Aug 092013
 

With thanks to Stevie Kearney.

A local charity project helping young people develop their musical talents has backed the release of a debut pop single form a former X-Factor contestant.

Edward McNelis – who performs under the name EddieMAC – spent time in the shmuSOUND studio in Tillydrone, working on his debut single ‘When the Weekend Comes’. The release also features a b-side called ‘It’s All Over’.

Earlier this year, Edward, 19, from Mastrick, auditioned for the X-Factor in Aberdeen and was invited to London for another three stages, coming up just one round short of appearing on the televised show.

Building on this momentum, he joined the shmuSOUND project, which is run through local media charity Station House Media Unit (SHMU), thanks to funding from Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative.

After a series of song writing workshops with the project’s tutors, several sessions in the studio led to the finished tracks, which are now available online and have generated considerable interest from fans across the city.

Both tracks are proudly pop in style, with the a-side track ‘When the Weekend Comes’ set to become a classic anthem for the summer, with its story of rushing home from work to enjoy the weekend. ‘It’s All Over’ is similar in style, but tells the tale of a relationship gone wrong and people moving on.

shmuSOUND’s Stevie Kearney said:-

“It’s been great fun working with Eddie Mac – we think these tracks should be really popular with pop music fans and it’s surely just a matter of time until he gets his break. The X-Factor judges should have kept him in for sure”.

Both tracks are out now and available for free download online.  EddieMAC’s tracks are available online via www.soundcloud.com/eddiemac1 and have already been played on shmuFM. His Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/eddiemacaberdeen

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Aug 012013
 

With thanks to Stevie Kearney.

A previously under-used Torry sports facility is set for a grand re-opening this weekend thanks to the work of people from the community and the generosity of several local organisations.

This Saturday, August 3rd, from 10am-3pm, Torry Outdoor Sports Centre on Victoria Road will play host to a family fun day featuring football and tennis coaching, bowling demonstrations, kids’ games, live music, refreshments, stalls, raffles and a guest appearance from Angus the Bull.

The project to re-launch the sports space has been pioneered by volunteers from Old Torry Community Centre and they’ve received backing from many local groups, including Sport Aberdeen, Aberdeen Football Club, Dee Football Club, Tennis Scotland, Station House Media Unit and local Police.

A generous donation for tennis equipment was provided by PK Hydraulics Ltd, which has paid for high-quality new racquets, balls and training equipment.

The space – which includes two bowling greens and a multi-purpose all-weather area with three tennis courts and a football pitch – is a community facility but has not been widely used in recent times. The fun day aims to get Torry locals along to help launch a new programme of sports and social events every night of the week, with everybody welcome.

Angus the Bull will be there for the opening at 10am but needs to leave at 10:30 for his match day duties at Pittodrie, so parents are encouraged to bring kids down early. Aberdeen FC have also donated a strip and football, signed by Dons forward Niall McGinn.

David Fryer, of Old Torry Community Centre, said:

“We have organised this special fun day so that folk can take advantage of the facilities that are close at hand, try a sport for the first time with a coach, join in a friendly game or just relax and watch others having some fun.”

“We greatly appreciate the helping hands of Sport Aberdeen, Tennis Scotland, Aberdeen Football Club, PK Hydraulics, Dee Football Club, Station House Media Unit, local bowlers, and from many folk in Torry in making this all happen.”

Nigel Spencer, Outdoor Services Manager at Sport Aberdeen, said:

“We’re delighted to be working with Old Torry Community Centre on this project and hopefully some good weather will help make for a very successful re-launch of the Torry Outdoor Sports Centre”.

Football coaching and matches take place from 10am to 12 noon, with tennis coaching for all ages from 1pm – 3pm. There will be live music at 12 noon from local singer-songwriter Alana Wyness.

For more information, you can find Old Torry Community Centre on Facebook, or email oldtorry@gmail.com

Mar 282013
 

With thanks to Kirsty Young.

Creative Scotland, in partnership with Young Scot, Creative & Cultural Skills Scotland and Creative Skillset, is offering an exciting new package of Modern Apprenticeships within the arts and culture sector.

Aimed at 16-20 year olds, the young people taking part in the Modern Apprenticeships will study for vocational qualifications while gaining professional experience working for an arts organisation. (Apprenticeship Qualification offered: Diploma in Creative and Digital Media Competence.)

This position is shared between Peacock Visual Arts and Station House Media Unit.

At Peacock he or she would be encouraged to progress their learning by using the available equipment to gain hands-on experience by shooting, editing and producing films for both web and DVD. The experience would cover all aspects of digital media and, working with PVA’s Communications Manager, of web-based promotion.

At shmu there will be a programme of involvement in shmuTV (live youth TV project producing a weekly live show) shmuSOUND – recording studio, shmuFM and shmuDESIGN with the opportunity to get involved in the design of the community magazines (Creative Suite) and the development of new websites using Drupal.

The closing date for the receipt of applications is Friday 12 April 2013

Full information and application details are available on this link :
http://www.peacockvisualarts.com/archive/389/modern-apprentice-vacancy