

Thank you, I’m glad you liked it. I was classically trained from the ages of 11 to 16. I would stay after school and spend my school lunch times having singing lessons or having choir practices, so I was a bit of a music geek compared to the rest of my friends. Saying that, classical singing is a highly disciplined form and it required a lot of time and effort, in fact my teacher and I were certain that it was the direction for me to go in at the time and I often thought about going into Opera. However, I also loved listening to Eva Cassidy, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion and desperately wanted to be able to sing more freely like them, and thus began my break away from Classical to a more soulful pop sound. Looking back I am grateful for having classical tuition and I think it’s benefitted me immensely to have had that grounding. I’d definitely like to revisit classical singing one day.

Piewatch - Baroli Music song writing team up, who approached who? What was it like working together?

Baroli Music found me on MySpace about 18 months ago, saying that they had  watched a video of me singing ‘Hurt’ by Christina Aguilera on YouTube and thought they just had to get in contact. The rest they say is history, and we have enjoyed working together, with at least seven completed songs to date. Two of the tracks were recorded over in the Faroe Islands, where they are based (Belong To You and No me Without You), but the later tracks such as Crash and Frozen were all recorded in my bedroom via remote control over the internet! I’d load up Pro Tools and we could sit in session together, with them engineering the track on my computer screen- Oh the power of modern technology! However not so good when your little brother is using up all the bandwidth or you have a dodgy internet connection! He he. I have also been fortunate enough to have written with some other fantastic people, namely guitarist/musician Vo Fletcher (Fairport Convention) well as currently with DJ/Producer Matt Humphrey for my latest collaboration. It’s definitely all go, but I am just happy that I can be creative.

Piewatch - Sum your music up in 5 words?

Dynamic, diverse, expressive, melodic & transcendent.

Piewatch - What is the best gig you have played and why?

Still a tie between Glastonbury Festival and Dave Stewart at Tower Of London Festival.

Piewatch - What is your favourite song you have written and what is it describing?

It has to be the first song I ever wrote when I was 15 ‘Living Lullaby’. It’s dedicated to my mother and depicts the difficulties of letting go of childhood to step into adulthood. Vo Fletcher and I regularly perform it at our gigs and you can hear it on our MySpace page: www.myspace.com/laurabroadvofletcher

Piewatch - If you received the £15,000 tomorrow what would be the first thing you would buy?

I don’t think I would go crazy and spend it all frivolously. I’d probably put in savings, until I had figured out how best to allocate the funds to promote and create my music.

Piewatch - Who do you currently like in the charts?

My favourites are Leona Lewis, as I can really relate to her music. I’m also loving Snow Patrol’s latest stuff; I always stop what I am doing when their song, ‘Just Say Yes’ comes on the radio. I like my pop injection and have to admit that the Saturday’s latest album is rather good to sing and dance along to!

Piewatch - If you could have any super power what would it be?

I have had dreams about flying in the past and it always seems pretty cool. Yeah sign me up for flying superpowers. Other than that, to be able to instinctively know when people are genuine or not.

Piewatch - Elvis dead or alive?

I don’t think it matters; he is a legend in music history regardless.

Piewatch - Any irrational phobias?

Strangely I’ve not been able to sleep at night recently, for fear of ‘something’ coming into my room. Yes I am a wuss – I have been sleeping with the light on. I also hate the sound of metal scourers on metal pans- this was ever since I worked as a pot washer at a busy carvery when I was 16.*shudder*

Piewatch - McDonalds or Burger King?

Neither if I had a choice, as they both have about as much nutritional value as a tub of wheel bearing grease and leave you uncomfortably dissatisfied. However, McDonalds slightly redeem themselves in that they bought out salads, but in the unlikely event that they stock them, I find that they have always run out of dressing, or the salad has gone slimy. So yeah, I’m going to just go off on a tangent and say Subway. Eat Fresh.

Piewatch - What do you have planned for the near future?

I’ve got loads of gigs coming up over Christmas and they are listed over at www.myspace.com/laurabroad So people can check to see if they can come along. It’s always great to have support at public performances. The plan is to keep writing, keep active on the internet and with my performances. Who knows what 2010 hold’s in store, but I have a good feeling about it, so watch this space.

