BAANEEX: Football Round Up

Merry Christmas all, here's a video I made for my band BAANEEX and our song 'Football Round Up', hope you like it!

Quack Spout: December 2010

2010 draws towards a close, and just as I think I've figured out my favourite records of the year, more great music drops through my letterbox...

QUACK SPOUT - DECEMBER mp3

Playlist:

Birdeatsbaby - Gone!
Ursine Vulpine - Raijin
The Other Dances - City Of Heaven
Sister Mantos - SHPESHFTR
Chris Brokaw - Criminals
Standard Planets - Squeky
Jakokoyak - Dada Love
H.Hawkline - Gelly (Lleuad II)

Captain Neon: Episode 4

Bits and Bobs...

Fear not there is another Captain Neon on the way, it's all been shot and is just waiting for the pain-staking green process that I severely under-estimated on the most recent shoot. But expect the introduction of a new character who isn't (shock horror!) played me/a puppet...

Explaining this lack of Neon is the fact that I've been very busy with my band BAANEEX, we've been in the studio a couple of times (at More or Less Mono in Bow) and we've got an EP coming out in January (on Odd Box records) that houses all the tracks from the first of those two sessions.

We've also been gigging a fair bit, and have a show TONIGHT (!) at the Victoria in Dalston and shows on the 10th of December (Bird's Nest, Deptford) and the 12th of December (The Social, Little Portland Street) but you can find out more at http://www.baaneex.com

Quack Spout: November 2010

Ever so slightly belated due to the fact that I've had a vicious cold and the sound of snot being drawn up through my nostrils (or blasted out, depending on circumstances) probably wouldn't make great listening.

QUACK SPOUT - NOVEMBER mp3

Playlist:

Johnny 5th Wheel & The Cowards - Little Red Hen
Islet - Obtaining
Tiger Shadow - Inner City
Kostoglotov - Freakshow On Rollerblades
Black Gardenias - Norma Jean
Tough Troubles - Onset Of Schizophrenia
The Tumbledryer Babies - WWF
The Graceful Slicks - Show's Over
Cheapskate - Get Up Early
Alex Dingley - Lovely Day

Captain Neon: Episode 3

Watch me kick my own ass...

Quack Spout: October 2010

This month's podcast seems over-run by solo artists making lots of noise, though there's a few bands in there and a desperate plug for an impending gig... Enjoy!

QUACK SPOUT OCTOBER -MP3

Playlist:

Fuzzystar - Mathematics
Ambeson - A Window To Look Through
Autoportrait - Awaken
The Sound of the Ladies - Every Single One
Man Is Slapped - ...exgirlfriend
The Silent Committee - Lullabye
Heights - From Sea To Sky
Bearsuit - Please Don't Take Him Back


Come and see the likes of Bearsuit and Smallgang and BAANEEX (my band) and many more at World International John Peel Day: CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

Captain Neon: Episode 2

Part two of the thrilling space adventure where our hero is still in hot pursuit of the evil Squirrel Man...

Captain Neon

What I did with my Sunday:

Quack Spout: September 2010

It's back... again... I should stop setting deadlines for these, until I can afford to make music/film/writing/etc. my full-time job then people can expect these two crop up online randomly at best. Sigh.

QUACK SPOUT - SEPTEMBER 2010 mp3

Playlist:

Smallgang - Cockpit
Human Wave Attack - Big Empty Sky
The Waxing Captors - Jaywalkin' Out Your Heart
Sweet Baboo - I'm A Dancer 2
Second Head - Starglow
Sister Mantos - No God
Mickey Gloss - Jesus Don't Want Me Anymore
Connan Mockasin - Egon Hosford

Green Man 2010

My review of Green Man 2010 can be read online here:

http://godisinthetvzine.co.uk/content/content_detail.php?id=4617&type=Features

BAANEEX

In lieu of May's podcast I'm going to witter on, somewhat selfishly, about myself. Well, not about myself, but about myself and three other people who all make musical noises at the same time.

When I was living in Cardiff I started writing for the website God Is In The TV (still do, I'm sub-editor there) and in early 2009, maybe late 2008, a CD came my way by a London based band called Muarena Helena. I reviewed it on the 15th January 2009 and said nice things about it. As is usually the case I befriended the band via my MySpace profile and also through my own musical MySpace profile, which didn't previously admit to any 'human' presence.

To my surprise, Muarena Helena - more specifically singer and lead guitarist - Joel began sending my musical profile messages via MySpace, and we can began a dialogue that ultimately lead to me sending him a CD of my some songs. In return he sent me a cover version of one of these songs (Song to Self) and eventually suggested we collaborate on something...

