The Mouse Hole

Moving On

2010-12-28T01:06:00.003Z

I've decided to up stakes and move. I'm not happy in here anymore and I think that's reflected in my lack of posting here recently. So, in order to spark things up, I've decided to call it quits here.

Sometimes you just need to start fresh in order to carry on with something you like doing. So that's exactly what I'm doing. I can now be found over at The Mouse Hole on Tumblr. I have no clue why that site decided to lose the 'e' from their name, but it looks nice and shiny. Maybe you can pop round sometime if you're not too busy.

Cheerio for now!

Mouse's Christmas Message

2010-12-24T18:20:00.002Z

Good evening, everyone! It's been snowing here again, so we've got a good covering in time for Christmas. It's lovely out there. I was out walking around listening to The Jethro Tull Christmas Album and it's put me right into the Christmas spirit.

Now, I was going to write a big analysis of my year and talk about how interesting it's been in so many ways. I'd written about half of it, in fact. But instead, I'm just going to say that I've had a bloody good year. I've been to some cracking gigs, experienced the best of human kindness (James and Karin, Simon, Rob H, Wilf, John and the rest of Manning - take a bow, chaps) and, in the last month, I've produced something which I'm truly proud of. Something which I actually want to show off to everyone and go "Listen! I did that! Well, not that - I didn't make the sounds, but I made them go left and right like that!" (Just so you know what I'm on about, I mixed the Tinyfish song Nine Months On Fire in 5.1 surround sound.) It's the first thing I've done that I've actually been so happy with. The next step is figuring out just how to get it to people so that they can hear it.

Anyway, the point is that I'm proud of it. I'm proud of what I've done this year. And I'm so grateful for all that I have and all that I experienced. I really do know the best people in the world.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a hearty, healthy and Happy New Year with all those you love and love to be with.

Now, clear off! Merry Christmas Mr. Bean is on and it's not Christmas without that Nativity scene. Cheers!

x

On Hold

2010-09-18T22:13:00.002+01:00

Right, I'll keep this short and bitter. I'm angry right now. I'm very annoyed. Everytime I try to follow up a music idea on Cubase, it falls flat on its face. There are a number of reasons for these constant failures. The main one would be that my incredibly amateur method of recording guitar and/or vocal tracks is long, difficult and, ultimately, yields pathetic and rubbish results. Unfortunately, most of my ideas revolve around guitar work and require those guitar sounds to develop properly.

So, I'm putting everything on hold. All of it. Hopefully, in a few weeks, I'll be able to land myself a copy of Windows 7 (f*ck you, Vista!), Pro Tools and something which will allow me to record sodding guitars directly into a sodding project session. I've been trying all summer to work around my problem, and I have got some results (Nine Months On Fire, Grendel - go to the Bandcamp site to find out about that one), but it's not enough to get a blueprint of what I want to create into some demo form.

That's it. Now, I'm going to bugger off and read a book, or something. Goodbye for now, and may your god go with you.

Taking A Plunge

2010-08-18T17:29:00.002+01:00

What-ho! I'm actually holidaying at the moment in deepest Suffolk, but I've found a smidge of temperamental Internet, so I thought I'd come here and update you on some interesting news.

First up, I've got a new project on the go. I'm working on an EP called Aquaphobia. It'll be about seven songs in length, be no longer than twenty five minutes (ish) and it will carry themes of lonliness and overcoming fear, all with an aesthetic backdrop of the ocean. The first track, an intro piece called Shallow Waters, is up on my Bandcamp site right now. The whole thing is due to ebb and flow with change until it feels finished, so it could very well change soon. Indeed, the artwork (pictured above - or, it will be once I can get the f*cking thing uploaded) has already gone through several different versions. I'm quite proud of the one I've got at the moment. You can see that I'm using the logo the wonderful Jim from Tinyfish made up for me because it's too superb to use just the once. I'm hugely grateful for it, and I thank him again for such a fab present.

Speaking of Tinyfish, they're finally releasing their second album, The Big Red Spark next month. There's a launch gig, too, which you could very well do to mooch along to and have a bloody great night. If you can't get along, then you can pre-order the thing and have some undoubtedly brilliant music to listen to. Go to it!

Second bit if big new now, and the Amazing Wilf (also known as David Elliot), the lovely chap who presents The European Perspective on The Dividing Line Broadcast Network, has approached me to take part in Project Grendel. As some of you may know, Grendel is one of the first Marillion songs written, recorded and released back in the very early 80s. As some of you may know, it's a song that, shall we say, hasn't aged well. As some of you may know, it's become a bit of a joke in progressive rock circles, especially in the Marillo's own camp. Wilf has made it his mission to re-invent Grendel, to regenerate and re-record it for a contempory progressive scene. The project is still in its early stages right now, but it is slowly gathering momentum.

And I've been asked to compose an orchestral arrangement for the introduction and first verse section of the piece. I am truely honoured to have been asked to participate in this project, and I will do my best to not let the side down.

I'm going to approach it the same way I did the second section of Nine Months On Fire - by just jumping in and seeing what happens. Hopefully, I can create something completely bonkers and out-of-the-field, but still retain some recognisable essence of the original song. With most of the Tinyfish boys also sticking their hands up to be included, it'll be interesting to see how this thing develops, and maybe, just maybe, the dignity of Grendel, if there was any to begin with, will be saved.

And at the end of the day, it's a bit of a laugh, isn't it? And that's what you really want from doing this kind of stuff.

Bon voyage, peeps!

Driving All Night

2010-07-13T01:44:00.001+01:00

I feel incredibly lost sometimes. I don't really know what to do, I can only see where I've come from, but I don't know where to go next. The next year's quite sorted, for I'm going to finish my course, turn my Foundation Degree into a BA Honours Degree, have a bloody good time along the way and feel bloody good about myself. ...But then what? Get a job, I suppose. What job? Where? How? Will I do something that I want to do, something that I'll be qualified to do, or something which will tie me over until I can make my break?

It's a bit daunting. For all my life up to this point, I've known what to do. It's sort of automatic: school, secondary school, college, then university (or college again in my case, but doing a higher education course). But then what? There are so many different paths to take, and one of them must be taken. The option to carry on as normal is not valid. That's quite scary for someone who doesn't adjust well or quickly to change.

I constantly feel like I'm looking at my life with my back turned to the direction in which I'm walking. I honestly can't plan anything further ahead than this next year. I've been like that for the last ten years, believe it or not. I guess everyone goes through these moments, but to be honest, that doesn't exactly make me feel better. No offence.

There are a good few people I would love to talk to, too. But, for many reasons (including finances, timing, convenience, and all those boring sorts), that's just not possible right now. The constant reminder that all of these people have lives which are as, if not more, intricate and busy as my own is not a strengthening one. The idea that by continually trying to contact people, I'm just going to annoy them with my consistency. I suppose I just miss people, plain and simple. I've noticed that I've started doing things as well, things that I used to do an awful lot, like constant hand washing, placing and rearranging things into their 'proper places', and the urge not to throw things away. It's been quite a while since I've made my aquaintance with these fellows. I think I've still got quite a few demons lurking here and there. That's good, I've got a lot of time to mull them over before I start college again in late September. Yippee.

I tend to go on these night time drives when I enter a night shift. With no-one and the world to distract me, I start to analyse myself. I think I've written here before that that can become a massive problem. So, I just keep on driving, until the day starts to break and I fall asleep. The Sun tends to warm me up again, and the next day is quite different to the night. But that doesn't mean that what I feel on the night is false... Unfortunately, it's also usually at night when I become my most creative, and I start work on numerous ideas which tend to be left unfinished by the time the sky gets light. The recent Tinyfish project was a fine example of how good things can come out of this sometimes troubling period. That doesn't happen often.

Is it worth going through these rather bleak moments in order to strike occasional gold and inspiraton? Oh yes, of course it is. Just like how one endures major emotional and personal pain in order to, eventually, enjoy the company of those special few who one is honoured and proud to share one's life with.

...Hmm, I don't think I'll use one again like that for a while...

It's the same philosophy I took when going through the incredibly dark times of the last two years - the low times are worth enduring in order to enjoy those incredibly high moments at the other end.

Right, that's enough. I'll not continue with this ramblage. That's not a word, is it? It should be. If enough people use it, it will become officially recognised and included in the Oxford Dictionary. Your mission, if you choose to accept it...

But now, it's getting lighter, and lighter, and lighter...

Magnifique!

2010-07-10T20:59:00.001+01:00

My orchestral work is finished! Yes, my re-working of Tinyfish's Nine Months On Fire was completed at about 03:15 on Wednesday morning. Huzzah!

As mentioned before, you can listen to it at my solo Bandcamp site here and you can listen to the original, along with many other equally fine Tinyfish tracks, here. I'm pleased to report that the band want to include it on their website when they redesign it come the release of their new album, which is very nice of them and will look quite nice on my CV. My first piece of 'professional' work? Could be! Wheeee!

In other news, I've got plans to assemble a band which will be a sort of predecessor to the Sigma 6 project. I'm still thinking of a band name, something involving whisky and/or barrels, but the general idea is sorted. Bascially, myself and a group of similarly minded music men of fluctuating number, will perform in an acoustic, laid back and relaxed style a few numbers that will be nice to strum and sing. The ideas I've got for Sigma 6 are becoming a bit too big for what I can manage now, and I doubt there's much of a scene for our... 'interesting' brand of Rock music in little humble Hull, so this new band will be a gateway to getting out and getting used to performing in the live realm. The idea that it'll be all relaxed and good natured will (hopefully) mean that little stress will be involved as to whether or not we pull off every song note-for-note and pitch perfect. In short, it'll be practice meets fun. Sounds good, right?

OK, that's about it for now. Take care, people.

Fish Du Classique

2010-06-13T18:39:00.003+01:00

Good evening! I come to you with news of a new project, one which, believe it or not, I have actually finished. Well, not fully finished, but it's at a stage where I can start waving it around and going "Look wot I've done". This is the story so far...

I wanted to experiment with orchestral instruments and sounds. The chance to initially fiddle with flutes and tinker with trumpets was when I was doing the Sound Design project on my Music Production course last term. I instead opted to create a more Electronic soundtrack rather than a traditional Classical sounding one, and so the opportunity passed me by. Though I am very proud of what I produced for that module (I rank it as one of the best pieces of work I've ever done), I was disappointed that I didn't take the plunge into the symphonic realm.

So, I decided to dedicate one of my Summer projects to experimenting with these sounds. It would also help prepare me for the third year (starting in September) and it would keep my creativity ticking over. But where to start? How could I really make an effective piece of work?

This is where Tinyfish come in. Those who know me will know that Tinyfish are one of my favourite bands. Billing themselves as "the world's smallest Prog Rock band", they are certainly not typical in their Progressive stylings, creating more song-based music and lacking a keyboard player (which many would consider blasphemy to the genre), but this all enhances their craft. And they are all really lovely people, too.

Their self-titled debut album contained a track called Nine Months On Fire (click on the link to listen). I often describe the song as a whole feature film in five and a half minutes, telling a story about what could've happened if the "go-ahead, entrepreneurial Thatcherite spirit was applied to the discovery of the occult". As the original is incredibly cinematic, I thought this would transpose well to the orchestral style I was gunning for.

And so, after about a week of figuring out various sections of the song, constantly resetting the sounds in Edirol Orchestral to match up with what I'd done the night before, and signing up to the brilliant Bandcamp, I can now present Part 1 of my orchestral version of Nine Months On Fire. I hope you enjoy what I've done. Oh, and you can even download it if you want it to plague your computer for a while.

I must say, it's not finished yet. Apart from lacking Part 2, there are still a few sounds that I want to try and find to include, and there are still a few adjustments to be made to the mix, but that's essentially the gist of it. The structure's pretty much done, I think. And I'm rather proud of it.

Finally, I'd like to say a big thank you to Jim Sanders, who has provided me with a logo to adorn the artwork that is intended to mirror his own fine work. Thanks, Jimbo!

In other news, I think I've got the whole of Amazon checking their stock of the limited edition version of Season 10 of The Simpsons, as the one they sent me didn't have the outer see-through slipcase with it. I like my packaging to be complete, and it just won't fit in the others on my shelf.

Take care, peeps!

Ammonite's Light

2010-05-21T23:10:00.002+01:00

Good evening.

I don't really know what I'm doing here today. I haven't been feeling too good of late, quite down and out. I felt that I needed to channel something to get me focused, so I thought I'd tell you about one of my numbers. Hopefully, it'll give me a kick to try and get some work done on it.

For those few madmen who've read every entry of this 'ere blog thing might recognise the name Ammonite Song. I've been writing it for nearly the past four years now, and I reckon I know exactly what to do with it, so I thought I'd shed some light onto it. I wanted to take the listener on a journey, starting on the ocean surface, then following light battling through eiderdown-like cloud through the water, down to the deep depths, through history and time, and then washing back up on the shore, with a relic souvenir of what once was.

That's one way of putting it. It's a song about time and memory, using ammonites and fossils as a symbol for that. It delivers a message of no matter what you lose to the world, something is always left behind somewhere, somehow.

I hope it will, anyway. If only I could finish writing the bloody thing. I need to revise my lyrics, smarten them up a bit, give them a trim, etc. The music's fine, with instrumentation and organisation the next big step to look at. Although they may sound rather nice and sparkly, I don't want to include many (if any) synth pads. I'd rather create my own sounds and textures using stuff like organs, pianos and electronic variations of, lead analogue sounding synthesisers... Hey, if no-one had a problem with it in 1975, why should I now? I fully intend for it to sound modern though, don't panic. No lo-fi for me, thank you very much.

I think it'll be about seven or eight minutes in length. I'm using the template of two thirty minute 'sides' (like the good old vinyl days) to limit myself for this first album project. I love the idea of having the album divided into two parts with a break in the middle. Much more, shall we say, theatrical than an hour and a half of continuous music. I think it gives an album much more form and identity. The Dark Side Of The Moon is probably the best example of this - one distinctive piece of work with two definite sides to it.

I think this all sounds like the collected ramblings of an idiot, but maybe it makes some sense as to what I've got planned for something that will hopefully take more shape over the Summer. I know what I'm on about. I actually think it's going to be a killer tune.

If you want the ten-or-so minutes that it took you to read this back, then sod off. What am I, the guarantee of quality time? I listen to Prog, I know how to waste someone's time definitively!

I Am Man

2010-05-17T17:31:00.001+01:00

On Saturday, I built a bookcase with nothing more than a screwdriver, a hammer and my own bare hands. I'm not the sort of person who would take part in practical activities, especially manly ones, so the fact that I successfully built a storage unit for my DVDs or whatever is quite surprising.

Behold!

And now, I'm going to move some heavy boxes out of my room. And then I'm going to build another bookcase.

And when the wardrobe arrives, I'm going to build that, too. And the television stand that I've got my eye on. And more bookcases.

To quote the villain from the Doctor Who story The Underwater Menace: "Nothing in ze world can stop me noow!"

A Nice Cup Of Tea

2010-05-11T18:58:00.000+01:00

And so it came to pass that another college year was at an end. After tomorrow, I will have completed my Foundation Degree in Music Production. To what level of success remains to be seen, but it is finished. I am finished. Fin. Finito. Over.

Hooray!

So, I am currently relaxing with a nice cup of tea, some great music and frequent visits to equipment websites for a bit of gear porn. Mmm, lovely!

Cheers!

In Orbit

2010-05-04T23:59:00.002+01:00

It happens to me every now and then. I don't know if it happens to you, but you'll know what I mean. Every so often, I'll hear a song. It could be any song, or a piece of music. Something about it, something deep, grabs hold of me, and I'll become addicted to it. I won't be able to stop listening to it, then I'll start thinking about it, identifying with it... It's not unhealthy and it's not an obsession. I sort of go into orbit around it. I just, I suppose, fall in love with it.

Here is the latest example. You've probably heard something by Moby somewhere at some point in your life, even if you don't recognise it. I hadn't listened to Moby in a good many years, but then late last year, I noted that his new album was out. I really liked the artwork. And that was it for the next few months. Completely by chance, I stumbled upon this video on Play.com on their listing for that album with the artwork I liked so much. The track is called Pale Horses. For some reason, I've fallen in love with it.

It could be the incredibly mellow tone of the music, the build up of strings in the middle section, the minor chords, the simplicity of it. I think the video was a major factor, though. Look at that little chap. He's known as Little Idiot, which is a bit of an unfortunate moniker I reckon, because whenever he pops up in Moby's work, he always seems so hopeful, yet still gets the short straw. I think I identify with him in the video. There's an optimism in his fantasies, an optimism made sad and mellancholy by the music. I find that there's something very powerful about a sense of optimism in a seemingly hopeless time. It's brave to keep your horizons high when the world is so low. I think it's also those minor escape from his lonliness he has that get me, too. I classify myself as a very lonely person, even though I'm surrounded in many ways by many wonderful people. I suppose that's a bit selfish in a way, but it can be helpful in that it gives me inspiration with my own work. Ideas that would never have come in a different mood.

I think you get the idea. I've gone on enough, so here's the video. Maybe you'll find what I found in it, maybe you won't. Who knows? One thing is certain: something will. Some time down the line, I guarantee, you will find something that has a unique effect on you, and it'll be wonderful. It'll be brilliant. And the sad thing is, it's a high probability that everyone else won't understand, and you won't be able to share that wonderful thing. So savour it. Hold it. Make it your own.

Sweet dreams, friends.

The Blog, The Blog, He's At It Again

2010-05-03T16:59:00.002+01:00

Well, well, well. Good to see this place hasn't burned down, blown up or been fed to the monster of Darkness Incarnate called through from the Unknown Dimension by the Tories when they were experimenting with the occult back in the late 1980s. You heard.

Anyway, it's still here and all is well. It seems the last update was when I was still in the flat. A lot has happened since then. We've successfully moved house, now residing in Hedon (that's just outside Hull, that is), my Mum is now the priest-in-charge of Hedon and Paull (that's just outside Hedon, that is), the second year of my Music Production Foundation Degree is nearing its end and last Saturday my Brother was on Total Wipeout on BBC1. I've been to London to see the mighty Tinyfish in concert, had all of my trains cancelled and got off at the wrong station and was left in the middle of nowhere for an hour and forty minutes. All in all, fun times have been had.

I've been brimming with ideas concerning which direction to take some of my compositions in recently, which has been very enlightening along with annoying as I haven't had the time, effort or resources to get on with them. Oh well. Soon, I'll have nearly five months in which to do sod all, so maybe I'll get on with it then. Promising times ahead!

The new house is fab. Although I didn't get the turret room (did I mention this house has a turret-like structure?), I did get one heck of a large room. It's even got a fireplace, which is a bit annoying, actually. I wonder if I'll be able to fit all of my crap in here. I've been successful so far! New furniture will be ordered and I'll give it a lick of paint sometime after college has finised. I found this lovely shade of green called Winchester Green, which is the sort of green that adorns The Flying Scottsman. You know, that sort of classic British industrial green. Maybe. We'll see.

Right, that's pretty much this place up to speed. I'll be back (hopefully sooner rather than) later with any interesting news. I might start writing reviews of music here, something I specifically wanted to avoid, but I might do it to flex my writing muscles. And my Thesaurus.

So, until the next time, don't eat the yellow snow where the Eskimos go.

Open Door

2010-03-25T02:41:00.001Z

"The door's been opened, my chance to escape." Tonight is the last night that I have to spend in the flat.

Thank f*ckery for that! I shall finally be free. Free of this rubbish accomodation and its frankly pathetic managers. I'll be heading back up North for one last week-n'-a-bit, then it'll be time to leave it all behind and go less North to Hedon. I'll get my first proper look around the new pad tomorrow, with a second helping on Friday. I will finally decide whether the turret room is worth fighting for, or if another room will better suit my needs. Basically, I need quite a bit of space for bookcases. Upon the bookcases will go my CDs, DVDs and, obscurely, books, so I might need a few. I'll also need to consider desk room for the computer I intend to build in September...

