Tales Of A Far Away Land

After a few months of desperately trying to find inspiration for new material, I am now midway through three new songs. I guess it takes time to draw ideas together, to collect my thoughts and to get it all down on paper in song format. A huge amount of inspiration came from playing with The Laish Quartet and And The Bear the other week - both enchanting artists. It's also timed well that I have watched some powerful and completely original films and television over the last few weeks, and that the BBC is lulling its way through some form of poetry week.

The three new songs each have a different style, both compared to one another, and to my old material, although I feel the vocal style I am developing has continued through them all. I am also finding, perhaps intentionally, that certain key themes are emerging in my more recent work. I'm feeling incredibly positive about how these new pieces will slot into my current set and hope that the range of styles that I'm now working with will only serve to create a more rounded performance.

I wrote a while ago about an artists responsibility to try and leave their impression on the world around them and how I felt that I had a responsibility to question the 'democratic' society we are currently living in. (This is all the more relevant what with all the press at the moment surrounding MPs expenses) My lyrics recently have reflected my feelings on the subject and have focused on lovers running away, searching for meaning, and I have gone into careful detail to paint images of bliss and happiness where a couple have escaped from the rest of society.

I think the idea of freedom - I mean complete freedom - scares the guys at the top. The idea that you could attempt to live under their radar, in a space where they will know nothing about you or what you do completely terrifies them and I think that's an interesting idea.

It's pure escapism but I hope that others will find the ideas inspirational and that, instead of wallowing in despair at what they see around them, find themselves leaving it all behind and finding what makes them and those close to them happy.

on a slightly separate note - i mentioned above that i had been catching bits and pieces of the bbcs poetry week which has been leading me to wonder, exactly where does poetry fit into modern life? it's all around us - you'd be surprised.

Isolated Electronica

Today has been hard work.

I wrote a few posts ago about my frustration at having so many ideas floating around, working on so many projects, but not having the motivation to tie any of them up or finish them.

Today started very much in the same vain. Starting things with the best intentions and then quickly losing heart and deleting the work I had done. Or opening up half finished projects and then closing them down again after 5 minutes.

I think there can be many different reasons why artists experience this dissatisfaction with their work but I rarely think the problem lies with the work itself. For me, the problem is usually with the way I am viewing my work and the way I am going about my work. If I find myself carrying out the same routines, applying the same old techniques, then I very quickly become bored with what I am doing and struggle to produce and complete projects.

So in order to counteract the problems I have been facing, It's me that needs to change - actually change the way I am working even if it is in the most minor way.

This is what I did this afternoon. I made a clear distinction between the way I was working before lunch, and the way I would work after. The result?

Isolated Electronica:

Fire -- Destruction -- Protect Yourself

The Unloved

A fantastic feature on channel 4s programming last night. This drama was incredibly well produced with a thought provoking story - I found it very inspirational.

I have been working on lots of little ideas recently. Little bits of music here and there, recordings etc, as well as writing short poems or story ideas. The frustrating thing is that due to lack of direction, I haven't really seen any of these project through to completion. I just don't have a reason to finish them so once the initial conception has happened, I drop them and start working on something else.

Nearly all of the electronic music that I have been working on recently has come from one single idea for a short story. So it makes logical sense that with a new found creative enthusiasm, I should tie all these bits together into a single finished piece.

The story focuses on an ex offender many years after he has been 'rehabilitated' into society. However, instead of working a 9 to 5 or becoming involved with local community projects, he is withdrawn and isolated from his community. Due to his dark past you could expect this to be an exclusion initiated by the community itself but the reality is quite the opposite. Members of the local church group extend the hand of friendship to him, trying to pull him into society but he refuses, keeping himself locked away.

He is not bitter or resentful. He is simply afraid to trust himself. He does not believe his past has truly left him and he fears that he will commit his horrific crimes again. His only solution is to keep himself shut away.

The piece will consist of three main parts.

• An introduction of acoustic drone and vocal harmonies. As this part gathers momentum a solitary electric piano part will start to fade in.
• The electric piano will provide a bedding for a spoken word piece focusing on the above plot.
• As this middle section draws to a close an industrial rhythm will emerge before the piece launches into a track titled 'Self Protection', an electric guitar based piece which was one of the first pieces of music to come from the story.
• (This final section is subject to review as, although it was initially inspired by the story, the end result doesn't really convey the mood of the story)

I am also musing on the idea of coupling the musical element of this story with some visuals in the form of a dance piece. This will be explained in another post.

Two Things Learnt In The Last 24 Hours

:Caution; Those offended by narcissistic tendencies may want to avoid this post:

1) I have the ability to pull off 1940s 'crooner' classics really well.

Whilst driving back from Bath yesterday evening I covered such hits as 'You're Just Too Good To Be True', 'Come Fly With Me', 'Mack The Knife' and 'Have You Met Miss Jones'. Of course, I have no idea whether those are the actual song titles, but I'm sure you know which ones I mean.

A tip for anyone who want to be able to sing 1940s 'crooner' type songs; these guys must of had tremendous lungs so getting your breathing right is important.

2) Recording yourself reading is incredibly satisfactory.

