New Gig, New Songs

So friday night was the second gig with the new line up, with new songs thrown in for good measure.

2 of us got there on time, the 3rd member only just making it in time to sound check due to the typical friday night traffic in Cambridge.

As we were on first there was not a great deal of time to hang around before the gig.

We rolled on stage and kicked into the set playing confident and tight versions of our existing songs, before taking a chance and playing our 2 new songs back to back towards the end of the set.

Once again we went down well with the Portland crowd, and even managed to shift a few free CD's which i have spent the past month mixing and mastering.

A good show considering this is a the second with the line up, and we are looking forward to confirming a few more over the next few months.

Line up

Paper Soldiers
This Broken Empire
We Are Godzilla

Set List

Sleepy Eyes
Take Me Out
Over Me
Burn Forever
Marvin Gaye
Summer Sun
Right Where I Belong

Back to the Portland...

so this blog hasnt been updated for over a year, mainly because nothing has happened, but last night was the culmination of several months hard work when paper soldiers returned to the stage for the first time since mid 2010.

the line up has gone through a number of changes in this time and has finally settled into a 3 piece who have been tucked away in a practice room putting together the set.

we got to the gig at the familiar portland arms, unloaded and did a quick sound check before chilling out and watching the opening band outbound.

we went on second and kicked into the first song, brushing off any nerves we had before charging into the next songs.

whilst the set was short and sweet, our cover of buck rogers was incredibly well recieved and the set itself felt tight and the crowd enjoyed it.

we will be looking to record an ep/demo in january before doing more gigs next year.

line up:

outbound
paper soldiers
the stand-ins

set:

sleepy eyes
take me out
over me
burn forever
buck rogers
right where i belong

Sleeping with the light on......

we entered wyton again last night to the sound a of a spitfire doing laps above our heads, an interesting start to the evening.

short one guitarist, the 3 of us got into the room and burned through the 2 songs we have been writing, before out of the blue writing a brand new one, with lyrics and everything (which is currently known as "charlie busted").

we started work learning some of the demo's that id written prior to the band and putting them together.

its starting to feel a bit more like a band now, the banter is building up and we are relaxing and throwing ideas around at a fair pace.

in the next couple of weeks we will be starting 2 sessions a week, which should get us tight and productive.

Brand new start...

in the words of alter bridge we will make a brand new start..

i headed down to the practice rooms again with a new group this week.

we ran through cover versions of "come to life" by alter bridge and "paint your target" by fightstar before running through some demo's i have been writing over the past few weeks.

we spent some time jamming new ideas and getting to know each other.

overall the time spent was productive, it was relaxed and most important it was enjoyable.

we are looking to work hard and really put effort into this band, with multiple practices a week and outside recording and writing etc.

we get together again tuesday with a potential guitarist to add to the line up.

things are looking good

life moves on...

so once again i find myself back at the start again.

unlike before where i have rushed straight into putting a band together almost immediately this time i am taking some time off.

i admit, i have had a jam or two with a couple of musicians, and have done an acoustic gig with dave, but i'm taking it easy.

mainly i am spending time getting to fall in love with music again, cos i had lost that love, and was playing to be part of a band, not cos i wanted to.

i am currently going back and finding space to listen to albums from my past to regenerate me. bands including switchfoot, crowded house (who's new album is a cracker) and feeder (again another cracking new album).

many ideas are popping into my head, and i'm writing them down as i go, and they are certainly going to be used when i begin putting paper soldiers back together, which is my next challenge.

stay tuned..

So what's new..

well since we decided to call a time out on the band i have occupied myself with writing and practicing.

i have a couple of small projects in the pipeline which should keep me occupied for the time being. as ever i shall keep everyone informed

Have a break, have a kit-kat...

so for the past few weeks we have been dealing with the loss of a guitarist. it turns out that we miss his input more than we thought we would, and despite trying out a replacement, things feel empty and the band feels loose...

morale last night was at a low, we are back where dave and i started a year or more ago. after a 3rd unproductive practice, we have decided to step back from this band for a couple of months.

with having to get a new guitarist up to speed, by the time we are there and have written new songs, del will be lording it up in thailand for a couple of months so we have decided for now, that the band is on a hiatus.

we do plan to come back when del has finished his trip to thailand and won the heart of a thai bride, but for now, other projects will take place.

check back here for updates on what myself and the band get up to

The new guy...

so this week was our first without rich, it was kind of strange not having him there, as he had become a key member in the band in both music and band dynamic.

we did however have a replacement guitarist join us. when we knew richard was leaving, i called in a favour from a friend i have known years, a very talented metal guitarist.

we learned the songs really fast, and added his own spin on them, which gave them a bit more energy and made us play harder and with a heavier edge.

once he left, we played through the set prior to our festival slots coming up. we are planning to do these gigs and write a new set before embarking on a new stage of our existance.

its not that our songs are bad or that we are bored with them, but out of the 7 songs we have in our arsenal, only 2 were written as this band, the others written by myself and dave in various other versions of this band. we are hoping that a new guitarist and new songs will help us gel as a band and push us forward.

