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Features & Interviews

SCOOPE - Bali •

Earth Sentinels and Robot Hearts: An Interview with Burning Man's Jason Swamy

An angel in silver knee-high boots glided towards me as I rounded a bend in the lush, tropical labyrinth leading to Suara Festival’s main stage; the breeze from her swirling, LED-tipped wings offering brief relief from the Balinese summer heat. Three glitter-faced Australian festies jumped beside me to get in on the divine draft fanning down from the angel’s rolling perch – wings whirling in perfect time to the beats pumping from somewhere within her ingenious makeshift mobile stage.
‘That’s one.’ I thought, starting a mental tally...
Lovin Media - Malta •

Death Threats in Gaza and the Perils of Building Peace Bridges with Banksy: An Interview with Fatboy Slim

The air was thick, sweaty and unforgiving outside of Café del Mar’s green room, where I sat down with 53-year-old DJ Fatboy Slim, whose real name is Norman Cook, on the eve of his birthday performance in Malta. The oppressive air was partly due to the Mediterranean's latest heatwave, aptly dubbed 'Heatwave Lucifer', that struck in the final weekend of July, but also from the collective cloud of the ravers' body heat emanating from Café del Mar's packed seaside patio. That’s where a growing crowd of ravers were warming up for G7 and Knockout Events’ biggest Sunday Special event of the summer with a set from Fatboy Slim’s surprising opening act, 13-year-old Italian EDM prodigy Federico Gardenghi.
Louth Live •

Poetry in the Time of AI: An Interview with David Keenan

“I was told long ago that you’d learn more on a building site than you would in school…”

As the opening lines from David Keenan’s latest single “El Paso” are belted out over the captivated crowd packing the hallowed halls of Galway’s Roisin Dubh, a line from the Coen brothers’ portrait-of-a-folk-artist Inside Llewyn Davis ran circles in mind: ‘If it was never new, and it never gets old – then it’s a folk song’.
Conscious Connection •

Mindful Meditations: An Interview with Trevor Hall

Folk-indie-world-musician Trevor Hall has drawn influence from the profound cosmic playfulness often found in this paradoxical life. Buddhist, Hindu and non denominational philosophy have filled his song books, saturating the air around his ever-growing fan base with forgiveness in an unparalleled era of impossible and overbearing culpability.

Social activist, and dear friend Nahko (of Medicine for the People) has teamed up with Trevor on a joint tour to spread their collective message of perso
Conscious Connection •

Musical Medicine: An Interview with Nahko (Nahko and Medicine For The People)

They’re shamans of self-awareness; gurus of forgiveness; masters of mindful meditations – and fans are pilgrimaging across Europe for a glimpse of their rarely shared stage.

Over the past decade, indie-world musicians Nahko and Trevor Hall have independently conquered the American festival circuit, absorbing fans into their respective moveable feasts of spiritual transcendence along the way. Now, they’ve combined forces, like a conglomerate of consciousness spreading their message of personal f
SCOOPE - Bali •

Coming Full Circle: An Interview with Mansionair

Photo credit @UlzzzI caught up with Australian genre-bending electronic-indie trio, Mansionair, as they cracked open a few post-show Bintangs to hydrate in the aftermath of an electrifying performance at Suara Festival’s Main Stage. The band’s debut performance in Bali was a clear highlight at the third edition of Jason Swamy’s Bali-based Burning Man-esque music festival.  The Grammy nominated band from Sydney, comprised of singer, Jack Froggat, guitarist and producer Lachlan Bostock, and drumme...
SCOOPE - Bali •

The Bootleg Master of Manchester: An Interview with Youngr

We ducked into the air conditioned green-room tent backstage, and let out a shared sigh, momentarily basking in the contained cool that undoubtedly transported us both to the more familiar chilly climates of our respective homes, far from the balmy coasts of Bali. For Dario Darnell – stage name, Youngr – it was Manchester, England; for me – Galway, Ireland. After a beat, we exchanged an unspoken glance of shared-relief, and took a seat.
Irish Echo Newspaper •

Dundalk's Bob Dylan: An Interview with David Keenan

David Keenan promises to hit the studio once his U.S. tour finishes this week.

“There’s a muse on every street corner, flipping a coin,” David Keenan said, greeting me at sound check in New York’s Irish Arts Center. In a few hours he was taking the historic stage to kick off his first solo tour in a city “overrun by a hyperactive hum,” in a room “full of ghosts lingering in the woodwork of the walls.”It’s the infinitely surprising indie singer-songwriter’s second trip to New York in six months,
Lovin Malta •

Reminiscing with the Father of Italian Blues: An Interview with Zucchero Fornaciari

Zucchero Fornaciari, the proud father of Italian Blues, sat down with Lovin Malta ahead of his sold-out show at the MFCC in Ta ‘Qali Saturday night. We discussed Zucchero’s current – and most ambitious – “Black Cat” world tour, as well as exciting and inspiring collaborations on his latest and correspondingly-titled 2016 album “Black Cat”, and how Otis Redding’s “Sitting By the Dock of the Bay” first seduced him into a life-long love affair with the Blues.

“I’m very happy to be back in Malta! I
Lovin Malta •

Jah In Every Moment: An Interview with John Butler Trio's Nicky Bomba

A tattoo with the letters “JIEM” sits proudly on Nicky Bomba’s right shoulder. It’s slightly worn from the relentless Australian and Maltese sun, and perhaps also from years of rapid drum and guitar solos with bands like The John Butler Trio, The Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Bustamento, and Bomba. However, the constant philosophical reminder that the ink serves seems to have played an abstract hand.

