Blind Drew's Music

2011, an interupted year

2011-12-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are at the end of 2011, and firstly I'm going to look back at my predictions from January and point out that I got 3 out of 4 right (shame Northampton couldn't do the business or I'd have had a full set).
Having had this kind of success rate I'm not going to make any predictions again and refer to my previous good results forever more. Forevermore? For evermore? fuck it, you know what I mean.
It's been an up and down year, starting on a low with the closure of the record label which, in retrospect, definitely had a bit of a downer on the music side of things. This wasn't helped by the decision to move house and the effect of a falling market dragging this out for three months. Still, we've been moved in for 3 months now and things are going swimmingly so, work aside, things have picked up at the end of year.
Having had a bit of a haitus on the creativity side I'm hoping to start writing and recording again in the new year, so keep an eye on the site for updates and occasional splodges of music. Hopefully we can get back into some regular gigging too.
2012 is going to be an interesting year away from the music as well. In the UK we have a barrel of financial regulation coming that's going to have quite an impact at work (with a potential knock-on impact on my free-time). In Europe we have a bunch of bureaucrats driving an agenda that's sole purpose is to prolong their pet project rather than benefit the citizens they're supposed to be serving (how long will people put up with that?). In the states we have an election year and, as soon as the holidays are over, we're going to have SOPA and PIPA to deal with (if these bills get passed the internet could look very different by the end of the year).
So I've come up with a cunning plan to deal with it all. I'm going to hide in my house, rugby club and local pubs with a selection of instruments, booze and friends and ignore the whole bloody lot.
Beer, music, sport. Repeat.
Happy new year!

Name your price!

2011-12-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

All our music is now available to download on a Pay What You Think It’s Worth* basis.

Over on my YAMDAC blog I’ve been harping on for a while about alternative business models for musicians and how the biggest challenge for an amateur musician is not piracy but publicity, so I’ve now decided to put my money where my mouth is and try one of these alternative models for myself.

For a long time the gatekeepers of content have tried to force the prices of digital content to match that of physical copies but it just doesn’t make sense. So what is the correct price for a download? Well, I guess it’s what the market decides is the right price. You’re the market, this is a chance to help decide.

So as of today all our music downloads are available on a Pay What You Think It’s Worth* basis (including “Free”) from our Bandcamp site**.

Personally I’d rather that more people heard and enjoyed our music than that we extract every penny from anyone who might like it. So please feel free to pass this on to anyone who you think might enjoy it (in fact, please please do that!) or anyone who writes / talks about music and the music business and might be interested in the experiment.

I put “Free” in inverted commas because if you go for Free then I’m going to ask you for an e-mail address and add you to my distribution list. You can opt out at any time and I don’t e-mail much stuff out anyway, I reckon that’s a fair trade.

N.B. the physical cds remain at fixed prices I’m afraid, because they cost a fixed amount to produce and I have costs to recover. If you download the stuff and then decide that you’d like one of the CDs (plenty of EPs left, a couple of handfuls of the Album) then I will happily knock off anything you decided to pay for the download.

Similarly if you’ve previously paid the full rate for the download and are now feeling ripped off (I really, really hope there aren’t many people in this category!) then drop me a line and we’ll see what we can sort out. I mean this, I’d hate for someone to be sitting there thinking that I’ve pulled a fast one on them.

* there is no good acronym for this.

** I’m working on setting up the same mechanism on other platforms.

More gigs

2011-11-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say that Hils and I have a couple more gigs lined up, Waggon and Horses in York on Nov 12th then Verve in Leeds on Dec 4th.
More details in the gigs bit on the right.
Also things are beginning to come together a bit having moved house and I hope to have my computer and recording stuff properly set up soon, at which point I will start getting some of the new material recorded. Hopefully before I forget it.

'nother gig

2011-09-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say that I'll be playing The Stone Trough at Kirkham Abbey on Sunday. Should be very nice indeed, come down if you're in the area.

What's this? A gig you say?

2011-08-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Yep, just a quick update to say that I'll be supporting the awesome Bosscaine and Johanna at the Fulford Arms on saturday 24th september. Music from 8ish and it's free to get in. Job is very much a good 'un.

Some days are better than others...

2011-06-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

... as U2 famously sang.
As you may have noticed from the lack of updates and gigs recently, I've not been doing much on the music front. Load of stuff going on at work and home and basically just devoid of inspiration.
So last night when I had some time I just sat in front of the machine and did this:

Tonight however I sat down and did this:

Sorry it's side on, didn't think of that when I took it and don't know how to change it. There's not really much to watch anyway....
Hell, I know it's not much, but considering I came up with the first verse and chorus in one run through and the next two verses on the fly I reckon it's a positive sign.

I've got some stuff going round my head but, somewhat ridiculously given the amount of music stuff i have around the house, I'm currently devoid of a decent way of recording it.
I'll sort it out when the house move happens, in the meantime I'll try and do some more stuff like this.

This too shall pass

2011-03-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

Many good things have happened for me in the last few years (You might not guess this from the lyrical content of my songs, but it's true), one of the main ones being my being picked up by Soup Records.

Thanks primarily, I think, to a bit of a funny gig where I ended up being sandwiched between two nu-metal bands, I got invited down to sleepsafe to play some demos.

I've not exactly been prolific since then, recording one EP and one album, but it can be pretty tricky trying to balance the studio with a full time job that has, at times, been very demanding.
But I am very pleased with what we've wrought; I think we've managed to capture the in the recordings the sounds I had in my head. And that, after all, is what we're trying to achieve.

So it's a great shame that Soup Records will shortly be no more.
I am afraid that I shit you not.

The studio carries on life as a commerical entity, as do the promotion and live sound engineering parts of the massive conglomerate (or Andy as we liked to call him ;¬) ) but the label is no more.

In the end we were just never able to buy the kind of advertising required to make the commercial production of CDs a success. We didn't sell enough CDs, so we couldn't buy the ad-space, so we couldn't buy the reviews, so we couldn't sell enough CDs...

The music business, as I have mentioned before, is changing. There is a future there, but it's not going to work like it did in the past, and a business model based on shifting physical units is no longer viable at the small scale.
For the record, this has fuck-all to do with "piracy". Just thought I should I get that out of the way.

Things move on, I'm still writing music, I'll figure out a way to keep recording music, but it won't be on the scale and quality of the last few years - that's beyond my budget, hopefully you'll keep listening to my music and between us we'll all keep enjoying all kinds of music because that's what human beings do.

So raise a glass to the late, great Soup Records, cheers!

YAMDAC and what this site is for.

2011-02-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

I think this site has been a bit confused to date. By which I don't mean that the content of the updates are confused, that's a reflection of my state of mind and I spend most of my time confused.
What I mean is that this site has been serving as both my music site and my blog, and this hasn't made for either a coherent website or been particularly relevant for those visitors who are only interested in the music and couldn't give a monkey's about my other rambling posts.
So from now on this site will solely focus on the music (gigs, new recordings etc) and I have started a new blog that will cover all the other stuff that's previously on here along with a few other things around cycling and design, which are additional areas of personal interest.
The new blog is called YAMDAC, please come and join the conversation.

Credit where it's due

2011-01-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

A few posts ago i urged you to write to your MP to persuade them to sign an early day motion opposing potential moves towards a two-speed internet. Obviously I wrote to mine a well and, whilst we may hold very different political leanings, there's a reason he has been re-elected; he communicates with his constituents.
It turns out, this time, that our interests are aligned and i was pleased to receive the below letter from him confirming that he'd signed the motion.
Good stuff Hugh Bailey, thank you.

