Projects

Music for the Media

I was keen to understand how soundtrack composing works, so I studied a course on 'Music for the Media'. 

It was fascinating learning how to fit sound to video, and capture a mood with music.  I wrote lots of short pieces in all sorts of styles for all kinds of purposes.  Here are some of them.

Songwriting

I moved into a flat with a former bandmate, Keith, and we spent a lot of our spare time songwriting.  We wrote about 30 songs together, and our quirky melodic pop-rock got some glowing reviews on student radio.

Unfortunately, we failed to find a good rock singer (this was pre-social media), so we ended up using my guide vocals on our recordings.  Oh dear.

I've never liked my singing voice, so I won't subject anyone to it here.  Instead, here's a cool guitar break from our funk-rock anthem 'War of Attrition'.

Live Gigs

As a student, I had great fun playing guitar in cover bands around Edinburgh. 

The first one was a party-rock band called 'St. Vitus Danse' (don't ask).  Nick (drums), Matt (bass) and Jolyon (vocals) all shared the same flat, and we used to rehearse there twice a week.

Playing with the windows open, we regularly attracted a small but noisy crowd on South Clerk Street outside.  Hopefully they were shouting for more.

The flat's entrance was dominated by a floor-to-ceiling poster of Jimi Hendrix.  Every surface was littered with empty beer cans, and there was a strange smell that it was best not to ask about. 

Going round there on a Friday night, I almost felt a bit cool... while also feeling utterly relieved that I didn't have to live there.

First Scriptwriting

Inspired by the Channel 4 TV show, 'Absolutely', I started writing comedy sketches.  I sent a few off and was delighted to receive some positive feedback from Paul Mayhew-Archer.

First Recordings

Having blown all my savings on a 4-track tape recorder, a drum machine, and a £65 bass, I set about writing and recording my first tunes and riffs.  Looking back, they were primitive but enthusiastic.  Here's a snippet.

First Guitar

For my 15th birthday, I was over-the-moon to receive my very own electric guitar.  It was a cheap second-hand Les Paul copy, but it stayed in tune and we were all very pleased with it.  My parents became rather less pleased after they bought me an amp the following Christmas.

First Inspiration

As a kid, I was introduced to music by my dad.  He used to play acoustic guitar and he had a large eclectic record collection.  Some of it I wasn't very keen on, but I loved his Queen and Quo albums. 

I remember lying on the lounge floor with my ear up against one of the speakers, trying to pick out the separate instruments.  Probably not a great idea.