2025 dates to be announced soon April 26th New Headingley Club Leeds GER Showcase with Towse & Harry Orme Sept 22nd The Old Woollen Leeds UK (supporting Martin Simpson) Oct 13th The Blarney Stone, Osaka,…
There’s an old saying “Buy cheap, by twice” and this is especially true for musicians wanting to create and perform music. Recording music has never been so affordable and its entirely possible to get some…
I’ve noticed in recent times an increasing number of tantrums and whining online on social media. Of course there will always be people complaining and moaning, but this seems to have reached an all time…
Over the years I’ve become a collector of musical instruments, many of which have inspired a great deal of my songwriting. To my total amazement with my first band The Small Change Diaries, the ukulele…
Any artist who plays live will appreciate that venue experiences can vary massively and at times can render an artist speechless and not in a good way either… Here are some real life observations that…
What is a “grassroots venue?” A grassroots venue is described as “a venue with less than 350 capacity.” Such venues are traditionally for entry level musicians, some limited activity in established acts. Many such acts…
In just under two weeks time I’m running and playing at the Music for the Head and Heart showcase in Leeds, with my band “The Heartache” along with Towse and Harry Orme. This evening will…
Next week we’ll be signing off on the audio and artwork for the first part of the “Covering these tracks” project. This is a new departure for me as previously I’ve only recorded and released…
During covid I realised how much I missed live music both as a player and also as an audience member. I also realised as a band leader that there is a huge variation in the…
I’m an instrument collector and always on the look out for great gear. In recent times I came across the most amazing guitar straps from One off leather that are quite unlike anything else I…
I’m currently working on two very different projects, “Covering these tracks” which is the first time I have ever recorded material written by other artists and the second Heartache album. This means a huge amount…
We just finished a session in the studio working up a new track for the 2nd Heartache album due for a 2024 release with Agi, a terrific UK singer. I have known Agi for almost…
I just got back from Eiger studios in Leeds where we spent the day shooting video and rehearsing for the Sept 23rd Green Eyed Records/Music for the Head and Heart showcase. I chose Eiger as…
This is the Shimo electric tenor guitar build for me by Takahiro Shimo from Tokyo. Here is the spec Body : White Limba, Neck : One Piece Hard Maple / Bolt On Pickups : Fender…
A few years ago I came across Edwards guitars, made by ESP for the Japanese home market. The pickups are made by Seymour Duncan and the hardware is by Gotoh. The wood choices are really…
In recent times the subject of people losing confidence in attending live events has come up in many conversations. A well established local artist commented that since covid, many people are wary about events being…
Less is more During covid I decided that I was no longer going to play local events mid week and instead host and run events myself. The reason for this is that I’d rather not…
Prior to tipping my toe into the music world and running events, in my other life I come from a business background which meant dealing with some really big business contacts up to million pounds.…
We just finished a great video shoot for a new musical project. Such events require a huge amount of preparation and planning, especially when all parties are travelling from different parts of the UK. The…
I’ve always been a massive fan of great design and in recent times I’ve come across some terrific artists who produce work that is truly inspiring. The guitar strap below was made by a super…
I just received the latest album “All is fine ’til the world goes pop” and the first Green Eyed Records sampler. It seems like only yesterday when we recorded the first Small Change Diaries album…
In recent years I’ve been increasingly interested in mental health in the arts and music industry. In my professional non music capacity, I’ve worked with many creative types over the last two decades and have…
The last major music festival I attended was many moons ago and was the Pink Pop festival in Holland. It was a great line up and my favorite band was Morphine who opened the festival.…
We are close to completing “All is fine til the world goes pop”, the first of four very different albums and I am blown away by the contributions of amazing musicians from all over the…
Sonic explorations and surprises I’ve been aware of Danelectro for some time but never really investigated their guitars. These are straightforward no frills guitars, but very well made with a specific sound. The baritone 56…
In recent times I’ve become increasingly aware of individuals setting themselves up as “festival and music promoters” who in my opnion (I’m being polite here) lack skills in making such events viable. Of course this…
