Losing Control (EP)

So we have now released a new EP ‘Losing Control’ with 5 tracks; 3 new ones with lead vocals by Idana and Tim and 2 remixes from our 2014 LP ‘Time is Now’ featuring Leroy’s vocals.

The EP is limited edition digital only and is FREE to download! You can pay something if you want but you don’t need to.

‘Losing Control’ is available at Soundcloud

Time is Now Interview by Two Ton Music

Here is a transcript of an interview I did with Two Ton Music on Facebook. That’s a wee bit awkward to read so I thought I would put the whole thing up here. Thanks to Tom Matthew of Two Ton Music for the album review and this interview.

Two Ton Music: I’ve invited the U.K. reggae-fusion band Brynovsky to an interview here on Facebook. Their recent release, “Time is Now” is a really nice production. Their frontman, Leroy Jones, brings the legit Jamaican soulfulness to complement the lush, echoing soundscapes that writer/producer Tim Brynovsky carves out. Idana’s backup vocals are beautiful, and the vocals remind me of Bob Marley’s Wailers at times. Let’s ask them about it.

So thanks so much for joining us for an interview. Your album has been very well received since its release a few weeks ago. I heard you first on #RKC radio. You guys obviously worked very hard on the album, and lots of us are enjoying it. What’s your reaction to the release of your album and the praise it’s getting?

Tim Brynovsky: Thanks for the flattering comparison. We’re delighted that the LP is going down well. It’s been a long process from making the demos to getting it released, so it’s good to find out it’s not just us that are excited by this music. Massive thanks to everyone who has been helping to promote it. We had our second launch gig last night and some people travelled a long way through terrible weather just to see us again. That means a lot. Special thanks to #RKC Radio in Paris for pushing our music so much. What has surprised me most is how well it has gone down outside the reggae community.

Two Ton Music: There’s a good mix of songs on the album. There are love songs, and there are songs about social justice. There are lighter songs, and there are heavier songs. They cover a lot of sonic ground, yet maintain a cohesive sound throughout. Is all this variety something that you planned, or was it more of a natural creative effort that just turned out to be diverse?

Tim Brynovsky: A bit of both really. I have a lot of songs that are naturally diverse, we picked some out and put them all through the same production process. After we got the vocals recorded we listened to what we had and decided to put the best ones all onto one eclectic LP. Rightly or wrongly, I don’t get too hung up on genre, so I am pleased you think there is some cohesion to Time is Now.

As for subject matter, the songs about humanity and relationships are all love songs in a way. We need to treat each other well be it friends, lovers, tribes or nations.

Two Ton Music: I really like the song, “What Kind of World”. Idana’s vocals are spot on beautiful and fierce, and tell the brutal truth about “what kind of world” we are living in. Rather than hiding your head in the sand about the current state of affairs in the world, you’re making a statement directly addressing the issues of morality, ethics, control, status, etc. It’s a powerful piece of music. What are your feelings on standing up for issues of human values?

Tim Brynovsky: Glad you like that song, to me it is advice for anyone who thinks that the world revolves around them. I like standing up to things but I don’t expect everyone to feel the same. Music is a good forum for getting ideas across but I don’t like to nag – this song is also a bit of fun at the same time. As heavy as you want it to be.

Two Ton Music: I noticed the Abyssinians poster on the wall in a couple of photos online – I saw them back in ’02 and was really impressed with their show. What are some of your other musical influences?

Tim Brynovsky: Yea we supported them in 2011 in Glasgow.  They sang so well, even better than their LPs recorded in the 1970s – that was a real inspiration to tackle harmony vocals. The influences on the music I produce come from many genres and styles – any music that is original and made from the heart from The Beatles to Bob Marley.

Two Ton Music: Leroy Jones added a lot to the mix. His voice is very rich and adds a lot of depth. Can you tell us what it’s like to work with Leroy and what he brings to the music?

Tim Brynovsky: Yea I love the way he sings. He came up to Scotland to record in November 2012 after I sent him my demos for Time is Now. I expected that he might sing on 2 or 3 but he wanted to sing everything.

I produced the vocal sessions in my home studio so we had plenty of time to get it right. He brought with him a real enthusiasm for the songs and a wealth of experience from years working with artists like Gregory Isaacs and Horace Andy. He must have learned a lot from those greats but he describes himself as a soul singer and is strongly influenced by artists like Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. It is on songs like Beauties and You Are My Love where he really shines and lets go with that vibrato.

By the time he went back to London I had an overwhelming amount of material to work with, what you hear on Time is Now and a lot more still unreleased. It’s not easy being spread over such a wide area but we all think the results are worth it.

Two Ton Music: I’m sure we’d all love to hear more great tracks. Do you have plans to work on another album? What’s on the horizon for you?

Tim Brynovsky: We have lots of songs lined up in demo form and we hope to release a lot more music this year. There are no concrete plans but expect some remixes and more eclectic tunes Brynovsky style. Finding the time to do the production work is the biggest hurdle.

