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ROCKNA INTERVIEW: THE RANCH (2)

SUPER SPONGE SOUNDS COMING YOUR WAY!

Feb 20, 2017
1 min

SUPER SPONGE SOUNDS COMING YOUR WAY!

Never mind Spongebob Whatsisname, as from this Friday, the word 'sponge' will belong to only one entity, and that's the Super Sponge Trio! If you're not too familiar with the name (yet), that's because it's one of the latest arrivals on the local music scene, but rest assured the names and faces behind this project are no novices! On the contrary, they are all seasoned musicians, and they'll be bringing together an interesting melee' of individual influences into one collecti

NEW EP FROM FESTEN

Dec 1, 2016
1 min

NEW EP FROM FESTEN

Further to the release of their acclaimed Mad System album earlier this year, French band Festen, whose line-up includes Maltese bassist Oliver Degabriele, are tomorrow releasing a new EP. Simply titled B-sides, the EP features 4 tracks. Three of the tracks, two of which are off the Mad System album and the third a Nine Inch Nails cover featuring Isabel Sörling, were recorded at the Studio de l'Ermitage in Paris. The other track, Shadow Boxing, had until now had only been ava

CARLO MUSCAT: FURTHER ADVENTURES IN JAZZ

Nov 13, 2016
4 min

CARLO MUSCAT: FURTHER ADVENTURES IN JAZZ

Saxophonist Carlo Muscat takes some time out from his busy schedule performing locally and abroad to tell Michael Bugeja about his latest work. Carlo Muscat has always insisted that his musical awakening is an ongoing process. So much so that further to releasing his first solo album, The Sound Catalogues Vol.1 about two years ago, he went on to explore new ventures and collaborations, a number of which would, both directly and indirectly, lead to the formation of the line-up

MALTA TAKES LONDON'S 4TH EDITION COMING UP

Oct 19, 2016
2 min

MALTA TAKES LONDON'S 4TH EDITION COMING UP

It was a chilly November night, Friday the 15th to be exact, in 2013 that The Water Rats in London's King's Cross opened its doors to what effectively would become the first edition of Malta Takes London (MTL). Born out of the idea of a two-band London gig that grew into a six-band line-up, MTL has not only continued to grow even further, but also become a regular showcase for Maltese talent; an annual fixture that brings Maltese bands - locally or elsewhere-based - together

THE RANCH: EUROPE CALLING!

Sep 16, 2016
4 min

THE RANCH: EUROPE CALLING!

Their debut album Cuckoo Island was by far one of the most enticing works to come out of the Maltese music scene in recent years. Their love of penguins has (indirectly at least) made the news, and they have a penchant for churning out engaging tunes that simply refuse to be categorized (even if at its core, their music has more than a hint of jazz). They are The Ranch, and MikeBugeja.com spoke to Benji Cachia, their only remaining original member for an update on what the ba

JAZZ FOR JOZETTA

Jul 17, 2016
4 min

JAZZ FOR JOZETTA

Without a doubt one of the more prolific artists on the island, Dominic Galea is also rather versatile, but it is perhaps for his deep involvement in the world of jazz that he is best known for. His latest album Jozetta, essentially dedicated to his partner Josette and released under the name of Dominic Galea’s London Quintet, is possibly one of the closest to his heart. It is an album with a special meaning that transcends music. Michael Bugeja speaks to Dominic Galea ahead

TRIBUTE TO SAMMY MURGO

May 7, 2016
2 min

TRIBUTE TO SAMMY MURGO

As part of a series of events entitled A Tribute to Sammy Murgo, Heritage Records will be staging a concert at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta on Friday, May 13 featuring Sammy Murgo’s Quartet along with a number of guest artists. The quartet, which is made up of Sammy Murgo on Alto Sax, Dominic Galea on piano, Mario Aquilina ‘Il-Cocker’ on Double bass and Noel Grech on drums, will be accompanied by guest artists such as Alex Manche', Sammy Galea, Charles 'City' Gatt, Alex Grech,

A TRIBUTE TO A GREAT

Apr 18, 2016
4 min

A TRIBUTE TO A GREAT

So there I am, carefully calculating the seven steps that lead to Dominic Galea's basement-cum-rehearsal space, when the band starts playing the title track off Miles Davis' 1963 album, Seven Steps to Heaven. A coincidence without a doubt, but one that is prescient too, for sitting in on a rehearsal by such a talented group of musicians is, to any genuine music lover, a true taste of paradise. The reason Galea and his Jazztet are gathered here is the upcoming Tribute to Miles

NOIR'S ALBUM LAUNCH + REVIEW

Apr 12, 2016
2 min

NOIR'S ALBUM LAUNCH + REVIEW

I was expecting a jazz album from a band such as Noir. After all, they are primarily a jazz combo, aren't they, and didn't this band make its live debut at the 2006 Malta Jazz Festival? Yes and yes, but going back to my opening sentence, this collection of songs released under the name of Till You Switch Off The Lights is not just any jazz album; as the cliché goes, it is bigger than the sum of its parts, and there's more at play here than meets the ear. In the space of its n

ROCK THE SOUTH RETURNS WITH 5TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Apr 2, 2016
2 min

