The Silent Disco, Weather Warnings and Open-Mic Busking...

Hey HippyHazers!

With less than a week to go, the adrenalin is pumping and we're just working on putting the finishing touches to what is sure to be one of the best Easter weekends ever. This is just a quick blog-post to give you an update as to what we've been up to over the past week or so, and give you a couple of bits of insider info :)

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The Silent Disco

There are a lot of people out there who don't quite understand the idea of a silent disco, so we're going to break it down for you... Once upon a time in a land far far away, a certain gentleman decided to start a local music festival and call it HippyHaze. He had big plans of playing loud music on into the early hours of the mornings for each night. However, the evil Law got involved and decided to impose a rule which said that loud music could only be played until 12am. The kind gentleman pondered for hours and hours over how he could make sure that each guest who attended the festival would be able to continue dancing until 3am. Eventually, his lovely princess daughter suggested a Silent Disco. Soon after, the headphones were ordered, the DJ's were hired and the venue was built. And they all lived happily ever after.

Nice story huh? So basically, once the bands have finished performing on the Saturday night and maybe the next two nights also if you guys are up for it, our guests will have the opportunity to join us in our VIP Silent Disco Party! Upon arrival, each VIP will be handed a set of headphones, and then for the next couple of hours they'll be able to choose one of our live Sub Faction DJ's to tune into and dance the night away! Entry to the VIP party costs just £3 per person and all of the proceeds will be donated to a cause close to our hearts, The Joe Gilligan Trust, which supports youngsters fighting cancer and young musicians. Our DJ's are top-notch and the Silent Disco should be a really cool and exclusive event at HippyHaze as there will only be 150 headsets. Make sure you sign up for your headset as early in the day as you can to avoid disappointment. You can sign up in the Band Merch, Joe Gilligan Trust and The Hippy Hippy Shake Giftwares tent.

Open-Mic Busking

This is an idea which the organizer came up with since there is quite clearly more local musical talent than performance spaces at HippyHaze. Basically we'd like to encourage anyone who can perform acoustically to bring along their instruments and voices and get involved. This is one of the only elements of the festival which will be 'weather permitting' as the Open-Mic Busking will be taking place outdoors in the Market area where food, drinks, clothes and jewelry will be sold, in order to ensure that the buskers get the 'in-between bands' crowd. If you're interested in playing, each morning of HippyHaze just head over to the Band Merch, Joe Gilligan Trust and The Hippy Hippy Shake Giftwares tent and let them know that you'd like to perform. They'll soon find you a slot in between the other bands. Who knows, HippyHaze 2012 may be where we scout new talent for HippyHaze 2013 so bring your best game!

Weather Warnings

Finally, as expected, the Great British weather is proving to be as unpredictable as we expected it might... With snow warnings, heat-waves, heavy winds and drizzles all gracing the Stoke area in the past week or so, it really is very important to make sure you pack for all occasions! Luckily, we have organized for the performances and Silent Disco to take place in a marquee, so when we're watching the bands and boogie-ing away we will be plenty warm and protected from winds, rains and snow. However, you will need to wrap up nice and warm for the nights inside your tents! Don't forget hoodies, thick joggers, cosy socks, all-weather sleeping bags and warm duvets. By the same token, make sure you remember your sun-tan lotion because when you're grabbing a bite to eat you don't want to be caught in the baking sun.

  

Just to confirm, HippyHaze will not be cancelled due to weather. Unless there's a hurricane or an avalanche. Which is highly unlikely.

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As usual we'll keep you updated on all things Hippy and we definitely have at least another couple of band profiles and interviews scheduled too so be sure to keep an eye out!

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. A COUPLE OF THE BANDS ARE STILL FLOGGING TICKETS, BUT THEY'RE RAPIDLY RUNNING OUT NOW SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN! THERE WILL BE A HANDFUL OF TICKETS KEPT ON THE GATE BUT WE CAN'T CONFIRM JUST HOW MANY, SO BUY YOUR TICKETS BEFORE IF YOU CAN. £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)

Love and milkshakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

Band Profile: Blue Origin

So we're on a bit of a roll with these interviews and band profiles at the moment, aren't we? We just figured it would be a nice way for all HippyHazers to get to know the bands a bit better and create a friendly relationship between our rock-stars and festival goers :) Speaking of friendliness, we really must let you know what happened when we sat down with Blue Origin as Tom and Nick are a couple of the most genuine lads we've had the pleasure of meeting...

