Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Giack Bazz: Live at Bromley-by-Bow's 'The Beehive'

/ By Doug Phillips
Giack Bazz: Live at Bromley-by-Bow's  'The Beehive'

Headlining last Friday (21st, Jan) for an ‘Underground Sound’ event in Bromley-by-Bow's ‘The Beehive’ was Italian-British indie hero, ‘Giack Bazz’. Sudden mid-song interjections of Giack’s random thoughts, everyone sitting on the pub-venue floor and stunning displays of vocal talent are just a few things fans should expect from future Giack Bazz gigs. 

Jeeni were invited to this special event after the first two Giack Bazz blogs were published to the Jeeni website. Jeeni feels honoured to have Giack a part of the team and we're thrilled to hear that he's been loving what Jeeni has been doing for him so far as well, "I'm overwhelmed by the continuing support from the Jeeni music blog".

Giack opened his headlining spot the same way he opens his ‘Giack Bazz Is Not Famous’ album, with the drunk and jangly ‘Beetle’. The track was performed sleepily, roughly and loosely, in the best possible ways. Giack was not sleepy or low-energy at all, but the studio track is, and so he adopted a tired, melancholic delivery style despite his upbeat and jovial mood, because that's what the recipe called for. 

His performance of ‘Morning’ was prefaced with a darkly humourous exclamation, “This song is about depression!”. Perhaps it says a lot about the audience when this proud announcement was met with uproarious applause and cheering. A theme across all of Giack’s projects is mental health and emotional transparency and ‘Morning’ is a prime example of his mature and weirdly reassuring expression of said themes. 

The middle section of Giack’s set was spent with both, Giack and the audience sat down in an intimate and close commune, all connected by Giack’s compositions. This simple invitation of comfort and informality took Giack’s serenading to another level for the gentler and more sentimental tracks like the stunning rendition of the title-track of his debut album, ‘Childhood Dream’. 

Considering the arsenal of instruments Giack typically uses to convey his vision, the emotive power that he communicated with just his voice, a guitar and a pedal board was astonishing. Giack’s singing at times came across as a therapeutic ‘Primal Scream’, but it was always perfectly in pitch and in stylistic accordance with his guitar work. He also displayed the mic etiquette of a seasoned performer as he gave varying distance between his mouth and his mic depending on the power and input of his voice. 

I used to think that the vocal emotion and power in Giack’s studio projects were enhanced with production techniques and after-effects. However, the performative persona that Giack displayed in that tiny, humid box of a venue in East-London was an honest, primal and raw spectacle, unaided by double-tracking or artificial reverb; this made me realise that Giack has been enhancing the effects with his vocal power, not the other way around.

We strongly suggest following Giack on socials to see when an opportunity to see this man live comes up again.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GiackBazz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giackbazz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Giack.Bazz

Check out Giack’s showcase on Jeeni, now: https://jeeni.com/showcase/giack-bazz/

How can Jeeni support artists like Giack Bazz?  

JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.  

• We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make.  
• We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way.  
• We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect.  
• Access to artist liaison and a supportive marketing team. 

13
Aug

THE ETHICAL ANSWER TO THE GREAT STREAMING RIP-OFF

For too many years, the giants who control the world's music streaming services have been ripping off the creators and performers of the content that allows these services to exist. The figures are staggering, 355 million paying subscribers to an industry worth over twenty-four billion dollars a year. But most artists who provide the content don't earn enough from their monthly streaming royalties to buy a pizza. Now there is an ethical alternative, a streaming service run by artists for artists, where creatives and supporters own a share in the company and keep 100% of what they make. It's a Portsmouth-based venture called Jeeni. Last month, the UK Government report on the major streaming services painted a picture of a broken model that fails to reward musicians fairly. Superstar Nile Rodgers calls it a huge victory for his peers. “I want to believe in my optimistic heart and soul that things will change,” he told the Financial Times, after giving evidence to the Government committee. Rogers is appearing at the Victorious Festival in Jeeni's home town of Portsmouth, alongside a raft of artists who have set up their showcases on the Jeeni platform since their campaign was launched. The founders of Jeeni have a track-record of success, and include veteran entrepreneur Mel Croucher, who founded the UK videogames industry in the 1970s. He is joined by several GRAMMY-Award-Winners and celebrities, including Roger Watson, the ex-boss of Arista Records, responsible for selling over 500,000 records. "We've all made it to the top," says Watson, and now we're giving something back to a new generation. We've got the experience, they've got the talent. Now we're giving them all the tools they need to showcase their work on Jeeni, and get properly rewarded for their efforts, as well as own a piece of the action too." Jeeni's CEO, Shena Mitchell is also no stranger to successful start-ups. She founded The Innovation Warehouse and has now taken Jeeni to the crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, where budding superstars can own a slice of the company for less than the price of that legendary pizza. More information: jeeni.com/investhttps://www.crowdcube.com/companies/jeeni/pitches/qD0WNq

