I’ve been trying to finish up this new batch of songs for a few weeks now, and it turns out that being a full-time father is way more taxing and demanding than most jobs I can think of… It’s probably also the most satisfying and rewarding experience I’ve ever had, and now what we are spending Christmas and most of next week without J, it feels even more special.

But as much as I love the kids, and I love them more than I could express, there is still this urge to make music, make something that is personal. It’s not without its challenges, and it boils down to making the most of their time at kindergarten, or the quiet lull of the late evenings, where I usually have to remind myself that I still need to get up in the morning and try to get 6 hours of sleep…at least…

It’s been an eventful year. It started with a wonderful project I was lucky enough to collaborate on, after which most of our energies have been focused on preparing for the move, packing, leaving and settling down here. After almost four months it looks like home now, and our neighbourhood is great. One of my friends gave me one of his old bikes, and this has been the best way to discover the city, along with the street cars (take that, new mayor!). And more than anything else, the feeling of happiness on the boys’ faces for the smallest things (fresh snow, falling leaves, trips to the libraries) is all I should ever ask for to be really content. Unconditionally.

The Raleigh EP was inspired by these walks and bike rides, by autumn and colder nights, and by the train line that runs in front of our house. Here is the tracklist:

1 pumpkinseed
2 howland
3 vermont square
4 the C.P.R
5 igloos and forts

Recording is almost done, give or take a few audio tracks on the later tracks. I would consider them works in progress but not just simple demos, because I’ve been trying to give them a sound as close to what I have in mind as possible, but they come at a point where I feel like going somewhere else with my music. Hopefully I’ll be able to take them further in a second album later next year, but for now this seems to be an accurate document of how things are. And i would love to share this with you.

Wait for the new year. Thank you for listening, always.

So I think this is the last post about this little musical adventure that has kept me busy since the beginning of the year…
The EP that I’ve put together is by no means a final version of the music that we dreamed up, workshopped, refined, recorded and performed for the 4 shows, but in a way it takes you to the same place that the whole performance would have if you saw it. Of course, those are still “good sounding” demos for the moment, and with time, an album will come out of this, but I felt like sharing.
So here goes.
Help yourselves, and spread the word if you feel so inclined.

I must thank Darren for giving me the opportunity to hop on the project. As always, there is much to learn with talented people like him, and I’m even happier about the friendship that we have made through the whole process.
The visuals are the work of Ling Wei and Bird, two Taiwanese artists who had some stunning designs for each scene. The drawings were all put together and animated by Lei.
And of course, the show was made possible through the support of the Esplanade and the wonderful people who work there. We are lucky to have a place like this in Singapore, a place that is not afraid to promote widely commercial acts as much as it champions relatively experimental productions.

More than usual, I owe a great deal to Luca and Dante, for constantly showing me what little boys dream of. It’s such a wonder to see the world through their eyes.
And J, as always, most things would just not be without you.

I hope you’ll enjoy the music. Having a place to share it is the whole reason why I started this website and it’s great to know it can be reached anywhere in the world. Mostly, it’s fun, and I never want to change that in the equation. Still, if you’d like to contribute to some of the recording or traveling costs, no amount is too small. And it is deeply appreciated.

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It’s time for a trip back to Europe (and Toronto…) next week. Music may come out of it. And most definitely, a life-changing decision will be taken as well. I’ll keep you posted.
Be well, and thank you always for listening.

It’s been 5 months since we’ve released Then we saw the Stars again, and as most artists will tell you, you’ve got to be ready to move on to something else fast, or face the sophomore slump. And of course, there lies the trick: do you try and get the word out as much as you can and promote your current stuff, or do you follow suit, and come up with a new offering, because after all, it’s just a debut album? Is there a popular critical mass to be reached before you can decide what the next step should be, or do you keep pressing on?
Play it and they will come?

Either way, it’s been hard to really find the time to make music for long stretches of time. Somehow there is always music flowing somewhere in my head, but it’s more a question of whether I’ll have the chance to sit down and get some sketches done. I can’t blame the kids for this, of course, but whatever free time we get is usually after 10:00 PM, after a long day of work…which might explain why I’m more attracted to simpler songs at the moment. In a way constraints are good, they make you challenge yourself, find new ways to consider your musical ideas, strip things down a bit.

The following is one of the recent exchanges I’ve had with Darren. We’ve been sketching most of the music for the show, and we have come up with half a dozen scenes already. A lot of the music is based on some live loops, which we complement with improvised playing, on all sorts of instruments.
woolgathering - amberhaze

We’ve set up a routine of late: I send a demo, and Darren adds textural sounds and treated melodies on top of the original structure.
While it could seem contrived at first, it’s surprising to see how much our soundscapes complement each other. We hear, and see, things differently, and that’s what creates the magic of this little project.
woolgathering - sonicbrat/amberhaze

We have only really jammed once besides our little postal service method, but we’ll go in full gear from next week onwards. In fact, I am really looking forward to tomorrow’s session! Who knows, maybe something new will come out of it?

Keep posted!