R.S.Seizure

1st UK GIG + NEW CD...

2011-03-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

March 1st saw the home soil debut of R.S.Seizure live, playing with Timothy C. Holehouse, I added atomspheric drone + samples to a full band:
Timothy C. Holehouse - acoustic guitar, effects, vocals.
R.S.Seizure - processed guitar, electronics, samples.
Joel Klaverkamp - drums.
Stuart Coggins - Bass.
No name as yet, but will be in a studio early april to record!

My newest CD is now available, but only as a limited double CDR right now, CD 1 is guitar bassed (tracks 1&2) guitar + samples track 3 & mainly samples + field recordings on tracks 4&5, all very heavily processed.
CD 2 is 3 tracks featuring Andrew Mackinnon on guitar + beats.
Really happy with the end results, got stuck with some titles so ended up just going with untitled tracks (CD 1 'I-IV', CD2 'I-III')

Tracks I & II: http://rsseizure.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-tracks-cd1

COMING SOON...

2010-09-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Due to my band Live Fast Die! recording/releasing our CD things have been pretty quiet as far as my solo stuff goes...
well that will soon be changing! in the process of getting my head around logic & will have plenty of new stuff soon & will be playing some UK shows in the not too distant future.

FAREWELL HONG KONG... LONDONS CALLING...

2010-09-12T01:15:00.000-07:00

So, September is finally here & we will soon bid farewell to Hong Kong!
Julia starts work @ Flaming Eight next month & i face the the dubious task of finding a job in London. Looking forward to moving back, the new ambient/post-rock project with A.Mackinnon can get a bit more serious, even thoigh he's all the way up in Scotland it's still a damn sight closer than than he is right now with me stuck in Hong Kong.
Im seriously gonna miss my band Live Fast Die! & the assholes in it, those guys are a great band & we should hopefully finish the CD before i leave so there is a chance this Saturday might not be the last show.

IT'S ALL GO!!!!

2010-06-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Soooo, it's been a busy few weeks for me!
1st up..... i'm now world wide!

www.rsseizure.com is online!
so far it's just a "coming soon" screen with a link to here (you may have just seen that) +myspace

the main site should be up & running asap!

HAND PRINTED CASSETTE SLEEVES......

these are for an upcoming split on Rainbow Bridge with Sensible Nectar & also my "taped" project that ive been planning for a while.
will post finished pics when i have the actual hand painted red cassettes from Rainbow Bridge....

The Black Reign cd is still going ahead, should be under production asap.

Vælium 3" mini cd

2010-05-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, all finished recording & artwork, just burning left now!

The front is basically a valium packet, with the Roche logo changed to "RSC" & the back is the new logo Julia has designed for Spliced Records!

The disc is just a giant 10mg valium!

SPLICED RECORDS

2010-05-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

This post is a little bit late, but im finally getting around to it!
Have decided to start a label.... mostly drone, ambient, noise, folk, black metal etc.
Will be mostly cassette releases for now, few CD's/3" mini CD's..... leading towards vinyl!
Upcoming releases include the Black Reign cd from my last post, plus the following....

Nanahara Shuya/R.S.Seizure - split cassette

R.S.Seizure - "Taped" cassette

R.S.Seizure - 3" mini cd

MARY & THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - more details soon..... EPIC project!

More coming soon.......

BLACK REIGN - CD coming soon!

2010-05-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

So..... the 1st official CD release on Spliced Records (should have blogged about spliced before this really.... i'll get round to it soon!) will be getting pressed soon! Thats right.... properly replicated, non of this duplicated crap!
It will be available directly from me, my (soon-to-be-launched) website - www.rsseizure.com & it will also be available from www.coldspring.co.uk
A link to the 1st track is HERE

Artwork for "Ghost Town"

2010-05-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

Ghost Town, the HK hardcore band formerly known as Bridged will soon be releasing their EP, & here is the artwork!

Nice to finally have this project finished.... what with design changes, name changes & me just being generally lame it's taken awhile!

