The Emergency Please – Remember You

Having recently chatted to The Emergency Please founder and vocalist/guitarist Karan Master (ex A Gentleman’s Film) about his band and debut release, it was only right we also leapt into the Remember You EP from the UK outfit. Released a handful of days ago, the four track encounter is a spirited stroll of pop punk and funk infused alternative rock which needs little effort to have the body and imagination swinging.

Inspired by a varied host of artists headed by Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, and The Smashing Pumpkins, Master has linked up with bassist Michael Hartley and drummer Sam Garnett to complete The Emergency Please line-up though Remember You was recorded with the aid of Sam West (drums) and Adam Porter (bass). Southampton based, the band has a sound which is maybe still in the brewing stages but as their first EP shows, it is already a flavoursome proposition with rich stock for future adventurous recipes.

Remember You opens with its title track, a magnetic affair bursting from an initial guitar jangle with energy and spirit in sound and vocals. Boisterous beats punctuate the melodic web cast by the guitar, the bass more moody but no less keen an ingredient in a song which second by second gets under the skin. A little folk pop, plenty indie rock with a pop punk lining, it captivates from start to finish, alluring ears and hips with equal dexterity.

The following I Can’t Stop is just as energetic and eager to tempt with funk infused hooks and a rhythmic shuffle which just swings along. Speeding up its lures at certain times, it is a great nag on the appetite with more controlled moments providing a tapestry of creative suggestion. Put all together it provides a shuffle which is as bold as it is accomplished, matching the heights of its predecessor to keep the release holding rich attention before Lost casts its calmer, melodically intimate caress on the senses. Melancholic but with heart felt light to its touch, the track provides its own captivation to complement its previous companions.

The EP closes with Clark Kent Syndrome, a song which begins with a mouth-watering temptation of guitar string picking and proceeds to seduce with rhythmic bait led by the pulsating yearning of the bass. With vocals as potent as ever, it continues to dance on the ear though it does not quite live up to its early promise for personal tastes. Nevertheless it is a thickly pleasing end to a release which grows and persuades with increasing prowess, its closing expulsions of vocal angst against the funk woven shuffle of the guitar epitomising its appeal.

Remember You is an introduction which makes you take notice; a strong first step from a band with plenty to discover in their imagination and on the evidence of the EP, plenty of tenacity and craft to bring it to our anticipating ears.

Remember You is available now @ https://theemergencyplease.bandcamp.com/album/remember-you

Read our interview with Karan Master @ https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2017/05/10/leaping-to-the-front-exploring-the-emergency-please-with-founder-karan-master/

https://www.facebook.com/theemergencyplease

Pete RingMaster 16/11/2017

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Leaping to the front: exploring The Emergency Please with founder Karan Master

The Emergency Please is a Southampton based band which is making a real impact on the city’s live scene with their funk and neo-soul spiced alternative rock. As a greater landscape of attention is finding the band and its creatively energetic sound we had the chance to find out more with the band’s founder/vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Karan Master, finding out about its beginnings, inspirations, and other exploits…

Can you first introduce the band and give us some background to how it all started?

Hi my name’s Karan Master, I started The Emergency Please as a songwriting vehicle for music I’d been writing. Since then I’ve been working with a few drummers and bass player writing, recording, and gigging music for The Emergency Please. On the debut EP, Remember You, I worked with session players Sam West (drums) and Adam Porter (bass).

Have you been involved in other bands before? If so has that had any impact on what you are doing now?

I actually moved to Southampton with my old band, A Gentleman Film. We were a prog funk alt rock trio. There’s definitely a hint of that in The Emergency Please though the newer music I’ve been writing is more influenced by pop punk, which is what I grew up on.

What inspired the band name?

My old band when I was 14 was called Emergency Please. I always really liked the name so decided to stick with it since it wasn’t being used anymore.

Was there any specific idea behind the project and in what you wanted it to offer?

I really wanted to go back to my roots so to speak. I grew up on pop punk/emo bands like Funeral For A Friend, Paramore, and Fall Out Boy but also wanted to incorporate some of the other genres I love like, funk and Neo soul.

You are still inspired by the same things or have they evolved over time?

I think so, The Emergency Please is still relatively new but the drive is just to play music that we enjoy and get it out there the best we can.

Since your first days creating, how would you say your sound has evolved?