I have massive respect from anyone working in the arts and I set up Green Eyed Records as a music resource for artists who value the concept of “creativity though collaboration” as in my view…
I’ve known Tim Booth and Jim Glennie from James for a very long time and watched them over the years become a band that has sold over 25 million albums, including releasing no less than…
We just started rewiring the big rig in the studio which is a monster task as there are three main power amps, the Mesa Boogie 290, VHT amp and the new super rare Groove Tubes…
The last two years have meant covid musical adjustments with the advent of covid 19. For almost two years I only played one live gig which was the debut with the Heartache. It was a…
Yesterday was a hugely productive day in the studio working on the album “All is fine till the world goes pop” album featuring Towse. We mastered and signed off on “In these times” “They don’t…
I’ve always been a massive fan of guitar amps, preamps and combos that are driven by tubes or as we say in the UK, ‘valves” To my ears there is something about the sound that…
Covid 19 put the world on pause and for the last few years. After many years of playing local gigs, UK festivals and overseas festivals and gigs, I’m now rethinking opportunities for playing live. There’s…
I’ve been thinking recently about “the power of creativity through collaboration” and how there are wildly different artistic visions among artists and every different behaviours. I set up Original Ukulele Songs to provide a platform…
April last year I decided to set up Green Eyed Records as a platform for music lovers to share thoughts and resources. I’ve blogged previously about some of the challenges for artists in creating and…
Over the years I have come to realise the value of investing in really good musical gear. This has proved to be true for amps, as well as acoustic and electric instruments. I remember talking…
2021 has been quite a year and a record year for writing new material. I currently have 48 tracks “in the vault” and 34 tracks already to go for a very different project. The main…
Lack of attention to detail and social media misconceptions I was recently looking for an artist online I know as a possible act for a future live music showcase. In doing a Google search her…
During covid 19, I’ve spent a lot of time upgrading the studio, so its now exactly as I want it. I have a lot of gear and many items that are just brilliant for recording.…
In recent times I’ve semi jokingly posted that “I swear people are getting crazier” and one sign of this is the increasing emergence of the angry emoji nit jobs on social media platforms. These are…
Here is a list of all the songs I have recorded to date across all my ensembles Adam blames Eve Aim High Airport Codeine blues All About Her Lies All is Fine Until the World…
If 2020 and 2021 was the period for writing and recording music, 2022 is going to be a bumper year for music releases. I’ll be working across four main projects, which are the duet material…
We just completed a short 30 min support slot in Leeds to try out some of the new Heartache material for the first time. Below is the first outing for “That gal’s as cool as…
In recent years, I’ve been thinking a lot about music distribution and music deals. I’ve always been a massive music lover and set up Music for The Head and Heart and now Green Eyed Records…
As part of setting up the Green Eyed Records platform, I’ve been looking in live music events promotions and I’m constantly amazed at what I have found to date. I recently searched for an artist…
In the last few weeks, I’ve been working in my studio with Agi laying down vocals and BVs for new material. We have been using the superb Austrian Audio OC 18 mic and its proving…
The Nick Cody and The Heartache follow up single to “Can’t Stop” is “You gotta move” and is released on August 6th on all digital platforms. Special thanks to everyone who has made this track…
A rare but welcome addition to my instrument family I had never heard about the Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Telecaster until my bass player Fergus Quill brought his tenor to one of the rehearsals. I…
“Can’t Stop” now has the most radio plays of all tracks to date. Special thanks to Neil Atkinson for radio publicity and for Nick Bloomfield in creating such a terrific video for this track. These…
This has been a very strange 14 months with no live gigs and no travel. I have taken the opportunity to review and upgrade my home studio as I realised that I was going to…
In running Original Ukulele Songs and Music for Thr Head and Heart I get a lot of artists post on the social media pages and its rare to come across material that stops me in…
I recently came across Supro amps and have been really impressed by how great they sound. To date I’ve been a big tube amp fan for playing electric guitars, but in previous years have mostly…
I recently had to figure out a new name for a music project and it occurred to me that there are several music branding considerations always worth checking before you decide to action any project.…
Music PR Companies, is it a case of caveat emptor?
