Will Mak
Act Profile:

Will Mak

Genre:
Soul

** Mixing up the classic (Elton John) with the contemporary (Jamie Cullum), Will serves up a heady cocktail of award-winning classic powerpop with backbone, delivered with a juicy slice of soul & funk on top. **

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Will Mak up close

Gigs

There are no gigs currently scheduled

  • Party In The Park Preview

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    Fairway, Chatteris
    PE16 6ST

    DATE:
    28 April 2012
    TIME:
    00:00:00
    VENUE:
    The Sportsman
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Performers & Pints 11: 2nd Anniversary Bash!

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    1 Station Road, Potton, Beds
    SG19 2PX

    DATE:
    29 June 2012
    TIME:
    00:00:00
    VENUE:
    The Red Lion
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Buzz Festival

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    231 Newmarket Road, Cambridge
    CB5 8JE

    DATE:
    30 June 2012
    TIME:
    00:00:00
    VENUE:
    The Cornerhouse
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Jazz Sundays

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    9 Amwell End, Ware, Hertfordshire
    SG12 9HP

    DATE:
    01 July 2012
    TIME:
    00:00:00
    VENUE:
    Gregori's
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Will Mak's Soul Attak

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    Manhattan House, 401 Witan Gate, Milton Keynes, Bucks
    MK9 2BQ

    DATE:
    26 July 2012
    TIME:
    00:00:00
    VENUE:
    The Living Room
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Will Mak's Soul Attak

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    Manhattan House, 401 Witan Gate, Milton Keynes, Bucks
    MK9 2BQ

    DATE:
    23 August 2012
    TIME:
    00:00:00
    VENUE:
    The Living Room
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Performers & Pints 12: Will Mak Album Launch Party!

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    1 Station Road, Potton, Beds
    SG19 2PZ

    DATE:
    28 September 2012
    TIME:
    00:00:00
    VENUE:
    The Red Lion
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Performers & Pints 13: Pre-Christmas Party!

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    1 Station Road, Potton, Beds
    SG19 2PZ

    DATE:
    30 November 2012
    TIME:
    00:00:00
    VENUE:
    The Red Lion
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • MMG hi-jack@Sno!Bar

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    602 Marlborough Gate, Central Milton Keyne
    MK9 3XS

    DATE:
    23 November 2012
    TIME:
    00:00:00
    VENUE:
    Sno!Bar, Xscape
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Oxjam Cambridge Takeover

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    26 Russell Court City Centre, Cambridge
    CB2 1HW

    DATE:
    20 October 2012
    TIME:
    13:00:00
    VENUE:
    The Alma
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Exposure Music Awards Final

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    83 Rivington Street Shoreditch London
    EC2A 3AY

    DATE:
    14 October 2012
    TIME:
    12:00:00
    VENUE:
    Cargo, London
    #ATTENDED:
    0

  • Will Mak's Soul Attak

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    243 High Street Arlesey, Bedfordshire
    SG15 6TA

    DATE:
    24 November 2012
    TIME:
    21:00:00
    VENUE:
    The White Horse, Arlesey
    #ATTENDED:
    0

Introduction

** Mixing up the classic (Elton John) with the contemporary (Jamie Cullum), Will serves up a heady cocktail of award-winning classic powerpop with backbone, delivered with a juicy slice of soul & funk on top. **

Bio

**** "Run This Race" has arrived! **** Will's brand new debut mainstream album release "Run This Race" is now available for free streaming & to buy online! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where can I find the new album ? http://willmakmusic.bandcamp.com Grab a signed copy of the CD at the link above, & get an instant mp3 download version thrown in for good measure! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **** Free Single Track Download in exchange for your email address! **** Will's made Track 3 "You Are The Rock" (a co-write with Laurence Hobbs) available as a free download across all his various web platforms, including right here at http://willmakmusic.com/#/music/tracks/you-are-the-rock ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where can I find full album credits & check out the artwork? Album Credits http://bit.ly/Q6D6mY Album Artwork http://bit.ly/P0cv6D --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What about at gigs? Will’s also selling physical CDs of the album direct at gigs as he performs around & about the East Anglia region. Keep an eye out for gig details on http://willmakmusic.com to hopefully spot a gig near you. Will Mak is a keyboard wielding solo artist singer/songwriter, who plays & sings like his life depends on it, creates soulful, passion-fuelled grooves, & wraps heartfelt, profound lyrics around them. Will stamps his own distinct signature across his whole repertoire, kicking loose & singing live over backing track accompaniment on some tracks, whilst revelling in a pure live keys & vocals mash up on others. Will’s been previously described as “Sting, Paul Carrack and Seal combined”. Will’s also been likened to Gavin DeGrawandMaroon 5 along the way, & his influences include soul supremo Bill Withers + the all round funkster legend that is Stevie Wonder. Infused with classic singer/songwriter instincts, whilst influenced by the contemporary musical landscape, Will is well placed for charging ahead onto the frontline of this ever evolving internet music era. Will has: * been writing songs since 1989 * been signed to indie label Carrera in the past * had his own band Makower for 3 years * won the Tomorrow's People Award for excellence in his field * had his music described by The Boat Race as "soul/funk with a unique flavour...exceptionally polished...musically tight, accessible and soul-stirring” * previously won the CCM/Gospel Category of international song contest UNISONG with the prodigal son-inspired anthem “As You Rush In” * had it said of him by Adrian Phelan (music promoter & critic) “it's difficult to imagine you've ever heard better as you relish in Will's talent"

