I can confirm the release date of the NEW single "Above the stars" will be 30th APRIL .

The single will be available from all major download stores .

As an added Bonus the will be an additional track on the single called "Shining star" .

I would like to thank everyone who has signed my guestbook . Your comments really inspire me to write more music .

thank you once again

John

The UK songwriting contest results were announced on the 1/6/2010 . I entered 5 songs in total .

The Hour Glass - semi finalist
Prayed for and angel - semi finalist
Live it up - semi finalist
No Mans Land (acoustic)semi finalist
Lost commended entry

The results have not really given me too much joy as I feel it was a hugh step back from last years Finalist entry and the Song Of The Year category winning song i had back in 2008 . However , I hope the next 12 months provide me with enough inspiration to go on and achieve greater things in my songwriting adventures and enable me to write the ULTIMATE song :)

p.s

I wish to congratulate all the people who entered the contest . There were some really great songs this year and it just goes to show that the true talent is most definately out there !

Album Review: Delusions of Grandeur (Jonny Mernagh, 2007)
It is rare nowadays that a musician exhibits the potential for good lyricism through the vernacular. Welshman, Jonny Mernagh, manages to do just this in his debut effort 'Delusions of Grandeur'. The album displays an nice acoustic blend akin to the sounds of the late 1960's tradition of rock. There are inflections of jazz and blues throughout the album's tone as well as a nod to the style of rock in the early 90's .

As an opening track, 'No Man's Land' creates a lasting impression of what is to follow on the album. The musical composition seems nicely-thought out and creates a subtle background for the lyrics. The track has a propensity to convey the notion of searching for answers within an emotional haze of confusion and loss. This idea reappears throughout the ten track listing in various facets. 'Colours of Autumn' introduces the visual and colourful side of 'Delusions of Grandeur'. Reflective and self-aware, the song is both despondent yet hopeful especially in the mentioning of 'the endless autumn air'.

'Maybe I'd Miss You' allows for a certain aptitude with the vernacular to come to the forefront. The next offering 'Hooked On You' is perhaps one of the most promising tracks on the album. With it's light, joyful tone it is both easy-listening and catchy. Musically, the arrangement is reminiscent of early 90's rock. The most notable quality of this track are the vocals. Although unique, the raw, gravel-esque tones connote inflections of a young Kelly Jones. This quality is also heard in 'Hold That Smile'. The repetition of the lyric 'as long as I've got self-belief/I will just survive' creates a despondence that is lifted towards the end of the song, particularly in the title. A liberated aura surrounds the track, especially in the closing line 'hold that smile forever'.

The theme of visualisation within the album continues with 'Another Broken Heart'. The track highlights the influence of colour and art on Mernagh's work. Alluding to various professions and humanities, the track emits a clear adoration on the artist's part for his craft. Following on from this is the appropriately named 'Shades of Green'. This track is rather interesting for its use of a specific colour, particularly an earth colour and one traditionally linked with envy. The mention of 'the fountain/beyond the wishing-well' implies an allusion to the search for luck and contentment. Similarly, 'Shine On' is visually thought provoking. The guitar riff is simple yet contributes aptly to the vocals. Here, Mernagh forges his easy articulation as something of a trademark. The song becomes slightly dizzying towards the very end - one gets the feeling that this was the desired effect - and creates a sense of strength that emanates from the track.

A highlight of the album is 'Lost', a track that hearkens back to a long-lost era of classic songwriting. Musically, the tone is soothingly listenable. The album closes with the track 'Farewell' a nicely honed ode to the cessation of life and it's hurdles.

To say that 'Delusions of Grandeur' sounds like anyone else would be a misrepresentation. Instead, it is a new and intriguing sound. Mernagh's voice is infused with a rawness that is counteraacted by an underlying softer tone. The occasional strains of a latter-day John Lennon to be heard within his vocals are quite promising. As a debut album, 'Delusions of Grandeur' is impressive for its harmonious structure as well as the multi-faceted lyricism that is omnipresent.

Overall, it is clear that this is an artist who loves his craft and has contributed a quality to it. 'Delusions of Grandeur' is a fine achievement and casts a challenge for Mernagh's next offering 'The Hour Glass'.

By Michelle De Lacey

I shall be releasing my first Live E.P in November this year . The 5 track CD will be recorded Live in Camden during my October 4 date Tour .

I do not have an idea as yet as to what will be on the CD but watch this space :)

any cover suggestions welcome !

‘The Hour Glass’ album review by Alexandra Glacet
You could be forgiven for thinking that the voice blasting from your stereo (or more likely, your computer, this isn’t 1990 after all) is that of rock God Bon Jovi, but no it’s Jonny Mernagh with his second album ‘The hour glass’. From pure rock and roll, up-tempo tunes to more soulful acoustic ballads; this boy from Wales seems to encompass it all.




The softness of the title track is in complete contrast to songs such as ‘Turn Up Your Stereo’ and ‘Live it up’, with its lively 60’s feel. Jonny reminds me of a musical Jack Kerouac, the hedonistic writer/poet. I’m sure if Jack had been around now, he’d be sitting, cigarette in mouth, penning another controversial piece whilst tapping his feet to Jonny’s record.

A couple of tracks from Mernagh’s debut album ‘Delusions Of Grandeur’ have been re recorded for ‘The Hour Glass’. This is no reason to be put off, Jonny has poured his heart and soul into his subsequent album and has been brutally honest. The title track is all about living in the moment and not having regrets, something that we’d all like to put into practice, but is sometimes impossible to do.