I sat down yesterday with a chilled beer and began reading through my book of poetry and writing and recorded this using my hand held recorder. I was only doing this to run down the batteries so that I could re-charge them for my camera but I found the results to be incredibly pleasing. By reading poetry or prose out loud, you bring a whole new life to the words. You are putting them out there into the environment and colouring them with atmosphere.

So there you go. Two things learnt in the last 24 hours. Maybe this post will inspire you to sing out loud or make a recording of yourself reading something interesting. Probably not though.

By the way, I have new music - both electronic and acoustic - but am holding onto it for the time being until I have a significant body of work to unleash on the unsuspecting public.

Pol Arber Music

I am planning a new musical venture, a brilliant musical venture, and it's title would be Pol Arber Music, a play on the animal name - Polar Bear.

I was quite pleased with this title. It continues on the animal name theme which I think is humorous and is so off the wall that it allows the story of the product to shine, not the name. Polar Bears have no link with music in any form so I am completely free to produce anything under that name and not violate peoples expectations.

However, a quick google search revealed that there is actually a jazz band operating in the UK under the name - Polar Bear Music.

Too close for my liking.

So back to the drawing board.

Last Nights Gig

Last nights gig at The Perfect 5th went beautifully. It was a little quieter then I had hoped for but the atmosphere was great. I felt so relaxed all night and this showed in my performance where I found myself naturally doing all the things I concentrate on during rehearsals.

Massive thank you to everyone who came down and thanks for all the kind words afterwards.

I particularly want to mention two other acts who performed last night who blew me away with their songwriting and performances.

Opening the night was a local musician (drummer of band Paper Plane Pilots I believe) called Asher, AKA And The Bear. His set demonstrated a brilliantly minimal approach to songwriting which gave his songs a beautiful naive quality. Simple, honest and heartfelt. The simple acoustic arrangements gave plenty of space for his vocal to carry the songs and his lyrics were entirely captivating. Hopefully we will see And The Bear putting down his drumsticks and picking up his guitar again very soon.

Headlining the night were Brighton band Laish Quartet. These guys played a raw folk sound, combining vocal duets and violin to lift their arrangements to new levels of bliss. At first listen their melodies appeared simplistic but as their songs developed they displayed incredibly complex timings and layering of sound which swept you up and carried you away. The interplay of lead and backing vocals was perfectly executed with Daniel Greens lyrics creating illusions of a colourful other world.

The acoustic Wednesday nights are something the guys at The 5th are keen to continue with and if they maintain the high standard of acts displayed last night, they should become a great success.

Where Can I Listen To Your Music?

The other night at The perfect 5th open mic night, somebody complemented me on my set and asked where they could find my music. They had seen me perform a few times at various nights around Taunton and wanted to buy a CD of mine or something.

I wasn't really sure how to answer their question. My first thought was that the best place to hear my music is at a live show. I perform live usually two or three times a month and usually play a gig locally once every two to three months. But of course what they wanted was a CD to take home and listen to, learn the words to and sing a long to in their car.

My next thought was of my musical sketch pad but that only really hosts electronic music at the moment and is not really meant to demonstrate finished and complete collections of songs. It's more a testing ground for ideas.

When I started playing solo shows I was determined to do things properly, the old fashioned way. I would build a reputation locally, one that would be based upon human connections and interactions, not electronic ones with people who will never hear my voice or see me play.

If people wanted to hear my music they can hear it performed live to them, direct from me onstage to them in the audience. Not via a poor MP3 on a social networking site.

I told the girl that I would keep a demo copy of my EP, and of my live recordings, with me at all times so that when I next see her, I could giver her a copy. I thought to myself that this was a pretty good solution since I would probably never see her again which would save me the trouble of burning a disc and carrying it around with me getting damaged for the next few months.

But that's simply not good enough. My objective was to build a solid fan base based on actual human interaction. Someone has actually seen me play and come up and complimented me and asked to own a copy of my music. I have to respond to that.

So very soon a copy of my EP - 'Locked Away', and recordings from my show at The Brewhouse Theatre, will be posted by me, to her home address.

Keepin it real.

Don't forget, tonight at The Perfect 5th - Laish Quartet, Ryan Inglis, Bonde De Wolfe, And The Bear - doors at about 8:30, £3 entry.

Fear Of The Unknown

Funny why, after making brilliant plans for the future, as the time draws closer, we get an immense feeling of worry and regret. Something that seemed like a good idea months ago, now feels like a disaster waiting to happen.

Of course the thing to do in these times is to simply see your plans through. The fear of the unknown is simply that - a fear of something we don't yet know, something we don't yet understand. Seeing our plans through nearly always results in immense reward so when we truly analyse the situation, we can see that we are making a good choice, but still we have these initial feelings of panic and worry.

My question is, in a world where there are so few actual dangers, why do these fears still exist? Once upon a time, fear of the unknown meant you didn't leave your cave and get eaten by a bear. Fear of the unknown meant that you stayed with your tribe and weren't eaten by savages. But surely the bravest, the most fearless and the strongest warriors would override this fear and reap the rewards. Only they could hunt for food and find a mate.

Even now, those who take the plunge, seek out adventure and explore all that life has to offer, emerge stronger and smarter then those who don't, surely making them a more attractive mate and making them able to raise intelligent and fearless 21st century warriors of their own.

So,

Why the fear?

Ignore the fear!