Author: creepingash

I am a father and husband and love family holidays in the tent visiting Scotland which is perhaps the greatest country in the world. I love music and play in Weird Decibels as well as solo. I love video games but have yet to blog about that.

Categories
Gigs

Gig diary. Glasgow, Garage Attic 30 Nov 2013

Our last gig of 2013.

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It was a surreal night in the city of Glasgow, it was the night after the tragedy at the Clutha yet there was the normal hussle of Sauchiehall Street. We parked up at the back of the venue, climbed up several flights of stairs past the bigger and more impressive stages until we reached the Attic. A smaller, darker room in need of a little love and attention. I must confess I like the little run down places to play gigs there is something ‘underground’ about it.
We had reservations about tonight. Our fans have dug deep this year to support us at other venues, Christmas was on the horizon and well we didn’t push it as much. When I saw the venue I must confess to being spoilt by the recent adventures at Oran Mor and ABC2. The sound would confirm this. I believe it sounded good to the audience but on stage it was no where near the crispness of the aforementioned venues.

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We set up our sound and belted out a sound check in minutes. (I have no idea why it takes so long for bands to sound check) It was at this point we were asked for money to pay for the hire of the drum kit. There were four different reactions to this request. Stu went a bid red, (seething anger) Greg went quiet, (how to I sort this), I sighed,( why are we doing this) and Derek went into full blown Kirk rage ( Khaaaaaaaannnnnn, the older folk will get this). He said no to the promoter and we left to get a pint.

During our rather lovely pint and the effect it was having on me I had a conflict of thoughts. Do I really want, after 18 years of getting f**ked by promoters, to keep doing this. However I love it, sitting with guys pre gig, meeting our crowd and belting out our tunes. Why does playing live have so many pitfalls? I concluded I wanted to do this for as long as possible (although perhaps not as long as the Stones). I still love the whole scene.

Greg snuck off and paid for our share of hiring the kit… Stu and Derek were livid, I was angry but I could see where Greg’s heart was and gave him some money to put in his lighter pocket’s.

So we’re all a bit angry, the venue is lite on crowd and we’re about to go on. I looked at our faithful friends who came to see us. I thought, this is for them. The last time we played angry was at the QMU.

Set list
1. Deliverance
2. Speak
3. Ms Asphyxia
4. Wonder
5. Steel
6. Wait
7. Joker

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Angry gigs are amazing, we play hard and fast. Our 30 minute set felt like 10 minutes. I had had a few beers and we were loving it. Every song merged into each other, I didn’t say much to the crowd which is not like me. The sound on stage was poor though. I was distracted by feedback throughout and that really annoyed me.

I enjoyed the night. It was a fitting end to an amazing year for us. Perhaps the next time we play live we’ll be showing off new songs, oh and we won’t be paying to hire a kit!!

I must mention Cicero’s Secret.  They were brilliant live. The sound was a bit of a mash but the energy was incredible and their crowd were a delight to watch. Yes we were the oldies up the back foot tapping to the tunes! I wish them the best of luck.

Pabs.

Categories
music unsigned gems

Pabs Unsigned Adventure 2. Kaseciarz.

Discovered on Bandcamp http://kaseciarz.bandcamp.com

My latest unsigned adventure takes me to the sounds of Poland, the band are called Kaseciarz. They describe themselves as low budget rock and roll, I’d go for lo fi rock. I love the way their music is never in a hurry, like rock used to be. These guys play out their tunes the way they want. Kaseciarz are; Maciej Nowacki on guitars, vocals, bass and keyboards, Cukasz Cegielka on bass and Piotr Lewicki on drums. Motorcycle Rock and Roll I believe is their second album. The guitar fuzz is distinct, the bass is tightly fitted into the mix and the drums are subtly placed to allow the guitars freedom to experiment which is exactly what they do. Occasionally Nowacki sings in English but the music is the main force here. Things kick off with the brilliant Roadog which has a cracking riff driving it. Other highlights include Dance which I would imagine gets the crowds going. Drive slows things back down and it is these more progressive tunes that display the bands strengths. Drives synth drums are reminiscent of Joy Division. Running Low puts the tremolo to good use and fits in well with the feel of the album.

With hints of Bailterspace these guys have a great underground sound. They are the kind of band you love to discover. It is a lo fi record but that is its beauty. Kaseciarz are playing several dates in Poland and seem to have a solid following. I really like this group.

Pabs.

Categories
music unsigned gems

Pablos Unsigned Adventure 1. 9M Lied

Random searches can produce great results.

