First Ever Recordings
Dec 2, 2010 Latest News
I have spent the last couple of days going through old tapes I used to record with on a Fostex X-18 multitracker that was given to me by a man called Adrian Thomas who was a regular in the pub I used to live in in Ilminster (UK) The pub was called The Crown Inn. Among other things there is the first ever recording of the first thing I ever wrote which is a rare find in every sense of the word! Not many people would be able to say that… I was 17 at the time and had been playing guitar for about a year by then. It was recorded at Haff McCaffrey’s house on his tape player with a simple mic setup. I remember Haff being great company and these recordings seemed really amazing at the time. Anyway without any further ado I proudly present (although in a slightly squeamish manner) these recordings
The Milborne Port Song – Early Original Song
Angry With Myself – Early Original Song
Hurry Up & Wait – Stereophonics Cover
Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead Cover
Hills Of Aireshire – Early Original Instrumental
Lucky – Radiohead Cover
Why Does It Always Rain On Me – Travis Cover
Good Riddance – Greenday Cover
My first ever composition recorded for the first time
It Won’t Work – (Steve Raffell)
Old School Band Recordings
I wasn’t in the school band I hasten to add but they were on the tape and so I wanted to add them on here. Daniel De Pasquale & Jake Ellwood I know for sure were in the school band but I can’t remember who else was… when I get back in contact with either of those two they should be able to refresh my memory. These were recorded before I got heavily into guitar playing myself at Wadham Community School circa 1996-1997 I believe.
Champagne Supernova – PHINN (School Band)
Little Wing – PHINN (School Band)
The Circle – PHINN (School Band)
Online Diary (November 2010)
Dec 1, 2010 Latest News
30/11/10
It’s been all about live recording editing today and getting all my old tape recordings onto Pro Tools so my housemate (pablo) can make a lampshade out of the old used tapes… unique idea eh?! May also be doing a bi-weekly acoustic night in Bristol in the new year after a message that came through today. I’ve had to order another 300 beer mats as the first batch are all pretty much gone now, which is good news I guess, I just hope they lead to some extra exposure and work in 2011. If you ever wondered what sort of thing I get up to at 4am when I can’t sleep then this should give you a good idea… While editing some live recordings I came across my housemate saying something that was ripe for a bit of ribbing 
so I cut up the vocal and put it together with an old VTKTM demo that never got used then I edited together a little video of his mouth opening and closing – enjoy
29/11/10
Just got home from rehearsals and it was awesome! we worked on PANIC, IF I FALL, SECRET, FEEL ANY FEELING, FOR YOU & THERE’S A SCENE with some nice dynamic changes added and a better idea of arrangements. We will be meeting again next week in Bristol to work on some more tracks and I think after that and the weekend rehearsal we are planning early Jan will have all songs ready to demo. I’m planning on recording live once we are ready and get a rough recording of every song to click so we can then start really analizing all the songs and get Karl G on the case with his thoughts for assisting the production. Spent some of today getting Pro Tools up and running on the new laptop as well as fiddling around with Senses some more. After speaking to Mike (Taylor) at Emarty Academy in Weston where we rehearsed tonight he has offered to get me in contact with someone from Gomez for some advice and also mentioned the possibility of some recording studios elsewhere to get a wider idea of what is available. EDIT> I’ve just replied to Tom from Gomez and he has offered his advice very kindly – it’s a bit like having Mike Tyson next to you in a fight really – very handy I still need to work on a budget for the investment money; divide it up in places it will need to be spent but Tom may be able to help me with this. My head feels too full of worry and possible pathways – maybe a manager sometime soon would be a good idea? Also really need to meet up with Richard Browne again with regards to the documentary.
