Changes Afoot
I’ve been away for a week, removed from phones, TV, internet and the World in general. It’s been bliss. I took along my guitar, uke and micro-studio, but neither wrote nor recorded anything new. Just doodled. Sometimes that’s just what…
HOW many?!
Yes, it was a whole 25 years since The Deserters came into being following a showing on BBC of The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” that inspired four young and impressionable Scottish lads, with barely a modicum of musical experience between them,…
Fire Engine Nudity
I came across this headline today, which reads like a collection of The Deserters‘ and The Lunacy Board‘s favourite songwriting topics:- – Woman Tries To Steal Fire Engine Half-Naked – The young lady, recently released from a mental hospital jumped…
Inverbegnac Regurgitated
I’ve been doing a lot of mixing of live recordings over the last few weeks, and needed a little break, so last night I messed around a bit with a couple of video editing programs to see which would be…
The Survivors’ Party (Live Theremin Frenzy)
It’s been a long time since I’ve been on stage, and never as a ‘solo’ act, so it was with some trepidation that I set off on the road to Bushey (near Watford) for the ‘Hands Off 2007’ Theremin Symposium.…
Going Live
This gig forms the grande finale of the theremin shindig I mentioned a while ago. I’ll be part of the ‘UK League of Thereminists’ playing a few structured improvised pieces as part of a ‘theremin orchestra’. There are a number…
It Was 60 Years Ago Today
Forty whole years have passed since the world first heard “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band“. A pretty good innings for a piece of pop music, ephemeral as the genre usually is. It’s not an album I even own (The…
An Ancient and Distinguished Instrument
I came across a Yahoo group yesterday that I thought might be of interest (Novelty Music), and this morning heard back from founder member Paul Moore. Paul has a one-man-band and plays the ‘Zob Stick’ which, upon further investigation, turns…
The New Yobstick
At last, I finally got around to finishing the new yobstick. It’s quite a departure from previous efforts – lots of natural wood and more emphasis on playability instead of durability. I’ve only played it for a short time tonight,…
Festive Goodies
Back in the mists of time (1985) the Deserters produced a short run of magazines for those following our music at the time. They featured interviews with members of the band, articles about the music and anything else that happened…