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Tuesday 31 December 2013

Just checked some stats.  Didn't make 100 posts this year but this makes 64 and that smashed 2012's 32.

Upwards and onwards!

Lets get posting.

That's just about it for 2013.  Thinking about my resolutions for 2013 on 31 December 2012 I included the following in my post.

So 2013?  Well hopefully better than 2012.  As I said my odd years tend to be better than my even years so fingers crossed.  In today's i they listed the top 10 resolutions according to a seasonal survey (which probably means they did a 5 bar gates poll around the office).  Anyway, it went as follows,

1.  Read more books
2.  Save more money
3.  Lose weight
4.  Re-decorate
5.  Take better photos
6.  I want to go travelling
7.  I want to sell old stuff I don't want on eBay
8.  Buy a tablet
9.  Organise photos - print/delete/save etc.
10.Do something for charity.

not bad.  So why not?  I'll give that lot a go.  Maybe I'll even let you know how I get on.

Happy New Year

So as promised,

1.  No, I'm not sure I'm that bothered anymore either.  I know loads of people get loads of pleasure from reading but I don't really.  I find it difficult to maintain my concentration which slows me down and because it takes me so long to read a book by the time I've finished (sorry if) it I've forgotten what happened at the start.  Maybe if there was nothing else to do but I'm happy enough reading the news and thinking about stuff.

2.  I haven't had a pay rise for 3  years and the cost of living has continued to go up.  I've had holidays to Bilbao, Barcelona, Seville in Spain and London (twice), Robin Hoods Bay and my beloved End of the Road festival.  I've pretty much lived the high life (ha ha) so no.

3.  No, but I'm probably fitter now than I was at the start of the year and I 'don't think I've been ill all year so I'm going to claim that one.

4.  Yep, decorated my living room.

5.  No really, had high hopes on this one.  This one fell through, I was going to  a photography class but it folded.  I tried out a camera club (went once) but it wasn't my thing.

6.  See 2, I'm going to claim that one as well.

7.  Sold a load of records on eBay plus some of other stuff so yes.

8.  Bought a Google Nexus 7 which beats the shit out my computer for internet browsing and I use when I'm travelling so another yes.

9.  I organise my photos a bit better but I still don't edit/delete enough so no.

10.  I sponsored everybody that asked me and plenty of other stuff but I think the point was more about physically doing something so.......... alas.

So the scores on the doors is

Yes - 4
No - 6.

Oh well better luck next year.

I privately promised to release some music this year and for most of the year it looked unlikely but thanks to my old pal Richard from  Linear Obsessional Recordings I did it times 2.  In November,  Tick Tick's  My Swelling Heart was finally released to a fanfare trickle of applause and just before Christmas alongside 45 other people I remixed a track from Richard's melodeon improvisations album, Air Buttons for the album Button Box.  My offering was Jackentzat Ere.  Happy days.

I (really) didn't blog as much as I should have done but I did write up the history of Tick Tick and published it here (just go back a few pages).  I am so pleased I did it.  My friend Mark has suggested tidying it up and making it an e-book pamphlet and I might do it.  Cheers for feedback everybody.

I watched too much television.  Breaking Bad took over my life for a couple of months.  I also watched Rome which led me to re-visit the 1975/76 BBC TV series I Claudius.  Also watched the fanciful and implausible Homeland and The Americans and of course endless re-runs of The Big Bang Theory.

Ouch, lots of time wasted there!

So next year?

More walking,  me and Sham have targeted 50 again (met our target by October this year) and to continue with the gym for as long as I can stand it.

Maybe produce more music.  I need to master the software and feel the need to learn some music theory but regardless my embryonic plan is produce an EP linked to Jackentzat Ere, provisionally titled  "1, 2, 3, 4".  Not sure if I have the confidence to "release it" but if it comes off I'll make it available to anybody who is interested.

I need to save some money.  I'm going to New York in May but that's going to be my only holiday.  I never say never but at the moment even EOTR is off the agenda.  I'm going to try and have a year of austerity and limit my going out to no more than twice a month and less than 20 times over 2014. 

I know what I said about reading but I'm going to try.

My blog?  Hopefully, will still be here on 31 December 2014.  The design needs an overhaul and maybe that's what I should probably do first but whatever it will be as chaotic and badly written (I am under no illusions) but hopefully as entertaining as ever, if only to me.

Spend less time looking at Facebook.  I know one man's shit is another's caviar but it really is the digital age's answer to standing around gossiping on street corners in gangs.  Most of the time I resist but I can't deny I love the instant messaging and event notifications but come on people, get a grip, Facebook is just so banal.  It makes a Nigella Lawson cookery programme look like a fucking Stephen Hawking lecture. 

