David Garside

Joe Jackson

2011-12-22T11:59:00.001Z

I sometimes like to throw in a cover at acoustic gigs and this is one I really like to play.

I first listened to Joe Jackson properly a few years ago when I picked up a vinyl copy of the album Night and Day for 50p at a local fete. I listened to it a LOT and recommend it highly (the best known track from it is the sublime ‘Steppin’ Out’).

‘Is She Really Going Out With Him?’ is from his debut album where he clearly embraces the post-punk sound of the period. While ‘Is She…’ stands as one of his greatest songs, I don’t think he found his niche until later when it seemed he began to deliberately kick against the style of the moment and follow his own vision. I find his eclecticism very interesting and am going to make an effort listen to a lot more of his output.

As for the lyrical content – we’ve pretty much all been there, haven’t we?

'Modern Mediaeval' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 10

2011-11-30T23:50:00.005Z

By the time engineer Bob Lamb had recorded his cameo snare appearance on the end of this song, it was an obvious contender for the end of side 1 of the album, if not the final track.

I was pretty set on the last verse of ‘Glimpses’ ending the album for quite a while, but when it was decided that that song should appear uncropped, it was a fight between ‘We Share The Same Space’ and ‘Modern Mediaeval’. The snare outro on the latter sealed its victory. Probably.

It’s the only track on the album without any acoustic guitar, and having it as the last track leads quite nicely into my follow-up which will be completely devoid of it. And the 7/8 section in the middle nods towards the prog influence on a lot of my new material.

Given the tricky nature of this song in particular, I was always impressed with the ease in which drummer Danny Howes got a drum part together for it, if only because (as he kept reminding me and everyone throughout the making of the album) he is “not a drummer”! Not really that surprising though, as he’s a very talented bloke who can turn his hand to many things and excel in them, not least his true vocation – painting. His portrait of yours truly stares out from the inside of the gatefold sleeve and with his reputation as an artist flourishing, I feel honoured to have been the subject in his work a number of times.

We knew each other as friends prior to him joining the band and as I was chatting to him about being in the process of finding musicians he mentioned he used to play drums. I had no idea. So we got together for a mess around and before I could say “are you really a drummer?” he was in the band. I’ll always be grateful for his input not only musically but on the artwork for this and previous releases.

There was some lovely piano on this track too, played by Nick Wiley. Nick was a late addition to the line-up but just in time to put his mark on the sessions. His natural romantic, classical style was particularly effective on ‘Modern Mediaeval’ and I’m especially fond of the descending melody in the chorus.

On the whole, I have always let the songs and arrangements do the talking without getting into production tricks or sound effects…this song being a slight exception. The panned ‘Pink Floyd guitar’ (as Bob put it) and slammed door during the middle section, for example. It was funny trying all the doors in the studio trying to get the right sound. Bob’s famous sliding doors covered with band stickers didn’t quite cut it, but the heavy soundproofing one with a loose lock captured the ‘haunted house’ feel I was after and it got the gig.

When you’re slaving over the words in during the writing process, it’s easy to forget that sometimes people don’t care what you’re singing about as long as they can sing along (or at least they think they don’t care). I do like to make things up and sing nonsense in songs now and again, but like most songwriters when they do this, there’s usually a truth or confession hidden in there unconsciously. In this case, the lyrics are so allegorical, metaphorical, hydromatical…that sometime I forget what it is that I’m singing about when I play it live so I consult my mental Brodies Notes and all is well again. Not that it really matters what I meant it to be about, just sing along…

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this ‘Modern Mediaeval track-by-track’ series of blogs. For details about how to purchase the album on vinyl, CD or download, please go to http://davidgarside.bandcamp.com

'Cupid Boy' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 09

2011-11-29T23:56:00.002Z

'Cupid Boy' is the oldest song on Modern Mediaeval in that the writing of it dates back to around 1996!

I recall coming up with the main verse riff on guitar while playing along to songs on Neil Young’s Harvest Moon album. With a pinch of Muppets influence (I kid you not) the bulk of it was written. But not finished. By the late 90s I’d started playing acoustic and songwriter nights fairly regularly and I may be wrong but I don’t believe this was ever in my set. I had begun to develop a discipline for finishing songs instead of simply accumulating ideas (which still happens, admittedly) but this one slipped through the net until years later…

Around the time of completing work on my first album Take Control the song came back to me and I decided to try and finish it up. Extending the chorus a bit and writing the last verse or two, I believe. Certainly giving it a structure. It was immediately obvious that the 6/8 feel of the song and the slow chord changes felt much more comfortable on the piano and that swapping of instruments was the final blowing away of dust it needed to give me the inspiration to finish it. It was too late for it to appear on Take Control though and I remember being frustrated about that as I was excited about it and wanted to work it up with a band as soon as possible.

Similarly with ‘Mr Wise’, I have to say that in singing about a ‘Cupid Boy’ I am not referring to myself (or am I..?!) The lyrics were inspired by and ‘directed at’ a specific person from the early stages of writing but even then only loosely and by the time the chorus comes around, it’s really meant to be a universal plea. The opening line “One single lover…” was a phrase that had been going round my head for years after first writing it in ‘Cupid Boy’ and I was glad to finally get it out on record to prevent me from trying to use it in every song.

