David Diaz

On Friday 2nd June the Ivy American Sports Bar & Grill played host to a gig that many in attendance will no doubt remember for many years to come. Organised by the Musicians Association of Gibraltar it was time for Jesse Mclaren aka The Jesse Tree to come back home and perform like only he knows how. 

Jesse is fresh off releasing his brand-new EP titled Things To Come. The EP features six tracks, all penned by Jesse himself. The Jesse Tree is a two-piece band featuring Jesse of course and accompanying him on the drums is Aymeric Seva-Poinsignon. 

To kick the event off we were treated to a set to one of the Rock’s most gifted songwriters in Guy Valarino. Guy has come a long way and his passion as well as prowess is a spectacle to feel. He kicked off his set with ‘Two More Days’ from his Sleeping On A Couch EP and truthfully after many years without seeing him perform, I was amazed how in awe some still get when watching Guy perform. His songwriting has always been top notch and his lyrics are those you can identify with. No performance of his is complete without what is in my eyes one of my all-time favourite tracks to ever emerge from the Gibraltar Music Scene in Oceans. The track taken from the EP titled of the same name is an emotional one and I am sure I am not the only one who feels it whenever they listen to it. His set went by too fast, and it culminated with a sublime performance of ‘City Walls.’ When that track’s chorus starts, it is VERY hard not to sing along, it is an anthem and one as Gibraltarians or those living on the Rock can agree with. It was very satisfying to see Guy perform, no doubt. An impressive set all around and one that got us all quite geared for The Jesse Tree.

Jesse & I talk a lot over WhatsApp and have heard his material in advance and off the record. His DNA speaks for itself and like me, he grew up around the greats of his time, including his own father the legendary Stephen Mclaren, Giles Ramirez, and countless others. One quality I admire is that many seasoned musicians from the Scene are always happy to assist him in his tracks. I know Nolan Frendo has done backing vocals on some, Giles Ramirez, Jeremy Perez, Michael Martinez, and Christopher Cortes too. It is beautiful to know that these talented musicians give their time to assist who in my eyes has his feet firmly on the ground and rightfully so.

Jesse kicked off his set with ‘Inside Out’ taken from his 2021 EP It Is What It Is. Everything about the first track was energetic and it was a theme that started from the first note to the last one of the night. A truly magnificent way to kick off his set, no doubt. His latest EP is full of anthems and if you were there at the Ivy to witness the gig, you would think you were watching the likes of Coldplay! The crowd sang along to every song which was a boost for Jesse who was moved by their willingness to learn the lyrics to all his songs. There is no greater feeling for any musician, I am sure. 

The mere fact that The Jesse Tree is just a two piece for me works better. Sure, a full band would be awesome, but their friendship and brotherhood is something you can tell Jesse is incredibly grateful for and the feeling is mutual. One of the highlights from the gig was seeing Jesse crowd surf onto the sea of people in attendance! Being a huge U2 fan himself, it was cool to hear Jesse perform one of their songs in Beautiful Day and it was a wonderful choice as it summed up the whole experience for him. As the old saying goes, time flies when you are having fun. Those were the words that echoed around the venue as soon as we approached the last song. For his last track we were treated to an incredible rendition of Amabella. His vocals really shine through in this one and it was the most excellent choice to end the night.

Speaking to Insight after the gig Jesse said; “It was a pleasant Homecoming! Thanks for a beautiful and emotional night, I could not have asked for a better response from you all.”

You can track Jesse on your social media of choice by visiting: 

https://linktr.ee/thejessetree

* I would like to personally thank the Musicians Association of Gibraltar as well as the Management down at the Ivy Sports Bar & American Grill for their warm welcome and hospitality.

Being around local music as much as I have for a long time allows me the opportunity and privilege to make friends in it, especially the musicians. My interviewee is no different and it is safe to say that from the first moment we met, we instantly gelled and became friends. Now living in the UK but forever flying the Gibraltar flag is Daniel May. Daniel was an accomplished musician in the Gibraltar Music Scene and is now a part of UK based band called Debts. Daniel with his new band will be performing on the Rock in September at an event at The Arena hosted and organised by FutureSoundz. I sat down with Daniel to get to know him a little more as well as to talk shop, if you will.

“I started performing when I was invited on stage to perform with Don Spider at the early Gibraltar DnB crews. I was at the time entering into rapping and found a great vibe when hosting DJs and this continued all the way through my Gibraltar adult life. During this I found myself in several musician’s circles, playing in bars acoustically, rapping, hosting drum and bass events as well as DJing. I am not entirely sure, but I was the first person to play Trap music in Gib and jamming with everyone from Sista Dee to Skribblez. 

