I’ve spent a lot of time on music this weekend, which was nice. Friday recording bass for the forthcoming Houdini Box CD, Saturday on backing vocals for same. There now exists somewhere a photo of me in a large wooly hat (Badly Botched Boy?) drawn over a pair of headphones, which is standard wear for vocal recording in Joe’s studio. It is a Manchester United hat, the Red Hat of Doom, which forbids the wearer from ever singing the same line twice, from ever repeating a good take and from synchronising with any previous efforts. Fiendish clever.
Today I became an honourary Decibelle for the Newhailes Environmental Festival (I do get them, don’t I?). Karen was away for the weekend, so I joined on basso not-so-profundo, and occasional percussion and guitar. (I wanted to announce that I was in fact Karen after major surgery but the others decided I shouldn’t.) It took place in blazing sunshine in the grounds of a stately home near Musselburgh., the sort of tented village I used to frequent when Plague and Pestilence were but minor irritations. Face-painting, ice cream and lots of amusing kids – amusing because I had no responsibility for them. I enjoyed the set, relieved to be back to acoustic and not having to worry about kicking the right effect or loop pedal at the right moment. After we sang I.O.U. an elderly gent told me he was pleased that I had written a song that put forward a decent message to counter the sort of rubbish being put forward by other so-called musicians. Right on that man! (He had obviously missed Nicole.)
Enough web, I feel overwhelmed by Stuff and must do some clearing up.