SINGLE REVIEW

Artist: Rob Rivieres 

Single: Enough is Enough

Website: robrivieres.com

Rob Rivieres wrote his song Enough is Enough for the Liverpool Acoustic View Two Songwriting Challenge last year and performed it to a sell-out crowd at the showcase event on 11th November. At the end of the night he walked away as the winner of the Audience Favourite vote, and it’s not hard to see why.

© Chiz Turnross - chizturnross.tumblr.com

All the entries in the songwriting challenge were inspired by works of art hanging on the walls of Mathew Street’s independent View Two Gallery. Rivieres took his inspiration for Enough is Enough from artist Chiz Turnross‘ large painting of a variety of animals from warmer climes stranded on a flotilla of icebergs. It’s a striking picture that regularly catches the eye of visitors to the gallery, causing many to pause for a while and consider its meaning. Rob’s musical interpretation of the painting had a similar effect, causing the audience at the showcase event to pause for a while and consider what humankind is doing to the planet, and to rage at the injustice and futility of it all. Although there are a fair number of literal references to the painting’s content the song also contains some abstract ideas that are, in much the same way as the original image, open to interpretation.

Framed by Rivieres’ voice which has a real aching quality that makes the listener feel every line, and accompanied by Rob’s accomplished yet understated guitar playing, Enough is Enough is a haunting lament that shows real emotional depth and highlights Rob’s undoubted skill as a songwriter.

The main prize for the two winners of the Songwriting Challenge was to have their song professionally recorded and videoed, and both vocals and guitar are perfectly captured by Jon Lawton at Crosstown Studios, with the video being filmed and edited by local filmmaker Andrew Fisher.

Enough is Enough is available to download from Monday 5th March 2012 on a ‘name your price’ basis from robrivieres.bandcamp.com/track/enough-is-enough

Simon Maddison – Brother Of Fur from Matt Smith on Vimeo.

Simon won the Judges’ Award with this song Brother of Fur, which is about his dog. It was inspired by the painting below.

As his prize, Simon will be recording this song at Crosstown Studios early 2012.

Congratulations to Simon Madison (pic, left) who won the Judges’ Award at the Liverpool Acoustic View Two Songwriting Challenge with is song Brother of Fur.

Well done also to Rob Rivieres (pic, right) who won the Audience Favourite with his song Enough Is Enough.

Each of the winners will be recording their song at Crosstown Studios, and when it’s finished we’ll share it with you here.

Thank you to everyone who turned up to the Showcase Event when £280 was raised for Marie Curie Cancer Care and Garston Animal Rescue.

If you want to get in you have to either be taking part as a songwriter or musician, or have bought your tickets online in advance. Doors open at 6.45pm and the event starts at 7.15pm. Please be prompt.

We cannot allow entry to anyone who turns up without a ticket and who wants to pay on the door.

If you haven’t got a tickets, click below to see if there are any returns before 6pm on the night of the event.

Details of the event can be found by clicking here.

Marie Curie Hospice, Woolton

Located in the peaceful Woolton Village conservation area, the purpose-built Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool offers a modern approach to care with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. They offer specialist care for people with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses and support for families completely free. Their in-patient unit has 30 beds. They have a fully-equipped day service department and some services are offered in patients’ homes.

Statement of purpose

• They aim to promote the best quality of life and death according to the wishes of the individual person
• They aim to meet the overall needs of the individual person
• Their services include physical, emotional and spiritual care for patients together with support for the people who are close to them
• They aim to meet the needs of people from all cultures and communities
• Each hospice employs a team of health and social care professionals, including medical and nursing staff; specially trained in pain and symptom control; occupational therapists, chaplains, physiotherapists and social workers.

Garston Animal Rescue started in 1984 with the rescue of a very exhausted and hungry mother cat and her five new-born kittens from a bin near the docks in Liverpool city centre.

Garston Animal Rescue registered as a charity in 1988 with the simple aim:-

“to rescue sick, stray, abandoned and unwanted animals, to give them essential veterinary treatment and, where possible, to re-home them.”

The charity is run by volunteers and has a policy that no healthy animal will be destroyed.

In addition to needing funds for vets fees and animal food, they welcome volunteers to help with the rescue work, dog walking, cleaning, comforting distressed animals and anything else that keeps the rescue going.

Organiser Nancy says

“What we need most of all are loving homes with kind people who could take an unwanted and unloved animal.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP

You can help in any number of ways.

• Make a cash donation (any size) to help the rescue’s ongoing work
• Donate animal food to help feed the 70+ un-homed animals
• Donate items to sell in the charity shop in Garston
• Volunteer time at the rescue centre
• Volunteer time in the charity shop
• GIVE A GOOD HOME to an unwanted and unloved animal

Thank you to everyone who came along to the View Two Gallery on Saturday 8th October and entered the Songwriting Challenge.

All the places at the Showcase Event have been taken, and we have a reserve list too.

Given the incredible demand for places, next year we’ll be changing the format to enable as many songwriters as possible to take part.

The Entry Event for the Liverpool Acoustic View Two Songwriting Challenge is taking place this coming Saturday 8th October.

The View Two Gallery will be open to the public as normal between 12.00pm and 5.00pm. During this time songwriters can come along and look at the art on display, then pick one that inspires them to write a songs. They will then register it with one of the Liverpool Acoustic team, and will have just over a month to write the song. They will then return for the Showcase Event on the evening of Friday 11th November to perform the song.

Places for challenge entries to the Showcase Event will be limited, and will be allocated at the Entry Event on 8th October on a first come, first served basis.

The facebook event for this can be found here.

Taking place in the View Two Gallery at the same time as the Entry Event will be the Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon in the performance space on the top floor. It’s running from 1.00pm to 4.00pm, and open mic slots are available on a first come, first served basis. The facebook event for this is here.

There’s a preview of the Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon on Show 54 of the Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight, available to listen to for free at spotlight.liverpoolacoustic.co.uk

We’re pleased to announce that the Liverpool Acoustic View Two Songwriting Challenge is being supported by Crosstown Studios.

crosstownstudios.co.uk

Crosstown Studios was established in August 2008 with the aim of making quality, affordable demos for local bands. They offer competitive prices for recording just audio, or audio with video and/or photos. Some great deal special offers are available on their website.

Prizes

• The main prize for the two winning songs (Judge’s choice and audience favourite) will be to have them professionally recorded in the studio near Great Howard Street in Liverpool.
• The two winning songs will have their recording sessions professionally videoed by Andrew Fisher at Crosstown Studios.
• Every songwriter that takes part in the final will get a 20% discount voucher for Crosstown Studios services.

Judges

Owner and producer at Crosstown Studios, Jon Lawton, is an experienced musician with an ear for a good tune, and has agreed to join the judging panel at the showcase event.

If the answer to these three questions is ‘yes’ then you’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to the Liverpool Acoustic View Two Songwriting Challenge.
Over the coming weeks we’ll be giving you more information about this exciting new event, and will be letting you know who the judges are going to be, and what, if any, prizes we’ve managed to rustle up.