I leave this year with another nice photo from Tracy Hyman.  Although I couldn't describe it as my concert of the year, the EC show at The Westgarth in December was a great occasion full of warmth and love.  The place was bouncing and I sang along with Edwyn to lots of my faves (notably Don't Shilly Shally, Dying Day and Felicity).  A very special We are the Boro night.


Happy New Year.

Thursday 26 December 2013

Ring out the old.

Bloody hell, feeling a bit ropey today, maybe a touch of food poisoning.  I can’t see it being anything to do with drinking alcohol solidly from 3PM until after midnight -anyway we move one .  Loads of people have been posting the Best of 2013 lists and I’m going to join them. 

Best Teesside concerts – Runners up - Dark Dark Dark – Georgian Theatre Stockton and  Withered Hand – Westgarth Middlesbrough but best by a country mile  was Simone Felice at The Studio Hartlepool on 28 June.  Inexplicably there were only about 50 people there but make no mistake Simone Felice is a superstar of Americana so tough luck buster if you missed it.   The sound quality isn’t brilliant but here’s my video of the encore.

Best concert outside of Teesside – Tempted to make out  I’m all young and hip and say Parquet Courts at EOTR 2013 or go for coolest man on earth Steve Earle at The Sage or even Caitlin Rose but (fellow) old guys Television at The Sage were breathtaking.  Just the best songs.

Can’t do best single but I can do best album and I loved the country girls.  Kacey Musgraves and Holly Williams (Hank’s grand-daughter) albums were great but Caitlin Rose’s The Stand-In gets my vote.

Rescued from back catalogue – Obviously Television’s Marquee Moon went close but after seeing David Byrne at EOTR I revisited Talking Heads and I’ve been reacquainting myself with 77 to Naked since.  Obviously they’re not The Velvet Underground but again so many great songs.  Also loved The Kinks at the BBC .  Not technically back catalogue because it was only released 2013 but they’re old songs, you know what I mean.

Best local event – Hail to local promoters – Steve and Dave formerly of Rock Garden re-visited, Andy and Phil TKASG and Leon of Grass Routes but my 2013 fave was the monthly event at The MIMA.  Not sure whether it will continue into 2014 but it was a breath of fresh air in 2013.

Looking forward to in 2014 – Withered Hand’s new album, AV14 and come on Boro, eh!

Best local bands  -  Dinnernanny, General Sherman and Dressed Like Wolves (more later)

If you like Americana, country and alternative folk you must try - Daytrotter

We are ..................

Wednesday 25 December 2013

Teesside

We may be poor and it may be grim but we don't have this and I don't remember when we did?

Ssshh, keep it quiet.
Do you remember that advert on the television back in the day?  I'm totally relying on your memory here because I can't find a link but it was about an old fellar coming home from a horse show or something, having had a great day.   Everybody else went to bed and he fell asleep smoking a cigarette and it dropped out of his hand and set the house on fire.  Not sure what it was trying to say.  Was it don't smoke or don't leave old people on there own downstairs or was it just don't grow old and become a menace?

I don't smoke so I needn't worry but I have had a pretty good day.  I took Sham to her parents, spent an hour or so with them and came home.

I cooked my Christmas lunch

First course - Mussels in white wine sauce
Second course - Fillet steak/peppercorn sauce, chips, mushrooms. veg.
Pudding - Strawberry trifle (M&S, sorry Morrison's)

Washed down with a bottle of Rioja I got off  Shamila's brother for Christmas.  I already had a bottle of wine set up but I didn't want to insult Sudge.

Finally coffee and whisky and I'm now on the Budweiser (from Berwick Hills Morrison's).

It was a splendid Christmas lunch.  Cheers.

As ever there I had a plan and this year is was download the Daytrotter top 300 of 2013, put it on my iPod and tune in.  In fairness according to iTunes it is 19 hours and 30 minutes but there is enough great stuff to justify listening to it all. 

So as Steve McLaren said after we got beat 7 nil by Arsenal in 2006 (not quoted in the BBC report) "we move on".   It's going to be a long night.

How great were those times?

Merry Christmas

After an unexpected but very welcome plug by Steve Harland on Facebook I feel compelled to post and if more people join me I will post more often.  To be honest, I'm sceptical that people will be interested and I've never courted popularity but  I love the idea people of Teesside reading my blog.

By 2 January I will have been posting here and on Livejournal for 8 years.  Often about Music but also about football, cricket, politics and anything that crosses my mind.  I'm no writer but I tell stories, I have opinions and pretty much everything I write is about Teesside or written from a Teesside perspective.

Feel free to join me, I will keep an eye on my stats and if.............

We are the Boro!

Sunday 22 December 2013

Old Comments

Just been catching up with comments.  I'm too humble to expect any and I don't look out for them.

