Well, here we are at the end of 2024, and we thought it would be a bit of fun to have a team chat. One team member will be missing in January for the month, and we are proud to announce that Stevie had a baby last week and is having a break. So this is Meet the Team—we last did one of these two years ago on our first birthday. We asked Stevie to send in the questions and each of us supplied an answer. We had this chat on Teams at the start of December and we also grabbed the chance to say “Seasons Greetings” to every one of you.
Stevie, Question 1: What have you listened to in 2024?
Benny: I have listened to Miley Cyrus, my favourite artist at the moment. She is a talented chameleon and has a real rock spirit. Aside from her, I have listened to a lot from the Stones, especially Exile on Main St, their best work in my opinion.
Lorraine: I liked the Georgia Nevada EP; I play a lot of the musicals, “Six” being a favourite at the moment. I also have been playing some soul and dipping into some contemporary jazz.
Mark: “Keep Me Fed” by The Warning was my album of the year, a rare instance of me going out to buy it on vinyl. I enjoyed Ace Frehley’s “10,000 Volts” album, a return to form for him, and another that I grabbed a vinyl copy of.
Anna-Louise: Diana Pantons “Soft Wind and Roses” was a classy jazz album and I have been rediscovering jazz a bit this year. I also have been dipping into some melodic punk and The Last Gang’s album this year was a good listen.
Stevie, Question 2: We do say in the small print that we are a Christian music magazine, not that that makes a lot of difference to what we do; but maybe it should at Christmas! So, choose one Christmas song and one carol that will be on your playlist over Christmas.
Benny: For a carol, it would be “Once in Royal David’s City,” as it is such a great carol. As a Christmas song, The King’s Singers performing “Gaudete” is representative of Christmas for me; that mediaeval feel runs right through it.
Lorraine: As a carol, “Good King Wenslaslas” is one I like. And for a song, the Maria Carey “All I Want for Christmas” is unbeatable!
Mark: “We Three Kings” for the Carol, and the pop song would be “Santas a Scotsman” that we always play in my home. “I’ll get that song to Number 1 if it kills me.” (Ken Bruce, Radio 2).
Anna Louise: I like “Little Donkey,” but I’m not sure if that’s actually a carol. Then “Frosty the Snowman” takes some beating!
Stevie: Q 3: What artist/band are you predicting will do great things in 2025?
Benny: A difficult question because we do cover many new artists and we promote those we like so we want them all to do well. Sometimes we think an artist deserves success, but they don’t quite seem to hit that liftoff. However, on the folk side of things, Ervin Munir is working incredibly hard and is building listeners by the month. Larkly, from Germany, is a singer-songwriter who sounds really interesting and there is a Dutch band called Roundabouts who are cutting some hard rocking sounds. Further afield, Doctor Lincoln in India is a songwriter and producer who is well worth a listen.
Lorraine: Amy-Jo is a country singer who is laying down some very good tracks now and is starting to make a name for herself, as is Robyn Red. I’d suggest Georgia Nevada is another name to be aware of in 2025.
Mark: She’s not a new artist, but Jen Razavi (lead singer of The Bombpops) released her solo album “East Side of Eden” in 2024 and has been touring as Jen Pop. She could easily gain a bigger audience. Then I think the Soap Girls have an album out in 2025 and they work and tour so hard; they are another duo who deserve a larger listener base. Lastly, Lina and the Lions—I love those guys!
Anna-Louise: Robbie Harte is doing nicely and is a name to note. Female President and Brave Rival are also a couple of bands who are delivering consistently.
Stevie: Q3: What was the best book you read in 2024? It doesn’t need to be a music book.
Benny: I read a book by Richard Evans called “Hitler’s People.” It was, for me, an interesting read about how ordinary people can become monsters or supporters of evil. It is very well written and researched.
Lorraine: I read Britany Spears autobiography, “The Woman in Me.” I love Britany and this was a very touching story.
Mark: “The Goblin Emperor” by Katherine Addison, and it was superb, really well written. A slow-burner character-driven tale and I absolutely loved it.
Anna-Louise: Having small children means my life of reading tends to be the Mr. Men and Thomas Tank! I have no time for grown-up reading, but I will note how good Asma Khan’s book “Ammu: Indian Homecooking to Nourish Your Soul” was.
Stevie: Q4: Music business concerns in 2024?
Benny: I was sorry to read of Lily Allen‘s mental health struggles, often connected to her weight and appearance. I hoped that in 2024 we had moved past that. But I do our social media and noticed a post that people were zoning in on; it was of Ariana Grande and there were two pictures next to each other. One from maybe 3 years ago of her looking great, and one from 2024 where she looked awfully thin. The comment was asking what was wrong with her. I posted back that Ariana Grande had one of the best voices in modern music and had just been in a hit movie, “Wicked.” If she had a health issue, none of my business, and no one elses either. I wish we could all keep our beaks out of other people and talk music only.
Lorraine: Yes. And moving on from that to your editorial, Benny, Lily Allen now earns more from selling pictures of her feet than she does from her music. The streaming platforms must pay artists a proper wage and the expectation of music for free must end.
Mark: I’m concerned about smaller music venues closing. Artists need a living from live performances if they can’t get income through streaming music. It’s okay for huge acts like Oasis to sell stadiums at inflated prices, but for smaller acts, the audience only has so much money in these hard times. Small venues are the lifeblood of the industry and I’m sorry to see so many go to the wall (closing at the rate of 2 a week in the UK in 2023).
Anna-Louise: I’m concerned that this whole issue of suing a songwriter because their song may sound similar to something else is getting stupid. Myley Cyrus has had problems over “Flowers,” and I hope she wins. It’s ridiculous; everything sounds like something else; get over it!
Stevie: Last question: How is Rock the Joint Magazine in 2024?
Benny: Very healthy, I think. We retained 1,000 readers a day average in 2024, and on some good days rose to nearly 2,000. We introduced the editorial page and continued with delivering our own merchandise. All good.
Lorraine: We are still here and thriving! Contacts are building up all the time, and relations with bands and artists are growing. And thanks to everyone who has sent us coffee money on the “Support Us” button. Some very kind people; we love you all!
Mark: 2025 has loads of appeal! Looking forward to building in 2024 and developing what we do. We already have an exciting line-up of artists we are talking to in January, so stay on board.
Anna-Louise: As the new member, it’s good to be a part of things. Happy Christmas and New Year to all readers!
And I hope you liked the feature, dear reader! If you did, please check out the other pages of the magazine; we have many great features, merchandise, editorials and even poetry! We work hard for you, and if you want to show some appreciation and support what we do, then do use the Support Us link below and buy us a coffee for Christmas! Always appreciated.
By Stevie Ritson
