Local Bands

Brum Beat

I've been making my own music since the mid 1980s, and although I've had some success in the music industry, I've also taken some pretty hard knocks.

From having my music heavily criticized, by record label A&R departments, to losing heart and selling all my studio equipment and then buying it back a year later, I have sometimes questioned my own talent and contemplated turning my back on music-making for good.

Somehow though, I never can turn my back on this passion and soon find myself getting caught up in some new track or music project.

As many of my close friends are also musicians and DJs, I know that I am not alone on this long and sometimes frustrating road. But what keeps us going?

Simon on stage

Fuzzpilots

Close friend Simon, has been song-writing and playing in bands since his mid teens. Always working full time to fund himself, he has performed at various festivals and all manner of gigs.

Simon studied music in both Birmingham and Manchester and then, in 2003, partly to tap into a busier music scene, Simon and his partner moved to London. A new band was formed called 'Fuzzpilots' and they recorded new material in professional studios.

This was to be a chance at the big-time, but the London dream was not quite so rewarding as Simon had imagined. His band often ended up playing to half empty rooms, on one occasion seeing people they had brought along being attacked by a resident crazy woman.

Eventually, Simon found himself engrossed with a new-born child, married life and a move back to the Midlands. His music is still a big part of every day life and although his priorities have changed, Simon is still passionately song-writing.

After sending off recent demos, initial feedback from one source was extremely harsh and almost venom-like in it's criticism. But I admire his determination and courage to open himself up to such critique.

Keith Law, 1962

Keith Law

Keith played in various 60’s Brumbeat bands from the 'Williamsons' (named after supporting blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson, at the Eagle pub, Hill Street), to Robert Plant’s 'Band Of Joy', and psychedelic bands such as 'Jardin' and 'Velvett Fogg'.

Sonny Boy gave Keith's band a wonderful accolade by declaring the Williamsons 'a great young blues band.' True praise indeed from a man who started his own career playing alongside people such as, blues hero's: Robert Johnson, Robert Nighthawk, Robert Jr. Lockwood and Elmore James.

Although many people do not know of Keith's work, even here in his own county, he continues to write and perform and has recently been recording a new Velvett Fogg album, 40 years after the release of first.

"You don't have to be famous, to make a living in the music business. Just give the folks, what they want" - Keith Law

Keith Law, today

Keith now resides in Devon but his heart is still with the West Midlands music scene and he helps out as a moderator for www.unsignedcity.com/forums

Roc 1

I first met Roc some years ago at a hip hop DJ night in Birmingham. I admired what he was trying to achieve, through education and enlightenment of hip hop, funk and soul. Catering for the city’s hip hop elite, with a crew of other dedicated DJs and musicians.

Roc co-ran seminal hip hop night 'Substance' with the tag line "hip hop superbrand" and helped bring various U.S. hip hop legends to the second city such as 'Afrika Bambaataa', 'Jeru The Damaja', 'Pharcyde' and 'KRS-1'.

Roc played as a guest DJ at a few nights I helped promote, and his skills on the wheels of steel are something to behold. A finalist of the DMC mixing championships, Roc uses DJ techniques such as beat-matching, juggling and scratching which turns his DJing into a captivating art form.

Unfortunately, as many DJs and promoters will know, DJing rarely brings a worthy wage, often just breaking even, and if Roc's heart and soul wasn't genuinely in the music he play, the city would have lost a valuable musical asset long ago.

Roc 1 on the decks

How Do You Measure Success?

I think that if I had been paid for every hour I spent labouring away at music, I would, by now, probably not be writing this, but sat on a beach somewhere very hot with my feet up, writing postcards to friends back home.

Reality is, the majority of musicians and producers, will never make a living purely from music. Many musicians and DJs just keep on entertaining, helping to inspire others to push music boundaries forward. Maybe sometimes, it's better just to enjoy the journey rather than have the 'when we make it' dreams? But one thing is for sure, you have to get your music out there for it to be appreciated in the first place.

As an aside to my own music, I have been doing my bit to help expose other musicians to a wider online audience, through Brumbeat, on myspace, since 2006. It is in the same spirit of the original 80s publication, and shows just how rich this region is for original music.

For a chance to check out some of the Midlands local up and coming talent please check out www.myspace.com/brumbeat