So, I might indulge in some interior design over the Easter holiday, which is something I haven't done for a good many years now. I think the last time I tried was when I was doing my Graphics GCSE and I designed a lunar themed restaurant. It was rubbish. This time, I will not fail.

What else has been going on? Well, I've been feeling pretty teriffic these past two weeks or so. I think I'll feel even better after the move is complete. The last four years will have come full circle, just as I feel the last decade finally did earlier on in the year. I can't remember a time when I've felt this way for so long before. Spring is most definitely in the air in my world.

I wish this amazing feeling of comfort and security to all of you out there. I might have to keep some of the confidence to myself, as I think I'm long overdue some! I may return soon with some photographs of the new house, so stay tuned...

The Song Remains The Same

2010-03-16T02:16:00.001Z

The dispute over illegal filesharing over the Internet has been going on for quite some time now, and it hasn't been going in any direction. It's just stayed in one place, as if banging its head against a brick wall, reiterating the same points over and over and over, as if doing so might uncover some special magi words that might unlock the key to some ultimate answer. A solution.

It's not working. It hasn't been working for many, many years now. The industry has been moving in ways to get around the issue, as tackling it head on would be just like, well, hitting the wall again. Bands and artists, both new and experienced, have employed different methods to reach through to their audiences and dedicated fan bases. The four main record labels are even starting to adapt to the change, though I don't know how much more punishment EMI can take. All parties have learned to try and carry on with the thorn of illegal filesharing embedded deep into their sides.

But look! There are a few more parties still being held in the shadow of the old brick wall. To put it incredibly bluntly, these parties are all being held by the government. Some people want to knock down the wall and put filesharing in shackles, punishing anyone who interacts with it at varying levels of severity. These punishments can range from a strongly worded letter (ooh, bravo) to disconnection from the Internet. Another party in the government, also boogying on down at the wall, call disconnection from the Internet a breach of human rights and start shouting so loudly any other voices in the local vicinity cannot be heard. This argument finally made it onto the BBC's poorly concieved Panorama programme.

And it really p*ssed me off. Talk about taking one step forward and two steps back. They immediately pointed the blame finger at students, gormless idiot children and their even more gormless idiot parents. Well, students get blamed for everything, so no change there. As for the family gorm, they must've chosen the worst possible example of a normal household in the whole country. The mother went on about how she had no clue about how the kids downloaded music on that there computer, that she didn't even know what they were doing on there most of the time and that it often vanishes from where she last set it down, because them pesky kids nick it for more of their hijinks. Right, keep your damn kids under control. If they're stealing your computer and doing whatever they want on it without you knowing, they need a stern talking to. It'll be your fault if an order of combat knives and other such typical goods arrive on your doorstep, and that won't go away with a shrug of the shoulders, a sigh and quipping "Kids these days, eh? Little rascals!"

If the kids are stealing music online, then they need to be told that stealing is wrong. I was taught that at an early age, actually. As was everyone else in my school year. I would expect this to be the norm right across the board. Even if the product has no physical properties, it is still stealing if you are meant to pay for it and don't. There should be no exception. Stealing is stealing. It is against the law. Whichever law that happens to be doesn't matter, either - it is still wrong.

Back to the programme. Jo Whiley wittled on to people who knew nothing about the situation they were talking about (including a member of Scouting For Girls talking about creativity, which I thought was a bit ironic seeing as though they have none. At least his heart was in the right place), making the argument more and more fractured and extending party time at the brick wall by several more months at least. The members of The Featured Artist's Coalition were the only people in the whole thing who made any sense. The FAC is made up of various artists in the industry, from the experienced (Nick Mason from Pink Floyd, Mark Kelly from Marillion, Billy Bragg) to the young (Kate Nash and some bloke from a punk band - apologies to that man as I can't remember his name). And all they spoke about was how they've been getting around the issue and adapting their marketing plans so that they can still make a living from their trade. Which is what everyone should be doing.

But no. Some people want to come down swift and hard on people, others want to do whatever the hell they want. The problem with the punishment is that it won't solve anything. The people whose argument was against that seemed to base their position on the idea that being done for illegal filesharing was unfair. The problem with that is that it's still illegal, and the last time I checked, doing something illegal was against the law and if you were found doing something that was against the law, you would face the consequences.

Oh no! Wait - I'm sorry. It is unfair. After all, it's only music, right? It's not as if musicians need the money from the music they make. They all fly big aeroplances and have their own monogrammed Rolls Royces rolling around their private property on their private islands, where the streets are paved with coins. If you actually believe this, then you need a cold, hard punch in the face. And another. If someone is selling music they have made, no matter what their financial position is, you should pay them if you want to aquire it. This is how general trade works. You do not have a right to any music you have not made yourself. It is not unfair to get done for illegally sharing music files on the Internet. Some moron on that programme argued that if someone got disconnected from the Internet, they wouldn't be able to do important stuff, like online banking and studying. Bloody hell. If you get disconnected, fear not! If you need to do banking, why not go to a bank? If you need to do some studying, why not go to a library? Remember those?

I myself am guilty of downloading albums illegally. You'll have to take my word for it though when I say that, most of the time, I downloaded records that are not available physically (or even digitally), or if I wanted to try an album purely out of curiosity with intent to buy later if I like it. It's not fair to the artists that I did that. I feel bloody awful for doing it, as I hope to move into that part of the industry in the very near future, and I know how difficult it is for a new band to make a living purely from making and selling records. I am now looking to replace my downloads with physical, paid for copies (where and when available) to pay my dues and to get a better product.

There's one thing that the programme ommitted - the try-before-buying trend. Well, they did touch on it briefly. I think. But websites such as Spotify, where artists allow people to listen to entire works for free, were not mentioned. This method can spur people on to buy a product that would have otherwise passed them buy. It does happen. A lot. People are generally good like this, I find. Not all of them are b*stards who don't care about anything.

That's just the students! (Bandwagon, ho! Ba-dum-tish!)

They also failed to mention that CD sales were up by about 15-18% last year, and that this decade has been the best for cinema since the 1960s...

Sometimes, you don't need to break down a wall. You just need to step back and walk around it. I'm sure you'll find it much easier. It doesn't work all the time, but I think it's the only path we can take before this particular situation drives us all insane.

And now, I'm going to bed. Goodnight.

Spring

2010-03-13T22:44:00.002Z

I was out earlier, walking around as people do. It was a particularly warm day today, a bit muggy, but then I always find warm weather muggy. I caught a wiff of Spring on the air. Lovely! I know I start my season started on the 1st of March, but this was the first time this year when I actually smelt it. New mown grass... Flowers... Ah yes, it's all coming fast, now.

And do you know what? I feel I'm in the mood to do some work. I've already finished my spotting notes for my Monsters Inc. clip (spotting notes are little markers with a timecode noting what sound effects that will need to be recorded for the scene), and now I feel artistic. I might just fire up that old Think/Talk track and play some guitar to it, see if anything sticks. I want to rejuvinate it for this false record label sampler, and it was always meant to have real guitar on it anyway. Yeah, I think I might do that.

...Right after I've finished listening to Rush. Cheerio!

Working Man

2010-03-11T16:03:00.001Z

Egads!

Right, enough of that. Too much has been going on in the recent months, so I haven't had the time to make my way here through all the other places on the Internet. However, I'm here now, and I intend to give you a jolly good update.

Firstly, the work. I am composing music and recording sound effects for a three minute long, completely silent clip from that wonderful film Monsters Inc., and I've already made my life difficult with it. I decided to do the music in 15/8 time signature. Then I decided to throw in four bars of 13/8 now and 9/8. Now, I'm considering doing the main body of the music in 7/8, but breaking out into the others every now and then for a beserk keyboard solo. Or something.

It's difficult, difficult, lemon difficult. But it's my own choice and I'm sticking to it. I could do with a serious challenge for my playing and compositional skills. I'm also setting up a sub record label (although only a theoretical one) called Engine Room Records. It will be bringing you the very best in new Progressive-orientated Rock and Electronic music. Sigma 6 and Mouse will both feature, along with two entirely fictitious bands created purely for the project, Sunken Garden and Breeze. I'm making a website, doing lots of paper work, designing and will eventually be putting together a sampler of music appearing on the label. That means new music! Hooray!

I'm already working on some stuff, but finding the time is incredibly difficult. We've been given essentially no studio time what-so-ever this term, so it looks like it could be another CD of "bedroom demos", which is disappointing, but at least I'll have to finish some ideas off this time around. I'm going to enhance Think/Talk for inclusion, and have a go at finishing the Dusk and Ammonite Song demos, as well as trying to progress Life Science as much as possible. Thanks to a recent epiphany, I now know where to take the behemoth next.

So, it's all go at the moment. I only have two weeks left in this godforsaken pit of a flat (praise the Lord-ah!), then it's back up North for one final week (going to be an interesting one, that one), and then...

We move.

On top of all that, I've got to re-apply to my course for the third year via UCAS as it's technically a different course, but with the big house move looming yonder on the horizon, I don't know exactly how much information I'll be able to give them. They could've let us know about this earlier. But oh well. Get out there, and roll the bones.

It's all you can do, really, isn't it?

13/02/10

2010-02-13T08:30:00.001Z

Delicious Chemicals

2010-01-09T19:17:00.001Z

Does anyone know of any methods to make time speed up until Tuesday? Maybe some kind of delicious chemical? I'm so bored...

An Inconvenient Choo

2010-01-06T21:42:00.003Z

Looks like I'm going to be seeing the trains earlier than planned. At my expense, too. Two days ago, I booked my train journey for next week (to Hull and back). Earlier today, I recieved an Email from the college telling me that I needed to be there the day before my planned arrival to do my presentation. That made me a bit angry, especially when they had originally timetabled the damn thing for the week after next. So they let me know a week before the new date about the change and expect me to travel across Yorkshire on trains with all this snow on the ground... Quick, look at another model railway to disperse the frustration!

That is a rather nice model. So, I've bought a new train ticket for £10 (which makes the first purchase at £7.90 irrelevant and a waste) and decided that when I go back I might as well stay there in case they decide to change anything else at the last minute (which makes the second half of the first purchase, again at £7.90, irrelevant and a waste). So thanks, Hull College. Actually, to be more accurate and fair, thanks to the idiotic Geordie b*stard who was messing around with us last year and is successfully continuing this trend for ruining my plans for the next two weeks. Some more trains?

Now that is impressive. ...Sigh. I'm listening to Let It Be at the moment. Seems to be advising me on the situation. Oh well. Better start seeing the silver lining and all that. I might see if I can get into one of the studios and try and develop some ideas, or practice with the equipment.

After all, I don't have anything else planned.

Migration

2010-01-05T23:43:00.002Z

It seems everyone is going back to their respective universities and cities across the country. I wish them all the best of course, but it's still a little saddening. This soon-to-be-over Christmas holiday will be one of the last holidays I spend up here in the most North of North Yorkshire, and probably the last time I'll get to see friends here in their home towns. Come the Spring, the small family that is up here will be moving back down to proper Yorkshire after nearly four years of absence. Mum has landed the placement of St. Augustine's Church in Hedon, along with one or two smaller, local churches. We're all very excited. I mean, look at the place...

It's huge! I can't wait to rig up some gear and try recording something in there. Think of the reverb! Very tasty. We've seen the new house too. It has a turret. That makes it automatically more brilliant than any other house in the area.

I'm still going to be up here for nearly another two weeks (I always seem to be the last to leave the party), but I'm not going to go out and make the most of the local surroundings. For one thing, it's damn near impossible to get anywhere without a car and, for another, all the recent snowfall has ruled out any places reachable on foot. Which is a shame, because there's an old viaduct near here that I bet looks beautiful in the snow. It costs a bloody fortune to get the bus to anywhere, so trips out to (shudder) Middlesbrough are very limited. And, since everyone's vanished again, there's no point in going out anywhere as it's no fun on your own.

So, that leaves me with one option: work. Just two more bits of tedium to complete and then it'll be time to have some fun! We'll be doing original soundtrack music - including sound effects and any necessary speech overdubs - for a film clip, web design, setting up sub record labels and some other no-doubt interesting business. It all sounds very exciting and it's going to be a blast.

Right, time to run and do some more typing. I've been trying to correct my sleeping cycle, so it'll be snooze time soon. Take care, everyone. Mind how you go in the snow.

Jelly

2010-01-04T00:04:00.002Z

I noticed recently that some jelly has appeared in the fridge. Since no-one has told me anything about it or told me they were making jelly and it was for all to eat, I am treating it as suspicious.

It might be a trap.

The Masterplan

2010-01-02T05:35:00.001Z

Happy New Year!

By crikey, look at the time! I didn't realise it was this late (or early, depending on when you go to bed/wake up). I've been distracted back into my nocturnal ways by a combination of reading about keyboards on the Internet, the wonderful music of Imogen Heap and the task of writing the final essay for the First Semester of Year Two of my Music Production course at Hull College. (Enough capitol letters for you?) The progress I have made on the essay is small. I have read up on what they want included and have started bashing a big, red button that's labelled PANIC repeatedly with my forehead. I don't know how I'm going to pull this one off, if I'm honest. Usually, I can cobble up something that's held together with metaphorical gaffa tape and hope. But I don't know how I'm going to get out of this with minimal damage sustained. They want to know about stuff that we didn't even do, but if I leave it out, will they mark me down for not including it? What if I make it up and include it, will they mark me down because we never did it? Oh, crumbs...

Anyways, I'll try and hold off the PANIC button for long enough to tell you all the details of the Masterplan. My Masterplan. A Masterplan that has been in the works for years and years, but only now do I see an opportunity to set the great cogs of progress in motion. It is a plan of such a grand scale, not even the Daleks could overshadow it!

OK, going slightly off-course now. I think my body's getting annoyed with me being up at this hour. The point is, I've got big plans for 2010. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then I can begin...

I take it you recall my plans for a record called A Fall Of Moondust which will be the debut release of my band project Sigma 6? The concept and idea of it has shifted constantly pretty much every day from when I first conceived it way back in, ooh, I'd say around 2004. Maybe earlier, maybe later. When did War Of The Worlds come out? It was that year. After many visions of how the final thing should look and sound, this year I am grabbing it by the throat, splitting it into two and completely rewriting most of it. I've come to know my limits, and one of those limits is the lack of a drummer who is on the same wavelength as me. To work around this is why I've split the project into two. More on that in a bit.

The general layout of the album is quite similar. The opening track, Earthrise, will be an instrumental track akin to the sounds and styles of Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 1) and Cluster One, both by Pink Floyd. I love that sort of introduction, it really sets the atmosphere for what's to come and allows us to flex our muscles before landing the first blow. This comes in the form of the second track, at the moment called Astronaut, which will be a short, laid-back, drifting sounding tune with refined layers of guitars and keyboards. The Super Furry Animals track, Alternate Route To Vulcan Street, was the main inspiration for this one. This one's basically about a bloke in space surveying the planet, and the lyrics are to do with the spaces between people and all that sort of thing. The third track, which will be called something like City Lights, is going to be a more Rock-style track, maybe with a dash of Blues. I'm using Have A Cigar by the Floyd (yes, them again) as guidelines, along with Pretty Genious by No-Man (a recent discovery). This song's about the sheer power of a city - the hustle and bustle, the chaos, the shiney things in shop windows and how it can get so addictive and light up, or highlight, the brightest and darkest areas of our lives. The fourth track (one that I've actually written!) is Dusk, which is so familiar to these pages I'm not going to bore you with repeating the details. That tune is pretty much set in stone. The fifth track, the closer of Side One of the vinyl if you will, is the title track - A Fall Of Moondust. This is one that need explaining, so it gets a new paragraph.

I've originally said that ...Moondust is a suite of music and sounds set to the imagery of the Apollo 11 Lunar landings. That still remains, but I've widened the lens, so to speak. You could now interpret the four parts as the different stages of any journey - the preparation, the journey, the arrival and the return. All I know so far is that Part 3 is going to be called Moondust. Part 1 is going to be a load of atonal electoacoustic sounds, maybe with a countdown of some kind, but it's meant to be a sonic experiment, preparing for the journey to follow. Part 2 will have a sort of militaristic tom-tom led rythm section, accompanied by more weird sounds and maybe a throbbing, commanding bass line. This is before the whole thing evens out into a sort of jam section, with one or two solos flying around. This fades into Part 3 as we arrive at our destination. The atmospheric desolation of the location is the primary field of interest here, with one or two sonic intrusions from 'local' sounds. Upon leaving our destination to return home, we fit back into a more comfortable and melodic jam section, which will bring the whole thing back round and tie it up nicely. All I need to do now is work out how to do it. The inspiration for this one is A Saucerful Of Secrets by (yup, you guessed it) Pink Floyd. Again.

This is why I've split the project into two, he says for the third time - one being developed in a studio for a studio, and the other being developed for a live environment. Obviously, in the studio we can do whatever the hell we want, which makes the issue of live drums a bit more manageable. However, at the moment, there are only two of us in the band. That's guitars, keyboards and vocals covered. But what about bass? And what of those pesky drums? Well, this is where things start to get a bit more electronic. All material will be re-developed so that it can work in a live situation, or more so that it can be performed by two musicians. This will probably mean completely re-working the structure and style of some compositions, but I think this will be a good thing. It will help us to develop ourselves both musically and technically, and it will also let us show off our work in a completely different light.

Because of this, at the end of January I won't be investing in a Fender Stratocaster (again). Instead, I'm going to go for a microKORG XL. That's how Korg insist on spelling it. I'm rather fond of that beige casing - makes it look like a space ship console from a 1970s Doctor Who episode - and it's limited edition, too! Armed with that piece of kit, I hope I can create some truly otherworldly sounds, which I suppose is the whole point of the project. Not only do I want to create the best sounding music that I can, I want to show people in this modern day and age that it is still possible to push the boundaries of music and sound. The Beatles and the Floyd didn't do all the sonic experimentation in the world, let me tell you. Thanks to a whole host of modern technological goodies, we can do stuff that the Abbey Road boffins in the late 1960s could only dream of.

And I fully intend to seriously f*ck with sound. I will show you all what I am really capable of...

Right, I've been typing for over an hour now. If all that doesn't make any sense, I won't be surprised. Oh, what about the second half of the album? I'll let you know once I know what I'm doing with it.

It's fun this music lark, isn't it?

Countdown

2009-12-31T21:22:00.001Z

Time is running out for 2009. Soon, we will breach the boundaries of a new year and a new decade. I just thought I'd pop in briefly and state my top choices of the year. My album of the year was decided right back in February (I think) when Joe Bonamassa released The Ballad Of John Henry. His drunken, swaying version of Jockey Full Of Bourbon prove that Bonamassa is as good a master of music as he is of the guitar. Following close behind is Gazpacho's Tick Tock, a band which also was one of my discoveries of the year.

Speaking of that, my discovery of the year is Tinyfish. They are a wonderful band with great music and who are just on another world when they play live. All Hands Lost is fast becoming an anthem of the Progressive community and it thoroughly deserves it. No band has brought me more enjoyment this year. Other great discoveries are No-Man (Truenorth especially helping me out of many a tough time) and, with me as ever being the last horse to cross the finishing line, Dire Straits. The big wake up call on that one for me was the great and grand Telegraph Road.

Song of the year goes to Gazpacho for Tick Tock. This incredible composition maintains it's rythm by the sound of a ticking clock, rising and diving through various styles and tones, some so starkingly different it's amazing that they gel together perfectly. The moment near the end of Part 1 when a chorus of archaic sounding monk-like chanting rises into the mix never fails to send a spark through my mind and body. Truly incredible.

Film of the year? In The Loop. I think that might've been obvious judging from how many times I've dropped it into conversation or into the blog. Second place goes to the brilliant Moon, which I implore you to see if you haven't yet. It's fantastic.

