It may just have been another beautiful day for a review but I didn’t actually get to go out today between Liverpool losing, Man U beating Man City, eBay, and seshes in Minneapolis with Space Summit Jed and with Gavin on the mysterious northwestern coast of America. I haven’t figured out how to say what the temperature was today, only what it is now, 47/8 at 2 AM, Monday morning, but the skies were blue today, the windows were open and the flies were flying around in the centre of the room like flies do – why is that? So, it was the perfect day for another review that was as glowing as the sky outside, this time from Dave Franklin and Dancing About Architecture. Dave is apparently based in Swindon – and we all know why that is cool, a good review from Swindon is worth a lot to us musician types.

Poison Stream – MOAT (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

So, yes, eBay, I didn’t have to get up for Arctic Lake Tony this morning but I did have to get up to see where I was at with my bidding on the M-Audio midi controller keyboard. When I went to bed at 4 AM (ish) my bid was at 70€ and when I got up at just before midday it was still at 70€, the highest bid. I knew for certain that someone would do that weird thing where they wait for the last 30 seconds and throw bids in just when you think you’ve secured the item. So I put two more bids in with 20 minutes to go, one at 82€ and one at 102€ (I really wanted this item). With ten seconds to go, I put in another bid at 122€. When it got to zero time left I had won the auction with the highest bid of 92€. The lesson is, bid more than you need to and as much as you’re prepared to pay. So I ended up paying 22€ more than my highest bid in the last minute. The other bidder could have easily put in 103€ and I would have lost it, hence the 122€ bid for security. It feels like such a silly game but apparently, you have to play it.

So I won the keyboard, it’s coming from Germany and both Olivia and I have been in touch with the seller about our address as it looks a bit weird if you don’t know how Portuguese addresses work. So I communicated with him in English and Olivia did in German because that was his mother tongue and just to be sure we were on the same page about the delivery. This is me building my Portuguese home studio. As yet I don’t have the skills to operate it but if you don’t have the gear you can’t learn it. The costs keep on growing though – you get an expensive microphone, you need a microphone stand and you need a pop shield (that’s the thing that stops your Ps popping in the mic when you sing). If you get a keyboard you need a keyboard stand. You get speakers, you need speaker leads, you write lyrics and play guitar, you need a music stand to see your words and chords, and so on and so on. Then things often break down and guitars need strings and violins need strings and they are £60 plus a set. But then you can have a sophisticated studio in your front room where you can write songs, sing, experiment, demo ideas or if you are really good at the technical stuff, make albums. My plan is just to create, exchange ideas with collaborators, help with the sessions, and have the facility to record without needing a tech, I’ll let you know how it goes over the coming months.

Where is Olivia today? Well, Olivia is always busying herself with something and today she is illustrating the remaining illustrated lyrics to be sent out, five in all: Chromium, Bad Dreams, Water, Melody Of The Rain, and a surprise. So fear not, they will be on their way very soon along with the remaining postcards and the MOAT vinyl. MOAT CD is on its way – if you don’t want it autographed, if you do we hope customs will release them next week. Remember that if you’d rather not wait any longer we can send you an unsigned CD, just let Olivia know. We will keep you posted on the progress.

Music today comes from Perth’s Mt. Mountain as recommended by Paul Webb for whom we played an internet concert on Saturday. They are classed as a Psychedelic band with Krautrock leanings. Lots of moody and frantic instrumental pieces with understated melodic vocals. Their latest album Centre was released in February 2021 and seems to be their fourth. It’s very limited at just 700 copies. Fab, if you like this kind of thing.

Music Of The Daze

A lovely day for another review of MOAT’s Poison Stream (No.4) and for all you budding linguists, polyglots, international communicators, education junkies, and aesthetes, this one comes from Jaime Méndez from El Santo Del Rock who we think might be in Mexico and yes, I have some Spanish skills but not enough to get into the subtleties of this review. I have a friend, Juan in Mexico City, and he told me it was good, phew!

MOAT: Poison Stream

On the subject of music in a foreign language, can you imagine how difficult it must be for a French person to get to grips with Dylan’s lyrics, an English person to get to grips with Gainsbourg’s lyrics in French or Udo Lindenberg’s in German, Ulf Lundell’s in Swedish or any country’s R’n’R poet laureate? But it’s not just the problem of understanding deeper meanings, if you don’t speak a language and you don’t know the word for ‘tree’ or ‘cat’ or ‘beauty’ then even simpler romantic or lyrics of sadness and despair will pass you by. Of course one of the reasons that a lot of people who are not native English speakers can speak English is because of R’n’R (loose term, one can’t cope with today’s genre list). It’s the great educator and freer of the spirit for so many people in the world – its reach, its diversity, its seriousness, and its hedonism.