It’s got a bit more groove to it and a little more rawness.

Are any changes more of an organic movement or you deliberately wanting to try new things?

I’d say it’s been pretty organic.

Presumably for you and across the others involved in the band there is a wide range of inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on the music but your personal approach and ideas to creating and playing music?

Haha this could be a long list. My top three inspirations are Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, and The Smashing Pumpkins. Honestly don’t know if I’d be doing this without them. There are a lot of others though such as Funeral For A Friend, D’Angelo, and Darwin Deez to name a few.

Is there a particular process to your songwriting?

I usually like to start with the guitar and lay down the music first before the vocals. Though I’ve had a few vocal ideas first that inspires me to write a song…they always seem to happen in the shower haha.

Where do you, more often than not, draw the inspirations to the lyrical side of your songs?

It’s mostly about personal experiences or topics that are important to me.

Would you give us some background to your latest release?

Remember You is our debut EP. It has 4 tracks each of which is unique in its own way but still carries our sound. It’s an introduction to The Emergency Please and shows the sound we plan to build on.

How about some insight to the themes and premise behind it and its songs?

The first song is the title track of the EP and is an upbeat pop punk song about running into an ex that you weren’t quite sure why it ended. The second track, I Can’t Stop is a more grooved based song; I especially enjoyed working with Sam and Adam on this one. The following track Lost is more slow and melancholy than the others. It’s a song I had written over a year ago about the toll personal issues and baggage can have relationships. The final song Clark Kent Syndrome is groove based emo track. It’s probably my favourite track on the EP (can’t decide between it and I Can’t Stop). It’s about how people can lose themselves when they become attached to the outcome of something they want and the irony of it.

Do you go into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?

We come to studio with everything written and rehearsed but also with an open mind. It’s great to have an external input and working with the right producers makes a real difference.

Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably the favourite aspect of the band?

We’re pretty hectic on stage. I think live shows are where you get the full experience of a band. We really like to get into it and give it as much energy as we can.

It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it in what seems from the outside, a vibrant musical city?

Southampton definitely has a thriving music scene though not what it used to be; there is still plenty of love for artists. It’s actually got a great scene for jam nights which is how we all met.

How about the internet and social media, how has that helped the band to date or not? Some see it as something destined to be a negative for bands.

Social media and the internet are great ways to get out there but because they’re so widely accessed it makes most bands a drop in the ocean. It’s definitely hard but it’s something we’re working on and plan to keep working on.

I don’t see it as negative; it’s just kind of become a part of the game we all have to play.

Once again Karan, a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us! If anyone brings me a chocolate macaroon or any memorabilia of The Flash we will be best friends 4 lyf!

Find out more about The Emergency Please @ https://www.facebook.com/theemergencyplease/

Pete RingMaster 10/05/2017

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

UK rockers Circle Of Reason announce new UK tour

CIRCLE OF REASON – Announce ‘Whatever’s Clever’ March UK Tour

Having stormed into 2014 with the release of their video single Themes Amongst Thieves, Southampton’s alternative rock sculpters Circle Of Reason announce live dates for their forthcoming Whatever’s Clever Tour.

With further UK tours and festival appearances still to be announced for this summer, Circle Of Reason will be bringing their rock show to northern England and Scotland this March. Frequently compared to musical giants such as QOTSA, Biffy Clyro, The Smashing Pumpkins, Coheed and Cambria and Deftones, Circle Of Reason’s prog-tinged hard rock riffs, intricate song dynamics and melodic vocals are gaining the band loyal followers world-wide. Building upon their reputation as one of Britain’s most exciting emerging new rock acts, Circle Of Reason have garnered early support from the likes of Kerrang! TV, Scuzz TV, Power Play & Big Cheese Magazine. With numerous UK Festivals and tours already under their belt, the South West UK quartet have previously earned their place on stage supporting the likes of InMe, Feed The Rhino, Landscapes, Neck Deep and many more

Catch them live at … Mon March 17th – Mink Rocks, Middlesbrough Tues March 18th – South Sea Live, Sheffield Thurs 20th March – Grand Central, Manchester Fri 21st March – The Black Bull, Castleford Sat 22nd March – Vintage Rock Bar, Doncaster Sun 23rd March – The Towler, Bury Wed 26th March – Bannerman’s, Edinburgh Fri 28th March – Monty’s Bar, Dunfermline Sat 29th March – The Box, Glasgow

