Piney Gir - A Day In The Life

Hot Burrito number 11

2011-11-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know Growler yet, you will... he's a regular growl about town and he was so awesome on our LA trip, he played bass and guitar till the cows came home and then he ate those cows wrapped in a flour tortilla and covered in guacamole, I've been saving his burrito diaries for you (11 burritos in all; he fizzled out writing the blog as we neared day 9). Enjoy! xx P

Hot Burrito no. 11
The single-minded culinary pursuits of a hungry English man in the City of Angels

Day 1 – Rambos Mexican Truck, Eagle Rock
Order: Pollo Burrito

Pro’s: This was the maiden voyage into the LA tortilla zone, and I am pleased to say it didn’t disappoint. Looks can be deceiving – to purchase food from a truck I think has different connotations in the UK, ie a hot dog outside the football ground. But this was in a different league altogether – quality chicken, good consistency - we’re off to a flying start!

Con’s: I got the fiery hot red salsa in my eye. However, I accept full responsibility for this and is not a reflection of the proprietors of Rambos

Day 2 – Armon’s Diner, Eagle Rock (morning)
Order: Mexican influenced brunch: Sausage and Hash Brown served with refried beans, flour tortilla’s and fresh salsa.

Pro’s: My first breakfast of the trip, and the sight of Tabasco and hot sauce waiting on the table as I sit down re-assures me. By no means an exclusively Mexican order, but my insistence on having tortillas and refried beans means it qualifies for the run down. Let me just say, the hash browns were out of this world – a singular mass of crunchy goodness, as opposed to the service station filth I have come to expect.

Con’s: A slight communication barrier between myself and the waitress. I tried ordering a diet coke several times, and she thought I was asking for eggs

El Arco Iris Restaurant, Highland Park (eve)
Order: Quesadilla verde and tamal

Pro’s: The Quesidilla was simply delightful, lovingly topped with stringy cheese and guacamole. As part of the ‘combo’ deal I went for I could also choose another item and so I went for a beef tamal which was juicy and tender, and a welcome departure to some of the more traditional staples. The restaurant was a charming family run place too - perfect way to unwind after day one in the studio with Team Piney.

Con’s: Margharita’s were a touch on the weak side in my opinion. And also the verde sauce on the Quesadilla could have been just a notch hotter.

Day 3 – Misc food truck opposite Brannigan’s Cantina, Echo Park
Order: Pollo Burrito

Pro’s: Um. That I’ll never eat here again?

Con’s: I don’t even know where to start, alright? It was just a COMPLETE CATASTROPHE! After the glory that was Rambo’s on the opening night, I was lulled into a false sense of security when dealing with mobile eateries. After ordering my burrito, the wait for it to be prepared dragged on, which led me to believe they were rustling up something truly special. Alas no, it was a gloopy mess. Tonnes of onion and rice, barely any chicken. To make matters worse, my other half in the rhythm section seemed keen to get going before I had had the chance to at least mask this atrocity with hot sauce.

Overall rating: 2/10

Ranking: 11

Day 4 – Good Neighbour Restaurant, Studio City
Order: Breakfast Burrito with Soy Chorizo

Pro’s: We wandered for what must have been a mile in the blazing heat down from the studio, looking for a suitable diner and our prayers were answered when the Good Neighbour slid into view. I went for a breakfast burrito with soy chorizo – not because I’m vegi, but because of my morbid curiosity to witness a soy approximation of chorizo. And let the record state that I was very impressed indeed – great texture to the burrito, and served with crunchy golden potatos on the side. A popular diner with some of the glitterati who frequent the nearby studios so I hear – and I can see why. These guys would be great neighbours.

Con’s: I cannot think of one…okay I experience some toilet related difficulties shortly after but it was worth it.

Overall rating: 7/10

Day 5 – Diner, Mar Vista, Breakfast Burrito

Order: Breakfast Burrito with Tofu (no eggs)

Pro’s: Heading over to the ‘Westside’ with my good friend Alex we stopped in one of his local diners where I opted once again for the Breakfast Burrito. Now normally this dish relies predominantly on eggs which I don’t eat, so I substituted for tofu. The result was a perfectly tasty but not mind blowing burrito.

Con’s: Whilst there was nothing particularly bad, in the scheme of some of the incredible. A bit too much tofu which is was quite tasteless, so plenty of hot sauce needed to jazz this thing up. Also, the waitress seemed somewhat frazzled, possibly having already cashed in her life’s fun tokens – she forgot to bring me my drink.