Piewatch - Thanks Laura & again congratulations! Any last thoughts for your fans?

I would just like to say thank you for all your support you have shown me over these past couple of years. It’s been a journey fraught with incredible highs and extreme lows, but I’m so glad you are on the ride with me- without you I don’t think I could dusted myself off as many times as I have done. I just hope it’s not too long before I am living the dream: selling records and seeing you at my shows around the world.
Peace
Lau x

Need more Laura Broad? Check her out at:

Introducing another fantabulous Artist of the Month.  With exceptional vocal talent, some great sponsorship deals and featured on the Ellen De Generes show, this month’s choice was an easy decision! So congratulations to Ellie Lawson, an amazingly talented artist currently raising finance on Slicethepie and our Piewatch ’Artist of the Month’ for October! Enjoy!

Ellie and Ellen... Proof!

Piewatch - When did you first realise you had a talent for making music?

I used to sing for hours into my great aunts tape recorder when I was young and make up songs for my friends at school but it never occurred to me that I had a talent as I just did it without thinking about it. It all got forgotten about until I was 17 as I started scatting along to the instrumentals on the back of hip hop records I bought by ‘A Tribe called Quest’. I realised that even though I was babbling, a lot of my lyrics were making sense so I set about recording myself and also writing pages of lyrics in wonder at what I might discover! I was hooked and my journey kept me that way as I got deeper and deeper into it by learning the guitar, using recording equipment, making beats and writing proper songs. I realised that this could actually be something that I could do as a career when I made friends with a music journalist in a bar and he said my music was ‘interesting and different.’

Piewatch - What would you say is your biggest achievement to date?

My biggest achievement to date is definitely performing on the Ellen De Generes show and her saying that she predicts I will be the “hugest, hugest star” I watched the recording the other day on youtube actually and having such a sincere and talented woman say that is a great feeling.

Piewatch - Who are your musical influences? Any unexpected ones?

Yes definitely! My journey got started with A Tribe called Quest, I have been motivated by the wise words of artists like KRS One, Guru, Lauren Hill, My voice and my song writing has been inspired by Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman. I would say that I have been greatly influenced by my own subconscious voice which I’ve captured by recording my free styling, listening back and rewriting what I hear!

Piewatch - Moving onto your first album “The Philosophy Tree”, when was it released and was it well received?

I released it independently with Barnes and Noble bookshops in August 2005 as an exclusive in 400 of their stores and I did a bookshop tour. They placed copies by the tills and played it in store. I got loads of emails from fans saying they went into the store to buy a book and came out with my CD. They bought 25,000 copies from me so for an independent release it was a pretty good one!

Ellie Lawson, the face or legs in this case of Quiksilver Women!

Piewatch - How did the Quiksilver deal come about and what doors has it opened?

The marketing manager approached me on Myspace and asked me if I would be interested. I met her in her hotel in London and she chose me to be the first ambassador for the new clothing range called Quiksilver Women as my music, image, story and attitude totally fit. It was amazing for me to be given lots of brand new clothes as they are exactly the style I wear! It has opened so many doors for me as what they are doing is basically the future of the music industry. Partnering up with brands, especially respected ones makes so much sense. They are promoting me in Europe, USA and Australia, have paid for my new music video and I have played in their stores. Its a very natural and grass roots type sponsorship which is pretty unique to Quiksilver.

Piewatch - Congratulations on reaching a showcase on Slicethepie, how do you plan on turning your fans into investors?

I plan on turning my fans into investors by telling them what a huge difference their investment will actually do for my project. It makes so much sense that if you love an artist you would invest in their future, especially if that means you will gain financially from it too. This is the right way of doing things because by giving say 10 pounds in advance you are actively involved in helping make an absolutely amazing next record by giving the confidence, support, total motivation to succeed and the fundamental ability to afford a decent studio and engineer. Plus, because the fans will actually make money from that investment when that album is successful and will get a copy of the album a year later its a total win/win and a really exciting and fulfilling way of spending money! It is so much better than a record label giving the money which means nothing to them and nothing to the artist. The fans investing the money make it really meaningful.

Ellie waiting for the train....

