Audio version of “Being Fruitful Without Multiplying” now available!

 

After its release last winter, “Being Fruitful Without Multipliying” is now available in an audio-book version on Amazon.

“Being Fruitful Without Multiplying” book release!

I’m glad to annunce that the book I contributed to, “Being Fruitful Without Multiplying“, is being released in October through Coffeetown Press.

Here is the official press release :

 Coffeetown Press Announces the October Release of Being Fruitful without Multiplying

Seattle, WA.—On October 1, 2012, Coffeetown Press will release Being Fruitful without Multiplying: Stories and Essays from around the World ($14.95, 254 pages, ISBN: 978-1-60381-155-2), an anthology of true stories by many women and a few men revolving around the elements of nature and nurture that led to their decisions not to procreate.

The project began as a memoir by three authors with family ties and ended as a conversation that included women and men ranging in age from twenty to sixty-one. Seventeen states and thirteen countries outside the U.S. are represented.

Childfree, childless … these are the labels society gives to women who do not bear children, due to choice or genetics.

Being Fruitful without Multiplying started as one woman’s quest to come to terms with her decision not to bear children. In conversation with Renee and Janice—two close relatives from different generations—Patricia found that they shared another, unexpected bond: each belonged to childless or childfree social networks. All three were weary of questions from well-meaning people who wondered why they had not born children. As they began to reach out to others in earnest, they found that many who belonged to their diverse online communities were eager to share their stories. Some had chosen to be childfree and some were childless because of biological factors but grew to appreciate the advantages. Some of those who chose not to reproduce still decided to become stepparents or adopt.

Over sixty women and a few men added their voices to those of the three main authors. The result is this rich and varied anthology, which includes stories from many different countries, cultures and income groups.

Say Yvette: “What began as a family conversation comparing notes about the choice not to bear children soon grew into a worldwide discussion through social networking childfree communities. Who knew virtual communities such as these existed and would be so large, diverse and vocal?”

Being Fruitful without Multiplying is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com. After Oct. 1st, it will be also available in eBook and paperback editions at select Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores as well as Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, and Amazon Japan. Bookstores and libraries can order through Ingram or by contacting info@coffeetownpress.com. Libraries can also order through Midwest Library Service or Follett Library Resources.

ABOUT Coffeetown Press—Based in Seattle, Washington, Coffeetown Press has been publishing the finest fiction and nonfiction since 2005.

 

 

Interview : Slow Club

Beccy from Slow Club answered Lydia’s questions.

What made you both want to be in music?

B : I think i just realised the only thing i was really any good at was singing, singing harmonies and being a show off. Music had always been the main focus of my life too and my Dad was in a band so he encouraged me.

How did you meet and come together to form Slow Club?

B : I was at school and we used to do these workshops where different music geeks came to our school and we made music, Charles started going out with a girl who was my friend and we became friends and then he joined the band i was in at the time.

Who are your inspirations?

B : Beyonce, Linda Ronstadt, Carol Carpenter.

What has been your favourite gig you have ever been to, and why?

B : We supported Casiokids in San Francisco, i expelled demons dancing to them that night.

How does it feel to hear your music in advertisements and tv programmes?

B : It feels like new shoes and rent for another month.

Do you write your lyrics from your own experience?

B : Yes, a few times we go into each others ideas or metaphors but it is always from our own experiences.

If you could be any other band/artist, who would it be?

B : I would like to be either Beyonce or a member of the Mae Shi circa 2006/7

What are your top 5 songs at the moment?

B : In no order :  Love Talk: Clout. Put all your eggs in one basket: Marnie Stern. Take Care: Drake. Til the world ends: Britney Spears and Keep it goin’ louder: Major Lazer.

Blitzgigs is talking about our exclusive event!

Blitzgigs Berlin is promoting the exclusive houseshow we’re organising for Gunning For Tamar (UK).

Click on the following link to read :

http://www.blitzgigs.de/2011/10/28/gunning-for-tamar-private-house-concert/

The concert is tonight! If you’re in Berlin, get in touch – not many ‘seats’ left…

CB

Gunning for Tamar playing an intimate houseshow in Berlin!

