Products of a Gaseous Brain

Gadgets for Gadgeys – which e-reader is best?

Milo — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:03:54 +0000

Is that an iPad in your pocket or.. well yeah it clearly is an iPad in your pocket.

Urban Dictionary definitions for Gadgey:

Non specific person in Scotland; ‘joe bloggs’. Often used to refer to workman, or random person in street/crowd.

Another word for a ned in scotland.

Derogatory Scottish term for someone who’s not so well-off.

I’m obsessed with gadgets, and never more so than now, when I’m trying to stop myself from buying any (I have a wedding to save for you know). I’ve spent most of my evenings this week compulsively ‘researching’ various expensive items that I can’t really afford. But a little voice in my head has been telling me that I ‘deserve’ to treat myself. After all when was the last time I bought a cool gadget? It was 18 months ago that I bought my iPhone 3G.

Part of me realises that all I really want is a shiny new toy to play with, so trying to justify any new purchase as being in any way necessary would be to lie to myself, and you.

Now I knew I had an addictive personality, but I didn’t realise that shopping for gadgets could also become so all-consuming a hobby. According to the 99% however, I’m not the only one, and there’s even research to say why it’s so addictive.

But most of us gadgeys just don’t have a spare five hundred quid lying around to splash out on Apple’s latest gizmo so we have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of any new purchase in detail.

E-Readers – the new Kindle (3G & Wifi) vs iPad

I like to think of myself as a writer, and therefore I love books, and am always reading several at once. I like their physical form, but I also believe that e-readers are the future (in fact they are already outselling hardback books in the US according to Amazon). Also I live in a small flat and there just isn’t room for all the books we already have, never mind those I will want to get in the future.

Whilst the iPad clearly does a whole lot more besides being an e-reader, I see Amazon’s Kindle as having the following benefits:

E-ink is easier on the eyes. Everytime I go to the optician my eyes have deteriotated – this can’t be helped by the amount of time I spend staring at a computer screen at work and at home, or squinting at the lcd screen on my iPhone. Whilst iBooks on the iPad has a built-in dimmer switch, it is still a backlit lcd screen – e-ink is meant to be much easier to read with. (I haven’t actually tried a kindle so I’m just going by what I’ve heard)

It has free 3G. The wi-fi model is only £109, but for £149 you get free 3G which means you can download books wherever you are, and also use the ‘experimental’ web browser feature, without the costly monthly subscriptions necessary for the 3G iPad. I’m not expecting this to be very good compared to the iPad but if I can at least read my google reader feeds on it then I’d be happy.

Amazon is good value. Whilst Waterstones is peddling the Sony e-reader for the bargain price of £99, according to the Register buying 36 books from them will cost around £80 more than to buy the same books from Amazon.

Plus despite daft UK tax laws which means e-books have inflated prices here, Amazon has discounted many of their best-sellers in the new UK Kindle store – and from a cursory glance at Apple’s iBooks store, it seems that Amazon is (unsurprisingly) better value – and provides a far wider choice.

Of course there are downsides – the Kindle is only black and white, which already makes it look somewhat dated when compared to the gorgeous iPad screen, and doesn’t do any of the multitude of things the iPad can do. But as useful as having an all-purpose item is, sometimes it’s better to go for the dedicated device that does one thing but does it very well. I reckon the lure of all the other apps on the iPad would mean I never actually got round to reading any books on it. Of course I still want one…

Edinburgh Festival 2010: Lach’s Antihoot & Other Musical Gems

Milo — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:58:20 +0000

After a slow start I’ve finally, slightly reluctantly, got into the Edinburgh Festival spirit. Although I enjoyed covering shows as a reviewer for the Edinburgh Evening News many moons ago, I have to admit I also have mixed feelings about it – after all the huge influx of tourists and increased pedestrian and road traffic is an almighty hassle for residents who are working and trying to get on with their lives (of quiet desperation – or is that just me).

