Talk About Local 09
Yesterday I evaded all my impulses to stay in bed and instead got on an early train to Stoke to attend the the Talk About Local 09 non-conference event.
A Staffordshire oatcake soon forced out the hangover out of the way and we got down to business. Caroline Beavon has already published her expansive notes from the day so I'm going to instead write about what I took from the non-conference.
Session 1: Making Public Data Public
It started with a heavy chat about how Making Public Data Public with Director for Digital Engagement – Andrew Stott. Seems to be an ongoing battle with data from different councils having to be cajoled into disseminating data and the data to be available in a useable form. Stott asked everyone to sign up for the developer preview in order to work with the site and suggest where they can go from here.
After a Q&A which mostly involved questions about transparency and legal implications we had a short talk from Chris (@countculture) at Openly Local. He mentioned how Birmingham's council website is a example of poor thought and data use and how he helped BCC DIY scrape their site.
I've been thinking recently with the election coming up that putting councils online and making the data available to the public is a strong way to make the audience re-engage with politics in an entertaining way. I want to see what's available from Openly Local to move into more journalistic territory.
Session 2: More Power To Your Blog
This session was headed up by Pits'n'Pots. A general discussion how it is difficult to be taken seriously by local councils at best and at worst not trusted or completely ignored. A consensus was reached that this seemed to be mostly press officers rather than councillors faults. A press officer from Keele University said "we're not all bad." Certainly the attitude differs from site to site and council to council. The Lichfield Blog were cited as a success story, not only by cultivating a good relationship with press officers (particularly since the demise of the local paper) but also by breaking local stories nationally - for example the recent discovery of a treasure hoard.
Session 3: Moderating Comment
Caroline and I split up after lunch and I attended this session across the road in the Activity Space. Not being in a lecture theatre the session took on a more group discussion dynamic.
Heard from Wolverhampton based blog WV11. A likeable couple who wanted to big-up that area but met with endless anonymous negativity. Community website Castle Bromwich.net suggested backing up online engagement with physical engagement in a public meeting.
There was an interesting talk about engaging with the youth via Typecast a site which worked with the Police but allowed kids to bust some of their own stereotypes. A good point was also raised that the rating system employed here could be carried to community blog articles, rating system can help diffuse the negativity.
Ed Walker from Blog Local talked about legalities, comments can sometimes be libellous in themselves. Talk about whether Anonymous comments are better or worse. Talk about commentators not being able to hide behind anonymity. But also mentioned that unamed sources can be useful. Also talk about whether bloggers need to follow a code of conduct similar to NUJ. Conclusion reached seemed to be that self regulation is best, you should be able to protect yourself but also know where to get support and advice.
You can right click 'save target' for the MP3 of Session 3 here or you can listen to it below.
[audio:http://dandavies23.wordpress.com/files/2009/10/tal-09-moderating-comment.mp3]Session 4: Collaborative Journalism
Back to the lecture theatre for the final session of the day. Tight time restrictions were imposed on the people left to speak. A few prominent sites were discussed in detail with a sped up presentation by The Guardian's Sarah Hartley about the Future Of Journalism in the middle.
For me the more interesting parts were around this central presentation. Sites that I need to look into more are They Work For You and What Do They Know. Ways were discussed how local blogs can use these tools and RSS feeds to investigate.
@Podnosh introduced Help Me Investigate. And @Citizensheep also spoke about another Brummie success BCC DIY. Which made me think about repeating my interview with Stef Lewandowski on this site... or maybe I'll just link it.
I have raw audio from Sessions 1-3 which can be put up without too much trouble. Let me know if you'd like to hear.
Post event networking
Made good links with James Clarke from WV11, ended up talking about my Festivals idea. More of that to come on the blog.
Also met with Ed Walker from Blog Preston and Blog Local about his plans to roll out a local blog package and tool kit. More of that soon too!
If I missed anything out or got the wrong end of the stick, please let me know in the comments section below.
Coachella and Cali comedown from Michael Franti to Marlena Shaw, Micachi to M.I.A
Launching into festival season with a Coachella special. Sorry this is a bit late, I have my excuses. Not quite so Brum-centric but I haven’t been here. Just the usual quality songs.
Tracklisting
Leave! Little Boots Mix- Little Boots, VV Brown
Golden phone- Micachu
Boyz – M.I.A.