Piewatch - What is your favourite song you have written and what is it describing?

It’s difficult to choose because I love all my songs for different reasons but my favourite song currently is ‘Apple’ because it feels relevant to me right now. It’s about making sense of my life, being true to myself and sticking to the path. It’s a song of hope and intrigue and it’s poetic and creative. I’ve just made a video for it with brilliant animation.

Piewatch – What is your best rated track on STP? Why do you feel this is?

The best rated track is ‘Strong’. It’s got an extremely high rating and this is definitely because it is my most universal tracks. The lyrics in the chorus are “You don’t make me strong anymore and I know I’ve got to walk away, I’ve got to be brave.” Everyone has a situation large or small that isn’t serving them anymore and which they need to change and I think people have connected with the way the message and melody work in a very honest and sincere way.

Piewatch - If you achieved financing tomorrow what would be the first thing you would buy?

I would get straight in the studio and stay there for as long as I can. I would buy an apple computer and a video camera and I would send my Slice the pie investor’s videos of how I am getting on in the studio every week with studio jams and previews to new songs and ideas.

Piewatch - Who do you currently like in the charts?

I love Muse and I like a little bit of Jamie T, his lyrics and flow. I am in to artists with messages and there aren’t that many. There’s scroobious pip, but he’s not in the charts. I have a marmite thing with Lily Allen, I like that she that speaks her mind but I wish that she’d sing more about bigger issues than fickle relationships, but then I feel that way about a lot of artists in the charts.

Ellie Live!

Piewatch - If you could have any super power what would it be?

To freeze time so I can sit and think and have all the time in the world on my own and with the people I love. Time flies too fast!

Piewatch - Elvis dead or alive?

He could definitely be alive.

Piewatch – Any irrational phobias?

Seeing a picture of Tony Blair makes me want to throw things at it…but a lot of people would probably think that was very rational!

Piewatch - We have a picture of STP Chris on the Piewatch HQ wall, but that’s another story….Anyway, sorry! McDonalds or Burger King?

You must be joking! I gave that rubbish up years ago! Nowadays when I get on a train and someone is eating it I can smell the chemicals in the food that I didn’t used to notice at all. Scary.

Piewatch - Respect! Any last words?

Thanks for reading this! Hook up with me on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook.  I will be officially releasing Lost songs in the new year and will have tons of fun events, videos and new material. Write to me, love, Ellie xx

Piewatch hearts Ellie, check her out on

Tarsha - Lead Vox , Darren Edwards - Drums , Patrick Morgan - Bass , Jimmy Douglas - Guitar

Welcome to Septembers Artist Of The Month! This month we bring you Tarsha; an “up and coming” rock star who once toured with a band named Addlers Appetite, who apparently had a drummer who played for Guns & Roses?? Too good to be true? We were keen to find out! Having started up his own band, appropriately named ‘Tarsha’, this LA based hard rock outfit are geared up and ready to do big things! This month we were innundated with questions for the man himself. If your question(s) made the page, congratulations! A ninja backslap is en route! Enjoy!

Piewatch - Hi Tarsha! Let’s start with the question everyone has been asking. Why did you decide to leave Adler’s Appetite?

I joined Adler’s Appetite in 2005 and at the time, it seemed like my big break. I mean, there I am, the lead singer in a band with the drummer of Guns N Roses! Next thing I know, I’m traveling around the world, playing sold out concerts, signing autographs, living like a rockstar… It was surreal! After a few tours however, the reality started setting in that it was not the overall success I had intended.  On our European Tour in 2006, Steven’s drug usage spiraled out of control, and he left me and the band stranded in Germany with no money and no way home. After hitchhiking across the Atlantic Ocean, I began writing and recording material for my own band. Then, earlier this year, Steven was apparently sober and he asked me if I would go on a US tour with him, performing the old GnR songs again. I did the tour, but quickly realized my heart was in making my own music. I wished him well and moved on to continue working with my own band.

Piewatch – Do you think the experience has set you up for independent success?

Absolutely. It got my name out there and I made a lot of connections.

Piewatch – What are your aims to achieve outside investment?

We are spreading the word via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, etc… The response has been great and there seems to be a lot of people that are interested in investing.

