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Nov 14 2022

TO WHERE I AM NOW

The rain came pouring down in a cold and cloudy Texas as we headed out for coffee to a different place that had no decaf. We found ourselves in a large grocery store called Tom Thumb (I think), the shelves packed with products as if it’s bad for the image to see them empty. We bought some sushi for lunch and queued behind a man with a mega trolley full of food. On the way out an old woman, confused as the alarm went off signalling that she had pushed her trolley out of the store without going through the checkout, the trolley wheels automatically locked and led her to confusion as to what had happened, oh to be 90 in the modern world.

In the studio, Richard came in to do some extra keyboards and fix some piano parts. We finished off the acoustics, the dobro, and the nylon string before getting back into the electric guitars and there are lots of them. Although we’ve been using Brian’s Strat and his Les Paul, I wasn’t getting the right sound for the arpeggio part we were working on so after lots of experimentation we landed on an old Epiphone and blended it with a Rickenbacker 12-string for a characterful sound. It’s tough working on guitars as a producer when you are a guitarist and don’t have your own guitars but Brian did a great job anyway on a song that is so packed with guitars that there’s no room for a mint.

Outside the studio the cacti’s white cloth clothing, protection from the threatening frost, made me think of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, known for wrapping famous landmarks and landscapes such as the Reichstag, the Pont Neuf, and even an island. Squirrels run at speed along the fence separating the houses in an astounding display of balance. We open the studio door to let in some fresh air and close it quickly as the cold hits the heated room, the mosquitos are no longer a threat outside as I thankfully recover from 1000 bites on my legs.

Inside a whiteboard with the schedule, the musicians who have been and the musicians who are coming, the instruments recorded, and the instruments to be recorded. It’s long days for this final week as we try to build the tracks, each day is 12-13 hours as we concentrate on ticking off another guitar on a track and moving on to the next one. But the nature of this music means that we could be on the same song for hours as there are so many parts, and so much to add. This is making records, for all the similarities, everyone is different.

Music today has been Van der Graaf Generator’s The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (1970), their second album. Despite being released 52 years ago for me it never gets old. The mood, the songs, the instrumentation, Peter Hammill’s incredible voice. The band at this time was David Jackson on sax, Guy Evans on drums, Hugh Banton on keyboards, Nic Potter on bass, and Peter Hammill on lead vocals, acoustic and occasional piano. A magnificent album featuring the poignant Refugees. Here are the lyrics:

North was somewhere years ago and cold
Ice locked the people’s hearts and made them old
South was birth to pleasant lands, but dry
I walked the waters’ depths and played my mind
East was dawn, coming alive in the golden sun
The winds came, gently, several heads became one
In the summertime, though August people sneered
We were at peace, and we cheered

We walked alone, sometimes hand in hand
Between the thin lines marking sea and sand
Smiling very peacefully
We began to notice that we could be free
And we moved together to the West

West is where all days will someday end
Where the colours turn from grey to gold
And you can be with the friends.
And light flakes the golden clouds above all
West is Mike and Susie
West is where I love

There we shall spend our final days of our lives
Tell the same old stories: yeah well
At least we tried
Into the West, smiles on our faces, we’ll go
Oh, yes, and our apologies to those
Who’ll never really know the way

We’re refugees, walking away from the life
That we’ve known and loved
Nothing to do or say, nowhere to stay
Now we are alone
We’re refugees, carrying all we own
In brown bags, tied up with string
Nothing to think, it doesn’t mean a thing
But we’ll be happy on our own
West is Mike and Susie
West is where I love
West is refugees’ home

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 🤘🏰

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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

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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
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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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