Listen, Like, Love: Sera - Little Girl

I spent a lot of 2014/2015 working on an album for Sera. She's a folk/country/americana artist, and came to me with a bunch of songs written on piano or guitar, plus vocals/lyrics, and we worked together to make an album. She's a really brilliant songwriter. 

The album's called 'Little Girl' and was released on Folkstock Records - it's had play on BBC Radio London, BBC Wales & Cymru, Absolute Radio, and I'm sure a bunch more that I'm not aware of.

It was a LOT of work - as well as recording/mixing/mastering the album, I played guitar, synth/keys, bass, drums, percussion and even did some backing vocals (!), so it was quite a labour of love. We wrote the final track 'Through The Night' together, and I'm really proud of the whole album. 

It also features songwriting collaborations with Sion Russell Jones and Gordon Mills Jr (The Bluetones, Ed Sheeran, Lissie, Newton Faulkner and Lillian Todd-Jones), as well as violin by Jenn Williams and cello by Sion Lewis.

Sera/Folkstock also released an EP called 'Rocks' which features a subset of the rockier songs from the album.

Thankfully, both the album and the EP have had some great reviews - I generally am not a huge fan of posting quotes as it makes me feel a bit queezy, so I'll leave you to check out the Huffington Post or Americana UK if you really feel like it. Still, here's one last one from From the Margins, just to flatter one's ego a little (hey, if I don't no one will etc?): 

Her last EP, Straeon, saw a first musical collaboration with the producer of this album, Eddie Al-Shakarchi, who contributed by playing on Mond am Eiliad and Agor dy Galon. If anything has changed to make this new album something a whole stratospheric level above what, however excellent, she has recorded before, it must be this new working relationship. Al-Shakarchi is also a multi-instrumentalist - and his contribution of often spare but dynamic percussion is particularly important here in breathing life into the music.

Isn't that nice? You can stream Rocks below, and if you like it, please check out the whole album on BandCamp or iTunes / Apple Music. Thank you and have a lovely day.

Songs I Wish I'd Written: Part Deux

Continuing the world famous series: Songs I'd Wish I'd Written, it's time for part deux. Deux means 'two' in French. Seriously, it may be one of the best songs of all time: Stevie Nicks - Edge Of Seventeen. I mean, she makes dove sounds and nobody bats an eyelid. You have to be at Stevie Nicks/Kate Bush levels of amaze to be able to pull off animal sounds.

Fun fact: the main guitar riff is apparently (read: clearly and obviously) 'inspired by' The Police's Bring On the Night. If we're throwing songwriting credits around, I wouldn't have minded writing that one too. Cheers, nice one.

I've linked to that one too, for a Brucie Bonus. You're welcome.

Listen: Metabeats x Ed Boogie 'SLSBS' ft. Quelle Chris

Hey, you there. Check out this track I crafted with Chesus aka Metabeats aka Earl Jeffers aka 50% of Darkhouse Family, featuring Quelle Chris (of the mighty Mello Music Group). Music & production by myself and Metabeats, mixed/mastered by myself. Vocals by Mr. Christopher. This is Hip-Hop music: lyrics are NSFW from the get go, so protect your loved ones' precious ears. 

This track is off Metabeats' 'Caviar Crackle' album, from back in 2013 from AssociatedMinds. I think people liked it a lot. At least, this dude did: 

Gilles Peterson: One of the finest hip-hop records to come out of the UK in recent years, heavy on the swing and swagger. Featuring a cast of MCs from both sides of the Atlantic: Action Bronson, Zeroh, Quelle Chris, Dubbledge and a clutch of interludes that you wish were that bit longer. Highly recommended!

I'll be posting more songs off this album SOON. In the meantime, go get that on Bandcamp or iTunes, why don't you?

Smith & The Honey Badgers: The Honey Badger Strut 7"/Digi

A couple of years ago I mastered the super dope Smith & The Honey Badgers 7": The Honey Badger Strut / Let's Pretend. And I still think it's super cool - click the link above, go listen, buy (digi and/or vinyl), and support these funkateers in their crusade. I got my copy!

