new releases

Recent goings on and upcoming projects

Music

As the rain sets in here in the UK, for what looks like a prolonged period, it seems that summer is well and truly over.

The last few months have been pretty busy, so I thought I’d quickly let you in on what I’d been up to…

…aside from the usual, that is

My main working week is still taken up with the music therapy service I provide in a range of settings. Most of my therapy work is with children and young people, and one of the best things about my job is seeing how music helps to communicate feelings which, for some of my clients, can be hard to articulate with words. It makes the more difficult aspects about this work (such as the seemingly endless stream of reports) worthwhile.

Wedding season is coming to an end

In terms of live music, it is the covers bands that continue to make up majority of my professional output. However, I enjoyed playing more solo guitar gigs, performing at wedding services and receptions.

Credit: Imogenkate Photography (2023).

It’s nice to see this type of work coming back through into my diary again. After Covid, I feared that live classical guitar may have been an expense too far for couples planning their big day, but this summer has thankfully proven my fears to be unfounded. I’ve already got several dates in my diary for 2024 (if you are looking for a solo guitarist for your own big day please get in touch via my contact page).

Nick Gladdish is recording his next LP

In August, Nick called his usual crew into the studio to lay down baking tracks for his new album, he follow-up to 2021’s Last One Get The Lights. Although we all (Nick included) expected this record to feel like a companion piece to LOGTL, we soon discovered a slightly more rock-orientated edge to the arrangements. This may be a result of the tighter arrangements, as Nick told us he was consciously trying to keep the tunes on this record shorter than his usual fare. With John Timey back in the joint producer/drummer chair, and the brilliant Adam Cornell on bass guitar, this felt like one of the smoothest recording sessions I’ve ever been involved with.

NG Band in-studio.
Positive feedback?

The results so far are promising; ten pop-rock songs about love, loss, disillusionment and corruption. I certainly enjoyed writing and layering rhythm guitar tracks. There’s not many guitar solos this time around, but there is some interesting experimentation going on, from drowning out the end of one song in multi-tracked guitar feedback, to a bluesy ukulele solo on the opening track! Next come the overdubs, editing and mastering…

New original project finally ready to launch

Finally, despite various obstacles thrown at me, I am pleased to announce that I have a new original music project about to start performing live. Solcade began as an outlet for music I was writing which didn’t fit anywhere else – too jazzy, bluesy or indeed too varied for many of the ensembles I have been working with.

After recruiting a stable five-piece lineup, the project quickly became much more of a democratic process, and the music is all the better as a result. With each member having an equal credit in writing and arranging, everyone involved has been bringing their ‘A game’ and making some amazing contributions. If you’re a fan of psychedelic funk, Jazz, soul and rythym & blues, then watch this space for upcoming details about our forthcoming debut record (likely scheduled for completion & release in 2025).

We have some live shows coming up in the autumn, too. Follow us on Instagram to hear the latest updates.

But what have you been up to?

Let me know! Also, I’m planning on writing a Q&A article so if you have any guitar, composition, music therapy or psychotherapy-based questions, get in touch and I may well include it!

‘Last One Get the Lights’ Album Launch, 12.09.21

Music

Well, we finally got there. After delays and set backs, date changes and continued COVID cases making life difficult for all of us, The Nick Gladdish Band finally reached the day of their album launch gig.

This journey started almost a year ago, with rehearsals for group arrangements and recording taking place in October 2020. If you want to refresh your memory, you can look for previous posts, starting with Back in the studio (part 1) and continuing with Back in the studio (part 2), Back in the studio (part 3) and Back in the studio (part 4).

The launch gig, on the 12th of September 2021, brought a year’s worth of writing, recording, mixing, printing and promotion to a close – at least, until I get to work finalising our next short tour, scheduled for Spring 2022.

