So i am band-less.
Although i am working away with Adam on Five Points. My urge to play live has come back a lot quicker than i thought it might. And so here i am looking for a band to form/join.
If anyone knows anyone or wants to join me in forming a new project/band whatever mail me:
michaelalp@hotmail.co.uk
With regards to style i am open. But really keen to start something doom/sludge orientated. Perhaps we can go from there but it's a starting point i would be really interested in resting my roots in as i have big love for the genre. Think of bands like Sabbath (Obviously), Kylesa, Clutch, Earth, Mastodon, Clagg, Iron Monkey, Electric Wizard, Charger... even black metal orientated doom sounds like Alter Of Plagues etc... Basically these are bands i like but i don't necessarily want to to sound like them. I want to create something new and exciting.
I have demo's and ideas to play you if you should need them. Get in touch if it sounds like your sort of thing.
Mikey
29 Nov 2011
18 Nov 2011
The Music Production Show
Hello there,
Hope you're all good. Prepping for winter i hope. It's been a warm November but i am sure that will change. As a certain popular HBO show will tell you 'WINTER IS COMING'. And i suppose to a lesser extent Arnold Schwarzenegger will tell you ' A FREEZE IS COMING' but the less said about that the better.
Last week me and my trusty partner in crime Adam Ever decided to mosey on down to The Music Production Show at Emirates Stadium. It's the first time i had ever attended anything like this, and with me being what can only be described as a "n00b" to all things production, it was quite a lot to take in. But i did enjoy it. Whilst i won't be winning a grammy any time soon, I do know my way around Logic to a certain extent, and can certainly put together a believable demo. I find it is a learning process and i love learning about it as i go along. So going to something like this and absorbing other peoples knowledge and immersing myself in the technology used, new and old, is most definitely the way forward for me.
At times i did feel as though i was in the deep end and the very nice people at the booths where at times perhaps (with a smile) unknowingly trying to sell me things i knew nothing about. A few things did take my fancy though. It was inescapable to notice that almost every booth by every brand had at least 1 of not more iPads powering something or acting as a controller for something. I was quite taken back by the functionality of the Yamaha apps that were powering synthesizers. The usability was astounding and the iPads where taylor made for musicians/producers seeking flexible, reliable, portably controllers in the vain of the popular'Korg Kaoss Pads'. What's more the apps were retailing at between £2-£3 for some of them. Whilst some of the uses still felt a bit gimmicky, as time goes on and the tablets become more powerful and the processors can handle more powerful functions. I really do believe they will become more ubiquitous in making music. Things are already moving so quickly. The first iPad came out in April 2010 and already we are in a situation where i can plug in my guitar and use GarageBand to throw together a complete (albeit rough) demo track. Now cast your mind forward 5 years... It's exciting to think of the possibilities.
Certainly a way forward and i believe it will open the door for so many more people to become involved in making music, which can only be a good thing in my opinion.
The whole experince also gave me a chance to play around on various synths and gadgets i wouldn't usually have an opportunity to play with. I was particularly fond of the Yamaha Tenori-On.
Whilst a hefty 'brand-new' price tag of £873 is quite frankly over-priced. It was a very cool gadget and would be great for improv live performances. YouTube 'Little Boots' live performances for some examples. At a lower price tag i would definitely consider one.
It also helped me build a list of what i need to get my home studio to a better standard and i now have a healthy list that should leave me broke for the next year or two. Pending that inevitable lottery win of course.
I shall end by saying that if you have even a remote interest in home recording, or you are a recording artist that goes to a studio to make their EP's/Demos' etc... I can't recommend something like this enough. It's a great way to learn 'hands-on' about new gear and technology that will inevitably effect the way you make and record music. If you are putting all your trust in a studio engineer to produce your record then thats great! But is not not better to have a little knowledge yourself so you know what is possible and how to achieve the best results? After all it's your sound, not theirs. I am not saying you need to tell him/her how to do their job. But having even a little knowledge will make it more of a collaboration. Which can only be good for the music you are trying to make, no?
Leave comments and thoughts below. Always good to hear other peoples opinions.
As is now tradition, i shall leave you with a song. This week it's from my friends in Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster who's new album 'Exegesis' is imminent. And i look forward to seeing them In London Bridge on 3rd December.
