Does this mean anything to you?:“Post punk/indie/English geek/Rock”

Maybe?
Well, let it mean this to you now: the Young Knives.

Young Knives are an English band stirring up a bit of a buzz these days. With a name erroneously taken from a book and a bassist who goes by The House of Lords, they’re quirky and simultaneously artistic. The members of Young Knives all have a long history of dancing in front of mirrors and competing for the spotlight, but singer Henry Dartnall maintains that they all show off in their own ways.

“Well, I’m the loudest, ‘look at me!’, one…” Henry says, going on to explain that his bassist and brother, Thomas (The House Of Lords guy), can put on a quiet and shy act all while he’s well aware of the fact that all eyes are on him. Read More »

Mix carrots, kale, celery, pumpkins, cucumbers and leeks and you get one fantastic soup. You also get a world renowned orchestra from Vienna who have made it their creative mission to use vegetables –and only vegetables– to create music.

The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra is made up of 11 musicians, a sound engineer and video artist, who together create a creative experience that most of us have never even conceived.

What’s exciting about this orchestra is that no genre is left untouched. They have been known to cut tracks ranging from experimental electronic to free jazz and anything in between. Along with their live performances a video portion is exhibited at the end for the audience…just another medium for these artists to get their message to you.

And what do they do with all of those vegetables after the show? They offer each member of the crowd some soup.

Of course!

What is it about musicians?

As I write this, I’m sitting in a tiny room, surrounded by instruments and coffee cups and crumpled paper a few people practicing for an upcoming show. I’m here because I have to be—an end of the school year stage managing gig—but now that a few of the dudes in this place have opened up their mouths and started singing, I no longer mind the cramped space and the fact that every time someone opens the door they slam me and my chair and my left arm. Really fucking hard.

The boys in question, singing in perfect harmony as I put these words down, are not exactly the hottest things I’ve ever seen. I mean, they’re not bad. One of them is actually a little bit famous, but it’s not because of his slightly nondescript face and strange habit of squinting whenever he hits high notes.

It’s because he’s a musician.

It’s the Musician Factor. Read More »