Sting, Keane, Stevie Wonder, Coldplay, U2, James Morrison, Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, Crowded House, Level 42, Brian Kennedy, Martyn Joseph, Paul Carrack and anything with heart, soul, and groove!
Sounds Like
Blue Eyed Soul. Some artists Will's been compared to by others: The Fray, Elton John, The Script, George Michael, Daniel Powter, Sting, Jamie Cullum, Barry Manilow, Michael Buble, Billy Joel, Gary Barlow, Michael Mcdonald, Daniel Merriweather, Howard Jones, Seal...the list goes on, as people struggle to put their finger on exactly who it is I sound like!
Drop Will a line or book him to perform at willmakower@yahoo.co.uk
NB Apologies for the lack of mp3s to listen to currently. Once the EP is finished with ISIS, there'll be some brand new sparking shiny tracks to clap your ears around!!
"The new David Gray...but better!" (Luke Anthony, fellow solo artist)
Will's Headlines!...
Will is currently on board with central London based Major Music for a 6-month artist development program.
Will 's currently signed to Biggleswade-based independent label ISIS Records, and his debut mainstream solo album is in the process of being recorded.
As far as promo appearances go, Will's been on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire/3 Counties Radio with Sue Marchant, and Cambridge/Ely based station Star FM's "Star Talent" with Amy Bidwell. Will's also hooked up with Graham Norton'sSo Television and has uploaded some of his music videos to Noostar, their online talent website at
http://www.noostar.com/performer/willmakower
Meanwhile, Will's been busy clocking up solo gigs whenever and wherever he can - anything from a couple of songs at open mics, to festival slots, to battle of the bands, to full evening gigs - all with the aim of gaining experience of flying solo live, and developing a following gradually over time.
Will's "Quick Sticks" Biog!...
Will is a keyboard wielding solo artist singer/songwriter writing and performing his own unique brand of original soul/funk/pop. He has previously been described as “Sting, Paul Carrack And Seal Combined” (The Boat Race, former live music venue)Will's also been likened to Joshua Kadison and Marc Cohn along the way, and his influences include jazz king Jamie Cullum and soul dude James Morrison. With jazz touches, funk flashes, and pop sensibilities, Will creates soulful grooves, and wraps heartfelt, profound lyrics around them.
Will's Song Gongs!...
Will has won a couple of notable songwriting accolades.
Firstly, he submitted the Only Human E.P. to Tomorrow's People (a UK-wide national competition co-sponsored by The Express Newspaper and British Gas), and won the music prize for excellence in his field.
Secondly, in the international UNISONG contest, his song As you rush in won 1st prize in the CCM/Gospel category a few years back. In a review of The Winner's Night at The Kashmir Klub in London, in-house music critic Adrian Phelan said "It's difficult to imagine you've ever heard better as you relish in Will's talent" .
Will's Latest Chapter...Will is forging ahead in his quest to earn a living from his music passion, which grabbed hold of him at an early age and won't let go. He now feels comfortable in his own skin, and is excited about what’s to come. Will’s been inspired by seeing live acts as diverse as Martyn Joseph, Will Young, Athlete, the Brand New Heavies and musical hero James Morrison. This has spurred him on to be really pro-active and get out there doing what he loves and does best. Will’s always on the lookout for ways to increase his profile as a solo artist and build a fanbase.
Will's Post-Makower Phase...In between the previous Makower band chapter and the current solo one, Will beavered away in the background, continued to write and record at home, and produced Spirit Flow along the way - one magazine said it had "McCartney influence..and some Sting-type sounds.." - a raw and vibrant album of worship songs made with Listen-in. He got stuck in at ground level on a few different band projects, but found it a real challenge to find others as committed as he was to pursuing a mainstream music career. This acted as the catalyst for his current forage into solo territory.
Will's Other Distractions(!)...Meanwhile, Will’s also been busy adjusting to married life, moving to Sheffield for a year, having 2 children, doing 9-5 at Derek Prince Ministries UK, and overseeing his local church’s 4 Sunday morning bands!
Will's Makower Band Years...Will worked up a sweat writing, demo-ing, and sending out the 'cream' to industry contacts...Carrera Records produced a 3-track E.P. (Only Human), which was described by one industry insider as "really good . . . the vocals are excellent, Sting-like with a bit of Steely Dan!" (Tony Hall, Pool Productions Ltd)...Will's band Makower debuted at the Portland Arms in Cambridge, England and went on to inspire and entertain across 3 years of gigging...Another staple venue at the time The Boat Race, described them like this: "soul/funk with a unique flavour from an exceptionally polished band - musically tight, accessible and soul-stirring"
Will's School Days…After 5 years of piano lessons as a kid, Will was sick of sight-reading and started playing/writing/recording for fun, and also co-writing with his inspirational piano teacher...Before long, an enjoyable distraction became a lifelong passion!...Will got involved in a few different bands and some drama at school/college...Landmark homespun album Streams Of Conscience was unleashed showcasing Will's own production and songwriting quality…Having just played the lead in Jesus Christ Superstar as his swansong at Chester College, Will quit his Drama/English/Theology degree after just one semester to concentrate on pursuing a full-time music career.
Hi Will, Cheers for the request! On last Saturday’s show The mighty Osaka Monaurail and the legend who is Marva Whitney in conversation and in session AND Music from James Brown, Randa And The Soul Kingdom, The Dells, Laura Vane And The Vipertones, Esther Phillips, Dojo Cuts, Earl Van Dyke, The New Mastersounds, The Golden Toadstools, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Aretha Franklin, Mouse Outfit, Clarence Carter, Smoove & Turrell, B.B. King, The Apples, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Best wishes, The Craig Charles Funk And Soul Show Team. If you missed the show you can catch it at any time any place in the world at
I was in Cambridge, took my little friend Isabella to the cinema as I promised I would in the holidays, and she wanted to go saturday.
We went to G-Force, which she didn't like (I secretly wanted to go to see Ice age 3 as i'm a big child of 6years old really! but I couldn't pursuade her). We opted for a burger and bowling instead which she enjoyed.
If you have a young children who do not like snakes - don't take them to see G-force (it's a crap cartoon anyway!)
hey thanks for being part of this with us it does mean a great deal to us!
Anything we can do to support and promote you on here and our website www.thenewcurrent.com just let us know and we will make sure we get you featured.
Will, Glad you liked the songs :) I loved your set. The first song just caught me with the chords in the verse. Really liked it! Hopefully see you play live again soon Gema x
Yeah Will i really enjoyed it! Strange that we both came with no friends and have a similar background... Thanks for playing, I loved it. See you round
yeah man the evening was class - everyone was really quiet and respectful while the musicians were playing and that really makes a difference to me.
hate having to fight over the volume of a room full of talkers :p
one of my fave parts of the evening was when you were performing your last song and the whole crowd got involved with the clapping - it was so great :)
but if you're on the scene i'm sure that we'll end up playing another show together at some point so hope to see you again dude!
Hey Will
Its been a while...hope you and Emma are thriving...Anyway, I'm doing some music of my own these days, coming back to UK to do some shows next month after much time of living away....Would love to see you if you fancy coming out to the Cambridge show, should be nice and intimate at CB2...
Well, hope this finds you well old friend...
All the best
Justin