The Light in the Darkness Launched! (UK)

It's was a few months ago now, but the album was finally launched. A longer journey than I had imagined yet within reason. The launch was everything it was suppose to be. The venue, Bar Fly was great. The sound was big and proud, the other acts on the night complemented each other nicely.

The music was brought to life by the people who came and supported. Who joined into the rhythm and felt the music instead of standing passively by, just as I had imagined when I laid down the idea 18 months ago. It meant a lot to me to see so many familiar faces. Deep in the back of my mine I had an idea that this would also be my final UK gig.

Despite a nagging feeling of melancholy I had such a great time. The venue made us feel spoilt. Or at least gave back a little reward for all the unseen hard work that artist do. There was private space to hang out and prepare for the show, in lay mans terms, a back stage! Not to mention the stacked rider. There was a time that most gigs and most musicians would have been privy to such accomodations, however with an economic crisis and little time and money being invested in the true arts, sees these perks few and far between. The occasion certainly wasn't lost on me. I smashed the rider with a few mates. After the performance of course.

Thanks to the venue and its staff, as well as all my mates who came and supported me at yet another gig. We created memories of a life time. Memories that suit track 10 of the album. Get it and see. The performance it self felt good and it was great to hear such encouraging feedback from friends and dare I say fans, with some very unexpected people appearing from nowhere to show their support.

The gig was just the beginning of the night and rightfully so. We kicked on and supported the other bands, got pretty mess and claimed the dance floor as our own.

A moment to saviour, after all is said and done. It ended as it begun. With one man and his musical gun.

The Light in the Darkness - THE END IS NEAR.

As they say - the light is at the end of the tunnel. Nothing could be more true. After a year and a half beginning to end, the debut album The Light in the Darkness is ready to be launched.

The date is all locked in. Promo packs are being made up. Magazines, reviewers, pluggers and PR's are getting the low down. The subconscious weight is slowly lifting. I recall the last time I launched an EP - titled Between Earth and Sun with NOT TOO FAR (www.myspace.com/nottoofarmusic). After the gig was complete I had this weird break down when it finished. I couldn't come out from back stage. I sat there like the tennis player from The Royal Tenenbaums. It was some kind of strange release. The things we go through!

So the stage is set...

17th September

Barfly Cafe

Camden

http://www.barflyclub.com/camden/info/Contact.aspx

It going to be a great night which I'm looking forward to, much like a 5 year old counting down to Christmas or a birthday - when such occasion were so exciting you couldn't sleep. How times change - these days I'm lucky to see Christmas morning and birthdays seem to land on working days. The buzz isn't the same. But this is different. How? I'm not so sure. I guess it's living the dream...

For one - the live sounds are becoming how I imagine them to be. A crisp dirty tone for the guitar, more loops throughout the set, heavy stomp box beats. I like that a live show will be a completely different experience to what the album has to offer. The different approach make sense to me. With recording you can do so much more as far as melody and layer goes. The live experience is about a raw energy and a less limit on volume and therefore texture.

Please take some time to dig the album art work. It by James Sharrock - http://invade.tv/burningeye.com.au/test.php

I've tried to make it as big as possible here for everyone to enjoy.

So, after almost losing all faith, everything seems to be falling back to place. Perhaps the project slipped into the orbit of Mars, got tangled up - and is ready to be spat back out with a heavier force than expected. Here's hoping. The tunes to my mind still sound fresh. All the feedback I'm getting to a lucky few is really positive.

Looking forward to the release party. Peace to everyone who's been involved and to everyone who has said encouraging and positive words about this. It means the world.

Endangered Species Spotted

Elixir Bar is in Camden, between Euston Station and Mornington Cresent. I took the Euston Station option and would have enjoyed nice walk to the venue. I didn't actually enjoy it to be honest. I was running late. Though, as I past the church I felt a calmness and a welcomeness to the place. Not so much a calling, as a curious passing moment.

Looking for a deeper hole to dig myself out of after some interesting loop pedal tricks went astray.

To no surprise the venue was pretty much dead, relying on the pull of the musicians and the musicians themselves to keep the bar busy. I settled in to do a quick sound check and then checked out to get some cash. This is when I passed Koko's, which had a line around the corner of 200 people or so. I couldn't help but doubt myself... how else am I suppose to feel? Now, I not here to sound self loathing or have you reaching for your mini-violins, ready to play the worlds saddest symphony. I have a great life and am very fortunate in many many ways. I am aware that things could be much worse off. But, to not feel a pang of pointlessness, when you have walked from your Wednesday night gig that would feel full with 20 people in it (of which 1/4th of that are even there), to passing a jammed Kokos, something would be clearly wrong. Certain things can't get you down though and if they did I would have given up on playing live a long time ago. I have grit. I have passion. Sometimes, it's nice to think what if - but it also these cold reminders that make you ask why you do the things you love, what motivates you to do them and what keeps the desire alive.

