Inkysmudge - RSS Feed

News: Saturday Sidebar – Daydream Believers And Confirmation Bias

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Saturday Sidebar – Daydream Believers And Confirmation Bias

The first draft of this got to around 1700 words before I realised it was in danger of going on forever. Clearly one of my New Year resolutions should be to try and be more succinct.

I’d been chatting to a pal of mine over Skype about the state funeral of Kim Jong-il in North Korea. After he’d given me the heads up on the story about priests having a bit of a brawl http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16347418 we moved on to belief systems in general.

Yes, under certain regimes information is not readily available to those sufficiently curious to question perceived wisdom but in other societies, there is an abundance of information available to enable the slaughtering of the occasional sacred cow. And yet, certain ideas persist no matter what information comes to light. Or does it just seem that way? Do we have difficulty considering timescales greater than the average human lifespan?

If you have happened upon any of my previous posts this year you’ll have noticed that I’ve become mightily distracted from the noble enterprise of making music that sounds twenty years out of date by the economic crisis. All it took was a bout of insomnia and an absentminded scroll up the television channel list from the BBC News to RT where I caught an episode of the Keiser Report with Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert. I was so transfixed I forgot all about scrolling further up to the delights of Babestation. Yeah, Max and Stacy were that interesting AND funny ;)

If you can stomach an insight into why the parameters within which you live your life are based on the most audacious chicanery then look them up. If not, do it anyway, for your kids’ sake if nothing else.

Whether it’s been studying the difference between how the BBC, Sky, Channel 4, RT and Al Jazeera report the news; films like Collapse, Inside Job, The Flaw and Zeitgeist: Moving Forward or programmes like The Alyona Show, Capital Account and the Keiser Report, it’s been a hell of a year for learning the extent to which our lives are affected by policies implemented off the back of a system so completely divorced from our physical reality.

I think it was at this point in the first draft that I really started to ramble on and ended up just repeating what other far more articulate souls have already put out into the ether. I thought about Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror trilogy and reconsidered. When programmes as good as that exist, what else is left to say? Only that the old news footage in Ben Elton’s Laughing At The 80s programme showed we’ve been here before.

So what of what we believe in? Having effectively spent most of 2011 devouring as much information as my sanity would allow, let the record reflect that I’ve stopped laughing about North Korea.

Happy New Year x

p.s. there's a new song called Mockingbird available on the Music tab or a super spangly version available on the Download Here! tab.

News: Sunday Soliloquy - It's All Very Well

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Sunday Soliloquy – It’s All Very Well

I was talking to some people about expertise this week. In the midst of discussing my decision to learn how to play the piano, we digressed into a general chat about not finding expertise where you might expect it. The positive slant on that is often when you find someone, with or without formal training, who just happens to be good at something…..or gives you the impression they really know what they’re talking about. The negative is of course finding yourself in a situation where you’re dealing with someone who, in spite of all their credentials, appears to be fucking clueless.

A quick straw poll indicated we had all been there at least once ;)

At an individual level, it might mean you losing confidence in your highers, feeling de-motivated or even withdrawing from a process that you may have once felt worthwhile. On a wider scale, this is far more worrying, as is well evidenced by all the #occupy endeavours. Can you imagine what it would look like if most of us felt like that? That their willingness to simply be on the streets wasn’t so easily derided by many? Can you imagine if most people decided to spend a day doing the math as our friends across the pond say? If they sat down and decided to challenge their notions of what they have been taught, what they know and of particular interest to me at the moment, what words are being used to describe what they can see?

