The Reads

A Slight Return….

And so we’re back….. from outer space… oh no, sorry that wasn’t us, that was Gloria Gaynor.  We’re back from Middlewich.  We are now firmly back in reality after spending the last 5 days holed up in Big Mushroom with Jim Spencer recording the final 3 tracks of our second album.  Highlights this week have included; fashioning cybermen out of tinfoil, patented cheesy crumpets, making Martin Blunt (bass player from The Charlatans) a brew, watching some vintage episodes of 3,2,1 and getting through an entire day without any beer at all (only one day mind).

Stu has been been jetting into the studio between managing his hedge funds and gracing the hallowed turf at Anfield (well, you’ve got to keep your options open) whilst Chris packed Clare off to the studio alone in order to languish in tranquility and watch films he’s not allowed to watch when she’s at home (ahem).  This meant that it was left to Jamie, Marcy, Matty and Clare to keep up the pretence of being professional musicians and play that funky music.  Thanks to a largely vegetarian diet, copious amount of coffee, and Tesco value cider that tasted like it had been strained through orchard worker’s underpants they managed to do it.

We’ve still got a little bit of reads magic to work before Jim can get his big digital spoon out to start mixing, the process Jamie eloquently refers to as ‘polishing the turd’.  Don’t forget if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on a copy of the new album you can do so via Pledge Music; http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/6724

In other news we are making a return to Audlem Music Festival this weekend.  We’re playing in a new venue for us, The Bridge Inn (down by the canal) at 4.00pm on Sunday (26th May) so come on down and join us if you are about.  It’s Chris’ birthday weekend so I imagine there will be some drink taken.  That should make putting the tents up later that evening highly entertaining (for any bystanders atleast).

Right then, we’re off to eat some cake.  Until next time….. don’t have nightmares.

AMB

To celebrate the launch of our Pledge Music campaign we’re giving away our latest single AMB as free download via bandcamp; http://the-reads.bandcamp.com/track/amb

Enjoy!

Pledge Music

Right then music fans, we need you!

The Reads are launching a Pledge Music Campaign to help secure the release of the next album and we would like you to be part of it!

Please visit our Pledge Music page; www.pledgemusic.com/the-reads to find out how you can get your hands on some exclusive Reads goodies and help us get the new album off the ground in the process.

There are the usual CDs and T-Shirts up for grabs, as well as a signed bass guitar, hand written lyric sheets and tickets to a top secret gig…. plus loads more!

If you bought the first album and enjoyed it and you would like to have a hand in creating the next one then please drop by the page above to see how you can get directly involved.

Big thanks to everyone who has got us this far and big thanks in advance to those of you who are willing to help us get that bit further.  Even if it’s just pre-ordering your copy of the new album, in the words of that well known horse infested supermarket giant, every little helps!

Sun is shining……

Greetings!

Spring is officially here…. only 3 months behind schedule, but hey the sun is finally shining so who cares.

We have been making good use of our break from the studio to work on the final three tracks for the album with a view to returning to Middlewich to finish recording in July. The first of these tracks is ‘Haunted’, a cinematic little number rescued from the abyss of Marcy’s old Atari. It sits nicely in the crazy, stalkeresque bracket of our back catalogue and with a 2 minute intro may not be radio friendly but rest assured when Ridley Scott decides to start work on his Blade Runner prequel, we’re there. The second track is the old favourite ‘Love or Be Loved’, which has been receiving the disco treatment in order to move it along from ‘Dad Dance’ to ‘Studio 54’…. not that there is anything wrong with Dad Dance I hasten to add, in fact several members of the band were witnessed busting some spectacular Dad Dance moves on Saturday night. So there.
The final track of the trio has yet to be decided. We have a reads shorlist (i.e. a very long list) which we will be running through over the coming weeks in order to decide which one makes the grade. A few of us are still pushing for ‘My Sharona’ but Marcy is having none of it.

Alongside all this ‘band stuff’ we have been working on our image for the next album. Stuart has decided that tucking his trousers into his knee high socks is the way forward, Jamie is channelling Paul Hollywood (complete with loaves of home baked bread which he supplies us with during rehearsals), Chris is trying to grow a beard but keeps accidentally shaving it off, Clare’s gone curly, Matty’s got sweatbands and Marcy is still Thor.

