Some random stuff
2 July 2024
“The smell of brown leather, it blended in the weather”
The JAM
Just emailed Vinyl Benjy (https://www.instagram.com/vinylbenjy) in the US a couple of tracks by The Jam, as it seems they did not take off there. Haven't listened to them for many years and can see why I loved them so much. One of the first proper bands I was into.
The three tracks I chose were That's Entertainment, Start! (which started the email thread due to the similarity to Taxman) and Down In the Tubestation …
What a band. I was a big fan and had all the singles. That reminds me, years ago in my teens, I was walking along Notting Hill Gate with a mate. Someone in the distance was walking towards me. I thought "he looks a bit like Paul Weller". He got closer and I thought "funny he really does look like Paul Weller". As he passed me I thought "shit it really is Paul Weller!". Automatically, I turned around and at the top of my voice boomed "PAUL WELLLLAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!" punching the air for good measure. Half the road stopped. To his eternal credit, PW spun around with a massive smile and gave me a double thumbs up.
I said to my mate - I can't believe I just boomed out PAUL WELLLLAAAAAAHHHH!!! like that. He said it was totally fine, it was clear you just really loved his stuff.
A few years later, I was queuing to pay for petrol at Tesco's in West London. The queue took forever. Finally the guy in front of me paid for his petrol. As he walked off I saw it was Paul Weller. Probably a good thing for all concerned I hadn't cottoned on earlier.
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6 June 2024 - headaches flying with a guitar and my first guitar
Flying with a guitar's always a headache though less than being guitar-less on holiday. I usually regret it after a few days if I don't bring one and end up looking for something to strum. The classical guitar I'm playing in a maze on the picture for “Elizabeth”, was one such instance. The guitar was a machine made Chinese thing, bright orange with four dead strings, which I found in a cupboard of the rental property along with flip flops and Ludo. I drove to Siena to get strings. The guitar was so orange I had to desaturate it in Photoshop.
I go through the same options when flying with a guitar:-
1. Check in the guitar in a hard case, try your luck with the baggage handlers and be lumbered with a hard case on your travels.
2. Book with one of the few remaining guitar friendly airlines (Easyjet mainly) who let you take it on board. It has to be in a very thin soft bag so it does not exceed 30 cm x 117 cm x 38 cm, anything padded pushes it over the limit. Be prepared for some aggro and stress, also when stowing it safely. I've been caught unawares before by an airline changing their policy and had a row at the gate. So much for BA's lovely Delibes Lakmé side.
3. Buy a second seat, not really an option.
4. Take a travel guitar. I have a Martin Travel Guitar as a last resort but it's no fun at all, like playing an egg slicer, almost better not to bother at all.
On the flight I just took, I had a brainwave. It seemed so obvious I wondered why I didn't do it before, which was to take my old, very beaten up classical guitar in a very thin soft bag on board.
It has a better tone than the travel guitar and if there was any aggro at the gate I could just dump it. If it got damaged by other passenger bags that didn't matter too much either.
The guitar was a Vincente Sanchis model 34, the second guitar I owned. The first guitar I owned was another Vincente Sanchis 34 which went AWOL.
It had a livid split down one side (pictured) and the head had been snapped off by a hotel porter in Australia lugging suitcases. A Luthier glued the head back on, glued up the livid split which came apart again, so a second Luthier clamped it for a few weeks to straighten the warped wood and then reglued it. He re-moisturised it and cleaned it up but it was never the same again. I liked it so much I tried to find another but couldn't.
I always thought my Vincente Sanchis sounded great although the guy in a guitar shop thought it was so-so. He pointed out that a lot of players think their first guitar sounds great, and that they identify it as a sonic gold standard.
I felt vindicated however when the London Guitar Studio on Duke Street, who used to stock Vincente Sanchis told me that * hearsay alert * Julian Bream himself had bought one! Not for himself, but for a young relative and that JB had said words to the effect of "Hmmm not a bad bit of wood". Good enough for me. I was right.
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8 May 2024 - Recording
I've been in the studio - hope to release some new music in the not too distant future!
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27 Feb - Burt Bacharach
Renewing my membership of the Southbank Centre, and clicking under a long forgotten “Order History” I see:
Very lucky to have seen the legend front row and hear his music live at The Royal Festival Hall. I went with a friend who thought she didn't know any of his music. After the show she said she knew every single piece. As a bonus I got to shake his hand - I wouldn't have thought of doing it, but whilst he was chatting between songs about living in London when composing Alfie and frequenting one of my favourite London pubs, a woman from far back in the auditorium, like Row 50, walked right down the aisle between the seated audience to shake his hand. So I thought I've only got to stand up and do it, no excuse. One of my top 10 concerts surely. Below is a picture of the man, suitably glowing.
