Further to this week's Bpositive's Song of the week, I felt compelled to explore further the fine artist that is Passenger. 

Passenger, real name Mike Rosenberg is a folk singer/songwriter from Britain. His stage name comes from  his previous rock-folk band, in which he was the main vocalist and songwriter. When I was first introduced to Passenger by a colleague of mine at work, who, it turns out shares an equal passion for great folk and acoustic music, I was simply blown away by the sound of this man. He instantly put me in mind of other great folk artists which I am a huge fan of such as; The Tallest Man on Earth and a young David Gray. Similar in tone and vocal projection, Passenger, like The Tallest Man on Earth has a somewhat Dylan-esq raw sound to his songs and a very unique voice. 

Although his defining track to date is the very popular Let her go, I found this gem of a track through a YouTube search and I instantly loved it. There's just something about playing music on public transport that lifts the spirits of all on board - and with Holes this is no exception. The fast-paced, catchy song will always captivate an audience and leave them tapping their feet and having the song in their head for the rest of the day.

Not only do I wish I was a passenger on board the tram  when this video (right) was filmed in Melbourne, Australia, but I also wish i'd witness more of this on my commute to work in London. I'd certainly put down my Metro paper, take out my ear phones and sing along whilst tapping my feet -and i'm sure the other passengers on board would too. Who knows, it may even make us smile on a Monday morning.

JR

Although usual practice in this music blog would be for me to share a new song that has inspired me in some way, this short documentary and heart warming story simply left me emotionally drained. 

Zach Sobiech was given only a matter of months to live after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma at the tender age of 14. Last June, at the age of 17, Zach became a rock star and an inspiration to millions of people. Zach's affinity with music seemed to help him with his battle against the disease and music very much seemed to be his outlet and best way of him expressing himself. The video (right) shows Zach's journey through the latter stages of his battle and we, as an audience get to see just how close he is to his whole family, how they, along with his girlfriend become the objects of his passion for his songwriting. 

In December 2012, Zach's song 'Clouds' went viral and attracted the interest and support of plenty of famous people including; Riann Wilson, The Lumineers, Jason Mraz, Ed Helms and Colbie Caillat to name but a few. Indeed the video attached to this article was produced through Riann Wilson's SoulPancake youtube channel and has attracted over seven million views to date. In one particuarly poignant scene Zach explains "My closure is being able to get my feelings into these songs. So [friends and family] could have something to remember me by, or lean on when I was gone,".

Zach sadly lost his battle with osteosarcoma in May 2013, yet there's no doubt at all that his legacy will last a very long time through his music and his story. In an age in time where there seems to be endless new pop bands that are idolised for seemingly trivial reasons, Zach Sobiech stands out amongst them all as a true rock star whose music and story is now deservingly being appreciated throughout the world.

JR
 

If you want to see some passion in a singer/songwriter then look no further than Matt Corby. Since making his name in 2007 by finishing as a runner up in Australian Idol, Matt has gone from strength to strength and after a move to London in 2009 managed to get signed to the indie label Communion.

Matt has been compared to the likes of Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley - and if he keeps belting out tracks such as 'Brother' (see right) then he may well get the recognition he deserves.

Rarely have I ever seen a musician get so 'lost' in his songs as Corby. Seeing him transfixed within his own music captivates the audience to the point that by the end of his songs, one can often feel exhausted through sheer satisfaction.

JR   

This week I was alerted to the sounds of Bear's Den.  

Once again, after a quick YouTube search, I found a stripped down version of their song 'Pompeii' which was filmed for Bands in Transit. I was instantly captivated by the soft, acoustic tones along with the great vocals. A simple, 'stringy' guitar track that, in my opinion, isn't too dissimilar from the work by Mumford & Sons, with hints of Fionn Reagan and I am Kloot etc.

I will most definitely be keeping an eye on Bear's Den and i'm sure we'll all be hearing much more from them in future. Enjoy.

JR

Back at the tail end of 2012, I spent a very wet evening at The finsbury pub in North London. I was there to watch a friend, and fellow Bpositive supporter, Gary Nock headline the gig. I was also there to take some photographs. Prior to Gary appearing on stage i'd quickly ran outside to grab a bite to eat. However on my return I found a petite, young girl tuning up her guitar, about to start her set.

What followed simply blew me away. I was transfixed by both the sheer vocal strength and unique sound coming from this very talented artist and also amazed by the dichotomy of the power in her singing, compared to that of the almost delicate tones she displayed (when addressing the audience) in between each song. 

Enjoy this 'Truly' talented artist and stay tuned for much more from her - a rising star for sure!

JR

A while ago, perhaps 4-5 years ago when Twilight was first taking the world by storm, I remember someone mentioning to me that the "heart-throb" from the film was also a musician and singer.

I barely paid it notice and then seemed to forget all about it. However, last week when I was scouring through YouTube (as I usually do on a daily basis) searching for decent tracks to listen to, I saw that 'Robert Pattinson' was recommended for me to view, so I did and it simply blew me away - very much of the Damien Rice/Bon Iver ilk.

Since then I cant stop listening to 'Its all on you' - his own impromtu acoustic song performed at 'Songs from a front room'  for Sofarsounds - and far from hiding my webpage at the embarrassing thought of someone finding me searching for R-Patz online, I was soon fully happy to announce myself as a huge fan of his...

...musically, of course : )

Enjoy! JR

Great video from Bpositive follower Gary Nock at The Slaughtered Lamb in North London. The song is 'Dynamite' and is featured on his  debut album The life we learned to live. 


Find out more about Gary Nock by visiting his website www.garynock.com

James Eve took to the stage in Chiswick last week as part of an open mic night, in preparation for Bpositive's launch evening. 

The evening was a huge success with James stealing the spotlight with his stella performance.  

After opening his set with the stunning acoustic rendition of the hit record 'City of angels', James then wowed the packed out West London venue with a breathtaking rendition of Marvin Gaye's 'Lets get it on'. The night didnt end there either with James returning to the beautifully lit stage to perform a dedicated track 'The Circle' to pay homage to James's heroes Ocean Colour Scene. Im not sure if Simon Fowler (OCS front man) was in the audience to hear James but the vibrant Chiswick crowd were no doubt left feeling extremely satisfied that the day they caught the train to Chiswick, was a fantastic one.

Photographs and Words by Jonjo Rooney
See far right for more images from the night...