Day 6 – Swingers, Santa Monica, Breakfast Burrito

Order: Breakfast Burrito with Tofu (no eggs)

Pro’s: This particular diner is well renowned, and has a sister restaurant over in Hollywood which was the first place I ever dined when I visited LA for the first time nearly a decade ago. So this felt like something of a homecoming for me, and was not disappointed. The waiting staff were on the money, and the presentation of my burrito was immaculate – sat there with a dollop of salsa and guacamole on top for a king. I didn’t know whether to eat it or marry it! And it didn’t disappoint in the flavour stakes either – so much better than yesterdays effort. Tofu to rice and beans ratio was just perfect.

Cons: Hmmm. A very mild sense of self importance pervaids amongst the clientele of this place – I know I’m in LA as opposed to Preston, but just slightly more tangible in here. No bad things to say about the food though.

Overall rating: 5/10

Day 7 – Café, Echo Park, Breakfast Burrito
Order: Breakfast Burrito, no eggs

Pro’s: This particular breakfast burrito was served up to me by a lovely guy who knows Rob Campanella, and as he handed it over he said ‘made with love.’ Such sincerity and warmth I was yet to encounter in other eateries on this excursion. Whilst by no means the most substantial burrito, it was perfectly delicious and I particularly enjoyed the way it was toasted to perfection. I had a vision that Costa Coffee should try and invent an approximation of this particular style of burrito to serve at service stations across the UK.

Con’s:No sides with the burrito as standard, and a little toilet trouble afterwards. But otherwise good.

Poquito Mas (?) Studio City
Order: Pollo Burrito

Day 8 – Pinches Tacos, Sunset
Pollo Tacos x4

Day 9 – Foxy’s Resturaunt, Glendale
Order: ???

The Zombies Are Coming

2011-09-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be hearing the new Piney single Oh Lies on 6 Music – and thank you 6 Music for playing it! We are well chuffed that it’s out October 10th! If you want to hear it now you can stream it on soundcloud innit? http://soundcloud.com/search?q%5Bfulltext%5D=piney+gir I’m a bit new to sound cloud, I hope I’m doing it right… I have my trusty Guy Friday to help 

Meanwhile we’ve been everso busy making a video for Oh Lies…

Here are some frightening photos on flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157627604282585&mode=together

I have to totally big up Mike Smith our bass player for directing and filming it! WOW! Corin Hardy is editing it as we speak; he’s done some pretty amazing things see? http://www.corinhardy.com/about, David Lupton did the scary make up http://www.david-lupton.com and Joe Smith our drummer was our production assistant (which mainly meant swatting the bees away from the fake blood made of maple syrup and red food colouring – bees love it!).

What’s magical about these four boys working together is that they were making horror films on Super 8 when they were kids and we’ve reunited them to create this zombie featurette in the same way they used to work, on Super 8 film, shot sparingly. Soon the magic will be unveiled and I’m just bursting to see what it looks like! Meanwhile these photos will just have to do.

Patience is a virtue they say.
Xx
Piney

p.s. here’s a little trivia for you… Piney forgot to take a change of clothes to the video shoot and had to ride the train home from Brighton-across London covered in blood… there were many stares but nobody called the police, phew!

The Committee HQ

2011-08-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

As promised I've uploaded some of the snaps from our LA adventures, so now you can see the super cool studio that we got to spend our days in and sheesh it was so darn sunny I even did some vocals in the garden by the pond.

Rob was a pleasure to work with, and it was super that Nelson stopped by to play with us. G played the drums in a drummer's nook, Growler was rocking bass and guitar too sometimes.

Garo got to play the Mellotron which we were all impressed with (a real vintage Mellotron!)! And Sammi did some gorgeous BVs...

Gutted I didn't get a photo of Noah the fiddle player he was AMAZING, but you can hear his stylings on the album.

Thanks for the memories guys, Geronimo! is out in October, and I just can't wait!!! Meanwhile enjoy the photos!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88986055@N00/sets/72157627439856137

p.s. I might be able to get Garo to explain which guitars we used from the wall of guitars in a future blog so watch this space!

xx
Piney

Worth The Wait!

2011-07-25T09:51:00.001-07:00

Right, so I've been neglecting this dear blog, but it's for good reason you see... I've finished mixing and mastering the album that we went to LA to create. I never realised all the faff and behind-the-scenes work that goes into getting an album ready for the world until I made and album of my own and it doesn't really get easier. If anything, the more you know, the more you have to do, ha! Sheesh! It's hard bloody work for a DIY chick like myself but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I have to big up Ian at Damaged Goods who's been so awesome through all of this, and my new manager Lisa who's been super helpful too... so thanks peeps!

