www.betika.co.uk
It's a week late, but I felt the seasons change today. It was still raining constantly, but the rain today felt somehow summery, whereas the rain last week had a distinct wintery edge to it. The wind was against me, but blew away some brainal cobwebs and left something far more useful in their place.
The bushes were thick with birds.
Carolyn did a cool thing today.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Listening
www.betika.co.uk
We are listening. I am lying on the floor, I have my head in the bass drum, because there is a pillow in it, and a pillow is a good place for a head. Carolyn is sitting on a chair nearby, her face pressed against a microphone, the microphone is pushing her top lip up on one side, so she has an Elvis sneer. It looks a bit odd, but I don't mention it, I guess she must like the way it feels, who am I to judge? We hear a word that we think might be out of tune, we look at each other, and know that we're going to have to sing this song AGAIN.
We are listening. I am lying on the floor, I have my head in the bass drum, because there is a pillow in it, and a pillow is a good place for a head. Carolyn is sitting on a chair nearby, her face pressed against a microphone, the microphone is pushing her top lip up on one side, so she has an Elvis sneer. It looks a bit odd, but I don't mention it, I guess she must like the way it feels, who am I to judge? We hear a word that we think might be out of tune, we look at each other, and know that we're going to have to sing this song AGAIN.
Car Games, The 'hoof, The best thing ever
www.betika.co.uk
Chris, Imogen, Carolyn, Lee Dutch and Nic Beard drove up to see Deerhoof at The Scala on Monday. I find it always helps on resonably long journeys such as these to have a few car-based games to help pass the time - an old favourite is "car!dog!car!", the rules of which are fairly simple; If you see a dog, shout "Dog!", and thereafter, when you see a car, shout "Car!", each and every time you see a car, until such time as you see another dog, at which point you shout "Dog!", and remain silent until you see another dog, at which point you shout "Dog!", and begin shouting "Car!" again. And so on. This game works best if one of the occupants of the car is easily annoyed by repeptitive shouting that if driving along a busy road quickly begins to resemble the sound of a colony of seabirds. It can get quite exciting if you're approaching a motorway where there's going to be an awful lot of cars but almost certainly no dogs - will there be a dog, or won't there? Oh God, please let there be a dog!.
On Monday we concocted a slightly more advanced game, based on car makes. Chris, Imogen and Lee were in a white Peugeot, and Nic, Caz and I were in a pretty much identical car somewhere on the same motorway, but we didn't know whether they were ahead of us or behind. Just in case we passed them, or vice versa, to make it clear who was in the better car, we decided that every time we saw a Peugeot, we'd act as if we were having the best fun in the world EVER, rolling our heads back with laughter and sipping imaginary cocktails. This evolved to encompass other manufacturers, for example if we saw a Ford we'd pretend to be having an argument ("Look, there's a Ford!", "NO IT ISN'T!!!"), if we saw a Mitsubishi one of us would pretend that the others had kidnapped them, and if we saw a BMW we'd attempt to affect a Thousand-yard Stare. We were pretty bored.
The 'hoof were absolutely stunning, and I got to proplerly enjoy their set this time, unlike the show at The Fiddler in Bristol last year where I spent half the gig in the loo with digestive issues, and felt pretty cheated as a result, so I got some unfinished business-type closure-joy too, if you know what I mean. Though that was of little signifigance next to the monumental happiness brought about in me by the four people up on the stage. The way they play together is somehow jaw-droppingly tight AND sloppy, a lot like the Magic Band I guess, but where Beefheart can be unsettling and sometimes a bit disturbing, everything Deerhoof do is filled with humour and warmth, but not humour in a cheesy way, or a clever-clever Frank Zappa way. Maybe in a Japanese way? Anyhow, I don't think there's another band I've ever seen or heard that has simultaneously done that. Or done it so well at least. I said hello to Greg the drummer briefly afterwards, he looks a lot like Tim from The Office, but I didn't say so, or ask him if it was deliberate. Very nice bloke. I got him to sign an autograph, then I gave it to him to keep, so he'd never forget who he was. Oh, and we bumped into the guitarist from Stout, who was there at the creation of the Pink Hulk cocktail at the Joiners, we thanked him, and learned that his name is John.
The journey home, punctuated by the traditional Fleet Services toilet-break, was spent trying to remember what Terrence Trent D'Arby's hits were (after Caz or Nic started whistling "Wishing Well" for some reason), and trying to remember who recorded "We don't have to take our clothes off" around the same time, because I always thought it was TTD'A, but recently learned that it wasn't. (Google has just revealed that it was Jermaine Stewart, not Jackson on Greer, as was suggested somewhere round Virginia Water).
