I wasn’t sure if I should expect more of the same as last time, but I really was hoping for something a bit different. And of course, as usual, Andy delivered.

First up as his warm-up was Jon Gomm. I’d not heard of him before we bought the tickets, but a quick Googling took us to this incredible video. I mean, seriously, HOW?! It’s just ridiculously amazing. The man makes one guitar sound like an entire band! And what’s more, as we found out last night, he’s from Blackpool and dead lovely. After he regaled us with stories of his first gigs in Northern Working Mens’ Clubs and Glaswegian pensioners who wanted to hear something they knew, he treated us to one of the most remarkable covers I’ve ever heard…..his ‘emergency disco number’ in fact, his version of Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody had me bouncing in my seat with joy! Love!

When Jon introduced the next act, it was with such respect and awe that I couldn’t wait to see what was coming next! In fact, Preston Reed has been a massive influencer and hero of both Jon’s and Andy’s, and so I was super keen to hear him play. His sound is much more bluesy and blue grassy, but plenty funky too. I loved the sounds he created, not to mention his beautifully glossy silver curls! He makes playing look so incredibly effortless, despite the complex nature of what he’s doing. And when he finished up by promising us he’d be back at the end to play with Andy and Jon, I was more excited still!

Next up, Andy McKee himself took centre stage. I was really pleased to hear some things he’d not played when we saw him before, but more pleased still that he performed his amazing Hunters Moon and Drifting (two of my favourites and his most famous ‘percussive guitar’ songs). He’s such a charming performer, and it’s impossible not to warm to him instantly. Apart from that though, he is so amazingly skilled, and really does something different. I was only disappointed that he didn’t play his version of Tears For Fears’ Everybody Wants to Rule The World….. next time perhaps!

There was one last treat though, as promised, as Preston and Jon joined Andy on stage to play all together. They began by playing an adapted version of one of Jon’s songs, and we could see right away how well they work together and how much they enjoy it too. One of Andy’s songs was next, and I think this was the one that showed each musician off best….both Preston and Jon took a little ‘solo’ in it, and Andy just looked so thrilled to have them both there on stage with him. My favourites though were Preston’s songs that they played last, but still together. We were warned it was about to get a little more funky, and it certainly did with the whole audience clapping along and grinning just as much as the three men on stage. It was a real joy to see three solo artists join together so beautifully, and part of the charm of their performance together was how much they clearly just adore playing together.

It all made me want to pick up a guitar, and as I thought just that on the way home, I realised that what is not usually my favourite instrument (I’m a piano and violin girl usually) had just been used to such a level as I’d hardly realised they were all ‘just’ playing guitar. If you’re at all a guitar fan, or you just enjoy listening to something different, I couldn’t recommend seeing all three of these musical geniuses enough.

Ems x

I missed the last time Andy McKee came to play anywhere even vaguely close to where I live & I was strangely bereft & gutted to have gone without.  Honestly, it was like a little grey cloud hanging over me!  I was determined not to make that mistake EVER AGAIN.  So when I heard he’d be touring again I was DETERMINED to be there!  The icing on the cake was that he’d be performing with 2 other guitarists, one of whom’s CD I already owned.  I was THERE man…

Needless to say, the Guitar Masters visit to Sage Gateshead was utterly, utterly fantastic!  I was thrilled, not only to be out of the house on an evening, but to be surrounded by music I’d be listening to for years.  It was both exciting & comfortingly familiar!  Bravo to all; Andy McKee, Jon Gomm & Preston Reed.

The whole experience got me thinking; what OTHER concerts would I give my eye teeth to attend?..

1. AC/DC in 1980/81

2. Queen circa 1974/75

3. Free/Bad Company about 1972/73

4. Joe Jackson (Is She Really Going Out With Him era)

5. Squeeze 1981

6. The Police Live from Hatfield Polytechnic (Rock Goes to College edition)

Of course there’d be a few classic Hendrix, Who, Led Zep, Clapton & Elvis gigs in there too but those listed are particularly ‘me’.

How about you?