HERE IS THE LEAD GUITAR PART FOR ‘IF I FALL’ (for Adams benefit mostly)
28/11/10
Had a guitar lesson with Lorna’s son Lucas today which was great fun. I really do enjoy teaching music theory and cool songs or ideas on the guitar. Also met with Laura Heathcoate (violin) and we had a bit of a jam and things were sounding awesome. Here is the facebook event for my December gigs > LINK Also been playing around with Guitar Pro again today. Senses is sounding pretty cool and the tab should be available to look at soon. Lyrics are still in development but here is what I have so far 
The lights cascade before my eyes
A process of confusion
Trails of each colour last seconds then die
An optical illusion
Skin learns to dance, taught well by your hands
The textures all change ’cause the nerves understand
Those barriers once solid begin now to melt
And you realise your soul need not be touched to be felt
The sounds worth hearing came from you as you spoke
My senses absorb you, my soul you have soaked
Those familiar flavours now strange, overused
Push desires to wander for new tastes to choose
Your airways are open, your memories triggered
Pictures and feelings not numbers and figures
27/11/10
Well this week has been mostly doing oddjobs and playing acoustic nights, gigs and a whole host of other things that take up the daylight hours, you know like all that admin that no one knows about behind the scenes as well as paying car tax and organising your life into a neater, more managable system and stuff. Most notably I met up with Eliza Fyfe and we had a play around with some songs. Looks like it could be pretty fun at some point in the future when we can both dedicate some time to rehearse and play at jam nights. Also met with Karl G yesterday in the pub and dicussed my track Senses… I have all the arrangement in place as well as the melodies, just need to finalise the lyrics and I believe I have a serious hit on my hands which Karl will really do a great job of spicing up in production. Still working on finalising a date for Abbey Road too but 22nd Jan is looking good to go record SECRET. Also bought myself a new laptop which was an absolute necessity. Now I should be able to get some work done without crashing! It’s worth pointing out that I spent my own money on this.. STP funds have not yet been touched (just so ya know) which reminds me I need to come up with a budget… mmm. Will put up my thoughts tomo on this matter. Gonna write a little jingle for my favourite cafe (Loves) sometime tomo too once I have got down some of my new song ideas. Also I have been performing ONE STEP AT A TIME live for the last couple of days with some good feedback. Last but not least I recieved a great picture from my friend Brian McGuckin who has been helping with the photo COMPETITION check out his awesome underwater picture!
If you think you can beat this then the best entry will win a free copy of the upcoming album as well as their picture pride of place, full size in the album sleeve send your pictures holding 7 blank tiles to me@ryaninglis.com
22/11/10
Spent the early part of today recording some vocals for Little Sun which I am working on with Paul C. Will prob re-record them to a higher standard but it means Paul can work his magic for the next few days until I see him again on Sunday for a couple of hours. Just got home from band rehearsals which went very well I feel Line up has changed slightly with new drummer Sam Evans as Rob hasn’t got the available time to be doing all the things he will need to do for the work up towards recording. We will still be performing gigs together in future but the recording will be Sam for consistencies sake. Rehearsed Secret first and added a few little changes to it; Adam (Chetland) has a new guitar line which I felt complimented. We recorded it on the camera but until I can upload and edit the tapes there is nothing to see just yet. Also worked on a band version of Little Sun and One Step At A Time as well as going over Feel Any Feeling and For You from the acoustic album. Need to set a date for Abbey Road as I want to record Secret there and get some video footage and photos of the well known studio. Tomorrow I have a lot of time free so will hopefully be motivated enough to work more on Senses and These Few Days as well as the middle 8 for One Step At A Time. Also need to arrange a meet up with Laura Heathcoate (violin) and see if she works well on the songs… I’m not planning on going over the top with strings for the album, only in places I feel it would benefit. Here is a live performance of Sea Of Tranquility from the gig we did at the Salthouse in Clevedon on the 6th Nov. There are other live video there from the gig to check out including some covers so feel free to have a look and pass them around if you like them.
21/11/10
Hello there! it’s been a long week of gigging and been all over the place. Slapton was really scenic on Weds (The Tower Inn) and then Totnes (Royal Seven Stars) on Thurs. Spent some time with my dad playing Scrabble and watching some comedy too which was a good way to relax for the day. Friday I went to Nottingham to play at the University campus and met another musician called John Rockliffe. We played as a duo for the latter part of the evening and it was great fun. You should check him out if you are in the Nottingham area. After a 4hr train journey back home I had some spare time before my gig at Illusions Magic Bar in Bristol which, again, was an awesome evening… I used my new beer mats over the weekend and have shifted a fair few already; I had 150 made and I have already had put an order in for another 300 as I didn’t realise how fast they would disappear.