9M Lied, from Barcelona Spain, found on Bandcamp.

http://9mlied1.bandcamp.com/album/9m-lied

A week or so ago I hit a link to this band on Bandcamp. They are instrumentalists, no singing, instead they opt for carefully measured, brilliantly played rock. The bass drives it, allowing the guitars to tell the story through picked licks and full on distorted assaults. The drums pound relentlessly adding to the atmospheric mood of the music

David, José, Andrei and Anibal are modest in their description of the band, ‘just a fukk yes instrumental band’ this band is perfect for listening towards the end of the night as midnight becomes morning.

Start with their studio album the self titled 9M Lied,tracks Night Rider, the brilliantly named Dolphins v Penguins, Devon and Mosquito Tiger are all highlights. The studio album has a fantastic roomy drum sound, the snare snaps brilliantly in the middle of the mix. The guitars sound ranges from spacious to right in your ear rawness.

Summer Song steals it though, as I listen I can imagine myself driving along a Spanish motorway, the stillness of the night passing quickly by.

If you love the studio album try the bootleg. A live recording you can hear the crowd in a bar eagerly applauding the band. The first track is slightly out of tune but the albums recovers and you are rewarded with a great performance.

I really like this band and wish them the best for their musical future.

Look out for my next unsigned wonder, its amazing how much talent there is out there, recording and releasing their own material.

Pabs.

Categories
music Pabs General music thoughts writing

Pabs Music Musings 3. The Blackpool Soundtrack

Inside the pleasure beach

I forgot my headphones for my tablet. Two days in Blackpool without my music.

So I boiled the kettle and emptied two Colombian coffee sachets into my mug. Poured the boiling water straight. Black coffee done cheap. Looked out the sand smudged window of our room out to the sea and the emptiness beyond.

Coffee ready, feet up
Coffee ready, feet up

My music was the waves crashing furiously against the promenade. I looked out and thought about our new album. What do I write about where do i go from here? Where do my fellow musicians get their inspiration from? Two huge influences of mine, Matt Berninger (The National) seems to capture his lyrics perfectly, slightly off centre but enough meaning for you to relate and  Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) writes of technology, robots that almost have feelings.

We head out the arcades. The slot machines flashing, bells sounding, coins spilling into metal trays. Reminds me of the arcade scene in Lost In Translation (greatest movie soundtrack ever). I look at the people wandering around, the fellow tourists, the locals staring into the machines, automatically hitting gamble as they clutch a plastic cup of coins. A young boy wanders around with a cowboy hat full of coins asking punters for change. Cheeky wee bugger. It’s here I think of characters again, the different life’s, all colliding in a sea of flashing lights and confusing bleeps. We head out onto the prom.

The Wonder Blackpool Illunimations

Here the stalls are still open, bored attendants hoping for a sale, some make a half-hearted pitch, two for a pound and all that. A tram rolls past, a modern machine not like the old romantic rollers from the past.  Blackpool has aged but still has a bit of magic, a bit like an old 80’s light entertainer strutting their stuff on I’m a Celeb. I start to get ideas for lyrics, as my boy grabs my hand desperate for another shot on the racing car.

The next day after a full English breakfast we head further along the front towards the pleasure beach. I walk to a security gate and the burly guard asks me If I have a ticket. I meekly say no, he points me to the ticket booth. I was going to protest that when I were a lad you could walk in free.  Inside the park I am £34 lighter but still giddy with excitement. My childhood taps my shoulder as I hear the siren of the ghost train, the clacking of the roller coasters and the laughing clown. Again lyrics flood my head, the yearning to return to simpler times can be disturbing.

Inside the pleasure beach
Inside the pleasure beach a pigeon takes flight

I’m keen to show my lad round the shows but he falls asleep…So I run to the Pepsi Max roller coaster. As I stand in the queue I look at the faces of boredom as we are about to ride upon one of the tallest, fastest coaster in Europe, according to the voice over. Later I grab my wife and we run onto the ghost train and I try to make her jump every time we turn into a dark corner.

Sometimes you need a change of scene to write the next act, I often wonder how other writers pen their lyrics. I hope as the sun sets on our break I’ll go home and create some more characters that will come alive in our new songs. See you again Blackpool!

The Broken but still standing North Pier
The Broken but still standing North Pier

If you are a writer please tell me how do you get inspired?