However a lot of this is just bitterness because every time I’ve gone out during the festival I’ve had a brilliant laugh, an it’s most likely that my mixed feelings are just based on my jealousy of all the lucky swines who are prancing around for month getting boozed up while I have to get up for work.

Because of this I never really get round to sitting down and planning to attend any fringe shows, but if the opportunity comes up through a friend I’m more than happy to go along to something. And it’s hard to beat boozing outside, shaking random celebrities’ hands and telling them ‘I love your work’ (at the weekend I drunkenly accosted the bloke from the Gadget Show and renowned luvvy Alan Cumming both of whom were very friendly, if slightly terrified) and taking advantage of the extended opening hours (5am!) at least once during August.

BROKEN RECORDS & BART FROM EAGLEOWL AT LACH’S ANTIHOOT

As usual I’m more attracted to the music stuff that’s happening – the only actual show I’ve been to so far was Lach’s Antihoot on Saturday night – again it was unexpected, I’d been at the cinema and got a text from Dylan who told me Bart from eagleowl was playing. As the Antihoot only starts at half past midnight and goes on to 3, I couldn’t resist hopping on a nightbus after seeing the film at Ocean Terminal (Inception – which I thought was very good indeed).

The antihoot is on at the Gilded Balloon Nightclub at Teviot (tickets), which was packed and really buzzing, and as well as Bart’s short but sinister song which I think was called ‘Don’t Put That in Your Mouth’ or something similarly suggestive (the video below was suspiciously similar), the guys from Broken Records played a couple of songs from their new album, both of which sounded great.

We were also treated to an extract from the late night Fringe comedy show ‘Lesbian Bathhouse’ which featured some surprisingly raunchy wet t-shirt action, and other treats included an inspired monologue about vans by the bizarre comedian Paul Foot, a brilliant RnB parody by ‘HP’s mate whose name escapes me’ who has sadly not recorded any of his songs yet but MUST (Pub Grub is a classic) – and a really varied selection of stand-up and songs, most of which was very good, some of which was amusing for all the wrong reasons, but which ultimately led to an extremely entertaining night.

FAMOUS DRUNK & THE DEVIL’S BUTTERMILKERS DO LACH’S ANTIHOOT

Being a masochist, and despite being stressed to the max every time I attempt to play live (and never learning that if I actually practiced the guitar it might make it less traumatic) I’ve signed up to play the antihoot next Saturday night. Having played the Sidewalk Café in New York where the antihoot has been for years, I couldn’t really not take part when Lach brought it to Edinburgh. My friend Iain and I are playing as ‘Famous Drunk’ – and then he and his lovely lady Aileen will be taking to the stage as ‘The Devil’s Buttermilkers’ (you might guess the connection if you’ve been reading the blog recently!).

WITHERED HAND, STEVE MASON & RETREAT!

I’m also hoping to go and see my favourite Edinburgh-based songwriter Withered Hand and the legend that is Steve Mason (The Beta Band/King Biscuit Time/Black Affair) who are playing as part of the Edge Festival. Also, hotly tipped locals The Last Battle are supporting Mr Hand, and I’ve not had a chance to see them yet so that would also be a good reason to go.

Then the following weekend is the return of the wonderful Retreat! Festival which has a stellar line up of Edinburgh’s best bands (including that bloke Withered Hand again). I can’t overstate the importance of promoters like Bart and Emily from Retreat!, and Tallah from the Antihoot for making sure the best local acts are involved in the festival this year more than ever before, and actually convincing me to leave the house – not an easy task.

Free Retreat! Sampler:

IHANW Podcast – Evil Stu talks about Latitude 2010

Milo — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:53:55 +0000

Of course a couple of years ago we had both Indian Summer and Connect to choose from for excellent festival line-ups in Scotland but they’re both gone now – and with T in the Park slipping further into the commercial shit-swamp, my pal Stu who writes the Tidal Wave of Indifference blog decided FECK IT and went to (gulp) an English festival instead – Suffolk’s Latitude, last month.