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Tell me all about Blue Origin... 
Tom: Blue Origin is a five piece rock and metal act from the glorious town of Stoke-on-Trent! The band consists of Nick on Vocals, Mike on Guitar, Jim on Guitar, Danny on Bass, and me on Drums. We do have day jobs but the main focus has been and always will be our music and this band. 

 

Good stuff, and how did you guys get started?
Nick: Blue Origin started about seven years ago when I met Tom. He was air drumming to Puddle of Mudd's She Hates Me at a party…

Tom: Blue Origin has been through a number of small line-up changes but the line up we have now is the strongest we've ever had!

Onwards and upwards :) Who writes the lyrics?
Nick: I write the lyrics for all of our songs. All of my writing starts off as short poems usually which I later bash into a song structure. This is kind of where my background as a writer comes in useful! I’ve been writing from such an early age I think I started around 12. I wasn't all that cool in high school!

Haha, well now you’re in an awesome rock-band... you don’t get much cooler than that! What do you base your lyrics on?

Nick: In terms of inspiration, I'm quite an introvert writer, usually writing about a lot of the things going on in my life when we wrote the song, though I'm trying to push towards a wider, more outward style at the moment. I never stop learning and changing how I write, nor should any writer. If you think you've got nothing to learn then you need a reality check!

That’s really cool to have a constantly evolving style. So who are your biggest influences?
Tom: Every single member of this band has different influences that they bring to the music we write, BUT if we were to say overall, we are greatly influenced by bands such as Shinedown, Black Stone Cherry, Alter Bridge and so many more. 

And what's been your best gig so far? Or best rock star moment?
Tom: I don't really know what Nick thinks but for me I would say it was our big headliner at the Sugarmill at the beginning of 2011. The place was just rammed and the crowd was insane. We had an intro video shown through a load of broken TV's scattered around the stage. The crowd was insane and the energy on stage was absolutely immense! 

Yes, I’d have to agree that sounds pretty cool. However, things don’t always go so good do they? What's been your worst moment as a band so far?
Tom: For me it was our slot supporting another band in a popular Stoke venue... The headliners were a great bunch of guys and they play what they play very well. The only issue was the crowd did not like us at all! The place was full of skinheads dressed in Doc martins and dungarees, like a scene from 'This is England' it was mental.

That sounds quite nerve-wracking. Onto more positive things, who are you excited about seeing at HippyHaze?
Tom: I am excited about seeing our good friends in Nameless, they put on a great show and are a fantastic bunch of guys. As well as them I am looking forward to seeing Sworn To Oath as I haven't been to a show of theirs in a while but the last one I went to was mental and I’m sure this one will be just as great. 
Nick: Yeah, for me Nameless are going to be fantastic! Those guys always put on a great show, and everyone thinks Josh (the singer) is Tom's son… It's a bit of a running joke really!

Haha, I see the resemblance with the lovely locks of long hair! Finally, just to wrap things up what's next for Blue Origin after HippyHaze?

Nick: Well HippyHaze will be the 5th gig on our 2K12 Spring Smashup UK Tour so it’s all busy, busy for us currently. Aside from that it's all about our Debut Album due for release later this year! We currently have a crowd funding campaign going on through pleasefund.us and we're offering all sorts of cool rewards for people helping us out with this. For example, do you want us playing a gig in your living room? Yeah, we can arrange that! Things are becoming very exciting for us here in Blue Origin and this is just the beginning... watch this space!

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Getting to know all the great musical talent Staffordshire has to offer has been one of our favorite things about organizing HippyHaze, and Blue Origin are some lads we're hoping to stay in touch with long after the festival. If you'd like to give your ears a sweet sweet preview of their music then go check out their Myspace page. Then if you're feeling generous, go donate a bit of your spare dollar to their band at pleasefund.us. We're sure they'd greatly appreciate it, and if you're looking for a band to play in your living room hold them to Nick's promise! Blue Origin will be supporting Sworn To Oath at HippyHaze on the Saturday, so make sure you head over to their marquee during their set, because this is one band you don't want to miss.

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. A COUPLE OF THE BANDS ARE STILL FLOGGING TICKETS, BUT THEY'RE RAPIDLY RUNNING OUT NOW SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN! £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)

Love and milkshakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company Sits Down With... Jim McShee!

So last weekend, The Hippy Hippy Shake was invited to The Old Brown Jug pub just down the street from our Newcastle branch, by a couple of the bands who will be gracing the HippyHaze festival this Easter with their musical talents. You can only imagine my excitement when I realized that one of these acts was country/blues singer Jim McShee. Now, I'm sure you're all aware that The Hippy Hippy Shake Company has never been one to follow the crowd, and as a family of self-confessed country music lovers (it's just so American!) once we heard about Jim, we knew we had to have him. More than a little bit intrigued by a 20-year-old, Stoke-on-Trent-based, country singer, I had to compose myself in order to make sure I asked all of the right questions. Of course, Jim's so down-to-Earth that seconds after slipping out of the back door for a 'quieter' interview location (OO-ER madam...) I automatically felt relaxed and we were having a right laugh. Here's what came of it...

