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Apr 15 2021

TO WHERE I AM NOW

Rehearsal day for the internet concert on Saturday in Sydney but I went to bed earlier feeling ‘off’ last night so I got up before Olivia and decided to go out and get those cards with the misspelling of our name sorted. It was hot and I was glad to get out of the house and enjoy some Porto vibe. I took photos, admired the buildings, gazed up into the bright blue sky, and stepped in and out of the sun as I took photos on both sides of the street. Living in Southern Europe reminds you of a glorious past in decay but also the aesthetic beauty of places like this with houses painted in bright primary colours or tiled in exquisite recurring patterns. Even the ruins are beautiful. They fixed our cards at the pool and booked me in for next week’s swim and told me more times are now available. (They are so nice there.) It means that things are opening up here and all the shops will be open from Monday, inside restaurants and cafes on May 3rd. Just in time for us to have our first night out in the city on my birthday, May 7th.

Seeing Stars (1997)

Today is the 24th anniversary of the release of the Seeing Stars album which has no plans for a rerelease at this stage. Although people liked it a lot, it was really just demos with a good vibe and I always hear that when I listen to it. It makes you think about the concept of over-production, records that are so produced that they disappear. Searching for that line between energy and expertise is elusive and you can hear when the balance isn’t right. Of course, it’s not a demand of everybody, and some people like super slick productions, and other people like raw untreated recordings. Then there’s the music itself, different kinds of music need different treatments. I was listening to some of Thurston Moore’s Chelsea Light Moving (2013) but it was so obviously trying to capture energy at the expense of tuning and I soon had enough of it. Julian Cope has that going on too – records that were terribly overproduced and records that were terribly underproduced. Somewhere in between is a great artist.

We managed to take the revolving lamp that didn’t revolve back to the shop. The lady in the cheap stuff shop from China was happy to have it returned, unlike the other cheap shop that wouldn’t take the trolley back after it broke in 24 hours. I suppose you can’t get a guarantee on rubbish or show concern if you’re selling it. The lesson is if something is a third more expensive, it might just last a lot longer and it’s worth the investment instead of buying the same cheap thing three times only to have it break whilst the expensive thing lives on. It’s not always true but beware the bargain shops, they cost you more in the end.

Olivia is supposed to be a bridesmaid at a wedding in Germany in May and her dress arrived today. Sounds lovely, except, she’d left it in England and our friend Aram sent it to us. It cost £45 to send and then there were customs admin charges of 12€ and then the duty of 34€. It wasn’t commercial goods, it was just a dress for a wedding that might just be cancelled. Extortion comes to mind! The postal costs have become silly and I can understand why people are happy with their streaming. I recently ordered the Priest=Aura reissue. Three months later I get an email saying it’s no longer available. I did manage to find one yesterday in France but it’s going to end up costing me 60€ to get it – you know I have the original German vinyl but I just wanted one for the archive. I can’t even have it sent to the archive, it has to come here because the duty in England will take the price up to some ridiculous number. No wonder it’s hard for musicians to sell their wares when all this music is there online anyway. You pay so much to have that piece in your hand. I appreciate anyone that is as mad as me.

Music today came from the latest so hip nothing can go wrong four-piece Dry Cleaning and their debut album New Long Leg (2021). A band playing instrumentals with a girl talking over the top, sounds uninspiring but you know, it’s the attitude that works. Deadpan delivery, observational, philosophical, and mildly amusing despair.

Followed by Lucinda Williams‘ Good Souls Better Angels (2020), as deep and meaningful but American and more traditionally delivered but her world-weary vocals land a punch on the lyrics. I listened to this today because my mate Derek told me today about the new album, a tribute to Tom Petty which I immediately ordered but it’s not online yet. So I had a Lucinda craving. Great music if you like that kind of thing.

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.

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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

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📷 @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

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📷 @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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