....stories and wild adventures from the UK's obscurest record label
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Jan 2012
I come downstairs to find between 10 and 15 grapes on the kitchen floor. It's one of their late night tricks when they've been partying upstairs. Sam and up to 5 of his mates will descend and strafe the kitchen eating all the bread and anything else that they can get their hands on - they find it amusing throwing grapes at each other and trying to catch them in their mouths. The number of grapes on the floor is proportional to the degree of partying. We're not posh. We buy grapes because at least they'll eat them. Even at 17 and 19 they hardly eat any veg.
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Usually by now, I'll have at least finished pruning the outside of the hedge, but not so this year. The ranch lies sadly neglected. The garlic at least should be in pots. Likewise the van remains jacked up on an axle stand where it's been for several weeks. Just before The Strange's string of 4 pre-christmas gigs, the starter packed up. Crawling under the van on my back has lost it's charm and I'm telling myself that once I get the fucker back on the road, I'll sell it and get something more modern. I got a new starter ages ago, but I just can't face scrabbling on my back in this pissing down freezing weather.
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It's winter doldrums time but music remains quietly inspiring. The Iron Lady film came out and sure enough Notsensibles I'm in Love with Margaret Thatcher is on it. I haven's seen it and I don't think I will. It's generated a flash of interest. Both local papers have done pieces. There was even talk of the telly, but nothing's happened. The re-release of the vinyl is all ready to go and we're playing at The Trades in Feb.
I did my best to have a bit of a launch for the Strange's single before christmas but promotion isn't my forte. They did 4 gigs. I wanted to film them playing Flies at each gig and put each version on YouTube. I managed it with 2, and put up Shake it Loose from The Talbot. The best of the 4 gigs was The Continental at Preston with J D Meatyard and Lovecraft. VBL played too. The Strange liked it. They got a free meal, free beer all afternoon AND they got paid. Credit to Rico the promoter, whose passion for music is boundless.
I've been sending records to Record Collector for ages. They got in touch out of the blue and they're doing a little piece on eli records, which is a thrill.
My passion for vinyl continues and I've picked up more stuff from Neil's and my contact in the North - mostly R&B, soul & funk. It's nice to be finally contributing to the pantheon by releasing vinyl. I've recorded a load of 7s onto CD and scanned them, ready to finally get the 7" singles club page started. Ticker and I had a 7" singles night at The Red Triangle last Sat & VBL played. Hardly anyone came, but it was still good fun. Ticker has picked up a scarce Travis Wammack 7 on Atlantic.
I've used my DIY amp for every gig and rehearsal since I built it & it's well passed the audition. I'm going to make 3 different models, a 5 watt, a 15 watt and a 30 watt - I keep avidly researching those old Fender circuits and stockpiling parts. In fact I've just bought a box of valves this aft at an antique place including highly sought after 60s Mullards. There was a great documentary on BBC4 last night about the mighty Vox AC30 - inspiration indeed for my amp building - I've had mine now since the early Notsensibles days when I swapped it for a Carlsbro Stringray.
I'm keen to release more vinyl. It's a bit of a Catch22 because until you release records, you're not really a record label, but unless anyone's heard of you, you're not going to sell any - especially me, with the marketing skills of a banana. Still that's the whole point. At least I finally believe in the idea of a record label in the back room of a terraced house. I worked my trollocks off for years to get a decent income so it's ok to spend some of it on making records - some people go skiing, some join golf clubs - I make records.
I'm reading a book about Stax. I love the idea of those old record labels with a central nucleus of musicians (usually referred to as The House Band) playing on all the records. Here, the concept of the house band goes one step further, seeing as 3 of us actually live in the house.
For quite a while, I've been looking to put out a record along those lines - i.e. Someone else singing but backed by us (meaning The Strange or VBL). The opportunity arose after christmas, when Sam mentioned the possibility of Faron singing a Strange song. One of my favourite Strange songs is Mistaken. They hardly play it - it's slow and melancholy. I think it's class - amazing songwriting to say that Sam was only 15 when he wrote it - The light switch switched. My god, the darkness doubles. It's not too long before I find myself head over heels in trouble
When I mentioned it to Lee (VBL bass player - Faron's dad), he jumped at the idea and a couple of weeks ago we recorded a demo.
Tyler is at uni in London, so Bish was going to play drums. We had everything set up to go and I wanted to capture the moment, but Bish got tied up with a job, so I ended up playing the drums and walking across the room in between takes to switch the recorder on and off. Lee sat in the chair and gave out semi-telepathic signals where the changes were and took some photos.
