Thanks to Cees Van de Ven for this.
Thanks also to John Thomas and Mark Dijkstra, AxesJazzPower's organisers, and thanks to my collaborators Sean Bergin and Alan "Gunga" Purves.
Nov 30, 2011
Nov 20, 2011
November news
The Eindhoven gig is approaching now - Monday the 28th of November is the date. I went up to Amsterdam last week to have a jam with Sean (Bergin, my collaborator for part of the show). My first ever electronic jam! He played sax, flute, whistles, concertina, and a banjo he made out of an oil-can, which I then sampled, processed, looped etc. It was mad interesting, I've never really done something like that before, and neither had he. We had a buzz though, and I think he got a kick out of it. It's very transparent, after all, "Oh, I just played that and now I can hear it play back again."
On the night, we'll be joined by Alan "Gunga" Purves, an instrument-maker extraordinaire. 'Sgonna be fun!
A few releases coming up soon too. I met Morphamish up at Rathlin, what a gent! He runs a great net label called Black Lantern Music, and asked me to make an EP for them. Which I am. Yay! Hope to have it finished by Christmas (I ALWAYS want to have things finished by Christmas. Ha!).
The wonderful Meljoann, she who mastered the album, runs a label called Boy Scout Audio. Making a track for a compilation of Irish-tinged but contemporary music. It started simple, then it got very complicated, but.... I hope to have it finished by Christmas. Hweh hweh.
The Machinedrum finally came back three weeks ago. Yes, three months being repaired. Three months to the day. Eeeek. I need an alternative in case that happens again, it's just too disruptive. For the time being though, it's all about catch up catch up.
On the night, we'll be joined by Alan "Gunga" Purves, an instrument-maker extraordinaire. 'Sgonna be fun!
A few releases coming up soon too. I met Morphamish up at Rathlin, what a gent! He runs a great net label called Black Lantern Music, and asked me to make an EP for them. Which I am. Yay! Hope to have it finished by Christmas (I ALWAYS want to have things finished by Christmas. Ha!).
The wonderful Meljoann, she who mastered the album, runs a label called Boy Scout Audio. Making a track for a compilation of Irish-tinged but contemporary music. It started simple, then it got very complicated, but.... I hope to have it finished by Christmas. Hweh hweh.
The Machinedrum finally came back three weeks ago. Yes, three months being repaired. Three months to the day. Eeeek. I need an alternative in case that happens again, it's just too disruptive. For the time being though, it's all about catch up catch up.
Oct 21, 2011
Amsterdam Gig this Monday
This nice opportunity came up just a few days ago. And any excuse to visit Amsterdam is always welcome!
Oct 9, 2011
Learn discipline, learn focus, learn the meaning of PAIN - Learn Piano
Not really.
I picked up a piano last week (been workin out, wha!) in one of Eindhoven's swell second-hand shops. Cheap as chips too. It'll cost as much again to get it tuned, but then it'll be good to go. I might even try and teach it a bit.
There's something special about the piano. Maybe the size, the range, the wash of sound, wiggin out for a few hours, white-water rafting on a piano-y river. So to speak. And the really nice symmetrical feeling of playing with both hands in the same way (although you don't really. But damn, scales are satisfying.)
Piano Roles is a collection of writing by various people about the piano - both "the grip it has on the popular imagination" and historical essays about the modern piano and how it got to be the beast it is. And some lovely technical drawings of piano mechanisms, and kerrazy karikatures of 19th-century virtuosos (or is it virtuosi?). But anyway, a grip on my imagination the piano surely has.
This isn't straight piano by any means (dig those bonkers synths!!), but Stevie Wonder has this gem from 1976 - All Day Sucker.
I picked up a piano last week (been workin out, wha!) in one of Eindhoven's swell second-hand shops. Cheap as chips too. It'll cost as much again to get it tuned, but then it'll be good to go. I might even try and teach it a bit.
There's something special about the piano. Maybe the size, the range, the wash of sound, wiggin out for a few hours, white-water rafting on a piano-y river. So to speak. And the really nice symmetrical feeling of playing with both hands in the same way (although you don't really. But damn, scales are satisfying.)
Piano Roles is a collection of writing by various people about the piano - both "the grip it has on the popular imagination" and historical essays about the modern piano and how it got to be the beast it is. And some lovely technical drawings of piano mechanisms, and kerrazy karikatures of 19th-century virtuosos (or is it virtuosi?). But anyway, a grip on my imagination the piano surely has.
This isn't straight piano by any means (dig those bonkers synths!!), but Stevie Wonder has this gem from 1976 - All Day Sucker.
Sep 24, 2011
This is news though
Hello from Patience Bootcamp! I'm not very patient, you see. This notwithstanding, it's been a bit of a slow few months. But the demo CDs are back from the pressing plant, be-artworked and mastered and all those professional things. I start sending them out next week, yeow!!
My first Eindhovinian gig is on at the end of November. Yip yip! AxesJazzPower is an Eindhoven-based promotions group and "stage for adventurous new music". Their programmes range from jazz to contemporary classical, theatre, electronica, and pretty much anything else interesting. I see that Andy Moor (guitarist from the legendary Dutch punk band, The Ex) is playing in a few weeks with Yannis Kyriakides, a Cypriot composer living in Amsterdam. Seeya down the front, hweh!
But anyway, yeah, their shows are always interesting, and for the gig in November, they're setting up a collaboration between an upcoming artist (that'd be me) and an old, wise, lion with years of experience. So, I'll be going to Amsterdam in a few weeks to meet up with Sean Bergin, we'll have an aul jam together, and see what happens. It's really exciting though, obviously a very different set-up to Ireland. Slightly more (this word again) professional. But it is though.
My first Eindhovinian gig is on at the end of November. Yip yip! AxesJazzPower is an Eindhoven-based promotions group and "stage for adventurous new music". Their programmes range from jazz to contemporary classical, theatre, electronica, and pretty much anything else interesting. I see that Andy Moor (guitarist from the legendary Dutch punk band, The Ex) is playing in a few weeks with Yannis Kyriakides, a Cypriot composer living in Amsterdam. Seeya down the front, hweh!
But anyway, yeah, their shows are always interesting, and for the gig in November, they're setting up a collaboration between an upcoming artist (that'd be me) and an old, wise, lion with years of experience. So, I'll be going to Amsterdam in a few weeks to meet up with Sean Bergin, we'll have an aul jam together, and see what happens. It's really exciting though, obviously a very different set-up to Ireland. Slightly more (this word again) professional. But it is though.
Aug 9, 2011
Jul 29, 2011
Rathlin Wish-List
Ha! Every year, the same thing. "I wonder will I get over to the puffin sanctuary..." Past experience says noooooooo. Can't let the dream die though.
I've got a bad case of the Christmas Eve excitements - hyper since yesterday, completely not with it in work this evening. I imagine tonight will be a winkless night of sleep.
I've got a bad case of the Christmas Eve excitements - hyper since yesterday, completely not with it in work this evening. I imagine tonight will be a winkless night of sleep.
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