Tom's Recording Musings...

We've been working on a new recording for some time now, although it's been very stop-start as I've got married over the summer and there's been a couple of new jobs and moving homes within the band.

I read the other day about the Feeling renting a country mansion and spending a month there tracking their new album. It's a shame really, all that money spent and it's still gonna sound as limp as..... well, you fill in the blanks.

Not that I'm saying that our new stuff is ready to shatter all previous recordings but we are getting excited about it. We've spent literally no money this time, begging, borrowing, and selling Rich's body parts in order to get enough bits to lay down the tracks. Thanks to some very kind friends, and very able surgeons, we've been able to get enough equipment to have the best part of 10 tracks recorded.

That now leaves the final touches such as vocals, keys, and extra noises to come up with and it'll be time to mix and send for mastering.

If you're reading this then I hope you'll come back and check it out when it's finished. If I know Craig, I'm sure he'll let everyone know about it.

'til then, adios.

Tom

Back in a different studio...

With the drums and bass now recorded we've moved onto guitars. Dan's first and we've turned my house into a multi-room studio; there's only one rule about recording instruments at home... have them loud enough that you can't hear the neighbours knocking on the door to complain.

That or use someone else's house. Particularly Rich's house, he loves it when he gets letters from the council, it makes him feel loved to get some post. If you or any of your friends would like to write to Rich please see the address at the end of this blog.

We're ambitiously taking on more tracks this time; plenty of new ones as well as some older songs that we wanted to re-write. This is quite an exciting way of working as it combines the familiar with the oppurtunity to innovate. If you have any suggestions for lyrics, instruments or animals we can hit to make noise then please, send them to the address at the end.

It's nearly the end of the day now and I'm hungry so it's time to go, keep checking back for updates and hopefully I'll see you at one of our gigs soon.

All the best,

Tom

Back in the studio

So we're back in the studio... Well, sort of-this time we're taking the DIY approach to music-making and we've borrowed a big old house in the middle of Brighton to make noise in.

It's good. I'm in the control room with Dave, Towner is busy tracking the drums for a new song called "Undertow", he is sounding glorious today. We've had to take it in turns to sit in the live room and watch, it's that exciting.

And where is Spear you might ask? He had a late night last night so he didn't make it. Oh well... 

We've also been putting microphones in very weird places. I should probably clarify that by explaining that they are weird places within a room. Such as a sink. Towner might want to put them somewhere weirder, but that's an issue for him to deal with. 

Love and hugs from the sharp end,

Dan

So this is my first adventure in the world of writing a blog. I must say I'm a little disapointed-they promised me there would be chocolate and there isn't. But as I'm here I'll write something anyway.

Being in a band is one of the best experiences there is. In everything I've done in my life, there is very little that compares to standing on a stage playing a guitar as if your life depends on it and screaming words that mean something to you at the top of your lungs. Sometimes the crowd screams them back, sometimes you're there screaming on your own-howling as loud as you can, hoping that somebody in the audience identifies with what you're saying. Times like that it feels like some sort of battle, band versus audience, each trying to make each other heard. But in some ways those are my favourite times; playing to people that have never heard of us before and may never hear from us again, trying to win them over, wondering if one word from a song will resonate with someone and make a difference. Last week we played with Captain and it felt like that-screaming in the hope that somebody will hear-not sure if we were screaming for our sakes or for theirs.

Maybe music was never meant to be this important. Maybe it is all meant as background noise, a break from the quiet. Or perhaps music was meant to say something. We sing a lot about hope, about grace, about holding on. We sing about those things because they are a common experience for each of us in the band; each of us have had times when we have been a stranger to hope, when all we have had to fall back on is grace, and when holding on seems to be one step too far. Maybe the best to hope for is to make someone smile. Either way, I love having the chance to scream these words at the top of my lungs....

Gotta go, the bakery calls. Not in the sense that Spear's housemate means it either... Spear knows what I'm talking about. I hope nobody else does, that would be scary.

Love and hugs,
Dan

well I just got back from a rehearsal with the other guys at the excellent Brighton electric studios, it was a good evening especially as it is probably the only studio I've ever been in that is an actual pleasure to play in.

I was hoping that by now Rich would have logged in and written some surreal musings that usually only a few of us get to enjoy but it seems that he's been far too lazy for that so far. Maybe he'll put a bit more effort in soon. miracles do happen.

anyway we've been busy recording recently, we've had a few gigs but really we're waiting for some new material we're working on to be finished. Partly because this will now have craig drummng on but also 'cos were extremely confident that this new CD will not just be a bit better than our previous efforts, some might say not that hard to do, but i think it will be a totally new level that we'll be at. Anyway I'm starting to sound like a press writer so I'll leave it there, I just felt it was time that there was at least one new blog in case anyone does read this. Maybe I'll get bored soon and write up the story of Dan buying a non-existent guiar of a non-existent Spaniard but you'll have to promise not to tell him that I told you.

So to anyone who reads this, its been a pleasure and maybe we'll chat again soon.

regards,

Tom