tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258840542008-07-11T05:00:45.818-07:00Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-26810820249005444302008-07-11T05:00:00.000-07:002008-07-11T05:00:45.830-07:00

Recently I was asked for advice about approaching a record company. This brought back happy memories of my times in bands where we would all traipse up to a record company, meet someone in A&R, and play them our latest demo. These were never successful meetings and I doubt A&R departments still allow young hopefuls through the door so this is how I would approach it now. Find someone whose

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-78771655325560594332008-07-10T02:58:00.000-07:002008-07-10T03:03:39.026-07:00

The economic downturn is quickly becoming a crisis but, luckily for us, humanity only reacts when the situation gets really, really bad. Thankfully it’s a financial crisis and not environmental otherwise we’d be looking at a dead planet instead of just negative equity. But we do have to start looking for a new way of living because this current trend of growth and profit, over health and

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-27154755244793203322008-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:002008-07-10T03:15:56.634-07:00

In this Sunday’s Original Showcase we have Loz Bridge and the Box Social in session. Loz used to sing for the Portsmouth band Suburbian who split at the end of 2007 leaving him to concentrate on his song writing and find musicians to compliment his new direction. The Box Social includes Showcase regular Andrew Foster on guitar (left) and Matt (right) on a rather beguiling Spanish drum that you

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-58997731368264799982007-08-17T09:06:00.000-07:002008-04-10T09:09:36.049-07:00

Jackson Analogue have a groove; the type that grabs your body and demands attention. This groove comes from the Isle of Wight and contains infectious guitars acting as a whip to drive the beat or a counter balance to the emotionally charged vocals. All of this energy is seeped in Hammond organ. Combined it makes Jackson Analogue one of the most authentic rock groups around. They’re also

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-76691947228684742432007-08-10T09:03:00.000-07:002008-04-10T09:10:31.079-07:00

Every Sunday, after 9pm, the Original Showcase has Fanpower, in which listeners, or fans of an artist, can request more plays of their favorite acts. If success was based on the amount of requests we receive then Southampton based Melissa would be top of the charts. She consistently gets requests from all ages, genders and nationalities. And it is no surprise. Her voice is excellent; her

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-73401492879534431732007-08-09T10:22:00.000-07:002008-04-09T11:05:35.094-07:00

Last week saw the conclusion of an eclectic tour of the UK by the Southampton based band Dlugokecki. Named after the forthcoming album, the “How Do You Do” tour was their way of introducing themselves to the public and media in a way that mixes style with quality – very much a reflection of their music. This adventure included venues such as the Mersey Ferry, Old Trafford, the London Eye,

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-16173057920059744962007-08-02T08:40:00.000-07:002008-04-09T08:57:14.532-07:00

Whether it’s live, or on CD, you’ll always be impressed by Birdpen. They started as a duo, combing guitar and synthesizers with killer riffs under a driving rhythm that commands attention. Both Dave Pen (vocals, guitars, synth and centre) and Mike Bird (guitar, synth and right) are masters of studio technique and performance. They also have James Livingston Seagull (Drums and left) who is an

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-22798872251877584412007-05-28T05:19:00.000-07:002007-05-28T06:06:11.392-07:00

Every Sunday evening at 18:00 (GMT) I host the Original Showcase on Original 106fm. During the show we play the best music from our region of the UK – Hampshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight and West Sussex. The rain was pouring down and we were receiving messages from people stuck in caravans, especially numbers 144 and 145 - for them the station made a grim day much better. We also had a great

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-47015142764637621522007-05-23T21:08:00.000-07:002007-05-23T21:15:07.012-07:00

There are a lot of UFO stories around at the moment, plenty of photos and reports. The Archway, London video is a great example. You also have the French Government putting their UFO files online and the British Ministry of Defence are going to follow suit: MoD opens its files on UFO sightings to public - The Guardian To me it feels that something is going on. And now we have these excellent

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-62456115531164934762007-05-23T19:58:00.000-07:002007-05-23T20:14:06.702-07:00

The questions tumbling from many tongues boil down to these three. Is it a hoax? Is it a new flying device being road tested? Is it a vehicle from out of space? The first one is an easy answer. Yes, of course it is. Nice clear picture, looks like something made of spare parts from Star Wars and as it’s the 30th anniversary… The second? Well some one could have developed a new form of aerial

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-58611039443011038592007-05-09T17:50:00.000-07:002007-05-09T17:54:16.943-07:00

I like having ideas and this one is based on observations and conversations regarding shoe buying. What has been noted by shoppers and staff alike is that many people have problems with their feet. High arches, strange toes, feet too wide the problems are almost endless. But the shoes on offer are basically designed to fit one type of foot and if it is yours then you’re in luck, but it can

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-39751176469019359882007-03-30T18:25:00.000-07:002007-03-30T18:37:33.339-07:00

The proper term is actually motivational posters. Offically they are a nice picture with some sort of insipid guff underneath which is supposed to get you going onwards and upwards. These are usually hung up by managers who lack the ability to inspire and believe the poster will not only communicate their wishes to the staff but also get the staff... motivated. It’s cloud cuckoo land thinking

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-36292281902663983252007-03-01T16:37:00.000-08:002007-03-01T16:39:18.553-08:00

Being environmentally friendly is easy in your head; putting it into practice needs commitment and with that the individual can achieve a certain amount of success by just recycling paper, bottles and cans. But how can big things like football stadiums be green when they are so, well, big? Apparently they need about 20,000 litres of water a day to keep the pitch in tip top condition. That

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-78014839174111542512007-03-01T07:08:00.000-08:002007-03-01T07:08:46.170-08:00

It's very tempting to say that the 2008 US elections are "not my fight" but America holds sway over so much of our world's politics and economy we should all be aware of what is going on. Here's an interesting article by Jeff Cohen which highlights the plight of independent media in America and also 'alerts' us to the interesting progression of: "Bush I to Clinton I to Bush II to Clinton II".

