Band of Rain: Journal

I did feel some time ago that the band I was putting together would collapse like a house of cards.
The main reason is that everybody is really busy with side projects. Billy for example is starting up his own digital studios in Norfolk, as well as being Hawkwinds head Tech. Don't leave a lot of time. Problem is that when you are a pro as Billy is, you have to keep the money coming in, and thats what he does to put the food on the table.
Sharon, well Sharon is staying on as is.
The distances of course were always going to be a problem. Because we were so far apart it meant that rehersals were very expensive petrol wise, but also in order to make it worthwhile I had to go to Norfolk for a whole weekend at a time...and of course not everybody had all weekend to do it.
I have therefore in my infinite wisdom decided to put a band together that is local to me, so we can rehearse on a regular basis and get to know each iother well, spiritually and musically.
I have already got the ball rolling on this and rehearsals strat this Saturday night 24 March.
Still waiting for the 3rd album to come out.
Catch you later

CG

I put some songs on to the listen page today for free downloads. I lost the original recordings so cannot re mix or anything. I hope that some body takes a listen and enjoys them.

Been playing my guitar a lot lately and I am getting very sore fingers, its the only way though!

Still waitin for the 3rd album to come out, should not be long now

CG

I can't help myself you know...I feel the need to make music all the time. I have made a start on the 4th album, and have designed an album cover for it.
I always find that helps me to keep the mood going.

First track is almost recorded at the moment it is called "Tower of Sin"

I love texture, and there are some very strange textures in this song.

In fact the start always makes me think of the film contact with Jodie Foster...you know the bit where she is in that machine, and she is shouting " I'm OK to go..." Well that is where i go with this song.(in my head)
It is almost ready to give to Sharon so she can work her magic upon it.
Eating a hell of a lot of chocolate at the moment, wonder why that is, maybe cause I stopped smoking, it is killing me either way jeeez

I have been working with Mooch a lot lately which is great.
Steve has mastered some of my earlier recordings, and I will probably put some on here as free downloads in the near future.
There is some other news there too but that will have to wait.
Survived the snow...beautiful though wasn't it?

CG

Big changes coming everyone.Website will be up dated soon.
I also got some new gear that I think I have actually learned how to use properly.
Started to grow my hair too...hee hee

Got some free downloads comin here soon so hope you will take part in those?

Just wanted to say Hi and ...well Hi

Chris

The older I get, the more I like metal and I have to say the gothic feel .
We have tried to put a gothic feeling in to the third album without being overtly black...
I suspect some people will disagree but thats ok.
This album has been through some strange changes, but thanks to Sharon she has grabbed it with both hands and turned it in to something much more, than I thought it could be.
We have been through a variety of studios and stuff, changed lyrics, but we now have the finished article.
I got some new equipment ready to strat rehearsals again soon, all I got to do is figure out how it works!
Byeee

Well I didnt know what to expect when I got to Norfolk. Richie and I went up in a car together, on the hottest day of the year so far. Fortunately we had air conditioning!
We arrived to find Billy outside the studio sunning himself and quaffing an enormous bottle of Abbott Ale, which if you never tried it..do!

Anyway, we unloaded the stuff from the car.Within 15 minutes we were performing CLOUDBURST and it was really tight. It was amazing as it was the first time we had played it together.Feeling confident we went on to A new track off the 3rd album as yet untitled, and that went well too. OK lets do GORGEOUS DAUGHTERS OF MR HIMALAYA. Not only did it go well, but we found a new way of finishing the last couple of minutes which had the hairs on our necks standing up.This buzz amplified itself and continued the whole weekend, so we are feeling very good about things right now, and I would add that I am incredibly fortunate to have been blessed with these guys to perform the music with.
In the future we will start to record whatever we do live, and we will have people all around taking some photos for the trips down memory lane.
Anyway, I am very excited about it all, and can't wait till we meet up the next time.
There are some tracks where Gary and I may be switching instruments around a bit. Gary is a very very good lead guitarist as well as a cracking bass player.Billy has a few suprises too. Richie is brilliant on keys, and I reckon he must have about 8 hands, he can make so many different things happen at once!
The only thing I have to sort out now is my gear as it all fell apart on me during the rehearsal so I was limited to on/off.
Me, well, I just keep writing new stuff and dreaming of Dragons Witches and stuff, and try to capture that feel and put it in to music.
Keep you posted anyway, so do come back for the next thrilling installment!
Ta a lot

Chris.

Today, I went to Richards house to go through some of the movements and stuff that we will be playing live.
Richard is a terribly nice guy, and a great keys player.
It went very well, and we are all overjoyed here.

OK well perhaps if I keep me gob shut all will be well. We got a band again, a good band and I can't wait to start the rehearsals.
There have been a few dissapointments along the way, I will tell you about them later they are still a bit fresh to talk about right now.
We got some new songs and we are going to incorporate them in to the live act.
There will be a few guests at some of the gigs, and I will let you know about them as and when I need to confirm a few things first.
So no more negativity all will be well, and I hope that you will come and see us .
Rehearsals proper cant start till the end of May but we should be up and running around September October time.

