Jottings 2006

The purpose of these jottings pages are to show my news and publish my ramblings. I will try and place my latest news at the top of each page. So here goes...

I have been promised that delivery of my new CD's will be tomorrow!
So that means if you live local to me you can buy direct from me this weekend and if you don't live local, watch the "Christian Bands" and "Cross Rhythms" websites (go to links) for availability.
It may take "Cross Rhythms" and "Christian Bands" a few weeks to process as they need to listen and review 1st before selling the CD. Christmas rush and all that.
Graham

28th November
Bernamica Gray PASSES audition with Christian Bands website !!!
You need 3 "yeses" out of 5 and I got 4 !!!
WHAT THE PANEL SAID:

YES - raw unique - love it (reminds me a bit of Beck)

YES - I love the way in which Bernamica uses his guitar, and blends his vocals. I see alot of work has gone into the creating the music , but little into promotion, I could only find a review by crossrhythms on the net . Therefore i think myChristianbands will be an excellent site for Bernamica to showcase his great guitar playing to the www world.

YES - excellent. Reminds me of an old member of myChristianBands 'Paul Poulton'. (Whatever happened to Paul)? This music really appeals to me and I know it appeals to a lot of others.....but the choice is limited. This is the type of music that the mainstream labels have forsaken and fail to serve to the masses. More of it Bernamica.

YES - Love the sentiment of the lyric. Great guitar playing. Do I smell a drum machine? Would be nice to hear more stuff, maybe with a full band sound.

NO - Musically I liked this but lyrically i wasn't sure what the song was about. The repetition of New Age New Age etc? I really do think it's important that lyrics are uploaded as part of the audition as I want to know the song that i'm endorsing!

The "No" doesn't faze me actually.... in fact I expected/feared that the panel, whoever they are, would not "get" my lyrics for "Goodbye Constantine", but thankfully 4 did understand and I'm glad.

Actually I am REALLY happy this evening!
Graham

25th November 2006

2 more songs added to my myspace website!
"Love Child" & "Sword of the Spirit" --- for some reason the myspace wouldn't accept the title of sword of the spirit, probably confused with other songs of same name!
Graham

1st up - new CD Not 4 da superficial is finally mastered ! (thanks for help - Keith Fearnley).

2ndly
http://myspace.com/bernamicagray launched this very evening!
mp3 of 1st track on my space - called Goodbye Constantine --- up beat rock song with er "interesting" lyrics! - check it out!

3rdly --- Got all "art" work completed on photoshop - thanks Matt!

Presently working up courage to ask beautiful wife if I can have some pennies from the piggy bank to give to the nice man who will print them out - should be ready to sell/give away in 2 weeks time, me reckons!

Really took a risk by auditioning for Christian Bands website this week!

Also, must remember to send 2 copies of shiny new CD to Cross Rhythms magazine for another review.

Yes, you read that right above...... I am planning on "giving" some of my CD's away! probably to the few people who paid me real sheckles for my last CD Struggle To Tell.

Well pleased with this effort!

Track listing for new CD;-
1 ------ Goodbye Constantine
2 ------ Not 4 da Superficial
3 ------ Love child
4 ------ Nineteen79
5 ------ Freaked out stories
6 ------ Superfickle Intermission
7 ------ Answer Cuthberts Prayers
8 ------ Sword of the Spirit
9 ------ By My Side

CD lasts for over 46 mins - that's about right I think!
1st six tracks are entirely me (yes, everything!)
Last 3 tracks have Jo Birch on Bass, Phil Smith on Drums and Keith Fearnley on Keyboards - thanx again chaps!

Must remember to give these 3 a free copy as well!

Bed time!
Graham

23rd September 2006
Autumn already!
The last CD "Struggle to tell" was duplicated here at home on my PC.
This new CD needs to be pressed/duplicated by professionals.
What a hassle this is becoming....
On top of that my Mastering CD writer has gone on the blink....
....and on top of all that, I now have to shell out a lot more money than I bargained for by going with the "professionals".
If I was doing this for a living then fair enough.... but this is meant to be an enjoyable hobby!!!
On the up side, I am now happy with this new CD and it will be called;-
"not 4 da superficial"
..... and it's not!
Peace out!
Graham

27th July 2006
Still hot!
New CD covers designed and ready!(nice and simple design!)
Songs just about done.... still tinkering!
Next job is to finish a "master" and then send it off for duplicating.....
then send off for "reviews" (Cross Rythms? etc)...then convert some to mp3 and launch new CD on Christian bands website....and at same time figure out how to get mp3's on this site and photos (s/ware failed last time I tried...aghhhh).
Duplicating is a problem as well, how many do I pay for???
Lay-ter dooooodes,
Graham

16th July 2006
Summer is definitely no time to record music!
Far too hot to be indoors!
Back to the ice cream!
Graham

I am reliably informed that today is the 1^st day of Summer... new CD was meant to be out in Spring! - still, I do have a full time job and a family to look after!

