Oct 112011
 

Hercules Moments launch a second free Aberdeen music sampler; Eoin Smith and Russell Thom tell Aberdeen Voice all about it.

Two students from the North East of Scotland are set to release their second compilation of top Aberdeen music, free of charge.

Following the release of a similar compilation in 2010, Eoin Smith and Russell Thom, both 20, founders of music site Hercules Moments, are set to build upon their previous success with 12 brand new tracks from some of Aberdeen’s finest bands.

‘Hercules Moments: Vol. 2’, the ingeniously titled sampler, will be released as a free download on www.herculesmoments.co.uk  on the 28th of October, in a variety of formats.

To celebrate the release, Hercules Moments will be holding a launch party in Café Drummond, situated on Aberdeen’s Belmont Street,  on the 28th, which will feature three of the fantastic acts that  appear on the sampler: Katerwaul, Carson Wells and Mark Riley, frontman of Glassman, who will be performing a very special acoustic solo set.

Boasting a wealth of talent, the sampler includes established acts The Xcerts and The Little Kicks, alongside newer acts like Min Diesel, Foxhunting and Seas, Starry. The line-up is completed by local favourites The Deportees, The Shakedown Project, Turning 13 and Outbox.

“We were overwhelmed by the positive reaction we received  after last year’s sampler,”

 began Eoin, an English student at the University of Aberdeen,

 “so there was really no question as to whether we would release  a  second one. We have an even more diverse range of talent this year, and everyone involved is really very excited to get it out there for people to hear.”

Russell, an Engineering student at the University of Aberdeen, added:

 “It all sounds really fantastic this year. We were lucky to get award-winning local producer Iain Macpherson to look over the tracks, which has made the whole thing fit together really well. I am a big fan of a lot of his work – most recently Steven Milne’s solo album and The Deportees’ new  single – and I know he has loads of other exciting stuff coming up too.”

It was in March 2009 that then-school pupils Eoin and Russell launched Hercules Moments: a blog dedicated to writing about the music they loved to listen to. After two years of hard work, they have accomplished more than they ever dreamed of.  As Eoin elaborates:

“Since founding Hercules Moments, we have been able to work with some of the most exciting recording artists from across the globe, including Rufus Wainwright, Supertramp and Weezer, as well as a whole host of new and rising talent,”

  Russell concludes:

“In the past year we have been nominated for a variety of awards – both locally and nationally – and the website has grown to incorporate submissions from a variety of talented contributors. It’s nice to be recognised for the work we have put into the website and we are very proud of what we have achieved so far.”

“The sampler really is an awesome mix of tracks and best of all it’s free! If you ever wanted an introduction to a selection of the best music in Aberdeen, then this is your chance to hear it,”

Aberdeen Voice are grateful to Eoin and Russell for their story, and wish them all the very best of luck with all future projects.

Aug 182011
 

After months of auditions and much speculation, the North East has spoken and chosen the winner of the first ever NEX Factor. Voice’s Stephen Davy-Osborne reports, with thanks to Yasmeen Ali.

The singing contest, organised by Aberdeen based charity Malaika Africa and Cove based event management company Valley Events, encouraged teenagers to put their musical skills to the test in order to raise funds to build a learning centre for street kids in Mirerani, Tanzania.

The first rounds of auditions were held during June and July in Aberdeen, Dundee and Elgin and out of a total of 45 hopefuls including bands, ten finalists were chosen to perform at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre in the live grand final.

Whittling the ten semi finalists down to three were judges Alex Miller, Steven Milne, Joanne Randall and Ross Milne who selected Rowan Ah-See, Amber Hughes and Cara Mitchell to perform again, leaving the final decision to the audience, who chose 16-year old Rowan – from Aberdeen – as the winner of the first ever NEX Factor thanks to his fantastic voice and guitar playing skills,

Rowan Ah-See ( pictured ) walked away with the much coveted prizes of £1,000 in cash, a professional photo shoot, a recording session at a local recording studio and a luxury car to take the winner to the photo shoot.

Yasmeen Ali and Mirjam Meek were very pleased with how the evening went and with all the positive feedback received:

 “We couldn’t have wanted for a better event and it will be a challenge to do even better next year because the standard of talent was already so high”.

The sell-out evening was a huge success and the charity managed to raise nearly £6,000.

More info and Pictures of the event here: The-NEX-Factor-2011.html