Performance Anxiety

The back room has been taken over by synthesizers and today I began my mission to really get to grips with my toys and work out some sort of set for the gig in April.  It mostly went well.  there was a period right in the middle of the afternoon where it all came together really nicely into a big looping post-industrial jam and i got completely lost in it.  One of the main problems I'm facing is I'm too uptight about the gadgetry.  I'm so used to working incredibly slowly and self editing and correcting that when I take myself out of that mode I'm too conscious of the 'mistakes' or rather I should probably call them the unexpected little outbursts.  Still, there's a month to go and I'll have plenty of opportunities between now and then to find my path.

Spent this evening typing up the reviews for the next issue of WWR which, all being well, will be online tomorrow (Sunday) or Monday.  I was hoping to have some of the new features in place this issue but the inspection that I talked about in the last post got in the way of me chasing that and so neither of them have happened yet.

peace
Ian

performing for an unappreciative audience and a hopefully appreciative one

so, the inspection is over - thankfully.  at this point I've no idea how it went. It was an in-house inspection where I was assessed while guiding a beginners class on protest music.  The kids were doing presentations on songs of their choice explaining their background and providing an analysis of the lyrics to demonstrate why they thought they were appropriate choices.  I like this lesson.  I teach a lot about protest music and try to keep fairly relevant but obviously my choices are always going to be governed by my personal tastes and background so it's really good for both them and me if they take over occasionally and school me in some more up-to-date rants.  Anyway, the inspector (a lecturer from the car mechanics department - which I say only for information not to make any aspersions on his intelligence - i have two friends in that department) came in, didn't even acknowledge the students, sat with his back to them for an hour and then left without saying goodbye.  Personally I thought it was seriously fucking rude!  and let me just say the presentations and the associated discussions were fantastic.  Every student in the room produced their A-game and nailed it and the inspector didn't even deign to watch.  5 days on I'm still fucking furious!

from this point on I'm going to take a slight break from being all about work and give some focus over to prepping myself for my upcoming return to live performance.  the venue is booked and the date is locked in.  I'm hopeful that it's going to be a fairly low-key affair but at this point I'm not sure if that's even an option.

here's the poster...

The Parrot is a lovely little venue and record shop staffed by some lovely folk with great taste in music.  for the last few months they've been putting on these themed nights - Night with the Nurse, The Esoteric Underground, An Evening with Sun Ra.  They've been great fun and a nice way for lovers of odd music to get together in this fairly musically conservative little area of the world.
This one raises the bar (especially for me) and hopefully will be a shape of things to come.
Firstly though I have to get some practice in.  I'm a preparer by nature.  I don't like to go into things half cocked.  I want to know I've got everything I need in place and be raring to go.  As such I'm taking over the spare bedroom for the next month and am going t have my gear on permanent set-up so I can just walk in and make some noises whenever I have a spare couple of minutes.  It should be good fun.

With three new releases on the horizon but not necessarily very imminent I do have a little something to tide you all over in the meantime.  This is a mash up of three old unfinished pieces I found when going through some old discs.  I hope you dig it.

the perils of a brittle epidermis

Been quiet around here lately as we yet again have an inspection going on in work.  Colleges (and schools) in the UK are subject to endless bureaucratic interference and we go through these really intrusive inspections with tedious regularity.  anyway it'll all be over tomorrow (Thursday) and I can go back to relaxing a bit and doing fun things.

there are a couple of new releases in the pipeline - three that are very imminent - but in the meantime I'd like to present you with a new digital only release.

this is a extended version of an aspect of one of the upcoming releases.  As a component in the piece it has a purely textural function but I liked it on it's own also so it's become one of my little pieces of digital ephemera that I like to throw in the direction of your ears.

hope you like.  more news to follow soon.

peace
ian

Sandbanks

It's Quiet World's (and Wonderful Wooden Reasons) 10th birthday this year and to start off the festivities here is our first release of 2013

Matthew Shaw - Sandbanks

Disquiet World

So, the question at hand is what to do with myself this year?

And, I must admit I'm at a loss.

I have some ideas for new things for Wonderful Wooden Reasons which should be a bit of fun as long as I can get people on board with them.  It'll hopefully make the new issues a bit more of an event rather than simply a set of reviews.  More on this as it happens.

I've also a series of releases lined up for Quiet World by some really interesting folks starting with the delayed Matthew Shaw album in about a fortnight.

What I can't decide on is what to do with myself.  I've always loved teaching and I'm generally pretty good at it (even if I do say so myself) but this year has, so far, been a real chore.  Now this may well be a malaise following on from the hyperactive turmoil of the last two years but I'm bored.  I'm just not connecting with the subject matter or the students to the extent I usually do.  I teach in a rolling, interactive documentary style that relies heavily on my enthusiasm for the subject matter at hand and I'm worried that without that enthusiasm it just becomes a bloke droning on and I would rather quit than let that be the case.

So, what to do?  Lecturing is the one job (of many tried) that I found I was good at.  Do I leave and throw myself into something new or do I stick at it and try to reconnect. If it's the former I'll need to think what it can be. If it's the latter I think I'll need to redouble my outside interests to find a balance between work and play that will allow the good feeling that one of them engenders to infect the other.

It's something to puzzle over for the new year.
Decisions, decisions, decisions.

basilisk stare

i have a hangover so bad that I'm pretty certain I could kill with a single glance.

while you're not feeling sorry for me you may like to check out the Wonderful Wooden Reasons Best of 2012 issue which is now online.

hope you all have a fabulous new year.

Friday geek out.