So, that was 2009. But what about the decade? They call it the Noughties, but I think that still sounds rubbish. Anyways, I have decided on my album and song that did more for me than any other record released in that time. They're both from the same artist. David Gilmour's On An Island is the best album released in the last ten years. I will stand by that no matter what people say. It's not just because he was in Pink Floyd - that album is genuinely brilliant. It carries so much along and never fails in any aspect of performance or production. Perfect? I think so. And the song is The Blue, of course from the same album. How do I explain my choice for that?

Well, you'll just have to listen to it.

Happy New Year!

Time Travelling

2009-12-31T17:37:00.001Z

Good evening. It is the 31st of December 2009. The New Year celebrations are fast approaching and, as they do, we start to reflect upon what was, what wasn't and what could've been.

Except I'm not going to.

This decade is coming to an end. I've only been on this Earth for two decades so far, so on one hand I don't feel I can say with conviction that this decade was a good one. It may very well have been for a lot of people, but when I think about what my world was like this time ten years ago, and what has happened in that time since (in other words, this decade), I really don't feel like reminiscing about it. Without going into any detail, let me just say that, in retrospect, the bad times stand out against the good times. Not that the good times weren't good at all, oh no! They were so many wonderful things that I saw and did, and far more wonderful people I met along the way. I think you can gauge now how bad the bad must have been if it defines my decade more than the good stuff.

But what good times they were! It was around 2001 that I first saw the Pink Floyd video Delicate Sound Of Thunder and made my decision right then and there that I wanted to play the guitar. I'd discovered the Floyd a few years earlier, but I put that moment as the moment I discovered music. It is definitely the most significant moment of my life so far. After seventeen years of listening to Genesis, I finally got to see them live in 2007. It was the best night of my life. The month before that, I saw The Who. The month before that, I saw Roger Waters performing The Dark Side Of The Moon. 2007 was a pretty f*cking good year!

What's better to think of is what happened elsewhere in the decade. Not really in terms of events, because that's overshadowed by conflicts, recessions, politicians and deciet. Instead, think about all that we have now and then think about where it all was in 2000. I bet it wasn't there. The iPod isn't even ten years old. That was the first MP3 or portable media player of its kind. There is now at least one computer in nearly every home. Back at the turn of the century, did you have a computer? If you did, I bet it wasn't anything compared to what we have now. Email? I know it's old, but the general public haven't been using it regularly for that long. Then some morons sparked off the download revolution a few years too early and it nearly destroyed the Music Industry. But, it was still a phenomenal revolution, as was every piece of technology developed in the past ten years.

But enough of all that. I've got to get busy with my own plans next year. Enough pussyfooting around, I need to get myself in gear and get the masterplan moving. I've got big plans, but I can't really get them shifting without starting again. So, goodbye all those previous plans dreamt up over the past few years! It's time to start again with a new template. And I am determined to show you all what it is I can really do.

More on that next year...

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T12:58:00.001Z

The Wrong Tree

2009-12-20T02:38:00.001Z

A merry Yule to all! About a week ago now, I was walking around down by the Humber as usual and I saw, in someone's very expensive water view flat, a Christmas tree. But it wasn't you're traditional Christmas tree. No, this was a palm tree with lights on. That, ladies and gentlegoons, is the wrong tree. And the lights were rubbish, too.

I like my Christmas to be traditional. Or at least look and feel traditional. We usually have turkey at Christmas instead of the strictly traditional goose, for example. Our tree is some sort of plastic and not one felled from the forests and sitting in a plant pot, which is why we've been able to have it out every year of my life. We decorate the tree in lights, baubels and whatnot, not the strictly traditional candles as the house would burn down. And we have sprouts. I likes my sprouts.

Here is our Christmas tree, which is what a Christmas tree should look like...

Ah, I say that's proper, that. I know it's not the best Christmas tree by the world's standards, but by this mouse's standards, it really is. And I have very high standards for stuff.

I'm not the biggest fan of modern art and styles. I don't mind it with some buildings (the Gherkin in London, or the Music Centre slug thing in Gateshead), but the Temple Of Commercialism that is the St. Stevens shopping centre in Hull is not one of these. Their choice of Christmas decorations were lots of boring white lights and "Christmas trees" that were just smooth cones suspended from the ceiling, coloured green with silver and purple stripes. It's pathetic. Or that other word, sh*t. The same goes for all those trendy clothes shops who just have these terrible white... things in their windows to be all modern - but it's all crap! Where's the vibrant colour? Where's the warmth and the ho ho ho?

All it is now is cold, hard, white, minimalist bilge. Rubbish. Who decided that white was fashionable, anyways? The same git who made everything in this damn house white, probably. It's a b*stard to clean the carpet if you spill anything.

Speaking of white, it's been snowing. It's Winter. It's December. We're not even close to Christmas and it's snowing. This is most unusual for Briton. Usually, we have the optimistic "ooh, look it's getting really cold, so it might just snow on Christmas..." and then we get the big disappointment of there being sod all. Not this year, it seems. The whole place is covered in white. This is when it first started falling the other night...

Innit marvelous? Of course, it isn't for anybody who's got to travel. My Brother had to cancel his plans to go see Depeche Mode in Manchester last Friday because of the weather. Still, it looks absolutely fantastic. I can't even remember the last time it snowed around this festive time of year. It really is magical.

However, I'm a sharp penny. I've been and checked the Met Office website and cross-referenced it with the BBC Weather forecasts and, for where I am in North Yorkshire at least, the snow looks like it's going to be finished falling sometime tonight. The forecast for the week is sometimes clear, sometimes overcast. My hopes for more snow, or the snow lasting until Christmas Eve at least, are admittedly slim. Saves me having the big disappointment. It would be a crying shame that, after waiting all these years for a proper, true White Christmas, the perfect weather missed by a week. So close, too...

Nevertheless, I fully intend on enjoying it while it's here. If only there was someone to build a snowman with, or throw a few snowballs at. I'll settle for just a nice walk with some The Jethro Tull Christmas Album, thanks.

Old Bing's still giving me high hopes, though! All together now, "I'm... dreaming... of a white...

...Christmas..."

Chip, Chip And Pin

2009-12-09T19:50:00.002Z

I'm here again because I can't wrap my head around my work. Again. Last time I was here, everything became nice and clear, so I'm hoping it'll happen again. Strange - I knew what I was doing yesterday and I knew what I was doing earlier. But not now. Damn.

The Live Sound assessment was good last night. Everything worked and nothing blew up, so all's well that ends well. If only I could get my head around this f*cking Studio Design essay! It's the final nail to be beaten out of the coffin lid before I fly up out of the opening and away into the night of a promising near-future, cackling like some insane Games Workshop addict who's been on the Red Bull all night and has just rolled a nine.

Even though I had important work to do this morning (an incredibly easy V.I.V.A. interview) and more important work later on (the hassle of running around trying to print off work to hand in), all day I've been awaiting the arrival of the bursary. An estimate of £750 that goes straight into our wallets from the college and we never pay back. Yum! Except that it didn't go in today. Boo! Hopefully it'll go in tomorrow. Yay! But I'm sort of expecting it to go in next week. ... Which will be very bad news if it did, because then I'll either go into an overdraft I might set up or go overdrawn due to the imminent departure of last month's cost for my pathetic mobile broadband.

Sh*t.

So... For now, I'll just have to keep chipping away at the huge block of work obscurity until the whole mountain I have to climb reveals itself from the mist and fog once more. Doing this sort of work is a bit like playing Tetris - it fits all together nicely to start, but then something goes in the wrong place and the whole screen fills up and then game over.

It's not game over yet.

F.A.B.!

2009-12-07T17:39:00.001Z

I've done it! I've done it! I've only gone and found the Word Equation editor! Yes! Hooray! The burning craft managed to pull up moments before crashing into part of Yorkshire, playing the music from Thunderbirds that always comes on when disaster has been averted at the last minute. Come on everyone, you know the tune...

Anyways, after lobbing the smouldering wreckage that was the MathCast equation creator out of the window, I did a quick check on the Internet for an equation generator. And I found the answer in a small Physics forum. I'd like to thank that particular thread of that forum and all of the contributors to it, who shall remain anonymous as I've forgotten where it was and what it was called. Thanks, forum. Thorum.

Now more altitude has been gained, the fires on the wings appear to have gone out. I can relax for a bit now and wander over to Asda to buy some food. I think I'll have a little celebration tonight. I'll have to go easy mind - I'm meant to be cutting down on everything before the big Christmas festivities. All I have to worry about now is actually finishing the essay, doing all the calculations of my yet-to-be-made-up room, explaining it all, explain the process of acoustic treatments, explain why it needs new walls putting in and start worrying again about that Live Sound assessment tomorrow.

I think it just might turn out OK. Want to know why? Because, for now, I am Thunderbird 2. In Supermarionation.

Mayday!

2009-12-07T15:34:00.001Z

Well chaps, it looks like I'm going down with this one. After being shown a small flickering light at the end of the tunnel, it now appears that that light was actually a missile which has hit it's target.

The target being me.

As the plane dive bombs wildly towards the ground, wings engulfed in flame, I will still try to regain some control. The best I think I can hope for now is a safe and comfortable landing in a nice green field somewhere, preferably near a farm which has some nice bread and cheese. Here goes nothing.

In the words of the great David Niven: "June, I'm coming in now..."

Oh Dear...

2009-12-07T14:42:00.002Z

Oh, bugger. Here I am again on a Monday afternoon panicking over another essay. This one isn't due in imminently, nor is it particularly difficult to compose. Not as difficult as that last one, which was full of scientific wishy-washy b*llocks. No, this time I'm being foiled by things like these...

Mathematical equations. Quite a few of them. That particular one is for working out the reverb time of any room, so take note if you're interested in that. Luckily, I don't actually have to explain what each part of them mean (thank the Lord above), but I still have to include them in a few ways. So, my problem is thus:

How the bloody hell do I type them?!

That one up there I cobbled together in Photoshop. I then saved it as a JPEG and inserted it into my essay as a picture, then resized it so that it would fit in with the rest of the text. Quite smart, I thought. And then I saw what other equations I had to include. And then I nearly cried because of this little piece of misery - the square root symbol. It would take too long to draw one up in Photoshop from scratch. I think, my friends, that I might be a bit too far up Sh*t Creek for my liking.

We'll see what develops...

Winter Winter, *cking Europa

2009-12-02T01:34:00.003Z

A warm and hearty greeting to you at the start of Winter! Who says it's Winter? Me, that's who! For me, December is the start of this cold season. I think I'm right, because it was bloomin' cold this morning. We had the first frost and ice this side of the year. Brilliant! I love cold weather. It'll be snowing soon, he said hopefully...

Anyways, I begin this season with good news! I have finished a new track. It is called Europa. It is just under five minutes long, it features real guitar and computer everything else. They are lovely computer sounds, though. Once I upload it, I shall tell you where you can listen to it. I'm quite proud of it. It's not perfect, but then demos never are are they? It's a nice idea and it may be developed at some point down the line. We'll see. The rest of the year is going to be taken up with not-fun work (boo!), Christmas and New Year, so I don't expect to get anything else creative and nice finished anytime soon.

Bugger.

Oh well, there's only so much time in the world. There's always next year...

And finally, I generated a Tweet Cloud (I don't know why it's called this, either) to see what my most used words on Twitter have been in the past few months. "cking" was one of the higher ranking ones. Confused?

It was preceded by "f*" when I wrote it. Mystery solved!

Seasons greetings to all! Don't forget to open those Advent Calenders! (Calendars?)

Whoops

2009-11-21T01:49:00.002Z

I might have said before - I think of myself like an old battle tank. Big, rugged, beaten up, battered, blown up... but still going. Still chugging along, at least until the next place of rest, where I can drop everything and collapse for a bit while waiting to be rebuilt and repaired, before trundling on to the next stage.

Well, yesterday afternoon was a real test to see if I could hold it together. And I did. Barely. There was a small gig going on in the college cafeteria for Children In Need. My group were going to set up the equipment and provide the live sound mix. Simples. Except... I was the only one who could turn up. So it was just me on the mixer.

And I was bricking it.

I've never been so nervous. And it was by no means an easy job. First of all, the Horncastle cafteteria (where this thing was taking place) is an acoustic nightmare. It's a big, glass shell and unless you are standing next to someone who is speaking to you, you will not be able to hear what they say clearly. So setting up three electric guitars, a drum kit, a bass, two singers and a saxophonist in there is not a good idea. I could've told them beforehand - it will sound sh*t. Guess what? It did sound sh*t. I was flying blind with the mix. I had no clue what was going on. I'd been told to just turn up and everything would be fine and dandy. No-one had a clue what was going on. Not the tutors. Or the Indie f*ckwites who were playing. But my God, it was a scary ordeal.

And it sounded sh*t.

However! I am not going to take any blame for it. Don't fire your guns at me. I didn't decide on the gig location. I didn't decide that the bands playing (apart from one who knew what they were doing) would refuse to soundcheck before launching into their set. I didn't decide that one of the female singers should sing quieter than a bat with a silencer, therefore making the request to make her louder in the mix impossible and pointless. I didn't decide to, in the case of one band, stick all the treble up on their guitar amp so that it cut through the atmosphere like a cat clawing a blackboard while being fed through a mangler. And was then set on fire.

Despite the fact I forgot the monitors entirely, was shaking like an Autumn leaf and forgot a talk box was called a talk box, I think I did OK. This is what I'll take away from the event: there was no feedback.

Take that, East St. Louis!

Bleurrgh...

2009-11-19T01:31:00.002Z

Bleurrgh. That's how I'm feeling right now. Blarrgh is another one. Now that that Acoustics essay has been done and has been handed in, I can have a short time to relax before falling back into the frenzied panic that is my usual working attitude. I was feeling alright all through yesterday, and then out of no-where - wallop - feeling sick, feeling tired... I think it's fatigue. Or exhaustion. Maybe both. Good lord, I'm tired...

I've got a few ideas for this new track of mine. I had the brainwave of recording some interviews with a few people in order to get some interesting phrases to include. I know this brainwave is just a rip-off of what Pink Floyd did in 1973, but hey-ho. It's a good idea. Good ideas always come from somewhere. That's why variety is essential in the world - it sparks many varied ideas.

I've noticed that Christmas decorations have started appearing en masse around the town in shops and in the form of a gigantic tree outside of City Hall. I find it a bit sad that my digital weather globe is claiming a temperature of 12 degrees C outside. It's 01:27. Night time. It should be freezing out there. It's nearly late November, where's my cold weather? I want snow! Bah humbug.

Anyways, I better be off for some snooze. Doesn't look like I'll be in the college tomorrow, so I can focus on some Hole-based work instead. So, without further hassle...

Nighty-night.

(Oh yes, the reason for the main image is that what was one of the first things to appear on Google Images when I typed in 'Bleurgh". I love Dr. Mario, even though I've never really played it...)

Return Of The Mouse

2009-11-17T02:13:00.001Z

Hello! Is there anybody out there? I'm not surprised if you've all cleared off, since my last post here was when tall ships were still in use and a pint of beer was only 98p. To cut a long story short, I've been busy. Not much has really happened, but it's been an incredibly busy time. Where to start?

Might as well be the reason I'm back now. Honestly, it's only because I'm working. Well, trying to work. Well, trying to do good work. Well, working but it's probably all garbage. I'm onto my second can of stimulation drink and trying to work out how to explain the concept of volume in sound and how to apply it to this damn essay I'm trying to write. If you're not in the know, the essay is on the human ear and the human hearing system, taking in psychoacoustics and diagrams along the way. The first part, which focused on the anatomy of the human ear, was relatively easy and was actually very interesting. The mind boggles at how something so small can be so incredibly technical and accurate with it's functions!

...Just noticed my little desktop weather globe still says it's 9 degrees Celseius outside. It's not. It just bloody isn't. I was standing outside at around 21:30 and it was freezing. Why are you kidding yourself, tiny weather globe? Summer's gone - deal with it. At least the Direct Line adverts have stopped banging on about their "Super Summer Savings" crap, about a month after the season had waved a little white flag and scarpered off to Australia. We're halfway through November now. It. Is. Cold. It. Is. Autumn. It. Will. Soon. Be. Winter. Comprende?

Right, back to business. Not the business I should be getting on with, of course. I've got a new track in the works. Funny how I only ever get on with these things when it's required for the course... Anyways, it doesn't have a name yet, but it's essentially the same thing as my Emotional Chemisty idea from earlier in the year. I scavenged the chords, added a tempo (75bpm slow enough?) and am adding some Gabriel/Godfrey style ethnic drum wotsits. Sounds pretty good so far. It shall be finished in December, so I'll have to let you know when that happens. It should be good!

...F*ck this. Arse. Does anyone know definition of volume in the context of sound and how it relates to sound intensity, sound pressure, etc.? I've been staring at a Fletcher-Munson curve and I want to drop it into the essay, but I need to talk about volume first. Bah! The Master Handbook Of Acoustics should hold the answers, but it looks like I have to trawl through lots of stuff they haven't told us about yet (phons, anyone?) to get them. I ain't digging for buried treasure tonight. Also fretting over how to reference images properly. Arse. And webpages. Double arse. And everything in particular, as I've only got about three weeks now in which to finish everything for this term. A big, quivering barrel of arses.

Hmm, any other updates I need to inform you about? Ah yes! Mr. Prog has had an update. Here is Mk. II...

Cool, eh? I merely commissioned it's design - it was done by a really clever bloke called Ian who is a Photoshop wizard. I shall have to have a word with him about some artwork for this new track of mine...

Right! That's all, folks! I must get back to work, otherwise I'll be a bit fecked. Sleep well, because I won't. Not yet, anyways...

Yee-ha! I'm back! Peace out!

The Wisdom Of Malcolm Tucker And The Story So Far

2009-09-13T23:28:00.003+01:00

Welcome back my friends to the show that never f*cking ends. Since our lat encounter, I have moved back to Hull, retrieved my flat keys, moved everything back into the flat and (eventually) found out when my course starts again. Hip-hip-hoo-f*cking-ray. But, as you might already have gathered, all is not well in the Mouse Hole. For starters, I haven't got my student grant and loan yet. As of tomorrow, it will be a week late.

This is because I hadn't handed in my re-enrolment form at Hull College, which I might add I was not told I had to do in order to get my money. This is typical of the College - they never tell you anything until a) someone's already told you after a very long time or b) not at all and you have to ask them about it. This time, it was option a). Anyways, I handed in my form and was told that I also need the letter from Student Finances. Which I haven't got. Everyone else has, but I have not. The useless f*ckers.

I spent the next few days (and a number of days previously, in fact) fuming about Student Finance and it's f*ck you attitude towards it's customers. I thought it was rather like "OK, you can't get your money that we owe you because you haven't handed in the letter that we haven't sent you, so f*ck you and your money too." So I said f*ck them, gave up waiting for the letter to come through the post and scoured through their website to find an Email so I could abuse them digitally.

They didn't have one. The company who's job it is to supply the entire student population of the UK with funds for their studies don't have an Email contact. This is where I got a little bit more angry, as I had to borrow some more cash from my wonderful Mother so that I could afford to make a phone call to them. Oh yeah, and I have already borrowed about £200 from Mum so that I can afford food and that. You know, so I can actually live and have the energy to continue to breathe and function as a human being. So, I made the call and after spending about 30 minutes on hold, I got through to a woman who said that the letters were sent to my flat address on the 20th of August. I said I had not recieved any letters, so there are some new ones being sent that should arrive sometimes late next week.

Again, I only need the money to buy food, etc.