As someone in the middle of such an exercise I can tell you it’s certainly interesting. I don’t recommend it if you cherish your sanity. Still, as Mark Twain said, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”

I like coming across unorthodox points of view. Whether that’s the last vestige of some half-hearted notion of outsider chic that I never actually possessed as a young man I don’t know. I’d rather consider it an undimmed curiosity as to why what I can see with my own eyes is not being described to me by those whose job it is to do so. I can well remember that back in the day, a friend and I used to play a game where we would substitute words for other words that, though incorrect within the context, sounded better. It’s a funny old world. You want key performance indicators and trend analysis? Don’t get me fucking started. Numbers don’t lie but people do. That’s all you need to know ;)

So, all of that is a rather longwinded way of bringing you to this. A reassuring little gem, an interview with Steve Keen on Capital Account a couple of weeks ago:

Oh, and yes, I’m still practicing the piano. Here’s my latest bit of tinkering:

News: Sunday Soliloquy - Bonfire Of The Vanities

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Sunday Soliloquy – Bonfire Of The Vanities

I had to laugh. Or rather, I told myself I had to laugh. I think there’s a lesson for me to learn in this little story so keep your fingers crossed that it will occur to me at some point.

First of all the PC had started playing up, getting progressively worse until it effectively died. Still, luckily for me Venom Carter was on hand to install a new operating system and it wasn’t too long before all was right with the world once again. The PC was running smoothly, no longer held back by an old OS and a ton of files that, to be honest, I rarely accessed and besides, I’d backed everything up on a wonderful little black box. It was, as they say, all good.

Yep, you’ve guessed it. Then the little black box died.

Now, in the midst of searching the forums for a little troubleshooting advice it began to occur to me that Venom’s decision to maintain five (it may be six come to think of it) back up drives of his digital life may not have been the indicator of OCD I once thought it to be. I on the other hand had one drive. Yes, with everything on it. Yes, that is now gone forever. Y’see as my luck would have it, the little black box didn’t just need a new power supply, lead or casing. No, according to the chap who knows about such things that I spoke to yesterday, it had suffered a catastrophic failure. The data was gone.

The data was gone. That’s every photo I’ve taken over the last five years, every gig poster or flyer and piece of CD cover art from the last ten years. Just about every creative thing that I’ve used a PC for, was gone. Well, except for most of the music that is, which, due to my Luddite tendencies in using gear that was ten years behind the times, I had to mix down to CD up until about six months ago. I should’ve explored the cloud, clearly.

I’d been volunteering at a charity up here for the last few months and had recently re-read Douglas Coupland’s book Player One as a means to occupy myself on the bus journey;

“No, it doesn’t, because none of it matters, because no matter what I do I’m going to inherit Alzheimer’s from my bastard father.” Karen’s eyes flared open wider. “That’s the real reason for most things in my life that go sideways. The day I turn fifty-five, my universe is going to start erasing itself. So what’s the point of doing anything?”

Like I said, I told myself I had to laugh. Whether it’s a potentially increased statistical probability that I shall develop Alzheimer’s like my mother or, the technology at hand failing (hmmmm, the same thing surely?), it seems I could be ahead of the curve here.

Of course, it’s not like I lost a house in a flood or anything, lest you think I’m not keeping this in perspective. But, most of those things were irreplaceable. As with all the books and everything else at the start of the year, if I’m going to downsize I prefer it to be my decision.

Still, it did give me pause for thought. What happens to the digital files and all the online stuff when we, well, you know…..? Apart from the predictable sense of loss, what difference does it make on a day-to-day basis? So far? None. Funny that.

News: Fun Friday - Play.....er Piano

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Fun Friday – Play…..er Piano

Admittedly, not the best Kurt Vonnegut related opening gambit but it’ll suffice. It started with a stint of volunteering for a charity up here. Predictably, having not been in an office environment for eighteen months or so I quickly succumbed to the perils of air conditioning. Cue a fortnight’s suffering of the beast that is man-flu. Yes, that thing that the average woman would shrug off without missing a step on her march to dominion over the other 48%, whose response in marked contrast is to proclaim that the end of the world is nigh, whilst drinking Lucozade, eating chicken soup and watching the television all day.

