Empathy - Alabama 3 Visit Locked On

Here Camden Calling we are so excited that our Locked On radio show in partnership with Endell St Studios has a very special guest. The featured artist for this months music interview is Rob Spragg AKA Larry Love frontman of The Alabama 3. Larry came into the studio on Friday 20th January as part of visit to St Mungos Endell St Hostel where he was checking out the facilities and support offered to homeless people supported by this service. Larry also played a live track for us from the bands new album Shoplifting for Jesus.

During his visit he said "Having experienced homelessness myself, and the attendant problems associated with having no shelter, I was really looking forward to seeing how

St Mungo's is dealing with this situation and all I can say is Wicked! There was tremendous enthusiasm in the studio from all those involved and hopefully Alabama3 rose to the occasion. Brilliant. P.S Can I move in please?"

Locked On is a joint project between Endell St Studios & Camden Calling. A radio show created by a group of homeless & ex-homeless people for a mainstream audience; showcasing unsigned artists and opening discussion on issues that effect the lives of us all.

Locked On Music Interviewer Rob Pollack had this to say "I have been really looking forward to interviewing Larry Love. I am a pretty big fan of The Alabama 3. I feel being the music interviewer for Locked On Radio has been positive for me in lots of ways personally and, I am starting to feel, professionally. It is a project I can be really excited about and very different to the help I was offered when I lived in a hostel. It makes me sit up and take responsibility for helping myself."

The interview will be broadcast via our SoundCloud site on The 20th Feb as part of a special extended show this month themed around the subject of Empathy.

This is a rather special show as Peter Guinness the patron of Camden Calling also came in to give an interview for Cross Talk our serious discussion feature. Peter has some very interesting points to make about the erosion of arts funding and the impact the culture of celebrity on the creative industries.

Camden Calling is a very small community project working as an arts collective with exceptional homeless and vulnerable people to create opportunities for them to develop their creative skills; hosting main stream live music events & working on music video in addition to the Locked On project. The project is run as a partnership with members and has a unique ethic and way of working.

The recording studio at Endell St hostel helps support clients with opportunities to write, record and produce music, learning sound production skills or working towards recording an album.

Camden Calling & Endell St Studio's have been working together for over three years and the Locked On radio project is hoping to receive funding for a second year, as well as a scheduled move for the show to independent radio station Recharged Radio

Bordering On The Genius of Creation Records - State Of Music Update

The State Of Music Vol 1 went on sale on Saturday and all of the hard copies were sold in a matter of hours. Camden Calling would like to thank Dom Paczko at Choose My Music for this wonderful gift , and making us part of his project to find 50 exceptional and unknown artists from every state in the US and promote their music. Dom is a very special person to us.

I purchased my copy of the album by digital download on Sunday and have to say it is an exceptional and eclectic collection. We at Camden Calling are also quite overwhelmed with the level of support for our little collective from our U.S cousins and would like to thank all of the bands involved for caring about homelessness and related issues here in London.

Here is what people have been saying about this extraordinary project

"Bordering on the genius of Creation Records" Sally's Gig Reviews

"In a world crowded with media outlets, which all too often cover a worryingly narrow band of taste Dom Paczko is to be praised for his efforts and he has uncovered some real gems here" Cranking It In The UK

"The State Of Music ticks all my boxes for a good compilation; varied, accessible, tracks that draw you straight in, plenty there to warrant repeat listening.....If this album represents the state of music, music is going to be ok" Album Masterpieces

The album is available by digital download and all of the profits from the album will be donated to Camden Calling. Helping our members to pursue artistic work this year. Making a huge difference to our work and our ability to function as an arts collective. Our members desperately need support for their creative projects and the things they would like to learn in 2012.

Camden Calling is a DIY project in the fullest sense of the word but like all building projects sometime you just gotta get a man in. BUY YOUR COPY OF THE STATE OF MUSIC HERE

EDUCATION & WEAKNESS

Never was there a better time of year to have two such glorious subject matters to write about for my Camden Calling diary / journal /breakdown / whatever. Saying goodbye to 2011 and reflecting on lessons learned and starting 2012 ready to turn weaknesses into strengths.