ELECTRIC PRICK!

2010-04-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

just thought i'd share an image someone sent me recently........

it's funny when something you knew was gonna happen happens, & you are proven right.

sent my dvd's in the mail you a'hole, coz you have a guilty conscience & are too much of a pussy to face me.

to the person who sent me the image (you shall remain nameless!) it really made me chuckle, thanks!

Black Reign - Session One

2010-04-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

The session from March 31st, recorded @ Hot Focus. You can listen here

I'm using mxr carbon copy analogue delay, mxr bluebox, digitec delay, boss ft-2 (occasional use of a fuzz... but i forget which one!)

Arthur is playing guitar.

Will be cassette One (CASS-001) on Spliced Recordings

SPLIT RELEASE WITH SENSIBLE NECTAR

2010-04-21T03:21:00.000-07:00

Upcoming split release with Sensible Nectar on Rainbow Bridge Recordings.......

this is just a sample print, the sleeves will actually be screen printed by hand (by yours truly!)

will be a very limited release of 33, available from rainbow bridge @ some point in the near future.

if you want to check out sensible nectar click here

Forthcoming audio cassette release with Timothy C. Holehouse!

2010-04-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

Rather looking forward to this one........ thats right, a cassette!
also got a track on the new "Mouthful of Air" EP, 10 minutes of ambience via yours truly is the 4th track!

Black Reign in the studio!

2010-03-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

Will be in the studio with Arthur Urquiola this week, for a 3 hour recording session.
2 hours or so will be creating source material for a new cd, and we will also be spending 45/60 min recording a live track.
the whole idea is to create a cd using only material created during these 3 hours, i'll produce a track, he'll produce a track & then release it with the live track + killer artwork. gatefold....... all artwork will involve photos taken before/during/after the recording session in & around the studio.
anyways, really looking forward to this & will keep you posted on the end results...... but expect some results within the next few weeks.

Dont think this will be under "Black Reign" will have to wait & see, may just be under "R.S.Seizure & A.Urquiola"

Finally finished....... first "official" R.S.Seizure CD......

2010-03-23T03:59:00.000-07:00

Finally finished this, full length, 3 track R.S.Seizure CD.
tracks are all done, artwork done...... just needs burning & printing!
fairly happy with the end result, but if youre not into drone/ambient noise then this is not for you!
Front:

Back (rough version, smoothed it out a bit now!):

Disc image:

samples from part 1 & 2 are on my myspace, but the audio quality is pretty low, so you cant really hear all the the texture & layers + the bass doesnt come thru.
http://www.myspace.com/rsseizure

Excited about my latest project!

2010-03-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

Cant say too much about this because nothing is approved (chances are it might not even get used) but I've spent the last couple of days designing a poster for something I like a WHOLE LOT!
So..... this one is kinda cool for me & I'm pretty happy with what I've done. here's a small section from it, with all the info removed...
will hopefully post finished pics soon.

Dear Hong Kong.......

