• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Bands & Projects
    • Marty Willson-Piper
    • Marty & Olivia
    • Noctorum
    • MOAT
    • Atlantæum Flood
    • Anekdoten
      • How I Joined Anekdoten
    • The Church
      • Sleeve Notes
    • All About Eve
  • Discography
  • Gear
  • Talking
  • Lyrics
    • SOLO ALBUMS
      • In Reflection
      • Art Attack
      • Rhyme
      • Spirit Level
      • Hanging Out In Heaven
      • Nightjar
    • NOCTORUM
      • Sparks Lane
      • Offer The Light
      • Honey Mink Forever
      • The Afterlife
    • MOAT
      • Moat
      • Poison Stream
    • Seeing Stars
  • Sleeve Notes
    • Of Skins And Heart
    • The Blurred Crusade
    • Seance
    • Heyday
    • Starfish
    • Gold Afternoon Fix
    • Priest = Aura
  • Bandcamp

Marty Willson-Piper

The official home of Marty Willson-Piper

  • News
  • Blog
  • Shows
  • Songwriting & Guitar Guidance
  • In Deep Music Archive
  • Contact

Nov 23 2022

TO WHERE I AM NOW

The rain poured down and the thunder rumbled as the weather changed again from a lovely blue sky and T-shirts to rain clouds, storms and umbrellas. Still, four songs down today in the studio in this mysterious project that keeps us up with the same schedule that we had when Brian was here. Last day tomorrow as Brian returns on Friday for four more days which will take us to Tuesday next week when we will fly to Atlanta to be in the studio with sessioneer Craig. Lots of making music in different roles, different from the old days when playing guitar in a band, doing shows, getting together to write and make albums for that one band was everything, but then in those days we sold records, pulled crowds, and had record company support. Things have changed and you need to be able to get involved in all kinds of different musical directions, it’s the only way unless you are Bono.

The crazy Christmas lights in Highland Park are getting more and more extravagant and I presume that people like to have them up this early not just for Christmas but because of Thanksgiving, one of America’s biggest holidays. The leaves on some trees are turning to a beautiful natural bronze as others are wrapped in green, red, and white electric lights. Some houses have kept the remnants of Halloween and others have blow-up turkeys, the accumulation of three holidays in a row from October to December. It’s what makes January and February the saddest months after New Year’s Eve, nothing more to celebrate.

Sarah has been picking us up and Salim taking us home as Brian is not here for four days, so we get generously picked up in a nice red Prius and dropped off in a lovely silver Mini although it’s hard to get in the Mini without banging my head as it’s so low. On the subject of cars we haven’t heard about Ariel for a while, I suppose we’ll hear from the garage when they know the status of the engine. I always bang my head getting into Ariel too, not because she’s so low but because she’s so high. That’s the great thing about motorbikes, no doors.

Paul was in the studio with us again today, playing guitar and tambourine, singing backing vocals and working out keys and chords for songs. He’s one of those lovely good vibe people that can quietly do most anything musical, guitar, piano, sing, probably the tuba. I was playing all kinds of acoustic guitars today, Taylors, Martins, Seagulls, Guilds, and Hofners, all of which have different sounds and consequently become relevant for some songs and not others, that’s why guitarist types have lots of guitars. In the studio, there’s always the chance to experiment and you don’t always know what’s going to work in the sonic picture. I wonder if Angus just plays one Gibson SG in the studio?

My fingers are hurting from pressing down those 12-strings for hours, so it’s been good having Paul play some of the guitars. You need to be playing all the time because if you don’t and you suddenly have some intense guitar-playing sessions you are likely to struggle with sore fingertips. It’s the same with your voice, you have to use it for it to work properly. It’s also the same with writing songs, you have to write them to have them, haha, like the blog, you have to write it to have one. In a world of massive distractions, financial worries, wars, and conflicts of some description somewhere, it might be hard to commit to picking up a guitar and singing, writing a lyric, and coming up with a structure that qualifies your work as a song…but you simply have to do it, otherwise there is nothing, just the remnants of life, art preserves the beauty of creation.

Music today has been Misery is a Butterfly (2004) by arty New Yorkers Blonde Redhead because I saw a large confused butterfly today and wondered what it might be doing in November and wondered if it was alone and miserable.

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

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

  • spotify
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube

Liking the blog?

Tour Dates

Instagram

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
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 🎸

@workshop21_guitarclinic #thedoors #fenderstratocaster #fenderhotroddeville #nashtelecaster #rickenbacker
Load More… Follow on Instagram

Mailing List

In Deep Music Archive

Songwriting & Guitar Guidance with Marty Willson-Piper
ORDER HERE

"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

MARTY WILLSON-PIPER © 2023 - Front Page Images by Hajo Müller