LATEST CUSTOM MACHINE

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!"'

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....

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!