It took me a while to get it online but better late than never, here’s a wee interview I did with him about why he ditched Scotland’s biggest festival for something with a decent line-up.

Artists featured: THE NATIONAL THE ANTLERS MITCHELL MUSEUM STEVE MASON JOHN GRANT (FEATURING MIDLAKE), THE DIVINE COMEDY

Gaseous Brainstorm: Has Apple’s Bubble Burst?

Milo — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:00:07 +0000

Over the last few years, as many of you will have noticed, I’ve been a bit of an Apple fanboy (some people spell this fanboi – I have no idea why but seemingly it makes it a much wittier insult). I bought a Macbook, then an iPhone and as time progressed I got more hooked, until I’d imperceptibly gained that air of smug superiority and self-delusion that seems to go with the territory.

I’ve written a lot about Apple on this blog, and even written for Just Another iPhone Blog about the technological wonders that Steve Jobs and co have brought into the world.

But recently I’ve started to have doubts. Have I been hooked into some kind of faux-religious fervour that’s making me blind to the faults of apple products and willing to spend disproportionate amounts on their shiny and pretty but insubstantial wares (as Charlie Brooker suggests in this rather superb article)?

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand”

It all came to a head when I was discussing the new iPhone with a friend just before it came out. She suggested that it was overhyped and that there was always some kind of fault being reported in the press with previous iPhones. I could have patiently explained, in the patronising manner which is part and parcel of being a fanboi that certain aspects of the tech press were “out to get” Apple because of their huge success and in fact Steve Jobs’ every move is divinely ordained.

Instead however, I petulantly retorted “I wouldn’t expect you to understand”. She was, understandably a little offended by this, and I realised I was being overly defensive. I had lost all objectivity on the topic. And she was proven right when despite early reviews of the iPhone 4 suggesting it was the most advanced smartphone ever, antennagate hit.

(In case you don’t know, customers were reporting that the new iPhone’s antenna, which is actually part of the phone’s structure, had a weak spot at the bottom left hand corner of the phone, and if held there, in the normal way anyone would hold a phone (using what has become known as the death grip) it would drop calls!)

Touch Me

I still think Apple’s achievement with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad are extremely impressive – bringing touchscreens into the mainstream and most definitely changing the face of computing whether the Haters (or should I spell it Hatas) like it or not. Of course their success is partly due to the groundbreaking functionality of the technology, partly due to the slick design, and partly due to their extremely clever marketing which makes you feel like one of the wealthy and supercool elite if you own their product, and like an unwashed peasant if you don’t.

However where they fall down is in their treatment of their so-called fans. They seem to believe that once you’re hooked into their never-ending sales funnel, you lose all perspective, all decision-making ability and all objectivity and are willing to keep shelling out no matter how badly you’re treated.

Now clearly on one level antenna-gate was blown out of all proportion; however as other commentators have noted, this was mainly because of the dismissive treatment of the early complaints by Apple, not least Steve Jobs himself, who personally replied to one complaint “just hold it differently”.

Eventually of course they had to call an emergency press conference and give cases away for free, which went some way to calm the storm, but what the whole episode showed was their arrogance in dealing with valid customer complaints. And the sacking of Mark Papermaster, Apple’s senior executive overseeing engineering of the iPhone and iPad, proves that something had indeed gone badly wrong internally.

Now things are even worse for the poor users of the iPhone 3G, which simply doesn’t work properly once updated to the latest 4.0 operating system. Apple have apparently, several weeks later, said they are “investigating” the matter, but this just isn’t good enough. It’s not an extravagant claim to suggest they are deliberatingly phasing out the 3G in order to force customers to buy the next model, even though many do not have a spare £400 sitting around with which to do so (and if you get it on contract expect to pay £800 over the course of 18 months).