Printer Jam – Mistabishi
It Don’t Move Me – Peter Bjorn and John
Head to head – Miles Hunt & Erica Nockalls
Jestream – Doves
Jump In The Pool – Friendly Fire
Retreat! Retreat! – 65daysofstatic (live)
Alcoholics Unanimous – Art Brut
Failing To See The Attraction – Skint & Demoralised
Obama Song – Michael Franti and Spearhead
DON’T GiVE UP THE FiGHT (SiSTERS) – HKB FiNN & Maya Jobarteh
Stand Up – The Prodigy
Marlena Shaw – California Soul
A music lovers mix with Empire of The Sun, David Holmes, Keith, Sebastian Tellier and Home of Metal interview
A special lovers mix but I’m not talking slushy stuff – just new music I’m passionate about and hope you’ll fall in love with too. This is a podcast for people who want to keep listening to new music. But even though we go with the new flow we also know the rocks that we’ve got. Talking of which this edition has a special feature on the West Midlands’ Home Of Metal bid.
Tracklisting:
Walking on a Dream – Empire Of The Sun
I Heard Wonders Andy Weatherall Vocal Mix – David Holmes
Coming Clean – The 39 Steps
Cradle (KYTE remix) – The Joy Formidable
Runaway Town – Keith
Dennis Bergkamp – Guildean Gang
Home Of Metal teaser
Johnny Got A Boom Boom – Imelda May
Hurry for the Sky – Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
When I Last Spoke To Carol – Morrissey
Ballad of the Unsent Letter – Aiden Moffatt and The Best Of’s
Absentee – Emmy The Great
Love Song – Dent May And His Magnificent Ukulele
La Ritournelle – Sebastian Tellier
Episode 5: Gigs including Elton John, Hush Arbors and Alice Russell interview
We keep things fairly festive – but don’t worry we haven’t crammed the show with your typical seasonal fodder. Just Silver grade tracks.
Tracklisting
Sabali – Amadou and Mariam
Tumbala – Novalima
Sweat Shop – Neon Neon
Disaffected Youth – John Shuttleworth
Nausea – Beck
Happy Man – Seasick Steve
Let Us Be Loving – Alice Russell
Tiny Dancer – Elton John
Getting Up – Q-Tip
Christmas Eve Montage – RJD2
A Collection Of Miserable Thoughts Laced With Wit – Dälek
Stay Where You Are – Ambulance LTD
Sand – Hush Arbors
The Rest – Sixtoes
Iain Woods – Gospel
The Greatest – Cat Power
4: From sunshine Shambala to a well wet Bestival
Hello and welcome to the 4th rip of Silver Skins. Your monthly-ish exploration into music new and old for the mature listener who’s still a bit childish in places. This episode marks the end of festival season and a move into winter gigs so we’re going to have some tracks which recall the sunshine of Shambala and wet love of Bestival. We’ve got the standard boat floaters of new tracks and some winter chillers to top it all off.
Tracklisting
David Byrne & Brian Eno – Strange Overtones
Friendly Fires – Paris
Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
The Hats – Red Pike
Mr Blend – Message To ODB
Fat Freddy’s Drop – The Camel
Little Palm – These Girls
Ben Folds – Free Coffee
Oasis – Falling Down (Chemical Brothers)
The Verve – Columbo
Real Tuesday Weld – One More Chance
The Essex Green – Rabbit
Ed Harcourt – Shadowboxing
Massive Attack – Hymn Of The Big Wheel
Episode 3: A bounty of interviews from Sonar and Supersonic festivals including Capsule's Lisa Meyer, Einstellung and Dälek
Welcome to the third instalment of Silver Skins. Sorry, it’s a bit late. To make up for it I’ll stay longer than the usual pod 60 minutes, so stay tuned for an extended show!
And to make this month’s episode extra special we’ve also got some interviews lined up from Supersonic and Sonar.
Even if I’m not physically your friend or even virtually by Facebook (shame on you) I want you to consider this a mixtape made by a mate. And I’ve hung around to jabber in your ear whilst you listen to it.
For this episode, I experimented with the MP4 format to share a few photos and links to artists from the podcast.