Still, in spite of the, ahem, immeasurable suffering, I managed to sit down at the keyboard and make some progress on the tinkling of the ivories. So what? I know. The thing for me is that playing the piano has never felt natural or intuitive in the way that playing the guitar did. So, making progress has always seemed like work which, in the spirit of all procrastinators, is a powerful disincentive. However, with the alternatives of the rolling news channels or the internet searches on how our whole way of life is based on a completely fraudulent monetary system appearing surprisingly less appealing, I persevered…..almost heroically you might say (if you were chemically altered, for example).

These are baby steps so no doubt I’ll look back in six months and hang my head in shame (a regular occurrence if you hadn’t realised by now) but at this exact moment in time, I’m actually quite proud of the song in the video below, a gentle little ditty called Shoe Box. To actually be able to play and sing the thing at the same time is a real leap for me. Bless. You can download a standard mp3 version of the song from the Music tab above or a spangly high-res version from the bandcamp page by clicking on the Download Here! tab if you prefer.

In other news, I’ve been keeping a lazy eye open for how frequently people are quoting or referencing George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Bill Hicks, George Carlin and the Schopenhauer quote about the three stages of truth. I do it myself. There’s a lot of it about lately, a subtle link with a #1984 here and a we’re going to hell in a handcart rant there. What does that tell us? It’s good to see that some worthwhile ideas endure and that the platforms exist for us to dip in and out at our leisure. Talking of which, interesting reading this past month has been Eli Pariser’s book The Filter Bubble:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Filter-Bubble-What-Internet-Hiding/dp/067092038X

and Kevin Poulsen’s book Kingpin:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingpin-Hacker-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground/dp/0307588688/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314279327&sr=1-1

There may well be radio silence from Inky HQ for a period of time while we do some much needed online maintenance so until the next time, do yourself a favour and read Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano or watch the piece below. The speech featured in the Zeitgeist: Moving Forward film and is, quite simply, awesome.

News: Fun Friday - The Future's Not Here.....Yet

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Fun Friday – The Future’s Not Here…..Yet

I was chatting to a friend of mine this week who has recently had one of those moments. You might now the kind, when you take a fresh look at your surroundings and are suddenly aware that though you are present and correct, your future is not here.

The casual observer would opine that it was simply post holiday blues, that predictable sense of ennui when you distil your life down to how you actually spend your time as opposed to how you want to spend your time. However, having known him for many a year I would say that he has unwittingly opened Pandora’s Box…..the poor sod. We talked about looking at the shelves of books, dvds and computer games; the time spent collecting stuff that you no longer use, the old cameras and other tech and what the hell you’re supposed to do with it all. Better charter another slow boat to China.

So, now he has the pleasure of either selling or recycling what he knows he no longer needs or leaving it there to gather dust, too exhausted from his working week to deal with it this weekend. Maybe next time, just not today. Time will tell. Of course, if he wants to shift the focus of his life to that which he truly loves and away from what he endures, he’ll no doubt have to make some compromises. The thing is, with the passage of time, those things that felt like a compromise at the time, be it money, status or what have you, feel less like a compromise when you realise you can live quite happily without them. It’s a slippery slope to discover how little you care about certain things so you have to be careful that, as they say, you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I waffled on, as I’m prone to do, about the discrepancy between what we are technologically capable of doing and our failure to deal with some fundamental flaws in the structure of our society, expressing my own fears that I am slowly losing my mind at the sheer nonsense of it all. He hmmm’d sympathetically (at least I hope that’s what it was) and we changed the subject. Best not go there just now.

I forgot to tell him of the scary timing of a lone piper playing in the cemetery next door, right before the tv news showed Norway’s minute of silence. We didn’t get into the phone hacking scandal, the downgrading of debt or the general collapse of monetary value. There’s plenty of time for all that I’m sure. For now, these next few months are going to be about how he deals with what he’s seen having opened that bloody box. You don’t know him, but he’s a good man so if you’re feeling charitable, take thirty seconds to wish him luck through the ether.

To my oldest friend in the world, the future’s not here…..yet.