Now, today I have been mostly hanging out in my home studio going through old tapes from when I recorded on an old Fostex 4-track recorder (see picture) I have found amongst other things this little instrumental -
Hills Of Aireshire (Instrumental)
17/11/10
Finalized the line up for Footprint event on the 12th Dec >> LINK Found this newspaper article online – event I am taking part in next Weds Driving to Slapton today and then playing in Totnes tomo. Then back home to catch a train to Nottingham on Friday. got to sort any loose ends today and get my things packed and ready. Hoping I will have plenty of thinking time to get some lyrics tweaked on some new songs too. The Weston Echo (online newspaper) is something I will be getting back into too… got to write an article on Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and sort some interview questions out for them. I think it’s quite cool that I can put ‘columnist’ in my CV now as well Will be working with Monkey Beats again soon as well. Been offered a collaboration with another 2 of his producers. Better get the old vocals chords warmed up and the mic ready eh!
16/11/10
Today has been pretty productive I think. The thing I most want to mention is the fact I have sent off about 100 emails to venues and booking agents that have hired me in the past to get a testimony from them. It never occurred to me that a few words of recommendation would be very useful in finding further work… well obviously I have had letters of recommendation back when I had a real job but with the musicians life you tend to work on a word of mouth basis and things just kind of snowball. I forgot to take note of things along the way and hopefully by getting some quotes from previous gig employers I will be able to get work abroad or with booking agents from now on. My main goal in 2011 is to try and get out of the country at least a few times and enjoy both the experience and hopefully the weather. I aim to meet a vast amount of new and exciting people in places that the universe decides to place me. You may also have noticed a new post all about my late friend Max Shillinglaw. It will be added to over the next few weeks to include lots of pictures and recordings that he left behind. I urge you to have a brief look when you can and have a listen to
which I will be adding to the track listing of my upcoming album in his honour and to perpetuate his legacy. On a more pressing note my laptop is continually crashing on me so I am finding getting any work done to be a real chore. Recordings keep getting halted and my patience is getting stretched 
If you are reading this an investor it would be good to hear from you at some point. Still not received much contact from you even though you have given me your money… It has been a month since I was awarded the funding and due to my workload I have yet to get really started on anything. Studio time is most likely gonna be in January as I have day to day gigs and Footprint work to get on with but don’t fret as I am gonna record the best album I can for us all. I WILL make you proud. Also I should mention that a talented musician called Eliza Jane Fyfe contacted me today looking for an acoustic guitarist to start a duo with. I’m gonna meet up with her and see if it’s something that might work. Also been in contact with a violinist called Laura Heathcote whom I am looking fwd to jamming with… I’m hoping the band will benefit from some lovely strings.
15/11/10
Just to fill you in on what happened yesterday as well… Woke up and went to see my friend Paul C. We are going to work on one of my songs that I have had trouble working it as an acoustic song and it doesn’t quite fit with band either, it is called LITTLE SUN and it will be produced as a house tune and also a trance remix too. Will obviously keep you guys up to date with snippets as and when I can. After that I played a private gig at Loves Cafe and enjoyed a nice relaxing acoustic session for about 15 people followed by the best food in the world ever (GO TO LOVES CAFE!!) Straight after that I went to Lorna’s house to rehearse for the evenings gig at Ammos in W-s-M. Matt turned up and we decided on a setlist and ran through most of the songs. It was probably the third time we had ever played together but things just fit together nicely. Here is a recording of one of the songs from the evenings set. The rest of them will be available in the DOWNLOADS SECTION later on this evening.