P.S. Unless we're actually talking about funk music can we please stop using the word 'funky'? Thx.

This Is Great Music: Zervas & Pepper

These guys are friends. Zervas & Pepper have a beautiful Californian, folk/country sound. To get it out of the way, yes, she (Kathryn Pepper) looks like a young Joni Mitchell and he (Paul Zervas) looks like a young James Taylor (read: with hair).

I'd seen them around for a while but met them properly when they were also nominated for a Welsh Music Prize back in 2013. If were being lazy, I could say they sound like The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Fleetwood Mac, and... yes, James Taylor. If... I were being lazy. Lots of beautiful harmonies and great musicianship. 

I haven't worked with them, so this isn't some kind of advert; I might be wrong, but I believe they've worked with Ed Lewis (producer/engineer/studio owner from Giant Wafer Studios in mid-Wales), as well as Llion Robertson and Cotton Wolf. From the results, they clearly have some great partnerships. 

To be honest, I'm confused as to why they aren't much bigger than they are. Sure, they've been played on Radio 2 (Mark Radcliffe), Radio 6Music (Lauren Lavern loves them) and are always writing, recording or touring (supporting Deacon Blue etc). Nevertheless, I think they deserve even more love and success.

Anyway, don't take my word for it, check out the music below. I hope you like it*. 

You can grab their latest album 'Abstract Heart' on iTunes or buy the CD/vinyl from their store: http://zervaspepper.bigcartel.com/

You can follow them on the social media, too:

* Hoping aside, I don't think I've ever actually told them I like their music. Because, I mean, that might make them feel good, and artists don't need that kind of aggravation in their lives.

Palomino Party x Rockfield Recording Diary

I thought it would be cool to document some of the sessions I do - and what better time to do one, after the recent release of the Palomino Party EP II (iTunes / Spotify / SoundCloud)? We recorded all the drums, bass and some of the guitars at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales. We were in the smaller of the two spaces at Rockfield, the Coach House (vs the Quadrangle), which has a pretty cool/tight sounding room, with some extra mics sprawled out into the corridor and a nearby marble room for differing levels ambience. This room was used to record the Oasis' What's the Story Morning Glory, and like, a bunch of other stuff.

The main desk was a Neve 8128 (which likely had a dodgy channel buggering up one of the overhead mics - noticed only once the session was over, of course), not a whole bunch of outboard gear, but some nice EQs. We were lucky to find a decent/tatty old AC30 there so took advantage of that, and used an old Marshall Lead-Bass through a vintage 4x12 for some bass, plus the amps we took.

I get asked about different mic setups, so here they are. The vocals and more guitars were done at my studio, but I'll give the vocal chain too:

Drums:

Overheads: 2 x B&K 4011 (or DPA if you’re fussy)
Kick In: Sennheiser 421
Kick Out: Neumann FET 47 & Yamaha NS10 Sub
Snare Top: Sennheiser 441
Snare Bottom: AKG 414
Toms: Sennheiser 2 x 421
Hi-Hat: AKG C451
Corridor Mics: 2 x AKG 414
Marble Room Smash Mics: 2 x Sennheiser e606

Bass:

1) DI via 1176
2) Sansamp DI
3) Marshall Lead & Bass 1964 though Marshall 4x12 -> Neumann FET 47

Guitars:

Vox AC30: Shure SM57 + Neumann U67
Marshall JTM30 and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe: Shure SM57 + Neumann U87

Vocals:

Shure SM7 -> Great River ME-1NV -> 1176

Palomino Party - Run Palomino

A few weeks ago I wrapped up an 4-track EP for Palomino Party - and this is the lead single. I recorded the drums, bass and basic guitars at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, and tracked the rest at my own studio. I produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the tracks, and played a bunch of guitar too. Even a tambourine was shaken.

I've got some pictures of the drum set up so might do a post about the mics used at some point in the near future...

There's actually a fifth track - another single (not featured on the EP) that's coming soon with a video, too!