As you may know, a few weeks ago I moved out of London and up to Hitchin in Hertfordshire. It’s been a real adventure, and dead busy…..moving your home and two small businesses is no mean feat I have found, and with a stall to prepare for and some freelance work, it’s been pretty chaotic! Add all the issues we had with the new house, and really I’ve had no time to sit down at my computer!

But I’m aching to get back to it, and have lots of posts lined up to share with you. In the mean time though, I thought I’d catch you up (as requested!) with what’s been going on since I left The Big Smoke…..

On Monday 17th September, I finished packing up our things and hopped in a moving van to leave London. I’d lived there for 12 years, and other than my home town of Stoke on Trent, it was the only place I’ve ever lived. I had the most amazing time there, but the countryside was calling, and so here I now am in Hitchin, which is in fact the boyf’s home town.

The move went pretty well actually, despite the huge amount of ‘stuff’ I own. We had two fabulous moving men, who made easy work of carrying all of our stuff into our new house, and even smiled whilst they did it. I’d been fairly organised, and so most of the boxes ended up in the right rooms, but we opted to spend the first couple of nights at Adam’s parents’ house around the corner, mainly because of the yummy hot meals on offer and because Adam would need to work from there for a few days and starts pretty early!

I spent most of the first week at the house cleaning and organising….unfortunately it was nowhere near ‘liveable’ as it had been empty for a little while and the previous tenants were clearly not so house proud! But with the help of plenty of Flash, Cif, lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda, I got the place pretty clean ready for us to move in properly, and so by the third evening we were excited to spend our first night at the house!

We soon found out that we were to share the place with a few house mates…..whilst reading in bed on the first night, something caught the corner of my eye, and in fact I thought it was a mouse! It was actually this rather large spider, whom Adam promptly caught under a glass and deposited outside! We’ve found a few others since (all massive), and the garden is full of the stunning stripey spiders who weave incredible webs over everything.

Needing to get a break from the house sorting, and work in Adam’s case, we’ve taken lots of lovely walks through the town and in the nearby countryside. Just a few minutes walk away are the amazing Priory grounds, where you find a photo opportunity every other step. I’m loving the exercise and fresh air, as well as meeting dog walkers and such (I am getting even more desperate to get one or two of our own as a result!).

By the second week, it was time to start getting back to some work for me, and I cleared just enough space within the boxes in my new studio to get some things done. I’d been commissioned to work on a fashion installation with the UKFT just before leaving London, and so in the run up to the set up last Friday I spent hours at my sewing machine making props and readying my styling kit. On the Thursday evening I thought I’d better give my finger nails some TLC after all the cleaning and working, so they got a nice coat of polish ready for my trip into London the next day.

The installation is at the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation in Westminster, but I took the train to Kings Cross (only half an hour!) and walked the short way to Bloomsbury to the UKFT offices. There, we loaded the van with all the contributions from their members (with me peeking in each box in excitement to see all the treasure!), and then headed to Westminster to set everything up. I had a grand day putting it all together (and will post a bit more about it all soon, but in the mean time there are some sneak peek photos below!), and by 5pm I was back on my way home, and caught the fast train to make it in record time!

The following day we were up bright and early to scoot round the corner to the Riverside Craft and Farmers Market. I’d booked my first ever non-London stall there, and was super excited (and a little nervous) to see how my stuff would be received by the locals! It was also my first outdoor stall, although I was provided with a nice gazebo which gave me stacks of space and allowed me to put all my stock out for the first time. I’d been busily making some new brooches and pendants with a local theme, as so many of my things have a London vibe and I wanted to fit in right away!

It was a grand day of selling, chatting, networking and drinking lots of tea from a flask. The stall is only a few minutes from home, which meant Adam could nip back to bring me blankets and hot water bottles! We had lots of visits too, from friends and friends of friends, and we were all packed up and home by half four too!

I’ve booked onto the next few markets, which are in Hitchin on the last Saturday of the month…..I’ll also be at the Hertford Corn Exchange on the 20th October, and in the market square in Hitchin on the 9th December for the Christmas Gala!