So it's with a "f*ckity-bye" that we can write Student Finance out of the equation and train the crosshairs back onto those lovable scamps Naver Property, my property managers. And today children, it's a double b*llocking, as we get to add the flat's steam powered caretaker into the fray! Lucky you. The situation now is this: the letter from Student Financies (b*stards!) is now on it's way, albeit very slowly. Eventually, things will get sorted. But my concern now is where the f*ck did my undelivered mail go? There is at least one rather important letter that I have not yet recieved and is lurking somewhere. Issue No. 1: why did Naver not inform me of anything upon my return to collect my keys? Issue No. 2: where are they keeping it? I'm holding the caretaker responsible here, because he's the one who makes sure the building doesn't fall down every day (he barely succeeds) and must have seen it come and go. Issue No. 3: if he has taken it, then where the f*ck is it? Surely Naver have informed him that I'm back, so where's my mail? If they've destroyed it, I forecast a sh*t storm approaching fast in their direction with high possibilites of arse-spewing mayhem and mental anguish.

And this is where our beloved character from The Thick Of It and In The Loop, Malcolm Tucker, enters the arena. I have been studying both television series and film and have armed myself with some of his memorable wisdom which might, just might, get used in a possible, just possible, Email to Naver.

I have realised that quoting Tucker out of context doesn't have the same effect as watching the TV. Nevertheless, if you know both productions at all, you'll know what I'm going on about. He swears a lot.

Hm. A bit of an anti-climax ending. All that build up and then, nothing. Like losing your virginity, I'd imagine.

And if the new flat people, who have yet to move in, want to borrow any of my kitchen utensils, once I've replaced them all as they were stolen by the original flat dwelling b*stards, I know exactly what to say:

F*ckity-bye.

Fading Lights

2009-08-30T01:30:00.001+01:00

There's that one Genesis song that always rings true.

"Like the story that we wish was never ending
We know sometimes we must reach the final page
Still we carry on just pretending
That there'll always be another day to go..."

The one thing I wanted to do this Summer was to spend time with friends. I knew that it would be the last chance to spend proper time with them and I wanted to savour that moment. Unfortunately for me, the moments were few and far between. I spent the majority of the holiday on my own. Nobody's fault but mine I suppose, but I hate to appear to be the bloke who invites himself to any social gathering, as it's not his time or place. I have no desire to be the uninvited guest. So, I waited for someone. In three months, I saw about five days worth of people. I think I might be broken in the way my mind works...

Anyways, it's over now. Back to Hull tomorrow, and chances are that I'll never see most of these chaps again. Which is a bit of a big shame, really. I'm really rather fond of them. It took nearly two years to accept that I had actually made friends during my exile up here in the North East. I spent those two years mostly on my own, lamenting over what I didn't have. I should've been revelling in what I had in front of me. I think they wanted that, but I never gave them a chance.

I've been saying for a while now, "live in the moment". But how are you supposed to when the moment never arrives? Then it becomes a dream. In my case, my dreams never seem to materialise into actual events. Is it because I don't present myself to the opportunity? Probably. Truth is, I'm not the sort of person who stands up to be counted. Depending on the situation or the context, I can find it quite terrifying. That sort of links to change. I'm not a fan of change, although it must happen to everyone. My resistance to change is a sharply losing battle, and in the end I tend to lose more than I gain. Wasted opportunity? Maybe. Preserved state? For a while, until people move on. One way or another, they move on.

If you recall one of my earlier entries, the journey of life is a bit like walking around in the dark with other people. There's no way of knowing who or what you might collide with, but next time you do, you better well consider yourself bloody lucky that it did happen. After all, one more inch to the right and you might have missed it...

Never regret what didn't happen. I'm trying to hammer this into my brain right now. Savour what did happen, keep it and treasure it and do many good things to it to nurture it. Maybe it'll grow into a very fond memory, or mature to be a valuable lesson you can call upon in present/future times of trouble. However, never stop looking forwards. Please do look everywhere and take it all in, but forwards is the only way you can move. Sometimes it is better to just run blindly into something and see what happens. However positive or negative the outcome might be, the reaction will surely be spectacular.

Where am I at this point in time right now? Well, I'm sad about what's gone, but I'm also looking forward to what lies ahead for my friends. I can't wait to see what happens, what they do, what they experience. I very much look forward to it. I only hope they'll remember to tell me about it. Or maybe I'll fade into the past with what was. To them, I'll be in the past anyways. Which is quite reassuring, I think. I can act as a point in time that they might revisit every now and then, maybe to rediscover how they were in the days when we were both in the present. Then maybe we can travel forward together.

Oh by the way, the main image this time is a new draft I've done for the A Fall Of Moondust cover. I was trying to get to sleep the other night, and I just saw it. With proper development and such, I think it could look quite impressive. Quite Thorgerson-esque. Of course, the trademark Moon symbol is in there, the car could represent travel and movement, and the bloke standing in silhouette could represent anyone. I think I want him to be checking his watch, adding an element of time to the piece. Note the time of day, as well. I've written a song about that. See how it all ties together? I like it when things turn out like that. A nice bit of serendipity.

And speaking of serendipity, suddenly we're back in that darkened room, moving around, completely unaware of each other. I wonder what'll happen next?

It's only a matter of time, I'm sure.

Forecast: Snowy

2009-08-27T08:10:00.001+01:00

"Descend the crater of the Jokul of Snaefell, that the shadow of Scartaris softly touches before the Kalends of July, bold traveller, and thou wilt reach the centre of the Earth."
- Jules Verne (Journey To The Centre Of The Earth)

Hello again, people of the Internet. I said that I would report back here when I had something interesting to say. Well, I am keeping that promise with news of new music from yours truly which will soon be due for completion. At the moment, there are two tentative titles for this new work: Snowfall and Snaefell. I'm edging towards the latter and I'll tell you why.

As you might have guessed from the introductory passage, Snaefell is the mountain which, if you descend into the crater at a certain crater at a certain time of year, you will reach the centre of the Earth. At least according to Verne. One of the brilliant things about stories like Journey... is that even with modern day Science relentlessly disproving the myths of old on a daily basis, the story of three men venturing down a series of tunnels into the heart of the planet and discovering many fantastic things along the way can still be a magical and captivating idea. It inspired Rick Wakeman to create in 1974 his (legendary) musical version of the same name, which was a load of (legendary) rubbish. Now don't worry, I'm not about to announce that I'm going to do the same thing. Oh, no no no no. Instead, I'm creating something which, at the moment, looks like it will be in two sections - one which will be the 'proper' tune (it's very nice, it has cellos on it!) and the second will be a mass of ambient, electro-acoustic sounds (in other words, it'll be some scary noises that go "neeeeaaaarrrrgh...").

As I think I've explained before, I work very visually. If I'm making a song, I'll probably have an image in my head of how I want the sound to 'look' and I won't be happy until I listen to the finished product and it becomes the perfect soundtrack to the image in my head? Clear? No? Tough. So, I was playing with some sounds and I came across one (which is the first sound you'll hear when you listen to the thing) and, to me, it sounded like falling snow, Winter, frost, ice and that sort of thing. I saw a mountain in the falling snow and since I've been reading Journey... recently, I thought of naming the track Snaefell as a reference to the book. And the two parts thing - the first nice one would be themed on the mountainside and the second argh one would be themed on the crater and the deep mysteries it holds within.

...There. Right this second, I've decided that's it. The new track is called Snaefell. You heard it here first, folks!

So, there you go. There are some really interesting sounds drifting around in there, from my typical use and abuse of bass pedal and organ sounds, to some more electronic almost Pop drum beats, to the appearance of some lovely cellos, violins and an oboe. I'm even going to try and get some guitar in there, electric and acoustic. It's an instrumental, of course, so there're no pretentious, piffle words about the rocks or the book. You lucky people. And the whole project has accelerated at an astonishing rate, which is nice. It'll be finished soon. Gah, you wait all Summer for inspiration to hit and, when it does, oh by the beard of Gibbons it does.

I'm hoping to start on a video report soon, too. If I begin to repeat myself ever in this blog, please don't bother to write in and tell me, because I can't be bothered to scroll through what is now surely over a year of rough and ramble to check if something's been mentioned before. It'll save your time, it'll save my time, it'll annoy no-one and we can all co-exist happily in the same universe, albeit on different astral planes, ha ha. I'm probably going to call these videos the Transmissions. They'll be a good media to compile events onto not only for my and your enjoyment, but also for academic purposes. If I manage to record things on a moving image, it'll be damn easier for everyone to remember the details and everyone again will be happy. And I'm sure we'll all get a cheap laugh out of it too.

Speaking of naming things, I'd like to announce that Sigma 6 is no more. As a band, anyways. I had a great big long think and decided that a name like that is sure to attach you to one style of music, one audience and won't appear to be very open to everyone. It's also not a very cool name. I've been thinking of something more neutral, but still quite spacey or sciencey in meaning for those in the know. It has to be a name that Mr. Sam Pinder likes too, which is by far the hardest part of the task. I quite liked the sound of London as a name. I suggested this to him and he struck it down in a nanosecond. Ho hum. I'm planning to write a Blues flavoured song with that name, so that would've written it out of the equation anyways. Maybe there's a satellite or a moon (ha ha, a moon is a satellite too, ha ha) somewhere that has a brilliant name. If you know of such a celestial or terrestrial object and would like to suggest it, then please leave a not in the comments box at the foot of the page. All suggestions will be read with great interest with chances of laughter. Cheers all!

My my, a lot can happen in a few days, can't it? As soon as we have an interesting name concept and some other things sorted, I can set up a YouTube channel and upload these videos I haven't made yet. I have big plans for when I return to Hull on Sunday, and I hope these can commence almost immediately.

You haven't heard the last of us yet...

I'll leave you with this breath-taking photograph that was brought to my attention by the Qi Elves on Twitter. Thanks, Elves. Thalves. Ladies and gentlespoons, I give you the summit of Mount Everest. Tre bien. Bonjour.

It was ten minutes past eight.

For Now

2009-08-22T22:46:00.001+01:00

Finally, I get round to typing in a new entry. And guess what? Nothing's happened. I was going to do an entry on the night of the peak of the Perseid meteor shower (I still think it should be 'meteorite shower'...), but I just never got around to it. It was my birthday a few weeks ago, I was going to do one then as well. But no. And now, the Summer's ending. September, Autumn and the return to Hull is approaching fast - one week, in fact. After attending a gig in London on the 5th, it'll be back to work for me. I'm really looking forward to actually doing something again.

In light of everything starting up again, I've been thinking about what the Summer has brought me...

...

...

...You know what really pisses me off? Certain adverts. That damn Clear-a-window-sill one about confidence. What a load of crap. And don't get me started on that We Buy Any Arse catastrophe that gets shown every twenty seconds. Why do the people who make these things think that they will help them with their businesses?

Argh. I suppose there's nothing much to say at this moment in time. I promise I'll report back when something interesting happens.

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the Summer. Spend some time outside, especially if it's a clear night. I can't tell you how relaxing looking at the stars is. Nice.

Bonjour.

Say What You See...

2009-08-16T01:08:00.001+01:00

The only reason for this post is to let you know that I haven't died, I just haven't been able to think of anything to write here. When something interesting enough comes to mind, I'll let you know.

Oh, I had my 19th birthday last Sunday! I got a marvelous Pink Floyd mug and fridge magnet.

Right, as you were...

Apollo For Forty

2009-07-21T03:55:00.001+01:00

Well, that was the day that was. Happy 40th Anniversary to Apollo 11 and to the Moon landings! I've been thinking about it in the run up to yesterday, strange how you can get excited about events that transpired so long before you were even born! I suppose that's a testiment to the incredible legacy of that mission. What a landmark achievement.

Personally, honestly, I think it's the greatest accomplishment the Human race has ever achieved. It united the entire world as one, gave us a new perspective with which to look at our world. We could see how unique we are. We could finally see ourselves clearly for the first time in history.

And all they got out of the Lunar Module was some rock and dust. Heh.

Seriously, here's to the forty years that have been. Here's to the years that went before that. Here's to the many years next to come - for all of us.

A new day is always the first day of the rest of your life. May it forever continue.

Peace and tranquility.

Supermassive Boom!

2009-07-19T23:15:00.001+01:00

Chandra Deep Field North was finished yesterday and has been uploaded to both Mouse World and the MySpace page! I hope you enjoy it. It's not bad for what is essentially just me twiddling on my keyboards and having fun.

That's it, really. I thought I'd show you the image from NASA that inspired the piece in the first place. I present the "cosmic ghost".

Peace out, man.

A Design For Sound

2009-07-18T04:36:00.001+01:00

Now, this is interesting. I'm here on the verge of starting work on a new track. Completely new. A short, free-form instrumental piece called Chandra Deep Field North. I thought I'd give a little insight into how I go about dreaming up such things. I like to think the process of writing music as designing it. Most of my instrumental work I think of as being like a blueprint. I come from an Art background and I like the idea of having sounds as physical "bricks", being able to move them around and fit them into place as if the piece was a Lego set or Meccano, or... Stickle Bricks. You get the idea.

I find it's a very interesting approach to piecing together music (pun intended, even though its not very good). I understand its what the Floyd did when writing A Saucerful Of Secrets. My own project, A Fall Of Moondust, was primarily inspired by that track and it seems the writing technique has rubbed off on me. I rather like it.

Speaking of Moondust, I've finally started properly on Part 1, which still hasn't got a proper title. Launch is quite appealing, but a little too obvious and simplistic I feel. Anyways, I've laid down some synth sounds that I'll rearrange alongside the Apollo 11 voices I downloaded from NASA. I better give those chaps a thank you credit when this thing finally gets finished, I've got so much from them.

Thanks NASA. ThaSA.

Nobody Knows Where You Are, How Near Or How Far

2009-07-07T20:55:00.001+01:00

Syd Barrett (1946-2006), three years ago today. Shine on, Syd.

"You only have to read the lines of scribbly black and everything shines..." (Pink Floyd - Matilda Mother)

A Short, Angry Rant

2009-07-07T01:16:00.002+01:00

I've been annoyed with the Veet adverts for a while now, but they've got to me tonight. I've just seen one of their advertisements for one of their skin/leg hair removal products for women. The woman in the advert was inevitably thin, attractive and the camera work made sure to show off her streamlined legs. That I've got no trouble with. The thing that pisses me off is the slogan that closes the ad: "What beauty feels like."

Who the hell are Veet to decide and, even worse, generalise the meaning of "beauty"? It's almost as if they were sneering at their audience and saying "We know what beauty feels like, but you obviously don't and won't ever until you buy our product." Well, fuck you Veet. I'm not sure how I would personally define beauty. I'd know it if I saw it. I definitely wouldn't attach the word to such a minor and shallow meaning as having clean shaven legs.

Those who consider beauty to consist purely of someone's physical appearance have not experienced true beauty at all.

Neal, Buzz And Me

2009-07-04T03:12:00.001+01:00

Well, here I am again. Sorry for the lack of posts, but... nothing has been going on. Nothing. Why I have not updated this blog sooner is purely down to laziness. Couldn't be arsed. However, I'm here now and I intend to make mischief. I aim to misbehave.

First up, it's 02:46 as I type. The sky is clear and there's a beautiful band of light blue sitting just over the rooftops, making a silhouette of cardboard cutout houses. It's quite beautiful. I love this time, where it's not quite day but it's not quite night. It's quite morning, though. Quite. I'm also cooking fish fingers for a sandwich. I get really hungry when I turn nocturnal. Can't beat a good bit of fish in a sandwich. I'm also listening to Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, so I apologise if I start to drift off topic.

Anyways, here is the news. It will be 40 years ago on the 16th of this month, when the first Moon landings occured. It's one of my most favourite moments in history and I intend to get into the full swing of it. I've started work on A Fall Of Moondust by first downloading some audio from NASA of the voices exchanged as Armstrong, Aldrin and the Other One made their decent to the lunar surface. I've added some reverb and delay and, after a bit of volume adjustment, it sounds marvelous. I just need to work out what I'm going to do with the four parts and record them.

You must excuse me for a moment while I eat this sandwich.

Yum...

Mmm. Delicious! Right, onwards. That's what's happenning on the music front and this is something else I've got on the go. I'd like to announce the activation of Mouse World, which is a little experiment to see if I can build a website. I think I've done quite well so far. No music up there yet, but I'll figure it out eventually. I'll be updating and shifting it around over time, so (and here's the plug) make sure you keep visiting it for information and news about what's happening in Mouse's World! Oh God. I feel so dirty...

I might have to build one for Sigma 6 next. That'll be interesting, seeing as though we haven't got any songs...

Back In The U.K.N.E.

2009-06-19T23:16:00.002+01:00

When I saw my Old Man buy that stuff when I was down there at Easter, I asked "Sticks Like Sh*t? as I looked at the thing. "Yeah, it does" was his reply. Fair dos, thought I.

What-ho, rodent followers! I'm coming to you from the misty heights of the North East, somewhere near Saltburn. Is the transmission coming through clearly? Some areas up here look like they've only just discovered electricity, so I hope all of my gadgets still work. The journey up was good, even though my Tunnock's Tea Cakes melted in the heat. Such a shame. They were still eaten, though. There were no survivors.

Brother of Mine said he could look into getting me a part-time job for some time while I'm here. It's nothing too exciting, just washing dishes in a pub, but it would bring in quite a bit of extra cash every month, which currently is greatly needed. I didn't realise how little I had until it was too late. Thank goodness I don't have to buy food, drink and such anymore. Until September, anyways. Which is nice.

On top of this little job prospect, I'm considering selling Luna in order to bring in some more dosh. It would be a shame to see her go (along with her gorgeous mirror surfaces and that tremolo system), but I never really warmed to her as I have done with Angelina and the still nameless red Squire Strat Affinity. That one now has a gold scratchplate and black pickup covers and it looks great. Jazz Club great. Grrrreat. I could do with one less guitar around too, until I eventually get a proper Fender Stratocaster. Ooh, the time will come soon, my pretty...

I'm rearranging the Mouse Hole, too. The bed's in the wrong place, I need to find somewhere to put all of my CDs and DVDs and floorspace needs to be freed up so I can stand the keyboard there. I've now got it to talk to my laptop without any latency issues, so I'll have to nick the PC speakers from downstairs and find somewhere to perch them while I twiddle my keys. For the record, the computer downstairs has no sound for no reason, so the speakers are just sitting there doing nothing. I might as well put them to good use. So far, I can definitely play with Hypersonic now, except for the String sounds which just create silence. I have no clue why this is. I blame Windows Vista for everything again. Bah! I need to try and open my other plug-ins as standalone programs and have a play with those, too. Hopefully, I will be as successful as them as I was with Hypersonic. Maybe I'll even find some decent string sounds along the way. Maybe even a Mellotron, you never know.

Some time soon, I will get round to writing up that report on the Dream Theater set of their gig. Mind you, there's not really much to write about apart from "Arrrrrrrrgh! Notes! Volume! iPhone! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" or something like that. Also, Dream Theater themselves originally left Metropolis (Part 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper) with no intention of a Part 2. It was a joke on Prog and all that, but it became so popular with the fans they decided to compose Part 2: Scenes From A Memory. Maybe I'll do the same.

Except without writing a massive obscure concept post based on themes contained within Part 1. No, I don't think so...

Time Is Time

2009-06-18T22:01:00.001+01:00

"Here is the clock, the Trumpton clock. Telling the time steadily, sensibly, never too quickly, never too slowly. Telling the time for Trumpton!"

Heh. I thought I'd open this one with a little classic something from our past. Anyways, here is the news - my work here in Hull is finished. Mission accomplished. Tomorrow, I'll be returning back up North to spend the Summer with family, friends and the sea. I can't wait to have a bath again!

After being back here since September, I've noticed something. When I first moved up North in 2006, all I wanted to do was to get back. Then, just before I got my wish, I needed more time up there. Be careful what you wish for. Now, I wish I could spend equal ammounts of time in both areas, but that's nowhere near possible. It's a bit of a bugger, but that's the way it is. A little message I suppose is needed here: don't waste your time. Look for the silver lining everywhere you go. Take the time to look around you and see what's there. I think you'll find something quite interesting.

