Final reflections from the first week

The last night of our recording extravaganza (week 1) has arrived (Didn't blog yesterday - ran out of time because of guitarin'). Below you can see a nice little piccy of me playing my acoustic - I think I was playing 'Take Broken Me' at the time.



It's really good to hear the album coming together now. It's been a good week - I've done guitars for 5 tracks and it's sounding pretty good...I think. To be honest there've been moments when my nerves have set in. In our little world we've been looking forward to doing this album for a while now so our expectations are set sky high! I'm sure you can understand it's potentially a long way to fall.

I've had the chance to play some lovely guitars and go through some nice amps too. We've also had some lovely visitors turn up on our doorstep: Matt, Lard, Si, and of course Rufio, Laws and Chellber! It's all been a jolly nice experience really.

Oh well...home time for now.

Doing the Levski Lunge...hey!

I felt it was important to update the blog to show a piccy that I like. Below you can see Levski lunging into his bass part - quite animated I'm sure you will agree. Loving the shadows too.



We're nearly finished the Drums and Bass for the entire album - by this evening I should be tackling the first guitar parts. It's now that I start to worry - it's not generally my playing that holds me back but more finding quality tone to use and keeping the 6 stringed beasts in tune. Those two things can take all the time away if you're not careful - at least I just got the guitars set up which is good news.

Anyway, I'll probably write again before the day is out. Our friend Matt White is visiting us down here today - so we're having a jolly good news up. Oh, and I had Ham, Brie and Cranberry sandwiches today - which was nice, but I'll probably not go there again.

Making a start on Tuesday...

Today I woke up in my little room in our little 'Artistes Flat' and stumbled into our lovely warm shower. Once I was finished (And had got dressed) I met the other Electralads for breakfast in the west wing of the flat. Much fun and merriment was had by all.

We headed down into the studio for a 10 am start - and as you can see below it has been quite an instense affair. Trev, intent on doing a great job, will not be swayed by the camera and focuses completely on Pro Tools. Lev has noticed said camera and, after preening himself gently, has leant back on his chair displaying his manly frame. Jon sits quietly in the back ground (Just like when we're on stage) and reflects on which sandwich he is going to choose for lunch whilst battling the demons which tell him again and again to chomp on a biscuit.



Obviously you can't see what I'm wearing or doing but I can tell you right now - it's awesome. I'm sure we could start a caption competition from some of these piccys...

Anyway, we've got three songs done so far - drum and bass. We're now starting on another track which we hope to get done before lunch...and the sandwich shop is good! I can forgive Jon for day dreaming about that lemon mayo and turkey banquet...

Day 1 in the recording studio

I thought it would be good to put up some an early pic from the sesh - here's one of Jon boy getting his sound early on today (if you look carefully you can see little ol' Levski in the control room). It's all great fun - looks like I'll be posting a few things on here over te next few days.



As for me? I'm just sitting here in the control room while Jon and Paulo keep it real and lay down some solid rock foundation...on today's menu is 'BREAKOUT' - the album opener. J-Money is working up a sweat and has twinged a nerve in his neck. Nice.

Hair today...blog tomorrow

There's a few things I need currently and one of them is a haircut. The other is one is that I really need to go to bed; but I promise only after I have written my blog will I do the later. And the former? Well, much to my mother's dismay, that will have to wait...ahh, the life of a rock and roll uber-star.



Just look at all that hair! I don't think I have ever been so hairy - of course those who know me (and I mean really know me) will understand that I have virtually no hair anywhere else on my body. (Much like a hairless cat, or a tibetan monk). Sorry, really that was just an excuse to use that 'Hello' program - blatant. But I hope you like the piccy anyway!

So, once I've gone to bed and got up it will be time to travel to the recording studio to lay down some phat tunes with my mates Paulo and J-Money - the other two thirds of Electralice. Can't wait to get groovy in the st-st-studio. Very excited...can you tell? Maybe that's why I can't sleep?

Anyways...I really had better go. Carus was a laugh tonight - a very intimately sized group. Maybe I'll tell you about it one day...

God bless us, everyone!

I've got a brand new combine harvester!

Well, not quite but I am very very excited at the moment cos I've got a brand new computer and I'm very pleased with it! Chell keeps calling me a 'pointy head' but i don't mind really cos I am a bit of a geek - and it's flash.

We played a phat gig last night - at a Student Union bar in St Georges Hospital Medical School (Or summit like that - the name was long anyhew). There were two other bands on the bill - the CU band from the college and a band called Note For A Child - who are signed to Ebb&Flow (Another one of the ICC subsidiary brands). Note For A Child are great - haven't heard much like them before in Christian music - some really nice beats and ambience all round. Good job - I bought their albums; always good to show support with the reddies.

Electralyte go into the studio next week. It hasn't quite dawned on me fully just yet but this could be the start of a significant next chapter in my life - really can't wait to get my hands onto my geetar and start strumming some tunes onto tape. I'm really hopin' that this stuff is good and that we're not gonna be disappointed with our performance. I don't think that'll happen though...

We're looking to have strings and brass on the album so I'm kinda looking forward to that - in an intrigued way. Never done 'owt with proper bo strings before!

Now off to kicks Mitson's butt on a game of Day of Defeat! Booyakasha! Bomballareena! Ciao!

Arty strop

Isn't amazing how quickly we loose confidence in ourselves. Especially us arty types. I just read a review of the Electralyte performance at Greenbelt (http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/greenbelt_05/16004/p3/) and that instant feeling went right through me and made me feel unsettled.

Yeah, sure we know that the gig was rubbish - on stage sound appalling, too many miles for too little time but even so this one guy's comments have affected me.

I don't know but I'm fairly sure that it's at these moments that I can hear God reminding me that I'm His - not just as an 'instant pick-me-up' but to remind me not to get on my high horse. For the last few months we Electralyte folks have had people surrounding us with encouragements: which always feels wierd and really awkward to accept... so I want to take this little opportunity to thank those closest to me who support and love me no matter how 'arty' I'm feeling.

William Temple (when he was alive he was Archbishop of Canterbury) suggested a definition of humility as being this: 'Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all.' I pray I can get there one day...