Well that was a bit of a start and a half to the year!
Looking out today, that crazily heavy snowfall of the last two weeks has all but disappeared and if it weren't for the last few remaining tell tale signs- a once majestic igloo now reduced to an ungainly pile of slushy rubble, a notable quantity of healthy branches torn and strewn like limbs ripped from their sockets-and a colourful array of random gloves once lost during must- have snowball fights now lying in patient wait, secretly pining for their other halves- yes, without this small collection of reminders you could almost have been fooled into thinking that the old dream department just went into overdrive one night and you found yourself drifting around the stage set of Narnia for two weeks. But it didn't, and you were!
Truly, how could we forget waking to a fantasy world whipped into peaks of glistening ice crystals, who had silently and diligently danced their way through the dark night and on into the small hours- and boy did they party hard! I mean that was proper top grade stuff- none of that wimpy-you can look but you can't touch type of gear that we usually get. No this was snow WORTH disrupting us for!
I have loved that eerie stillness, I have loved trekking through snow up to my knees, I have loved just staying put, I have loved striking up conversations with strangers, I have loved the fact that tins of spam ( yes, spam! )were one of the most popular items flying off supermarket shelves. O.k I grant you it's nice to be able to get out and about again, but snow, a part of me is missing you!
However, the greatest benefit to this current thawing process was that this past weekend saw a much longed for re-communing with all things Sunsoma- we hadn't been able to meet in A G E S -it was good to be back! As per usual we set up shop and wasted no time getting stuck into our latest track. The bones of the song were pretty much in place before the Christmas break, so it was a matter of finishing lyrics, arrangements and just generally seeing if any musical gaps were still crying out to be filled. I am seriously into this song, and not just because it's the one we happen to be working on. I think I just love the melody and the whole feel. There is such a strong guitar solo in the outro too that just takes me away...somewhere... far!! As yet my biggest hurdle is trying to find a title- I've tried a few but all were definitely too cheesy. I think I said in an earlier blog that creating a title is like giving your song a face. I still stick by that, so looks like I'm gonna need to dig a little deeper with this one. It's funny the things we get stuck on. You'll be the first to know though when she's got her new face on, promise!
As Sunday's daylight hours drifted seamlessly into evening and a productive and extended 'sesh' had left us all feeling more than encouraged, we delivered Lee safely home into the arms of Pompeii and were left to reflect on our progress as we drove away through streaky pockets of fog listening to the sounds of Bon Iver echoing around the van. Can't think of a better way to wind up the weekend! ( I can actually- snow patrol playing an impromptu acoustic set for us in the back of the van!! ) That would be a hard one to top.
Speak soon! Peace y'all Mel xx.
Monday, 18 January 2010
Friday, 1 January 2010
INSIGHTS AND INTERRUPTIONS.....
Happy New Year all Ye festive revellers!!! I trust that you've been actively steeping yourselves in Christmas cheer and enjoying all the benefits that a break from the normal routine of life allows. Ours was surprisingly mobile this year- Ian and I took a trip to Spicerville ( which is basically anywhere that 2 or more Spicers are gathered! )- our rellies are reasonably scattered about, so we took the opportunity to jump in the trusty van and descend on various family members' houses. We only got lost once- but please can somebody enlighten me- why do I always end up getting instructions from people who have obviously graduated with a supersized A star in wild goose chasing??? Have these guys finally fulfilled a lifetime ambition as their wildly inaccurate utterances send us hurtling off in COMPLETELY the wrong direction? Do they secretly chuckle under their bobble hats? Why why why oh why? ( counting to ten is now in progress )..... When we eventually pulled up my annoyance was however rapidly realigned as we were showered with hospitality and lashings of tiramisu, and a good time of bonding and joviality was had by all. Tomorrow is our grand festive finale- a sizeable proportion of the clan have booked ourselves into a hotel for the weekend to slightly belatedly but no less sincerely welcome in 2010. Should be boisterous, girlsterous and muchos fun!! Oh and we know the way, so no sign of geese anywhere!
Before I move on, how could we forget that timely and hearty back drop to our last few days of preparations? -O yes, I'm talking BIG WHITE FLUFFY SNOW! The late December sky truly gave us its' gleeful best and laced our days with bloomin' mountains of the stuff!! - I am totally and unashamedly a complete sucker for that wondrous, icy precipitation- those first few moments of re-acquaintance still make my heart beat faster and still make me feel about five. I know our cars get stuck and we have to take the day off work ( shame ) but it was magical weren't it?!
