Clear Conscience: The Thought Process Behind the Band

For most people when you think of the words "work experience" you picture yourself doing the odd bit of filing for a company or something along those corporate lines. Not here at Ragged Moon however! We took on five brilliantly talented musicians: Kally Hefferman-Jockel, Saskia Owen, Sam Judd, Immie Harrison and Rory Thomas-lawton and we set them quite the challenge. We wanted them to end the week with a fully realised track that was created by them as well as a music video to accompany it. Sounds daunting but this group of determined students were eager to tackle this task head on.

Their first mission was to come up with the lyrics to this future smash hit of a song. They put their heads together intently and before we knew it they had the words ready and raring to go. As a band they drew on the different styles of music they liked to listen to individually to come to a consensus on what direction they wanted to move forward in stylistically. Jazz, R&B with a pop twist was their chosen vision and so they began to work towards this melting pot of genres.

With all these ideas and harmonies buzzing around in the studio it was time to begin committing these sounds to something more permanent. Kally and Saskia provided the main vocals and harmonies. The unison between the two created such a memorable and catchy blend together they had us humming along around the office in no time. Then came the instrumentation. Sam had come up with some brilliantly groovy bass riffs and guitar licks that gave the track that much needed jazzy offset. Whereas Rory kept the pacing and the tune solid throughout with his excellent piano skills. To round off this insatiably catchy tune we needed the help of Immie and her fabulous flute which really added another dimension to the whole production. 

After listening back over what they had produced in the studio the band been to tweak and add new elements. The most effective of which was the wickedly impromptu rap like interjections courtesy of Kally that were added between the harmonies. That was the missing R&B piece to their multi-genre puzzle. All of this composing and recording happened over the space of three days, which is quite the achievement! Once the track was completed the next big task loomed, finding out their band identity.

It took some intense brain storming and many a bourbon biscuit but the band finally had a name: Clear Conscience. Similarly they looked over all of their lyrics and decided to name their debut track "Yellow Cars." Their vision then continued onwards to the concept of their very first music video. Wanting a cross between polished studio footage as well as fun and carefree shots out and around Stroud it was going to be a challenge to make. 

Enter Millie Baker video maker wiz-kid. With her direction and guidance Clear Conscience filmed and edited together their music video within a day. It was an amazing feat and the end result looked very professional. Now all that was left to do was to reach out via social media to push this debut as far as possible. We set them the rather imposing goal of achieving 1,000 views on YouTube by the end of the weekend. From the moment "Yellow Cars" had fully uploaded they all valiantly shared and posted the video as much as they could. By the end of the week we were so proud to see that they had reached the goal with an awesome figure of 1,074 views.

All in all we want to say a huge thank you to Clear Conscience for all the dedication, effort and hard work they have put in over the past week. They have consistently been excited and driven in all that they've put their minds to. It has been an absolute joy to watch them progress into a fully fledged band in such a short amount of time. To celebrate their debut effort make sure you check out their music video for "Yellow Cars" below.

By Melissa Tucker

Music Industry networking in the South West

For the last 6 months I have been travelling to Bristol on the first Wednesday of each month to BMIN meetings, I would suggest musicians and music industry professionals might consider making the same trip as it is becoming increasingly worthwhile. In the last two months I have got an invaluable listings database from another member, booked one of our acts for a Bristol radio live session, with the likelihood of more exposure for our other artists, and started conversations about some of the artists coming up to record in Stroud.

Now the name Bristol Industry Music Network might make you think that it is only for Bristolians, but it is very much a south west network. They have great speakers at many of their monthly meetings including UKTI representatives, and I always bring back a list of contacts and info to check out. The meetings are held in the Colston Hall and they supply sandwiches and coffee to oil the wheels of discussion. The membership are a lively passionate bunch who represent a cross section of interests, from Artists to studios, from radio presenters to artist mentors, and well established ‘institutions’ of the industry, to the bright young things that are forging the future of the scene in the South West. 

