Jack Daniel’s Music Masterclass: Q&A session followed by semi-final, Fusion & Foundry, 25th February

It is a Wednesday evening and in the dark lair of the Foundry there is a congregation of some of the hottest music buffs in the business. The reason? To give advice on how to make it big.

Among the array of shimmering speakers is sound engineer Donard Duffy who has worked with bands like Slash and Supergrass; music producer Steve Proud who helped launch CSS; and music journalist Richard Davis, reviews editor for Artrocker magazine. The other two music professionals are Graham Wrench who manages Richard Hawley, ex-Pulp guitarist; and music lawyer Lance Philips who specialises in e-commerce laws.

The hour-long question and answer session hosted by Jack Daniel’s is both informative and entertaining. Around 40 people comprise the audience, many contributing to the discussion.
The first question addresses the best way “into” the music business as an unsigned artist. Music producer Steve Proud suggests the digital age approach of contacting record labels via social networking sites such as MySpace.

“It makes it a lot easier,” he explains, adding, “But if you have a MySpace music page, there is no need to get in touch. If you’re good enough, I’ll find you.” This comes as a refreshing reminder that record label owners are just as keen to sign decent artists as artists are to get signed.

Several more questions on the same topic are tackled, such as whether you must play live (“no, but it helps!”) before Lance Philips talks about his career.“People think you can’t be creative with law, but here’s proof that you can” he muses. “I didn’t think I’d suit the traditional role, which is why I’m really glad I can combine my love of music with my work.”

Richard Davis urges budding music journalists to concentrate on writing well and getting their articles published and not focussing on a specific music genre. Everyone is then invited to the gig which follows: three bands battling it out in the semi-final. It is up to the panel of music experts to decide who wins.

Phantoms! are the first to play and deliver a mediocre set of bland, generic indie. The melodies are tight and they sound well-rehearsed, but there is nothing nearly special about their performance.

Next up is electro quartet Neon Kicks who have about as much in common with the previous band as you all thought lawyers had with music, before reading this article. Their style is unique and distinct, blending steady vocals with deep, booming bass over a sea of synthesisers.

Finally, the crowd’s favourite, Manchester lads Romanov play a twenty-minute set followed by rapturous applause. And they deserve every inch of it: the songs are catchy and melodic; irresistibly indie riffs powdered with rough, rocking vocals, and their on-stage energy is unforgettably fantastic.

At the end of the evening, the winner is announced as second band, Durham–based Neon Kicks. They will now go on to support a JD Set Gig in May and battle against two other finalist groups for a cover-mount CD on national music magazine Artrocker.

Grace Crook

For more information on The JD Set Unsigned or to vote for Neon Kicks to win, go to www.thejdset.co.uk/unsigned

Know when to unplug, please drink Jack Daniel's responsibly.