Thank you, The Tote

Thanks to everyone who came out on a cold Tuesday night to see us play our first gig as a solid three piece, the feedback has been resoundingly good!

Speaking of feedback, we were very lucky to have Gavin on the soundboard, who stepped up at the last minute and mixed us a thousand times better than our past gig at the Spot, and at the Barley Corn before it.

We all managed to get very drunk off the generous

 (considering we didn't expect one) rider, and the cheap drinks after said rider was exhausted. Somehow I managed to drag myself out of bed for work the next morning.

Apologies for the lack of CDs at the gig, I know it was promised, however as I left the house with everything I thought I needed, I forgot the one thing (apart from live music) I'd promised. 

So our first paying gig and a joyous occasion too. It's great to be paid to do something you love, no matter if it's token only.

Wellity, wellity, wellity. Looks like we might have a few gigs coming up soon after the success of Tuesday night. No big news yet, don't want to jinx the plans. We may have a slightly left of centre one though. Will let you know.

More photos on facebook, become a fan for updates, if you haven't already!

Bone Song (download)

Bone Song (download)

Here's the next one I'm pulling out of the closet. This song I wrote about a month or two before I broke up with my ex... I guess you can tell what was coming from the lyrics. I couldn't at the time, it just needed to be sung. 

That's what a bone song is, something deep in your marrows you need to get out. 

You don't always know what's coming - all the best songs (or the songs I feel are the best) have fallen out, almost fully formed, telling their own truths about me, usually things I didn't even realise I felt or knew.

In related news, I highly recommend you find a copy of Chad Van Gaalen's Soft Airplane. It's a gorgeous album, recorded in a home basement studio. It's so warm, and yet so thin and skeletal. Listen to it, love it. The whole thing is infectiously good. Watch this for an indication of the power of Chad Van Gaalen's work.

Cicada Song (download)

Cicada Song

Cicada Song is about being stuck and hearing the song on the horizon that could save you. It's about putting up walls when you really want to be free.

Lily (my fiance) was lovely enough to sing backing vocals on this one. It sounds great.

I think this was the first recorded song to feature my Ibanez Paduak Acoustic, and it's the warmer for it.

We will play this one live, and it's a bit more backwoods live. A little more swampland, more cutthroat poker games and bourbon. 

You'll see.

The Only Light On In The Building

The Only Light On In The Building

This song is one I recorded one day when I was bored... 

It was going to be one of a few songs about stories in the news. I got to two.

It's about Bernard Madoff, poster boy for the global financial crisis, who ran a Ponzi scheme as the hedge fund of all hedge funds.

Interestingly, he took the fall for the entire scam, despite running an elite staff. 

Anyway, enjoy! I'll post another.

Cleaning out my closet

So I'm cleaning out the closet, I'm sick today, and our gig is in just over two weeks, so I thought I'd upload a whole bunch of old demos for the upcoming EPs up towards the Tote gig.... which as you should know, is Tuesday 26th May, at the Tote, doors at 8pm.

Another Cup Of Coffee (demo)

This one sounds a lot different live, I think you'll like it. We're guaranteed to play it.

Image, by the way, is from sarcoptiform's flickr, and likely copyright.