BUDDING musicians and artists in North Staffordshire will be given the opportunity to learn all there is to know about writing songs at a one-day free to attend workshop hosted by popular Stoke-on-Trent band Average Joe.
The Honey Box Hive Songwriting: Craft and Context session - which has received UKSPF funding from Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and will be delivered by the bands founder Joe Hulme and bandmate Mike Walsh - will take place on Sunday 18 January, at King Street Studios in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
During the workshop participants will delve into the songwriting process looking at lyrics and rhythm as well as cultural and historical context.
Joe and Mike will also lead on a speciality process of theirs, which incorporates personal experiences, everyday details and awareness of cultural positioning to help with the creation of original songs.
“The workshops are there to give people time to actually think about what they’re doing,” says Joe.
“It’s not about rushing to finish something, it’s about slowing down a bit, looking at where songs come from and giving them the space they need to develop properly - which I think is really important, especially for people finding their feet.”
The Honey Box Hive artist development programme is run by King Street Studios and is a gateway to industry employment opportunities such as presenter, technical support and crew roles. Hive development sessions are led by music industry professionals and are supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Several former participants have also gone on to freelance for the live streamed music show - Honey Box Live - which features original performances from talented up-and-coming-local artists and filmed in front of a studio audience.
Honey Box has so far produced nine seasons of events, featured over 130 local artists and now tours the country, with the next broadcasts and gigs in Leicester and then Wolverhampton.
Pete Herbert of King Street Studios said: “Thanks to initial support from UKSPF, we were able to consult with the local music community to ask what was needed, that research identified development needs in several areas and so we were able to create the Hive Workshops. Marketing, publishing, touring, technical support and artist development for writing music were all identified as a local need, so to be able to provide workshops like the one the brilliant Average Joe are running on 18 January, is important and the feedback we receive from these sessions is brilliant.”
Average Joe are well-known in the local music scene and have performed at various Stoke-on-Trent venues during the last eight years - including the talent spotting - The Sugarmill, in Hanley.
On Saturday 2 May, the band is set to perform at a Craig Charles’ Funk and Soul Club Bank Holiday Special for BBC Music at Keele University Student Union.
The Honey Box Hive Songwriting: Craft and Context session will start at 9:30am on Sunday 18 January. Bookings are required and bands and musicians are asked to complete this form here to check suitability for the free workshop.
