Vi Vi Introduces The Always Unprofessional

The Always Unprofessional is a solo artists from Lichfield UK. He has been writing and recording for 15 years starting at school with his band Chutney Ferret where he caught the music bug. He then went on to join two over bands in the Lichfield area called Turner and Weasel which received a general following from the public. He run two near by venues "The Carpenters Arms" and "The Paradise Lounge". He has always had a hand in local bands and he occasionally hosts events, In 2010 he hosted the Lichfield Festival which lead to him renewing his interest in recording music also due to figuring out how to use Garage Band on his Mac computer. The name The Always Unprofessional comes from an incident that happen in his words "the name 'The Always Unprofessional" was coined at the event after one particularly colourful swearing fit was witnessed by a room full of children. I will forever be introduced as "The Always Unprofessional Jof Walters". 
These are the rules of song writing The Always unprofessional follows. 
1) It cant take too much time away from my family or my work (I own a large investment business) 
2) I'm doing it for my own enjoyment. If it makes me happy, then I'll keep doing it, when it starts to get me down I'll stop.

3) I don't try to hard to perfect songs. They are ideas. I'll record them properly, mix them properly etc later
4) Middle eights bamboozle me, so I don't write middle eights.

As you can see Jof has been involved in all forms of music from recording, gigging hosting and helping acts in the same area as him. I have been following The Always Unprofessional also known as unpro on Soundcloud since i joined the site. He seems to me to have a skill for song writing arranging and producing something different. He has a different way of doing things and its refreshing. He uses a mac and a battered Strat as his only instruments (another artist i have featured that will use what ever is at there finger tips to create a song). He proves like many others you do not need loads of fancy equipment and have loads of money to make music. Jof is a busy man with a family that comes first but music will always in my opinion play a huge part of his life. I feel privileged to be able to discover such a raw talent and pick up tips and learn from such an experienced musician. He has also played a huge support for me and for other users of soundcloud. It was an honor to feature one my favorite tracks "Black Ground" on the "Vi Vi Introduces Podcast"  and his mini updates (podcasts) he puts out every now and again have been refreshing and thankful to fellow artists. I respect Jof and all his musical ventures and wish him all the best with what ever he decides to do next. i ask Jofstar a few questions to helps learn more about him.

Q1) Have you always seen you self making music ? 

Yep. I'm that kid that was desperate to be a rockstar from the age of about 13. I used to play my guitar in the big bay window at home so that the people walking by outside could be my "Audience". As soon as I could play a gig, I did. It was horrible..

Q2) what artists inspire you and why ? 

I looked through my iTunes and apparently my biggest influences are 90's grunge bands (Dinosaur Jr, Mudhoney), American Alternative Bands (The Replacements, Beat Happening), Lo-Fi Bands (Deus, Pavement, Guided by Voices) and a fistful of depressing balladeers (Cash, Cohen, Waits, Brel, Springsteen). I also listen to about 300 new bands a month thanks to the great Blalock and Soundcloud and most of my ideas are drawn from that.

Q3) How have you found soundcloud ? 

I like soundcloud. It's made my life loads easier. I can get feedback on my music from hundreds of people without having to gig (which takes up time and requires a band (more time). If it had more ways of communicating with folk that would be good, but then who needs another Facebook?

Q4) Where would you like to see your music take you ? 

I'm happy right here! I'm currently on my Sofa watching kids TV with the family. If I can have that and my music, well thats living the dream.

Q5) Whats your Favorite song at the moment ?

Anything by the band Dawes. When My Time Comes is just awesome. Also I like Somewhere Out There as performed by Troy and Abed from Community!

Q6) What made you want to create and write music ?

 I make music because the beautiful Sophie Wiseman had band names on her pencil case when we were about 14. I figured if I made music it might (through some convoluted logic) lead to me snogging Sophie Wiseman. I have been making music for twenty years and, so far, I have not snogged Sophie Wiseman. Fortunately my love of writing songs has long since replaced my juvenile sexual urges.

Q7) Who would you most like to meet in the music world and why?

Well I used to want to get all the members of Bewitched in bed at once.... I cant think of anyone I haven't met that I'd want to. I'm always terrified they wont live up to my expectations.

Jof is indeed living the dream being able to write produce and upload tracks with out having to leave his family. I can only hope who ever reads will enjoy his music as much as i do 

much love from me to you 

Vi Vi 

The Always Unprofessional Sound Cloud Profile 

Heroins by The Always Unprofessional

Vi Vi Introduces Laura Boyle

Laura Boyle is a remarkable young lady with a huge passion to write and sing her own songs. Laura is only 16 living in London and sings and writes with such maturity its hard to believe how young she is. She started playing the guitar at the age of 15 after being inspired by seeing live shows from the likes of Laura Marling etc. Her music is very mellow full of feeling and emotion you can really feel what she is singing about. Shes fairly new to the soundcoud site but has gained tremendous support from fellow artists. As Souncloud is an easy way to share it makes it perfect for an independent artist like Laura to start paving a career in music.She discovered soundcloud by friends of hers who have used the site and recommended her to give it a go. I was astonished how talented this young lady was and im sure who ever ells listens to her tracks will agree with me. With dreams of writing her own EP and to tour Laura seems to be driven to get her music herd and enjoy the experience and the joy music brings to everyone. Laura's song with her close friend The Light Fantastic "Anyone But You" featured in the first "Vi Vi introduces" podcast/radio show. The show has seen her being listened to by more people. I asked Laura a few questions so we can get to know more about her!!!