‘Prayed For An Angel’ is my personal favourite. At first, it appears to be a tear-jerking ballad, with Jonny’s voice taking a more gentle tone with a simple guitar rift. On closer listen you realise it’s a song about survival and not giving up, even when you’re hanging on to life by a thread. The character prays for an angel to take him away from him away from his life, to a better place. When no such angel appears he takes this as a sign to battle through, ever onwards. It is such a powerful and positive message to get across, especially when so many songs today, focus on violence and money. It pulls at the core values that seem to be blurring in society.

In fact, the whole album takes you back to a simpler more positive time, which is so refreshing. Coming from one so young, it gives me hope that not all has been lost in the technology haze and quality home grown singer/songwriters are still out there.

The track ‘Run to the sun’, with it’s sunny beat, reached the finals of the UK Songwriters contest in 2009. With his second album under his belt and the regional finals of ‘Live and Unsigned’ at the end of March, the sky is indeed the limit for this inspired British talent.

By Alexandra Glacet

Jonny Mernagh from Swansea has just made it through the Regional Finals and is now at the final stage! Jonny Mernagh will now be performing for a place at the Live and Unsigned National Grand Final.

After initially auditioning against thousands of other acts across the UK and impressing the judging panel with their originality, Jonny Mernagh went on to perform live on stage at the Regional Final in Cheltenham . He Is now set to perform at the Area Final - the last stage before the Live and Unsigned Festival at the 02 in London!

Already confirmed to judge at some of the finals are some of the biggest names in the industry! Judges include Joanne Dorken from MTV UK, Ville Leppanen from Animal Farm whose credits in the studio include working with Muse, Louise Orchestan-Findlay Editor of Who’s Jack Magazine and Sophie Daniels from Sony UK and S Records, who will all be casting their eye over the unsigned talent.

Live and Unsigned is the biggest original music competition in the UK for unsigned bands and artists. Attracting over 30, 000 entries in the past three years, it’s set itself apart from its predecessors by offering and promoting live, original music. It’s now established as the definitive music competition for original acts and it’s open to all genres of music from Heavy Rock to Rap.

So, what are the acts battling it out for? The chance to play on the main stage of the Live and Unsigned Festival at the 02 in London on 10th July. There’s also plenty of opportunities and awards up for grabs along the way, with a prize pool worth over £75, 000. The overall winner of the competition will be offered a recording and management contract with Future Music with an investment of up to £30, 000 to release their single and they’ll get the opportunity to develop their own clothing brand to sell online and in retail with Extreme State.

The competition provides acts with a host of opportunities to develop and expose their talent. There is an array of free master classes on offer with ICMP including drums, bass, guitar and vocal. The master classes are with some of the best names in the industry including drummer Pat Petrillo who has played with Gloria Gaynor and Patti Lebelle and a bass lesson with Lawrence Cottle who has worked with Eric Clapton and The Bee Gees. These classes will give acts the opportunity to not only learn new techniques and develop their performance skills, but they’ll also have the opportunity to take part in exclusive Q&A sessions. There’s also plenty of exposure opportunities for acts this year, including editorial coverage in some of the UK’s most popular magazines and websites. Other prizes on offer include festival slots, clothing, media exposure, days out and recording time.

The winners of 2010 will be thrust into the media spotlight through television, radio and the press and will be given the opportunity to tour the UK. One act who has caught the judge’s eye this year is local talent Jonny Mernagh now competing in the Area Final. Jonny made it through the Regional Final at Cheltenham amongst some of the UK’s finest under the radar acts. They are now preparing for the Area Final on the 8th of May at The Corn Exchange in Bedford for the opportunity to progress towards the Live and Unsigned festival at the O2 in London.

For more information go to the website; www.LiveandUnsigned.UK.com Or better still come down and support local talent; you can purchase tickets on the door or from Jonny

Due to the nature of the digital download world it is becoming increasingly difficult for bands/artists to sell their music as mp3 or other download formats .

WHY CD'S OVER MP3'S ?
for those of you who dont already know , most cd's are a compressed audio file and CD's are a 16bit WAV master . This means that the audio has NOT been compressed therefore will overall sound better than an MP3 enabling the listener to pick out those delicate acoustic guitar strokes which would otherwise be too SQUASHED to here on an mp3.

Free music is becoming more popular everyday . Several Bands including radiohead decided that they sell their album for £0 . But if fans liked they could pay whatever they thought it was worth .

The other route is to illegally download songs from torrents or places like limewire etc .

Lets be honest here , who will pay £5 , £7 , £10 for an unsigned artists music when they can get the New album by Lady Gaga for FREE on the net ?

I have come to a decision to release all my music for FREE download . CD'S will always be available at a cost of £5 including postage UK and £7.50 worldwide .

This way i am giving people a chance to listen to my album for a while and if they think its worth paying for then buy the CD . Its just like renting an xbox game from blockbuster .

I would like you to download as much of my music as possible , tell all your friends , post it on your facebook pages and groups , create imixes on itunes and just spread the word as much as you can .

Dont forget to sign up to my mailing list as you will get priority on all my songs to download and CHEAPER CD'S !

I am currently working on a new E.P called "Looking in on a dream" It should be ready for release by december 2010 and will be played , recorded , mixed and mastered by myself .

I have used professional studios , but i feel that the only person who really knows how my music should sound is me .

Watch this space !