I didn't really hear Faron singing until after we'd done the backing track and she was singing on her own with headphones on. It was one of those rare skin-tingling-hairs-on-end moments. There's definately something special there. I did a rough mix and put it on YouTube (here)
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It's Lol's birthday today and it was Judith's on Fri. 10 of us went out in Manchester and stayed in a posh hotel and went to The Twisted Wheel - great night out. I'm beginning to understand what constitutes a 'mod dancer'. Under Taff's guidance we went in a couple of old Manchester pubs (The Grey Horse and The British Protectorate). He waxes lyrical about the old city centre pub being a thriving remnant of British culture. | |
Sun 4th Nov 2011 12.33 - computer at home
Ranch news
Rain rain rain. There was a thing on the news the other day about the drought down South. Well not up here - that's another aspect of the North/South divide - the weather. You would think by now that someone would have developed the technology to run a pipe from the toomuchrain North to the notenoughrain South.
Speaking of water supplies, I've just finished building a big concrete and bottle plinth for a water tank that I've had for a couple of years. I've fitted guttering to the roof of demi-shed B which drains into the tank and it all works beautifully. Turning the giant tap on and seeing the water gush out is quite a thrill.
It takes quite a bit of discipline to go up to the ranch at this time of the year when the weather is cold, wet and windy, but once I get up there it's worth it. Everything is looking rather tired and overgrown. The paths are all slimy with moss. The biggest winter job is pruning the hedge - it's quite a mammoth task. The hedge is very much a part of the natural cyle of the allotment year. In Summer it's thick and lush - it's more or less 10ft high all the way round. It provides great shelter and is a wildlife haven. Every year I come across several bird's nests when I prune it. I've come up with a method of using the vast quantities of prunings. I tie them into bundles then use short sticks to twist the string tight - after a few months, they dry out and make great firewood.
Every day of the year, I eat something that I've grown on the ranch. We've still got several months worth of onions, garlic and potatoes left. I've grown too much beetroot - there are still jars from last year in the cellar, beginning to look rather faded. I'm still getting fresh cabbage, broccoli and leeks. At the moment I reckon that I'm using about 60% of the ranch's capacity to grow stuff - each year I try and extend it a bit by digging new beds. Producing food feels good - especially in these times. It's all part of my slow drive towards self sufficiency.
Every winter I have a building project. Last year it was some concrete hard standing at the bottom. The year before, it was the brick compost bin. This year, I'm determined to finally complete one of the two demi-sheds and it's going to be demi-shed A. Part of my ranch philosophy is to use building materials that I've found or been given. I had a stone lintel and a fire quarry back hanging around, so I've used them to build a little fireplace. I'm determined to write books and the ranch is the perfect place to do it - it's time have a shed with a roof and walls and a door and a fireplace.
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Rock & Roll
Notsensibles continue to rehearse every week and it's going pretty well. We played our first gig last Sat in the front room. It was great. Afterwards, we played 7" singles and there was plenty of dancing. I must crack on and get on with the 7" singles page. The Thatcher film is definately going ahead. We're playing at Rebellion and in London and Brighton in May and a repress of Thatcher is now at the pressing plant. Best of all, I've been talking to the bloke in charge of the publishing arm of one of my favourite record labels about a possible publishing deal.
I've sorted out a distribution deal for eli recs and the Strange's single launch is coming up on the weekend of the16th Dec.
VBL is great fun at the moment. I've never contrived to write songs in any particular style - the Northern garage/punk/Rock&roll ethic is in the blood and forms the backdrop, Recently though, we're playing a lot of quieter jazzy folky stuff. We recorded a couple on Fri night and I might put them on youtube. One of them is an epic about my tortuous relationship with animal farm. Lee and Bish's playing is magnificent. Lee has come up with a superb bass line.
Last night was one of the pinnacles of our career. Stadium gig? Top headlining slot? No, we played in a little cafe at my friend Paul's birthday party. We specialise in fitting into small spaces. Last night was probably the smallest so far - a cramped little corner about 6 foot square. I've mentioned that I built my own valve amp. Since finishing it, I've now used it at 3 gigs and several rehearsals including a couple in a rehearsal studio with full drum kit. It holds its own against the drumkit and sounds great. Last night was the tops though because I used the second channel for the vocals and it was fine. I've even made a badge for the front of it. I love the concept of a neat compact 3-piece rock & roll band.
