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Oct 25 2020

TO WHERE I AM NOW

In the studio today working with Ahad’s project trying to get my parts finished, guitars, backing vocals and all before the looming Brexit deadline and our attempted trip to Portugal which also, of course, depends on whether or not we are restricted from travelling due to lockdowns. But let’s not worry about that right now. Today has been a day for sleighbells and my two fingerpicking and harmony ideas that Dare has to sing because he can reach the higher notes. So between us, we cover the lower and the higher accompaniments to Ahad’s melodies and they came out so nicely today. I also sang some unisons but Dare and I work these ideas out between us and we have worked together for so long we know each other’s strengths – there’s me parts and him parts. Singing harmonies is a really wonderful thing, you should try it.

Sesh today with Tony in Sydney as we discussed the Arctic Lake project and next studio day we will be looking at that as we attempt to complete singing and guitars on three more tracks. There’s about the same to do for me on the Ahad tracks so we should have all this done in time for Olivia and me to leave if we can. We’ll be back in England, it’s not like we’ll be banned but not being able to come here for unlimited amounts of time without a visa for Olivia makes everything tricky. It will be the same for me going to mainland Europe which is why we are moving so we can establish a base where these issues aren’t a problem for us to stay in the same country together or longer than three months, we’ll see how it goes, we haven’t made it yet.

The clocks went back today in the early hours and I glanced out of the window at ten minutes to six in the evening and it was pitch black. What a different feeling it is with the time change, now it really feels like autumn is here. It’s going to be so hard for people as the darkness comes, as the cold creeps up and the rain comes down. When the pandemic was brought to our attention, spring was approaching but this is different, winter will soon be upon us and if people have been stressed and depressed when it’s nice outside imagine how they’ll feel when the cold and the dark keeps them indoors.

Thanks to everyone who has been ordering Poison Stream through the Indiegogo campaign, it really is a big help. We are at about 40% now but hopefully, we’ll get a boost in November. People have been ordering Handwritten & Illustrated Lyrics for Chrissy prezzies and we’re looking at having a MOAT T-shirt added to the perks. We’re just working on a design with our friend Reid and then we have to see how interested people would be in a T-shirt in December – haha, it’s warm indoors!

Olivia has been busy tonight filling a Mystery Box, collecting together the last few copies of the first MOAT album and giving me postcards to write whilst working on her paintings. At some point you will get to see Olivia’s artwork, some of you have already seen her illustrations for the Handwritten & Illustrated Lyrics but her paintings are something else, almost as mad as her poems. In the future, there will be prints but also the original paintings on various size canvasses. All this is for the future but the future is coming fast.

Music today has been inspired by singing harmonies and gave me the urge to hear those harmony masters, Crosby, Stills & Nash. That first self-titled album (1969) and the opening track Suite: Judy Blue Eyes – 7.24 – a single was released at 4.34 and reached No.21 on the Billboard Charts in 1969. It’s actually hard to pick out tracks from this album, some composed by Stephen Stills, others by David Crosby and others by Graham Nash but one has to mention Wooden Ships written by Crosby, Stills and Paul Kantner from Jefferson Airplane. Overall their three-part harmonies are magnificent throughout.

In 2009, Rhino released a demos album recorded between 1968 – 1971 with most of the songs performed solo acoustic by the writer. It gives a clue as to what the raw material sounded like before the harmonies were added…great!

Then this odd album, Everybody Knows (2017), by Judy Collins and Stephen Stills, a long time has passed since Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Stills’ song about her. The album opens with the Traveling Wilburys’ Handle With Care, odd, but I guess they liked the song, I know I always liked that song except Stills didn’t seem to understand the importance of the guitar part and how important it is, just concentrating on the vocal part. So on one hand, interesting to hear them sing it and slightly disappointing to not here Stills as a guitar player appreciate something about it.

But although I like the album a lot it’s an odd mix of covers and original songs by both of them, some old classics, Sandy Denny’s Who Knows Where The Time Goes which Collins was famous for singing before Denny, even though Denny wrote it. Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows, Tim Hardin’s Reason To Believe, Dylan’s Girl From The North Country. So you might say some standards and that refers to their own songs that include So Begins The Task from CSN – Judy is another song by him for her that appears on the Just Roll Tape 1968 demos album. Collins contributes River Of Gold and Houses. Lovely singing.

Album Of The Daze

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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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
Marty & Pablo! 📷 Rod MacQuarrie Marty & Pablo!

📷 Rod MacQuarrie
At last, a proper door stop. 📷 @judgeschamber At last, a proper door stop.

📷 @judgeschamber 

#grammysitting 👵
🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵 31 December - DALL 🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵

31 December - DALLAS
7 January - CELINA
12 January - HOUSTON
14 January - AUSTIN
15 January - SAN ANTONIO

With @salimnourallah and @joereyesmusic

More info here: https://mailchi.mp/e47ede06acd6/texas-acoustic-dates
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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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