Dan Church from Exmouth, Bow Jenkins from Newton Abbot, Kris Barras from Torquay-based band Who'z In The Room With Norman?, Astra Dolphin from Chudleigh Knighton and Exeter trio The Boys From Melbourne Street all appear in the latest Devon Demos programme to be aired on BBC Radio Devon. Each share their tales of chasing success and their plans for a future in the music industry. I met Dan on Exmouth seafront on one of those cold December days when each word you utter turns to steam in front of your face. A true 'wooly hat and scarf' day! Dan fronts a 25 piece band called The Dan Church Experience. His music is poppy and commercial and I'd had his CD playing in the car on the drive up from Plymouth. And in an industry where most musicians tell you you'll only get on by moving away from the sleepy south west and heading for London, Dan has defied the rules! He actually took a step in the opposite direction, choosing to move to Devon to concentrate on writing his music. "In this modern day of technology anything's possible," he told me. "I can get musicians, wherever they are, to lay down their tracks and then I just take them away and mix them. "And what better location than Devon if you're looking for inspiration?"
Dan's CD - Middle Class White Boy - includes a variety of different styles and I reckon it could sit quite happily on the shelves of Virgin or HMV (other record stores are available!) next to the likes of Robbie and Coldplay - he's just not been in the right place at the right time yet. BACK TO SCHOOL It's always difficult not to make comparisons when you meet a new singer. I usually try to avoid bringing the topic up because everyone wants to be unique.
 | | Class act - Bow Jenkins |
But when you meet Bow Jenkins as she comes out of class at South Devon Community College, with her long blond hair and her soulful voice - and armed with the knowledge that she wrote all the tracks of her album by the time she was 14(!) - it's hard not to. "I know what you're going to say," she smiles, "and I have no problem with the comparison because the person you're talking about is very talented. "But I'm not the next Joss Stone - I'm Bow Jenkins and proud of it." Even at the grand old age of 16, Bow has managed to draw on her life experiences to write some of the songs on her CD (aptly entitled Innocence and Experience). "As a family, we've done a lot of travelling, so I've seen a fair bit of the world," she says. The song she chose to feature in the programme, Say Goodbye, is based on a sad story: "A family friend committed suicide - and this is all about his family and how they must have been feeling." OLDEST BOY BAND IN TOWN? Colin, Keith and Dave have a combined age of 247! OK that's a lie, but let's just say they're old enough for Westlife to be their offspring! The three friends from Exeter have been making music together for many years and their latest CD is still in production. But they brought along four unmastered tracks when we met for coffee at a pub on Exeter Quay.
 | | The 'Boys' on Exeter Quay |
"The beauty of being an acoustic trio," says Colin from The Boys From Melbourne Street, "is that we can set up and play just about anywhere. Our next concert is in a telephone kiosk on Fore Street!" They're a jovial bunch whose friendship shines through. This is the third or fourth time I've met the 'boys' and every time it's been fun. "Did you know that we, the English, do more texting on mobile phones than any other nation?" asks Colin. "And it's the ladies that are responsible for most texts too!" That's the inspiration for their track, Mobile. "It's all about having a modern day relationship between two people who mainly converse on their phones." PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM Who'z In The Room With Norman is going through a bit of a transition at the moment.
"We're on the look-out for a third member," says front-man and lead guitarist Kris Barras. We were sitting in a hotel on Torquay seafront, with waves crashing over the road and the English Riviera palm trees bending almost double in a gale force wind. It's a long way from Philadelphia, but that's where the current CD has been recorded.
 | | A windswept Kris Barras |
"It's a story of being in the right place at the right time," Kris tells me. "We were playing - mainly covers - in a bar in Brixham, and a guy who was sat at the bar asked if we had any original material."
Kris and the boys treated him to some of their own songs and the chap was impressed.
"He offered us his business card and next thing we know he's flying us to America for a tour. "We're just back from recording our latest tracks in a studio in Philadelphia." Kris is an expert guitarist. He teaches the instrument full time and plays in the band at every other available moment. He's joined in the band by drummer Will Beavis. Currently Kris's father is filling the vacant position left by Jay who left to form his own band. But with the prospect of touring the USA, I can't imagine it will take too long to find that illusive third member. NEW SIGNING Now if you're looking for a truly distinctive voice, my final act has a delivery that's immediately recognisable. Astra Dolphin (real name) lives at home with her parents in Chudleigh Knighton.
 | | At home with Astra |
Since she was first featured on Devon Demos she has been lucky enough to become signed to a label. "I've sort of put my future in their hands for a while," she says. "We've re-mixed a track, Take Me, and I'm hoping it's going to go down well when they push it in the New Year." The song is about chasing your dreams. "It's kind of autobiographical," says Astra, "it's about being accepted as an artist." TUNE IN Devon Demos was broadcast on BBC Radio Devon and here on the radioplayer of the BBC Devon website at 6pm on Tuesday 27th December. If you missed it, you can listen right now by clicking on the link at the top of this page. | 
