Indie music DJ and former drummer with The Smiths Mike Joyce has teamed up with radio and branded-content production company Wise Buddah to produce an online video pilot of his popular radio feature the ‘Blueprint Studios Sessions.’
A staple part of ‘Mike Joyce’s Coalition Chart Show’, a weekly radio show that is broadcast both on New York’s East Village Radio and via the Internet, the ‘Blueprint Studios Sessions’ showcase recordings of live performances by up-and-coming bands.
With the artists thrilled to meet “Mike Joyce from The Smiths” and also warming to his laid-back, affable interview style the sessions are already essential listening.
By adding a video element to those successful ingredients – plus the high quality sound recording capabilities of the Blueprint Studios – it is hoped that the sessions can be taken to the next level and a much larger audience.
Joyce said: “In usual radio sessions, and I’ve played drums on plenty of them myself, you’re at the mercy of people that are just miking up a few things. With the Blueprint Studios Sessions we’re recording in a studio environment and because the bands feel so relaxed we get them sounding absolutely fantastic. Also, I thought it would be nice to film it because the recording, the interviews and even just the hanging around can be quite interesting. As far as I am concerned I think it deserves to have more of a visual feel and that’s what we’ve tried to do.”
The pilot episode, filmed and edited by Wise Buddah, features the young American three-piece indie pop band The Drums who play two tracks and chat with Joyce about their music and the music industry in general.
With its simple but compelling format Joyce believes it is an idea that could attract sponsors and partners.
“It’s not rocket science,” he said. “You have these incredible new bands, you have this fantastic sound and you have the visual. It is what it is: a simple format. I’m hoping that its simplicity will appeal to someone who can come in and take it to the next level where we can format it and get a couple of bands into each show. I’d like to think people would enjoy it even more that way and we could attract a bigger audience.”
The Blueprint Studios, described by Joyce as ‘the best studio in the North’, is a recording and rehearsals studio in Salford, Greater Manchester that was used by Mercury Music Prize winners Elbow to record the albums Leaders of the Free World, The Seldom Seen Kid and Build A Rocket Boys!
Executive producer Kate Cocker, who originally met Joyce when she was producing a radio show at Manchester’s BBC Oxford Road studios, added: “With this pilot we set out to capture the charm of Mike, the vibe of the studios and the musical essence of an exciting new band in The Drums. We also wanted to accentuate the relaxed northern charm of it all. I think we’ve done that well. With Blueprint Studios in the mix, we all took real pride in reflecting the great music that the band created. I think this idea has serious potential.”
With its easy-going attitude and passion for musicianship, the studio venue itself plays an integral part in the success of the sessions.
Blueprint Studios owner Tim Thomas said: “We’ve done something like 30 or so radio sessions with Mike already. It’s a great partnership. Mike’s name brings in the bands and we provide an attractive, respectable studio. He has an incredible knack of picking up on the exciting new bands very early. He’s really passionate about new music and there’s not many other people out there doing that.”
The pilot version of Mike Joyce meets The Drums, ‘The Blueprint Sessions’ is available to view on YouTube.
ABOUT WISE BUDDAH
Wise Buddah’s Content division provides a range of production services from branded video content to award winning music and speech-based radio shows for both the BBC and commercial broadcasters. The department prides itself in creating multiplatform content built around great ideas.
Wise Buddah Content is part of the Wise Buddah group that also includes divisions for Studios, Talent and Jingles.
About the author
Will Strauss is a freelance journalist based in Leeds. His works covers a range of subjects from broadcasting and music to DIY and Sport. He is currently building a website for the Leeds-based ‘Hindi Indie’ band Maggie8 and coming up with articles about washing machine spares for the Leeds-based appliances company ASD.