So, it began by him e-mailing me some musical ideas, I'd put stuff on top, e-mail it back, and the whole relay would continue until we felt we had something. We ultimately came up with 7 tracks and put them up on MySpace under the name Neuschwanstein.

In late August I moved from Brighton, where I'd been living since February, and so it was somewhat inevitable that Joel and I would meet face to face. We had a drink and he suggested we meet up and jam somewhere, potentially with Andy who had been playing bass in Muarena Helena. After I met Andy in late October this was all confirmed and we had a three piece session on November 12th. What was ultimately decided was the need for a drummer.

Sometime in late 2009 Joel and Andy got Rosie to drum, but I didn't return to the fold until a rehearsal on February 12th 2010! At this point they'd got three songs together (Magic Square, Saskatchwen and The Punk Song) and I did my best to slot my keyboard playing in here and there. Over the following sessions we came up with another five songs (Weird Dance, Football Round-Up, Hoovering Concrete, Jumpin' Chinese Restaurant and Weird Dance II) and started discussing playing live sometime in the Summer.

And so, on Wednesday 2nd June 2010, we had our first gig - and my first ever gig - as BAANEEX at the Buffalo Bar in Highbury & Islington. We wound up head-lining and eventually went on stage around 11pm, it was very nice to see that people had stayed on till the end of the evening, so we got to play to a full room who were very receptive towards our songs. I can't really judge how it went, but - currently - you can hear some recordings taken from the Buffalo Bar gig on our MySpace.

We've got another gig booked for late July, so check the MySpace regularly to find out the details as and when and we'll hopefully be playing some more dates and going on a little tour before the year is out...

Delays...

I'm really sorry there hasn't been an update in over a month. There is a new Quack Spout ready to go, it's been ready for a while, but I'm having trouble with my usual file hosting site, I've tried alternative means, but haven't had any success as of yet. I finally have a day off from work tomorrow, and will try to plonk something online before the day is done.

Hope all's well with you. x

Showreel 2010

Here's my film-making show-reel for this year, comprising clips of music videos for Attack + Defend, Los Campesinos! and Threatmantics, along with films screened by the BBC Film Network and Radio Cymru, ITV, Channel 4 and the Swn festival.

Quack Spout MkII: Number Five

Borderline May's podcast, this is, in fact, April's, and May's will be along probably in October!? Fingers crossed, ay...

QUACK SPOUT 2.5 - MP3

Playlist

Mademoiselle Caro & Franck Garcia - Fly
The Black Acid Band - Wunji the Destroyer
Chris Brokaw & Geoff Farina - In The Evening
The Exhibition - Bright New Worlds
Jouis - Miss Monroe
Cheapskate - Trees
Air To Achilles - If My Heart Stops Beating
Lasse Brawn - Itch
Gus Garcia - Colleagues
Pope Joan - Mattias
Phantom Theory - Trancedog
Olympians - North Sea

Fast Forward

Here's a rarity, a post about my actual life... (Though, saying that, any activity on this blog is a rarity!)

I was feeling incredibly optimistic on Monday, I suddenly got a wave of e-mails through for job interviews, and not for awful food service or retail jobs, no, for jobs within areas I actually care about. One inparticular had me excited, I'd sent a speculative e-mail to a film production company, as their website has a section encouraging 'creative' people to send them their C.V. to a random jobs@ address.

So I did, I wrote a covering letter introducing myself and sent a C.V. that highlighted my film-making experiences.

Lo and behold, almost a month later, on Monday, I got an e-mail from them with the heading 'Interview' and an invite to meet their Head of Production.

The following day I woke up, went to the North Side of Soho, and dawdled about, my eyes brimming with the hopes and possibilities of this part of town. I stared into delicious looking cafes and cake shops, day-dreamed about where I'd go for lunch and then looked into a music shop window, imagining saving up my regular wage and maybe treating myself one day in the far flung future...

11am came and I went to the office, the receptionist called up to the Head of Production and after a short wait she came down the stairs. There was something peculiar about her attitude from the off, as if I had arrived out of my own insistence. She said she was going to make a tea as I was five minutes early, I could take a seat in the interview room. When she came in eventually she said that this would be an informal chat, prior to a proper hour long interview in the future. Which was fair enough, but her questions didn't feel informal or chatty, instead she seemed to be regarding everything I said with an air of quiet suspicion and harsh judgment. I felt like, rather than talking about my work history, I was giving an alibi to a lawyer who was just waiting for me to admit I was guilty.

It was excruciating, and this continued for ten minutes, until finally she asked;

'So, what made you apply for the role of promo producer?'

I had to stop, sometimes I perhaps would have tried to pretend things weren't awry and would've seen what would happen if I continued trying to lie my way around a baffling statement like this. But, I wasn't enjoying the interview enough to attempt that. So, I just asked out right;

'Sorry, what position?'