Two Ton Music: Well, I really appreciate you taking the time to write with us. I wish the best of luck to you, and keep us posted. The positive message and the great music are greatly appreciated. Thanks for being with us.

Tim Brynovsky: Thanks Two Ton Music! Anytime.

Brynovsky – Time is Now gets a release date

Air Street Records have set a release date for Time is Now for 10th January 2014. We are very excited that it will finally get an airing, we’ve been working on it for a good while and can’t wait to share it.

So what is Time is Now? It’s a 12 track LP on Digipack CD available via our website and various stores like Amazon. If we get a few sales and some decent radio play the label will get CDs into the right stores in whatever country. It will also be available for download and streaming at our website and at all those places like Spotify and iTunes.

Contained on it are previously the released tracks Put the Baby Down to Sleep, City of Lights, Pretender and Shining Light. People have asked about the variety of music styles in our songs. Although they all have the common thread of Leroy and Idana singing and the bass driven tracks, the other 8 tracks all have their own moods and we reckon there’s plenty of surprises in there for people already following us.

By following us on Twitter or Facebook you can keep up to date with any sneak previews, freebies, gigs and news.

Brynovsky on the Escalator

OK, a lot has happened in the last few weeks since we released our single but the last week has been a bit crazy so here’s what’s happened.

  1. I submitted Put the Baby Down to Sleep to the Fresh on the Net for consideration and it was picked out for their Listening Post.
  2. That resulted in loads of people getting in touch, liking it and being very nice about our music which eventually led to an very nice feature with a review and article.
  3. It also resulted in Tom Robinson of TRB fame (the mastermind behind FOTN) saying that we were a “splendid recent FOTN discovery”.
  4. Then Tom decided to put us on his weekly mixtape which was broadcast on BBC 6 Music and can also be downloaded as a podcast.
  5. Since then things have been very busy and it seems that more than just a few people like our music. Which is a good thing! As I have spread the word about our progress, more influential people have got in touch and said some incredibly nice things about us and I have put some of them on our press page for all to see.
So I would like to advise any bands or musicians if you have any music that you think is pretty good, whatever style, wait until you think it’s great, then submit it to Fresh on the Net (do your homework first and read the info on the website) and they will listen to the track. They get about 150 tracks every week! But yours will stand out if it’s really good. 
I think it’s so good that I have started voting there too and I’m amazed at the amount of great music being produced.

Our First Single Out Now

Our first single has just been released for digital download. City of Lights is a stompy one with Leroy singing lead vocal and a big dub ending – we’re thinking about putting it at the front of the album. Put the Baby Down to Sleep is more of a straight reggae track with Idana on lead vocal.

You can download this double A-side from most online stores, hear it on Spotify etc but watch out for iTunes, they have got the pricing completely wrong for the bundle. I hope they’re gonna fix it soon.

UPDATE: They fixed it, 2 tracks for £1.29!!!

Mini-tour with the Congos 2011

On May 17th 2011, the Brynovsky dub band were billed to support Yellowman at O2 ABC in Glasgow. When we got to the venue we were pleased to meet up with a couple of The Rasites who we’d met when we supported the Abyssinians earlier in the year. Two of them were in Yellowman’s band and it was great to catch up. So we set up the shared backline and got our soundcheck done after the Rasites were finished.

The gig went really well that night and we had a very positive response. Yellowman came on and had the crowd rocking all through his set. He’s a great entertainer and got the whole crowd on his side. What a group of classic tunes too!

The following afternoon we were loading our gear into The Venue in Dumfries, our first gig in the town and the first legendary reggae band to come to Dumfries so far as I know. Yea, I’m talking about The Congos of course! The band were very late and were soundchecking well after the doors were due to open. We were helping out on the tour and providing some backline. Everything was back to front as we had soundchecked the backline before The Congos arrived. John Dinning, our soundman was hired for The Congos too and had a tricky job getting everything balanced in a crazy last minute scenario.

We played well and had some good support from our local crowd. When The Congos came to the stage, I don’t think Dumfries knew what had hit. The band were even better than I remembered from 2008 at the Ferry in Glasgow. At the end, people were hugging the promoter for bringing such a band to Dumfries. For a review try http://adelastockton.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/congos-in-dumfries.html and there’s a video at http://thecommonty.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/congos-open-up-gate.html

The next day we all drove to Dundee and got things moving at The Reading Rooms, a good venue. This was great for us as it was a very fresh, new audience and the minute we got going it was clear that they wanted to hear more reggae. We played our best gig to date and the crowd just wanted more. A breakthrough for Brynovsky no doubt – everything came together and we rocked the place. By the time the Congos set was over, this part of Dundee was a happy place. Can’t wait to return. Check these videos http://www.youtube.com/brynovsky.