“Jah In Every Moment” Nicky explains during his lunch interview with Lovin Malta. “Similar to Carpe
Lovin Malta •

John Butler Crashes Nicky Bomba's Pop-Up Show with Electrifying Performance

Legendary musician John Butler crashed Nicky Bomba’s gig for a brief-yet-powerful reunion at Zion last night. Yes, that John Butler! The multi-award winning front man of The John Butler Trio, and genius behind the impeccable and stupefying instrumental track “Ocean”, teamed back up with Bomba to share some love with his Maltese fans – and they did not disappoint.
The humble Nicky Bomba informed Lovin’ Malta during our interview earlier this week that there would be very special guests joining th...
Lovin Malta •

Silver Screen Dreams of Immortalizing Malta's Great Siege: An Interview with Hollywood Director Jon Cassar

When most people head for the Hollywood hills, they never look back. But just the opposite is true for Malta’s very own Hollywood star Jon Cassar. Despite a successful 35-year career in film and television, his eyes are set on the shores of Malta – and he has some exciting plans to share.

The multi-award winning film and television director/producer, who gave the world the international smash hit series 24, returned to “the rock” this week with dreams of immortalizing Malta’s intricate history
Lovin Malta •

John Butler Reunites with Former Bandmate to Serenade the Island of Malta

Legendary musician John Butler crashed Nicky Bomba’s gig for a brief-yet-powerful reunion at Zion last night. Yes, that John Butler! The multi-award winning front man of The John Butler Trio, and genius behind the impeccable and stupefying instrumental track “Ocean”, teamed back up with Bomba to share some love with his Maltese fans – and they did not disappoint.

The humble Nicky Bomba informed Lovin’ Malta during our interview earlier this week that there would be very special guests joining t
The Putnam News •

Flying High like Airplanes in the Night Sky: A Day with Grammy Winning Songwriter Kinetics

News buzzed through every shop, café, and household in Cold Spring when Haldane’s ‘04 graduate and Cornell University graduate, Jeremy “Kinetics” Dussolliet, sold “Airplanes” to Atlantic Records hip-hop artist B.o.B. back in 2010. It was an early Kinetics and One Love track that many locals were familiar with – often heard booming from car stereos as kids ‘scooped the loop’, […]

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SCOOPE •

The Life and Death of Fire: An Interview with Esmae

While thematically linked to earlier tracks like ‘Undone’ and ‘Had it All’ – reflections on
relationships fated to fail and delving into the emotional turmoil that comes with romantic doom – Esmae’s latest track ‘Fire’ explores this timeless musical theme with new, unapologetic confidence. Esmae, whose previous work has already established her one of the UK’s most promising artists currently blasting through the pop stratosphere, has teamed up with musical compatriot and hard-hitting grime rapper, Onika J, on their latest single ‘Fire’ — a daring stylistic divergence that pays off.
Underground Sound •

The Tuatara Lives in Malta: An Interview With ManaTapu

Tucked between the back streets of Birkirkara sits an unassuming tower, dripping with potential; a once derelict car garage, repurposed as a rehearsal complex for Malta’s up-and-coming artists, pulsates in the heart of the island.

With every damp and echoing step up the dark and almost dungeon-y stairwell, a new tune can be heard spilling from various makeshift, soundproofed doors where ghosts of automobiles linger in their carports of yesteryear. Like a scene from Scooby Doo, bands from all mu
Lovin Malta •

This Bar By The Valletta Coast Is A Sanctuary For Artists

Tucked down below Valletta’s Fort St. Elmo rests a hidden sanctuary for Malta’s artists. It’s not the crystal-clear cove of St Elmo’s Bay itself, but rather, the small beach bar perched on the fishermen’s wharf, Maori.

You many know it from the cat mural that faces Valletta, luring in curious onlookers from the promenade above. However, Maori’s appearance is in a constant state of flux, with its other three walls changing forms like a cuttlefish, hiding from predators.

Where once stretched a m
Underground Sound •

The Secret Life of Malta’s Dubliner: An Interview with Cillian Foster

Cillian Foster isn’t merely the familiar face slinging the best pints of Guinness in Malta to thirsty customers from behind the pine of Spinola Bay’s beloved Dubliner Pub. He’s an artist brimming with ability, embracing a temporary hiatus from the chaos and demand of Dublin’s music scene while soaking up inspiration on Malta’s sunny shores until his next project takes flight...
Lovin Malta •

Death Threats in Gaza and the Perils of Building Peace Bridges in Israel with Banksy: An Interview with Fatboy Slim

“Is it my third time in Malta?” laughs Fatboy Slim, as he struggles to remember the specifics of his 2012 open-air show at Numero Uno.

“Man, I can’t really remember my second time that well! The thing is, I’ve been doing this for about 35 years now. You tend to only remember the really good ones, and the really bad ones.”

The air was thick, sweaty and unforgiving outside of Café del Mar’s green room, where Lovin Malta sat down with the 53-year-old DJ, whose real name is Norman Cook. The oppr
Lovin Malta •

Keep On Moving: An Interview with Bob Marley's Wailers

Prior to his tragic passing in 1981, Bob Marley humbly, said:

“People want to listen to a message, word from Jah. This could be passed through me, or anybody. I am not a leader. Just a messenger. The words of the songs, not the person, is what attracts people.”

Since that fateful day in ’81, The Wailers have carried their torch of peace, love, and unity throughout the world, with an unyielding determination to reach people from all different backgrounds with Bob’s words, The Wailers’ rhythms,