Beware! The Leopard

Call and Response

Call and Response   - Myspace

What has cheery pop tunes, a xylophone, and great vocal melodies?  The answer is Bay area music ensemble Call and Response.  These guys are not new, they've been creating music together since 1998 but they were unknown to me until a good friend put them on the hi-fi while we were attempting to win our rent money playing in an online internet poker tournament.  The sweet sounds coming out of the speakers did create a bit of a distraction, but they ended up being cheerily consoling when we busted out in 26th place.  Upon first listen I thought I was listening to a lost Stars or Stereolab album, with the female vocals right up front and the rest of the instruments sitting so perfectly mellow behind them.  But then I realized that Call and Response actually precedes Stars in musical history, and is a bit younger than Stereolab.  And that remains the best way of describing this band, they sound slightly more modern than Stereolab but not as "indie-Montreal" as Stars. 

According to their website they don't have any tour dates lined up anytime soon, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't pick up their album, put some headphones on and close your eyes.  I promise that no matter what mood you're in, their cheerful tunes will leave you with a smile on your face.

Sunday Update

So it's been another busy week here in London.  Aside from working lots, getting a new dresser for M., and trying to enjoy every minute, the band had a decent jam on Wednesday and are really getting our sound together.  It may seem like a long time, but after a few months of getting to know each other we are starting to click musically in a way that hasn't happened with anyone before, the tunes we are writing are some of the best I've ever been a part of, and it is awesome.

I've also decided that I need to pick up a smaller keyboard for jamming.  I want to have my P-120 set up at home for recording all the time (I've got a new venture that I want to surprise you all with), and I am also worried about its durability as something is rattling on the inside -- it hasn't affected the sound yet, but I am concerned that too much traipsing up and down four floors twice a week just might destroy it.  So I'm looking at a Juno-D.  We'll see what the paycheque looks like this month before making any rash decisions though.

On Thursday, M. and I went to check out We Are Scientists.  They had two bands opening for them, Oxford Collapse and Ladyhawke.  Oxford Collapse were not really my cup of tea.  They had a good drummer, but the vocals just sounded like crap.  I don't know if it was the sound guy or the band, but either way it was not very enjoyable.  Ladyhawke were good but not great.  I felt I was watching Blondie without the stage presence.  It didn't help that they used a lot of pre-recorded backing tracks which really takes away from the live performance.  Especially for things like guitar solos.  If you've got two guitarists on stage, can't one of them play the solo? 

We Are Scientists stole the show though.  They weren't as funny as I'd expected, but they rocked the house down and they were able to get the audience moving in a way that I haven't seen any live band do in the last 14 years.  They whizzed through almost all the material from both of their albums (yes they are short records), and sonically they just had it right.  The massive light show helps as well, and I'm convinced that having a visual element to the show is a necessity to increase audience attention as well as to separate the wheat from the chaff. 

Today, because a friend from Canada was in town, we decided to head up to Cambridge and check out the university.  It's a really neat town and was super quiet, which something that we are not used to anymore given that we live on a high street in central London.  I'm going to get the photos and more details up on flickr and facebook within the week, I promise.

That's it for now! 

Cheers

We are scientists

Ok, so maybe they are not a "new band", or even "unknown", but they are wonderful ear candy.  Those that have been following the various incarnations of my online persona will remember that when their first album "with love and squalor" came out that I listened to it almost incessantly for about a week, and ever since then it has been in regular rotation on my mp3 player.  Aside from its clever pop hooks, fantastic rhythm section, it also forced me to investigate some of the meanings behind the words.  For example, "With love and squalor" is actually a partial title of a short story written by J.D. Salinger, and once I found that out, I actually went out and read all his short stories (which are absolutely incredible must reads by the way).  It is very rare that a pop record touches me in this way, so I was eagerly anticipating the second release from the Scientists entitled "Brain thrust mastery". 