Piewatch - Would you be able to use your previous contacts in terms of production/promotion etc?

Definitely.  I’ve maintained relationships with agents, managers, promoters, and several media outlets that continue to support my band’s efforts.

Piewatch – How far from being ready to record the album are you?

We’re ready now!

Piewatch – Any chance of sales figures for the 2006 album please?

From the start, I realized that the Prophecies CD was going to be more of a preliminary promotional effort to find my target audience and develop a fanbase. With that goal in mind, I focused my efforts toward Internet radio, online reviews, and making new fans on MySpace. I sent the music to over 5,000 Internet radio stations and mailed out over 1000 CDs to various industry contacts. While the actual sales were only enough to recoup my expenses, I was able to achieve chart status on the Rock Top 30 Internet radio charts for 77 consecutive weeks and accumulate over 750,000 plays on MySpace.

Piewatch – Why do you feel you deserve to achieve finance and what are you aims in terms of success?

It’s been said that if you can make fans, you can sell records, and we’re all about making new fans! Whether it’s playing live or promoting online, we’re very active when it comes to reaching out and turning people on to our music. Achieving finance will make it possible for us to reach a much larger audience and expand our current fanbase.

Piewatch – A lot of the members of STP are from the UK. What is your opinion on the music that’s coming out of here at the moment? Also What do you feel is different about the US & UK metal sound?

The UK seems to have always been on the forefront of popular music. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath… these are bands that more or less shaped the sound of all bands to come thereafter. That’s not to say that the US hasn’t had it’s share of influential artists. Where would we be without Van Halen, Guns N Roses, and Nirvana? I think there’s been a healthy stylistic exchange between bands from the US and the UK that has caused music to grow and evolve.  As far as the differences, the musical approach of bands from the UK seems to be more organic in nature as opposed to the more commercialized approach of many US bands.

Piewatch – Who is the main songwriter in the group, or is it a collective team effort?

I am the sole songwriter in the band.

Piewatch – Describe Tarsha’s sound in 5 words.

Hard rock blended with metal.

Piewatch – What’s the best gig you’ve played and why?

The best gig I’ve played so far was a sold out concert in Argentina with Adler’s Appetite. Being on that stage and singing for all those people was one of the most amazing experiences. The crowd knew every word to every song and sang along, at times louder than the PA! It was awesome. When our album is finished, I’d like to go back and perform there again.

Piewatch – What would you say is your biggest achievement to date?

Touring the world with one of my idols.

Piewatch - Who do you currently like in the charts?

There’s a lot of great music out there. My favorites right now are Muse, Shinedown, and Kings of Leon.

Piewatch – If you could have any super power what would it be?

I’d have the unlimited-funds-to-record-and-release-albums-independently-and-headline-sold-out-stadiums-for-the-rest-of-my-life super power!

Piewatch – Elvis dead or alive?

Let The King rest in peace already!

Piewatch - Any irrational phobias?

I can be a perfectionist at times.

Piewatch – Mcdonalds or Burger King?

Golden Arches!

Piewatch – Any last words for the fans?

INVEST!

Love Tarsha as much as we do? Make sure you catch them on…

Piewatch - When did you first realise you had a talent for making music?

My father is a professional musician, so comparing myself to him, it was hard to get to the point of realisation of whether my songs were any good or not. He was a pretty harsh critic at first! So it wasn’t until I started winning song competitions at festivals that I realised they might actually be good enough.

Piewatch – What would you say is your biggest achievement to date?

Well my career is a series of achievements, each one important to me as the last, as they are all stepping stones to wider exposure. The JB seed Award I got was really very helpful though – it provided $10,000 worth of assistance with a radio plugger, a Publicist and the means to advertise my CD launch and tours for the release of my last EP. It also led to the Rolling Stone article and CD compilation which in turn led to more good exposure.

Piewatch - Who are your musical influences? Any unexpected ones?

