Guest Post: Influence of Music on Fashion - ReeRee Rockette

ReeRee Rockette. Who is she? She desribes herself as a 'Glamorous Geek, Coffee Lover, Rockalily Head Roller' but this doesn't say enough. She is an incredible business woman, owning Rockalily Cuts and writing/speaking about owning a business to many others. She blogs, she writes, she dyes her hair awesome colours.. So what does that have to do with my music blog?

I've been a reader of ReeRee's lovely blog for some time now. She focuses a lot on alternative fashion, particularly vintage/pin up inspired and I really admire her creativity but I have to say I was surprised when I first saw her talk about her taste in music.

You know when you see someone with a particular fashion sense you assume a particular musical genre would be their cup of tea and we are pleasantly surprised when they name a band you wouldn't expect. I think this is totally daft personally, but it happens and it's hard to avoid as there is a culture attached to music and fashion sense plays heavily into this.

ReeRee has kindly agreed to share her thoughts on this.



My appearance is pretty deceiving.  I'm heavily tattooed, have multi-coloured hair, and may well be wearing vaguely alternative clothing. The most common misconception that people seem to have about me is based around what music they presume I listen to. The look of surprise that crosses people's faces when they learn I don't listen to rockabilly music used to frustrate me, but now just amuses.

My music choices aren't particularly 'alternative' in the traditional sense, but perhaps in the semantic sense they are, since very few of my peers enjoy the same tracks as I do.

I always say that we can't help which music makes our souls happy, and that's truly how I feel about it. It feels odd to me how happy certain songs can make my inner core, but they do. That deep place in your chest that aches when your favourite song is played is not unique to any of us, even if the types of songs that create that bursting feeling are!

For 15 years I've loved UK garage. In my younger days I raved to it, and although I'm no longer a regular clubber, UK garage still provides much of the soundtrack to my life. 

It isn't just dance music that speak to my soul, I'm also quite a pop fan. Britney, Justin, P!nk are all long standing favourites, along with the new addition of Ed Sheeran.

So, no. I don't jive or swing, but you may well find me bopping my head to Craig David ;-)

http://www.rockalily.com

https://twitter.com/reereerockette

I love this. Music is so personal to each of us.

Love Your Local - Watchfires

You know when you hear a song, just the once, and it gets stuck in your head all, bloomin, day..? Sometimes this is the worst thing. Ever. Walking around singing 'Hit me with your rhythm stick. HIT ME' all day is infuriating and I'd happily jam said rhythm stick in my ear to make it stop. However, when I heard 'Dream, Parisienne' by these chaps and had it in my head all day, the urge for such drastic measures wasn't there. I rather enjoy these little melodies...

The toe-curling, pretentiously named 'Watchfires' (they said it, not me!) have emerged onto the Aberdeen music scene, only in the last few months and I reckon they are here to stay. Despite drawing their name from the 'massively depressing' poem 'Darkness' by Lord Byron, Watchfires don't leave you feeling low, in fact, quite the opposite.

" I've always liked the idea of dealing with quite grim subject matter in an emphatic, energetic way, and I think we achieved that."

Their debut EP 'A Captive Still' is a short 4 track wonder - it's not the size, it's what you do with it... That's the saying right?? Well they do a lot with this record. It's an energetic and well recorded little treat you're sure to enjoy.
 When asking the band about the record, I was pleasantly surprised about how honest they are when discussing their music:

" It's four of the first six songs that we wrote together as a band and I think it's basically a pretty good representation of what to expect from us live... When you're working within the confines of four tracks on a debut release it's less about showcasing your versatility etc., and more about just putting your best foot forward and letting people make up their own minds about whether they're interested in sticking around for more. 

It's something we can look back on and know we made precisely on our own terms, and that was the most important thing. "

I like this, an 'if you don't like it then fair enough' approach to recording which is refreshing.

The first thing I was attracted to with this band was the vocalist. He has an unusual voice, slightly akin to Ian Astbury of The Cult but still quite unique. I like vocalists who have something special, and something that defines them and you know straight away who they are.
Altogether, though this band create an interesting vibe and atmosphere with their record.

Top track for me is 'Dream, Parisienne'. It definitely stands out on the record with its full, intense and heart felt chorus. The vocal melody is great, really memorable and I like the lyrics; a song that tells a bit of a story. Yes, it is your typical first person narrative sort of song, but there's definitely something interesting and poetic about this one.

To be honest though, I thoroughly enjoy the whole record. I like to be able to throw some band names at you that I could compare these guys too, but I'm struggling to think - maybe some hints of Placebo in parts? Decide for yourself on that one. They are quite a blend of a few different styles, which I thinks could make them appealling to many. 

If you want to check these guys out live, you may have to wait a few months while they regroup, as their drummer parts ways. I think it will be worth the wait though, so be sure to keep an eye out.

" Like all sensible married men in their late 20s, he's packed in his job to swan off around the globe like some kind of beardless Vasco da Gama! "

I asked them, like I ask most bands, what they think of the Aberdeen music scene at the moment..

"People like Craig Scott (Headache Music) seem to be onto a good thing: the name itself seems to have garnered a bit of a following and people seem to come to the shows with a bit of faith that the lineups will be strong and a bit more of a willingness to keep an open mind.

In terms of individual bands, I'm really into Brace, they've got one of the best live shows I've ever seen in the city. The Little Kicks' new album is great, and I was pretty taken with Akord and Semperfi at Hallodeen

I just moved back to Aberdeen recently after five years in Glasgow, and to be totally honest I was expecting it to be grim in comparison. I was wrong. There's are a lot of great people putting on great gigs. "

Would recommend a listen (and a purchase of course) of their debut EP, which can be found on their bandcamp page (watchfiresband.bandcamp.com), or on itunes and spotify, whichever method tickles you. Also be sure to like them on facebook and follow them on twitter and all that good cyber space stuff.

http://facebook.com/watchfires

http://twitter.com/watchfiresband

" I think we're all about making a racket, really. A nice racket. "

Splendid.

H x