Spriggan Mist Presents Podcast Oct 2010

The first Spriggan Mist presents podcast featuring  Mad Magdalen, Rosa's Daughters, Watching planes , Max cilia the Dolmen and of course Spriggan mist......

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Spriggan Mist presents Oct 2010 great success

Drifter-Spriggan Mist

Pays to be Posh!!!

Whilst playing at the Dolmen Grove's Tribal Dreams festival at the end of August I made a throw away comment that Spriggan Mist hailed from Royal Berkshire and Surrey cos we are posh!!!! sitting amongst the tents keeping warm...(twas a cold Dorset night) I heard a cheer.....it was indeed a very nice lady from Reading  called Anne Marie Adams ....she has a spot presenting on Reading 4 U  Community Radio and on her 16th of september show she is going to play some Spriggan Mist. click on link if you want to listen in.

http://www.readingcommunityradio.org/

Well the prep. for the inaugrual Spriggan Mist Presents night is in full swing.

http://www.sprigganmist.com/presents.html

should be a great night..we have  a great lineup of musicians ..in no particular order...

Rosa's Daughters..

http://www.myspace.com/rosa39sdaughters
Rosa's Daughters are a harmony duo who love singing. Their repertoire covers Traditonal Engish songs,self-penned material through to contemporary singer/songwriters.Whatever catches their ears really. They play between them a variety of instruments including guitar,citterne,hungarian cittera, appalachian dulcimer and if the occasion arises......keyboards..plus a wide range of percussion stuff.

Mad Magdalen

http://www.myspace.com/madmagdalen
Mad Magdalen describe themselves as easy going, but professional performers looking for some space to offer some good quality tunes and songs for Earthy people. Loads of experience and well house trained......Having seen them at Tribal Dreams...they had the warmer weather and played open air on the friday they are a very talented folk band indeed. Their brand of folk will go down well on spriggan mist presents.


The LBM band

This is a 4-piece band fronted by Mike Peach, the organiser of the ‘Anchor’ Folk-Club in Byfleet. Mike has a distinctive, warm voice and the band plays a mixture of Folk and Contemproary standards. Spriggan mist's very own percussionist Andy Wilkin has been known to play for LBM aklongside Mike Bernie and Louise

Watching Planes

http://www.myspace.com/watchingplanes
http://www.myspace.com/watchingsomemoreplanes
Watching planes have had several changes in band members recently but one thing is constant, Kris Wilkins ...well two actually, the second being his absolute love of the Beatles. Kris will be joined by Nelson Aguilar to bring to us some Beatles inspired originals. the first link will show you how much Watching Planes do sound like the beatles (although Something has to fall is an original which is my personal fav.)n The second link is more of their original music.

Demios
With a collective age of 39 Paddy ,Carlos and Aaron have upstaged many a "grown up " band in their relative short musical career. This trio are hard to pigeon hole but their sound varies between the subtle keyboard playing by Paddy to to the more rocky sound Carlos and Aaron add to the mix. They play their own compositions which are both musically and lyrically ahead of their young ages.....get there autographs now !!!!

I urge all of you within striking distance of lightwater...(right on junction 3 of  M3) to make the effort and come and support local music.....Mother Dearest will be in attendance so even if you are not really into the music for the princely sum of enough to buy a can of Newcy Brown mother Dearest will do autographs. unfortunately her sidekick and partner in crime Texas Pat is unavailable as she has chainsaw maintenance for pensioners club that night.
For all my Maltese readers..this weekend is the time to come to England.....Yes Mother dearest and Texas Pat are going on pub crawl to Malta.... Farsons(local brewery) and Marsovin( Winery) have been appraised to get more stocks and Maltese Police informed.......

Toodle loo

Spriggan Mist Present 8th October 2010

Spriggan Mist and The Crossley Club present
An Evening of Progressive Folk Music
Launch night - 7:30pm Friday 8th October 2010
The Crossley Club, Lightwater, Surrey
Admission £2



What is this event?

This is the launch of a new evening, which, if successful, will be run monthly or more often even.

How was it conceived?

The idea came about when the Lightwater/Bracknell-based folk-rock band Spriggan Mist were looking for a venue to play in full-electric mode on a regular basis, to keep in good gig-practice ready for events and the summer festivals. It occurred to them that other bands/combos in similar genres might also like to play at these events, so conceived these evenings.

As someone thinking about coming to watch, what will be happening?

It will be a varied evening of plugged-in folk-rock, folk and loosely related music (at our discretion, which we have loosely and ambiguously described as ‘Progressive Folk’), consisting of a number of acts playing short sets. Performers will generally be from the locality, and playing for free. It is not an ‘OpenMike’ though, and we will be trying to keep above a certain level of quality. We think it will be an entertaining evening – and if you don’t like one particular act, you don’t have to wait long for the next!

