"Taking It Easy"—Album Launch
07 07 07
The Release
After many months of hard work Jewls Verse has released his new ten-song album, "Taking It Easy". The album was hyped-up with the release of the first single, "Firefly" (listen), and the accompanying video (watch), which was shot on the beach of Ghajn Tuffieha in Malta.
The Launch
For the release day it was decided that performing at one location would not be enough, so Bay Street, Fat Harry's Pub and Paradise Bay Lido provided the venues. The day's events began at 18:30 at the Bay Street Centre, where Cable35 provided support for Jewls they day's first gig.
Cable35 played an acoustic set, literally setting the stage for Jewls, who took the stage at 19:00 and played songs from the album.
Afterwards, in a special ceremony watched by a large crowd, JV left his hand print in a '777' star on the Bay Street 'Walk of Fame'. Among those in attendance were Mr. Jurek Juszczyk, the Australian High Commissioner, and his wife, who came specially to give their support to Jewls Verse.
Then it was off to Bugibba, where Fat Harry's Pub was the next venue to play host to the album release. Canadian guitar virtuoso David Ellul treated the crowd to a number of covers before giving up the stage to Jewls, who started the house rocking. Many fans turned up especially to give their support on this special night.
Colourblind then took over the music-making for the night, as JV and entourage headed out to Paradise Bay Lido.
The cool night air was soon heated up by an energetic Cable35, who played their hearts out in a deafening set.
A very responsive crowd cheered them on, and then gave it up for Jewls Verse, who took the stage with his band, The Monitors. Playing some up-tempo versions of the album songs, not even night-bathing could cool the spirits of the revelers, who danced and sang along with the band. But the surprises weren't over. Fish the Drummer joined the band, providing a fantastic ambient drum sound to the music.
Great music, great atmosphere, sea and sand. It couldn't have been a more fitting venue for “Taking It Easy”.
The Album
During the making the album Jewls suffered quite a few set-backs. "Unfortunately Dave Goodman, who was my original producer, passed away. It was very hard to revisit the songs we had worked on together, and it was Dave's wife, Kathy, who eventually encouraged me back into the studio."
"I also had the support of a close set of fans, who were relentless in their encouragement, and the feedback I was getting when I would play some of the new songs live was fantastic." The new album has been attracting attention from many quarters, with interest being expressed from the US and the UK.
The Future
"I'm currently working really hard with my management team to expand my fan base beyond Malta, and to generate a presence internationally. I would encourage any fans who aren't in Malta to join the mailing list, so they can stay informed about gigs abroad, and when I'm working in their local market."
