Music

Interviewed by Stephen Mayne   Over a decade after his death in 2003, Elliott Smith’s memory lives on with many. Heaven  Adores You tells his story, focusing on the music that made him so beloved. Following the film’s  release last week, director Nickolas Dylan Rossi took the time to answer questions for us about  his debut documentary.    How did you first discover Elliott Smith?  I discovered Elliott's music in the 90s by living in Portland. First through Heatmiser, then by  watching him play solo. But like many people, I discovered his music by friends in Portland  sharing it widely.    Why did you want to make a film about him?  We wanted to make a film that really looked at the music of Elliott Smith and why it continues to  influence fans and other musicians today. He was a great artist who left us too soon. We wanted  to make sure that the next generations of fans of Elliott's music had something to reference  about his life and career.    Who do you hope to reach with the film?  I hope this film can satisfy the super fan as well as the uninitiated. Hopefully there’s enough of a  cohesive story of Elliott’s journey to find interesting to watch, but also a new found appreciation  for his process as a musician.     How long did it take to find the contributors and how keen were they to participate?  It’s sort of known that when Elliott passed away, not a lot of his friends wanted to talk to the  media about him, because the media really wanted to focus on the last couple of years of his  struggles instead of the bigger picture. They were very protective — and rightfully so — of their  friend. I’m not going to say it was easy to get people to talk to us-- it required a tremendous  amount of faith and trust on their part that we would make the film that we said that we would  make, which was to honour him and focus on the music that he made.    So is that why the film looks more at his music and the reaction others had to it rather than  the darker parts of his life?  The film is about Elliott's music. We really wanted to keep the focus there, and not on the more  sensational, tabloid aspects of his life that the media needlessly seems to want to focus on.    Were there any people you wanted in the film that you couldn't get to participate?  I think we were extremely lucky to get the support and the heartfelt stories from as many of  Elliott’s friends as we could. He seemed to touch so many lives that I’m sure there were many  more people we could’ve talked to. At the end, I think we’re grateful to have as many folks as  we did take their time to talk with us.     What impact do you think his growing fame had on him?  It’s hard to say because I wasn’t there with him, but I think he has an idea of what it’s going to  be like for him when he says, “I’m the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous...”    What is it about him that inspires such devotion?  I think what's great about Elliott's story is that he really speaks for the everyman. His music  really spoke to universal themes that are very accessible for people. I think it's very easy to  relate to Elliott's music and it seems that you don't necessarily need to be a fan of his music to  enjoy watching his journey, but there's a good chance you'll appreciate his music by the end of  the film.    What do you think his legacy will be in years to come?  I hope Elliott's music will continue to be embraced, firmly placing him in the canon of great  singer songwriters, like Dylan, Lennon, Cohen, Drake, etc. He was an exceptional talent. I hope  we're still sharing his music in 40 years.    Heaven Adores You was released in the UK on 7th May 2015. Our review can be found here.     

By Adam Turner (AdamTurnerPR) 11.5.15, Methodist Central Hall, Westminster After floating around the stage for 90 minutes, dancing to the sound of his band's subtle, harmonious tones, Stuart Murdoch proved last night that he is still as classy and jovial a performer as he ever has been. The Glaswegian musician, who has been Belle and Sebastian's front man for almost 20 years, lit up an otherwise dull Monday evening in London, in front of an audience of devoted fans at...

By Kane Power (ElHeavio) Hiatus Kaiyote floated into my scope after an impressive ‘live sound-check’ video was posted on a drum forum following the release of their debut album ‘Tawk Tomahawk’, in 2012. The song posted wasn’t actually on that album; it was a version of the song ‘Shaolin Monk Motherfunk’ which coincidentally is the first song proper on their new release, ‘Choose Your Weapon’. Having a three-year old song as the opener of your brand new record might be a...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food As part of a slightly bizarre marketing campaign to promote their brand new album – The Magic Whip – Blur have announced that they’ll be creating their own Ice Cream. Teaming up with The Lickators, a company that’s already worked on Music-related flavours that include Jiggy Pop and John Lemon, Blur’s very own Magic Whip is a “Dairy Vanilla Custard Ice Cream rippled with Raspberry Sauce” and will be available on the band’s upcoming...

Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend Paul Harries' latest photography exhibition. To celebrate the launch of his new collection of photos, titled 'Slipknot: Dysfunctional Family Portraits' the Strand Gallery is displaying Harries' work from 6th - 17th May. As a long-time fan of Slipknot's music and regular reader of Kerrang! Magazine (to whom Harries is a regular contributor) it was an absolute pleasure to view these striking images up close. Slipknot are a band with a storied history, and Paul has...

By Stephen Mayne  It was film that brought me to Elliott Smith, and it’s in film that director Nickolas Dylan Rossi finds him again. I was 15 and in search of something when I first came across the scene in The Royal Tenenbaums where Luke Wilson tries to take his own life. Playing over it is Needle in the Hay, a devastating song off Elliott’s second solo album. The intense pain and beauty had me hooked. That’s how it is with...

By Declan Roberts (@DeclanMR) It’s been a while since we last heard music from London based singer-songwriter Michael Baker. His earlier singles, released a couple of years ago now, actually make up a sampler of 'Keys To The Kingdom'. Although he’s been quiet on the release front, he has been exceptionally busy on the tour circuit with various appearances around London, a stopover show in Cologne and most recently a trip down to Brighton at the Night House. Opening track...

By Daniel Drage (@DanDrage) The Drum Sound To some it may resemble the sound of someone bouncing a peddle bin on a trampoline, but I really love the snare sound on St. Anger – the most tribal, guttural, ballsy noise that ever was crafted within Lars Ulrich’s jazzy little palms. Like clocking on for an eternal nightshift at the factory of ROCK, the tight snares represent the sound of industrial Metallica – a production line of sinuous meta-beats, atonal enough...

By Julia Prigmore (@JuliaPrigmore) Islington Assembly Hall, London, 23.04.15 Maintaining their signature ornithological theme in almost all their records, latest venture Bonxie provides Oxford quartet Stornoway with a new found energy and confidence, which is instantly apparent as the band hit the stage of Islington’s grand Assembly Hall following a pleasant mellow vibe from supporting Irish duo, The Lost Brothers. Stornoway kick off the set with the new album’s opening track, ‘Between the Salt Marsh and the Sea’ filling the...