Actually, the new CD is moving along very nicely now. Just about all recording has now been done, just a few tinkerings left (there are always "tinkerings" left to do!") and so we move on to the Mixing stage and I have just done a 1^st mix, which on the whole went really well, but I am more determined this time to iron out some niggles that slipped through the net on the "Struggle to Tell" CD.

Recording songs on your own, whilst trying to operate a mixing desk, watch recording level meters and tap dance on various pedals, all at the same time as well as trying to give a good performance, be it on guitar, keyboard or vocals, not to mention drum machines etc.. is quite difficult!

But at the same time rewarding. There are always problems to overcome and when they raise their heads, those problems look insurmountable, but I find that a few cups of tea, maybe a restless nights sleep and a lot of effort to think logically and you eventually get the solution!

One such problem was constant during the last CD and as I wasn't able to sort it, that CD was printed and released without having found a solution. The same gremlin raised his head during the recording of this CD (pesky varmint!) and I was feeling a tad depressed, but after wading through one of the manuals (us engineers, NEVER look at manuals!), EUREKA! The solution was found and now I wish I could go back in time and record "Struggle" all over again!

The new CD seems to have developed a bit of a "theme" - this often happens when you group songs together. I haven't definitely settled on the exact running order of songs, but they have pretty much told me what order they want to appear in!

The songs are quite eclectic in musical style, rock with a hip hop beat, a kind of rap thing!, a "different" ballad, straight ahead old school rock, there's even a prince style funky pop song! Oh! And I nearly forgot, I have included some "intermission" style music!

There's a song about the deep meanings of the bible and the superficiality of modern living!

Another song deals with all the Da Vinci code stuff that is currently in vogue - along with conspiracy theories and the alternative theories about Jesus!

influenced Christianity! --- (I did this one at Dayspring a while back and it was well received, even if it did create a lot of questions!)

The "different" ballad is a love song (a different love)! - again this was done at Dayspring about a year ago and changed that mornings meeting completely, for the better I hasten to add!

Then there's a song about Cuthbert - go to Lindesfarne (Holy Island) above Newcastle upon tyne and check his celtic history out!

31st May 2006
Life just gets in the way!
Been hospitalised, so once again creative music making ceased.
Once I am feeling better, releasing this new CD WILL be priority numero uno!
Graham

28th February 2006
Oh dear! domestic chores that involve plastering and much painting is stopping my creative juices from flowing! - soon be over...?... and then maybe ths CD will get finished before Spring, as planned!

One little highlight recently was being asked to "shred" by Joe King at a recent meeting, cool!

I have also managed to locate the right software to start loading those promised MP3's on the site, stay tuned!
Graham

Following on from yesterdays entry.. I remember Paul McCartney, who also can't read or write music notation, telling the story of how he woke up and had written "yesterday" in his sleep! Boy, must he have stressed about ensuring that one wasn't "lost"!!

Joe King, a friend and fellow muso, who I believe is about to head for the USA to ply his trade, told me a few years back that often on the way back from gigs, very late at night, he would get his wife to start jotting down notes as he "composed" songs in his head - Joe DOES read and write music and that is why he was able to "write" them down instantly.

So, what do I conclude from this, should I learn to read and write music or am I happy with my own system that occasionally lets me down? - probably due to time constraints and the strain of grey matter, I'll stick with what I know and call it my "quality control" system!

I really can't give a direct answer to this. But what did pop up in the discussion was that Segovia the great Spanish guitarist was meant to be the most technical guitarist, however how many Segovia tunes can you hum? - answer, none! Yet, Keith Richards of the Stones has a very limited technique, yet he is responsible for some of the most catchy guitar riffery ever!

As for my favourite guitarists..in no particular order and I reserve the right to add to the list when I remember someone who I can't believe I left out! ;-

Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Jimmi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Matthias Ia Eklund, Nuno Bettencourt, Francis Dunnery, Jimmy Page, The Edge, Mike Keneally, Brian May, Walter Becker/Elliot Randall/Skunk Baxter - (Steely Dan), Eric Clapton... oh there's really too many!

"Writing songs" - Let me start off with a slight confession! - I actually can't read! ... music, that is!

What I actually do, is I "create" my own songs and either commit them to memory so that I can play them live or keep them stored long enough to get them down on tape, or to be more accurate on "hard disc"!