While working with Bob Lamb I got used to his way of expressing his opinion on songs or ideas with his dry and succinct comparisons or descriptions. In the case of ‘Cupid Boy’ it was – ‘stripper music’ (I think it was the horn part) and he’d tell a tale of how he used to play drums in a Birmingham stripclub band. I’d beam with delight at the idea of making stripping music and it’s definitely a concept album begging to be made at some point…

For more details on how to purchase Modern Mediaeval on vinyl, CD or download, please go to http://davidgarside.bandcamp.com

'The Happy Gang' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 08

2011-11-28T23:53:00.006Z

Despite there being guitar all over the album, I consider this to be the most ‘guitar-y’ track as it’s not quite as overwhelmed by strings or horns as the others. In fact, it’s the closest to having a traditional ‘guitar riff’ as heard in the outro. I couldn’t resist having some extra trimmings, though.

In a song like ‘Soulful Numbers’ the cello has a gentle ‘chamber’ quality but here, it adds a gritty texture which highlights its versatility as an instrument. The sax solo, played by Sam Rodgers, was mainly improvised on the spot (I directed how it should begin by harmonising with the end of my guitar solo). One of the happy accidents of the sessions was how towards the end, it sounds as if Sam had to make a quick melodic downturn to end on a note which fitted with the final chord. Whether or not this was intentional, I like the way it sounds like it was a sudden decision and it gives it a feeling of tension which suits the mood of the song.

One of the highlights of the arrangement for me is the bassline played by Matthew Cheale, specifically on the verses. The chord progression incorporates a descending note pattern and it would be very easy to come up with a fairly nondescript bassline which takes its lead from this. Matt created a pattern based around a three-note riff which embraced the progression but in a very subtle way as to make it practically unnoticeable. Throughout the whole album, Matt calmly and confidently created rock solid bass parts which supported the songs immaculately. His temperament in general was an invaluable bedrock for the successful execution of the album.

I wrote ‘The Happy Gang’ on guitar, but when I decided to arrange it for piano to perform it on the summer 2010 tour, the song was given a new lease of life in my eyes and I enjoy including in my sets.

For details about how to purchase Modern Mediaeval on vinyl, CD and download please go to http://davidgarside.bandcamp.com

'Glimpses' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 07

2011-11-26T22:54:00.003Z

‘Glimpses’ runs a close second to ‘We Share The Same Space’ as the track I am most happy with and enjoy listening to from Modern Mediaeval.

It’s an unusual song for me in that, for the most part it is a ‘variation on a theme’ – the one chord progression repeating in various styles and arrangements. I liked how the different instruments and vocals appear and come back again, having their little moments in the spotlight. The ‘New Orleans jazz’ section was a fun studio moment. I told the horn section to improvise in that style, not paying attention to what each other played and to see what happened. I think we only had to do about two or three takes before we got ‘the one’.

The original idea for the album tracklisting involved this track being split up into about four sections and interspersed with the rest of the songs. The final verse from 3’30’’ onwards (“I’ve looked in mirrors…”) was to end it. We spent a long time trying to create separate mixes for these sections as the song couldn’t simply be ‘cut up’ due to the interspersing instrumentation. It was quite tricky to mix the song in general as some passages were sharing tracks on the tape and there was a lot of panning and volume changes to be made.

Ironically, considering the effort required to mix ‘Glimpses’, the string section in the intro was actually taken from a very hasty, rough mix done for me to take home after they were recorded. It captured something which later mixes failed to, so it was cut and pasted onto a more formal mix during the mastering. (For me, that passage has a ‘quartet at a summer tea party on the lawn’ feel which was unintended but that’s what it seems to evoke. It’s nice when you can surprise yourself rather than everything being premeditated.)

The lyrics dealt with a variation on déjà vu I experience which came to be quite fitting as a similarly eerie mental phenomena surrounded the writing of the song…

There have been quite a few occasions in my life when I’ve been convinced something was the case from having heard, been told, or seen it etc., and then found out it wasn’t the case. I’ll argue my case stubbornly, genuinely believing my recollection is correct and then I’ll be astonished and confused to learn it isn’t. It would be a humbling experience but it keeps happening! And it’s impractical to go around double-checking everything before being sure of things, especially when the instances are so inconsequential…

I came up with the line “a city man with grass beneath his feet” and thought to myself “oh yes, that’s borrowed from a track I heard on that giveaway CD from that music magazine”. I even ‘knew’ which track it was and the artist. Didn’t even need to check. I even felt that I remembered the moment I first heard the track in question. But when I did come to listen back to it, for amusement’s sake, the line didn’t materialise. It wasn’t it in any of the other songs on the CD, nor on any song on any giveaway CD I’d recently bought. Googling didn’t reveal it to be in any other song. A case of trying to prove one did plagiarise something!

It was such a vivid and specific association and still a mystery. It’s very unnerving how you sometimes cannot trust your own mind.

For details about how to purchase Modern Mediaeval on vinyl, CD or download, please go to http://davidgarside.bandcamp.com

'Code Blue' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 06

2011-11-25T23:52:00.011Z

The recording of this song saw one of the most awe inspiring moments I’ve had as a musician.

Many of my songs address family relationships, children in particular, and ‘Code Blue’ is a child (pun half-intended) of ‘What Do You Know?’ from my first album Take Control. From “How will I feel if I became a father?” to “I’m about to become a father. How do I feel?”