Anyway, I FINALLY got round to posting some photos on flickr of our Camden Crawl gig at the Jazz Cafe, it was a super fun weekend and we loved playing. Good times! You can see the pics here if you like
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88986055@N00/sets/72157627278190240/

The last Roadshow gig is in a couple of weeks, which I'm kind of sad about, but kind of excited to do the new stuff live because it rocks (of course I think it rocks! but I think y'all will too). It's a pretty chugging album that'll make you wanna jump around I think! I hope. So it will be an extra special final Roadshow gig. There's so much to look forward to, it's a little overwhelming!

It's the scary bit now where soon I'm going to let go of the new album so you can all hear it. I have trouble letting go. I hope you all like it... meanwhile enjoy the Camden Crawl snaps, it's about time I shared them.

xxx
P

Long time, no see...

2011-05-20T06:04:00.001-07:00

Sorry... but I've been a busy lady! In the past 6 weeks I've been to LA to record an album. We've been beavering away in the studio getting all the tracks ready for overdubs next weekend (with brass players and crazy classical percussion and a few extra vocals even). I can't wait to hear it when it's done.

Soon I'm going to start uploading our LA Stories, so keep an eye out for new pics, studio facts, burrito diaries and all that good stuff. It was super good times!

Meanwhile have a great weekend, I'll be tethered between Galia Psapp's hen do, and stu-stu-studio.

xx
Piney

Me and Phil Collins have so much in common!

2011-02-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

Phil Collins said it best when he exclaimed "I can't dance, I can't talk..." in his early Genesis days. The thing is, neither can I! What's even freakier about me and Phil Collins is that we are both singing drummers (granted I haven't drummed for a while, but I did get a start on the ol' drum kit and studied percussion for 10 whole years, that's a true story!)

But back to the dancing thing, my lack of coordination doesn't stop me punching the air at the indie disco, it doesn't stop me throwing my bag on the floor and jumping around at the aftershow party and it certainly doesn't stop me from dancing and dusting the flat at the same time. It just means that I look silly when I do it.

So, I've started taking dance lessons, in fact tonight is the first one! I hope I don't stumble over my two left feet. I am hoping in a few weeks or, let's face it, months I will be swanning around town like Ginger Rogers.

Phil Collins, eat your heart out!
xx
P

Oooo... Halloweeeeeen!!!

2010-10-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2010/oct/23/halloween-dog-parade-new-york#/?picture=367994639&index=0

xx
P

Oh to be Blunt!

2010-10-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

This might shock some people but I went to see James Blunt do a showcase the other night. Did I buy tickets? Heck no! Why did I go? Hmm... well I'll spare you the details of my day job, but I can disclose that it is music-bizz and sometimes that means going to shows you wouldn't necessarily go to if choosing to do so of your own free will. The evening was well-timed in my social agenda as it was the day before payday and this event boasted a free bar.

Now do you see why I went?

A few things struck me when I was there.

1. He actually has a good singing voice. I know it kind of grates the nerves, however live he could really belt it out. So power to him and his pretty-much, pitch-perfect voice.
2. The venue was a stunning old church in Mayfair, it was such a gorgeous place; it was a treat to look around at all the stained glass and that sort of thing.
3. Did I mention there was a free bar?

It also really put some things in perspective for me. He's like a totally famous guy in a mainstream kind of way, he's got a major label behind him helping him to 'shift units' etc... It makes me wonder if anyone truly quirky or original will fail to break through because of the way the music industry is going these days.

Janis Joplin would have never made it through to the final round of X Factor. I'm not even sure Nirvana would catch an A&R man's ear in this day and age. Gone are the times when people sign acts like Kate Bush because they want to nurture an artist's career. It's all a get-rich-quick scheme in some last desperado attempt at keeping a sinking ship afloat.

I'm glad to be an indie chick. I'm proud to DIY it. What I want is to make music for years and years to come, not be some flash in the pan who gets dropped when there is a failure to go platinum or if I don't get enough synchs, etc... that being said, it would be fun to play in a posh church in Mayfair, with a free bar for friends and fans. Maybe one day, I'll do it my way.

xx
P

We are so darn excited!!