What format will the evening take?

The evening will kick off at 7:30, with hosts Spriggan Mist playing a short set – to get things going, check out the kit and try a few new songs in the ‘graveyard’ slot. After that there will be a series of acts performing in 15 or 25-minute slots, including a slot by Spriggan Mist, until the finish at 11pm.

As a band/combo – how does it benefit me to play there?
Bands will benefit from:

• a FOH soundperson, to make them sound as good as possible to the audience

• Full stage monitors, with a monitor soundperson so you can hear yourselves properly on stage

• Full-colour multi-unit LED stage lighting – to create that special ambience – under control of a lighting-person.

• The opportunity to get a multi-camera video of your live performance, including high-quality sound– more of that later.
All in front of a supportive audience.

Do we get paid?

No, not currently. Maybe in future events we may consider having paid acts, but that depends on the paying audience we can attract.

How long can we play for?

Generally, for acts who we have pre-arranged to play, we will offer slots of 15minutes, and a limited number of 25minutes.

Can I just turn-up and play?

We will generally reserve some time for floor-spots, though we cannot guarantee you will get a chance to play, and we will need to know you personally. If you let us know you are coming you will have more chance of playing. If you turn-up and don’t get a chance to play, then we will give you more priority at subsequent events.

Do we have to pay to get in?

There is a standard admission charge of £2 per person. Acts who have pre-arranged to play don’t pay that, and we will allow a certain number of band guests to also enter free, provide they are vouched-for. Also, if you are not booked to play and are chancing on playing a floor-spot, then if we know you personally, and you let us know in advance, you can get in free. As it is a members club, all non-members must sign-in at the door.

Can we bring our own instruments/kit?

Here are the rules:
• You bring your own instruments, we don’t provide any.
• We provide PA, DI-boxes, guitar and bass amps, mikes and stands, and a small house drum-kit.
We only allow 5minutes for set-up, so we are placing restrictions on what you can bring:
• The basic rule is, you must be set-up and ready to play in 5 minutes from the time the previous act finishes playing
• No drum kits-you must use the house kit. You can bring your own snare if you want.
• Generally, no guitar, bass or other amps – you must use ours unless specifically pre-arranged.

Any electrical kit that we do agree you can bring must be PAT tested, with a current valid sticker. If you need to get this done, then contact Spriggan Mist in advance, as Dave can perform the testing for a small charge.

What about the venue?

The Crossley Club is a social club in Lightwater, aimed at family membership. Club members get free admission to the event. They have agreed to stage this event on a trial-basis at no cost to us. They hope to make their money from the bar. Speaking of which, bar prices are subsidised, including a nice pint of London Pride and a guest ale.

More details on the ‘video’ facility?

Dave and Gill have been working on producing a multi-cam system which uses 4 video cameras with remote-controlled pan/tilt/zoom facility. This allows the video-producer to sit at a screen and choose shots/cuts/fades/pans/zooms etc, just like on a live broadcast of a concert. In addition, multi-track sound is taken from the PA feeds, and mixed into the video. This sound comes from an SSL-Soundscape system, and is of a very-high quality.

The idea is that we can produce a video ‘on the fly’ mixed at performance time, with no expensive camera operators, nor post-production man-hours. The system is used to produce an MP4 file, of high quality suitable for producing a DVD, or via conversion for lower bit-rate web videos (for YouTube etc).

The cameras used are DV consumer-camcorder-type, so are not the ‘ultimate’ in quality, and subject to some foibles, but a pretty good result is possible and, with the ‘professional’ look of multi-camera shots, stable pan and zooming, this should give a video of a level of quality which cannot be exceeded without major expense. Include with this the use of suitable stage lighting, and we hope to achieve something unique and special here.

Performers will be able to purchase the ‘total rights’ of the mixed MP4 videos of their performances (so that they can convert/upload to YouTube, create a DVD, sell or distribute for free).
Please note: you have a week from performance to let us know if you would like to buy the videos, after which we may delete them, to save disk-space.

Because these are mixed ‘on the fly’, they may well be subject to the odd ‘mistake’, as is true even of the BBC for live videos! As we can’t ‘remix’, as of yet, there is nothing we can do about this. As we get more practice at producing these videos, the quality will no-doubt improve.

Alternatively, the system is capable of also producing separate video files (as avi files) from each camera, and separate audio multi-track ‘stems’ for each instrument. This will allow performers to do their own mixing and post-production, if they have the time and facilities (something like Adobe Premiere, which sometimes comes packaged with laptops etc. or there are probably freeware software packages available). If you would like to pursue this option, then let us know in advance.

