Wed 8th Oct 2008
First there were three….
Hello there, faithful reader, and welcome to the first in a series of blogs that will catalogue the rise (and, perhaps, fall) of RIVERSEA: Brendan, Q and Marc (Hi that's me!) Those (slightly fat-ish) 40-somethings from the North who are about to launch their very first recordings to the unsuspecting world.
RIVERSEA: THE DEMO EP is the amazing original title for the first EP from RIVERSEA with demos on! It took us ages to come up with title!! We brainstormed for a good six seconds but we finally got there!
So, why an EP? And why DEMOS? (I've got good hearing, haven't I? I can hear you from here!)
It looks like it'll be well into 2009 before we get the full album done but we didn't want to leave 2008 behind without actually having something to show for all the hard work we'd put into writing and recording stuff this year.
We also had (or have as I write this) a support gig to THE REASONING down in Bilston on Sunday 19th Oct and we wanted something to sell there really and 'get the ball rolling', as it were.
So here it is: THE DEMO EP. We recorded 'acoustic' versions of EDEN and LIFT YOUR SOUL especially for the EP and ALL AROUND THE WORLD, THE GREAT ESCAPE and OUT OF AN ANCIENT WORLD are initial demos made of the songs.
I'm really proud of it, actually. It's very mellow but I hope that people will like that about it. I think (well, I know) the 'full band' album to follow will have a 'livelier' feel, but I hope we manage to maintain that 'chilled' edge (ohh, I like been chilled, me…)
And, before I move on to other stuff, please remember the new EP is a very limited edition and only 100 units are been made. So, if you want a copy, GET IT NOW! You never know, if we make it 'BIG' these demos EPs are gonna be fetching shit loads on EBAY in years to come! And, you know, if the worse happens, at least you'll never be short of a coaster…
We had our first 'live' gig this Sunday just gone (5th Oct) at THE CAUSEWAY, Hartlepool. Basically it was one of my 'solo' gigs I do up there often, so I played some stuff on my own first and then Brendan and Q joined me on stage to play the full 40 minute RIVERSEA support set.
It went well, I think. Brendan and Q did great and all those hours of rehearsing are starting to sound worthwhile. I wasn't so good, to be honest, but was just having a bit of an 'off' gig anyway, but overall I think we can count the gig as a success. People seemed to enjoy it…even if a lot were talking… (sniff)…. The down side to playing 'original' stuff live is when people just talk all the way through it and that's always slightly upsetting to an 'artiste'…. Hence the reason I mainly play covers when I do solo gigs….
(Oww… look at me getting all haunty taunty!!)
But enough of that!
So Brendan, Q and I have 2 more rehearsals before our next gig, which is THE REASONING support, which we are all really looking forward to. And then we can start working on recording the album proper. I can't wait to get re-started with the whole recording thing. Rehearsing for these 2 gigs are really taken us away from the recording side, which as has been a real shame… but it also given us an excuse to put out THE DEMO EP and got us out playing live which has been a good thing.
But now Brendan, Q and I are all hooked up with the same version of CUBASE (a recording software programme) and apparently that's the way forward. So it's all system go for Brendan and I to lay down the tunes and get cracking with the full band album. We should be able to get a lot done with just the two of us as the plan is to put the bass and drums on last (yeah, I know… we do everything in reverse in Dribblesea world!)
Q will be hard at work on his first solo album (I kid you not! He's even got a record deal sorted!!! It's true!! He's gonna be a superstar in Thailand this time next year!!) So he's gonna be wrapped up in all that for a while but when it's all done and dusted or when he fancies popping down to The Barn in Copmanthorpe (that's where I am!) he'll be laying his guitar parts down.
As for who will be playing the bass and drums…. That's still an ongoing question. We have a few different avenues that are open to us so I think we'll see over the next few months where it's all going to naturally play out. I can't wait to hear the songs with real drums and bass on. It's gonna sound great!!
Right, I suppose I better wrapped this up. I mean, is anyone still reading!? I've rattled on, haven't I? Sorry. Maybe my fellow band mates might want to write the next blog? (After reading this one I'm probably banned from ever doing one again!)
So, anyway, to those who have made it to the end, thanks for reading. Please buy the EP and please, please, please let us know what you think.
(Apart from if you think it's a pile of crap… Just keep that to yourself… We'll take it as read when you didn't write in…)
Peace and stuff
Marc