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Mar 30 2022

TO WHERE I AM NOW

In the psychedelic psupermarket today there was an old woman who was so bent over that she was almost horizontal. She had a walking stick to support herself but it was a wonder that gravity hadn’t pulled her to the ground. Her face was heavily lined but as she was so bowed down it was hard to see her face properly. A heavy grey overcoat covered her small frame and she soon shuffled off from the front of the queue with her shopping and had gone from outside by the time I had paid and got outside myself. She might have got on a Harley for all I know, but more likely shopping for herself, probably living by herself, looking after herself, it just made me think about this healthy young girl walking around the streets of Porto in 1940 and what life does to you.

I remember my body in my twenties, not that there was much of it to remember, haha. It was a cake disappearing machine. It was the days of tight pants and even those didn’t stop the gateaux from immediately disappearing into my stomach after it was consumed. My high-speed metabolism made short shrift of carbohydrates and sugar. It’s different now which is why I’m in my eighth week of five days a week in the gym and pool. It works but not as well as a young man’s metabolism. With feeling better, breathing better, walking better, sleeping better, I can highly recommend the effort.

It was another warm day today but depending on which direction you were walking there was a wind that cooled you off. The usual characters were out, Dogman and his well-behaved dogs, the man who sits outside the bank talking to himself and this week has seen the return of the lady who walks in front of you and demands something uncertain.

Familiar sights, familiar faces of strangers who lead their lives on the benches, in the cafes and around the city just as they have for decades.

Getting to know the shopkeepers and the people at the pool and the swimmers has made me feel very much at home here. It’s wonderful to have found a city where people are open enough to communicate and exchange the time of day. Olivia has her Portuguese lessons and now dance and has also made some friends here. As April arrives, the tourists will be coming and we might finally get to see the true face of Porto. They were celebrating here last night as Portugal beat North Macedonia 2-0 in the playoff final that had them qualify for the world cup. Sweden weren’t so lucky, knocked out 2-0 as Poland qualified.

The lava lamp blew a bulb today and I needed Olivia’s hands to replace it which she did. Four bulbs later none of them worked and then we realised the lamp blowing had blown the main fuse. So in fact all the bulbs worked and now we have a supply that we are hoping will last till 2050 at least.

Last but not least I cut myself with a heavy bread knife today. I was grabbing it out of its place and I dropped it. It landed sharp part first on the side of my finger and the blood seeped out, Olivia was at the ready with a plaster (band-aid) which in Portuguese is called ‘penso rápido’. Literally translated it means ‘I think’ and ‘quick/ly’. Don’t you just love languages?

Music today has been the next Anekdoten album in line going backwards. From Within was released in 1999. Today I did a rehearsal sesh with guitarist Nicklas where I filmed him playing the parts, so I can refer to them to learn tricky fingerings and timings. It’s hard to hear the detail when I listen to the albums. There’s about a month to go to learn the set. I Ieave for Sweden on April 22nd and unfortunately, it’s not a direct flight.

Anekdoten Gigs

Malmö, SWEDEN – April 29th
Gothenburg, SWEDEN – April 1st
Stockholm, SWEDEN – May 1st

Poznan, POLAND – May 14th

(More details here)

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

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
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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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