Hope you're all good. Prepping for winter i hope. It's been a warm November but i am sure that will change. As a certain popular HBO show will tell you 'WINTER IS COMING'. And i suppose to a lesser extent Arnold Schwarzenegger will tell you ' A FREEZE IS COMING' but the less said about that the better.
Last week me and my trusty partner in crime Adam Ever decided to mosey on down to The Music Production Show at Emirates Stadium. It's the first time i had ever attended anything like this, and with me being what can only be described as a "n00b" to all things production, it was quite a lot to take in. But i did enjoy it. Whilst i won't be winning a grammy any time soon, I do know my way around Logic to a certain extent, and can certainly put together a believable demo. I find it is a learning process and i love learning about it as i go along. So going to something like this and absorbing other peoples knowledge and immersing myself in the technology used, new and old, is most definitely the way forward for me.
At times i did feel as though i was in the deep end and the very nice people at the booths where at times perhaps (with a smile) unknowingly trying to sell me things i knew nothing about. A few things did take my fancy though. It was inescapable to notice that almost every booth by every brand had at least 1 of not more iPads powering something or acting as a controller for something. I was quite taken back by the functionality of the Yamaha apps that were powering synthesizers. The usability was astounding and the iPads where taylor made for musicians/producers seeking flexible, reliable, portably controllers in the vain of the popular'Korg Kaoss Pads'. What's more the apps were retailing at between £2-£3 for some of them. Whilst some of the uses still felt a bit gimmicky, as time goes on and the tablets become more powerful and the processors can handle more powerful functions. I really do believe they will become more ubiquitous in making music. Things are already moving so quickly. The first iPad came out in April 2010 and already we are in a situation where i can plug in my guitar and use GarageBand to throw together a complete (albeit rough) demo track. Now cast your mind forward 5 years... It's exciting to think of the possibilities.
Certainly a way forward and i believe it will open the door for so many more people to become involved in making music, which can only be a good thing in my opinion.
The whole experince also gave me a chance to play around on various synths and gadgets i wouldn't usually have an opportunity to play with. I was particularly fond of the Yamaha Tenori-On.
Whilst a hefty 'brand-new' price tag of £873 is quite frankly over-priced. It was a very cool gadget and would be great for improv live performances. YouTube 'Little Boots' live performances for some examples. At a lower price tag i would definitely consider one.
It also helped me build a list of what i need to get my home studio to a better standard and i now have a healthy list that should leave me broke for the next year or two. Pending that inevitable lottery win of course.
I shall end by saying that if you have even a remote interest in home recording, or you are a recording artist that goes to a studio to make their EP's/Demos' etc... I can't recommend something like this enough. It's a great way to learn 'hands-on' about new gear and technology that will inevitably effect the way you make and record music. If you are putting all your trust in a studio engineer to produce your record then thats great! But is not not better to have a little knowledge yourself so you know what is possible and how to achieve the best results? After all it's your sound, not theirs. I am not saying you need to tell him/her how to do their job. But having even a little knowledge will make it more of a collaboration. Which can only be good for the music you are trying to make, no?
Leave comments and thoughts below. Always good to hear other peoples opinions.
As is now tradition, i shall leave you with a song. This week it's from my friends in Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster who's new album 'Exegesis' is imminent. And i look forward to seeing them In London Bridge on 3rd December.
11 Nov 2011
Updates, FGH, undernightsky and some waffle...
Well thats it. 'From Great Height' is no more. I am sure that anyone who has found their way here has more than likely already read the official statement i posted online over at the 'FGH Blog'. So i won't bang on about it much more. But i felt i should probably just say a few things on my personal blog.
I felt it was the right time for us to draw a line under things. We had been working towards a common goal for close to 5 years and whilst we had achieved many great things, things i don't take for granted. Things that however small, it's important to realise that a lot of start up bands never get their music beyond their local venue and 10 of their mates. That we got to play our music to new people and be played on respected rock radio stations, appear in mainstream rock press, among other things is something i am immensly proud of.
However, creatively i felt like i had hit a wall and i was no longer writing for myself but writing for the band. I felt like for the most part i was writing what other people wanted to hear rather than what i wanted to hear. The irony of course is that i believe we were still writing great music. It's just not something i think i could have carried on with and convincingly give my all to. And i have never been about trying to cheat people. Underground/unsigned bands clearly don't do this for money or fame. So once you strip that away, all you really have left is integrity and i wasn't willing to compromise that.