We have also been developing a series of recipes for when one of us eventually makes it through to the Masterchef semi finals. So far we have; Caramelised Goldfish Roe & Hedgehog Pate, Lebonese Jellyfish Platelets with a Corn Husk Seasoning and Lentil Shot Shrew Stew. Jamie, being the band’s resident book binder, has been commissioned to develop a cook book so a fully illustrated guide to making all these dishes and more will be available shortly.

Stay tuned for some very exciting news about Pledge Music and how you can get directly involved with the next album…. don’t worry it doesn’t involve purchasing a copy of the aforementioned recipe book.

Hectic Danger Day!

Almost there now with the first batch of recording and – as with last time – our body clocks have drifted out of synch with the rest of the world and we’re living in a bit of a bubble.  A typical day involves a late start, an even later finish, countless takes, relentless rounds of strong coffee… and the occasional bit of fresh air.

All of which means that our third and final instalment from the studio for the time being could well read like the sleep-deprived ramblings of a band on the edge.  Which it is.  In any case, we’ve made good progress, so we’re determined to make this a methane-free blog and try to bring you right up to date.

In the past week, in addition to adding more layers to the tracks we mentioned already, we’ve tackled a couple more.  “Spitting Feathers” is one we’re particularly excited about.  Formerly known as The Guinness Song… or the song formerly known as The Guinness Song, or TSFKATGS… we decided to rename it after our favourite brewery and spiritual home.  Mal & Ali’s farm in Waverton has provided us with a unique practice space for a number of years and we’ve occupied the afternoon slot at their beer festival for even longer, so it felt only right to return the favour by giving them a track which is a sure-fire Number 1 - albeit in a parallel universe.  It’s a beefy tune and therefore requires a bit more grunt than Stu can typically generate from his trusty acoustic.  Unfortunately for him, the only guitar in the studio which cut it was pink in hue and paisley in pattern.  This meant that he spent most of Thursday and Friday ‘strumming the pink telecaster’ until his arm and wrist ached, inventing a new euphemism in the process.  The song has really taken shape though and seems to be on course to have a big finish… loads of noise.  Nice.

When he’s not playing lapsteel, mandolin, or shaking his thang, filling the downtime in between takes continues to provide Chris with an opportunity to develop his photography skills.  Having exhausted practically every subject matter within the confines of the building, he’s now turned his hand to still-frame animation – writing, producing and directing a series of short films, using only content from the October 2012 edition of Nuts magazine and the scissors from Jamie’s penknife.  These include “The Assassination of One of Kings of Leon” and “The Sordid Adventures of Dappy & Karl Pilkington” both of which we feel are certain to be shortlisted for Academy Awards in 2014.

Another new tune “Schnitzler” is a bit of a departure for us and contains a couple of surprises which we can’t possibly share with you, without giving the game away, so probably isn’t good blog material.  Suffice to say that so far, it has involved a number of shots of tequila, some red wine and a late night call to God on the big white telephone.  Musically, it’s fat, or should that be phat?  Either way, it’s a head-nodder and has been earmarked as the tune which will see us break America.  Following in the footsteps of The Beatles, as a band, we’ve vowed not to go to the U.S. until we top the charts.  Whilst this is admirable in principal, it’s meant that we’ve had to turn down a slot on Jay Leno… and miss 3 family holidays.

The past week saw us take a day out from recording to visit the Millennium Centre in Cardiff after being invited to a BBC Introducing Masterclass.  Our biggest concern beforehand was just how much older we’d be than the rest of the ‘new music’ invitees, but Clare and Stu flew the flag for the thirty-somethings, weren’t too out of place and it proved to be an interesting day.  We met and shook hands with Whispering Bob himself (forcing a CD into the other), took part in a Q&A hosted by Janice Long and saw Jo Whiley interview James and Nicky from the Manics, with a couple of acoustic performances thrown in for good measure!  After a swift pint, we jumped back on the train, had a few games of eye-spy and hangman and we were back in Middlewich.  Well, almost.  A bit of road rage led to a run-in with a van-load of gypsies, which could have ended in disaster.  It was only averted by Clare not being in the mood to take any sh*t and the 3 young lads got back in their vehicle with tails between legs.  Stu had avoided a near certain hiding and after a quick change of undies was soon stood in front of a vocal mic, voice still trembling, conveying a feeling of both distress and relief - it’s safe to say that particular recording will be binned.