News: Saturday Sidebar - The Blue Screen Of Death

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Saturday Sidebar – The Blue Screen Of Death

You can imagine my surprise. Having spent the last couple of weeks playing Post Office; by which I mean selling some old recording gear on ebay, boxing it up, having a living room carpeted with brown paper, parcel tape and so on; I took delivery of a new laptop and instrument interface.

The idea that I was finally catching up with the rest of the world (from a technology point of view…..and some would say musically too heh, heh, heh…..I run on average, about 15 years behind everyone else) did not last long unfortunately. Somewhere along the path of installing various bits and bobs, registering my details for updates countless times, configuring this and configuring that and restarting the laptop as instructed at the relevant points, I hit the blue screen of death. Yeah, the one where the laptop told me that something catastrophic had happened, followed by the one that said it couldn’t repair itself automatically and then died.

In the GOD (good old days…..hmmm, interesting acronym) of hardware, and I’m talking old school plug this into that to get this to do that, this happened to me rarely. However, given that I am a bit of a luddite (not proudly so, you understand) I was happy to accept that somewhere along the line I’d done something wrong and figured the application of logic and a little retracing of my steps might rectify the situation. Well, to cut a long and to be frank, boring story short, and without diminishing the tech support capabilities of Venom Carter, everything’s fine now. The fact remains that I am still none the wiser as to what went wrong, nor indeed how it has all rectified itself. I’m going to hang onto the recognition that clicking on certain options in sub-menus here and there clearly did not do what they were supposed to do for a little while longer though. Just because you’re paranoid etc. Suffice to say that my state of general bewilderment about pretty much everything continues…..

…..apart from actual death that is. Did you see the Terry Pratchett Choosing To Die program on BBC2 recently? Coincidentally, Matthew Good (fave Canadian muso) had written eloquently on the issue of assisted death recently and you can read it here:

http://www.matthewgood.org/news-comment/2011/6/3/a-mile-with-none.html

The program was incredible moving and I remain a firm supporter of the right to a semblance of choice in such matters. The discussions concerning safeguards over potential abuse are inarguably necessary but to be honest, I cannot see a time when anything remotely resembling approval by consensus happens here. The interest in the death of Robert Cowie:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-13823288

will no doubt keep the debate going and while it is not prudent to suggest that such cases are the tip of a hitherto unforeseen iceberg, it shows that even with assisted suicide as a criminal offence here, people are willing to allow their compassion and sense of morality to guide them.

The instinct to preserve the self is astonishingly strong, as I’m sure anyone that has been in a truly life or death situation will tell you. However, that instinct is as separate from the intellectual discussion concerning the quality of a life lived as it is from the debate on the morality of assisted suicide.

I’m sure many would admit to at least a fleeting acquaintance with the idea that at some point their lives had not lived up to their hopes or expectations and that it barely seemed worth the effort. Imagine if a different job/home/hobby/lover/circle of friends was not the solution because those choices were irrelevant and there was nothing that you could actually, as opposed to perceptually, change (or indeed have changed for you) about your existence. On an individual basis, a percentage would cherish every new day, regardless of the circumstances, because that is just how some people are. A percentage, however, would not.

Of course, passing into law an acknowledgement that the sanctity and quality of life is not immutable would open up an unholy can of worms. Still, with all these elephants in the room it’s going to get pretty crowded soon.

News: Saturday Sidebar - On The Other Hand

Sat, 21 May 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Saturday Sidebar – On The Other Hand

I take it you didn’t make the final cut for the rapture either then? In which case I guess we shall all just keep on keeping on.

Here at the new northern Inky HQ, I’ve been road testing some new software this week with the venerable Venom Carter. Having all but exhausted the possibilities with the sounds of yore, we’ve decided to sell on a few bits and bobs and replace them with smaller boxes. Only time will tell what musical monstrosities come out of such an escapade of course, but let us at least hope that they are a fitting continuation of, ahem, our journey so far. No doubt there will be some 80s hair metal guitar in there somewhere ;)

In light of the never-ending housekeeping exercise, the downloads have been shifted over to the bandcamp site (just click on the Download Here! header above and it’ll take you straight there). You’ll find the entire catalogue from 2010, all downloadable on a pay what you want basis and yes, you can pay absolutely nothing if you wish. All the individual tracks released after Probability & Proximity have been collated together in an album called On The Other Hand. Also included are some previously released alternative mixes and some songs you may not have heard before, like Boxes, Bygones and Regardless. As always, you can download any track individually.

