Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Thursday, 1 January 2015

our parents, often and mistakes, grace denton


Weirdly, just after I wrote on here that I wouldn't be making much work for the foreseeable future, I found out that something I wrote about eighteen months ago had just been published in the anthology about parents by Often and Mistakes. The anthology was compiled by Grace Denton and so much work and care has gone into it. You can purchase this digital anthology at a price of your choosing and the proceeds will all be donated to Simon on the Streets, a West Yorkshire homeless charity. So anyway, Grace does so many ace things I thought it would be good to list a few of them below. This is by no means everything, but some of the things I know about. Grace has been involved in, and initiated so many wonderful projects and she is also an incredible artist. The things she does are always made with great care and sensitivity. But as well as this, they are always worthwhile and positive.

Grace (left) & Rose (right) I don't know who took the photo, please tell me and I'll credit you

Often and Mistakes is Rose Robbins and Grace Denton, based in Bristol. They showcase new work by writers and artists through print publications and videos. We also run comic-drawing and animation workshops. 

Judy Works, again if you made this great logo, let me know and I'll credit you!

Judy Works is a girl gang, support network and commissioner set up by Grace, Camille Rearden and Rosa Martyn to support and represent the creative endeavours of people who are non-male identified. The rest of the world is set up to support men. Judy Works is redressing the balance.

Anna (left) & Grace 9right) photo by Tom Copps

The Middle Ones are a band who write and play wonderful songs. They formed in Norwhich and have done so many great and exciting things like touring all over and making records and playing music for plays and doing a year-long residency at Cafe Kino in Bristol. I swapped Anna a Middle Ones 10" for the Tiger + Panda 10" when we went to Norwich. It has my favourite song on it, 'young explorer'. For a while, The Middle Ones were the only band I made an effort to see.

Expensive photo by Tom Copps

Grace sings and plays in EXPENSIVE with Matthew Cheney and Pete Shadbolt, an electronic pop band of 'non-performers'. The songs are dreamy and danceable and remind me of the music of Arctic Circle, which is not surprising because they are/were another project of Matthew Cheney, all round good-guy.

As I said, there's loads more and I haven't really written very well but I just think Grace is a great artist and a positive force in the world.

Sunday, 19 October 2014

press release: birds like waves

Darling, do you promise to love me in the punk times? Love me in the wussy times? The fat wallet times? Baby-mine , you held the chromatic tuner to your lips and expressed a perfect G. Meanwhile, my tape machine sings a rattling A#. 

I bus home happy this evening. The city's feelings are a din. Like that one time on Buffy (Season 3, Episode 18, production code: 3ABB18). 

Mucus adheres. The mucus of my music adheres to your waxy canals. Thank you for listening. 

Things have changed a lot and this is a heavy thing to consider. My love for you is still eternal and tender. 

CDs, tapes and downloads to follow. 

Today, something just clicked for me and there was no fear.

Monday, 6 October 2014

birds like waves



There is a new thing up on the Polite Records page today. It's one song from an album length collection of recordings I've made for a new projects called Sea Glass. I made these recordings in the summer as something to do. Part of the point of starting a new thing with just me was so that I'd have something to work on when my other bands are not in the same place as me (The Nervy Betters are all over the South of England and Olly is about to move back to Bristol). I'm making a small number of CDs and Cassettes and I'm guessing they'll be later this month so I will write an update when that happens.


Monday, 1 September 2014

special bag





I made this special bag to hold emergency items so I will always have them for tours and other trips. I made it out of an old pair of Franky's jeans. The zip is from her old coat and the toggle is from my old duffel coat and it has a padded lining too. Contents:

  • TCP
  • cotton wool
  • sewing kit
  • safety matches
  • multi-tool
  • paracetamol 
  • plasters

All the items are inside plastic zip-lock bags for waterproofing. I'm really pleased I made this. I know it's kind of weird but it makes me feel confident.

Sunday, 31 August 2014

polite podcast no.8



This is the last episode of the second series of the polite podcast. It is a tour diary of the Frozy/Nervy Betters July tour 2014. 


