Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, Grandaddy, Sparklehorse, Doves, Elbow, Turin Brakes, Radiohead, Tom McCrae, Coldplay, Magnet, Aqualung, Ben Christophers, Snow Patrol, Badly Drawn Boy, Sufjan Stevens, Simon & Garfunkel, Arcade Fire, Stars, Broken Social Scene, Death Cab for Cutie, American Analog Set, The Postal Service, The Beatles, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Low, Belle & Sebastian, The Shins, Dashboard Confessional, Wilco, Damien Rice, Ryan Adams, Ben Folds, Mojave 3, Rufus Wainwright, Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, Jeff Buckley, Pink Floyd
'Spine tingling' …The two words that come up time and again to describe so aptly the musical genius that is Stillman. For so many, that shiver down their back confirms love on first listen.
Conventional wisdom would have you believe that it takes a collective such as Coldplay, Radiohead or Keane to produce the best music. Stillman defies that wisdom. On first listen you’d been forgiven for thinking this was the magic of a four-piece supergroup but Stillman is just one man, Chaz Craik.
As a teenager he hung out with Banksy but they took very different creative paths with Chaz going through many different bands, haircuts and Oxford Uni. He started life as a bass player, then became a classical guitarist, lead guitarist, songwriter, sound engineer, electro producer, songwriter again. Finally it all made sense and Stillman was born. An immaculate musical conception some say.
His break came with an unsigned feature on Xfm, followed by huge critical acclaim for his debut EP 'Weightless'. Fans and the media alike began salivating for the album. Like many of his peers recently, Stillman chose an Indie label over interest from the majors. His forthcoming album "People Like A Happy Ending" will be released on TRL Music, following the successful release of 'Helium' by Urban Myth Club.
With just a hint of a release date, the buzz hit Hollywood as music supervisors and directors began to devour the material in a feeding frenzy. With rising fortunes, come mixed feelings for Chaz, "I grew used to the songs living only in my head - it's strange to see them out in the big wide world leading their own lives."
It is all too easy to pigeonhole Stillman's music alongside the million-sellers that inhabit most collections, but there is that extra something which you simply cannot put your finger on. Maybe it is the soaring and powerful vocal harmonies, the undeniably melodic hooks, the upbeat yet deceptively dark lyrics? Whatever it is, the media always return to the emotional effect:
'Very, very few singer-songwriter induce so many shivers. It's as if Elliot Smith and Tom McRae got together to make the music they can't quite do on their own.' - Channel 4 (Record of the Week)
'To walk from this unaffected is to not love music at all. Without doubt
one of the finds of the year.' - Losing Today
'If you like Nick Drake, Coldplay, Doves, Elbow, Turin Brakes, you will fall in love with Stillman and never let him out of your life. One of the most beautiful pieces of music this year.' - A Musical Priority
'A spine-tingling work of art' - Record Overplayed
The underground have already embraced Stillman as their own but they're going to have to share him if the big wide world gets its way.
PODFEST Live present: Maria Willson + Minus IQ + Monoman + The Lettabees + DJ "Stouche Pepsee"
Check out the bands:
Maria Willson Maria herself, stunningly glamourous, has a voice somewhere between an English Kelly Clarkson and a younger Sheryl Crow. Her songs, albeit still just demos for now, ooze trans-Atlantic class, and are stomping pop/rock anthems underpinned by some fat Hammond style organ lines and chunky guitars such as the smouldering 'Ready to blow' or the sassy strutt of 'Agent Provocateur'. Demos for now, but destined for bigger things me thinks...... MusicReview Rated 6/6 ONSTAGE: 9:30 pm www. myspace. com/mariawillson
Minus IQ "Incredible, Great vocals... an edge that really stands out. Great stuff. " Will Sherman - Matchbox Recordings
"The gentle but passionate vocal of Charlie is strangely familiar to that of 80's giants Duran Duran, but there's a real mega rock track going on here - awesome!" Neon Promotions
"Minus IQ show a great talent beyond their years and adept at composing songs that the listener can enjoy and sing along to... get yourself along to one of their gigs because their worth your time. " www. makemusic. co. uk ONSTAGE: 9:00 pm www. myspace. com/minusiq
Monoman Reinvented 3 piece band from London with a vibrant, energetic punky sound.
Had the great pleasure of catching you at SGP - was pretty cool to see the rain clearing as your set progressed (even if the wooden dance floor was a little cold on the behind!). Good luck going forwards and hope to see you play again soon
there with bells and whistles.. chill out or not. we just got our coach times.. misery. arrive midnight on weds and get picked up 1.30am on monday!!...
First and foremost, thank you again for being our friends. We seriously and sincerely appreciate it more than you know. If you want more of us, you can now buy our brand spanking new album on iTunes. That's it, you still rawk:) And that is a very good thing.
how is everything? I've been pretty busy finishing up the album. I am letting people download some of my stuff, if you are interested send me a message and i can give you the link where you can get some songs for free.. peace.. out
visit www.merlinmoon.com (voted best design in the uk website charts)
hey whats up how are ya...I just wanted to say hello and let you know that I have 4 new songs posted here on myspace and some cool new merchandise....check it out sometime...much love AVOYO
I enjoyed your gig at Bath Moles a while back, you got some dirty weirdness mixed up with some melodic niceness there. More where that came from please.... I've got some decent shots of you, so drop me a message with your email and i'll send them all over to you. Nice one...
hey! happy new year! hope youre good and fully recovered from the festive period!!! finally sat down and listened to your album properly and really love it...you deserve alot of success. lou