Today is the unveiling of the new single The Sound Of Suffering from Salim Nourallah’s upcoming album A Nuclear Winter which will be released on May 5th 2023. I play guitar on the record (sharing with Joe Reyes) and co-produced it with Salim. John Dufilho and Jason Garner share bass and drum duties with Rich Martin on keys. There’s a link to Spill Magazine and a video, the studio parts were shot by Olivia in Nashville where we made the record. Check it out. Jason also plays the drums with The Polyphonic Spree and John plays in The Deathray Davies and The Apples in Stereo, this crew interchange, it’s so kool.

SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: SALIM NOURALLAH – “THE SOUND OF SUFFERING”

Today was the day I went to see Jorge in Gaia across the river Douro from Porto. I was on my way to pick up the Fender Baritone that Jorge was setting up for me as it came from the USA in a right old state. These Squire model guitars can be ok, in the olden days a guitar this cheap wasn’t serious but this one is serious enough. He made a new nut because the plastic one was a joke, there’s some bridge hardware to be replaced at a later date when I’m feeling flush (alloy with brass) but apart from these issues and the fact that the scratchplate is a little inaccurately cut to the body shape, it sounds really good. It looks great too, black with double white binding. It’s such an interesting instrument and I will have great fun incorporating it into something, somewhere at some point. If I play it as the main instrument rather than for interesting overdubs, I immediately sound like I’m in a metal band, so look out.

It was nice to get the train from the flat (almost vacated) to Jorge’s place because I got to go over the bridge and look down on beautiful Porto and the Douro river. Jorge and his partner Telma gave me a lift back in the car, it’s just as beautiful driving through the ancient streets. Telma made lemon tea and lemon cake with lemon curd, homemade by her mum. Did anyone else go through jar after jar of lemon curd when they were a kid? I remember it being number 1 on the list of sandwiches. I hadn’t had it for ages, nostalgic jam. Because of the colour, it made me think of Battenberg and that made me think of After Eight mints, haha. Before I knew it I was thinking about Dundee cakes and Bakewell tarts, reminiscing about the days when I could eat anything, although my teeth certainly suffered.

Later, I went to the psychedelic psupermarket and Olivia had me tame the Brussels sprouts. Over dinner I watched Leipzig vs Man City (1-1) with my eye on the computer, contemplating everything I have to do before we move out of here next week and fly to England. Olivia has been changing addresses and packing boxes. Next, I have to break down the stereo, pack up the guitars and dismantle the home studio, that is going to be a really depressing task.

Music today has been Bee Gees‘ pre-disco classic Odessa (1969). The Spotify version has tons of extra trax, demos, and alternate mixes. What a great album.

Music Of The Daze