Equations for the future

2011-01-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

So the internet has been around a while now, the major labels are still suing their customers as their first response to free advertising (i call it sharing, the more dramatic amongst the industry call it piracy. Really? Piracy? Read some news articles on Somalian waters or the East China Sea to find out what modern piracy really is) but somehow they're still there and, more depressingly, we're still here.

But these things take time, a lot of time when your opponents (and perversely this includes people like the BPI who are supposed to represent me) have the ears of the government.

But to recap...

I think what we're seeing the beginning of is a mass levelling of the playing field.
Basically we will end up with fewer superstars but more people making a much more modest living from their music.
There are a multitude of alternative business models out there, they're all evolving, the trick is finding one that works for you.
Most of them are based around the following (which you'll see in a number of places on the web but i think it originated at Techdirt):
Connect with Fans (CwF) + Reason to Buy (RtB) = $
This is much the same as the 1000 True Fans theory but expressed differently.

Effectively it comes down to your ability to engage with your fans and persuade them to support you (CwF) and your producing a product that's sufficiently high quality to make it worth buying instead of downloading (RtB).

Personally i think there's a factor missing here, which, for lack of a better term, i shall call Elevation. And this what the current major labels do.
With the rise of free distribution mechanisms and cheaper technology there is more and more really good music being made. The challenge now for any artist is to stand out from the crowd, to raise yourself or your band above the level of everyone else and get noticed.
Sadly it's not enough just to be really talented, you still need some mechanism to elevate yourself above the noise level.
The major labels have massive publicity and marketing budgets, that's how they do it but it doesn't work for an independent act.

Unless you're an independent act with a corporation-sized bank account. No? Let's move on then...

As always though, there are a number of alternative ways to do this. One way is via working out what your niche is and targetting that, there's a lady who writes songs about sailing (whose name i forget, irritatingly) who sells very well to, funnily enough, the yachting and sailing crowd. That's her thing and it's effective for her.

Another option is to consider your location and work out if you're in the best place for your music, different areas have different scenes, sometimes it helps to be part of that scene, sometimes it's best to be unique in your region. What you don't want to be is stuck in the middle.
Another option is to partner with a publicist / advertiser, there are people trying to make careers there as well and some mutual backscratching might be possible.

One approach that appears to be coming through is to target a really, really small niche, with a very high-end product (hat tip to Confused of Calcutta). The mass market is always going to be the territory of the major labels - don't try and compete, figure out what your Unique Selling Point is and work out how to make the most of it.

So i think the equation should actually be:
e(CwF + RtB) = $

But at the end of 2010 i find myself no nearer establishing what my business model is. So i suspect 2011 will be no more successful for me than this year was. Hopefully others will get further along that particular line.

Who's web is it anyway?

2010-11-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

I reckon it's ours. Yours, mine, everyone else's. All equal in the ether.
Hence i've joined the petition to try and ensure the UK keeps it's net-neutrality.

Rich Huxley's site gives you a bit more detail, but basically, click this net neutrality letter link, fill in your details and it will create an e-mail and send it to your MP.

I want the web to there for all of us, not who Sky or BT or Virgin decide they want it to be open to.

Thank you!

2010-11-21T10:51:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say a massive thank you to everyone who helped out and came down to the album launch. Top night all-round, hope everyone's enjoying the CDs.
Mail orders will be getting sorted this week, as will download options via Bandcamp. We'll probably sort something out on itunes in time but they're more expensive for you, less return for us and lower quality. So i really do recommend the bandcamp alternative.
Anyway, enough sales for this week, i'm knackered.
Thanks again
Drew and Hils

1 week to go!

2010-11-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

Now then, two-and-a-bit years' work and now we're down to just one week to go. I will confess to being more than a bit excited...

We've got the support acts lined up: Serve Immediately... and Dan Webster,
We've got the venue sorted out, 1331 on Grape Lane in York,
We've got our set-list chosen (it's a secret)
And we've got a fair number of you coming down to make it all happen.

To say thank you for all the support we've had, we'd like to buy you a drink, so if you're going to come down, drop me a line, we'll add you to the guest list, and your first drink is on us!

And for anybody who's not yet had chance to hear us play, you can listen to some tracks from the album on myspace now (full length tracks as well, none of that 30-second-sample rubbish)

Hope to see loads of you there
stay well

November!

2010-11-09T10:30:00.001-08:00

Just to confirm, the launch gig is the 19th of November not December as i had erroneously written in the last post. Thanks for spotting that Daniel!
I blame a knock on the head...

CDs and listening and stuff

2010-11-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

Right, well amongst other things, last night i picked up the CDs.
That's about where the good news stops.
The bad news involves having a disagreement with my car about where we were going and coming to a decision that upside down in the ditch was the answer.
That and finding out there's a problem with the CDs.
It's fair to say that i've had better days*.

But, i'll be sorting out the cds in time for the launch. So, date for your diary.
Friday 19th November.
Upstairs in 1331 (Grape Lane in York)
Free entry
We'll be playing, Dr Jones' other band will be playing and we'll be joined by the excellent Dan Webster as well.
CDs (in all their corrected glory) will be available for ten of your english pounds.

For those of you who've pre-ordered and aren't based in York, i'll be getting yours in the post to you once they're sorted and i'll sent you bank details.

In between now and then i will be putting the various tracks up in various places (myspace and bandcamp) so that you can have a listen prior to parting with your hard earned.

Watch out for a flyer nearer the time (i.e. when i've had time to do it**) that will help persuade you that this really is the best thing to do on friday night.
Stay well
Drew

*As, to be fair, has the car.And, unlike the car, i don't have a scratch on me.
** Today i have mostly been speaking to insurance companies and their associates.

Getting there...

2010-10-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

yeesh, how long can this take? So, i think i've finished the artwork, i'm just waiting on a couple of answers on some technical queries from the folks at HDC in Bradford, and then, finally, we'll be looking at a week or so for production.
Which brings me to Launch Night!
Well, it would if i'd sorted it out yet.
And here's where you can help, there's a poll in the right frame of this site, because i'm trying to get a booking when as many of you as possible are available, so please click away and let me know which dates are good for you.
Thank you.

On an un-related note, i found this the other day:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400100311992&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Now i don't mind that one of my cds is on e-bay, i don't even mind that it means one of YOU thought it wasn't worth keeping and sold it on.
But really, £3.99 second hand? It's only a penny more brand new! That my friends, is what you call and unacceptable mark up. And in these difficult economic times too, i dunno...

Flyer for MWK gig and other stuff

2010-09-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

Once again we're following the Ronseal approach...

Above is the flyer for the Michael Weston King gig at the basement next friday, hopefully the subject line gave that away.

You might also be pleased to know that the album is now officially complete, I'm still working on the artwork (and having occasional issues transferring software between computers) but it should be done soon. Launch gig still to sort out though.

Finally, next gig after MWK is back at Verve bar in Leeds on Oct 24th. Usual mix of decent acoustic acts expected, please come down in you're in the area.

Two steps forward...

2010-09-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

Well, as of thursday, the album will be complete. Just over two years and lord alone knows how many hours, but on thursday evening i shall be walking out of the studio with the master CD. A few days after that we will have some decent samples (and probably a couple of full length tracks) on Myspace and the website (i'll come back to this in a moment) and the downloads will be available to buy from bandcamp, thesixtyone and itunes (shortly afterwards).
In addition to the downloads, I will be making 100 cds, these will be rather nifty and come with the a full inlay, nice metal case and all the lyrics and the like. They will be £10 each and I am taking pre-orders.
After that we'll be back to download only I'm afraid. Though if there is significant demand we might do another, simpler, run (standard jewel case stuff).
Basically not enough people are buying cds for us to justify making any larger runs. You don't want to see the boxes of unopened EPs we have in storage...
I'm sorry if that means that someone misses out one. I'm investigating a potential solution via cdbaby that might allow us to do basic cds mailed all over the world without needing to take the massive up front hit. I'll let you know how that works out.