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Wed 28th Sept 2011 11:10am - table top of ranch
Ranch news
A couple of days ago I would have said that Summer was well and truly over, but we've had an unexpected reprieve and we're two days into a sultry Autumnal heat wave that's predicted to last at least another couple of days.
It was my birthday yesterday. This time 3 years ago, I sat in the same spot and came up with the idea of writing a book over the following 12 months - birthday to birthday. It would be ostensibly about the allotment year but would have lots of flashbacks, anecdotes etc in it.
Anyway, I did it. It was an exercise in the discipline of writing regularly. I ended up with a two inch wad of hand written A4 paper and I've hardly touched it since. I did try using a laptop up here, but the light was too bright. I couldn't see the screen.
I got an article published in a magazine a while back. That was the starting point. I thought 'I can do that - I can write books'. I'll get round to typing it up eventually.
Every year up here, there's a surprise. This year it's damsons - last summer there were about 3 on the tree, this year there are hundreds. I'm not really a gardener. I prefer mixing concrete and making things. This year I've built a big fireplace and some neat decking in front of demi-shed B. I thought I'd made a unique discovery - building with bottles. Turns out they do it in Mexico all the time. Haggis says they use them to build houses.
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We've been self sufficient for veg since late June - potatoes, onions, garlic, courgettes, broccoli, cabbage, peas, beetroot plus loads of fruit - redcurrants, blackcurrants, raspberries, plums, figs. Oh, and damsons. Each year I manage to grow a bit more - it all represents a bit of independence and personal freedom. Yes. I shall leave that rat race behind and live on my ranch. I'll grow all my own food and sell plants at markets.
My experiments with native wild plants continue. There must be so much lost knowledge regarding their medicinal uses and it fascinates me. Now I'm pretty adept at growing hawthorn, valerian, St John's Wort, betony, golden feverfew and comfrey.
Wheels
I've always subscribed to the notion of having a simple straightforward multi-purpose vehicle that's tough and rugged, easy to self-maintain and economical to run. It has to be small enough to fit into a normal parking space and big enough to camp in. It has to be strong enough to climb the steep allotment track fully laden with building materials and it has to be able to carry the band and all our gear for gigs.
Funnily enough VW invented such a vehicle in the 50s and nobody has managed to come up with a better design since. They called it a 'Kombi' - very modern.
Here's what it has:- Excellent ground clearance and torque for carrying heavy loads over rough ground; Easily removable seats that also fold into a bed; Flat area over engine bay perfect for camp kitchen; Same length and width as an average estate car for easy parking; Simple to service and maintain; All parts widely available at reasonable prices. Economical? No, not really.
Any old box on wheels could do all that, but there's one more thing - an exquisite and impeccable balance between elegant form and function. They're iconic vehicles for good reason and if like me you're a slave to good design it's easy to get sucked in.
The reality differs greatly from the romantic illusion. They're expensive to buy and restore and they take a lot of maintaining. The first five years are spent hunched over the steering wheel waiting for the next inevitable breakdown and listening to the latest rattle or clunk. I bought it with the idea of slowly restoring it and using it at the same time - it hasn't always gone to plan, but I'm getting there. When it's running well it's enormous fun and this Summer it's had lots of trouble free use: 3 festivals; lots of gigs; camping in the lakes; a week in Scotland and several heavily laden trips up here.
Rock & Roll
It's been a fairly productive summer. VBL's magnum opus is finally finished and released (2 albums, an EP and a 7" single) and The Strange are going from strength to strength. Their first 7" is back from the pressing plant awaiting printing, ready for release in December.
The big surprise though is the return of Notsensibles. Up until Feb, we hadn't seen each other for 2 years. The unexpected sad death of Simon our manager brought us back together and we found ourselves under the same roof for the first time at his funeral. Haggis gave a magnificent eulogy then we played an exquisite version of 'Because I'm Mine'. We said that we'd play a memorial type gig for him at some point.
We finally got together a couple of months ago and we've been rehearsing every week since. First time round we couldn't play. Second time round, we hardly rehearsed. This time, dare I say it, we're starting to sound slick. As well as the recorded stuff, there's a whole bunch of stuff that was never recorded and no-one has heard before.
