Well, that's it.
The new album has gone off to the pressing plant and not even the most embarrassing typo in the lyrics can be altered at this stage. (Speaking of typo's - When I was typing the title for this blog, I wrote the clam before the storm - which conjures up a quite different image than the one I was trying to purvey!)
By now we're far too close to give anything like an unbiased view on it, so you'll just have to take our word that it's the greatest release in rock and roll this year!!
Seriously though, we're very happy with it and we now have a weird period of about 2 or 3 weeks in limbo whilst we wait for it to return from being pressed somewhere in deepest Telford (via the Czech Republic!) Once it's back then the drive to promote it will begin in earnest - radio interviews and sessions, despatching copies to radio stations, magazines and websites, opening supermarkets and other such celebrity going's on (At least one of that list is extremely unlikely to happen, by the way.)
We had a great time in Denmark a couple of weekends ago and made lots of friends at the Skagen festival. It was ridiculously hot for somewhere that is geographically in line with Aberdeen! We were very different to many of the other acts at the festival though and it was a good test of us as a band. In amongst the eleven versions of Irish Rover and nine versions of Whiskey in the Jar that were played, was this little band singing songs about places and people in Stoke on Trent - a place that they'd never heard of! Still, we sold many CD's and had a thoroughly good time. We also got to see Oysterband and Suzanne Vega play - and that will live long in the memory!
Conversely, we played a festival yesterday in the main square in Nantwich Town Centre! You may think it doesn't have the glamour of Denmark and you'd probably be half right - but we had a blast anyway. We had people travel from as far away as Lancaster and Yorkshire and that was really nice to see. We managed to curse yet another festival with rain although it was mostly dry, so we shouldn't really complain. On top of this, I managed to buy all my fruit and veg for the week from a local stall near the stage. And they didn't have THAT in Denmark!
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Friday, 19 June 2009
Don't get me started about Ryanair!
On top of all this recording nonsense just lately, we need to make our arrangements for our Denmark trip in two weeks time...mainly how not to get charged a million pounds by Ryanair for such crimes against humanity as having two legs and breathing oxygen. If I haven't told you of my utter loathing for Michael O'Leary and his airline then buy me a drink sometime, wind me up and watch me go! However, as they're the only airline to fly to Aalborg or Aarhus on a folk musician's pittance of a wage he has us over a barrel. Luckily it's a hypothetical barrel otherwise he'd probably charge us for wear and tear to the barrel as well.
It seems that every time I blog just lately I'm in Workington! Here I am again, having driven up with the amazing melodeon player - Brian Peters who is playing on our album again. Getting to Cumbria from Stoke via Glossop in rush hour though meant that I'd spent 4 and a half hours driving by the time I got here and we've got to get back later!
What is odd is that yet again we've managed to fluke it and get proper musicians to play for us! I still keep thinking we'll get found out as hopeless amateurs in their presence! Brian is playing on 'Canal Song' at the moment and it sounds great, but then it was always going to. I've got to lay down a percussion track later and I'll feel quite nervous with Brian's eyes upon me!
Nancy Kerr played fiddle for us last tuesday - travelling all the way up from Bath. On her Wedding Anniversary. In the rain. Bless 'er! She's another who is just talented for her own good as well! We can't wait for you all to hear the new album...we're very proud of it.
Oh well, back to the grindstone I suppose!
Bye for now
Gary
Workington
It seems that every time I blog just lately I'm in Workington! Here I am again, having driven up with the amazing melodeon player - Brian Peters who is playing on our album again. Getting to Cumbria from Stoke via Glossop in rush hour though meant that I'd spent 4 and a half hours driving by the time I got here and we've got to get back later!
What is odd is that yet again we've managed to fluke it and get proper musicians to play for us! I still keep thinking we'll get found out as hopeless amateurs in their presence! Brian is playing on 'Canal Song' at the moment and it sounds great, but then it was always going to. I've got to lay down a percussion track later and I'll feel quite nervous with Brian's eyes upon me!
Nancy Kerr played fiddle for us last tuesday - travelling all the way up from Bath. On her Wedding Anniversary. In the rain. Bless 'er! She's another who is just talented for her own good as well! We can't wait for you all to hear the new album...we're very proud of it.
Oh well, back to the grindstone I suppose!
Bye for now
Gary
Workington
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
More recording gubbins........
Well, we're fresh back from recording in the land of the lakes and are now able to take stock of what we have achieved so far and what still needs to be done. Achievements over the weekend included finishing the last four songs (Tracks, Sauntering Ned, Plant a Tree and an as yet unnamed song) with the exception of some Cahon (Percussive Box thing that you sit on and play with your hands) to go onto Sauntering Ned as I wasn't happy with the sound we were getting or come to think of it, the rhythm parts I'd written. I'll now add these next week when I go with Brian Peters to record the squeezebox and concertina parts. Other than that, Andy May is recording the piano for one song, Jim Moray is writing a brass part for another, Nancy Kerr is laying down fiddle for us on Tuesday and my girlfriend Anne put an Oboe part down on Sunday too. Oh and it all needs to be mixed by the end of June. Phew...!