We're also working on some t-shirt designs, again, this means heavy upfront investment so let me know if it's something you'd be interested in.

As soon as my replacement graphics card turns up on monday i will be working like the clappers to finish the artwork but i'm thinking about 1 month until i have the cds.

Apologies for any confusion on gigs, bit of mix-up between me and the promoter. I am no longer supporting Andy Write on Nov 2nd. The good news is that you don't have to wait that long...
Next gig is on the 1st October, supporting Michael Weston King, at the City Screen basement. £12 on the door, but just £6 with a flyer (which i haven't produced yet but will follow shortly. See graphics card issue above...)
Should be a good night, here's what the venue says about him:
When Laurel Canyon legend, ex-Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers country rock pioneer Chris Hillman says you’re “as fine a singer-songwriter as Gram Parsons” you know you’re good. In fact, it’s difficult to know where to start with the quality plaudits, “ … an exceptional songwriter” (Word); “ … elegant, subtle performances … wonderful in a way that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up” (Maverick) and so the praise heaps up. Part Nashville balladeer, part alt country hero, Nick Cave meets Rodney Crowell, the ex-Good Sons is mentioned in the same breath as Phil Ochs, Townes Van Zandt and Tim Hardin. High praise indeed, and well deserved. This is a MUST-SEE show, and early ticket purchase is strongly advised!!

The other thing i'm trying to sort out at the moment is a proper launch night for the album, it's balancing the choice of nice, friendly, intimate venue where we like playing vs. trying to get somewhere at a weekend.
Not easy, but in progress.

If you thought all that sounds like things are going fairly nicely then you'd be right. So just to balance things out, here's the hitch:
My website is down. Well, that is, www.drewstephenson.com is down, as is my e-mail address of info@drewstephenson.com. You may think that that's what you're looking at, but if you check the url at the top you'll note some forwarding has happened.
Obviously i'm trying to get these reinstated as soon as possible, but in the meantime, you can get me on blinddrewsmusic@googlemail.com and you can get to the website on http://blinddrewsmusic.blogspot.com/

So there we are, two steps forward and just the one step back. That's progress right?

New Song up, sort of...

2010-08-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

Studio Stew has been having some fun and games with The Winter King (hint, you can guess that's on the album now...) and come up with a new version. It's called Recycled, and it's a bit different.
I haven't got it posted here yet, but you can listen to it on the myspace or on thesixtyone
Enjoy!

Put your money where your mouth is

2010-08-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

I've always been a fan of political cartoons, a few years ago i started reading a few from the other side of the pond as a way of getting a different perspective on events being reported over here.
A couple of years ago i found the cartoons of Matt Bors, unlike a lot of the US political cartoonists he doesn't appear to be particularly partisan (though i think you can say he's definitely liberal) but just enjoys pointing out the sheer ridiculousness of the world political situation.
I like that.
But his cartoon today is a bit special. There's no joke to it.

I hope he doesn't mind me posting it here, because frankly, I admire the man, but i can't find an e-mail address anywhere on his website. I guess he gets a lot of shit from people for some of his cartoons.
Anyway, on this, he ain't shitting about.

Normal music related blogs will follow shortly.

Progress (I know I've said this before!)

2010-07-31T04:33:00.001-07:00

Quick update on the album. I have with me now the almost-final mix, i've found two little tweaks but each of them is nothing more than a fifteen minute fix, and then we're back into the studio for a couple of days mastering.
HDC in Bradford are going to do the manufacturing for me and here's how it will work.
There will be 100 cds produced, a few of them are spoken for (Dr Jones, me, a couple of other folks who've played on the tracks), the rest are available on a first-reserved basis. I.e. if you want a cd, leave a comment or drop me a line and i'll put one aside for you. I'm expecting to still have plenty to sell at the launch (aiming for the beginning of october for this to fit round a couple of key holidays (i.e. mine and Hils').
If you do miss out on a cd there will, of course, be downloads available from i-tunes, bandcamp and a few other places. You'll be able to get the full artwork for free from the website here.
Depending on how demand goes i may be producing more cds down the line, but they'll be standard Jewel case fare, rather than what i've got planned for the limited run.
So let me know if you want your name on the cd list...

Today has been a good day.

2010-07-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

Today we (Studio Stew and I) have done a lot in a surprisingly short time. This means that i am now listening to cd with a draft mix of the entire album.
Yep, it's finally getting there.
And it has double bass on it...

Nearly two years since we started but we have one possible piece of recording to do (it's one of those things that might not work) but, that aside, we're onto mixing and mastering.
WOOHOO!

Now all i have to do is sort out some gigs, find a manufacturer, create the artwork, sort out a venue for the launch, arrange advertising etc etc etc...

What the hell, today is still a good day.

Not yet dead.

2010-06-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering, i am still alive. Things have been busy and all things music have taken a back seat recently. But things are changing and work on the album has re-started. Bear with me...

Monster Ballads

2010-04-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

NEW SONG

Right click to download

Free Download of a little taster track!

2010-04-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well, Stew and I are still working through the mixing for the album but because you've been waiting for something (anything!) from us for so long (my drafts folder tells me we started in 2008) we thought we'd give you a little taster for free.
Hils and I have been playing a version of Josh Ritter's excellent song Monster Ballads for a couple of years now so we've recorded it and it's free to download.
It won't be on the album but it's been recorded and arranged at the same time so it does give you a good idea of the kind of stuff we've got coming.
But anyway, cut to the chase, you can stream it on myspace here:
http://www.myspace.com/blindddrewsmusic
Or download it free from thesixtyone here:
http://www.thesixtyone.com/artist/blinddrew/settings/album/edit/20691/#/s/o1S33EpWLM1/
and soon we will get it sorted on to the mainsite as well but i'm a bit of a luddite and need a bit of help there.

Oh yes, and while i remember, feel free to stick it on limewire, bittorrent or any other file sharing site you like. Digital Economy act my arse...

Hope you like the song
cheers
Drew

Of Polls, progress, profits, piracy and portents.

2010-03-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, the poll closed and the voting public had their say. And very helpful it was too. Half of you said cds, half of you said downloads (approximately). So based on that i am absolutely no further down my decision path. I think i would need a larger sample size but, as i shall come to, it no longer matters.

Progress on the album has leapt forward despite my recent, resurgent cold. We've had Adam in giving the skins a battering, Hils has been back in demonstrating more of her multi-instrumentalist skills and we've also had Mr Chisolm and his banjo joining in the shenanigans.
There's still about half a dozen things left to record and then we're into mixing and mastering; which seems to involve Stew and I getting ever more picky about 64ths of a second until we have to go outside and remind ourselves what the sun looks like. But it's still kind of fun...

Anyway, once we've got the songs finished we've got to decide what to do with them. Or rather, we've decided what to do with them. You see the problem is, people just aren't buying cds any more. Not just my cd i should point out! Even good stuff isn't selling in that format.
And for a tiny label like SOUP they just can't afford the up-front costs of runs of cds and then sitting on the boxes. Basically the profit margin isn't there. And it's not like we can rely on the download sales to offset the initial cost, after the VAT man and Apple have had their chunk there isn't a great deal left.
So sorry to all those folks who were hoping for a cd but unless i can figure out a cheap way of producing a high quality short run, then it's soft copy only from now on.

So why aren't cds selling anymore? Is it because of music piracy? Should we all be rushing out to petition the government to run the digital britain bill through the house as quickly as possible? Should we bollox. It's got bugger all to do with piracy. The buying public has moved on, that's what's happened and we have to move with it. What we should be doing is petitioning our MPs not to sign the digital britain bill because it's a bog-awful piece of knee-jerk, lobbyist-led legislation that cannot be currently implemented and can be abused in the future.
But that's probably a different blog...