I have been doing a ton of recording over the last 10 months, for three different projects, the code-e1 electronic project with Black Star Liner, material for “Nick Cody and the Heartache” which is all…
I am increasingly convinced that the best hope for the future of great music is through artist collaboration. With setting up Music for the Head and Heart I have been fortunate to meet and interview…
I’m a big fan of physical products and long ago abandoned ITunes when Apple started telling me which devices I could listen to purchased tunes on and it became clear that their position was that…
During Covid 19, I’ve been writing and recording at a furious rate across four projects. I started out with working on material for ‘The Caravan of Dreams” and then handed of some tracks which started…
My producer and I spent 2 hours yesterday on creating a spread sheet to track progress of the work on 25 different songs currently in play in addition to 19 songs that have already been…
I’m currently working on 40 tracks across two very different projects. There are 2 totally different arrangements of songs written since covid lockdown, so they can legitimately be classed as totally different in all respects.…
This has been a very surreal five months, during covid 19. Like all musicians I had to cancel all live gigs for myself and for music events I host with Music for The Head and…
Today sees the welcome funding for the arts finally from the government, but covid 19 has created a major problem for both theatres and music venues. I’m hearing that one of the key issues is…
After many years of playing mostly acoustic music I now find myself immersed in writing a whole bunch of material on electric guitar. I have amassed a great collection over the years so there’s a…
I am fortunate to know many excellent professional musicians from around the world and all of them have been by Covid 19. This is requiring a massive rethink and live appearances have all been wiped…
To my great surprise, I am currently playing and recording a lot of electric guitar. This is a far cry from the last four years of acoustic work that revolved around guitars, ukuleles and other…
The Covid 19 pandemic has brought massive change on the planet and of course the music industry is hugely affected. These are very uncertain times and I suspect the musical landscape post covid will never…
We just finished mastering a full band track called “That gal’s as cool as fuck” The song is about Scarlet Rivera who was the violinist on Bob Dylan’s 1975 Rolling Thunder Tour. My good friend…
Today is all about putting down guitar tracks for my first ever cover version. After recording 44 tracks to date, this is new territory. I’m also loving working with the Acme DI box, the Ear…
Today I laid down all the additional guitar tracks for “Your chosen one is coming” To my ears the guitar parts sound like something from Television’s classic “Marquee Moon” album from 1970s, much to my…
This has been a somewhat surreal experience doing the first few tracks, studio to studio. Fortunately Carl Rosamond has a brilliant grasp of how to use the technology as well as how to get the…
My terrific bass player Fergus Quill told me about the Acme Motown D.I. WB-3 which I had never heard of. Not only had I never heard of it, but my fellow tech enthusiasts had never…
Since my first band The Small Change Diaries in 2015, I have increasingly become aware of the importance of using great photos in music promotion. The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”…
In doing interviews for Music for The Head and Heart I’m increasingly finding that artists have a real challenge in generating predictable income and many are asked to play charity events, fundraisers and similar live…
Nice to see a good article from Artist Sounds on the band here on the new promo clip
One of the biggest challenges in creating and promoting music is to be able to fund the time needed to make this happen Unless you have a wealthy patron or other financial support, it can…
I recently fast forwarded through the new “The Masked Singer” TV programme and it reminded me how much I hate such formats. Shows like “X Factor”, “American Idol” and “Britain’s got Talent” had some appeal…
I’m currently organising studio time for 2020 and took a few moments to look about at the songs I have professionally recorded to date. My first band was “The Small Change Diaries” where we recorded…
Once a year I do a proper review of my instrument collection and decide whether to move on some of the collection. This can be for a variety of reasons. Sometimes some instruments have served…
Here are 6 of my favorite instruments from my collection. They are all very different, but exceptional in terms of playabilty and sounds.
2019 was a busy year with the release of “Tales of Dark and Light” and a launch party in May. We recorded 14 tracks for the album and I have another 7 tracks ready to…
In part one, I pointed out how many artists are not looked after by promoters and how promoters fail to pay attention to detail. As well as these issues, another great way to kill live…
We are just a few days away from the launch of the Music for the Head and Heart evening and I’ve been once again reflecting on the whole issue of music promotion. I confess to…
drooble review 8 months on
I’ve blogged before about my experience in the Calverley Community Choir and we just completed what they call ‘The Big Gig” which is held once a year. This was at Victoria Hall Saltaire in Yorkshire.…
You never get a 2nd chance to make a first impression… Whether we like it or not, video has become a key element in promoting music. As the old saying goes “You never get a…