A couple of weeks after we'd started rehearsing, we got a phone call out of the blue. There's a film about Thatcher coming out early next year. It's called The Iron Lady. Meryl Streep is in it. They want to use 'I'm in Love with Margaret Thatcher' on the soundtrack. We still haven't heard for sure yet. It might end up on the cutting room floor, but if it gets used we'll get a bit of cash towards recording the next record plus hopefully some exposure to a wider audience. There are London and Brighton gigs in the pipeline and we're planning just one local one preceded by a low key one to get back into the swing of playing live. We're still not sensible.
My passion for 7" singles continues. I've been picking up some great early funk and gritty R&B. I'm going to start putting some over on the 7" singles club page so that other people can share them. Ticker and I are planning some 7" singles club nights (with resident house bands The Deke Bevington Eclipse and Ichibard Crane and The Mundanes).
When it comes to guitar sound I'm a purist. It's valve amp (hand-wired and Alnico speakers of course) or nothing. A couple of years ago in a nerdish kind of way I started buying and reading books on valve amps. Eventually, I decided to have a go at building my own. It's taken me well over a year and I've had rather a few teething problems (including two blown transformers - oops) but finally I've done it and it sounds great.
I'm working towards designing and building the ultimate guitar amp. It has to be compact and light enough to take on the bus if need be (inspired by my teenage lads demanding lifts too and from rehearsals at unreasonable times). It has to be rugged enough to stand up to the onslaughts of endless gigs and it has to have some resistance to having pints spilled on it and fire extinguishers sprayed over (again inspired by exactly that happening to my Vox 125 lead at a recent Strange gig - it's rock & roll remember). It has to have two channels - one for guitar or bass and one loud and clean enough for vocals at rehearsals (inspired by years of using my Fender tremolux). I've based it on the 50s Fender designs (Tweed deluxe & Bassman etc) and I've already started the second one.
The blazing sun continues and there's a warm breeze. There are loads of butterflies feeding on the thistle flowers to my right. I'm off down to Parliament St for a pie.
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Festival
My first festival was Deeply Vale. I think it was the later one at Pickup Bank. Notsensibles played. The Ruts played too - I can't remember whether it was the same night. It was rather a ramshackle wild affair.
I went to the last Stonehenge. I didn't intent to, but I went. At the time, Martin Howard and a few other people lived in a house up Grey Street. Loads of other people came and went and a few of us used to hang around there. They had a clapped out white van called the Grey Street van.
It was the night before the summer solstice and Martin and co were going down to Stonehenge in The Grey Street Van. At the time, I had a Morris Minor van. The engine was knackered and using huge amounts of oil so I had no intention of going. I had a spare engine in my back yard waiting to go in.
'Why don't we go in your van?' Said Martin Emmott.
I explained that the engine was knackered.
'Yes, but you've got a spare one in your back yard'
'You can't just put an engine in like that with only a couple of hours of daylight left'.
'Why not?'
'Well it's not that simple.'
'Yes it is' .
Tom chipped in in his Cowtoot drawl (Tom of sticky tape and elastic band 'Tom-tech' fame)
'I bet we could get it in before dark'
Martin had a certain quiet persistence and in the end I gave in. We did it. By dark, we had the engine in and the next morning we hooked up everything and drove up and down the street fine tuning.
What an adventure. Tom and I took turns at driving. There were four people in the back.
We drove overnight and we arrived at dawn as Hawkwind were playing. They were taking the piss out of Ken Barlow (as druid)
'The Great God Ken Barlow-ow-ow-ow-ow' resounded across Stonehenge in swathes of echo.
It was the last of the true free festivals. There were no walky-talkied stewards in fluorescent jackets condescendingly herding people around like sheep.
It ran itself on an awry benevolent remnant of the 60s hippy ethos. It was wild and exotic and hot and sunny. Women walked around naked and Quakers sold scrumpy. We had a great time.
After that, I didn't bother with festivals again until Sam was 12 and Elias was 14. By then, we had the van and camping had became a far more luxurious experience. They had a great time and we've been to a couple every year since. Beatherder, Solfest and Kendal Calling mainly. A few of their mates generally come with us in the van. They go off to the noisy camping and I alway go to the camper van field in relative peace and comfort.
There is an art to festival camping which I have well honed. There is one hurdle however which is difficult to overcome - 'Going for a shit'. Most festival goers accept the variability of toilet facilities with a pinch of salt, but I struggle with stinking overflowing portaloos and the retching as the stench catches you when you can't hold your breath any longer.
