I have plans for tonight. I'm on a guestlist.
Of the several things I neglected to mention in yesterday's entry, probably the most important is the small matter of my burgeoning journalism career. Remember my Willy Mason review? Well, I sent it to a bunch of folks and one of them got back to me. The Miniature Music Press - a local publication for local music - said it was cool and would I like to review some other stuff for them?
Of course I would. So tonight I am going to Clwb Ifor Bach to see OK, a local band who are playing a show to promote their new single. As I said up top, I'm on the guestlist, and I even get a plus one! I'm gonna feel so awesome at the entrance, provided they believe my story. I'm sure they will.
So who's my plus one? Sarah, right? Actually no. She's back home in Swanbridge tonight so I asked Cliffey if he wanted to come and keep me company instead (it means that, after the gig, there'll be someone to remind me of what happened). I showed him a couple of OK's songs, and he decided that they were, well, okay.
Hence, we shall be off to the Welsh club in a matter of minutes. But that's not to say that you should be. Josh is playing at the newly refurbished Cardiff Arts Institute tonight, and since I can't go and support him, you all should instead.
He's totally adorable. I think you'll like him.
Joel.
Showing posts with label scriber. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scriber. Show all posts
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Badly, I Groove
Late shift at my job last night.
Only joking, I don't have a job! What I actually did last night was play another gig with SCRIBER. It was only my third gig as a member of Josh's backing band - the first was supporting James Vincent McMorrow - and since our last performance had been a little...clumsy, it was imperative that we got it right this time. In fact, we were so deteremined to deliver the goods that we actually decided to rehearse a couple of times before the gig.
Rehearsal #1 was at Josh and Ed's house, and I decided to spice things up a bit by bringing my mandolin along. I basically just did it because I get bored waiting for an appropriate moment to play the drums, but my noodlings went down pretty well so we decided to throw it in. It made it a bit folkier, I suppose. Although we did set ten minutes aside during the rehearsal for a little Krautrock experiment on Ed's keyboard, and I think that would be a pretty good direction to take if the nu-folk bubble should burst.
Rehearsal #2 was at Tewkesbury Place, and was mostly spent trying to choose a song to cover. Unfortunately, it seems like there is no band that all three of us appreciate, so after much deliberation - as well as an extended jam of Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches, the only song we all knew* - we scrapped the idea and told Josh he could just play his own shit
We had a brief rehearsal before the gig, too, just to make sure. But we didn't need it; by this point we could have played Led Zeppelin themselves into a cocked hat.
The sound guy was a bit annoyed - no-one had told him that he would have to deal with a mandolin - but apart from him everyone was in high spirits. Having decided that "Scriber" was a bit too singular for a three-piece, we passed the time between soundcheck and show by brainstorming names for the backing band. Some of my favourites:
Scriber & The Shoelaces
Scriber & The Sluts
Scriber & Ed & Joel
Scriber & The Rebircs
Scriber & The Super Dinosaurs The Shoot Lasers From Their Eyes
Josh, being the misery-guts he is, vetoed all of these and introduced as just Scriber. But we'll just see about that.
The gig went very well; our weeks of arduous rehearsal paid rich dividends. I missed my cue on the first song - Josh usually counts us in but instead he just nodded and it's hard to tell what number he's on with just nods - but otherwise it went great, and even my mandolin bits were pretty sweet although I do say so myself. We were treated to the luxury of awed silence, which made the quiet bits all the more electrifying and the loud bits all the more potent. And I do love the way that Josh, when people start applauding at the end of a song, will raise a hand to let them know that it's not finished yet and shush.
Best of all we played Badly, I Move (or 'The One With F' as Ed knows it), which is my favourite 'cause I actually get a decent thumping rhythm going on the drum.
The setlist, for anyone keeping score:
The Party
Mountain Man
Holland House
Slow Runner
Badly, I Move
The War & I
(Ed pointed out last night that no less than three of those songs are named 'something and something'. Can't see them all? Well there's "The War and I"; "Holl and House"; and of course, "Mount 'n' Man".
