Ex-Wise Heads Live in Tallinn

Just to mention that Ex-Wise Heads, (also featuring yours truly on bass of course), will be replacing Slow Electric for the previously mentioned live show at the Rock Cafe, in Tallinn, Estonia in October 7th, next weekend in fact.

Ticket and venue info can be found by clicking here

Also, I'm happy to say, I am contributing to the next Slow Electric album, which is currently a work in progress, so all being well, there will be future performances and new material too....in the meantime Geoff Leigh and I are very much looking forward to our first show in Estonia.

On the subject of Ex-Wise Heads live, we will also be playing at the Tonefloat Records evening at the Paradox in Tilburg, Holland on Sunday November 4th, you can get tickets direct from the Tonefloat store, or from the venue here

For anyone unfamiliar, the Ex-Wise Heads album Celestial Disclosure came out on vinyl through Tonefloat a little while back, and was subsequently re-issued on CD in a very nicely packaged Japanese style vinyl CD sleeve, and with a bonus track too. The album is currently available from burning shed.

You can read a couple of reviews of "Celestial Disclosure" here and here.

Best,

Colin

Porcupine Tree - Octane Twisted

I'm pleased to report a forthcoming Porcupine Tree live album, which was recorded on the Incident tour, is now mixed, artworked and mastered, and will be released in November:

Most of the tracks were recorded live at the Riviera in Chicago on April 30th 2010, but there's also a few which came from the last show of the Incident Tour, at London's Royal Albert Hall, including some rarer gems that we don't play very often, like Dislocated Day, and the full length version of Even Less.

Anyway, click on the cover image above to Pre-Order the double CD and DVD Limited Edition version from burning shed.

There will also be a double CD jewel case edition available from all the other usual retailers, but without the DVD.

Tracklisting is:

CD1
The Incident (Live in Chicago)
1 Occam's Razor
2 The Blind House
3 Great Expectations
4 Kneel and Disconnect
5 Drawing the Line
6 The Incident
7 Your Unpleasant Family
8 The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train
9 Time Flies
10 Degree Zero of Liberty
11 Octane Twisted
12 The Seance
13 Circle of Manias
14 I Drive the Hearse

CD2

1. Hatesong
2. Russia on Ice/ The Pills I'm Taking
3. Stars Die
4. Bonnie the Cat
5. Even Less
6. Dislocated Day
7. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here

DVD
The Incident (Live in Chicago)

1 Occam's Razor

2 The Blind House

3 Great Expectations

4 Kneel and Disconnect

5 Drawing the Line

6 The Incident

7 Your Unpleasant Family

8 The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train

9 Time Flies

10 Degree Zero of Liberty

11 Octane Twisted

12 The Seance

13 Circle of Manias

14 I Drive the Hearse

Release date is November the 19th.

Best,

Colin

Metallic Taste of Blood Reviews (Part 3)

Time for another collection of reviews of the Metallic Taste of Blood album:

Surviving the Golden Age

Mass Movement

....and a few below from Italy:

All About Jazz Italia

Italian Porcupine Tree Fansite

The New Noise

Also, here's one from an Italian Guitar magazine:

Lastly, the Quietus interviewed Eraldo Bernocchi there's some stuff about us making the album together, among other things.

Cheers,

Colin

Bass Invader

I noticed a small and mysterious aesthetic modification to my upright, by person or persons unknown.

It looks good to me though.....

Switzerland

St. Gallen,  (looks to me like he needs a rest)

I had great time in Switzerland last week. The weather was good enough for me to see some stunning scenery on the drives around the country. 

...like above at the Gotthard Pass.

....or here on the lake at Pfaffikon.

With such picturesque surroundings, I should have taken my Fisheye or Sprocket Rocket, sadly they didn't come with me.

It was also enjoyable doing the Clinics, something new for me, it's always good to try and articulate one's own thoughts and ideas, hopefully in a useful way.

 Below are a few pictures from Mani's Guitar Shop in St. Gallen, with thanks to Alexandra Plopa for the photos:

Best,

Colin

Live with Slow Electric

I've known Tim Bowness for a really, really long time, playing on his solo albums and also some of the No-Man material over the years, and more recently Memories Of Machines, but I had never played live in front of an audience with Tim until earlier this year, when I guested with Slow Electric, Tim's collaboration with Estonian Duo UMA, at a joint concert in Ukraine with Ex-Wise Heads.

I was impressed with Slow Electric's performance when I first saw them in Norwich last year. There's a real power, atmosphere and intensity to their actively minimalistic approach: ambient electronica blended with thoughtful songwriting and a nod to ECM type icecool soundscape jazz, it's well worth checking out if that vague description sounds like it might float your particular boat.

Anyway, it appeared to me immediately like a great context for Tim's vocals, with Aleksei Sak's incredibly expressive trumpet playing and Robert Jurjandal's ambient guitar scapes alongside Peter Chilvers on keyboards and electronics.

It also seems like a great context for me to play some bass, so I'm pleased to say I'll be joining Slow Electric for a concert in Tallinn, Estonia, next month on October 7th.
Tallinn is somewhere I've always wanted to visit, so I'll be taking a camera or two for sure...

Please click below the somewhat psychedelic poster underneath for ticket and venue information:

Tickets

Cheers,

Colin