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Dec 05 2020

TO WHERE I AM NOW

By the time I read any responses to this, the Indiegogo campaign for MOAT’s Poison Stream will be over. I’ll be checking the percentage of the total before I go to bed but at this point, it’s at 91% which is already a fantastic achievement and I thank everybody who has contributed to the cause, and I hope you enjoy the record when you get it. Although you’ll be getting digital WAVs of the album on Sunday 6th as the campaign ends at midnight PST and 8 AM GMT, apparently, some people wait for the physical record to experience it with the cover in your hand, the lyrics, the credits, the artwork – as one associate once said: “You can’t put your arms around an MP3”. There’s a link here for Judy Lyon’s interview for Torched Magazine that I posted last-minute yesterday where we talk about all kinds of things including MOAT and the last week of the campaign amongst many other things. So see you on the other side and a massive thanks to everyone who got involved, the digital version of the album will be with you tomorrow.

The MOAT – Poison Stream Campaign

It was Olivia’s birthday and we decided to start celebrating by staying asleep as long as possible. The phone rang at 1.30 PM, it was Dare checking in. I had to put clothes on to answer the phone because believe it or not in December in northern Portugal it’s cold. So as I was dressed I stayed up and when I looked in the bedroom, Olivia had the light on and she was reading through her one million birthday messages. It wasn’t long before her dad called and then her mum, so she was on the phone for ages. I watched Oz snooker player Neil Robertson beat Lu Ning who comes from China, the end of Everton drawing with Burnley and the rest of the day was sporadic football with Olivia running around doing this and that until we decided to go out before we watched the ballet – The Nutcracker.

On Saturday’s in Portugal during the pandemic, the big supermarkets have to close by 1 PM but there’s a little one around the corner from here, so we thought a small walk to pick up a couple of things as on Sundays the small supermarkets are also closed and the big ones close at 1 PM, way too early for us. We needed a lighter or matches to light Olivia’s candle that we had stuck in a pastel de nata, we had the cake and the candle but no fire. I was later surprised to find it was one of those sparkly candles that you can’t blow out, what fun! When we got back The Nutcracker seemed sold out – online?

Whilst we were out we also decided to go and stand by the River Douro which is at the end of our medieval street. There’s absolutely no-one around and Olivia commented that we should remember this because in the vaccinated future, all these restaurants by the river will be open on a Saturday night before Christmas and will be booming, but tonight it was a ghost town. We took a picture in one of the alleyways and basked in the orange lights that flooded the steps. Everything here, every street, every building, has atmosphere, it’s like living on location. But it’s a strange time to experience it in the middle of a pandemic in the winter. I imagine that in the summer Porto is packed with tourists and allegedly it’s very hot.

My friend from The Wirral (that’s Liverpool way), Gary, called from Switzerland where he lives, we went to the same school, he was in the year below me and lived close to me, we worked at the same restaurant, The Cottage Loaf in Thurstaston next to the common – we both escaped the restaurant business to see a bit of the world. I remember my Dad telling me that I should stick with that job because it was secure which is exactly the reason why I didn’t, my future appeared before my eyes as comfortable and it was then that I realised that I could only be comfortable after I’d experienced some discomfort.

Olivia wanted Sushi for her birthday dinner so we ordered in, we had to, the pandemic has the restaurants closed. The driver couldn’t find where we were so we had to reorder. The sushi and my veggie avocado maki had cream cheese inside, kinda weird I thought. But we ate and binge-watched Star Trek: Discovery and Enterprise (actually only three episodes). I did French and wrote this and now Olivia is older.

Music today comes from a Progressive early seventies obscurity that I was turned on to by Nicklas from Anekdoten. The band, Still Life, made their only album in October 1970 and released it on Vertigo Records in 1971. Lots of Hammond organ and instrumental passages with songs that sounded like the crossover from the Pop of the sixties to the heavier sound of the seventies. The first track is called People In Black, how can you go wrong from there? The band was Martin Cure, Graham Amos, Terry Howells, and Alan Savage. The guitarist before Savage was R. Albrighton who after gigs in Germany decided to stay, this was before Still Life made their only album. He went on to form Nektar.

Music 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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