Thomastik-Infeld are an Austrian company who hand manufacture strings for guitar, bass, double
bass, violin, and cello. The strings up for review today, are their Flatwound
bass strings, the JF334(Jazz Flat).
Choosing the
right strings is more important than people realise, even a change in brand can
cause a huge change in your overall tone. The rule of thumb is usually, Round
wound strings = bright, zingy, modern tone while, Flat wound = old school,
thumpy, bass heavy tone. However, that’s not always the case.
For myself, no
matter what strings I’m using, be they flats or rounds, I want an articulate, even tone, so I
look for strings that give me that, and so far I’ve come to use just about every
brand on the market, and have never really settled on one brand or one gauge.
That was until I tried Thomastik-Infeld. Since having these strings I’ve experienced more compliments from
just about everyone who has spoken to me after hearing me play.
I currently use
my TI’s on my
veritable work horse Mexican Fender Precision bass, which is totally stock
apart from the potentiometers(knobs) and I get every sound I ever need from
this combination. I’ve used it to play heavy metal with the tone pot rolled all the way up
to get all the bright clanky out of the strings, much like Steve Harris of Iron
Maiden, and I’ve used it on a multitude of Stevie Wonder songs from his early Motown
days right up to his heavy Funk period. These strings are easily summed up with
3 phrases. Rich, musical, and damn near perfect.
They do absolutely everything
if you play them with an empathy towards the style you’re operating in at the time. The
ONLY negative side to them is the price. They’re averaging about £50 a set, but when you compare that
to any round wound, you’ll certainly be saving money as the life of the TI’s is phenomenal compared to any
round wound brand I’ve used. I’ll never go back to any other strings.
Tone*****
Feel*****
Life*****
Price****
Overall*****
BUY here, alternatively, do you use these strings? What do you think of them? Feel free to share your thoughts below in the comments section!
I tried really hard not to dance to these songs when they emerged in the charts, on the music scene and played out of various playlists, but before I knew it, I was throwing some shapes unable to stop myself. Enjoy my guilty pleasures (2013-2015), turn these tunes up and forget the world for a while.
TAYLOR SWIFT // SHAKE IT OFF
ROBIN THICKE, TI, PHARRELL // BLURRED LINES
(I don't super agree with the video but it's no worse than what you'd find on a night out in Portsmouth)
MARK RONSON FT BRUNO MARS // UPTOWN FUNK!
FALL OUT BOY // MY SONGS KNOW WHAT YOU DID IN THE DARK (LIGHT EM UP)
BASTILLE // POMPEII
LORDE // ROYALS
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE // MIRRORS
DAFT PUNK FT PHARRELL WILLIAMS, NILE RODGERS // GET LUCKY
ELLIE GOULDING // BURN
CLEAN BANDIT FT JESS GLYNE // RATHER BE
What are your favourite guilty pleasure tunes from the past two years? Link em' up in the comments below and let's rave the night away to the tunes we just should not love as much as we (secretly) do.
Today's Throwback Thursday Tune goes to an absolute anthem that I used to love rocking out to in high school. AFI's Girl's Not Grey was one of my total favourites of the noughties & still makes my festival amp up playlists.
Released in 2003 as the debut single from the bands album 'Sing The Sorrow' I hope you'll enjoy rocking out to this wicked tune tonight, whether for the first or thousandth time!
AFI // GIRL'S NOT GREY
Like AFI? Then be sure to check out the bands other killer tune 'Silver & Cold' also from the 'Sing The Sorrow' album.
AFI // SILVER & COLD
Got a favourite AFI tune? Leave a comment on the post and links to your AFI anthems and sail on back to CC next week for more throwback hits & harbored artists.
If Womad were a country, it would be pretty close to an earthly paradise. - The Times.
As festival season looms on the horizon marking the end of Spring and the start of Summer, I find myself inundated with various varieties of festival lineup's, from the tiny independent day festivals to the large festival Gods Download, Reading & the like.
However after much deliberation and a change in taste over the previous couple of years, it's the alternative and independent festivals, I'm coming to know and love.
One in particular that stands out this year is WOMAD - The Worlds Festival.
It was actually through a friend from high school that I heard about this festival. What a treat for the senses!
WOMAD is a feast of culture. Apart from experiencing the hottest musicians and inspiring new talent from around the world there is always much more to discover.
The sights and smells of amazing food from around the world greet you at the Global Market. Shop for foodie delights and global gifts or simply enjoy the vintage rides at Carter's Original Steam Fair. Look out for shared morsels at the Taste the World stage. This is where some of the artists show off their cooking prowess.