2010-08-31T03:42:00.000-07:00

HI there, well we're just really excited that our album is coming out on Damaged Goods in October, see?
http://damagedgoods.greedbag.com/buy/jesus-wept

By all means come to our album launch party at the Lexington on the 7th of September
You can get tix here
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=403287&referral_id=tw_uk_buyat

Hope to see y'all there for a proper hoe-down!

xx
P

Wha happened?

2010-07-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

Soooo much... maybe I'll work my way backwards.

I was out with The Other Woman women to talk about a secret project we are going to launch in August. Exciting isn't it? Watch this space for more as it won't be a secret forever.

The other night, me and two brilliant women went to see Patrick Watson at Tabernacle in West London. And really, it was one of the best gigs I've seen for ages! His voice channels Cab Calloway but he's in this scruffy, indie-boy package. The string quartet put a really marvelous spin on what are already good songs, his piano playing has a beautiful simplicity like Philip Glass, but what struck me most was the multi-megaphone contraption he strapped to his back before venturing out into the crowd acoustic style. It was otherworldly! Amazing!

Sunday was the 4th of July... the day of my people's independence. I guess I've been living in London so long that it slips my mind to buy fireworks and that sort of thing. But I did make a strawberry and cream cheese cake for Dan, because he's agreed to master my single (thanks Dan!). So my day was spent nursing a headache, baking a cake, doing housy things like laundry and cleaning and that sort of thing. Sometimes those days are good days, the days when not much happens, right?

My Sleep Thief went to Beirut so to busy myself I went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream with Barny and George and her friend Ian. It was great... because Store Street was converted into a pop up park. That was so neat! Then we went to the park near Buckingham Palace for Simon Roadshow's birthday party. They didn't close the park till midnight, and I wondered if drinking in the park after dark was a little like being a tramp? It doesn't bear thinking about because what's fun is fun!

I went to see Patty Smith in Hyde Park, which was amazing. She did all her famous ranting and the theatrics of her performance were mesmerizing. She's a bit of a living legend. Backstage before the gig I saw Morrissey! It was all I could do not to steal his wine when he got up, I wondered would it be a bit like communion, the body of Christ shed for you... so if you are what you eat/drink would I be a little bit Morrissey? I lost my nerve so we'll never know the truth. Sleep Thief was playing with Fionn before Patty Smith and I shed a small tear during their set. Foxy was with me, and he was silent too.

Before all of that was Glastonbury and Sleep Thief was gone for days. Some people think I'm insane to turn down a free, backstage pass to Glastonbury but I'm not the happiest camper and I had songs to stay home and write, people to see, cardigans to embroider with scenes from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. So I choose my choice!

Wha happened to you? Long time no see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SHRFhfeLgY
xx
P

what goes up must come down

2010-06-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

Is it Sunday night blues time? I had a fabulous P.G. day out at The Clothes Show on Friday and spent the rest of the weekend doing practical things. Either work, or Piney stuff (artwork and b-sides) or cleaning the house... at least I could do single artwork outside because it was one of London's rare sunny weekends. Sleep Thief was at Glasto (playing like 5 times) so it's been far too productive back at the ranch. Tomorrow should be Saturday, not Monday. There's a sad cloud over London since the football didn't go well today shouldn't that entitle us to a National Holiday? A day of mourning perhaps? I don't even give much of a hoot about football, I just like bank holidays. Ah well, if only I was Queen I could make it so...

Where were you when... & what did he mean to you?

2010-06-24T23:49:00.000-07:00

Where were you when Michael Jackson died? I was on a pirate ship type-of-boat at some Dutch ad agency's party just off the coast of the south of France. I started getting texts from my friends in England with the news. I didn't believe it, or thought it was a hoax until the boat moored and we were able to find a TV. The TVs were all in French though, so I could only make out little bits of what they were saying about it. At that point he was in the hospital and I wondered if those O2 shows were going to go ahead. It didn't occur to me then that he might not be okay in the long run. So then American Tony blagged us in to some beach party and I didn't give it much thought until the DJs started playing some extended mix of Billy Jean and people went crazy... Dancing and crying and hugging each other on the dance floor and then I knew he didn't make it and I shed a little tear myself.

Some people have mixed feelings about Michael. For me, I have a fondness for his music. He made such an impression on me when I was just a kid living with my grandparents in Wisconsin and every Saturday me and my cousin would go roller skating. I had never heard music like the music they played when we were skating and Michael Jackson's Thriller album had just come out that year. Every song on that record is brilliant and I learned all the words. Having really only listened to Christian rock and old-fashioned music (like Doris Day), Michael represented this whole new sound, this modern, shiny, secular world. He was pop perfect. So what did he mean to you?