Laura Boyle On Left

Q1) Have you always seen your self making music ?

Ever since I was younger, I have always wanted to make music, but I didn't really play any instruments. So, only recently has it been something I could really see myself doing. So when I started playing the guitar just over a year ago, I started writing and ever since then, it's become such a huge part of my life.

Q2) What artists inspire you and why ?

Laura Marling is someone I really look up to. Especially because she wrote Alas I Cannot Swim at such a young age, as a young musician it's rather inspiring to see someone like Laura Marling be successful.

Q3) How have you found soundcloud ?

I think soundcloud is probably the easiest way to share music with everyone at the moment. It's all on one page, and they aren't overloaded with advertising. Also, as an artist, it's wonderful to be able to know who has listened to your music; I think soundcloud makes the whole experience of sharing your music more personal.

Q4) Where would you like to see your music take you ?

I would like to be able to tour; I think that would be an amazing experience. I would also love to release an EP, which I'm currently working on at the moment.

Q5) What’s your favourite song at the moment?

Recently, I've been listening to a lot of Bob Dylan, so at the moment it's probably "Don't Think Twice It's Alright". Laura Marling also played a new song at the folk awards called "Flicker and Fail" which was just beautiful.

Q6) What made you want to create and write music ?

When I was about 14, I went to a lot of gigs. Seeing people play live really made me want to start writing my own music. Especially when I saw Laura Marling play for the first time in this beautiful church in Piccadilly. I've also been playing folk music since the age of 12, and I found the whole proccess of playing music with a group of people rather inspiring and it made me want to create something of my own.

Q7) Who would you most like to meet in the music world and why?


I'd love to sit down with Johnny Cash and have a chat with him. I did sit next to Johnny Flynn on a train once, which was lovely. I would also really like to meet First Aid Kit. They just write such beautiful music; it would be lovely to know what inspires them.

Now you know Laura Boyle a little bit more and i hope you enjoy her music. I see a bright future for this young artist and wish her all the best. I am sure we will be hearing a lot more from her.
Much Love From Me To You
Vi Vi

Thank you for reading
Laura Boyle's sound cloud page
Alaska by Laura Boyle

Vi Vi Introduces Emmazen

Emma is a very talented and modest singer, writer and keyboard player. She writes songs from the heart to beautiful backing tracks she creates using ableton live. She plays the key board beautifully and has a voice to rival the likes of Kate Bush and Toris Amos. You can hear in Emma's songs the inspiration from Kate Bush but she still succeeds in making it her own without sounding like a copy cat. I discovered Emma through another soundcloud user and i am glad i pushed play. Emma has a different style that she brings to peoples ears and hearts she continues to gain momentum and praise from fellow soundcloud users and has been a constant joy to follow. She comes from Yorkshire in the UK and has been playing the keyboard as a hobbyist since she was 5 years old. She abandoned learning how to play at grade 3 as she could not get her head around reading the musical scores. Emma then went on to college later on in her life to study music technology (btech)   but could not get her head around the technical side. Regardless of all that she still continued on her song writing and then she started using Ableton live, to me she has made some of the best tracks i have herd on the soundcloud site. She plays and writes music for the love of music like so many musicians out there. Emma proves that you don't have to have a degree in music to be able to create such beauty, soul and emotion. In this case talent was already there with out needing it to be taught i love Emma and her songs and i hope you will all see what i see from the promising soundclouder. I sent over a few questions to Emma so we can all get to know her a bit better.

Q1) Have you always seen you self making music ?    


I've always made music ...it is probably something I've not seen myself doing ...rather I just do it. When I was a child I remember sitting at the piano thinking to myself ...I want to play the most beautiful music I have ever heard..of course I haven't managed to do that yet , but that was my thought as a five year old.I always wanted to run before I could walk though...I wanted to play Vivaldi not twinkle twinkle little star.Hence the inability to read music :(


Q2) what artists inspire you and why ?


There are so many artists who inspire me...I just love music so much. Artists that stand out to me ...Kate Bush, Tori Amos , Vangelis , William Orbit , Annie lennox ,Dire Straits , Enya ,Loreena McKennitt and I love Sigur Ros !!! Artists from different genres too ...The Fury Brothers , Neil Diamond , Don MacClean and I love classical music too ..Carl Orff , Vivaldi ,Beethoven , Handel, Mozart, S.Bacarise...I could go on... and my new inspiration has been fellow artists on Sound Cloud !


Q3) How have you found soundcloud ? 


I have found Sound Cloud amazingly supportive...up until finding SCloud I just played to an audience of one in the attic...now I have found more confidence in myself as a musician. I have found the people on Sound Cloud amazingly inspiring , talented and kind and supportive in a way that is rare. I am very grateful to have found friends through Soundcloud.