I've finished a new song this week, it's called "The best thing ever", and it's the closest thing I've ever written to a lovesong. By this I mean it includes no direct biological references, merely allusions of a similar nature.
Chris, Imogen, Carolyn, Lee Dutch and Nic Beard drove up to see Deerhoof at The Scala on Monday. I find it always helps on resonably long journeys such as these to have a few car-based games to help pass the time - an old favourite is "car!dog!car!", the rules of which are fairly simple; If you see a dog, shout "Dog!", and thereafter, when you see a car, shout "Car!", each and every time you see a car, until such time as you see another dog, at which point you shout "Dog!", and remain silent until you see another dog, at which point you shout "Dog!", and begin shouting "Car!" again. And so on. This game works best if one of the occupants of the car is easily annoyed by repeptitive shouting that if driving along a busy road quickly begins to resemble the sound of a colony of seabirds. It can get quite exciting if you're approaching a motorway where there's going to be an awful lot of cars but almost certainly no dogs - will there be a dog, or won't there? Oh God, please let there be a dog!.
On Monday we concocted a slightly more advanced game, based on car makes. Chris, Imogen and Lee were in a white Peugeot, and Nic, Caz and I were in a pretty much identical car somewhere on the same motorway, but we didn't know whether they were ahead of us or behind. Just in case we passed them, or vice versa, to make it clear who was in the better car, we decided that every time we saw a Peugeot, we'd act as if we were having the best fun in the world EVER, rolling our heads back with laughter and sipping imaginary cocktails. This evolved to encompass other manufacturers, for example if we saw a Ford we'd pretend to be having an argument ("Look, there's a Ford!", "NO IT ISN'T!!!"), if we saw a Mitsubishi one of us would pretend that the others had kidnapped them, and if we saw a BMW we'd attempt to affect a Thousand-yard Stare. We were pretty bored.
The 'hoof were absolutely stunning, and I got to proplerly enjoy their set this time, unlike the show at The Fiddler in Bristol last year where I spent half the gig in the loo with digestive issues, and felt pretty cheated as a result, so I got some unfinished business-type closure-joy too, if you know what I mean. Though that was of little signifigance next to the monumental happiness brought about in me by the four people up on the stage. The way they play together is somehow jaw-droppingly tight AND sloppy, a lot like the Magic Band I guess, but where Beefheart can be unsettling and sometimes a bit disturbing, everything Deerhoof do is filled with humour and warmth, but not humour in a cheesy way, or a clever-clever Frank Zappa way. Maybe in a Japanese way? Anyhow, I don't think there's another band I've ever seen or heard that has simultaneously done that. Or done it so well at least. I said hello to Greg the drummer briefly afterwards, he looks a lot like Tim from The Office, but I didn't say so, or ask him if it was deliberate. Very nice bloke. I got him to sign an autograph, then I gave it to him to keep, so he'd never forget who he was. Oh, and we bumped into the guitarist from Stout, who was there at the creation of the Pink Hulk cocktail at the Joiners, we thanked him, and learned that his name is John.
The journey home, punctuated by the traditional Fleet Services toilet-break, was spent trying to remember what Terrence Trent D'Arby's hits were (after Caz or Nic started whistling "Wishing Well" for some reason), and trying to remember who recorded "We don't have to take our clothes off" around the same time, because I always thought it was TTD'A, but recently learned that it wasn't. (Google has just revealed that it was Jermaine Stewart, not Jackson on Greer, as was suggested somewhere round Virginia Water).
I've finished a new song this week, it's called "The best thing ever", and it's the closest thing I've ever written to a lovesong. By this I mean it includes no direct biological references, merely allusions of a similar nature.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
Joiners Photos
www.betika.co.uk
There are some rather good photos of Betika playing at The Joiners last night here, courtesy of Skott Wallis of The Hat / Lounge / Blind Voyeurs / Tex La Homa / Monkey Head Transplant fame. I particularly like the way he's mostly taken pictures of me!
Good Work, Skott!
There are some rather good photos of Betika playing at The Joiners last night here, courtesy of Skott Wallis of The Hat / Lounge / Blind Voyeurs / Tex La Homa / Monkey Head Transplant fame. I particularly like the way he's mostly taken pictures of me!
Good Work, Skott!
