As promised on many occasions, I finally delivered a muffin to Jenny!

Download / Listen: BBC York Interview with Jenny Eells

Download / Listen: BBC Introducing with Jenny Eells @ BBC York

» Listen to Part One
» Listen to Part Two

I decided to make the new single available to everyone as a free download to hopefully build up interest for my upcoming album ‘We All Fall Down’. You can get your hands on it here: http://www.weallfalldown.co.uk/.

I say old / newish because I did something a little different with this song. Most of it had been written around the same time as ‘White Noise’, but the song didn’t get included in the album because I just couldn’t finish writing it; I just hit a big pesky old wall with it. But I occasionally return to unfinished material, and that’s what I did with this one! but instead of trying to return to the mindset I was in to complete it (almost impossible), I decided to try and add some light to it by writing an ending point with elements of hope and metaphorical treacle which I sometimes like to do to mask my meanings. Is it naughty to make you figure them out? That’s not important, as I mentioned in a previous post, finding your own meaning is what’s important.

The lyrics to this song were probably the most difficult I’ve written, ever. Both in how personal it turned out to be and the length of time it took to finally bring it to an end. I’m quite proud of it and thought I’d share them, video after the lyrics

P.S; If you’re not already a fan of my Facebook page, pretty please check me out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-Astbury/37215675248 and become a fan.

Black & Blue by Adam Astbury

You’ve changed so much, can’t love, can’t trust
But we’re both the same
Shut down, in despair. Rebuild, repair
As we both change lanes

My hand, in your hand, bare foot, in the sand
Where we carved our names
A house on the hill, broken window-sill
Where we watched the world go by

These dreams were made for two
I woke up, broken, black and blue

Fall into me, put back the pieces that you stole from me
You hold up your hands, “I’m sorry can we start again?”
“I can change, yes I’ll change, we can go back to how we were”
I’ll say no, I’ll say no, but this is how it feels to hurt
Two wrongs don’t make a right, but this is how I feel inside

Shiver, in the cold
A secret’s been told and the world comes down
Warm breath on the glass
Tracing lines with your hands
Of the path I made, to you

These dreams were made for two
I woke up, broken, black and blue

Fall into me, put back the pieces that you stole from me
You hold up your hands, “I’m sorry can we start again?”
“I can change, yes I’ll change, we can go back to how we were”
I’ll say no, I’ll say no, because I stopped running months ago.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, but this is how I feel inside

I can finally sleep tonight
Because I’ve found someone that made me believe
Although I know, she’s not mine to have
I’ll take the light that she shines on me

Those golden rays, lighten up my days
With a message of what’s yet to come
A candle burns from green to red
It’s not ideal but I’ll rest my head

Fall into me
I needed time but now I’m free
Hold up your hands
Say you’ll take me as I am

I chose ‘Pretty Little Lying Eyes’ as the first single, because I think it represents the rest of the album the most, and it is also the main foundation for the rest of the songs on the album.

The main story behind ‘Pretty Little Lying Eyes’, is a situation where you feel you’re being messed around by other people, and then finally standing up for yourself and fighting back after being under the thumb a little too long. I wanted to explain the idea behind this a little more…

When I write songs, most of the time it is to resolve my own issues. I can be so self-critical with every aspect of my own life, that it’s not until I see my thoughts written, that I realise I already knew the answer to whatever problem I was having all along, and that if I trusted in myself more often, instead of letting my life be led by the views of other people and allowing others to make my decisions for me – I’d have a much better understanding of what I want out of life, and would probably become a better person as a result.

With the risk of sounding like a preacher, my belief, and underlying message in most of my songs (from my point of view) is that we should all trust in ourselves a lot more. We all have some sort of goal in life, and no matter how big that goal may be, no one is in any sort of position to tell you what you can or can’t achieve.

With the above in mind, I have come to the conclusion that the biggest message I want to convey with my new album, is that there is no ONE message. The message is whatever you interpret it to be… Sure, I can tell you what the songs mean to me, but who am I to say what any one else should expect to get from it? We all have our own views, therefore we all interpret things in our own way.

So, what do you want from life? Do things your way… if you want something – go for it!

Adam x

p.s; you’ll be able to download the new single ‘Pretty Little Lying Eyes’ for free when it is released at www.weallfalldown.co.uk.

I already have a bunch of songs written and confirmed for the album and things are sounding a little different this time around, but I’m liking the direction that the new songs are going in. I’m aiming for a much bigger sound musically, and I want to add even more layers so that each time you listen, something new comes to the surface. The biggest excitement is that because I’m going into a proper studio with a producer who knows what he’s doing (instead of me fiddling about with switches) I’ll finally be able to create the sound I want without having restrictions… Except I’d quite like to have a musical saw on it, but unfortunately I can’t play one

Anyway, enough saw talk. The main reason for my post was to announce that the title of my upcoming album will be “We All Fall Down”. I had been battling with two possible titles for weeks, the other being “Hope In Fiction”, but the thinking and deciding finally came to an end when a friend of mine, Rob McGuffin, put what he thought of the possible titles in to these words…

“We all fall down has the same quality as “you gotta go there to come back” which is my mantra (and phonics album title). It’s sort of like a helpful cliche, but not quite. I like both titles, on the surface hope in fiction seems the deeper of the two. But coming from you, the second one is more relevant and more to do with the message you project as a person but through your music. We all fall down, so we can pick ourselves up and put ourselves back together again, just like you have.” – Rob McGuffin

So thanks to Rob’s words, I now have a confirmed title that I am happy will represent the songs and reflect the message scattered across the album. Loss and recovery. That we all fall down at certain points of our lives, but if we trust in ourselves and accept the help of those closest to us, we can all pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and carry on.

