Last night I opened up an early birthday present from Neil. A Kaossilator!! It is so so so cool. I just can’t believe how such a small instrument can do it. I played on it like an annoying child with a toy piano. I love it!!!  Hopefully I can incorporate it into a song very soon.

So all this fuss about Raygun. I’ve been following their journey to sucess through friends for quite a while. Toby played music with the drummer of  my band before I came along. Toby was also the front man of their very successful and still gigging covers band “The Undercovers”. I’ve met him a couple of times at parties and he is a really nice guy so I think some of the comments are a bit harsh. He’s a natural stage performer and with that comes a certain air of arrogance and confidence but he is a very talented singer.

Unfortuantely the label have made the band come across as a parody (as some posters on certain sites can’t seem to believe they are a real band). I don’t think the music is too bad but they are being advertised to an indie world when infact they are more appealing to pop fans. They need fans who won’t over analyse everything they say in an interview and who will just buy the cd and sing along.

I don’t think bands who have just started out in the mainstream should make brash comparisons. It’s OK to say who you are influenced by but to state you sound like some of the worlds top musical legends stuck in a lift leaves you open to some ridicule. Apparently RCA have told Toby to act “arrogant” so maybe he is merely a puppet in this whole debarcle.

Sony taking the video off of youtube? Is that because they are embarrassed? Or are they doing it to spark off more media attention, because it has certainly worked. One poster commented how he hadn’t heard of Raygun 24 hours a go and how now he wished he hadn’t. So maybe not an instant fan but the word has spread further than Radio 1 listeners.

Just Because is very catchy, and it works. The video in my opinion could have been better. I don’t see why the band had to travel to LA to stand on a car for it then to be  badly CGI’d into a car chase but that’s not the bands fault. I doubt they would have had much say in it all anyway.

So what will happen now. Will they flop? If so then the amount of money spent on just that one band is a joke. Admitedly I have cringed at the interviews, some of the things Adj comes out with too are, just. Well. But I know if it was my band up there I’d be gutted. Then again I can’t imagine I’d ever be in a band that would open themselves up to such scrutiny.

I sit at my desk and write another blog! The weekend has come and gone and it wasn’t a really exciting one. Normally I’d be out drinking to much but the last two weeks I’ve avoided a hang over. There’s something gratifying about having a Sunday morning hang over, it feels well deserved and gives a good excuse to do nothing but lay in bed all day. I had no excuse this Sunday to stay in bed til 1pm and watch crappy channel 5 reality tv programs. It made me feel lazy. I got so bored in the evening I baked a Strawberry and Cinnamon Torte.

On the Saturday me and Neil went into Brighton and I went abit mad in Primark as usual. Then we sat on the beach, as an unexpected bout of sunshine blessed us all.  

I’ve been keeping up with the Wii Aerobics, I had my first physical test last night. My heart rate before had an 80% increase after elevation, now it’s only 50% phew. I’ve also managed to banish a few cm’s off my thighs and waist. I want to see hoe much I can do before my birthday party on the 22nd August.

I sent off 4 CDs to radio stations this morning. Radio Reverb and Juice FM in Brighton. Then 1 to Huw Stephens at Radio 1 and I made one especially for Frank Skinner on his Absolute Radio Show. He said a few shows ago after receiving a CD from a band that he was sad that he didnt get as many as he used to. So I made one! The cover was based on an album cover by The Fall as he is obsessed by them and plays them every week. I hope he receives it as I assume he doesn’t open his own post there. It best not get chucked! So now to sit and wait.

I’m listening to a band I recently discovered called Solid Gold. They’re song came free on iTunes last week. It’s cool Also I put on the mp3s of Paul Dempsey’s (Something For Kate) new solo album songs that are yet to be released (acoustic recordings). Oh my god. Me and Neil would love love love to see him live. Neil got me into them and he’s liked Something for Kate for a while. I do have quite a crush on PD. He’s 6ft 5 and has an amamamazing voice.