A Very Bad Thing
www.betika.co.uk
First off, a massive thankyou to everyone who came to see us at The Joiners last night, I hope we were worth making the journey for and you enjoyed the other bands as much as I did. Sadly, grim tidings lay in wait for us as we left the stage - a text came from France via Chris with the news that Imogen had broken her wrist in a skiing accident. It is with some shame that I must confess that my first concern was that our bass player wouldn't be able to play for a while, rather than that my friend had hurt herself, a product I think of my increasingly obsessive one-track Betika-head. The delay between the two was only a nanosecond though, there is still a human being in here somewhere! The text said that she was being kept in hospital overnight, and I immedeately had visions of her being alone in a vast, icy Victorian dormitory ward patrolled by a grim French Matron, hopefully the reality of the situation was slightly more modern and less starchy. I wonder if French hospital food is better than ours in the way the rest of their cuisine supposedly is? I'll have an answer on that mid-next week I guess.
Big thankyou also to Hubcap, normally the overseer of Betika recordings, who provided bass-guitar cover last night in Imogen's holiday absence, and who may now find himself doing more of same while broken bones are mending...Poor Imo :(
First off, a massive thankyou to everyone who came to see us at The Joiners last night, I hope we were worth making the journey for and you enjoyed the other bands as much as I did. Sadly, grim tidings lay in wait for us as we left the stage - a text came from France via Chris with the news that Imogen had broken her wrist in a skiing accident. It is with some shame that I must confess that my first concern was that our bass player wouldn't be able to play for a while, rather than that my friend had hurt herself, a product I think of my increasingly obsessive one-track Betika-head. The delay between the two was only a nanosecond though, there is still a human being in here somewhere! The text said that she was being kept in hospital overnight, and I immedeately had visions of her being alone in a vast, icy Victorian dormitory ward patrolled by a grim French Matron, hopefully the reality of the situation was slightly more modern and less starchy. I wonder if French hospital food is better than ours in the way the rest of their cuisine supposedly is? I'll have an answer on that mid-next week I guess.
Big thankyou also to Hubcap, normally the overseer of Betika recordings, who provided bass-guitar cover last night in Imogen's holiday absence, and who may now find himself doing more of same while broken bones are mending...Poor Imo :(
Monday, March 13, 2006
Further Pictures
www.betika.co.uk
There are some pictures online of the gig we did last week with HaHa Party People and Flipron, taken once again by Paul Savine. Click here to see us pulling hilarious sex-faces and ape-like action poses!
There are some pictures online of the gig we did last week with HaHa Party People and Flipron, taken once again by Paul Savine. Click here to see us pulling hilarious sex-faces and ape-like action poses!
I have seen the future...
www.betika.co.uk
...and it doesn't have any electricity in it! We (that is to say Imogen, Carolyn and I) had something of a revelatory experience last night when we had the pleasure of playing at an acoustic night in Bristol that was so acoustic there weren't even any microphones. It must be stressed that this was in no way due to some oversight on the part of the organisers; it was a brilliantly concieved and executed event that harked back to some mythical golden age of making-your-own-entertainment.
The venue was a packed cafe (Cafe Delight on Gloucester Road, recipent of the big fat Betika seal of approval food-and-drink wise!), which didn't have a stage or any kind of designated playing area, so the people playing just found themselves a little bit of space amongst the audience and did their stuff - far and away the most intimate gig I've ever done. As we arrived (after the usual "I think we're lost!" / "Where do we park??" hastles) Jar was starting her set, and immedeately the brilliance of the concept of a totally acoustic night became apparent. Jar's music is so incredibly slight and minimal - just voice and a few notes picked out on glockenspiel, violin or guitar - that even the slightest murmur of conversation from the opposite end of the room would have smothered it completely. But every person in the place sat in complete and utter silence and hung on every word and every note of every song. Have you ever had that thing where you're lying awake late at night, and every tiny little noise that the house makes sounds like burglars breaking the door down? Exactly the same thing happened, the tiny little sounds coming from Jar's glock filled the silent room like the chiming of miniature churchbells.
I think our set would have to be the single most enjoyable performance of my life so far - I have to admit to having been a little apprehensive about being placed under such intense scrutiny, but looking around the crowd I found the faces to be friendly and curious, and it turns out that playing and singing are much easier to do when you don't have to worry about microphones and amplifiers and things. We did six songs; "You can call me brother", "Girlshaped", "We will not know peace", "Pink Hulk", "The taming of the shrew" (for the very first time in public) and a version of "By Default" that drew disgusted groans and laughter from the audience in all the right places.