And where were you when it happened?

xx
P

back to the blog

2010-06-23T16:23:00.001-07:00

It's been a good day, so I'm starting up my blog again; I'll keep it short... what a long ol' year it's been (and it's only half way through). Rather than try and sum up what's happened between Christmas and now I'm just going to pick up where I am, today. Welcome to my world.

Everyone seems to be talking about football (it is the World Cup after all innit? It seems like folks takes this stuff seriously somehow). So I joined in at work, we watched the game and it was fun to be around so many people who cared so much.

Then I discovered this beautiful part of London and I didn't know that it even existed (I thought I knew everywhere in London by now). It reminded me of Cannes and I met with the girls I went to Cannes with last year (seems a bit fateful, like a reunion). Surrounded by lush plants, on a warm summer's evening it was pretty idyllic... rally it was.

We caught up on old times, new times, and shared some good gossip, handy fashion tips & exciting news (that isn't public yet so I'm not allowed to say what it is) eep!

And so I get home, and feel like writing. Here you go. How was your day?

Shucks!

2010-03-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

I got so busy, I never got round to finishing up our tour blog, rest assured the gigs were great, we met a lot of nice people out there in the world and we're gearing up for spring, whoop whoop!

Piney live on Balcony TV

2009-12-20T05:22:00.000-08:00

Check it out here:

http://www.balconytv.com/Video-Archive/Video-Archive-page/09-12-07/PINEY_GIR-4252501816.aspx

For The Love Of Others Out Today on Damaged Goods - December 7th!

2009-12-20T05:15:00.000-08:00

Yipidee Doo Dah this pretty vinyl single is out today and you can buy it, yes you can...

here:

http://damagedgoods.greedbag.com/buy/for-the-love-of-others-3

This single features "For The Love Of Others"

A version of "I Wanna Be Like You" from Disney's The Jungle Book

(done in a Squirrel Nut Zippers/skiffle kind of way, see what you think!)

and a pretty, ethereal track called "Brady's Bluff"

The artwork is by the amazing Geoff Howell

CHRISTMAS!!

Hurry up, wait around!

2009-12-20T05:08:00.001-08:00

Touring is a series of hurry up, wait around...

Here is Emma, Mike and Barny doing precisely that outside of Clwb Ifor Bach (pre-soundcheck, post-load-in, you get the drift).

Cardiff was especially twinkly and Christmassy that night, maybe it was because we were playing a Christmas gig. We went to a lovely pub around the corner for a proper Welsh dinner and had a jolly good time.

We would go back to Cardiff whenever. What a lovely city!

Day 7, December 4th, Cardiff: Clwb Ifor Bach

2009-12-20T04:59:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to be invited to play the Vinyl Vendettas Christmas Party at Clwb Ifor Bach. We took a photo of the poster because it looked so cool. If you don't know who the Vinyl Vendettas are, check them out because they are awesome-sweet. http://www.thevinylvendettas.co.uk

Piney finds a soul mate...

2009-12-20T04:56:00.001-08:00

If you've listened to my album, or myspace, or Spotify you will know that I have a bit of a 'thing' for bees...

As a touring band we do spend a lot of time in service stations (not as glamorous as it sounds!) but when I came across this little guy it was love at first site.

God, could I be any more twee?

Day 6, December 2nd, Bath: Chapel Arts

2009-12-20T04:45:00.000-08:00

I love Bath and I love Chapel Arts, it's a gorgeous old church.

It feels like a bit of a home away from home for me, because Purr put out my 'Of All The Wonderful Things' single last May and they are based in Bath. So the whole Purr massive was there and that was nice to see everyone.

It felt oh-so-civilised as the venue was decorated with little candles.

The great thing about singing in a church is that your voice goes on and on, soaring through the rafters. It's natural reverb and that's fun for me as a singer to experiment with.

The support bands were really great too! Barefoot Dance Of The Sea were 3 pretty girls singing amazing blue-grass/folk stuff. Race Horses were excellent 60's-tinged rock. It was a good night all round!

Day 5, November 28th, Exeter: Cavern Club

2009-12-20T03:58:00.000-08:00

We seem to have stumbled across the most stylish place in the Southwest! The Cavern Club was full of pretty people in pretty frocks and it was great to have such a glamorous Saturday night. For some reason though, we just took photos of ourselves in the dressing room... see?

Here's me, Mike, Emily & Barny sporting a new look... whadd'yathink?