Ok, so the new iPhone is twice as powerful as the 3G and so the old model can’t be expected to do everything as well as the new one – but my 3G had been working just fine up until the update – and it doesn’t even allowed multi-tasking on 3Gs, which proves they can easily adjust how the update affects different models, so there’s no reason why it should make it run so slow.

Screw You!

I was actually ready to purchase the iPhone 4 when my contract ran out at the end of July but I do not like the feeling that I’m being forced into it. And because my iPhone has a crack on the back that I only noticed after the warranty had run out, I can’t even get a decent amount to recycle the bugger. Plus, although I don’t believe the faulty antenna would be a big issue for me, it is likely to adversely affect the resale price and given the problem I have with the cracked 3G I am going to have to be more careful about these sorts of things.

So sorry Steve, but I’m waiting it out for now. And as for the iPad, well screw you. I do want an e-reader, but I’ll be looking at the new Amazon Kindle, which is a fraction of the price.

Not fans of Steve Jobbies

The Devil’s Buttermilk

Milo — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:01:48 +0000

Fresh from its success at the 2010 Aberdour Festival’s first ever ASBO Awards where it picked up the gong for ‘Best Directed Short’, the trailer for the modern horror classic The Devil’s Buttermilk is finally available to view on the world wide interweb!

Now, for the first time, the full story behind this classic piece of celluloid nonsense.

My friends Iain and Aileen live in the picturesque village of Aberdour in the Kingdom of Fife, where they have a Festival each summer. This year was the first ever Aberdour ASBOs short film competition and Iain decided it would be a good idea to enter.

Using some quite spectacular powers of persuasion Iain managed to rope in Aileen, Mel and myself and our friends Blythe and Malcolm for an afternoon of filming during July. All we had at our disposal was Aileen’s posh HD DSLR, various fancy dress costumes and some vague ideas of how we could pay homage to our favourite horror films such as The Wicker Man and The Shining.

After a few dodgy moments trying to convert and edit the footage, we managed to get the final version of the film burned to DVD and hand-delivered to the event organisers on the eve of the competition deadline.

A Night at the ASBOs

The awards ceremony was on Monday night in a marquee beside the shore, and we arrived anticipating an entertaining evening. Little did we know that out of the 14 filmmaking teams who entered, around 10 of them were aged 16 or younger!

Slightly embarrassed, we took our place at the top table alongside our young competitors, a humbling experience indeed, as the standard of films was surprisingly high given the average age of the entrants.

Indeed, although we came second in the audience vote for overall best film, the runaway winner was a young schoolgirl who’s film had a cast entirely made up of lego figures and was a satirical take on the recent failed attempt by channel 4 to film a reality TV show in the village. Her win was thoroughly deserved both for its local relevance and because it was a cracking wee film which definitely got the biggest laughs of the night.

However there were also awards for the various categories and we were delighted when it was announced we won the best directed short award.

Whilst I was proud to be credited as the director, the whole thing was most definitely a joint effort, and only came about because of Iain’s sterling work as producer and location scout, Aileen’s excellent leading lady performance and high quality camera/camera work, Malcolm’s touching performance as a mourning Sea Captain, Mel’s mysterious performance as a mysterious masked lady and special effects know-how, and of course Blythe’s era-defining performance as a zombie pig with a home-made man-bag (not to mention his show-stopping acceptance speech).

A special mention also has to go for the completely original soundtrack, produced by Iain and performed by himself and Aileen with cellos by his brother Allan.

Here’s the film itself – or go direct to YouTube to watch it in glorious HD!

And here’s a lo-fi grainy black and white video diary of what happened on the night:

Holding Off

Milo — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:55:17 +0000

I’ve been holding off blogging. I’ve been holding off replying to your email. I’ve been holding off doing a podcast. I’ve been holding off doing a regular email newsletter. I’ve been holding off deciding whether to do a new fanzine.