The All Singing All Dancing Tent welcomes you with everything from yoga to sabar dance lessons. In World Rhythms drum to your hearts content and hear the inspirational stories of the the world's best.
In the arboretum, the World of Wellbeing offers an oasis of treatments, therapies, discussions, workshops and spaces to get away from the bustle of the main arena. And for those who fancy a luxurious moment to themselves there is theWOMAD Spa or the increasingly popular La Di Da Loos.
WOMAD's World of Art sees artists use the festival site as a giant canvass and the World of Words brings poetry, human books and debate to the festival.
The dedicated kids zone World of Kids will be bursting with things to see, hear and do. The theme of Myths, Legends and Folktales comes to life at the Children's Parade, one of the festival highlights.
The World Of Music Arts And Dance festival certainly looks set to be one exciting weekend. July 24-26 2015, save the date in your calendar because this is one live music and arts event, you will not want to miss.
You can check out the artists on the lineup right here. The best news is the theme for this year is...
Myths, legends and folktales from around the World
If there's one thing we love at Coven Cove, it's sharing the releases of new records.
I don't think there's anything more exciting than hearing a song for the first time, a song that over time really sticks with you and becomes a long standing favorite.
For me, that's a big part of my passion for music journalism & feature writing, experiencing a new record for the first time, is like digging up buried treasure.
You never quite know what you're going to get.
When Breakup Records sent me Joel's record, I wasn't sure what to expect, of all the records I'm sent from various sources, something caught my eye about Joel Magid.
I was pleasantly delighted by what I heard, or should say experienced. His record 'Since you went away' released on April 27th, is a dreamy story, that felt more like a dream to me while I was listening to it.
You get a sense of a character, narrative in Joel's sound, something quite different and refreshing among the abundance of indie records circulating the scenes at the moment.
JOEL MAGID // SINCE YOU WENT AWAY
Joel Magid’s teenage self loved punk rock — not The Ramones, but angry, political shit like Crass and Rudimentary Peni.
Such was life until the night of Joel's 20th birthday when he found himself on a 37-hour one-way greyhound to Las Vegas with nothing to listen to but his friend’s tape of The White Album through a pair of half-broken headphones. He listened to the tape obsessively for a day and a half.
That changed everything.
The basement-driven world of Magid’s music is more lifestyle than genre, drawing listeners into a very real world of obsessive archival research on the golden era of rock and roll and romantic melancholia.
Joel's self-released record lends itself to a 1960's melancholic dream-scape that allows me to drift softly into the sound and become gently immersed in the individual parts of the song, the part that resonates with me, is his wonderfully romantic narrative lyrics.
Rising from Portland, Oregon, we've crossed oceans to bring you Joel's sound and highly recommend it, for your Spring playlists.
Ultimately I love Joel's brooding atmospheric music that feels as though I'm living inside a movie scene shot in a romantic filter in 60s America. Certainly a track for radio, I would tell all of you to check his music out and go purchase a copy for yourself. I know I'll be adding 'Since you went away' to my Spring playlists. I can't wait to hear more.
There's something extremely curious about his music that draws me in more, every time I listen to it. Joel Magid has only just arrived at Coven Cove, but we'll be ensuring his docking in the harbor is not a one-time visit and rest assured that we'll be bringing you more of this delightful dream-pop-indie-punk melancholia magical music very soon indeed.
Pop back soon for more magical music treasures & the artists harbored here at Coven Cove. Love from captain Kage & the cove crew.
Sometimes you hear a band, a song & something within you wakes up and you know there and then, that the music has spoken to you.
That came for me with Nahko & Medicine For The People. I find myself completely mesmerised by the music of the band, the stories of the nomadic musicians that make up the tribe and the passion that burns inside of me when I listen to the music.
As a musical collective, our mission is to be the motivation and inspiration for all that have become members of our Tribe. Within our global community, we have access to the tools needed to make changes, take action and spread awareness of how to live in harmony with Mother Gaia herself. We are honored to be a force of attraction for positive and creative minds during these often-corrupt times. With your trust and support, we humbly accept this role and speak our prayers of intention to take direct action… “Hoka Hey” means, “today is a good day to die”, but perhaps with your help, it could transform into a better day to live. Thank you again for your love and support. Tribe members, let us come together today to be the change that we wish to see tomorrow. Respect and love, Nahko and Medicine for the People
ALOHA KE AKUA
Nahko's heritage and story really caught my heart when I read his words and watched his videos, I felt like I was seeing his very spirit, his soul. Something that today people tend to keep shrouded, afraid to really speak their mind or to stand out.