If you don’t wish to purchase any videos, then we reserve the right to use the videos in full or part ourselves for promotion etc UNLESS YOU LET US KNOW WITHIN 5 DAYS OF PERFORMANCE THAT YOU DON’T WISH FOR US TO USE THEM.

Can I help?

We would be delighted for volunteers to help in the following areas:

• FOH sound mixing

• On-stage Monitor sound and band set-up

• Running a raffle/jug collection

• Manning the doors

• Video production (though this will involve some learning time!)







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Caught in a Spell review

Old readers of this blog will recall a character I worked with called Mr T. We have both since moved departments and buildings but last week I caught up with T and I gave him our  CD  to listen to ...Now two Yules ago T slated our single release Days of Winter he told us some home truths that hurt at the time but it was T at his most brutally honest. A Music afficianado he has been around the block a few times and has a great musical taste be it a little to Jazz in my opinion .The bloke knows what is what so I was surprised to get this unprompted review that I'd like to share......

T wrote.......

Bazza, I've listened to the whole cd twice since i got home. You should all be proud of what you have accomplished. It's meant to be MY album review so if you're not happy with it don't publish it(?) but feel free to to do with it what you wish.



Cheers T



Caught In a Spell Review


Have you ever had that Susan Boyle moment? You know what I mean, that moment when you see or hear something that you weren’t quite expecting and it makes your jaw drop and your conscience and mind, kind of goes into a spasm, not quite comprehending what’s going on.
Well I had my moment this afternoon on the M25 between the M40 and Heathrow whilst I was listening to the opening song, The Park, on Spriggan Mist’s new cd Caught in a Spell. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a complete nubie to the Spriggan, hey I was there (in spirit) at their inception and heard the inaugural songs, warts and all. But I haven’t listened to them for a long time.
No what I mean is I couldn’t get my head around how far they have come. The album exudes warmth and love and at times good old joie de vivre (take a bow Spriggan Dance). I had to keep reminding myself that the members of the band are not professional musicians and so much the better. For crying out loud they even have a six and nine year old making guest appearances!
The music comes from the heart and not the wallet.
The Park with it’s brooding atmosphere draws you in and entices the listener to behold the magical world of a faraway place inhabited by ‘ Faery’ folk and their ilk, before grabbing you by the short and curlies… the rest of you has to follow!
Earth Calling, dear old Earth Calling emits flavours of the East fused with the medieval troubadour sound embellished by 21st century artistry, again magical. Indigo Child, probably my favourite track. I once poured scorn on the vocals. I still stand by the criticism, but wow what a transformation , now the vocals sound warm, confident and strong, no longer a wannabe Maria Muldaur ( remember her). This girl can sing.
Faery Queen, melts the heart, a touch of genius to include Brianna’s vocal. Spriggan Dance closely follows Indigo Child as one of my favourites, played as tightly as any headlining band you care to mention. It made me smile and if I hadn’t been in the car I’d have grabbed the first woman I came across by the hand and led her a merry dance (or at least I’d have thought about it).


Overall a terrific first album and this coming from a jazz head. I have 10,349 tracks on my ipod it’s just gone up to 10,358. The band nestle between Special EFX and Spyro Gyra (Morning Dance anybody?).


If I have one criticism it would be that I never got a signed copy!
I’ll be dropping a fiver into the cancer collection box tomorrow in lieu of payment.


Mr T.

thanks T much appreciated

Strike a Pose

So dearest fans how are you all today?......good? What both of you? Fantastic! So here I am writing another exciting episode in the life and times of a bass player. It is my first day off today which means it’s my Saturday even though it is Thursday to the rest of the world! And my world is a wonderful place.....the children are off on their hollies and I am sitting awaiting the dress rehearsal of Brianna (aged 5 and 348 days old’s) one girl dancing show in our back room.....sound brought to you by her older brother aged 9!!!


So we have given Mother dearest the day off from her usual child care duties so she’ll be off down the common room of her detention centre aka old people’s sheltered accommodation where she will be playing cards with her green hatless peak , cigar out the side of her mouth and mountains of chips.........smothered in HP sauce of course!!!!!

So tonight I’m providing low end for the band at The Blue Anchor Folk club. In West Byfleet. The question is ....what do I wear.....toying with doing the whole Kilt thing....Dave reckons it won’t go down well (good job really cos that would be embarrassing) can’t just go in jeans ...wouldn’t be right not very Spriggan Mist.