2010-03-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

Dont expect any comments on this...... unless i happen to get some negative ones but what the hey!
Probably noticed I've been pretty negative recently as far as Hong Kong goes...... & I know I've been bumming people out (especially Julia) & the last couple of days (since I chilled out on plenty of valium so I could get on stage with a cracked rib!) I've been doing a bit of thinking & just thought I'd put a few words up......
I moved to Hong Kong over 4 years ago, bright eyed, bushy tailed & rearing to go! I'd been here a month previously for 2 weeks to see how I liked the place & I was feeling really positive I could make a home for myself & my beautiful (future) wife.
I (thought) I had made some local friends (more about them later!) + a good gweilo (yes, I know thats a negative word but have had to get used to it!) friend who although I dont see to often I still have strong feelings for (cheers Pat!)
One of my 1st Hong Kong memories is going to see NOFX, great gig, shame about the attendance but hey, dumb move to organize it the same weekend as Rockit (RIP) Hong Kong's only music festival! This was the 1st time I met 2 friends, Adam & Arthur, who would become a really good friend & Guitarist in my band. Anyways, went out for dinner that night with some people & was repeatedly told not to hang out with Arthur or Adam, as they were not good guys..... & that is my 1st bad experience with Hong Kong! I was convinced they were good guys & always make up my own mind about people.... & I'm glad I did.
Remember those local friends I talked about? Well thats bad experience #2! Got really stabbed in the back, heard comments like "you are ok for a white guy" (after thinking someone was a friend for several months) & other shit I dont wanna bore you with!
Anyways, skip forward a bit, miss out several racism issues I had (fuck you Gweilo, Gweilo go home) being told I should be more proud to white, someone refusing to give my wife a fanzine because "it's just for locals" yadda yadda.
Thought it would be a great idea to start promoting shows.... had tried to help other in their promoting but realised that was hopeless (not promoting a show coz you think that not telling people about it will keep it underground is retarded!) so yeah, what could possibly be wrong with me doing my own shows? great idea right? something I love doing, doing it for the love, to help out local bands, not for my own agenda? WRONG!
Put my all into this, really thought I could help the HK "scene" (sic) but after just a few shows, I started getting negative feedback, on the equipment (that I wasnt earning any money to replace coz I was basically not making any profits) not being good enough...... this is punk, indie & hardcore bands who anywhere else in the world (let alone somewhere as secluded & with as little opportunity as Hong Kong) would just be glad of the chance to have somewhere to play! Certain people in HK have provided advice on how things work.... well I'm telling you people, you were HUGELY miss-informed! on 2 occasions fairly famous US bands have said to me @ HK shows "wow, we are used to playing school halls & community centres, whats with all the stadium equipment? surely if less money was spent, profits would have been up....."
Next up, I have local hardcore bands demanding stupid amounts of money ($1000 plus on shows that wouldnt make a profit) + allow all their friends in for free..... this was shows that were $180 on the door with an open bar ALL NIGHT! Now, even if you only drink coke, compared with HK bar prices, thats not a bad deal! One band in particular (I'm not gonna name the douche bags) wanted over $1000 for a New Year show.... that was organised just so that for ONCE there was something happening for HK's alternative crowd! If you speak to anyone who went, it was a great night!
After this, several rumors started to float around, that I was a "typical suit wearing gweilo, in it just for the money & ripping off "local" talent. Now for those of you that dont know, "local" means HK chinese, if youre not chinese, even if you were born here, you can never be classed as local. (hmm, wouldnt you be classed as a racist if you had that attitude in a lot of countries?)
So...... had plenty of phone calls informing me of this crap being spread on local forums..... but only to show private support, but to my knowledge no one from "local" bands showed me any kind of public support. Plenty of bands did, but not "local" ones.
I'm not gonna bore you with too much of this shit, various other incidents have gotten to me over the years, stuf involving my business, people screwing over me & (especially) my wife (just recently someone REALLY let her down, showed a serious lack of respect & was very very ungrateful) & we have also had shit in the village we live in, when our neighbors dogs (wild but registered, never allowed inside but viscous & never restrained) attacked our Chihuahua Milo, almost killing him & causing over $10,000 in vets bills threatened to have me killed when i reported them, + informed me I should "f#ck off back where I came from because white people dont belong in Hong Kong" (funny, my wife might be white but she was born here, they are from mainland china & macau!) The police werent interested, neither were ACFD (even though they put down plenty of non-dangerous dogs every day)
So.... to cap it all off, I may have been very negative for a while..... but as far as I'm concerned, HK has really killed my faith in mankind! I was always the guy who would stick up for anyone who needed support, was dead against racism & believed in people in general & thought I needed to get out of London..... recently visited London & believe me, HK is FAR more racist & much less friendly once you dig under it's glossy exterior!
I'm sorry to all my friends I have brought down, bummed out & moaned @ (especially my wife!) I appreciate all your help & support & I'm going to try to make a more conscious effort to be more positive during the rest of my stay here in this beautiful city (there is a lot I DO love about it!) that I currently still call home!

