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Oct 23 2020

TO WHERE I AM NOW

It was a chilly walk down to the sea today dressed in jeans, Blundstones, T-shirt, waistcoat, shirt, scarf and even a coat – it’s the autumn, it’s the time of clothes. The sea was grey, half the sky was blue and half the sky was black, it was a battle between the elements and we all know who’s going to win. On the way down to the seafront, a shortcut through Morrab Gardens, a forlorn seagull sat atop the broken fountain like any creature might sit on any abandoned human machinery signifying a forgotten glorious past of functionality and mechanical superiority over nature. But there on the front, the humans continue with their concrete and months of re-paving finally looks like it’s complete. Still, the metal barriers remain and the apparent plans to add seating are not yet realised. We’ll be gone before they’re done, a whole summer of construction with no payoff – a moody stroll along the Prom would have been most welcome in these trying times.

I stood by a sign that mentioned the beach but after having lived in Australia, it didn’t seem like ‘beach’ meant the same thing here as it does there. But a beach doesn’t always mean sand and bronzed bodies, it also means stones and cold and winter light. We arrived there quite late in the afternoon and it looked like a couple with wet hair was just returning from what must have been a freezing swim. I once jumped in the Atlantic one late sunny winter day on Long Island, the American side of the Atlantic and I ejected myself faster than light, deceived by the sun before I hit the waves, it took my breath away and I needed some time to recover. I imagine that’s what it must be like here and it’s the reason why whenever you see people in the sea in these parts, unless it’s high summer, they’re always wearing wet suits.

We went into the supermarket with a short list and when it came to the butter our usual brand wasn’t there (not that I remember what the brand is). I know it by the colour and look of the packaging – it’s white and the reason we buy butter in blocks like this rather than in a tub is because it saves on the plastic. It’s like the SodaStream and there’s something quaint and old-fashioned about a butter dish. Today the usual butter wasn’t there, out of stock. At this point you may be wondering how I can get a story out of this? It wasn’t exactly confusion, more just, oh what now, try something different but then I realised that the only real choice left in this cheaper supermarket was the sexy butter with the black packaging. I hadn’t realised before that there was such a thing as sleazy cheap butter, every day is a revelation.

We wound our way back to the archive, loaded up with cheap toilet paper, cheap brie, cheap orange juice, cheap sweet potato, cheap set honey (another revelation), cheap muesli and cheap bran, all the same quality as the Co-op just without the branding. I got ready for my sesh of the evening with Stefan in Germany (it was supposed to be two today but Noelle had to postpone till Monday). Stefan has had the honour of being sent the first Mystery Box (it was actually a mystery bag as it was the smaller one). Great progress on the music from Stefan, when I hear what people can do when they haven’t really tried seriously to do it you realise that the difference between those that are musicians professionally and those that aren’t isn’t about imagination, it’s about career choice. Dear future sessioneers, get in touch, you’ll be surprised what you can achieve with a bit of help.

SONGWRITING & GUITAR GUIDANCE

The new MOAT – Poison Stream campaign seems to have slowed to 39% after the initial surge, I think that’s how it always is, I’m sure it will pick up again, we just have to keep on reminding everybody that might be interested. I imagine more people would be interested if they knew about and even more if they heard it – so much choice, so little time.

MOAT – POISON STREAM | ALBUM PREORDER

Music today comes from Nederbeat heroes Q65 rediscovering themselves as they enter the seventies. It keeps their energy and has something of The Kinks meets Eric Burdon at The Stones’ house, still a little stuck in their heyday stylistically. The album is called Afghanistan and is supposed to be their more Psychedelic period but that Beat Group Rock ‘n’ Roll remains with tinges of the period lurking in the shadows but it sounds more like the aforementioned band with a less scary early Alice Cooper despite what the experts say, maybe some Easybeats in there too. But Night at 8 minutes does certainly go somewhere else, a kind of Barrett-esque Dutch Country that turns into a jam. It fades out, I hate it when these jams fade out, let it go. A couple of screechy R’n’R live tracks at the end I could have done without.

Lost Horizons is about as far away from Q65 as you can get. It’s a 2017 project from ex Cocteau Twin and Bella Union mainman Simon Raymonde. The album is called Ojalá (‘hopefully’ in Spanish) and was released in 2017. It has different female and male singers, names I know – Karen Peris from The Innocence Mission, the late Tim Smith, ex Midlake, Hazel Wilde from Lanterns On The Lake, Liela Moss from The Duke Spirit, Marissa Nadler, Ghostpoet, and names I don’t – Gemma Dunleavey, Beth Cannon, Soffie Viemose from Lowly, Phil McDonnell, Ed Riman from Hilang Child and Cameron Neal from Horse Thief (with Sharon Van Etten on BVs). There’s some Jonathan Wilson playing guitar and Richie Thomas from Dif Juz on drums. A new double album, In Quiet Moments, has been announced for late November. Sign up here for some moody magic.

