Fast-forward to now ---- What was to be Heliopolis' 2nd album has morphed into the first album by a group called AmuZeum. This is 4/5s of the Heliopolis lineup, with a new bassist/vocalist/writer. The album is written, all the music's recorded... just working on recording the vocals. Hopeful to have this released by summer of 2019!
I’m preparing a program of music to be played on toy piano. Will be performing the John Cage Suite for Toy Piano among others.
I am expecting to receive my Fender Telecaster which has just had a b bender installed. This is my first Tele (why did I wait so long?) and it sounds terrific. Now I’m going to spend some time learning how to play with the bender. Lots of listening to Clarence White and Marty Stuart comin* up.
One of my bands, Awkward Bodies, just put out a new single. Check it out. Some power-pop goodness. Pass/Interference, by Awkward Bodies
Here's a track from my last record, has a sort of prog-folk vibe to it. It was my first time recording a string quartet and it came out pretty well, I think.
My sunshine pop is making a casual recording of a sub-two minutes song I wrote on Thanksgiving. Here's something we did 10 years ago for a unreleased Joe Raposo tribute album:
Mainly a guitarist. Also play bass. Quite good on 5-string banjo, although not up to proper bluegrass speed but I can improvise well enough. Not bad on mandolin. Have a number of instruments I learn & play for recording and then forget and have to remind myself the next time (fiddle, trombone, ocarina, concertina). No great shakes on those though, they just provide textures. Can play various percussion and have been teaching myself drums. Am pretty good now but not having played drums in a band I probably haven't much stamina in my bass drum foot. I do a bit of electronics and am currently building myself a modular synth. And I sing too. I play a lot of different styles, or rather, an odd hybrid mix of a bunch of styles. I haven't got tracks I can post though, so I guess it's all talk at present.
The last piece of rubbish I did with the Garage Band app a month ago: https://soundcloud.com/user-703354758/escena-iv Bass and guitars are for real, the rest was recorded by fighting against the tiny little munchkin screen of an iPod.
First new original The Beagles have added our repertoire since working up the 17 originals we released on our CD last year. Also started seeing the woman singing this with me about a week after this performance. Tracks from our CD stream at Listen – The Beagles
Songs for my cover gig, about 70 shows coming up this summer, mostly solo, some duo, a few with band.
Behold my awesomeness. Black Label HD, by Jamie Lang I just remembered I did this remix/remaster project earlier this year of a project I did long ago. I was going to release it along side the new material I'm knee deep in....but, it seems to have taken a turn for the "Chinese Democracy release schedule"....so, I figured I'd go ahead and put this stuff up.
Finishing songs that have been baking way too long...! Poised to do some recording soon, too, I hope! Way too many unrecorded songs. Maybe getting some cleared out will free more inner space for new creation....
Thought I'd post this here. I am in a band with Micko Westmoreland who was 'Jack Fairy' in Velvet Goldmine and played under The Bowling Green. Our band also features Jon Klein (ex Banshees, Sinead O'Connor) on guitar, Vicki Campbell on bass and yours truly on drums. The bass on this track was done by one of my bass heroes (and a pleasure to be part of a rhythm section for this song) Horrace Panter of The Specials. The video has Paul Puttner from Little Britain fame in it and directed by the great Ashley Jones. Our new video for our debut single 'The Finger' is out today: Micko & the Mellotronics:The Finger - Debut Single and Video Premiere
I last posted about a year ago. Have continued my writing streak. I'm so pleased that, this late in life, I should find myself writing more than I ever have. Most of them are B or C level songs, but you have to get the lesser stuff out of your system to make room for whatever is new. I cling to the possibility that there are a few A level songs I haven't written yet. Either way, I am having fun. Good to read about creative people being creative.
Working on drafting up 3 different Pink Floyd sets for my Floyd tribute. Each set will be around 2 hours long with a 20 minute break. One set will be shorter and consist of the more well known songs.
Second single from our album coming out later this year 'Noisy Neighbours': Micko and The Mellotronics 'Noisy Neighbours' Video | God Is In The TV
Since this shelter-in-place began, I've been slowly writing and recording a new Curiously Strong Peppermints album myself, playing all the instruments. It's a concept record that is about the coronavirus, the social and personal effects of it, the loneliness, despair, panic and fear of isolation. One of the songs is nearly complete and I'm fairly proud of it. Give it a listen if you want-- be warned, it's a 12-minute psychedelic jazz odyssey. If you're gonna listen, try to listen to the whole thing. Cellulose