On this lovely day, I ran around the house tidying up, brushing the floor, cleaning sinks, and cleaning myself with a really large wire brush, well, actually just a shower. We had recycling and garbage to take out, plus a big brown cardboard box to rip up and dispose of. So, we did that and went off to the shops to get stocked up for the weekend. Whilst we were out we took a pic in the park and discovered that the SD card wasn’t in the camera – soooo frustrating. The thing is that the camera still acts like nothing is wrong, not a hint that those 275 pictures that you took, you actually didn’t take at all. So we came back, got the SD card and went out again as we had found a nice little location with the unusual sight of a red telephone box and a large palm tree.

Today was a special day because it was the first of the second phase of internet concerts we are doing. This one was for Paul and his family and friends in Rhode Island but friends were also tuned in from Massachusetts, Brooklyn, and Vermont. As we have the new setup for the computer we were able to get a better sound as we weren’t playing to the internal mic in the computer but to a Beta 58 on a mic stand – result. I like the idea of playing more intimately to a small group of friends or family members, it’s already impersonal enough playing to an unknown audience on a small screen, this way you can make better contact, it isn’t so faceless and you can actually talk to each other in between songs, it’s better.

We usually have the concert purchaser (Paul) send us a list of songs that he’d like to hear and we do our best to play as many of them as we can. But it’s no pressure so we tried a couple of songs that we didn’t know so well and managed quite nicely on the spur of the moment. If you want to try this you can book it through Bandcamp. How long is it? Today it was 2 and a half hours, playing and chatting, it can be shorter or…

Olivia came across the Vision Of Humanity page today whilst browsing the expats site and she saw a link and it took her to the Global Peace Index which listed the countries of the world and how safe they were, Portugal was third after Iceland and New Zealand, the UK was 42nd and the USA was 121st, Australia 13th, Sweden 15th, Germany 16th, etc, etc – it’s interesting if it’s true.

Global indexes

Music today started with a couple of songs by The Herd (starring Peter Frampton at 17 years old), From The Underworld and Paradise Lost from 1967. The band also starred Andy Bown on keys who later formed Judas Jump before finding himself in Status Quo. Then two songs by The Move, Flowers In The Rain (1967) and Blackberry Way (1968) but thinking about it, we did actually start the day with Mendelssohn’s symphonies before we drifted into The Moody Blues’ Seventh Sojourn (1972), PJ Harvey’s Uh Huh Her (2004) as it’s just been re-released on vinyl and Gong’s The Universe Also Collapses (2019) followed by Expresso II (1978). Eclectic heaven – wonderful, if you like that kind of thing.

Music Of The Daze

Day three of MOAT’s Poison Stream reviews comes from Backstreet Mafia’s Arun Kendall in Australia. There’s something encouraging about that connection that has people in different parts of the world liking the record. It shows what fools racists are, your people are everywhere, kind or cruel, and borders or skin are nothing to do with it.

Album review: MOAT’s new album Poison Stream is a glorious collection of hybrid indie/folk vignettes that shimmer and shine.

On the subject of Australia, I got a nice message from both Matt and Nick at Redeye Records in Sydney saying they have received copies of Poison Stream, are digging it and it is for sale. So get down there while stocks last, I’m not sure how many they have. Still, no sign of the CDs to be signed arriving in Porto. We can’t even seem to get a response from FedEx the last few days. I will keep you posted but remember what I said yesterday, if you’d rather not wait to see the end of this issue and you’d prefer to have a non-signed CD sent, we can arrange that, just let Olivia know (olivia@martywillson-piper.com). It seems the vinyl is finding its way to everyone out there, remember to take pictures of it, with pets or turntables (but preferably not with pets on turntables) and we will put them in our gallery.

Today was eventful, to say the least, because the bell rang twice and we were first graced with my new speakers from Germany and then the two great cookbooks sent by Tessa from San Francisco. Olivia has her head buried in the books as we speak and I have my head buried in the speakers. I unpacked them and realised that I needed to get the appropriate leads to plug them into the interface which in turn goes to the computer so we can hear the noise we make. Olivia was in the post office again, this time she took with her an intergalactic survival kit that included oxygen tanks, weaponry, and space food, just in case Earth was either invaded by aliens or humans had begun to inhabit other solar systems before she was done. So I took myself down to Dance Planet again and bought two chunky XLR to jack studio-quality speaker leads, a mic cable, and a lead from my interface to my computer as well as a mic stand. It was a beautiful day, warm, hot in the sun. Olivia met me down there and we walked back home together through the empty streets with still at least two weeks to go until the lockdown eases. When we got back I had a little time before I had my sesh with Fred in Minneapolis today at 7 PM, so I thought I’d plug everything in and see if I could see any flashing lights. But one of the leads had the wrong connection, it was 5.15 PM already – I had to go back down there.