Silver Skins Episode 3 Enhanced MP4 (Right click ‘save target’)
Tracklisting
Frankie Knuckles – Your Love (Dusty Kid Makes Love Tender Edit) [interview Lisa Meyer Capsule]
X+X – ZX Spectrum Orchestra
Amplive (ft. Del the Funky Homosapien) – Video Tapez
Saul Williams – Penny For A Thought
Dälek – Paragraphs Relentless [intereview with Dälek]
Diplo – Way More with MIA – Bucky Done Gun (Acapella)
Parka feat Rasco – Western Soul
Primal Scream and Lovefoxxx – Uptown
The Divine Comedy – Love What You Do
Camille – Gospel With No Lord
Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook
Einstellung – Tot (edit) [interview with Einstellung]
Pram – The Silk Road
The Shortwave Set – Harmonia
Tricky – Pumpkin
The Smashing Pumpkins Suffer
Kitty, Daisy and Lewis – Going Up The Country
Episode 2: Jens Lekman and Jamie Lidell, Miles Hunt and Sarabeth Tucek, John Cooper Clarke and The Fall, Example and The KLF
The second episode of Silver Skins, the podcast for the distinguished and discerning music fan. This is another pod of joy bringing you some old favourites and the best of what’s currently floating my Silver liner. As the weather is, at least, sporadically sunny we start with a range of summer tracks. The usual gig and festival inspired music. Featuring some Dot To Dot Festival acts, new tracks from Spiritualized, Jacob Golden, Miles Hunt, Black Ghosts and a Silver Skins triple bill of post-punk old timers. Proper Silver Skins.
Tracklisting:
The Audience – Herbert
Sipping In The Sweet Nectar – Jens Lekman
Another Day – Jamie Lidell
On A Saturday – Jacob Golden
Full Moon – Black Ghosts
Falsified – Miles Hunt, Andres Karu, Erica Nockalls
Nobody Cares – Sarabeth Tucek
Baby I’m Just A Fool For You – Spiritualized
Caravan (Video Edit) – Efterklang
Single Again – Fiery Furnaces
Pacifying Joint – The Fall
Evidently Chicken Town – John Cooper Clarke
Totnes Bickering Fair – Half Man Half Biscuit
DJ Bashing With Tommy Saxondale – DJ Reach
I Don’t Want To – Example
Wichita Lineman Was A Song I Once Heard – KLF
Episode 1: Pilot edition with new music from Portishead, Radiohead, Billy Bragg, The Charlatans, CSS, Burial and DJ Food
Silver Skins is music mix podcast that celebrates new music but also understands that certain songs and artists have a timeless legacy. These hour long shows will hopefully, month by month, build into a pod-based collection of music in all its forms what’s new and what’s old and still great.
Track Listing
The Rip – Portishead
Reckoner – Radiohead
Freedom – Vijay Kishore
Woodcat – Tunng
M For Me – Billy Bragg
Wolves – The Accidental
My Name Is Despair – The Charlatans
Don’t Fear – Maps
Shake A Fist – Hot Chip
Dream Cars – Neon Neon
Let’s Make Love – CSS
Paper Planes – MIA
Archangel – Burial
Nocturne – DJ Food
Kate Tempest, flushed with success on a mission that is ongoing, obsessed
Originally published in the second edition of the VUzine. This was on the last page and I really think it helped tie the edition up. You can curse and call it typical You can welcome the inevitable But we missed the boat Our ship had sailed When Tempest stormed the critical. It’s been ten years in port But far from docked, she’s more than caught Attention She’s held court, spoke forth Waving, drowning, craving, storming, sailing. As long as they’ve listened, they’ve heard her As long as they came, she’d be there Jumping genre fences at festivals Being drunk on rhyme and rum, in bars and cafes Ranting late night in kebab takeaways The beat, her heart, her own, inaudible, invisible.
Go back Way back, before that Kate Tempest spat before she spoke Drummed out her words In school cloakrooms The rhythm of being in the womb Hip hop, the wet nurse Cries full of hunger and meaning Giving voice to the wounded, alone, stranded, abandoned. Writing plays for tomorrow and today Softening the life of the hard living Giving Whether whittling words or treading boards Stirring souls, portraying passion, long rounds of applause Crowds fired up, become molten and been forged into awards. So let the broadsheets bang on about background and beginning Before being shredded and forgotten. Let Jon Humphries get back round to pillaring politicians Rather than hastily constructing pedestals of jauntiness (and Jim Naughtiness) Let the bookies stop taking bets on fake measures of success. Because after the fawning journos, the fakers, After the flamers and slayers have taken their potshots After the Gogglebox gogglers and the blank switch off. Leave the musicians and the makers, Leave those who hear more with repeated listens Standing in the wings being lifted up with words Or pushing to the front Pinned against the band, The following, the follower, the fanzine and the fans. Tempest’s reply (sort of)
Kate Tempest played Village Underground on 11th November check out these amazing pictures of her performance taken by Abi Dainton