Author: stone2013

I am still feeling quite rough at the moment, my body seems to be doing its best to repair itself, but I having some very rough days. Today seems to be one of them though and my mood is not good. The meds that I have to fix the problem also make me feel a bit ill on the days that I take them, but the good thing is that I now know what is wrong having had an array of symptoms including cronic pain and exaustion and that there is a fix for it, but it will take a while. The annoying thing is that I had written off a lot of my symptoms as depression or anxiety and then to find out there was a definate and very specific reason why I was waking up completly exausted everyday was a real shock as I thought it was just me being lazy and neurotic

Musically we are in a quiet period with the band excetera with only 5 gigs this month, but thats actually a help as its giving me a chance to build my strength up, but I would like to be busier and feel a bit more up for it.

I finally got my main violin fixed, so that at least is good health and a new stage piano which made its debute at the New Inn Witney on the first of October and seems to do the job OK, though I could have done without the expense. So at least the first gig of the month was a good one. Nothing this weekend though, but we have been in the studio a lot recently so thats not a bad thing at all, in my somewhat depleted state.

I managed to put together a 1000 words for Transliving mag about Elephant Shelf though I am not sure how interesting that will be to most readers of a transmag as its all very normal stuff. We are really just another struggling band and the TG aspect is a very small % of it. We compete on the same basis as everybody else re gigs and so forth. We do have a bit of a once seen never forgotten aspect though and we are a bit like Marmite in that people seem to either love us or hate us

There are a few annecdotes that I managed to dig up that may make it seem slightly more colourful, but apart from the bit where your are actually on stage its mostly hard work and so much driving as most of our gigs are well outside London.

Still if it all keeps together, we should be back to France and hopefull on to Spain, Italy and Holland for 2012 in various incarnations of the Shelf and Delta Ladies. Driving is often a lot more pleasant though outside the UK IMHO.

Its been a bit of a crap month really. My back injury seems to be mending and I have been out playing gigs again though I am really feeling it.

I discovered that I have something caused by vitimin D deficency that has caused my bones to soften which explains a lot of the pain mysterious pains I have been getting over the last few months and also the lack of concentration and extreme tiredness which I put down to depression at the time but which seems not to be the case. It will take a while to fix but thats OK now I know what it is. Got all my bloods checked and everthing elses came out OK, which is good as my siblings have Thyroid problems and diabetes.

Then just to put the tin lid on it the main keyboard I use on stage packed up mostly due to being bounced around in the back of vans and stuff for 7 years or so. I have  bitten the bullet and ordered a new one as it was about time to make a change particularly as my playing style has changed so much now. On a gig last night my violins tail piece broke so we couldn’t do a lot of our normal set with the Deltas. Perhaps October will be better. Add in a string of car problems as well just to add spice to the mix. So lots of extra expense and less money coming in because of not being able to work.

The curious thing is most of the folks in the band seem to have had problems this month too. Spooky that.

Good things though are that the new Elephant Shelf album is shaping up very well indeed and also the new Delta Ladies Album that we have started. I have just recorded another over the top Piano piece which I have had quite good feedback about inpspired by my general pissed-offness though I recorded it before my back had quite recovered enough and was in agonys the day after. Nothing like a bit of suffering for your art and all that don’t you know.

I have a 1000 word article I am suposed to write this week about the History of Elephant Shelf and I havn’t started on that yet so I need to pull my finger out as well…

Earlier in this year (2011) I recorded this. Its a sort of contemporary Classical Style Piano work.
I have a few works like this and I would like to do a proper performance to video if I can arrange it.

 

A very bad start to September  as I have managed to miss 2 gigs due to health problems. I have injured myself somehow and been stuck flat on my back, so I missed Elephant Shelfs gig at Plumpton Blues Festival which I was very much looking forward to. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that its nothing too serious in the longer term.

An instrumental track from the first Glass Cage CD from 1998, when I got my first Korg work station keyboard.
Its still sounding very good  10 years later I think 🙂

Its nearly September and the year has flown by. My Ancient chariot needs to get an MOT (15 years old but only done just over 100k) and I think so do I as I have had a lot of aches and pains post gig recently. A trip to the docs is indicated me thinks. So far so good as we had a really good gig at the Cambridge Rock festival recently that should have upped our cred a bit. We also have a local london festival appearence tommorow at Abbey Fest at the Colour House Theatre on Bank Holiday Monday. We were up in Nottingham at the Trent Navigation as our duo which went well to a mixed crowd of the local blues club folks and rugby supporters so we will be back there in the not too distant future we hope. We also had recent gigs in Lincoln and a few other places. We have one more festival gig in September which is the Plumpton Beer and Blues Festival near Lewes in Sussex which could be good for us apart from the normal ongoing stuff. We are still waiting on the the rough mixes of the new Elephant Shelf Album to come through,as we we will be down in the studio again to do a bit of over dubbing as soon. We have also started recording a Delta Ladies Album and have a couple of rough tracks down for that which sound promising. I have also still got a rather iritating cough which has now eased of enough for me to get my full voice back on gigs but which nearly left me mute for the Cambridge Rock festival but I got me mojo working sufficiently for that thank goodness.

 

The Delta Ladies playing at the Unicorn in Camden.

 

 

I have just started going through my back catalogue of songs and listening through the recordings from 1998 with a view to possibly putting the good stuff on the web(if there is any of course ). Its all a bit prog rocky on the whole! At the time I was also a fair amount of anti-depressants too which judging by what I have listened too so far gives a distinct stoner feel too. There may be a few little gems in there though, with a bit of re-mastering and fiddling about.

Filmed an interview with Dennis Greaves of 9 below zero which should be on the web soon.
Checkout www.liveblues.info and the youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/ukmusiccity for some interesting stuff we think.

Yesterday I got a Piano Accordion, which is an instrument that’s new to me, primarily for using on the rootsy stuff I play in the Delta Ladies, and I think its going to work well for me, though it is a bit physical as you have to get used to a lot of rhythmic pumping, but that may well turn out to be a useful skill at some time.  I am quite pleased as I can just about squeeze out an almost recognisable but slightly wheezy version of the Dixon of Dock Green theme, so be afraid, be very afraid.

Only one gig this weekend at “The Farmers Boy” in St Albans which really will be totally unplugged. It wil be very informal and should be fun. Then back in the Studio on Monday for Day 3 and 4 of the Elephant Shelf Album session. In between a bit of work on various websites, so enough to keep me occupied. A gig in Reading on Thursday night at the “Retreat”, then Saturday at “The Mermaid” in St Albans then on Sunday a Private do in Holton Le Moor in Lincolnshire!