13.2.07
Saffron Monkey rehearsal - 12.02.07
Today I put my first tune across to the guys in Saffron Monkey. As expected, they worked wonders with it. It may even be ready for the album launch gig (23.03.07 - The Backbar). Richie showed us a new tune aswell, which fully complied with his usual high standard. I also got my copy of the mastered 'Evolution'.. Nice work 'Obbers.
Mojo Hand at 'The Shape of Things' session - 11.02.07
Word(s) of the day: 'Naked Ballerina'
Brian Monk is a bass-player/sound engineer turned multi-company director. I'd never heard his name before, but I certainly hope to see him again. Upon hearing him affectionately refer to his studio as 'a hobby', I didn't expect much. What I felt when I walked in was a mixture of shock, love and excitement. The guy has gear coming out of every oriface.
With this being another 1-day rush-recording I quickly set up my gear and let him do his thing with the microphones while I caught up with Ben and Steve. When Brian was done we went upstairs for a cup of tea and got to know him a little better. He had a definate strategy in inviting us up for a drink. He wanted to make sure the three of us were chilled before we started to record.
We played the album straight through with only a few repeat takes. It was an enjoyable experience- Brian was open to suggestions and he gave as good as he got, which I think is a very valuable quality in an engineer. I didn't get to hear the finished product but I'm sure I'll have a copy in my lap sooner than later.
Expect to hear a preview of the album on the myspace soon.
Brian Monk is a bass-player/sound engineer turned multi-company director. I'd never heard his name before, but I certainly hope to see him again. Upon hearing him affectionately refer to his studio as 'a hobby', I didn't expect much. What I felt when I walked in was a mixture of shock, love and excitement. The guy has gear coming out of every oriface.
With this being another 1-day rush-recording I quickly set up my gear and let him do his thing with the microphones while I caught up with Ben and Steve. When Brian was done we went upstairs for a cup of tea and got to know him a little better. He had a definate strategy in inviting us up for a drink. He wanted to make sure the three of us were chilled before we started to record.
We played the album straight through with only a few repeat takes. It was an enjoyable experience- Brian was open to suggestions and he gave as good as he got, which I think is a very valuable quality in an engineer. I didn't get to hear the finished product but I'm sure I'll have a copy in my lap sooner than later.
Expect to hear a preview of the album on the myspace soon.
Saffron Monkey at the CLIC charity event - Sand Bay Holiday Park, 02.02.07
Today I found myself at the Sand Bay Holiday Park with plenty of time to spare, so I took 2 hours to myself in a big empty room tuning my drums and doing a little maintenance.
When I returned after teaching the day's students, I found to my extreme delight that the drummer from the other band had gone ahead and moved my kit around- the perfect hand grenade in my'wa'. I did my best to re-position my kit for our soundcheck and got on with it. Unfortunately not only had my fragile 'zone' been destroyed, but I could've sworn someone had taped a quilt over each of the monitors.
I dropped my overnight bag off in my room and had a couple of hours r&r chatting to friends. Electro-acoustic trio ‘String Theory’ did a great set and then we were up. The grooves were there for most of the set but something just wasn't right for me. We all made a few bloopers and I left the stage unsatisfied.
The rest of the night involved compliments which, while gratefully received, meant about as much as a conversation about the weather to me. From then on it was a case of using all my beer tokens up and having a good old chinwag with the rest of the crowd, then listening to Cliff and Animal's stories from their '80s tour of Amsterdam.
Breakfast might aswell have been dog food - it tasted no better and I felt sick as one after eating it. The whole affair was saved only by the comical banter shared between tables! A quick exit ensued, then it was off to Dad's house to give 'Aisha' a scrub.
When I returned after teaching the day's students, I found to my extreme delight that the drummer from the other band had gone ahead and moved my kit around- the perfect hand grenade in my'wa'. I did my best to re-position my kit for our soundcheck and got on with it. Unfortunately not only had my fragile 'zone' been destroyed, but I could've sworn someone had taped a quilt over each of the monitors.
I dropped my overnight bag off in my room and had a couple of hours r&r chatting to friends. Electro-acoustic trio ‘String Theory’ did a great set and then we were up. The grooves were there for most of the set but something just wasn't right for me. We all made a few bloopers and I left the stage unsatisfied.
The rest of the night involved compliments which, while gratefully received, meant about as much as a conversation about the weather to me. From then on it was a case of using all my beer tokens up and having a good old chinwag with the rest of the crowd, then listening to Cliff and Animal's stories from their '80s tour of Amsterdam.
Breakfast might aswell have been dog food - it tasted no better and I felt sick as one after eating it. The whole affair was saved only by the comical banter shared between tables! A quick exit ensued, then it was off to Dad's house to give 'Aisha' a scrub.
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