Wh’appen?

Ok, I’m back. Sorry about the delay in transmission. A million excuses; all of them rubbish, all of them true..

We had our child on October 17th, seems like ten years ago now. He’s a boy, Sonny, and he’s beautiful.

Ok, enough. Since Christmas I’ve recorded most of what will be the second Black Serpent Choir album. (I can’t access this myspace page anymore. I can’t remember the login details, any ideas?) I recorded the first one three years ago when Akira the Don and I were talking about making an album together (we still talk about making an album together). I recorded these tracks that for reasons I can’t recall (I think we were both busy with our own records) were never used.

One Saturday evening, not long after, Mary left for work and I was left here with the long evening stretching invitingly before me. I always felt like a teenager on a Saturday evening. Mary would be at work for five hours and all that time was my very own to do with what I wished. Sometimes I would go and sit in the bar (she worked in the local arts cinema which is also where we used to drink) and get drunk while waiting for her, other times I would smoke or take mushrooms, read, record, photoshop or play GTA. When you are a creative person you are never bored. I love to make something out of nothing. This night, however, I had been looking at bands profiles on Myspace and decided I would use the discarded tracks and form a band. I thought of a name, The Black Serpent Choir, and made the page, inviting everyone I knew to join me. I tried to keep my identity a secret but quite a few people guessed immediately either because of the music or just the images and influences that I used.

The tracks were very popular and were picked up and played on Bethan Elfyn’s and Adam Walton’s radio shows. I did a session for Adam Walton and was asked to play at Cardiff’s Buffalo bar. I still hadn’t told anybody the band was my doing and I vehemently denied all involvment whenever asked. For the gig I roped in two mates who are performance artists and taught them basic laptop skills and we spent a week rehearsing the set. For the gig they wore masks and alter boy gowns and Mary made some amazing BSC logo’d laptop covers. When I walked in tthat night I finally convinced everyone that I was not in the band (people had assumed that it was me under beneath one of the costumes the band were wearing on stage). It would have been perfect if one of the laptops hadn’t malfunctioned. Of course I had to go up and help them out.

They were still ace though and it is bizarre watching yourself play, I wholly recommend it.

Anyway, I got into other things and forgot about The Black Serpent Choir for awhile until I had recorded the Martin Carr album (out soon!). I love the album but I missed making an electronic racket and decided that I would now make records under two banners to satisfy myself and my needs.

The first album will be available very soon from the shop that will appear here sometime in the next couple of months. Here you’ll be able to buy most of the bravecaptain releases, the Martin Carr album and The Black Serpent Choir album.

These will all be released on my own label, Sonny Boy Records and distributed digitally through The State 51 Conspiracy. There will be no physical copies available at first. I know, that sucks.

So keep coming back for udates on that. I’ll also drop the odd download link to stuff I’m working on. Don’t believe me, eh? OK, follow this link and grab an early version of a track I’m working on for the second Black Serpent Choir album - Six White Horses.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/odyzht

Don’t forget to leave a comment!

Love

Martin