Perfect for a sunny sunday, today’s inspiration illustration lovely comes in the form of Nic Farrell. Cute and funny…
and we get a sneak peek inside the sketchbook, you know how we love that! Enjoy
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We aren’t shy about our love for jewellery designer Scarlett Hearts. Not only does she make the cutest and most affordable pieces out there, but she is also the biggest sweet heart we have ever come across…
much to our delight, and fright… completely out of the blue these Little Book of Horrors treats arrived on Ballad HQ door step for the whole team!
SH, you little devil, we will be wearing these for inspiration and with pride… fangs for that (*sorry)
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Last night we hot footed it down to Ellen Roger’s book launch. We adore this girl, in every way. She holds a very special place in our hearts, and the book couldn’t be more beautiful…
Hendricks in tea cups, stuffed Owls and beautiful prints, it was a wonderful evening. We were thrilled to see Ellen’s Ballad Of Tommy Lane submission in the book, which was a treat from start to finish. And Ellen looked incredible as always
Almost had to leave Lindsey Jade there. She fell head over heels with Wilbert, the sandy sausage
And then onto Concrete for the Aqua men’s launch party. We’re not too fresh today, won’t lie!!
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Originally from Michigan and now studying Art in Brooklyn, illustrator Rose Wong is a breath of fresh air.
Her works are esquisitly and finely drawn, creating interesting shapes and swirls mixed with punches of vibrant colour.
The 19 year old’s future plan is to have her own studio in the city and share her work with others. And of course to travel and experience the
world’s beauty and pleasures.
Check out her blog and Facebook page
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… read this.
On the tube this morning he was THAT guy giggling away. Good look. We shall be giving it a shot next; The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
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With the popularity of mountain folk pop (think Fleet Foxes and Local Natives) and psychedelic pop (think MGMT or Cloud Control) influenced music increasing steadily it’s about time the UK had it’s own home grown hero straddling the genres leading a new wave of talent. Some may have suspect James Blake to take this mantle (though for me personally, it’s a bit boring and a verging on poor man Money Mark - Cam) but “jump back” (quote from Footloose), because the UK has one better to offer - Balladette Tess Duncan meets Paul Thomas Saunders.
Ballad: You just finished a tour with The Head and the Heart. How was it?
Paul: It was pretty special I think, we’ve never toured with a band that take to the stage so naturally, its such a visceral experience for them and clearly how
their music is meant to be heard. I’ve always considered my existence to be
the absolute opposite. I feel most at home when I’m recording, I write the
songs on my own, and record them with at most one other person there, I find
performing to an audience an inherently unnatural thing. I’ve never been too
sure of what a large crowd could bring to the music, but during this tour we
stumbled across a place where it resonated to some extent. I think my live band
and I felt like we had to work a lot harder than we were used to after seeing
The Head and The Heart on the first night, they give an awful lot, so we had
to throw ourselves into each song to engage a crowd that had come expecting
more than just four shoe-gazers.
Ballad: I know you went to college in Leeds, did you also grow up there?
P: I didn’t grow up in Leeds, no, I moved around a lot, but I’ve been in Leeds
for 4 years now. It does seem like your in the middle of nowhere from time
to time, but there’s a lot of good music and it’s full of interesting people who
don’t entirely know what they want to do with their lives yet. It sometimes feels
like a halfway house, not many of the young folks will settle down here, but it’s
a slow city that you can fade into while your fathoming the whole life dilemma.
The ones who think they’ve figured it out will move on to bigger cities. It’s a
cruel illusion but because the place fills up with new students every year and
your friends move away, the population seems to stay the same age. I’m pretty
sure I’m the only person ageing in this city.
B: How did you get involved in music?
P: When I was about 7, I was certain that I’d written Blowing in the Wind, I’d
been humming this tune and singing words that vaguely resembled the ‘actual’
lyrics for a week or so. My dad recognised it, dug out his copy of Freewheelin’
and put it on, I tried to explain that I’d written it but he wouldn’t believe me.
I’ve basically been on a mission to prove that this Bob Dylan fellow plagiarised
me ever since. I thought if I had a lengthy back catalogue of work, it would
strengthen my case.
B: “Four Songs in Twilight” was released in 2009 (2010). How did recording in the basement affect the EP?
P: It wasn’t really that we recorded in a basement by choice, that was just the
logical location available to us at the time. It was under a shared house I was
living in and it was pretty damp and cramped which wasn’t ideal, but it was
a free space and that was all we were looking for. We only had a cheap mic,
a laptop and four songs but that’s what was enjoyable about it. I think it’s
dangerous when you’re in a studio with good gear, you start to cut corners and
it can become really sterile and safe. The unglamorous surroundings force you
to use our imagination, you have to come up with ways of making it sound
interesting without using studio jiggery pokery. Even the instrumentation has to become a little wilder as you lose a lot of the more subtle nuances to the lo-fi.
Watch PTS live here
B: How does “Lilac and Wisteria” compare with your first EP?
