Just got back from a long weekend in Skye.

It was amazing.

Sometimes - usually at an inappropriate time of night - I worry.

This time, I am worried about a wee 30 minute set I'm due to play tomorrow night (or is that now tonight?). The reason this is worrying me is somewhat unknown, though I speculate the following: [segno]

- Yesterday I attempting to record a track with Al. This track featured standard tuning, a 5th fret capo and open chords. Yet two hours later I still had nothing. If it wasn't my timing, it was string noise... or worse, simply forgetting Amin!? What is that!?

- The last 'wee 30 minute set' I played was awful. 29th January, Teviot Loft Bar. This is possibly the most well-lit room on earth, and apparently I suffer from stage fright when I can actually see everyone. Basically, I played my first track (an instrumental) okay, adjusted the sound, noticed the eyes burning holes in my flesh and paniced a little, abandoned the set list, sweared loudly over the PA when I forgot how song number 2 ends and how song 3 begins, muddled though another 3 songs (all of which are being played about 20bpm too fast) and ran away. Not good.

- My parents have decided to be among the audience (okay, so I invited them) Singing songs about self-loathing, fear, paranoia and doubt just seems odd if mummy and daddy are there? [to coda]

Then again, perhaps I'm worried because of all the afforementioned self-loathing, fear, paranoia and doubt. Or is it simply they are manifesting themselves because [dal segno al coda]

[coda]

...

Baws.

I have now played THREE (count them) sets since my 6-month-ish hiatus, and it feels pretty damn good.

Its funny how a short gap can totally refresh your viewpoint

Its also funny how your chops never truely leave you... As the playing of 'Tribes' last night goes to show. I *heart* guitar.

I saw Preston Reed play The Lot in Edinburgh last night. I have to mention the beautiful venue (I'd kill to play there; a perfect cosy and intimate room with a wee bar, pretty barmaids, tables, candles, great acoustics, competent sound-man, lighting...) but the star was (obviously) Preston and that blue Ovation guitar.

Once again, he blew my mind with his mastery of the instrument, not only in the style of touch guitar, but with some fantastic Jazz pieces (which I swear he improvised over MUCH more than when I last heard them live... very impressive) and utterly insane fingerpicking! The speed of that right hand is frightening.

I'm confident I've gleaned how to play a few more of his tunes... Finally cracked the main riff for Blasting Cap (I think) though it'll be a while before I get it up to speed - there's a very sneaky left hand slap harmonic which I always seem to miss - and the percussive part of Seven.

Anyway. Vastly inspired. Thank you once again Mr Preston Reed.

I appear to have adopted a VERY different writting style. It sounds a little like Bright Eyes/Jym Ponter(?!)...

It certainly DOES NOT sound like Matt James... most perplexing.

I'm currently torn as to whether this is something I should embrace or I should back up and continue to make the most of Touch-Guitar. The decision is not coming quickly. Maybe I'll just do both?

Riadsala (Al C of Al+Al) has offered more recording time, which I'm excited about. I might wrap up some of the old stuff before getting any of the new material down, I'm getting awful fed up of those old tracks and It'd be nice to record and draw a line under them - until they need reviving to pad out live sets anyway *grins*

Cantor (the Matt/Al sideproject of world-domination) is re-awakening also. I'm ridiculously excited about this - now we have Doug and Sarah (NST guitar and vox respectively) we just need to keep our heads down and before we know it we'll be at gig level :-)

yay!

Ok.

So I over-reacted a little.

About a year ago, I had 7-of-12(ish) songs recorded. Done. Dusted. One hard-disk failure later - and a painful realisation that this was my recording friend's first loss-of-data experiance - left me songless and embittered. I hung up the guitar.

However, I am a guitar ADDICT. I didn't learn all those silly techniques by not being interested. It took coming 2nd in a guitar playing competition (its NEVER happened to date, and the winner was a useless strokes wannabe to boot) to kick me up the arse and get playing again...

I've adopted a more blunt style with my writing (it would appear 'Devilkin' was a lot more the sound in my head than previously thought) but my love for complexity hasn't totally evapourated. I'm going to finish what I started as soon as possible by getting 'Cyan' onto CD.

If anyone who was waiting for me to finish this album origionally is still checking this page (if you are one of these people: Your patience is akin to a GOD. Thanks alot!) then fear not... it shouldn't be long. Certainly be done by Feburary. I hope. Maybe.

As an aside; going to see Biffy tonight. Fuck. Yes.