I was fortunate to meet an amazingly talented musician called Matt Davies, who was a local producer and engineer, he had worked with a few celebrity musicians and was willing to do music with me! We produced a lot of music and lived together for a long time with a few other people. MAD Production was born, Matty and I think were one of the first duo EDM original track making groups in Gib! After a while we renamed ourselves to Four Higher and wound up performing at a few events including Sunset Festival which we absolutely tore up! Unfortunately, due to life and its many commitments meant we could not continue Four Higher, this put the fire out on my path for a while until I found two friends Dave Clarke & Michael Merwin, who reignited the light.”

Obviously, the question must be asked when it comes to comparing the UK Music Scene to Gibraltar’s; “It is not so different really, just harder to meet the right people in the UK, due to competition. I have always believed that if a musician really branded themselves correctly, became a beacon for Gibraltar Music and the people did what Gib is great at, like rallying together. I genuinely believe with even tenth of Gib on board they would have enough fans to create a career out of music in Gib. The UK is about promoters, if you want to play shows, you need TikTok, YouTube, Spotify & Soundcloud if you want to get famous and get bigger shows. That is what I have now learned, unless you have lots of money or the right connections, it is hard to get the new passive followers at a volume that opens the doors to the bigger shows.” expressed May.

On how the band was formed; “I will admit, I lost just over a year to depression and the four walls of my room. 

One thing that did come from this time was music and a lot of it. I made some calls and managed to round up a few mates from college for a jam. One of these friends being the incredibly talented drummer, Mr. Daniel Hutchinson.

Hutch and I have been in numerous musical ventures over the years. After a year we had a good four-piece band. I realised I knew nobody in the London scene, so I had to find a way in. As if by the Architect itself, the next day a position for sound engineer in my closest music venue popped up. I applied and was successful. Due to this move I gained one of the most important connections for Debts so far, in the name of Steve, the lead singer of Faers! After another year and several musicians later, offered us the opportunity as main support for Faers, our performance caught the eye of promoters in London.

Stephen, Jordan, and I met in Southampton at a random jam in a Verisure Office, and their talent did not go unnoticed. Later when my bass player went to pursue her career, Stephen joined. He told me how he had given up on the dream, but he believed in my music and would love to get on board. I will be honest; he has been one of the most integral parts to Debts.

Jordan was brought into the Debts family shortly after, when I chose to put the guitar down and concentrate on being a front man, Jordan was the first to come to mind, after remembering how similar our guitar style was at our previous meet. I really wanted someone who could replicate and better the strumming patterns that I would play. Not only does he do that, but he has made them his own and improved the sound beyond what I had imagined!”

Of course, through social media one can follow a band’s movements and I put to Daniel how overwhelming he is by the local support. “I am delighted with the support so far, but I would love for more of Gib to know about our music. However, that is down to our marketing, supporters, and skill to prove we are worth supporting. We are performing at The Arena on the 9th of September and could not be more excited. The band cannot wait to see Gib, and meet the people that made me who I am.”

Debts have as of this writing released four songs on all digital music platforms with another four almost finished. I quizzed Daniel whether a full-length album / EP was on the agenda; “We have about fourteen original songs, but due to finances an album is just out of our reach, unless we rally up about £10,000 to get it done.”

To say the very least without sounding a little biased, well okay only a little, I recommend that you check Debts out. They are on their way and their vibe, sound and all-around presence is felt with every note on their four tracks. You can follow them on all the relevant social media pages by visiting the following link; https://linktr.ee/debtsuk

Jazz Night at The Eliott Hotel

It is the legendary Billy Crystal who has said before; “That’s the thing about jazz: it’s free flowing, it comes from your soul.” That quote resonated with me as I sat down at the Veranda Bar on Jazz Night at The Eliott Hotel a few weeks ago. Jazz is a beautiful genre and if you get it, you will end up admiring it for the simplicities. My jazz knowledge is not as vast admittedly, I know who the greats of the genre are, the many genres within jazz but it is my father as well as my uncle who love the genre endlessly and with them as reference points, they helped me understand their love for and why it is such a happy genre.

Whenever I set my mind to do something, be it house chores or just need a “pick me up” I always turn to jazz. Be it Billie Holliday, Nina Simone, Glenn Miller, or any of the greats. There is also a lot of unearthed jazz but not that is not what I am going to write about today. Jazz on the Rock is loved, admired and full of collaborations. We of course have our jazz guru living in New York in ElieMassias but there are also names that have been associated with it for an exceptionally long time. One of those people is George Posso. George is the President of the Gibraltar Jazz Society. This resurgence if you will that Jazz has had in the last few weeks is awesome to view from a far but even more awesome to witness it first-hand. George gracefully told me that he is “Happy with the response and that he is enjoying playing with fabulous musicians.”