So what about the Spriggan mobile I hear you say? Yes the sprig mobile is now sporting a new Kenwood.....I can make cakes on the go now .........seriously it charges me IPod and everything. Ok it cuts out going over big bumps and sometimes I have to turn the ignition on and off to get it to go on but it is in keeping with the character of the van!! Still awaiting some graphics from the Dark Marge for the side.....and a sticker saying

“ No musicians are left in this vehicle overnight”

Could you imagine how awful?

“Where’s Andy?”

“ Oh we had our van screwed last night ...stole our percussionist”

Then the endless trawling of the pawn shops for him...I said Pawn not Porn!!!!!!!

So an old friend from work who has since moved offices contacted me he is big into photography now and wants to add Spriggan Mist to his portfolio... ..Now his work is phenomenal his name is Glyn Dewis and he has some great ideas involving smoke bombs and ruins.....(ruins as in buildings not us) Anyway see his work here      http://www.glyndewis.com/
Dave was showing some resistance but as long as he is “understated” he’ll be happy.

Now I really should be doing some bass work but my neighbour works nights and am a bit reluctant to make too much noise having done loads of night work myself. I actually miss nights that wonderful feeling as you are driving home of ....Bed! The drivers of the cars all around you have that look of “oh my god another early morning ..Work boring work.....” and then you are going to slip into your sack all snug......until some idiot fires up his bass amp that is!!!!!!

Midsummer Report

So summer is in full swing, the World Cup is a welcome distant memory for us English fans. The weather has been on the whole quite good which results in actually getting fed up of barbecue food, or is that just me? It has been a good summer for Spriggan Mist so far and with the CD selling well beyond our expectations and a memories of some great gigs we are now looking forward to The Dolmen Grove’s Tribal dreams festival where we are playing on Sunday 29th August more about that in a bit…


Caught in a spell, our debut album was officially released on 18th June 2010 at The 3 Wishes Faery Fest in Cornwall  http://www.3wishesfaeryfest.co.uk/  where we played two sets. The first we did have a few technical hitches with some of the sound but put a good account of ourselves ,we really enjoyed the weekend, the Fae are a wonderful bunch and we have been asked back next year and it has been suggested a later slot which will be really cool. The CD sold really well at 3 Wishes and we have been touched by the great comments we are getting.

live at faery fest

Caught in a Spell  also featured on Toni Sant’s , Muzika Mod Iehor podcast http://mmon-podcasts.blogspot.com/2010/07/muzika-mod-ieor-ma-toni-sant-218.html  which is a podcast aimed at Maltese music fans. Predictably Toni played Dragut’s Eye which is about Malta and features myself and my old friend Anglu Farrugia having a banter session on the phone in Maltese.  he actually wrote in his blog

Spriggan Mist – Dragut’s Eye

Whenever I say the words Spriggan Mist at home, my wife starts singing Indigo Child by this band. They have now released a CD album called Caught in A Spell featuring that song and others they had uploaded to the MySpace page earlier, along with some new tracks that we had never heard before. Dragut’s Eye features the Marsa parish church bells, the legendary 17th century character from the failed Ottoman invasion of Malta, and a casual phone conversation between Baz Cilia and his mate Anglu Farrugia. Spriggan Mist is essentially a British band, but these elements make it more than worthy of inclusion on the MMI podcast whenever possible.

This summer has also seen the acoustic side of the band coming to the fore. We have played acoustically at the Anchor folk club in West Byfleet, Surrey.  http://www.anchorfolk.org.uk/   Although we aren’t your traditional folk band these guys are quite broad minded and gave “Spriggan folk” a great reception. We are back there on 5th August , so if you are local pop down to the Blue Anchor in Byfleet for a drink and a relaxing evening of folk with somewhat a humorous slant with banter amongst musicians between the songs a must. We played acoustically at a couple of other venues to audiences that really weren’t expected to “get” our music and again were quite surprised at the reception. Personally I love playing the acoustic gigs although I am actually going through a Roland Micro bass cube just to cut through the acoustic guitars!! It certainly has added a new dimension to the band.

Tribal Dreams in Rodden Dorset http://www.dolmengrove.co.uk/tribaldreams.html  should be a great weekend. The Dolmen Grove  http://www.dolmengrove.co.uk/   sure know how to throw a party and to be asked to play on the Sunday night and contribute to an album that Taloch front man of Celtic rock band The Dolmen,   http://www.thedolmen.com/index.htm   is putting together. There have been some great comments on facebook coming from those quarters about Spriggan Mist and the CD so we are keen to put on a great show for them.

The Dolmen at faery fest

Right I’m off to play with my new Hartke bass stack......remember if you haven’t bought the CD you can do so at Tribal Dreams or get it now at

http://www.sprigganmist.com/cd.html

Regards Baz

Spriggan Mist’s Bass bloke