On after us were Vijay Kishore, a man possesed of the loudest and most remarkable voice I've ever heard ("Like an indian Jeff Buckley but like Jeff Buckley in the good Thom Yorke way" would be a lazy but not innacurate way to describe him), and then Francois and the Atlas Mountains Ensemble, who took up half the room with their bodies and their collection of instruments (THREE glockenspiels, two accordians, tenor sax, clarinet, double bass, melodica, a couple of guitars, various percussion and voices), and who filled the air with a rich and glorious range of sounds. We drove the long road home tired but very, very happy. Big thankyou to Theo from Factfans for letting us be a part of such a great night!
More Betika later this week closer to home when we play The Joiners in Southampton on Sunday 19th sandwiched betwen Misty's Big Adventure, Flipron and The Michael Wookey Band. If you would like to go, email us RIGHT NOW!
...and it doesn't have any electricity in it! We (that is to say Imogen, Carolyn and I) had something of a revelatory experience last night when we had the pleasure of playing at an acoustic night in Bristol that was so acoustic there weren't even any microphones. It must be stressed that this was in no way due to some oversight on the part of the organisers; it was a brilliantly concieved and executed event that harked back to some mythical golden age of making-your-own-entertainment.
The venue was a packed cafe (Cafe Delight on Gloucester Road, recipent of the big fat Betika seal of approval food-and-drink wise!), which didn't have a stage or any kind of designated playing area, so the people playing just found themselves a little bit of space amongst the audience and did their stuff - far and away the most intimate gig I've ever done. As we arrived (after the usual "I think we're lost!" / "Where do we park??" hastles) Jar was starting her set, and immedeately the brilliance of the concept of a totally acoustic night became apparent. Jar's music is so incredibly slight and minimal - just voice and a few notes picked out on glockenspiel, violin or guitar - that even the slightest murmur of conversation from the opposite end of the room would have smothered it completely. But every person in the place sat in complete and utter silence and hung on every word and every note of every song. Have you ever had that thing where you're lying awake late at night, and every tiny little noise that the house makes sounds like burglars breaking the door down? Exactly the same thing happened, the tiny little sounds coming from Jar's glock filled the silent room like the chiming of miniature churchbells.
I think our set would have to be the single most enjoyable performance of my life so far - I have to admit to having been a little apprehensive about being placed under such intense scrutiny, but looking around the crowd I found the faces to be friendly and curious, and it turns out that playing and singing are much easier to do when you don't have to worry about microphones and amplifiers and things. We did six songs; "You can call me brother", "Girlshaped", "We will not know peace", "Pink Hulk", "The taming of the shrew" (for the very first time in public) and a version of "By Default" that drew disgusted groans and laughter from the audience in all the right places.
On after us were Vijay Kishore, a man possesed of the loudest and most remarkable voice I've ever heard ("Like an indian Jeff Buckley but like Jeff Buckley in the good Thom Yorke way" would be a lazy but not innacurate way to describe him), and then Francois and the Atlas Mountains Ensemble, who took up half the room with their bodies and their collection of instruments (THREE glockenspiels, two accordians, tenor sax, clarinet, double bass, melodica, a couple of guitars, various percussion and voices), and who filled the air with a rich and glorious range of sounds. We drove the long road home tired but very, very happy. Big thankyou to Theo from Factfans for letting us be a part of such a great night!
More Betika later this week closer to home when we play The Joiners in Southampton on Sunday 19th sandwiched betwen Misty's Big Adventure, Flipron and The Michael Wookey Band. If you would like to go, email us RIGHT NOW!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Some pictures
www.betika.co.uk
Photos 2, 7, 8 Steve Beck, 3 Holloway Photography, 6 Unknown, 9 Fran, 12 Mal Tween, 14 Paul Savine.
Others by Dave and Caz
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Upcoming in the very near future...
www.betika.co.uk
A very lazy blog tonight, but it's late and I'm tired and I have a dozen things to do by morning! A cut-and-paste from today's mail out I'm afraid...
Dearly Beloved,
a couple of exciting Betika-related things coming up this week!
First of all, we'll be playing our first hometown gig of the year this Tuesday (14th Feb) at Centre Stage in Westbourne (next to the Pig and Whistle pub off Queens Road). Also on the bill are Gravamen Sound and The Jurado Brothers, and as it's Valentines we'll be playing what by default are some love songs! It £2 to get in, doors open at 8pm and the bar is open late, in case you're in the mood for a midweek binge (and also useful in case you have Valentines sorrows to drown).