I ran off at the end of the set because, well, we finished later than I thought we would, and I had food and a Sarah waiting for me at home (not to mention my tonsillitis, which I used as my 'official' excuse). The other bands were probably great though. A girl from my course was in one of them so I feel a bit bad about my breach of gig etiquette but, eh, I was hungry. Sorry Sam!
Joel.
*Ed also did a very shouty rendition Steak For Chicken on electric guitar. I've never seen him so angry.
Only joking, I don't have a job! What I actually did last night was play another gig with SCRIBER. It was only my third gig as a member of Josh's backing band - the first was supporting James Vincent McMorrow - and since our last performance had been a little...clumsy, it was imperative that we got it right this time. In fact, we were so deteremined to deliver the goods that we actually decided to rehearse a couple of times before the gig.
Rehearsal #1 was at Josh and Ed's house, and I decided to spice things up a bit by bringing my mandolin along. I basically just did it because I get bored waiting for an appropriate moment to play the drums, but my noodlings went down pretty well so we decided to throw it in. It made it a bit folkier, I suppose. Although we did set ten minutes aside during the rehearsal for a little Krautrock experiment on Ed's keyboard, and I think that would be a pretty good direction to take if the nu-folk bubble should burst.
Rehearsal #2 was at Tewkesbury Place, and was mostly spent trying to choose a song to cover. Unfortunately, it seems like there is no band that all three of us appreciate, so after much deliberation - as well as an extended jam of Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches, the only song we all knew* - we scrapped the idea and told Josh he could just play his own shit
We had a brief rehearsal before the gig, too, just to make sure. But we didn't need it; by this point we could have played Led Zeppelin themselves into a cocked hat.
The sound guy was a bit annoyed - no-one had told him that he would have to deal with a mandolin - but apart from him everyone was in high spirits. Having decided that "Scriber" was a bit too singular for a three-piece, we passed the time between soundcheck and show by brainstorming names for the backing band. Some of my favourites:
Scriber & The Shoelaces
Scriber & The Sluts
Scriber & Ed & Joel
Scriber & The Rebircs
Scriber & The Super Dinosaurs The Shoot Lasers From Their Eyes
Josh, being the misery-guts he is, vetoed all of these and introduced as just Scriber. But we'll just see about that.
The gig went very well; our weeks of arduous rehearsal paid rich dividends. I missed my cue on the first song - Josh usually counts us in but instead he just nodded and it's hard to tell what number he's on with just nods - but otherwise it went great, and even my mandolin bits were pretty sweet although I do say so myself. We were treated to the luxury of awed silence, which made the quiet bits all the more electrifying and the loud bits all the more potent. And I do love the way that Josh, when people start applauding at the end of a song, will raise a hand to let them know that it's not finished yet and shush.
Best of all we played Badly, I Move (or 'The One With F' as Ed knows it), which is my favourite 'cause I actually get a decent thumping rhythm going on the drum.
The setlist, for anyone keeping score:
The Party
Mountain Man
Holland House
Slow Runner
Badly, I Move
The War & I
(Ed pointed out last night that no less than three of those songs are named 'something and something'. Can't see them all? Well there's "The War and I"; "Holl and House"; and of course, "Mount 'n' Man".
I ran off at the end of the set because, well, we finished later than I thought we would, and I had food and a Sarah waiting for me at home (not to mention my tonsillitis, which I used as my 'official' excuse). The other bands were probably great though. A girl from my course was in one of them so I feel a bit bad about my breach of gig etiquette but, eh, I was hungry. Sorry Sam!
Joel.
*Ed also did a very shouty rendition Steak For Chicken on electric guitar. I've never seen him so angry.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Will You Still Love Me McMorrow
Josh asked me to play a drum for him, that his support set at the James Vincent McMorrow gig might have a bit more clout to it. Being the professional and prolific session musician I am (recent gigs: joining in on Mustang Sally at my cousin's wedding), I agreed.
We rehearsed, 'we' being myself, Josh, and Ed. Ed is Josh's friend from university whom he had roped in to play keys. This merry band gathered on Claude Road - I bearing my floor tom, Ed his Yamaha keyboard, and Josh a great many cups of tea - and made a joyful noise until we deemed ourselves ready.
