The new TT tee-shirts have arrived, Hurrah !! They have been designed by Sylvie Bardet who also designed this blog and my website and they are based on four of my song titles : 'Out on The Town', 'Sun Face', 'Happy Taxi ' & 'Leaving the Party'. They are really cool, 100% organic, Fairtrade & funky... what's not to love ?!! Please check them out here :) Lots of Love tt
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My wake up song this week is Tami Lynn's 'I'm Gonna Run Away from You'. This Northern Soul classic was recorded in the mid 60s but did not become a hit until it was re-issued in England in the early 70s. I love the bass line, it's groovy and also quite formal. I still hear an echo of an earlier kind of dance band in it. The lyrics are wonderful, Tami Lynn's voice mighty, and recently when I heard it again after many years I had to put it on repeat as I was so knocked out by it ! Love tt
My friend katerina Athanasopoulou is a very talented animator [link] this is her new short 'Engine Angelic' [watch here]. I'm really impressed by it but also a bit disturbed ! To find out more about the different processes that were used to construct the film just follow this link [link]. Hope you enjoy ! love tt
Spent a nice evening in the Barbican centre [link] last night (this has to be my favourite arts centre !), quickly browsed the 'Future Beauty: 30 years of Japanese Fashion' exhibition. At this kind of event the crowd is actually more interesting than the exhibition. I think they all secretly want to be spotted by photographer Scot Schuman and posted on 'The Sartorialist' ! And saw another wonderful production from the theatre company Complicitie [link]. 'Shun-kin' is the second production I've seen by them and even though the play may deal with adult themes I always feel as engrossed as a child by the magical way they tell stories. Earlier in the week I saw ' The Kids are Alright' which I loved. A few friends were less enthusiastic, maybe it comes down to whether you think characters in films should be exemplary representatives of a particular group or rather flawed like most of us... anyways, lots of great stuff to see & think about ! love tt
This week's TT Test is taken by Grant Lee Phillips whose musicianship as writer,vocalist and multi-instrumentalist is inspiring. He first came to notice with the band 'Grant Lee Buffalo' and has continued to make great music as a solo artist, with highly acclaimed records, writing music for independent movies as well as appearing regularly on the TV show 'Gilmore Girls' as the town troubadour. I'm delighted that he has found time to answer the TT Test! What is your wake up song at the moment ? I’ve been waking up with The Left Banke’s “Walk Away Renee” in my head for the last few weeks. I’ve always loved the song but I have no idea why it’s enjoying a comeback in my mind. It’s so melancholic, perfect for the rainy weather. Which work of art or single event has most influenced you in your chosen profession ? It’s hard to place the blame on one culprit but I have to imagine it was the Beatle’s film “Help” and that particular song that lured me in, made me want to be a musician and began my love of heavy overcoats. If you could travel back in time, which period would you most like to visit and why ? I’ve always been drawn to that period between 1860’s - 1890’s. It was the golden age of sideburns, Laudanum and revolution. It was a bit like the sixties, but in sepia. I love eating out and discovering new restaurants, can you please recommend one to me ? Breakfast, right behind dessert, is the most important meal of the day. The Pacific Dining Car [link] in downtown Los Angeles has one of the best. It’s a step back in time, ordering Eggs Hussarde in a 1920s railway car. An endless flow of black coffee makes for one of those easy mornings that last all day. What is the best advice you ever been given relating to your professional/creative life ? Aside from being tipped off about the Eggs Hussard ? I’ve been the beneficiary of great council many times. Among the many artists, writers, musicians and professionals in my life, the words of my wife have meant the most however. She sees far down the road, when I can hardly find the wheel. BONUS QUESTIONS : You have such a unique & wonderful singing style, is there a singer that particularly influenced you as you were discovering your voice ? My grandmother was an incredible singer. She had a voice like Mahalia Jackson. She sang in a little country church but she also loved the blues. I’ve heard she sang in clubs when she was young. She was never really a performer in the time I knew her but she poured herself into her voice. She greatly encouraged me to play the guitar and sing and that made a huge impact on me. I also have a slightly silly question or maybe just an observation, I don't know if you are aware of the Canadian writer & actress Anne Marie MacDonald but you have a very striking resemblance to her ! I just googled Anne Marie MacDonald. I can see the resemblance and I’m flattered. I hope she is.
