video, snow, solo shows

Last week Matt Anstee (see my top friends) finished a cut of his video for 'In A Coma'. It's amazing. My job in it was easy as it was mainly lying down being in a coma (except for some expressive dance and floating in space etc.. etc.. you know that ol' chestnut). Film and TV fans will be delighted to see Ralph Brown in a starring role as The Doctor. Brighton music fans might recognise Aaron King, Mike Lord, Duncan Ladkin, Xcerts and loads and loads of other cameos not to mention the dancers, ambulances, hospitals, taxis and all that. Massive thanks to everyone who took part in making the video It's a really cool ambitious DIY video done on a tiny budget. I think you'll like it.

It's snowing tonight in Brighton. Real nice and thick. It's just like my fantasy Home Alone winter. I have meetings tomorrow so I can't go out and play but i will watch out the window like Macaulay Culkin staring at old man Marley. Made Spagetti Bolognaise and watched I Heart Huckerby's earlier. Was very funny.. Even got me thinking quite philosophically about a unifying energy running through the fabric of our interconnected lives. I'm lying of course but it did get me thinking about something other than music and football for a change.

In March me and the band are doing our first show in Tokyo. We're doing a hefty 75minute set which should be interesting. We're hoping to play lots of songs from April & I and Moon Rock that we've not played together as a band before as well as a cover which will be great fun. Also I'm going to do a small solo set to showcase some more unusual tunes and some new ones. We're going into rehearsals this week so it should be thumping by time we play the show.

Thanks @yukilogue for a beautifully taken picture of the flyer


I've been developing my solo show a little bit. I'm getting to grips with looping technology allowing me to record short phrases and play over them (some call it the 'KT Tunstall'.. i prefer the 'Paul Steel' because I did it first and David Ford, Ed Harcourt, KT Tunstall etc etc have definitely not done this before me.. so.. dont bother looking it up or anything..k?). The results at the Joogleberry show a few weeks ago were catastrophic but fun and I hope to do a few more shows in that format soon. I reckon as soon as I get good at it then I wont enjoy it anymore so I'll practice sparingly.

Ah ok, maybe David Ford is better than me at it after all (cheers @NLittlejohns for sending me this and helping me realise how much work I have left to do):

BASTARD!

I've demoed lots of new material to near completion. It's a lot more rocky and electronic than anything I've done before.. I'm coming close to having an albums worth. Some of the songs are more direct and poppy but the production is definitely a lot weirder (probably a direct result of the incense sticks i've been stabbing myself in the eyes with. Also my alter ego has resumed composing another concept album.. that's all I fucking need.. another ridiculous rock opera for the world to ignore.. NICE ONE ALTER-EGO YOU BELL-END! seriously though it's happening and going alright I think.

Also, we're looking to upload each section of the April & I animated movie in monthly installments until the online release which will be soonish..

I don't know how this blog got so long. Might just watch the Superbowl and go to bed.. although I dont really understand american football so I might just go to bed.
Night
Paul
x

another teaser from april & I animated movie

hey, just had this tweeted at me.

This is Tom Hick's animation for 'Grown Up and Away' which appears near the end of the April & I film. As you can see he's ridiculously talented.. as are all the contributors to the film.


Paul Steel - Grown up and Away from Thomas Hicks on Vimeo.

I've been told he's going to be working with The Xcert's soon... word on the street..shhhhhhhhhhhhh

p
x

p.s. remember you can check out stills for each section of the film in my photos section on myspace.

facebook, brighton gig, poster

Hello t'internet.
I've been a good boy this week getting all my social network stuff sorted out. All of them were easy, except for Facebook. Fucking Facebook. The rules of logic don't apply with facebook. It's got it's own secret language and code. I can't really work it out but I've got it in some kind of shape now.. look.

Thanks to everyone who's already signed up to the mailing list. I've never had one of my own before. Even more thanks to people who have signed up to be street team. To be honest there's very little chance of me utilising you wonderful people but the gesture is enough to make me a happy bunny. Maybe you could make up your own flyers and posters and chuck them about in your local town centre? If Radiohead asked me to do that I'd tell them to get stuffed but they're not as desperate as me.

Thanks to my friend DJ Yuriko Okamura I've gotten hold of this ickle poster for the March 9th Club Quattro Show in Tokyo.. You can't really read it cause it's too small but it looks pretty anyway.



Also, any Brighton folk around on 21st January, I'm doing a solo show at the Latest Music Bar (formerly Joogleberry) with Emma King and the Magic Bullet Band. I'll probably play a few new tunes so pop along if you're interested.

I'm thinking about starting an album writing/recording diary for the next batch of songs. One conflict always is the fact that time spent writing a diary or blog is time spent neglecting your creative responsibility! I will practice a healthy balance.

stills from April & I movie

Hello,
I've just received some stills from the April & I animated movie that I've been harping on about for about a year. Here's a still for each section:

April's Theme



April



Worst Day



Take It Or Leave It



School Bully



I Gave Her My Number



Honkin' (On My Crackpipe)



Grown Up and Away



April & I



Imaginary






all pretty different right? it's great because everyone who I've played it to has a different favourite but they're all equally stunning.

and here's Andy Martin's Honkin' (on my crackpipe) video again

Download Ray Gun for free, and other digital revelations

Hello,
I've spent the last couple of days getting everything ready for the digital uprising of 2009. No more analogue TV. No more CDs. NO MORE CASSETTES.. what?
Now now I'm on Twitter, ReverbNation, YouTube, Blogspot, Facebook, Last.FM, and of course trusty old MySpace. I've been trying my hardest to hook them all up so they all get updated at the same time. So please do sign up to the social networks of your choice and follow what I've got going on at the moment.

It's been a while since I've posted anything new and I know a lot of people have been asking about this track over the last year or so. So I've uploaded Ray Gun, recorded last year at Air Studios. It has only appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese version of Moon Rock. As a thankyou and a little gift for 2009 you can download it for free at ReverbNationin exchange for your email address (just so I can keep you updated on any goings on).

Got a lot planned for 2009 with my gig in Tokyo in March and the eventual release of the Moon Rock album and April & I movie so keep checking back to my pages as I'll update them often.

Also I'm going to get my weird website kicking off again so be sure to head to www.paulsteelmusic.com sometime soon.

Cheers me buddies
P
x

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