Anyways, here's to happy times ahead. No point in troubling yourself with what could've happened in the past now, is there? Cheers to you all.

And so, to celebrate - never too quickly, never too slowly...

Night Of The Prog (Part 1: The Return Of Frost*)

2009-06-15T00:39:00.001+01:00

Leeds: 16:15-ish local time. After leaving my somewhat commanding Brother, myself and Mr. Pinder decided to wander up to the O2 Academy to have a look at what was going on. We were interested and admittedly a tad worried about the few young people who were already gathering by the entrance, but we reasoned that these were the die-hard fans out for front row and that the other fans would be in the logical place to be before a gig - down the pub. So we headed down the O'Neil's, the official meeting point of the Frost*ies. On the way, we walked past Jem Godfrey, Andy Edwards and Nathan King of Frost*, but we were too starstruck to say anything. They looked very 'rock star', all sporting sunglasses, casual yet smart shirts and, in Jem's case, a rather impressive and large black coat. In hindsight, it was probably best to leave them to their buisness. After all, they were opening for one of the most accomplished bands of the last 20 years. You could feel the atmosphere building, the tension mounting, the... twigs snapping. Underfoot. As you... walk across the wooded path of apprehension. Yeah.

18:15 local time. After chatting with some very nice and friendly Frost*ies in the pub O'Neil's, we left them to their pre-gig burgers and moved to the Academy. Fuck me. The queue was long. I mean, really long. Really, really long. In fact, it went out from the front door, around the side and down passed the back entrance. I never thought Prog was popular nowadays. Mind you, the majority of the line appeard to be made up of young to too young to scarily neautral-aged kids wearing Metal threads. This brought down a fact which I'd always thought to be an unpleasant one - Dream Theater are a Progressive Metal band. They're signed to the Roadrunner label, for crying out loud. I mean, just listen to their music... From what I'd seen from the DVDs, I'd always thought Dream Theater crowds would be made up of young-ish to middle-aged to more-middle-aged men who stand still and listen to the music. Ponder it, appreciate it. UK fans are different Oh dears.

We dropped into the queue somewhere around the back entrance. We got to have a good ganders at what was in one of the equipment trucks (for those interested: flight cases, flight cases and more flight cases) and at one point, Mr. John Mitchell from Frost* briefly appeared, so we said a very brief "hi". The line began to move very... slowly... forward and we began to catch distant strains of the Frost* soundcheck. Ooh, we had a little teaser of what was instore and we were excited. Very much so.

We finally got into the venue at around 19:00 (local time) and rushed to the merchandise stand/hole in wall to bag ourselves the new Frost* tour CD and a Frost*erisk T-shirt for Sam. The Dream Theater tour shirts would have to wait until after the gig, as the main floor was already getting full. We had to move swiftly in order to get a good spot near the front. We placed ourselves somewhere in the middle of the floor, probably slightly forward of that, just off centre of where Jordan Rudess's keyboard rig would be. Not that I'm trying to be specific, or anything. We waited, and the music played out through the speakers. As the time got closer to 20:00, I was happily surprised to hear Starless by King Crimson float out through the air. Nice to see that the Theater were still keen to keep up their Prog background. And it was the full length album version. I did smile. And then the lights went down...

An intro tape began (it obviously wasn't a tape as technology has moved one, but for the benefit of the tape - oh bugger it, you know what I mean) with some nice symphonic-style synth noises fading in, steadily starting to clean itself. I identified the chords as the opening to Hyperventilate. And then the band walked on stage to great applause. They blasted through Hyperventilate without hesitation, keeping the pace without fault. The quite tall Dream Theater fans seemed to really enjoy the sonic attack (no reference intended) and, after a quick hello from Jem, they moved into Welcome To Nowhere. It was amazing to witness the harsh dynamic shifts in the song performed so brilliantly (for what I think was the first time) and Dec Burke's voice didn't fail one note during the high pitched and highly demanding chorus. In fact, it held all through the set. An incredible talent that chap has. Despite seeing the band last year in Leeds when they were supporting Spock's Beard, I was surprised by how tall Dec was. I don't know why I was. Maybe it's because the others are around my height...

Pocket Sun was up next, my favourite number from the Experiments In Mass Appeal album. Jem's keyboards sounded more smooth and fluid than on the studio version and this only boosted the song for me. The Boy Edwards was pounding his drumkit like a drumbot demented! Now seems to be a good point to say that new boy Nathan King (guitarist of Level 42 and brother of the legendary Mark from the same band) did a damn fine job on bass duties. From the way he moved, played and interacted with the others on stage, you'd have thought he'd been in the band for years. And he, like the other four, looked to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. In the short break after Pocket Sun thundered to a close, I managed to shout out "You're a lion!", a phrase well known to those in the Frost*iverse. I heard a good few laughs from around me, though I doubt any Frost*ies were nearby or close enough to hear it. Black Light Machine followed next, which is my defninite favourite. John Mitchell played a blinding solo, which deservedly won a great applause from all in the venue, from fans on all sides. The end instrumental section, with it's widdly widdly solos, was perfect. Even the ludicrously timed stop-start moments were carried off perfectly, especially by TBE, whacking the drums with expert precision. The band finished with The Other Me, sounding more powerful and driven than ever. With the three guitarists leaping about in true Rawk fashion and some interesting new samples triggered from Jem's keys, it closed an excellent set from a fantastic band who know exactly how to have fun. The applause was very well deserved and I noticed a few of the Metal kids really enjoying themselves throughout.

And with that, their equipment vanished from the stage and the crowd suddenly began to move forward, compressing us into an area of floorspace where we had no room to move or breathe and the floor was so sticky you got trapped.

And then, at 21:00, a second intro tape started up (I know, I know), and we were on our way headfirst into a maelstrom of notes, lights and loud volume.

As if by magic, Dream Theater appeared...

Something's Coming

2009-06-11T21:32:00.000+01:00

Now then, I was going to talk about something today. I think I was. But I'm not going to now. Not anything specific, anyways. I'm feeling happy, relaxed and excited. Such a combination of emotions is not common with me and it's taken me back a bit (in a good way). I feel like I've gone a bit scatterbrained, so anything I type from now on will be a free-for-all in relevance terms...

Tomorrow, myself and one Mr. S. Pinder will be travelling to Leeds to attend a night of maximum Prog with Frost* and Dream Theater. That is the reason for the trio of feelings, only one of which was one of the Seven Dwarves.

I have begun to notice characteristics I share with the Incredible Hulk.

The chap who plays Robert Downey Jr.'s buisness partner in the film Iron Man (I've forgotten again, blast it) looks incredibly like Fish in that film.

I like fish.

Sole has no eyes.

I missed the 21:12 posting time, again. Damnation.

Tomorrow, it will be a good day. That's all I have for now, I really can't think of anything proper to type out. Sorry about that, heh. Too much excitement over tomorrow!

Night all...

Keyboard Porn III

2009-06-09T17:40:00.001+01:00

The Roland Fantom G series. I have and will probably always say that the Fantom G is the best keyboard ever to exist. Just look at it. Marvel at it. The screen, the faders, the trigger pads, the modulation/pitch bend wheel, the metal casing that makes it look like an F-Zero car...

All I can say is wow. It's beautiful. Such a shame that they cost from £2,000 upwards...

Ouch.

The Great (Failed) Escape

2009-06-09T01:42:00.001+01:00

Hmm? Live performance, you say? What live performance? Oh that! Yeah, it went OK. Nothing went wrong, so all was good. Yep. Anyways, moving on...

I received a note last week saying that at 08:00 on the 8th of June, the fire alarms in the flat would be tested. Eight-'o'-bleeding clock in the bloody morning! Honestly! I haven't been sleeping too well of late. My system's buggered up again, so I've only been able to turn off my mind at about 04:00 instead of the desired 01:00 or 01:30. So, I constructed myself a plan to stick one on this disgrace of an alarm test. After four hours of sleep, I woke up at 07:00. I showered and set out for a walk along the Humber in the cloudy sunshine. Nice - all going to plan so far. I went to Asda and had a Mega Breakfast in their cafe (it did the job nicely) and picked up a six-pack of lager shandy before catching a bus back to the town centre. It was around 09:30 when I got back, so I hoped that I could get a few more hours kip having missed the event.

Five minutes later, I was informed that the tests would begin in about half an hour. They began five minutes later.

Bugger.

At least I got to experience what it's like to have the best lain plans of Mouse and men backfire with perfect comic timing. Oh, the odds - what are the odds? Woe was me.

And now here I am, typing this out at twenty to two in the morning. I never learn do I? Well, let's try and make a difference. I'll finish now with a line from Steve Hackett's wonderfully weird and surreal album Wild Orchids. It reminds me of someone viewing Middlesbrough for the first time from a height...

"And to think people live down there..."

Keyboard Porn II

2009-06-08T00:19:00.001+01:00

The Yamaha EX-21. That, my friends, is an organ. Wow. Looks nothing like a classic Hammond does it? No mahogany in sight. Instead, it looks like it's just been dropped off from the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Marvelous. Drool.

I really do want to know what it sounds like. From the looks of it, I'd say it was from the 1980s and, well, it's hit and miss with stuff from that era, isn't it?

Still, it looks amazing.

The Penny Drops

2009-06-06T16:24:00.001+01:00

Well well. As it transpires, I won't be making my debut as a live sound engineer tonight. No. I will be making my live debut.

Oh dear.

I will be performing my Electro-acoustic piece Making Waves tonight at 20:00 Hull time. The performance aspect will be me sitting behind a mixing desk (in the middle of the stage, eek) using the faders to send the (pre-recorded) sounds through a six speaker diffusion system. Each fader on the desk is assigned to a different speaker, so by moving the faders up or down, I can 'move' the sounds around the room, creating a 3D soundscape of sorts. Hopefully. That's the plan, anyways.

It's not really a proper gig, or I suppose a proper performance, but it is my live debut nontheless. It's a big moment, even bigger than the sound engineer thing I was on about earlier. I thought I was just going to be providing ambient background sounds for an exhibition, or something. Nope. It's a performance in front of an audience and everything.

Oh dear. Looks like less than four hours 'til brown trousers time.

I've yet to decide whether or not I'm going to carry my plan for live performances through and wear a dressing gown on stage. It's my tribute to Douglas Adams, see. Hmm. Still, it's only three minutes long, then I get bumped down the the roll of roadie for an hour or so, wheeling around equipment and unplugging this, plugging in that...

How hard can it be? What could possibly go wrong? (He said, sealing his fate for all eternity. Gulp.)

Keyboard Porn I

2009-06-06T02:38:00.001+01:00

Times are hard and friends are no-where to be seen. I have resorted to sharing the objects of my desires, the images that plague my mind as the darkness grows in ever more deeper seas of shadows...

The Moog Little Phatty synthesiser. Look at it. Now isn't that just the most gorgeous looking synthesiser you've ever seen? Phwoar. I want one. However, it's currently more expensive than Paris, so it remains as a dream. Do I need an excuse for wanting one? Well, apart from the fact that Sir Jordan of Rudess uses one (and I believe that Geddy Lee does too), have you heard it? Have you heard any Moog synths blare out their siren songs? Also, it looks like something from Space: 1999. That equals immediate maximum level of awesomeness.

Is it strange that I have a strong love for the looks and sounds of analog synthesisers? Yes. Is it disturbing? Yes. Do I need help? Probably. Do I want help? No.

After all, once an Analog Kid, always an Analog Kid.

One Small Step

2009-06-06T02:23:00.001+01:00

Let's see, it is now Saturday. It is 02:11 at night and at around 20:00 tonight I will be making my debut as a live sound engineer. Hmm.

Now, that is quite interesting. Strange to think that it was only eight or so months ago that I started the First Year of the Music Production Foundation Degree course. Now, in what seems like no and all time at once, here I am having finished it. Yep, it's done. Woo! I've learned a lot and it seems like I'm not ready to put it into action for the very first time. At a public exhibition thing. I think...

Actually, I have no clue about what's going to happen later today. We're turning up at the venue (heh, how professional do I sound?) at about 13:00 - 13:30 to get our individual tracks set up, then the performance is at 20:00. Is it a performance? Or a showcase? I might just set mine to automatic pilot and set it off. Or, I could be manually riding the faders, moving the cosmic sounds all around the room. Is there an audience? I was told it might be more like a corridor people walk through, or something. Actually, I don't know anything really.

Right, put all that on hold - I may not be making my debut as a live sound engineer today. Or maybe I will. Ah, fekkit. Of course, I blame the college for everything. I always do, but this time it's justified. No-one knows what's going on! Again!

Holy poo, what if I accidentally mute everything? Or lose control of the speakers? Or what if the mixing desk breaks? What if I break it? Aw, bugger...

Right. I'll let you know...

Afterthoughts In The Afterglow

2009-06-05T23:24:00.001+01:00

This is an additional, somewhat. In honesty, I got a bit carried away with the last post and I forgot to tie the whole thing together. So, this has become more of an afterthought of the evening.

"All you need is love..." To which I replied: "Yeah, bollocks." No, not necessarily. That last post described how love is part of the true essence of life. In the physical sense, you need more than love, but in the (I hate to use the word because connotations will descend upon me like the thunderbolts of Zeus) spiritual (arrrrgh!) sense, all you really need is love. The love you have for the people, the things, the time and the world around you. And of course, the love those things return to you. I think that just about incorporates everything.

Clever Beatles.

Or You Could...

2009-06-04T22:44:00.001+01:00

"All you need is love..." Yeah, bollocks. I've found something else I need as well as love - the Roland Juno-D! It's not as developed as the Juno-G and it's certainly no-where near the realms of the Fantom G, but it'll do for me I tell you! Plus it has a built-in drum sound that is reminiscent of an 808 drum machine. No bad thing, of course.

Actually, love's quite an interesting subject to ponder now that I think about it. We surround ourselves with the things we need and use every day. Most of those are the things we like, or at least we try to keep it like that. However, the few things we love we keep even closer. I suppose that could be anything - physical objects (like keyboards and guitars, in my case), moments in time (memories, or that single second of true bliss you felt in that certain location at that certain moment), or it could be the traditional girl or group of people in your life. To be in love with someone or something is not the precise and exact dictionary definition - to me, it defies distinct meaning. Like the essence of those true moments of life, that something you feel, but can't put a finger on, but is definitely there... For me, love is part of that feeling. We all have it for something. And, if you're lucky enough to share it with someone at sometime in whatever context, then you know you've done some good on the Earth, this world and indeed, the Universe.

Remember, as I have preached before...

IS

THE

Conquer And Destroy!

2009-06-04T16:39:00.000+01:00

I have Daleks. Now I can plan to conquer the Universe! My first act as standing Dalek Supreme will be to destroy all Apple Mac computers. To the music of Jean-Michel Jarre. As you do.

"Seek... Locate... Exterminate..."

Stupid Purchase Of The Year II

2009-06-03T23:38:00.001+01:00

Guilfest 2009 weekend ticket. Around £120.00. Plus about £30.00 for travel. Confirmed acts include Motorhead, The Stranglers, The King Blues, Brian Wilson, The Happy Mondays and Will Young. Varied line-up, no? I was tempted in by Brian Wilson (!), but it was the announcement of Joe Bonamassa that decided it for me. Finally, I will get to see the greatest Blue guitarist of this generation on stage! I've only waited about two years...

The event is in July and I can't wait. It should be a lot more laid back than the previous Leeds Fest adventures. The smaller festivals where entire families turn up always are.

This Summer will most definitely be a Summer of music, thanks to this stupid purchase!

Summer Time!

2009-06-01T23:22:00.001+01:00

"Here comes the Sun, doo-de-doo-doo..." Well, hooray for the Sun! On the first day of Summer, it was a bright and shiney day. Wonderful! Who says British weather's rubbish? Look how hot it's been - it set that bloke on fire! Whoosh! Exclamation marks!!!!

Anyhoo, I've got a lot planned for this Summer. As well as the mandatory spend time with friends whenever possible (aw, bless 'im), I've got lots of projects to work on. First, I got me a Farino track to play with. Yum. Three acoustics - one steel six string, one nylon six string and one steel twelve string. Bliss! And then there's Life Science to be getting on with. And Dusk, remember that? How about Ammonite Song? And, I've finally got plans for A Fall Of Moondust and Dry Bones - how cool is that? When the Autumn comes around, I'll be able to put Sigma 6 back into overdrive. Interstellar Overdrive, even...

(Yes, I have travelled back in time to post this on the 1st of June. Now, back to the TARDIS! The present day beckons...)

Goodbye, Spring!

2009-05-31T23:24:00.002+01:00

Well, there goes another Spring. Bye bye, Spring! So, I thought I'd celebrate with an X-Ray of a frog. Nice. Anyways, I've been thinking about what I've done in the past season.

...I've noticed I use a lot of commas...

Here's another X-Ray of a frog.

Ommm...

2009-05-31T01:07:00.001+01:00

I've got a question - why do little children say "ommm" when they see someone doing something wrong? How did that come about? Since when did "om" become an indication of trouble-making? I know I did it, along with everyone else in my primary school, but where did it come from? When did it start? It's an odd thought, but there is some depth to it. It's not important, but it's a curious thing.

All right, that's all for now. As you were.

And Now For Something Slightly Different

2009-05-28T06:02:00.002+01:00

Wow. Oh my Lord. I've just listened to what could be the best album of 2009 so far. Seriously. Now, I've never used this Blog as a platform for either reviewing things (the rant about the recent remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still doesn't count it's rubbish) or advertising things (the subtle links to various band webpages don't also count hee hee) and I'm not about to start doing those things. However, I can't let this pass me by.

I've just listened to the new Gazpacho album Tick Tock. After hearing Tick Tock (Part 3) on the free CD that accompanied the latest issue of Classic Rock Presents Prog and playing it to death, I downloaded the album from iTunes almost immediately. By 'almost immediately', I mean I did some research to see if I could buy it on CD from anywhere first and, since I couldn't, a download was the only option. Of course, the decision was helped by the fact it was £5.35 - insane. I was a bit cautious when I first started listening, but no more - that album sparked a reaction I rarely have when listening to music. At some points, I actually gasped and clapped my hands to my mouth in awe at what I was hearing. I think that last time that happened was when listening to David Gilmour's On An Island for the first time way back in 2006.

I realise this is becoming a bit of a preaching entry, so I'll fast forward a bit - this album not only defies classification by incorporating a number of different musical styles, it also incorporates sonic aspects of different cultures. It's incredible how a band can merge so many different sounds under one flag, as it were. Incredible. As I was listening, I was constantly reminded of Marillion, Radiohead, Yes, King Crimson, Elbow, The Flaming Lips and even Kings Of Leon. And yet Tick Tock still stands apart from all of them on it's own.

So, if you have £4.79 to hand and if you don't mind taking a small risk, you can download it from Amazon in MP3 format. Honestly, you can't go wrong. This is an experience you really shouldn't miss.

Hell, I'm even awake at 05:57 typing this out. That's how much it has effected me. I have a headache, I really need sleep, Lord nows what this is doing to my body's system, but it really is an amazing thing. Sorry that it's essentially a preachy advert, but it's something I couldn't keep to myself this time.

And now, finally, to sleep. Good morning.

AAAARRRRGH!

2009-05-28T02:44:00.002+01:00

Yaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgh! Fucking technology! Why does it seem to have something against me and me specifically? I thought we were getting along alright. I seem to recall some earlier posts somewhere in which I threatened it with violence at great length, but I thought the hatchet had been buried.

Wrong.