O.K so having just about resurfaced and dusted down our limbs from the inevitable seasonal excesses, are we all feeling gently
yet fervently 'revved' for all that this sparkling, as yet untrodden landscape of a new decade has to offer? I hope so! This is early days, I haven't really done more than put my big toe on it, but it feels good- better than last year- can't say why, but it does!
As I reflect on the events of 2009, the title of this blog I hope conveys a mixed bag of a year- the good and the not so good, the remarkable and the unremarkable, the peaks and the lack of them. For me personally, it has undeniably been a time of learning, challenge, stretching and all those things we mostly try to avoid given half the chance! But without them we don't actually go anywhere very far at all, and life has to be for going somewhere doesn't it? I have had to tackle my lyric writing somewhat more severely- it's not enough that I know what I'm talking about- what about you? If I don't leave you with something or move you in some way then I am doing you nothing more than a very large disservice. God forbid that I should ever learn to excel in that.
As the 3 of us continue to write together, sooner or later more of the missing pieces begin to present themselves- songs are definitely similar to people- they are not always what they seem to be, they can strut a coquettish moment of inspiration before you, only to withdraw into the shadows leaving you with tantalising fragments- it can take months or even years to find the rest. Some songs are wolves in sheeps' clothing- they lull you into thinking they are gentle, tiny songs but in reality they are giant anthems fit only for stadium consumption. Whatever characteristics a song may exhibit they each have a story to tell, an emotion they are longing to share with you. If you are any good, you will find ways to bring those stories out and come somewhere close to explaining those emotions.
I had hoped to be able to neatly say we had ended our year with all the demos complete- we didn't quite get there although we are not that far off. Life isn't neat , it spills over and interrupts you sometimes, so you do your best to manoeuvre around, through and above whatever comes your way, whilst still inching forward towards your goal. The inches have now become feet and 2010 WILL be the year of SINKING TO THE TOP! I am both excited and honoured to work with Ian and Lee and to see all our endeavours unfold.
You Rock guys!! Thanks for reading much love Mel xxx
P.S: How long does a blog have to be before it has officially turned into a small book?!
Before I move on, how could we forget that timely and hearty back drop to our last few days of preparations? -O yes, I'm talking BIG WHITE FLUFFY SNOW! The late December sky truly gave us its' gleeful best and laced our days with bloomin' mountains of the stuff!! - I am totally and unashamedly a complete sucker for that wondrous, icy precipitation- those first few moments of re-acquaintance still make my heart beat faster and still make me feel about five. I know our cars get stuck and we have to take the day off work ( shame ) but it was magical weren't it?!
O.K so having just about resurfaced and dusted down our limbs from the inevitable seasonal excesses, are we all feeling gently
yet fervently 'revved' for all that this sparkling, as yet untrodden landscape of a new decade has to offer? I hope so! This is early days, I haven't really done more than put my big toe on it, but it feels good- better than last year- can't say why, but it does!
As I reflect on the events of 2009, the title of this blog I hope conveys a mixed bag of a year- the good and the not so good, the remarkable and the unremarkable, the peaks and the lack of them. For me personally, it has undeniably been a time of learning, challenge, stretching and all those things we mostly try to avoid given half the chance! But without them we don't actually go anywhere very far at all, and life has to be for going somewhere doesn't it? I have had to tackle my lyric writing somewhat more severely- it's not enough that I know what I'm talking about- what about you? If I don't leave you with something or move you in some way then I am doing you nothing more than a very large disservice. God forbid that I should ever learn to excel in that.
As the 3 of us continue to write together, sooner or later more of the missing pieces begin to present themselves- songs are definitely similar to people- they are not always what they seem to be, they can strut a coquettish moment of inspiration before you, only to withdraw into the shadows leaving you with tantalising fragments- it can take months or even years to find the rest. Some songs are wolves in sheeps' clothing- they lull you into thinking they are gentle, tiny songs but in reality they are giant anthems fit only for stadium consumption. Whatever characteristics a song may exhibit they each have a story to tell, an emotion they are longing to share with you. If you are any good, you will find ways to bring those stories out and come somewhere close to explaining those emotions.
I had hoped to be able to neatly say we had ended our year with all the demos complete- we didn't quite get there although we are not that far off. Life isn't neat , it spills over and interrupts you sometimes, so you do your best to manoeuvre around, through and above whatever comes your way, whilst still inching forward towards your goal. The inches have now become feet and 2010 WILL be the year of SINKING TO THE TOP! I am both excited and honoured to work with Ian and Lee and to see all our endeavours unfold.
You Rock guys!! Thanks for reading much love Mel xxx
P.S: How long does a blog have to be before it has officially turned into a small book?!