Taken from the 2013 EP release ‘These Hands & This Mind’- check out their video single for ‘Themes Amongst Thieves’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX82tM24wDE

Connect with Circle Of Reason at www.facebook.com/circleofreason and www.twitter.com/circleofreason

These Hands & This Mind EP available to buy at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/these-hands-and-this-mind-ep/id669577645

Circle Of Reason – These Hands And This Mind EP

If like us you were excited by the debut A Favour For A Stranger EP from UK alternative rock band Circle Of Reason, you are going to be grinning from ear to ear with their new release, the These Hands And This Mind EP. The five track EP realises all the promise of its predecessor and more. It is a release which aligns itself with thoughts and emotions with reflective and evocative potency whilst coaxing the passions further with sounds which caress, rumble through, and energise the ear with a maturer imagination capturing craft. Hopes of greater things from the band in the wake of their previous EP were inevitable and rich but the Southampton quartet now makes it feel like we short changed their potential with the outstanding release.

Since forming the foursome of vocalist/guitarist Simon Osman, guitarist Gary Slade, bassist Sam Cogher, and drummer Andy Milwain, have earned a strong reputation through their live performances alone which has seen them play with the likes of Feed The Rhino, Marmozets, Girlschool, Lafaro, Fighting With Wire, The Smoking Hearts, Landscapes, Inme, Zico Chain, Attention Thieves, and more. Their video singles and the A Favour For A Stranger EP equally built up their stance, garnering acclaim and widespread national coverage from the underground media to the likes of Big Cheese Magazine, Scuzz TV, Kerrang TV, and Lava. Already having earned comparisons to the likes of Coheed and Cambria, Soundgarden, and The Smashing Pumpkins, Circle of Reason are now ready to step onto higher levels and with These Hands And This Mind they have made an impressive first step.

Released Monday 29^th July, the EP steps forward first with the single from the release Don’t Be Still. It is an instantly appealing mix of punchy rhythms and fiery guitar caresses around the ear, the air soon heated and thick from the sonic and passionate endeavour. As the again impressive tones of Osman stand astride the creative sounds with rich expression and emotive potency aided with the equally notable backing vocals of Cogher, the song wraps its sinewy intensity and melodic flames tightly around thoughts and passions. With only the disjointed break midway a minor niggle the song leaves a starting to stir ardour smouldering in its wash though it takes the following pair of songs to truly ignite its hunger.

Next up Home is a slowly burning triumph; its initial vocal and guitar welcome a glorious tender lure which only suggests you should share its company, though this persuasion is soon heightened as the bass of Cogher offers darker shadows and the beats of Milwain frame it all with rhythmic concentration.  It is when the track erupts and expels its fullest sinews of energy and passion though, subsequently merging both aspects into a scintillating progressive adventure, that the song rips full submission from the heart. It is a mountain of a piece which alone shows how far the band has come and evolved in sound and songwriting whilst still offering a promise of much more. As with the first EP, there is a strong feel of eighties band The Mighty Lemon Drops to Circle of Reason, vocally and emotionally which is most apparent in the equally stunning Themes Amongst Thieves. Riffs and rhythms carve out a terrific flight of metallic excellence which leaves lungs breathless whilst vocally once more Osman swoops across the rugged landscape with a grace hand in hand with the melodic elegance that permeates every breath the song takes. The two songs easily steal top honours on the EP and do not be surprised if they, and especially the second of the pair, turn up as the next single.

The following Novel also has a vigorous presence to its structure with guitars coarse flames across the cage of rhythmic demands but equally it explores its heart and emotive depths with a melodic and progressive adventure which is mesmeric and passion driven. Like all songs and the EP as a whole, the track just gets better and better with each dramatic engagement and leaves the appetite for the band verging on feverish.

The closing Sleep is a slow croon which captivates musically and vocally. It does not quite spark the passions as powerfully as other tracks but still leaves the richest flavour on the appetite and provides further evidence of the evolution of the band already and ahead.