Update...

i must admit, i have been quite slow in updating this. so here goes the update.

we have finished recording our ep, we decided that rather than mix it ourselves we are gonna offer it out to a producer to get a better quality output.

unfortunatly tho, we have parted company without lead guitarist richard. after a string of good gigs with him, due to financial reasons he has had to pull out. he will be missed greatly, but as one says, the show must go on.

back to the studio's tommorrow with a trialist on guitar.

Hit record....

more recording was done for the 6 songs we have so far, we recorded the guitar parts for 4 of the songs, and we had a great laugh doing it.

unfortunatly, we didnt have a drummer, he decided not to come... what are we going to do with him?

Drop a beat!...

so its easter sunday, and i'm mixing/recording the rhythm section for the upcoming ep.

one thing i've learnt about mixing/producing is that the key to a good mix is good base material, especially from the drums, cos weak or loose drums will in turn make the rest of the recording seem sloppy and rushed.

so right now, i'm sitting with a bass, a click track and a set of drums.

at the moment the drums have had some minor tweaks done to bring certain sections in time, but on the whole they are pretty good.

still a lot of work to do, but we are gonna work on guitars tuesday so i'm trying to get some decent sounding drums and some decent base bass tracks for the fly boys to work with.

Pub grub...

so every now and then you have a gig that goes bad for you but great for everyone else.. this was one of those gigs.

we rolled to the portland in order to partake in a strawberry fair benefit gig as the headline act for the first time in our short history.

we got our gear in, set up, and the problems began with dave's amp getting broken, luckily we were able to get it fixed by the ever handy jazz prior to getting on stage.

having so much time to kill, we hit the bar which was my first mistake. i always make a point of not eating or drinking before a gig, it keeps me sharp, keeps me focused. but this time i decided that due to hunger and just generally being out of it from works stresses and strains that id partake in food.

we then went to watch the first band, chainstoke.. a sleaze/classic rock band who put on a good show, and if they didn't take themselves seriously they would be a good laugh.

east strikes west were next, the best sound ever at the portland i believe was said, mainly due to having a sound guy who has followed them on tour.

next up was us, we went through the first 2 songs without a hitch, before i realised my amp wasn't pulling its weight.. i found out through "over me" a cable had not been connected, so had to rush in and get it plugged... this was also the song my voice decided to go.

we hammered through "coffee is warming", and went into "burn forever" which we followed up with the simple machines tune "need more time".. this presented an issue as i couldnt keep my voice in key, due to a combination of not hearing myself and it being fucked and it just got worse through "right where i belong".

i cam off the stage feeling like shit, one of the worst performances personally for a long while, but the major contrast was that the others and the crowd enjoyed it.

on the up side we were tighter in terms of playing together, i just couldnt sing...

one has to take nights like this on the chin and get on with it. now we plan to take some time to get the songs finally recorded and mixed and then start writing new songs.

line up:

chainstoke
eaststrikewest
paper soldiers

set:

sleepy eyes
take me out
over me
coffee is warming
burn forever
need more time
right where i belong

Clunge...

so tonight was the final practice before our headline gig tommorrow night.

we got in, set up and played through the set a number of times. we decided to chill out this evening rather than work ourselves hard, but we got a good workout in and are set for tommorrow.

the plan now is to finish recording our ep, and then begin writing some new songs to suppliment our current bunch.

good times ahead

Do you speak English?

after spending saturday evening in my studio with beers and guitars recording the rhythm and bass parts for our upcoming ep, tuesday came round, and again we practice.

after the buzz of playing london thursday, the practice was more low energy than normal, as four skint and nackered musicians entered the rooms.

we had a run through the set a couple of times, which is getting tighter but it seemed to lack the energy.

we had the crazy idea to bring back an old simple machines song for the gig next week, and it seemed to liven us up a bit, our final run through the set was hard edged and hot.

back in again next week prior to our headline gig at the portland next wednesday.

London baby!!!

it's been a considerable amount of time since any of us have played in london, my last being in 2008 with this is my honesty, so understandably the day was filled with a mixture of both excitement and apprehension.

we started out at about half 3, doing the rounds to collect everyone. we thought that i would be easier to load the truck and go down together than to try and park 3 cars, so we piled the gear in and began the drive.

the drive itself was a laugh, a relaxed jovial atmosphere filled the car as we headed towards town, arriving early enough to load everything in before sound checks began. as is usually the case when you are on first, there was much waiting round while everyone else sorted out their gear.

after a straight forward soundcheck (which made us realise we have too much equipment) we chilled upstairs for 20 minutes before heading down to start our set.

despite the room being pretty low on the head count, we hammered into "sleepy eyes" and immediatly into "take me out". the ever increasing crowd approved, and so we moved into the more poppy "over me" which due to our ever growing confidence included tomfoolery at the front of the stage.

we hit into "coffee is warming", the heavy riff sounding tight and thunderous in the small underground venue. we took it down a notch for "burn forever" before finishing with the epic "right where i belong" which in its surroundings sounded absolutly huge. the ending note was greeted with much applause and cheering.

