Tales of Dark and Light from Nick Cody & The Caravan of Dreams released May 11th.
Book for the album launch party HERE
Tales of Dark & Light Album
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Online questions that drive me crazy…
Ok, prepare for a short rant. If you don’t want to hear a guy complaining, then just skip this article and I won’t in anyway be offended!
The internet is a terrific resource, BUT it seems that increasingly online questions are increasingly ill formed and on a daily basis there are endless posts that are IMO essentially meaningless. Here are some examples of questions that drive me nuts, because the question is too vague and generalized, so without context, its impossible to give any kind of useful answer. These questions appear on a daily basis on social media and rather than ask the questioner to clarify the question, hordes of posters pile in giving responses which are well intentioned, but IMO not that helpful.
Here are some examples –
“Whats the best, cheapest instrument for a beginner?”
“The best” means what exactly? There is no “best” without context. “The best” could mean whatever will fit in my rucksack, the prettiest looking (also totally subjective), the one which sounds “best” to my ears (also totally subjective” “The cheapest” also is meaningless without context. There are endless instrument shaped objects poorly made that are not really IMO musical instruments in that they are often unplayable. They may be great props for posing with, but that’s about it.
Another consideration is “What sound do you want to create?” Again , the question is meaningless without that consideration. The same goes for the perennial questions about string choices. The combination of strings and instrument wood/hardware along with the playing style will determine the final sound. With small bodied instruments like ukuleles, different combinations will produce radically different results. Everyone will have a personal preference for what suits their own ears, BUT that equates to “what I like most” which is different to what is “best”
I have over 200 sets of ukulele strings in stock including 90 sets of Hilo strings which are now unobtainable. The Hilos sound terrific (to my ears) on Shimos, but don’t sound great (to my ears) on many other ukes. My Collings concert ukes sound better (to my ears) with Worth strings.
Another question is
“What’s the best case for my instrument?”
I’m a big fan of protecting instruments and there is always a trade off between construction, weight and cost. For me the strength and weight and the two primary considerations. For guitars Carlton fiber glass cases (no longer available in the UK) are fantastic in terms of strength, but they are heavy.
I used to but them directly from Keith Carlton after I saw Martin Simpson using them. Now they are only available in the USA they are hugely more expensive. For ukuleles carbon fiber cases are fantastic, seriously light and really strong, but there is a big price tag and I can only find these in Japan. Again its all about context and whether weight, cost, looks or any other factors are the primary consideration for what is “best”
So any question that starts with “What’s the best?” is meaningless without any context.
Ear Trumpet Mics
I first came across Ear Trumpet Mics when I saw The Secret Sisters play a live gig in the UK. They used an Ear Trumpet Myrtle mic for part of their set and it sounded fantastic.
On my 60th birthday I received one of these as a present and I’m seriously impressed. Like all great gear the Myrtle Ear Trumpet Mic works best in a specific context and is a far cry from all rounder mics like the SM58s. I’ve been testing the myrtle with a Henriksen Blu amp and a Henriksen Ray cab and I am pleased to say it sounds fantastic. Just as the Blu reproduces the instrument sound perfectly, the Ear Trumpet Myrtle does the same for vocals. I love the simplicity of the mic and it seems very “old school” in the best possible way.
The Myrtle works brilliantly for vocals as well as acoustic instruments. This is a very different way of working and even in the first day of trying this out, I absolutely love it. I’ll get the chance to try it out with others in the Caravan of Dreams this Thursday and next week we’ll test it in the studio.
Observations on songwriting from successful musical artists
Here are some of my favorite quotes from artists on songwriting that in my view are well worth a read as these folks have dedicated their lives to this pursuit
“Songwriting’s a weird game. I never intended to become one – I fell into this by mistake, and I can’t get out of it. It fascinates me. I like to point out the rawer points of life”. Keith Richards
“Songwriting is a very mysterious process. It feels like creating something from nothing. It’s something I don’t feel like I really control”. Tracy Chapman
“I’m definitely a fan of juxtaposition. Using the most beautiful line to say the most horrific thing – I think one of the main things in songwriting is definitely friction between the words and the melody”. Rufus Wainwright
“Songwriting is kind of like a craft. It’s not something that just comes in a dream. You’ve got to work at it”. Sean Lennon
“Inspiration is a word used by people who aren’t really doing anything. I go into my office every day that I’m in Brighton and work. Whether I feel like it or not is irrelevant.’” Nick Cave
“You write down a paragraph or two describing several different subjects creating a kind of story ingredients-list, I suppose, and then cut the sentences into four or five-word sections; mix ’em up and reconnect them. You can get some pretty interesting idea combinations like this. You can use them as is or, if you have a craven need to not lose control, bounce off these ideas and write whole new sections.” David Bowie
“What comes first? The melody, always. It’s all about singing the melodies live in my head. They go in circles. I guess I’m quite conservative and romantic about the power of melodies. I try not to record them on my Dictaphone when I first hear them. If I forget all about it and it pops up later on, then I know it’s good enough. I let my subconscious do the editing for me.” Björk
When often, less is more in musical gear for live gigs
I just got back from seeing John Schofield play a solo gig in Leeds. He had a very simple set up, one guitar, a fender amp a looper and a Stryman pedal. When I saw The Secret Sisters last year, they also had a simple set up, one Collings acoustic guitar and two mics. Then they reduced that set up to one Ear Trumpet mic, which sounded absolutely fantastic. In fact it sounded so great, I started looking into Ear Trumpet mics and am going to purchase one.