Meanwhile, things continue unabated back in the heart of deepest Stoke-on-Trent. We're currently trying to pore over and agree as a band on such trifling matters as the track listing, the front cover etc. We do now have a release date though - October 12th! This ties in tightly with the launch gig at The Red Lion in Birmingham on the 10th. We're also working with a PR company at the moment which should see us become quite prominent in the folk and music press around the time of the release of the album.
On top of all of this, I've now got to move the mailing list to a new server because the old one will cease to exist by the end of the week AND try to get adverts and posters sorted for the new release / Autumn tour. Still, it's better than being busy I suppose!
Gary
Meanwhile, things continue unabated back in the heart of deepest Stoke-on-Trent. We're currently trying to pore over and agree as a band on such trifling matters as the track listing, the front cover etc. We do now have a release date though - October 12th! This ties in tightly with the launch gig at The Red Lion in Birmingham on the 10th. We're also working with a PR company at the moment which should see us become quite prominent in the folk and music press around the time of the release of the album.
On top of all of this, I've now got to move the mailing list to a new server because the old one will cease to exist by the end of the week AND try to get adverts and posters sorted for the new release / Autumn tour. Still, it's better than being busy I suppose!
Gary
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Tight deadlines and taking our life in our own hands......
The deadlines for this album are really, really tight. And so it is that we find ourselves three days before the final recording session for ourselves (session players will record 2 weeks after) still trying to frantically finish the last few songs. This weekend we have four songs to lay down – one of which about how, once upon a time in the Midlands, the Canals were the very lifeblood of the towns and cities lining its route – still doesn’t have a name! We have considered ‘You can call me (Can) Al’ and ‘Reach out – Canal be there’ but neither seems quite right! I can see it being called ‘Canal Song’ if we don’t think of something soon!
We’ve got some Oboe being recorded this weekend too and Fiddle, Squeezebox, Brass and Piano going on shortly. It’s such a rush to get it all done even though the album won’t see the light of day until late September at the earliest, such is the time needed to promote the album in advance.
We did the photoshoot for the cover artwork for the new album last night. As the album is going to be called ‘Take your own roads’ some of the potential photos were taken on the quietest road we knew…but we still came quite close to getting run over on more than one occasion. However, that’s nothing to the looks that we got off varying passing motorists! Gwen, our photographer, was possibly even more endangered as she was atop stepladders in the middle of the road!
Oh by the way, I have now started twittering (Some say that I never stop twittering!) Follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Queensberry1
Until later
Gary
We’ve got some Oboe being recorded this weekend too and Fiddle, Squeezebox, Brass and Piano going on shortly. It’s such a rush to get it all done even though the album won’t see the light of day until late September at the earliest, such is the time needed to promote the album in advance.
We did the photoshoot for the cover artwork for the new album last night. As the album is going to be called ‘Take your own roads’ some of the potential photos were taken on the quietest road we knew…but we still came quite close to getting run over on more than one occasion. However, that’s nothing to the looks that we got off varying passing motorists! Gwen, our photographer, was possibly even more endangered as she was atop stepladders in the middle of the road!
Oh by the way, I have now started twittering (Some say that I never stop twittering!) Follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Queensberry1
Until later
Gary
Monday, 1 June 2009
Welcome to our first Blog post!
This is just a quick introduction to say thanks for dropping by and if you haven’t already then please check out our brand new website at www.thequeensberryrules.com
The new site has lots of brand new features including an exhaustive list of every show we have ever played in the gig archive, all of our videos with information on the i button about the shooting of each video, an updated links page, new photographs and much, much more!
We will be using this blog to let you know more off-the-beaten track stuff about the band – insights into the recording process on the currently-being-recorded new album, new merchandising offers, news of radio sessions and interviews as well as recommendations of music, books and the like that have inspired us or which we have discovered on our travels that we think may interest you!
As always, feedback is essential on these things and this blog is as much yours as ours so let us know what you want to know about – maybe we can answer readers questions! Perhaps you want to know more about how we write our songs? or what our favourite gig was? Let us know and we’ll do our best to answer your queries.
In the next couple of weeks there will be some more additions to the site – A guestbook and shop will be added alongside some sneak previews of the new album! Our myspace page will also get a makeover shortly and we hope to upload some new tracks there too!
We do value your support and as a band are very excited about the new album and the next exciting phase in our musical journey.
Keep the Faith
Gary
The Queensberry Rules
Stoke-on-Trent
June 2009
The new site has lots of brand new features including an exhaustive list of every show we have ever played in the gig archive, all of our videos with information on the i button about the shooting of each video, an updated links page, new photographs and much, much more!
We will be using this blog to let you know more off-the-beaten track stuff about the band – insights into the recording process on the currently-being-recorded new album, new merchandising offers, news of radio sessions and interviews as well as recommendations of music, books and the like that have inspired us or which we have discovered on our travels that we think may interest you!
As always, feedback is essential on these things and this blog is as much yours as ours so let us know what you want to know about – maybe we can answer readers questions! Perhaps you want to know more about how we write our songs? or what our favourite gig was? Let us know and we’ll do our best to answer your queries.
In the next couple of weeks there will be some more additions to the site – A guestbook and shop will be added alongside some sneak previews of the new album! Our myspace page will also get a makeover shortly and we hope to upload some new tracks there too!
We do value your support and as a band are very excited about the new album and the next exciting phase in our musical journey.
Keep the Faith
Gary
The Queensberry Rules
Stoke-on-Trent
June 2009
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