the performance was a great performance for a band doing only its 2nd gig together, there were the odd bum notes, but there always is, the crowd enjoyed, we enjoyed it, and that's the key. we ended up leaving with a list of emails from the crowd so we couldn't have been that bad.

we spent the rest of the evening chilling with the other bands and just enjoying the atmosphere and generally having a laugh as a band.

the trip back was out of control.... a simple word of advice.. don't let a drunk drummer ring a radio station at half 12 in the morning...

overall this was a good night for me and the band. we had fun, we met new people, played to new people. the set is getting tighter, our ability to play together is increasing, and we are starting to feel more like a band on stage. from this point things can only get better... see you at the portland on the 31st.

line up:

paper soldiers
grey matter
the tall tales
stickman cartel

set:

sleepy eyes
take me out
over me
coffee is warming
burn forever
right where i belong

Getting ready...

this tuesday was an interesting evening, it started badly when we couldnt get our drummer to practice, but when we finally got him there we belted through the set a few times.

we are now at the stage where we know the songs well enough that we can throw shapes, fills and have a laugh while we are playing them, which is something ive not done for a while, its good to be back at that stage.

tonight we head off for the bands first ever london show at the hope and anchor. we were quite lucky to get this show, and despite them describing us as a poppier version of r.e.m we are determined to go and lay the smack down in the big city. the last time i played in london was back in '08 with the honesty, lets hope its not as empty as it was then.

Some time away...

so ive not blogged much recently, been busy.

since the last post we had a practice, a failed recording session, a holiday in york and another try at recording.

having got back from york, dave and i were refreshed with a new drive and intensity, we hit the studio on tuesday, minus a broken guitarist to re track some drums which went a tad wrong.

we tried a new tactic doing it, this time i insisted on a click track, and it worked, we have 6 drum tracks nailed which we will now record the rest to.

back in tuesday for a the last practice before we hit the big smoke

All change..

so we headed back into the rooms after a weekend break.

the gig went well, but we thought we could make the songs better, so we set about deciding what had worked and what happened.

the night started with all of us being late for various reasons, then rich managed to blow not only his amp, but the amp that the rooms lent him... good effort.

we got on and went through the set and then set about tweaking our tunes. we have made some changes to the first 3 songs in the set which make them sound tighter and flow better.

we have been confirming gigs left right and centre and will be heading to bedford, london at the historic hope and anchor, peterborough and more over the next few months including supporting a touring band and a tour of our own. check out dates at www.wearepapersoldiers.com or www.myspace.com/wearepapersoldiers

we are finishing the other 3 songs next week and then getting in to do some proper recordings of them for release. we have a few more ideas bouncing about to be written up... exciting times ahead

We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!

half past 6 on a friday night, i roll into the car park of the portland arms, car loaded with rig... it seems so long since i have done this...

we agreed not to play cambridge.... but the chance came and i accepted, to push us, to challenge us, to see where we are as a band... and to see how our songs hold up on a live stage.

i have been in bands before where the destiny seems to be the band remaning in a practice room. i dont want this for paper soldiers... so i took a chance, i wanted to push us to the next level.. if it made us uncomfortable, so be it, we needed that boost, to get that taste of gigging back, to push us forward, we needed to take a chance.

richard, dave and del arrived before i did, as i had to shoot back to work.

we loaded in after eating and went straight into a sound check. there was only 3 acts, so the sound check was pretty relaxed, we practiced several songs... it was nice to be on stage again... just to feel the amps behind us.

we opened the night, whilst the crowd streamed into the gig room, we serenaded them with a jam of "love machine" by girls aloud... silly but fun, and it calmed us down and set us into our rhythm.

we kicked off the set with "sleepy eyes" before kicking immediatly into "take me out". both songs felt good to play, if maybe a little loose, but the went down well none the less.

we followed them with a more chilled out, slower but solid version of "over me" which turned out to be a crowd favourite on the night. we moved on to "coffee is warming" another song like "take me out" that we had kept from simple machines. again the heavy riff was great to play and surprisingly tight.

we ended the night with songs "burn forever" and "right where i belong", our two epic and anthemic tunes. we got an applause from the strongish crowd that turned out to see us.

bar a few minor mistakes, it was a solid first performance, we all enjoyed being back on stage, and we can now dissect where we are as a band and how best to push us forward.

mission complete.

line up:

paper soldiers
rivers(acoustic)
the whybirds

set:

sleepy eyes
take me out
over me
coffee is warming
burn forever
right where i belong

These same 4 walls....

for the first time in what seems like forever, we were down the practice rooms for the 2nd time in a week this thursday...

having arranged a gig at the portland, 3 of us headed down the practice rooms in order to settle some nerves, finalise the structures and get psyched for the upcoming gig.

we played through the set, got a good work through in and spent time chilling and preparing and running through our repertoire of pirates of the carribean quotes.

it was good to have something to look forward to, and even tho were were light one member, it was a good practice and we were primed for the gig