Q4) Where would you like to see your music take you ? 


Mmm...I just think it is an honour if I would be able to write music that people really want to listen to!!


Q5) Whats your favourite song at the moment?


 The track I'm listening to at the moment that I love is by a fellow Soundclouder - 'MaryCigarettes' called 'bootcamp for the broken hearted' ...it's just amazing!


 Q6) what made you want to create and write music ?


For me it's probably like an illness...lol ! Parents usually have to tell their children to practice the piano but mine used to tell me to come off the piano!


Q7) who would you most like to meet in the music world and why ?


I think I'd like to meet Kate Bush ...just to chat and have a cup of tea with...and maybe a hobnob biscuit :)))


So now we know a little bit more about Emmazen and i hope you all like her music just as much as i do and wish Emma all the best with her musical journey. 


Love from me to you 


Vi Vi 
Thank you for reading
http://soundcloud.com/emmazen
 (Emmazens SoundCloud Profile)


Its Me Now by Emmazen.remaster by I Scaramanga I.rmx2. by emmazen

Vi Vi Introduces Nigel Mines

Nigel Mines like a lot of independent artists works on a standard home computer to create his music, He writes he sings and he produces he sometimes gets help from a buddy. He does what he can with what he has at his disposal. Nigel writes with such passion, detail and depth. Nigel is from the UK close to the town of Bath and his studio is situated on the landing. With all the detail in his song writing Nigel stands out from the crowd with the way he delivers his musical vision. Nigel also likes to collaborate with other soundclouders to create a completely different sound. Nigel is not afraid to try new things and experiments with sound. As i was going through the many artists from sound cloud i was blown away by how talented this man is and his writing skills and attention to detail makes him a firm favourite of mine. I can only hope that others agree with my judgement and listen to his work i think you will be pleasantly surprised. Nigel Mines song "Crumble" is featured in the first Vi Vi introduces podcast / radio show.  I asked Nigel some question to help you get to know him a little better and know the musical talent that he has been inspired by. 

Q1) Have you always seen you self making music ? 

I've played an instrument of some sort since I was about 7 or 8, but only discovered writing when I learned the guitar in my teens. Since then I have always written and consider myself a songwriter first, even though I don't make any money from this

 
Q2) What artists inspire you and why ?

 I love songs that are about important things or that make you think, or even change the way you think, about the world, so I am inspired by people who write songs that do these things. There are too many to list them all, but some long term inspirations include: Thom York, Nick Cave, Rufus Wainwright, Karen Carpenter, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel 

Q3) How have you found soundcloud ?

 Good and bad. It's amazing to think that there are people all over the world listening to my music, and not just on line, they have actually downloaded it to their iPod and listen to my stuff in the street or in the car! that just blows my mind! And I've built up a loyal following of people who have heard something good in my music - something I didn't really believe was there until I uploaded it. This has given me great confidence to go forward, and the timed feedback to specific parts of a song means that I can refine my song writing skills and write better and better songs. It's also been great to listen to other people's music and draw inspiration, and even collaborate with them and produce something completely unique. I wish I had more time to do this. The downside is that I get deflated when a song I upload doesn't get the amount of listens or comments that I think it should and I sometimes see this as measure of how good (or bad) the song is, when really I shouldn't. It's a bit pot luck sometimes and depends on when and how you upload it as to how many people see it and listen. 

Q4) Where would you like to see your music take you ?

 I would love to have my music professionally recorded and produced, and be able to perform to audience - maybe even have people PAY to hear me :-) 

Q5) What is your favourite song at the moment ?

 Almost impossible to answer. I'm not getting much free time to listen to what's really new at the moment. My fav song ever would probably be Yes by McAlmont and Butler! 

Q6) What made you want to create and write music?

I believe art in all its forms should stimulate us to think about things differently and that's what drives me, also it's a great therapy to write about important things that have affected me. Although my songs aren't strictly autobiographical, they always contain some elements of something I have directly experienced or what I imagine I would feel in a particular situation 

Q7) Who would you most like to meet in the music world and why ? 

I ought to say someone like Thom York, but that would be so embarrassing for both of us and they always say that meeting your heroes is not as exciting as you think it'll be. I'd end up making a complete fool of myself. I think I would most like to meet the person who listens to my music and says 'that's the best thing i've heard in ages' and gives me a record deal! :-) Maybe Nick Cave would be cool to meet, he's a pretty chilled guy.

As you can see Nigel is a very passionate artists and makes music for the sheer joy and happiness it brings us all.  I hope you enjoy Nigels music as much as i do and i hope you will check him out. 

Much Love from me to you 

Vi Vi

PS: Thank you for reading :-)  

Nigel Mines Sound Cloud Profile

Crumble by Nigel Mines

Vi Vi Introduces Podcast

Hello again i hope who ever reads this is well and wants to hear some good independant music the podcast is now ready and is available to hear from soundcloud.

Vi Vi Introduces (test show) Radio / Podcast by Vi Vi

i will be doing follow up blogs for each artist featured to give you more in site into these wonderful Artists :-)