So, as we sit here wondering if we’ll make it back home through the snow, we can at least draw comfort from the fact that we’ve broken the back (ahem) of much of our difficult second album.  Working title “It Sounded Better in the Studio”.  More importantly, we’re enjoying ourselves, are still talking to each other and Jim seems pleased with how things are going.

Time for a hard-earned breather then, before coming back to finishing the job later this Spring…

Big Mushroom… Part Deux

So…. We’re back in the studio for the final leg of the first stint of recording (if that makes sense) and it’s all coming together nicely.

The last week or so has been quite a learning curve for us, not only have we discovered that overloading the cafetiere can have dire consequences but we have also realised that broccoli and stilton soup is probably not the best lunch option if you’re going to spend the rest of the afternoon confined to a windowless room.  (Clare has also learned that in order to get a good sound out of your tin whistle it is essential not to get any pizza lodged in it).

Our musical endeavours this week have included;  a spinning gong, a pink paisley guitar, a clarinet that sounds like the Trans Pennine Express, some ominous harmonium and the afore mentioned bum trumpeting.  We have also discovered that Jamie does in fact know his aux from his ebow.

Our ‘down time’ has provided us with the opportunity to raid The Charlatans record collection and on Friday night we were treated to a disco medley of Glenn Medeiros’ Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You, The Twist by Fatboys featuring Chubby Checker and Sonia’s You’ll Never Stop Me From Loving You.  Aside from this we have also been stocking up on lots of classic British sitcoms including The Young Ones, Faulty Towers, Porridge and Jamie’s personal favourite Allo, Allo.

Today Marcel will be tinkling on the ivories, Jamie will probably pass out due to over exuberant clarinet playing, Stuart will be chasing up the T-Shirts we won in a Battle of the Bands debacle 6 years ago….. oh and it’s chilli for tea.  Prrrrrrrp.

And so it begins…!

Our first stint at Big Mushroom studios is now safely under our belts, so we’ve had chance to catch our collective breath and to let you know how things are going.

With us not owning a reliable car between us, making it to Middlewich at all was an achievement… especially when weighed down with all our gear.  Thankfully, the journey was far less treacherous than our reconnaissance trip earlier in the year, when we had to plough our way through the snow there and back.

After unloading, setting up and generally making ourselves at home, there was a slight halt in proceedings while Tim Burgess turned up to do some work at the studio – recording a piece for radio and a doing bit of promotional work for his new line of fair trade coffee…!

If that sounds like a clumsy name drop, it is!  It’s with good reason though. Our producer, Jim Spencer, has worked with The Charlatans for a while now – and Big Mushroom is their studio.  It’s strewn with various bits and pieces of memorabilia and instruments they’ve used on their albums, including the mellotron and Fender Rhodes which feature heavily on “Us and Us Only”, for all you Charlatans aficionados out there!  There’s also a collection of vinyl which can only be described as ‘eclectic’. It includes a classic Jive Bunny ‘45, an EastEnders sing-along LP, circa 1986… and an EP with a worryingly detailed hand-drawn cover that doesn’t leave much to the imagination.  Let’s just say it’s a 12 inch.  Well, Clare reckons it’s more like 8.

Once the radio piece was recorded, there was a moment of confusion when our sound engineer for the weekend (Jeff) turned up and was given the kind of welcome usually reserved for Columbian coffee farmers… but in any case, it meant that the crew was complete and we were ready to get started.  So, fuelled by baked potato and beans, we finally got to work.

The overriding feeling is that that it’s great to be recording again and – more importantly – for Jim to be at the helm.  It’s been a long time coming, but it feels very much like we’ve picked up where we left off and there are a lot less nerves this time around.

The first session is all about the drums and bass, but it also gives us all a chance to work on our different parts, as we play the tunes over and over (and over) again until we get the right take.

It’s fair to say that Matty and Clare have got off to a great start.  “Counting your Greys” has become a regular in our live set and was an obvious choice for us to tackle first.  The only issues Clare had were with her chair, which refused to stay upright… and the after-effects of baked beans.  (Wind is a recurring problem for the band.  The male members take great delight in ‘sharing’, but this is absolutely off-limits for Clare – and rightly so. As everyone knows, ladies just shouldn’t do that sort of thing).