All the melodic songwriters like McCartney, Lennon, Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Buckley,Rufus Wainwright.  “Sing Like Buckley” is a song about all my musical influences I wrote it in a Beatleesque style as a tribute to my early influences.  But I am also very influenced by literature,stories and dreams, things that happen to me. When I co-write it is the talent of the other writer, that inspires me. So for example when I write the piano songs with Luke Howard his amazing musicality makes it easy for me to develop a melody line and lyrcis to go with such beautiful chords. When I wrote electro pop with a young producer here, he says  “I have an idea about X” and his passion sparks something and I can write a melody and lyrics in no time. He makes it all sound great with the doubling, the reverb. the cut and pasting of sections, the loops…..

Piewatch – We notice you have won quite a few songwriting awards! Care to share the details?

Well initially I started winning the local awards and then I wondered how my songs would go in a larger arena I started winning national awards then I got some international awards.. I try not to go in competitions that cost a lot of money to enter unless I feel the song is exceptionally well suited to it.  I think I know now if a song has the ability to win or do well in a certain award.  I wouldn’t go in a  song competition that gave  a recording deal as the prize. I want to be able to choose who I get into business with on a more personal level.

I think the APRA Award I won in 2004 was helpful as it gave me standing in the songwriting community (50,000 songwriters are members), APRA is the  organistion that registers song here. I have my eye on the New Artist to Radio award at some stage as well – but it is a matter of timing. It gives a huge amount of help when a song is ready to go on radio.

Here is a list from my Sonicbids website:
2009: United Nations/ Fender Music Foundation selection of “Sleepy Head” for international compilation.
2008: NAB ( National Australia Bank) Songwriting Competition entry “Sing like Buckley” awarded “Outstanding” status.
2007:Top 10, Pop, national New Artists 2 Radio (NA2R)
Glenn Shorrock Scholarship Award – Special Mention.
2006: JB (John Butler) Seed Award and Grant
Musicoz Finalist (Alternative)
Honourable Mention Singer/Songwriter Awards (UK)  (Let it out)
Soundheaven FBI Radio (Sydney) Recording prize
Honorable Mention – Peace Driven Song Awards  (US)
Honorable Mention- Singer/Songwriter Awards (UK) (Under my Skin)
2005:International Unisong Competition- Pop Ballad 4th place (Under my Skin)
ASA (Australian Songwriters’ Association) – Finalist Folk/Acoustic (It’s Crazy Baby).
2004: APRA Songwriter Award
Musicoz – Top 10 Finalist – Pop Category
Best New Artist – Sound Vault, Melbourne
2003:Winner – The Ranges Songsmith Award
Top 10 of Rock It (National Youth Week Competition)
Winner – Hanging Rock Buskers’ Festival Award.

Piewatch – What is your favourite song you have written and what is it describing?

One song I have special plans for  is” Little Fish”. If you look on my myspace site you will see I have a special photo there that goes with it. This is yet to be released and may end up on the album I make for STP.

Piewatch - What is your best rated track on STP? Why do you feel this is?

“Under My skin”  got a rating of… 7.68. which doesn’t sound that high but it is hard to get over 7 even with a very good song. I think this is because it is well produced with violins and it has a soothing quality that people said they liked. Lots of people  said  it made them feel calm. It is a song about obsession so the structure is repetitive, it deliberately goes round and round. I have done another version of the vocal with my brother doing harmonies for a film coming up.

Piewatch – If you achieved financing tomorrow what would be the first thing you would buy?

Maybe a really good vocal recording mic so I can do vocals at home and save lots of money in studio time. I would be able to do harmonies when my voice is at its best.

Piewatch - Who do you currently like in the charts?

Duffy – I like the classic sound of the production, the songs are good, her voice is distinctive. Amy Winehouse – her songs are great and she is a natural. Kelly Clarkson is usually fabulous too – of course – that voice is wonderful. Corrine Bailey Rae is lovely too. I don’t know if they are in the charts right now. I don’t tend to listen to the commercial radio much. I also love Ray LaMontagne. I don’t know why he isnt more commercially accepted.

Piewatch – If you could have any super power what would it be?

Hmmm either to be able to sleep when I need it, OR better still, not to need it!

Piewatch - Elvis dead or alive?

Elvis LIVES!

Piewatch - Any irrational phobias?

Only rational ones

Piewatch – Mcdonalds or Burger King?