For those of you further afield or still hungry for a piece of us, you can catch our first ever appearance on national radio when Phill Jupitus interviews us for his BBC6 Music breakfast show on Thursday (16th Feb). We'll be having a chat, previewing some new Betika recordings and maybe choosing a tune or two between 8.30 and 9am. If you're not going to be near any digital radio-recieving apparatus at the time, or want to hear it again, you can listen to the show online for a few days after broadcast by going to Phill's page on the 6Music website.
hope all is well with all of you,
Dave von Betika
I'd forgotten what a gorgeous record Lambchop's "Nixon" is. Just played it on a whim and am now re-thinking my all-time top ten to include it...
A very lazy blog tonight, but it's late and I'm tired and I have a dozen things to do by morning! A cut-and-paste from today's mail out I'm afraid...
Dearly Beloved,
a couple of exciting Betika-related things coming up this week!
First of all, we'll be playing our first hometown gig of the year this Tuesday (14th Feb) at Centre Stage in Westbourne (next to the Pig and Whistle pub off Queens Road). Also on the bill are Gravamen Sound and The Jurado Brothers, and as it's Valentines we'll be playing what by default are some love songs! It £2 to get in, doors open at 8pm and the bar is open late, in case you're in the mood for a midweek binge (and also useful in case you have Valentines sorrows to drown).
For those of you further afield or still hungry for a piece of us, you can catch our first ever appearance on national radio when Phill Jupitus interviews us for his BBC6 Music breakfast show on Thursday (16th Feb). We'll be having a chat, previewing some new Betika recordings and maybe choosing a tune or two between 8.30 and 9am. If you're not going to be near any digital radio-recieving apparatus at the time, or want to hear it again, you can listen to the show online for a few days after broadcast by going to Phill's page on the 6Music website.
hope all is well with all of you,
Dave von Betika
I'd forgotten what a gorgeous record Lambchop's "Nixon" is. Just played it on a whim and am now re-thinking my all-time top ten to include it...
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Joiners, Betika at the Beeb (for real!)
www.betika.co.uk
A big thankyou to everyone who recieved us so warmly at The Joiners last night, it was a pleasure and a privilege to play for you! Thanks especially to those folks who made a special trip to see us, and everyone who finger-clicked / hand-clapped / sang along, many a Betika heart was warmed by the reception we got! Big thanks also to Toupe for giving us the gig, and the soundman (Martin, I think? I have boozy fuzz where some of my memories should be), for getting the sound spot-on in spite of our multitude of instruments and things breaking down. Oh, and the guys from Stout, who set up an ad-hoc mailing list for us when the free CDs ran out on the merchandising table. And just about everybody I spoke to, for being such thoroughly decent people! We'll be back at The Joiners on Sunday 19th March in the company of the fantastic Misty's Big Adventure and Flipron - mail us at info@betika.co.uk if you want tickets / seats on the bus!
Betika will be doing an interview with Phill Jupitus on his BBC Radio 6 Breakfast show in a couple of weeks, on the morning of Thursday 16th Feb - DAB / Digital TV / internet listeners will be able to tune in to hear us having a wee chat and previewing a couple of previously-unheard recordings from the (nearly finished!) Betika album.
Next Betika gig is Tuesday 14th February at Centre Stage, Westbourne. Bring a loved-one!
A big thankyou to everyone who recieved us so warmly at The Joiners last night, it was a pleasure and a privilege to play for you! Thanks especially to those folks who made a special trip to see us, and everyone who finger-clicked / hand-clapped / sang along, many a Betika heart was warmed by the reception we got! Big thanks also to Toupe for giving us the gig, and the soundman (Martin, I think? I have boozy fuzz where some of my memories should be), for getting the sound spot-on in spite of our multitude of instruments and things breaking down. Oh, and the guys from Stout, who set up an ad-hoc mailing list for us when the free CDs ran out on the merchandising table. And just about everybody I spoke to, for being such thoroughly decent people! We'll be back at The Joiners on Sunday 19th March in the company of the fantastic Misty's Big Adventure and Flipron - mail us at info@betika.co.uk if you want tickets / seats on the bus!