As with ‘Soulful Numbers’, I wanted the guitar arrangement to take centre stage but to give it some colour, I decided a solo violin part would suit the song nicely and started looking around for a player. I wanted someone who was comfortable with improvisation as I didn’t want to write anything or pre-arrange the part. Having exhausted all the Midlands-based players on my contact list, I was recommended Bristol-based Lizz Lipscombe. It felt quite an ask to expect her to come up for one session, let alone one song, but I was assured it was ok and sent her an mp3 of the instrumental backing/guide vocal which had already been recorded.

Unbelievable thinking back, but I took the risky decision to bypass getting together to run-through ideas and arrange to meet for the first time at the studio. An expensive approach, but I was in the middle of the album sessions, on a high and confident we’d be able to come up with something.

I was expecting to spend a large part of the evening going through the different sections of the song, trying things out and finally getting a good take. As she took her violin out of her case, Lizz mentioned she’d been working on a few ideas, which I hadn’t necessarily expected or presumed. So, things sounded promising. Within five minutes of arrival, Bob pressed play on the tape machine and Lizz proceeded to play an amazing arrangement, note perfect, and pretty much what you hear on the album. I was astonished and my verbal reaction was that this was probably going to be the shortest session in the history of the studio.

After barely one or two more run throughs and maybe one drop in during the actual recording, the thing was done. I realised this was what being a professional session musician should be all about.

I felt honoured that someone would give so much thought into preparing a part that worked so well for one of my songs without having previously met. I haven’t mentioned the amazing work put into the album by the core band of musicians and their time will come, but this was such a special moment in the recording process that I wanted to give it due mention.

Someone who has gone on to be an essential part of the sound of my current band and my live performance is pianist Paul Rahme and he makes his recording debut with me on ‘Code Blue’. His mock-harpsichord part is also very cool but – in the context of what we have gone on to work on together – a mere hint of what is to come on End Of The Pier, folks, so watch this space!

Here is me, Paul and Lizz performing the song live.

For details about how to purchase Modern Mediaeval, please got to http://davidgarside.bandcamp.com

'We Share The Same Space' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 05

2011-11-24T23:45:00.005Z

Of all the tracks on Modern Mediaeval, ‘We Share The Same Space’ is the one I’m most happy with in terms of the way it turned out.

I think most artists would gladly go back and remix (if not re-record) a lot of their work. Circumstances at the time of working may result in compromises or simply failing to get the result you wanted. Hindsight reveals a lot of things you'd have done differently. By the same token, it can also reveal things that you only appreciate after some time has passed. For instance, I’ve discovered that what I don’t like about a particular recording is exactly what some listeners do like about it. Reassuring to some degree – depending on how immovable my feelings towards the song.

‘We Share The Same Space’ came closest to achieving the original vision I had for it individually, as well capturing the spirit I envisioned for the arrangements and sound of the album as a whole. And it’s the song with the most emotive content, personally speaking - feeling a closeness with someone even if they can’t be with you for whatever reason. And there are personal messages and references not just in the lyrics but within the actual music.

Stories of songwriters getting sudden inspiration, walking over to the piano or guitar and writing the song instantly may be a cliché, but it is what happened to me in this case. The title phrase was said to me during a phone call and as soon as it ended, I went over to the piano and wrote the chorus. The rest of the song came a bit later, and I remember spending quite a bit of time getting it right.

I remember the string arrangement at the end coming together very quickly. I sat down to write some quick sketches and the whole section practically wrote itself, almost in real time! It’s very satisfying when that happens. My inner critic thought “This can’t be finished, I’ll have to come back to it and make some adjustments, as usual” but I knew deep down that I wouldn’t/shouldn’t bother and to just let it be. Moments like that, son, are why I’m in this crazy business…

I’ve mentioned in previous blogs in this series when some particular song or artist has perhaps been an influence. In this case, I was very aware of taking cues from different places and this song is like a patchwork quilt of elements from my record collection. I make no apology for this as it was a distinct and valid part of the creative process. It’s a warm memory of how the song came to be and I can still point to the places where certain songs or artists are reflected…not that I’m going to list them! This is not meant to be a completely naked blog. Just like the lyrics in most of the songs, it’s wearing some fancy underwear to retain a bit of mystery.

I often end my acoustic sets with this and while having to sacrifice the brass riffs which are quite a big part of the song, I think the jauntiness of the thing carries it along, regardless. It’s taken on a life of it’s own in that respect and like a lot of songs on this and other albums, there’s the recorded version and then the version which goes on to be performed live. Which is how it should be. I always wish those strings could be there, though.

For details on how to purchase Modern Mediaeval, on vinyl, CD or download, please go to http://davidgarside.bandcamp.com

'Soulful Numbers' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 04

2011-11-20T18:25:00.003Z

Anyone who plays fingerstyle guitar runs the risk of comparisons with Nick Drake (and increasingly not in a positive context). I am a huge fan of his music but the guitarist who was the biggest formative influence on this aspect of my playing was, in fact, Paul Simon.

In my teens, I used to listen to Simon and Garfunkel albums a lot with my girlfriend – Sounds Of Silence, in particular. I really admired the guitar part on the song ‘April Come She Will’ and remember saying “I wish I could play that”. She replied with something along the lines of “Well, why don’t you figure it out, then?” So, I gave it a go and discovered that it wasn’t as impossible as it sounded. That must have given me a lot of confidence and I learnt a lot more Paul Simon parts after that.

With the help of some Leonard Cohen and Beatles’ acoustic moments (Blackbird, mainly), I found my way into playing my own style of…fingerstyle. The fact that I also spent the first few months of learning to play the guitar on an electric without a plectrum (nice one, Santa) undoubtedly helped me gravitate towards it, too.