Saturday, 28 November 2009
VERTICAL LEARNING CURVES AND GENERAL PONDERINGS....
Hey chaps, as I sit here under the jet black December sky with fingers poised to tap out a bunch of my latest musings, I realise that the festive season is but a breath away! Last week I sensed a delicious, well rounded pause in the air before the flurry, scurry and inevitable hurry towards that pert little twenty four hours known as Christmas Day- sadly it was short lived and I have begun to observe signs that the madness is now with us- the flushed cheeks of a woman who feels compelled to out do last year's attempt at perfection, the distant stare of a man who dies a million times inside when his kids announce their wish list, and the glassy eyes of a pensioner who just hopes they'll be warm enough and that someone will call round.....
Crikey Mel's having a vaguely dark moment! don't get me wrong, I am an out and out die hard fan of the whole festive bit, I LOVE IT, but I just don't get it why everyone goes so nuts. Just... chill... world.
Anyway ,The Sunnies are all well, and it's still noses to the wheel as we bring our collection of demos for the album towards it's much longed for and frequently dreamed of completion- I know it seems like I've been saying it for eons, but it really is all coming together now and sometimes you just have to take time over things- we've learnt more than I could imagine working in our little unit of 3, and we've watched our writing process develop before our very eyes. Each time a song resides firmly under our belts, we can draw upon those experiences and add it to the next, probably without even realising it. There have been agonising moments when we've creatively hit a bit of a brick wall, but it's been amazing too and worth every second that we've had to wait for the magic to return!!
Good people I must away as my voice needs a good night's sleep.....
Take care and looking forward to catching up soon!
Mel xxx
Crikey Mel's having a vaguely dark moment! don't get me wrong, I am an out and out die hard fan of the whole festive bit, I LOVE IT, but I just don't get it why everyone goes so nuts. Just... chill... world.
Anyway ,The Sunnies are all well, and it's still noses to the wheel as we bring our collection of demos for the album towards it's much longed for and frequently dreamed of completion- I know it seems like I've been saying it for eons, but it really is all coming together now and sometimes you just have to take time over things- we've learnt more than I could imagine working in our little unit of 3, and we've watched our writing process develop before our very eyes. Each time a song resides firmly under our belts, we can draw upon those experiences and add it to the next, probably without even realising it. There have been agonising moments when we've creatively hit a bit of a brick wall, but it's been amazing too and worth every second that we've had to wait for the magic to return!!
Good people I must away as my voice needs a good night's sleep.....
Take care and looking forward to catching up soon!
Mel xxx
Monday, 26 October 2009
JUS KEEPIN' YER POSTED!
Hello gang 'tis time for another blog-ette methinks! I trust that you are abounding in wellness and have readjusted to the fact that a riot of dark winter evenings have once again pitched up on our very doorsteps, handed in their annual petition against all things clement, and are now poised to revel in cutting short our daily light source until they are finally yet firmly nudged on by another thankful onset of Spring...... It's not all bad though- staring up at twinkly freezing skies, waking up to a snow laden world, walking on the beach when it's just you and the moon, getting too hot by the fire, rain on the roof, lashings of hearty soup,..... these are a few of my favourite things!
We are happy to announce that we have another completed track- SIRENS- but talk about tough to get there! The journey with this one was not for the faint hearted- just did crazy amounts of re-writes and went round in many circles before we came out of the mire- I can't really remember how we ended up being eventually spewed out of that dark, treacly place, I must have used half a tree to get the lyrics right and we're only using about half of them- sorry tree. But I guess you just keep plugging away till you have a bunch of little break throughs and one thing seems to spark another. I'm loving the track though and it was well worth all the grief! It's pretty dancy and upbeat and we're all well up for putting it 1st on the album. Moshability factor = extremely high on this one, so get ready you little groovers you!
Manflu has dealt an unwelcome blow to Lee this past week, so hope you're wrapped up warm and tight dude and on that road to recovery..... The next track we're gonna write has a really chilled vibe, which kind of feels right after the emotional assault of the last one! Maybe it's a girl thing, cos' Ian and Lee are pretty calm when a song isn't quite working, whereas I can get into this rapid downward spiral that goes something like - I'll-never-write-another-song-again, which is completely nutsville and I should SO know better!!
I think I am slightly in love with a guitar that we tried out on Saturday- it was a Taylor and it sang. I am not in love with the price.
Also go see the new Terry Gilliam movie The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus- O.K O.K, so maybe the story line isn't the strongest in the world and a couple of popcorn strewn revellers did actually vacate their seats about half way through the movie, BUT the sheer creativity and visual melange will not disappoint- especially if you are of an artistic disposition and have a fondness for all things Monty Python. Enjoy!