Neither – I used to busk outside Burger King in Melbourne, not a safe area.

Piewatch – Any last words?

Yes -please spread the word to friends and family to  go to  iTunes  or Amazon and download my last 2 EPs JUst look me up under ” Jessica Paige”.

This is the first stage of my new campaign to concentrate on downloads in preparation for the STP album!

And finally, thanks so much to you Piewatchers for your help in this challenge to reach the target!

Piewatch - Thanks! Good luck with your Slicethepie investment.

Love Jessica Paige? Add her on

Static doing what Static does best!

Piewatch - When did you become static the mic addict and who devised the name?

Back in the days of Realistic mics and tape deck recordings there was a small group of us who would do very little outside of freestyling and doing drugs. I became addicted to the microphone and alot of the recordings were overlayed with alot of static due to ghetto equipment. This spawned the name static the mic addict.

Piewatch – What would you say is your biggest achievement to date?

Musically my greatest achievement was about 5 years ago. I was sitting on the bus and I could hear a beat coming from a girl’s headphones and it took me a second to realize it was a beat I MADE! and when I listened a little closer it was ME! It was my song Can You Feel This? … And I guess she could.

Piewatch - Who are your musical influences? Any unexpected ones?

As far as hiphop my influences are mainly underground artists. Sweatshop Union, Blue Scholars, Brother Ali, Sage Francis, Atmosphere, Josh Martinez, Aesop Rock, Immortal Technique, and many more…. Unexpected ones? Hmmm Our Lady Peace, Matthew Good Band, Maroon 5 (ya, they’re pretty hardcore lol)

Piewatch – When did you first feel you could do well from a musical perspective?

I don’t really think there was a first time… Music is in my blood and always has been. I’ve been playing instruments and singing all my life, and for the past 10 have added rapping into the mix.

Static dropped his contact

Piewatch – Your always writing and we know you can write songs very fast, whats the quickest full song you have written and how would you rate it in comparison to your others?

How 2 Write A Rap Song. I don’t know what came over me when I wrote that song, but it came out about as fast as I could type it. Writing took 10 minutes or so. Then I made a beat for it in about 10 minutes, recorded it and mixed it in 10 and had a completed song in about half an hour. And honestly, it’s one of my better tracks in my opinion, and apparently in the opinions of many scouts on this site.

Piewatch - What is your best rated track on STP? Why do you feel this is?

I have tried uploading and deleting all kinds of tracks on this site, testing the waters to see what the audience responds to. People on this site seem to be very sensitive to swearing and I try not to do that in many of my tracks. Can You Feel This has been uploaded a few times now and is consistently my highest rated track each time. (except the one I wrote about scouting, but that doesn’t count as it wasn’t on a “commercial note” (no one but site members would understand it)
I think people respond to Can You Feel This because they can relate to it. I think it speaks to alot of people and speaks FOR them as well… I try to make music that you can feel as well as hear.

Piewatch – If you achieved financing tommorow what would be the first thing you would buy?

A Macbook and the newest version of PROtools with a Mbox2 recording interface… Or maybe a pack of smokes…. Ya, I’d probably get a pack on the way to the music store.
But, I don’t think I will ever get financed from this site unless it is through a private contract with someone who shows interest and has the money to invest themselves… I don’t need even CLOSE to $15000. More like $2000. That would be all I’d need.

Piewatch - Who do you currently like in the charts?

I don’t really listen to the radio much, or watch T.V. I tend to search the internet for underground hiphop that isn’t the brainless bling gangsta stuff you hear on the radio and on MTV

Till death do us part

Piewatch - If you could have any super power what would it be?

The ability to heal those who are sick/dying.

Piewatch - Elvis dead or alive?

dead.

Piewatch - Any irrational phobias?

I don’t eat food that’s purple. Try to avoid small vegetables too.

Piewatch - Mcdonalds or Burger King?

Neither. But if I had to pick one I’d go with BK… maybe some onion rings… I can’t believe McDonalds hasn’t caught on to onion rings.

Piewatch - Any last words?

Beer, Table, Truck, Seven, Aluminum, and Computer….

wait, not that last one.. I’m gonna save that one for me.

Love Static? Catch him on…