21.12.11 - DAY 355 - I Am Many (ft. Emily DeDakis & James DeDakis)

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Super fast SADFAY collaboration tonight!! WOW!!! Emily DeDakis and her brother James, basically stole a drum kit for this session, so a special mention has to go to Paul McDaid (a neighbour of Emily's) for giving us his kit. You guys are all amazingly awesome and this was loads of fun. So we had about 40 minutes to lay down several tracks of drums and excellent shouty / punk vocals from Emily

 Enjoy

 Cheers ^_^

19.12.11 - DAY 353 - Action Finale (ft. Ciaran McGreevy)

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I'm very pleased to tell y'all, tonight's track is a collaboration with the bass-pounding-rock-star that is Ciaran McGreevy, from the mighty Mojo Fury! http://www.myspace.com/mojofuryband

We've constructed something with heavy grooves, fuzz bass (of course), mixed it up with some trip hop style sounds and feel, stuck a one-take vocal on it and well, whaddya know? It's a bit of a beast!

 Enjoy

 Cheers ^_^

15.12.11 - DAY 349 - PhorkA2a (ft. 9j3a4k2a)

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A very spontaneous improvised performance for tonight's SADFAY. A collaboration with the ridiculously talented Olan Stephens & Michael Speers who perform as 9j3a4k2a. http://9j3a4k2a.bandcamp.com/

Olan also plays guitar and sings in the frankly, rather lovely EatenByBears, who'll be playing their last gig of 2011 on Saturday 17th December at the Windsor Tennis Club. http://eatenbybears.bandcamp.com/

Making this track was immensely fun. The lack of concern or dialogue about what we should do and how it should play out, was refreshing: The drum kit was miked up by Olan and Michael, Olan and I set up our gear and we went for a take. ... And it was good! Olan: guitar. Michael: drums. Me: piano & Kaoss pad. I hope I get the chance to jam with these guys again soon!

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

11.12.11 - DAY 345 - Lovers Rise (ft. Dominic O'Neill)

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A collaboration with the immensely lovely chap known as, Dominic O'Neill, who I regard as a bit of a songwriting legend! Dominic played all the instruments on this (except the programmed drums) and I sang some of the backing vocals and harmonies. Creating this song was loads of fun and I hope I get to write music with Dominic again some day.

Dominic O'Neill is a member of Leeward Side who are currently finishing their second album-length E.P. He also captains the world-famous John Hewitt Singer-songwriter night. Working on SADFAY a year has fulfilled his year-long ambition. Here more at http://leewardside.bandcamp.com and http://dominiconeill.bandcamp.com.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

10.12.11 - DAY 344 - Absence

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More disco-y pop rock type shenanigans tonight. "Absence makes me care no longer" I thought was a nice spin on the ol' proverb, "absence makes the heart grow fonder". I think my version helps me cope better, maybe.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

09.12.11 - DAY 343 - We're Better Than That

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Friday again. Who wudda thunk it? Party time kids!

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

06.12.11 - DAY 340 - We All Got Paid (ft. Window Seats)

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A collaboration with Window Seats tonight. The lads came round and laid down some lovely riffs and it all came together in just over two hours. I hadn't as much time as I'd have liked to mix this and mess around a bit more, but hope the quality of this track shines through!

Window Seats are a three piece alternative rock band from Belfast.

The band are currently touring in support of their new EP 'Frozen Bones'. The CD is available in stores now, and a free download from the band's website.

A highly acclaimed video for the track 'Local Superhero', from the EP, can also be seen online.

All info, tour dates, videos and free music downloads can be found at http://windowseatsofficial.com

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

03.12.11 - DAY 337 - I Had Nothing (ft. Fathers Of Western Thought)

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Well today, I'm very proud to have had the chance to work with the Fathers Of Western Thought. Rob, Gordee and myself have been brought together by something we all have in common: We're all writing a song, every day in 2011! It's a beautiful thing. We're SADFAY brothers from different mothers. The lads started on January 1st 2011 also, so we're in synch with our song numbers too. Working together on Song 337 has been pretty damn awesome! It's like two Universes colliding. It should be noted that this was one of the fastest SADFAYs yet: We literally had 2 hours to bang this one together, it was a very spontaneous outpouring of ideas and then, bam! It was done. Really pleased with this one!