A few stubbies later and we were ready to move on to “Drowned” - a tune that will be new to many, but has been on our to-do list for some time.  It was getting late in the day and we were struggling to reach the required tempo, so there was only one thing for it.  Jim put the kettle on, opened a pack of ‘Tim Peaks’ and proceeded to make the strongest brew of the day - it took 3 of us to push down the cafetiere.  It had the desired effect though and we were soon up to speed.  We’re obviously excited about all the tracks, but this was a good one to end the first day on and we’re looking forward to seeing how it ends up.

We finished at around midnight then kicked back and watched some bad TV, including a Shakira video marathon.  Everyone agreed that her ‘moves’ almost made up for any shortcomings on the music front.  The image of Shakira crawling around a cage and apparently dislocating both shoulders in the process is what everyone took with them as we went to bed.  It’s probably worth pointing out at this point that there are separate rooms and beds at Big Mushroom.  We’re not that close.

A new day, breakfast, a few more brews and we finished off Drowned before tackling the next couple of tracks.

“Scarlet” has been another live favourite recently.  It’s definitely an up-beat one, which is always a challenge for us, but we’re hoping it’ll sit nicely with the rest of the songs once we’re done.

“Shifting Sands” had quite a down-tempo feel on our demo, but it’s now gone in a different direction after a few pointers from Jim.  It was a positive way to end the session, before we headed back to North Wales to celebrate Jamie’s brother’s 40^th… not that he’ll remember!

In Matty’s absence, Monday would prove to be a day of overdubs… and high drama!  Despite it being a sunny morning, the road to Middlewich is already losing its appeal.  The A54 (or ‘The 54’ as it’s affectionately become known) leads right into the centre of Middlewich, where the current road works make it impossible to get to the studio without some kind of hair-raising detour.  So far, we’ve driven the wrong way down a closed off street - twice - much to the annoyance of the oncoming traffic.  Our latest effort led us straight into Middlewich High School at break time – directly in breach of one of Jamie’s court orders – so we made a quick about turn.

In the safety of the studio, we set to work.  The live room is pretty chilly by most people’s standards, but having been practicing in the barn recently, it’s positively tropical in comparison.  The day was spent adding guitar pieces, keyboards, mandolin, penny whistle and vocals to Counting your Greys… not far to go now with that tune and it’s sounding great with the extra layers.

Any down-time we have is always put to good use.  Chris is chief photographer when we’re recording and if you follow us on Twitter, you’ll have no doubt seen his handiwork.  The rest of the time, we mainly write lists.  A good ‘reads list’ can take many forms.  Clare’s are old school - written in her trusty note book – and therefore carry a certain gravitas.  Stu’s are spreadsheet-based – allowing for sorting, filtering and the all important colour-coding.  Marcy’s lists tend to be scribbled on whatever paper is to hand – used envelopes, receipts etc.  A couple of his more obscure efforts even inspired a song a few years ago – the aptly titled “Lists” – a revealing insight into the life and shopping habits of a synth player.

The day’s drama came in the form of a cracked cafetiere..!  To be fair, we’ve nailed the coffee since arriving, so a coffee-based-mishap was inevitable.  Jamie remarked that an accidentally cracked cafetiere (which we’ll replace) was a far cry from the traditional TV-out-of-a-window rock n roll behaviour we should be telling you about in our blog, but hey, if it’s good enough for Tim Burgess… (CLANG!).

Already looking forward to our return - and to telling you all about it.

Until next time - Don’t have nightmares, do sleep well.

And remember, never a cross word.

The Reads.

BBC Radio Wales Artist of The Week

Greetings!  We have just returned from a lovely little jaunt to Bangor (aye) to play a live session for Louise Elliott on BBC Radio Wales.

You can listen again here if you missed us (it’s about an hour and a half in); http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pp6tt

A huge thank you to Louise for having us on this afternoon and to Julie, Emyr and everyone else who made it happen and extra big thanks to BBC Radio Wales for all your support, we’re honoured to be your Artist of the Week this week!

Don’t forget you can still get your hands on a copy of our debut album ‘Stories From The Border’ via Amazon or iTunes or if you’d prefer a real life hold in your hand CD just visit http://www.thegenepool.co.uk/

Were the Mayans right……?

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all made it past the Mayan deadline intact.

