At the gathering last year (2013), I met Jez "The Green Bard" Lawrence properly.  You might know him as his LT character Cajun Spinesplitter.  We had met before I went to LT via the Cuckoos Nest in Glasgow, but we hadn't really talked.  I used to enjoy his and Kathryn "Meg the Minstrel" Wheeler's performances during my LT early days and I count ( Read more... )

This is a light hearted drinking song for Empire. It's in a lively tempo in 6/8 time for added tankard swinging joy. Other writing has been slowed due to a song about Empress Brannan which is taxing me a bit ( Read more... )

This song isn't part of a project.  I just needed to write it.

( Lyrics to The Lampposts are Gallows )

This song has taken a while to write.  I've been unsure of its suitability for Empire.  Its chorus is cheesy and reminds me of 80's cartoon theme songs - such as He-Man or Thunder-Cats.  I was also compelled to write the verses a little like Big Bad John by Dean and Roy Acuff.  This evolved a bit in the writing and the later verses get a more Jesus ( Read more... )

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I had a Project D otherwise called Project Dahl. There's quite a nice story behind this.

( A lovely story about how to turn children into psychopaths )

When first writing for Navarr, it occurred to me that cadences would be a suitable way to get to battle. They can feel ferocious and primal, so it seemed a good match. And I already had the tune for the Navarr running song from an aborted attempt to write for the Cuckoo's Nest system in Glasgow. So there was something of the picking of the low ( Read more... )

I don't know what I am doing. And I am second guessing myself. That is my pattern of thought when writing for Empire.

( More on this... )

Since beginning the band project with Phil and Gwen, I have finished writing sixteen songs.  Two we have dropped - Come away Joe and The Coming of Mourning.  That leaves fourteen original songs we are currently working on.  We are also recording three cover songs - which will be included in a proof of concept EP with a handful of my songs ( Read more... )

Clown is a political song which rails against right-wing media. I know, it is not the first song ever written that has covered this topic and it won't be the last.

( Lyrics for Clown )

This song has a strong hook and appears to have immediate appeal.  It has been tricky to finish, because its subject matter does not resonate with me as it once did.  Such is the risk of not completing older material.  After failed attempts to finish, I went back to the lyrics I wrote many years ago and only changed some of the more cringe-worthy ( Read more... )