See You

Chris Gill

Who would think that so much could change in such a short time?
I had a band lined up two months ago, we were getting gigs and then it all changed.
My fault in many ways I took too long to get it all to happen, and peoples lives change and they make decisions that means you have to change your plan.
Well change it did, and now I find myself working on 2 collaborations and work on a third Band of Rain CD.
The one collab is with Christopher Quinn in California. We are producing music under the name of White Horses. I have written and recorded 6 new songs from scratch in 2 months, and while that is very satisfying, it means that the house is suffering as I need to find time to carry out routine maintenance, but there are not enough hours in the day.
The music though has been very enjoyable to make, and I find it very liberating to put music together where I do not have to worry about the lyrics, vocals, or vocal melody, CQ has done a fantastic job there, and I think people will like what we are doing.
I can also go in directions that I would not necessarily go in with Band of Rain.
The other collab is with Cyndee Lee Rule and electric violin player in Pennsylvania.Cyndee plays a very unique style, and she has joined me on a few tracks, but it will develop.
So with those two projects and a third Band of Rain CD this year, that will make 3 albums for 2006.
I have still got musos around me though, and Billy will be doing all the drum tracks for White Horses and Band of Rain.
Genever is coming in to the studio for most of April, so that will allow us to get some vocals down for Band of Rain.
Live we have Gary Compton who will play bass, Genever if she is not too busy at University, and Billy, if we can talk him in to it.
Billy has been on the road for years has been there, and done it all, now he feels a little weary of it all. It is my hope that he will take a bit of time out and have another go.
Graham is doing very well with his own projects right now and I wish him well, but he too is going to join us if we do start gigging again.
2006 will be a turning point for me personally, and I just hope that the end result justifies all the time I have spent away from Katrina.
You will find some demos from both projects on the listen page.
C.G.

we have started to interact now as a band.The music is being re arranged slightly for live performance,and it is starting to shape up really well.
Its funny but everybody in the band is a lead guitarist!
It took a little while to get everybody together, but I believe it will be worth it. I just wish that we could all just get out there and start playing.
Looks like I will be playing some keyboard as well, which is something I didn't envisage, I thought I would be playing lead. I am to a certain extent, but not in the way that I imagined.
They are a great bunch of people, and they are all very good at what they do. I got a feeling that some great things will happen on the stage.We will have to wait and see...
Chris Gill

We now have the excellent Sarah Smith on board who will be helping us to create a whole new dimension within the live set.She is also a very nice lady and we all look forward to working with her.Don't you just love it when a plan starts to come together.Looking for s good stomp box at the moment, there is just so much choice! I am leaning toward the korg 3000 at the moment anybody say any reason why not would like to hear from you, in fact why not drop us a line anyway..
Later
Chris

There are 4 of us now in the new live band...only one to go and we can start making some noise. We are going to be very heavy, but chilled so hope you like that idea, and that you will take the time to come and see us.
We are getting played on quite a lot of stations now so you are sure to catch us somewhere.
Really lookin forward to getting out there and playing again..can't tell you how much
Later

Its amazing how quickly the live band is coming together.
It will be possible to start rehearsing soon,that means its time to sit down with the guitar for 5 hours a day to get up to speed.Its the only way I know how to do it, and yes it does hurt your fingers. I know a lot of people stop at that point, but that is when you should keep going . It is amazing how quickly the ends of your fingers harden, and then you can't do any more washing up!As they will soften again.(Show this to the missus if she doesn't believe you) ;-)
So if you are either learning how to play or are thinking about learning, I have only 3 pieces of advice:-
1)Play your guitar EVERYDAY
2)Remember you will ALWAYS be learning.
3)Play your guitar EVERYDAY
I thank you
chris gill

I love it where we live. In the back garden we have a 1500 foot lump of rock covered in trees, deer and water falls....It is incredibly beautiful and restful, but it means we can't get satellite tv! (what a tragic loss)
The church in our village had a harvest festival today...and although we do not go there they put an envelope through our door last week asking for donations to help with repairs to be in by a.m. today!I put the envelope somewhere safe and forgot about it..till this afternoon, about 15 minutes after their service had taken place.Now there are only about 25 people living here and its hard to hide.So I must make an effort to "bump" in to someone tomorrow and hand over some dosh....based on the assumption that if I don't, I can forget getting my hedge cut.However, I suddenly thought that I need some kind of choir for a song I have in mind.There was something missing, and that would be great. So you see, some good did come of it.
chris gill