Also playing were local singer songwriter Jenny Lascelles, performing a beautiful solo set from the piano, and The Baltics, a new indie group on the Newcastle local live music scene. Both acts were well received and it was great to be at a live show again. Our only other performance since the start of the pandemic was a warm up show in Stockton in August, in support of another talented young band, Gone Tomorrow. Safe to say the next generation of bands looks full of promise…

As for our set, we had a blast! We’d spent the best part of a year waiting to play the new songs live and our hour onstage seemed to fly by in a blur of smiles and camaraderie. Personally, I thought the guys in the band played a blinder. If there were any wrong notes played that night I certainly didn’t hear them.

Nick Gladdish onstage (credit: John Timney).

The album is available in full on Band camp here. We’d love your support!

We’re having something of a break for the rest of the year. Everyone in this band has other projects to focus on, and it gives Nick time to write the songs for the next album (he could release a new album each year if he wanted to – I don’t know how he does it!). In the meantime, stay tuned for news of other fun things happening soon.

The Nick Gladdish Band (L-R): John Timney, Nick Gladdish, Adam Cornell, Tim Higgins & Shannon Powell, after the album launch.

Until next time…

The making of ‘Last One Get the Lights’ (part two)

Music

You might remember Part One of the NG Band mini-documentary, which was released a few weeks ago. If not, you can watch it here.

Here’s part two. Let me know what you think.

New singles Right Side of Wrong and Anything and Nothing will be released as a double A-side this Sunday (11th April) and will be available on all the usual online and steaming platforms

Reblog: Freeze – The Nick Gladdish Band

Music

A brief view of the recording project I’ve been involved in, told by bass player from the same band (and dear friend), Groovebox Adam:

Freeze – The Nick Gladdish Band

I feel like my entire musical career has been an endless challenge to do what I can under unfavourable circumstances. So when the pandemic hit I couldn’t believe how many of the bands I played with went into total hibernation, vowing to get back on it when things blew over at some hypothetical moment in […]

Freeze – The Nick Gladdish Band

‘Freeze’ by Nick Gladdish is available online NOW, in all the usual places.

New single ‘Freeze’ released this Sunday (20.12.20)

Music

The Nick Gladdish Band are finally releasing the second single from our upcoming album, Last One Get The Lights, after a little over two months of recording, overdubbing, mixing and mastering!

The song is called Freeze, and will be available via all the usual online streaming outlets such as Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, Deezer, etc…

This record has been delayed because of COVID19. The first lead single for this album was released last year! But somehow, in the middle of a pandemic (and adhering to social distancing rules), we managed to get the other ten tracks compeleted. I can’t wait to start sharing them with you!

In fact, after you’ve searched for Nick Gladdish and found the song, why not save him / follow him? We’ll have a new single coming out on the last Friday of the month for the first part of 2021, until the album Last One Get The Lights is released in April or May!

Listen to the first single, Blurry Lines, here on Spotify.

Back in the studio (part 3)

Music

Last night, we got the final session of tracking done (on a new album for The Nick Gladdish Band), with a day left until lockdown #2 comes into effect across the UK.

Nick met drummer & producer John Timney at TRAXX Studios in North Tyneside for five hour. They didn’t just tracked all the vocal parts to the band songs. They also recorded the two solo songs which will ‘bookend’ the album.

Nick working hard in the studio (picture courtesy of John Timney)

Now comes the mixing…

I’ve already heard a few early mixes on a couple of the songs. Even in their rough, unmastered state, they sound rather promising. As always, I’ll keep you updated as the record progresses…

Back in the studio (part 1)

Music

Last Thursday & Friday, I was back in the studio with the Nick Gladdish Band, as we finally started work on his new album Last One Get The Lights.

In normal times, this would have taken place in April, and by now, we’d be on another tour supporting the finished product. In fact, we already released the lead single Blurry Lines last last year (listen to it here). However, the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have held everything up. More recently, we’ve been able to get back on track.

The process

To start with, Nick shared demos of the songs, and we started listening and thinking of suitable parts. A few weeks ago, we held two days of rehearsals where we tried out different things to see what worked. These were recorded as draft ‘rough cuts’ and the best arrangement shared amongst ourselves, so we could refine our parts further. It also gave me time to consider the best way to record the guitars, and which instruments to use.