I’ve been holding off finishing my new EP. I’ve been holding off installing extra memory/hard drive into my Macbook. I’ve been holding off backing up my Macbook. I’ve been holding off buying an iPad.

I’ve been holding off, waiting for a better day. A day when everything naturally falls into place, without stress, without hassle, without complications. A day that never comes.

Overdue Update #1: Better Job & BBC 6Music appearance

Milo — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:08:34 +0000

The Organisation? (image: Industrial Darwinism by kevindooley)

So I don’t usually talk about work here but I will make a rare exception because yesterday was my last day working in the Media & Communications Division of the organisation I work for*, where I’ve worked for almost 3 and a half years, both as a Media Monitor and on the mysterious “News Planning” desk.

I haven’t left the organisation but I am moving to a new post in a new building, to be a ‘Digital Co-ordinator’ which is all to do with websites and the like (and also the environment/climate change). As one of my former colleagues commented in my leaving card, it is “a proper job at last” and should actually be quite interesting.

In some ways I was quite sad to go actually, not because I’ll miss the actual work I was doing which wasn’t particularly exciting, but because the Comms Division has a good bunch of folk working there and compared to some of the more sleepy parts of the organisation is a lively place to work and has a good atmosphere – indeed journalists who have visited have compared it to the buzzing news rooms of old, before the lay-offs. I’ll still be dealing with many of them though in my new job anyway so they haven’t got rid of me yet!

Anyway for my leaving gift I was given a 50 pound Fopp voucher so I’m looking forward to cashing that in some time over the next few days

* I’m not comfortable naming my place of work on the public internet and I’m pretty sure they are also happier if I don’t.

My BBC 6Music Appearance

Save 6 Music badge by Dylan Matthews

While you’re here , if you live in the UK there’s still time (until midnight Thursday) to listen to my appearance on Shaun Keaveny’s show on BBC6 Music last Friday on the ole iPlayer (I am on at around the 01:17:00 mark after Dinosaur Jnr). After sending in a random text to the show I was asked to choose a song for the ‘my morning racket’ slot – so because it is still a favourite of mine I chose Grizzly Bear’s Two Weeks (when they called me they asked for 3 choices so it could also have been the Wave Pictures or Jeffrey Lewis).

Sorry To Disappoint You

Milo — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:22:15 +0000

I’ve disappointed a lot of people lately. It seems to have become a bit of a pattern.

Sorry for disappointing some of you by giving up writing my monthly column, music reviews and other things for The Skinny Magazine.

Sorry for disappointing promoters and artists by not coming along to your gig or promoting it on my blog.

Sorry for disappointing all the people who’ve sent me music by not reviewing your record or mp3.

Sorry to disappoint Jim Kerr’s PR company by not agreeing to interview Jim Kerr.

Sorry to disappoint my drinking buddies by not getting hammered and acting like a twat (I have been off the booze for almost 3 months).

Sorry to disappoint my readers by not writing more regularly on my blog.

Sorry to disappoint those who thought I was an ubergeek early adopter by not buying an iPad (yet).

Sorry to disappoint all 5 of you who were waiting on a second issue of the fanzine.

Sorry to disappoint users of Internet Explorer due to the weird glitch with this free WordPress theme that causes the line spacing to expand beyond all reason.

The thing is, for the first time in ages I’ve not felt disappointed in myself. I’ve been doing a lot of things that I’ve had to get done and it hasn’t left a lot of time for much else. An update will follow soon for those of you who have stuck around despite all of the above (I really appreciate it by the way) and a more regular blogging schedule will hopefully resume soon too.

Image: Why The Long Face by foxypar4

No related posts.

