Only fans of Cardiacs know the special glistening feeling of hearing a new Cardiacs track for the first time. There have been many impersonators and some great covers, but when I heard the first 5 released tracks from 7Shades I had that feeling. It is great to hear some original music again, that has energy and originality in abundance.
It makes me wish I could play a musical instrument, and I feel half the age I am whilst listening. The tracks I have heard include “7Shades Album Mash Up”; which is a taste of the excitement to come (I hear there is a video in production for this song). “Permutations” made me smile and it was a real buzz to hear, on the strength of this song and the next “Rainbow Dragon Breathe” I’d say that I definitely want to see them playing live and would go well out of my way to do so.
Really you should check out the band camp website and also support their pledge music campaign here: SUPPORT 7Shades
Cardiacs were a great band whose music will stand the test of time, Tim Smith to those in the Cardiacs pond is a very special man and I hope that this 7Shades album is more than a footnote in the story of the pond and the hopeful and eventual full recovery of Tim Smith.
About a month or two ago I was approached by Zachary Ward to make a film for one of his songs. The idea that I have been working on was developed from a silent film that I made:
I am very pleased that he approached me as it has given me the opportunity to do a really do a major film project. The film making process has had ups and down along the way, but finally yesturday I shot it. It is still a little way from completion, with post production included. The song that I have been working with is called “Vast City” from the album “This Wonderful Playground”, by Zack Ward. A major work by Zack that I hope will be very successful, it deserves to be so.
I very much hope that the video that I am making for Zach will be well received. We have already discussed the possiblity of entering it into a music video competition, or competitions. In the film there are three actors; Seamus Hayes, Chloe Matheo and myself. Seamus and Chloe are also musicians, as well as actors. You can listen to their sounds here:
I have always wanted to perform, I guess it is self inflated belife in myself that makes this so. But I do want to perform. I remember dancing in my parents living room in my fluorescent socks to all kinds of crazy disco, as a child, I even practiced my robotics dance. But whether it was the lack of confidence or something else I did not really get the opportunity. In my early 20s I was in a band for a while called Toxic Cocktail, but I think I may have died on stage that first and only time I performed with them. Anyway it was a good experience and they were lovely people.
Since turning 40 I have been doing all the things I never got round to doing that I really want to do. I make films and write music, and more recently I have been doing some acting. But the thing I really want to do is to perform; to be on stage and entertain. About 18 months ago I purchasd Resolume software in order to become a video jockey. This never actually occured as there is not that much call for it in my village. However having this software is key to me now being able to perform live, because with this software I can mix short video and music loops live in real time on stage.
It was a revelation to me when I realised that performance was in my sights. I have just finished recording a new album and I am preparing the tracks for live performance. I have plenty of footage that I can utilise as I am an obcessive film maker also. Well thats it for now really.
Bands: Evil Scarecrow, Ten Cent Toy, Outcast the Plague & Metaprism
Date: 16/02/2014
Venue: Sound Circus, Bournemouth
The evening started off well with a Sunday roast at my parents, which was delectable. Anyway after this I travelled by automobile to the chain ferry at Sandbanks, “balls” I missed the ferry; this is significant because it meant I was late. Some might say its fashionable to be late, but when music is involved it is a tad shameful.
Anyway I arrived in one piece and paid my entrance fee, I then walked down the fairy lit gateway to Sound Circus. I say I missed the first two bands, but I got a bit of the second (Outcast the Plague) and they rocked. I thought then I had made the right decision in coming, even if I did look like a nark among the head bangers and 21st centaury punks. I met my friend and we got a drink and smoked some fags.
The second band Ten Cent Toy were really cool, the lead singer fought through his pain with enough gruffness to frighten a whole gang of children. A handsome man with dreads, he was in control and performed well; I thought in the smoke filled room that I had been overcome by some kind of crazy demonic possession. A young man, with tape stuck to his body patching up his wounded soul and young woman gyrated in the cages to the hard core sounds, this I thought was the headline; they were really good. Guitars in hand they made me remember why I love the underworld. I looked around at the audience and saw many people who were there because this is what they loved, they were real, sincere people that love music and love to have a great time.
During the interval we did not eat ice cream, but my companion and I drank and discussed the man dressed as a rather crude robot. I must admit I thought it kind of odd; but I had not been a minion of the Evil Scarecrows before. Why a minion, well you see as the band started and coaxed the crowd into participation, that evil indoctrination they taught me in school dwelled on my mind. What prey tell is this Charlie? This is the indoctrination that a strong man must lead, and not follow. Yes I know, silly isn’t it!
I was in for a treat this time, for this band had a great sense of humour, and it was not long before I was holding up my claw with everyone else. This says nothing about doing the Robotrone; something I thought I was too old for before became the reason why I was there. For I was a robot, like everyone else, I was a follower and that was okay because I felt part of something again. And all to the sound of a bassist that looked like a Nordic God, a drummer that was a freak show in himself, a lead guitarist that was owned by rock and roll, a lead singer that could bend the crowd like Uri Geller bends a spoon and that is not forgetting the delightful keyboardist; a horror doll that hypnotised me with one look. This was a great event, it was more than an event it was a performance and my only regret of the evening was that I did not do the waltz with my young companion; for this, it seemed, would have recapitulated my youth a little more than had actually been done by this whole experience. It is not often a band makes me laugh from my belly, and when this band did with their choreographed head banging and swaying I knew I was somewhere I wanted to be; at home in my heart.
unwelcomehuman 