Carpe Carmina: #HITSBC2016: house in the sand, one of carpe carmina's favourite music blogs, celebrates its 4th year of existence (Feb. 1st

"Charmingly and insightfully written reviews, heartfelt and genuine involvement in building musicians' publicity - HITS features diligently chosen music by artists, Vanessa believes in and whose aptitude she is confident of, as her articles convincingly and conspiciously portray. Her passion and love for music in general, for the music she showcases and depicts in particular, is notable, almost sensible 'with each syllable committed to paper' and leaves the reader with a colourful yet concrete impression of the compositions described and appraised."

- carpe carmina about house in the sand

As a music lover and reviewer, I often find myself in admiration of the work and writing of music journalists and music enthusiasts alike, feel invited to indulge in both musings and musical opera (I'm not speaking of 'opera' as a dramatic genre here, my love for latin simply shows) aplenty. Throughout the years I have felt most at home doing so when roaming the wonderful website of house in the sand, as it does not only show a great deal of professionalism but of personality too, both the writer's and the musicians' (ok, the fact that the blog's originator and I share the same name, are both based in germany and are equally passionate about showcasing music, might have added to my love for house in the sand (short hits) a little, however, the blog's content is quality one). I've been introduced to many amazing artists thanks to the articles written by Vanessa, have watched a vast number of live performances and interviews featured on hits, often felt as if I have actually been at the gigs house in the sand attended and covered with behind-the-scene and soundcheck insights as well as with great photography, loved every bit of Vanessa's more personal posts (ranging from heartfelt thank-yous to inspirational and reflective messages to/about hits' readers or about her love for music) and technique-focused pieces of writing (e.g. how to do video interviews, how to take pictures at gigs, introducing vital blogger gear).

House in the sand is spreading its musical views among music lovers for four years only and yet it feels as if it's always been a companion of mine, inspiring my very own approach to music reviewing and rekindling my spark and passion for music time and again. For that, I'm truly grateful. Enough of my emotional ramblings now though, we are here today to tell the story of house in the sand, to celebrate its commendable support shown to (indie) musicians and its vast and exciting coverage, may it be at gigs or on tour. So, shall we take a brief look at what makes house in the sand a fabulous (and one of my favourite) format(s) for music discovery?

In all brevity: it is the heartfelt honesty and witty ways of Vanessa. Her relentless ambition and passion in respect to giving a voice to musicians who need to be heard, whose story needs to be told. She makes no difference between smaller acts and those already quite or even very successful, dedicates the same amount of attention and care to all. And that's refreshingly delightful to see, especially since knowing what made her open house in the sand for us to visit, was witnessing the pure magic of music itself, at a gig Martin and James, Jim Kroft and Dan Dietrich played back in 2012 (so it all started with live music for her and with getting to know musicians she now calls friends). Learning more about website design, editing and the importance of social media, Vanessa, who has been interested in music and photography early in life, became the ambitious and talented journalist and photographer she is today, sharing music reviews, concert impressions, interviews of all kinds – written, taped and recorded ones – introduction articles, backstage insights and exclusive performances on a daily basis in an ever charming, captivating and excitingly vivid way.

Vanessa Jertschewske

Liam McClair (photo courtesy of Joe Sheridan)

Alex Lloyd (photo courtesy of Alex Lloyd)

Adam Reeve

In 2016 then, liverpool-based photographer Alex Lloyd, music writer Adam Reeve – hailing from essex – and manchester-based singer/songwriter Liam McClair joined the ranks of hits; from now on the three of them will (regularly) contribute to the blog's eclectic offerings. With new faces and features (such as 'songwriter stories', whose first edition features none other than Liam McClair), some might say house in the sand has changed quite a bit ever since starting out in 2012; the truth though is, it has only expanded its opportunities to introduce passionate and striving musicians to a wider audience while staying true to its beliefs as well as to its very own mantra: house in the sand has been and will always be a home for music lovers. Simple as that, and honestly, this alone is a wonderful thing to say about a music blog!

carpe carmina (blog toddler of a little more than two years) wishes house in the sand a very happy 4th birthday and looks forward to watch all of the surely marvellous performances dedicated to said joyful event.

Long may it (and the celebration) continue!

Reach out to & explore house in the sand on ...

.. its official website ...

.. twitter ...

.. facebook ...

.. youtube ...

.. soundcloud ...

.. instagram ...

Find out more about this year's birthday celebration on hits.

Check on all 26 performances of #HITSBC2015 here.

Check on all 27 performances of #HITSBC2014 here.