In unrelated news, the Keiser Report this week was hysterical. For the uninitiated, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert dissect the absolute crock that our financial system is on a bi-weekly basis. It’s not for everyone that’s for sure, but for those of you intrigued as to why your pay packet just doesn’t go as far as you think it should, or why our technological advances don’t seem to be making much headway making life better for all of us, it’s as good a place as any to start. He sure has a way with balloons ;)

http://youtu.be/o3mW1eGBeoE

Elsewhere, Canadian musician Matt Good was interviewed recently by Ezra Levant and more than held his own. Double Plus Good.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/good-chat/947735914001

And finally, did you see the Castle series three finale? Awesome.

News: Sunday Soliloquy - The Tea Is A Revelation

Sun, 08 May 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Sunday Soliloquy – The Tea Is A Revelation

I have it on good authority that it’s due to the water up here. By up here I mean Edinburgh, where Inky HQ has relocated for the foreseeable future i.e. until the money runs out ;) What can I tell you? Seriously, the first humble mug of PG Tips in the morning has never tasted so good.

On the basis that a change is supposedly as good as a rest, Inky HQ decided to go all in. The alternative was an exit strategy of sitting in a corner recoiling at the horror (see what I did there?) The logical conclusion to the recent desire to just shed stuff and the fascination with the cracks appearing in our system appeared to be to go somewhere else and press the reset button on the idea of value.

So, the Transit van was hired and filled with, well, mostly musical equipment and books (if ever there was a wake-up call as to where the priorities really lay that was it) and the journey up the M1/A1 began. Some seven hours later or so, I found myself alone on the road passing Morpeth and on the way towards Alnwick. The sun was at the point in the sky where you’re effectively blinded (lower than the sun visor and with nothing on the horizon to block it) but my-oh-my what a drive. The slow changes in the landscape, the space, as I later crossed the border into Scotland, the growing infrequency of artificial light as the sky darkened, I have to say it was quite a moment. The best bit? Given I had to fly back down to London to pick up my car, I got to do it all over again three days later ;)

Enough. In the words of an old Queen song, now I’m here. From the window of the room, where new music will no doubt be written, I can see a park across the road where Sunday football is in full swing. I live next to a cemetery. Yes, the evenings are quiet ;) Next door has a friendly cat who watches the sparrows, finches and tits (stop it) in the tree round the back with what I interpret to be an air of dark foreboding. He can slow blink and rub against my shin all he wants, I‘ve got him sussed.

The new bed is in (well hello) and the second-hand sofa is coming from the British Heart Foundation tomorrow. Proper broadband is due by the end of next week and then I think Inky HQ is back to something resembling work. Until then it’s time to catch up with some reading:

http://www.maxkeiser.com

http://www.zerohedge.com

http://www.matthewgood.org

Forewarned is forearmed. Best get the kettle on.

News: Saturday Sidebar - Sounds Crazy

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Saturday Sidebar – Sounds Crazy

Of course it does…..well, until you actually stop to think about it that is.

I’m a couple of chapters in to Heather Brooke’s book The Silent State. Take a peek here if you’re curious http://heatherbrooke.org/books/silent-state/ As always, you do the research, look at the evidence and draw your own conclusions.

With that in mind, and given what’s happening in town today, here are a couple of things to watch:

News: Fun Friday - What's For Breakfast?

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Fun Friday – What’s For Breakfast?