I will end this telling you a story about a very obnoxious local man (lets refer to him as "A'hole" we met around the time of the last U.S. election..... he was convinced we were american because of our tattoos (apparenty brits wear suits & work in banks) & wanted to know who I would vote for..... I dont normally get involved in political discussions but did say that Obama seemed to have a brain in his head which a lot of U.S. presidents seem to be missing..... to which he replied "but he's a negro, do you not feel it's irresponsible for a white person to vote for a negro? do you really feel they are capable of running a country?"
Now I was pretty sick of this A'hole, & went inside to use the toilet & the manager of the bar we were @ asked what the problem was, apparently A'hole was a "nice guy, just a bit drunk" & when I told him what A'hole had said he replied "oh, dont worry, thats not racist, thats just discrimination"......... that says a lot about HK's attitudes & explains why HK is so racist (look @ the way maids of a certain race are treated & people not wanting to sit next to certain races on buses)

p.s. If anyone reads this & feels I'm unfairly talking about them, take a minute to think about: A, do you really need to worry? am I really talking about you? & B, do you deserve it? is something making you feel guilty........

LATEST CUSTOM MACHINE

2010-02-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I did any machine building...... but I've finally got my ass in gear!
While we were in London in August, our buddy Andras gave Julia a machine with a really nice hand made brass frame made from an old key..... but it ran like crap! The main problem was the hole in the key that made up the front post of the frame was way too big, so whoever built it had mounted the front binding post on fiber washers that had too much give so it was impossible to keep it in tune.
Took me a while to figure out what i was going to do! 1st up, took the whole thing apart & pretty much threw everything out except the frame. the problem with the washers was solved by drilling holes in a pair of old 1948 Hong Kong coins, then used a copper binding post with a nice brass key head contact screw:

I have used Phenolic Washers brass screws (except rear shelf & a-bar) & a copper spring & binding posts, with a 1950 Hong Kong coin for the rear shelf washer:

The coils are hand wound 6 wrap, finished with dollar bills, then given a heavy glaze:

The end result seems like it's gonna be ok, the frame dimensions aint great, it's basically too damn short! took me a bit of work but it works! still needs running in but it's looking good.

Now all I have to do is make a machine for Andras! I've got most of the parts together & should hopefully have it ready by the time he arrives in a few days. For now, here are the coils:

Here are some more I've got ready for future use:

I'm lovin the dirty cherry red's, got them looking a bit worn & old before the glaze you cant really see it in these pics (bit better if you click on the pic to enlarge it) but the glaze is really heavy, gives them a really nice shine!
Think I'm gonna have to get hold of some old British coins to use when i build something for these.

'"HIGH FIVE!"'

2009-11-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted anything....... but thought this was cool enough to make the effort!
Somebody came in the studio recently asking about palm tattoos, wanting "high five!" on his palm & I thought it was a perfect opportunity to do some more hand picking work!
The customers name is Luke, singer from a local metalcore band (who's name i forget!) & will probably need a bit of a touch up next week (palms are a bitch) but here are some pics:

On friday night my band "LIVE FAST DIE!" played @ a local venue called "Rockschool" (shit, it's been so long since I blogged I dont think I've even mentioned this place yet!) & it was a pretty good night! Will post more about the band soon, had a few gigs recently & a couple of radio interviews I will get around to posting about some time!
couple of pics from friday night:

kinda hard to see in these pics but as it was "Friday The 13th" we had an appropriate banner made & I had designed a dumb ass flyer (which got blown up & hung outside the venue) & the whole evening turned out to be the usual drunken mess that is expected from a LIVE FAST DIE! show!
heres the banner & flyer, with our faces super-imposed:

PRIMEVAL....