And what of our 5th alliteration? Well, i reckon there's two sides to that. Firstly, if musicians can't make money on hard-copy sales and (perversely) there's not enough return on soft-copy sales then you've got to expect gig prices to go up. Or the quality of music to go down i guess, but i doubt it's that straightforward.
But return on investment will have to come from somewhere (and don't give me that "sell t-shirts and signed records" shite; that's for established bands only i'm afraid, otherwise it's just more upfront investment and capital tied up in stock).
Secondly little labels like ours will leave the market, they'll concentrate on areas that will guarantee a living. This, i think, would be a bad thing as it will just further the gap between the major label artists and the bedroom amateurs.

Well, that's tonight's depressing blog. Just remember the good stuff! Album's into the finishing straight now, one day soon we will be finished.
Oh yes, and we're playing at Verve in Leeds on the 15th of april so if you're in the vicinity why not pop in. While it's still free...

Gig Update! Supporting LAU on the 7th

2010-02-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

Yep, just when i was despairing of being able to a gig that didn't involve doing my cover of Pokerface those good people at CRS have got me a little stormer. Sunday the 7th Dr Jones and I will be supporting LAU. 2 time Radio 2 Folk Awards winners, 3 dazzling musicians and all round good blokes to boot. If you've not heard them, get them listened to here. But that doesn't do them justice so print off a copy of the flyer (cheap entry!) and get yourselves down to fibbers to hear them in the flesh. Oh yes, and make sure you're there for 8 so you can hear us too!

Stay well

Let the people decide...

2010-02-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of democracy, and because i found a new widget on the site, i've added a little poll on the right hand side of the page. Following on from the earlier posts about what to do with the album when it's done, i thought i'd throw open the floor (as it were, not literally though, that would be awkward, and probably inconvenient).

So make your mark and have your say, you're empowered!*

Quick reminder that we're playing the Fox and Hounds in Newmillerdam in Wakefield on Saturday with our label-mates TWO, should be good.

Stay well

* you may be empowered but i still reserve the right to ignore the lot of you!

Tired, very tired

2010-02-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

Cracking gig in Melton's Too last night. Thanks to everyone who made it down, and thanks to all the guest musicians. Top night all round.
Despite the curse of two-wheelers and Meltons coming round again. The first time we played there i got knocked off my motorbike the day before and had a nice concussion, this time i fell off my mountain bike and dislocated a finger (fortunately it was on my right hand and i was able to pop it straight back in).
Haven't made any progress on the album yet i'm afraid. Still working on it and still thinking about how we release it, but, in one form or another, release it we will.
I'm also trying to figure out how i can get MP3s up here on the site so i can share some new stuff with you as and when i come up with it. Any techs out there got any ideas?
Just a quick update this time, partly because it still hurts to type, but mostly because i've been too lazy/busy to do anything. Anyway, for those in the north we have a gig with TWO in Wakefield on the 20th but that's all that's on the radar at the moment.
Stay well.

Brand New Year, Same Old Problems

2010-01-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

So, way back in 2008 (seems a surprisingly long time ago now) I released the Digging for Bones EP, and later on that year started recording a full length album. 2009 turned into a difficult year to keep things going and it wasn't until November that we had another chunk of time in the studio and managed to make some real progress.
I reckon we're about 85% there now, give or take a half percent either way, but the biggest problem still hasn't been addressed.
I refer, of course, to the problem of how to sell the bloody thing when it's finished.
And they do have to be sold. The idea that you can give away your recordings for free and fund them from live shows and merchandise sales is strictly for established bands with massive global fan bases. For the rest of us it just doesn't work like that.
I regularly read Tom McRae's blogs and find myself wondering that if a musician and song-writer of his calibre can't sell enough records then what chance to do the rest of us have?
So, cutting to the crux, i'm trying to decide what to do with the album when it's finished. The most cost-effective option is to release it as a download only. But most of my friends and most of the people who are into my music seem to like the CDs. Unfortunately there aren't enough of them to justify doing a CD run (i'm sitting on, well, let's just say a LOT of boxes of unsold EPs at the moment).
So i'm kind of heading towards the idea of a limited run. 100 CDs, first come, first served. We won't make a penny on a run of that size but at least it'll give the people who really want a hard copy the chance to have one and we shouldn't actually lose money this time.
What do you think?

Oh yeah, and happy new year...

Flood!

2009-12-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

Nothing to do with They Might Be Giants sadly, just a bit of an inconvenience in the gig tonight. The City Screen basement bar is flooded out so the gig has been moved to The Junction on Leeman Road. All tickets will be honoured there or you can get a refund from City Screen.
Sorry for any hassle.

Last Gig of the year

2009-12-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

So we approach the end of 2009 and soon we'll be entering the some-what awkwardly named twenty-ten. And you know what i want to know? Not so much "what happened to 2009?" But rather "what they hell happened to the last decade?" I mean, really, where the hell did it go? I swear i still remember being 25...

But anyway, we must move on, so, last gig of the year coming up. Supporting Stewart King's new band Satori as they have the last of their album launch gigs and with additional support from Thom Piddock. Just five of your english pounds on the door (£4 if you buy in advance) and a good night of music shall follow.
Hope you've all had a good 2009, i shall write again next year and confirm how my various predictions for this year went...

A brief note on classifications.

2009-11-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

It works like this: a category 1 error is a musical error that i make on stage but no-one else (not even Dr Jones) notices; i make a lot of these. A category 2 error is a mistake i make but only Dr Jones notices (I make a few of these - i tend to get away with them because we have so few recorded tracks that people don't know the songs). A category 3 error is one that the audience notice; sadly i make a few of these as well.
Some people hardly seem to make errors at all. I've seen Boo Hewerdine play a few times and been struck by how incredibly precise he is. At one gig he played for an hour and twenty minutes and there was just one brief moment of fret-buzz in the whole set. Most people wouldn't have noticed but i was kind of fixated.
But that whole paragraph above is just filler whilst i nervously broach the idea of a fourth category of error. I propose a category 4 error should exist for the those times when it's such a collosal fuck-up that you have to re-start the song.
The reason that i find myself suggesting this new category is because a meer category 3 doesn't seem nearly enough to describe my screw up on monday. We'd got a last minute support with Eileen Rose and the Holy Wreck and i managed to open up the gig with the wrong chord and an absolute unholy balls-up of our opening song. I swore, Dr Jones laughed, we started again.
Every one else was very good though!
Enjoy the odd photo to take your mind off it...

Late notice! Gig with Eileen Rose @ Fibbers on Monday 9th

2009-11-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

Um, the problem with writing a good subject line is that it doesn't leave you a great deal to put in the rest of the blog!
So, Dr Jones and I will be playing a support slot on monday, the headline is Eileen Rose and the Holy Wreck all the way from Nashville (is it or me or does every musician in the states seem to be from Nashville?) with additional support from Dream of Apollo.
Haven't had time to make up a flyer for this one so fire back an e-mail if you're coming and i'll get you on a £5 entry list (£10 on the door)
We'll be on at 8 so don't be late.
Stay well
Drew

Gigs and buses

2009-10-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

Just like buses, you wait ages for an update and then get 3 all at once...
Another last minute gig, but this time it's with someone who I've actually heard of (or should that be "somebody of whom I have heard? I think it should, but let's crash on)...
Yep, first time back at fibbers for a while supporting the excellent James Yorkston. Also on the bill are Mary Hampton and David Jaycock. Normally this would cost you £11 on the door but if you print off the flyer (i.e. the picture above) it's just £5. Aren't i good to you?
The only downside to all this is that because of the busy bill i'll be on pretty much on the dot of 8pm. Don't be late...