Thee Special Shoes

2009-12-20T03:56:00.001-08:00

Day 4, November 26th, Cheltenham: Slak

2009-12-14T07:12:00.000-08:00

So Cheltenham's Slak bar was an interesting one... it was, well... a little under-attended. However the 3 people (+ dog) made enough noise for the whole room, and it was all a bit 'Happy Birthday Mister President' in a good way! We had our fans/friends in the audience playing along with percussion, the bar staff even joined in on "Not Your Anything" tapping their knees like German folk-dancers. By the end of the gig everyone was smiling and there were even more people as they arrived mid-gig... it was all good, really good.

Say I'm Sorry Out Today - November 23rd!

2009-11-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

HOORAY!! Say I'm Sorry is out today and you can buy it, yes you can... here:

http://pineygir.greedbag.com/buy/say-im-sorry-0

This single features "Say I'm Sorry"

A "Say I'm Sorry" remix by Stray Dogs In Paris

A tongue in cheek version of album track "Early Days"

And a German Version of "Say I'm Sorry" called Tut Mir Leid

The artwork is by the amazing Timothy T Winchester

And here's a link to the video for you to enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dJs_jTGlZ8

Guten Tag!

Too much time in a van... yes, already!

2009-11-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

So by a cruel twist of fate the only van we could find to hire to drive us to Liverpool was in fact a mini bus designed for German tourists and it had a 'speed limiter' on it so we could not exceed 60 miles per hour. The silver lining of this fact is that when there is severe rain and wind, one might not want to exceed 60 mph on the motor-way anyway; luckily we were confronted with some pretty bad weather.

The cruel twist of fate was compounded by the fact that because of some football match there was not 1 hotel we could stay at, in all of Liverpool... meaning that by hook or by crook we had to drive straight back to London after the gig.

The Age Of Reasoners are all good friends & usually pretty good conversationalists too... so we were able to while the hours away in the van talking and listening to bad 1990's compilations bought from local charity shops sparking a game of name that tune.

I think Barny lost the plot in Toddington services when he climbed into the wrong van though.

Day 3, November 21st, Liverpool: Zanzibar

2009-11-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

So, Zanzibar is a nice place to play, the promoter from Peter And The Wolf (a band, not the Prokofiev) is a lovely bloke and we really enjoyed playing his night. Friendly crowd (quite stylish in a sort of "Where is Professor Flostre; is he giving a lecture at the cafe?" kind of way).

It's crazy how much effort a band will put in to play 45 minutes on a stage though, in fact... if I think too hard about it I might never do it! But it was fun and worth it and all that jazz.

Here I am sitting on stage while the line check commences (after happy hour at the Jacaranda where an entire round costs £8!! Us London folk were shocked and amazed by this fact).

The Jacaranda features a Stuart Sutcliffe mural and loads of Beatles paraphernalia. I just finished watching The Beatles Anthology over the past few weeks with the Sleep Thief so it was nice to be somewhere that has a little bit of Beatles history (I guess most of Liverpool does have some connection with The Fab Four, I wonder if Liverpudlians get sick of that?) Anyway, Emily Reasonette and myself agree that Stuart is the prettiest Beatle now that we've seen so many pictures of him. But all the Beatles have their charms of course.

When I meet someone who says they don't like The Beatles I just wonder, "How can that be?"

Concentrating Face

2009-11-23T09:41:00.001-08:00

It's not easy to sing, play accordion and not pull a concentrating face from time to time... see?

This photo is by Steve Brummel, one of our very own Age Of Reasoners.

Snapped at London's fine Borderline venue.

Day 2, November 20th, London: Borderline

2009-11-23T09:34:00.001-08:00

The life backstage is oh-so-glamorous can't you see? Here's moi, hair in rollers with Mike and Simon having some kind of philosophical discussion about Appalachian folk music or what makes a bear sing or how much that doggy is in the window or whatever.

Basically, if you give Simonpedia a subject to talk about he can pretty much go on for hours spouting off meaningful facts.

Mike is just jolly that he's not driving this evening.

Barny & Emily packing up

2009-11-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

Emily Reasonette gets percussive packing up Barny's drums & this makes Barny really really joyous

Day 1, November 19th, Reading: Oakford Social Club

2009-11-20T06:16:00.000-08:00

So it's day one of the tour and so far so good. The Oakford Social Club reminds me of my Grandma Bea's old sitting room and the people there are super nice. We played to an attentive audience and so day one = all good!

Here's a cute picture of Emma Reasonette looking pensive after soundcheck... more to come, watch this space!