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Oct 29 2020

TO WHERE I AM NOW

Venturing out to the sea we took a different route from the town, winding through the secret alleyways and narrow streets trying to imagine we were in a different town altogether, not because there’s anything wrong with this one but because now for eight months it’s been the same town that we arrived in on the 29th of February. After our European dates, we couldn’t imagine we would be stationary for so long. We had tickets to New York on August 14th and we thought we would have the MOAT album out and be touring in the USA. Which reminds me, three weeks in and we are at 43%, so please go to our Indiegogo campaign site to secure your copy of Poison Stream, your Handwritten & Illustrated Lyric, or your Mystery Box. Perhaps a print or the first MOAT record (vinyl and CD in one) of which we have less than 40 left and then it’s gone. But as far as travelling, anybody who reads here knows we are trying to move to Portugal and it’s getting increasingly difficult to see how we can do it with countries going into lockdowns. We haven’t left the town limit since we arrived (Olivia went to Truro once). So fantasising about travelling, we meandered through the back streets trying to imagine that we had travelled to another place. On the way we walked past this brightly coloured gate, a house decorated in spiders and cobwebs for Halloween, a homeless woman devouring a pasty on a park bench and a lot of squawking crows that seem to take on more of an air of mystery in an autumn sky.

We walked through some muddy ground in Penlee Park and past the boat pond hoping to see the swans that are usually there but they were gone. When we reached the sea it was dusk, an earlier dusk than usual as the clocks went back last Sunday (this coming Sunday in the US). The sea was all churned up, it was green-grey, the tide was high, the foam sizzled on top of the waves and the pebbles on the beach rattled like a giant chest of jewels as the waves fell back into the sea. The wind was up but it was welcome as it swept oxygen into our lungs. In the bay, two tankers anchored, an array of lights picking them out as darkness fell. Also one small boat with one small light that was a little too far away to make out properly but it was probably a trawler. Also in the distance was the ominous silhouette of St. Michaels Mount, a castle, a stately home on a rock out in the sea, still occupied by the St Aubyn family who has been there since the 17th century. Open to the public in the summer months, winter swallows it up in mists and stormy seas, short days and sombre low clouds.

There was something about the light tonight, a dull glow as if the air was charged with another power. It was then that I remembered that Halloween is imminent and I could easily imagine childhood books coming to life with witches on broomsticks sailing across the sky and silhouetted against the moon, cackling and acting out their mischief, turning maidens into shrews and blacksmiths into pigs. At the greengrocer’s today just in front of the Brussels sprouts and next to the broccoli and beyond the carrots was a giant pumpkin waiting to be carved into a huge lantern and set on a porch for the weekend. In England in my childhood, we never thought about pumpkins as food, only as a symbol of Halloween and then I went to Australia where I discovered one of Australia’s greatest gastronomical delicacies that is available everywhere you go – pumpkin soup, mmmh.

In the swimming pool today (mile 26), I had the whole double lane to myself up to lap 56 and then with just 15 minutes to go before we had to stop a lady got in the water in my lane. It wasn’t a problem we were a length apart so we didn’t get in each other’s way but there is something really nice about having that lane all to yourself. In the next lane was a young girl, 13 or 14, when I had reached my 64 lengths I sunk down at the end of the pool and got my breath back and cooled down but I could not help but notice this natural swimmer executing the butterfly, effortlessly floating through the water. I was talking to Sam, one of the lifeguards, he told me she swims 32 lengths in 10 minutes, I swim 64 in 45 minutes.

Music today came from Deutsche Grammophon, the legendary classical music label. It arrived in the post today and as I mentioned yesterday I was looking for something to compete with Kev wacking the drums on his mega kit in the next room – this wasn’t it.

The album is called Songs From The Labyrinth (2006) and features Bosnian lutenist Edin Karamazov. The album is the music by composer and lutenist John Dowland (1563–1626). The album has instrumental, spoken word and songs sung by Gordon Sumner, you may have heard of him.

Trailer Of The Daze

What’s most fascinating is reading the comments of the purists that hate his interpretation. It’s not really about whether you like Sting or not, it’s cultures clash, other worlds cannot relate to each other. Like him or not, it’s surprising to hear these people refer to him as a terrible singer. I wonder how an essay about AC/DC might read written by these people? If they think Sting can’t sing I wonder what they’d make of Nick Cave.

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.

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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 🤘🏰

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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 🎵

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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

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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

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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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