Been busy!!

Not posted for a while. Russ and I have been gigging loads so I've not managed much riding. However, I have obtained the following:

Hope R4 riding light. Not used it yet so report to follow

Iphone 4s. Not actually got it yet so should be picking it up tomorrow. Looking forward to finally getting on the Iphone train. All appled up now: iphone, iPad, Ipod and Macbook Pro!

Now the gigs have finished, I'm hoping to get lots of riding in. I need to clear my head. I love playing with the Nightwires but I'm really not sure if I can go on anymore with it. For the effort, we're getting nowhere. We played in Derby last week and it was a nice venue but so much talking, I found it really offputting. Cant people shut up for 5 fucking minutes!!

I'll try and keep this thing updated. It helps me.

Fuck......

......it

Knackered

Did a 15 mile ride yesterday, even though I was really knackered after The Nightwire show on Friday.

That was a lot of fun and we played very well. The sound was excellent too but it's a good job the people I had asked to watch us had turned up. So even though the gig was great, I was left feeling a it disheartened as there were so few people there. I'm starting to get pissed off at playing empty rooms, we're too good for that. Those there enjoyed it but we deserve so much better.

I look around at other acts who are getting recognition and they are nowhere near as good as us. They don't have the songs, the singer or even the backing vocals for that matter or the stage craft. But they know which is the right arse to lick or they are getting the luck that we aren't. To be honest, I don't know how much longer I can go on without getting up to the next level. The only thing that keeps me going is the fact that we are still writing such great songs. The bullshit that I hear on the gigging scene is really starting to become a drag and I can't bear it for much longer. having to say to bands you were great when it's so far from the truth, is just fucking stupid. Why can't I say "your so fucking shit and I want to be playing with better bands"

And the lack of common courtesy within the gigging scene is astounding. I lend people bits of gear and get no thanks whatsoever. Or we thank a band from the stage and they can't bring themselve to extend the same thanks to us. Well you know what, fuck em, I can't be arsed to even speak to people like that anymore. If that makes them think I arrogant the so be it. I haven't got time or the energy to deal with people like that any longer.

And it's some of the established artists who are the worst for having no manners whatsoever. We supported a singer who was in a good band and is now playing acoustic (think about the size of bovine animals and singing with a comedy double act) who ignored us basically when we tried to chat with him and couldn't be arsed to watch us or even thank us for playing. Ignorant bastard. Or the Seattle band we supported who couldn't be bothered to watch us because "3 bands is too much music for us to listen to" they were idols of ours, but you should never meet your idols!

We've met a few great people during our time, Friday night being a case in point with the ever supportive Ted and Andie and the lovely Ann Duggan who we supported. But it's always the wankers who stick in my mind and bug me. Thats probably just my problem and I should forget about them, but as you get older, that gets more difficult.

Just take a deep breath.........

No fucking time

No fucking time to do anything really*

No bike riding, hardly used the new camera, no recording going on. Mainly because work is really fucking hard at the moment.

The Nightwires have quite a few gigs booked which is great, but my energy levels are low so its hard trying to sort rehearsals for these shows. I'm sure we will be great but I feel I'm getting worn down.

*Sorry for the swearing

A morning mind clearer

17.99 miles 10.1mph avaerage. Not bad saying first ride for a fortnight. Mad dogs and kamakarzee (sp) squirells.

Post work ride

Got out yesterday after work. 16.87 miles 11mph average. Getting better and my knees dont hurt so much this morning!

Bombed it on the way back as I overtook a couple of people and didn't want to get caught by them again. Stupid idiot.

Nikon D7000 - rather good!

The newly purchased Nikon d7000 is rather good! First "shoot" at Carsington Water last weekend proved it is very easy to use and quite logical (neither of those things apply to me!)No thats not a beach, it is a resevoir! Full report to follow.

New tyres, better ride

Did my second ride post holiday yesterday. The first was a disaster and left me yearning gears again in my usual kneejerk way.

Yesterday felt alot better however and I managed 19.4 miles at 10.7mph average. This was the second outing for my new Maxxis tyres. A Crossmark on the rear and Advatage on the front. The Crossmark is a pure race tyre with very low profile tread so reading the reviews, I thought I'd better go for something grippier on the front, hence the Advantage. This is the grippiest tyre I've had for a while but I think the rolling resistance is decent and the Crossmark on the rear certainly helps with that. Got a double puncture in teh crossmark near home though!!