Notice I have kept in the banter before and after the track… just think it’s a nice touch
Ok so today I have been editing these live recordings and picked up my beer mats Gonna be in the studio for the entirety of the day dedicated to bringing you the finest in live covers and new demos. Today is also the first day of the rest of my life so things are all good
13/11/10
There are 2 things I’m gonna work on predominantly today – firstly I am going to record some vocal ideas that I can hand to Paul C, Karl G and Monkey Beats to get some more ‘dance’ music on the way. Also I am very keen to start gigging abroad so will be contacting a few people today with that in mind. Gonna chase up my beer mats too, they should easily be ready by now! >>OK so beer mats will be picked up tomo and will take a pic of what they look like and post on here. Sent off some emails to contacts I have in Cyprus, Thailand, Ireland and Germany so fingers crossed I will be able to start getting out of England here and there Been in the studio today and made some good progress on ‘One Step At A Time’ which you can hear here >
Off to play in Illusions Magic Bar tonight in Bristol. Should be a good night, always is there. Also looking forward to seeing Keira Pierce who I haven’t seen for sometime
12/11/10
Today has been all about Footprint again. Organising local bands to get involved in performing on the 12th Dec as well as sorting artwork (provided by Jo O’Donoghue) and getting the flyers printed. Spent sometime in the home studio again and came up with this piano piece. I recorded it at 60 bpm as I will most likely use it for some more of these relaxation CD’s I have been working on but if you can imagine it sped up a little bit it’s a good basis for a song… and I already have the vocal melody in mind too – so glad things are starting to ever-so-slightly flow freely in my creative world.
Just got home from a gig at Batch Country Hotel > was a very chilled out evening and as always it’s nice to know people appreciate what you do and hopefully some more work will come of it. Feelig pretty tired now so it’s time for some American Dad or maybe some Buzzcocks to see me off to the land of sleepface zzz
11/11/10
Been in my home studio today recording little piano parts and a demo of ‘These Few Days‘ It’s not quite ready yet so won’t be posting up rubbish recordings for now. Playing at Yates’s in Weston tonight for the open mic night.
10/11/11
Off to Clevedon tonight to play at the Moon & Sixpence with some friends. Last night was awesome in London with MissBee in The Elgin. Saw the following artists who were all amazing Carl Harris, Femi Temowo, ‘The Bluesmith’, Juan Zelada as well as Elaine Buckle who presents the night. My sister Kiri came to watch as did my friends Kat and Brett.
Been tabbing out the intro to These Few Days today… here is what it looks like so far
09/11/11
Well so far today it’s all been about Footprint and trying to promote the 12th Dec and the prizes we have on offer. Had a meeting with Jules (Derrick) this morning after a spot of self promotion and contacting venues for gigs next year… also wanna start looking further afield to get some work abroad. Heading to London in about an hour, playing at The Elgin in Notting Hill so looking fwd to that.
Just received the finished version of BECAUSE WE ARE from MONKEY BEATS. It’s my vocals used on some very interesting Dubstep/dance track, listen here:
08/11/11
Started today being dropped off in Totnes and had a look around the shops… didn’t take long before I bumped into and old acquaintance from years ago. He asked what I was up to at the moment and I then mentioned about looking for a studio and producer at the moment. Turns out he knows of a good place in Exeter where the Levellers producer works from so I am definitely going to look into that once my friend gets back to me with some details. Also heard back from my contact at Abbey Road which looks like a totally viable option now. I think the hardest part of all of this is the amount of choice and the many decisions that need to be weighed up.
Here is an instrumental version of IF I FALL together with the tab! God I love guitar pro – means I can remember how to play these things later down the line.
07/11/11
I’ve had a great day and evening in Dartmouth with my friend Mark Ely and ‘Margie’… played at The Seahorse today owned by Mitch Tonks (fish and chip cook or the godfather of fish > but seriously the food was amazing. Tried soft shell crab and the ultimate truffle mash with real truffles, not truffle oil for the first time today. Currently watching X Factor and getting increasingly frustrated… such shitty ass milk!
Had some great advice today too but can’t actually remember all of it since there was so much. Mark is like some kind of wise mage with mega wisdom. Some ideas about playing with the tempos of the tracks and maybe recording a few takes at different speeds… it’s generally harder to edit or re-record than it is to spend the time in the first place. He mentioned that I should try not get too much opinion on the work in progress just work on it until I’m actually happy and try to capture some ‘magic’ in the studio. Would be great to get in a really good mood and a comfortable atmosphere to work in. Other than that it’s been a great weekend of gigs with plenty more to look forward to til the end of the year. Generally I am in a great upbeat mood and have plenty to look forward to workwise. Gonna have a chat to someone I used to work with with regards to assisting the producing of my album. Gonna look into different places to record different instruments for best results possibly too i.e piano in one place drums in another to get best overall sound… I still have a sinking feeling that the sound will take second place to ‘feel’ and emotion put into the recorded performance.
