Originally Posted By josephbuckler

Taken with instagram

This is one of the last times I’ll be seen in Somerset for a while! Went out with lots of friends tonight, Mr Buckler playing with his new iPhone 4S (I think thats right…) above.

Moving to Kent tomorrow so its a weird transition period where I know nobody, have no gigs booked, and have nothing mapped out. Hopefully it will all work out though.

Hope you’ve all listened, enjoyed and downloaded my new EP - http://www.tomstephensmusic.co.uk and will update again soon :) x

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Free download of Barricades EP

Its been out for one minute. What were you waiting for?

In just under 24 hours…

my 2nd EP Barricades will be available for free download from http://tomstephensmusic.co.uk

Recorded at the tail end of last year (there are lots of photos and recording blogs amongst the entries below), there are 5 songs on there that I wrote between Summer ‘10 and ‘11. For me, both musically and lyrically, it eerily captures my life in that time period.

One or two solo, a lot more ensemble sound than found on Division. But either way, I would like it very, very much if you listened, downloaded, and passed it on. Thank you, thank you.

Back at midnight.

Tom

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Available for free download Thursday 12th January.

Artwork by Meagan Molloy

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Originally Posted By thursdayschild88

I rarely edit anything

thursdayschild88:

that I write.

I just write sometimes. Spontaneously (!) Whoa!

I hardly ever go back and change it.

It’s just a moment. It’s made that way… but if I tamper with it would I get something better? Is it even good in the first place?

This is me also… ‘Family Tree’ from my first EP ‘Division’ was a recorded improvisation that didn’t change at all. ‘My Rosie’ was the same in terms of guitar and melody. And some tracks on the new EP.

It seems strange to think about that. Its like shooting a movie and not editing it. I think it means something as it captures one moment, and the way your brain tangles through the emotions and the sounds, and to go from the first note to come out to an end must have a logical (is that a good thing always?) and natural flow that in many respects I’ve never wanted to tamper with.

I guess that its only me who feels that its “made that way” as Amy says, as no one else is going to know. But I do this for me. You just hope other people feel what you do.

2011

In terms of my life generally, 2011 has been a frustrating year.

Having come out of uni with a first in music, I thought it would be the start of bigger things… However realising the lack of real salaries available for graduate musicians I was forced back home for money reasons.

Now, I love Somerset, but its not exactly full of pulsating music venues. This is why it is good news that in around 6 weeks I am moving to Canterbury… Under an hour from London, and with much more going on regarding the arts (and I’ll be with my lovely girlfriend)!

So in this year theres hardly been any real opportunities. But I have done some bits here and there…

I volunteered at a first school and taught guitar and ukulele to a little bunch of wonders.
I helped raise hundreds and hundreds of pounds for Alzheimer’s Research UK with ‘BellFest’ at The Bell Inn, Watchet and more recently helping to record, program and mix a charity cover of ‘Do They Know Its Christmas?’
I wrote and recorded some backing guitar and percussion for an EP with ‘Pete The Poet’!
I played guitar in a function band…
I performed live as a solo artist, with a few bands, and even as a guitarist in the ‘experimental’ project ‘M-U-L-T-I-P-L-A-Y-E-R’
I made up half of a songwriting duo, ‘45 Yards’, with my good friend Steve Quantick. We have recorded an album worth of instrumentals, and should be recording the vocals in the coming weeks. An album of programmed drums and bedroom fuzz rock that has been such a fun thing to do.
I have performed and composed with countless others, which will happen again this Thursday with the challenge of getting together with another good friend Christian Moore two hours before an open mic night to write together for the first time and then perform that night…
Most importantly, I have recorded my 2nd EP (soon to be released, most likely in early January). It defines this period for me, musically and particularly lyrically. Its the start of the listening experience for all you lovely people, but for me, its nice to put it out and put an ‘end’ to the period; give it that definitive feeling of completion, and on to a new challenge across the country. Can’t wait.

I guess I’ve done a fair bit in a town with very few people under 40. And although this is a list that admittedly no-one else will really be interested in, its just a reminder to myself to not be too frustrated with the past year, and to look forward. And on that note, I’m very much looking forward to sharing my new batch of recordings with you. News on that soon…….

Tom

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So tonight at JoBu’s we finished the mixing for the EP which is all mastered, bounced and ready to go.

Went for a celebratory pint of Otter and a few games of pool (3 out of 5 games saw Joseph unfortunately potting the black….. at the wrong time)! Jukebox choices included Pearl Jam, Incubus, Interpol, Muse and lots of things very ‘2003’ to us. Been a good evening though, just strange that it didn’t all end with a trip to Pinocchios.

Still, its all lead to the bloody thing actually being released. Just need a name, a tracklisting, some cover art and a release date so real news coming soon. x

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Its amazing how you can not hear something for what seems like ages, in life terms, and how upon hearing it you remember exactly what the album did for you at a certain time. It seems strange that its Bloc Party’s relatively unpopular follow up their debut Silent Alarm that was an album that helped me through a pretty downbeat period of my life, but I still seriously love this album. The riffs, Russell Lissack, Matt Tong, the lyrics, its just a greatttt listen. A good blend of all the little things I like. Give it a listen.

Also loving Ed Harcourt at the moment, particularly the Lustre album, the title track and Heart Of A Wolf being favourites.

Other tracks that shuffle gave me today:
The Cribs - I’m A Realist
Tim Buckley - Strange Feelin’
Pearl Jam - Soldier Of Love

I love music.

A long day of mixing tomorrow to hopefully complete the EP I’ve been recording with JoBu/Bonky (he loves his new meaningless nicknames). Should be a fun day, I’m just hoping that things all come out how I want them to! And for the people who hate A Weekend In The City, it sounds nothing like that you’ll be glad to know.

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Why bring meat in to a song? I mean, who wants to sing about a bit of meat?

Joseph Buckler on The Cave by Mumford & Sons

Vocals

Day 5/6 - Recording

Thats a load of ticks under that there ‘V’ thing. The vocals are Done… Romeo Dunn.

Took a while in places, took no time at all in others. Such is the nature of recording, and such is the nature of me being a buffoon. Mr Buckler excellent as ever though.

Looking forward to mixing soon, but its Joseph who is in the driving seat for the moment; because the 2nd picture explains where we are now - the clean-up.

Basically, Joseph sits down cleaning up all the takes, while I sit in an annoyingly (for him) squeaky stool, typing on this very laptop, occasionally texting, and then moving a few feet to carry out my other favourite studio hobby - getting on the exercise bike and pedalling backwards.

Ah well, off to watch Arsenal at the pub tonight, so Joseph gets to do what he loves then… oh wait… no, thats me again. Sorry JoBu.

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