Peace like that old river! Mel xxx.
We are happy to announce that we have another completed track- SIRENS- but talk about tough to get there! The journey with this one was not for the faint hearted- just did crazy amounts of re-writes and went round in many circles before we came out of the mire- I can't really remember how we ended up being eventually spewed out of that dark, treacly place, I must have used half a tree to get the lyrics right and we're only using about half of them- sorry tree. But I guess you just keep plugging away till you have a bunch of little break throughs and one thing seems to spark another. I'm loving the track though and it was well worth all the grief! It's pretty dancy and upbeat and we're all well up for putting it 1st on the album. Moshability factor = extremely high on this one, so get ready you little groovers you!
Manflu has dealt an unwelcome blow to Lee this past week, so hope you're wrapped up warm and tight dude and on that road to recovery..... The next track we're gonna write has a really chilled vibe, which kind of feels right after the emotional assault of the last one! Maybe it's a girl thing, cos' Ian and Lee are pretty calm when a song isn't quite working, whereas I can get into this rapid downward spiral that goes something like - I'll-never-write-another-song-again, which is completely nutsville and I should SO know better!!
I think I am slightly in love with a guitar that we tried out on Saturday- it was a Taylor and it sang. I am not in love with the price.
Also go see the new Terry Gilliam movie The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus- O.K O.K, so maybe the story line isn't the strongest in the world and a couple of popcorn strewn revellers did actually vacate their seats about half way through the movie, BUT the sheer creativity and visual melange will not disappoint- especially if you are of an artistic disposition and have a fondness for all things Monty Python. Enjoy!
Peace like that old river! Mel xxx.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
FROM DISTANT SHORES.....
Mr. A safely returns! These past two weeks we have sorely and unashamedly missed the dulcet tones and nifty riffs of Lee, as he zipped over to Turkey for a well earned holiday en famille. We haven't hooked up in the flesh yet, but by all accounts his trip was extremely eventful- attempting to save a man's life at sea and experiencing the joys and enviable epidermal benefits of a full-body mud pack to name but two!
Hark! We've been stoking up the home fires and they're burning ever brightly-we're longing to cement those final few tunes with a longingness akin to an unquenchable, super-sized desire trapped in the lift at the top floor of the Burj Dubai, having been relocated to the very end of the Pan- American Highway.... ummmm, this analogy is beginning to give me brain strain, so I'll take the route of good old plain English instead- we're just dead keen to crack on!!
Last weekend saw me and Ian take to The Downs armed with Bob's camera (Ta Bob!), my satellite and just the right amount of Autumn sunshine to snap a few shots of my paper handywork- I named it Legacy 3 after me, Ian and Lee and the fact that our tunes will far out live us- although I did read with a fair degree of scepticism this week, that scientists have discovered something that can keep muscles young and prevent the ageing process- does the same apply for your marbles I wonder?
So anyways, it was a successful photo shoot, interrupted only by the curiousity of passers- by who wanted to know if I was actually going to launch the thing- Na, this baby only orbits in your imaginations!!
Well until next time-take good care of that skin you're in!
Mel xxx
Hark! We've been stoking up the home fires and they're burning ever brightly-we're longing to cement those final few tunes with a longingness akin to an unquenchable, super-sized desire trapped in the lift at the top floor of the Burj Dubai, having been relocated to the very end of the Pan- American Highway.... ummmm, this analogy is beginning to give me brain strain, so I'll take the route of good old plain English instead- we're just dead keen to crack on!!
Last weekend saw me and Ian take to The Downs armed with Bob's camera (Ta Bob!), my satellite and just the right amount of Autumn sunshine to snap a few shots of my paper handywork- I named it Legacy 3 after me, Ian and Lee and the fact that our tunes will far out live us- although I did read with a fair degree of scepticism this week, that scientists have discovered something that can keep muscles young and prevent the ageing process- does the same apply for your marbles I wonder?
So anyways, it was a successful photo shoot, interrupted only by the curiousity of passers- by who wanted to know if I was actually going to launch the thing- Na, this baby only orbits in your imaginations!!
Well until next time-take good care of that skin you're in!
Mel xxx
Friday, 18 September 2009
LOUD AND CLEAR-ISH......
Hi you good bunch!
Itza new day itza new dawn and with it comes our latest offering- SIRENS, although we're not quite out of the woods yet with this little bute -for some reason this particular song is proving to be a test of patience, perseverance, perspiration and all the other P words whose bi-products, once out of and through the mire, are a healthy strengthening of character and resolve! I look forward to receiving those gifts but for now I think we're still perched and poised somewhere in the middle of all this.