Ripon gig (18th) cancelled, City Screen (thursday) still on!

2009-10-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

MUSIC DENIED!
How irritating. Apparently the venue for sunday's gig has lost its license; i'm not sure whether it's the music license or the trading license but either way we won't be playing in Ripon this weekend.
So come down and see us at city screen on thursday instead. What else were you going to do?
stay well
Drew

www.drewstephenson.com
Debut EP Digging for Bones out now on
www.souprecords.co.uk

Gigs and stuff!

2009-10-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

New news! Not that old re-cycled type...
Some of you have been asking when we're playing next in York, well, the answer is "next week".
Yes, fresh from the school of Giving People Plenty of Notice, Dr Jones and I will be playing at the City Screen Basement on Thursday 15th next week. We're playing alongside Heath Lanzillotti and Codeine Vacation, about whom i know nothing. But it's a fiver to get in and that's not bad for 3 acts i reckon. Music starts at 8:00.
Hot on the heels of this we have a gig in Ripon on the Sunday (18th) for those of a (slightly) more northerly bent. It's in a wine bar in the centre of town (I assume it used to be a bank?) - more details under the gigs section.
After that we're going to take a bit of a pause. We're back in the studio doing another chunk on the album shortly and it's going to be a whole load of stuff we don't usually play live; as a result i'm going to need a shed load of practice so we're taking a bit of time away from the stage.
Bear with us, we'll be back soon with a few new songs to tempt your appetite.
stay well
Drew

Life has been kind recently

2009-09-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last update; there are many reasons for this. Some of them are good reasons, i will share some of them; some of them are not good reasons but i may still mention them briefly, so that they don't feel left out.

I've been across to Florida for a wedding, down to Hampfordshire for some camping, up to the Lakes for a gig and some walking and played my first all-night-on-my-tod gig in York. These have all been good things but have contributed to the web-silence somewhat.
The bad reasons are that work's been busy and i am so very, very lazy. But let's move on from them, they have all the recognition that they deserve.

So let's move on in a going forward manner (a phrase which, i am convinced, is only two interviews away from a politician's lips) and i shall let you know what's happening in my tiny and insignificant segment of the world.

Firstly, we have a couple more gigs lined up, one in Ripon on the 18th of October, the other in York on the 4th of December (once again i find myself in the rare position of being able to give you plenty of warning). More details can be found, strangely enough, in the gigs section.
We might also have a gig on the 30th of September at the Theater Royal in York but i really don't know what's happening with this one (for any readers new to this site, his is the kind notice and organisation i generally provide).

Secondly, work on the album will be getting a kick-start in November. I know it's been over a year since we started it, but i've got a week booked in the studio in November and i'm hoping to get the bulk of the recording finished by the end of that month. I'd still expect a further couple of months of production and stuff before we get round to actually having anything saleable but hopefully we'll be able to get something out in the first half of next year.
You'll note i'm trying to add a trace of realism into my estimates!

But anyway, because i'm going to have to write, learn and practice a whole load of new guitar, mandolin, squeezebox etc parts for the studio work, I'm not going to be booking anything in over the next couple of months. All being well, come December we will have got our recording pretty much done and i'll start touting for more gigs.
Stay well

Rhythm Section Wanted

2009-08-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

For the past 18 months I've been working with Dr Jones on the cello and, by all accounts, that's going pretty well. We've just opened the Limetree festival and, over the past couple of years, have played supports to the likes of Great Lakes Swimmers, Langhorne Slim, Stewboss and Martin Stephenson. The first full length album with Soup records is in the works and will be out around the end of the year.
Did i say it was going pretty well?
It's going very well.
But it's time for the next step, you see, there are some songs that just don't work that well on acoustic guitar and cello. They need a bit of rhythm. Specifically they need a double bass and a drum. Maybe more than 1 drum.

So this is, in the words of They Might Be Giants, the rhythm section want ad:
Double Bass player and drummer wanted, based in the York / Leeds area, to support singer/songwriter and cellist for recording and live gigs.
You will have kit, transport, time and a genuine interest in my kind of music. I have the songs and the recording deal.

A lot of what we do is completely acoustic, so if you're looking to rock out, well, I'm sure there are plenty of other bands who'll snap you up. If you're still curious, check out www.drewstephenson.com and www.myspace.com/blindddrewsmusic and drop me a line.

Festivalities

2009-07-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

So this weekend we play our first proper festival. Well, it's my first proper festival, i'm not certain i can speak for Dr Jones, i certainly shouldn't be able too, i mean, she's qualified and everything. But anyway, i digress...
We're opening the Green Man stage at the LimeTree festival, which (i'm hoping) will be good. But, not having done something of this scale before, i have lots of questions, will there be a proper back stage with lots of muso people? Will there be anyone there at midday friday when we play? Will i have to spend two days in the rain and mud surrounded by hippies? If you choke a smurf, what colour does it turn? Why do whales have to be so big? What's with all the questions?
Who knows, i'll update the website afterwards. Assuming the hippies haven't got me.

On other news, for those of you who are Leeds based, i'll be doing a slot at Verve bar again on the 30th, hopefully it won't be cancelled this time. No Dr Jones for this one though so a chance to drag out some of the older, darker stuff. Any requests?

Gig cancelled

2009-07-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

Folks, just a quick update, sadly our gig tomorrow night (9th) at Verve has been cancelled as the venue has managed to double book itself. We'll be back there before too long though, watch this space.
cheers

New Song

2009-06-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

just a quickie for you today, i have, as you will have deduced from the heading of this piece, written a new song. Written, played through once, then straight into the phone and published.
Here is the song what i wrote:

We've actually been playing some music...

2009-05-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

...recently. Which is a nice change. A really nice morning up at the festival on the moor in Ryedale with Roscoe La Belle, a wedding (for which we had to make some pretty heavy changes to the set list (apparently songs about dead girlfriends could be considered inappropriate)), which was fun but i'm not in a huge hurry to do any more, and another session at Verve bar over in Leeds.
Much fun to be had.
And thursday we're playing at the Red Lion in Otley.
After that i really need to get off my over-sized posterior and book some more stuff in. Any suggestions? Come along on thursday and let me know.
Also on the good news front is that work on the album should hopefully pick up again soon. We've got the ground work down but there's still a lot to do. It's working out what to take out that's the tricky bit i reckon.
Stay well all.

Olds...

2009-05-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

...because it's not really news.
Quick reminder that we're playing the Red Lion in Otley again on the 4th of June. Lovely little pub, very friendly and really nice to play. We're trying to sort out a support act so if you know anyone who might be interested please let me know.
Progress on the album has been very slow recently as the day job has eaten my life. This should change a bit from next month though and hopefully things will start picking up. In the meantime the good doctor and I will be playing a wedding at the weekend. This has taken some fairly serious investigation to try and find an hour's worth of songs that aren't about death, we might have sneaked a couple of the more subtle ones in though ;¬)
In the meantime, would you like a sneak preview of the artwork for the new album? Comment and let me know

Beer, Music, Food...

2009-04-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

...What's not to like? Exactly, so it shouldn't take too much to persuade you to come down to the Ripon Cathedral Beer Festival, drink some beer, eat some food and listen to some music should it?
It's bank holiday monday (May 4th), there'll be music all afternoon and we'll be on at 12:50pm. £2 entry and kicks off at 11:30 for the usual beer festival shenanigans.
That's about all i know at the moment, i'll update the gig list details as things become clear.
stay well

Gigs and stuff

2009-03-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Quick update on the upcoming gigs, been very quiet from me recently but there's a couple coming up:
2nd April - Not quite april fool... Opening for TWO at the Red Lion in Otley, cracking little pub on Kirkgate.

