MABNO is a different kind of music blog, an off-centre mix of articles on music, art and culture, advice and tuition for singers and musicians, reviews of new releases that have caught my ear and anything else I feel like sharing.
I originally conceived MABNO as a blog pitched at the intersection between formally trained musicians and those taking their cues more from the punk/DIY ethic. Though battle lines are often drawn between the two, both groups bring something of value – the latter tend to be strong in conceptual and creative aspects, while the former bring the technical experience and know-how to best bring out those ideas in realised music. When both attitudes come together, amazing music results.
With the exponential rise of independently produced music it is more important than ever to have both a creative vision and a willingness to develop the skillset and understanding to make your work as good as it can be. Whether you’re an art school graduate, a Juilliard virtuoso or a high school dropout with a dream and an attitude, the core MABNO philosophy is as follows:
MAKE A BIG NOISE
MAKE IT A BETTER NOISE
REPEAT
About the Author
I am ‘Quicksand’ Kerry JK, a 40-something singer-songwriter, pianist and producer (I also play guitar, bass, drums and occasional other instruments as required) from the UK. I’ve been making music and other strange noises from a young age – I began piano and violin lessons aged 7 (though international treaties now exist to prevent me from playing the latter instrument), discovered jazz through a stack of vinyl given to me by a musician uncle, heavy rock through the Radio 1 Rock Show and Monsters Of Rock and electronica through synth pop, Thomas Dolby and computer soundtrackers. I spent my teenage years playing everywhere I could in venues, hotels and school and county level groups around the Isle of Wight. In 1995 I went to study jazz at the City of Leeds College of Music, where I formed, directed and wrote for the Great Escape Big Band, an 18 piece jazz orchestra featuring many players who went on to make waves in the international music scene. After graduating, I worked as a jobbing musician and piano vocalist for a while before becoming a music teacher and vocal coach while turning my attention to creative music and performance projects I found interesting. I made two albums and toured as a member of Leeds goth ambassadors Zeitgeist Zero, self released a number of albums in various styles and names and even spent time as a singing magician and escapologist.
These days I continue to release music and poetry as an independent artist, teach and lecture on music and music technology and give the odd guerilla performance.
MABNO 