The evening's proceedings were well-attended, and the opening act in good voice. Verily, the pressure was on. People had paid money, and some had ventured from as far afield as Penarth, to have litres of syrupy folk music poured down their canals. And it was on Scriber & The Scribettes to deliver.
After our set, clad in my rather tattered "Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver" t-shirt, I enquired as to whether or not we did. I, of course, was rather pleased with our performance, but what did Wales think?
My impression was that they rather enjoyed it. The music was well-received, my hair apparently looked very good (my chestnut locks tumbling down my face with each earthy thump of the batter-head), and Josh's CD sales speak for themselves.
He sold at least 9, which means he can throw another eighteen pounds on top of the stack he was given just for showing up and doing a few songs. Some would suggest that such affluence leaves sufficient room for paying one's backing band, but others would criticise these cynics for selling out.
All things considered, then, a fine showing. Particularly commendable was, of course, the song that I had no part in whatsoever - the vocals-only 'Slow Runner', which can be found here. Josh belted it out, unaccompanied, in front of a packed room, and that takes balls.
Joel.
P.S. Oh, McMorrow was really good too. I got an indirect shout-out for being the first ever person to spot that he was playing a song by Phosphorescent in the sound check. Josh had his hand shook by the man himself, and duly proclaimed that it would henceforth be his wanking hand.
We rehearsed, 'we' being myself, Josh, and Ed. Ed is Josh's friend from university whom he had roped in to play keys. This merry band gathered on Claude Road - I bearing my floor tom, Ed his Yamaha keyboard, and Josh a great many cups of tea - and made a joyful noise until we deemed ourselves ready.
The evening's proceedings were well-attended, and the opening act in good voice. Verily, the pressure was on. People had paid money, and some had ventured from as far afield as Penarth, to have litres of syrupy folk music poured down their canals. And it was on Scriber & The Scribettes to deliver.
After our set, clad in my rather tattered "Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver" t-shirt, I enquired as to whether or not we did. I, of course, was rather pleased with our performance, but what did Wales think?
My impression was that they rather enjoyed it. The music was well-received, my hair apparently looked very good (my chestnut locks tumbling down my face with each earthy thump of the batter-head), and Josh's CD sales speak for themselves.
He sold at least 9, which means he can throw another eighteen pounds on top of the stack he was given just for showing up and doing a few songs. Some would suggest that such affluence leaves sufficient room for paying one's backing band, but others would criticise these cynics for selling out.
All things considered, then, a fine showing. Particularly commendable was, of course, the song that I had no part in whatsoever - the vocals-only 'Slow Runner', which can be found here. Josh belted it out, unaccompanied, in front of a packed room, and that takes balls.
Joel.
P.S. Oh, McMorrow was really good too. I got an indirect shout-out for being the first ever person to spot that he was playing a song by Phosphorescent in the sound check. Josh had his hand shook by the man himself, and duly proclaimed that it would henceforth be his wanking hand.
Friday, 25 March 2011
#100
Welcome to Cutlery's 100th Post Extravaganza. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my traffic sources - the websites who have brought so many thousands of readers to me via their generously-placed hyperlinks. To name but a few of them:
moredietplan.com
emailtray.com
remroom.ru
informationaboutmesothelemia.com
And, of course, many others. Thanks one and all.
Now, to celebrate this massively momentous milestone, here is something I wanted to do ages ago but never got 'round to:
I've probably missed out a few worthies & notables but these are the faces you're most likely to see around the house on any given day/night. I probably should have included Gaz, but I couldn't find any photos so nuts to 'im.
moredietplan.com
emailtray.com
remroom.ru
informationaboutmesothelemia.com
And, of course, many others. Thanks one and all.
Now, to celebrate this massively momentous milestone, here is something I wanted to do ages ago but never got 'round to:
Cutlery - Character Bios
The Core 8
Thom Cliffe
Ever the chirpy cheerful one, Cliffey spends his time working the bar at The Black Griffin, playing video games, and not doing philosophy essays. He will not be afraid to tell you when he disagrees with you, but since he supports Everton FC all of his opinions are automatically void.