'Promo producer. What position did you apply for?'

I didn't want to be rude and say something along the lines of 'I didn't apply for any position, I sent you a speculative e-mail like your website suggests.' Instead I sort of chewed some words and shrugged a bit until she finally added;

'Because you're under-experienced for that role.'

'YES!' I wanted to say loudly and dryly, 'I know I am, I didn't apply for that role!'

She continued. thumbing idly through the papers she'd been scribbling notes on, she mentioned something about there being some confusion and something written down somewhere that was perhaps the apparent root of this mess. But, never did she apologise for their mistake, nor did she take the misunderstanding with even an ounce of good humour, because my first reaction was just to accept that they'd got things wrong, shake my head and smile. Her reaction was to skirt around acknowledging the mistake, seemingly attempt to make me feel like I'd made the error, before acting in a snide, belittling fashion; ultimately showing me to the door, which she opened, turning her entire body away from me, barely saying 'Goodbye' and limply letting it close quickly behind me.

What most rankled me was that this was like re-living my entire first attempt at living in London all over again, in fast-forward. The optimism decline, coupled with the awful mentality that some people in the Soho area have succumbed to, was all too familiar. I had, naively, hoped that things had changed, that I had changed, that they had changed; but it was like going to a school reunion where the bully still beats you up, the girl you fancied still wants nothing to do with you, and you still can't grow a proper moustache.

Anyway, rant over... It's been almost a week since this interview and I've only thought about it sporadically, unfortunately there is a peculiar hierarchy with certain people in the industry, and an inquisition-like way of phrasing questions that I think belies their own insecurities more than anything. I, perhaps, think that it's my self-deprecating nature that causes certain bouts of paranoia and discomfort when having to deal with these egos, and the knowledge that one day, if I make something of myself, that they'll be dancing around kissing more arse than Billy Bottomlips Champion Rump Smoocher of Arseington, New Buttock, on National Bum Snogging Day.

Ta ta. x

Quack Spout MkII: Number Four

Back with a vengence:

QUACK SPOUT 2.4 - MP3

Playlist

Islet - Sign For Home
Don't Tread On Spiders - Like A Cloud
Bygone - The Salt Mine Mules of Wieliczka
Tiger Shadow - I Knew You'd Be Alright
Wes Finch - Oh My Days!
Destroy Nate Allen - Steady
Kissing Kalina - Ellie Rd.
Cats and Cats and Cats - Cut Your Hair
Afrirampo - Suuto Breakor 3
Houdini Dax - Struggling in the Sand
James Erswell - Shine Bright
Vienna Ditto - Long Way Down
Zygmunt Day - Edward Brown
Sparklehorse - Gold Day

Promises, Promises...

Morninfternoovening all,

There will be a new Quack Spout, I am working on it, but I am also moving house which is making things tricksy... expect something in February!

All the best,

Owain. x

2009: The Things I Did

At the start of the year I rather dramatically sold about 400 DVDs, I thought this would be a tough decision, but it was surprisingly easy. In short shift thereafter I gave notice on my job as a baker and my flatshare in Cardiff so I could move to Brighton. This was an unexpectedly sudden move on my part, though I had been accepted onto a MA at Sussex University it wasn't due to start until September and I thought I'd move later in the year. However, I found a house that appealed and took a risk...

So, on the 24th January I moved to Brighton, and on my second night there got extremely drunk and fell asleep in the pub. Drunkeness would be a large part of my time in Brighton. In the first week of living there I got a job in a coffee shop, started going to the University's creative writing society, began assisting at after school writing classes for primary school children and saw a gig by the excellent Cardiff based band Threatmantics; bumped into then guitarist Ceri whilst walking back from buying some shoes and thus went straight to a pub and I had to spend the evening with a pair of shoes tied to my belt. It was a good look.

The following week it snowed a lot, and me and some housemates had a snowball fight inside and outside the house. I got very drunk as well. I went to my first poetry night (Hammer & Tongue) and saw the film Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, which resulted in me having a school-boy crush on Kat Dennings. I nipped back to Cardiff to bare witness to Attack + Defend's one and only gig of the year and do some goodbyes.

On the day before Valentine's Day I had my first ever piano lesson (I only had nine in total due to financial issues), the following day I attended a very hippy-ish poetry and music night at the wonderful raw food cafe Manna. It was a nice evening but I felt quite out of place and very self-conscious when we all had to hold hands and make a group poem...