Bastard! What's gone wrong this time? Cubase. The software I use to create music. Ever since I got it, it's had this little thing where at any random point during playback, the sound will jump - like a cough, splutter or hiccup - and will cut out momentarily before returning. Except if there were any long MIDI sounds, which would not come back. So, I'd have to start the track again in order to get a proper listen to the mix and hope it didn't happen again. It often did, but I could work with it. However, recently it's changed. A week or so ago, in fact it was the evening I started work on Life Science, I was trying out different effects plug-ins I hadn't used before. I selected one which Cubase didn't like for some reason and the session promptly closed. Thankfully, the system had performed an emergency save and had created a copy of the session, a copy which was of the state the session was in before the crash. That should be alright I thought, and carried on. Except now when it does that jumping hiccup thing, it instead cuts out the sound momentarily before screaming half a second of loud organ at me. Seriously. Organ. Why? No clue.

But that's not all! It also ruined my nice mix, automatically shifting all the sounds from my carefully chosen left, right or central positions to centre and only centre. I can't move them. The sound does not change sides.

And that's still not all! It didn't just limit this little thingie to the Life Science session, it's now the standard setting for all of my Cubase sessions. Even the little Dusk demo I've started. Even the emergency copy of Life Science. And the organ still screeches at me before fucking up a perfectly nice playback of my centralised sounds.

'What', 'the' and 'fuck' are three words that immediately spring to mind. I apologise for the language, but believe me, I've already called the laptop and Cubase far worse. That shall not be repeated here. But I really do mean why? Why? Why has it done this? What for? How? There are no reasons I can see or can think of!

There are no reasons!

........................Excuse me while I step outside and blow off some steam........................

........................That's better. I just wish I could continue with my work, but I don't know if I can thanks to the disabling of my mixer. I just can't. Those sounds need to be in their own places. I think the note sensitivity has also been cancelled out, which greatly effects my piano sound. I feel like crying...

If anyone can help with this, please leave any information in the comments box below. Thank you so very much.

This is an S.O.S. to the world...

Strange Days And Pathways

2009-05-27T02:58:00.001+01:00

Prog! It turns up in the most convenient places, sometimes. Earlier on... yesterday, I was browsing through HMV and came across the new and long awaited IQ album Frequency. The Deluxe Edition with the bonus live DVD and packaged in a digipak. £12.99. Lucky me? Hell yeah! I was going to order it online this evening anyways, so ha! What a coincidence. And, for once, not at a ridiculously over-the-top price. Lucky me indeed. Smug mode is well and truly engaged. It's a superb listen, too. Like a cross between The Flower Kings and King Crimson. Excellente. I feel a tad bad about it actually, because of all those people who are true IQ fans who have been waiting years for this album, have waited months after pre-ordering, who are only just getting it in the mail... And here I go, after hearing the edit of Ryker Skies and only the edit of Ryker Skies on the free CD from Classic Rock Presents Prog, just walking into HMV and buying it instantly. I feel like I jumped the gun, somewhat. But my my, what a great album.

Anyways, I wasn''t just going to rant once more about Prog this evening. I can do that elsewhere, or in front of a soon-to-be-running-away good friend after I've lured them in with promise of beer. Heh. No, I've been hit with a thought. (Gasp!) I was just thinking about some people whom I've met in my life. People who turned into the best friends I've got. I met them through pure chance. Pure luck. Take this one as an example...

One day, I just made my way into the college. I had a free morning, so I went to the place my little group always went when we were free. I was always on my own on that morning as everyone else was timetabled in elsewhere. But this time, I walk in through the door, and this girl sitting there in the corner doing some work. "Hello"s were exchanged as they are, I sat down and got out my terrible guitar of-the-time. Immediately, the top E string snapped. Embuggerance! So, we started talking as there was nothing to keep my miserable being from distracting this pretty young thing. Then it was time to go. Next week, lo and behold, there she is again. And so it went on. And now she's one of my bestest ever friends he says with that edge of mockery on the 'bestest ever' part because it's such a rubbish selection of words to describe the situation. But that's it, it's true. Now, had any of the events that led up to that first initial encounter been slightly different, it may never have happened. I find that slightly scary.

I could select another of my best friends - we met on the first day of college. I was bricking it as I had only just moved to this strange new part of the country, I'd felt like I'd lost everything of my old life and I was determined to remain a loner for my two years there. Then this small, charismatic gentlebean appeared and I talked to him because he was so bloody bright and cheerful. He seemed to know everyone, anyways. And now he is also in Hull and is one of my bestest ever friends. I apologise for using that again. I could go on and use the same situation for each of my friends. Everything just seemed to line up at the right time and these events happened. It's strange how, when travelling along the road, we can meet these people by the wayside and they can end up being with us for an unforseeable ammount of the journey ahead. That's why I used Mr. Thorgerson's rather marvelous front cover artwork for The Mars Volta's Frances The Mute as the image for this entry. I think it sums up how we all are moving through life blindfolded. No-one can see what's coming next, so when our paths collide, it is just down to things happening at the right time. It's like we're all moving around in a very large planet Earth-sized darkened room... (OK, that one was a bit crap. Sorry.) We can't even see what's gone behind us very well, as our memories of the past are distorted by time and emotion and whatnot.

Have a think about the people you've met through your life; how long have you known them for? When did you first meet? Did anyone have any major effect on you, good or bad? Where did you go from there? What happened because you'd gone from there? All those different elements. Now, what do you think would've happened if one of those elements had been changed? What do you think might've happened instead? I know there's no point in thinking about changing the past and I for one wouldn't change mine for the world, but it's made me appreciate what I have and who I have with me now. These people, because of the amazing serendipity that caused us to meet, are probably the most percious gifts we have, and they lead us to the most precious moments of our lives.

It also hurts all the more when they leave us.

Stupid Purchase Of The Year I

2009-05-24T20:21:00.001+01:00

My beautiful Angelina. Fender acoustic guitar, bought way back in January or February for £118.99 from Bad Dog Music, Hull City Centre. Don't get me wrong, I could never regret this purchase, but it was stupid for a few reasons. No. 1. I didn't think about it. Just went straight for it. No. 2. The price. When coupled with No. 1, it makes it a stupid purchase. However, I think you'll agree with me that it was a really excellent one.

And I wouldn't change it for the world. Eeee, I really do love that guitar!

Anna Lies In, Yet Again

2009-05-23T03:22:00.001+01:00

What-ho, Human beans and variants of. That there's a pigeon. It's possibly my favourite photograph that I took while on my sleep deprived, depression fuelled trip to Leeds a few Saturdays back. "Who put fifty tonnes of shit on the Foreign Office roof?" once sang Genesis. This little chappie here did it, says me. And good for him. I applaud them for doing so, what with what's going on with some of the people under the Foreign Office and other areas of related work. Now, I must warn you, I've been thinking again...

I read earlier that it was the last day ever of sixth form college for some good friends of mine yesterday. This was an interesting read, as it passed me by without causing so much as a breeze. I started off by thinking something along the lines of "Good for them, but I wonder why no-one reminded me". I would have liked to have said something to them, maybe a congratulatino of some sort - and then I think. Maybe not. After all, those are their lives they're living. I only play a very small part in those lives, if anything. Why should they involve me in what they get up to? More importantly, why should I make my own presence felt without invitation? I have no right. I think it pisses people off in truth, which is why I retired from MSN Messenger, cut back on Facebook and turned MySpace purely into an extension of my music projects. If they want me, they shall call me. I know that this is all an incredibly negative way of thinking, but I can't help it. And while I can't help it, I might as well consider it as a viable viewpoint, or else I'd start acting reclessly. (Recalls recent Leeds adventure) Alright, more reclessly. (Recalls recent stupid purchases, coming soon to a new Blog entry near you) Ah, forget it.

This is all leading me down a pathway of ideas, one of which involves me bypassing the whole Summer. It's an interesting concept. I won't get involved with anything, but I'll be around if anyone wants me. In the meantime, I can lie back and watch time pass, maybe working on some proojects for a while, or maybe just walking through the woods. Maybe just sleeping. I'm sure people won't need me around in order to have a good time. I support that idea - go an have fun, everyone! You can all make your own experiences with the wonderful people you choose to spend your time with, creating those little stories and anecdotes that make memories so rich and brilliant to have around with you in the years to come. And do you know what? I'll be waiting here if you want to tell me all about it. I will give 100% undivided attention, but only if you want it.

Finally, it looks as though my day later on will feature wandering through Asda looking for something priced £21.12. Yes, things really are that bad.

Until the next time...

A Funny Turn

2009-05-19T13:07:00.001+01:00

I've decided to keep my presence on the Interwebbyconnectyweb to a low state. I'm fed up of having to go and find people in order to communicate and with the way recent events and times have me going, I'm not going to be much fun to have around anyways. So, I've decided to keep the MSN chat to a bare minimum, the MySpace page shall be confined to "business only" and the Facebook page shall only be updated from time to time. If people want to find me or know what's going on, then they have my mobile phone number, my Email address, there's links to here and the Twitter page all over the place, so I'll be there if someone wants me. I'm fed up with feeling like an unwanted presence whenever I start talking to someone - I feel this will solve that problem.

It's also going to free up a lot of time and allow me to focus on my latest project. After the success of Think/Talk, I've started work on the title track of my little experimental solo project: Life Science. It's going to be the work that defines why I do what I do, so if I balls it up that's the career gone. It's going to be a long 'un, too. I have four segments planned for it, but depending on how things turn out, there may be more. The first part, called The Roof Of The World, is already clocking in at around four or so minutes and it's nowhere near finished. Ee by gum, I do like what I've done so far. Quite possibly the best thing I've ever done.

Right, in an hour I'll be sitting down to chat with the college counsellor about how mad I am. I'm not feeling confident about it, because the woman who's sorted out the appointment closed her last Email by typing"thanx for yr reply". Oh dears... I've got a cold which might be hayfever which came on at about 22:00 last night and I didn't sleep well because of it. I'm still waking up, so I'm still grumpy and I'm just starting to feel a little peckish. Bah.

If you want me, you know where to find me.

Go!

2009-05-16T06:56:00.003+01:00

I've been up all night, I've been slightly under the influence, incredibly depressed and I've made the decision to go to Leeds for the day. My train leaves at 09:40, which is three hours away from typing these words right here right now.

So there.

Something interesting happened as the National Rail website loaded onto my laptop screen. Earlier on, I compiled a playlist of songs that were designed to move me. Not necessarily miserable songs, but songs that effect me somehow. I put my iPod onto Shuffle and away it went. And completely by coincidence, as the National Rail website appeared, Go! by Marillion came on. Third song in and that one chooses to appear at that precise moment. For those not in the know, Go! is a song about just leaving for somewhere in the night. Anywhere. Just getting on a train or a car and going. Quite appropriate for what I'm doing, don't you think? Quite convinient. Again, the iPod is set to Shuffle, which is almost random. (I say "almost" because apparently it's not in some Mathematical way, but it seems pretty damn random to me, so it stays that way.) Then, after the deed was done and the tickets were bought (£11.30 return - bargain), Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird came on.

What the hell is going on? I was quite spooked as the lyrics "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me" and "Cos I'm as free as a bird now and this bird you cannot change" came drifting through my headphones. There are no other words to describe it that aren't 'coincidence' and 'appropriate' or any variations of. Strange. Quite nice, though.

So, here I am now 2 hours and 50 minutes away from my departing train. I haven't slept yet and I'm starting to feel the effects. I'll go for a walk soon to try and wake myself up. The air blowing in from across the Humber should blow away the cobwebs. I've gone more mad than I ever have done before.

You see, I'd classify this as a reckless decision. This is me we're talking about remember - bloke who always plays it safe and plans everything. This decision was made in 5 minutes and the deed was done in another 5. Madness. I know other people do this all the time, but usually I wouldn't expect it to be something I'd do. Interesting.

It's amazing how overreacting to one tiny bit of completely irrelevant information can have an effect such as this, isn't it? I'll close this entry by saying "Good morning" followed by "cheerio" and finally by quoting the song which named this entry on this quite frankly remarkable morning...

"Wide awake on the edge of the world..."

A Coo Stick

2009-05-14T02:46:00.001+01:00

That chap's holding a coo stick in his right hand, apparently. Funny that, seeing as though I only put A Coo Stick as the title to be a play on the word acoustic. I didn't know coo sticks actually existed, but lo and behold, it appears they do. Now we know, and knowing's half the battle. Thanks to the wonders of Google, the title of this entry now has meaning! Hooray!

Right, to business. I'm still not sure that's how you spell it, but the spell checker insists it is. Seems wrong to me, but I digress. Today was a really good day. I mean really good. Number 1: I've now finished all major academic work for the First Year of my Music Production Foundation Degree course. Hurrah! Number 2: I was helping out on a recording session today for a duo called Farino. And good God, they are good! They're kind of like Hull's answer to Rodrigo Y Gabriela, who are also stunning. You must head over to Farino's MySpace page immediately and listen to their sound. Go on, go now! Away with you!

...Had a listen? Marvelous, aren't they? I know! Superb! Speaking of MySpace pages, I've now uploaded Think/Talk to mine. Go here for a listen and you can even download it for free if you like. Just like that. My my, what a good deal you're getting so far - Farino's music and now a free song from Yours Truly. B'arvelous!*

That's really all I've got for now. Oh, except for one thing - have you ever noticed how easy it is to find completely random images on the Internet?

It's a guinnea pig in a Christmas hat! How about that for a random picture? Try this one...

OK, this one really scares me. So many questions... There's one word I can think of which I think defines it: Goon.

Night night, Mouselings...

*B'arvelous: A cross between the words 'bloody' and 'marvelous' and is short for "bloody marvelous". It's a good thing.

Think/Talk

2009-05-10T02:24:00.001+01:00

Think/Talk! Good goon, my little Mouselings! Sorry it's been a while (again), but I've been thinking (again)...

I have a new song! It's completely done and dusted, finito, so long, farewell, mind the step on the way out. Don't worry, you didn't miss anything majorly exciting in the recording process. It all happened so quickly. Basically, I was trying to get to sleep one night (as you do) and I suddenly came up with a selection of lyrics (as you do), so I had to get up and write them down. No sooner had I settled down again when I came up with a few chords for the lyrics (as you do), so I had to get up again, work them out on the guitar to see if they fitted (as you do) and write them down. So I did that, then went to sleep. As you do.

Many hours later, I woke up (as you - enough of that) and read what I had written. And would you Adam and Eve it - I still liked the lyrics! Some of you may know that I have a bit of a problem with lyrics on the front that I write them down thinking they're brilliant, then the next day I immediately discard them as utter shite. That's why I churn out more instrumental material, it's easier to be pleased with. But these lyrics were still good! And that one phrase which had been stuck in my head all night: Think/Talk. Think/Talk. Thinking and talking. I do too much of both. That's what the song is about to me - my incapability to stop over-analysing and thinking about everything and anything. My incapability to shut up once I start. It really is a problem, you know. This song is kind of like the equivalent of me standing up in a meeting of some sort and going "Hi, I'm Tim and I have a problem..."

The music developed quite quickly. In fact, I only think it took a day to sequence. Drum machine loop - simple. I actually took a drum loop I liked the sound of and then used the individual sounds to create my own rythm. It seems Hypersonic has trouble with doing "simple" beats and shuffles. The intro sounds of hussle and bussle were recorded in my mate's green grocers. That's him saying "That doesn't look conspicuous" when the song starts. (He was commenting on the fact that I was standing near the entrance to the shop holding a strange looking device with a large, black fuzzy ball on the end and wearing a pair of large headphones and was trying to "blend in". It worked though, dinnit?) The second recording of more hussle le bussle, which enters during the keyboard solo, was recorded outside of my other mate's place of work, this time a butchers. The people gathered around the window and in the queue made a convinient wind barrier, so I could record without a hideous BOOM intruding the ambience every two seconds. Actually, I'm rather proud of that keyboard solo as I didn't use a keyboard to play it! It too was sequenced. On one hand, I feel cheap because I essentially cheated, but on the other, I feel very satisfied with the fact that I figured out something like that without having a keyboard to consult which notes I should use. I'll go with the satisfaction feeling, I think. I can always learn it later. I did it with Well Dressed Skeleton. Well, nearly...

I recorded the vocals the day after finishing most of the sequencing once everyone had left the house. I still have trouble with confidence and my voice. I hate it. I think I sound rubbish. But I do love singing. Sometimes I think I'm quite good. I have to be in the right state of mind, really. Of course, what I should be doing is just carrying on with the work regardless of my personal opinions about myself. That's called being professional. Anyways, I recorded them into the field recorder. And Lord did they sound shit. The acoustics of my room are dreadful. So, when they got onto Cubase, it was time for effects! So on went the delay, the chorus, the reverb (cures anything does a bit of reverb!) and on several occaisions I used a Peak Master plug-in. I did get carried away at some points and really belted out some sections. The Peak Master (I think it's called that. I really should know my own equipment by now) evens out the larger peaks on the waveform of an audio file, so that the sound doesn't distort or jump up and down in volume too much. A highly useful tool and this was the first time I've put it to use. To great success as well! Ain't I good?

That's pretty much it, really. I even managed to get two organs in there, which I'm really chuffed about. Oh, how I do like my organs! Hammond-style organs, that is. Not hearts or lungs, etc. and not Richard Hammond either. Even though the song contains a widdly keyboard solo, ye olde keyboard instrument sounds and a mind full of Classic Rock and Prog, I think it sounds quite Poppy. Pop music that is, not the flower. Amateur releases almost seem to be in fashion these days, I wonder if I could storm the charts with it...? No. No, don't be ridiculous.

Oh yes, if you hadn't guessed it already, the song is called Think/Talk. Think/Talk. It couldn't have been called anything else, really. I went a bit mad with that phrase, started using it as a greeting and blurting it out at odd moments during the day. It's nice to have your life hijacked by one of your own songs, isn't it? The picture at the top of the page is a little something I cooked up while experimenting on Photoshop a week or so ago. It's meant to be a person's torso (the fire circle is the head while the semi-circle are the shoulders) with the snowflake acting as the brain (feel free to get philosophical about how the fire of the human body does not melt the snowflake brain, how two completely contrasting elements which should cancel each other out can co-exist in the same time and place together without reaction or conflict). I didn't intend for it to be the accompanying artwork for the song, but I thought it fitted somehow. Too much thinking and talking will surely lead to an explanation, somehow.

And finally, production is well under way on the First Edition of Mouse News (see what I did there?), which will be a series of short documentary-style videos that will give you a little glimpse into what goes on in my insane world every now and then. Have I got some gems lined up for you! I wonder how many catchphrases I can generate from it? I've already finished the Thunderfrog video (did I tell you all about that? I'll have to check) and had tremendous fun doing it, so this should be a breeze.

Right, time to go. I'll leave you with this...

Think/Talk!

Dreamy Sleepy Nighty Snoozy Snooze

2009-04-21T00:30:00.001+01:00

Aww...

I like to sleep, but only when there's nothing left to do. If I feel there's still stuff to do that can be done, then I'd rather do that than getting some kip. I especially like staying awake if I have troubling things on my mind. When I settle down and try to go to sleep, I like to think about things. Unfortunately, if such troubling issues arise I'll probably tend to think about these as drift off to the Land of Snooze. Not good.

Doing stuff helps keep my mind off any troubling issues, so when I do fall asleep I won't be thinking about them. I'm getting sleepy typing this, which is not good as I still have stuff to do. It's not important stuff - I just need to listen to an album on vinyl. Alpha by Asia. I need to decide whether or not I actually like Asia (the band, of course) before considering giving this album to a friend. I remember my previous opinions on the thing - crap. The only reason I kept it was because of the splendiforous artwork created by Roger Dean. It looks nice on vinyl, with it being the size it is. Shame about the music. So Asia (the band), it's judgement day. Again. For the last time. The sequel. Part 2.

My main problem is, I give certain music and bands too many chances. It could be a good thing, but not when it comes to a final decision. You can't like all the music in one genre. Still, I suppose it's nothing to lose sleep over. I get too little of that as it is.

Too busy doing stuff, you know...

Marathon

2009-04-20T02:28:00.001+01:00

So, here I am once more. I should've been on a train back to Hull today, but I had a bit of a problem and my mind refused to function properly, so I'm staying back in Skelton for about another week or so to try and sort myself out. Embuggerance.