My main memory of writing this song is coming up with the main riff that you hear at the beginning and walking around the room, constantly playing it to myself for quite a while before moving on to composing the rest…practising playing it standing up (because if you can’t play it standing up then you can’t really play it!) I was pleased with the descending bass riff which I could either play with my thumb or first finger depending on how I felt…yeah, baby…

And it was an opportunity to write an obscure song about mental phenomena. What do you see when you close your eyes? What patterns do your lists make?

By this point, my wife Liz had had a huge influence on me, musically; the inspiration to write my first ‘cello parts, then full string quartet arrangements. ‘Soulful Numbers’ is one of her favourite songs of mine and I’m glad that I wrote a ‘cello part she likes and which certainly showcases her playing.

For details on how to buy Modern Mediaeval on vinyl, CD and download, please go to http://davidgarside.bandcamp.com

'Mr Wise' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 03

2011-11-15T12:22:00.004Z

This song is a prime example of using what I think of as a songwriting ‘device’. Giving yourself certain parameters to kickstart the creative process.

I’d discovered the early albums of songwriter Dean Friedman who I later learned was regarded as a bit of a figure of fun to some people. “The Singing Duck” was one description I heard. Regardless of this, I liked his songs and particularly appreciated his utterly New York-ness, especially in his voice. So, I decided I wanted to write a Dean Friedman-type song and conjure up New York…playing piano late at night in a Manhattan penthouse sipping cocktails…something Frank Sinatra would sing. Of course, it doesn’t matter that the result didn’t sound like ‘Strangers in The Night’. Or Dean Friedman. I was happy to have used the “let’s conjure up New York” device as a vehicle to write a song that sounds like something I would write and which has kind of become my theme song in some people’s eyes. But…

…I am not referring to myself as Mr Wise! I think this is fairly explicit in the lyrics but I want to make that clear!! (Neither is it about Ernie, as my friend Ian insists.) ‘If only I could be…it’s very easy to be…Mr Wise’ is a basic summary of the song and it actually follows on from ‘Don’t Be Scared’, thematically. The protagonist and the nemesis have grown up and their relationship developed. It’s also about ignoring some of those neuroses, giving oneself a kick up the arse and getting on with life.

I really enjoyed putting the arrangement for this together. It was the one song I felt most trepidation about as I had a vivid sound picture I wanted to convey and (most vitally) a specific musical heritage I wanted to pay tribute to without creating a pastiche. I didn’t have the full Nelson Riddle orchestra at my disposal, but I used the brass to accentuate the swing rhythm and – together with the strings – it developed into more of Burt Bacharach-meets-70s L.A. feel. Driving around the mountains in an open-top car. Myself and engineer Bob Lamb were both fans of the Art Garfunkel album Breakaway and I think the lush, drowsy feel of the song reflects that. It also mirrors the lyrical context of sitting indoors (writing a song, perhaps) when you should perhaps be out there, soaking up the sun and not working yourself so hard.

A trumpet solo was something I’d planned for the track from its early beginnings and I couldn’t have been happier with the way it turned out. I can remember writing out the chord sequence on a bit of paper in the studio for musician Paul Bennett to improvise over and it only took a few takes to get it down. A spine-tingling moment.

The whole band did a fine job of playing the rhythm track and since then, it has become a favourite of mine to play live. The way my keyboard player Paul Rahme brings his passionate playing to the song’s conclusion at gigs is a wonder to behold!

For details about how to purchase Modern Mediaeval on vinyl, CD and download, please go to http://davidgarside.bandcamp.com

'Don't Be Scared' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 02

2011-11-10T19:31:00.006Z

It might be (understandably) difficult to make out that parts of this song depict a conversation – one between the speaker/singer and their nemesis. If ever these lyrics were reproduced somewhere, it might make more sense to present them in prose. But, as it is, I’d rather the listener place the quotation marks and imagine the change of speaker wherever it feels right to them.

Originally, I intended the song to be about the trials one might go through during childhood – at school, specifically. However, I realise now it can be relevant to any stage of life or situation when we feel intimidated or persecuted.

But, don’t be scared – enjoy!

I’m looking at the electric piano I wrote the majority of this on and remembering it actually began on guitar…

I used to live in Moseley, the self-styled bohemian centre of Birmingham and can remember standing at the bus stop outside my flat and the opening melody coming into my head. I rushed back inside, recorded it on guitar and back outside again in time to catch the bus (those number 50s come along every minute anyway). I’ve still got that tape somewhere. Moved out the flat though.

That initial intro melody was always going to be an integral, catchy part of the song – my variation on the Film (year) theme tune as engineer Bob Lamb would say, in a gently teasing way. I assume the reason I eventually transferred the song over to piano was that it was easier to double that melody under the vocal than if it was played on guitar. It’s such a satisfying piece to play on piano, but I still (perversely) play it on guitar occasionally at gigs.

Often you think a song is finished but only realise when you find yourself writing another section that it needs something else. In this case, the sections first heard between 1’05’’ and 1’37’’ weren’t in the song for a while. I considered everything leading up to the main “don’t be scared” refrain to be the verse. In its finished state, it’s actually one of those songs which has more than one variety of verse. As I was writing the new part, I heard a conversation going on downstairs about Elton John. I’m not really a fan of his, so maybe trying to ignore it pushed me along a little.

