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I post updates and new music every few days.
The Great Park - '‘You Were Somewhere, You Thought You Were Nowhere’ - first live version
Recorded at the Hin & Herzo festival in Herzogenaurach at the end of September. Debut live performance - original version at https://thegreatpark.bandcamp.com/album/you-were-somewhere-you-thought-you-were-nowhere. Filmed by Mina Reischer.
‘You Were Somewhere, You Thought You Were Nowhere’
A new single is available today for everyone through my Bandcamp site. ‘You Were Somewhere, You Thought You Were Nowhere’ was written and recorded last month.
‘You Were Somewhere, You Thought You Were Nowhere’ (7:51)
‘You Were Somewhere, You Thought You Were Nowhere’ (Giardino version, take 2) (7:15)
As with all my releases my Bandcamp and Patreon subscribers get this automatically, please consider signing up for that.
New album 'Leave Well Alone'
My new album is called ‘Leave Well Alone’ and is now available to subscribers through my Patreon and Bandcamp sites and on the 26th of June for everyone else. I’ll also have physical copies at all of my concerts this month so if you can make it to a show you can buy one there.
Here’s the track list, everything apart from ‘Look Out Kids’ was recorded over the last few weeks in Stuttgart or out in the Giardino house:
Sticks
First Thought Best Thought (video here)
Here Comes Your Son
Look Out Kids (video here)
This Is How You Make It What It Is Not
Bern
So Long Away From
Leave Well Alone
Canary
I Once Knew The Lowlands
The CD or digital versions are available to pre-order through Bandcamp via the link below:
Rather than struggle to write something about this album that likely won't help with anyone's understanding or enjoyment of it I thought I'd just answer any questions. Anyone have anything that they'd like to know about this one? Comments below please.
That's it, that's it. Thanks as ever,
Stephen
FIRST THOUGHT BEST THOUGHT
Here’s a new, brief song from the new album that’s releasing to subscribers next weekend and to everyone else on 26.06.22. I’m happily playing concerts throughout June so I’m sure I won’t have so much time to handle everything and I think it’s easier for me to stagger the full release until the later in the month.
The rest of the album doesn’t go like this.
'Look Out Kids'
An EP, ‘Five New Songs’ is out this Sunday, the 6th of February to everyone subscribed to my Bandcamp or Patreon sites (Patreon subscriptions begin at just €3 monthly) and I have a new song ‘Look Out Kids’ from it for everyone now.
All these were recorded over the last couple of weeks and I’m very happy to share some new music with you all. More coming soon.
S
New 'I Do Wrong' video from 'I Know What I Make Isn't Fine - The Winter Recordings'
Filmed in Berlin back in 2010, this is a new video for the newly mixed / mastered version of ‘I Do Wrong’ from ‘I Know What I Make Isn’t Fine - The Winter Recordings’ that’s out next weekend.
S
'Zeppelin' video
From the 18th subscription release ‘The Villa Müller Recordings’ out 01.10.21 at the following:
'Work With This' out now
Work With This
Zeppelin
This Is A Calling
Hove Beach And Eggshells
Luck Is Cruelty On The Wind
You Remain My North
Good Night
An album of seven new songs is now available for everyone here on my site, my Patreon and over at Bandcamp.
As a thank you to all Patrons it’s available to download to everyone subscribing, including all at the €3 tier. Please consider signing up over there to support me directly.
I suppose here is the place to share some words about the making of this one.
My last album ‘The Ghost Is The Only One That Beats My Drum’ came out in December and whilst I might usually go and play some concerts or get out of the house for some weeks that hasn’t really been an option recently, so I just carried on working on songs. Some of the ways I was working whilst making that album didn’t really change and often things that were started back then just kept bubbling away over time. Slow cooking. I think that’s apparent on a few of the songs here - the ones based on a rhythm and with more percussive stuff in particular. There’s a link, as always, between the albums, but here it’s like I didn’t stop. I suppose I didn’t stop.
This time there’s no one else playing on the thing and it’s generally a little tighter written and structured I think. I cut a lot away, despite there still being a couple of longer songs there. I’ve never been as brave or ruthless an editor as I should be.
‘Zeppelin’ was a song called ‘Four’ that I started about 15 years ago and was originally based around a Neil Young guitar feedback sample. I don’t think I ever played it live but it’s likely that the recording was released ages ago, perhaps on an edition of the ‘Church Boat’ CD or something around 2005. I don’t think anyone will recognise it but if you do please let me know.
