Progress...

A quick progress report:

• The forthcoming album now has a title - all shall be revealed soon...
• Recording is getting there - a couple of songs have just a few more vocal parts and hopefully a little bit of sax to do. The tracks (likely 14 of them) are now laid out in order and the links between them sorted out. They are a mixture of new material and existing favourites. Then it's just final mixing and mastering...
• I'm beginning to put the artwork together, along with taking quotes for CD pressing, and deciding whether or not to put it up on the likes of iTunes.
• A preview track or two should be up in the next few weeks. Look forward to you hearing them!

J

CDs for donations

As you may have seen from the website already, I've decided to adopt a "sale for donation" model for distributing Puzzle.

This means that YOU get to choose the price for your CD - any donation accepted. So if you haven't got your copy of Puzzle yet, head on over to the releases page and order your copy. I'll even post it for you :o)

J

New website is live!

DLDown's website has now been updated - head on over to www.dldown.co.uk and explore. Let me know what you think!

(if you find any bits that don't work, let me know at band@dldown.co.uk)

J

A slightly frustrating day...

Well, I was quite up for a little more recording, but today the background noise near our flat has been crazy. I mean, there's usually a little traffic noise, but nothing that causes any bother on the mics or guitar pick-up. Today, we've had:

• Big lorries reversing up the street with those big-lorry-reversing noises.


• Lots and lots of fire engines.


• Helicopters. Not sure if it's a swarm, or just one very persistent one.


• Someone in the old brewery opposite shooting seagulls (or possibly just using a bird-scarer).


• Said seagulls complaining about being shot at (or possibly just being scared).

And all that without the usual banishing of the clock into the kitchen. So I didn't really try.

On the other hand, I have managed to get a fair bit more of the revamped website done (hence the change in theme on here, which gives things away a bit...). Coming soon...

J

Activities

DLDown is slowly getting back into doing some recording. Firstly, this involves getting to grips with the many shiny knobs of Logic Express, then working out how best to go about recording each track.

Usually it's best to get a basic guitar or keyboard track laid down for the whole song, normally with a metronome or temporary drum beat to keep the timing predictable. (A live take with a little ebb and flow in the tempo can add some nice expression to a performance, but it's then incredibly difficult to go back and multi-track other layers over the top.)

This is often the hardest step, and the most crucial to get right, as all the other parts making up rest of the song will then hang on this. I'm having a go at doing this for a re-run of Lilies & Sparrows and new song Left to My Own Devices (live version at The Art of Joy show, here). They're progressing, but slowly.

My other project at the moment is to update the DLDown website. I wrote the previous one fairly quickly in a WYSIWYG editor, which produces a usable page, but horrible source code which is a nightmare to edit. I'm having fun writing the new one from scratch, and brushing up on my html and css programming into the bargain.

Not having paid employment for a while has its benefits :o)
J

Jo has no job...

... and thus finally has time to make some music! Sweeeet!
J

Updates & Downloads

Hi guys,

If you missed the last gig...
...you missed out! We had a great time at The Art of Joy. For me, it was fantastic to dig out and re-learn my songs again, as well as taking up the challenge of learning some new covers and teaching my complicated songs to other people (who, incidentally, saxophonised and vocalled most agreeably). A quality venue (the Lot in the Grassmarket) and that rarity of a sound guy who really cares what you sound like made for a grand evening onstage.

Looking forward to the next one...

Also, you really ought to check out Calamateur, who put on a beautiful performance, showcasing songs from their (or, technically, 'his') super album Jesus is for Losers - which can be downloaded for free here (though I keep meaning to donate for it - it's certainly worth it).

Free Download
Some more exciting news is that DLDown's set is now available (free!) for your listening pleasure. You can download it here - audiophiles might want the flac files, but most of you normal people probably want to click the "VBR ZIP" link in the top left corner to get the whole set of mp3s. Alternatively, click the links in the setlist below to get individual tracks (right click and do 'download linked file').

The setlist was as follows:

01. Lazarus+
02. Part Trust
03. Reasons Why*!@
04. So Many Ways*!^
05. Left to My Own Devices*
06. Icarus+ >
07. Loop Jam (youtube clip here)
08. Lilies & Sparrows+
09. Come Awake%
10. Farther Up and Farther In+!

* 1st time played
+ with Fiona Earl (saxophone)
! with Iain McIntyre and Jack Wilson (vocals; Jack on keys on FU&FI)
@ Nickel Creek cover
^ Lies Damned Lies cover
% David Crowder*Band cover

Website
Um... yeah... so it hasn't had much attention lately - mainly due to not being able to access it except from my parents' computer - which I now live in a different house from. Working on it...

May your hovercraft be ever full of eels,
J

The Art of Joy

As excitably announced before: A gig!

I'm also delighted to have Fiona Earl lending a little saxophony to a few tunes, and Jack Wilson and Iain McIntyre dispensing some awesome vocal harmonies on a few others. Expect the old favourite songs dusted off and tightened up, along with some new covers, and even the possibility of a brand spanking new tune or two.

When: Mon 13th April (Easter Monday), doors open at 7.30pm (we should be on at 8ish)
Where: upstairs at The Lot, 4-6 Grassmarket, EH1 2JU
Cost: £5
Also performing: Fiona Stewart (some stand-up comedy I believe), and Calamateur.

Point your browser at: The Art of Joy

Come along and make our neighbours' last few weeks of aural toleration worthwhile!
J

A gig! A joyful one!

Point your browser at: The Art of Joy

More info when I get it, but it's gonna be great! Time to get practicing...

An excited J

Jo is...

...sitting at home listening to a recording of one of his own gigs.
...thinking that this is quite possibly very sad.
...thinking that while life has lots of very good things in it at the moment, they're just a little bit too tightly packed for his liking.
...thinking that, despite potential sadness, listening to himself is adding to his determination to rearrange his life a bit and get his musical brain back in gear, fingers and vocal chords back in practice, and get a new song or two penned.

Watch this space, and be expectant. Just perhaps not immediately...