Last nights gig at the Salthouse in Clevedon was very very enjoyable. Thanks to everyone who danced and sang along
05/11/11
Remember, remember the 5th of November… hope you all have a safe evening playing with fire and stuff. I have finished the 6 track EP with Jo today and also came to the realization that my piano playing is getting a little better; been working out my songs on the ivories and came up with some nice versions worth possibly recording have a little listen to this play around with FORGIVE ME
Working on trying to get studio time at Vale Studios before the end of the year to record a single.
04/11/11
I have a few bits for you to listen to today. Got 4 tracks finished today with Jo Merry (Spiritual Destiny) and also the focusing CD track too. These will be on sale in the southwest area and so hopefully will be little extra revenue.
track 1 track 2 track 3 track 4
I have been helping to sort out the Footprint Prize Draw and the event that is to be held on Dec 12th in The London Inn (W-s-M) If you are interested in winning some awesome prizes for as little as 1 pound then check the prize draw and get involved
Yesterday was pretty much all about cleaning the house and my car so nothing much of interest for those of you reading this… all 1 million of you… but acoustic night last night was great fun and tonight I am playing in UNWINED with Jo Williams – just heading out now. Only other thing to mention really is that I am feeling a lot more creative than I have for a long time so I hope it is the start of a big outlet and lots of cool new songs start flooding out of my hands and face. Cheers all
02/11/11
So a few things to think about today… Looking at rearranging band members to accommodate availability and thinking about where to record are the main focus for me right now. Vale Studios came up in conversation tonight with my friend Tony Hobden and it really would be a very accessible and affordable option worth considering. I’m thinking there needs to be consistency with the album and so I need to decide on somewhere that I can safely return to to complete any further work. Having been there before and totally aware of the quality of work that comes from there it would be a good choice. Taking price into account also I believe the speed in which recording can be done and with the rehearsed band that I work with things should be awesome. It looks in all honesty that until the new year (when my diary is slightly more empty) I will not be able to get recording to a big scale – I can however find one day before Christmas to start working on the first single (Secret) this also means I have time to work on potential new material and get very rehearsed with the band. With regards to line-up change it is only a matter of changing drummers but I have worked with Sam Evans before (awesome drummer) and Rob Whelan is simply too busy to commit fully to my band alone; he is already in a handful of other bands and works part time too. So tomorrow is another day to get my head around some more issues and hopefully get this mutha rolling!
Received a message from Edward Bell (previously financed STP artist) today with regards to a collaboration to ‘cross pollinate’ our fanbases, to use his terminology. I’m pretty excited about such a prospect; it would be great to join forces and I believe I Am Not Lefthanded (previously financed STP artist) offered a similar proposal which I would love to accept. Gonna setup a date with Edward and think about a cover we could work on that would really show our best.
01/11/11
Happy November everyone. Well it’s been a lovely weekend of gigs. Saturday was at Illusions Magic Bar in Bristol and yesterday I played in The Waterfront in Burnham-on-Sea and then a private gig at Loves Cafe in W-s-M for a birthday party. Was a really nice atmosphere and I got to play some songs in a different style than normal; When The Sun Goes Down by the Arctic Monkeys in a laid back manner was probably the highlight for me,,, was a great challenge to think on my feet and play around with the melodies on the fly May have got some more work via these gigs too which is always great… someone who I spoke to at The Waterfront organises a lot of music events so hopefully I’ll be able to perform in some new venues in front of new audiences.
Today I have been fiddling around with lyrics for new songs and contacting venues for gigs next year as well as trying to fill the last few gaps I have up until Christmas. I’ve secured a gig in a really nice place called Slapton in Devon on the 17th of this month. If you have never been in that area I highly recommend it, don’t wanna sound gay or nothing but it’s a well pretty town.
I have a rather exciting new guitar piece as well that I am very much looking fwd to getting finished. This whole songwriting thing feels like it’s taking forever these days but I would rather take my time and make the best stuff I can. Spoke to Karl G the other day about possibly being involved in the production of the album because I believe he can bring that little something different to the recordings that it needs. To find out more about Karl G Google his name and have a listen to his work. I think the band recordings will benefit from his input on top and give that ‘edge’ that the album will need to stand out.
Also in an unrelated note I have been enjoying season 4 and 5 of The Universe from The History Channel… NERD!!!