I felt a bit more shamefully self-conscious after a house party I went to the next Saturday, as I don't have a complete memory of the evening, but I have a memory from the party that I may have dreampt, and if it's true I apologise! I blame the vodka jelly. With very little hangover I went to Brighton Zinefest the next morning with some copies of my ill-fated film-zine Seat 13, we sold out at the fest and I can't remember if I collected the money, which may explain why the magazine didn't get a second issue!

March 10th, I had an interview with Jean-Paul de Claite Rosse, who offered me the role of a bartender who finds himself homeless and alone in a short film he was directing. I also met with Gary Mepsted who was directing a play celebrating the works of Alan Bennet and then on the 5th April, two days before Jean-Paul's film began shooting, I had an audition for Henry Scriven's zombie-comedy To Let and discovered that Henry was to be the A.D. on Jean-Paul's film. Later it transpired that Gary Mepsted's house was used as one of the film's locations.

In amongst attending a few gigs, rehearsals and filming days I had a short story published in an anthology and went to London to be part of the audience for Q.I. (the episode airs in March, I think?!). I then had a press pass for the Great Escape festival in May, which coincided with an auditon for Boot Camp theatre's production of A Few Good Men. Then out of the blue on June 17th I accidentally discovered I had a ticket to Glastonbury, so had to make some desperate last minute lift blagging and - squeezing in rehearsals, a day of filming on Broken, a house warming in Canterbury, the filming of To Let and an ultimately life-changing interview for a position at the Job Centre - went to the festival and got to see an incredible array of bands I dearly love live.

On the way back I was asked to come back to Cardiff and shoot a music video for Los Campesinos!'s new single, which I then edited the following day. Finally on the 8th July we did the last day of filming on Jean-Paul's Broken.

August was a quiet month until performances of A Few Good Men on the 20th, 21st and 22nd; after which I went to London for my birthday and to see my friend Kirsty for the first time in a year or so. In the middle of this birthday treat week, on my actual birthday no less, I had to dash back (thanks to my good friend Carl driving) to Brighton to find out the status of my dormant job at the Job Centre, which I had got and been CRB checked for, but had not yet received a start date. After milling around for three or four hours I was told that the Head of the Job Centre, that very morning, had decided not to take on any new staff. This suddenly put my personal financial and housing situation in to no small degree of turmoil, and meant I had to make some snap decisions. So, on the 31st August I gave notice at the house in Brighton and three days later moved to East Dulwich where I had a nice comfy sofa to squat on.

A couple of weeks into my time in London I went down to Dorset to the magnificent End of the Road festival, and in the following weeks got to see a few plays such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Title of the Drama About Ante is Written Here... and Kurt & Sid. I also had the most bizarre job interview request of my life when a franchised donut company (that shall remain nameless) based in a well known London department store in Knightsbridge asked me to provide a stool sample. Fortunately two weeks later I began work in the retail department of the Natural History Museum and didn't have to give anyone my poo poo (thought I've kept the collection kit for a potential Christmas gift).

At the start of October I met up with Joel, formerly of the band Muarena Helena, who I had begun talking to via Myspace under my 'band' guise. Whilst I was in Brighton, Joel and I had collaborated through e-mail on seven songs and he'd given me some degree of confidence in the 'music' I was making, this eventually led to me, Joel and bass player Andy even having a jam session; which is something I never imagined I'd have the guts to do at this point.

I also had a press pass to the Times BFI London Film Festival, and though work commitments stopped me from seeing as much as I would've liked, I did get to see advance screenings of Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Men Who Stare At Goats, A Single Man and The Road.

Once again Los Campesinos! drafted me in to come down, to Oxford this time, and film a live performance for them, I also provided some photo montages for their album artwork ('Romance is Boring' out in February).

In all I reviewed 139 demos and records over the year, saw 53 films at the cinema. The 10 best of each are as follows:

Best Records of 2009.

1. Monster Island - The Anchor
2. Untied States - Instant Everything, Constant Nothing
3. Animals + War - Self-Titled
4. Them Squirrels - Them Scribbles
5. Cate Le Bon - Me Oh My
6. Das Wanderlust - Horses For Courses
7. Attack + Defend - Theme
8. The Keys - Years Are Made Of Seconds
9. The Victorian English Gentlemens Club - Love On An Oil Rig
10. Colourmusic - Yes!

Best Films of 2009.

1. Up
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. District 9
4. Star Trek
5. Moon
6. Pirate For The Sea
7. Coraline
8. Fanastic Mr. Fox
9. Where The Wild Things Are
10. Knowing

To be totally honest 2009 has been an odd year, and a turbulent one in a mild, buffeting kind of way; not like a full on seastorm, but it hasn't been smooth sailing. Saying that, my year ended on a positive note, well, a positive ellipsis.

The first Quack Spout of the year will be online very soon. But until then I hope you've had a great end to 2009 and a wonderful start to 2010...