Here’s a few pictures from the two eight-hour days at Traxx Studios in North Tyneside. We spent these days recording the main backing tracks of drums, bass, most rhythm guitars, keys and guide vocals. The credits belong to everyone in the band (I’m not sure exactly who took which picture in some cases):

The whole recording process came together really quickly. In two days, we manged to get all the backing for the eight ‘full band’ tracks down, as well as additional rhythm guitar parts. Having rehearsed and arranged this set of songs in a live room setting, the guitar parts were quite simple to arrange and organise for tracking.

What happens next?

The initial plan was for John (Timney, drummer and engineer for this LP) to crew te rough mixes from what we had before we started on overdubs. However, the government’s announcement at the weekend, telling us we’ll be back in lockdown from Thursday, prompted a change of tack.

Instead, I will be going back into the studio with John to lay down all the guitar overdubs and solos tonight.

Tomorrow, Nick will record all of his vocals and a few additional piano & acoustic guitar parts. Shannon Powell, our backing singer at the live shows, will add her final parts remotely in the next week or so. That way, John has the whole period of lockdown to mix and master the record, and we can have the entire album finished in time for release at the start of 2021.

The Nick Gladdish Band. L-R: John Timney (drums, production), Adam Cornell (bass), Nick Gladdish (lead vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar) and myself (guitars, lapsteel).

I’ll post some more pictures from tonight’s session, as well as further updates, in due course. Until next time…

Want your music to be heard? Pick a genre!

Advice & Tips

I love artists who create works that cross the boundaries of genre, style, and in some cases, medium. Most people do.

Others, of course, are faithful purists to their favourite genre. But for the rest of us who take our influences from all manner of avenues, how do we categorise our music?

There’s a good argument that genres are only useful to music journalists and lazy audiences. Why should everything be boxed up and potentially limited by increasingly narrower definitions? However, the key argument for explaining how your music sounds is simple: to build an audience.

Pick a genre (or three)

Truth be told, there is strong chance that your music could probably be catogorised under one of these common genres:

  • Classical
  • Jazz
  • Rock/Pop
  • Soul
  • Hip Hop
  • Gospel
  • Country
  • World/roots
  • Metal
  • Blues
  • Indie

These terms are wide catch-all umbrellas, into which various sub-genres fall – just think of all the different kinds of Classical music or Jazz which exist! Try zooming out and imagining where you’d expect to find your music in a retail store. If you feel your music crosses between these larger genres, use more than one – but no more than three.

There exists another category, increasingly referred to as a genre, called singer-songwriter. This usually refers to a pop or indie artist performing acoustically. If that’s you, say so. If you’re in a band and you don’t know where you sit on the scale of rock to pop, and fear losing potential listeners, perhaps stick to the safe option, and go with Indie?

Of course, it can work the other way too. For every Gospel/Soul artist, there will be one solely residing in the musical world of Minimalist Math-Rock. In which case…

Find your niche

Picture credit: Fossbytes.com

The above image (from an interesting article you can read here) barely scratches the surface of the wide, weird & wonderful world of sub-genres.

You might worry about being too niche when describing your sound, but each of these categories has a huge number of fans around the world. If you insist on being ultra-specific when describing your music, you might as well to tap into existing markets such as these…

Remember: You don’t have to stay in one genre forever

The best artists started out doing one style, usually very well, and growing from there. The Beatles were a ‘beat’ group (guitar pop rooted in rhythm & blues), but they soon went far beyond this. Even the famously ever-changing David Bowie’s first few albums from the sixties were of the classic singer-songwriter + band vibe. Without a base to jump from, you can’t expect to get much further than where you are right now.

True, the music industry is very different now. Artists aren’t given the opportunity to find their voice over the course of several albums. But there is still the option of playing live* to an audience, as well as other bands on the bill.

(*or, should I say, there WILL be the opportunity to play live again once we are all out of lockdown – TH, writing in April 2020)

Regular gigging allows you to work on your songs and develop your sound with each passing gig. It should also bring you into contact with new fans, who will be able to describe your music (in terms of genre) much more efficiently than you may be able to yourself. You never know, they might even invent a brand new sub-genre just for you!