On the Sunday, we were lucky enough to be able to get onto one of the occasional local history walks. Hitchin’s history dates back to the 7th Century, and the town is full of remarkable stories and evidence of its past. The house we moved into is Victorian, and still has its servants bell pulls and cold room, but it is actually relatively young for Hitchin, as there are Georgian and even Elizabethan properties still standing here. The walk showed us some of the highlights, and opened our eyes to some of the treasures in Hitchin’s architecture. I can’t wait to learn more….and to go on the local bat and ghost walks soon!

Hitchin also boasts some very old independent businesses, so I have been discovering places like the wonderful Brookers (a proper old fashioned hardware shop), and Hawkins (a department store who actually employ a proper town crier!) as well as buying up lots from the flea markets, car boot sales, antiques market and charity shops. Whilst I’d love to keep all my treasures, lots of them will actually be polished up and listed on my Etsy shop, so look out for an update on that!

As part of our historical eduction, we’ve been exploring some of our local pubs, purely for research you understand. The Coopers Arms is notable for its incredible Tudor fireplace, as well as a room upstairs recently uncovered by the landlord, which had been hidden by a wardrobe for over 100 years! Our favourite so far though, also happens to be our nearest….. The Half Moon has won awards from CAMRA and serves amazing guest ales, local ciders and yummy food. They also have a pub dog, and lots of countryside walkers like to pop in, with lots of them bringing their dogs!

I was rather pleased that our arrival coincided with sloe picking time. We went out last week to find some locally and came back with almost two kilos, which are now in the freezer waiting to go into gin! I also want to go and harvest the last few brambles, elder berries and rosehips to make jams, wines and schnapps with!

Part of the joy of moving to Adam’s home town, is that we are so close to his parents’ dogs. Piper and Newton soon learned the way to our new house, and understood that we were going to see them more often…..and of course where the biscuit tin we got for them is kept! Newton has been loving playing in our garden with various tennis balls, footballs and shuttlecocks that have ended up there (as well as exploring the wilder parts!)….whilst Piper has been my little un-packing helper, getting excited with each box opened and every treasure unwrapped!

In fact, they seem quite at home here now on their visits, and we’ve had to keep an eye on Piper who wants so very much to spend all day on our lovely new sofas! We’ve had to barricade the living room door when she’s been here, although that didn’t stop her from finding the only made up bed to lie on last week! Having been missing for a few minutes, I searched the house for her, only to find she’d made her way to our bedroom (there are four, so I’m not sure if she inspected them all for a suitable bed!) and was snuggled up on my best sheets. You’ve got to admire her intelligence and determination though.

One thing I have managed to make time for is lots of cooking and baking. We’ve had some really yummy meals over the last few weeks, and had Adam’s parents over as our first guests to yum up a cottage pie, as well as Hannah over for a late lunch of goats cheese and red onion tarts. I’ve been going to the market for lovely fresh fruit and veg, and making up some delicious soups for hearty warm lunches. Adam had been fancying a kedgeree since I had one at the Wolsey for my birthday breakfast, so I made one for him last week with great success….I’ll share the recipe soon hopefully.

To add to the cooking excitement, I’ve been able to forage a few things from our garden as well as the sloes from a nearby obliging field. We have a wonderful and huge bay tree in the garden, which has provided us with fresh leaves for pie, soups, the kedgeree and my Christmas mince meat. We also have elder berries out there (can’t wait til next year for the flowers so we can make Champagne!), as well as brambles and medlars which I will make into jam.

In fact, we have enough room too that I can start growing some of our own veg soon, and Adam’s mum has been busy working the garden to smarten and pretty it up. I’ve spent a little while out there too, mainly digging up some of the wild cyclamen from around the trees to save it from ivy. I love their pretty little pink blades of petals, and was overjoyed to find so many growing right down our wooded garden….. I’ve replanted some in the flower beds (as well as lots of bulbs for spring), some in pots and some around the other trees.

