The Earth Garden 3-day festival will this year be returning on Friday 31st May till Sunday 2nd June after last year’s break. The 6th edition of this festival will be taking place at Ta’ Qali national park, as in previous times. This festival , which has been described as ‘the local green finger festival’, uses Arts, Music and Culture as means of holistically showing an interest in the state of the environment. Attracting locals and foreigners alike, the Earth Garden Festival has increased in popularity since the first edition and is now more abundant in terms of attendance, artists’ participation, performers, organisation and production. In fact, the first weekend of June has now been marked permanently on the national cultural calendar as the Earth Garden Festival weekend.

The theme for this year’s festival, in collaboration with the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change, is ‘every breath we take’. This EU slogan relates to air quality and intends to bring awareness to an issue which affects a healthy environment. Earth Garden will consist of 2 main area: The Greek Theatre Main Stage and the Open Village which includes The Roots Stage, The Electronic Sphere, Camping Area, The Remissa Chill-out Corner, the Why Not?Jamming Area, The Arts Area, Ethnic Market and the Kid’s Area. There will be an entrance fee of 5EU for the Open Village, which will be valid for the whole weekend, while the fee for every show held at the Greek Theatre Main Stage will be 15EU (children under 15 FREE).

The festival will kick off on Friday at the Open Village at the Roots Stage, with a party hosted by ‘Juuls’. Together with this reggae vibe, internationally successful local band Mana Tapu will also be performing. Also on the night, Espionage will be hosting the Electronic Sphere. In the meantime, a Pink Floyd tribute show will take place at the Greek Theatre. Malta Music Awards winners Tribali will be performing at the Greek Theatre on Saturday 1st June. The band is expected to carry out a spectacular show which will leave the audience wanting more.  16 other acts, featuring Spanish, Latin rhythmic bands,  will be performing on The Roots Stage while the Electronic Sphere will feature world’s known German  Boom Shankar and some other locally outstanding acts such as Duncan F, Rod Minus and more. 

On Sunday, the closing day of the festival, YADA will put up a dance show named ‘The Summer of Love Woodstock Edition’ which is directed and produced by Felix Busutil. UK’s  girl band and ‘frontrunners of the new British acoustic scene’ Moulettes will be taking over The Roots Stage in the Open Village that afternoon together Manu Tapu, The Creepers, the Busker, Zalza Kukkanja,  Irie Flo and locally renowned indie band Stalko. Perpendicular has once again been invited to close off the Earth Garden Weekender at the Electronic Sphere.  Perpendicular’s new guest Danjeli will be Opening the afternoon to a more chilled vibe and the Perpendicular boys Carl Lautier, Nicky SLiM & MATO will follow, showcasing different genres throughout the day and night. 

The Remissa Corner: This is the new corner where one can simply chill and relax in a laid-back ambience. This captivating environment will be accompanied by different music selections and live acts such as ‘Bibita’ .

The Why Not? Jamming Area: This is a space where all music and all art forms are explored and enjoyed. It is the area where it ‘all started’ and where artists get to express themselves. 

Ethnic Market: This consists of vendors displaying an abundance of ethnic items such as paintings and sculptures.  The Ethnic Market offers much more to the visitors than the chance to stock up on beautiful ethnic items. The Holistic Section, located within the market itself, will give the visitors a peaceful heaven to sit down and relax. Workshops, NGOs and educational stands will be present in this section.

This festival that voices care for the environment through Arts, Music and Culture in a holistic way should definitely not be missed! In the meantime, it is important to note the main sponsors for this years' event, these being; FCM BANK, the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change, Cisk Export Premium Lager, V18, Vamp and Bay Radio. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more news about such local events.

Source: Press Release

One of the most powerful means to get messages across is through the medium of music and that is essentially the main reason behind the creation of the Eurovision Song Contest but nevertheless, moving away from the international competition, Malta is known to have a solid backbone within the music industry, one which took years to develop. 89.7 Bay is the leading radio station in the country and has always sought to help promote the local music scene, something which got the editorial team at escflashmalta.com thinking and finally to the realisation that promotion is the key behind success. Weekly the aforementioned station takes a look at the ten most request songs from local artists and put them in a chart show, hosted by Nathan D.

