Expertise:Fun music founded on acoustic guitar and harmony vocals, full of strange and funny lyrics, played with enjoyment and energy. Occupation:Artist Industry:Entertainment
Here's the music video we made this week. It's for a new Ticklish Brother song called Close To You, and it shows what is perhaps not the ideal way to demonstrate your infatuation with someone. Byron was the main force behind the video, though a large chunk was also contributed to by the wonderful young people (Haley Battcock, Trent Davis, Lucy Niles, Michelle Saunders, and Curtis Williams) who came to our workshop on Sunday at the Labrador Creative Arts Festival here in Happy Valley - Goose Bay. They learned how to use the cameras, lights and sound equipment, then worked their butts off to help us capture several crucial scenes. In addition to Byron and I, the video also features the awesome Stephanie Flowers and Fran the dog, with a very special cameo by Byron's father, Melvin. The whole process took roughly 4 jam-packed days.
So Byron and I are in the middle of our very busy visit. I've been up here in beautiful Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador for a few days, and we've been working steadily on music and video projects. On Sunday, we're running a workshop at the wonderful Labrador Creative Arts Festival (in its 32nd year!). We'll be teaching youths from all over Labrador how to use the various camera, sound, lighting and effects equipment, and work with them to film a music video for a new Ticklish Brother song called Close To You. I'm loving it up here, and I can easily understand why Byron makes this his home base. The people and the landscape are great, and the festival is a gem. Kids come from communities all over Labrador to perform original plays, and visiting guest artists travel to these same communities to do workshops. It's a blast! I'll hopefully have some pictures and video for you soon.
Well, We're gearing up for another round of face-to-face recording, this time in Goose Bay, Labrador, where Byron lives. I'll be flying up there for a couple of weeks in November. We'll be working non-stop on audio and video projects, doing various things at the Creative Arts Festival, and playing a show. I'm very excited to be visiting Labrador, as I've always wanted to but have never had the chance.
The gears are spinning in overdrive as we prepare. Songs are being finished and fine tuned and arranged, video concepts are being honed and brainstormed, and we're each preparing some terrible movies to watch. Ticklish Brother is on the move and getting ready for some videoandmusicmadnessaction!
The process of putting together the new album continues. Practicality At Its Maximum
was recorded in a pretty basic way, with a minimum of overdubs. We used
a number of one-takes, and the overall sound was kept deliberately
simple and pure. With the new album, although we still want to stay
away from anything glossy, we're working on a more complex, textured
sound. There will be tracks with just the classic mix of guitar and
harmonies, but joining the party on other tracks will be trumpet and
violin, clarinet and flute, hammered dulcimer and piano, and many other
bits and pieces. We're aiming for something dynamic and intriguing,
where the music matches the fun and weirdness of the lyrics.
So
at the moment, the main form of activity is working out how the songs
are going to sound, and formulating a plan of attack for the next phase
of the battle. Building up a soundscape track by track is time
consuming, but it can be a lot of fun and open up lots of
otherwise-unconsidered avenues. Plus, it's the only way to go for those
not lucky enough to have an orchestra living in their garage. Over the
next few months, we'll also be contacting a few of our musical
associates about adding their particular brands of genius to the mix.
In case you haven't visited the other sites, here are some of the tracks from the January show. Enjoy!
So there you have it. Progress marches on. Thanks for visiting, and stay tuned!
Well, lots has been happening. The January show went really well, and we had a great time. Thanks again to the fine folks at Cafe On King for having us. In the days following the show, we did some recording, and Justin's been continuing that process while Byron continued on to Wales to do some camerawork and video editing for The Alarm. Byron's back in Labrador now, working on a project teaching young people how to make movies -- very exciting. And Justin continues to twiddle away at the knobs and dials, working on the new album.
As promised, here are some pictures:
This is us rehearsing for the show. Byron was feeling like poo, and could barely sing a few words without coughing. Thankfully, he really rallied a few hours before the show.
Here we have a couple of shots from the show. The stage is just the perfect size for two people, and is raised nicely for visibility. Cafe on King and the crowds they draw are great people -- no bottles flying through the air, no loud drunken swearing... They're soaking up the many artists Matt is putting on stage, and here's hoping he succeeds in what is a very tough business.
And finally, a shot of our recording setup, in the prestigious Justin's Kitchen Studios. Our first album was recorded mostly at SWGC, in the theatre rehearsal hall and forestry building staircase (for that great reverb). This time around, it's Justin's house, with some long-distance additions by Byron probably at the CBC studio up there. The main sessions for the first one took place over a couple of weeks, but this time around it's going to be more spread out. We're also in the process of working on a list of potential special guests. We'll keep you posted.
Not having any luck getting Xanga Audio to work, so you'll have to go elsewhere to give a listen to some songs from the show. You can check out our Myspace page for a couple, or our Soundclick page for a wider range. Let us know what you think!
That's it for now. We're going to try and post some video files soon, so keep an eye out.