Pabs

Categories
music The Lost Tracks

The Lost Tracks

Solo albums are a lonely experience. Lewis keeps me company
Ah found it, the lost tracks!
Ah found it, the lost tracks!

http://weirddecibels.bandcamp.com/album/weird-decibels-15-the-lost-tracks

Bootlegs, B-Sides, Deluxe albums with previously unreleased songs I love them. You find tracks that your favourite band disregarded into the vault and wonder before slowly understanding why they didn’t make the cut. These tracks are the geeky guys that sit at the back of the class, the awkward souls who mean well but ultimately will be shunned by their peers.

We left three tracks on the cutting floor. They didn’t fit in with the alpha males of the Weird Decibels 1 class. A year later, blinded from twelve months of darkness The Lost Tracks emerged blinking from the CD cupboard into the light.

Bullet 

A simple riff, a simple song

baby baby baby guess I’m out of diesel

we gotta find a place to rest and settle

spent our days just running around

anchor searched for bed but never been found

nobody knows when the bullet is coming

baby baby baby gotta understand my needs

you know its not money you know its not greed

couldn’t find a job in our birth town

don’t like the heat, wasn’t hanging around

chorus

baby got a place in a roadside hotel

we’ll bide here till all is well

baby baby baby we gotta pay the bill

but darling my credit is running low.

Nobody knows when the bullet is coming.

A young couple decide to leave town, the guy is fearful of many things, debt, death and if his woman is going to leave him. It reminds me of the Kings of Leon of whom I’m slightly bored. The track doesn’t leave third gear but I love the openness of the sound. Stu’s guitar at the end, the live feeling. I put up a half hearted fight to have this included on WdB1 as it offered a different tone, however it was not to be.

Buddy

Buddy can be heard on Weird Decibels 1, wait a couple of minutes after Industry fades and a secret acoustic version of this song plays. It was around 1am in the lodge I was full of whiskey and recorded vocals for Drunk Buddy, you can even hear the ice rattling in my glass. The lost version is the full band. I am a huge fan of the National so I guess I tried to marry their influence into our music which was never going to work. We never nailed Buddy despite playing it for months and it shows on the recording. I love the lyrics, a guy having  sex with a married woman, he watches the riots (written around the time of the English disturbances) then heads out to a club where a younger woman shuns him at this point he reflects on his own life.

we were lovers, we were a dirty weekend

As I watched the riots below you phoned your husband

you talked of our dreams, you talked out of hand

as I lit a cigarette and got dressed

what you want is different to what I want

what you want is not the same

we were f**k buddies, I saw surprise on your face

I didn’t look back as I left

there was ash in the air, but the rain was sweet

I watched a woman flick back her hair

chorus

as she was dancing, I see the youth in her face

but she has no plans, no plans for me

I have everything I want, everything I need

but nothing satisfies me

chorus

Lewis helps Pabs mix the Lost Tracks
Lewis helps Pabs mix the Lost Tracks

Rusted

A real band divider this one, Greg, Derek they love it, Stu and I are not so sure. Rusted is a style of song we have written many times  its classic Weird if you like.  Of all the songs I took back to the mixing desk this was perhaps the poorest recording. a lot of editing was needed and the song lost its original feel. Wait! Don’t leave it yet! For the radio edit I cut my guitars which were awful, so Stu shines through and saves the recording. Greg and Derek hold a good rhythm as well, its a good song, it would’ve fitted well on our earlier albums. Included in the Lost Tracks is the full version of the song it will allow you to discover if i’m talking s***e or not.  A slightly mixed up political some about lack of ambition and a kick out at our generation being called Thatchers children.  During the writing of Rusted I came out with a middle 8 riff that didn’t fit, it was used as the intro riff for Psalm!! Every cloud!

Oh I only wanted to get by

not tread on toes

not fussed for flying

oh the guilt I feel

for not achieving

for not trying

oh the greed of this generation will starve its children

oh the greed of the corporation will starve our children

Oh we are conditioned

to want everything

and pay for nothing

Oh they call us thatchers children

I’m not a child

of that rusted old woman

I hope you enjoy The Lost Tracks, no band sets out to make bad music. Sometimes all the ingredients needed to make an album track don’t blend. So look after these wee souls, they are shy and a bit lost but with a touch of love they will find a place in your playlist.

Pabs

Categories
music Weird Decibels 2 Diary writing

Writing September, October 2013

Creatively it has been a difficult couple of months. September Stu, Greg and Derek all had holidays in far away lands. So not much got done. I used September to nail the mixes of The Lost Tracks, three songs we did not use on Weird Decibels 1. More on those in another post.