Well we’re burning off the mince pies by taking a trip to Bangor next Thursday to play a live acoustic session for the BBC Radio Wales afternoon show. Tune in from 2pm to hear us crapping our pants accross the airwaves!

BBC Radio Wales has been a tremeandous supporter of The Reads in the last 12 months and we’re very pleased to be their Artist of The Week from Monday 7th January. To mark the occassion we’re going to be giving away a free download of ‘Nothing Bound’  via this page.

‘Nothing Bound’ features string arrangements by contemporary Manchester composer Joe Duddell, who has recently collaborated with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Richard Hawley for BBC Radio 6 Music.

We will also be heading back to one of our favourite venues Telford’s Warehouse, Chester on Saturday 12th January.  I know you’re all skint after crimbo but if you get there before 9pm you can get in for FREE! 

Wishing you all the best for 2013!

Much Love x The Reads x

60 Seconds with

The Reads - meet the band

60 seconds with….. Stu Bennett

C: Frontman and rhythm guitarist. Does that make you a show off?
S: I’ve always enjoyed singing and strumming along, but I never used to consider myself to be a frontman, until I bought an amp with the word ‘frontman’ on it.
OK, I’m a show off.

C: Have you got rhythm?
S: I think so.

C: How on earth do you remember all those lyrics you have to sing? 
S: Have you ever been hit by a bass?

C: Let’s get straight onto your hair.  Your best haircut to date? Any hairstyle blunders you want to share?
S: I’m glad we’re tackling the issues that matter.

I’m not sure how I’d measure what’s been ‘the best’?  They’ve all been a bit Lego-like since 1995.

I did try and copy Marcy’s short-back-and-sides once, but it didn’t work. He got angry and accused me of ‘trying to be him’.  He’s since grown his hair and beard and arguably ‘become me’, but I’m fine with that.  He’s currently sporting a Nordic look, so I’m playing catch up… again.

My worst hairstyle by far was in primary school.  Inexplicably, mum decided to blow-dry it for the school photo.  I looked like Danny La Rue.  Jamie’s the only person from the band to have seen this picture and his reaction confirmed my worst fears.

C: How many pairs of jeans do you own and what’s your favourite pair?
S: Two in use, with a few old pairs for scruffs.  My favourites are a well-worn pair of boot cuts.

C: Where do you like to shop for your frontman clothes?
S:  Increasingly, M&S.

C: Tea in first or milk?
S: Tea.  I’m normal.

C: Favourite pub and favourite pint?
S: Easy. The (real) Brewery Tap in Chester.  Spitting Feathers, Thirst Quencher.

C: When did you last swim in the sea?
S: A few years ago, in Sicily.

C: In your car what radio stations are you tuned into?
S:  Station.  Singular.  My aerial’s broken and has been for about 5 years now.  I used to be spoilt for choice with Radios 2 or 4.  Now it’s just Radio 4.  It’s a very serious start to the working day, but it does make me feel intelligent.  I try to hold that thought until home time.

C: When did you last visit an art gallery?
S: A what?

C: I’d secretly like to be a store detective.  What job would you like to try for a day?
S: I’ve always thought hostage negotiation could be a laugh.

C: Nowadays men are fussing about their skincare, what’s your routine?
S: Why am I getting all the superficial questions?  I’m deep too you know.  What about my creative influences??  My difficult childhood??!!

If you must know…

1.    Hot water

2.    Exfoliating face wash

3.    Rinse

4.    Cooling seaweed extract & tea-tree oil balm

5.    Rinse

6.    Volcanic mud face pack

7.    Leave for 60 minutes

8.    Rinse

9.    Towel dry

10.  Scattering of rose petals

Same as any bloke, really.

C: In football I’m really struggling with the off side rule, can you explain it to me.
S: Yes.  If the opposing player is either level, or behind the last defender when a racist insult is thrown, he’s onside.  The defender can appeal this decision though on grounds of being misinterpreted, as long as they have enough money to pay for a defense of their own and are, more importantly, stupid.  There are a few more exceptions to this - mainly around super-injunctions and friend’s other halves, but I think that’s covered it.

C: Best view ever?
S: The view of Ruthin, the Dee Valley and across to Snowdonia from half way up the main path on Moel Famau.

C: 3 words to describe you……
Carefree

Troubled

Contradictory

The end