(On the theme of subconscious influence, there’s a line in the song I’ve recently realised must have been accidentally ‘borrowed’ from Peter Gabriel. I’ll leave it to fans to spot it!)

While arranging guitar parts for the album (and this song in particular) it really hit me how much of an influence George Harrison had been on me. I’d never really thought about his playing that much before. There were other guitarists I’d more readily name check as favourite players and was always more likely to work out the song structure and chords of Beatles songs than the lead lines. I suppose everything he played was so tasteful and appropriate that it had washed over me as part and parcel of their greatness. There isn’t much guitar in ‘Don’t Be Scared’ but every note was given careful thought…which are the elements I feel are at the heart of George’s style.

When it came to recording this song, the main challenge for me was to nail the piano part. As a musician, I do tend to speed up, whatever instrument I’m blowing into. Bob Lamb (whose studio I was recording in) highlighted the fact I was always ahead of the beat, anticipating it, making it sound hurried and tense. He encouraged me to lay back and take it easy. To be late, if anything. It’s something I’m still mastering and whenever I hear either myself or someone else rushing, I always think of Bob.

Next up – ‘Mr Wise’. I am not the walrus…

For details about how to buy Modern Mediaval on vinyl, CD and download please go to http://davidgarside.blogspot.com

'Be My Signpost' - Modern Mediaeval track-by-track, part 01

2011-11-08T20:36:00.002Z

Over the next couple of weeks I thought I’d take you through my most recent LP Modern Mediaeval and say a little bit about the songs. I’m chomping at the bit to bring out my new album but, in the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading my retrospective thoughts on these tracks.

I often start or end acoustic gigs with this as it gets my blood flowing nicely and it’s also an effective way to end the set on a high. In that sense it could have quite easily opened or closed the album. But the closer was always a fight between two of the other tracks (I’ll get to that in another post).

When I listen to this album version, my main memory is Nick Wiley recording the piano part and thinking it sounded like ‘old sailing ships’ (not quite sure what I was thinking there!) I was pleased with how the string arrangement turned out on this one and the cello riff which first happens at 0’57’’ is one of my favourite musical moments on the LP.

The song came about from doing some stretching exercises at home. I was standing in what might be called the crucifixion position (nice) and I imagined myself as a signpost with each arm pointing in opposite directions. Any old daft thing like that can spark off an idea for a song.

The main writing process was one of those occasions where I came up with quite a few different sections and enjoyed putting them together so they flowed nicely. I think it’s one of the more transparent lyrics on the album so there’s probably no need to explain what it’s all about.

It’s one of my favourites to play live as it works so well in its original stripped-down state. Here’s a lively version filmed in Nottingham, 2010.

Next time…’Don’t Be Scared’…of what?!

For details about how to purchase Modern Mediaeval on vinyl, CD and download please go to http://davidgarside.bandcamp.com

End Of The Pier - live at PARADE 2

2011-08-31T00:39:00.006+01:00

At the next Frizz Records PARADE event, my band and I are going to be doing something very special.

We will be performing my forthcoming new album (working title – End Of The Pier) in its entirety. In track order. Live. For the first time.

It's felt good in rehearsal.

We’ve been performing most of the songs for a while, but playing them together as if putting on the record does give them a new, collective identity - something I always envisaged.

It’s going to feel great at the gig.

Close your eyes, and it will be like listening to the record in the company of friends.

‘Side A’ will set the scene with a sequence of progressive-pop nuggets.

Then there will be a few moments breathing space to stretch your legs, refill your martinis and flip over the virtual vinyl for the generally more lengthy pieces comprising ‘Side 2’.

All snugly within 45 minutes.

45 minutes of prog-pop-art-rock.

We can’t wait…to see you there.

Full details can be found at the Facebook event here.

House Concerts

2011-08-24T17:32:00.011+01:00

Book me to play in your living room!

Quite often people aren’t able to attend my gigs because they’re unable to get to the venues or the dates aren’t convenient.

Wouldn’t it be good if you had a say over when a gig takes place…who to invite*…and experience it in the comfort of your own home?

Popular in the US for a while, house concerts are a fun, alternative way to enjoy live music – and for artists like myself to reach their audience.

Your house doesn’t have to be turned into a music venue!

All the host needs to provide is a space for me to stand and perform and as much comfortable seating/floor space necessary for the number of guests you want to invite.

"But my house is a shoebox!"

It doesn't matter! One of my most fulfilling experiences was playing to just two people for someone's birthday. I don't even need a mic stand or amplification in that sort of set up.

If you do have a big place, then we can organise something appropriate for it - maybe use some small amplification. But if you want to keep things to a small gathering of a handful of friends, that can work really well.

There is simply no better setting for hearing my material performed acoustically.

You will hear me perform my songs on acoustic guitar interspersed with the stories behind them…with no glasses being broken, drunken, rowdy audience members or other unwelcome distractions associated with traditional music venues!

With an intimate gathering of friendly guests, a house concert can be a truly unique and rewarding social event and it is very easy to host one**. You will be given all the help and guidance you need and we will work together to ensure the event goes smoothly.

If you are interested in having me perform at your home, please email davidgarsidemusic@gmail.com for more information.

Take a look at my YouTube channel to see clips of me playing acoustic versions of my songs...http://www.youtube.com/davidgarside

* Advertising the event publicly is at the discretion of the host.

** Hosts do not incur any costs other than certain expenses which will be explained on enquiry (guests are requested to pay a minimal entrance fee).