Today is one of my favourite London weather days - chilly but gorgeously sunny, everything & everyone radiant & alive ! So logically, this week's wake up song is from Mexico. I wonder how much of our listening is shaped by the weather ? Some people see music in colours but because of my English education I see music as a meteorological report ! The groove of Nortec Collective's track from 'Babel', is joyous, it just tumbles & makes me dance around my apartment in the morning, hope it does the same for you ! Love tt
I caught a screening of the recently restored and reconstructed version of Metropolis this week [link]. It's the first time I've seen this 1927 classic and I was mesmerised. I know the movie bankrupted a film studio but it was probably worth it to create such an amazing work of art !! When Brigitte Helm who played the dual role of Maria and the Maschinenmensch ( machine human ) is in her first incarnation as Maria, I was thinking 'ok, this is a good performance but it's your standard vision of the innocent & virginal young woman that you find in most silent films' but when she becomes the diabolical and very worldly Machine Human I was petrified ! She's able to express every sin just by raising an eyebrow - and she was only 17 when she played the role !! Brigitte Helm was clearly a strong character in real life as well, in 1935 angered by the Nazi control of the German film industry she retired to married life in Switzerland and never granted even one interview about her film career. Of course, that just makes her more fascinating ! Love tt
Yesterday, I discovered the Museum of Everything [link]. Perhaps, I have been sleeping under a rock because it's near my neighbourhood & I should have noticed such a wonderful thing much sooner ! Artist Peter Bake has curated the collection, you will find Walter Potter's Museum of Curiosity, rather sinister dolls, Punch & Judys', miniature fairgrounds among other delights & the buzz of being in a genuinely exciting space. They also serve tea for free ! What stronger recommendation could you want :) love tt
This week's TT Test is taken by the awesome Jay Bellerose, a drummer who you may have heard playing with Alison 
Kraus & Robert Plant, B.B.King, Beck and Ray LaMontagne amongst others. His sound is very special as he collects & uses vintage drums & percussion whose inconsistency may be off putting to some drummers but for Jay add a certain drama to the sound. Having had the privilege of working with Jay on the new record I was so blown away by how he builds a groove, layers & brings structure to the track... I was sometimes surprised by his choices but ultimately always persuaded by them. The only problem is now that I've played with Jay every time I hear a song I think, 'I wonder how Jay would approach this ?!' What is your wake up song at the moment? My favorite music at the moment is the sound of my dog Buster snoring away. It gives me great comfort right now. My espresso machine starting up is a close second followed by Hank Mobley's soul station record. Which work of art or single event has most influenced you in your chosen profession? My most influential moment was when my brother Nelson saw me at age five lose my mind over a set of drums. He put me on the path and has guided me since. If you could travel back in time, which period would you most like to visit & why? I would go back to the 20's, 30's & 40's. I'm really in love with the music and over all style from that period. I love eating out & discovering restaurants can you please recommend one to me? Casa mono in NYC is a current favourite of mine [link] What is the best advice you have ever been given relating to your professional/creative life? The best advice for me so far came from T Bone Burnett. "Own it". BONUS QUESTION You are in Ray LaMontagne's band The Pariah Dogs who feature on his new album, how does it feel to be in a band as oppose to a session musician? Being in a band isn't so different other than a bit more acknowledgement.
This week's wake up song is from Karen Carpenter's solo record that was recorded in New York in 1979 & produced by Phil Ramone. I just love this song & performance & can't understand why it is not more widely known. It's not really a wake up song, it's actually the perfect song for a delicious bout of late night melancholy, and easily stands up next to the great Carpenters' ballads. Tantalisingly, when she was making this record the legendary songwriter Rod Temperton played her very early versions of 'Off the Wall' and 'Rock With You' but Carpenter turned them down on the grounds that they were too funky. Of course, the rest is history and they ended up being recorded by Michael Jackson but it would have been fascinating to have heard her take on those songs, love tt.
