Although they’ve spent the larger part of the past few months within the confines of their studio writing new material, local rock band For Strings Inn didn’t quite lose touch of the various events that have been taking place in the outside world. In fact, the series of events related to the international political turmoil that has been filling column inches the world over were a major inspiration behind the band’s latest single, aptly titled Revolution. “There’s been a lot g

What do Jo Micali, U-Bahn, Muxu and Carlo Gerada have in common? The answer is, of course, they’ve all worked with Maltese vocalist Chess, each production turning out to be a resounding success every time to the point that despite being based in the UK, Chess is quite a familiar and in-demand name within the local dance and pop scene. The decision to move to the UK was, as one might expect, not easy, but for Chess, it was the only way forward. Music is her dream and the only

“Trania’s musical influences span over 40 years of Blues, progressive rock, folk, Latin and jazz music.” This quote, lifted from the liner notes of Trania’s self-titled debut CD, triggers enough interest in the music contained within, but it’s the album’s sub-title, namely ‘contemporary Maltese ethnic music’, that gives the project that extra edge. Featuring 10 original compositions, the album strongly reflects the aspirations behind the band’s music as well as its name, whic

While other 12- and nine-year-olds may be listening to Justin Bieber or One Direction, siblings Hannah Heavenly and Arlo Blue are to be found flicking through their Bob Dylan and Laura Marling collection. No surprise then that the music they make as Heavenly Blue is firmly rooted in folk. Based in Malta, this young singer /songwriting duo has already attract¬ed the attention of some of the UK music industry’s movers and shakers, and after listening to their debut self-titled

Twenty-two-year-old singer-songwriter Dana McKeon will be representing Malta at the 2012 Beatbox Battle World Championships in Berlin on Saturday. Beatboxing comprises the production of drum beats and rhythm, along with the imitation of various musical instruments, using one’s mouth, lips, tongue, larynx and voice. This can be done in conjunction with humming, singing and multi-instrumentalisation simultaneously. McKeon is currently the only Maltese beatboxer who performs at

More often than not, bass players tend to be overshadowed by the singer or the lead guitarist in the band. Occasionally however, the bass guitar gets to grab a share of the limelight, and Simon Sammut’s recent album BaSSic Attitude does exactly that. Serving up a journey into the world of smooth jazz spread over eight tracks, it provides a most welcome chill-out vibe and is another milestone in a musical journey that began the day a very young Sammut started to take piano les

They may have been absent from the local scene for a while, but that’s only because they’ve been busy working on new songs. For Strings Inn first arrived on the local scene back in 2008, subsequently underlining their presence with the impressive 2010 With String Attached debut EP. The band is now back with a new single, Morning Star and an accompanying music video directed and produced by Nick Morales of No Sweat Productions. Speaking about the band’s recent activity, drumme

Not for the first time, the music of local indie rockers No Snow/No Alps is transcending barriers of the geographical kind, except that this time their approach is entire-ly different to previous foreign ventures. Stripping down their songs to their bare essentials and reworking them into an acoustic set, frontman Nick Morales and Sarah Falzon are promoting the Romantikpolitik album, touring several European cities alongside a Danish singer/songwriter who is promoting his own

“Three young lads with a passion for music and having fun” would be a pretty correct summation of Cable 35 if you’re only looking for a quick-fire description of this energetic trio. Beyond the kicks and an ever-present sense of humour, however, they are three dedicated and focused musicians who are very much in control of what they’re doing and where they’re heading, as I find out when I sit in for an exclusive advance listening session of the album they’ll be launching this

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s quote, “Music is the universal language of mankind”, may have become something of a cliché over the years, but the American poet knew what he was talking about. Further to this quote, one might add that some musicians are more tuned in to this universal appeal than others, their presence alone projecting a feel-good factor before the first notes have even been played or the first words sung. Maltese singer songwriter Claire Tonna is one such artis

She is, without a doubt, one of Malta’s best-known female vocalists and perhaps she was destined to be, having grown up in a house where music was the order of the day. “My mother is a singer, so there was always music at home,” says Claudia Faniello when we meet to talk about her international debut album, Convincingly Better. Faniello started out doing television shows and competing in the festival circuit when she was around 12 years old.Back then, the young singer looked

Chess (real name Francesca Galea) has been living and studying music in the UK since last September. Without a doubt, one of last year’s more popular pop tunes from the local scene was a slinky R’n’B number called Stilettos by a new artist calling herself Chess.Urban music, however, isn’t the only groove this young lady is good at, as we found out later when she popped up again on the airwaves as the voice on Jo Micali and U-Bahn’s Making You Mine, a massive club hit. Pop mus

“After years of unmitigated dedication to music, composing and playing in bands with styles raging from the darkest and heaviest metal genres to pop and choir music… Niki Gravino embarked on a solo music career utilizing his multi-genre experience into a mature, uncompromising, yet marketable musical aesthetic”. Up until a few weeks ago, the above description (and the term art-rock) was the most common piece of information that a Google search for Niki Gravino on the internet