As we enter October we have had a look back on the writing of Decibels 2, we have a few that will go all the way. Some are going to fall by the way side. It happens, however this time we are recording everything so there will be plenty for future bootlegs!

Stu came out with a cracking riff at the end of rehearsal two weeks ago. I had nothing to offer the song, it was late and I had lost the creative spark. However a week later I had taken the riff and found fresh impetus. There is no title as yet for the new creation but fingers crossed it will survive our ever increasing scrutiny.  We have decided not to set any dates for the recording of the album however we will have to draw a line eventually as lyrically its important to get songs from the same era. (songwriters will know what I mean!)

1. Miss Asphyxia

2. I Hope it Rains On Your Parade

3. Standing on a Viewpoint.

4.  Kill it! Kill it!

5. Small Hands

6. (Untitled)

7. Feet First

more news soon! Pabs

pabs77

Categories
Pabs General music thoughts

Pabs Music Musings. Episode 2. Is rock music dead? (And has anyone checked?)

Is rock dead? How many times have we heard that question being asked. Many times.

I was reading my latest copy of Sound On Sound in which they review a music submission by a band called Teenage China, an artist from our very own Scottish shores. In the review there is a statement ‘ The distorted guitar/crashing drums combo has been done to the point exhaustion in the multi-pronged world of rock’ Now that statement almost had me reaching for my acoustic guitar and writing Quiet Act 2. The reviewer went on to give Teenage China an enthusiastic thumbs up. A fine achievement from this excellent magazine.

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Stu does this classic rock post at every gig we play and i love him for it.

So as a fully fledged vocalist in a distorted guitar/crashing drums band I wonder if the music world has once again shifted its sonic tastes into another dimension.

Kurt Cobain said great music happens every decade or so, I’d say every 20 years. So here we are now, and no one is entertaining us. There is no scene. I search obsessively for new music (see last musing) and yet ‘proper balls out original rock ‘ appears to be buried deep in the servers of our music providers.

I love acoustic, folk, electronica, mix them up, indie, a bit of trance, however I miss a primal scream, not the band of the same name but a vocalist who yells so hard down the mic with such passion that you clench you fists, grit your teeth and thank god you are not the only person on this planet that has had a bad day or two. Indeed Mr Cobain had that scream but Mr Plant perfected it well before him.

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The primal scream, beats counselling ten fold.

I thought we’d have a scene when the recession hit. Then I thought the riots would piss off some youngsters holding a guitar or two, then there was the cuts and the empty pockets and the run down schemes and shameless poverty that countless rich politicians and richer musicians have tried to eradicate, but nothing. There is no scene.

The music is there, buried deep in the Soundclouds and Bandcamps. Lost in a fuzz of commercially controlled search engine algorithms that recommend artists based on your listening habits. I really regret listening to ABBA when I was pissed.

Anyway that ‘celeb’ that pisses herself has just won big brother so I’m going to rock out to Teenage China.

Pabs, primal screaming lead singer of a guitar solo obsessed rock band that has loud drums and deep bass. Musically Fashionable? In 20 years I guess!

Categories
Gigs music

Gig diary ABC 2 Glasgow 23/8/2013

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Greg struts his stuff on stage. Picture by Kevin Byrne

Its Friday rush hour. I’m desperate to pick up Stu and get out the town. the city lights of Glasgow are calling. The ABC awaits. As I look in the rearview mirror Falkirk fades away. Nothing draws me to our local music scene now.

I pick up Stu, there is almost a quiet excitement as he loads his trusted Gibson into the boot of the car. We set off, chatting about the night to come and the future of the band. The new album, the new tunes and gigs. We want to play live, this sort of excitement can’t be matched.

The roads to the city are fine and we arrive promptly at the venue. Stu and I park up, Derek  has a face that could make a pitbull back down, Greg is laid back and chilled out. Usual. The reason for Derek’s ire? We’ve been placed second on the running order of five bands. Thankfully after a bit of Del boy negotiation we’re placed third on the bill. Our faithful fans won’t miss us after all.

Paul rocks, Derek sips. Juls took this picture
Paul rocks, Derek sips. Juls took this picture

We stepped back stage to see End Transmission. It was good to see the girls again, great to see them playing these types of gigs. They had the hair straighteners out and more beer than us. They sounded good, nailed a good set it was a pity to see them on first though. Second on was a really pleasant chap and his guitar with no backing band. Takes guts to do that. Unfortunately I can’t recall his name.