Weds 9th July - The Nest, Bath 
Thurs 10th July - Gwdihŵ Café Bar, Cardiff 
Fri 11th July - House Show, London
Sat 12th July - The Vagina Stereolodge, Birmingham
Sun 13th July - Gulivers, Manchester
Mon14th July - 13th Note, Glasgow
Tues 15th July - Mystery Day 
Weds 16th July - Traveling Man Bookshop, Newcastle

There will probably be one more series of podcasts in the new year.

credits

from Polite Podcasts, track released 31 August 2014 
live recordings of Frozy and The Nervy Betters by Nicol Parkinson 
field recordings by Henry Ireland 
photo by Steve Brett

Thursday, 31 July 2014

recent things with me in them



What They Did Next kind of thing 




DIY, a zine compiled by Ellis Jones 
Our writing was translated into Welsh!

Saturday, 21 June 2014

polite podcast no.6


This is the second episode of a second series ('series') of polite podcasts. Things are as they were. There will be four shows, this time in the summer months and I will be publishing them in the mornings, not the evenings.

This episode was published on 21st June at 4.43AM, which is sunrise on the year's longest day. the next episode will be ay 8AM on the 16th of July. No special occasion this time, but it will be the last day that we are on tour.

credits

from Polite Podcasts, released 30 September 2013
We're Doing it - Ace Bushy Striptease acebushystriptease.com
Mao's Dynasty www.handidiom.co.uk/mao'sdynasty.html
Dirty White Van - King of Cats kingofcats.tumblr.com
The Girls of Summer - Hugh John Noble hughjohnnoble.bandcamp.com

Interviews - Gef Lucena (Saydisc Records: www.saydisc.com ); Nicol Parkinson

Friday, 6 June 2014

fan art

I got an envelope of nice stuff in the post today from Stef Purenins and Sarah Graley. Among the many great creative things that they do separately and together, Stef and Sarah are also a band called Sonic the Comic. I totally love their songs. they are making a new album right now and I only just started listening to their last one, Pixel!



And if that wasn't enough, they made this cover song of Gravestone by The Nervy Betters!

Friday, 4 April 2014

business card





I was going for the "crazy polymath" angle. This is the first time I've used my Kelsey table-top press. I got the plate cut at Centurion Graphics (who I found out about from Steve Brett). I know it's kind of cheating to set it digitally and then cut it to a plate but it would have cost a lot more in time and money to buy the type. I'm pretty happy with this solution and it cost me about £20 to make 100 business cards (and the next 100 will only cost £3.50 now that I have the plate). Another great thing about cutting stuff onto plates like this is that next time I need a new card design, I can try something hand-rendered!

Thursday, 27 March 2014

nervy betters pre-order



Steve Brett is good people. He has my undying devotion. As well as being a great person, he is also a fantastic songwriter. Over the last year or so, we have been recording and polishing some pop songs, with help from our friends. What has come of this is an album of songs, which is now available to pre-order.

The album was lovingly recorded by Steve and mixed with great care by Nico Marcel until the sound was clear as a bell. I'm pretty proud to be a part of this album and I hope you enjoy it.

Friday, 7 March 2014

we're planning a tour!

photo by Steve Brett

Over the weekend on 18th - 22nd of April, we're planning to play in London, Brighton, Birmingham, Cambridge/Northampton with: 

photo by Steve Brett


photo by Rhiannon Parkinson
photo by Roxy Brennan

Friday, 28 February 2014

party tzar




polite records is proud to present party tzar by tiger & panda & goat.

we recorded these songs on 4-track cassette on saturday the 22nd of february 2014.

There is no long press release to go with this recording. All we really want to say is that we are genuinely delighted with the outcome. The songs are indie-pop songs and we think that they will sound good to you. We are selling them at a good price because we are currently fundraising for some future projects. 

If you enjoy this maxi-ep, It would mean a lot to us if you purchased it as a download or CDR, or maybe tell your friends?