As summer approaches, several artists might be tampering around with the viable dates of music releases but thus far it seems that things are slightly quiet. A new entry in position number #10 this week is none other than the track Joy performed by JJoy and featuring the vocals of Andrea Britton. The renowned disc jockey does not need a lot of introduction having also been awarded with the best dance tune or remix at the Bay Music Awards for the track Love Hangover featuring the vocals of Kelly Stelfox. Taking My Heart, performed by Carlo Gerada and featuring Jan Cortez, a former chart topper finds itself at number #8 at the moment and on the the way out of the chart but nevertheless, someone who is climbing up is a newcomer by the name of Evita M whose track Luxurious has been well received. The former Malta Eurosong 2009 participant is looking to re-invent herself based on this particular track.

Alex Alden, a guest during the Malta Eurovision Song Contest semi-final has also been doing the rounds in recent weeks and now finds herself going down at number #7 with her debut track Dancing Alone which she performed impeccably to the jam packed audience at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre. Just above at position number #6 is the band Bletchley Park with the track Planets Move Faster. The group were nominated for three Malta Music Awards in the beginning of the year and look to continue building on their success with their Jagged House Records album, My Body Fighting. Gianluca is representing Malta in this years' Eurovision Song Contest but that does not mean that Funk Initiative are having some time off with their latest single Architects at position number #5 at the moment. Tomorrow had also made the official top thirty of the station and therefore, this shows the support from the leading radio station.

I have to say that the tracks in this weeks' top four are just stunning, beginning with number #4 featuring none other than the newcomer Joe Roscoe whose track How I Feel About You has been setting an extremely difficult tone for the local music scene. Think of Ed Sheeran meeting Jason Mraz and that is the product that has been created. Just above the talented singer/songwriter at number #3 comes the comeback of the group, Skimmed who have ditched their alternative rock for their new single Ronnie. The track has really been embraced by the music industry and feels like the group might have found a niche which they should experiment even more. The top two positions are currently occupied by two leading females who have the utmost respect from the escflashmalta.com editorial board with number #2 being filled in by When It's Time performed by Claudia Faniello and number #1 by Ira Losco and her song The Person I Am which features guest vocals by David Leguesse.

Source: 89.7 Bay

89.7 Bay is the leading radio station in Malta for four years in a row and has a positive track record in supporting the local music scene. On a weekly basis, Nathan D counts down the ten most played tracks from Maltese artists and for the second year in a row, an entry for the Malta Eurovision Song Contest has made the cut, in the form of When It's Time performed by Claudia Faniello and co-written alongside Errol Sammut of the popular band, Airport Impressions. Claudia is one of the nations' leading female artists has decided to rebrand herself this time round with a song which was appreciated by the public and the jury alike.

During the 2012 edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, Claudia found herself within grasp of victory with the song Pure composed by Philip Vella to the lyrics of Gerard James Borg but she did not wish to take up the genre once more with the idea of embracing the style that she sees herself evolving with, noting that a sophomore album is seemingly on the way. The track which was released through iTunes by virtue of CAP-Sounds is currently at number #7 on 89.7 Bay as a new entry, hoping to rise further in the coming weeks cementing her success within the genre. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news.

Source: 89.7 Bay

It has been noted in the past couple of years that the Bay Music Awards have become an important part of the local cultural calender managing to attract several individuals from different backdrops with one concept and that is to enjoy themselves whilst awarding the best that music has to offer in the Maltese Islands as showcased on 89.7 Bay during the year. In the run up to the event, one could easily note the recording of a track which would be done with a big heart representing the charity that the country has been known to offer to those who are in need and in fact, the Singing for Bay Kids single returns for yet another year and this time bearing the name Circles. It was officially launched on the leading radio station on Monday with the official video launched on Wednesday afternoon.

