Mercury Award nominees Led Bib sport a beautiful contrast of punk, jazz fusion with a healthy bit of manic improv, of which has certainly caused a stir with critics. Drummer Mark Holub speaks briefly of being misled, praised, and the results of fusing contemporary elements within a jazz idiom.

1. Have you always had a particular idea of a set up for Led Bib? or did it more or less fall into place?
Not really, the plan was to make a group which could play all the sorts of things I was interested in at the time. It actually started sax/trumpet/guitar/bass/drums. It changed gradually but when I got the right players in I knew it was right. Some people have a really grand vision of what they want to create where as for me it’s more of a pragmatic organic process…sort of,what can I create with what I’ve got.

2. Do you plan on incorporating any other popular music styles into your music apart from the labelled ‘punk’ jazz you seem to be carrying currently with your music?
Certainly not any plans. I think the ‘punk’ tag is slightly misleading, we are a jazz band that happens to use elements of groove, noise, etc, but I would say that punk is a slightly strange comparison, but I suppose they are thinking of the energy of punk, which I suppose is right. We try to let the music grow organically, so you never know what might be popping up in there though.

3. How does it feel to be nominated for the Barclaycard Mercury prize? Did you expect this?
Amazing. As a jazz musician, certainly working in a more contemporary field in Britain, you can’t help but be aware of the prize and the implications of a nomination so we were certainly aware of it as a possibility, but actually getting it…well that came as a complete shock to me. I still am grinning.

4. Who are your main influences for producing the music you play? Are there any unexpected influences in there?
When we first started Zorn was a big influence, but I think that has gone away a bit. I think the biggest influence is actually each other. Over the years it sort of has been just allowing each other to play naturally and that then changes the way everyone plays in reaction to it.

5. Do you think incorporating popular music styles within a jazz idiom results in larger audiences? Or are the majority of your fans from a more ‘jazzy’ background?
Well, hard to say. I think we do get a mixed crowd, some people who are die-hard jazzers and some who are more interested just in new music. There are a lot of people interested in more traditional jazz who wouldn’t touch Led Bib, but I think that we are opened to a slightly bigger audience, whether they come to hear it is another question.

6. If a famous mainstream artist offered you personally the chance to play for them long term, for a large sum of money, would you accept, or continue to play with Led Bib?
I suppose it depends on who it was. Led Bib continues regardless of whether we are currently playing, so a year off would be fine. But, for me, music isn’t about the money, if it was I certainly am in the wrong band. There are some more mainstream people I really respect and if they felt what I was doing was interesting to them, then sure, but to just be a session player, no way.

7. Are there any other projects you or your band members are working on besides Led Bib?
Yes, many others…probably too many to list or remember. Liran has a new project with me and Chris and a currently rotating sax chair, Toby is doing some producing, Pete is doing some soul, Liran and I work together as Blue on Blue Productions….so basically, yes.

8. I have noticed a particular fashion style with Led Bib and musicians who produce similar music to yourselves, what are the reasons behind this look?
Oh my…I hadn’t thought of that. I wear whatever my girlfriend tells me to.

9. Have you played many gigs around Europe? And if so, how do they differ from performing in the UK?
We tour in Europe fairly regularly. Obviously it varies from venue to venue, but in general they treat you a lot better, giving you nice food, good hotels, good fees, etc, but of course there are some great venues in the UK too!

10. After attending the North Sea jazz festival this year it seems that jazz festivals seem to concentrate more on ‘commercial’ jazz, what are your thoughts on this?
We played North Sea last year and yes they did put on some really commercial stuff as well as some ‘out’ stuff. I think if they need to put on someone commercial to put on the more interesting stuff then that’s fine, but the question is, would the more interesting stuff actually draw more people if the promoters believed in it more…hmm….that’s probably the million dollar question. That said, I think North Sea particularly is an amazing festival, but there are some festivals which seem to put people who have no association with jazz as the headliners, that always seems a little strange.

11. I can safely say you are currently influencing jazz and pop students such as myself to produce diverse and eclectic music at Leeds College of Music. How does this make you feel whilst knowing that you previously studied there?
It’s an honour to think that anyone would be inspired by something that I have done. I think it’s easy to forget sometimes when you are working in ‘the business’, but that moment that you realize that you have touched someone with what you are doing…well, what’s better than that?

reported by Eleanor Churchill

Up and coming Belgian pop duo Stars and Flavour, provide a mellow, innovative approach to their music, something of which is rarely seen in modern contemporary music. Inspired by natural elements and feelings, their music is from the heart, real, and speaks to the listener through a distinct love affair between melodramatic voice and gentle accompaniment by acoustic guitar. In an in-depth interview with Newbeats4u, Julie and Wim speak of Festival possibilities, hidden talents, and the tragic loss of an artistic genius.

