• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Bands & Projects
    • Marty Willson-Piper
    • Marty & Olivia
    • Noctorum
    • MOAT
    • Atlantæum Flood
    • Anekdoten
      • How I Joined Anekdoten
    • The Church
      • Sleeve Notes
    • All About Eve
  • Discography
  • Gear
  • Talking
  • Lyrics
    • SOLO ALBUMS
      • In Reflection
      • Art Attack
      • Rhyme
      • Spirit Level
      • Hanging Out In Heaven
      • Nightjar
    • NOCTORUM
      • Sparks Lane
      • Offer The Light
      • Honey Mink Forever
      • The Afterlife
    • MOAT
      • Moat
      • Poison Stream
    • Seeing Stars
  • Sleeve Notes
    • Of Skins And Heart
    • The Blurred Crusade
    • Seance
    • Heyday
    • Starfish
    • Gold Afternoon Fix
    • Priest = Aura
  • Bandcamp

Marty Willson-Piper

The official home of Marty Willson-Piper

  • News
  • Blog
  • Shows
  • Songwriting & Guitar Guidance
  • In Deep Music Archive
  • Contact

Apr 02 2021

TO WHERE I AM NOW

Out of nowhere, the rain came down, it was dark, so you could hear it but you couldn’t see it. We leaned out of the window reaching out our hands into the darkness to check it was real. Olivia said, “Look, you can see it in the street lamp”, lines of liquid falling from the sky highlighted in an orange glow. We retreated from the window, invigorated by the downfall, and soon Olivia was preparing dinner and I was fighting with French word order. The rain carried on for quite a while, maybe an hour, and at first, I was listening to music but I turned it off to accompany my studies with the welcoming sound of the rain falling. Just days ago it was summer, it seems that the laws of April exist all over the world. Earlier I had gone out to the bakery 20 minutes before my sesh with Ava in Minneapolis to find a long queue, I didn’t have time to wait. I thought, ok, a quick walk into the Marquês square, a walk around the fountain, and back home by 4 PM. There were people sitting around, strolling around, I walked under the trees where there were at least 50 pigeons sitting on the branches (dangerous), the bench directly under the trees had been bombarded and was unsurprisingly empty. The man with the plastic bag and the rucksack was there as well as older couples and single thoughtful men and women contemplating the universe. I cast a glance over to the church and saw lots of people milling on the steps and then I realised why there was such a long queue today – it’s Good Friday and there’s the tradition of Folar da Páscoa, Portuguese sweet bread with eggs sticking out of it, symbolising the rebirth of Christ.

I’m still worried about my mouth, I seem to have a swollen gland on one side which is sensitive to touch, don’t you hate it when you get some signs of infection or sickness, toothache, or any kind of illness just as you come into a holiday? It’s hard enough to get a professional opinion right now with the pandemic, plus we’re in a land with another language and we haven’t been here long enough to actually have a doctor or a dentist. In fact, we were told when we were signed up to the health service that usually you would be assigned a local doctor but just now they were too busy with covid and we’d have to wait till the crisis came more under control. In the meantime, I try and imagine that between some healthy food, juices, water, fruits, salads, and good sleep, that this is going to go away.

I made a list of things that I wanted to buy but haven’t been able to since the lockdown started and although it’s slowly opening up here I’m worried about these new infections rising in other European countries that might spread here and lead us into deeper lockdowns. No sign yet of vaccinations for me, just that message I keep on getting on my phone from the Penzance surgery telling me that I can book my appointment – frustrating. But I know, you’re dying to know what’s on my ‘when the shops open up’ list. Here it goes: guitar stands, lead from computer to TV screen, masher, yoga mat, multi-box of Nag Champa incense, juicer, butter dish, and small plastic bottles for shampoo and conditioner refills to take to the swimming pool when they reopen. Our lives are so exciting, and you should see the fun we have when we have a proper masher.

Although Olivia and I watch Deep Space 9 (over dinner, phew, 7 seasons and we’re on season 4!), after I’ve done seshes, done French, written the blog, I usually watch an episode of something by myself before I go to sleep and I never quite know what that should be because I don’t really want to watch something that Olivia is going to like too, like Lupin perhaps, some kind of French thriller series, I think she might like that, but she’s not that into period dramas so I started watching The Irregulars (actually I think she’d like it too). I’ve seen three episodes, it’s cool, like a supernatural Sherlock Holmes story set in Victorian times with a gang of street kids and a royal, where we haven’t actually seen Sherlock properly yet but Dr. Watson seems to be the evil one and Mycroft the good one. Lead actor Thaddea Graham is super cool. So much to read, so much to listen to, so much to watch, you just have to pick something, get into it and see it through, enjoy the vast scope of entertainment the world has to offer, whilst not letting it rule your life – simple.

Music today started early with Genesis Live (1973) but I didn’t hear much of it between the shower and the bakery – that’s the shower AND the bakery not the shower IN the bakery. Later Leonard Cohen’s second album Songs From A Room (1969), a poetic record that has me wanting to read the lyrics as much as listen to the songs. I then went the other way and listened to Pierre Moerlen’s Gong and the Downwind album (1979), Moerlen sadly died at the age of 52 described as ‘by natural causes’. All this music to choose from, so great, different genres, eras, vocal, instrumental all you have to do is find the kind of thing you like by exploring everything – simple.

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

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

  • spotify
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube

Liking the blog?

Tour Dates

Instagram

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
Load More… Follow on Instagram

Mailing List

In Deep Music Archive

Songwriting & Guitar Guidance with Marty Willson-Piper
ORDER HERE

"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

MARTY WILLSON-PIPER © 2023 - Front Page Images by Hajo Müller