Creative Types #3 – Euan McMeeken of The Kays Lavelle & The Steinberg Principle

Milo — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:30:15 +0000

Euan McMeeken by Lis Ferla (lastyear'sgirl_)

The third in this series of interviews is with another multi-talented creative type, Euan McMeeken, who is not only lead songwriter and vocalist in Edinburgh band The Kays Lavelle (who have just released their debut album Be Still This Gentle Morning on the Wiseblood Industries label), but also writes the excellent blog The Steinberg Principle, where you will also find links to his two other enterprises, the tireless gig promotersTrampoline and record company mini 50 records (phew!).

I sent him a wee email interview asking what motivates him to do so much, and how he manages to fit it all in – here are his answers which I found very inspiring because he truly does what he does for the love of it and it’s made me pick up my guitar again for the first time in ages.

Q: Hi Euan. Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions- I know you’re busy with the recent launch of the new Kays album Be Still This Gentle Morning. Can you tell me a bit about how the album came about e.g. the writing & recording process?

well graeme and i decided it was about time we got our fingers out and released something, is really the jist of it. what that was to be, we really were not sure at the time, but we had enough songs at the time to consider an album. the plan was simply to record a certain number of songs then figure out what worked with what. if that resulted in an album great, if we could only piece together a couple of eps then that would have been ok too. fortunately it all came together nicely as the recording sessions took shape. the biggest problem we had then, and have now, was that we were struggling financially so where and how we were going to manage to record was unclear. after a gig we did with meursault i’d mentioned the situation to neil pennycook and he said he’d happily record it for us. i don’t think he really knew at the time just what he was taking on but he was kind enough to be involved at the beginning and for most of the project. it took from november 2008 until february 2010 to complete, with help from alex fenton who finished recording when neil got too busy with meursault stuff. it was a much longer process than i had planned, but i’m very glad it panned out the way it did and i’m very proud of the result. the songs had been sitting with me for 3 years. it was nice to finally give them a home. i am now excited to get cracking on new songs. hopefully it won’t take 4 years to get the next record out there though!

Q: The Kays are another Edinburgh band to build a much higher profile in recent months. Do you think it’s set to continue? It seems like the Scottish scene as a whole is incredibly strong right now.

it’s been weird. we’ve had a lot of ups so far this year but then something negative comes along and it kind of knocks your for six. just when you feel like you’re getting a bit of momentum somebody comes along, in the form of the skinny in our case, and knocks the wind from your sails. the music industry seems a bit like a game of snakes and ladders in a sense, i guess. i’m honestly not going to complain though, this is the first time in six years that i’ve been able to read anything about the kays, good or bad, so it feels pretty great to finally be getting recognised within the scottish music scene. i hope it continues and gets better and better for us. i really do. i’m greedy that way!

As for the scottish scene itself, i don’t necessarily think it is any stronger than it has been in the past. there are just more blogs, podcasts, radio shows and people who love music out there promoting and supporting the artists these days. avenues which were perhaps not so readily available in years gone by are now plentiful. so whilst the music coming out of scotland at the moment is unquestionably of a high calibre, i think the vibrancy of the scene is more to do with accessibility to the music than simply the quality.

Q: Also did you have any specific aims in mind that you wanted to achieve with this release and how easy do you find the promotional side of putting a record out?

there were no real aims in mind when we started recording other than finishing a record that we were proud of. we achieved that. now we live with the thoughts of others. but i’m not one to sit and say i’m not ambitious. because i am ambitious. in everything i do. so i see where i want the band to go and i’m quietly confident that i can guide us there. it might take a little longer than for other bands but i’d rather be a slow burner that got to where i want to go in the end than have 5 minutes in the spotlight, because i did what others wanted, then disappear.
in terms of promoting the record. well, daydream our management and pr company have handled most of that. but at the same time, i don’t really like it when bands hide behind management and agents etc, so i am very conscious that we should retain a human element and be involved in the whole process. it’s not a big ask when you are passionate about what you do.

