On Wednesday I will be teaming up with much-lauded Leeds-based rock band Hope & Social for a day’s recording session in their crypt studio.
We’ve been talking about this for a while and it’s good to be nearly there. Our two bands’ careers have run parallel for years now but we’ve never actually met despite sharing a similar work ethic and way of doing things (both self-managed and self-recorded, both believe in the power of networks and collaboration, about the importance of making live shows into events rather than just gigs etc). Basically we’re similar but different. These guys tend to compose very upbeat material whereas I… well you know me, old misery-guts. I guess we’re kind of like complimentary contrasting colours…
Anyway, I’m really looking forward to working with them and for you to hear the results.
The brief is for the online community to suggest songs on twitter, facebook and whatever else (raven?), then all the musicians get together in the morning and spin a big wheel that picks a song at random. Then we arrange and record it over the course of the day (and, most likely, the night too). The whole process is filmed and it all goes online the next day. Simple. And exhausting.
Information on the project can be found here. If you have any suggestions get in touch (and if you’re on twitter use the hashtag #cryptcovers).
It is a series of ten and I shall be number five. There have been some absolutely fantastic results so far and I hope I don’t break the chain of success!
We shall see…