The George Posso Trio kicked off the night’s festivities and on Piano was Juan Galiardo. Mr Galiardo graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in 2004. He also previously studied Music Education at the University of Cádiz in 1998. He is a beneficiary of the “Berklee European Scholarship Tour” as well as the Scholarship for the Improvement of Performing and Musical Arts Abroad from the Ministry of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía. At Berklee he was awarded the special prize of the Chair of the Piano Department. Admittedly I had not seen Juan perform in a while and I believe the last time I did was when a band he was a part of (Malfunktion) was opening for Jose Feliciano at the Gibraltar International Jazz Festival in 2016! Time truly does fly. 

His precision, fingering and all-around humble attitude makes you admire him even more. Charlie Rovegno on drums is also a secret weapon if you will. They sounded fantastic throughout and one thing worth noting is that when jazz is played, everyone falls silent and remain in awe throughout. That is what makes jazz so elegant, at least to me. One thing worth noting is that their setlist is all improvised and it is that spontaneity that makes it so fun to watch and enjoy. Since an early age I have always been drawn to the sound of the sax and it truly is a beautiful instrument. Chuck McClelland is a gem, and his presence alone is incredible. The Canadian is formidable when it comes to the genre locally and it is always a joy to see him perform. 

The more music, the merrier the crowd gets and that is always a bonus. For the second part the band usually invite up anyone who wishes to perform a few numbers and it was no different this time. Fellow Berklee graduate in Kian Khalilian was of the first who stepped up. It is always pleasing for the eyes when you see a musician enjoy himself whilst on stage and with Kian that is no different. I absolutely love his style and he is quite the formidable axeman. Also invited up to perform were Elio and David, two young musicians from La Linea on both guitar and drums, respectively. It was quite the spectacle and if they keep at it, they have a bright future ahead.

Also invited up to perform a song with the band were Carmel Khalilian, Victor Francis, Dennis Beltran, and Angela Jenkins. Each bring their own flavour of course and when you blend them all together, they make one awesome cocktail. It is satisfying to hear the grandeur of Dennis Beltran’s vocals, Victor Francis’ drumming and Angela Jenkins’ West End like prowess. This is more of a personal statement than my experience of what it felt like to hear her sing but Carmel my friend, you must perform more! You were magnificent.

Overall, a stellar night of music and one I really enjoyed covering. Special thanks to the band as well as the Veranda Bar’s management for their grade A service.

As I made my way down to the Ivy at Ocean Village this past St Patrick’s Day, all I could do is reminisce. I reminisced a whole lot as to how the world and everything has changed in just three years. Three years ago, obviously the world was a different place, and the word lockdown was the word everyone feared but of course as we all know it was inevitable and it did happen.

The pandemic was not kind, but it was a huge positive for the Gibraltar Music Scene. Some musicians used it to their advantage and ended up getting to work on projects they unfortunately may be never had the time to work on and some would give it their all via the weekly Friday Night Live program. The event was already full of promise as it would feature the debut of new local band Cedar. 

To kick off the event we were treated to three great acoustic acts in Maisy Beth, Max Anderson, and Ethan Rocca. All equally as talented and props especially to Max for still performing even with a drastic cold! As one covers more gigs, one remembers the first time they saw said performer and that was all I could think of when I saw Ethan Rocca take to the stage. I may sound like a broken record when I say it but the first time, I ever saw Ethan perform was in 2010 and he was a part of a stellar cast In Stage One’s show Yesterday When I Was Young. Ethan has really evolved since and of course has become a very experienced performer and one that I had not seen in a while prior to the gig and wowed me with his prowess. Following Ethan, we had Maisy Beth take to the stage. Maisy is someone I had not seen admittedly but I must admit she was mesmerising to listen to. She is soulful, and I really liked her sound throughout. It is all down to the feel as well and aside from myself, it was cool to witness others being glued to what she was doing, and it was a performance worthy of two thumbs up from me. 

As mentioned above Max Anderson had a bad cold but he soldiered on and treated us all to an exceptionally satisfactory performance. That for me gets high praise and kudos as he could very well have cancelled but in the immortal words of Queen, The Show Must Go On. I really like his way and I look forward to seeing what else he is cookin’ very soon. 

