A photosafari to the SECC in Glasgow

I had the pleasure of the company of three of my photogeek colleagues yesterday... when we took a wee trip to the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre in Glasgow for a photosafari.

There is so much to see there... the walkway... the Armadillo... and Clydeport Crane and the Squinty Bridge over the Clyde. Would love to go back... my lens had an awful smudge on it that I only noticed half-way into the shoot. I've had to bin some pics or crop them to get rid of it... which is sad on one hand and, on the other, has led to some fantastic abstractions which I am very happy with.







The rest of the set are available here.

Tx



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Saddened by the passing of Trish Keenan from Broadcast

I've seen Broadcast play live five times in various locations in Glasgow and Edinburgh. They were... at one point... my favourite "must see" live band. I have great memories from these gigs... they were from a different time with dear friends who I have now lost contact with.

As such... I was filled with sadness when I heard that the voice and mainstay of Broadcast - Trish Keenan - had passed away due to pneumonia yesterday. Hers was a unique voice that added to a unique sound... and I will sorely miss her. I had always dreamt of seeing them live one last time... to emerse myself in their wonderful 60's inspired soundscapes and visuals.

The world has lost a truly gifted and talented woman. My thoughts go out to those she has left behind.

Tx


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Seven questions... with Matt Stevens

Matt Stevens is a chap who inspires me. He consistently makes great music and he builds community through the tireless work he does on spaces like Twitter and through the webcast concerts he facilitates on the CafeNoodle site - if anyone deserves the title of Social Media *expert* then he does... albeit he is too modest to call himself that. His inclusivity is a breath of fresh air and his approach to music gives me hope for the future. It was him, afterall, who introduced me to bandcamp.

Thanks Matt!

Tx

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1) Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Matt Stevens - I'm a musician and I use a sampler and a guitar to make music and I also play in a band called the Fierce And The Dead and I do bits and bobs of social media "stuff".


2) What are you working on at the moment?
I'm working on my 3rd solo album will be out later this year or early 2012. I'm also getting the debut album by the band I play in ready called The Fierce And The Dead. The band stuff is kind of epic guitar soundtrack stuff and my solo album seems to be more instrumental rock but I'm not sure yet. I just played on a track on Jessica Grace's new album with Seb Roachford from Polar Bear and Kev who produced my solo stuff, I don't think I'm a very good "session player" thou. I only really do my sound. I also played on the Yonks stuff with Lextrical. Blimey.


3) Who inspires you?

- Name an artist who has inspired you.

An artist that inspires me - Bob Mould - From Husker Du to Solo to Sugar - brilliant songwriter!

- Name place that has inspired you.

The place that inspires me is Rushden where I grew up - most of my music is a soundtrack to that place. Spencer Park which is a song off that album is a place there and a song on Relic is called Rushden Fair. Its actually quite grim but it all seeps into your head.

- Name some "thing" that has inspired you.

A thing that inspires me is Twitter - i use it to talk to and get feedback from my audience. It keeps you sane when you're a solo person!


4) What drives you to do what you do?

I suppose I want to hear new sounds. Its like that thing in Doctor Who with the Master and he says he can hear the drumming. Thats what its like - the music is in my head and i need to get it out! I don't know how it gets in there thou. Its almost like I have no choice. I think coming from a place like Rushden drives you as well because its very much a case being pushed to follow what everyone else is doing and I didn't want to do that, I wanted to do something creative.


5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?

Honest and Integrity. Music thats real and done because of the love of creating it. When I'm recording I can't wait to hear the finished product, then once i've heard it i want to move off somewhere else.


6) What role does community play in what you do?

Community is essential to me because my stuff is part of an ongoing conversation between myself and the audience. I feel incredibly lucky to have that audience. I never really expected that but I'm really happy people have discovered the music. I've made some great friends, the reception for the last album I did was amazing, far beyond anything I expected.


7) What is next for what you do?

Its all about the next records, my one and the Fierce And the Dead One. The solo one is the final part of the looped guitar trilogy so that will be the end of that probably. I'd like to work with other musicians to play the music on my solo stuff live, I'm hopefully doing more solo gigs later in the year. More of the Ustream streaming gigs via Cafe Noodle, I want to really look after that community. I'd like to do a video recording and live album at some point as well to round off the "acoustic guitar and loop pedal" gigs and albums. I don't want people to get bored or get bored myself. Its important to keep things fresh. I have some other ideas as well that may happen.