As we are going to see the band play at the Shepherd's Bush Empire next week, we wanted to make sure we were familiar with the new songs, so we picked up the album as soon as funds allowed, and let me tell you, they've done it again, but in a completely different way.  I was a bit skeptical initially upon learning that drummer Michael Tapper, the phenomenal drummer, had left the band (comprised of him, Chris Cain on bass, and Keith Murray vocals and guitar) before this album was completed.  They haven't released the details of the split, but it doesn't appear to be particularly acrimonious.  In the meantime, the remaining duo have picked up a couple of great session players for live gigs and to finish the album. 
And what an album it is.  The Cain/Murray duo have obviously been listening to their 80s greatest hits a lot over the last year.  Gone are the thundering guitar hooks, gone is the interplay between the bass and drums.  Instead, you get synth, sax, clever lyrics, and a good dose of Tears for Fears-ish ballady songs.  Now to some that might sound like a bit of an insult, but honestly, this album is still enjoyable.  It is NOT as good as their debut, but despite being a very different record, you can still tell instantly that is was created by the Scientists.  I don't know how they manage to make such a departure from their signature sound and still maintain that Scientists edge to it, but they do, and after a few listens, you too will realize that although they will never be classified as a truly influential band, they do make extremely pleasing ear candy.

jams, reviews, and colds

This week has had its share of ups and downs.  It started rather uneventfully with the usual eat, sleep, work, which continued throughout the week, but was joined by some great jams with the band.  We've got 3 songs which are pretty much gig ready, and then 2 more which are getting there.  This week was the first week in a while where I've been really optimistic about this band, and for those that know me, I'm not really an optimistic person, so this is saying a lot.  In all honesty I can say that the music I have helped create in this band, is some of the best I've ever helped create, it is intricate yet subtle, emotional, and fun.  I'm really pushing myself to come up with interesting parts, as I've never been a rock keyboardist before and I want to make sure that it sounds fantastic. 

On that note, it is time to perhaps look for a lighter/smaller keyboard.  Lugging 50lbs around with me twice a week isn't doing great things for the board itself.  I love having 88 keys with weighted action, but it is really not convenient.  Makes me wonder how bands did it before they invented digital pianos. 

This week I also had my first performance review at work.  I passed with flying colours.  There's a few things I need to work on, and they're sending me to Coventry to go on a one day retail sales course.  At least I'm seeing the country.  That's about it for this week.  I'm doing my best to keep this regular, so I'll see you next week.

Alex

p.s.  I have a cold. 

OMG he actually posted on time!

Bon Iver - Myspace

So a friend of mine pointed me in the direction of Bon Iver a few weeks ago, and though I haven't gone out of my way to download the album, I have been incessantly listening to them on myspace ever since.  Yes, I have been repeatedly listening to two tracks, over, and over again; they are that good.  If these two tracks are any indication of the strength of the album, then a fabulous album it sure to be.

The sound of Bon Iver is the sound of wilderness, of log cabins, of shotguns and coon skin caps.  This is Americana at its most glorious.  Justin Vernon's haunting falsetto, harmonized with his own natural voice, is extremely eerie and touching at the same time.  There is something almost religious about the tunes, reminiscent of old delta blues  with a hint of gospel and a touch of 1960s Haight Ashbury.  While I would hesitate to say that Bon Iver is the creme de la creme in the latest trend to be an acoustic singer/songwriter,  if I was a gambling man, betting on his horse would not be a bad shout. 

Alright already

It might be time for me to start calling this the Saturday update.  My work schedule is a bit weird with me getting Wednesdays and Sundays off, which means that Friday nights are a really awkward time to update the blog if I want to spend some quality time with my partner, or go to a show or something. 

That being said, I guess I started this blog to become more professional about my creative life, so perhaps I should buck up, sit down, and write blog posts more often.  I know at least one of my readers would be utterly joyous if I did.  Yes I'm talking about you V-Diddy.

So what has gone on this week.  Well, I've started writing a short story tentatively entitled "Dandy Forest and the Devious Llama", the title is probably a longer story than the tale itself, so I will wait until it is published to relate it.  I have also had some time to cobble together ideas for a couple of new tunes.  That's one things that is kind of nice about working in a musical instrument shop, you get to play chords for customers all day, and some times you find a progression you like. 