The first time I saw Tori Amos, who played a solo gig at Manchester Free Trade Hall in Manchester and played one piano all night. There was no band and she never sounded better than that night.
My point is that often “less is more” and many of the most sublime musical performances have been where artists have opted for this simplicity. There is something truly wonderful about this stripped back approach.
A few months ago I had a series of mishaps and for the first time ever blew not only one amp, but both Henriksen Bud amps just before a debut gig with “The Caravan of Dreams.” Fortunately I still had my Henriksen single channel Blu amp. This was the simplest gear I have ever taken when playing live. I had no boost pedals, effects (I rarely use these anyway) and it was a case of “plug in and go” You know what? This was probably the best sound I have had on stage to date.
Often I’ll see artists post online about getting the cheapest gear and although I appreciate everyone has budgets the old adage “Buy cheap, buy twice” comes to mind. I’ve never regretted buying really good gear and often it either holds its value and/or increases in value. Some niche gear disappears and then becomes really sought after. One example are the excellent Sony MV1 video cameras that I use extensively on the “Music for the Head and Heart project” Often great gear never appears second hand. I have never seen a Henriksen Bud amp or Ear Trumpet mic appear second had anywhere. People who have great gear rarely let it go and often simple set ups revolve around one great instrument.
Yes, often “less is more” and I’m pondering a side project where I”ll scale back gear to the simplest set ups and record with an ear trumpet Myrtle mic making this a very old school way of working.
Why I’m not a fan of music competitions
I saw this photo on social media and it provoked me to ponder the nature of music competitions and my thoughts on such activities.
I have had some people online suggest that with the OUS online platform I start competitions to encourage artists. I’ve always been really wary of this as in many niche music concerns, competitions seem to accelerate the status seeking behaviours which eclipse any focus on musical creation. Instead there’s an almost obsessive drive to be “biggest” and “best” which of course is always totally subjective. I’m sure there are many very healthy music competitions but these often bring out the very worst behaviour, especially when individuals claim to be ‘award winners”
Of course many music competitions are hugely biased or rigged from the outset, which makes such activities equally meaningless. In some niche music concerns there’s a mutual congratulation behaviour where social favors trump any genuine musical creativity. I have also heard on very good authority of artists approached to be on TV shows and guaranteed pre any auditions that they would make it into the final group of artists.
I fully appreciate that I may be in a minority with this view and clearly many people salivate at the idea of joining a music competition, but as of now I totally agree with Bela and no promises of free instruments, or cash persuades me otherwise…
The Unglamorous task of music promotion
I have just started working on the promotion for the Caravan of Dreams debut album and this is proving to be a big learning curve. The reason for this is that “the music business” is changing at some rate and this means having to adapt and course correct all marketing and strategic thinking
I’m lucky to come from a background in communication and marketing, so I have some skills, BUT the “music business” is a strange beast and is changing all the time. Its very clear to me that its perfectly possible to burn money on publicists and PR if you are not careful and that there is no “magic bullet” that will catapult any artist to mass success. Of course shows like X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent present the illusion of massive fame, but I have heard from very reliable sources that there is a lot of (I’m being polite here “crafting of artists” and what is presented to the public is essentially a carefully prepared image where “image” trumps music in every instance.
For original artists writing their own material and looking to reach a wider audience there are IMO absolute basics that need to be in place for even the most remote chance of reaching a wider audience. In my view attention to detail and quality control are crucial. I was amused to read on one music social media platform, endless artists boast about how they never spent any money on music production and that such help was not needed. I appreciate that everyone has budgets, but its obvious to me that working with a professional with decades of recording experience is going to produce a better sonic result that trying to do that aspect myself.
Its clear to me that as well as really taking time to craft songs, its equally important to have a multi layered delivery system to connect to a wider public.
The absolute minimum means having the following in place
A professional website with great visuals, blog and regular content
Facebook presence
Twitter presence
YouTube account
Sound cloud presence
Instagram account
These are IMO the absolute basics and interestingly when I invested in a PR promotion from a distribution company, they insisted on FB, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and sound cloud as a condition of applying.