Ever the chirpy cheerful one, Cliffey spends his time working the bar at The Black Griffin, playing video games, and not doing philosophy essays. He will not be afraid to tell you when he disagrees with you, but since he supports Everton FC all of his opinions are automatically void.
Joel Dear
Dashing and witty, Joel is both the author and main protagonist of Cutlery, and is beloved by all for his writing exploits. Critics have always been particularly impressed by his unbiased style. Studies popular music, and is not afraid to remind his housemates of this fact by playing the mandolin at small numbers in the morning.
Peter Murphy
Formerly lauded as "the greatest thing to happen to evil since Tom Waits' voice broke", Pete's attitude towards wrong-doing seems to have become somewhat ambivalent lately. Perhaps all those slugs he killed back in the first month left him jaded, because he's traded in taking over the world for the vague thud of drum 'n' bass filtering through the kitchen ceiling. Nonetheless, he is worth keeping an eye on, even if nowadays he tends to carry out his murders on a computer instead of via hoards of loyal henchmen.
Formerly lauded as "the greatest thing to happen to evil since Tom Waits' voice broke", Pete's attitude towards wrong-doing seems to have become somewhat ambivalent lately. Perhaps all those slugs he killed back in the first month left him jaded, because he's traded in taking over the world for the vague thud of drum 'n' bass filtering through the kitchen ceiling. Nonetheless, he is worth keeping an eye on, even if nowadays he tends to carry out his murders on a computer instead of via hoards of loyal henchmen.
Sophie Jones
If you've ever been to a pub quiz in Cardiff, you've probably already met the artist formerly known as SoJo. Aside from her tireless work with Team DanGuy, she is also a regular at a number of karaoke sessions and club nights around town. Her car, Patsy, used to be a pretty key member of our team, but since Alex learned to drive nobody's really seen inside the little Seicento. Perhaps she's using it as some sort of drug greenhouse.
If you've ever been to a pub quiz in Cardiff, you've probably already met the artist formerly known as SoJo. Aside from her tireless work with Team DanGuy, she is also a regular at a number of karaoke sessions and club nights around town. Her car, Patsy, used to be a pretty key member of our team, but since Alex learned to drive nobody's really seen inside the little Seicento. Perhaps she's using it as some sort of drug greenhouse.
Gemma-Alecsandra Ward
Little is known about the occupant of Chez Awesome's master bedroom. She studies journalism, and Joel occasionally claims to have seen her around uni, but these reports are unconfirmed and their supplier unreliable. We just know that she likes it clean around here.
Little is known about the occupant of Chez Awesome's master bedroom. She studies journalism, and Joel occasionally claims to have seen her around uni, but these reports are unconfirmed and their supplier unreliable. We just know that she likes it clean around here.
Sarah Macleod
As Joel's girlfriend and resident bodacious babe, Sarah has established herself as pretty much a permanent fixture around Tewkesbury Place, even going so far as to pay some of the bills. She can often be found taking pictures with her top-of-the-range camera, although those who see her photos often complain that she isn't in them.
As Joel's girlfriend and resident bodacious babe, Sarah has established herself as pretty much a permanent fixture around Tewkesbury Place, even going so far as to pay some of the bills. She can often be found taking pictures with her top-of-the-range camera, although those who see her photos often complain that she isn't in them.
Alex Smith
Alex is Sophie's boyfriend. They met at Boots and fell head-over-heels in love, perhaps because all of those Durex products are kind of a turn-on. He loves Chinese food and hugs. Here he is dressed as a penguin.
Joshua Robson
It's a good indicator of JR's character that he's managed to hold his position in The Core Eight in spite of living about 250 miles away from Tewkesbury Place. His other achievements include being named Ultimate Man of 2010 through a combined strategy of muttonchops and dirty pints. His mum writes a food-based blog, which incidentally is another one of Cutlery's traffic sources.
