Blog #2
Some small but significant changes in my mindset have made themselves apparent since the last blog. In the melee of moving house, finding actual tangible happiness, falling out and back in love with my band (pleased to report I'm definitely back on the in side of the line) and other minor conflicts of the mind, I have decided thus:
1. Despite the romance of it, I am not an island.
2. I am once again enjoying the things I love and I want to get things done.
(I think what this translates to is that I am putting the depression of the last 18 months or so behind me. And it feels jolly nice).
Island
Since I am no longer a loner in this particular musically pursuit I'd like to formally welcome David Moriaty and Paul Davidson to Project Captain What. They are both fantastic people who I am very lucky to be able to work with and whose respective guitar and drum skills I am very grateful for. They are both tremendous musicians. I was astounded to learn that Dave has already learnt the songs I previously sent and now Paul is taking the demos to learn whilst sunbathing on a beach in America. Upon his return we'll get together and start rehearsing. I cannot wait, I literally find no greater pleasure than that of making music.
Getting stuff done - Ever wondered what Judge Tindal would look like if Andy Warhol was his stylist? No me neither, but it's in the video
I'm going to take the opportunity created by the change in band dynamic to release the video for Captain of Nothing I filmed with Rich Lyman. It's just me in the video, and the music I recorded, which won't make much sense when the three of us are playing. So I'm going to put it out there to give a little taster of what's to come. Hope you enjoy it, it's very, very silly.
Check out Facebook and Twitter for the video release, upcoming shows and whatnot.
Captain Matt
www.facebook.com/captainwhat
www.twitter.com/thecaptainwhat
matt@captainwhat.co.uk
x
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Monday, 7 March 2011
Je Suis Le Captain
Blog #1
I wish I was sending this from a ship like a real captain, but alas I am not that cool. The closest I've come to captaining a vessel was a canoe on a sixth form adventure weekend but unfortunately I capsized it and my crew of one and I went drifting down the freezing river rapids in South Wales (I have absolutely no idea which river) for several hundred metres until gratefully rescued by some macho instructor-type.
And now some years later I find myself being the captain of nothing other than my own little musical project: Captain What. I thought up until a few seconds ago that I had coined the genre 'bedroom pop' to best describe what I do, but a quick Google search later and, unsurprising I guess, I did not. Still, it seems fairly apt; It's pop music, I make it in my bedroom, it's unassuming, it's dreadfully English.
I've been 'working on my album' for quite some time now, but after my band, The Library Suits, my day job and a recent personal roller coaster have taken generous allocations of my time I've not been left with an awful lot. Still, I'm getting there - I'd say 90% written, 50% recorded - and many plans. Although of course the trouble about working alone is that there is no quality control and no one to pick up the baton when it gets metaphorically dropped. So I take each plan with a pinch of salt so as not to get too disappointed when only a small percentage come to fruition.
The latest idea that's exciting me is that of performing the stuff live with other people; playing acoustic all the time just doesn't really cut it, not least because the 'pop' element doesn't translate and it becomes very much in danger of being all a bit depressing. I've recruited/convinced a couple of lovely gentlemen to join me and have a plan that involves a backing track/triggered samples. Completely out of my comfort zone and not quite in the DIY ethos that I've tried to live by, but I hope it might just work.
I'm terribly unorganised and shall be trying to use this blog as a tool for remembering what it is I need to be doing as much as it will be for letting a modest percentage of the world know what's been and what's next.
I must try and do better.
Captain Matt
www.facebook.com/captainwhat
matt@captainwhat.co.uk
x
I wish I was sending this from a ship like a real captain, but alas I am not that cool. The closest I've come to captaining a vessel was a canoe on a sixth form adventure weekend but unfortunately I capsized it and my crew of one and I went drifting down the freezing river rapids in South Wales (I have absolutely no idea which river) for several hundred metres until gratefully rescued by some macho instructor-type.
And now some years later I find myself being the captain of nothing other than my own little musical project: Captain What. I thought up until a few seconds ago that I had coined the genre 'bedroom pop' to best describe what I do, but a quick Google search later and, unsurprising I guess, I did not. Still, it seems fairly apt; It's pop music, I make it in my bedroom, it's unassuming, it's dreadfully English.
I've been 'working on my album' for quite some time now, but after my band, The Library Suits, my day job and a recent personal roller coaster have taken generous allocations of my time I've not been left with an awful lot. Still, I'm getting there - I'd say 90% written, 50% recorded - and many plans. Although of course the trouble about working alone is that there is no quality control and no one to pick up the baton when it gets metaphorically dropped. So I take each plan with a pinch of salt so as not to get too disappointed when only a small percentage come to fruition.
The latest idea that's exciting me is that of performing the stuff live with other people; playing acoustic all the time just doesn't really cut it, not least because the 'pop' element doesn't translate and it becomes very much in danger of being all a bit depressing. I've recruited/convinced a couple of lovely gentlemen to join me and have a plan that involves a backing track/triggered samples. Completely out of my comfort zone and not quite in the DIY ethos that I've tried to live by, but I hope it might just work.
I'm terribly unorganised and shall be trying to use this blog as a tool for remembering what it is I need to be doing as much as it will be for letting a modest percentage of the world know what's been and what's next.
I must try and do better.
Captain Matt
www.facebook.com/captainwhat
matt@captainwhat.co.uk
x
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