Here they come, walking down the street, they get the greatest looks from everyone they meet….

Be x

It’s been a long time in the pipeline but we’re now pleased to bring you a Sharing Is Good track from Voxhaul Broadcast called Fact Or Fiction. This is pure feel good indie from California for your collection.

Download it here: Sharing Is Good No.6 by Voxhaul Broadcast

Voxhaul Broadcast are David Denis of Guitar and vocals, Anthony Aguiar on guit, organ and backing vocals, Phil Munsey II on bass and Kurt Allen on drums.

This isn’t any old Sharing Is Good though, because we caught up with Phil the bass man and a few of his band mates in an interview as short and sweet as 911 (and if you don’t remember them, that means: very)

B: How are you today?

P: I am well, I ended up falling asleep at 6 last night so woke up super early at 4:30am. Been drinking coffee ever since.

B: Where are you at the moment, what you up to?

P: Currently we are at home working on putting our first full length out, trying to decide on what songs to choose, who we want to work with, and playing a lot of shows, seeing what works. We’ve got a steady amount of shows and radio play, so we’re having fun!

B: We’ve featured you in our Top 5 (new) Bands. How did you start making music?

P: We all basically started playing music together. Toe Knee and Kurt have known each other since they were 4, and have been making music together since before they really could play, and David and I since we were like 10 or something, and the first time I ever heard David play was on a cassette tape recording that him and Kurt made of a song her wrote - and the day I knew I wanted to make music with him. At the time we all our bands. Kurt and Toe Knee had a band with Ma from Delta Spirit and Tony from The Union Line. David and I played in separate bands but I ended up driving their bands around since I was the only who drove at the time (a Ford Cargo van). I remember having 16 or so kids in my van coming back from shows. I was only a few years older so I was actually just a kid as well. Slowly but surely we all merged into one band year after year, literally, some name changes until, eventually, we became who we are now as musicians, writers and best friends.

B: What influences you in your work - any particular artists or things?

P: I’d think it would be a fair assumption that life plays a very important aspect of any artists work, but more specifically they way people are and how they respond to situations, but lyrics just come out when the song is doing what it’s supposed to do. When David captures this feelings he’s portraying in a song and we all play it - the song starts to bloom inside of David and he sings off the top of his head and that’s where the magic happens. So honest and true, he just sings what’s in his head and it comes out so brilliant. As far as influences go, obviously The Beatles, Beach Boys, Motown, Dylan and Nirvana.

B: You’re all the way out in L.A, where as I am all the way out in a northern post industrial British city. What’s the music scene like out there?

P: It’s pretty healthy! We live in Echo Park and it seems like everyone is in a band/s. It is pretty amazing to go down the street to any of the main coffee shops in town and know you’ll find your other band comrades chillin’, smokin’ spliffs and drinking coffee. There’s always one of your friends bands playing, all the time.

B: And finally, are there any other bands/artists other than yourselves, worth checking out?

P: So many of them; Black Apples, Rumspringa, Lemon Sun, Union Line, Sequins and Skeletons - and those are just the ones I can remember. Before we all lives in Echo Park we used to just check out the Echo and Spaceland sites for new bands.

Listen to more here

If you’ve missed our other editions of Sharing Is Good, we’ve made a handy list below:

No.1 Thank you The Temper Trap, Live.

Volume 2. AND 3. … Bronto Skylift

4.0 Live Free and [Die] Chickenhawk

Fifth and Foremost… Shoes and Socks Off

Since Ap-arts arrival in December 1999 on Londons Portabello road, the founder of the gallery, Adrian Palengat, has consistantly surprised with his shows popping up all around the world, from Tokyo, Paris & Berlin, to its new home in los Angeles. Now back temporarily for a second year running Ap-art returns to its first home in Notting Hill with a 10 year retrospective.

Mandela on Coke - Pakpoom Silaphan

Following on from a successful show of Pakpoom Silaphan’s ‘Continuous Junction’, who uses aged metal Coka Cola, Pepsi & Fanta signs as his canvas, Pakpoom’s show was an excellent pop culture precurser to what was to come.

10 years of Ap-art

The exhibition, which opened on May 19th, is an international retrospective group show, with many names that have shown with Ap-art since its birth 10 years ago. The show is sometimes cheeky, sometimes subtle in its approach, but mostly the work on show here just comes right out and slaps you with its politics and pop culture references.

Autumn Harvest - David Hollier

Always inteligent, the show features paintings on car bonnets, a sculpture of an African woman carrying a baby Madonna, many images of iconic pop art figures including a Kate Moss collage made from hundreds of small badges!!! The show is definately fun, and thoroughly recommended before Ap-Art up sticks and move on to another part of the world, only to, hopefully, return again next year.

10 years of Ap-Art

10 Years Apart

113-117 Westbourne Grove

London

W11 2RS

Until June 27th

10 years Ap-art

I would like to start of 1st with a apology for miss type of the company website on the latest pictures. As we all know Ballad of… only has 1 ‘f’ not 2 as i stupidly put. So I am deeply sorry for this shocking behaviour, it wont happen again. Now back to some style…..

Some days can be hard to find a nice outfit. You search high and low, side to side,

drag your feet behind……..but then wait…what have we found here…

yeah you got it. You just need to know the right places to look

and its followed by complete happy smiles

Be x

He followed her into the night. She wanted to escape into the darkness but still her followed. His love vice tightening around her fragile neck as she struggled from his constant grip. His force knocked to the ground, her blood stained cheeks smarting from the blow. She was pinned down as the earth and dirt seemed to do his bidding; thistles and weeds binding her hands together and holding her there before him. With one eye swollen she could just about she the moon and…….

See more Blau here x

I tell you Covent Gardens is one of the places you need to be to find gems like these.

I was only walking by as I was on route for somewhere when these all flung at me like a boomerang.

It was like christmas came early

Be x

The beautifully talented Jenny Robins dropped us a line last night, and we had to get her work up straight away!

She’s obsessed with birds, love hearts and Circus fonts! And it so happens we love all of that too!

x

Here is some of her amazing work for you to feast your eyes on Enjoy

Oh how I love to walk through Covent Garden, searching amongst the little streets, stepping from cobble to cobble, weaving through the crowds, for all of sudden STOP your eyes play ‘wheres Wolly?’ but instead of Wolly your finding these hidden little treats of style, ooohhhh the delight.

Do play along one day

Be x

Peter Breese was lovely enough to show us his beautiful illustrations. We honestly can’t think of anything better than beautiful drawings of beautiful women in beautiful clothing! We want these on Ballad HQ’s wall! Go over to his website, and don’t be shocked if you see more of Peters work!