The Rest
Thomas Bonelle
Tom will be an official resident of 6 Tewkesbury Place next year, but frankly we probably won't notice the difference because he's around so much already. Works for GE and has a prodigious talent for making Joel and Cliffey behave like lads. Inexplicably single, so give him a call, ladies!
Meic Haran
Often found watching hilarious YouTube videos in Pete's room, Meic, with his girlfriend just down the road, is another one who might as well live here. He also has the honour of being Chez Awesome's Best Pizza Delivery Person In The Universe Of All Time, because hopefully after reading this he'll give us some kind of special discount.
Joshua Price
That t-shirt he's wearing is that of a band called Suckers. Josh has seen them, and lots of other bands, live, and we've all seen him live a fair few times, too. He's the hitwriter who brought you airwave-conquering gems like 'Mountain Man', 'Famous Men', and 'The Knob Song'.
Robin Tamlyn
Together with Pete and Meic, he forms some sort of spaced-out triumvirate, and on most nights you're likely to witness the three of them trudging back and forth between Pete's bedroom and the back door, outside which they all like to enjoy a cigarette and a natter.
Joel.
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Sharments III
Some of you may have noticed that there were only, like, 4 updates over the Christmas period and, well, I'm not going to apologise because a) one of those four was huge and took several days to put together, and b) the me who comes up with this kinda-daily wit gets December off so I was on my own for the duration of the festive season.
But a month tends not to go by around here without something happening, so here's a quick run-down of everything that's been going on around here over the course of my unwritten hiatus.
But a month tends not to go by around here without something happening, so here's a quick run-down of everything that's been going on around here over the course of my unwritten hiatus.
THINGS I MISSED-MAS
- I dug out my book of Christmas carols for Bb instruments and went busking for the first time ever, and then I did it again. I made like £25 altogether, and given that I was only playing for about an hour at a time before deciding it was too cold and going home I think that's fairly impressive.
- I also played a couple of more organised gigs; one was at the Atrium, and was part of my course, and the other one was at CAI, and just for fun. The uni gig saw me dressed as a last-minute blind mouse (complete with 3D glasses and embarrassing white shorts) and playing my horn as part of a 7-piece ensemble. Our theme, as I believe I have noted on this blog several times, was songs from the Shrek movies, and we played them with so much fervour and aplomb and other words of which I'm not sure the meaning that the crowd went quite wild for it. The CAI gig was, in Cliffey's words "like being in the living room", except I had slightly more authority because I was on a stage.
- Obviously Christmas happened. I ate lots of turkey and chocolate, and so did you, hopefully.
- There was a bit of a boiler issue in the house - I was home for Christmas by the time it presented itself so it was left to Pete and Cliffey to sort it out - whereupon water from an icicle dripped down into the floo or something, I dunno. It's all good now I think. And I didn't get off totally scot free, either; a pipe burst in my parents' house and we had to get a plumber out on Christmas Eve, right in the middle of Cars on BBC1, to stop the water coming up through our floorboards.
- I got drunk again, possibly.
- There was hell of snow and it was pretty at first but then everyone decided that it was a damn nuisance that meant nobody could go anywhere. My socks were perpetually soaked and my trip to see my grandparents in Liverpool was called off just in case we weren't able to get back. It tried to snow again yesterday actually but everyone was like "Oh HELL no" so the whole thing was called off.
- The Co-Op and its myriad reduced items are awesome. Fab lollies for 10p folks. Let's give them a big hand.
- Um...everybody got lots of presents and generally had the best old time.
If anyone can think of anything I've missed out, well, it'll have to wait until next year.
Joel.
Monday, 25 October 2010
Wound Up and Ready to Play
I love music. Obviously.
Which is good because there's music everywhere! From the crap that you have to listen to when you're playing Fifa because the dicks who keep beating you some goals-no goals over and over and over again think that Akon is God to the awesome stuff that you've been listening to on YouTube for the past two months and finally bought the album for a fiver, it all colours in the whiteness that is otherwise life.