1. Firstly, who are your main influences and inspirations towards your music, and why do you angle yourselves toward such a more mellow and relaxed sound?

Julie:
For me everything I do, see, feel, hear, every day is an inspiration to me.
When I write songs it’s often personal related but I also get my inspirations from films, TV, relationships of my friends,…
Wim and I both love natural, pure music with a real sound, fresh and fragile.

Wim:
For creating music I believe everything influences me: people, friends, love, things you experience in daily life, nature, art, photography, movies,… I’m very open-minded in life and I think it’s also an important aspect in my music. As a producer I did work in many different musical styles: r&b/hip hop, rock, metal, gothic, punk, dance, pop/electro, jazz/soul, funk,… It’s the same for my experiences as a guitar player or bass player in bands. So all these various influences give me a lot of inspiration to experiment with music en writing songs. For me it’s important to find an own personal sound, something that you don’t hear every day in mainstream music although I try to make it accessible for a wide range of people. I think with ‘Stars & Flavour’ we create a more intimate and relaxed sound because it feels good writing it, it’s very natural and spontaneous to do for us. Being honest and true is something that means much for us to make music and developing as an artist. But it’s not so that we want to limit ourselves only to softer songs, we’re open to a lot of styles and like to experiment as long as we stay true to ourselves.

2. Tell me more about ‘net-log’, do alot of musicians meet this way, or is it more of a belgian facebook?

Julie:
Netlog is very similar to Facebook: people add each other and they share there personal photos and comments or favorite movies, music,…
I don’t know if Netlog is a place were musician meet, I guess that happens especially on Myspace.

3. Apart from your main instruments, do the two of you share any other musical talents?

Julie:
Besides everything we do with Stars & Flavour, we don’t share any other musical talents.
When I was like 5-6 years old I played a character in the musical Alice in Wonderland and I also song in the church until I was 11 years old.

Wim:
Apart from playing the guitar, bass guitar I also love the technical part of music (recording, mixing & mastering). I started producing at the age of 20, I builded my own home-studio for writing and record music. It’s very fun to do, you learn day-by-day and it keeps you’re mind fresh to discover new music, experiment,… To me a producer has a very important role for a band or artist, and I see him/her as a musician too just as the band members. To find the right mix that perfectly suits the music and what the artist wants to “tell” is on the same level as someone who has a great talent to play an instrument.

4. How old are you both, and apart from creating music what do you do as an occupation?

Julie:
I’m 21 years old, I’m a cook, chocolatmaker, pizzaiola and when september starts I will take an other education to become a teacher in practicals (like how to make chocolat-art ,…)

Wim:
I’m 29 and I work as an advisor in financial/economical subjects.

5. How did you come up with the name Stars & Flavour?

Wim:
We love everything that has to do with flavors, fine cooking. We see it as an art! Besides, Julie is a great cook too Stars has a more inspirational meaning for us, as a kid I remember watching the stars at night and dreaming. It’s not meant wanting to be “stars” in the sense of being famous, but for us it’s just a beautiful symbol for finding a talent in yourself that makes you special and unique.

6. The quality of your orignal and covered tracks currently on your myspace are really well recorded, for an unsigned band to aachieve this kind of sound is amazing! Where did you record?

Wim:
All tracks so far are recorded at my home studio. All the instruments, sounds were played by myself. The recording and mixing I learned by experience and stuff I pick up by playing in semi- and professional studios.

7. Where is the best show you have played to date, and why?

Wim:
Recently we played at a singer-songwriter contest at Gent (a big city in Belgium). Further we’ve just done some live acoustic try-outs. In the past with other projects or bands I played regularly at festivals, parties,…

8. How does the current music scene fit in with the music you currently produce? Do you aim to challenge this scene, or follow it in the attempt of mainstream success?

Julie:
We’re not trying to get after the mainstream success, we want to make our own,personal music, pure and fragile songs, with a lot of emotions, quality instrumental sounds, music that has a meaning.