Last night I recorded the guitars and I did my bass to a new song of my band called Don’t Compromise. I have never recorded the band on my Mac, normally Neil does it through his PC on Audition. But it came out nicely. We’re still delibirating on a name. We were Stowaway, then we thought of FireTimes but then decided on In Emergency Panic but now we’re considering Fire Times again. Hmm. So I need to think of a logo. We don’t really want Fire to be in the logo because that would be cheesy.

Back to work I go…

So I am sitting at my desk right now and have put on the Peter Broderick album that I got when he supported Efterklang (ammaazzing gig). I don’t know what it is about his music but as soon as I play it I just get lost in everything. Thoughts become clearer and inspiration starts to flow. I wrote Only So Far last time I listened to his music.

The office is quite empty today as it is a Friday and I wouldn’t normally come in today. I’m having to sort out the social workers rota for September. Not a barrell of excitement but I don’t mind when I can zone out to some nice music.

Last night I had band practice. It’s really starting to pull into shape now. We’re now 5 songs complete (technically 6 but we’ve scrapped one for now) and they’re at gigging standard. We still feel a need for a backing singer as it would take the pressure off Neil singing alone, and also I can really see some keyboards coming in. But with more members everything gets more complicated in regards to commitment so we might just get a player in for gigs only.

I spent my second night on Wii My Fitness Coach last night. I got a bit fed up of Wii Fit. I thought it was really good as a game but it never made me really build up a huge sweat unless I did the jogging. So Fitness Trainer is way better. Exactly like paying money for an aerobics class in my opinion all the same moves and you can make the session go on for up to 75 minutes (although I choose 15 at a time) Last night I did Lower body, Cardio and Flexibility. I would so so love to lose a stone right now. But I’d be happy with half a stone.  

Peter has now finished. Hmmm now for some Chris Clark! Non distracting work music. And it’s almost lunch time. Yippee.

So I’ve just logged on to Word Press for the first time in a year. My About Me section detailed how I was about to go travelling for 6 months and how I was about to “turn 21″. In a month I’ll be turning 22!! I know it sounds silly and I am still very young but a part of me wishes to be again 20.

There’s not much I can do to prevent turning another year so instead I will just have to take every opportunity I am given and live my life to the full!

In the end we travelled for 4 months. Mainly because we seriously ran out of money and ended up not really being able to do much. Also we were missing home especially with Christmas coming up so we booked a flight home for Christmas Day! From Auckland. Which meant we arrived home on Boxing Day. We did want to keep it a suprise but then realised we’d rather prefer a lift from the airport after a 24 hours flight than trying to get a coach.

Landing home was abit emotional. I remember looking out of the window just before we hit the ground. The green green English land scape. A part of me was happy to be back and another sad to see an experience of my life end. Coming into Heathrow it was weird seeing English tabloids and small cans of Diet Coke. Also the cold feeling felt so alien that it didn’t feel “cold”. Hard to explain.

So anyway we got back with no job. We couldn’t have possibly chosen a worst time to come back with the recession. I did a few shitty jobs – ie cleaning. But then eventually at the end of March found a job working for the council. It’s ok and I’m still here. Way better than working where I was before I went away! I’m only guaranteed employment till March ‘10. Will be sad if I had to leave then.

Neil is working with his friend doing PAT testing. A job that he has done for a few years now. It’s not constant but when he does work it pays very well. I’m still trying to get out of the debt that travelling got me into but I am slowly (I mean very very slowly) crawling out of it.

I’ve started driving again and last week purchased a small Vauxhall Corsa for £400. It’s noisy little diesel engined vehicle. I think I’ll call it growler. The interior mirror fell off quite soon into driving but hopefully that can be easily fixed!!

Musically as it can be seen from my last blog I am working on a remix CD (or atleast my musical friends are working on the remix) It’s quite an easy way to get out another release! I am so grateful though. They are all sounding really cool!