Can't really put our fingers on why it's gone this way- maybe we lost sight of that initial inspiration or because we wrote on different days we changed the vibe too much- who knows? But what I do know is that we have some great parts and we just need to recapture the threads that will link it all together. Giving up is not something we do- think of SUNSOMA as a three headed Jack Russell with a mighty bone - there just is no point in trying to get it off us!
So, the song WILL emerge standing tall and fully clothed in all its' glory, we're just taking a bit of time to achieve it that's all.
My PAPER SATELLITE is at last complete ( and what a size-mic arts and craft exercise it's been too! ) I'll take some pics this weekend and load it up for your perusal.
Hey did anyone see The Human Bird on T.V last week? This dude basically hurls himself off buildings and mountains in nothing more than a webbed shell suit and then pulls a parachute at the last minute- crazy crazy CRAZEEEEEE!!
I'm off to revisit Sirens and see if inspiration comes my way
Take care all
Mel xxx
Itza new day itza new dawn and with it comes our latest offering- SIRENS, although we're not quite out of the woods yet with this little bute -for some reason this particular song is proving to be a test of patience, perseverance, perspiration and all the other P words whose bi-products, once out of and through the mire, are a healthy strengthening of character and resolve! I look forward to receiving those gifts but for now I think we're still perched and poised somewhere in the middle of all this.
Can't really put our fingers on why it's gone this way- maybe we lost sight of that initial inspiration or because we wrote on different days we changed the vibe too much- who knows? But what I do know is that we have some great parts and we just need to recapture the threads that will link it all together. Giving up is not something we do- think of SUNSOMA as a three headed Jack Russell with a mighty bone - there just is no point in trying to get it off us!
So, the song WILL emerge standing tall and fully clothed in all its' glory, we're just taking a bit of time to achieve it that's all.
My PAPER SATELLITE is at last complete ( and what a size-mic arts and craft exercise it's been too! ) I'll take some pics this weekend and load it up for your perusal.
Hey did anyone see The Human Bird on T.V last week? This dude basically hurls himself off buildings and mountains in nothing more than a webbed shell suit and then pulls a parachute at the last minute- crazy crazy CRAZEEEEEE!!
I'm off to revisit Sirens and see if inspiration comes my way
Take care all
Mel xxx
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
ROUND THE HOUSES....
Hi allski- Hope you've had a Summer of marvellousness and are feeling refreshed and ready for all that season 3 of 2009 has to offer. We're all good here, although I must apologise for being a super sized slacker with my blogs lately- we've been doing our nomadic thing again- moving from house to house over the Summer and just busy busy with family, friends, camping trips, room makeovers and the like, and I don't know where the time's gone, but gone it has!
Lee came and hung out with us for a few weeks too- it was a real pleasure to have him about, although being of the nocturnal variety, we would sometimes pass like ships in the night! But alternate sleep patterns aside, when we did meet up it gave us a chance to work on our ideas and just be together which is a major part of being in a band too- otherwise it's way too clinical and you just become no more than work associates.
Saturday saw us back on old stomping ground- we haven't met in the church basement for months, so it was good to get back to it and a new tune is in the making! Finishing our demos had slowed up over the last couple of months so we were all hungry to make up for lost time- we're so nearly there, just need to focus on these last few numbers.
Looking forward to seeing the progress of our animation video for Paper Satellites at some point too - matey Aidan is the brains and undisputed talent behind that little project, so can't wait! When I think about it, The Sunnies have so much to look forward to and little by little it's all coming together-Happy Days! take care all Mel xxx.
Lee came and hung out with us for a few weeks too- it was a real pleasure to have him about, although being of the nocturnal variety, we would sometimes pass like ships in the night! But alternate sleep patterns aside, when we did meet up it gave us a chance to work on our ideas and just be together which is a major part of being in a band too- otherwise it's way too clinical and you just become no more than work associates.
Saturday saw us back on old stomping ground- we haven't met in the church basement for months, so it was good to get back to it and a new tune is in the making! Finishing our demos had slowed up over the last couple of months so we were all hungry to make up for lost time- we're so nearly there, just need to focus on these last few numbers.
Looking forward to seeing the progress of our animation video for Paper Satellites at some point too - matey Aidan is the brains and undisputed talent behind that little project, so can't wait! When I think about it, The Sunnies have so much to look forward to and little by little it's all coming together-Happy Days! take care all Mel xxx.
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