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Last week I spent a lot of time trying to decide upon the sequence for the new record. It was quite difficult, it's one of those records where once you change the position of one track you have to go right back to the beginning and listen to the new sequence and it is very stubborn about what will & won't work so that process seemed to go on forever. Usually, I just listen to the tail end and intros of songs & the sequence is logical & easy... I think on this new record there are a lot of big personalities vying for space so it has not been so straightforward ! And also I usually I have a sort of story sequence in my head but this record... I think this one just wants to do it's own thing ;) love tt
This weeks TT Test is taken by one of my favourite musicians, guitarist Mark Creswell. I first met Mark when I was 18 and was the opening act for the band he was in Brendan Crocker & the Fivesylviebardet.jpg)
O'Clock Shadows. I was immediately entranced by his joyous, spirited playing and recently when I began writing a new set songs and was searching for a way to bring more groove & movement into my songs I immediately thought of Mark as a co-writer. You'll have to wait till next year to see how the songs have turned out but I for one am extremely happy with the results !! His answers are very interesting and strangely - if I could travel back in time it would probably also be to 18th Century Germany so I could eavesdrop on Bach improvising, I hope that's a good omen that we are suitable musical partners ! Lots of love tt. What is your wake up song at the moment ? An all time favourite and regular player on my juke box MP3 is the wonderfully eccentric 'Persian Lovers' by Holger Czukaybut [link]. If I need something to really bounce me into the day it would have to be 'Do I Love You ?' by Frank Wilson [link] for it's joy & best bass line to boot. Which work of art or single event has most in your chosen profession ? The invention & development of the electric guitar in the 20th Century. What's not to like ? They sound great, look fantastic... and you can use a wah-wah pedal with them too ! If you could travel back in time, which period would you most like to visit & why ? I would go back to 1720 and be beamed into Bach's life at the time when he was director of music for Prince Leopold in Germany. I would of course speak fluent German and have been inoculated for all possible diseases! I'd take with me a good stereo compact recorder and record him whilst he was improvising & composing the cello suites or violin sonatas & see how he worked & how he played & how he sounded on the instruments of his own time. See just how 'well-tempered' he was :) I'd also take back with me Bach's Complete works in printed manuscript & leave them with him, including the ones that he hadn't thought of yet, just to help him out a bit & make life in those times a little easier... upon my return to the now see what ripple effect & repercussions my little visit had upon the history of music & in particular Rock 'n Roll ! It's a sort of chicken & egg thing like in this favourite 'Bowie's in Space' sketch by Flight of the Conchords [link]. I love eating out & discovering newrestaurants can you please recommend one to me ? I don't get to eat out much except when I'm with you & that's always rather tasty. I prefer simple food so I'd recommend 'Corner Cafe ' in Leeds [link] a small, friendly family run restaurant which just hits the spot. What is the best advice you have ever been given relating to your professional/ creative life ? Seeing as my chosen career is music, the best advice to which I've never heeded is 'Get a Job !' BONUS QUESTION How was the experience of recording the new songs that we have written together & are you happy with the way they have turned out ? Recording these new songs was a really great experience for me, we somehow fell on our feet through a series of odd events & coincidences that landed us both in LA, recording with a set of amazing musicians & brought together by the awesome Paul Bryan's production. Playing with these guys really opened up the songs beyond all my expectations & left me with the resounding affirmation that music is at it's best when it involves the interaction of souls & minds together i.e musicians ! These recordings have so much life & vibrancy that I hear something new on every listening giving them a magical, timeless quality that I love.
Do any of you remember the early 1980s television adaptation of the classic children's novel 'Brendon Chase' ? It was on British Force's TV when I was growing up in Germany, most of the kids in my class were obsessed with this show, a few of us even created a game in honour of it re-enacting the thrilling fugitive life of the boys during our rather dull lunch hour - alas I have never met any one in my adult life who has actually seen it ! Recently, I looked up the show again, just to ensure that it really did exist and re-discovered Paul Lewis' wonderful theme tune: after thirty years it still fills me with excitement & a strong desire to run off & live under a tree in the forest ! I hope you enjoy, lots of love tt
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