The track has been recorded, mixed and produced by Peter Borg of Red Electrick at Railway Studios with the mastering done by Boris Cezek at Doyaya Studios. Circles has been written by Matthew James Borg, also of Red Electrick and Klinsmann Coleiro who alongside his band Planet Seed are nominated for the Best Newcomer Award. The performers of the song are the co-writers alongside Clint Spiteri of Dolls for Idols, Peter Borg, Corinna and Raphael Tonna. You could view the music video of the track below which has been directed by Matthew James Borg as well. It is a stunning piece of work and we at escflashmalta.com for starters are proud to be promoting this track as part of the spectacular event set for the 12th December 2012 at the Bay Arena. Stay tuned for more features about the 2012 edition of the Bay Music Awards in the coming hours, days and weeks.

Source: 89.7 Bay

Ira Losco has come an extremely long way through the years noting that following her initial success in the 2001 edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza with the song Fejn Staħbejtli composed by Mark Spiteri Lucas and penned by Paul Ellul, she went onto represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest having won the ticket with the pop track 7th Wonder composed by Philip Vella and penned by Gerard James Borg. Upon her return to the country with a runner-up finish in one of the most prestigious music events in Europe, she joined forces with Howard Keith of Jagged House and created a name for herself away from the world of pop and taking more of an acoustic mellow rock sound which was extremely popular on radios at the time. She has worked her way pu in the industry and remains to be the most successful female export thus far having had hit songs in Germany, one of the largest music markets in the world. 

She has released four studio albums as well as another two special collections featuring remixes and also acoustic versions of tracks that had already been released and she still comes forth in saying that the album she enjoys listening the most remains to be Accident Prone as she gives an interview to leading tabloid Malta Today. She says that 'Accident Prone was a defining song .. that finally cemented my new image'. It represented the different Ira that people had become to expect over the first couple of years in her career but then again, the change was not going to be completely out there and that is what made it so different and successful. Over the past couple of days, since releasing her latest single What I'd Give, which could be purchased through iTunes and is still at number #1 over on 89.7 Bay, she has continuously been putting in the hours at the studio to perfect her fifth album, one which will definitely show an even more mature Ira, now that she is planning a comeback. This evening at the End of Summer Music Festival being held in Cospicua, Ira Losco will be giving her first live performance in Malta for quite some time although, it is expected she will do well as the last time she performed, she was truly a spectacle. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news.

Source: escflashmalta.com, Malta Today

In the past couple of years, people have been growing somewhat extremely impatient about the fact that Ira Losco was working on her material for quite a long time but then again, quality is always important and the artist knows that her fans will always be expecting her to be innovative and fresh henceforth, the idea to release a brand new single entitled What I'd Give which falls under the pop/reggae genre but still being true to the performer herself. The track is being hailed as one of the best tracks to be released in the country getting airplay on a variety of radio stations including 89.7 Bay where it currently stands in position number #3 when it comes to the official radio chart. Apart from that, the latest update on iTunes shows that the track is currently holding the top position.

Music videos are somewhat extremely important when it comes to promotion which is thought to be key especially when the single is receiving a lot of positive praise and is headlining both the airplay and digital sales. Ira Losco who works with none other than Howard Keith of Jagged House has been putting a lot of effort in her comeback noting that this is the first single off a brand new album which will be released towards the end of the year. The music video which shows Ira Losco in a bunch of different characters including a sultry secretary as one could see above was shot by Take 2 Productions, known for their work on a number of shows on Television Malta, all of which are comedic. We would like to invite you to view the video just below in High Definition and urge you to continue supporting the local music scene with artists like Ira Losco who are representing the country in the best possible way. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com in the coming weeks for more information about the artist and her respective comeback.

Source: 89.7 Bay

It has long been noted that successful ventures do indeed go a long way in the music industry and our premier collaboration with 89.7 Bay in an exclusive interview with Carlo Gerada proved to be quite a promising start securing support for the performer and his track My World from all spectrums of society through our portal. Therefore, we will be moving forward with the next interview focusing on Christabelle who has most recently also been featured on escflashmalta.com for the release of her new single Say which is already topping the chart in fact. It seems that things are really moving into a good direction for her especially when considering that it has all been an ascension throughout time.