If I get time I'll do more with Yonks which a collaboration with my friend Lextrical who does electronic stuff. I'm writing more posts for www.liveunsigned.com about musicians building a following. Trying to give people honest, useful information. There will hopefully be some Fierce And The Dead gigs as well and I'd like to do something collaborative with the friends I've met online. We shall see.

www.mattstevensguitar.com


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Loving... Future of Forestry

Every-so-often a band really grabs me... and Future of Forestry have a hold of me right now.

I heard about them through a Facebook friend... checked them out on Spotify and then spent an Amazon voucher on their latest album (released yesterday) "a film and TV collection" and their 2007 album "Twilight".

I will write more on them later but, for now, I have embedded a few videos below to give you a taster for the band.









Enjoy.

Tx

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Seven questions... with Cousin Silas

The first seven question interview is with my dear friend Cousin Silas. Enjoy. Tx

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1) Who are you and what do you do?

I am Cousin Silas, and I do what I like to call sound alchemy. Stripping away all the fancy names, I basically try and create moods from an audio perspective. A cliche, but music for imaginary films. Audio photographs?



2) What are you working on at the moment?

I have nothing in the pipeline, as such, but I do, when the mood takes me, drift away with the ol' Silas machine.


3) Who inspires you?

- Name an artist who has inspired you.

There are quite a few, for a variety of reasons. As I have often said before, Brian Eno and JG Ballard are perhaps the biggest inspirations. I am a massive fan of SF, especially late 50s, 60s and 70s books. The strange thing is, that it's only ever been Ballard who touched something truly special in me. Ballard was superb at creating isolation.

Other writers who have inspired include Clark Ashton Smith, HP Lovecraft, M.R. James, Brian Aldiss, and Michael Moorcock. It's almost always the landscapes they use that inspire me. Whilst I truly enjoy art by John Atkinson Grimshaw, Edward Hopper, and obviously Dali, I can't say they have inspired me, as such. Same with most musicians... there's a big difference between being inspired, and enjoyment.


- Name place that has inspired you.

There are many places that have, and do, inspire me. It's always invariably somewhere quiet, sometimes lonely, or isolated. Lincolnshire has been the source of many a piece of music. I can, though, get inspiration from Ordnance Survey maps. Tracks like Barrow Hill, Northcotes Point, Sawney Hill, Whitefield Pits, Friars Ridge and Cloudberry Moor are all taken from OS maps. And, as you well know, when a photograph captures that something special, it captures me as well.


- Name some "thing" that has inspired you.

See above.


4) What drives you to do what you do?

I don't honestly know. I simply enjoy creating these sound/moodscapes, it is a hobby I suppose. The added beauty is that occasionally other people enjoy the results.


5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?

Not sure I want or indeed have any values to express with the music. Can you have values with instrumental music? I just like to think that the listener simply enjoys the result.


6) What role does community play in what you do?

Well... seeing as though I get inspired by isolation, desolation, abandonned landscapes/buildings, etc, etc, I would say community plays very little in what I do.


7) What is next for what you do?

I never really plan the way forward, although I want to fiddle about with my ol' guitar. I am actually more familiar with the guitar than the keyboard (chord-wise). Over the years there's been the odd piece I've done where I have thought that a subtle bit of slow lead work would blend really well. Up until about a week ago, that was only a dream. However, I think I might have cracked it. I'm not going to drench everything in guitar. I still think that the world of software synths and vst is leagues more expressive (for me) than anything a guitar could do (at my level of playing anyway).

Because I am always trying new techniques, discovering new sounds, recording, and experimenting with vst's, I think this is what keeps everything fresh and new. The spark hasn't been allowed to fizzle out yet. Plus, I only really do Silas when the mood takes me. Me and spontaneity have always got on well together, so to actually have any concrete plans for any future developments would kind of spoil it slightly. It would take away the surprises!

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My thanks to Cousin Silas. His most recent album :: Complex Silence 9 - Fresh Landscapes :: is available via Treetrunk Records and details of his full discography is available here. He also features on the mixcloud from Phantom Circuit.

Come back on Thursday for the next instalment.

Tx

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Seven questions... an introduction

I am going to try something new on the ol' nanolog... I'm going to explore the creative spirit through mini interviews with the artists that I am proud to know on and offline. I am proud to know musicians, designers, photographers, and writers... and I want to understand them better. I want to learn about what inspires them and what drives them... and, in doing so, do my bit to promote their art and craft.

Here are the questions I will be asking them:

1) Who are you and what do you do?
2) What are you working on at the moment?
3) Who inspires you?
- Name an artist who has inspired you.
- Name place that has inspired you.
- Name some "thing" that has inspired you.
4) What drives you to do what you do?
5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?
6) What role does community play in what you do?
7) What is next for what you do?