I have also realised that the internet is essentially a visual medium, and its smart to invest in great photos, to attract attention. Many people really don’t get this and look to save money which IMO is a big mistake.
Prepare for some major work
I have realised that “the music business” like any other business requires a great deal of strategic thinking and building relationships. I recently attended an evening where industry professionals talked about what was essential in artist promotion and publicity. They stressed the importance of networking and didn’t think much of “professional pluggers” I surprised that it looked like I was the only person to audio record the event and one of the few people to ask as series of questions and to take up the offer to talk 1 to 1 afterwards which proved very useful. After all there is no substitute for experience and over the years conversations with professional musicians have proved to be invaluable and saved me a huge amount of time and money. I’m grateful to know a number of top class successful artists who have been very generous with their time.
Working on promotion means some major work and crucially sustained work. Its a careful balance of keeping an online presence that engages people and not flooding the internet with material. Often “less is more” and its better to pay attention to quality rather than volume.
With my first band “The Small Change Diaries” we initially looked at the ukulele market for an audience. I quickly realised after a few festival appearances that this was mostly not an audience that wants to listen to music. I’ve blogged about this many times, so won’t elaborate further on this aspect…
With “The Caravan of Dreams” we are far more diverse musically and I am investing a great deal more time in recording and musical promotion. This means a ton of work behind the scenes across many platforms. Other artists who have made any kind of impact tell the exact same story and “The BIG project” “Music for The Head and Heart” brings together all such artists who are more interested in promoting the love of music. Working with like minds is essential and I’m keen to promote mutual support. I am happy to share business awareness, do video and photographs as well as sharing other creative resources with appreciative artists who have a shared vision.
I’ve never been busier working on musical projects and have to work pretty hard to fund all of this from other work. To date I have avoided kickstarter style initiatives and I have seen some car crash scenarios where artists create a terrible reputation by failing to deliver after seeking thousands of dollars to fund their own recording time. There have also been major problems with Pledge Music in recent times which have been well documented in the media. Ultimately I prefer to literally put my money where my mouth is and fund everything independently.
I’m pay all band members for rehearsal and gig time as well as employing professionals for music production, photography and IT support. This leaves me to focus on what I do best. Its an ongoing balancing act, but quite a trip and a massive amount of fun. As I said in the title of this piece, its “unglamarous” as well as a constant learning curve, but despite the massive amount of work, I do really love it.
Caravan of Dreams Video
We just released the promo video for “Tales of Dark & Light” This was done using a collage of many of the superb photos from Karen Turner. Carl Rosamond and myself decided to used these photos along with a few snippets of video I had recorded.
The music is the final track on the album, the title track “Tales of Dark & Light” which brings together themes from four other tracks on the album with a shruti box drone played by Agi. This is a world apart from any previous music I have played and the vocal is a three part harmony arranged by Agi, who truly is “the queen of harmonies” I have never come across anyone with such a talent for such arrangements as well of course having a great voice.
The album will be released on May 11th.
Expanding musical horizons
I have realised in recent times that its important to expand musical horizons. My original “Small Change Diaries” band was pretty ukulele centric, but “The Caravan of Dreams” is far more diverse musically and there are usually six instead of four members. On the “Tales of Dark and Light” album there are 12 musicians and a huge variety of instruments.
In our live playing I now include electric guitar (custom Warmoth strat with Moses graphite neck” as well as the excellent Gregor Nowak guitarelle. This also means different amplification considerations, but fortunately the Henriksen Bud and Blu amps continue to do a superb job.
I still enjoy the ukulele and write on it, but guitar and mandolin are currently inspiring all manner of new musical ideas. As well as the 14 tracks already recorded for the Caravan album, I have another eight tracks ready to record later this year. I expect to add more guitar in the sonic mix and already plan to bring in new musicians to add to the Caravan of Dreams sound. The “Music for The Head & Heart” project has brought me into contact with a huge range of new musicians which also have helped expand musical horizons.
The Importance of using great photos in music promotion
I’m a big fan of classic artist photos in music and have become increasingly aware of the importance of using good photos in promoting music. Note the term “good”, often people can settle for an “OK photo” or as they like to call them “pics” a term my official photographer Karen Turner quite rightly hates!
I don’t profess to in any way be a professional photographer, but I confess to being totally in love with my Fuji X Pro 2 camera and I now use it for everything. This was bought as a back up camera to my Leica M, but once I started using the Fuji I never looked back.
I am fast learning the value of having a camera of this quality and how best to use it. Often its about how to frame the best shot and I’m pleased with the following photos I’ve taken. In some instances there was a bit of luck involved, but I am increasingly loving taking photos, especially of musicians. Here are some I love. Are they “good” or dare I say “great?”, well that’s for others to decide!