I’ve been having some trouble with my lower back and one walk into town and ‘la douleur’ has me longing to sit down. Olivia suggested I take the train, genius, I never would have thought of that, I never think of taking the train. I’m so used to walking but twice into town in one day would be crippling. So I found my way to the Marquês subway at the end of our street, I have a prepaid card and really felt like a local, which I suppose I am even if it has only been 3 months. I can’t believe how many people were wearing coats. I guess it’s what you’re used to and I’m always hot but really I was overdressed in shorts and T-shirt today (the alternative would be horrifying). I get the feeling it’s going to be open windows all summer. I got down there after a bit of a wait for the train, three stops. Miguel apologised, thinking my interface was the older model, I even got 5 euros back. Back on the train, I was back home in 40 minutes, just in time to get everything plugged in before I spoke to Fred.

Fred had sent me a song, he has his own studio and today Fred, the angel, spent the whole time helping me set the studio up, eternally grateful I’m on the way now, the equipment works and now I can listen to music through proper speakers, listen to mixes, my own and other people’s songs properly. I still have to learn how to operate Logic Pro but Brian in New Jersey sent me a tutorial and that’s really going to help, thanks again, Brian. Initially, I need to know how to record voice and guitar but then it will be sending and receiving music from sessioneers and collaborators. On that subject, I spoke to Jerome Froese today in Berlin (ex Tangerine Dream and son of the legend that is Edgar Froese). He’s working on our collaboration, phew, wait till you hear that!

Music today has been a ridiculous mixture of More Of The Monkees (1967), Pink Floyd‘s Wish You Were Here (1975), Solange‘s When I Get Home (2019), The Beatles‘ Abbey Road (1969), Best Of Badfinger (?) and FKA Twigs‘ Magdalene (2019) and LP1 (2014).

Music Of The Daze

Today is the second day of the daily posting of the reviews for MOAT’s Poison Stream. I’ll be posting one every day until there are no more. Today’s review comes from Shane Kirk at The Afterword somewhere in the deep mists of England.

MOAT – Poison Stream

We are still working on getting the records out to everyone. The autographed vinyl is on its way as are the non-autographed vinyl and CDs but we still have CDs stuck in customs here in Portugal and we don’t know why. We’re trying to sort it out but I’d like you to know that if you’d rather not wait for an autographed copy, we can instruct the label to send a non-autographed copy so you can get your hands on it – and then next time I’m in your hood I can sign it. If you’d rather see how it goes with the customs, that’s fine and we’ll keep you posted on the progress but one thing to remember is if they finally break through to Porto, I have to sign them and then send them back in bulk to North Carolina to be mailed out from the label. Let Olivia know what you think is best. The last of the mystery boxes are on their way, postcards and illustrated lyrics are coming but in the meantime please make sure you do enjoy the album whether it be on vinyl, CD, or in the ether.

I had an early sesh with Rohan in Sydney today, I was up at 9.30 AM (the horror) and we spoke for a while as we wound our way through his epic writing. The second I hung up my phone rang and it was the inimitable Andy Cousin, my All About Eve bandmate, bass player and fugitive. If you haven’t checked out his radio show then you might just want to take the opportunity, there’s nothing quite like it. He does it with his faithful partner Lisa Jane Mires and it’s Never A Dull Moment.

I had a sesh at 5.30 PM with Matt in Brooklyn but first I had to get back down to Dance Planet, the shop where I bought my mini mic stand, that only had the base in the box. Olivia had already left for the post office, with a tent, a week’s supply of food and water, and four parcels. By the time she left, the beards had grown beards but we managed to get down to the shop to show Miguel the box with the missing piece. He kindly replaced it and we took a pic outside as it’s an amazing building, apparently, it used to be a weapons shop.

I’ve now managed to make three important musical needs contacts here, Fernando in the music store, João and Hélder in the computer store, and Miguel in the studio store. I’m trying to put together a small home studio here so I can write, work with the sessioneers by exchanging files and generally be able to work on the vocals and lyrics for songs that Niko might send me for MOAT, Dare might send me for Noctorum or any other collaborations where I might send ideas off to people to work on. Space Summit Jed and I will be able to work more easily as will Arctic Lake Tony and I, Noelle, Matt, and those with whom exchanging files might be part of the process.

Sad to lose Liverpool legend Ian St John and sad to see that Liverpool lost again, this time at home to Chelsea 0-1. Five defeats in a row at home, I think it’s their worst ever home run since they began in 1892, that’s quite a record! I guess things go wrong sometimes but the odd thing with Liverpool is that they were riding so high – maybe that was the problem. There’s something about success that is a danger, take David Bowie – what happened with Tonight (1984) and Never Let Me Down (1987) after that run of amazing records? I suppose Let’s Dance (1983) was a sign. What happened to Joni Mitchell with Dog Eat Dog (1985) and Chalk Mark In A Rainstorm (1988)? What happened to The Stones after Tattoo You (1981)? I suppose it all started to go wrong on Undercover (1983) although others might say it was Black and Blue – l Iiked Black and Blue (1976). Hm, well, think of the amazing records they made, I suppose the eighties damaged a lot of sixties and seventies artists.