Here ends the cheddar.

Bye for now,
Adam x

The MP3 has been recorded on my iPhone and not directly from the radio station, so excuse the creaky chairs and fuzzy quality

New Year’s Eve Interview

Independent singer/ songwriter Adam Astbury, 24, of Shotton, has released his second online indie-style album White Noise as he looks to showcase his musical talents to a wider audience.

A former pupil at John Summers High School, Queensferry, Adam works as a website developer during the day but is dedicated to his musical talents outside work. He said: “I’ve always been quite musical and had my first guitar when I was about seven years old. I’ve taken it from there and devote much of my spare time to my music.

“I go around and play at a lot of the pubs in the area and am doing as much as possible at the moment. I want to keep progressing and hope releasing the new album will help me in achieving that.”

As well as being a singer, Adam also plays guitar. He performs both individually and with the Ocean Avenue band. Describing his music as being based on a mix of leading bands Snow Patrol and the Stereophonics, Adam recorded his first album, Long Journey Back, two years ago. He will be using a growing number of
online mediums to broaden interest in White Noise and accompanying single Inside Out. Adam added: “The album is available on iTunes, Amazon and Napster, with the single Inside Out currently available to stream for free on Spotify.”

The album can also be listened to for free at http://www.adamastbury.co.uk/music/white-noise/ before
downloading or buying from an online distributor.

The MP3 contains both parts of the interview including a stream of the single ‘Inside Out’ as well as another song off my upcoming album ‘White Noise’ called ‘Don’t Give Up On Me’.

Interview with Mark Pike Point FM 103.1

So far, I have recorded 2 songs that have previously been demo’d as videos on my Facebook page, these are ’City Lights’ and ‘Light Up the Sky’. I really like how they’re sounding and I feel I have learned a lot more about recording since my last album and so finally getting closer to the sound I want to achieve. I’ll probably never get to ’studio’ quality, but I’m very picky with each individual sound and would rather choose getting the feel / emotion of the song across rather than just a shiny surface (I can’t find any local studios that do both!).

Anyway, ‘White Noise’ looks to be a few months away yet as there’s plenty left to record – but I’ll keep you updated during the process and upload a few samples here and there.

After all the hard work and album is complete, I’ll be sending it off and trying to get it to as many people as possible – so if you like what you hear, tell your friends! If not, tell your dog (and/or cat) :)

Bye for now and all the best for the New Year!

Adam

You can purchase / download the album from the following stores: iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, emusic and Amazon MP3.

You can listen to some of the tracks from my album for free on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/adamastbury), or click here to hear samples.

A YOUNG musician from Deeside is tuning up for the launch of his self-released debut album.

Adam Astbury’s album, Long Journey Back, will be released on international music sites i-Tunes, Napster and Amazon in late October.

Singer/songwriter Adam, 22, from Shotton, has been passionate about music from an early age and says the release is a culmination of years of dedication and determination to get exactly the right sound.

“I have a very strong passion for my music and I know which direction I want to go,” said former John Summers High School pupil Adam.

“Music has always been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember, and although at heart I’m generally a shy guy, when I get up on stage and get lost in the music, I gain a confidence that I never thought was possible.”

Adam received his first guitar at the age of seven as a Christmas gift and found that he was completely in tune with the instrument he has learned to eventually love.

“Being self taught, I have steadily progressed, and although still waiting for that big break, I now consider myself a passionate and dedicated singer/songwriter,” he said.

The album, which Adam independently produced and released on the internet through a self-publishing website, contains eight indie rock tracks he says are based on themes of love, friendships and family life in his home town of Shotton.

“My inspiration also comes from bands like Snow Patrol and The Killers and I think it’s great to write songs that allow people to take their own meaning and hopefully make a connection, and if I can do that, then I’m happy,” he said.

Although the album is Adam’s first solo pursuit in the music industry, the guitarist also plays as part of a local band, Ocean Avenue, who have performed in several pubs across the region.

“I am ambitious and I will continue with my passion in the band and as a solo artist no matter what,” said Adam.

“But if I can get some recognition for my songs, even just from a few people who listen to the album, I will be happy.”

To hear Adam’s music visit www.adamastbury.co.uk or www.myspace.com/adamastbury

A YOUNG fundraiser is inviting Chronicle readers to a charity music evening at the Carlton Club in Shotton.
Adam Astbury, who is just 16, has organised the whole event and will perform with his band, Panic, on a bill full of local talent tomorrow night.
‘Adam is doing wonderful work for us with this concert,’ said Cancer Research UK Shotton manager Jean Kenward.
Adam said: ‘I was spurred on to do it following the death of my nan, who had cancer. Everyone is welcome and hopefull we can pull in a big crowd and generate a really good atmosphere as well as raising plenty of money for the charity.’
Tickets are £3 and are available from the Cancer Research UK shop on High Street.
The shop is launching a book department this month. Stocked up with about 500 books, both new and used, the store will become a treasure trove for the avid reader.