Still trying to think of ways to make the bike lighter as well but theres not alot of room left for that. Tubeless? not sure. Maybe lighter pedals woulf help but I like the platform on my Times. Carbon bars? I love the Ragley Carnegies I have but stepping up to the carbon version is a £95 expense I could spend elsewhere at the mo. I do still thing silver Thomson seatpost and stem would look rather good however!

I have splashed out on another camera too! a Nikon d7000 dslr and 35mm lense. More on that to come!

Made it to the water tower

Well, after years of working out where it was and how to get there, I made it to the water tower. This is in Babbington Village near Strelley but could be called Kimberley. When I got there, I wondered if I had been there before some time ago.

Nice ride and good to go somewhere new but my legs were like lead weights and energy levels were very low. I've been out alot recently for me and my back is starting to give me some real gip.

Anyway, hols soon to relax and hopefully my back will get better. And I've got my eye on a Nikon d7000 or d5100. and a new bike, I quite like the look of the Ragley Piglet complete x9 bike. We'll see.

How Interesting

Done a couple of 20 mile rides recently. However, been hit by tiredness, lack of time, an attack of vertigo and then a bloody cold! Therefore, riding time has been seriously curtailed. Now I seem to be getting a bit better, I'll try and get out over the weekend but the weather looks shit. Now the weather is supposedly going to be summer-ish, I need to get mote riding in.

I have been spending again though! I've bought myself a new camera, a Panasonic LX5. Its a great bit of kit, allowing point and shoot as well as much more advanced controls than I'm used to. I have been shotting in aperture priority mode alot which is a first for me. The results have been quite pleasing but I need to get the hang of focusing on moving subjects i.e. Posey!

The pictures are very sharp and vibrant and the prints I've done for display look very good. I've added a filter tube and a UV filter for protection and to reduce haze and I may add the viewfinder but that is rather expensive. What I will be buying is Billingham bag, more on that soon. I can see myself really getting into photogreaphy again. Some years ago I had a Canon 500n SLR that I loved but unfortunately had to sell. I may upgrade again soon ;-)

Done a couple of gigs with the Nightwires that went well and we keep getting great feedback. Pity no one will give us a record deal but then again who is getting those apart from arse licking scenesters. I am struggling to get gigs which is the most frustratiing thing. I'm giving it until the end of the year and then will assess things. I still want to do some session work as a route to doing music full time but I haven't got time to do that and the Nightwires. We shall see.

All the usual frustrations then!

A windy ride and no punctures

Went out Tuesday just gone. 18.84 miles 10.9 average mph

Felt reasonably good again even though I'd been up with Posey since 4.15am that morning! After I'd dropped her off I got home at 8.40am so thought fuck it, and work, I'm going for a ride as it would probably be the last chance before I go away for Easter.

It was quite windy but not too bad and the trails were quite dry. I did both my "fall off" hill at Strelley and the desent down to Cossall from Cossall. Neither was that muddy which was nice. I'd not been that way for a while so it was nice to ride somewhere slightly different. And no punctures!!!!

What a puncture!

Ride commenced today with a slow puncture but I was hopeful it would seal, given the wheel has a self sealing inner tube.

It was warm, dry and I felt good. And then I heard a clattering noise and I got the mother of all punctures. a 4" nail through the tread and out through the sidewall! No way that the tube would seal that and the tyre is fooked!

Was looking for a reason to buy some new summer tyres and now I have one.

13.8 miles 11.1 mph average.

Another ride

Not weekend just gone but the one before (26th March) 17.63 miles.

Use Endomondo on my Blackberry which tracks me by GPS. Got a route map and stats so worked well.

Put the 16t sprocket back on and it was fine. In fact I felt really good until my stomach cramped half way round the route. Then had 2 days off work with a bug!

Didn't get out this weekend due to getting over that and my wife being ill. Also trying to get The Nightwires new cd finished. But once thats done, I'll be riding alot more often.

Blimey, a bike ride took place!!

Finally got out for a ride at the weekend. 15.93 miles SS.

This was the first ride for exactly 2 months and I felt terrible afterwards!

I have put a 17 tooth Surly cog on the back and its amazing what difference one tooth makes. Better on some loose and hilly bits but what a pain on flat tarmac. It helped my legs as they had very little in them about half way round, but the 16 tooth will go back on after a few rides, once my strength has come back a bit.

Reasonably dry but the fucking horses have made my favourite bits in Cossall, unrideable.

Welcome : The Nightwires

Russell and I have a new project:

The Nightwires

We are currently putting the finishing touches to our debut EP. We agreed not to do a 12 to 14 track album first as it would kill me! The last 3RC album took 200 plus hours and I cant do that again yet. Plus A. I dont think I have the time and B. I cant take another year of dissappointment if another album didn't take off.and C. we cant really afford to spend a grand again for next to no one to take notice of it.

