Blast You are in: Cambridgeshire > Blast > How to strike a chord with the local music scene How to strike a chord with the local music scenePhil Pethybridge is involved in a variety of initiatives for young musicians in the Cambridge area. We asked him about Hope, Blast and Secret Gardens... - Q: What is Hope Street Music?
- A: It’s a non-profit organisation. It was started up about three years ago to help local musicians get into the industry, get their foothold into music. We’re trying to make a bit of a buzz about the scene. Music’s a bit strange; it’s not like a normal business; it’s creative and depends how you look at it. The whole point of Hope Street is that it focuses on the youth rather than just plucking people out sporadically.
- Q: What’s Hope Street doing this summer?
- A: This summer we’re working with the Secret Garden Festival in Huntingdon. We’re decorating a huge marquee and getting lots of bands to come down from the Cambridge music scene. It gives them the chance to play in front of new people and get an experience. We did this last year and it went down a storm. This year we’re coming back with a bigger tent and more crumpets!
- Q: Are you a fan of the Cambridge music scene?
- A: It’s good. Could be better. I think Cambridge needs a couple of bands just to do extremely well in the next couple of years to raise everyone’s game and really show what’s needed. They need to be more ruthless, Cambridge bands.
- Q: Have you got any tips on how to get into the music industry?
- A: Enthusiasm. Passion. Don’t be afraid to ask. Be creative as well. There’s no space for people who just want to coast. You’ve really got to put your hand up and stand out. Don’t be sucked into believing it’s all rock'n'roll and money. Don’t say no to any opportunity. If you can get in there, you’ve got to get in there on your own merits.
- Q: What did you do with the BBC and Blast?
- A: We ran the Rock School at BBC Blast. It was two days and we took a series of musicians from Cambridge, got them into bands, and gave them some tuition. People from the industry came down to run sessions. We gave them a crash course in how to form a band and they performed on Parker’s Piece on the Sunday afternoon. Hopefully they’ll go on to bigger things.
- Q: What skills did young people get out of the Rock School?
- A: First and foremost, we made sure people got performance skills. It’s all very well singing some songs but, as an artist, you’re there to entertain. We made sure they knew how to get their stage presence right, how to deal with a crowd, turn a bad song into good and deal with hecklers. We’ve also made sure they know how to send off demos and get promotion. There’s a whole range of things; it’s not just about developing them on-stage, it’s about developing them off-stage as well.
last updated: 13/07/07 You are in: Cambridgeshire > Blast > How to strike a chord with the local music scene See AlsoAudio and Video links on this page require Realplayer On bbc.co.ukOn the rest of the webThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites |
