"My thumbs have gone weird!"No, don't worry, they haven't really - but my left hand has been a bit funny for the past couple of weeks. I think I got a bit of mild RSI playing too much guitar and procrastinating whilst I was supposed to be doing coursework, but hey you gotta think of this equation: Me playing more guitar = Me getting better at guitar and coming up with more song ideas = Better Arcady Bliss.
Coursework doesn't even factor into that. Don't get me wrong, it was actually fairly interesting coursework and I have learnt a fair bit from it...but the time when I had to get around to working seemed to coincide with a particularly creative phase for me, so I was damned if I was going to let coursework get in the way too much. Still, it did, and now I'm left with lots of embryonic, undeveloped ideas and only one or two solid songs...still, they'll all come together in the end I guess.
So anyway, after all that coursework shiznit I've GOT to start getting things together again for my dissertation, final project and solo performance exam...hopefully starting tomorrow if I get my act together. I'm currently back in the Yorkshire, the motherland, for a week or so having a little break from Guildford/Surrey/London/Southern life which has really taken it out of me so far this year. It's been really fun and it's great to be busy but I think the EP recording and everything else that's gone on took its toll on me much more than I'd anticipated. I need a holiday!lol Or a tour...a tour would be sick. Like I said though, I'm back in the shire and resting up nicely. The broken string on my guitar is deterring me from picking it up right now as I can't be arsed to change it and I want to rest my hand...but now I've re-discovered piano! A client of my mum's actually GAVE me a really nice Yamaha Clavinova electric piano which is practically brand new. It's not a brand new model or anything but its barely been played and I can tell I'm gonna fall in love with it...I don't see any keys coming to Arcady anytime soon but as far as song-writing in general is concerned I think it's gonna be awesome. I did study piano a bit as a kid but I can't play anything now, not even chopsticks, so I'm just muddling my way round figuring out what a few chords are, jamming and LOVING it.
In addition to the piano loving that's been going on I'm also rinsing my, and now my parent's, small vinyl collection. I think I've mentioned my new found vinyl-philia a few posts ago but I just thought I'd let you know that it's becoming an ever burgeoning passion of mine at the moment. I've managed to acquire re-issues of all three Nick Drake albums and a 1971 pressing of The Velvet Underground's Andy Warhol album (all huge personal faves) as well as few other assorted discoveries. If there is anyone reading this who is interested in getting into vinyl as a means of listening to music I would heartily encourage you - it's really cheap to do, sounds better, looks better and gives you so much more pleasure than an mp3 ever could. A great place to buy records in Guildford is Ben's Collectors records which is just off the top of the high street through the pillars opposite the guildhall. Google it. Anyway, you can get soooo many records in there for one or two quid which are in great condition and every time I go in I come out with weeks worth of listening for very, very little money.
What else?...hmmm...well I've been doing a bit of this and that for Bearded Magazine too recently. I've been a bit slack with posting on news stuff on the website because of everything else, but I've got a few proper items to write and post up this week. One will be a review of the new Radio Dept album which I'm very much looking forward to getting my teeth into. The others will be review/interviews with Airship and The Joy Formidable and a review of a band called The Crookes whom I went to see in York t'other night. Keep your eyes peeled, yeah? I may even post up a couple on here if you fancy? Just comment below and let me know. The Bearded team are having a meeting soon in London on the 21st as it happens to talk about our new website and some other exciting developments. I'll let you know how it goes, but until then keep checking out beardedmagazine.co.uk and supporting independent music. We love ya for it.
After all that drivel I suppose I should let you know what's actually going on with Arcady. Well, we've got a smattering of gigs coming up including
The Great Escape on the 14th of May at The Basement around midday. Please come down if you can, it's gonna be a great day of music and day passes are only about £28-30 which is a bargain for all that you can do and see. The E.P. is coming on. We've pretty much got all the mixing out the way and Anil went and laid down a new last minute lead guitar part on A Moment In Love this Friday. I hope to get it all mastered by the end of this month in time for The Great Escape and the summer. But, if being in bands and the music industry have taught me anything, when it comes to how long you things are going to take, they will probably take
at least 3x as long. Fingers crossed this won't happen. Anyway, as I keep saying, I can't wait for y'all to hear it but you'll have to learn some patience along with me...we can do it together!
What a load of waffle that was. Still, I've nothing better to do this Sunday evening so I thought I'd just empty some of my brain onto the internet. Why not? Everybody else does...
Oh I almost forgot - as you may have seen on Facebook we're looking for logo ideas for our "record label" Arcady Recordings. If you'd like to have a go at one please post it up on our FB wall or else email it to me on chelwess@gmail.com . We'll try and pay you back somehow...probably with a free gig round your house or something if you fancy it? Or maybe you could come round ours? I dunno, we'll work something out but either way if we use your design we'll make sure you get a proper CD of the EP once they're all pressed. Sound good? RAD.
Keep tha change ya filthy animals!
Next blog will be much less scatty and random. Promise.
Charlie
xxx
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