7 Feb 2024 - Stacks of CD's at Alchemy
In 2019 when I was recording my first album at Kenny Jones' old studio in Hornsey, I was rooting around a mountain of CDs and the inscriptions on them from some of the many artists Kenny has worked with. One, near the top, was by Jessica Irvine who'd recently recorded an album Horses there. Whenever I circle back to it I think it deserves way more listeners - listen to Horses on Spotify and I think you'll agree. She also performs a wonderful version of Beeswing by Richard Thompson somewhere, no mean feat.
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4 Feb 2024 - Gems on VHS
Very happy that GemsOnVHS has included Lupe's Theme feat. Kate Kurdyak on their Spotify Monthly Playlist for February.
GemsonVHS is the folk curator par excellence, capturing live recordings of emerging folk artists and unearthing lost musical gems. Anthony Simpkins, its creator, is described as a modern day Alan Lomax, the musicologist and folklorist who was credited with starting the 1960's Folk Revival.
I'm always discovering great music and artists through GemsOnVHS. Some of my favourites are Esther Rose and this mesmeric recording of her song Handy Man, The Mary Wallopers - I love these guys - performing Smuggling the Tin by old castle ruins and, on some grainy VHS, the brilliant Paul Brady and a jawdropping performance of Nothing But The Same Old Story - I can't think of an acoustic performance right now that combines such lyricism, skill on guitar and vocal force. Acoustic hurricane.
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29 Jan 2024 - Lovely Cover
Love this cover version of “Don't Think Twice” by June Tabor and Huw Warren on piano. Gorgeous.
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9 Jan 2024 - “Also - A Musical Journey in One Minute”
Really nice write-up by B-Side Guys on the background to a 60 second piece “Also” from my debut album. No one had asked about it before, and funny how much there was to say about it - “Jake Aaron – “Also”: A Musical Journey in One Minute”
Cheers to B-Side Guys, “a music podcast and blog started by Seth Williams and Caleb Alexander ... who both had a passion for undiscovered music, and thought there might be others out there like us.”
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12 Dec 2023 - New Vinyl
Well chuffed to receive the new vinyl of Always Seeking. It's available in black or marbled amber vinyl and includes a 22 x 22 inch poster by Anthony Macbain. I chose the marbled amber out of hundreds, after seeing it used for an album by Motorhead - and if it's good enough for Motorhead. It has an organic feel that reminded me of wood, and the designer Kent Hernandez of strong tobacco. Thanks so much to those involved and especially those who ordered it.
BTW if the postage for your country is very high give us a shout and I'll check.
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24 Oct - John Etheridge / Jah Wobble
A new single by The Fusion Syndicate, Jah Wobble and John Etheridge came up on my Spotify list. Blood Red Supermoon Musick
I'm on my third listen. Great spacey fusion prog track. Wonderful guitar work from John Etheridge half way through. I'm really not sure what he's doing but can see why Pat Metheny called him one of the best guitarists in the world. Great cover for the single too.
A great honour obvs to have John play on three tracks on my new album.
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5 June 2023 - Interview
Thanks to Darren Johnson for the interview about my new album. You can read it here
22 March 2023 - Los Pixos
The Pixies hardly need more plaudits, but anyway one more. I bought a ticket last minute on Monday for Monday night's show down the road at The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, one of my favourite venues. I was in France around 1990 when I heard Doolittle for the first time and was blown away - such a strange sound, so savage and pretty at the same time. They played a new track on Monday Thunder and Lightning that I have had more or less on repeat since. A lovely strummed folk song around a theatrical creeping bass line that could have come from The Munsters. Who'd've thought of it. I looked at the merchandise stand and told myself I didn't need anything but still managed to leave with the poster. The Pixies still got it. A very potent brew.
* Update Jan 2nd 2024 - my Spotify End of Year Stats tell me this was the track I played most in 2023. I played it so many times I either have OCD or was working it out on guitar
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15 Nov 2022 - Vinyl Moon
Over the moon to receive a copy of Vinyl Moon Vol. 085 this morning from the courier and wonderful to see "Give Me Your Horse" is the opening track. What a great idea in an age of digital ephemera. Reminds me of my days trawling through stacks of vinyl at the Tape & Record Exchange in Camden Town. Vinyl Moon is a vinyl “mixtape” of rare sounds every month with stunning visual artwork from guest artists. The current vinyl is designed by Jared Sylvia "with bold colors, psychedelic imagery, and inventive use of textures, Jared Sylvia's style is a perfect fit for album art .. he's previously worked with musical behemoths such as the Smashing Pumpkins, Guns N Roses, and The National". Many thanks to Brandon and Vinyl Moon!