ROCK THE SOUTH RETURNS WITH 5TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Last year's Rock The South flaunted all the fours with its '44 acts over four days' fourth edition. This year's fifth anniversary edition, which is endorsed by the Valletta 2018 Foundation, will see the festival go back to a three-day format, but it will still, however, offer a line-up of more than 40 acts. Kicking off on Friday April 15, once again at ZION Restaurant & Reggae Bar in Marsacala, the festival's three days will be jam-packed with with live music from an explosi

DEBUT ALBUM FROM UNHEARD MUSIC CONCEPTS

Mar 24, 2016
2 min

DEBUT ALBUM FROM UNHEARD MUSIC CONCEPTS

Here's a little something that arrived in my mailbox a few days ago. It's not exactly a local product, but there is a connection by way of a certain Daniel Talma, whose name will certainly ring familiar with a good number of Maltese bands and artists who have stepped into a recording studio. Some years ago Talma, who is based locally, had also launched the ambitious BeMixed project with ex-Fellowfish drummer Christophe Ladret. That project eventually folded in 2013, but it d

NADINE AXISA: VELVET IN CONCERT

Mar 2, 2016
2 min

NADINE AXISA: VELVET IN CONCERT

Later this month, Nadine Axisa will be performing her Velvet album live at the Robert Samut Hall in Floriana. The album, featuring 12 original tracks, was released in 2014 and has been receiving rave reviews ever since, each one of them highlighting the singer's distinctively smooth and particularly expressive vocal delivery. The album also received a four star review on the UK's Jazz Journal, and was featured on local and international radios, the latter including virginiamu

F-TRIO TO LAUNCH EP

Jan 3, 2016
2 min

F-TRIO TO LAUNCH EP

Nine times out of ten, the first question asked when the name F-Trio comes up in conversation is ‘what does the F stand for'? Asking the band directly could provide a reply perhaps more colourful than one might expect, so for the time being let's just take a wild guess, assume it stands for FUN and leave it at that. F-Trio is essentially Warren Galea on guitar, Alan Portelli on bass and Manuel Pulis on drums, a formation that originally came together in 2011. "Despite coming

ARE THE RANCH CUCKOO?

Dec 6, 2015
3 min

ARE THE RANCH CUCKOO?

The answer to that question is....oh, never mind! If you're into the local music scene, chances are you've heard, or at least heard of, The Ranch. It's not easy to describe this project, which is rather eclectic at its core, but perhaps the best way to define it is as being the crossroads where the musical paths of three rather different (and very talented if I may add) musicians met who, after some jamming, a little experimenting and a lot of improvising, morphed into one he

JAZZ AT HOME AND AWAY

Nov 22, 2015
4 min

JAZZ AT HOME AND AWAY

Not for the first time, Maltese drummer Luke Briffa has been collaborating with foreign musicians, in this case Italian guitarist Mirko Montaldi and Lithuanian Gediminas Stepanavičius on double bass. Working under the name of The Montaldi Project, this three-pronged international musical venture was formed with the primary aim of delving into free jazz, improvisation and structured music. The trio will be playing live at St James Cavalier, Valletta on Saturday, November 28, w

A MUSICAL RIDDLE

Jul 20, 2015
5 min

A MUSICAL RIDDLE

More popularly known as an accomplished and respected composer as well as a talented and passionate musician, on the side Dominic Galea is also the founder of Heritage Records. Now in its 11th year, the independent label has amassed a rather unique catalogue that includes a variety of works by local artists as well as Galea's own releases. In recent years the label has also been the vehicle for the artist's immersion in Maltese poetry, an ongoing musico-literary expedition th

WARREN GALEA: THE MUSIC THAT MOVES HIM

Jul 13, 2015
5 min

WARREN GALEA: THE MUSIC THAT MOVES HIM

He is just 24 years old, a music teacher for the past three years and last year's winner of the Malta Jazz Contest. A guitar player above everything else, his name is Warren Galea and he is one of a new breed of musicians hailing from genres as vast and different as classical, indie, metal, rock, folk and pop to embrace and explore jazz, and rather than feeling they have to abandon their roots, find ways to integrate the different styles. Equally inspired by "Mozart, Parker,

STORMY NIGHT VIDEO FROM NADINE AXISA

Mar 26, 2015
1 min

STORMY NIGHT VIDEO FROM NADINE AXISA

The release of jazz album Velvet last year was an important milestone for singer Nadine Axisa. Not only did it confirm her as one of the foremost jazz vocalists on the island, it consolidated the merited admiration she has been getting from international circles too. In fact, she recently had several opportunities to interpret tunes from her album, at a number of local concerts and at a jazz festival in Berlin last December. As the album continues to glean rave reviews, Axisa

SONGS: 2 NIGHTS OF INTIMATE LIVE JAZZ

Jan 14, 2015
2 min

SONGS: 2 NIGHTS OF INTIMATE LIVE JAZZ

Simply titled Songs, the upcoming concert (two actually, on consecutive nights) by Vinny Vella Jr and Nadine Axisa is certainly not the first time the two artists have worked together and, knowing their passion for music and jazz in particular, it probably won't be the last either. Their paths first crossed several years ago when Axisa, until then operating mostly on the festival circuit, started making inroads within the local jazz scene as she discovered a profound affinity