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Nov 17 2021

TO WHERE I AM NOW

They’ve started putting up the Christmas decorations in Porto and it seems so recent that I saw them taking them down but somehow that was last year. I guess that’s how it happens with Christmas, it’s here, it’s gone and it’s back again. Do they store them or make new ones? I’ll have to see if the shapes are the same when they are up and running because I remember them vividly from last year. The Christmas tree issue has become impossible because the fact is that they don’t have (the same type of) pine trees in Portugal. They have a version of a Christmas tree but it’s not what we northern Europeans are used to, so plastic it is, unless we can drive one down from Sweden of course. So, any Swedes driving south in the coming weeks with a van and a whole lot of space, bring a Christmas tree. I suppose this is what millionaires do when they fly in oysters for breakfast.

I went into town again today, my hand strapped up and covered in some relieving cream. Right now I have it in a brace but I have to say it’s improving a lot by hardly using it. Still, getting the lid off the honey jar is still something of an issue. The left is pretty much painless and the right is liable for the occasional spasm and if I touch it in the wrong spot it gives me a bit of a shock. But without being a doctor, I get the feeling that it’s nothing serious, it’s a strain from all that record moving, grabbing them in bunches and taking them out of the shelves. Plus lifting boxes (or trying), pushing, pulling, dragging, slotting squares in spaces, balancing, catching, tipping, leaning, labelling, securing, fastening, taping, slicing, cutting, building, organising, anything involving packing, placing, moving, fixing, filling, discarding, keeping, finding – and moving.

We got a message back from Michel in France about cassettes and he is generously going to send us some (thank you). As they are coming from France there will be no awkward duty questions and believe me there are even awkward duty questions for a bag of old used blank tapes. My days of Amazon UK packages are over unless they come from Germany but it’s better this way anyway. The problem with Penzance as a small town on the end of a leg was that you weren’t going to get much new release traffic. Finding the Dry Cleaning record or the new Colin Blunstone reissue of One Year on double vinyl wasn’t going to be easy in Market Jew Street, the main street of Penzance. So now here today, I ordered that Colin Blunstone album through my local record store (Tubitek). They are going to try and get it for me at least, if not, I’ll be scouring the net to get it somewhere, perhaps even Amazon if I must.

They have two FNAC stores here in Porto. It’s a French department store chain that sells books and records and electronics and cameras and writing pads and pens. I went there today and signed up for a FNAC card and bought some records with a nice discount. I finally got Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ Carnage plus the new Radiohead, Kid A Mnesia. We bought a camera there a few months ago, it’s a trendy browse and too expensive to visit often but now and again is ok as long as you leave your wallet at home and tie your hands behind your back so you can’t remove your blindfold. Olivia and I went to the musical box shop and the handmade shop and I got Chrissie and birthday prezzies for my grandchildren, do it early, although I think I’m a bit late to make the birthday.

Next in line for The Cure studio albums was Bloodflowers (2000). I like this one, it’s unfussy, more intimate somehow, not all madness and surreal partying and not all cave-dwelling either. It sounds like an album that the masses wouldn’t be able to latch on to but not because of the reasons they couldn’t latch on to Wild Mood Swings. This one is not for people who aren’t really listening. The vocals are close to you, next to you, in the seat beside you. It’s like an acoustic album with electric instruments.

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 

#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
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
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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