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26 October 2022 - Recording 2
Recorded most of the new album. As usual, some tracks were very quick and easy and some are like pulling teeth. One in particular is a wisdom tooth. I suspect the ones that will do the best will be the ones we recorded in three and a half minutes.
Aiming to release a single in December on a limited run CD with some well cool artwork.
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Update: I released the single Elvis Has Left The Building (Super Deluxe Version) with cover artwork by Anthony Macbain
29 May 2022 - Recording 1
Working on a new album ...
Broken nail before recording aargh. quite pleased with my emergency plaster and glue nail technique tho' below, patent pending
10 Dec 2021 - Spotify Finds
Another find under Spotify's "Your Listeners Also Listen To" section. Hard not to love "The Tracks'" exuberance, ringing guitars, uplifting melodies. Reminds me of why you'd want to be in a band in the first place. Two versions of "You can't Judge A Book By the Cover" - the Spanish version is great
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An interesting thing about Spotify
Spotify royalties may not be great, but the "Listeners Also Listen To" section is fascinating. Some of my listeners listen to the French avant pop group Stereolab, who I discovered here. I really like Lo Boob Oscillator. I also discovered a stunningly beautiful track by John Martyn here which I'd somehow missed, Spencer The Rover. Wherever he played that, surely you would have heard a pin drop.
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Cool Track, 15 April
I really rate this track. Paul Cook & The Chronicles, "Old Pursuit". Beatlesque in its tunefulness, hip like the Yardbirds. Deft - all said in under 2 minutes 30 seconds.
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Eeyore of course, Feb 6th
Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream is on in the background on the radio. Just got the donkey reference for the first time, surprised I ever missed it, really jumps out at you. Interesting analysis of the motifs at http://mendelssohnincidentalmusic.weebly.com/the-overture.html
The god of thunder
The god of thunder, Jan 26th
I came across this pic of engineer Kenny Jones and drummer Marc Parnell with this interesting contraption. People often ask me, about once a day on average, "What's that sound at the very end of Jonah Part 1 on your album?". I say "The thing that sounds like a weather bell, ringing through the fog?". "No, the other one", they say, "like peals of thunder". Ah well it is the thunder machine pictured here.
"My Precious"
SSL beauty, Jan 5th
So my music computer gave up the ghost and I had to upgrade some gear. My reaction to this Solid State Logic Audio Interface was visceral; I had to have it. I disregarded any minor issues in the audio reviews, hoping nothing major would turn up like it didn't actually work or something. I looked at about thirty different Interfaces and there are definitely some sleeker and higher spec ones. But some designs are too sleek, so simplified they become fussy and complicated again. Give me a dial or two, well spaced out, and in blue and red too. Also, I often find that if someone can be bothered to design something that looks really good, it will probably be really good too. Let us see
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Vox Rea, Jan 10th
Stumbled across a fantastic song and video by a band called Vox Rea, "Dose Me Up". Class. I beseech you to check it out
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Full of Eastern Promise, 1 Dec 2020
Do facemasks slightly improve the overall attractiveness of Londoners ... Even the casual shopper in Budgens seems to be full of Eastern Promise.
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Couperin on the Radio, 7 April 2020
Some pieces of music are like a time capsule, passed perfectly through time. Listening to Couperin's Les Barricades Mystérieuses on radio. Could the listener in 1717 have felt any differently to the listener in 2020.
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STAY TUNED FOR "The Tale of Roland Gift and the nine tracks on my iPhone" ...
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Trying out guitars, Feb 5th 2020
I was browsing in a guitar shop on Denmark Street a few years ago, when an American came in and asked for an American Strat. The seller lifted one down from the wall and passed it over. The American said "OK, you can bag it up".
"What, don't you want to try it?"
"Nope"
I was always massively impressed by that guy.
I recalled him whilst I was frigging around for hours at the weekend trying different Martin Dreadnoughts. I'd tried too many and was now lost in sound. Brighter, treblier, duller, bassier. I tried double backed guitars and treble backed guitars, newer strings, older strings. One, crucially, was lighter, it was better to hold. I had a 1970s Gibson Explorer once hewn out of an oak tree, which weighed a tonne and gave me massive neck ache. My mate liked playing it luckily, and I used to play my green Ibanez Roadstar. I settled on the brighter, lighter, older Martin D 28. I'd overthought it. Of course there was no real objective. Bassier, treblier compared to what? It's all pretty relative. Maybe I'll try that guy's approach next time.
My new Martin D28