NEWS BLAST #22 [9/12/12]

There’s a distinct absence of rubber ducks in NEWS BLAST #22, but we’ve been working hard to make sure it hasn’t affected the quality of news items below. If you don’t believe us, read on. Heck, even if you do believe us, you should still read on!

• SOUND AND THE CITY – And while you’re busy submitting to Threshold, you might as well go the whole hog and submit to Liverpool Sound City too. Next year it’s taking place from 2nd to 4th May, and the submissions this time round are being handled by bandapp.com. Check out the press release here, and the bandapp info here.

• SOUND AND THE CITY 2 – If you want to hedge your bets and fancy battling your way to a performance spot at Sound City 2013 then check out The Zanzibar who’ve got three slots available. They’re going to be holding heats and a final in front of a three person panel in February and March. More details from their facebook page here.

• GIT IT ON – The GIT Award 2013 was launched last month and submissions are now open. All you have to do is to send your best four tracks to getintothis@gmail.com or bung a cd in the post (without the bung) – details are on the poster here.

• LM(F)A(O) – Yes, you’ll be laughing if you get a slot to perform at the LMA – Liverpool Music Awards – launch event, nominations party, or awards night in 2013. And how do you do that? Simply tweet a link to a video of one of your performances and they’ll consider you. @LivMusicAwards

• UNSIGNED ON THE DOTTED LINE – We’ve been asked to mention Unsigned Only, an international songwriting competition which is only open to unsigned artists and bands. No surprise there then. Judges include Chrissie Hynde, Iggy Pop, Carly Simon, and many more. There’s a Folk/Singer-songwriter category and one just for teens too. OK, so it costs $30 per song per category but you might just look at the prizes and think it’s worth a punt. Check it all out at unsignedonly.com

• UKE CAN DO IT! – Sound Studio Liverpool have caught on to the ukelele craze that seems to be sweeping the nation. They’re running Ukulele Club workshops on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays in Aigburth, south Liverpool. It’s only £4 a session, and you can even borrow a uke if you don’t own your own. More details available from soundstudioliverpool.com

• GRAB A TWEET OF THE ACTION – We often come across musicians who use their twitter account to sent out the same, identical message over and over and over again. “You can buy my album from…” or “Vote for us to play this festival…” is the cry every hour or so, just in case you missed it an hour or so earlier. But, we cry back, there’s more to twitter than just shouting at people! Twitter works best for musicians when they’re engaging in the conversation – when the communication and sharing of knowledge turns from a one way street into a multi-laned highway. There’s lots of help out there for anyone interested. Try Heather McDonald’s simple guide to get started, and check out what others are doing too. And don’t forget to follow us! @lpoolacoustic

• LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD – And finally, if you’re looking for a last minute Christmas present idea then why not pop into News From Nowhere on Bold Street and pick up a copy of the brand new CD from Celebrating Subversion: The Anti-Capitalist Roadshow. This double album features songs from Frankie Armstrong, Roy Bailey, Robb Johnson, Reem Kelani,  Sandra Kerr,  Grace Petrie, Leon Rosselson, Janet Russell, Peggy Seeger, Jim Woodland and socialist magician Ian Saville. News From Nowhere is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5.45pm, and Sundays 11am to 5pm in the run up to Christmas. It’s also worth noting that they are able to order any book that’s currently in print, so if you’re looking for an alternative to the non-UK-tax-paying Amazon then this is a perfect solution. newsfromnowhere.org.uk