P: Drastically I hope. Four Songs in Twilight was essentially a set of demos
recorded over four nights, at the time, I never planned to let anyone hear it.
With Lilac and Wisteria, I guess we wanted to make something we were proud
to show people, so a lot more thought went into the whole process. I think we
really submerged ourselves for the few months we were making it. I remember
it being relief to listen to something other than the E.P when we’d finished.
I was worried about other influences seeping into the recordings so I tried to
detox myself of outside music while we were working on it.
B: You reference flowers and nature a lot in your music. Is there something that draws you to this theme? Does nature inspire you?
P: Not consciously, I guess nature is something that you’re surrounded by every minute of every day, so it might find a way in through osmosis or something? I think a lot of the time when I mention flowers though, I’m not really talking about flowers, like the title. The exception being ‘Here Lies Soleil, So Long’, that song has something to do with nature I think. I find it quite overwhelming, and I like that feeling. It’s like when I remember how fortuitous everything is, you feel powerless and insignificant, but relieved too, like all your responsibilities have lifted. It’s a rush.
B: I hear a lot of darkness in your music. Does darkness inspire you in some way?
P: I don’t know if it inspires me? But I definitely benefit from the whole catharsis
thing. I think as a result I can be quite cold though. I put a lot into the songs,
so when it comes to expressing myself elsewhere, I can feel like I’ve already
channeled that emotion somewhere and have trouble accessing it again.
Also, I think it can be at the really bleak times that you romanticize to shield
from the tragedy of whatever you’re experiencing. You claw for some
reasoning or rational, I guess it’s in that place that a lot of great songshave
been written.
B: How do you feel about the new British folk scene and how do you see yourself fitting into it?
P: I think I’m pretty unworthy to be called folk, even more so after Lilac and
Wisteria, but then again most of the artists that get the ‘new folk’ tag try to
wriggle free from it, I think its just a lot to live up to. I see folk as a purest
form of music, integrity is paramount, and it would never be compromised for
commercial viability. I think if someone listened to me expecting folk music,
they’d be thoroughly disappointed.
I wouldn’t say that my music holds true to any of folk’s oral traditions either,
these songs weren’t passed down from generation to generation, and my father
didn’t teach me the chords that his father taught him, what I make is essentially
pop music.
B: What direction do you see yourself heading in?
P: I think next I’m going to aim for that new British folk sound?
B: “Lilac and Wisteria” was released on RT60 Records. Do you plan on releasing anyone else’s albums/EPs?
P: Eventually, possibly. At the moment, I don’t feel like RT60 could offer an act
much more than if they released it themselves, I’m sort of the guinea pig at this
stage. It would be great to help out other people though one day, I know we’ve
had a lot of leg ups from the Leeds indie labels, I’d like to do the same for
someone else. I always wanted RT60 to be something that isn’t strictly music,
it would be great to be at the helm of something that’s just a sea of creativity,
but now I’m just being facetious. I would like to release something by my live
band The Fever Dreams though.
B: What can you tell me about the rumors of a full-length album?
I think there’ll definitely be an album next year, I’m writing now, and I think
they’ll be another E.P. before then too, we’ll have to see.
Grab a free download track and more info at paulthomassaunders.com
Meet Three Bad Seeds, a ”family adventure in handmade art & indie craft”.
Comprising of Amanda, Joshua and Marley (aged just ten and the inspiration for the venture), this talented clan take thrifted wool and linen, “wash it/feel it…deconstruct it…then turn it into plush creatures, pillows, coasters, banners, whatever floats our boat”.
And it sure floats our boat too.
With a glorious childlike charm, these plushies and cushions are sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face.
And with their hope to “fulfill a desire and need for functional art / craft / graphic objects born from discarded materials” we here at Ballad can’t get enough of the Three Bad Seeds.
Make sure you check out their blog too for some amazing crafty inspiration.
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Our whirlwind week should be one to remember, but due to alcohol and lack of sleep its mostly a blur.
So first…United Nude Party
Good company, good drinks and good times for all.
Secondly…Elite Model Final 2011
Amazing catwalk show from the finalists, fantastic goodybags, and fantastic sushi
Then there was a trip to Southend…
Lots of Candyfloss, pebbled beach and ice cream
We simply stumbled across artist Aitch and were instantly intrigued by her work. And when we discovered that she’s a girl who loves to sew, model clay and cook as well as draw, we fell in love. Her work is a melting pot of mysteriously freaky illustrations and photoshopped wonders.
We especially love these pretties from the Femme Freak collection.
So beautifully enigmatic and magical.
Originally from Romania, living in Bucharest and with big dreams of moving to Lisbon with fellow artist friends, Aitch hopes to open her very own art studio and a shared gallery in the heart of the city. Any other strings to add to her bow? She plans on taking cookery classes this coming autumn - now that’s one talented lady.
Another random fact, at the age of 25, Aitch has never had a ‘real job’, apart from illustration work, and is “kinda proud of this…I constantly feel like Im on vacation”. That’s the life.
You can also check out Aitch’s blog.
Enjoy!
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