This Friday was a frenzy of baking and readying for Christmas, as I made three Christmas Cakes, the Christmas Mince Meat and for the first time, a Christmas Pudding! The house still smells all Christmassy now, and so I’m very much in the mood already! I’m most excited that we now have space for a proper sized Christmas tree again and can’t wait to go to the market to pick one!

Despite being so excited to be in our new home out of London, we’ve been delighted to find how quick and easy it is to pop into London. The trains take as little as 20 minutes from Kings Cross, and we made it to a recent wedding in Richmond in less time than some people who live in London!

We were most impressed with our journey to the Union Chapel in Islington last night though, which took us under an hour from door to door. We’ve been there a couple of times before, last Christmas to see the Puppini Sisters with friends Claire and Matthew, and first to see Andy McKee with friends Matthew and Siobhan. We enjoyed the latter so much that we bought tickets to see the talented Mr McKee again last night, and had a most amazing time seeing him, the legendary Preston Reed and the phenomenal Jon Gomm.

As we start to get the place more tidy and presentable, I’m getting excited to welcome our friends here. We’ve set a date for our house warming party, which will also be a bit of a festive celebration. I’ve not been able to host my traditional Christmas party for a couple of years, because I’ve been so busy with December parties at work. So I am incredibly keen to get planning for Christmas and visits and just enjoying a gorgeous new home!

And that’s the scoop! As I mentioned, I’ve got lots of posts lined up to tell you more about our new home, and what is in fact a very new lifestyle for me! Do keep me up to date with the London goings on though….I do miss it still!

Ems xxx

Those of you who haven’t heard Passionflower can view the video on Youtube here.

The whole evening was a musical treat and instantly added all of their albums to my wish list.

Please enjoy the images and as always feel free to leave any comments.

Andy McKee

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Andy McKee, Preston Reed and Jon Gomm live at the Quarterhouse in Folkestone, UK last week. I was introduced to the music of Andy McKee about 1 year ago (why it took me so long to discover him I will never know! ) and have become ever so slightly obsessed with his amazing skills and musicianship ! If you are not familiar with his music, McKee is a representative of the modern “acoustic-percussive-fingerstyle” genre and is a truly amazing guitarist. He was really FANTASTIC live. If you are not familiar with his check this out….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsD6uEZsIsU

Jon Gomm also gave a beautiful and captivating performance. He uses a guitar that is modified with banjo tuners on the 1st and 2nd string to create an awesome and melodic effect in his tunes.

Check him out here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY7GnAq6Znw.

Preston reed is one of the trailblazers of the “acoustic-percussive” style. Both McKee and Gomm (among many others) name him as one of their primary influences. It was amazing to watch him on stage with two other brilliant guitarists whom were so clearly influenced by his innovations.

What a night !!!!

McKee’s Guitars: A Baritone and his signature fan-fretted acoustic.

Reed, McKee and Gomm on Stage

Jon Gomm

Usman playing Fire Fly.

Preston Reed playing Tractor Pull.

Preston playing Ladies Night.

21-year-old, Karachi-based musician, Usman Riaz, made a quiet entrance into the local, Pakistani music scene in 2011  by way of his debut single, ‘Fire Fly,’ which fast became a viral sensation following its release by EMI Pakistan, who signed on Riaz when he was just 18.

Usman Riaz

With the release of his first EP, ‘Flashes and Sparks,’ released last year and an orchestral album, ‘Circus in the Sky,’ launched in 2012, Riaz is being admired and lauded as a gifted young musician par excellence in the country.  It’s pretty astounding, given his age, because Riaz’s music comes across as mature and far too profound for someone of just 21.

Having studied classical piano since he was 6, Riaz started playing the guitar at the age of 16. Given his family’s close involvement with the arts, it is little wonder then, Riaz’s deep passion for music and production. His great grandfather was an Eastern music scholar, in addition to being a multi-instrumentalist, while Riaz’s grandmother was an Eastern classical musician who played the harmonium and the sitar. Riaz’s parents, too, associated with local art and culture, were stage performers in Karachi.