Christabelle is one of the most consistent artists in the local music scene having been around for quite some time working around a variety of genres including rhythm and blues, pop and even swing noting that she is quite versatile so to speak. Nevertheless, this single has something different from anything she has released in the past and therefore holds a high personal regard to her and to her followers. The track Say managed to dethrone Paul by Red Electrick from the number #1 position following four weeks at the top as announced earlier this week on 89.7 Bay on Malta's Top Ten with Nathan D. Should you have missed the programme, make sure to visit the official page and listen to the podcast recording of the whole show. In the meantime, we had the opportunity to ask a couple of questions to Christabelle.

Red Electrick is a band which has drummed up a lot of support throughout the years because apart from making extremely good music, they are known for loving everything they commit themselves to do and that is a very good quality. In recent months, they have been working on a brand new set of tracks with the strong five man line-up looking to create a brand new aura, a genre that will ultimately see them succeed in this line of work. Most recently, they have somewhat taken up creative control over their releases noting that working with the Indie Label of Jagged House brought them a number of useful contacts. Their most latest track as released just a couple of weeks back is Paul and it seems that this new re-branding is coming across well.

A couple of years back, the band showed how diverse it could be through their music in their respective debut album entitled Vine Lady with tracks such as Jail Bail and Who the Heck Is Rek!? included in the final tracklist due to the fact that they were proven popular by the fans. Nevertheless, Red Electrick have decided to stick to releasing good music which makes them feel good and despite the fans liking the content, it was never intentionally put out because the public likes it. The recent event bearing the name 'Red Electrick: The Unplugged Sessions' was a huge success with sold out audiences watching the group perform acoustically. Through the showcase, they managed to re-invent their music and capture their audience in a brand new light. Paul, the recent release of the group is heading the local top ten on 89.7 Bay for the fourth straight week. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more about local artists.

Source: escflashmalta, Facebook, 89.7 Bay

Innovation is the key to success and in the past couple of weeks, the editorial board at escflashmalta.com has been brainstorming a number of possible ideas on how to move forward with regards to the content presented and one of the ideas was to promote artists who release material consistently and make it to the local top ten on the 89.7 Bay charts as announced weekly by Nathan D who has been one of the main supporters on our online media since beginning just over two years ago. The very first week of our project will be featuring Carlo Gerada whose latest track entitled My World features the vocals of Jan Cortez, a former contestant on the hit reality show L-Isfida.

This is not the first time that Carlo Gerada makes it to the chart noting that he is quickly becoming one of the most established artists in the radio scene. In the past couple of months, we have seen work such as I Never Meant and Can't Stop which featured the musical stylings of Scott Walker and guest vocals by Chess and Azazel respectively. He is working on brand new material daily and seems to be giving several artists a run for their success especially with his music being extremely current and consistent with what is being played in the foreign charts such as those in the United Kingdom, United States and also Germany. The track My World is a new entry at number #8 as announced by Nathan D on 89.7 Bay earlier this week. Should you have missed the programme, make sure to visit the official page and listen to the podcast recording of the whole show. In the meantime, we had the opportunity to ask a couple of questions to Carlo Gerada.

How does it feel to be one of the new entries in the only local music chart that is being presented in Malta?

Having my work being listed anywhere is more than I ever dreamed my 'hobby' would take me. Being listed as a new entry on one of Malta's top local radio stations is a feeling I have still yet to get used to! 

Music normally represents the emotions of the artist, what could you tell us about the track and the feeling that it evokes?

Yes it does, in fact I do not specialize in one particular genre because I feel that every genre has a very different feeling. My mood plays a huge part in making music.

There is a lot of buzz going round about this track especially due to the fact that summer is around the corner. Do you believe that it could live up to the expectations of the listeners?

I sure hope so! It's still too early to say but shares, likes and comments about constantly looping the track have been popping up amongst top social network sites. I am currently working on a music video too which I think will further make it more interesting.

Source: 89.7 Bay