I stumbled across this interview whilst I was researching which Tim Smith it was (Tim Smith from The Cardiacs sadly died recently). But in this interview from 2014, Tim Smith, ex-Midlake, mentions The Blurred Crusade and Heyday.

Song Of The Daze

The only clip I can find for Q65 I’ve posted before and is four years out of date, that is to say, this is from 1966 and Afghanistan is from 1970, it’s a long time in R’n’R, especially in those days.

Written by Marty Willson-Piper · Categorized: Blog

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there's any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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Rockin' the MOAT t-shirt next to the real deal! #m Rockin' the MOAT t-shirt next to the real deal! #moatband #poisonstream 🤘🏰

T-Shirt Design by Reid Wilson
Photo by @oliviaelektra 

#schoolkidsrecords #nikoröhlcke #wellscathedral
Peter Walsh and I getting down at the Heron Tower Peter Walsh and I getting down at the Heron Tower disco 🕺🏻 #heyday
Soundchecking at Birmingham Symphony Hall, 10th Fe Soundchecking at Birmingham Symphony Hall, 10th February, 2001. All About Eve supporting Fairport Convention.

📷 by @derektimbrell
Thanks to The Wernickis for a little glimpse into Thanks to The Wernickis for a little glimpse into their new New Mexico listening space 🌵 #nightjar #schoolkidsrecords
Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵 📷 @oliviaelek Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵

📷 @oliviaelektra 

#danelectro #danelectrobass #redeyerecords #pleasantrylane #pleasantrylanestudio
You usually don’t spend the day in the studio an You usually don’t spend the day in the studio and the night at a gig but if you put the studio next to the gig then there’s a greater chance. So @salimnourallah did just that, he put the gig and the studio next to each other and made it possible for me to spend the day recording and the evening playing live 🎵

📷 @drewliophoto 

#galacticheadquarters #happinessarecordlabel #pleasantrylanestudio #salimnourallah #oliviawillsonpiper
TO WHERE I AM NOW A visit in the studio today fro TO WHERE I AM NOW

A visit in the studio today from old mate Mark Burgess from The Chameleons who has been hanging in Texas recently. I was thinking about the two of us growing up in the northwest of England and all these years later finding ourselves in such an unlikely spot together. We fixed a few issues in the universe and I carried on recording some guitars until Mark had to leave. Mark had played at the Galactic Headquarters next to the studio this year as Olivia and I had four years ago and this reminded me to remind myself to remind everyone to remind their friends that we will be playing there with Salim on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, for the ultimate in intimate performance. You can get tickets here (follow link below).

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1045

KEEP IN TOUCH: https://linktr.ee/mwillsonpiper

📷 @salimnourallah 

#markburgess #thechameleons #chameleonsvox #pleasantrylanestudio #happinessarecordlabel #martywillsonpiper #oliviawillsonpiper #moatband
📷 @argirgirl 📷 @argirgirl
TO WHERE I AM NOW Sadness manifested in a buildin TO WHERE I AM NOW

Sadness manifested in a building, today we went to visit Paisley Park. Prince built Paisley Park in Chanhassen, about twenty minutes southwest of Minneapolis. It opened in 1987 and he recorded his later albums there. Apart from Prince, REM also recorded and mixed Out Of Time there, recording Kate Pearson’s vocal on Shiny Happy People vocal. Madonna had Prince play guitar on three songs from Like A Prayer and the two co-wrote Love Song, finishing it remotely due to Madonna not being able to stand the cold weather and the rather desolate location of the studio. Of course, there are things around but it’s not in the city and it’s not in the countryside, it’s in a suburb, no distractions, just what Prince wanted.

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1032

KEEP IN TOUCH: https://linktr.ee/mwillsonpiper

📷 @argirgirl 

#paisleypark #prince
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In Deep Music Archive

Songwriting & Guitar Guidance with Marty Willson-Piper
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"These are awesome sessions that I highly recommend for guitar players of all levels. Very informative, frank discussions on everything related to guitar and music in general. Definitely a must for anyone pursuing songwriting."
(Stephen G., VA, USA)

"Marty knows how to bypass scales and get to the heart of feel and timing. His musical knowledge spans multiple cultures and genres. Perhaps most importantly, Marty is a cool dude. I highly recommend his guitar guidance." (Jed B., MN, USA)

"Ok, so you’re sitting in your home and Marty is across the world but is actually right here teaching you how to play guitar and write songs. He is a delight to talk to and he is your teacher, meaning he wants to see you get something out of his lessons. You know he’s paying attention and wants to steer you in the right direction. I am so grateful and humbled that he offers his time in this manner. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who admires anything from his enormous body of work. How often do you get to learn from somebody that inspired you in the first place? Amazing." (Ann S., CA, USA)

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there’s any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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