Membership at the moment costs just £10, and there are an ever increasing number of member benefits, you could probably save your membership fee on strings and insurance alone.

http://www.maisonderoquefort.com/bmin/membership-benefits/

To test out the waters you can go along to a social at the Colston Hall Wednesday 15th July (tomorrow), or go to their monthly meeting on the first Wednesday of every month. The meetings usually start with networking over coffee and sandwiches, followed by a business section around a big table, sometimes speakers attend, and then another networking session at the end. Speakers recently have included Conal Dodds from international booking agents Metropolis, Chris Knight from UKTI, Oliver Mochizuki and Derek Ahmedzai from Fundsurfer. 

Check them out at: 

http://www.maisonderoquefort.com/bmin/

Or better still go and meet them, they don’t bite, well not all of them anyway! The Colston Hall tomorrow Wednesday 15th July at 6-8pm or Wednesday 5th August at 12-2.

Sacred Music Festival

The first Sacred Music Festival in Stroud was an unforgettable event. The day was an enthralling mix of workshops, dancing and performance, the Festival was a non-stop celebration throughout. The event was brought to life with a performance outside the Subscription Rooms courtesy of Bhangra band RSVP with high energy chants and vivacious rhythms the crowd were soon tutored in some impressive Bhangra moves ready for the Bhangra procession through the town. When their set was over they started to bring everyone together into one big parade of spirited music. They wound their way through the streets of Stroud bringing with it a vibrant effervescent energy. Concluding with a peel of bells at the hub of this multi-cultrual event, St Lawrence's church, the Sacred Music Festival was in full session!

Both in the Church and outdoors in the sunshine many revellers took part in immersive druid dancing, taize singing and sacred songs. The event united together varying faiths in a beautifully harmonious fashion. However the much anticipated evening portion of the day was fast approaching. The church began to fill with noise and bustling visitors until there was barely any seating left. It was heart warming to see such a devoted crowd who valued this message of peace and unity so much.

The first act was the amazing Renewal Choir from Bristol. Using their impeccable harmonies, powerful vocals and infectiously danceable arrangements they brought gospel to a whole new level. They created such a resonance with the audience that the whole church ended up getting on their feet and joining in with enthusiasm. Embracing the psalms and teachings to the fullest they really produced an impactful and moving set.

Changing the direction completely to the soothing sounds of divine Sikh music, Qi-Rattan took centre-stage. Jagdeep's beautiful melodic vocals intertwined wonderfully around Amritpal's instinctual and driving rhythms which made for sincerely profound listening. So much so that the impact on the audience lasted long after their performance was over.

Moving towards a more traditional style of praise, Jenna Monroe graced the stage simply accompanying her vocals with her keyboard. She particularly entranced the audience with a creatively arranged take on "He's Got the Whole World" as it perfectly complemented the haunting quality of her vocals. Jenna brought with her a riveting sense of storytelling that made for a deeply sincere and captivating recital.

Cantabile Consort used their mesmerising a capella skills as they enraptured every listener to the extent that the church would have been quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Their voices really brought through a pristine clarity and focus to their message. Furthermore the raw and exposed vocals let their synergy, accuracy and pitching truly shine.

Tabla Tom and Friends delivered their inspirational Indian devotion sound to the Sacred Music Festival in a big way. What was really enjoyable was their clear understanding of pacing. They could entice the audience in with their effortless chants and automatically adapt their pathos to amp up the involvement. The rapturous beat changes made for a very involved performance overall. 

The Sacred Music Festivals very own house band Raga Baba's were certainly a crowd favourite. They gave atmospheric world music fusion sound in abundance with their stunning blend of voices and harmonious instrumentation. Their set opened with an expressive dance set to words by Eve Milleaur which was deeply moving. Their performance was complemented by the appearance of Craig Pruess, who is amongst other things an accomplished sitar player and skilful trumpeter. At the end of their set their engagement with the event was really moving as they asked all who attended to hold hands with one another to embrace their music and the message behind them to the fullest. They whole-heartedly represented what the festival stood for and that's what made their music so breath-taking. 

To round off this inter-faith event in style it was up to the internationally renowned Karama to deliver. They did that and then some. Karama practically brought the church down with their diverse musical landscapes. So much so that chairs were pushed away in ernest and swaying bodies soon filled the spaces they had left. There was a great deal of enthusiastic dancing and celebrating, it was the perfect end to a harmonious and thought-provoking festival.

By Melissa Tucker