The One Hundred Days O'Clock Blog - Day 28

Hello you.

Just a quick blog to say 'hello you'. Join me in a cuppa joe, and sit down for a minute.

You might have noticed that I've not been online all that much lately, other than a few scrawny 'tweets' here and there.

It's been a hectic time. Don't think i need/want to go into too much detail, but my Mum's been really sick this past few weeks, and she had to go into hospital over Xmas time. She's still there, in fact, but is definitely on the mend ... and we hope to have her back home in the next week.

In order to take my mind off this and other things, i've been writing down song ideas every day - although i've not had any time, or been in much of a mood, to record many of 'em. But i've dusted off my portable BOSS recorder, and quickly recorded two of the songs. One was written on day 16, and the other was an idea i worked on day 25, which was Christmas Day. It isn't a Christmas song. Sorry. But, then, neither was Rage Against The Machines' song. Or the X Factor one.

Anyway, they are both called 'Waiting'. The first one is very sparse indeeeed, as i didn't have an instrument to hand. The second one took a great deal of breath. And sounds oh-so-vaguely like the theme tune to 'Game On'*, by the Gigolo Aunts. But not enough for it to be a rip-off. So there.

>> YOU CAN LISTEN TO THEM HERE.

Ok. I'm gonna go now. Will try and get some more bits and pieces recorded. Hope you're all doing well with your own 100 Days project.


muchos muchos love,


pt x



*That first series of 'Game On' was really good. I never saw the second series - but i know they got rid of Ben Chaplin, which is disgusting behaviour.

The One Hundred Days O'Clock Blog - DAY TWENTY

Hello chums.

Just a quick note to assure you that i have been working on a different song each day, despite not having any time to record 'em, or even blog about 'em.

I think i'm going to have to do a marathon session when i go home for Xmas. I'm looking forward to going home IMMENSELY.

(Yes, i'm one of those supremely annoying people that really enjoys Xmas, and gets excited at the slightest whiff of tinsel).

ok bye.

The One Hundred Days O'Clock Blog - DAY SIXTEEEEN

HELLO YOU.

i'm on a train in this pic. the train to london. because i'm doing a gig in london tomorrow, supporting slow club at the union chapel. please come.

today was the first day of this project (apart from when i was in l'hopital) of writing a song away from home. it hasn't been all that easy. and i'm not quite finished, yet. but got a few ideas.

had a tune in my head, and so i played it on guitar and recorded it on my phone - which is suprisingly decent quality. the recording, that is. although the phone's quite nice too. had a quick lyrical idea, and now i'm about to listen to the guitar recording over and over, and crowbar teh lyrical idea in.

i usually write lyrics by singing them. if i like the way they sound, and it doesn't contain a filthy word, then i go with it. at the moment, i'm at my sister's house ... and she's off to bed, so i can't sing out loud. so i've got to sing out loud in my head. err.

wish me luck!

The One Hundred Days O'Clock Blog - DAY FIFTEEN

What a lovely pic. It was done by my good pal The Right Honorable Mr Sir Christian Ward Esq Jr III.

Day 15 started on not much sleep. Got to bed really late the night before - writing Xmas cards ... which i don't normally do ... but these a for a special thing ... i'm not going into it now.

ANYWAY. First thing this morning, after wiping the crusty sleep out of my eye, and across my cheek, I started work on Song #15. Remember the Kaossilator? It's the small yellow box thing ... i think i took a picture of it in an earlier blog. It's got lots of sounds in it. Quite fun. So, today I found a sound on the Kaossilator that i liked, and i messed about with it for a good 15 minutes. Then put a beat over it. Then realised the beat didn't line up with the original sound properly. So i deleted them both, and recorded another beat - this time to a click track - THEN added the original sound. This is a good half an hour already. Hmm. Then i got bored of the Kaossilator, so i started on a bass line on my microkorg keyboard thingy. i'm not a very good keyboard player - takes me ages to work out a part i'm happy with. And then i've got to play it perfectly over and over, because i'm shit at looping things. Thank god these songs are only 30 seconds. Had a vocal idea, so i recorded that quickly over the whole thing, and did a quick harmony on top. Then i had another keyboard idea. I realised i had run out of space to record, so i recorded over my vocals, recorded the new keyboard sound, and bounced the whole thing down to two tracks. Then i recorded a vocal. I'd forgotten the idea i'd had previously, so this was a different vocal. And then a harmony. Then i remember the original idea. Then i thought FORGET IT.

The song isn't quite finished yet - so i'm not going to put it up on MySpace for the time being. Not going to be able to record properly for the next few days, actually ... which is a bit annoying. But i'll still jot ideas down, and will turn them all into songs in the run up to Xmas. Not sure how the writing is going to work over the next few days. In a weird way, i'm quite excited about that.

Going to go to bed now. Getting up in 5 hours. Eugh.

The One Hundred Days O'Clock Blog - DAY FOURTEEN

You know how yesterday i said i'd take more pictures of me, at work on my project.

Well i lied.

But here's a picture of me with some small white balls in my mouth.


Look. I've done a song. Another one. The fourteenth.

Savour it. Because i've got some 'busy days' coming up. Imminently. I'll still be writing songs on these days, oh yes. But i'm not going to be able to record them on the same day. And even if i do, i'm probably not going to be able to get them up on MySpace. And even if i do, i'm probably not going to be able to guarantee that i'll be able to repeat such an extraordinary feat of dedication the following day. And even if i do proffer such a guarantee, i'm probably lying.

Song? Yes. This one is called 'A Summoning Sigh', and i'm going to ruin it for you. It's about a foghorn. You can listen to it, and come up with your own interpretation of the lyrics. But your interpretation will have to be someway related to foghornery, because that's what it's about. And if your interpretation is not about foghornery, then your interpretation is shit.

>> THE SONG, THEN.

The white balls in my mouth are Cadbury's Snow Bites. Which are essentially mini eggs, except they are more spherical, and are coated in a white sugary dusting.

The One Hundred Days O'Clock Blog - DAY THIRTEEN

Sorry for the moody pic. I'm not very good at taking pix of the project. I'll try and do more, tomorrow.

The thirteenth song is up on the MySpraff. It's called 13 Pillars. It's got one lyric. It goes "13 ... pillars ... behind me". It's quite moody. Like the pic.

Are they pillars of salt? Pillars of silver salty tears? POSSIBLY.

>> I'D LIKE YOU TO LISTEN TO IT