I am very happy that Graham Elks has joined us here. He is a great guitarist, and I really think we will get on well. Its going to be nice to have another lead guitarist..I am looking forward very much to being able to re create harmonising guitar solos live. With Grahams vast experience, I know he can be a great collaborator in other ways.He plays wolf guitars which I have to say is a new one on me, in fact I am going to go take a look at their website, just so I know .Certainly sounds nice anyway.
Its weird, but in order to get good musicians you have to accept that they may be involved in projects other than your own. This is the main reason why I look upon them all as Guest musicians. It leaves them free to get on with whatever floats their boat, and it means I can turn up at the recording studio at 3 in the morning if I want to , and record whatever is in my head...without having to try to get them all together. Thats how I work, something will come in to my head, and I have to go and record it straight away. It may be at home or elsewhere, but I have forgotten so many riffs and hooks by just turning over and going to sleep, that now I force myself to get them down. I even keep a dictaphone by the bed just in case. Those of you who have attempted this, will know, that a dictaphone is not a great medium for recording music. But at least it can jog your memory!
I am going to start writing some more songs for Gen, so that when she comes home from university, she may find time to come over and sing on them for me. Her voice is very soothing, and suits the kind of picture I try to build in the listeners head.
Got to go now, talk later.
chris gill

Stumbled in to what will be a tremendous band last week. They are called Atacama and they are based in the south of England.
They have some samples you can download, although they are only demos, they are a hint at what they will be doing when they get the fully fledged album out there.I would encourage you to go and take a look, or should I say, Listen!
www.soundclick.com/atacama
Starting to put a few people together now for a live band. Its starting to feel right, which means that it should all gel. But its a weird business as most of you know.
Chuffed about Garlands coming out at last. Its actually going down very well, and I constantly hear the word "chilled" when people are talking about it.

This time of year I always overhaul my guitars, so off to it in a minute.
In fact I will go now via the Atacama site....do take a listen...
chris gill

Just got the news that the first CD of Garlands has arrived for approval. Approval having been given we should get them back soon.
Its nice , I feel like I have been in labour for the past few months, I actually played the last note on the album about 3 months ago, so it seems like its been a long time for this one to get going.
Have left messages all over the place for several people to get back to me about a dvd we were supposed to be getting regarding the title track. It WAS going to be great, but I get the distinct feeling that we have been let down.If only people would do what they say they're going to do...
Fired up the guitar today. That was a real bonus as I was supposed to be busy doing other things, but it is really raining here today so I have to stay indoors (hee hee!)Got 2 ideas for songs. I will go back in the studio tonight and start piecing it together and see where it goes.I can't read or write music, but I take the view that as long as I can make it that should be ok. I must admit though it would come in handy sometimes. Maybe one day I'll take the time to learn. I have an older Hammond organ now, but I can't seem to get it to play anything in F , if its something I am doing perhaps you will let me know. There are a bunch of buttons and stuff and sometimes you can get F and others not. Anybody got Emersons phone number?
chris gill

What a great night! Went to a demo of Marshall amps near here, and blow me Dr Jim Marshall was there, and he did a couple of songs acapella which was pretty unique.Old standards but goodies..mind you he has made a CD so I guess being who he is he can do what he likes. Real nice bloke, and very un assuming. Well done Jim.He was followed by Tony McPhee's Groundhogs which was a real suprise as well as a contrast! I had no idea they were going to be there.
Those of you who know me, know that I have been a lifelong fan of T.S.McPhee, and so I took the opportunity to go and shake the great mans hand.
Dave Anderson is currently playing Bass with TheGroundhogs, so it was a double kick as some of Garlands was recorded out at his studio here in Mid Wales, and he helped with "All Moonlit Through The Trees" which is one of my favourite B.o.R. tracks so far.Small world isn't it?
The Marshall Mode 4 was completely awesome 350 watts of pure chainsaw guitar, to feathers dropping on a mill pond at the touch of a switch. But I think my next amp will be the 275 which was just brilliant.Highly recommended.
If you get a chance to go to one of their demos...be sure and check out the Marshall band with Chris George on guitar . Don't catch the French drummers eye though, he has several party pieces that are not for the fainthearted.
Networking to find the right kind of band members for the next incarnation. I have to say I am not doing very well at the moment, but it is coming I know.
Found out that Deep Space is available as a digital download today on www.mp3tunes.com. Very pleased about that.Well, off to bed with a coffee and 3 digestive biscuits (I got 2 dogs!) G'night
chris gill

I will indeed be posting some thoughts and ramblings here.
At the moment I am pulling my hair out as I am still waiting for the new CD to come back from the printers.
Poor Kenny (Solomon) has found himself caught up in Hurricane Katrina over in Florida. Last I heard was he was OK, but that his phone lines etc were all down. Good luck Kenny.
Still looking for a keyboard player, but they really do seem to be a bit thin on on the ground.Seems like a good place to start.I had a bit of a dream team thing going here, but they are all young and of course they all are either at, or due to go to University in September. I knew it was coming, what I didn't know was how quick.
Wish I could stop smoking.One day huh?
chris gill