PERFORMER PROFILES
jane
Website: www.janemusic.info
E-mail: Jane@JaneMusic.info
Latest news: janemusic update
Genre: New country pop/rock
Jane's story is pretty unusual because until recently, she was simply a fairly average mother of three.
She's had no hype, no promotion, no advertising campaign and yet she's created such a buzz in the industry and in 8 weeks has sold over 500 copies of her album CLOSE UP AND REAL .
GIGS
Jane's playing with her new band BRADSHAW with Louise Barrell and Dolly Marley at Riga
Music Bar, 228 London Road, Westcliff On Sea, Essex SS0 7JG Thursday May 22nd 8.30pm start
There's a pretty amazing story behind Jane's current popularity which can be read at Jane's Story where you'll see how in less than a year she's gone from housewife and mother to releasing her first album. People seem to warm to her story as it's so heartening in these cynical times... it's the type of 'feelgood' tale it's good to hear about!
"Years after 'giving up' a career in music, a friend uploaded some of Jane's old demo's onto the internet and within weeks she had hundreds of emails from people wanting to find out more about her!"
Since the release of the album in January, Jane has been featured on several national and international radio stations including, BBC Essex, Essex FM, Manx FM, Saga FM, Radio Caroline, Digital Blues, Radio Premiere amongst many others, and she is receiving very positive reviews and feedback from the press.
You can find out more about Jane at: www.janemusic.info and and read some recent reviews at Reviews .
What People Are Saying:"Jane has the kind of voice that would have garnered an
invitation for a guest spot on a John Lee Hooker album, were the grand old man still
around to be impressed. It’s an ‘adult’ album then, and her impressively
diverse vocal style lands most often in territory marked by the directness of Mel C
(without the mannered sass) and the sugar of Joni Mitchell, wearing a careworn and
lovelorn fatalism that infects even the cheeriest material. A singer-songwriter in the
traditional vein, she’s as clever with a couplet as Paul Simon, and as adept at
hiding a barb behind a deceptively innocent delivery as Carole King …‘Close Up
And Real’ is an entertaining and rewarding examination of the seedier margins of
modern life."
By Gillian Nash - Logo Magazine January 2003
"
Close Up and Real is a wonderful debut album from UK writer Jane which demonstrates her quite exceptional songwriting abilities and spans the first 10 years of her writing career. The tight, quirky backing vocals which have become her signature sound, are evident throughout most tracks and of course each song is complemented by the outstanding musicianship of the individual players."CLOSE UP AND REAL CREDITS:
Bassist Dave Bronze (Robin Trower,Eric Clapton ,Dr. Feelgood , Sting , Duane Eddy , Procol
Harum , Gary Brooker, Be Sharp , Phil Collins ,Jeff Beck , Stuart Copeland , Bo Diddly ,
Roger Daltry, David Gilmore, Mike Rutherford , Stevie Winwood , Mickey Jupp , Paul
Carrack, Belinda Carlisle , Brian Ferry, Tina Turner, George Harrison, Ray Davis)
http://www.roadkill.com/MDB/artist.phtml/6832
Pianist and vocalist Reg Webb,(Lenny Kravitz, Robin
Trower,Vanessa Paradise,Linda lewis The Outfield)
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=3:37:54|AM&sql=Bgq7zefyk7gf6
Backing vocals Wendy Roberts,(Mike Oldfield)
http://tubular.net/articles/95_03.shtml
Pianist and keyboard player Pete Jacobsen
,(Morrissey/Mullen, Pete King, Bobby Wellins, Don Weller, Barbara Thompson ,Level 42, Tim
Whitehead,)
Guitarist Alan Christie,(played on Return of the Mack- Mark Morrison, The Arlenes)
'Old Blue Eyes' comes to Town
|
Chris Di Marco not only looks like Frank Sinatra and talks like Frank Sinatra, but he also Sings like Frank Sinatra! On Tuesday 26th September, Chris Di Marco took to the stage for his very first ‘live’ performance in his tribute to the late great Frank Sinatra at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. The attending audience at the SELL OUT performance ranged from 16 – 80 years of age comfortably packed in the foyer of this fine theatre (the theme being a Las Vegas lounge room ambience) and this show proved to be a massive success. |
Concert Promoters who were invited to this show were absolutely amazed by the performance of Chris Di Marco and his outstanding musicians who are all based locally in and around the Southend area. One of the foremost Concert Promoters in Germany Mr Rainer Haas even travelled from Hamburg for this one special night with his very talented chart topping singer and actress wife Suzi Quatro.
