Shuffleblog #6, and Mastery.

So today I found out I passed my MA in Creative Writing with a Merit, with my highest mark being in my dissertation, which was a graphic novel (and the first time anyone in the department had done it). I feel like a winner and will get back into comics soon. I feel like a winner, and would like to thank you for reading my blog and let you know that you are capable of anything. Today's shuffles:

Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
Peter, Bjorn and John - Young Folks
Los Campesinos! - 2007, The Year Punk Broke (My Heart)
The Popticians - Red Ken (Peel Session)
Robert Johnson - Preaching Blues

Wow. I had forgotten the Popticians existed - John Hegley's band. The greatest living poet of the English language sings. Might have to put up the mp3 of that tomorrow. Watch this space.

If you don't know yet, I have a Christmas Charity Project on the go and we've had our first donation! Massive thanks to the spectacular filmmaker Hannah Shaw-Williams for that. Click on the links to find out more and please give generously. Thanks. Big Love.

Shuffleblog #5

Sunday on a Monday.

Loudon Wainwright III - Fame and Wealth
Paul Simon - American Tune
The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Independent Luxury
Yo La Tengo - Little Honda
Harry and the Potters - Meet Me Under The Mistletoe

Good to see the Wizard Rock creeping in. And a Christmas tune too!

Shuffleblog #4

Again, sorry for the lateness, I was spending a relaxing weekend hanging out with my girlfriend and looking at the astounding art of Stephen Farthing at the Royal Academy of Art in London. Go, and be amazed. Today's shuffles:

Jimmy Eat World - Stop
Kupek - Born Beautiful
Joan of Arc - Flowers
Roddy Woomble - Every Line of A Long Moment
The Lemonheads - Confetti

The same Joan of Arc song again, seriously?

Charity Christmas Album

A couple of years ago I spend a very cold day in fingerless gloves busking on Exeter high street. I did a few Christmas songs but mostly just did a few nice acoustic numbers over and over. I got a fair bit of cash but I reckon this was largely because of my big sign proclaiming it was for charity. Despite a ten-year-old boy's earnest proclamation that I was 'not very good' I really enjoyed it, despite the near-frostbite of the fingers. This year, I'd like to go one better and do a campaign to raise some money for Charity, to truly get in to the spirit of Christmas and give something back. As I will never be able to run a marathon, wouldn't last ten seconds in a sponsored silence and can't take part in Movember on account of already having facial hair, I've got to use what little skill I have with music to do something special to convince people to part with their pennies and give them to the sick kids. So from now until probably mid-December I'm going to record as many Christmas songs as I can until I have an album, then put it up on a pay-what-you-want basis on my bandcamp page, with all donations going to The Roald Dahl Foundation, a charity which helps to improve the quality of life of kids with long term illnesses.

Donations are open already because I figured if I start now then the campaign could gain some momentum and people could help with the process if they feel so inclined. Obviously it's okay if you want to wait until the album is finished to donate, but should you wish to help me along the way you can donate at my Just Giving page or by paying any amount at all towards the album on bandcamp. I've put the first song up, and will put each one up as I go, so that the album builds gradually. The first song is 'O Holy Night', a cover of a traditional and a fair beginning. The rest of the album, however, will be a mix of covers, traditionals and original material. If you have any suggestions for songs you think I should cover then drop a comment.

Please support in any way you can - visit the facebook or justgiving page and click 'like', tweet, invite your friends. All of these things take seconds but could change lives. But it doesn't make you a bad person if you don't. Check out the video blog - there'll be one of these, with an update and live performance, with each song. Boom!

Shuffleblog #3

Here we go again:

Sam Isaac - Carbon Dating
Luke Leighfield - I Never Say What I Mean
Buddy Holly - Lonesome Tears
Kyte - Solsbury Hill
AFI - Girl's Not Grey

Now Sam Isaac followed by Luke Leighfield is surely too big a coincidence to be a coincidence, right? Who knows. I heart shuffle.

Shuffleblog #2

I'm a day late on this one because I went to the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part One) last night and didn't have time to blog. I know, I'm a bad person. The film was good - standard Potter fare (wooden acting, clumsy script, fantastic visuals, epic score), but this time much more faithful to the books than before, and as I'm a bit of a Potter nerd it satisfied me. Plus we (me and my lovely lady partner) had better seats than the X Factor contestants. I would have given mine up for Wagner, but he seemed happy.

Anyhow, today's shuffles:

Gogol Bordello - Think Locally, Fuck Globally
Magnetic Fields - Time Enough For Rocking When We're Old
Marmaduke Duke - Heartburn
Bad Books - Please Move
Wilco - Hummingbird

Once again, very eclectic and suspiciously cool. A song from High School Musical or something will crop up soon. Promise.

Shuffleblog #1

This is something my dad's been doing for years and I always meant to do, but never quite got round to doing. I just take my ipod, put it on shuffle and write down the first five songs which come up. Here goes.


Incubus - Love Hurts
The Hold Steady - Both Crosses
Bright Eyes - False Advertising
Billy Bragg - Ingrid Bergman
Joan of Arc - Flowers

That's pretty good for a first time. I'm sure it'll reveal some of the godawful rubbish on there in due course.