I am hoping to get content to post an interview every Tuesday and Thursday. Its an experiment... if it works (and I have a feeling it will) then fab... if it dies, so be it.

If you are reading this... and want to contribute then please do so. Send me an email and I'll see what I can do to schedule you. My only stipulation is that you keep it clean... my mother ducks in and out and I don't need *another* reason for her to shout at me ;-)

Thanks in advance.

Tx

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Pippin

I'm definitely a dog person... and when Pippin hurt herself earlier in the week and had trouble standing... I, along with Olly and the we'ans, was worried.

Thankfully she appears to be right-as-rain now. Which is a relief.

Tx

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Some thoughts on St. Peter's Brewery > my sixth guest post by Angus Mathie

Note
Olly and I gave my dad a copy of St Peter's Brewery by my dear friend JD Blundell. Here's what he thought of the book...

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I received this book as a Christmas 2010 present from my family and was delighted to receive the gift for, at least, two reasons:

Firstly, I had come to know and admire Jonathan through his friendship with my son and daughter-in-law, as well as the marvels of modern technology.

Secondly, the book was on my wish list and only various competing purchases had kept it out of my library. I enjoy the somethingbeautiful podcast, which allows me to listen to a wide spectrum of opinion and I expected the book to do the same for me.

Of the book itself, I think it is useful at this point to quote the storyline on the cover of the book:

“As a twenty-something living in Austin, Texas, Jimmy Gaines had it made. A great job in the tech industry, a great girlfriend, great friends and a great life. Or so he thought.
When it all came spiralling down, Jimmy quickly realized that the life he had built for himself wasn’t as great as he’d originally believed.  

Jimmy decides to run from his problems and finds sanctuary within the walls of a small pub in central Texas. It’s there that he’s ultimately forced to face the demons of his past and come to grip with true grace and forgiveness. Discover Jimmy’s slow road to fulfilment with the help of a few friends who set out to share life together through the community they’ve built around the local pub.”

I found the book immensely readable with very fluent novelist’s descriptive ability throughout. Scenes, emotions, thoughts and interweaving action are skilfully described. I read St Peter’s Brewery within 3 or 4 sessions, finding it difficult to put down. For this reason it can be read enjoyably on one level as an engrossing novel tracing Jimmy’s spiritual and physical transformation. On that basis it can be read on, for example, an air flight or for enjoyable leisure reading. However, I found it interesting and challenging on a deeper level.

The book draws on real life situations and I could readily identify the experiences of the Salvation Army couple and the trucker, in particular, and found their thoughts and involvement moving. Would I have reacted to Jimmy the way they and others did and be as open with my history? Do I display such “Good Samaritan” tendencies? Would I have Kim’s patience in dealing with someone who appeared so distrustful and cautious? Also, what do I make of a church in a pub and of the main adherents living in community?

I think the main issue I was confronted with in reading the book was to ensure I try desperately hard not to judge a person by appearances, especially as I do not walk in his or her shoes or know his or her story.

Only one thing remaining is to know the rest of Jimmy’s story.

Angus Mathie

St Peter’s Brewery, Jonathan D. Blundell, somethingbeautifulpress, ISBN 978-1442174788.

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This is beautiful :: "Growing is forever" by Jesse Rosten

Growing is indeed forever.

Beautiful.

Tx

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This is cool :: "Undercity" by Andrew Wonder

Please Note
Video contains sweary words... and I don't condone the actions of the film maker or the "tour guide".

OK... with that over, please let me say that I found this video fascinating... and horrifying... in equal measure. I think Steve Duncan over at www.undercity.org is my new fave superhero and I think what he does is amazing. Not that I could do it... I fear heights and flowing water equally... and I wouldn't be able to explain getting arrested for trespass to my wife or my mother... but he is inspirational.

Being a photographer has helped me see beyond. It has helped me to see the beauty and majesty in the ignored, in the passed-by, in the decaying and unwanted... and has given me a greater appreciation for my surroundings. I only briefly studied Art History and Graphic Design as elective... my major is Commerce... seeing shapes and appreciating my surroundings is not in my training.

People like Steve take this to a whole other level. This is why I find him inspirational.

I find him inspirational for two reasons:
(1) He sees beyond - beyond the "here and now" and the status quo... and
(2) He's prepared to take risks to see what he sees.

People like me are in his debt... because we tend not to see what he sees... and tend not to be willing to take risks.

My brief experience in urban exploration has me wanting more... albeit without heights or flowing water. Why? because I believe these forgotten spaces need documenting... they deserve to be remembered.

This is why I consider what Steve does to be important... because he is documenting spaces and places that we may have never known about.

My thanks to @kimded for the heads-up.

Tx

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