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-24289665535076367072007-02-18T14:27:00.000-08:002007-02-18T14:35:02.384-08:00

Every Sunday evening at 18:00 on Original 106fm I present the Original Showcase which plays the best music from our region - Hampshire, Dorset, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight. These are the acts from last Sunday's show... MOZYDARE - a fun packed Pop/Rock band from Gosport www.myspace.com/mozydare SARAH SAVILLE – excellent singer/songwriter from Southampton www.sarahsaville.com BIRDPEN –

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-56974922515142311422007-02-13T21:16:00.000-08:002007-02-19T05:25:34.711-08:00

In a recent posting Mr Meadows has rightly pointed out that ‘the people of Earth’ have been conditioned to think that any alien invasion would be a violent one. I’m not surprised. Our history of discovery has always been a marred by bloodshed. Newly discovered countries were always ripe for plundering and pillaging: from the Romans onwards it has been a succession of conquests. Consequently

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-68648667057210387082007-02-09T17:32:00.000-08:002007-02-08T22:38:43.677-08:00

If you see something flying in the sky and you don’t know what it is, then it’s quite legitimate to call it a UFO – an unidentified flying object. About 15 UFO’s were seen over London on Thursday 1st February 2007 (See above) It is reported some 40 people saw them and someone had a video camera. On the Islington Gazette’s web site Alix McAlister, 34, a market stall trader from Archway gave

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-12802750732701716772007-02-08T22:24:00.000-08:002007-02-08T22:32:11.412-08:00

Apart from the audience and the band what makes a good gig? Well most people would say the atmosphere, the smell of years of sweat, spilt beer and the smoke. I disagree. After seeing two bands, in two days, this is my second night of sitting in the office stinking of cigarettes. As a nonsmoker it isn’t the greatest of smells.* So I can’t wait for the smoking ban to begin on July 1st. In my

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-7623772348437198302007-01-31T01:37:00.000-08:002007-01-31T01:43:22.318-08:00

The Original Showcase is receiving plenty of CD’s at the moment. It’s very exciting every time I arrive at the office; wondering who has sent their music in and what it will sound like. We don’t expect much in the way of presentation but ‘more’ is usually better. The quality is varied. Sometimes we’ll get a really smart package with a great biog; other days it’s a silver CD with permanent

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-82205329279023980682006-09-21T23:33:00.000-07:002006-09-21T23:44:26.726-07:00

It brings me great joy to announce that I have joined Original 106fm one of the best radio stations in the UK. It is not just because they decided to employ me that I hail them as champions of the airwaves but the fact that Original considered music and 24 news a priority. Original 106fm is owned by Canadian media giant CanWest and this is the first time in UK radio history that a company

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-1156271294742781602006-08-22T11:03:00.000-07:002006-08-22T11:34:24.070-07:00

An Irish company called Steorn has announced, via a full page advert in the Economist, that they have discovered a way of producing energy for free: Steorn is making three claims for its technologyThe technology has a coefficient of performance greater than 100%. The operation of the technology (i.e. the creation of energy) is not derived from the degradation of its component parts. There is no

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-1155901309066994862006-08-18T04:16:00.000-07:002006-08-20T03:39:14.540-07:00

There are few musicians from Malawi who have been able to make an impression in the West; the band I would like you to meet have the energy to accomplish such a task. The Sangalala AfroBlues Band represents a unique collaboration of Malawian musicians put together by an emerging artist named Kenny Gilmore (above on stone pillar). Together they have created a new style of music which has

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-1154801996822274312006-08-05T10:19:00.000-07:002006-08-30T04:57:49.790-07:00

When you have a load of good songs, some train sounds and a podcasting ability then it makes sense to throw them all together and give it a fancy name. Plus we can rely on the lovely Jenny to lend her luscious tones to the beginning and presto hey we must have a hit! LISTEN WITH THIS powered by ODEO All the music on this podcast comes from Guildford in Surrey, UK and we kick off a new song

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-1154684057087397442006-08-04T02:30:00.000-07:002006-08-04T02:37:26.203-07:00

In the Guildford area we have some great musicians and song writers. One of them is Alistair Cowan (left) and he recently previewed some new songs at Guilfest - Guildford's three day music festival. One song really stuck out for me, it's called Perfect Place you can see the video from that festival on YouTube. I interviewed Alistair after the show, he told me the fascinating background to the

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25884054.post-1154343915866887122006-07-31T04:03:00.000-07:002006-07-31T04:13:57.450-07:00

The possibility that the UK government is going to commission another generation of nuclear power stations should be a catalyst for new thinking amongst those who object: and I am one of them. The waste legacy of nuclear energy affects every person in the country and the decision should not solely be a ministerial one. The public should be given the chance to prove they don’t need it; they don

Xan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14735202217954626665noreply@blogger.com