The band took a couple of days off and drove back to Galloway. John the soundman, me and Anders went on to the African Carribean Centre in Osborne Street, Glasgow the next morning. I was looking after the stage and Anders was DJing with Samson Sounds. By 10.30 the whole place was rammed for a sweaty performance. Zero stage, zero ceiling height, zero dancing space but a fantastic atmosphere. The Congos just get better and better!

During the aftermath of the gig the promoter was frantically on the phone. Visa problems, the band had to leave the country… what about the Newcastle the following night? 5am that morning The Congos fly to Berlin, then fly straight back to Liverpool. Then they take a cab to Newcastle. How crazy is that? I’m on a pretty empty tour bus with no band apart from Leroy “Jah Dave” Jones, their percussionist who is a UK resident. We had a chilled journey to Newcastle. Leroy, and some of The Congos crew listen through the Hard Curves album a few times and some song demos. He is a great singer and he said he wanted us to work together so we had something new started there and then.

Soon we get to Newcastle and I have a rush job on getting the backline shipshape before the band arrive. The Congos eventually get on stage at 1.30am. They must be knackered! Ashanti Roy is not on stage with them but the remaining three (Cedric, Watty and Tallash) get on and do the job.

Everyone piles onto the bus after the gig and thankfully it’s a sleeper. We set off about 3.30am and most have crashed out by 5.30. When I wake it’s 11am, banging my head on the low ceiling of the bunk. I get dressed and crawl downstairs, get a coffee and get deep into a chat with Little D (the Congos guitarist) about computers and soundcards. Then out comes a ukulele and melodica for a jam.

We pull up at a travelodge in Wembley and I’m waiting for a guy to pick up the backline and take it to Dingwalls. A dread in a White Mercedes van pulls up – it must be them – hang on, it’s Dave, Yellowmans bass player – eh? I go to investigate – Yellowman and his crew are standing in the foyer of the Travelodge – they are playing in London tonight too. I say hello again to those guys and eventually another white Merc pulls up – it’s some of Jah Youth’s crew and we’re off to Dingwalls.

I meet up with the Brynovsky band and John outside the classic venue in Camden. It’s heaving with the Sunday market and there’s a good vibe in the air. By the time we soundcheck, they’ve already opened the doors. We played a good set and managed to get a multitrack recording of it. There’s a clip here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi87cXXpCQ8. After, Earl 16 came on to do a PA set and gave us a massive big up before he gets going – thanks Earl! The Congos play another amazing set and it’s all over. I have seen quite a few reggae bands and they are one of the best – it was an unforgettable experience. After a hasty retreat from the venue, we drive John to Stanstead and he flies back to Glasgow for some other gig he has on. We drive the band out to my hometown in Essex and catch up with some old friends and we all stay up too late and whatnot.

Monday morning we got up and drive back up the M6. We won’t forget gigging and making friends with The Congos. Lovely people and a great band. Long may they continue. Here’s a big belated thank you to Cedric, Watty, Ashanti, Tallash, Winston, David “Little D”, Bubbler, Errol, Leroy, Miss Williams, Shaka, Adrian, The Rasites, Earl16, Jah Youth, Craig, Tilly for the floor and the people at Dingwalls who fed us excellent West Indian food. Thanks to the Brynovsky band and John Dinning too for all the hard work.
Tim

Leroy Jones aka Jah Dave

Last week Leroy Jones aka Jah Dave came up from London to put down some vocals. He ended up staying for a week, put down lead vocals for over 20 songs and has joined the band.

Leroy was a founder member of The Congos with Ashanti Roy in 1973 and has worked with many other acts like Gregory Isaacs, Horace Andy, Johnny Clarke, Sugar Minott, Dub Syndicate to name a few. He still tours with The Congos as a percussionist and keeps Gregory Isaacs’ music alive by singing his tunes, most recently supporting Beres Hammond and Tarrus Riley at Wembley Arena.

So now we are 3 and watch this space for some new previews coming as soon as I can get some mixing done. We still plan to release the first single early next year. Tell your friends.

Sunny Govan Radio Reggae Show

They’re going to play our demo track “Baby” on the reggae show at Sunny Govan radio tonight, sometime between 9 and 11pm. That track seems to be attracting some attention and I wasn’t originally going to put it on the demo at all. I was persuaded that it was a goer by a female friend. Maybe it’s a male/female thing.

In fact I was stuck writing this song for several years until I played the opening line to Leroy Jones aka Jah Dave. He loved it and gave me a few lines for the lyric that helped me get the song finished. Leroy is a great singer in his own right and also plays percussion for The Congos.

You can hear it on 103.5FM in the Glasgow area or online at sunny govan radio between 9 and 11pm.

Lovely Scottish Summer

Rain on my window…

I’ve had my head down in the studio over the winter and will have some music to show for it quite soon. There are no gigs planned yet though and the new tracks are all songs so it will be different.

I hope to have an album finished by later in the year but also to release a few tracks quite soon.

Anyone hoping for more of the same could be disappointed but if you were intrigued by the instrumentals and just wished there was a singer, you might just be in for a treat!