The problem with my method is that what I actually write down on paper, apart from the words, are little symbols and squiggles that mean something to me, but probably nothing to any one else. To a large extent this works for me, as I can often go back to a piece and by reading my notes and squiggles, I suddenly remember the song. This is a sweet and sour experience. Sometimes I am so stressed at trying to remember that song that my anxiety somehow prevents me from de-coding my notes and I have "lost" dozens of songs this way.

My reasoning with this is that if the song had been any good it will re-surface, but if it wasn't that good, then the experience of "writing" it was good training, but the end product wasn't up to scratch. I think I am right and wrong about this as I am presently looking at a song that I remember being very excited about and yet.. I can't remember it and my coded writings have once again failed me!

The sweeter experience is when you "discover" an old un recorded song and suddenly you get into the same groove that you remember you had when you wrote it a couple of years ago. This is a good experience, a bit like greeting an old friend who you haven't seen for ages!

All of the above is a roundabout way of saying I have "lost" a couple of songs that maybe would have made it to my next CD !! - The psychologists could have a field day with me regarding this subject as it appears that the actual songs that will make it to my new CD all seem to follow a "theme"!!

I am not saying that the new CD will be a "concept album" - shades of the 70's - but, what I am saying is that there is some kind of linkage from the 1^st to the last song and can I say, this wasn't designed! It just happened - cue the psychologists!

The new CD looks like it will be ready to "print" in Feb, so if all goes well, expect a new CD in March.

Line 6 Variax 600 guitar --- EXCELLENT guitar (gives a really good impression of just about any guitar you can think of including metal bodied ones, acoustics and 12 strings as well as the more popular electrics, it even has a setting for a Sitar!!!)

I also have a Roland Guitar Synth hooked up to the Variax, it is the latest GR20 unit - I just can't stop giggling every time I use this! - I am only fluent on guitar, but this allows me to "play" sax solos or keyboard solos or whatever! AMAZING piece of kit!

I have a 2^nd hand Zoom 1201 vocals processor and a 3^rd hand Quadraverb also for vocals (via my AKG C1000 mic).

The W7 synth is rested for this CD but will be used again as I believe, though not had time to try yet, that I can "play" that synth via my Roland GR20 guitar synth (midi thru port).

Also, there are 2 or 3 tracks (not fully decided if all 3 will make the new CD yet) which were recorded some time ago in a commercial studio, Jo Birch played Bass, Phil Smith played drums and Keith Fearnley played keys (Jo and Keith did engineering and production on those tracks as well as me).

I've been asked to jot down the equipment I used on my last CD and what I am using for the new one (which is going well!). Also my brief was to give a short review of each bit of kit.. So for the nerdy equipment geeks, eyes down and listen up! For the normal ones amongst you, just pass this entry by!!!!!

The last CD had a Yamaha W7 synth with onboard sequencer, which I programmed (yes, every note and every drum beat!) for all the backing instrumentation! Guitar was a Squire Strat played through a Boss GT3. Vocals were done through a DBX pre-amp with NO effects! - I didn't have a proper effects unit so the vocals were recorded in the bathroom for natural reverb and I double tracked them with interesting though not perfect results!

Everyhing was recorded on an Akai DPS12 stand alone hard disc recorded - no PC in sight!

Live at Kidz Klub I use a red Chinese Strat copy called a Stagg which is aged and looks "vintage" to the onlooker (I sold my Squire and Ibanez).

I also have a very old Zoom processor for guitar that was their 1^st guitar processor - I have kept it for posterity and for the next time I want that "Peter Frampton/Joe Walsh" talkbox guitar effect which I think it does really well!

I'd almost forgotten about my Sans Amp unit a GT2, which was a pre-cursor to the Line 6 POD units that took the guitar world by storm a few years back and I also have a Cry Baby wah wah. These are kept as standby units as equipment does have a habit of breaking..

19th January
I would like to thank Andy (not had permission to publish his name yet) for giving me the new software that allows me to more easily change stuff on this website, so Andy "Big Thanx!"

I am also looking at the possibility of using the www.christianbands.co.uk website to get my new CD launched through and I believe they can handle the posting out business as well as having a better "shop window", they also allow people like me to post mp3 files of songs that I can give away for free. I hope as well to start very shortly putting mp3's on this site.

All in all, things are looking up musically speaking and I am very excited about the new CD.
Graham

OK, firstly apologies for not updating this site for some 12 months, sorry!
Life just got in the way and music making went on the back burner, but hey! I'm back!

I have recorded 9 tracks for the next CD and am now in the process of applying the finishing touches, I reckon the CD will be ready before spring is sprung!

Looking back, I was quite happy with how the "debut" album (Struggle to Tell) went and the reviews I got (see reviews section). However, this new CD is a big improvement and I am personally much more comfortable with the songs.
Graham