Q. How did you first get into playing music?

Piano lessons for 5 years starting at the age of 8. DId up to Grade 3, got sick of sight reading under pressure, then just ditched the exam thing and did it for pleasure instead! My first attempts at songwriting were co-writes with a school friend and my enthusiastic piano teacher :-)

Q. How long have you been performing?

Since the days of school showcases I guess, so that makes around 20 years in total.

Q. How would you describe your sound in one sentence?

A heady cocktail of James Morrison, Jamie Cullum & John Legend, + Will's own unique sparkle thrown in!

Q. What makes your music unique?

The passion, the interconnectivity of piano & vocal, the combining of pop sensibilities with lyrical substance

Q. What inspires you to write songs?

God, relationships, films, books, jamming on the joanna, inspiring thoughts that can come from a myriad of sources

Q. What have been your best and worst gig experiences?

Best: The Boathouse, Cambridge March 2009 - my first & best gig via Acoustic Stage, the audience spntaneously clapped along off the beat gospel choir style to "Run This Race For You", awesome amazing moment I'll never forget! Worst: Valentine's gig at a hotel bar in Earith, Feb 2009 (early solo gig) - really was playing to one man and his dog!! Say no more.

Q. If you had to listen to one album for the rest of your life what would it be?

Ten Summoners Tales by Sting - a work of pure class & genius that he'd be hard pushed to ever eclipse that level of quality IMHO. Well either that or Hopes and Fears by Keane, a truly incredible album.

Q. What do you get up to when you’re not making music?

Watching films via Lovefilm, looking after 2 growing kids, being a husband to my lovely wife, dayjob at a charity in customer services, getting stuck in with worship music related stuff at church, reading music related books, artist biographies and such like!

Q. What are your goals at the moment?

* To finish recording the new album "Run This Race For You" with producer & co-writer pal James Erskine * To get gigging to help promote the album across the 2nd half of 2012,, aswell as radio & online promo * To keep building & developing the mailing list/fanbase

Q. What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or gigs lined up?

The digital single "Run This Race For You", the title track from the future album, which has a bit of an Olympics theme to it, purely accidental really, but a beautiful accident nevertheless! Gonna be playing a new venue, couple of dates lined up for May & July at a restaurant in Ware, & also due to play as part of the Jubilee celebrations in Chatteris. My latest song is one called "Anywhere Else But Here" which had it's public debut at my occasional Potton acoustic night "Performers & Pints" back in Feb.

Q. What do you think of Unsigned Band Review?

I think it's a great resource for emerging artists of all shapes and sizes. It's a highly competitive industry, so any company that's willing to stick it's neck out & help champion up and comers is to be applauded.

Q. What is the name of the last track that you wrote and what is it about?

"Anywhere Else But Here".. It was written about being stuck in prison or in a prison like state, & dreaming about what freedom tastes like, whilst being stuck in the cold & dark of your current state at the same time, & wrestling with that whole tension.

Q. What was the music scene like where you grew up?

Cambridge was an interesting beast! Full of uni students & intellectuals who stood there & "waited for you to impress them" basically! That said, there was quite a bit of live music going on there whilst I was growing up, with big gigs at The Corn Exchange, the emergence of the Junction as a "mid-size" sort of venue, and then the "bread and butter" venues like The Man on The Moon, The Boat Race (at the time at least!) & The Portland Arms, the very same venue where my band had our debut gig way back when in fact :-)

Reviews

Act name: Will Mak

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Reviews of: Head Over Heels Original Version (Live) (1)

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  • Will Mak lists some contemporary singer/songwriters as his "heady cocktail". He reminds me more of Billy Joel. That's to say old school rules are at work here. That's not a bad thing as long as you somehow you can find a new slant on it. I'm not convinced Will, despite his good voice and very competent piano playing, has quite got that yet.

    Reviewed by
    Simon Li
    23 July 2012

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