The past weekend has been particularly musicalicious for me, and as the too long sentence above suggested, it started with Cliffey and Tom making me listen to Akon while they beat me at Fifa. And yes I know I've already complained about Akon once here, and I almost kind of found him slightly okay prior to all this nonsense, but their insistence that I actually love him only makes me hate him all the more. Sorry chaps.
On Saturday I was up bright and early because my dad and I were heading to Bristol. It's a thing we do occasionally; he goes to lots of charity shops to buy Penguin Classics, then I go to Fopp and buy lots of CDs. I spent £34 there this time, on such wonderful artists as Tom Waits, Stephin Merritt, Sparklehorse, Grinderman, and Bombay Bicycle Club, although that last one was for Sarah. I also got a Tindersticks album, because they played this song at Green Man and I've been completely enamoured with it recently so I thought it was about time I bought the album. I put said album on in the car on the way back, and I think my dad would have been more open-minded about the whole experience if the first line hadn't been something about strangling.
Saturday evening, and a few of us (namely me, Sarah, Mark, and Elusive Dave, whom I may or may not have mentioned before) went to see Josh play his SCRIBER songs in great big capital letters at Cathays Community Centre. It was part of the Swn festival, although I feel that just seeing my friend Josh and some sort of youth punk band doesn't really count as "going to the Swn festival", so when my lecturer asked us in the session earlier who had been to the Swn festival, I kept quiet. Anyway, Josh was excellent as ever, and I managed to keep mostly quiet with my incessant heckling this time. He did a cover of Girl From The North Country and all was right with the world*.
That night we went out to see in Meic's 20th birthday at the Owain Glyndwr or however you crazy Welsh people might go about spelling it. Meic asked me to write a couple of rap songs to put on the album he has to produce for his course, so I should probably do that at some point; as good as P-Town is, it's only one track, and he needs six**. I also admitted to really liking Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) by the Pussycat Dolls but was very pleased to find that Sarah, instead of mocking me, also confessed to liking it. Then Bad Romance came on and I was very pleased about that, too.
Yesterday, Sunday, was my mum's birthday, so Sarah and I went over to my parents' house to fork over her present and card. I got her a purple handbag from Sturff, because she said she liked it and I get honorary employee discount there so woohoo. My mum was just surprised to find that I was giving her anything other than a CD, which is all I usually stretch to. I even got her a card, generous bastard that I am.
Sarah and I somehow ended up reminiscing over Digimon memorabilia, before retreating to my room for a power nap on my far more comfortable than our bed in the student house bed. The nap was soundtracked by British Sea Power's Do You Like Rock Music?, which is a great album whether you're asleep or awake.
In the evening we went to The Globe to see oh my goodness it's British Sea Power what a coincidence. They played many wonderful songs with names like Lights Out For Darker Skies and Favours In The Beetroot Fields, and people had leafy branches to wave and I bought a t-shirt from the merch desk which had placemats with ducks on and Sarah reckoned the bassist and the violinist were going out because she touched his bum at one point but I didn't see it. I also managed to get my grubby hands on a setlist, which was itself fairly grubby because I think the keyboardist trod on it. Good times.
So that was my weekend in music. I'm currently listening to Freezepop's Here Comes A Special Boy for something like the seventh consecutive time, a song made all the more awesome by the fact that it's about Achewood, which everyone should read so here's a link to that too.
I was trying to play a Klezmer Kollectiv song on my baritone earlier. I'm getting quite good.
Joel.
*I was, however, absolutely APOPLECTIC that the free CDs Josh was handing out had moons printed on them. Mine just has writing on it, although it is a limited edition first pressing so that kind of makes up for it.
**Speaking of P-Town, some kind soul put it up on YouTube the other night, just over a year after it first went up. It's not got a whole lot of views yet, so everybody go watch it.
Which is good because there's music everywhere! From the crap that you have to listen to when you're playing Fifa because the dicks who keep beating you some goals-no goals over and over and over again think that Akon is God to the awesome stuff that you've been listening to on YouTube for the past two months and finally bought the album for a fiver, it all colours in the whiteness that is otherwise life.
