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Marty Willson-Piper

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May 06 2021

TO WHERE I AM NOW

The strange merry-go-round that is life. Today so much has happened that it’s hard to know where to start. The birthday greetings were pouring in (thank you) because it is May 7th in Australia and although I have to wait for a European Friday for my birthday to begin in earnest, I appreciate the messages and it’s kinda fun getting them over a two-day period. I remember once I had something like a 36-hour birthday flying from Sydney to Missoula, Montana to start a US tour. But I’m afraid that this birthday might not be quite the same (even though it has fallen on Bandcamp Friday when Bandcamp waive their fees for purchases). You’d think it was all going so well, but a few hours ago my sis called from Wales to tell me that my Aunty Gwen had died. She was my Mum’s sister, she was in her late eighties and she had been in hospital already sick, failing organs, and was not doing well. Yesterday she fell and cracked her head which instigated a brain bleed and she died earlier today. She was an amazing woman, stubborn as a mule, a lifelong spinster but a confirmed music lover who had the groove. She once told me that she’d seen Buddy Holly live and didn’t like it that much because he sang out of tune. She grew up in Manchester and when my parents moved to Wales in retirement she followed and sold the old family house that my father used to refer to as a mausoleum. I stayed there with her once for a week or so, she gave me chicory coffee for breakfast, and when I went to bed at night the room was freezing. You had to get under a large eiderdown and sheets and blankets before you could remove your clothes. When you awoke you could see your breath, a lingering mist that dissipated and renewed itself as you returned from sleep.

It’s odd how things happen, how life works, my daughter Signe in Stockholm has recently told me that she is pregnant, she is having a baby in the autumn which will mean I will become a grandfather for a second time as the new addition to their family, her partner Dean and their daughter Ines will have a new brother or sister. Signe told me today how nice and kind Aunty Gwen had been to her when they met each other. I’m not sure if Aunty Gwen ever left British shores, life was music and her TV. She used to circle the shows she’d watch in the Radio Times and the programmes that clashed she recorded and watched later. A real homebody, dog lover, and salt of the Earth.

So much to think about today but there’s more. The landlord at the In Deep Music Archive premises has become very sick and he has bequeathed the building to someone else. This person has plans for the building and when he saw the archive he designated it a fire hazard despite being a member of some kind of music society in Penzance. So the truth of the matter is that we have to move. If you read here regularly you will know that Olivia and I now live in and are residents of Portugal. This means that we must attempt to move everything here, where I can execute the dream of having premises where all the music is part of a culture centre/archive/studio/venue/cafe and a generally safe place for everyone to enjoy now and long after I have gone to the great record store in the sky. So from now until the end of the year, I’m going to have an ongoing GoFundMe page where between what I can earn from touring/records sales and the occasional royalty along with donations, windfalls and the generosity of philanthropists, I can raise the funds to not only move it here but set it up in this beautiful city, a city which is generally flooded with tourists all year-’round. Any goal set is just a number, we will try to make it work with whatever we can make, and from now on anything we do make, any tour we do or record we sell will go to achieving this goal. Keeping the archive current is part of it, being able to add records old and new which we have to buy unless we can organise artists to send us their wares that we will always try to promote in some way through any means we may have. Of course, at this point, it’s just Olivia and me, but I imagine a staff and place that pays for itself because it’s so amazing. You can go to the GoFundMe page here:

Help move and establish the In Deep Music Archive

At some point, I hope to be able to re-make the In Deep Music Archive T-shirt (the one with the angler fish) and come up with other things that might pique the interest of the contributor. We will of course be continuing the Skype concerts which at the moment we are doing every two weeks and are ready to book and do more. If this all seems too much and we end up with a house on the edge of town with a big cellar and a brilliant vibe so be it, but the plan was always to make this magnificent collection of music, guitars, amps, books, lava lamps and old-fashioned Russian projectors something for everybody to enjoy.

So 63 years just passed and I’ve discovered that as you get older each year takes about 6 months to come around, whereas when you are 15 each year is 3 years long. We’ll be going out to dinner for the first time since we moved here as this is the week that everything has opened up. It’s birthday Thai and thank you to everybody for all the wonderful and inspiring messages. Thank you for listening to and buying the records and thanks to all the musical collaborators, the sessioneers and everyone whose heart is in the music, it’s a real pleasure to be involved with you all. RIP Aunty Gwen who may just have been responsible for the gene that turned me into a music lifer.

Music today comes from This Mortal Coil, it seemed appropriate. I listened to these three albums (It’ll End In Tears, Filigree & Shadow, Blood) a lot when they were released. Classic cover versions of forgotten gems by artists who understood them.

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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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 

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📷 @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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At last, a proper door stop. 📷 @judgeschamber At last, a proper door stop.

📷 @judgeschamber 

#grammysitting 👵
🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵 31 December - DALL 🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵

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15 January - SAN ANTONIO

With @salimnourallah and @joereyesmusic

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Doors & Delays 🎸 @workshop21_guitarclinic #the Doors & Delays 🎸

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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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