Great Moments in Life: Rock Music

In no particular order:

Seeing the Silversun Pickups live in London & Oxford in 2008/9- my favourite band & with Maddie last year. Also when they payed in Oxford - going properly mad [not gone off like that since my clubbing days, nor since] to the SSPU was amazing.

Seeing the Foo Fighters live in Wembley - standing room only, epic rock & to top it off they had fireworks & released it on DVD & had one of the original guitarists (Pat Smear) joining them as a touring guitarist. Dave Grohl & his crew have been at the top of my gig list for a long time & I have now seen them 4 times & they have never failed to blow me away, if you ever get the chance to see them - do not hesitate!

Seeing the mighty Muse live in the brand-new Wembley stadium - with Hobbit, Horse & Ben - even though we were sat down it was still amazing to see the mighty boys from Devon electrify the stadium at large. They released the gig as the H.A.A.R.P. live recording & it is rather amazing & definitely worth watching.

What on earth

I have been meaning to post this for ages, but have been a slacker/busy!! So this is written about a week after I meant to!!

Not that I would ever borrow ideas from another blogger...but checking out Mark Oestreicher's blogthe other day, I came across a good template, like a kind of old skool questionnaire [see his original answers here]. I thought the questions were very apt for my own ministry/life/world, so I asked myself the same 8 questions:

the weekend that was: Last weekend was the beginnings of the studio idea [more on that on another blog methinks - watch this space!]

where I am at the moment: Was in Oxford, am now in a place called Lake Champion, in New York state, in America!!!

on my to-do list this week:Was to book a flight to Newark & get packing, but now it's all about checking out Young Life & spending so great times meeting people & seeing how they do ministry.

procrastinating about: Blogging & general geekiness & also what presents to get Maddie from America...oh & should I get some new/decent headphones while I'm over stateside?!

book I’m in the midst of:Jack Higgins' new Sean Dillon paperback: The Killing Ground. Haven't been reading it that much, it seems a little samey as other Dillon books [this is like 13/14th in the series!]. Have also been hearing a lot of the Stephen Fry audiobook forms of the Harry Potter series - a modern classic!

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: Silversun Pickups & Autolux's debut albums [Carvanas & Future Perfect respectively]. However, I've also been learning the guitar & listening to a bit of acoustic stuff - the DVD's for Nirvana: Unplugged in New York & Foo Fighters: Skin & Bones. On the dance side it has to be Adam Freeland's BBC Radio 1 mix [aka 2 hours to Jupiter mix].

next trip:America - NOW!! To visit a Young Life camp with some others from Scotland & see how their ministry runs. Taking in New York, Washington DC & Baltimore.

how I’m feeling about this week:I have been really stoked about the possibilities of coming here to America to see Young Life, but also I had the chance to see the Mighty Boosh - legendary, simply legendarily funny. I had not laughed that much or that hard for a looooong time!! Having said all that, I am really missing my girlfriend, who I haven't seen for a few weeks, but will do when I get home - yaaaaaay!!

That concludes this blog, but expect more in the next week with all my goings-on in America!!

...we continue!

Cool W-hip VOX

Ideas Factory 3

If this studio idea has some merit, then here is a product which might just help me. It's called the JamVOX & is made by the legendary VOX Amplifier manufacturer.

The idea is that you get monitor speakers, which you can jack your electric/acoustic guitar into. It also has a mic input.

The unit hooks up to your Mac or PC via USB 2.0 & with the software you can change the inputted sound.



The software itself uses various synthesized amplifiers, stomp-boxes & effects pedals to alter the sound. Although it is synthetic, I believe that for recording purposes it could be brilliant.

It will record digitally which will be great for edting purposes.


It is not hugely priced - it is about £150 online at the moment. However, this is not much more expensive than a reasonable practice amp [VOX or Marshall].

Overall, I think that this could make a brilliant start for the idea of a studio & a worthy purchase!

Want this one!

I have too many plans methinks, but here is number two [of many hopefuly!]

At the moment there is nothing wrong with my guitar & yet because it cost little monies, I feel that when I have established myself in suitable employment, I might actually get around to purchasing my first guitar. Having thought & researched it a little, I have an inkling that this might be the way forward. I think it will do the job, but I will wait until I can actually play properly.

Sunday Update

Hey blogger-fans, it's time for another update, I've had a very lazy day today as it had been a busy few days! It's been good to chillax & play a little guitar, eat a little food & kick back. The guitar is going pretty good, got my 4 basic chords sorted & now got a full chord book do am starting to get to grips with the ways of the force...oh wait no ways of making chords!!



We continue............slowly!

Guitar plea's!!

Oh & I now even have a list of stuff I need for my guitar so if you're getting rid of an amp, pedals, stand, case or even your old electric guitar - let me know!!! ;o)

Guitar Hero?

Don't worry not really succumbed to that fad of playing along with hero's on the 360 [phew!], no in actual fact I have begun to....learn to play the guitar!!

I came across a little electric guitar with no strings & in desperate need of some love, & I asked my good buddy Nate to fix it for me....well he didn't so last Monday me & Hobbit went to go get it, restring it & have a play & check it's all still in working order!

We went on a little jaunt to PMT [no seriously!] on the Cowley Road, just near where I've been having lectures for 3 years! Here I was advised to get some Ernie Ball strings & Hobbit suggested some Jim Dunlop plecks & then we say la piece de resistance a really, really, REALLY small, amplifier:

This is made by VOX [duh!] & is intended for personal practice, without disturbing your room-mates, neighbours, parents, siblings, pets, badgers, etc. & I have to say [even though I truthfully am a total n00b at this] that I was astounded as to how good it was - even through reasonably cheap & nasty headphones. The cool thing is I can practice without people wanting to garrote me with my shiny new strings & it actually sounds like an amp! IT runs with 2 batteries & lasts for like 15 hours [apparently].

Anyways, I've also got a tuner [as I can't tune properly yet - so will have to cheat for now!] & found [literally] a phono cable & dug out my old Absolute Beginner's Guitar book & have learned 4 chords now [so far]. Also Hobbit has been kind enough to chuck me his old guitar strap & has loaned me his beloved Marshall practice amp & a magical effects pedal - so it's a good start - I'll update this bit when I get reasonably reasonable & when I have a little money, but for now this, as it were, rocks!!

P.S. I have to mention my prime coercer into this - dearest Maddie - it's your fault methinks!!