So an EP gives us a foot in the door but I will make it as good as it can be. We need it to get gigs and get the name out there. It would be my dream for the EP to get us a deal so then we can do an album where someone else pays for it and records us. I'm really struggling to get enthused to do another album ourselves. Well I mean me record and produce it as it so time consuming. At least if we got a deal, someone else has the initial expense and does the hard work so I can just write the songs and perform them in the studio.

Was that a pig I just saw.........

New Stratocaster at last

So, the rosewood necked strat came and went. The nut on it was so badly cut that the g string jumped out of the nut when bending the string! Utter shit and doesn't say much for Fenders quality control.

So it went back and they were sending me another rosewood necked strat but they decided it wasn't saleable for some reason. I've therefore ended up with a maple necked version in black. I'm actually happy about it as I think solid colour strats do look better with a maple board.

It sounds like a strat! Setup on this one is much better and the action is probably a bit too low for me. 9 guage strings too but I cant be arsed to mess about with the action to put 10s on so the 9s will stay for the time being. Stange playing the PRS DGT after thought as that has 11s on it!!

I've bought some locking tuners for the strat which will make it alot easier to re-string and also a short tremolo arm ala Dave Gilmour, as the stock arm felt ridiculous to use.

I'm looking forward to recording with it and also trying out the David Gilmour patch on my Guitar Rig software.

In other news, still no bike ride since January 11th. I convinced myself I've been having a rest whilst the weather has been bad but I am now jonesing for a ride to let the cobwebs go and clear my head. My head has got blocked up with so much shit and I've realised the reason is that I've not been able to get out for a ride. I've always said that bike riding is the only thing that clears my head, alot more than guitar playing does. Which is strange given how much I love the guitar.

Sx

Strat a go go!

Order a black RW neck strat - crap nut

Sent it back - replacement they were going to send me no good

Now got a black MN on its way.

Fingers bloody crossed this time!

No bike rides to report. Weather, sleep, work stress all been shit so not got out.

I'll report back when I'm back in lycra

A slow time at the moment!

.....for lots of things really.

Hoping to buy myself a strat still but not until the J45 is paid for, but that should not be too far away. As usual, I'm impatient....

Going to practise rooms tonight to play the new PRS DGT at full blast as I've not had the chance to before now. I know it will sound great but it will be nice to blow the cobwebs away.

The new recordings are going slowly but the ones I've worked on so far sound good but some tempo issues here and there which are frustrating. Some guitar parts I've done that I thought were done, are now sounding a bit off with drums down. Very frustrating that it looks like I might have to do some again.

All in all, fuck knows where things are going at the moment. No gigs booked and none being offered is not good. Have people forgotten about us? or more likely, are they bored with us? I work on these new songs and they sound fab and I think "how have I not got anywhere yet?" I am good at this but no one seems to realise.

Recording is such an up and down process in terms of my mood. I know they are great songs but part of me feels like whats the point in all the effort. I put hundreds of hours into "Clean Getaway" my crowing acheivement, only for it to be ignored like all my other albums, whilst wanky cunts with no talent get recognition.

Also, I have no time to do it. I can't do any at night and when I'm off work, I'm doing Daddy daycare. I suppose its how circumstances change but its very frustrating all the same. Posey is my light though, so I have to think myself lucky that I have her.

As for biking, god knows when I'll get out again. I thought I'd have a bit of a rest whilst the weather wasn't great but now I need to get out. However, the lack of sleep is taking its toll and I really don't have the energy at the moment.

Its all so frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On a slightly positive note, Forest beat Derby twice which is rather excellent.

Jonesing for a strat!

So, I've been looking at strats for a bit and thought I'd finally decided on a sunburst American Standard. But after more surfing and research, I just think I much prefer the look of the vintage models, in particular the 62 reissue. Yes it's more money but this one needs to be another keeper.

A strat should compliment the PRS DGT quite well as I look to try and do some session stuff etc. I can but dream!




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Feel a bit lost at the moment

As the title suggests really. Band as I've known it for eight and a half years is over and it feels like I'm back to square one. Yes me and Russell are doing new acoustic songs and they are starting to take shape, but I don't like the feeling of not having a "band" It feels strange and a bit up setting as I love playing in a room together.

I am feeling the need to rock again but I'm not sure how that can happen.

FUCK!!!


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Muddy as hell

14.89 Miles Sunday just gone. Very muddy and paths fucked up thanks to the horses.

Felt really knackered after, must be Christmas indulgences!!

Happy new year by the way!