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Sep 24 2022

TO WHERE I AM NOW

After a brave 12-hour drive by Olivia and a brave staying up to write the blog by me, I finally got to bed at 5.30 AM-ish (a bit later actually). So at 10.30 AM when the lads from the band were knocking on the door, it was something of a rude awakening. This meant a mad rush to get ready and leave, half asleep, couldn’t work the mega-complex shower, trying to get downstairs where everyone is waiting, struggling with my gear (my guitar, my bag of leads and my pedal board), we were soon on the way to the gig. It was about 20 minutes away, we were staying in Olite, an ancient town with a castle, and playing in Peralta. Lots of speaking Spanish and Swedish, translating and setting ourselves up for the show. Cool people, great sound system, amazing venue, the soundcheck was perfect…so what happened?

Back to the hotel, I went for a couple of hours’ nap whilst listening and drifting off to the setlist. Woke up refreshed and back to the gig. Austria’s Blank Manuskript were on stage, we got ready downstairs and an hour and a half later, it was our turn. All my settings had been saved on my amp, the monitors were set up, we sounded great, and we were ready to go. First song, Slow Fire, big heavy riff, no volume on my amp. The PA tech spent the whole song trying to figure it out. It was workable for the second song – just. But a less-than-perfect start with a complex band isn’t good, it’s hard enough. Also, Jan Erik’s bass amp had started making funny noises, so they changed it from the soundcheck to the gig…and didn’t tell the soundman. Not only was my amp super quiet but Jan Erik’s was super loud. All the balances we had meticulously worked out were out of the proverbial window. In trying to get my amp working, it became way too loud and then quiet again, disaster. Nicklas couldn’t hear the drums and then an issue with Anna Sofi’s keyboard.

I was playing percussion on a few songs and I don’t need monitoring apart from Pete’s hi-hat and I don’t need an amp, so it took me a while to realise that all the time I’d spent getting my guitar volume right in the monitors at soundcheck was for nothing because there was no guitar in the monitors which was adding to the sound problem. They scrambled around, eventually fixed it and two songs before the end of the set the sound was about right. This is why you need money, you gotta have your own crew, there are just too many things that can go wrong.

I only have one guitar with strap locks, my Strat, and tonight, one of them decided to break, ironic. Because the lock itself takes up space I was having trouble connecting the loose end of my guitar strap and keeping it from slipping off. Oh yeah and just before I went on stage I cut open the palm of my hand whilst cutting open a bread roll with a serrated knife. In situations like this all you have left is your passion and in the encore, we most certainly did a rousing version of Gravity. That was goodnight but the old phrase ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’ really came to the fore tonight with a very helpful crew and a whole lot of stoopid errors. All this leads to the band not being able to deliver its essence. The soundman told me he had to feature the line bass sound instead of the amp because of the issues with it, the line sound is the last sound we want for the bass.

It was great to see everyone, play music together in this great band, hang out, be in Spain. Being in any band is an adventure. I once went to see Bryan Ferry at the Beacon Theatre in New York, he came on stage, the band started the song, he started singing, no vocal in the PA. You could hear he had monitors but his voice wasn’t in the PA. Can you imagine? So bad, s**t happens even with money.

Album of the daze was Tom Verlaine’s debut, released in 1979. No rhyme or reason.

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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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

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📷 @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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