Betika will be doing an interview with Phill Jupitus on his BBC Radio 6 Breakfast show in a couple of weeks, on the morning of Thursday 16th Feb - DAB / Digital TV / internet listeners will be able to tune in to hear us having a wee chat and previewing a couple of previously-unheard recordings from the (nearly finished!) Betika album.
Next Betika gig is Tuesday 14th February at Centre Stage, Westbourne. Bring a loved-one!
Pink Hulk
www.betika.co.uk
I've invented (or at least stumbled across) another drink, which has been christened a "Pink Hulk", after one of our songs. It's pretty simple to make;
1 shot Rose Tequila (not sure how readily available this is)
Lemonade
Ice
Straw (v. important!)
Rose tequila is a bit like Baileys, in the respect that it curdles very easily when brought into contact with just about anything else, but in this case if the lemonade is good and fizzy it reacts and forms a thick pink foam that should be stiff enough to support a straw within a couple of minutes. It tastes not unlike a thick strawberry milkshake bought from a high-street burger-and-fries chain whose golden arches I have not passed under for some years as a matter of principle and personal preference. But there's booze in it.
I think it's safe to say that you'll only ever need to have one Pink Hulk in your life.
Thanks to Isaak who mixed this monster for Carolyn and I, and the guitarist from Stout who egged us on, then indulged in one himself.
I've invented (or at least stumbled across) another drink, which has been christened a "Pink Hulk", after one of our songs. It's pretty simple to make;
1 shot Rose Tequila (not sure how readily available this is)
Lemonade
Ice
Straw (v. important!)
Rose tequila is a bit like Baileys, in the respect that it curdles very easily when brought into contact with just about anything else, but in this case if the lemonade is good and fizzy it reacts and forms a thick pink foam that should be stiff enough to support a straw within a couple of minutes. It tastes not unlike a thick strawberry milkshake bought from a high-street burger-and-fries chain whose golden arches I have not passed under for some years as a matter of principle and personal preference. But there's booze in it.
I think it's safe to say that you'll only ever need to have one Pink Hulk in your life.
Thanks to Isaak who mixed this monster for Carolyn and I, and the guitarist from Stout who egged us on, then indulged in one himself.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Birds / Betika at the beeb (ish).
www.betika.co.uk
I saw a couple of birds in my garden this afternoon that I've never seen there before, one was a Long-tailed Tit, and the other was probably a Siskin, though it was more of a greeny-grey than the yellow colour shown, and it wasn't feeding upside-down, which is normally how you'd tell them from greenfinches at a distance. It did have a distinct black cap to it's head, but I don't think it was a Blackcap, it had a definite finch-y look to it.
There's a short profile / interview thing about us on the BBC Dorset website here.
I saw a couple of birds in my garden this afternoon that I've never seen there before, one was a Long-tailed Tit, and the other was probably a Siskin, though it was more of a greeny-grey than the yellow colour shown, and it wasn't feeding upside-down, which is normally how you'd tell them from greenfinches at a distance. It did have a distinct black cap to it's head, but I don't think it was a Blackcap, it had a definite finch-y look to it.
There's a short profile / interview thing about us on the BBC Dorset website here.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
...and yet more bad
www.betika.co.uk
We don't seem to have shaken our run of bad luck! Firstly, Carolyn's car failed it's MOT today in what may prove to be a horrificaly costly way. Secondly, my bike was making some very odd noises every time I put on the front brakes on my way back from work, and when I had a look at it when I got home I found that the nuts holding the front wheel on had come loose, so I was lucky I hadn't attempted to wheelie over any puddles, or bunnyhop off any kerbs! I wouldn't have nearly so many teeth as I do now. Thirdly, the Purple Purge youth concerts at Wimborne's Allendale Centre, one of which we were due to play in May, have been called off. It seems that the local constabulary think that shutting these concerts down will help aleviate the town's under-age drinking problem, though the association they've made between the two seems to me to be quite a vicarious one. Chris Brown (The Wimborne Town Crier, and driving force behind Purple Purge)is planning some protests against this descision, if it's something you'd like to be involved in, have a look at his website.
We don't seem to have shaken our run of bad luck! Firstly, Carolyn's car failed it's MOT today in what may prove to be a horrificaly costly way. Secondly, my bike was making some very odd noises every time I put on the front brakes on my way back from work, and when I had a look at it when I got home I found that the nuts holding the front wheel on had come loose, so I was lucky I hadn't attempted to wheelie over any puddles, or bunnyhop off any kerbs! I wouldn't have nearly so many teeth as I do now. Thirdly, the Purple Purge youth concerts at Wimborne's Allendale Centre, one of which we were due to play in May, have been called off. It seems that the local constabulary think that shutting these concerts down will help aleviate the town's under-age drinking problem, though the association they've made between the two seems to me to be quite a vicarious one. Chris Brown (The Wimborne Town Crier, and driving force behind Purple Purge)is planning some protests against this descision, if it's something you'd like to be involved in, have a look at his website.