The past weekend has been particularly musicalicious for me, and as the too long sentence above suggested, it started with Cliffey and Tom making me listen to Akon while they beat me at Fifa. And yes I know I've already complained about Akon once here, and I almost kind of found him slightly okay prior to all this nonsense, but their insistence that I actually love him only makes me hate him all the more. Sorry chaps.
On Saturday I was up bright and early because my dad and I were heading to Bristol. It's a thing we do occasionally; he goes to lots of charity shops to buy Penguin Classics, then I go to Fopp and buy lots of CDs. I spent £34 there this time, on such wonderful artists as Tom Waits, Stephin Merritt, Sparklehorse, Grinderman, and Bombay Bicycle Club, although that last one was for Sarah. I also got a Tindersticks album, because they played this song at Green Man and I've been completely enamoured with it recently so I thought it was about time I bought the album. I put said album on in the car on the way back, and I think my dad would have been more open-minded about the whole experience if the first line hadn't been something about strangling.
Saturday evening, and a few of us (namely me, Sarah, Mark, and Elusive Dave, whom I may or may not have mentioned before) went to see Josh play his SCRIBER songs in great big capital letters at Cathays Community Centre. It was part of the Swn festival, although I feel that just seeing my friend Josh and some sort of youth punk band doesn't really count as "going to the Swn festival", so when my lecturer asked us in the session earlier who had been to the Swn festival, I kept quiet. Anyway, Josh was excellent as ever, and I managed to keep mostly quiet with my incessant heckling this time. He did a cover of Girl From The North Country and all was right with the world*.
That night we went out to see in Meic's 20th birthday at the Owain Glyndwr or however you crazy Welsh people might go about spelling it. Meic asked me to write a couple of rap songs to put on the album he has to produce for his course, so I should probably do that at some point; as good as P-Town is, it's only one track, and he needs six**. I also admitted to really liking Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) by the Pussycat Dolls but was very pleased to find that Sarah, instead of mocking me, also confessed to liking it. Then Bad Romance came on and I was very pleased about that, too.
Yesterday, Sunday, was my mum's birthday, so Sarah and I went over to my parents' house to fork over her present and card. I got her a purple handbag from Sturff, because she said she liked it and I get honorary employee discount there so woohoo. My mum was just surprised to find that I was giving her anything other than a CD, which is all I usually stretch to. I even got her a card, generous bastard that I am.
Sarah and I somehow ended up reminiscing over Digimon memorabilia, before retreating to my room for a power nap on my far more comfortable than our bed in the student house bed. The nap was soundtracked by British Sea Power's Do You Like Rock Music?, which is a great album whether you're asleep or awake.
In the evening we went to The Globe to see oh my goodness it's British Sea Power what a coincidence. They played many wonderful songs with names like Lights Out For Darker Skies and Favours In The Beetroot Fields, and people had leafy branches to wave and I bought a t-shirt from the merch desk which had placemats with ducks on and Sarah reckoned the bassist and the violinist were going out because she touched his bum at one point but I didn't see it. I also managed to get my grubby hands on a setlist, which was itself fairly grubby because I think the keyboardist trod on it. Good times.
So that was my weekend in music. I'm currently listening to Freezepop's Here Comes A Special Boy for something like the seventh consecutive time, a song made all the more awesome by the fact that it's about Achewood, which everyone should read so here's a link to that too.
I was trying to play a Klezmer Kollectiv song on my baritone earlier. I'm getting quite good.
Joel.
*I was, however, absolutely APOPLECTIC that the free CDs Josh was handing out had moons printed on them. Mine just has writing on it, although it is a limited edition first pressing so that kind of makes up for it.
**Speaking of P-Town, some kind soul put it up on YouTube the other night, just over a year after it first went up. It's not got a whole lot of views yet, so everybody go watch it.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Play The Knob Song
Another day, another trip to CAI. Once again we were there to watch Josh Price in glorious guitar-playin' action, and once again we were not disappointed.
Well, I was a little disappointed that he hadn't written The Knob Song yet, but he made the mistake of introducing one of the songs he had written as "a new one I haven't titled yet".
Needless to say, that's now The Knob Song instead.