And yes, 22 next month. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as 21. I don’t have the new excitement of knowing I could if I went to America now drink! I still haven’t gone to America. I’m planning a BBQ I’ve done it the last two years and it works nicely. Hopefully no one gets too bored of them lol

Hello to you all!

I’ve decided to make up a compilation CD of all the remixes I had received from fans over the past year or two. Most of them were too good to just be sitting in my music folder!
As I already have enough for New Light and Waking Up I would like to have some remixes for Only So Far and Movement. On my website (www.projectlumino.co.uk) I have put up all the new samples.

In regards to royalties as I will put the CD on sale, I’m not sure I could offer too much (unless it sells like very hot cakes!) in the way of payment. Although of course your artist name and contact details will be linked and full credit will be given. I have a really cool idea for a cover too  Each artist featured will get a free copy of the CD.

Till I depart for 6 months. Its now 34 days till Me and Neil jet off to Thailand. Part of the idea doesn’t seem real and another part seems so real it’s dead scary! Getting extremely close to reality. Most things are sorted now too.

Musically I am a little bit in limbo. I now must have enough half finished song/ideas/riffs to write another 2 albums but its only about 1 in 10 of those ideas that seem to make it into a complete song. My main issue is time at the moment. I work all day and don’t get home until the evening and for my new web design venture I’m trying to finish a site ASAP before I go away & learn all I can. Then I am torn to dedicate time on managing the MySpace which I enjoy a lot when I get to know more people

Do I push out some songs before I go? I would like to! But it would feel pressured. Or leave it until I get back when I can put 150% in. Time wise I’m not going back in to full time work so I can dedicate my time on music and learning. I can’t wait to put all I have and more into this. I feel a little restrained at the moment with going away. I’m excited about all the new ideas and inspirations I have when I get back too. Right now all my song ideas have the reoccurring theme of being stuck at work lol

Also a nice surprise this evening. I got a text from a friend who told me that I am featured in the Brighton Latest 7 Music Chart. I know I signed up a while back but didn’t think anything would happen. I am only number 27 but it was printed in the magazine!

Budge me up a bit by listening to Movement here:!!!

I did write some new lyrics this week, and a basic backing track is down so I will hopefully push at least one more track out before I go!!

xxx

My website now is looking nearer finished and I’ve added a new feature to the front page.
As an artist I love to get listeners involved. On my front page I have links for you to download separate parts of my tracks so you can make a remix.

Easy!

Just visit my site main page and check it out.

If there is any song you would like to remix in particular and a part is not up there get in touch and I’ll put the part you would like up.

All songs are copyrighted to Project Lumino so permission will be needed if you would like to put it on your own page with credits to PL.

If remixes are made before August 20th I will feature them on my web site. From then on I will only be able to put them on my My Space until I get back from traveling in Feb 09.

Hand made albums will only be available for another 7 weeks. So get in touch soon if you would like one

Welcome to my first Project Lumino Word Press blog. The main reason for me getting this is so when I go away in August I can keep my site updated and log my travels as I go, attaching some photos too! On August 25th I leave for Thailand, Australia and New Zealand until February. Very daunting! A bit sad too as I won’t be able to update my music until I get back. I am hoping though with the long break I will “discover” myself and write hundreds of great songs when I get back.

I have just started developing a Project Lumino website. It’s been a bit tough starting from scratch, at times very frustrating. I want to make the site as interactive as possible but it’s hard when I don’t know too much past html. So I’ve filled it with lots of photos and free mp3 downloads that aren’t featured elsewhere.

The design is half way there, I’ve also given the Myspace a make over too. Now I would love to have this blog showing up on the front page but for now I will have to have it on a separate link. Nate who designed a lot of my Myspace page is working on me with this too. 

When I do other new blogs I will copy them also into MySpace to keep them both updated.