So here is the video for Memory Maze the first track off the EP ...
Monday, 27 February 2012
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Russell's Teapot.... explain me!
Russell's Teapot EP
Memory Maze
Eyes To The Sky
I Alone
Weird Science
A four track purely acoustic EP
I normally think about the concept of my records very intensely...
The concept behind the debut album "Media Ghost" was all about the perception you omit of yourself in social media, work place, friends, playing with the idea that the person you portray is often very different to the reality etc. I used that idea to present the set of songs as an extension of myself.
The "Butterflymind EP" was documenting a dark time of misunderstanding and confusion in a relationship and my most self absorbed recording, the concept was my decline i guess!!!
"The Garden" was my most concise concept in that the tracks were linked together with sound collages signifying certain references, lyrics and moods of the songs. Leaping from fact to fiction, nature to nurture, it told the story of my life at that point.
"Panic Moon" was a nod to my love of sixties psychedelia and documents a more optimistic time but with added paranoia that came from other sources than my usual style of writing.
For this EP there was no hectic pre-planning at all and its just me and my acoustic (well not my acoustic, the producers acoustic which i must try and get my hands on it... was a Martin). I was playing with my band The Watchmen before Christmas constantly thinking about the fuller band sound and how best to represent the songs and over that period, "Weird Science" and "I Alone" were written at this time, using the ideal of how i used to write. I didn't think about anything else other than the track. Just writing for the chase of completing a great song. They had no link to each other they were just songs that i was pleased with. Then after the gig and the Christmas rush died down i wrote the other two "Memory Maze" and "Eyes to the sky" with no notion of what i was going to do with them or concept or plan.
I wanted to record an acoustic EP as id never actually done one! Even though live im predominantly the solo songwriter troubadour type character, the records have a completely different feel. I wanted to go back to just writing songs with the acoustic guitar being everything.
I had someone in mind to produce the songs as i wanted to keep away from the whole process of recording them. I wanted a fresh take as i would do exactly what id done previous, end up making them bigger production or getting the same sound. So i contacted Guy Guyngell and we had a chat and arranged to work together. Guy was a pleasure to work with and has bat ears for a great vocal sound which is something i was looking for. www.ggmusicandaudio.com
I had an incline he was going to understand me musically but i also wanted him to have control over what he was doing without me butting in every 5 mins.
I Alone was always intended to be a duet and if you listen to the lyrics it was written with that in mind. Leonie Tremain singer in http://www.facebook.com/tremainmusic has done a fantastic job and with her the song really comes to life, its a heartbreaking story with her voice on it. She was the right lady for the job :-) she was singing for about 5 mins....One take wonder!
Im not going to discuss what the songs are about on here, thats quite laborious to read in a blog but maybe its better that like that anyway....
The whole thing has been painless and a pleasure to make. Simple, beautifully recorded, acoustic songs.
http://soundcloud.com/andrewfostermusic/sets/russells-teapot-ep/ LISTEN HERE
The EP will be available to buy on the first of March with a physical copy available on here soon and at the Havant Arts Centre gig..
Thursday 12th April 2012:
The Spring Arts Centre
Havant
So with no concept...why the name Russell's Teapot?....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot
I guess theres always going to be a concept or a nod to something...
;-)
Stay Safe
Andy x
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Cool for Katz
So easing into the years gigs with a late billing at the Eastney Cellars supporting Peter Katz. Not a heavy crowd but enough to get a vibe and receptive they were as well.
My god Peter Katz was good...Id heard the name in Mojo or Q or something of that ilk but never delved much further than a few listens, until i checked out his live album on Spotify recently. Seeing him live though and play in the cellars was an absolute masterclass in pop/singer songwriter delivery. It was very slick and well oiled. Peter relentlessly touring throughout the years has brought him to that super confidence in his own ability but walking the line between confidence and professionalism.... perfectly. He had grace, fragility and style. In Canada and other parts of the world hes a formidable force but in the toughest musical land in the world to be heard (Britain) hardly anything at all but tonight he is here in the cellars. It seems weird but true...... them's the breaks...the same thing with Josh Pyke at the Brook in Southampton last year. Australia huge....here? .....hardly anything but a few in the know. People talked all the way through his set like he was just a local blasting out shitty covers. In fact they probably would have liked that. That didn't happen to Peter tonight though thankfully.