But this is not the end of my musical journey oh no...! Five Points Of Articulation is full steam ahead. Me and Adam have all but finished the writing phase. Four brand new songs coming your way very soon. We are currently in the demo phase, just correlating ideas and trying to develop a sound that we are happy with. We are very close though. You can hear our first completed demo track here by the way. It gives you a good taste of what we are about. I have always been a big fan of artist such as Trent Reznor, Jesu, TV On The Radio and the film soundtracks of people like Nick Cave, Clint Mansell. Hopefully a little of that filters through in the new stuff, mixed with our own style and ideas.
Further to this i will be jumping back on the undernightsky horse. I have some unfinished demo's i really should get on with. I believe music can be both "pop" and "art" and not always at the same time. UNS was always art to me. The music is very personal to me and comes from some very deep emotions. For that reason it really is a labour of love but perhaps not something i was as willing to share as i thought i was. I listen to the stuff a lot on my headphones but have been reluctant to put it out. More so than i thought i would be. But i think the feelings that lead to them songs being written have faded a bit now and perhaps now is the right time to put them out there.
aaaaaaaaaand finally i have the bubblings of a new project. It consits of a few unreleased demo's i made that i originally intended to be 'From Great Height' tracks. We never got to rehearse them as a band though and usually before that happens the songs tend to be quite Michael-centric. For better of for worse, who knows? But i was really keen on these particular tracks and felt they would have pushed us in a new direction. These tracks are written. They just need to be re-recorded (You would be shocked if you heard the chop-shop loop based demos). I am just trying to work out what to do with vocals. I might even give it a stab myself. Never tried singing on my own tracks before. Could be interesting. Could be terrible. I won't know until i try i suppose.
I shall leave you with with a video of a track that i have been caining on my iPod recently. Great production, great song, great video. She is a legend in her own time if you ask me.
I felt it was the right time for us to draw a line under things. We had been working towards a common goal for close to 5 years and whilst we had achieved many great things, things i don't take for granted. Things that however small, it's important to realise that a lot of start up bands never get their music beyond their local venue and 10 of their mates. That we got to play our music to new people and be played on respected rock radio stations, appear in mainstream rock press, among other things is something i am immensly proud of.
However, creatively i felt like i had hit a wall and i was no longer writing for myself but writing for the band. I felt like for the most part i was writing what other people wanted to hear rather than what i wanted to hear. The irony of course is that i believe we were still writing great music. It's just not something i think i could have carried on with and convincingly give my all to. And i have never been about trying to cheat people. Underground/unsigned bands clearly don't do this for money or fame. So once you strip that away, all you really have left is integrity and i wasn't willing to compromise that.
But this is not the end of my musical journey oh no...! Five Points Of Articulation is full steam ahead. Me and Adam have all but finished the writing phase. Four brand new songs coming your way very soon. We are currently in the demo phase, just correlating ideas and trying to develop a sound that we are happy with. We are very close though. You can hear our first completed demo track here by the way. It gives you a good taste of what we are about. I have always been a big fan of artist such as Trent Reznor, Jesu, TV On The Radio and the film soundtracks of people like Nick Cave, Clint Mansell. Hopefully a little of that filters through in the new stuff, mixed with our own style and ideas.
Further to this i will be jumping back on the undernightsky horse. I have some unfinished demo's i really should get on with. I believe music can be both "pop" and "art" and not always at the same time. UNS was always art to me. The music is very personal to me and comes from some very deep emotions. For that reason it really is a labour of love but perhaps not something i was as willing to share as i thought i was. I listen to the stuff a lot on my headphones but have been reluctant to put it out. More so than i thought i would be. But i think the feelings that lead to them songs being written have faded a bit now and perhaps now is the right time to put them out there.
aaaaaaaaaand finally i have the bubblings of a new project. It consits of a few unreleased demo's i made that i originally intended to be 'From Great Height' tracks. We never got to rehearse them as a band though and usually before that happens the songs tend to be quite Michael-centric. For better of for worse, who knows? But i was really keen on these particular tracks and felt they would have pushed us in a new direction. These tracks are written. They just need to be re-recorded (You would be shocked if you heard the chop-shop loop based demos). I am just trying to work out what to do with vocals. I might even give it a stab myself. Never tried singing on my own tracks before. Could be interesting. Could be terrible. I won't know until i try i suppose.
I shall leave you with with a video of a track that i have been caining on my iPod recently. Great production, great song, great video. She is a legend in her own time if you ask me.
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