I’m not sure how those horrible eighties drum sounds affected Liverpool’s current form though, maybe they’re listening to the terrible music in the dressing room?

Music today has been, you guessed it, Bowie, as Rohan told me had just discovered Low (1977) and Matt was telling me how much he liked Black Star (2016). I was saying how much I liked Hunky Dory (1971) so I listened to that and Low but then stumbled across Bowie At The Beeb 68-72 (2000) and just fancied it. Great, if you like that sort of thing.

Music Of The Daze

We have been receiving some really great reviews for the MOAT – Poison Stream album and as they are on various different websites and print, I’m going to post one a day here so they get the biggest chance of being read. The MOAT FB page has substantially less traffic although after reading these reviews one wonders why. It’s the age-old problem of people would like it if they were exposed to it. There’s this thing about hip magazines considering you for review, they see how much you spent on advertising and then you’re in, their reasoning it’s the only way to survive but that doesn’t bode well for excellent records that have no promo budget and I’m talking mainly about younger acts that have no budget until they have exposure, Catch 22. I can’t imagine that every review they print has to go through this, surely not, but who knows. Of course hip and rich acts are in there anyway, it’s the ones in between and it’s sad to think that you are prioritised if you are rich or hip instead of good, but then what is good? The first review is from Ryan Martin on the Jammerzine website, broadcasting from somewhere in the USA – it’s short and it’s sweet:

The Test Drive: MOAT – Poison Stream + Video

I went on a massive walk today meeting Julian in town and Olivia later. Julian took me on a walk to a part of Porto I hadn’t seen yet. We passed by his new apartment that he bought and is having renovated. He’s another Brexit escapee who chose Portugal as his destination. In five years of living here, we can become citizens and be free to live and travel in Europe without all the restrictions that are now in place. We have been here for 3 months now and with the new rules, that would be it. It’s only my Portuguese residency that allows me to stay in mainland Europe for longer than 90 days – Olivia is ok because she holds a German and a Swedish passport. Strange times, the double whammy of the pandemic and Brexit.

We walked through some areas which are more off the beaten path where the locals live but having said that it’s not really too far from where the seething mass of tourists will be when the world gets back to normal. Covid new cases today 691 from 394 yesterday, so a jump upward after a big jump down. Let’s see, it’s been going steadily down and we hope to be opening up here with schools apparently back 15th March and everything by the end of the month. They are trying to be careful, in the first wave it was very unaffected here but after Christmas came the highest peak, we don’t want it back.

After we had walked through the local neighbourhood we came to the Dom Luís I bridge and walked across to Gaia where we met Olivia on the other side who arrived on the tram at Jardim de Morro. We looked across at the Douro river and beautiful Porto and thought ourselves very lucky to be there as well as realising that this is the last time that this city is going to be this empty. Usually, it is full of throbbing throngs of tourists, we know they’ll be back but we’re just not sure when. When the cities open up again people will be desperate to get away, to places like this. Below us were derelict houses in prime locations with beautiful views of the city and the river and one imagines that in 20 years Porto will be a different place as they slowly but surely renovate the whole city.

The Rickenbacker-stringing YouTube video attracted some attention, mostly positive comments and one mostly harmless negative one, lots of views and likes and one dislike and one who let the negative fellow have it, haha, now that’s support! On the subject of gear on the way back home we went past the Dance Planet shop, they sell DJ stuff, studio stuff. It was 7 PM and the man was still in there (Miguel), I bought a desk mic stand but when I got back home, there was only the base, great, so I have to take it back and not sure if he’ll be in the shop as it’s still lockdown. We’ll see, inconvenient, I gotta sleep.

Music today started with some of those Beach Boys albums that no-one seems to talk about beyond Pet Sounds and Smiley Smile. Wild Honey (1967), Friends (1968), 20/20 (1969), there’s also Sunflower (1970), Surf’s Up (1971), Carl And The Passions – So Tough (1972), and Holland (1973). I also listened to Al Stewart’s Orange (1972) and Past, Present And Future (1973) and The Scorpions‘ Fly To The Rainbow (1974), quite different things as usual. I also watched two mimed Echo and The Bunnymen videos from Belgian TV, Turquoise Days and A Promise from Heaven Up Here (1981) – keeping it eclectic. I have to be up for a sesh in Sydney at 9.30 AM tomorrow. Goodnight.

Music Of The Daze