These Hands And This Mind has marked Circle Of Reason as one of the most thrilling emerging bands in UK rock and with you feel so much more to come. Really it is hard not to be excited about this band.

www.facebook.com/circleofreason

9/10

RingMaster 21/07/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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Circle Of Reason – Don’t Be Still – Official HD Music Video

Escape The Ocean – Internal Landscapes

UK band Escape The Ocean may not at this moment in time have a sound to break down boundaries or set new fires of individuality, but as it pleases and entices within debut EP Internal Landscapes you cannot stop feeling that there is something extra within the craft and imagination of the Kent based quartet which will see them finding their distinct personal voice at some point. The release is an enterprising and accomplished piece of progressive and math rock fusing which leaves a strong depth of satisfaction in its vibrant wake.

Formed in the beginning of 2011, the foursome of vocalist/guitarist Lee Morrison, bassist Glen Savage, guitarist Lewis Monks, and drummer Liam Foy have taken inspirations from the likes of Coheed and Cambria, The Fall of Troy, At the Drive-In, Glassjaw, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect, and Primus and created a sound which maybe has a familiarity at times but is undeniably inventive and skilfully crafted. As mentioned Internal Landscapes has something which catches the ear and thoughts and that ignites a definite promise for the band ahead and pleasure now.

From the brief Entry To An Interior, a melodic intro so short it is merely an appetiser for and leading into the following All Signs Point To Yes, the first full track immediately soaks the ear in strong vocals and fiery melodic enterprise from the guitars, their touch acidic around the great vocal delivery of Morrison a strong appealing blaze veined by the rhythmic sinews of Foy who in turn is aided by the throaty prowl of Savage. As the song proceeds and the progressive flames of Morrison and Monks explore the air you feel loud whispers of Mars Volta amidst the impressive venture being craved out. Not the most instant and infectious of the tracks making up the EP but it is nevertheless a strong and inviting start.

One Sided Dice gently enters in next, the elegant caress of guitar a simple yet full persuasion before the emerging twists of invention increases the lure with a less dramatic but still an At The Drive In like similarity. Once again the vocals are a strong factor, the expressive tones of Morrison and the overall emotive narrative finding mutual understanding in the restrained yet potent sounds and energy surrounding its call.  The temperature of the song undulates and increases the nearer to its climax you go but at no point is the sweltering breath and touch of the track less than tempting.

Mesculine Vigil and Exit Wound complete the release, the first like its predecessor a more reserved but passionate encounter. The guitars again cast a colourful sonic painting over the rhythmic canvas, their invention sparking surges of emotional flaming and descriptive evocations whilst the closer from again a Mars Volta like mesmeric start, builds an intriguing weave of arousing textures and potent endeavour. It is a fine end to an equally enjoyable debut. Escape the Ocean may have a way to go to develop their unique voice but for craft and imagination no one is left wanting by Internal Landscapes. This is a band and release which definitely should be checked out.

www.escapetheocean.com

7.5/10

RingMaster 02/07/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from

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‘These Hands And This Mind’, from CIRCLE OF REASON out 29th July‏

RISING ALTERNATIVE ROCKERS CIRCLE OF REASON RELEASE NEW EP & VIDEO!

Bursting out of the South West of England, Circle of Reason cunningly weave together their own brand of Prog-infused Alternative rock that is unmistakably unique and individual. Intensely merging considerate, visceral guitar parts, ear-shattering drums, and warm, alluring vocals, they create something sweepingly fast-paced and melodic that is at once compelling and supremely appealing. Their highly engaging sound is very much their own, though they have received affectionate comparisons to the likes of ‘Coheed and Cambria’, ‘Soundgarden’ and ‘The Smashing Pumpkins’.

   Circle of Reason have a genuine affinity for touring and performing live, and have already played alongside bands such as: Feed The Rhino,  Marmozets, Girlschool, Lafaro, Fighting With Wire, The Smoking Hearts, Landscapes, Inme, Attention Thieves and Steak Number Eight. Besides a hefty touring schedule, the four-piece are also amassing a solid release output. Last year, the rising quartet’s debut EP ‘A Favour For A Stranger’ racked up impressive underground acclaim and national magazine coverage, with Big Cheese Magazine praising the band: “This is truly hard hitting material for a debut EP”. The EP also spawned a series of music videos which all garnered TV coverage from the likes of Scuzz TV, Kerrang TV and Lava.