14th April - City Screen Basement, Supporting Roscoe La Belle and with Reuben Hollebon and Lizzie Vince.
Not sure how much it'll be on the door but for 4 bands it's gonna be pretty reasonable.
And i promise you a new song!

roscoe la belle
Reuben Hollebon
Drew Stephenson (that's me by the way)
Lizzie Vince

E-mail problems and a quick bit of gig news

2009-03-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to explain the problems people are having with my e-mail at the moment. I still have a forwarding on to my old website (that no longer exists) and that's what causing the delivery failure messages. Sorry about that, i am getting the e-mails!
And a quick update on gigs, we'll be supporting Roscoe La Belle at the city screen basement in York on April the 14th. I'm afraid i don't know much about them at the moment as their website is still in construction but i'll get some more details and post them when i know.
Oh yes, and whilst we're at it i'll give you a quick update on the album. I've been back in the studio doing some of the proper vocals (still struggling a bit with this bloody cold) and we've been doing some of the drumming as well.
It's beginning to shape up...

Just like busses...

2009-03-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

you wait a month for a post and then you get two at once. The little buggers.
But this is just a tiny post, with a video.
Oh yes, i have just written a new song and in order to remember it i have made a little video. And, stealing shamelessly from the excellent Stickboy, i have decided to post it straight up. Here it is.

Apologies for the sound quality, it's just straight into my phone, and it's only the second time i've played the song. That's how new it is. It's called Satellite.
But anyway, let me know if this is a good thing for future new songs and blogs and i shall keep doing it

2009-03-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

So, we had a cracking little gig in Scarborough last week courtesy of the Coastival. They'll be doing a outdoor festival thing in the summer again this year, find out more here.
And speaking of festivals, Dr Jones has industriously got us a spot at this year's Limetree Festival over near Ripon on the 24th, 25th & 26th July.
Apparently it's a festival "how they used to be", so up to our knees in mud, surrounded by hippies and with no working toilets. Actually that's probably not the marketing image they intended so how about i describe it as a non-commercialised, hype-free Folk and Roots festival with some top bands from the North East. And working plumbing. And probably loads of Hippies and vast amounts of weed, but you know, clouds and silver linings and all that.
It should look something like the picture (otherwise you can sue me for false advertising).
So february has been its usual evil self but March promises to be better, no gigs planned, going to take a bit of time to go back into the studio and do the next chunk on the album, get work under control and then start setting up some more gigs from April onwards.
Stay well
Drew

Sunny Scarborough Sundays

2009-02-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

is what we're hoping for...
Dr Jones and I will be playing at the Coastival indoor festival in scarborough on sunday the 15th. We'll be on from 2pm (on the nail apparently - no overrun is permitted) and the excellent Jon Gomm and Edwina Hayes finish off the night.
Ollie Banks is on just before us and is definitely worth watching as well.
Sadly there are no late trains back to york so we'll have to sort out some carage instead but it should be a cracking day.
hope to see you all then and hope to be able to post an update on the album before too long.
stay well
Drew

don't let the thieving bastards get away with it

2009-01-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

Warning, this post contains lots of rude words.

Non-music related and uk-only blog tonight i'm afraid.

On thursday MPs in the UK are going to vote on whether their expenses should be exempt from the freedom of information act. This amendment to the bill has been snuck in at late notice, many MPs aren't even aware it's there.
According to a recent yougov poll 70% of the british electorate don't trust their elected representatives. No fucking wonder.
So what can you do about it?
You can write to your MP. Email them. Right now. It will take less than 5 minutes.
MP Jo Swinson has tabled an early day motion against this and needs your MPs support, fortunately the good people at mysociety.org have done all the hard work, click on the link here, read the article and then follow the instructions. Be polite, but be firm; they are public servants and not vice versa.
Sorry if this sounds dictatorial but if you want any of these fuckers to be accountable then we have to slap down shit like this whenever it comes up.
Hopefully my next post will be back on topic and bit less angry.

P.S. if you want a hand phrasing your letter just drop me a line.

FREE Festival!

2009-01-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

A two-day, FREE, indoor festival down on the Yorkshire coast, organised by the good people at Acoustic Gathering. It’s an all day event for two days from midday - 10:30. Festival starts on saturday with Chris Helme and Carl Woodford headlining and we’re on sunday (about 14:30) along with Edwina Hayes and Jon Gomm. Seriously folks, if you like acoustic music, this is going to be bloody magic!
The venue is The Vitadome-Spa Complex, Scarborough, Y011 2HD (for those of you with satnavs!)
I'll be updating this as i go along with more details.

2009-01-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

due to the fact that my webhosting company has decided to call it quits the drewstephenson.co.uk site will shortly cease to exist! (i can hear that you're upset from here) But have no fear, this is the replacement and it already exists! Yes, www.drewstephenson.com is alive and well and living here on google. because it's cheap...
With the demise of the webhosting however also comes the demise of the e-mail, contact@drewstephenson.co.uk will be no-more. If you really, really want to get in touch, please use info@drewstephenson.com or just comment here. I do read any comments. I may subsequently ignore them, but i do read them...

but enough of logistics

Dr Jones and I will be playing leeds again on the 5th of Feb, down at the verve bar (www.verveleeds.co.uk) on 16 merrion street. Things will kick off at about 9ish. Not sure who else is on that night but last time there were some bloody good acts (and us) so it should be a good night.

So, that's it for now, we are still working on the new album, but i really need to shrug off this bloody cold before i go back into the studio and record the vocals - they're not all supposed to sound like Tom Waits

Stay well all and remember it's .com all the way now!
cheers
Drew

A bit less shit

2009-01-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

Is what i hope 2009 will be.
Actually that's a bit harsh, 2008 wasn't all shit, just the bits of it i spend at work. The rest was pretty good actually.
So i shouldn't complain.
But i will, because i'm like that...
But anyway, here's hoping 2009 will not the death spiral that all the papers are telling us it's going to be. I still wonder how bad the recession would be if we didn't have all the media stuffing the disaster down our throats all day. Mind you, if we weren't so morbidly fascinated by the spectacle of misfortune they might actually report some good news occasionally.
But i digress...
So i'm finally shaking off my cold, which means two things, firstly our next gig is now booked! Thursday 8th Jan at the Red Lion in Otley. Dr Jones and I will be supporting TWO and bringing a bit of death and depression to the good people of that fine town. Probably kicking off at about 8:30, get yoursen' down lad...
Secondly, having recovered a bit of my voice means back into the studio for some vocals on the new album. Which is always fun!

It is traditional at this time of year to make some predictions as to the forthcoming year, however i've had a look at my predictions from last year and since i only got one and a half right (one right and one rightish in places) i think i will stick with some more modest predictions this year:
Aston Villa will make it into the champions league at the expense of arsenal who will only manage the Uefa cup.
Gloucester will win the Rugby this year (actually win the playoff as well as just getting more points than anyone in the league. Playoffs? What a bloody stupid idea, that's what a cup is for. And whilst we're at it, who came up with the bloody spelling of gloucester anyway? But i digress, again).
One of the big 4 record labels will go bust and Nadal will win wimbledon.
That's it, just the 4 this year, much eaiser to keep track of...
Stay well all

Ice

2008-12-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

A funny thing happened in York yesterday, they got the gritter out to the footpath by the side of the river. This is probably the most heavily used footpath in the city but for the last fortnight has remained resolutely ungritted. I can only assume the conversation in the council offices went something like this:
"hey Ted! I've had a thought."
"What's that then?"
"Do you suppose that there might be some kind of correlation between the fact that every night for the last two weeks the temperature has been below freezing, and the fact that the ice isn't going away?"
"Bejesus Ted you might be right! To the Gritters!"
Seriously though, i can just about buy the fact that the first really cold night may have taken them by surprise (if they'd been cut off from any form of media for a week!) but really, putting the grit down after two-weeks of sub-zero temperatures?
Maybe the conversation went more like this:
"Hey Ted! I've had a thought."
"What's that then?"
"You know how we've been saying that you can never believe what the weathermen say?"
"Yes Ted, that's true, can't believe a word of it."
"Well, you know how they've been saying that it'll be below freezing every night for the last two weeks?"
"that's true Ted, haven't shut up about it mow have they?"
"Well, you know, it has actually been below freezing every night for the last two weeks."
"Bejesus Ted you're right! To the Gritters!"
I don't know why everyone who works for the council is called Ted or why half of them are irish but i'm willing to wager that that's exactly how the conversation went.
Well, one of those options is. probably.
Have a nice winter picture to go with it so you feel nice and christmassy...