Before the show the musicians bowed down and worshiped at the alter of god ....ie Ryan Adams ....and talked of our favourite Ryan Adams tracks and geeked about guitars. Although i was own my own for this show and came alone, it was great re-establishing myself with the acoustic guitar. I enjoyed tonight and it somewhat reminded me of those first few shows at the Cellars, when there was a general vibe of hope in the air.
Peter was an inspiration tonight and although i liked his music, (we are slightly different, I'm probably a little darker than him) it was him as a person i found so alluring. He urged me to look into a small tour in Europe which with some help could possibly not lose money on at all! EXCUSE ME? Not lose money??
I'm seriously considering looking into buggering off there in the autumn for a little jaunt. We shall see.....
My set was a new one completely with it being a test ground for the tracks off my new EP which I'm currently recording and I've brought The Golden Hour back from Media Ghost, but delivered less aggressively. I enjoyed revisiting the lyrics from that time. It was a good time for me lyrically.
Maybe the new tracks and playing something off Media Ghost made me feel at home. Maybe it was the JD...anyways its been a battle of late but every now and then you get a little bone to keep you chasing what you love...
Albeit a tiny small metacarpal of a bone, it was enough tonight, i enjoyed it
In other news i ate blueberries, two apple pies, and a packet of crisps
And its Siberia's fault we cant walk anywhere without looking like the frozen T1000 from Terminator 2
Cheese on toast before bed..
Yes cheese
I....am....mental
Stay Safe
Andy x
Sunday, 29 January 2012
The Mayans have chosen the Stay Puft....
Alright?.....
January then...that went quick felt like only yesterday I was unwrapping some rather cool Dr Who socks from a well wrapped present.
Whats going on then? Well there's the impending doom of Dec 2012 happening right now, but that's okay because Brian Cox said its not real. I believe him not because he is one of the top Quantum Physicists, but because he played keyboards in D:Ream. I wonder if the Mayans predicted "Things can only get better" would be number 1 and used for Labour's Election campaign. If they did then I will start to doubt Brian's "cock sure but friendly" delivery of the news that we wont be squashed by a Stay Puft Marshmellow Man in December.
That's what happens isnt it? We get asked by Gozer how we wish to die.....nope....I do apologise that's Ghostbusters...
In a live situation I predominantly play acoustically yet I can hear the whole composition rattling around my head when its written. Its this mentality that makes me try to bring the songs to life in the best possible way with limited budget and resources. My recordings tend to have a bigger production that the live show obviously doesn't normally have. Now this isn't necessarily a problem but i have never actually done a complete solo acoustic EP! Which sounds ludicrous considering the fact that most people see me live, on my own....with an acoustic!
So that's what I thought id do first this year. A new EP with 4 new tracks on it, one man and an acoustic guitar with just the song itself to engage the listener. Im currently in the process of recording them with http://www.ggmusicandaudio.com/ an old friend of mine who is now a Producer himself. Its been a pleasure doing the first session and im looking forward to hearing the results. I suggest you check him out, yesterdays session was great for me to trust someone at the helm and to not worry about the outcome.
Im looking forward to the results, theres also going to be a duet on there too....
Yep a duet.....stay tuuuuned
Pop Music....
Its a weird time for music at present as we all know, well I say that... some people don't care and why would they? Its not their job to care about pop music its something to put on when the kettles boiling and there's nothing wrong with that at all. For those who follow the peaks and the lows of the flailing industry its obvious that the chase to be "relevant" is all the more important now. Its a hard slog out there for any artist but I'm not here to winge about that, I'm here to celebrate the kooky cuts that make it through the endless barrage of "things like the last successful mold, that we think you might buy into this as well"...This kooky pop song from last year was a good example of a freak breakthrough...
Just create art, and hope you can get enough people on the good ship creativity to fuel what your doing.
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I have a guestlist for £2 a ticket!!! If you message me with your name for a last minute gig at the Eastney Cellars supporting Peter Katz http://www.peterkatz.com/ this Wednesday 1st Feb.
The gig in March has no mics!!! PURELY ACOUSTIC!!! Get on that if not for the panic on my face ;-)
Stay Safe.....The Mayans are watching you....or they've already seen you, depending on the time stream....
Andy x
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