Usman Riaz

“I was fascinated by the idea of doing something that has never been done before [in Pakistan]. I wanted to make something that allowed me to incorporate my classical piano training and other instruments with my guitar style and aesthetic sensibilities. I wanted to do it all on my own,” states Riaz, speaking about his work.

This year, in June, Riaz was selected along with 18 other individuals (from across the world) as a TED Global 2012 Fellow. Hosted in Edinburgh, Scotland, TED Global brings exceptionally talented individuals from around the world onto one platform to interact with each other, and to attend stimulating TED talks by an assortment of high achievers and trail blazers from different fields the world over.

Standing as the youngest Fellow to be selected for TED Global this year, perhaps the highlight of the event for Riaz was performing an instrumental duet with one of his “musical heroes,” Preston Reed – a famed American guitarist who introduced a unique method of playing the guitar – with both hands – a method that Riaz too uses when he performs.

“I’ve been watching his videos since I started playing guitar,” Riaz states, “To perform with him was more than a dream come true. We communicated via email [prior to the event]. We shared recordings of his piece; he would send me edited versions of it as well. We performed a piece called ‘Ladies Night.’ We only had one rehearsal prior to the main event but thankfully due to our preparations it went very well and we performed quite well on the stage I would say.”

Barring his lessons in music, in addition to his family’s influence, Riaz mentions that “the creative process has changed due to social media.” “Learning,” he says, “Has become so much easier. My great grandfather was an Eastern music scholar – it took him his entire life…he traveled the world to find people to teach him. For me, I just have to press a button to learn anything I want.”

As a young musician, Riaz states his education in music was primarily through the internet, where he would watch countless videos of his idols and then emulate their techniques – such as Reed’s technique for example. For aspiring young musicians in Pakistan, Riaz states that people shouldn’t be “scared” to avail technology to “make it happen.”

Usman Riaz with Preston Reed

“Some musicians come from broken homes and are poorer,” he says, “Therefore they need to please record labels to eat and can’t be too experimental because they’re under too much pressure.” Yet, Riaz believes that his generation in Pakistan can make a difference. “Great new musicians like Natasha Humera Ejaz, Mole, Orange Noise, etc, are emerging. It’s happening.”

Currently gearing up to leave for the US in the fall of 2012, Riaz will one of 30 young musicians – as part of ‘OneBeat’ (an international music exchange programme) – from around the world to collaborate and perform music together for four weeks in America.

Looking forward to performing in India in December for a TEDx event, Riaz states; “I know that Indian culture is very keen about music and the arts in general, and I sincerely hope that they will appreciate what I do. I cannot wait to get started.”

Circus in the Sky – Album Cover

While Riaz may have hit the jackpot after his TED Global fellowship selection this year, which he agrees, has “opened up many doors” for him, yet, Riaz’s advice for aspiring musicians – not just in Pakistan, but around the world – rings true.

With social media at its zenith, unknown musicians becoming world sensations via Youtube, and the ease with which correspondence/song sharing may take place – no matter the distance, musicians – in countries where social media remains half-heartedly untapped – really need to get with the programme. And fast.

While there are a handful of bands and artists creeping out of the local, Pakistani music woodwork who are producing music (uploaded on Youtube and other social networking sites), a greater push is needed to encourage offbeat, indie bands and instrumental Pakistani artists to grab social media by the jugular and put it to effective, proactive use.

The Hindu

Riaz, classically trained in piano and other traditional instruments, learned percussion guitar by watching videos on youtube.  In 2011, his video “Fire Fly” went viral and increased his recognition.  You can view another of his videos entitled “Saeen” here.  Watch out for his name as this young artist has a bright future ahead of him.

Connect with Usman Riaz at his twitter account, http://twitter.com/usmanriaz1990, or his facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Usman-Riaz/186017248076137.  His music is available on iTunes and Amazon Music, and you can read more about him here and here.

Preston and I go for a wander up the loch-side to blow away the hangovers

Not surprised we’re all a bit fragile this morning. It’s a cracking day, tho’ – so after a late breakfast we take a walk up the loch-side with Preston.