As well as that, I'm always a bit envious of the people playing. They have separate camping and toilets. I see loads of mediochre bands at festivals, and I always think 'We can do better than that'. Last year I quietly decided that I wasn't going to another unless I was playing.
I'm crap at publicity and marketing so I haven't particularly tried to get the band on at any festivals, but by serendipity and weird coincidence we've got on at two this summer. Well not quite. The first was Beatherder. After some weird misunderstanding, I actually ended up DJing instead of playing in the band but at least I got a free ticket. Just me and The Strange went in the van this year.
The second was Bomfest in Barnsley. In fact we just got back last night. We got on through a mate of Bish's who was running the Pimp stage. Bish, his son Bryn and I went over Friday night in the van and camped.
Talking of shitting at festivals, Bish came out with one of his one-liners that had Bryn and I in fits of laughter for nearly half an hour. You can't really describe Bish's sense of humour in writing - it's all to do with absolute deadpan delivery and impeccable timing.
We were camped in a little enclosure across from our stage and there was a portaloo in the corner not far from the van. The doors of the van were facing it, so we could see everyone coming and going to the toilet - inevitably the conversation turned towards light toilet humour. A chap walked in front of the van to the portaloo and as he was opening the door Bish cupped his hands and shouted 'NO SOLIDS'. It was just the style and the delivery - absolutely hilarious.
The recent spell of fine weather was forecast to break into heavy rain. It did rain, but only a couple of light showers. Otherwise it was warm and pleasant, so we were lucky. Walter Mitties Head were also playing (Bish plays drums with them as well) and they turned up on the Sat afternoon and we had a laugh. I made everyone Polish sausage butties.
Walter Mitties head were the best I've ever seen them. It was an original music festival and all the bands had to sign a bit of paper saying that they would only play original material. Their original stuff falls under the psychobilly banner and they sounded great. Dave's vocals are usually buried in the mix but you could hear him for once which made them sound a lot better. Scott has had his red epiphone for as long as I've had my Vox AC30 and we usually end up talking about amps and guitars
We played at eight and it went well. We're a bit rusty at playing live but we were on form. I love it when my Vox warms up and starts to sing. Their is no other amp like it. We were well received and my inspiration for playing live was rekindled. Scott laughed at me for showing off and said that we were the best he'd ever seen us.
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Table, shed B, ranch, Tue 21st June 2011. 9:20
A fine penetrating drizzle pervades, so I'm sheltering under the roof of demi-shed B.
After a hot dry Spring, the ranch is doing pretty well. I've dug all the beds and potatoes, garlic, onions, peas, beans and cabbage are all in. The fruit trees and bushes are all bursting and I'm getting loads of redcurrants, blackcurrant, raspberries and strawberries.
it's been a busy few months. Back to March .....
Wednesday 23rd March 4pm. I'm in the foyer of the Noel Coward Theatre on St Martin's Lane in London.
I'm here to pick up my ticket for the evening's performance of Million Dollar Quartet.
On the 4th of Dec 1956, an already famous Elvis called in at Sun studios. Carl Perkins was recording a session with Jerry Lee Lewis sitting in on piano. Johnny Cash was there too. A jam session followed and Sam Phillips has the nous to switch on the tape recorder and keep it rolling. He also called a photographer from the local newspaper who took a picture of the four of them. On the original picture, Elvis's girlfriend is sitting on the piano and she later gets cut off.
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It's one of my favourite recordings of all time. They spontaneously burst into songs that they must have known since childhood. Surprisingly it's mainly black gospel and church music. Elvis and Jerry's vocal harmonies are skin-tinglingly beautiful and Carl's guitar sound is exquisite - I recently got the 50th anniversary version which has even more lost snippets on it.
I read about the West end show in one of the weekend papers. Apparently the actors also play their instruments. I'm sceptical - I can't imagine anyone being able to recapture the feel of that original recording. Still, I'm in London for a course, so I'll give it a go.
This morning, I had an interview for the job I'm already doing. There are 4 applicants for three jobs and I'm kind of hoping that I won't get it. There was a fuck up. One of the interview panel was an hour late so I had to rush for my train.
Unusually for this time of year, it's hot, dry and sunny. People are standing outside pubs drinking and there's a buzz in the air. I like London and I have a plan. I'm going to move on from the place where I work and join a locum agency. I'll come to London for a couple of weeks a month and work in the busiest departments. I'll make enough money for us to survive and the rest of the time I'll concentrate on music.
