Hello everyone,
There are but 3 Christmas records worth listening to.
'Fairytale Of New York', obviously. Then you've got 'Christmas In Prison' by John Prine and of course 'Christmas Wrapping' by The Waitresses.
The Waitresses were formed by Chris Butler, a man I met a few years back at a music festival. Interesting guy - we talked a bit about me bringing him over to the UK to do some shows but I didn't know how or what to do about it.
Anyway, he has the Guinness World Record for the longest pop song ever recorded ('The Devil Glitch' from 1995 on Future Fossil Records), he invented Vertical Swimming Pools, and he released a single in 1995 that was recorded without electricity or microphones on 100-year-old wax cylinders using a hand-cranked Edison "Spring Motor" phonograph (c.1898). And he was in the crowd of students who got fired upon by The Ohio National Guard at Kent State University in 1970. And I think he told me he used to share an appartment with Richard Lloyd from Television.
Like I say, interesting guy.
He also made this crackers album called The Best Of Kilopop which was basically an excuse for him to pretend he had been in this crazy experimental European group with an invented history spanning 30 years. Some incredible tunes on this one. But if anyone reading this has the inclination - check out his 1997 solo LP 'I Feel A Bit Normal Today'. I go back to it once or twice a year and always find something new on it.
Anyhow, Actress Hands have been hard at it with the pen, paper & piano over the last couple of months composing the next LPs worth of material - a collection to be entitled 'Survivor's Guilt'.
Lots of new songs written - 'The Throat', 'I've Got The Keys To A Closed Shop', 'Backwards Man', 'The Tooth', 'Swinging Mary', 'Dursley Girl (Driving Over You)' & 'Say Hi From Me' - to name but a few.
Aside from Actress Hands affairs - Phil is off on tour with British Sea Power for the most of the first part of the year (I just cannot wait to hear 'Do You Like Rock Music?'), Johny is just starting work on the new Thirty Pounds Of Bone LP and Joel is demoing stuff with The Tenderfoot which is eventually gonna come out on Drift I believe. What I've heard so far is just awesome.
Our own studio space is now up and running so its going to be a more homely recording this time round. We'll be announcing dates in the New Year so stay in touch.
Merry Christmas Everybody.
Mattress Hands xx.