Gig and stuff!

2008-11-13T14:21:00.000-08:00

ok, sorry about the delay from the last blog. The day job has been silly and things have had to take a bit of a back seat. But not all of it, no sir!
So tomorrow Dr Jones and I go into the Studio (here's a picture of her in the studio doing the pre-production session last month - i think she thought it was cold. I think i might be in trouble for this photo...) and then, once we've come out of the studio (otherwise it would be ridiculous) we're playing at the Junction in York.
It's friday the 21st so no work the day after for most of us (get them beers in!) and we'll be supporting local singer/songwriter Thom Piddock and also the eclectic and very interesting Katie and the Questions - they raise, stangely enough, more questions than answers...
But it's getting late and tomorrow i have to be up bright and early to go to the studio (WOOHOO! as homer simpson would no-doubt say). Well, not that bright and not that early, but the principle still holds dammit!
So if i don't see you before then, hopefully see you on the 21st.
stay well
Drew

Se-se-se-Studio

2008-10-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

As opposed to sesudio or whatever the hell that Phil Collins track was called.
But i digress. Already. Which is pretty good work by anybody's standards. But i'm digressing again...

So you won't be seeing Hilary and I playing live much in October I'm afraid (unless you want to book us for a house party!) but fear not, we are not, unlike the economy, in a state of terminal decline. No. We have just spent a day in the studio doing a bit of pre-production work for the album we will shortly be working on!
Oh yes, you read it right. Dr Jones and I will be going into the studio to record a full length album. But i probably have to write a couple more songs first. So i'll get on with that rather than blogging here shall i?
Probably for the best...
stay well all

P.S. I should be getting a few of the whitby photos up soon, here's a teaser for the business card

York Friday, Wakefield Sunday

2008-09-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Friday evening we're playing the York Food Festival. Yep, you read that right.

Well be playing two sets at the Fountain Cafe right in the middle of parliament street. First set at 5:30, second at 7. Come along and grab some post work nosh, then head next door to the beer tent. It'll be good.

Sunday evening we're back at WFOne on the Bullring in Wakefield.
Supporting us will be our stable mates, the excellent TWO and we'll be kicking off at about 8:30ish.

Come along and buy a cd!

stay well all
Drew

Lance Armstrong’s cycling team

2008-09-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

Bit of a venture off-topic for me this one, but it's one that's doing the rounds of the blogosphere in the sporting circles.
So if you're expecting another tirade about the industry majors or the EC or a recommendation of another bedroom musician then you'd probably best keep clicking. Any cyclists out there might want to continue reading...

Lance Armstrong is returning to cycling, but for whom will he ride? Some say he will go straight back to Astana and the welcoming (?) arms of Johan Brunyeel, others (and this is where this blog comes in) that he will start his own team, based on the anti-cancer work of his foundation, called team LiveSTRONG.
The fat cyclist may not be directly responsible for this second rumour but he's rightly doing his best to promote it :¬)
But i propose the following twist:

Team Astana-LiveSTRONG.
The team and manager is in place, the legalities and licenses are there as are the mechanisms for promotion and operation.
This, i accept, has been mentioned before, so here comes the twist:
Lance (or Mr Armstrong as i prefer to think of him) will actually ride as a chief domestique to Contador.
Wait, wait! it's not that crazy! Listen…
Mr A is doing this for the foundation, it's about getting that jersey on the podium and the name in the papers as often as possible. That's his motivation, his true motivation. What better way to do this than by supporting probably the best GC rider around at the moment. Those who think he couldn't be this selfless need just look at what he's done since retiring.
Think also of how this would mitigate any rumours around drugs etc - he's just the domestique, he's not the challenger, why focus on bad press for a dom? It sidelines all that built-up vitriol.
Ultimately consider two possibilities: Contador on the winners podium wearing his dual-branded astana LiveSTRONG top saying his team and Mr A helped get him there,
or,
Mr A, as his team's highest finisher, languishing down in 18th spot on the GC and getting just a couple of lines mention in the more dedicated of the sporting papers.
I'm going with my theory and hoping that by posting it on Fatty's site, this site and my blog i will piggy-back on his rumour mill!

Thursday night in Leeds and now on i-tunes!

2008-09-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

Guess, what? yep we're playing in leeds on thursday night and i-tunes is now selling our stuff.
Who would have guessed?
Thursday night, from about 8:30 at Verve bar in Leeds (16 merrion street)

and we're on i-tunes for those of you who are slave to the cult of mac and want to spend an extra 5p to get a drm'd version of something you can get here for 74p in wonderful drm-free mp3.

apparently it's all about advertising...

do you know i can see my house from this soapbox?

stay well all
Drew

P.S. just tried to find the stuff on i-tunes and couldn't get to the server. typical "it just works" my arse...

Bleak epiphany

2008-09-14T04:43:00.000-07:00

by which i mean the moment of realisation that it's too late. In the words of R. Scott Bakker, "We understand not simply when it is too late but precisely because it is too late."
So what brings this sudden elucidation? I've just realised an omission in the EP artwork, one that really should be there and i'm gutted that i forgot.
So here is is: the opening line of Stressed is from a Rudyard Kipling poem, The Light that Failed, and i have failed to credit this accordingly on the CD.
Arse and embuggerence.
Basically i've been playing the song for so long now that i've stopped mentioning it at live gigs and i subsequently forgot to put it in the sleeve notes.
So let this brief note set the record straight.

On an unrelated note, Hils and I are playing at the open mic night in Verve Bar in Leeds on the 18th, come down if you can.
stay well
Drew

3 things!

2008-09-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Firstly, gig on saturday for TWO's album launch is at St Michael Le Belfrey Hall in York, it's down one of the little alleys on Stonegate. It's also a BYOB affair and free to get in. Dr Jones and I will be supporting and we'll be on around 8:30ish

Secondly, we went to Whitby at the weekend and my good friend Jo took some pictures of us playing on the end of the pier, they'll be up on the site soon, and it was a good laugh (with the exception of the surly bugger who asked if we had an entertainment license). Check out more of Jo's work at Pixeen

Advance warning, there are naughty words in the next paragraph...

Thirdly, the bastard EU are at it again. This time they're proposing to regulate blogs. No seriously, that's what they're proposing. What a bunch of colossal fuckwits. Details are available here. I mean really? Not only is it totally fucking draconian but it's also completely fucking impossible. fucking idiots.