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Tell me about Jim McShee then...
Well, it's just basically me playing country and blues music. Simples. Obviously it's something different as there aren't many people doing it in my generation. I'm only twenty.

I'm a huge country music fan and my dad's always been a total nerd about country too. We're huge Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire fanatics. So who are your biggest musical inspirations?
Musically I've got loads of influences. I started with rock music before coming over to country. Nowadays I'd say my biggest influences are Johnny Cash and Bruce Springsteen.

Good stuff, I approve. With such an unusual genre of music, I wonder how you've been received?
Well, I started just last February, and since then I've probably done about 50 shows in the local area with one in Manchester also. I think a lot of people around my age who don't really dig that kind of music have been warming to it because I am the age I am, and I think they are starting to think, 'Mmm this is something I could get into' and that's exactly what I want. I really believe in the Stoke music scene and at the moment it's exploding with loads of different genres and people are receiving it all really well. Country, folk, blues. They all have their overlaps but with subtle variations meaning it never gets too samey. People like something new after they get used to it.

Definitely. Throwing something unique in with the mainstream mixes things up and keeps it exciting. Like, obviously at HippyHaze, your genre is definitely going to stand out as we have a bunch of fab rock bands but only a handful of folk/country/blues-y type stuff which is great!
Yeah I can't wait! Sure it will become one of my favorite gigs.

*Massive dazzling grin catches my breath a bit* Let's hope so! What have been your other favorite gigs?
I have three.

Greedy boy. Go on then...
My first favorite was one where I supported Pete Doherty at the Undergound.

WOW!!! Subtle name drop... *We both laugh*
Yeah, it was a huge show. I'm close friends with a promoter from the Underground and because they were looking for acoustic artists he got in touch with me on Facebook. It sold out in a day and none of my friends got tickets. I thought I'd be eaten alive by a crowd that was there to hear Libertines songs and got me as their support act. But, after my first song everyone cheered and I've never felt so humbled. People were literally screaming, 'I love you Jim' and I couldn't believe it.
Then there was my first headline show at The Sugarmill. People were singing along to my lyrics and basically wouldn't let me off stage!
My third favorite was my gig in Manchester. There was only ten people in the audience. It had a folk-Americana vibe going on. I was the second one on and despite the small audience, I didn't have to fight over anyone talking which is often a bit of a pain. They were all there to listen to my kind of music so it was such an amazing experience. It was a huge learning curve. I didn't think gigs like that existed anymore!

Jeez, you've had some great times this past year! I'm sure you've also had some not-so-great times though too, and if I know country music, I know that the lyrics always tell a story right?
Yeah, they all are very personal and are usually about something sad that's happened but has since been resolved and ends in happiness. So my lyrics are definitely from personal experience. I like writing about things I WANT to happen too which haven't happened yet. Always looking forward. My favorite track at the moment is The Coffin Nail Blues which is going to be the title track on my upcoming EP.

Nice little bit of self-PR there Jim *I try to wink cheekily but remember I can't*
Haha. No-one else likes that song as much as I do, but that song is like a conversation between me and God. It's really personal. It's not my newest one but that's the song I'll always play even if the crowd don't like it, because it's just me.

I'm sure we'll all love it! Finally, what's your favorite Hippy Hippy Shake Milkshake?
Oreo or Double Decker. Actually definitely the Double Decker. I've had one too many of them without a doubt.

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Jim McShee is what HippyHaze is all about. Getting something new and exciting out there and embracing it! He's a lovely guy with a beautiful voice and between you and me, The Coffin Nail Blues is my favorite of his songs too. Despite being touching and tackling some pretty heavy issues, it's actually surprisingly catchy too. This is definitely an act for anyone looking for the next big thing as Jim is definitely one to keep an eye out for. Not to mention the fact that his lullaby-style will be a treat for your aching heads as you'll all be recovering from the absolute rave that will be Easter weekend! Catch Jim McShee on Monday the 9th of April at HippyHaze and if you totally and completely cannot wait until then, check out his Facebook page for a bit of a teaser... Swear to God, you'll be back for more!

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT FAST SO MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. PLUS IF YOU BUY A 3 NIGHT TICKET, GET ANY REGULAR SHAKE FOR FREE!

Love and milkshakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company