Q: I’m ashamed to say that though have probably been at a few of the same gigs over the years, we’ve never properly met – but then I’m an antisocial hermit. You however are an active member of the local community with the Steinberg Principle blog and having run Trampoline gigs for a long time now. You’ve also been organising a wonderful tribute to a trio of great songwriters, Smith/Chesnutt/Linkous. How do you balance your time so you can do your own creative stuff as well as all the support you give to other artists?

who ever told you i was social??! i think you’ve been misinformed sir! nothing could be further from the truth. i love silence and the feeling of being alone with my thoughts. i love my books. i might be an active member of the community but i do it all from my steinberg lair surrounded by test tubes, notebooks, books, cds and far too many thoughts!

i also know for a fact that i take on too much. but i need to be active. i need to have things to sink my teeth into. the kays and my own music are my primary focus and always will be. however, i know how hard it is to get noticed and heard. i know how important a good review or the right person liking you can be. when I started trampoline and my blog the aims were similar: to support artists that i love and that i think deserve to be heard. the same applies to my label mini50. i want to put out music by artists I love and i think deserve wider public attention. and projects like the smith/chesnutt/linkous tribute. well i just wanted to raise awareness about depression. it’s a very dangerous illness and it affects lots of people who you’d never think were depressed. those artists were so important to me, especially mark linkous, so i felt compelled to raise awareness of their music and their illnesses through the project. i hope it’s working.

Q: As a writer you are very honest and wear your heart on your sleeve which makes your blog very readable. Your music is also very heartfelt. Do you ever worry that you are putting too much of yourself out there?

i like writing that says as much as possible, using as little as possible. i always have. i like short sentences. i like to not use capital letters (you might have guessed). i like breaking the rules. i think as an artist or a writer you must always wear your heart on your sleeve. for me writing, of any form, is a release. why would i want to hide that? i do mask most of the lyrics but I’m not afraid to address the things i think about or the subjects i write about. i think again, it adds a human element to the music and the blog. you tell me?!

Q: As a musician you probably have the same concerns I put to Bart Owl recently about the ability to make money from music. What motivates you to keep making music and doing the things you do, even though there is not always a guaranteed monetary reward?

it’s very simple. i love to make music. i love the feeling you get when you get it right. when you create something that you know is right. that you know is what you’ve been searching for. more often than not, it comes when you least expect it. and i love that feeling too. i don’t do this to make money. i don’t write music to make money. i don’t run music nights to make money. i don’t run a record label to make money. it’s all about the music for me and it always will be. if i get lucky enough to sustain a life because of my music or my label then i will be very thankful and ultimately, it’s what i want. but i’ll never stop making music. you cannot place a price on the feeling of sitting at the piano with a bottle of red wine. even in my darkest moments, i still feel at peace with a piano and bottle of red. if i stop feeling that. then i’ll stop playing music. i don’t know if that answers your question though!

Definitely, thanks for answering the questions Euan.

Be Still This Gentle Morning is out now. Photo by Lis Ferla

I Hear a New World May 2010 featuring Meursault, Swimmer One & more

Milo — Fri, 28 May 2010 20:54:16 +0000

Ok this takes shambolic to new disastrous proportions in terms of the excuse for links I recorded, but it has to be said the music is damn good. I didn’t have time to either edit or re-record it so my only hope is that the fuck-ups will amuse you. After all shambolic is pretty much internationally recognised as my middle name by now.

Playlist: (buy links included for Scottish bands, no time to do them all!)

1. Chilly Gonzales & Boys Noize – Never Stop

2. Gil Scott Heron – NY is killing me

3. New Ruin – Meursault (buy from www.songbytoadrecords.com)

4. The Wave Pictures – I Thought of You Again

5. Jacob Yates & The Pearly Gate Lock Pickers – You Left Me (buy from www.luckynumbernine.co.uk)

6. The Bundles – Pirates Declare War

7. Swimmer One – You Have Fallen Way Short of Our Expectations (buy from swimmerone.co.uk from 31st May)

8. Meursault – One Day All of This’ll Be Fields