Monday, January 30, 2006
More bad things, and some good ones
www.betika.co.uk
Our run of bad luck continued into sunday; Chris still couldn't get his car going, in spite of Imogen's attempts to fix it, and the van hadn't miraculously repaired itself either. I decided to do a spot of gardening, and while raking up some leaves I trod in some fox poo, which I didn't notice until I'd walked it all through the house. I cleared it up, and in doing so narrowly avoided being electrocuted by the Hoover, the mains cable of which had been mysteriously sliced open, exposing both the live and neutral, as I found as I was coiling it up. I attempted to record some singing in the afternoon, but my voice had dried up to a reedy thin squeak of a thing (most likely the result of my caffiene-binge on Saturday), so we recorded Caz doing some oboe and melodica instead. Which was good.
Other good things have happened since, in the form of some very exciting gigs we've got lined up for the next couple of months, more on which when we're in possession of all the pertinent facts. There's going to be a couple of chances to catch Betika this week if you live in or are prepared to travel to Southampton. Caz and I will be popping into the open mic night at The Talking Heads to do a couple of songs tonight, and the whole band is playing at The Joiners on Friday (Feb 3rd) night in the company of Toupe, Stout and This Black Static.
Our run of bad luck continued into sunday; Chris still couldn't get his car going, in spite of Imogen's attempts to fix it, and the van hadn't miraculously repaired itself either. I decided to do a spot of gardening, and while raking up some leaves I trod in some fox poo, which I didn't notice until I'd walked it all through the house. I cleared it up, and in doing so narrowly avoided being electrocuted by the Hoover, the mains cable of which had been mysteriously sliced open, exposing both the live and neutral, as I found as I was coiling it up. I attempted to record some singing in the afternoon, but my voice had dried up to a reedy thin squeak of a thing (most likely the result of my caffiene-binge on Saturday), so we recorded Caz doing some oboe and melodica instead. Which was good.
Other good things have happened since, in the form of some very exciting gigs we've got lined up for the next couple of months, more on which when we're in possession of all the pertinent facts. There's going to be a couple of chances to catch Betika this week if you live in or are prepared to travel to Southampton. Caz and I will be popping into the open mic night at The Talking Heads to do a couple of songs tonight, and the whole band is playing at The Joiners on Friday (Feb 3rd) night in the company of Toupe, Stout and This Black Static.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
And how we beat it...
www.betika.co.uk
Well, Imogen and Richard got back safely, Imogen succesfully repaired her damaged hands with superglue, Rich and Gary dragged their ruined bodies into the recording room and we set to the task in hand with only two of the six hours we'd allocated remaining. And we did three almost flawless takes of "25" straight off the bat, and nailed "Hatred" in seven. Vocals and overdubs tomorrow, mixing next week, job done next weekend! Or that's the plan.
I've made myself go a bit mental tonight, I've been drinking tea non-stop today, I've had a couple of beers over the course of the evening and I haven't really eaten since breakfast, now I'm simultaneously dog tired, hyper to the point where I'm shaking, incredibly happy about the way the session turned out and yet somehow really sad. It's not very nice and I wouldn't reccommend it.
I wrote a new song this week called "The taming of the shrew". It's about small animals.
Well, Imogen and Richard got back safely, Imogen succesfully repaired her damaged hands with superglue, Rich and Gary dragged their ruined bodies into the recording room and we set to the task in hand with only two of the six hours we'd allocated remaining. And we did three almost flawless takes of "25" straight off the bat, and nailed "Hatred" in seven. Vocals and overdubs tomorrow, mixing next week, job done next weekend! Or that's the plan.
I've made myself go a bit mental tonight, I've been drinking tea non-stop today, I've had a couple of beers over the course of the evening and I haven't really eaten since breakfast, now I'm simultaneously dog tired, hyper to the point where I'm shaking, incredibly happy about the way the session turned out and yet somehow really sad. It's not very nice and I wouldn't reccommend it.