2009-09-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

So...... just finished watching the last episode of season 3........... & it seems that there will be no more!
Wasnt too sure about this one @ first, but by the end of the 1st season it had really grown on me! Seems to have been a success back home, at the point of season 3 ending the production team (impossible pictures) were under the impression that everything was ok for a 4th season & left it with a real cliff hanger, but the bastards @ ITV have since cancelled it!
The chances of things continuing look pretty bleak right now, there is a Hollywood film in the pipeline, although this will probably be a re-telling & also a U.S. series, but neither will follow on from this version of the story.
Apparently ITV wont be making any pre-watershed dramas, due to budget cuts. Come on BBC, buy this up!

Some music for Stitch!

2009-09-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

My buddy Stitch in London recently laid his hands on an accordion (his lovely wife Kate bought it for him!) & i said i would postsome stuff for him to listen to....... so here's a start!

1st up....... The truly amazing "Goddamn Gallows"

the accordion is kinda subtle & isnt on every track, but if you listen close it's there! Only just discovered these guys & this album is awesome.

(No accordion when they play live, just thought i'd post a video anyway!)
DOWNLOAD LINK

Next up is "Zydepunks" who aint as heavy, but also good, kinda floggin molly but with a yiddish/zydeco twist.

these guys mix eastern european & irish folk with zydeco.
DOWNLOAD LINK

Last but by no means least for today..... is another "Leningrad" album!

This is actually a double live album, chock full of accordion goodness!
DOWNLOAD LINK DISC 1
DOWNLOADLINK DISC 2

Ok, will probably post some more 2mrw!

THESE ALBUMS ARE NOT HOSTED BY ME, I AM JUST SUPPLYING LINKS, IF ANYONE HAS A PROBLEM WITH ANY OF THESE ALBUMS BEING LISTED HERE, LET ME KNOW & I WILL REMOVE THEM! IM JUST TRYING TO INTRODUCE SOME PEOPLE TO SOME TRULY AMAZING MUSIC THAT THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO HEAR, IF THEY LIKE IT THEY CAN GO OUT & BUY YOUR ALBUMS!

Probably the best band....... EVER!

2009-09-14T01:20:00.001-07:00

Ok, thought it was about time i posted some music on here.... so here is something most of you probably havent heard of!
Leningrad are one of my favorite bands, i love these guys! This album Hleb (Bread) is one of their best (There is a link @ the bottom, under the album cover, download it, listen to it & let me know what you think!)
couldnt be arsed to type a revue/bio, so im posting this, from eastblok music........ dont be put off by the mix of influences, it just works & sounds awesome! They have a real punk attitude & this album also has a bit of a psychobilly influence:

Currently there are 15 members in the band, or rather orchestra Leningrad. This makes their live performance an unforgettable experience. This makes up for the irresistible appeal of Leningrad. The music is a mixture of ska, Cuban salsa and Russian prison chanson, sung with their hearts on their sleeves. Nowadays, there are also rap influences and hard rock guitars in Leningrad's music and the songs always tell stories and little dramas.

Leningrad trespasses against all sorts of rules and breaks with traditions; they swear in public, shoot scandalous video clips and cause mayhem at their concerts. Shnur himself says about his band: 'Leningrad - is like a porno film: with little means you provoke strong emotions.'

That was way too much for Moscow mayor Yuri Lushkov, who prohibited Leningrad ever performing in Moscow again. Still in the rest of the country they perform in front of thousands of frenetic fans.

Hleb is Leningrad's most social album so far. The fancy world of tennis stars or the power of banks - the conflict between poor and rich is one of the most prominent features of post Soviet turbo capitalism. Leningrad manage to describe society problems in a few striking lines.

Within a few years Leningrad turned from a club band into a stadium act without loosing any of its credibility.

Most chart bands in Russia copy their Western counterparts. Leningrad may well be the only Russian top ten band, who is musically and lyrically denying itself to the mainstream. Post modernism meets folk&roll and urban underground in a tasty cocktail. Leningrad's lyrics deal with the Russian every man from the streets, mostly interested in sex and alcohol, but who has the heart in the right place. Shnur's songs use a plethora of swearwords as well as the language of Soviet dissidents' chansons to grab things 'by the balls', similar to Soviet underground writers: rude, but not dumb. This is most likely the reason why Leningrad is loved not only by the common people, but also by the intellectuals, who cannot but grin at this clever poetic swearing. Theirs is a language everyone understands, while pretending not to speak. Their songs are about things, most people in Russia can identify with these days: booze, sex, death, irony, money, love, love for money, no money, no luck, no future.