After our visitors head off I nip across to the studio to get a few ideas recorded. Trying a new approach to combat lack of time – it involved getting a ‘verse’ of guitar idea recorded and taking it into ProTools where it gets topped, tailed and looped. When I get time I’ll come up with something to go over the top and some lyrics to fit. One day I might put all these theories into one and get my finger out!

Time’s marching on. We’re going to a ‘curry night’ at the local village hall and although I love curry and indian food, I seem to have become (very) allergic to some kinda spice that’s often in t here and we’ve never worked out what. Might be cumin, nutmeg or something like that – allergy/intollerance testing last year indicated I have a problem with loads of things like coriander seed (but not corinder leaves!) and stuff often in spice mixes used in Indian food. I eat before we go rather than chance being rushed to Western Infirmary again – not so easy from up here!

It’s a great night along at the hall – the curries, by all accounts, are great and a veteran local photographer gives an interesting slide show of images from the area and a pretty amusing commentary. The organisers have also sourced an old BBC production/documentary about life on the loch which is really good. We also meet a load of local folks and generally ahve a good night out.

The hall is also ideal for a gig, so we enquire about hiring it for a show at the start of May.

Kaki King – Ritual Dance 

Kaki King – I Never Said I Love You

Kaki King – Doing The Wrong Thing

And If you have a few minutes left, check out the devine Preston Reed on youtube. 

A major shift came when he discarded skipping syncopation and approached his guitar more like a drummer. The slam-bang approach peaked with Metal (1995), which came close to the physical limits of the guitar.

Preston Reed

Now a further refinement has taken place. Long Ago (2005) is like a bluesy paraphrase of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and anticipates Spirit (2007). Here, Reed plays a solid-body guitar, and the dreamy, jazzy mood is suggested by titles such as Gershwin and Sultry Wes.

Interestingly, electricity brings out the openness and elegance of his playing. He sounds much more heavy-metal on acoustic.

Thu Oct 16, The Glee Club, Hurst Street, Birmingham. Doors 7.30pm, £10. Tel: 0871 472 0400. http://www.prestonreed.com

Neuropolitique‘s Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been? (New Electronica 22 1995) is OK. Very much of its time – a sort of ambient-tribal-dub techno existing somewhere between the Orb, the Advent and Global Communication. Enjoyable, but not essential.

From Fopp’s bargain bin I got copies of the remastered, expanded reissues of the first two Fall albums. Live at the Witch Trials (Castle 847) is a double CD with a adequately recorded live set as well as singles as bonuses. Dragnet (Castle 848) just has the Fiery Jack and Rowche Rumble 45s as well as loads of rejected takes (four of Rowche Rumble) which are fun to listen to once – at most. Dragnet is probably the better album, although both are crackers.

Finally, for a measly quid I snaffled a copy of Preston Reed‘s Metal (Outer Bridge 1002 2002). With cover blurbs acclaiming it as “one of the most unique and challenging guitar albums ever” and “a conspicuous guitar genius”, I couldn’t pass it over at that price. What you get is thirteen tracks of incredibly dextrous, and often mind-poppingly fast acoustic guitar. Eschewing the atmospheres of Loren Connors and the folksy atonalities of John Fahey, Reed pitches up somewhere between John McLaughlin and Ry Cooder, covering blistering bluegrass, jazz-picking and (as the title suggests) metal riffing – all on unaccompanied acoustic. Great stuff. It doesn’t seem to be in print any more, alas.

Dopo un po’ comincio a trovarlo sempre meno creativo, sempre uguale.

Ad ogni modo, Preston Reed è un chitarrista al di sopra di ogni sospetto. Una buona opportunità per conoscerlo è il sito broadjam.com: a questa pagina è possibile ascoltare sessantasette (67!) brani audio, molti dei quali in vendita. Reed è capace di spaziare fra una varietà di stili davvero impressionante.

Eccolo nella tappeggiante “Rainmaker”…