Stewart Lee

2011-08-19T06:23:00.010+01:00

I’m awake in the very early hours reading comedian Stewart Lee’s book ‘How I Escaped My Certain Fate’. Initially I couldn’t sleep, but now I don’t want to sleep because I’m enjoying it so much. In fact, I don’t want the book to end. Which is why I’ve stopped to write this blog. And I’ll keep it short as I want to carry on reading it.

I bought the book on the strength of really enjoying his recent TV shows and it does not disappoint. Until a few years ago, I’d only ever been aware of his name/existence. I don’t remember watching any of his TV appearances before his first 'Comedy Vehicle' series in 2009. If I did, they obviously didn’t have much of an affect on me. But the affect of seeing that first series was to make a lot of other comedy seem somehow wrong and false. I can see how his ‘superior’ persona on-stage could put people off. And maybe it did me years ago and I don’t remember. But you soon realise it's a style of delivery and appreciate his technique...not ‘deconstructing’ comedy but – as he puts it – showing the working in the margins. Not to say that it's an intellectual exercise or lecture. He is very funny. This book is making me laugh out loud. I’m reminded of when I first came across Ricky Gervais on the 11 O’Clock Show which triggered a huge “YES!” all those years ago. I now feel ambivalent about Ricky. That may be due to my own tendency to analyse and see the cracks in most things/people/art…I still love him really, albeit from more of a critical distance. But, I digress. I want to get back to Stewart’s tales of woe and wins.

A Youtube video…I’d recommend anything from his ‘Comedy Vehicle' shows, but here’s a live clip. Night, night!

"Books are good, parading's better..."

2011-08-01T18:16:00.018+01:00

This Thursday 4th August sees the first Parade event, a monthly Frizz Records showcase held at Servants Jazz Quarters in Dalston, London.

I originally planned a trio line-up with my drummer Lydia Glanville on percussion and Liz Garside on 'cello. Lydia can’t make it now, unfortunately, but Liz and I are looking forward to playing together as a duo. It was something we used to do regularly but don’t get the chance to so often these days. It was Liz’s playing that first inspired me to write string parts for my music and it’ll be great to be accompanied by the deep resonance and melodic lines of her 'cello once again.

In fact, this summer marks 10 years since I recorded my first CD, Clockwatching, an EP of three songs featuring my earliest 'cello arrangements (played by Liz, naturally).

It’s also 5 years since we recorded the Paul McCartney tribute album Half The Man. We recently made a video talking about the making of the CD…

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Songs from both these releases will feature in our set on Thursday.

This talk of anniversaries is all very nostalgic, but I must stress how excited I am about the FUTURE! After a fairly long break, I’ll soon be back in the studio with my band and producer Raphael Mann working on my new album. It'll be my most cohesive and ambitious work to date and I’m already proud of the songs and the work put into them by my band.

I’ll be showcasing the material with my band at the next Parade. Until then, I hope to see some of you this Thursday.

PS Click here for a masterclass on how to Parade.

The rhythm and the blues: John Lennon

2010-10-09T11:27:00.025+01:00

I’m sure there will be a sea of blogs today on the same theme as this, but what the hell...I'm sure I thought of it first!

Today would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday had not his own fears about being assassinated come true.

One of my earliest memories is being in the primary school classroom and hearing talk between my teacher and classmates about somebody famous having been shot. I distinctly remember a vision being planted in my head of a man and a gun, but who it was meant nothing to me, until…

…about 8 years later I was obsessed with The Beatles. My Dad had given me his small collection of records (1967-70, A Collection of Oldies, Beatles For Sale and Help!). I took them up to my bedroom and didn’t come down for about 4 years. The result was I gave up on being a professional American footballer (didn’t want to be like everyone else) and decided becoming the Fifth Beatle would be much easier. All I wanted was a harmonica like John’s but my Mum suggested, “Why not get a guitar instead?” (and thus responsible for kickstarting a tendency of taking ideas to extremes..!) Lots of other artists have influenced me since then, but there is something about John’s single-mindedness and vulnerability which is eternally compelling. Hence, 12 years later…

…I wrote and recorded a song in tribute to John called ‘One Northern Man’ which appears on my first album Take Control. Above is a new version of the song I recorded especially for this blog with my keyboard player Paul Rahme and below is a video I made a few years ago for the album version.

I hope you enjoy the videos and I hope you enjoy listening to John’s music today.

Peace x

Box of chocolates

2010-09-23T00:25:00.007+01:00

It’s a busy and exciting time at Garside HQ…

Many of you will know that I’ve begun recording a new album set for release on Frizz Records sometime next year. It’s being produced by Frizz boss Raphael Mann at the funky Gizzard Studios in East London and – as with all Frizz releases – recorded onto glorious analogue tape...

My last album Modern Mediaeval was very much an ‘orchestral pop’ record, with strings and horns galore, but this will be quite a different affair. I’m keen to present the work of a self-contained band...so, no guest musicians popping in to do a kazoo solo. If there does end up being a kazoo on there, you can be sure it’ll have been played by one of us four…either myself, Paul Rahme (piano/keyboards), Rob Anstey (bass) or Lydia Glanville (drums)!

Not only am I excited to see the recordings come together, I’ve been in cahoots with the hardworking Frizz Fairys in organising another double-headed tour with Art Terry. The June jaunt was great fun and we were eager to do another one as soon as it started. So, in November we will be revisiting a couple of the cities we previously played (Manchester, London) and making our joint-debut at some new ones (Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Oxford…and hopefully Bristol).