Setlist

Speak

Joker

Wonder

Miss Asphyxia

Power

Steel

Industry

Pabs hammering the hell out of his guitar while Greg holds the groove. Picture by Kevin Byrne
Pabs hammering the hell out of his guitar while Greg holds the groove. Picture by Kevin Byrne

Derek kicked things off with the pounding toms of Speak, Its the best way to start a gig, gets me hyper. I pick the first notes, sing the first line and it all flows. We have a few dancers, I love that. I just makes me want go full pelt into the songs. Every note screamed, every lick nailed. In a second Speak is over and Greg is carving out the intro of Joker. Great start for us. the crowd is brilliant. Some of the folks know the tunes now and its great to hear people yell as the song starts. What a buzz. Wonder gives us a breather, we say hello to the utterly wonderful people who pay and travel to see us. Every moment of our performance is for them. Our next song is Miss Asphyxia, brand new. We get another great reception. A hint of the next album before we go back to our current set. Power is the quietest moment of the night. Gives our set a wee dynamic, breaks things up a bit. Steel is next, it all goes well. its a tricky song for me to play live but I get through it. Industry finally gets its live debut. An extended version of this song for our friend Phil. Its a great end to the set. We pack up as Don’t Look Down enter the stage. I have a quick look back to the stage as we had behind the scenes. Top gig.

Stu has never ever struck this pose before. Must've been the excitement! Pic by Juls
Stu has never ever struck this pose before. Must’ve been the excitement! Pic by Juls

Don’t Look Down rock the roof off, Enemies of The State also had a very accomplished sound. I was working the next day so It wasn’t so bad hanging around listened to two decent bands.

Last orders we’re called and the crowd drift away. Another cracking night for our band. As midnight approaches I drive along the deserted road back to Falkirk I hope we have many more nights just like this.

Pabs.

Categories
Pabs General music thoughts

Pabs Music Musings. Part 1 The Search.

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My wee sis is a good few years younger than me. She is of this generation of music lovers, accepting with ease MP3’s, Streaming, single song listening and music Blogs. I on the other hand come from a generation of CD lovers, albums and record shops. Today’s music lovers have everything they need to build the most honed music collection to suit their tastes and yet as I sit at this laptop listening to streamed music I feel overwhelmed by the choice of music. Its all about the search.

I take you back to when I really started listening to music. My father was the first source. Here son listen to this album, it was Dinosaur Jr, I was hooked. Others followed and soon I discovered what I liked. Next I listened to Peel, read the NME, Select and occasionally Q (thanks for Grandaddy Q!). A narrow source by today’s standards. I steadily built a CD collection of which I am proud.

Today there is an unstoppable flow of music I like but I cannot hope to give those albums the same sort of attention that ‘Where You Been’ got. Uncut, Guy Garvey’s finest hour, Spotify, Personal suggestion lists, countless internet stations, DAB, the wonderful Third Class Ticket, Blogs, Blogs and more wonderful music Blogs (thanks sis), Jim Gellantly’s amazing radio. Last.fm, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Facebook/Twitter friend suggestions. I could go on. I have a wish list on Amazon I cannot possibly hope to afford. I also want to explore the music that has past.

Perhaps we need another Peel, Steve Lamacq could be the man if he got that late night slot that Peel used to fill with sublime music. Perhaps we need someone we can trust to say, this band are great and you’ll love them. Or perhaps I need to learn to filter the mass of talent (there is tonnes out there) and pick only the very best. That feels wrong though… So tell me how do you search?

(Pabs lead singer of Weird Decibels, we are on every modern platform waiting to be searched!!)

Categories
writing

Writing August 2013

Lyrics!

Kill it! Kill it!

I guess it started in my bored heart
Turned my blood darker than black
At first I loved the feelings I had
Got in my head, I screamed ‘take it back!’

C E C D

Kill it! Kill it!
Stamp it down
Before it grows
And eats all around

Binds my wrists onto the bed
Feel the beast sit upon my chest
I hear my life calling out my name
Try to reach her finger tips again and again

E CBAG
Stamp it down!
Before it grows
Stamp it down
Before it grows!

Some early lyrics from our latest song. We haven’t recorded it yet so there was a bit of a panic when we tried to recall how we played it last week. I had used my tablet to record a rough sketch when we first created the song but it was a mash of digital distortion. It was such a rush writing this track. It is based on a rolling riff I had fluked  on the guitar, Stu took the riff and built the verse and chorus riffs around it. Its a two minute rock rampage! We’ll need to sit down and write song longer epics otherwise dB2 is going to be around 30 minutes long!

Pabs.Image