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Dec 28 2020

TO WHERE I AM NOW

Out into a chilly wind today I noticed the Galerias Atlantis (The Atlantis Galleries) opposite the entrance to our flat. It sounds so sci-fi and yet it’s a quite nondescript mini shopping centre that I haven’t been inspired to enter yet. But as soon as I realised it’s called The Atlantis Galleries I imagined that inside were ancient photographs taken thousands of years before the camera as we know it was invented, showing swirling architectural towers with bejewelled facades, perfect mirrored futuristic citadels, and hovering jade green machines descending on purple amethyst landing pads – or do I watch too much sci-fi?

We descended on the shops after the Christmas silence and stocked up on essentials and missing links. There were quite a few people out, probably trying out the sales but by the time we made it out of the house and got into the city, it was already past 5 PM and getting dark. We managed to catch some photos in the fading light as we grow accustomed to our neighbourhood, the little park at the end of the street, perfect for summer reading on a bench, the French looking Cafe Pereira (Pear Tree), and the odd little vegetable store on the corner run by an old lady who seems to have been there for her whole life.

In the city, we perused the electronics store but only left with an extension plugboard. We saw a Christmas family – parents, son or daughter with a young child and grandparents. The young parents looked slick, dad handsome with brushed back black hair and stylish coat, mum pretty, stockings, high heels, thick blonde hair, their parents looked like parents transformed into grandparents. Olivia and I were commenting on the era when women would draw a line on the back of their legs due to the unavailability of stockings due to restrictions on silk and nylon. If you ever wondered how they got that line so straight up the back of their legs, try a bicycle clip, a screwdriver handle, and an eyebrow pencil, resourceful. “Cover your legs with a layer of nude-coloured makeup and line the back of each leg with a trompe l’oeil seam” (FYI trompe l’oeil = optical illusion which also translates to illusion d’optique but literally, trompe l’oeil means trick of the eye).

At one point there was a man walking slowly in front of us, as I tried to get past him I realised he was blind. A minute later we were standing together at a red pedestrian light and when it turned to green he didn’t cross because there was no blind audio signal on the light to tell him it was ok, I told him it was fine to cross (in Spanish) and he was grateful. He had dark glasses, a long white stick and was walking down a busy narrow pavement alone at 5.30 PM on a busy wet night. We are so lucky, he seemed so brave. It reminds me of the time in Truro in Cornwall when I mistakenly walked into a fellow in his twenties, “Oh sorry”, I said, “I didn’t see you there”. “Me neither”, he said, a humorous tone in his voice – he was blind.

Today we discovered something rather interesting – my own Egyptian Arabic Wikipedia page! There’s a German one and an English one, but an Arabic one? Wow, it looks so cool! Of course, I have no idea what it says but if you speak Arabic and want to check it out, please do, fix the facts, I do not own an oud – yet.

Music today has been three albums by Joni Mitchell (website) starting with Blue (1971), Ladies Of The Canyon (1970), and Clouds (1969). What a talent, the songs, the voice, the playing, the tunings, the lyrics. Wow – How’s that for a review.

Songs 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.

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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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