Likewise, ‘Hove Beach And Eggshells’ isn’t an old song but is somehow about events that happened around that time when I lived on the south coast of England. Recently I found myself trying to care for a young crow and I think it brought back sentimental memories of nesting gulls.
I’m playing concerts again, starting this week.. No idea if I’ll get to try any of these out but let’s see.
Thanks everyone, have a lovely week.
Stephen
Juneteenth fundraiser day at Bandcamp - 'Luck Is Cruelty On The Wind'
A special version of a new song, ‘Luck Is Cruelty On The Wind’ is available now through my Bandcamp page.
This version is an alternate mix and edit of a 9 minute song from my new album, ‘Work With This’ releasing 05.07.21.
Today, the 18th of June is the Juneteenth fundraiser, where Bandcamp donate 100% of their share of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. I’ll do the same for any digital purchase from my catalogue
Last year, in the midst of the worldwide protests, Bandcamp did the same thing and, with the help of all who picked things up from me I donated $225 to legal aid charities via ActBlue. Things may have thankfully calmed down somewhat but the need is very much still there.
If you’re considering buying any of my music then today would be the day to do that.
Thanks everyone!
Stephen
'This Is A Calling' new single now available
A new, 8 minute song is out today to listen and download here on my site, on my Bandcamp page and to everyone subscribing to my Patreon.
'This Is A Calling' was written and recorded last month and appears on the forthcoming album, 'Work With This' which I hope to release next month. It feels like a companion piece to the last album and in fact I'm not sure the process of writing and recording has stopped since I started with that one last Autumn. They've run into each other, here we are.
I made a simple video a few weeks ago, inspired by and including old news footage of pilgrims at Croagh Patrick in the west of Ireland. Here it is:
All my Patreon and Bandcamp subscribers automatically receive this as a full quality download. Subscribe for as little as €3:
'Lover O Lover' from last month out in the forest
The next in the subscription series of monthly releases is ‘Second March’ and will be available at the end of the month through my Patreon and Bandcamp sites. I recorded a bunch of music, including two new songs, outside in the forest at the same spot where I had previously made ‘March Wood’.
Digital and physical, where the physical edition follows the previous ones - a hand stamped CD-r, typed personalised cover and only available for the month of April.
Also as a reminder - you just have until the end of March if you’d like to receive a copy of the double disc edition of ‘The Complete Simple Folk Radio Recordings’. Available at the €15 option through the Patreon or Bandcamp subscriptions.
More details and images in a week.
New music through my Patreon and Bandcamp now
Just a short video with a couple of songs I released through my Patreon and Bandcamp subscriptions this month. The Patreon is new for me and allows me to upload single tracks very easily, as well as supporting Paypal payments for as little as €3 a month.
Please consider signing up and a massive thank you to everyone who’s already done so. You’re brilliant.
The Man Who Loved Beer (Lambchop cover)
From my new 11 song release ‘framus’ available through my new Patreon and Bandcamp subscription pages now. More words about that in a couple of days, for now my Patreon page is here and there’s this cosy clip.
THE GHOST IS THE ONLY ONE THAT BEATS MY DRUM
The 16 minute title track from my new album is available as a digital download on Bandcamp and a video on the Woodland Recordings Youtube channel below:
I wrote and recorded this the last few weeks and Julia Laura sent her backing vocals across to me without hearing the whole thing. She’s the voice of reason in this thing.
The video (and album artwork) is constructed from over 500 self portraits I made last week in a forest in the south of Germany, with help from @mart.schneider. I’m putting the album artwork together now and I plan to put it out by the end of November. More soon then.
Thanks all,
Stephen
'boys, i am worried' from 'exile songs'.
From ‘bottle the grief and exile songs’ available as a physical two disc edition here.
More words and thoughts about this release in the next days.
Bandcamp Subscription #4 now available
‘March Wood’ is the latest release for subscribers to my Bandcamp and is now available as a digital download and very limited handmade CDr edition here.
As with all of the Bandcamp subscription releases, I’ve made a simple physical edition with a hand stamped CDr and a hand typed sleeve. I send these out each month to everyone subscribed at the 15€ tier, and as of the time of writing there are 11 releases available immediately to everyone who signs up to the 10€ digital or 15€ digital + physical options.
Images of the physical edition and two videos from the release are below.
More music is coming next month as well as a new collection this Friday. Please check back for that.
Thanks all,
Stephen