We’re very happy to announce that Gunning for Tamar (UK) will play an exclusive and private concert in a flat in Berlin this friday 28.10.2011.

Gunning for Tamar hails from Oxford UK, and recently released the single “Bonfires“, from their excellently received debut EP “Deaf Cow Motel“.

“Tight and technically proficient, but also intuitive enough to keep things sounding organic” – Artrocker.

More about Gunning For Tamar:
http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/gunning-for-tamar

Review : The Maccabees, Exeter Phoenix, Exeter, 08.09.2011

Almost a tradition for a rock band, the late jog of The Maccabees onto the stage at the Exeter Phoenix only increases the delight of an excited bustle of jumping, leaping and screaming. After having a quiet year out to write all new material, the boys are finally touring and treat the anticipation in the room like bees to a honeypot. Orlando is looking noticeably more mature in navy when he approaches and sings, blessing all to hear with his voice of floating sound waves. Alternatively, the other boys have all taken a relaxed step back with tangly long hair for some as they attend to the guitars and drums.

As they steadily make their way through the set, a sea of confident new songs attack the crowd. ‘Child’ has a ghostly middle part, sending the crowd sailing into wiggling worms when the skipping beats fill the room. There is an outstanding array of a grown up, developed sound, and perhaps an indication of the direction in which their third record will take. The talents and politely cheeky exclamation of Orlando, who insists they would change a microphone in a ‘professional manner’, pleases all with glee. The impressive sound the venue produces is evident from song to song, with every note seeming crisp and clear. The appreciation is even exclaimed by the likes of Gavin and Stacey’s Matthew Horn who is a close friend of the band as he shouts with a proud smile on his face.

Without fail, their musical capabilities are exampled tonight with the pure depth of the utter satisfaction all seem to experience with the new material, but yet they offer a reassuring attitude after the previous praised ‘Wall of Arms’ and ‘Colour It In’ tracks still continue to drive everybody into blasphemy.

Old friend and top forty hit ‘First Love’ inevitably threw every soul into an atmosphere of adrenaline through to the turmoil of ‘Can You Give It’ as many experienced being thrown around and almost bulldozed towards the stage.

Even after six years in our lives, it is clear The Maccabees will still proceed to surprise and I can’t help but feel their time on the stage ended too soon.

L.M.

Review : Laura Marling at Cathedral, Exeter, 14.10.2011

Emerging into an anxious silence, a half scruffy, half clean-cut gentleman takes a step onto a small stage. Taking one step more, he doesn’t appear to be sure, what of, is unknown, he is perhaps unconfident. He is now centre stage, reaching to the floor and clutching what appears to be a bell, a large bell. A puzzled audience gazes, extending the silence a moment more until a chime echoes throughout a magnificent room, a cathedral. The man places the bell gently back to the floor, and shuffles back off in the same direction. Everyone is hesitant, do we applaud, do we not? But it is deemed too late when a few more impartial characters grace the stage. They, however, are met with a grand applause. Watching intimately as the characters approach their instruments, each spectator misses a few blinks as Laura Marling takes her own graceful steps upon the stage.

This is the first show of the ‘When the bell tolls’ tour (it makes more sense now) in the small city of Exeter. Exclusive to cathedrals, this tour is an obvious step for Marling as she gazes at her surroundings. The audience are mirroring her, absorbing the incredible detail and beauty of the stone walls and ceiling.
Marling isn’t lingering though. Eyes watering, her voice projects into the depths of the cathedral. Her voice is quiet, yet concerned. Her voice is calm, yet violent.

Obviously Marling has had constant success, but only recently has she really hit  the B.I.G T.I.M.E. And that means big time. Rising from the new folk scene, in…… she has overlapped her peers by the mile, being the only artist to be ever-evolving and ever-growing able to witness.