This is what we do at Camden Calling last week we had a lovely article written about us in The Camden New Journal that you can read in full by clicking here

So what have I learned, well the first is do not be so eager to get on your Christmas break that you cannot be bothered to update the personal blog because the whole thing seems a bit tedious and daunting now. So while my cogs are turning perhaps you would like to check out Decembers radio show.

Education by lockedonradio

The lessons I think we all learned at Camden Calling in 2011 were to think more creatively, more flexibly and to give anything a go, there were a few dramas in 2011, much gnashing of teeth my end, some genuine and over dramatic frustrations and some unrealistic expectations of one another and what the project can achieve with limited resources. These things sound negative but my view is that they are 100% positive. They are our foundation for moving in to 2012 and the high drama and sometimes high emotion has led to us organising ourselves much better. Members are now working more effectively on lead areas, we are developing a mentor role within the project, and are now also unashamed to say that Camden Calling is an organisation for exceptional vulnerable people; that our recovery journeys however bumpy and painful they may be rely on being given the opportunity to be exceptional.

So what do I have to say about weakness? I think I have said it all, we are learning to turn our negatives into positives, which when you stop and think about that is not so easy as it sounds. We are complex as human beings and we can only strive to make better. The year has started very well for us in terms of opportunity, new members coming in, funding in the pipeline, meetings galore and lots of new friends being made.

The Choose My Music - State Of Music Album project is helping us not just to raise funds but to get the Camden Calling message out to a wider audience. I would like to say a massive thanks and congratulations to Dom on the release of the State of Music Vol 1, all proceeds are being donated to Camden Calling and the album is available on digital download here.

So rambling over, as usual nothing solved and I am still chasing my own tail. Our radio show on the subject is far more eloquent.

PRESS RELEASE FOR URBAN BEATFARE EVENTS 2012

Event Details

Sunday 5th Feb 2012 The Enterprise 2 Haverstock Hill London NW32BL 7.30 – 11pm

alexis@camdencalling.org 07815 61 99 33 FACEBOOK EVENT

Camden Calling is a small arts collective of exceptional homeless & ex-homeless people. Working together with support to host mainstream events for a mainstream audience.

From February 5^th 2012 our successful Urban Beatfare night will be taking over a monthly slot at the Enterprise in Camden. The night features an exciting mix of urban influenced music performed by up and coming names on the live scene. An open mic competition also runs at every Urban Beatfare gig and contestants compete for a 25 min opening slot at the next show.

Camden Calling is an organisation set up to celebrate and encourage the diverse and quite amazing talents of people on the fringes of our society. People who without this community would not have a voice. All events are in part planned, promoted, produced and include performance from the members. Members showcasing at this first event are Dekay & The D’Mans

Acts Supporting are, Ruthless, De’Vide, Airklipz and last years final open mic winner 3REED

All profits from the sale are reinvested into helping the Camden Calling members to pursue their artistic and creative ambitions. Gigs run on the first Sunday of the month throughout 2012.

PRESS RELEASE NEW MONTHLY EVENT FOR 2012

Event Details

Sunday 15th Jan 2012

The Good Ship

289 Kiburn High Road

London NW6

3pm - 7pm

alexis@camdencalling.org 07815 61 99 33

FACEBOOK EVENT LINK

Camden Calling is a small arts collective of exceptional homeless & ex-homeless people. Working together with support to host mainstream events for a mainstream audience.

In Jan 2012 a new FREE monthly live music event will be launched. The Camden Calling Sunday Sale Gigs are an exciting mix of acoustic eclectic musical styles, from some of the best up and coming acts on the live scene, fusioned with a laid back chilled out 2nd hand sale. Gig goers can bargain hunt and recylce any unwanted treasures of their own by donating them to the sale.

Camden Calling is an organisation set up to celebrate and encourage the diverse and quite amazing talents of people on the fringes of our society. People who without this community would not have a voice. All events are in part planned, promoted, produced and include performance from the members. Members showcasing at this first event are Dekay & The D'mans & Ben is A Dark Horse.

Acts Supporting are, She Makes War, Zoe Konez Music, The Acapella Punk, JD Smith, Lily Gaskell & Hadleigh Ford.