Anyway, here it is, world. 

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

stars don't shine to noise



Headfall released Stars Don't Shine to Noise in November 2004, just short of ten years ago. The record has just recently been made available to order online, along with a free digital download of the whole album. It was one of the first records I ever owned and it is still one of my favourite and most prized possessions by far. 

Seriously, you should buy this album. It is a genuine undiscovered classic. The only reason this thing is not completely sold out is that for a long time, the only place you could purchase it was at Headfall shows, which only tend to happen once, maybe twice a year in pretty small venues.

George McKenzie (drums, guitar, violin, piano, humming, tape loops, clarinet.) once told me that this album was the only thing he's ever made that he is still proud of. He then went on to tell me where all of the mistakes were. But they don't sound like mistakes to me. This whole shuffling, brooding thing sounds so on purpose, grey as mist on the sea, broken glass, to sand, to salt water. A bunch of punk kids trying to make jazz, awkwardness exploding out of them. Everything is poetry, sung and played, 'a truth too teenage'. 


I don't want to keep describing how it sounds. You can find out for yourself, and you should. I just think that what it does sound like, what it wants to sound like, is captured perfectly, stylistically, aesthetically, framed in smokey static electricity, perfectly honed and curated, artfully presented. a jagged frenzy beneath a swelling surface, barely restrained, three yearning hearts.

Monday, 3 February 2014

shrieking violet issue 22


The Shrieking violet is a great free zine, edited and curated by Manchester-based writer Natalie Bradbury. I'm really lucky to have some of my dumb writing in this issue, among some great articles about art, architecture, philosophy, culture... Pretty much everything. I recommend this and all the previous issues, which are free to read online.

Natalie also has an essay on being vegan up on the food-chain blog, which will be included in the third and final food-chain zine, to be completed this year.



Wednesday, 1 January 2014

polite podcast no.4



Hello, this is the fourth and final polite podcast. It contains songs by different people, oral histories and field recordings. I will be releasing an episode in the last hour of every month until the end of this year. So that's four episodes in total, okay? Okay!

credits

from Polite Podcasts, track released 31 December 2013
ribbons (live): palomica palomica.bandcamp.com
untitled: headfall myspace.com/headfall
mackerel sky: the living end! thelivingend.bandcamp.com
sea air/five roses (live): palomica
eugene v. debbs: grizzly and the bears
in the winter: frozy frozy.bandcamp.com
the snowfall which promised so much (yet gave so little): unecdotesoundcloud.com/unecdote
untitled: roxy brennan; steve brett; henry ireland; nicol parkinson
ferris wheel (live): palomica
coffee machines (live): palomica

interviews: Florence Carson; Mike Lollipop; Karis Clapperton; Jack Horton

sounds and recordings sourced by Henry Ireland and Nicol Parkinson

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

d.i.yuletide


This nice show is being held at the Sebright Arms on Sat 14th Dec by Burn The Jukebox who have very kindly asked us to play. The Sebright claims to be over 18s only on its website but if you are under 18 and would like to go, contact me and we will figure something out!

With:
Dead Flowers
Full-on Americana/beards assault from London, with a new album out
http://ianwilliamsandthedeadflowers.bandcamp.com/

Tiger & Panda & Goat
Wondrous folk-inspired songs from DIY label Polite Records
http://politerecords.bandcamp.com/

William Nein
Wry anti-folk
http://williamnein.blogspot.co.uk/

Kindling
Heartwarming slowcore alt-folk
http://thekindling.bandcamp.com/

+mince pies, BTJ DJs, dancing and Christmas Burgers upstairs in the pub!

£3 o.t.d
Nearest tube is Bethnal Green/Cambridge Heath, or buses going up Hackney Road

Monday, 2 December 2013

polite podcast no.3



from Polite Podcasts, released 30 September 2013

impossible walls: fontaine 
inclosure: moscow rules 
i found you: the dream is over
middling good boy: damh

interviews: marion ireland; mark dillon; philip dodd; elisa lloyd; james cabaniuk