And witnessing here, as she begins with ‘The Muse’ from the new record, it is clear Marling’s confidence has risen since her beginning, and throughout the three months it took to write ‘A Creature I Don’t Know’. Now, three months is a mouse-like length of time to write a whole album, and what she has produced is immaculate even for something that could have prevailed her life for years. You can just tell there is no over-thinking, there are no wholly taintless harmonies. But this is what Laura has become. She has grown into a character who is sure in herself to decide what she wants to write now.
She glides through the first few half an hour of the set, covering songs new and old. ‘Ghosts’ brings an element of the new, quirky Laura and ‘Failure’ exudes intimacy and meaning. The first spoken utterance she makes into the microphone states in a soft whisper ‘you are all so kind to be so quiet’. Mid-laugh she is abandoned on the stage. Luckily this is planned, we finally have a moment alone. Just the audience and her. She makes light of her lack of ‘talking skills’ and proceeds on with a new haunting track. The unfinished touches of this unknown is brilliant and pure. It is clear Marling needs nothing other than her voice and guitar to exhibit her flawlessness. And that is what she is to anybody, flawless.

L.M.

Luke Leighfield @ White Trash, Berlin – 10.10.2011

Yes, we’re aware that Leighfield is not spelt with a “t“… But Germans are so cool – we forgive them.

Oldie : Foals Interview, November 2007

The past few months have been hectic for Foals : after recording their debut album ‘Antidotes‘ in NYC last summer, they didn’t stop touring, building an enormous fan-base all through Europe … and in the rest of the world. We caught up with frontman Yannis Philippakis before their chaotic concert in Kingston, two weeks before the release of their single ‘Balloons’.
Mathletics and Hummer won’t be on the album – does that mean that you think Foals have got even more better songs – with more potential ?
Yannis Philippakis (vocals, guitar) : I think some of the songs are better. It depends on how you qualify, but there are some songs that are poppier, definitely. There’s like bigger pop songs. I think everything on the album is better. We didn’t want to make an album where, you know – a lot of albums are very much like a collection of songs, which don’t seem to really have a flow or a unified theme. Also, with the proliferation of iTunes, once you’ve released something, people have got it, and if they want to listen to Hummer, they can do it.

So do you feel the album will really represent Foals nowadays, even if some songs have been written a long while ago ?
Yannis : All of the songs are kind of old, to be honest. But it’s the grease of oldness I guess. The firsts songs we wrote were French Open, Balloons and 2 Steps Twice – Balloons and 2 Steps Twice are on but there is much newer material. We’ve already started writing newer stuff.

About Balloons – how did you come up with the saxophone idea on the new version ?
Yannis : It has a lot to so with Dave Sitek. We had a lot of discussions about bringing some more like afro-beat feel and a cross-cultural element, to make something that is culturally not as specific as a lot of western kind of rock bands. There’s quite a lot of brass on a lot of the record – maybe five tracks are brass to various degrees. Which is kind of weird if you’ve seen us live : when you will put on that record, it’s going to be a bit of a shock – hopefully a pleasant one. We didn’t want to make a live-sounding record. We wanted to make a record that was like a studio thing.

Will we ever know what you say in Balloons, that “what the what” thing ?
Yannis : Oh no, probably not. I can’t give it all away. I don’t really say anything, really. I like the suggestions on our forum though.

In less than a year, you’ve been discovered as a band, signed on a label, you’ve been touring a lot – how do you deal with this ?
Yannis : How do we deal with it ? I don’t know … None of this really feels real. In five years or ten years time, when it’s all over, I’ll look back and I’ll be like “Oh, that was quite weird”. When you’re in it is just too … so much stuff. We party a lot as well – that’s a way of dealing with that.

So you think that maybe in five years time you won’t be doing music anymore ?
Yannis : I think we will always be doing music but we might not be doing it as Foals. We don’t want to be the kind of band that is still playing their stuff after sixteen years.

There’s been a lot said about Foals being a band for teenagers, as you did underage concerts, that Underage Festival, and you appeared in Skins, too. Does this annoy you ?
Yannis : Not really, because I think that’s a misconception. To me, there isn’t the thing like being an underage band. I think there are bands that are very specific to that underage market but I think our crowds are far more diversed generally – at least, I like to think so.

Are you going to tour France ?
Yannis : We’re doing four shows in France in February. We’re doing Paris, Rennes, Reims (laughs at his bad pronunciation) … We’re just going to be touring a lot. We’ve only got eight British shows, in March, and then everything is all international. We’ve already booked Spain and Japan, which is more exciting at least for us to get to go somewhere new.