All profits from the sale are reinvested into helping the Camden Calling members to pursue their artistic and creative ambitions. Gigs run on the third Sunday of the month throughout 2012.

REALITY

Reality by lockedonradio

So here we are at the time of year where we all have a little comtemplate about the successes and failures of the past year. It is a scary but safe time because our conclusions can be put on the back burner while we gorge oursleves and make merry for a week. If we are fortunate, as I count myself, this Christmas week provides precious time to let our thoughts sink in and a plan develop. Often this plan is in the from of fairly useless resolutions but it is a plan nonetheless and comforts on what is quite literally the darkest days. The reality of the situtation here at Camden Calling is that despite the successes of this year we find ourselves in exactly the same postition we were in this time last year. I am waiting on a yes or no from on high to put either plan A Best Case Scenario or Plan B Worst Case Senario into action and I find this limbo period is not very helpful. So as we come to the end of a brilliant year where we have achieved so much, I am also aware as usual that the clock is ticking and that a certain amount of crunch time exists as I am potentially holding a rather weak hand.

So much has been achieved this year, we have the Radio Project going from strength to strength, the video project looking like it is going to blow the amazing work we did last year totally out of the water, and the contacts that members made this year through the documentary have provided opportunities that are out of this world. We have more live shows than ever booked for next year, and yet here we are at a crunch. The reality is best or worse case scenario this project needs more public support in order to survive.

This last post of the year is somewhat of an appeal for help in 2012 and below are listed 5 reasons and 5 ways to support us in 2012.

REASONS

To enable us to keep recruiting more exceptional individuals from the homeless community.

To support our members to continue to make great music, and deliver exciting arts projects, using our unique way of working to make plans realities.

To enable our members to make more and more connections and friends in the world in which they have identified.

To allow this project to continue challenging perceptions of individuals that need help in a world that is full of stigma.

To support our efforts to bring people from all walks of life together through cheap quality events.

WAYS TO DO THIS

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and repost and retweet our news. The message needs to spread far and wide to capture imagination.

Join our street team in 2012, volunteering to get the message out there and get people to gigs.

Come to gigs see for yourself what we are doing and how members lives are totally changed. We operate a £2 guest list for most events and a quick email will get your name on it alexis@camdencalling.org

Volunteer your skills and time to support the team or an individual member. An email is the best way to make contact.

Visit our merchandise page and buy something or make a donation, the project needs cash flow.

Thanks so much to everyone that has played with us, supported us and been inspired by us in 2011. Special thanks to Anna Edwards, Dom Paczko, Peter Guinness, Ross Sutherland, Gerard Galvin- Barrie and Janice Barrie for her never ending support. You have all helped me not to give in just yet.

PRESS RELEASE

Choose My Music Records Presents............

THE STATE OF MUSIC

One Country, 50 States, 50 new underground unsigned artists!

Choose My Music Records is proud to present The State Of Music, a series of 5 compilations albums celebrating the best of American Underground music, while supporting one of the UK's most innovative community groups Camden Calling.

The State of music is a unique feature on the website choosemymusic.org . Writer Dominic Paczko is on a one man mission to discover and feature and independent band or artist from each of the American states. Over the next 12 months fiftly imaginative, diverse acts will be profiled on Choose My Music ; and at regular intervals the cream of these artists tracks will be released digitally on five compilation albums through the Choose My Music label. By the time each album is released each artist will have gained significant exposure through the Choose My Music site, with interviews, sound clips and video footage.

The State Of Music Part 1 will be released on the 30th Jan 2012 through the Choose My Music website and Bandcamp.com. There will be a limited run of CD's priced at £6 with the download priced at £3

Doms Radio Interview for Q

State Of Music Q Radio by dominikrpaczko

About The Label

Choose My Music Records is a new label set up by former Electric Honey Records [ Belle & Sabastian, Snow Patrol, Biffy Clyro] student Dominic Paczko who channels his love for underground music through his website choosemymusic.org

About Camden Calling

Camden Calling is a community project dedicated to helping homeless and ex-homeless people to access music arts and popular culture, www.camdencalling.org

Contact Dom

07841 128431 / choosemymusic@gmail.com