Bearded (magazine)

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Bearded
Editor Gareth Main
Categories Music magazine
Frequency Bi-Monthly
Circulation 25,000
Publisher Fleeing from Pigeons
First issue 20 August 2007
Country Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Language English
Website www.beardedmagazine.co.uk

Bearded is a bi-monthly music magazine based in the Moseley suburb of Birmingham, England[1] that distributes nationwide through a distribution network of independent record shops[2], alternative music venues and other hubs of alternative culture. The magazine only covers artists who are either unsigned or signed to independent labels.

Contents

[edit] Philosophy

The idea behind Bearded came when Gareth Main was working as editor of golf trade publication Golf Course News International. With a nonchalant attitude to golf and a love for independent music, Main realised that there was a gulf in the music magazine for artistic magazines aimed at music and that there was a significant niche in providing coverage nationwide to independent artists.[3]

Bearded is printed on very high quality 100% recycled paper stock, is uncoated and has very high standard art direction - commissioning illustrations from renowned artists such as David Shrigley and Paul Davis

[edit] Music Artists featured

FFP.A - August 2007 Matt Berry, Polyphonic Spree, Throwing Snow, Untitled Musical Project,

Other features: Freshly Squeezed Music, Spillers Records, End of the Road Festival preview, London's fledging alternative country scene.

FFP.B - October 2007 Fiery Furnaces, Future of the Left, Johnny Parry Trio, Misty's Big Adventure, Robert Wyatt, Stanley Brinks

Other features: Trunk Records, End of the Road Fesival, Rough Trade East

[edit] Artists

Art direction on Bearded is led by award-winning design agency This is Make Believe[4].

Artists and illustrators who have contributed to Bearded include

Craig Atkinson [5] [6], Mr Bingo [7], David Callow [8], Paul Davis [9], Samuel Sparrow [10], Zeroten [11] [12] [13]

[edit] Critical Reaction

After the magazine's launch on 20 August 2007, it gained a positive response from the online community. Influential Online Journalism blogger Paul Bradshaw heralded the magazine's "web-savvy business model"[14] whilst Created in Birmingham's Pete Ashton commented on Bearded's "very impressive start." [15]

Cover star and star of Channel 4's The IT Crowd Matt Berry said of the lead feature on him, "I love it, love the article and love you."[16]

[edit] Content

The flow of Bearded is unique in that it follows a chronological timeline. The magazine starts with reviews of live events (the past), continues with news and features (the present) and ends with listings and reviews of future releases (the future). The break to this line comes in the feature From the Euphotic Depths on the second to last page where one of the contributors talks about their love for a band long forgotten.

Another regular feature is the Bearded Sluice Box, where a handful of emerging artists are highlighted for readers to go and investigate further.

[edit] References

[edit] External links