Take and shake your soul!

Today was the first day of filming for the Maaike Mekking film which I'm providing the soundtrack for. My project is called Blue On Blue and it consists of me playing instruments/singing with a few special guest collaborators. Jerome Watson from Hatcham Social is producing it. There are no other permanent members at the moment (yes, don't believe everything you read....).

Anyway here are some pics from the shoot. A cold summer's evening on an east London rooftop...buckets of blood, virginal girls, lights, camera, action!!

The team assembles in Maaike's studio:


Cue bucket/pan of blood:



Cue Maaike's naughty little pup Seymour who tries to eat all the dresses and/or my toes. He's obsessed with feet:


Cue Maaike, her stylist and the dresses:


Cue ethereal beauty who has no idea what evil is in store for her:




TO BE CONTINUED...!
D-Bird

The Dying Game: B-Sides

I've been listening to Do You Love Me Now Jnr on repeat since we got back from Austria. A rare Breeders B-Side which J Mascis remixed and added vocals to. Justin from Weekender told me about it and I tracked it down and fell in love with it.

This has reminded me of yet another one of my rants about music these days. What the hell has happened to B-Sides? Gone are the days where you would stick a 4 song single on and fall in love with ALL the songs and not just the single. One band whose B-Sides were always phenomenal, was Belly. Their astounding B-Sides as well as album tracks just confirmed what an amazingly talented band they were - they didn't just bung a crap remix on for a laugh. They gave their fans real music everytime. This is why I admire bands of old so much - the music, the ethos, everything was just so much more genuine then.

It may sound extreme but I think a large part of this genuinity died when John Peel died. No matter what people say, I definitely believe this. I grew up in a tiny steel mining village in the north east of England. 40 miles from Newcastle and 30 miles from Durham. Seriously, it was in the middle of absolute nowhere. However, I managed to fall in love with my escapism of music through the radio. I heard Urusei Yatsura, Mazzy Star, PJ Harvey on Radio 1 and managed to track down all their early releases in an indie record store in Newcastle. Seriously, listening to good music changed my life. The infamous Peel sessions were aimed solely at pure music fans - hearing bands play album tracks, covers and B-Sides. It just feels like no one really cares anymore and that hurts having finally given up a lot to be where we are right now. I really wish we met John Peel and would've given anything to have done a session for him....

I never want to release anything with just a remix as a B-Side. I think remixes serve their own purpose but being in a band, you need to constantly challenge yourself and give people as much as you can. You should never feel you are wasting a song by putting it out as a B-Side. Go away and write 5 more great songs instead.

D-Bird

Do You Love Me Now Jnr - download it here:
http://www.noaloha.com/breeders/index.php?page=8&album=6

Check out the entire Peel sessions back catalogue here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/artists/

Album of the Year

Hands down for me, is 'Yoyodyne' by Projekt A-Ko, a band composed of 3 former Urusei Yatsura members - Fergus Lawrie (guitar/vocals), Ian Graham (drums) and Elaine Graham (bass/vocals).

Go to http://www.projektako.co.uk/yoyodyne/, buy the album and you will have a great life.

More songs up on their Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/projektako

I am so happy that there is a band like this out there, creating this type of music and doing it so damn well!!

D-Bird

GOLD SOUNDZ

PJ HARVEY - SNAKE


URUSEI YATSURA - FAKE FUR


ASH - PETROL


ROBOT MONK - The Paper Boy whose Mind and Paper Round Expanded


D-Bird

MAAIKE MEKKING

Today I met up with my friend Maaike in her Whitechapel studio. Maaike is an amazing womens fashion designer who I've known for a few years through the London club scene. Her and her boyfriend Michael used to run the best club night ever - Jack & Ginger at Bethnal Green Working Mens Club. It still remains the best club I've ever been to - great music, great bands, great performance art and great punters. I used to look forward to the last Saturday of every month SO much!

But alas, life always pulls us in different directions and for Maaike it was fashion that lured her to adventures far and wide. Her work is absolutely stunning - her clothes have a very timeless, classic yet quirky feel - a real reflection of Maaike's own unique style and personality.



I was very happy when she approached me about working together a few weeks ago. I'm very excited to be collaborating on a short film for her London Fashion Week show which takes place on September 21st in London.

This collaboration involves another collaboration of which more details will be revealed soon.

Stay tuned!
D-Bird

It's all about collabs, baby....

I've been very excited this week. Mainly because I've heard some new music that's really stirred me. It rarely happens so I get terribly over-excited when it does.

I heard Faris' new project, Lumina's cover of 'I'll Be With You' which I love. You can hear it here:

http://pitchfork.com/forkcast/13225-ill-be-with-you-black-lips-cover/

I love the original Black Lips version but this is a great cover which sounds nothing like the original...that's what makes a cover for me. It currently serves as a B Side to 'Drugs', the new single by Black Lips.

Also this week, I was played some amazing songs by Finn (vocals and percussion) and Jerome (guitar) from Hatcham Social. A great little side project that also features Stephanie Min on vocals. It is the best thing I've heard all year. Fact. I can't wait till it's unleashed on the masses....

I've been busy consummating some ideas with a few friends which are certainly coming to fruition which is exciting. Hopefully as soon as next week....As usual, watch this space for more info!

D-Bird

Current Musings

APATHY.

Boy, that's a somewhat overused and underworked word. I hate being consumed by it. I think it is the fear of it which drives me. What makes me get up in the morning as I haven't had a stable job for almost 18 months and the fear of going back to one sends me into overdrive of what I can do within my own power and ability to make me a successful person in my eyes and in my world.

But there's only so much I can do to keep it at bay. Ultimately I always succumb to it on some level. I detest it when it happens. It's such a damn awful feeling...a state of numbness....waiting for it to pass sure feels like hell in a timeless bottle.

I've been out of action for 3 days. Before that I was head first into the action of everything. Launched myself into a hectic social life at full throttle, not out of choice but more out of necessity; a means by which to earn some keep.

I keep complaining about how bad this summer is but it really is so bad. The worst on my memory's record. Today, the highlight of my day was penning a letter of complaint to my landlord. Yes, it made me sound like a frigid, spinster prude complaining about people having sex on the stairs and 'youths' smashing up vodka bottles but hell I was happy when I got a quick reply back and informed there was a meeting about everything taking place on Friday of which none of the residents are invited to. Bummer. Our correspondence has made me question paying what I thought was reasonable/cheap rent to live in the middle of goddamn hell but Mister Landlord is quick to play this down and blames it on the police of course:

'We have tried to get this situation rectified sooner and have been in touch with the police countless times over the youths hanging around but have now been told in no uncertain terms not to contact the police regarding the youths unless they are actually assaulting someone. Quite outrages I'm sure you will agree.'

Outrages? Don't you mean 'outrageous'? This spinster has got her red pen out at the ready and is marking you down, boy! Jesus, at least it makes me feel alive when I spot all your grammar and spelling mistakes. This certainly IS the highlight of my day. I don't know who to pity more - me or you, Mister Landlord.

This is not right and it's not fair. Now I don't want to move for another 2 weeks or encounter any humans unless it's via the medium of 2D and screens.

Apathetic summer...I will grow to love you..

D-Bird