Earlier today I went to university on a bus. I will start taking my bike eventually, but the front wheel keeps slipping 'round at the moment and I'm too lazy to go out to the shed and tighten it. Plus it was raining this morning. Anyway, I went to university and managed to organise myself into a band. We have to put on a themed gig this year and we've already pretty much decided on our theme but it's top secret for now so you'll just have to wait.
Unless of course I've already told you.
Joel.
Well, I was a little disappointed that he hadn't written The Knob Song yet, but he made the mistake of introducing one of the songs he had written as "a new one I haven't titled yet".
Needless to say, that's now The Knob Song instead.
Earlier today I went to university on a bus. I will start taking my bike eventually, but the front wheel keeps slipping 'round at the moment and I'm too lazy to go out to the shed and tighten it. Plus it was raining this morning. Anyway, I went to university and managed to organise myself into a band. We have to put on a themed gig this year and we've already pretty much decided on our theme but it's top secret for now so you'll just have to wait.
Unless of course I've already told you.
Joel.
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Scriber Takeover, or, Mad Paper Tearin' Skills
This edition of Cutlery is coming from Penarth library, the third library whose free internet access I have taken advantage of since the move. Virgin are installing internet, as well as phone and TV, on Monday, but until then it's a pretty safe bet that I'll be writing this blog near some books.
Yesterday night, all of us (save Gem, who didn't finish work until quite late) went to the Cardiff Arts Institute to see a gig that Josh (Price, not to be confused with Joshua 'JR' Robson) had organised. It was good. Pete had a steak sandwich thing, he let me have a bite and it was very nice.
For the most part we were sat on some very springy sofas next to a Lego wall*, but when Josh came on we decided that the chivalrous thing to do would be to go to the front and heckle him a bit. Admittedly this was mostly me, but nonetheless we ended up with me demanding to introduce him - and I realise too late that I shouldn't have referred to him as "Josh Price" but instead "Scriber" or at the very least "The J-Pizzle" - requests for "The Knob Song", and flowers being thrown onto the stage at the end of his set.
The other acts were very good too, especially The Lay-Lows who managed to work a Rage Against The Machine riff into one of their own, acoustic, songs, but the highlight beyond a doubt was the shadow puppetry, mostly courtesy of JR (not to be confused, etc.) and his mad paper tearin' skills. So those assembled at the CAI last night were treated to shadow Pacman being chased by a shadow ghost, a shadow bat flapping around menacingly, and my shadow hands doing nothing of any artistic merit at all, really.
On returning home we watched a film called Chasing Amy. It was not really about lesbians. Also Foley was there and he played Hit Me Baby One More Time. It was perhaps a little gay.
The J-Dizzle.
*A wall with Lego.
Yesterday night, all of us (save Gem, who didn't finish work until quite late) went to the Cardiff Arts Institute to see a gig that Josh (Price, not to be confused with Joshua 'JR' Robson) had organised. It was good. Pete had a steak sandwich thing, he let me have a bite and it was very nice.
For the most part we were sat on some very springy sofas next to a Lego wall*, but when Josh came on we decided that the chivalrous thing to do would be to go to the front and heckle him a bit. Admittedly this was mostly me, but nonetheless we ended up with me demanding to introduce him - and I realise too late that I shouldn't have referred to him as "Josh Price" but instead "Scriber" or at the very least "The J-Pizzle" - requests for "The Knob Song", and flowers being thrown onto the stage at the end of his set.
The other acts were very good too, especially The Lay-Lows who managed to work a Rage Against The Machine riff into one of their own, acoustic, songs, but the highlight beyond a doubt was the shadow puppetry, mostly courtesy of JR (not to be confused, etc.) and his mad paper tearin' skills. So those assembled at the CAI last night were treated to shadow Pacman being chased by a shadow ghost, a shadow bat flapping around menacingly, and my shadow hands doing nothing of any artistic merit at all, really.
On returning home we watched a film called Chasing Amy. It was not really about lesbians. Also Foley was there and he played Hit Me Baby One More Time. It was perhaps a little gay.
The J-Dizzle.
*A wall with Lego.
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