Dredd.
The Boys volume 12: The Bloody Doors Off.
The Walking Dead volume 17
Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates.
coffee.
warmth.
satsumas.
peanut M&Ms
more coffee.
embryonnck cd.
happy geek.

50 today

I've just uploaded the 50th issue of Wonderful Wooden Reasons.

It's taken a long time to get to this point but it's been a laugh and I've got to hear lots of cool music and meet lots of cool people along the way.

thank you all for your support and music. I hope you've enjoyed reading and found something good to listen to. 

here's to the next 50.

peace
ian

i have a little red notebook...

into which I write my reviews for Wonderful Wooden Reasons.  I find I generally write easier with a pen and paper.  i think the inability to constantly edit / delete / rewrite focuses me more and I generally am more productive that way.

There is a drawback though.  Typing the damn things up when the deadline is looming is a massive pain in the arse!
I really don't dig typing at all.  I'm ridiculously bad at it.  I sometimes think I'd be more accurate if I used my forehead.

Anyway, all being well and assuming I don't throw my keyboard in frustration, the new WWR will be online sometime tomorrow (Sunday).

Peace
Ian

One more day to go...

and then two glorious weeks of holidays.

it's been a long term this one and my head is frazzled.

I'm going to spend as much of the next fortnight as possible reading.  maybe get some walks in, drink some booze, listen to some tunes, get a couple of issues of WWR online but mostly read.  i have shelves full of unread novels and I'm going to give them a kicking this holiday and just escape into as many fictional places as i can possible fit into.

there'll be the last actual issue of Wonderful Wooden Reasons for 2012 online this Sunday with a best of following a week later.

going to make some additions to the zine next year.  it's something I'm looking forward to and I hope you'll enjoy.  there's a few things in the pipeline that'll be added in slowly through the year.  the main priority though is regular monthly (at the very least), hopefully more often, issues.

O Tangletree! O Tangletree! Much pleasure thou can'st give me

Just a quick fly-by message to let folks know that the new album from me (Ian) and Darren Tate called Tangletree is available now.

You can find the usual limited edition (50 copies) signed and numbered physical version at the Quiet World website or for those of you who prefer their music in byte sized chunks it also available fro the Bandcamp site at the link below.

stupidityness abounds

Went Xmas shopping in Cardiff today and managed to buy a present for my mother, a couple of stocking fillers for the nieces and a Carnacki book for me.  It was pretty claustrophobic there and it got to me at times (I'm not a big fan of crowds) also my left shoe sprung a leak which wouldn't have been too bad except that it was pouring with rain for most of the day.  
The place was all trimmed up nice though and if it had been less wet would have been really xmassy. The photo is one of the shopping arcades.


we missed the deadline for the carpark though and didn't have chance to grab any food before we left so we stopped off at a chain eatery on the way home. On the table behind me was a group of 4 young and ridiculously macho chav lads.  For the most part their conversation revolved around how hard they are, how hard their brothers are, how hard their "crews" are and how soft everyone else is.  This was all pretty tedious to have bellowed over the top of the terrible food I was eating.  There were however two absolute gems that I think are worth sharing with you.

the first...

"Are you left handed?"
"No why?"
"Cause you're holding your fork in your left hand"

and my absolute favourite...

"I don't like eggs in my omelette!"

it takes all sorts I suppose.  
I'm home now and have just finished listening to the new Scott Walker album and now Desertshore by X-TG is having another airing.

This is your brain on drug awareness training

Today I spent several fairly long seeming hours (mostly because i really wanted to be home having a much needed lie-in) in compulsory drugs awareness training run by the police for the college. 
Apparently Swansea is a mephedrone and heroin riddled hellhole with a growing cocaine problem.
it was a fairly downbeat start to the day that pretty much sucked all the colour out of it.  am home now drinking Earl Grey and listening to Moljebka Pvlse wrapping the universe within their cosmic drone.
Also, mine and Darren Tate's new album 'Tangletree' is out now and available via Quiet World.
peace
ian

stiff necks and good music

one of the unforseen side-effects of the last two years of work and course is that I've wrecked my neck.  i don't have a desk as such.  my work station is a shelf unit with my pc on top and my record deck and amp on the shelves underneath.  my chair is an old (and very comfy) rocking chair that i've had for 20 odd years. it's a fairly neat little setup in that everything fits nicely on the unit but there is no legroom so the upshot is i have to do most things, like writing lessons or reviews or doing marking whilst leaning forward which has resulted in me putting a serious crick in my neck and it hurts just enough to be a fairly constant irritation.

tonight though i've abandoned my computer and am stretched out on the floor with a book and some music for reviewing.

i'm a bit too distracted for reading though, hence this blog about nothing, but the music is really hitting the spot.  albums by TOC and John Huw Lewis have both wriggled past.  very different from each other but both thoroughly enjoyable.  i'm going to try and put one last Wonderful Wooden Reasons for the year online this weekend and both will be in it.

Tangletree

I'm having a cup of coffee and a break from doing some xmas shopping (so far the only thing I've bought is a book for myself) and i thought i'd let you know about the next Quiet World release.

I was hoping to have two new albums for you this month but due to my woeful proof reading skills i missed the typo on one of the sleeves. so that one has been pushed back to january but the other will be available on Monday.

The album is called Tangletree and it's by me and Darren Tate.  it was made a year or so ago and has been patiently waiting it's turn for release. it was done using an electric shruti box and samples from me and some particularly atonal guitar from Darren.  they were never meant to go together but I spent one dark and damp night assembling them.  it's one that should be played loud. your neighbours won't mind. It is Xmas after all.