Taking A Plunge

What-ho! I'm actually holidaying at the moment in deepest Suffolk, but I've found a smidge of temperamental Internet, so I thought I'd come here and update you on some interesting news.

First up, I've got a new project on the go. I'm working on an EP called Aquaphobia. It'll be about seven songs in length, be no longer than twenty five minutes (ish) and it will carry themes of lonliness and overcoming fear, all with an aesthetic backdrop of the ocean. The first track, an intro piece called Shallow Waters, is up on my Bandcamp site right now. The whole thing is due to ebb and flow with change until it feels finished, so it could very well change soon. Indeed, the artwork (pictured above - or, it will be once I can get the f*cking thing uploaded) has already gone through several different versions. I'm quite proud of the one I've got at the moment. You can see that I'm using the logo the wonderful Jim from Tinyfish made up for me because it's too superb to use just the once. I'm hugely grateful for it, and I thank him again for such a fab present.

Speaking of Tinyfish, they're finally releasing their second album, The Big Red Spark next month. There's a launch gig, too, which you could very well do to mooch along to and have a bloody great night. If you can't get along, then you can pre-order the thing and have some undoubtedly brilliant music to listen to. Go to it!

Second bit if big new now, and the Amazing Wilf (also known as David Elliot), the lovely chap who presents The European Perspective on The Dividing Line Broadcast Network, has approached me to take part in Project Grendel. As some of you may know, Grendel is one of the first Marillion songs written, recorded and released back in the very early 80s. As some of you may know, it's a song that, shall we say, hasn't aged well. As some of you may know, it's become a bit of a joke in progressive rock circles, especially in the Marillo's own camp. Wilf has made it his mission to re-invent Grendel, to regenerate and re-record it for a contempory progressive scene. The project is still in its early stages right now, but it is slowly gathering momentum.

And I've been asked to compose an orchestral arrangement for the introduction and first verse section of the piece. I am truely honoured to have been asked to participate in this project, and I will do my best to not let the side down.

I'm going to approach it the same way I did the second section of Nine Months On Fire - by just jumping in and seeing what happens. Hopefully, I can create something completely bonkers and out-of-the-field, but still retain some recognisable essence of the original song. With most of the Tinyfish boys also sticking their hands up to be included, it'll be interesting to see how this thing develops, and maybe, just maybe, the dignity of Grendel, if there was any to begin with, will be saved.

And at the end of the day, it's a bit of a laugh, isn't it? And that's what you really want from doing this kind of stuff.

Bon voyage, peeps!