My friend and colleague texted a couple of hours ago to say that she and the other girl had been offered the job. I've heard fuck all, so it can only mean one thing. Hallelujah. A feeling of joy begins to swell inside.
As I get to the box office my phone rings.
'Congratulations, you've got the job.'
Fuck.
'Sorry. I don't want it - give it to the other chap. He deserves it more than me'
He ignores me and says
'Have a drink to celebrate, enjoy your course and we'll talk about it next week.'
I should be thrilled but I'm not - what a miserable ungrateful twat I am. I walk up the road and get a pint of Guinness at the pub on the corner. I stand outside. The warm afternoon sun is shining and people look happy.
The show was good. It was a bit hammy and they're not that faithful to the original recording, but they play well and get a decent rockabilly sound. 'Carl' plays a 335 and he should be playing a Gretsch Duotone. That's just me though. I'm a pedantic snob when it comes to guitar sound.
I don't sleep. I'm in a dark room at the back of The Travel Lodge on Drury Lane. There's some kind of boiler thing that goes on and off every five minutes - a bit like Chinese water torture.
The course is a nightmare. It's intense and relentless and I'm completely fucked. I hadn't realised that the interview would take so much out of me. My friend and colleague Tom had warned me but as usual I've ignored his advice. He's known me since my first job at the old infirmary. I've always acted like a snotty rebellious teenager and he's always been the father figure offering me sensible advice which I've always ignored. He has a profound understated wisdom. Virtually the first time we met, he predicted that I would take over from him one day. 'Bullshit' I thought. 'I bet you say that to everyone'.
.... Fast forward to Sunday 17th of April.
I'm in The Academy 3 in Manchester watching a band. They're called The Strange. They're all teenagers. Singer and songwriter Sam is only 16.They've brought a coach load of mates with them and the atmosphere is electric. I've seen them several times before, but this is a bit different. They somehow have found their stride and something has clicked into place.
Of course I'm bound to be biased. I live with two of them and the other two are always round at our house. Normally I would be driving them, but tonight I have tickets for The Jim Jones Review downstairs so they've had to make their own way in a taxi.
I never forced my kids to be into music, although when they were little, I would make them sit listen to classic tracks. They would cover their ears and say 'Can we go now?'
Ours has always been a house of music with amps and guitars everywhere not to mention shelves of classic vinyl. I half expected them to rebel and become accountants or worse still form a heavy metal band.
Sam's songwriting ability is a pleasant surprise. He's churning out quality songs at a steady rate. There are Artic Monkeys/Joy Division/Fall influences, but also something quite original. Recently, I voiced my surprise to one of the girls at work. She just smiled and said 'Where the apple falleth.....'
Since the Academy gig, they've played regularly and done quite a bit of recording. The other Saturday they played at Lowerhouse canteen and it was a roaring success. It was their first gig in their own right. At the end they did an encore and the crowd went wild and a full blown moshing situation developed - there was beer flying everywhere and glasses got broken on the stage. It feels like they might be on the cusp of something big - all the essential ingredients are there, so who knows?
Afterwards I apologised to Karl, the steward. He's very enthusiastic about encouraging young bands and he wants to do regular band nights. I was worried that we might have blown it but he just smiled and said 'I never thought that I'd see moshing at The Canteen'.
At their age, I should have been concentrating on my A-Levels but I was playing in a punk band. We were making records. At the time, this seemed infinitely more worthwhile. With the benefit of hindsight, I was right, it was infinitely more worthwhile.
My own band has taken a bit of a back seat. Our last gig was at The Talbot where we played the usual two fortyfive minute sets. Afterwards I decided never again. I don't want to do any more pub gigs - too much hassle. I've decided to stick to playing original material. As well as our own stuff, we've always played a lot of rockabilly and early Rock & Roll - I think I wanted to see if I could carry off being a singer in a rock & roll band - been there, done that - now it's back to my purist roots. Original material or nothing.
Our album and 7" single have been back from the pressing plant for ages - I'm hopeless at getting it together to send them out. Finally making a 7" single is a real thrill. I've worked out how to print the actual labels using an adaptor on the printing press. This means that I can print absolutely anything I want on the labels. Consequently, rather than bother with conventional publicity, I've made up a few bogus band names and corresponding bullshit biographies - a bit like a naughty schoolboy looking up rude words in the dictionary - great fun. It's quite surreal putting a single on the turntable in the same room that it was recorded.
The drizzle is subsiding. Time for a bit of planting.....
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