I interviewed young local bands and they mentioned Foals as one of their influences – Foals being pretty new in the business, how do you feel towards this ?
Yannis : It’s pretty weird. That’s cool, though. That’s pretty fast I guess.

Don’t you think it’s a risk for the new scene, being inspired by other new bands without searching influences in other kind of music ? Most of these new bands don’t seem to have the same music background than Foals has.
Yannis : You’re right, but that’s why -at least in my opinion- there aren’t many good rock bands. And the music I find the most interesting is stuff that isn’t rock-based, generally. In almost every respect I find –at least in mainstream kind of like rock music- very repetitive bands repeting what other bands have already done before. It works like fashion cycles.

I’d like to end on what a friend of mine, who is half-Greek, says about Greek music. For her, “Greece” and “Music” are two words that are not compatible. What would you like to say to her, to answer her ? Do you agree ?
Yannis : That can’t be – really ? Why does she say that ?

Apparently there are no worthy musicians in Greece, only bad music, that kind of stuff …
Yannis : Really ? That’s the craziest thing I ever heard ! In terms of pop-music, it’s terrible of course. But it’s because the idea of making commercial pop-music is not something that comes naturally out of the culture. It’s something that has been, basically, forced upon us. So all like modern sounding music from Greece is bad but all the folk music in Greece is incredible.

Would you ever consider collaborate with Greek musicians, then ?
Yannis : Yeah – I mean sometimes we start our set with an old Byzantine song – my dad used to sing it. My dad makes folk instruments in Greece. If your friend is referring to pop-music, then I agree. It’s terrible. But the folk music is incredible. It’s like the best of the dance too as well – like all the traditional Greek line-dancing. I find it kind of interesting. So well, I don’t agree with your friend at all !

For a chance to see Yannis line-dancing on stage, catch Foals on their next tour starting in February. Their debut album Antidotes will be out in March.

CB

Shout Out Louds : oldie interview (November 2007)

Shout Out Louds

Swedish finest indie band is back with their second opus Our Ill Wills. Freshly landed from America, lead singer & guitarist Adam and keyboardist Bebban answer our questions before their sold-out concert at the Borderline, London.

Everyone knows that a second album is a turning point in a musical career, so how were the reactions towards Our Ill Wills so far ?
Bebban (keyboard, back vocals, accordion) : It hasn’t been much of a turning point, it feels more like a continuation of the last one (Howl Howl Gaff Gaff) I think.
Adam (lead singer & guitar) : What I really like about the album is that it shows we could do different things. I think we’ve got – I wouldn’t say a bigger audience, but that just feels like a … (searches his words for a long time)

Do you mean more “mainstream” ?
Adam : Mmmm, not very … I mean, what I really wanted with this album, was that we could just show a different side, and I think people really appreciate that. I think that’s the reason we do records, to show different sides and new songs.

Your songs sound less pop-ish and more melancholic to me – what were your inspirations ?
Bebban : What happened while we were away on tour, the things that happen when you’re not there, when you’re turning your back, more than what actually happened to us on tour. It’s more about what you leave behind.
Adam : And changes about how that affects you. It was more actually when we went home from touring that we wrote most of the songs.

Do you experience homesickness when you’re on tour, and then and once you’re home – missing being on tour ?
Adam : Yeah, I remember a week before Christmas last year, I really wanted to go back on tour and I was really excited and I guess it’s always like that – it depends on the kind of person you are, but I’m always like that, always want to be somewhere else.
Bebban : It becomes a kind of love/hate relationship. When you’re home for a while then you start playing music, but maybe not so much the travelling.
Adam : No, you don’t miss the travelling and the waiting and the soundchecks and all that. But just meeting the audience which appreciate the work you’re doing. So it’s strange not to be away for a long time – to have a whole week at home! Makes me feel a little bit nervous about it (laughs).