It’s essentially an acoustic tour but to keep things spicy for all concerned we’ll be joined by some unannounced guest musicians on different dates. The tour will be like a box of chocolates - you never know whatcha goh-na gayert...

For more info on the tour click here to see the Facebook event…

To whet your kazoo, here are a few clips of me from the June tour, including an impromptu rendition of my version of Art’s song ‘Miss Dominatrix'…

I look forward to seeing you in November!

I'm an astronaut

2010-08-11T17:21:00.025+01:00

I've just spent a few days in the Lake District. All the city dwellers and suburbanites who lose sight of the fact that Britain is a naturally beautiful country should go there. It really is breathtaking, even when it’s raining. The fact that a lot of the peaks are often in the clouds seems to make the rain more appropriate. And when the sun is shining and the passing clouds make shapes on the hills that’s pretty cool, too. Plus, there’s plenty of valleys and I have a thing for valleys.

The sight of a picturesque farmhouse at the bottom of a valley sparked a rapid train of thought...

“I’d love to live here”. A big freezer, internet access and a music studio would be all I needed, thank you very much. The surrounding grass was very green. A lot greener than in Birmingham…(you can see the phrase I'm trying to avoid)

I thought of musician Francis Dunnery, who grew up in the area I was visiting but now lives in New York…“Why move from here to a stinky city?” But then I thought of the Modern Lovers' song ‘New England’ where Jonathan Richman sings “I have seen old Israel’s arid plain/It’s very pretty but so’s Maine”...

And to the tune of the song I sang to myself “Cumbrian peaks make you stop and stare/They’re very pretty but so’s Times Square” (I emphasise that I sang it to myself and could come up with something better than that…‘stop and stare’ is awful…but you get my point!) One might not be kept awake by police sirens and taxi cabs living in Cumbria, but...it can be nice to fall asleep to the sound of police sirens and taxi cabs.

I quickly thought of how isolated I’d feel living in that farmhouse in the winter, snowed in with no neighbours. Or how I’d miss being able to hop on a bus or tube to go to a gig or a record shop. Obviously, momentarily seeing the grass greener elsewhere is all about being blinded to the downsides (damn, I’ve basically used ‘that’ phrase).

A solution, of course, would be to have both. A city pad and a country retreat. But that takes the kind of money which at the moment I don’t have.

This train of thought lasted approximately 5 seconds.

It seems to be in my nature to continually want the best of all possible worlds, to the extent of making occasional visits to other worlds to torture myself. I’m an astronaut. I’m the space invader, I’ll be a rock ‘n’ rollin’ bitch for you…(pretending to be David Bowie is a very densely-populated world). I do believe it enriches my music making, however, in that I'm always interested in pursuing more than one style and outlet at the same time.

It’s so easy to get caught up in how attractive somewhere looks and be blinded to the consequences of moving there permanently. But it’s nice to visit occasionally…

Good Lovin'

2010-07-29T00:19:00.017+01:00

My Dad says “all the best songs are about unrequited love”. Well, I’m not sure about that (let’s face it, he’s wrong!), although it’s certainly an emotive topic. ‘Love’ is a rich quarry and it has to be said, most ‘love songs’ are at the very least about ‘love gone wrong’. But there are loads about ‘love gone right’. Pretty much every James Brown track celebrates passion, sexual desire…and what to do with it. Love-ly!

I was recently talking with my good friend and labelmate Art Terry about the pain you can feel from love going wrong, or life going wrong as a result of the madness and confusion caused by love and desire. He said a very valuable thing which I really needed to hear: “All love is good”. No matter what emerges from it, if you’ve loved and felt deep feeling for someone (or even something!) then you’ve had a good experience, purely from having had such a positive emotion within you. It’s better than hating. Even if you go through a period of being angry with your lover or partner, it’s better to have been angry and loved etc…!

Too often, ‘love’ I have felt has been accompanied with wounding feelings in almost equal measure; served up as a cocktail with frustration and hurt being the stronger ingredients. Clearly, skewed expectations are involved. But Art reminded me that in the long-term, having felt any love at all will inevitably enrich your life, although it may not 'feed back to you' until a while after it's been felt. This reminded me of a quote found on the back cover of The Beach Boys album Smiley Smile attributed to ‘Indian Wisdom’: “The smile that you send out returns to you”. Unfortunately, getting a return on your investment is all too often like waiting for a reply to a love letter than a text message. Patience is one of the hardest virtues to master but I’m practicing.

These thoughts and reports give me an ideal opportunity to mention that my next album will be pretty much love-free. In the romantic sense, at least...

Many of you will know that the label I am signed to (Frizz Records) is run by Raphael Mann, bass player for Mr Hudson. One of my favourite songs of his is ‘Knew We Were Trouble’ and above is my take on it (apologies to Ben Hudson for my lyrical alterations). I like how it evokes the feelings of excitement and trepidation when you meet someone who may not promise an easy ride, but you jump in anyway. And usually that’s the very reason why you jump in. Sometimes, following your passion is all you can and should do.

June UK Tour with Art Terry

2010-06-04T14:31:00.013+01:00

Final preparations are being made for the DAVID GARSIDE & ART TERRY JUNE 2010 UK TOUR!

Plectrums are being sharpened and ivories polished as myself and Art get ready to hit the road to perform material from our two Frizz Records releases – Modern Mediaeval and Anutha Kinda Brotha respectively.