I wrote a new song this week called "The taming of the shrew". It's about small animals.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
The Curse of Betika
www.betika.co.uk
Today we're supposed to be doing the last recording session for the album, however;
First thing this morning I wanted to go to the guitar shop to buy a new lead - I got in the van, it started first time then died abruptly and wouldn't even turn over after that. I was in a hurry, so I jumped into Lexi's car. That didn't start, but after much coaxing finally got going. Meanwhile;
Hubcap (producer) stood up at home and pulled something in his back which left him in agony.
Rich (drummer) was angle-grinding some metal racking at work, and knackered something in his shoulder.
Carrying these injuries, they arrived at the session. However;
Chris and Imogen had gone out for a walk, and in the course of a game of frisbee Imogen managed to tear two of the nails of her bass-playing fingers. She tried cutting them back, but decided that they really needed sticking back together with superglue. After much hunting, no superglue could be found, so she decided to go back to her flat to get some. Her car has been broken for some weeks, so she borrowed Chris'. Or she would have, only guess what? It wouldn't start! Not so much as a squeak would it make. Exactly the same as my van. So Rich has taken Imo home to get some glue so she can fix her hands so we can start recording, some four hours after we originally intended. I'm praying they make it back unscathed.
Today we're supposed to be doing the last recording session for the album, however;
First thing this morning I wanted to go to the guitar shop to buy a new lead - I got in the van, it started first time then died abruptly and wouldn't even turn over after that. I was in a hurry, so I jumped into Lexi's car. That didn't start, but after much coaxing finally got going. Meanwhile;
Hubcap (producer) stood up at home and pulled something in his back which left him in agony.
Rich (drummer) was angle-grinding some metal racking at work, and knackered something in his shoulder.
Carrying these injuries, they arrived at the session. However;
Chris and Imogen had gone out for a walk, and in the course of a game of frisbee Imogen managed to tear two of the nails of her bass-playing fingers. She tried cutting them back, but decided that they really needed sticking back together with superglue. After much hunting, no superglue could be found, so she decided to go back to her flat to get some. Her car has been broken for some weeks, so she borrowed Chris'. Or she would have, only guess what? It wouldn't start! Not so much as a squeak would it make. Exactly the same as my van. So Rich has taken Imo home to get some glue so she can fix her hands so we can start recording, some four hours after we originally intended. I'm praying they make it back unscathed.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
More Pictures
www.betika.co.uk
There's some more lovely Paul Savine pictures, this time of Caz and myself playing at Le Bateau last sunday (and all the other folks also doing so) here.
There's some more lovely Paul Savine pictures, this time of Caz and myself playing at Le Bateau last sunday (and all the other folks also doing so) here.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Pix and things
www.betika.co.uk
Some photos of Chris, Carolyn and I (also The Kid and The Shed) doing some acoustic songs at Solid Air this Monday can be found here. They were taken by a chap called Paul Savine, who clearly has something of an eye for this kind of thing, and is a very nice fellow to boot. The gig was a bit of a strange one, we arrived to find that almost all of the acts had pulled out due to illness and various other reasons, and we had to extend the short set we'd rehearsed - beyond songs we knew, past songs we sort of knew and right the way into a song we haven't played in public ever before ("The Castle"). There were a few ad-hoc re-arrangements of some songs, including me and Chris taking turns attempting to play basslines of Chris' guitar on a couple of songs with mixed results, it was all very seat-of-the-pants, and not a little ropey in places, but very good fun at the same time.
More acoustic Betika this week at Le Bateau on Sunday, just me and Caz this time, but in the company of Indigo, Frankie, Farther and The Shed (again). See you there maybe?
Some photos of Chris, Carolyn and I (also The Kid and The Shed) doing some acoustic songs at Solid Air this Monday can be found here. They were taken by a chap called Paul Savine, who clearly has something of an eye for this kind of thing, and is a very nice fellow to boot. The gig was a bit of a strange one, we arrived to find that almost all of the acts had pulled out due to illness and various other reasons, and we had to extend the short set we'd rehearsed - beyond songs we knew, past songs we sort of knew and right the way into a song we haven't played in public ever before ("The Castle"). There were a few ad-hoc re-arrangements of some songs, including me and Chris taking turns attempting to play basslines of Chris' guitar on a couple of songs with mixed results, it was all very seat-of-the-pants, and not a little ropey in places, but very good fun at the same time.
More acoustic Betika this week at Le Bateau on Sunday, just me and Caz this time, but in the company of Indigo, Frankie, Farther and The Shed (again). See you there maybe?
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