My friends that came and supported, saw a musician, playing guitar, singing the songs he'd written, saying the words he chooses to say. Performing them out of love and passion. Needless to say that many musicians can say that, and get paid for it. But how often have you heard big label bands moan about companies wanting to do things their way, groups touring til they split, the massive debts bands need to recoup before they get a penny, the splash of a little cash tearing a band apart because they thought they'd made it, the measly percentage bands get per CD sale. So much pressure that musicians blow their heads off rather than fade away, lose themselves on a misty night, indulge to escape tomorrow.

Back in the groove with some sweet falsetto.

The performance itself was solid. People took a few snap shots. Some even tapped along, one even watched interestedly (turns out that person was in the final band and later that evening said to me, in a tone split between a threat and an invitation - "you'd better stick around"). By the end of the gig their were a number of people in the crowd, all of which were very supportive and generous with their applause. Sometimes, those moments, even if my mind is telling me are coated in British politeness, get lost to the inner critic putting me down. Like I only hear the tail of the applause. An applause all the same - the right of any live music performance. In a scene that could start to draw paralells with a rare sighting of the Tasmania Tiger on Van demons Land, an endanger species is fighting to be seen.

Excuse us - an intimate moment with my baby.

Oh - and check out these great pictures from the show. There are some other great photo's of his that you can check at...

http://www.ivopauls.com

When Blogs collide

It was just another Thursday night. Another day, another dollar. Being a musician these days costs loads of cash - so a decent job comes in handy. You do find yourself burning both ends of the candle, as the great Neil Young suggests. But hey, here we are rockin along.

A familiar scene, my house mate and a friend hanging out in the lounge. I'm not sure what hit me, but even as we were being introduced I was reaching for a sundanze kid badge to help spread the word. A few polite pleasantries later and we were back into our own grooves.

Upon returning down stairs I was greeted by some excitement and commotion. My housemate's friend was puzzled at having scene this, sundanze kid name before. And there, in front of our faces on her computer was her blog and a comment left by none other the The Sundanze Kid requesting, "Can these recipes please be translated to English?"

Worlds Collide

I had no idea that the text I was reading was Latvian - let alone my house mates long time friend. A few months early I was exploring other blogs, seeing what was out there. I started to follow a few other bloggers, mostly in languages I couldn't understand but could appreciate the pictures and effort these people were making.

So there we have it. A few days later, as I'm nervously attempting a new Jamie Oliver Morrocan dish, she is hanging out in the kitchen - WATCHING - me cook!!! Literally saying, "I love watching other people cook." I'm thinking oh shit, yikes this is going to get bad. Alas, it turns out my cooking this evening is pretty good (hard to stuff up that particular recipe to be fair). My accidental real life blogging chef friend was quite complimentary to my cooking and this meal. Phew!

Too bad chef doesn't like the taste of my music!

The chef as a photographer

Dilemma number 9, 9, 9, 9

Dilemma can come in all shapes and forms. Cheese, no cheese. Mayo, no mayo. What some people call decision making, I turn the simplest of choices into nail biting life or death ordeals. Well, maybe not life or death...

Cheese or no cheese.

The journey of The Light in The Darkness, has seen a number. Not all of which I have written about. Getting to the solution of these dilemmas, for me, often results in celebration - ie not thinking about it any more. Thus, not reflecting or writing about it. But having read out my blog intentions, I will endevour to keep the dilemmas coming - no matter how trival (hmmm - should I change font now... or later).

The Light in the Darkness Saga has seen -
Home or Studio Recording Tragedy.
The Rhythm Episodes.
The Epic When to let fly the songs live? chapter.
Producer or me, me, me opera.
The tale of The Changing of the strings.
Brand or no brand adventures.
Album cover/artwork legends.
To bar code or not to bar code.

Speakers...

And now we are in the midst of the chapter titled - Head Phones or Speakers. Although I have previously mixed and master the album (pre-human drums) I have stummbled across the differences the tracks can sound when mixed solely through the speakers. My bad ass Sony Active Speaker system has been with me every note of the way - but not as a mixing advisor as such. Though it did give me some clues when I layed down one day and notice a bag full of base ruining the overall vibe.