Also in attendance were twelve members of the local ‘Frank Sinatra Music Society’ who’s comments after the performance were summed up by one of their leading members Mr Frank Blaker who congratulated Chris and said, ‘Powerful, Wonderful, when can we see you again?’ this was praise indeed as you cannot fool these guys.
The staff of the Palace Theatre at all levels were totally supportive to Chris, even to the extent of trying to refuse any form of gratuity for their hard work and efforts on the basis that their friendship and loyalty to Chris, in being able to help him in anyway, was enough reward and that speaks volumes for the man himself. A senior member of the Palace Theatre even took to the stage immediately after the show to heap praise on the performance and presented Chris and his musicians with Champagne! It is also worth noting that since the Palace Theatre re-opened, this was not only the first totally sell-out show, but also that the takings at the bar exceeded all records!
The band consisted of MD Peter Coates on piano, Andrew Farrell on double bass, Clive Graham on drums and Richard Bainbridge on sax doubling flute.
The manager of Chris Di Marco, Stephen Colyer, states that there are many lookalikes and soundalikes who perform karaoke in restaurants and bars but this is not the direction that Chris and I will be taking. He is a Tribute that sets him apart and he belongs in Theatres, in a respectable and professional environment, that is our focus and with my International connections Chris is already booked to perform in Denmark next summer before an audience of 25,000 people and will be accompanied by a 60 piece Orchestra. Before then you will get a chance to see Chris on television early next year, when he appears in a new Robson Green series.
My Life Story
Let me tell you a story – My Life Story – the tale of a Southend born band.
They’ve headlined above Oasis, they’ve supported Blur, but despite a string of top 40 hits and an army of fiercely loyal fans, My Life Story are ignored by Radio One and beaten to the top by the warblings of corporate boy bands.
Yet My Life Story don’t give up easily and have just performed at sell-out gigs around the country and had a new album out in February.
Front man Jake Shillingford was brought up in Clievdon Road, Thorpe Bay by his artist father Alan after his mother left when he and his brother were still very young.
Babysitters included a young Alison Moyet and Jake says: "Most of my babysitters were punks and I think it was all the music they used to bring round which first inspired me."
After rebelling against his upbringing by quitting Southend tech where his dad taught, Jake poured all his energies in to music. The bright lights of London soon came calling and Jake opened the now legendary indie club the panic Station at Dingwalls, Camden.
The list of bands Jake put on reads like a roll call of late 80s. early 90s alternative pop from the Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses to Pop Will Eat Itself and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
It was at Dingwalls that Jake returned to the concept of My Life Story first started back in Southend. On a mission to ‘introduce expensiveness back in to music’ Jake tried to recruit a whole orchestra to join the new look MLS.
Sliding past doormen at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall, Jake recruited ‘posh boys and girls’ in to leaving the sanctity of the classical world to join MLS.
Jake and the 12-piece orchestra released a single – Girl A, Girl B, Boy C - making single of the week in NME and melody Maker and the group began playing any gig they could get.
They supported Pulp on the cusp of their breakthrough, Blur before they went mega, and in March 1994 even headlined over a band called Oasis!
Their national anthem – You Don’t Sparkle – made it to number two in the indie charts, as did their album Mornington Crescent.
The orchestra were recruited to work with everyone from Beth Orton to Morrisey, The Wonder Stuff and Dubstar but MLS had to shed members due to the economic strain of keeping a full orchestra.
But although the band’s jigsaw was complete, by 1995 Jake’s spirits were at an all time low.
"We were going to play just four more gigs at Dingwalls where it al began," said Jake, "But then Parlaphone offered us a deal and we found a new home!"
In August 1996, ’12 Reasons Why I Love Her’ became their first top 40 hit, followed by ‘Sparkle’, but the Britpop bubble burst and internal record company politics conspired against My Life Story.
"Five singles, and five top 40 hits," summarises Jake, "and we were dropped."
My Life Story went underground. Many assumed the Story was finally over. The glittery suits hung at the back of the closet.
But now My Life Story are back with their most diverse album yet, and as Jake – never a man lacking in self-belief puts it: "I really believe we can do anything.
"I’m not surprised we receive a lukewarm response from the media though." He adds.
"A song with a message, a fascinating story and a quirky selection of instruments is always going to find it hard against the high budget, low rent svengali led music that now infects our charts.
"But there will always be good bands out there and the charts aren’t really a true reflection of good music."
The story isn’t finished yet!
*Joined up Talking by My Life Story is available now.