I saw a doctor about it on Saturday morning. She sat down and listened to all of the story so far, asked a bit about family history, then analysed my personality (as if I don't do that enough). She basically said that I was an eccentric who unusually thinks a lot about thinks for someone my age (which is a nice generalisation of stereotype and insult in one fell swoop) and that I'll get over it. Which was nice. (Disclaimer: These were not the words she used, but it bloody well came across as such...)

I'll get over it, will I? Nine years going on strong...

These problems that I have to deal with are tough. They're in my head, which is not a good place for a problem to be as it's hard to get at and identify there. Especially when part of the problem is not knowing how bad the problem is until the next problem occurs. Which it did rather evidently earlier, stopped me from getting on the train and prevented me from getting on with life. Again, nine years going on strong...

This is like running a marathon. It's long, it's downright knackering and I have no clue of where the finishing line is. You just have to keep going, carrying a weight that's like a monkey on your back, a really annoying monkey called Roy or something that won't stop throwing rocks at you. You've got to carry that weight a long time. Nine years is a very long time. So often do I think I've come to a vantage point and I can see the end. But then, something always fires the light that gets in your eyes...

I had a nice little thought last night: At the end of the day, you're going home. Which is true in most cases. The location or destination may vary, but wherever it is in my case I can call it home. There's always some form of comfort waiting for me. Which is nice and uplifiting.

Now, I've cleverly worked several song references into this post. Try to identify them! If you think you've found them all, then send me a message. You'll win a coconut. I may live to regret this, as I owe a few people coconuts. Coconuts can be quite expensive, especially with today's economy.

Right, I really must be going. Once I've finished watching this Rush DVD I'm going to sleep. I thought it a good idea to try and get into some kind of regular sleep pattern. Typing this out at half past two in the morning was, in hindsight, not the best time to be doing it.

But then again, I'm like that aren't I?

Hmm...

2009-04-18T03:21:00.003+01:00

I've just been reading back through some of the old posts on here. Heh, I did get up to some hijinks didn't I? You're right, I didn't. However, it seems I have some explaining to do - there are a lot of unfilled gaps in The Mouse Hole's continuity. So, without further ado...

1. Sigma 6 are still together, but with fluctuating member numbers. Squish is pretty much useless and out of it, leaving us without a drummer. The band is no longer in a recording position, but by no means is it dead. It is very much alive, but has been put on hold to allow myself and Mr. Sam Pinder time to develop our skills to a respectable level so that we may begin recording again.
2. I never did upload the video of what happened on that November snow day. It involved me larking about with the Luna guitar while it was being run through Sam's Boss GT8 effects processor and his Marshall amp. While the volume was decently high for us, the video did not pick most of it up and therefore is a bit empty and at nearly ten minutes long would be quite boring.
3. I never did write up that review of the Marillion gig in Leeds, but if you've ever spoken to me, I've probably told you enough about it already.
4. A lot of stuff has happened since I went back to college in January that I probably haven't told you about. In all honesty, a lot of it's boring twaddle that I can't be arsed to update you all on now. I'm getting bad at this, but I may write it all up in a near-future post.

Right, that's it I think. Did I forget anything else, I wonder? Hmm... Merry Christmas! Nope, I covered that... I think that's everything! Please do feel free to point out anything I haven't covered. I promise I won't send the goons round to make mischief with your house...

Finally, I have recieved a complaint from someone who, for his own sake shall remain nameless, regarding the entry of 18th August 2008. I will now rectify the error I made:

Darth Vader was not, or ever was, the Dark Lord of the Sith. As that was the position held by Emperor Palpatine before his untimely death in 'Return Of The Jedi', Darth Vader only ever held the title of Sith Lord until his own untimely death in the same film.

Mouse would like to apologise for any inconvenience, stress, anxiety or unnecessary concern that this issue may have caused. If you would like to know more about this issue, please visit this helpful link for more information.

No animals were harmed in the making of this post, but someone was kept up unecessarily late writing it. Happy now, youknowwhoyouare?!

Twitter Me This

2009-04-18T02:06:00.002+01:00

I'm now on Twitter! Here to be precise. It's quite fun - another useful distraction to keep my mind off of doing work. Nice and relaxing.

I like that picture. The chaps in the college keep saying I should get myself a bird, ha ha ha ha. Actually, that bird looks kind of sinister. And the mouse looks like it's trying to do a dump.

I've rediscovered the wonders of vinyl! I love those large discs of goodness. I went to Stockton with a mate on Wednesday specifically to do some vinyl shopping. I came back with three Rush albums for £3.50 each, Yes's Don't Kill The Whale single for a quid and the Genesis I Can't Dance single for 50p. Cheap as chips! That would've cost me about an extra tenner in the place in Hull. I really regret not picking up Hold Your Fire as well. It was £4.00, I'm sure I could've survived the economic crisis that would've surely followed the purchase.

For some odd reason, I've become obsessed with Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull. It's probably John Mitchell's fault after he played it on one of the Frost* Reports. Anyways, I asked the very nice man in the vinyl shop if he had it in stock. He said he had, but he didn't know where it was as he'd just taken delivery of about 4,000 records and the place was in a bit of disarray. Perfectly understandable. That night, I did a bit of researching and the Internet's selling the album on CD for rubbish prices everywhere. The record's only got two tracks on it, and they're the same song! Does that make it a single? What about Tubular Bells, for that matter? And Amarok? Bloody Mike Oldfield and his single song albums. Returning to the point, I wanted to hear this mythical album so badly, I ended up downloading it (yes, you read correctly folks!) from Amazon for just over two bob. It would've cost about eight squid more for the CD, so I call that a bargain. I've now listened to it three times since Wednesday night. I think it's marvelous.

Anyhoo, it's fast approaching stupid 'o' clock, so I must dash. I've got an appointment with a doctor tomorrow, followed by a family lunch at a pub, possibly followed by a drink or two with a friend or two. I needs my sleep!

...Oh, but I've just noticed my CD copy of Quadrophenia sitting neatly with it's other Who companions across the room. It's very tempting. What do you think - will I play the album, or will I get some shut eye?

Answers on a postcard to the usual address...

Easter, Here Again...

2009-04-09T01:04:00.001+01:00

Crikey!

It's been over a month since I was last here! So, without further ado...

What-ho, chaps! Got milk?

So, Easter is nearly upon us. No sight of any Easter Eggs so far, which is probably a good thing as my recent addiction to Viscount biscuits has probably done any weight loss plans in. What's been going on, I hear you cry? Well, are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then I'll begin...

After wrestling with this Music Production malarky, I've spent a few days relaxing down in the open country of Suffolk, spending some time with my Old Man. He pretty much lives in the middle of a field, and the views were marvelous. Lovely Spring air, lovely countryside walks, a beserk puppy that kept trying to eat me and then cuddling up and falling asleep. It was a good few days!

So now here I am, back up North in the mountains and working on new music. Well, technically it's new. 'Ammonite Song'. Old song, new version. Shorter than the 12-or-so minute long previous version. It's going good so far. Slowly, but good.

The second track, a brand spanking new 'un called 'Semper Fidelis', is all done and dusted. It just needs converting to WAV, MP3 or any format you like, which is unfortunate as I've run into slight problems with that. Strange. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong. And not for the first time. Ah well.

I'll let you know once I've finished 'Ammonite Song'. Until then, don't eat too much chocolate!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Royals, Moogs And Success

2009-03-08T14:30:00.001Z

Well, what a week it's been. We've had a Royal visit, Thundermouse 0 (pictured) is talking to the Hub (the laptop, try to keep up) and I've discovered I can become somewhat intimately excited by the prospect of aquiring software. Let's start with what happened on Thursday...

The Queen visited Hull! How cool is that? So did the Duke of Edinburgh, but he's not as interesting. The Queen! In Hull! Now, I know that many people really don't care for the Royal Family at all, but I'm quite patriotic. I do love this country, and I do like the Royal Family. I think it's nice to like something because it's British. (Some might say or, in the Royal Family's case, British and a bit German, guffaw giggle.) Anyways, I managed to see the pair as they departed from the Guildhall to move on. As they drove by, they waved. They're very smiley in real life, too. I was standing in the general direction they were waving, as were a lot of other people, but something happened half an hour later. The keyboard, now designated Thundermouse 0, started talking to the Mouse Hub. I was shocked! I'd tried before and failed miserably, but now, for some reaosn, everything just worked (albeit with about 0.5-1 second of latency, but still)! I was well chuffed! I spent that afternoon being Rick Wakeman, playing in a manic fashion with the exact same Moog sound he used on 'Tales From Topographic Oceans', 'The Revealing Science Of God (Dance Of The Dawn)' to be exact.

Y'see? Still got some of the Yes fandom in me...

I've now found what I want for my birthday. It's a piece of music software by Spectrasonics called Omnisphere. http://www.spectrasonics.net/instruments/omnisphere.html
It makes me excited in a new and interesting (but also quite frightening) way. I've heard good things about this thing. Very very good things. Apparently, one of it's sounds was used in its original form in an episode or two of the hit BBC television series 'Spooks'. Me want very much!

I need to go for a walk in a few hours to buy some butter/margerine and some hair gel, but I've just noticed it's raining quite considerably outside. Marvelous!

I love British weather!

Spring Has Sprung

2009-03-01T23:17:00.000Z

Spring is here! Hurrah! My first Spring resolution is to write here more.

Anyhoo, I thought I'd treat you at the start of this new season. That up there is the score to my latest, cough, masterpiece. Yes it is. I shall explain in long detail...

Firstly, the image is of an ocean. One image, that's right. Split into two. The music piece will be in two parts. The first part, the left side, is the sea in it's natural state. The colours are rich, the image slightly blurred as the fluid movement of the waves merge together. This is also how it will sound. There is the Sun in the sky, at the centre of the image, everything revolving around it because of it, much as it does in the real world. The brightness of the Sun lightens up the smoothness of the waves and, of course, the musical notes. The second part, Mr. Right, is a man-made sea - a city. The image of the ocean has been distorted and cracked, looking like the aerial view of a network of roads. Behind the natural sea, there is a map of London, reaffirming the man-made factor. A map connotes the sense of a journey, which the music follows in theme - the journey of Man's development from the ocean (where all life began) to the cities we built. Whereas the first part revolves around the Sun, the second part has no direction, so the music could go just about anywhere really...

Well, what do you think? Even I didn't know it could mean that when I was putting that image together. I suppose after reading into anything for a certain ammount of time you could pull as many theories and meanings out of it as you wanted. Like a sort of metaphorical magician with a metaphorical hat that produces endless metaphorical rabbits. Or something.

...I think this little Mouse needs to go and have a little sleep.

Night all.

The Best Laid Plans...

2009-02-19T01:58:00.001Z

Well, I've been trying my damn hardest to create some new sounds for my "solo" project, but my laptop - the Mouse Hub - doesn't seem to want to play ball. Everytime I play back what I've got on Cubase, the fecking machine skips and hiccups. This not only sounds horrid but is completely random and, if I'm trying to record some guitar by playing along to it, completely sends my timing out of the window and beyond. It's really annoying!

Trying to record any sort of guitar's really starting to get to me now. I don't have one of those box-type-things that lets you record guitar straight into the computer, so I have to cope with my field recorder. Except that I can only record in stero, and only on either the left or right hand side. Which is fecking annoying when you want the rythm guitar to be pretty much dead centre of the mix, but then drift left when the big guitar solo kicks in at the end of the song. Bah! I'm also going through an anti-play-good phase, which isn't exactly perfect for my profession. Double bah!

This would all be so much easier if I had a keyboard with me, but the one I've got is big, heavy and doesn't make for the best companion on a long train journey. Especially when you have to lunk it around stations, up and down escalators and the like. Feck! Arse! Thrice bah! Grendel!

So in short, right now I'm stressed, lonely, annoyed, angry, grumpy, sleeping weird hours, limited, primitive, bloody amateur and alcohol-less. I could really do with a Guiness right now. Quad bah!

But you know what? I am very happy with the results. Keep an eye out over at http://www.myspace.com/mousesound and you might see why very soon...

Take A Little Trip Back

2009-02-14T00:52:00.001Z

Remember me? I used to own the Blog around these parts. I've been away for quite a while enjoying myself with work and such, but now I'm on holiday, I can find time to write for this Blog again! Hooray!

Right, what's been going on in the past few weeks? Well, I finally got my laptop. Yay! And then I got Cubase for it. Double yay! And I got a load of brilliant new plug-ins for Cubase! Thrice yay! Then I created a new song, which can be heard on my new "solo" MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/mousesound

More yays than you can shake a stick at!

Phew, what a time. This new solo project of mine isn't really serious, it's just to accompany my MySpace page that I'm constructing for academic purposes. In other words, I'm being graded on it. Who said my work was easy? Actually, it bloody ain't. It ain't at all. Firstly, I have no clue how to operate MySpace, so all the codes and the system that involves making a page look nice is completely lost on me. Making music's much more fun. So far as a group, we've recorded versions of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's 'Red House' and Gogol Bordello's 'Start Wearing Purple' to reel to reel using a minimal number of microphones, and we've also recorded a Mexican/Gypsy version of Pendulum's 'Slam' to digital. Really. It's been so much fun!

I'm now on holiday and back up North for the week. This is the first time in a good long while where I feel incredibly relaxed, even though I've got a dumper truck sized workload on top of me... But never mind that, did you see the snow? Hull got a right face full of it on Thursday, a right proper storm it was too. I haven't seen the like of it for more than a decade. I caught the bus down to East Park especially so I could have a proper walk in it. Blimey, it was beautiful. There's a photo at the top of here. The boating lake had started to freeze over! It's been even longer since I've seen any ponds and/or lakes freeze over! It was fantastic! All the ducks and seagulls were sitting on it, then slipped into the still-liquid parts to swim over and see if I had any bread. I didn't. I was ill prepared. All I had was my camera. I'm a bastard.

Still, I made up for it by feeding two pigeons in Leeds train station earlier... yesterday it is now. Thankfully the snow didn't stop or impede my train journey, which turned out to be a good meal for the old eyes. Everywhere - snow. Amazing. And I saw a fox! It leapt across a stream! Doesn't sound too impressive, but you don't see many foxes in Hull and since I was aboard a speeding train I'm quite proud of myslef for noticing it. Well done me!

So, that's pretty much it up to this point. I'm having tremendous fun on my course and music's about to go into Interstellar Overdrive as soon as I can link my keyboard up to my computer, A.K.A. The Mouse Hub. Oh the fun I have with my new sounds...

Move over, Wakeman! Kiss my arse, Jarre!

Eat my dust, Banks!

He's Happy...

2009-01-22T20:15:00.001Z

...and so am I! I got the results from the first semester back yesterday. I'm averaging about 62-ish+%! For my re-recording of 'The Blue', I even got 73%. Apparently, the maximum percentage ever given out for Year 1-3 FD students in that module is 75%. Not bad, eh? Nice little confidence boost for this Mouse!

Mouse gained a Confidence Boost! Mouse grew to Confidence Level 2 - slightly more sure of himself! Mouse learned Smart Arsedness!

Mouse is typing in the third person. Mouse needs to destroy his feet some more by walking to the shops again to buy the stuff he forgot last time. Mouse is hungry.

Mouse is happy...!

Click Click, Squeak Squeak

2009-01-20T20:35:00.001Z

Bah!

I'm working again. The college has dumped too much on us (again), but this time it's a bit ridiculous. They want us to compile and arrange a 24 track 2 disc compilation CD called something like 'The Best Of Hull'. Oh...joy... Right, first problem: 'The Best Of Hull'. Really? Really? A bit too ironic, methinks. Second problem: this album is going to go on general release nationwide. They have given this task of sorting it all out to first year Foundation Degree students most of whom have had only 14 weeks of experience. That experience was more like "I don't know how to do this because I've never done it before in my life". They never learn do they?

Feck it. I'm a bit grumpy. Mouse is hungry. There is no food in the Mouse Hole, so I have to walk to Asda (back in the routine already) on my ruined feet to go and buy some. I've also got to, at some point, wrap my head around buying a suitable laptop and finding out whether or not I can afford portable broadband and a new phone on contract. Hm. Bugger.

So, I'm in the Library again, once again typing on the computers that hate anything fun. That fun is now part of my research, so bollocks to them if they don't want me having fun. This library is fun, people walk past the windows at a distance of about 20 centimetres with the cruising speed of a snail, gawking in gormless wonder at the mad creatures who dwell within. Bugger off, you! I'm trying to work, which is something you obviously don't have to do here because you've got a computer at home...

Bastards.

I'm becoming more and more grumpy the more I think of how this college is once again taking an attitude to explaining things akin to someone giving you a title and saying "go that way, do stuff and do it right" without telling you what that "stuff" is supposed to be. Great. We find out for ourselves do we? And how are we supposed to do that again without knowing what we're looking for? Ah right. You've just done that thing where you make anyone who's confused feel like a thick twat. Nicely done. And I've had the piss ripped out of me for my haircut already. On the dot, without fail.

Just like old times, eh? Bah, bah and thrice bah!

Blurgh, I'll tell you more about what I'm getting up to and such tomorrow or some other time. Right now I'm getting to grumpy and hungry to give a rat's arse about what gets typed here. See? It's starting.

Be gone, friends!

"Go out there and... fuck with sound!" - Jem Godfrey

Isn't This Where...

2009-01-18T10:43:00.001Z

...we came in? Yes fellows, it's time for me to uproot stakes in the North East and trundle back down to Hull. The Second Term of my course starts tomorrow, and I'm leaving it a bit late. I originally planned it that way, so that I could just simply jump from doing one thing to another and not brake step - keeps you occupied, see? But now, I wished I'd have gone back yesterday. I haven't had much sleep and could really do with some, what with being on the brink of a 3+ hour train journey. At least I get a 40-odd minute wait in York, which is a beautiful train station and I shall look forward to photographing.

I can't wait to jump back into this Music buisness. I've got so many ideas and no keyboard, so that'll be top priority as soon as I get in. Nothing like a bit of key twiddling to get you back in the mood! I want to start some proper work with the Mule and the Squish in tow, if he's willing. There's also another chap on my course with whom it looks like I'll be doing some collaborative work in the near future. You never know, the band could have a fourth member. I can't wait to get stuck back in. It's always good to be doing what you love!

However, there's always that one aspect of going back which I'm not looking forward to at all and I think you all should know about by now. What is it? Correct! The Flat. The damn Hull branch of The Mouse Hole. I really don't like it there. I'm expecting to arrive back this evening slap bang in the middle of a "Last Night Of Holiday" party, which tomorrow will probably be followed by a "Forst Day Back" party, which in all probability will be followed by a "Second Day Back" party, and so on. Groan. If I don't get sleep tonight, I will consider killing again.

In fact, as soon as I get in I'll probably need to go straight back out again. No time for you, keyboard! I 've got no food or anything in that flat, so it'll be back to the regular routine of walking to Asda and back along the bank of the Humber. I haven't been for a proper walk in weeks, so I'm really looking forward to it. I just hope my feet don't give out...

I'm going to attempt a new diet plan: NO chocolate, NO carbonated soft drinks, MORE fruit and MORE sandwiches. I think my weekday lunch will consist of bacon/sausage/bacon and sausage sandwich with tomato, washed down with some water. Still hungry after that, 'ave a banana (if you read that last bit in Cockney style, then well done you!). Either that or chips maybe with fish from the nice chippie in town. Mmm... On an evening, it'll either have to be a sandwich again (probably a cheapo one bought on the daily walk to Asda) or an oven meal of some kind. In an attempt to conserve my hard earned (ha!) pounds, I'm going to resist meals where I have more than two things. So, that'll be pies, fish (in a sandwich), Shepherds pie (again, maybe in a sandwich) or pizza. Coupled with the walking, I should be thin and crispy in no time! Mmm... thin and crispy...