Or headphones...

It feels like a few days having this occupy my mind, but a little reading and thinking about all those days in the studio by the side many a producer and the answer is simple...

Speakers to mix - head phones to fix!

Welcome Brother

.... to The Light in the Darkness.

The man of the moment!

All the way from Melbourne Australia!, through the fabulous world wide web, my bro and I are reunited. While I reach for the Explorers and an extra layer to keep myself from shivering from the damp English darkness, Lorne Chaston has been sweating it out under the hot Aussie sun. He has just completed recording some tasty beats and is helping fend of these winter blues - it's like chocolate to my ears. The perfect way to start the weekend. Right now I am fine tuning the tracks; Thunder Cracks, Without Blood, Burning Lungs, Green Grass and Beyond, in readiness for the independent release of The Light in the Darkness.

The man in action.

The energy and life that he has brought to the recordings is amazing, like twisting a 2D sound into something 3D - more depth, life and human nature. An energy unreplicatable and truly unique. It's great to be reminded of the talent and power the guy posses! The tone of the toms are just something else. Dudes spend years trying to get that.

The man and the machines.

Throughout this journey I have taken all the ideas and possibilities to the end of the road, in aid of getting the best result. Taking the extra time to get to the end of a path only to turn back is worthwhile and has helped me establish how I'll do things in coming albums, recordings and projects. It has help me not only develop a sense of style and technique, but a pedagogy as to why I do things the way I do - not just because this is what others have had success with, or is that cliche bit of knowledge that everyone has, but has no idea why. As time consuming as this "method" seems to have been, it has always worth the wait. I guess, I should say know, this further emphasis the power and possibilities of DIY. Without the clocking ticking and your wallet choking to death - while you pay off some guys condo and Ferrari mortgage.

It is all coming together and I want to say a big thanks a million bro - I am stoked that you are a part of this, the sounds so close yet were on the flip sides of the world!

The Pine Forest that features in

"Into the Darkness" and inspired the lyrics -

"Pine tree dreams escape the broken belief."

Now, how am I ganna get that elusive sister of ours on this?

I can't chat shit that well...

It was a freezing, soaking wet London night. I just found out that my flight to Nice was canceled due to snow and BAA tightarseness on buying de-icer. Whatever that is.

Nonetheless, some die hard friends and fans had made the way down to Camden, and the mood to rock far out weighed the untimely downer.

Proud was host not only to some fine musicians on the night, but also to some industry promoters, the time to strike was upon us. I got a whisper about the event that would be taking place on the night and made sure that my presence was felt. I scrambled together some CD's demoing some tracks from the (soon to be independently released) album The Light in The Darkness and some cool little badges. Like most musician I am terrible at the whole self-promotion side of things (the main reason we get into the arts in general, a lack of people skills - like I can't really chat shit very well. I can do banter with close friends, but cold calling and smoozing- not so good), so I like to speak with actions instead of words. Well, I gave a few to some of the bands I thought were cool on the night and put the packages out on tables and they kept being picked up. Part of me thought that other bands were just nicking them because it is such a great idea, but another part of me hoped they were going to people who thought they'd like a listen or liked what they heard and would tell their friends about the hippest blues guitarist in North London.

The package in question.

With The Sundanze Kid crew in toe, we took up in the stable, ready to spread the good word. Ian had sorted the sound with a quick line check and was interested in the loop pedal. I kicked of the set with Burning Lungs - a bit of slide to set the mood. I have some footage of it, I just need to rotate it so you don't break your neck trying to check me out! The set went well, you should have been there - so I'll be light on the details of it. People liked it though - some people really liked it and were transfixed. It wasn't quite the toe tapping wild break of dawn barn dance vibe that I was hoping for, but I was still turning heads and getting folks to stop in their tracks, stop mid-conversation to give me a chance. I think that's note worthy in today's society. Keeping the blues art form is important to me. Not necessarily in a traditional sense but in essence. There is a lot of competition from all media types so I'll take these small gestures as victories. To those newbies, I hope you enjoyed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8mMabtuJck

One thing I know that definately got people listening was the loop - well I just hope it's because of what I was doing with it and not just the magic of one person making so much noise - ya know!?!

That's it for the gigs this year. Maybe I'll slip into a small house party around new years and make some sounds there - and if so, watch out for the footage. Thanks for all the support this year and I can't wait to get the album to you and know your thoughts about it in the new year.

The reflective quality of a badge makes it hard to photograph.