Of course, the moment came, and Cedar took to the stage and might I add how fantastic it is to see Patrick Murphy and Daryl Pallas in the same band again. For those new to the Gibraltar Music Scene, Patrick, and Daryl at least in my eyes formed part of one of the hottest bands to ever emerge from the Rock in Headwires. Alongside their friend Evan Torrente they performed and developed into not only amazing musicians but also reliable ones at that. Cedar also features Harry Meenagh and Bradley Hewett. The band sounded fantastic! They had their audience in the palm of their hands and with heavy riffs, catchy lyrics, and great chemistry, they are a breath of fresh air to the Gibraltar Music Scene. Do not sit on them, go, and see them at their next performance. PS their cover of Boys In The Better Land by Fontaines D.C. is better than the original.

And to cap off a fantastic night of music, we were treated to seasoned veterans in Jetstream. They kicked off their set with their own track Delta Blues and the rest featured a vast array which featured an awesome medley of Bruno Mars’ hits, Coldplay, Queen, you know just what you would have on your own personal playlist. The Jets since I last saw them perform have added John Fredy Garzon on drums. He really has adapted to their sound very well and is really good.

Overall, a fantastic night of music and one that was enjoyed by all in attendance. Special thanks to FutureSoundz and the Management at the Ivy for their top class hospitality as always.

JOHN OTWAY & THE BIG BAND CELEBRATE THEIR 30TH ANNIVERSARY ON THE ROCK

Dubbed Rock N Roll’s biggest failure, John Otway and The Big Band are a show you won’t want to miss if they ever come to town again. I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of his fans flew over for the occasion and more so that Dr Otway knew them all by name as he mingled and with them all prior and during the gig itself.

Dubbed Rock N Roll’s biggest failure, John Otway and The Big Band are a show you won’t want to miss if they ever come to town again. I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of his fans flew over for the occasion and more so that Dr Otway knew them all by name as he mingled and with them all prior and during the gig itself.

Opening up the night’s music was local band Thrifty Malone. Thrifty Malone, now a four piece band, are always entertaining and their setlist, a blend of originals and well known covers, are always delivered and executed with perfection. They kicked off their set by going back to 1972 with a J. J. Cale classic in Call Me The Breeze. Their rendition of this one is sublime as are all their covers truthfully. They are really flying at the moment and with a lot of originals on their plate which are available on digital music platforms, Thrifty Malone just don’t disappoint and I expect more things to come from them in 2023. The fact that they got to open up for the occasion was a remarkable experience that they won’t soon forget, especially for a celebration of this magnitude. The band were always welcomed with open arms by the travelling Otway fans who gave them a huge round of applause at the end of their set. Thrifty Malone were able to present Otway with something special as well. The lads were able to find a copy of the set list from The Old Grey Whistle Test to celebrate the Big Band’s 30th Anniversary and also 45 years since Otway and Barrett appeared on the show with a lovely dedication from the legendary Whispering Bob Harris.

Speaking to Insight prior to the gig; Otway said: “It is great to be in Gibraltar. We did a little scouting a few months ago in order to bring the Band over for the 30th anniversary, ideally somewhere in the Mediterranean and Gibraltar fit the bill. There is a great atmosphere and everyone has been incredibly welcoming. I was also able to quiz him as to how many of his fans had flocked over for the event and it is here that he highlighted how many of them do it but had never been to Gibraltar before. Just before we finished our interview, Otway emphasised and highlighted how instrumental Thrifty Malone have been throughout, especially to set everything up prior to the gig itself.

It was now time for Otway to take centre stage and as someone who was familiar with his work, it was a huge thrill to see him live (At last). His setlist was composed of many of his hits, in between stories. His band deserve a lot of commendations for what true professionals they are and how well they sound as a whole. I was absolutely floored with them, something that a fellow Otway noticed from a far as I grinned throughout, I might add.. In an age where rock n roll isn’t unfortunately followed as much except for the hardcore fanatic, Otway blew Gibraltar away and it is a gig I won’t soon forget. The rest of the band are composed by Seymour Fluids, Murray Torkildsen and Adam Batterbee. One thing or one of the many things rather to take rather is the energy that they all possess but it wouldn’t be fair if I wrote this without mentioning how courteous they all were. I actually felt it even before I met them for some reason and I felt honoured to be there. One of my personal highlights was to see them perform We Rock which was streamed via Facebook Live. Otway has adopted it and appointed it to be Gibraltar´ś national anthem! His cover of the Tom Jones classic Delilah is also a vision and of course Really Free.

I sincerely hope that this isn’t the last of Otway on the Rock, I think a venue like Ince’s Hall would be perfect for someone of his magnitude and he can definitely sell it out in a heartbeat.

I would like to sincerely thank Otway and his Management, especially John Skews for not only accrediting me for the event and for being a true professional throughout.