DOWNLOAD LINK: LENINGRAD - HLEB

WEIRDEST VIDEO EVER!

PRODIGY VIDEO, WITH LENINGRAD SONG (fits perfectly!)

THE FIVE STOOGES!

2009-09-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Just found this revue by one of the judges from Battle of the bands the other night & it made me laugh (although not as hard as i did when it was announced we got thru!) Anyways, here it is:

"The second group was called Live Fast Die! This was their second time playing together, thrash/punk/screaming vocals and you know what? I liked them. Because they could play and their songs were really funny. Plus it was like watching the Three Stooges on stage - during the first song one of the guitarists knocked the singer off the stage. During the second song the two guitarists kind of piled on the singer and almost knocked each other unconscious, all to the tune of a song that sort of reminded me of the Stooges' Search and Destroy."

His name is Spike, you can find his blog here: http://laowai.blogspot.com/
Cheers Spike!

TAKING OVER THE WORLD!

2009-09-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

My band "Live Fast Die" entered Global Battle of The Bands on saturday for a laugh....... & we got through to the Hong Kong final!
Shit, didnt think about going any further just turned up drunk & did what we do! Dont have any good pic's yet (rob, you suck!) but got a video (should be 2 more soon) & a pic of me chuggin jim beam just as we started!

LIVE FAST DIE!

2009-09-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

Julia designed a cheesy logo for my band today & it's pretty fuckin sweet!
anyways, here it is:

We will be playing global battle of the bands this saturday, it's @ a venue called the cavern where ive always wanted to play!
should be pretty cool, not under any illusions that we could win, but it's gonna be a hell of a lot of fun!

PUB DOG!

2009-09-07T12:21:00.001-07:00

Just an average night in the Boozer!
Milo the lil' super star chillin out @ the bar!

So, Julia bought a new camera & as the drinks flowed, the pics were snapped!

All the pic taking did get a bit annoying........

FACE ACHE!

2009-09-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

HELLO & WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOG!
I will probably be a bit lame with this, dont expect posts everyday (maybe not even every week) but anytime i have any news, or feel the need to rant about something it will be here!

Ok, so I've been thinkjng about this for a while & finally got it done today, my diamond!
Actually didnt hurt, just felt a bit scratchy!

had a few down the boozer, not many people out but nobody noticed!

Anyways, here's a few more pics from London:

Nina Kate, Ash & Lee from "The Defiled" (Lee may be a rock star with a model wife now, but ive known him since he was a 15 year old grunge kid!)

Andy & his homo drink!

Andy's homo shoes!

me, Julia & Naresh from Flaming Eight Tattoo Studio

AWESOME STEAK!

Me & Vinnie (Foo Foo, you my bro man!)
& a few from Norwich:

my lovely wife Julia Seizure, tattooing @ the Norwich convention

Rich & Wink (Wink is an awesome tattoo artist based in Norwich, & his twin Rich has recently got into hand picking!)

Wink tattooing

My sister Ruth, brother in-law Ben & my neices Grace & Pearl!

Julia & some ducks!

me Ma an' Pa!

Fish 'n' Chips!

2009-09-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

So, August was a busy month!!!!!

Julia & I jetted off back home to England for a well deserved break!

It wasnt all rest, as we worked the Norwich Body Arts Festival & Julia worked guest spots @ Flaming Eight & Haunted tattoo studios in London.

Two of the many, many, many things I miss about dear old Blighty is the live music scene (obviously) & THE FOOD! One of our first stops was Blackpool for the Rebellion Punk Festival which had both! Awesome bands & awesome fish & chips!

Will post more pics 2mrw.