   The band stride forward once more with the release of their killer new EP ‘These Hands And This Mind’, out this July. The EP is loaded to the maximum with diverse guitar riffs and glowing vocal lines that truly soar, from the pounding riffery and stomping groove of their forthcoming single ‘Themes Amongst Thieves’, to the anthemic guile and craft of their current single ‘Don’t Be Still’. The foursome’s indisputable talent prominently shines throughout the whole of the EP, with each track dispatching its own unique feel, drive and vigour.

    Before then check out their brand new video for the track Don’t Be Still below.

Circle Of Reason – Don’t Be Still – Official HD Music Video

– CIRCLE OF REASON RELEASE ‘THESE HANDS AND THIS MIND’ ON MONDAY 29th JULY THROUGH ALL DIGITAL OUTLETS –

www.facebook.com/circleofreason

TRACKLISTING: 1. Don’t Be Still; 2. Home; 3. Themes Amongst Thieves; 4. Novel; 5. Sleep.

BAND MEMBERS: Gary – Guitar; Simon – Singer/Guitar; Sam – Bass/Backing vocals; Andy – Drums.

FOR FANS OF: Smashing Pumpkins, Coheed and Cambria, Soundgarden.

Ellis Ashbrook: Meridia

When an album leaves one feeling good inside you know it has to have something special about it. Such is the case with Meridia from US rock band Ellis Ashbrook. The release, the third album from the band, is a mesmeric collection of swirling and heated songs which captivate with ease and infectious imagination. It is an instant friend to the ear and an eager perpetrator of heartfelt delights with its irresistible weaves of invention and passionate melodic enterprise. A series of varied peaks without any lows in between Meridia is simply one enormous pleasure.

The Brooklyn based quartet of John Barber (vocals, lead guitar), Natalie Lowe (vocals, keys), Jonathan Granoff (bass), and Alex Major (drums, electronic percussion), draw in influences across multi genres to create a rock sound rippling with diversity and shimmering beauty. It is feisty when it needs to be and as funky as your hips could dream of and the overall blend is a perpetually engaging and fresh pleasure for the senses. With two previously well received albums behind them in their self titled debut of 2006 and Assemblage in 2008, Ellis Ashbrook has taken their sound to a new level with their latest album to be reflected in the what one expects will be even greater acclaim going its way.

The album immediately infuses emotions with full enthusiasm through opening track Accelerator. With a dawning electronic breath the song unfolds its arms to envelope the senses with a mighty indie pop feast of elegance. From the initial voice of Lowe there is an immediate Blondie lilt to the song before it evolves into a more rock orientated flow as the vocals and excellent guitar of Barber join the party. Electronic bursts and spotlights of sound keep things wonderfully warm and casual alongside the firmer thrust of the song which by this point and as it approaches its climax ripples essences of Oingo Boingo.

Second song Slide takes no time in showing the variety of the album and music of Ellis Ashbrook in general.  A pacing melodic tease split with sharp guitar play and surges of muscle the song is a hypnotic fusion of Alice In Chains/Nirvana and classic rock brought with a breath of psychedelic warmth. Again vocally the song radiates infection and class whilst musically the band turns contagion into an art form.

As the album continues to envelope the senses songs like the jazz funk flight of magic which is Cat Song, the brilliant hypnotic tropical treat Peripheral Declination, and the crystalline shimmering No Please, Don’t Watch, leave the heart desperate for more. Peripheral Declination is especially irresistible and a rival to the opening pair for best song on the album, its magnetic Mike Patton crossed with Beck craft impossible to stay away from.

As mentioned there are varied heights of excellence on the album but there is never a time the album leaves one merely satisfied, songs like Climax, the folk rock gem Unbreakable, and the emotive Bottomfeeder, leading thoughts and emotions on a sensual experience as rewarding as the more boisterous and irrepressible tracks elsewhere. As Meridia progresses its air evolves from an urgent and energised beginning into a mellower and more passionate atmospheric ambience especially over the latter six or so tracks, though it still offers plenty of stirring bursts as in the closer 22 to compliment and invigorate the pulsating beauty and impressive songwriting.

Taking extras spices found in the likes of Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, The Smashing Pumpkins, Ween, and Pink Floyd to name a few, Ellis Ashbrook manipulates them into their own unique sound to offer something which is as we said at the start rather special. Meridia is a gift for the ear, time to treat yourselves.

http://www.ellisashbrook.com/

Ringmaster 30/06/2012

Copyright RingMaster : myfreecopyright

 

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