The Fathers Of Western Thought came together in Autumn 2010 to write and record songs

in a home studio, the pair use a drum machine and their two separate guitar styles to provide the basis for songs that come naturally through improvisation.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

30.11.11 - DAY 334 - A Bang

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Ending November with A Bang. Waaaa waaah waaah waaaaaaaaaah...

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

21.11.11 - DAY 325 - See The World (ft. Rory Nellis)

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A collaboration with Rory Nellis tonight. We made a lovely big pop track, fit for mass consumption and ready to take on the world. All in, this took about 3.5 hours to write, record, arrange, edit and mix. Not too shabby.

A bit about Rory:

Rory Nellis is a singer and guitarist in Belfast-based alternative rock band 'Seven Summits'.

His interests include songwriting, football and Arnie films.

www.sevensummitsmusic.com

sevensummits.bandcamp.com

sevensummitsmusic.wordpress.com

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

17.11.11 - DAY 321 - Things To Tell

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A collaboration with my good buddy Christian tonight. A good ol' fashioned rockin' track with some tasty riffage from the man himself.

A bit about Christian:

Christian Winterman has lived and worked in Belfast since 05. He has performed in a wide range of roles including theatre, music and writing for stage and screen. He can be found gigging with his current outfit CLINT in which he plays guitar and is a regular player in Belfast's open mic circuit.

Clint Band NI Facebook

Fringe Benefits Facebook

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

16.06.11 - DAY 167 - The Answer Is In Me

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Hey Charlie! Come with us on a magical journey into your OWN EARS. Yes, Charlie, you are the Banana King and we need you to find the magical amulet! Mystery, deception, excellent acting, 1960s kitsch and BATGIRL. Who's your baby? A collaboration with frightening soothsayer Caroline Pugh.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

03.06.11 - DAY 154 - T.M.I

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A song about the hot weather and singing... And yes. I was.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

28.05.11 - DAY 148 - Fightin' Talk

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Today's piece was a collaboration between myself and Crawfty. Along with the voices of some friends in Ryan's bar, recorded earlier today. The Craic was mighty and this tune captures the atmosphere (we hope). In memory of Henry Cooper.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

20.05.11 - DAY 140 - Do-Ya-Think-He-Saurus

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Aye, so "The Rapture". LOLZ! And stuff...

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

17.05.11 - DAY 137 - Brave It On

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A tasty exploration today, collaborating with Michael Sampson (of MatscaN Music). Good Orderly Direction and plenty of focus and idea bouncing. Recording some of our own sound effects in my kitchen and towards the rail tracks, near my house added layers of interest. Building up a selection of textures and knowing that we wanted a solid beat somewhere later. Vocal layers, chunky bass, piles of noise and effects. This has some deep moodiness to it and a real bite too.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

30.04.11 - DAY 120 - Veg Rock

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A bit more of the straight ahead rock stuff tonight. Vocals were recorded in one take without any pre-written lyrics. ... I.e. random nonsense.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

29.04.11 - DAY 119 - Mr. S. Leazy

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I was in the mood for a bit of funkin' today. This is kinda bluesy funk. The sleaziest kind. Probably.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

17.04.11 - DAY 107 - Have You Got It Yet?

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A bit of tripped out psychedelia for you all today. Taking inspiration from Syd Barrett era, Pink Floyd. Mixing it up with a somewhat typical "90s brit pop" kind of sound. While looking for lyrics for this, I got the song title from an interesting article about Syd Barrett's last days with Pink Floyd. I am hoping this blows your mind, just a wee bit.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

30.03.11 - DAY 89 - Springing The 90's

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Today I was planning on doing something kinda quirky, heavy and dark, a la Fantomas, but got side tracked playing the "nice wee riff" that this opens with. In my head I was hearing The Charlatans and The Stone Roses. I was never big into those bands when I was younger. But today I've been thinking about the people I used to know back then and that part of my life (my late teens). Not sure why. I like that era and style of music more now, all these years later. Back in the early 90s those "Mad-chester" / original "Indie" bands had their own sound. Not entirely sure (or concerned) that I've replicated it or "done it justice": As far as today's song is concerned I just got a vibe and went with it! Peace, love and Springtime!

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^