It began as a project in the final year of my degree. I never wanted, nor anticipated that I would get, a full-time job in the music industry upon graduating from a Creative Music course at Leeds Metropolitan University, so I wanted something that I could keep up in my own time whilst working in a job not connected with music. This realistic approach to life, coupled with the fact that there are so many remarkably creative and talented people actively participating in the music scene in Leeds, drove me to start up Our Neck of the Woods.
So basically the idea is that this will be an audiovisual blog, or a vlog, or a plog? Whatever it can be the idea is the same - make some videos of musicians based in Leeds performing, taking away the comfort of the studio environment and showcasing their actual talent. In order to showcase the city itself I am hoping to take artists around unique spaces in the city to perform. At these performances I want locally based photographers to come down to shoot the event, and graphic designers are more than welcome to chip in to design posters too. The end result will hopefully be a collective portfolio of creative people, that can hopefully serve to multiply their popularity / notoriety with the growth of the project itself.
There's no real question of currency, some people have asked how I am going to sustain the project and the answer is through working. The whole point of me asking people to get involved is through a recognition of their work...it doesn't really work if I say to them - "I absolutely love what you do, so do you want to give me £20 so that you can work with me?" - so it might sound stupid, and I might have 'idiot' written on my head, but I want to do this through an appreciation of the creative output of the city, and I hope that future contributors and collaborators can do the same...
I hope that explains it well enough, and I hope you enjoy the content. If you feel you could contribute to the project then please get in touch at
ourneckofthewoodsleeds at googlemail dot com
I'd also like to point out that I am aware this isn't a new idea as such, and it's through an inspiration of websites such as Beatcast TV, Juans Bassment, Manchester Screenwipe, Black Cab Sessions, Bandstand Busking and (breathe) many more that I wanted to do this. Just so you know I'm not Bono with a Yorkshire accent.
Thanks
Sean