The music coursed through my senses, renewing every nerve as it played, I found myself completely lost in a moment of pure meditation. The first time in perhaps 26 years that my mind had truly stopped.
The causes that Medicine For The People fight for with their music resonates well within me, as those of you who read my personal blog littlebearwolf will know, I have a great love of the indigenous tribes of the world and their culture, heritage and their use of our planet. I'm all too aware that with the speed of the modern world racing, we are close to eradicating them and a lot of our planets natural resources and beauty altogether.
I fully support the music and work of MFTP and hope that they may (hint hint hint promoters) come to England one day soon, hell knows we could use some of that healing medicine here.
Dallying a little in music myself, the piano parts to 'Aloha Ke Akua', truly stand out to me and bring me a great peace when I hear them. It's not just this one song that caught my senses by surprise; there are no words to describe the magic and beauty that resides within Nahko's songs, so please take a listen for yourself below.
BLACK AS THE NIGHT
BUDDING TREES
I MUA
So if you're spirit's looking for some healing, or like me you just felt yourself a wandering, then check out Nahko & MFTP, since finding this tribe and supporting their cause, even when my own path's been at it's darkest, the magic of these tribe folk have brightened my nights, they've been the light in the sky when I needed it most. My brothers & sisters, that I look forward to spending many a long summer night with in 2015.
If you're like me and you're spirit belongs on the wind, over the mountains, soaring with the mighty eagle, swimming the beautiful blue, then I highly recommend that you take a listen today.
THE BODY TALKS AND MEDITATION HELPS,
Pop back soon for more magical music treasures & the artists harbored here at Coven Cove. Love from captain Kage & the cove crew.
If you missed our first voyage into the ocean of features yesterday - don't worry, you can check out our May Playlist post right here. It's bursting with bright tunes and magic music to keep your Spring in bloom.
Today docked in the cove is a band that have been working relentlessly on their music including shooting a new music video! The band have been busy gigging, booking festival slots and attending interviews; certainly a treasure to behold and one band you'll need to keep a weather eye on throughout 2015.
Playing the common alongside Fatboy Slim at this years commonpeople festival in Southampton, it's a great honour to have THE NOVATONES docked at Coven Cove for their introducing feature.
The band who have been busy finishing recording, filming their official music video and booking live shows, have shared their tunes on Soundcloud so you can check them out. These boys have some serious talent and their fresh sound brings a breath of fresh air into the music scene this Spring.
THE NOVATONES // DADDY DIDN'T KNOW
The Novatones are:
Anthony Pittman- Guitar, Lead vocals
Sean Swift- Drums, Percussion
Mackenzie Gordon-Smith- Guitar, Backing Vocals
Toby Hornby-Patterson- Bass, Backing Vocals
After working closely with the band recently, I can tell you that their top lads both on & off stage, one band that I will be following all year long. I love their mix of indie-brit-pop-punk tunes. The perfect dance, catchy lyric cocktail that has seen bands like Arctic Monkeys & Oasis reach dizzying heights of success.
I predict big things for this band, but the lads just want to play their tunes & have a good time doing so. So do yourself and the lads a favor and pop down to a live show or catch them at a fest this year, you won't be disappointed. You can check out their upcoming shows below:
Catch the band playing the same lineup as James Arthur & Scouting For Girls this year at Gosfest this summer. As well as their set at Common People and more announcements coming!
A band fueled on a love/hate relationship for all things British. proud to be part of England and the legendary music scene that comes with it, but fed up of the spoon fed bullshit synonymous with the x factor generation and all the pop puppets. Hard grafting, hard hitting well dressed punk with a sound that smacks you in the face and leaves you thirsting for more.
You can find The Novatones on SoundCloud // Twitter // Facebook // If you're interested in contacting the band for bookings, press or enquiries, you can catch them at thenovatones@googlemail.com.
If you just can't get enough of the tunes, you can catch the lads and their new EP 'Sunday Romance' on GooglePlay // Amazon // Itunes // Spotify.
The band recently played sets at Pretty Green, Liam Gallaghers own straight-talking British clothing brand. The band seem to be drawing attention in all the right places this year and their talent and sound, will I am sure, see them go far.
Having recently shared 'Weston Song' online, I'm excited to share this banging tune here at Coven Cove with you all to dance around to this Sunday, So check it out and then go show the lads some love...
Pop back soon for more magical music treasures & the artists harbored here at Coven Cove. Love from captain Kage & the cove crew.
Thomastik-Infeld are an Austrian company who hand manufacture strings for guitar, bass, double
bass, violin, and cello. The strings up for review today, are their Flatwound
bass strings, the JF334(Jazz Flat). 