04
Sep

The CEO of Spotify is worth 2.5 billion, meanwhile, artists are paid next to nothing.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has come under fire for claiming that musicians should be “recording and releasing music nonstop to make ends meet.” The CEO of Spotify is worth 2.5 billion, meanwhile, artists are paid next to nothing on the streaming giant. Many major artists have criticized the unfair revenue share, infamously Taylor Swift pulled all her music from the platform demanding better support and pay for musicians in 2014. Since more and more are expressing their views on the unfair treatment of artists on major streaming services.   Pink Floyd said this about Spotify, “those services (Spotify and other streaming services) should fairly pay the artists and creators who make the music at the core of their businesses. For almost all working musicians, it's also a question of economic survival." Beck said, “What Spotify pays me is not even enough to pay the musicians playing with me or the people working on the discs, It's not working. Something is going to have to give." Tim Burgess, lead singer of the Charlatans tweeted “So many artists forced to take second jobs, give up flats because they can’t pay their rent all while getting decent numbers of plays on spotify – yet the owner has enough to bid for a premier league team. It just doesn’t seem ethical to me” Music fans added "That is the state of play in the world, the artist, creators & writers can only go through these global corporates and get paid next to nothing and they get paid the most. It is true with the statement someone said. "Billionaires don't make a billion, they take a billion" Here at Jeeni we're working hard to do everything opposite to these streaming services, by offering an ethical alternative where artists are supported and treated fairly all while keeping 100% of everything they make on our platform. That's why we have taken to Crowdcube so we can scale up and continue supporting artists and performers. Join our fast-growing family of investors, and grab your rewards as you help us reach our target! Check out our pitch here. https://bit.ly/3BhEeia

03
Sep

The People's Lounge - Meet My Ancestors

Meet My Ancestors is Championing Zimbabwean Arts: Performance and Workshop Established in 2020. A theatrical production and album telling stories from Zimbabwean culture. Through ancient mbira music fused with contemporary sounds. The multidisciplinary performance piece aims to challenge the concept of UK mainstream theatre. Additionally, exploring the imposition of western music structures on music from cultures around the globe. They will be performing at the Global Bandstand Weekender 2021. Also, they will be performing at Victorious Festival 2021. Where you can see them perform and host a drum workshop - Presented by The People's Lounge.  Meet My Ancestors is composed and arranged by London-based actor, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist John Falsetto. John is set to star as Mr Snow in Carousel at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre this summer. And has composed music for theatre, including the award-winning The Jungle by Good Chance Theatre and Ben Johnson’s Volpone for Tangle Theatre Company. Since announcing Meet My Mancestors, the project has received funding from the Genesis Foundation. The Mbira music endeavour features one of Zimbabwe's artists of the moment in Probeatz. Although only establishing in 2020 the group are already making a name for themselves performing and running workshops. Including residency at Battersea Arts Centre and Hawkwood CFT. Meet My Ancestors is a perfect example of the independent talent that Team Jeeni can support, by having a showcase on Jeeni.com. JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience. • We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make.• We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way.• We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect. Check out their showcase here on Jeeni:   Meet My Ancestors | Showcase | JEENI. Along with other showcases to add to your playlist. jeeni.com. The People's Lounge Meet My Ancestors will be performing at the Global Bandstand Weekender - Presented by The People's LoungeGBW is bringing some of the Freshest Tropical Sounds from around the World to Portsmouth for a Free Weekend Festival at Southsea Bandstand from Sat 31st July – Sun 1st August 2021 | 12.30-6pm | @ Southsea Bandstand | Portsmouth | FREE PUBLIC EVENT! And at the Victorious Festival, World Music Village 2021.