Wim:
We aim to make music that’s different from mainstream music you hear nowadays. It’s more exciting to do something innovative and to challenge the current scene. We want to put the natural en pure aspect of the songs on the front instead of making catchy trend sounds. For us, the soul and emotions of the music have to appeal to people and touch them in first place. In our recordings we love to work with as much real instruments as possible, it has to sound real. We also like to build and work on a sound in the long term.

9. If you could follow the footsteps of one successful artist or band who would they be, and why?

Julie:
It would be Pink. The way she tell’s her story, the way she put on a show, her performance and costumes, everything fit’s perfectly. She is always very pure, she’s not pretending, she’s a real star to me.

Wim:
It would be U2, the band is a great example for me because they succeeded in creating a very unique and special sound, they did something that was not common when they debuted and managed to evolve to one of the most successful bands in the world. Now everybody thinks songs as “With our without you” sound familiar, but at the moment it was written it was very unusual stuff to do. I adore artists who create their own world and do something you can’t compare with anything else.

10. The russian festival of which you may be scheduled to play will be a big step up from any performance you guys have previously done. If you are confirmed to play, where will this progression tkakke you in your musical careers, and what else do you hope to gain from the experience?

Julie:
If it’s possible to perform in other country’s, it would be a very nice experience for Stars & Flavour. We’re very excited what will come in the future for us.

Wim:
If we are confirmed to play, it would be the first time for us to perform outside our country. It can mean an important step towards more international bookings. We look forward to it, and hope to make a real connection with the people who watch our shows. Playing live and experiencing the interaction with the crowd is the most amazing thing there is as an artist.

11. Wim, are there any routes you would like to explore with the instruments you play for future tracks?

Wim:
I certainly hope to explore and experiment as much as possible in studio for the writing and recording process, therefore in the future we will seek to collaborate with good musicians to further develop our sound.

12.Would you say you take more of an influence off artists from your own country? or artists from the UK/USA?

Julie:
I don’t have a particulury choice about artists and there country’s, a lot of artists give me inspiration on their way like Michael Jackson , Katy Perry,Pink,Krezip ,Anouk,…

Wim:
The influence of Belgium artists on me is rather limited. I feel a much closer connection with bands/artists of the UK (Dido, Faithless,The Verve, Starsailor, Oasis, Coldplay, ..) Ireland (U2, The Script,..), other countries in Europe (The Cardigans, Katie Melua, Nelly Furtado,…) and the US (Heather Nova, Colbie Caillat, Pink, Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige,… )

13. After sadly passing away only a few days ago, Michael Jackson shocked the whole world by his tragic death. Did he inspire you at all to make music? and were you affected by his death like the majority of the world?

Julie:
Yes, Michael Jackson inspired me, not only to create music, but also to appreciate music. The way he shows his love, his strong caracter, his caring for the world,…he’s a genius to me , he created something very special. My dad and me have been watching the Funeral on television , and we were both crying from the emotions we saw into the eyes of the close friends and family of Michael Jackson.

Wim:
I think it’s very sad he died such a tragic death. I can’t say I know all of his music very well, I’ve never been a real Michael Jackson fan, but I was curious for the new tour he was heading to do. In a certain way his personality and his music certainly inspired me, the album “thriller” is a classic one and will remain timeless. I have much respect for what he did and meant for pop music.

14. If you had the choice of choosing one C.D to listen to for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?

Julie:
I pick the album “Epic” from Michael Jackson, when i listen to his music i’m dreaming, very pure fantastic songs. He is and stays the best artist ever.

Wim:
It’s very hard to have to pick out one album, amongst my favorite albums you’ll find “Jagged Little pill” by Alanis Morrissette, “The Joshua Tree” by U2, “Gran Turismo” by The Cardigans, “Siren” by Heather Nova, “Safe trip home” by Dido, “Piece by piece” by Katie Melua, “Little voice” by Sara Bareilles,…. I think I would choose for “Tourism” by Roxette because it’s a mix of studio songs, recordings on tour, in the hotel room, live concert registrations,.. and I’m a huge fan of all their songs, they have very strong and beautiful melodies!

15. What are your hopes and dreams for Stars & Flavour? and what can we expect next from you?

Julie:
We will keep making pure songs, we’ll take the chance when we could record an album and hopefully Stars & Flavour will have a lot of success and possibility to do a lot of festivals/concerts all over the world.

Wim:
We’ll be busy writing and recording new song material, we hope to release an album and play at as many places as possible!

reported by Eleanor Churchill