Miriam Jones' Solitary Songs

Been meaning to post about these for ages. Miriam Jones, as I've mentioned before, is one of my favourite singer/songwriters, and someone I'm really proud to play with. I've posted the EP of hers that I played on before... 

Anyway, for most of the last year, she's been doing a 'song a month, written, recorded and released on her own' kinda project, called the Solitary Songs. A few of them I've played live with her (the slide part I sometimes play on Helicopter is particularly fun ;) ) 

But here they are, just her and a guitar. They're awesome. Y'all should download them. Srsly. 

http://miriamjones.bandcamp.com/album/the-solitary-songs">Come Clean (April) by Miriam Jones http://miriamjones.bandcamp.com/album/the-solitary-songs">Come Clean (April) by Miriam Jones

Steve and Lobelia Live In Nebraska EP now on Bandcamp!

Yay! Finally, thanks to the great help of Kevin Quickle, I've managed to get the Live In Nebraska EP up to bandcamp for proper magic high res download. 

This is very exciting - every time we've pressed CDs of this, they've sold out in just 2 or 3 gigs - so much so that we didn't even have a copy to rip to put up on Bandcamp (Bandcamp requires CD-quality WAVs, not the high-res MP3s I had that were for sale in my old online shop...) 

So here it is - it's one of the musical things I'm most proud of that I've done, and captures just how well we were playing on that US tour really well. It's a great recording, thanks to us actually playing the show in a recording studio - Power Base Studios in Wisner, Nebraska. Great job done by Dan Kane on sound. 

Here it is - listen, share it, embed any of the tracks that you particularly like in your own blog posts if you wish, and if you want to download it, pay whatever you think it's worth. 

Jeff Schmidt - Outre

This album's been out for a few years now, but is one of the few solo bass records that I come back to time and time again to listen to. 

As I've said before, I don't like most solo bass playing. Jeff's a massive exception to that rule. His music is amazing. 

He also did an amazing podcast about the making of the album, and continues to blog smart musical things at beautiful-bass.com

Here's the album, listen, then download it, it's amazing:

http://jeffschmidt.bandcamp.com/album/outre">From Under The Weight of Knowing by Jeff Schmidt http://jeffschmidt.bandcamp.com/album/outre">From Under The Weight of Knowing by Jeff Schmidt

She Makes War - Three...Two...One EP

I heard this months ago, when Laura first put it out. Came back to it today after Laura (AKA She Makes War, AKA @warriorgrrl ) added it to the 'Bandcamp directory for the Stevie-Connected' at solobasssteve.com  - we were listening on the laptop, but it deserved big speakers. So we bought the download (a bargainous £2 ), and are now enjoying the 3rd time through it in a row. Top stuff. 

http://shemakeswar.bandcamp.com/album/three-two-one">Picture Of Us by She Makes War http://shemakeswar.bandcamp.com/album/three-two-one">Picture Of Us by She Makes War

The bass playing I'm most proud of from the last couple of years....

Well, there are two things I'm really proud of. One is the Lawson Dodds Wood album, which isn't on bandcamp.. .yet... 

The other is this track by Miriam Jones. It's called Routine Runaway, it's a heart-meltingly joyous song, and I really love the way the arrangement came out. A lot of it was my idea, arrangement-wise, and I'm grateful that Miriam trusted me when the first time we tried it it sounded like arse... Jez Carr's piano on it is fab too... 

have a listen, then go buy the EP. :) 

http://miriamjones.bandcamp.com/track/routine-runaway">Routine Runaway by Miriam Jones http://miriamjones.bandcamp.com/track/routine-runaway">Routine Runaway by Miriam Jones

Ben Walker - This Is Not An Album

Despite his protestations, This Is Not An Album is, basically, an album. And a fine collection of songs it is too. 

Ben Walker is the posh mentalist who stalks TV chefs, mentioned in this video. He's fab, he's all over youtube, and he writes a lovely blog at www.ihatemornings.com  

But underneath it all are wonderful, funny, catchy songs - comedy songs are a risky business. If they aren't great songs, they suck. They just don't work. Ben makes it work, cos the tunes are fab. And that's why he's involved in Office Gigs. 

Have a listen, and if you like it, grab the download and toss him some paypal moneys on the way: 

Nail - Galvanized. Awesome Fusion Goodness

OK, so this is my third post here about Nail/Neil Alexander. I know, I'm sounding a bit obsessive. But he's awesome. They are awesome. 

And this, dear friends, is the magic of the internets - Neil doesn't need to be 'famous' to validate how great he is. He doesn't need adverts, he just needs to let people hear it, and take it from there. 

The music reminds me of the best of what Herbie Hancock did in his electric phase, but with a whole load more cinematic textural stuff going on. Everything that was great about when fusion was a really exciting thing in the 70s, without any of the stuff that made it awful for most of the 80s and early 90s. 

Neil's still finishing off his BandCamp page, but here's the Nail album, Galvanized, for your listening pleasure. If you like it, grab the download. 

I'm a fan!

http://nailmusic.bandcamp.com/album/galvanized">Rain Road by Neil Alexander & NAIL http://nailmusic.bandcamp.com/album/galvanized">Rain Road by Neil Alexander & NAIL

Starlight Casts No Shadow - Neil Alexander And Nail

OK, tell me this fab tune doesn't remind you of the theme tune to the TV version of Hitch-hikers Guide To the Galaxy? :) 

Been listening to loads of Neil Alexander's music of late - he's @nailmusic on twitter, and he's fab. Check him out - 

http://nailmusic.bandcamp.com/track/starlight-casts-no-shadow">Starlight Casts No Shadow by Neil Alexander & NAIL http://nailmusic.bandcamp.com/track/starlight-casts-no-shadow">Starlight Casts No Shadow by Neil Alexander & NAIL

Lessons Learnt From An Aged Feline

This was an album that came free with the first 100 CD orders of Not Dancing For Chicken, 7 years ago... it's been available on Last.fm for a while, but at pretty low resolution...

here's the high res version, for streaming or download - enjoy!