Gig updates

2008-08-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

just a quick reminder before i head out to the see the Dark Knight (given all the hype i'm expecting to be disappointed - but i digress)...
We're playing quite a bit over the next week or so:
Sunday 31st at Stone Roses, supporting Pete Briley and kicking off at about 8:30ish
Wednesday 3rd at Melton's Too, looking for another top night in the loft, we'll be doing a completely acoustic session from 9-11. just £1 to get in, how good are we to you? If you've got any favourites, let us know and we'll work them into the set list.
Saturday 6th at St Michael Le Belfrey (down one of those alleys off Stonegate) for TWO's album launch, we'll be providing support for what promises to be a very special little gig.
Hope to see you at some of the above, if you have to chose one, go for wednesday because it's the one in the middle!
stay well all

Drew
www.drewstephenson.co.uk
EP "Digging for Bones" out now from
www.souprecords.com

If you want off this newsletter just let me know!

Lochcarron and points east

2008-08-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few days, weeks even. lots of gigs and lots of travelling. The week before last we were in Lochcarron for a gig. Beautiful place, lovely people and about 4 - 5 hours north of glasgow. In fact i was surprised to find that it was, in fact, north of Riga, where i've just come back from. Hmm, that's bad english, one should never end a sentence with a preposition; i suppose that should have read "from where i have just come back". Or maybe "back from where i have just come". Maybe i'll let it drop...
Anyway, in the meantime we've had a couple of gigs and, disappointingly, one cancelled. Boo! But we've got another booked to replace it. Hooray! So keep an eye on the myspace or the gigs page and make it down when you can.
I've posted a load of pictures on the myspace but for those of you who can't be arsed to sell your personal details to rupert murdoch you can find them here too. And here for the Riga ones. There's a bit of rambling bloggage going on as well. All one page so it might take a while to load but there are limits to how long i'm going to sit here...
So that's about it for now, i'm going away for a bit but will be back in York for our gig on sunday night (31st) with Pete Briley at the Stone Roses Bar.
Stay well

2008-08-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

I’d just like to start off by asking, “where the bloody hell did the year go?”
I’d like to follow that up by asking, “What the fuck happened to summer?”
But moving on from that…
I have finally got the gigs page up to date, well, up to date-ish. There are a number of dates that are distinctly lacking in details, but pop ‘em in your diaries anyway – if only so you have a handy excuse the next time you’re asked to out with your “mates” from work…
Still waiting to hear what’s happening with the CD print problem – in the meantime we have sample checked a number of boxes and fished out a bunch of ones that we think are ok and I will have them available at the upcoming gigs.
And returning to the gigs topic, if you can’t make any others, make it to the Junction on the 11th, we’re headlining and it should be a cracking night.
Stay well

Music updates and a couple of other things

2008-07-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

'ow do (as they say down in naaaarfick),
couple of updates for you, firstly, gig next week in the Chemic Tavern in Leeds. It's an open-mic type affair with a proper set from the headline act - that's us - and has a pretty good reputation as a night out. It's next thursday (31st) so pretty much everyone should have been paid and it's free to get in; if that isn't a recipe for a night on the beers then i don't know what is. Well, actually, going across to Belfast at the weekend for a stag do is probably an even better recipe. ;¬)
But i digress...
The Chemic is in Wodehouse and you can find all kinds of details about it here: http://www.myspace.com/chemictavern

Secondly, CD news. The CDs have arrived, but... (you knew there was going to be a "but" otherwise i would have spammed you to death by now)
... we've had some issues with the print quality. We've sent some samples back to the production place and they're investigating. At the moment we do have CDs for sale (quite a few of them are fine) but we're not yet in a position to go heavy on the advertising because we can't guarantee the quality.
But they are available, come see me after a gig (or pretty much anytime really, i'll probably have some with me) and for just four of your english pounds i will sell you one of my 5 Track EPs.
Printing aside, i'm really happy with them.

Lastly i just thought i'd stick a couple of links up showing a couple of things have brought me up and down over the last fortnight.
This really depressed me, what are we coming to?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7513416.stm
This really cheered me up!
Where the hell is Matt?

That's about it for now, if you can make it i'll see you in Leeds, and hopefully we'll have some good news on the CDs soon.
thanks again for all your support
Stay well
Drew

P.S. i had a little off when mountain biking on sunday - the picture is a bit disappointing because it did sting quite a bit at the time!

2008-07-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are in the second half of the year. I think it might be time for me to review some of the predictions i so foolishly made at the beginning of the year. Here they are with some updates:
The turmoil in the record industry will escalate at a frightening pace resulting in:
The end of DRM
The creation of some kind of musical collective distribution mechanism
The demise of one of the big 4 record companies.
A slew of litigation and pathetic prosecutions from the big 4 record companies.
Gig prices will go up.
Well, i'm doing reasonably well so far on this one - we'll keep an eye on it through the next 6 months and the critical build up to the christmas sales.

Outside the music business
I would expect similar changes to start to permeate into all areas of commerce
We appear to be getting this a bit but not as fast as i was expecting (ever the optimist me).

Arsenal will win the football premiership
Hmm, wasn't exactly on the nail with this one...

Glouscester will win the rugby premiership
Well, i made a good stab at this one, they won more games in the actual league than anyone else, it was just the bloody play-offs that did for them. I'm claiming a degree of accuracy on this!

No-one will actually read this blog all the way through
Surprisingly i was wrong on this too

The best selling record of 2008 will be Drew Stephenson's first EP (hell it's my dream alright!)
Well now, this would have been helped on its way if we'd got our arses in gear and actually got the damn CDs available before July. But they should be hear any... day... now...

So that was the half year, mostly wrong but with occasional flashes of brilliance.

For what it's worth, Nadal to win this afternoon and Valverde to win the Tour De France.

Oh yes, and at the moment i'm listening to FDR and they're bloody good. Check 'em out here:

http://www.myspace.com/fdrtheband

Leeds and Scotland gigs

2008-06-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

Quick update today, two more gigs lined up, one in Leeds on the 31st of July, but i can't remember where! I will update the page as soon as my memory (i.e. Dr Jones) reminds me where we'll be.
The other one i want to get some early advertising in for is at the Rockvilla hotel in Lochcarron, it's a pretty special place and i think it's going to be a pretty special gig.
More details on the gigs page of the website.

oh yes, and the confirmation for the CD artwork went off at the beginning of the week, and the master disc is at the pressing plant. How much longer can it take?

Oh yes, and one other apology, the website is all looking a bit funny at the moment if you use firefox; obviously i'm blaming this on the new version of firefox and it's nothing to do with my terrible html skills...

A dilemma resolved

2008-06-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well, i've been umming and ahhing about going back on facebook. It's been a bit of a dilemma because it's hugely popular and would be a really good marketing tool, but their privacy policy sucks, their user content sucks and the fact that you can't completely close your account sucks. I don't hold with that.
So i went back on and checked whether they'd updated their policies after the fiasco they had a christmas. But they haven't. They're still shit.
So i won't use. Dilemma resolved and, amazingly for me, it turns out i still have the moral high-ground.
I predict it will be another 33 years before it happens again...

2008-06-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

June,
So it's been a bit of an eventful week. On wednesday Dr Jones and I did our first full length set. I was a bit nervous about whether we could actually keep people interested for 2 hours with just the two of us and playing mostly original material. But it worked and a goodly number of people came down and most of them didn't sneak out at half time.
It was down at Melton's Too on Walmgate in York, first and third wednedays of each month they have completely acoustic music on up in the loft. It's a really nice little venue and they have some good acts on.
So that was the good bit of the week.
The not so good bit was being knocked off my motorbike on tuesday night. This hurt a bit, and continues to do so. And the doctor has said i can't drink as well, the bastard. Oh yeah, and the bike has been written off as well. arse arse arse arse.
In a strange twist of fate, the example tags on the blog entry screen suggest "scooters, vacation, fall" which seems to be worryingly accurate...
Anyway, next gig is down at the Stone Roses Bar in York on sunday 22nd. More details as they come though.