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.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
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?
unfortunatly, we didnt have a drummer, he decided not to come... what are we going to do with him?
Sunday, 4 April 2010
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.
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.
Friday, 2 April 2010
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
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
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
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
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
Thursday, 25 March 2010
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.
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.
Friday, 19 March 2010
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
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
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