Needless to say, thanks a lot for interest .  Have replied to all the ones I spotted.


Lanterns on the Lake/Frankie and the Heartstrings

So this is Ch------s.

Always nice to dust off the Christmas dec's.  This tree's from my old Live Journal days with a little bit of twinkle from my Internet partners Google  .  Strange thoughts - feel quite sad but only happy memories (December 2007).

The new year will be upon us before we know it and I'm starting to form plans in my mind for 2014.  More later (maybe).  My 2013 social life has again revolved around live music and I've seen some great shows.  The last week hasn't been too shabby with 3 Teesside shows, a fitting end to my year.

Saturday 14 December

Any addition to the Middlesbrough Music scene is welcome but the monthly Saturday event at the MIMA has been brilliant.  

I love the MIMA?  It's a great building, it showcases prestigious modern art and plays host to other events such as the bi-annual AV festival, lest we forget AV08.  Btw,  thanks again to the much maligned Google you can still find details of my input .  I'm really looking forward to AV14.   Hopefully  the Tory disease "austere times" hasn't fucked that up for us.   

Generally the future of The MIMA looks bleak.  The council can no longer afford to run it so Teesside University are taking it over.  We'll just have to see how it goes, but I'm not convinced it will be a happy ending.

Last Saturday was definitely one of those "we are the Boro" moments I used to talk about.  They somehow got Newcastle's mighty Lanterns on the Lake and Sunderland's  Frank and the Heartstrings to come up and play with local Teesside bands Avalanche  Party and Dead New Blood for £5 all in.  

I've seen Lanterns on the Lake a few times before.   At EOTR 2011 (think), No Direction Home 2012 and supporting Explosions in the Sky at The Sage, also 2012.  There are a lot of similarities between Explosions and Lanterns.  Explosions in the Sky are acknowledged exponents of the "post rock" genre along with the likes of Mogwai and Sigur Ros and I would describe Lanterns on the Lake as "post rock lite".  Their songs have a touch of the anthemic about them but Hazel Wilde's beautiful vocals bring a delicacy understated feel to the party.  

    (photo courtesy of the extremely talented Tracy Hyman.  Needless to say I expect the great and good who read my blog to respect her intellectual property rights and not to reproduce the photo without her permission.  You can contact Tracy here)

The construction of Lanterns' songs often lead to a dramatic climax which always goes down well but there is more to them than that.  The guitarist played quiet,  not sure he intended to play so quiet but it was so refreshing nontheless  and I liked his use of a violin bow in a number of songs.  Hazel, sat at her electric piano and introduced the last song.  "Don't take this  too literally" before singing "Have yourself a merry little Christmas". 

I thought it would be good and I wasn't wrong, it was a beautiful performance.

 I'd heard good things about Frankie and the Heartstrings before I heard their debut album, the  Edwyn Collins produced Hunger but I thought it was only average.  Retro is fine but I don't like it when the references are too obvious, you might as well just watch a show band doing covers.  

From that low base they actually really surprised me at the MIMA.  They were full of energy and their engaging singer, the wonderfully named Frankie Francis was a hoot.   I couldn't take my eyes off him all the show.  Even some of the songs sounded good, I really enjoyed them.  Since Hunger I've seen the movie about the Northern Irish record shop and label Good Vibrations which  reminded me how much I loved The Undertones, Protex, The Outsiders back in the day.  Frankie and the Heartstrings very much reminded me of that era and scene and that's no bad thing in my musical universe circa late 2013.  They even have their own record shop in Sunderland!  I'm going to revisit the album.  Get ready for another Spence "hands up, I was wrong about them" about turn.

I've noticed a lot of UTB creeping in to Teesside speak and that's no bad thing.  We all love the Boro so we know exactly what "up the Boro" means but long time readers will know I talk more about "we are the Boro" moments about the unpredictability of the Boro which I think is just as meaningful.  Saturday night was one of those.

I was sure the concert would sell out the 200 capacity venue.  Saturday night, just before Christmas, only £5 in.  Indie stars,  Frankie ....... and soon to be touring Europe and North America, Lanterns on the Lake.   Sadly the MIMA was only about half full.   I sometimes despair of this town, we get what we deserve.  We are the Boro.

Another we are the Boro moment was the order of the bands.  Top billing was given to local band. Avalanche Party who were playing their first show.  Apparently they were 3 Foot Ninja and I recognised a former member of the Chapman Family.   I know I should say something about them but  I've been told before if I've got nothing good to say about bands before I shouldn't say anything.  So I won't.

I thought the whole thing was a bit embarrassing really.  I'm sure it was set up to show the importance of Avalanche Party but if you're going do that sort of thing, at least be good, eh?

Oops! 

PS

We are the Boro.