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Feb 21 2022

TO WHERE I AM NOW

The drilling, the drilling, when will it stop? It wakes you, then it irritates you and then you try to ignore it, then it stops and just when you think it’s over, it starts up again. For us the mornings are sleep time, for them, it’s drilling time and never the twain shall meet. It eventually stops for lunch and that’s about the time I get up, 11.30 – midday. Olivia gets to sleep on because the drillers are eating but for me as they stop my day starts. It reminds me of the days when we were on tour and you’d check into a hotel after a row of gigs, travelling, exhausted and sink into your bed at some godforsaken hour only to be woken by pneumatic drills at 8 AM. Noise is a problem and remember, I’m a musician, I’m noisy. But since we’ve lived here in Porto we’ve had no complaints about playing music, playing guitars and violins, singing for online concerts. At this point, it seems like being on the top floor makes a difference, either that or Portuguese people don’t complain easily, if that dog that barks for hours outside our window every day is anything to go by I guess they don’t.

I returned Hugo’s swimmers today at the pool, sadly un-ironed and swam a healthy 72 lengths, the last two being ‘the disgruntled moth’ aka the butterfly. But although I must have looked like an anvil being thrown into a vat of ice cream, I did manage to get to the end of the pool – and back, result. The nose clip has been a big success and now after the swim, I don’t explode into multiple sneezing fits. The chlorine has been stopped from infiltrating my brain. I like the lanes but not the chemicals. It’s hard to swim laps in the sea and after that shark eating a swimmer near Sydney recently, I won’t be getting in the sea anywhere for a while. Of course, it’s nothing to do with the sea here in Porto being the Atlantic and freezing cold.

I went mad in the veggie department today at the psychedelic psupermarket and bought two cabbages, a massive cauliflower, two boxes of mushrooms, asparagus and a huge bag of carrots. I also bought a cucumber, radishes and a bunch of celery. I came home hungry after the swim and proceeded to clean the fridge, eventually, I got to making a freshly squeezed carrot, celery and ginger juice, a bowl of arugula, radishes, cucumber and olive oil and a freshly baked brown roll (pão de avó) with vegetarian ham (which is pretty dodgy). Swedish Präst ost, more cucumber and a touch of sea salt, followed by a lovely cup of Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer herbal tea with honey. The issue with healthy eating is the preparation time, the cleaning up and the general mess but it’s really worth it, the workers inside my body were doing cartwheels and are so relieved to not have to deal with cakes and coke, from the point of view of the sugar overload. Since I started this attempt at losing weight and getting fit again, I haven’t drunk 30 cans of coke that I would have drunk and haven’t eaten 30 cakes that I would have eaten, along with seven swims and four gyms so far, that’s got to have helped? Someone reassure me! Haha.

At 6 PM tonight I had the first Skype Anekdoten rehearsal with guitarist Nicklas, familiarizing myself with the songs (as he was). But it doesn’t stop there, now I have to rehearse these songs every day to get up to speed. This is the most complex musical band I have played in and you need your wits about you to nail the repertoire. On that note, there was a disturbing article in the paper the other day that celebrated the fact that scientists have discovered that your brain doesn’t deteriorate from the twenties onwards as previously thought. The problem is that they discovered it does deteriorate after 60! Haha.

Severance – episode 3 isn’t out yet, The Green Planet is finished, so we decided to watch a film over dinner and picked the Swedish sci-fi movie Aniara (2018) as recommended by sessioneer Matt in Brooklyn. It’s about a ship taking passengers from the ruined earth to a colony on Mars. It collides with some space junk and goes off course sailing into the darkness of space, I’ll let you make your mind up about whether it sounds as if it is for you.

Music today has been something that most people won’t know unless they followed German music in the seventies. Kraan were formed in Ulm in 1970 and have made albums sporadically ever since, the last one was Diamonds in 2010 that is until the latest one, Sandglass (2020). I’m on my third listen to this album, melodic, lots of instrumental sections and songs mixed with melodic vocal songs. A real surprise, really good, if you like this 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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Fabulous Poodle Bob and his Poodle Bentley droppin Fabulous Poodle Bob and his Poodle Bentley dropping by the studio today 🐩

📷 @salimnourallah 

More about what Bob's doing in Dallas: https://rb.gy/o86gi
Amplify Me! ...is a brilliant song by sessioneer @ Amplify Me! ...is a brilliant song by sessioneer @blueburstmusic and makes for a fitting caption as we are currently recording sessioneer projects in fabulous studios in Minneapolis & Dallas. What's a sessioneer? Well,... https://www.songwritingandguitarguidance.com

#theterrariumstudio #marshallamps #fenderamps #fredargir #blueburstmusic #thesessioneerseries #songwritingandguitarguidance #moatband
Arno Sojo of @sweetgumtreemusic fame has a fabulou Arno Sojo of @sweetgumtreemusic fame has a fabulous son, Tim. Meet Tim.
And another two. Thanks, Anna at @nocturnaphotogra And another two. Thanks, Anna at @nocturnaphotography 

www.nocturnaphotography.com
www.post-punk.co.uk (in-depth interview coming soon ⭐)
Great one of Olivia - by Denis Copeland 🖖 #UKto Great one of Olivia - by Denis Copeland 🖖 #UKtour2023
Here's a snapshot from our recent UK tour, courtes Here's a snapshot from our recent UK tour, courtesy of @nocturnaphotography 

www.nocturnaphotography.com
www.post-punk.co.uk (in-depth interview coming soon ⭐)
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
Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵 📷 @oliviaelek Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵

📷 @oliviaelektra 

#danelectro #danelectrobass #redeyerecords #pleasantrylane #pleasantrylanestudio
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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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