We’re both really excited about the opportunity to play our songs and generally do our thing for people up and down the country, many of which will be seeing us live for the first time. There will be guest musicians accompanying us at each venue and secret pre-gig happenings…follow @FrizzRecords on Twitter to be kept updated!

You can find out full tour details by visiting the Facebook event here, but below are the dates:

Saturday June 12th - LONDON @ Matsu [558 Mile End Road, London E3 4PL, near Mile End tube] – 8.00pm - http://www.myspace.com/matsumusic

Sunday June 13th - SHEFFIELD @ The Rude Shipyard [89 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield S7 7FE] – 3.00pm - http://www.therudeshipyard.com/

Sunday June 13th - MANCHESTER @ Fuel Cafe Bar [448 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 3BW] - 7:30pm - http://www.myspace.com/fuelcafebar

Monday June 14th - NOTTINGHAM @ The Golden Fleece [105 Mansfield Road, Nottingham NG1 3FN] - 7:30pm - http://www.myspace.com/goldenfleecenottingham

Tuesday June 15th - BRIGHTON - afternoon performance at a secret location (follow @FrizzRecords on Twitter for details!)

Tuesday June 15th - BRIGHTON @ Audio [10 Marine Parade
Brighton, West Sussex BN2 1TL] - http://www.audiobrighton.com/

I'm also doing a full band performance in Birmingham the day after the tour officially ends (so, not featuring Art, unfortunately)...

Wednesday June 16th - BIRMINGHAM @ The Hare and Hounds [106 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7JZ] - http://www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk/ (more details at this Facebook event here)

If we haven’t managed to get to a city near you this time, then fear not as we are likely to be doing a second leg later in the year.

Singing along as I play is greatly encouraged, so in order to learn the songs before the shows, why not spoil yourself by purchasing one (or all!) of my albums, available from all good independent shops, iTunes and the links below:
Frizz Records shop
http://www.davidgarside.com/
CDBaby (click here for Modern Mediaeval or here for Take Control and Half The Man)

If you check out my YouTube channel, you’ll see some recently-uploaded videos including full-band performances showcasing new material and ALL SONGS from all of my albums. Above is a performance of one of Art's songs 'Ruins' from his album Anutha Kinda Brotha.

Hope to see you on one of the dates...and do come and say “hi” after the show!

Hot dog, jumping prog

2010-04-13T19:50:00.042+01:00

If, 10 years ago, someone had told me that one day I would start a blog I would have looked at them in puzzlement. “What’s a blog?” etc. But if they’d elaborated and said “You’ll be starting a blog which includes a video of you performing a Genesis song” I wouldn’t have cared about what ‘blog’ meant or their apparent clairvoyant capabilities. I would have laughed at the idea of me having anything to do with Genesis…

In early 2002 I’d recorded an EP and had vague plans about recording my first album. I wouldn’t say that taking up an invite to go to a gig of an artist I’d never heard of changed my life. Everything changes your life. But it did lead me down a new path of musical discovery and gave me much-needed inspiration to follow through with my plans. The artist was Francis Dunnery and since then I’ve yet to miss one of his tours. His music contained the kind of interesting chord changes, thoughtful lyrics and regard for melody that I appreciated in all of my favourite music from The Beatles…downwards. Moreover, it often touched on a genre I’d hitherto ignored/ avoided – prog. My views about the definition of ‘prog’ (or ‘progressive’) could take up a separate blog entry, but I’ll use the term here as a means of intimating the popular interpretation, whether I agree with it or not i.e. long songs with numerous sections, frequent time signature changes, virtuoso musicianship, the 1970s, ‘not punk rock’…

Francis, I later discovered, was mad on Genesis, who are considered one of the archetypal prog groups. I had bought their 1986 album Invisible Touch when it came out because I liked its love songs featured on a TV drama series, but one of Francis’ early web writings (not yet called a blog!) urged his fans to check out Selling England By The Pound from 1973. I knew this would be a different proposition. It was the era of Peter Gabriel…silly costumes…PROG! Jumping in with both feet, I bought a copy (on vinyl, of course). I can’t remember precisely why I hated it. Laden with keyboards like nothing I’d heard before…a certain ‘dramatic’ element I wasn’t prepared for or able to immediately embrace…I was certainly listening with ‘prog is uncool’ programmed deep in my psyche. However, like the buried kryptonite in Superman, the album kept calling to me to give it another chance. I knew the best music reveals its charms slowly over time and I found myself unable to categorically dismiss it. Something happened during the week or so between the initial listening attempts and the next…a chemical reaction which took time to manifest its results. On giving the album another chance, it all clicked into place. It suddenly made perfect, exquisite sense.

Delving into the Genesis back catalogue I discovered great songwriting and imagination, beautiful instrumentation, seemingly effortless creativity, and as much risk taking (particularly on stage) as the punk movement which threatened to kill them off. There was no sense of overly-caring what anyone thought or cynically giving the audience what they wanted – the fate of many punk acts and par for the course with most pop acts (whether Genesis eventually did become like that themselves is a popular debate). With my preconceptions of ‘stodgy prog’ put aside and willingness to appreciate anything that was good winning through, I became an enthusiastic and proud Genesis fan.

So, I present here my acoustic version of one of their finest songs, the title track from the 1974 album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. I hope you enjoy it and maybe investigate their music if you’re not already a fan. So, until my next blog…bye for now, Imperial Aerosol Kids everywhere!