Shaun Blezard

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Biography:

‘yr recordings are separate from everything else; each is one of a kind. beautiful'

Shaun is a community based audio/visual artist who lives on Barrow Island in Cumbria, UK. He has worked as an artist, musician, producer, composer and workshop leader for the likes of Sonic Arts Network, Welfare State International, The Sage Gateshead, Youth Music, Whitewood & Fleming, Age Concern, Grizdale Arts, Shoreline Films, The Ashton Group, Artifacts, The Word Hoard and Barrow Borough Council.

He is also an experienced live sound technician and sound recordist and runs Earth Monkey Productions

He has been an active member of the music community in the North of England for over 20 years and still have a passion for playing live since his first gig in 1986, playing bass for indie band The Peach Thieves. He has played all over the UK as bassist for many bands and since 2000 have been gigging as an electronic based musician/sonic artist. This has been alongside working within the community passing on his many musical skills and enthusiasm to people aged 8 to 80. This has seen him working with young rock and pop bands, showing all ages music technology, sound recording and production and promoting a fair few gigs along the way.

Outside of his commissioned work he is currently playing/recording as:

Clutter (Solo experimental ambient dance)

Good Noise Bad Noise (electroacoustic drone multimedia 4 piece)

The Word Hoard/Orfeo 5 (Jazz/improv/electronics/spoken word)

When Bill Danced The War Just completed work with poet Sarah Murphy and Keith Jafrate
Ascending Coming in 08, with Keith jafrate and Ali Rigg

He is also resident sound man for Tongue Tide - a fantastic acoustic based singer songwriter duo, handling live sound and studio recordings for them. They have just finished the second Tongue Tide EP - Why Knot? which is available through the Tongue Tide Myspace page

Shaun has also been working in the visual field since branching out in 2003. He has been working on his own experimental films as well as being involved in many community projects involving film and multimedia in this time.

Before becoming a freelance audio/visual artist Shaun has in the past worked in a shipyard, a biscuit factory, various shops and offices and been a librarian, as well as trying college for a bit before settling on a career as an musician, because let's face it - he gets to sleep in more :- )

Releases:

Commissions (emp048)

Download: Hi-Fi - Lo-Fi :: Stream: Hi-Fi - Lo-Fi :: Download: Cover Art - Disc Art

Tracklisting:

Commissions @ The Internet Archive

Commissions @ Last.fm

Thumbelina & Erazerbyrd - Written with Mike Willoughby for the soundtrack to the short film The Egg, directed by Steve Wharton.

Lindal Postcard & Grizedale Postcard - Created with pupils from Lindal & Marton Primary School (Lindal Postcard) & Barrow Island Primary School (Grizedale Postcard) as part of Sonic Arts Network project Sonic Postcards

Dybbk & Carmageddon - Written for the soundtrack to Welfare State International’s community film Braken Hollow

Bedroom, Round and Round & Sleepwalk - Written for the soundtrack to the short film The Paperlad, directed by John Hall aka The Cardboard Lung and a fellow member with Shaun of Good Noise Bad Noise

Ann & Phelps - Written for a Furness Enteprise business seminar in the style chat show themes

Footprints Project - Installation piece commissioned by The National Trust for the opening of the Footprints Project building

Germany Soundscape - Written for a Football Focus feature on football photographer Stuart Clarke during the World Cup in 2006, created in a hotel room in Nuremberg whilst filming a documentary for Homes Of Football. Unused in the end as we couldn’t find anywhere to email it to the BBC in time for broadcast

Let’s Celebrate - Written with pupils from Brisbane Park Primary School as part of Youth Music project Music Factory - a 3 year music project put together by Barrow Borough Council

Lowick School Of Pop - Written with pupils from Lowick School and poet Ann Wilson as part of the campaign to keep the school open, sadly the school closed and the pupils now have to travel to other schools

Snow White Theme - Written for the Grizedale Arts pantomime Wolfing It Down In The Forest

Soundskank - Remix of recordings from Welfare State International’s music project Sound Explorers. Written for evaluation CD-Rom

The Secret Garden - Installation piece written with fellow artists John Hall and Ann Wilson with young people in workshops at Forum Twenty Eight in Barrow-in-Furness as part of their Summer Mix project

Tideracer - Written for contemporary dance company DARE for LEAP ‘06 dance festival held in Liverpool.

The Millers Song - Written with young people and poet Ann Wilson as part of Heron Corn Mill’s Youth Music project Heron Song. This recording is from the final concert.

Reviews:

‘hey there, I really enjoy the Commissions album... Celebrate and Lowick School Pop are particular highlights. (I keep picturing the pupils feeling like stars for a day!) As ever Shaun, the level of production on the whole album is nothing short of splendid. Keep em comin... ‘ - Pandacetamol

‘Lastly we have Commissions from the el presidente of Earth Monkey Productions with a collection of tunes that he has written to "pay the bills". Tunes / soundscapes from his work in his community. Tracks like Thumbelina and Erazerbyrd have subtle folk flavours. Dybbk, Phelps and Bedroom have more overt techno influences which are more upbeat and gregarious. My fave track has to be Round And Round with its chilled downtem-pop soundscape and female vocals... something exceptional in an already great collection of electronica and ambient soundscapes. That said... I have to be honest and say that I don't like the school project work > the found sounds are a bit too found for me. I have tried but I'm just not there yet... maybe one day. All in... a great collection of work and something to be proud of > made even better by giving them away for free. Thanks Shaun!’ - Review of Commissions at Headphonenaughts Nanolog

‘the recording of TIDERACER is delightful; not only does it make me want to be a kid again, it sort of makes me feel compelled to inhale helium and at least try to sound like a kid again. yr recordings are separate from everything else; each is one of a kind. beautiful' - Ginger Eades

Contact:

shaunblezard.com

Shaun Blezard @ Myspace