Well, that's the plan as of now. How long it'll be before I deviate from the plan is uncertain, but I hope to keep it up for as long as possible. I'd better get a move on too, it's 10:40 and I'm leaving here at 11:00. I still need to put things in a bag and stuff... Probably should have done this last night, but I was too busy not-sleeping. Once I get settled back in, I'll try to remember to write up some plans I've got, er, planned for the next six weeks.

Right, must be off. Here's to the North East! And now, to You-Know-Where...

Cheerio, sayonara, adios, amigos, so long, farewell, goodbye, lobsters!

(Lobsters is a word I'm currently quite fond of. Lobsters.)

Thank You!

2009-01-16T22:41:00.001Z

Ithankyou, you wonderful people!

Thinking Man's Songs

2009-01-15T23:21:00.001Z

I'd told you I'd been messing around on Photoshop...

Anyways, I've been thinking recently. Long time readers will know that I do like a good think. I am a thinking man's man. Hm. I've been thinking about songs in particular. Songs which don't amaze me in a massively impressive way, songs which don't jump out as legendary compositions - songs which are just songs. One of the best examples of these songs is 'No One Can' by Marillion. It's nothing special. It's simple, it doesn't offend, and yet it makes me cry. Why? It's not special! I don't know, but there's something in there I think called... "heart".

That's something I think I could do with - writing from the heart. Sounds a bit poncy (and probably is) but sometimes you've just got to get it all out and declare your love of or for something.

Just a thought...

King Of The Pizza!

2009-01-12T22:36:00.001Z

I went to the cinema with a friend yesterday. We then dined at Pizza Hut, for I had aquired a voucher for 50% off of the final bill. We shared one of the large stuffed crust ones, and guess who cleared the most by the end? Correct! Yours Truly 'ere! Woo hoo!

So, I think it's with complete justification that I claim the title of the King of Pizzas. I know it's probably not something to be proud of but hey, I get what I can.

Toodles!

Someone Needs Explainin'

2009-01-10T21:47:00.001Z

Now. I know quite a few people have had a go at George W. Bush, current President of the United States. Mocked him, even. But I ask you, how can a man with so many words of wisdom be treated this way? A man who has dispensed more wisdom in words than a Coca Cola machine has dispensed Coca Cola? Such wisdom as...

"For a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times."

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test."

"I understand small buisness growth. I was one."

"First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill."

"Will the highways on the Internet become more few?"

"Information is moving. You know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets."

And who could forget...

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."

Mm. Yes.

Fuckwit.

Hindsight

2009-01-08T22:49:00.001Z

Rush. There, they are quite clearly stating their place in Prog. Most of Prog's like this - full of "it seemed like a good idea at the time" moments. Like both Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee having twin necked guitars. And Neal Peart has hair. Seems a bit... cringeworthy nowadays, I suppose. Still, it's not as bad as how it was when they first started...

Oh dear. Oh very dear. Oh deary me indeed. Now, with hindsight, we can clearly see that this was not a good idea, though it probably was at the time.

Why does Geddy Lee look like Yoko Ono...?

Sunset Town

2009-01-08T20:50:00.001Z

Good evening people of the outside world. It's been an unusually long ammount of time since I posted the last entry. Might not seem that long, but any regular readers will know that I tend to post things up here nearly every day. So, to celebrate my "return" to this Blog, there's a photo I took of Steve Rothery during the Marillion gig in Leeds. I consider it to be one of, if not the best photograph I've ever taken. Marvelous.

I went to the Skelton Hillside Medical Centre today. Twice, in fact. I've got this lump on the right side of my face which was causing a bit of worry, so I went to get it looked at and sort any potential problems out. I was so worried that I woke up at 03:45 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up and watched some Rush. Which was nice. Walked into the Centre at 08:35, a full five minutes before my booked appointment. I waited until 08:50 and when nothing happened I went to the reception desk to find out if I need to sign in, or something. Turns out I did need to, via some sort of wall-mounted touch screen computer nonsence. The computer said I didn't have an appointment. The receptionist told me that this was because the doctor I was due to see hadn't arrived yet, and so I couldn't sign in because she hadn't signed in. So I waited a bit more. At 09:10, half an hour after my appointment was scheduled for, the receptionist told me that the doctor wouldn't see me because I'd arrived late. The sheer neve! She apologised over and over and thankfully managed to book me in with another doctor for 11:00 later on. I left, sat around at home for a bit, then walked back, this time managing to sign in on the damn wall computer to avoid any hassle. About two minutes after I'd sat down, the television screens (hi-tech this place, don't you know) informed the room that the brilliantly named Doctor Jesus Gonzales would see me. It took him one minute to identify my facial lump as a harmless cist and said not to worry about it. Then I walked home. Simple.

Now, what the damn harm in taking a minute to see me and tell me everything's fine at 09:10? No trouble! None whatsoever. Grump. Still, I'm very grateful to Dr. Gonzales for reassuring me and resting my mind. I then slept until 18:25. I needed that.

I still feel pretty crap, but that's just the usual self-induced sense of grumpiness and loathing I have for myself. My sleeping pattern's been knocked way off course, too. I've been staying up all night and sleeping all day recently. I didn't see daylight for about three days earlier in the week. Quite literally, I am the King of Sunset Town. King's a bit much though. I am a Resident of Sunset Town. That's better.

Oh, and I've been hammering away on Photoshop some more. I'll save all that for another time though.

Now, get out of my house!

Precise Prescision

2009-01-03T01:46:00.001Z

I went to a garden centre a few days ago, and I found this - a fat, ceramic blue tit! Aw, I couldn't resist. Look at it's ickle face on that huge body! Aww...

Anyways, never mind that now. I have a problem. I'm too damn precise with everything. I set things out in my mind how I want them to be, then I panic and worry when it doesn't go that way. The best example is with my music. You see, I have a very clear image of what I want to do, but when I can't do it, warning lights start flashing and alarm bells ring. Holy crap! I want everything I do in life to be as brilliant as possible, because we could only have on go to get it all right. This is one of my main failings. I've written some really nice lyrics and put them to some really nice music earlier on. It makes a really nice song. It's about making promises on New Year's Day, then having to prepare them for the turbulent year ahead. I think it'll only be about 3 minutes maximum. That's a first. The point is, if I stick to my usual method of "I can't work on that yet because it's not compatible with the first band project", then the damn thing will never take flight. So, I'm just going to go ahead and develop it. I can't exactly do anything spectacular until I get back into the studios anyways, so at least it'll give me something to do.

This also applies to people. For no justifiable reason, I automatically think certain people don't like me for some reason. Or that I've done something wrong. Which I haven't, but I think I have. Which means I have to apologise for it. And then try and make up for it. And then apologise for that, because it's not necessary in the first place. And then apologise for being wrong about the whole thing. And then apologise again for apologising in the first place. I worry too much...

So, it is with a clear, albeit sleep depriven head that I announce that one of my New Year's Resolutions for 2009 is to have more self-confidence. Be more confident with yourself! You are not as bad as you think you are! People wouldn't willingly talk to you if they didn't like you! Get a grip! You are your own worst enemy, now sort yourself out!

Sorry, that last bit was more like me addressing myself so that if I ever read back on this, I can read my own words telling me that I shouldn't be worrying about things. Might've been a bit confusing.

Sorry about that.

I worry too much...

The Sweetest Kaboom

2009-01-01T17:54:00.002Z

Happy New Merry Christmas! Hope you all enjoyed yourselves last night, I didn't. But that's another story. It includes the carpet drinking my Southern Comfort. Bah!

As I may have hinted at in the previous post, my New Year ritual consists of watching London's fireworks display on the television box. That I did do and it was all very impressive, but the still photographs that I found on the MSN website just didn't seem to do it any justice. In other words, they're bland and boring. So, I performed a little bit of Photoshop wizardry, and the result is up at the top there. What do you think? Much better, yes? Much more exciting!

I was quite surprised and slightly ashamed to find the next photo. London Mayor, the esteemed (cough) Boris Johnson, had projected a giant image of himself onto a skyscraper near the London Eye where all the bangs and booms were happening. Boris, it's 2009 mate, not 1984. This is no time for looking at images of our Great and Noble Leader, A.K.A. No. 1. As Al Murray, the Pub Landlord would say: "Shame on you!" However, I think I did a good job of making him look a bit better and less self-righteous up there on his building...

There, all green and nice. Nice and arty. Almost pretentious enough for the Tate Modern if I throw in some crap about how the green connotes a feeling of serenity and peace that is more than appropriate during these days and at this time of year, but also denotes a sense of minty freshness... Oh dear, I've done it again. Moving on!

Scotland's next, the capitol city of Edinburgh. I've covered the English side of my ethnicity, so let's have a go at the Scottish side. The original photo of this celebratory scene was a bit empty and somewhat monotonal, so I've jazzed it up and now it's gone a bit psychadelic...

Trippy maaaan...

Leaving the Scottish Scotts with their Scottish things behind, I move onto the third and final segment of my ethnic orange (what the...?) - Lithuania. This photo was already quite cool to look at, so I just dressed it up a bit with coordinating colours and artistic composition. For once, I show a bit of respect with my work...

Voila! I like that one, especially the silhouettes atop the City Hall. Forgive me, but I can't remember the name of the city. I'm sure you'll be able to find the original if you have a nose around MSN's pictures, so there. Next!

I couldn't help but have a go with the mighty fine imagery of Athens, Greece. Those ancient temples are just fantastic, so here's another thoughtful and respectful one...

Well, I think it's thoughtful and full of respect. However, I could of course be full of something completely different from respect...

Finally, we return to America, even if we didn't even go there originally. I couldn't help myself when given such a splendid shot of the Seattle Space Needle, so I went a bit mad...

Er, yeah. Kaboom!

Happy New Easter!

New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T20:48:00.006Z

The Australians are already at it. Look at that - that's a fireworks display to be proud of. It's themed on Creation, or something. Good on them. That's what you get for being on the other side of the world, you get there first. I find it strange to think that there they are, in the future, in next year itself. Time travel. Interesting isn't it? Sorry I couldn't come up with an interesting or humourous title for this entry, by the way. Nothing else really felt right, so I've stuck to the basics for once. It's only for one night, anyways...

The Taiwanese are doing good as well...

I like that. I like it a lot. That reminds me, I must track down any footage of that bloke doing a gig with images projected onto a skyscraper. Might even have been Jean-Michael Johnny Foreigner himself. Wouldn't surprise me. I like light shows. That's why I always look forward to the live coverage of the London celebrations. It's good to see it go up in smoke and flame every year, it's something Guy Fawkes would have been proud of.

My family don't do New Year. To my Brother, it's just another date change, just part of the calendar. An "excuse" for people to get bladdered. My Mum would just rather sleep. To my friends, it's a family celebration of celebrating the year that's gone and the one that's to come. I couldn't agree more, I think it's a very important time to analyse yourself and consider what's before you. So I spend it on my own every year, one way or another, without fail. It's become part of my tradition. It would be brilliant to spend it with the friends, but they've all got someone else to spend it with. I don't fit anywhere into this equation, so I make sure I stand back and watch from a distance. That's alright by me. As long as they're not alone.

2008. Now that was a good year! I got to see so much gig-wise, experience new, er...experiences with good people, both new and old. There were some mistakes, some I still regret now. Thankfully I had an enlightened moment (thanks to some marvelous people) and abandoned my negative outlook on the world. Which is nice. What I have gained in the past year far outweighs what I've lost., and I'm eternaly grateful for that.

So if you are reading this, whether it be in 2008 or 2009 (or any other year, for that matter), I wish ou all the best for the days to come. Don't worry about what's gone by, it's water under the bridge. Just don't forget it. Be with who you love. Don't be alone. This is the Mouse, signing out of 2008. Shine on you crazy diamonds.

Happy New Year!

P.S. (Oh, and about that thing up there - just ignore it. There really is no explanation for why we do things the way we do sometimes. That's what makes us all so brilliant in the first place!)

I Went On The Internet...

2008-12-28T22:28:00.001Z

...and I found this: http://hoox.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/cyanide-and-happiness.jpg

Ithankyou.

Ant How!

2008-12-27T23:09:00.001Z

For some (at the present time) incomprehensible reason, a dear friend of mine put out a bulletin on MySpace asking for ants. If we have seen a colony, we are to inform the authorities. We will not tolerate - whoops sorry, went a bit '1984' there. So, like the caring and helpful soul that I am, I went on the Internet and I found this...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=f8xSo2MEPzQ

Ithankyou.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to mining my way through the Mountain of Biscuits that has materialised over Christmas. Bono estente!

Boxing Day

2008-12-26T23:50:00.001Z

Wham! Take that, you! Quite literally, in your face! Seriously, what a shot - both the boxer and the cameraman. I commend both of you highly for such accuracy and timing!

Well, the big trio of Christmas dates have come to an end for another year. Since I have a Christian background, Christmas doesn't finish for me until sometime in January, when the Three Kings of Orient Are turn up and then clear off again. So the happy, merry Yuletide times are still very much a-rolling! Woo hoo!

I was a bit sloshed on Christmas Eve. Bit early, I know. Not overly, or somewhat properly drunk, but just enough to ensure a heightened mood and a good night's sleep. This was the most relaxing, quiet and subdued Christmas I've ever had. Probably because I didn't get up at 4a.m. and immediately retire to my bedroom with a brand new Lego set. Lego ain't the same nowadays. Good times...

It was still an excellent Christmas though. The presents were wonderfully surprising (really, three cheers for my Brother who got me the new Bill Bailey DVD and a field recorder. Yes - a field recorder! Ho ho ho!), the incredibly delicious Christmas dinner and the Doctor Who Christmas Special, which was the icing on the cake. My only woe about it all is that Russell T. Davies can't seem to get the emotionlessness of the Cybermen quite right. I mean yes, they were cold and unfeeling, but then they built a gigantic invasion machine in the shape of themselves. Er, I believe that's called vanity...?

Never mind, it got blown up. I hope you all had as good a Christmas as I did. Ho ho ho!

Hic! Roll on New Year!

Mouse's Christmas Message

2008-12-24T14:35:00.001Z

Merry Christmas one and all! This year's Christmas Message is the first Christmas Message, so I hope I don't bollocks it up.

This year, this year of 2008, has been a bit chaotic for me. I've been through trying times, testing times, moving times, musical times, good times and bad times. I entered through one side of the year and came out the other battered and falling apart, but it was a bloody good year. So, I want to thank all of you who have made it such a meaningful and revolutionary year for me. You know who you are and I can't thank you all enough. I genuinely hope that the New Year will bring more hopes, hugs and happiness than ever before and I hope that that one little wish comes true.

Right, now I'm going to hop it and let you all enjoy your own Christmas. I can't wait to get stuck into mine, it's crept up one me a bit. One day I was wrestling with keyboards, now I'm relaxing by a beautiful Christmas Tree thinking of all the great times I've spent with the best people on Earth. And, more importantly, thinking of all the times to come...

Thanks again, chaps!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

- The Mouse xx

Here's Some I Made Earlier...

2008-12-22T17:19:00.001Z

Ithankyou.

Sweet Genesis

2008-12-21T23:59:00.001Z

And unto us, a band was born... Yes, I can now officially announce that Sigma 6 are very much operational as a recording band! Woo hoo most definitely!

This is a bit of a double whammy because, as you can see from the image above, I have successfully managed how to work Photoshop! Er, again. So, expect a few more images to start popping up on this little Blog very soon.

It's all very exciting! I got the MP3 files of the songs from a friend this evening and 'Beyond The Border Of Lunacy (Part 1) (Demo)' is uploading to MySpace as we speak. Sorry for all the brackets, but that's the name and designated state of the song. Soon the other two demos shall be joining it. Exciting times are these indeed...

What I'm most disappointed at, however, is that you'll probably never get to hear what's been recorded under the title of 'The Snow-Capped Sessions'. In my opinion, those are our best recordings. Ah well. If you're a close friend you might get a chance...

What a happy day this is! I'm going to get back to designing some interesting images so that the band's profile will look just that little bit more pretty.

To the drawing board!

"Klaatu Barada Nikto!"

2008-12-21T18:51:00.001Z

I went to see the remake of 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' today. Whereas the classic original delivers a cold and serious message to mankind saying that if we don't stop our destructive ways, some spacemen will come and remove us from the surface of the Earth, the new one just has Keanu Reeves in it piddling about with a character who shows no emotions. Oh no wait, that's just him acting. Hm.

Anyways, it was a great film to laugh at. I mean, who the hell thought that casting John Cleese as a reasonable and brilliant scientist was a good idea? Actually, he was the best thing in the film, if you don't count old Gort up there. But I have a few problems with him. In the original, it's played by a man in a big rubber suit, it comes out of the spaceship and lasers stuff. That stuff then vaporises into thin air. Gone. It does it to a tank and it's brilliant. It's just about to set about lasering the entire world when it's master appears and tells him not to. It was the 1950s, things were simpler back then. Now, it's a 60ft tall computer generated silver glob with a bit red eye. Yes, it looks like the original Gort, but it doesn't even laser anything! It controls stuff to death instead. Then dissolves into a giant swarm of angry little metallic instect-type things who consume everything of Human construct. Rubbish. Did I mention that Keanu Reeves was also rubbish?

I don't know what Hollywood has against classic Sci-Fi imagery. Firstly, no more flying saucer looking spaceships. Too B-Movie, I bet. Nowadays, it's all big energy spheres and light beams and CGI crap. Rubbish. Can robots laser anything? No, because that's stupid. They have to control things to death with mind control or some other such bollocks. This is the 21st Century, no-one belives that lasers can blow things up anymore. Well, I think it's more plausable for a laser beam to be more realistic than a massive robot dissolving into a swarm of tiny metal locusts. And laser beams look better. In fact, aren't the US Army developing a laser beam that can trigger land mines from a distance? Aren't lasers used to cut through metal in some factories or institutes? There's nothing wrong with keeping the old instead of developing new and incredibly pointless means of destroying the world. Bah!

Still, at least Guns N' Roses' album 'Chinese Democracy' is a big, steaming pile of monkey dump. 16 years in the making, $6,000,000 to create. something like that? And it's rubbish. Now that's hilarious!

That's cheered me up considerably!

Hibernation Time

2008-12-20T01:29:00.005Z

I've finished. Everything's done. Could've been better, but it's done. So there. Now I can hibernate...

Yes, I am aware that I'm typing this out at 01:17 (currently) and I'll only have myself to blame for being knackered tomorrow. Which is why I've declared tomorrow my official Rest Day! Huzzah! For the first time in 14 weeks, I will get a proper lie in! Woo hoo!

I tried to stick the WAV files of the 7, count 'em, 7 Sigma 6 songs on my iPod last night. That didn't go well. Turns out that they don't like WAV files because they are a Microsoft creation (and to any piece of Apple software, they must be destroyed! Feckin' Macs...), so they killed my iPod. Ho hum. Not to worry, the iPod was fixed by Brother and a mate of mine is going to convert the files to MP3s at some point in the not-too-distant future, and then they can be played to all. Apart from the ones which aren't ours. We will go to jail if we play them to all.

It's Christmas soon. I'm so very tired. I was down a pub today with some brilliant friends who I haven't seen in months, so that was nice. Although, it transpires that I'm almost certainly a compulsive insult despensing machine in a non-offensive intending way. Which was not nice. That's something I can sort out over Christmas...

Another thing I can sort out over Christmas is some artwork, for I now have Photoshop! Hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray! I'm making it my mission to create some kick arse work over the next few weeks. Task 1: work out how to install it and get it working successfully. That may take a while...

I'm sorry, but I can't keep this up. I need to go and get some shut eye. I'm absolutely knackered. I didn't even get much sleep last night, the day I got back up North to Northernland and the like. Why-aye, man! Anyway, I better go. I'll leave you with this amusing little image I found...

Night all!

It's good to be back...