The band which still doesn't have a name (Moniker was the last one tossed out), is doing better than it has been in a while, we're making progress on our sound, our songs, and our friendship which is really great.  We're jamming tomorrow in a new space, and I'm looking forward to being a little more creative.

Goals for this week include creative writing everyday, and practicing my vocals every day.  Wish me luck.

Oh yeah!  I almost forgot some of the biggest news.  Because of problems with maintaining the Sancho Panza name in the London music world (with their already being a Sancho Panza DJ team), I was thinking of names for the band, and decided to keep one for myself.  Beware! The Leopard.  This is going to be my new moniker for all stuff that is currently done by "Sancho Panza" -- just imagine me as the New Yardbirds, reborn as Led Zepplin.   There will probably be a domain name change, and a revamp of this blog in the near future when I have some time to take care of it.   Don't worry, you'll get plenty of notice.

Beware! The Leopard.

Mr. Kakehashi

Ok, so it's not really a project, and I've missed this week's band to watch (look out for a great one next week), but I wanted to draw your attention to perhaps the most fascinating individual I have ever had the chance of hearing speak.

Over the years I've seen a number of memorable speakers, everyone from noted sex advice columnists, prime ministers, economists, and diplomats.  However last week I was privy to a speech and q & a session by a true genius and a very humble and benevolent man, Mr. Kakehashi, founder and special consultant to the Roland Corporation of Japan.  Mr. K., as he is fondly called by members of staff, is getting on in years but he recently made a visit to Roland UK's head office in Swansea to see how things were going.

This man is a god in the musical world.  He invented so many of the world's first digital instruments, everything from drum machines, to the chorus effect, to digital pianos and synthesizers, most of which he designed himself.  As a patient struck down with TB in his younger days, he was hospitalized for 3 years, during which time he hand built a television so that he and the other patients could watch Japan's first television broadcast.  Incredible. 

But more incredible is the fact that he has absolutely no regard for profit, or capitalistic greed that usually taints the CEOs of large multinational corporations.  Mr. K. believes in cooperation, it was in cooperation with the founder of Sequential Circuits, that Mr. K. invented MIDI, one of the greatest musical inventions of the last twenty years.  When asked what his greatest accomplishment had been.  Mr. K. coolly responded with two fingers, and said "two years, give me two years and I'll show it to you".  Here's a man not content to sit on his laurels though he is 80+ years of age and in poor health.  Here is a man constantly looking to the future whose only words of advice for all the staff was to "keep and open mind and be friendly". 

Words to live by.

On horses and heroes

Apologies for the delay in this update, but seeing as how I went to the Grand National today, I wanted to be able to share my experiences about it.

A good friend of mine's cousin gave me a ticket to go see the Grand National horse race at Aintree today.  So 6 guys piled into a people-carrier, and headed 4 hours north of London, for 4 hours of racing and then piled back in for the 4 hour drive home.  Wow was it an experience.  For those who have never looked at horse racing as an event, watch the Grand National next year.  Thousands of people flock to a tiny town outside of Liverpool for three days of horse racing, the biggest of which is the Grand National which occurs on the Saturday.  40 horses face off over 4 miles and 4 furlongs to try and win a big cash prize.  The fences are high, and so are the bets.  Some estimates put 30 million pounds bet on just the one race.  I personally dropped 40 quid on the race, and managed to pick the winner and the runner-up, which is no mean feat given that out of 40 horses, less than half actually complete the circuit with most falling over fences and out of the race.  Overall, I did quite well, 30 quid up on the day.  Excellent stuff.

Aside from the racing though, the event is quite the spectacle to watch.  All the spectators get dressed to the nines, with ladies wearing cocktail gowns and colourful hairpieces.  The men are mostly in suits, and between the 2 of them, a lot of drinking and gambling is to be had.  Horse racing has long been associated with the poshest of the posh, but I was surprised and happy to see that most of the punters are everyday folk who just want to have a good time at the races.

Pictures will be following.

I also have exciting reports about a visit from the founder of Roland, and demonstration by King Crimson's drummer.  But as I'm running out of time (I have to go to bed to get up for work tomorrow), I will save those tales for tomorrow or Tuesday.

Cheers,

S.P.