How is the tour going so far ?
Adam : It’s been really good. We just came back from a North-American tour – we haven’t been back in North America for a long while, and it was a good tour ! There was a few things: we had some bus problems, and everyone was feeling kind of tired at the beginning of the tour, but now it feels that we’re not tired, so it’s very up and down.
Bebban : We’re going to have a break for Christmas, and I think it really helps to see the end of a tour, because we can get a bit overwhelmed when you know that you’re going to tour for two years in a row, and there’s your family, and what is going to happen to relationships and friends and cats (laughs) while you’re away. But now that we’re going to have a break over Christmas, I feel we’ll get the energy back. That’s been a good learning experience, I miss touring because on the first album all we did was touring, there was no really other options, so we just didn’t even considered the possibility of not touring.

Being French, I have to ask why you don’t tour France more often !
Bebban : Because Adam doesn’t like cheese ! (laughs)
Adam : No, I don’t like cheese … We’re going to release the album hopefully in March so we’ll do some French dates in March.
Bebban : We want to come but it’s been a bit of a change – we ended our work with Capitol. Because we have so many different smaller labels now … We don’t have one in France (turning to Adam), now.
Adam : No, we don’t have a label in France. But it looks like it’s going to be done at the end of March.

Do you have any idea/contacts for the labels?
Adam : We have a few, but we’re not telling (smiles)

Bebban, you sing more on this album, even a whole song. How did this happen?
Bebban : I think the first thing that happened was that we talked about some more harmony and more back-up singing, because this time we had more time to think through. And I think especially Adam and me like harmonies and double vocals, so we just tried anything we could … Maybe take advantage of the girl’s voice …
Adam : As a contrast of mine. When we’re on tour, it’s easier for her to sing : you practice a lot, it’s the time to get to know your voice.

Was it easy for you to let go that part, being the lead singer?
Bebban : He knows he’s the lead-singer! (laughs) I feel microphone-shy, so I never considered competing with Adam for the lead-singing

Still, can we say there are two singers now?
Adam : No, I mean if Carl does a song and he want to sing it, he just does.

So The Shout Out Louds work as a real democracy?
Adam and Bebban : Yeah !
Bebban : I think it had opened for other changes too. Not necessarily big ones, but to not have everyone in the band standing at their place and do their things, you (turning to Adam) started to play a lot of percussions – Adam drums on our next single, Carl too, and this has opened some kind of gate, just to dare to step out of your own little cage.

So do you think you can extend possibilities in the next material/album?
Bebban : I think we’ve done that on this album, so maybe on the next album we will narrow it down. One step in a direction doesn’t mean that we will continue that way. We might go back to the start.
Adam : We’re still trying out new things. It still feels like a debut band sometimes, and I really like that. We’re still very curious in everything we do. There’s so many things we want to do.

You collaborated with Lykke Li – is there anyone else you’d like to work with ?
Bebban : We’re going to have a very special guest tonight*, it was a dream of mine. (Turning to Adam) I don’t think you want to do a duet with Céline Dion or anything major like that.
Adam : Well (laughs) … We could do a terrific cover. What we talked about before recording Our Ill Wills, was that we could have collaborated with a lot of people, but I think it’s important for us as five people to do … Of course we can work with different people but …
Bebban : We are a kind of tight unit.
Adam : If there are too many people in, I think there’s going to be … (apparently thinking over)

That wouldn’t really be The Shout Out Louds ?
Adam and Bebban : Yeah, somehow.
Bebban : Maybe we don’t need it. And sometimes it’s kind of a cheap trick. They invite somebody else who is doing very well at the moment …
Adam : It’s important that we keep things for ourselves.

Why did you never record a song in Swedish? Is it a choice ?
Adam : Because you just start and do your singing and it’s hard to change sometimes. We grew up with a lot of British bands and we had that dream to travel outside Sweden and do what we’re doing. We might do some Swedish songs in the future, I mean, rather a mix, do both : one verse in Swedish, one verse in English. We haven’t really talked about that – we’ll see !

The Shout Out Louds are currently touring Europe – don’t miss them !
More infos on tourdates on www.myspace.com/theshoutoutlouds

*Later on that day, special guest Spider from The Pogues joined the band and performed Streams of whiskeyonstage with them. CB.