Well, it’s certainly been a newsworthy couple of weeks hasn’t it? So, UN resolution 1973 means we’ve got the go ahead to use all necessary means to protect the civilian population of Libya, Bahrain invited a one thousand strong Saudi task force in to quell the protests there, thirty pro-democracy protestors have reportedly been shot in Yemen (according to today’s lunchtime news) and of course Japan has experienced a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, a tsunami and is now facing a category five accident with wider consequences due to the ongoing situation at Fukushima.

It kind of takes your breath away doesn’t it? Here’s a fictional story about a man on his birthday.

It’s a Sunday, he wakes, groggily eyeing the clock on the bedside cabinet that dutifully informs him it is 9.26 a.m. He turns over and notices the absence beside him. Hauling himself out of bed he makes his way into the kitchen from where he can hear activity of some description.

He stands in the doorway and clears his throat to announce his arrival to his significant other as she pours a little oil into a frying pan. She turns and smiles, returns the pan to the hob and the oil to the cupboard. He looks at the worktop and notices the packet of bacon, the sausages, the carton of eggs, the bread in the toaster, the mushrooms and the can of baked beans as she walks over to him. Placing her arms around his neck, she kisses him softly, does the nose-rubbing thing and says, “Happy Birthday hun.”

He considers the situation, remembering that this year and last they haven’t had to take a day off work on his birthday, as indeed they had done the previous three years. All told, for the last four years she has cooked him a fry up on his birthday and, given the evidence before him, he is reasonably confident he knows how the next hour or so will pan out.

“What’s for breakfast?” he asks.

She narrows her eyes and gives him a playfully delicate slap on the cheek. “What do you think?” she replies with evident disdain before pulling away and proceeding to fill up the kettle.

Below is a video pointed out to me by a rather creative animator chap (who’s doing a video for the Inkysmudge track The Needs Of Strangers but that’s something for another day) about motivation. It’s a TED talk by Daniel Pink about how what you think motivates people, in fact, oftentimes doesn’t. Anyone who’s ever worked in an organisation where they want to find out how they can make staff enjoy their work more without giving them a pay rise may recognise some of the things he says ;)

The most salient point, I think, is that business does not do what the science tells them. That’s right. Apparently a lot of people go around doing the opposite of what all the evidence tells them they should do. That I could put on my dalek voice and walk around the room saying, “Extrapolate, extrapolate, EXTRAPOLATE!” goes without saying.

Instead I’ll probably just look at the evidence and ask, admittedly somewhat sarcastically, “What’s for breakfast?”

News: Fun Friday - The First Rule Of Fight Club

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Fun Friday – The First Rule Of Fight Club

I cut my finger on some tin foil today. Clearly the world is definitely getting more dangerous by the minute. Never mind the global insurrection against banker occupation (as Max Keiser would say), making a bacon sandwich can be hazardous for more than just your cholesterol.

Anyway, it so happens that I caught a re-run of Fight Club the other night. An eminently quotable film, my personal favourites, given that it is some twelve or so years old were:

Brad Pitt - “Think of everything we’ve accomplished man. Out these windows we will view the collapse of financial history. One step closer to economic equilibrium.”

And…..

Ed Norton - “Trust me, everything’s gonna be fine. You met me at a very strange time in my life.”

That these lines lingered in my mind will not be entirely surprising to anyone that has read my last few blog posts. When a creative oik gets struck down with a little writer’s block there are a variety of things they can do to try and get past it. They can plough on through, creating almost for the sake of it, just to do the work, even if it comes to pass that what they create is deemed unworthy. They can sit it out and wait for inspiration to strike or they can go and do something else entirely.

For the last few months, I’ve done the latter. As ridiculous as it sounds, if I am not making music (and regardless of whether anyone else on earth thinks that’s a good thing or not), in my own head I effectively cease to exist. It’s a good job I don’t get melodramatic about it ;) Reading up on all the fundamentals of how the great economic crisis came to pass has at least occupied my mind whilst the blonde bombshell has sat and looked at me accusingly, wondering why I have neglected her of late. It’s not you, it’s me I tell her. Ahem.

And what have I learned? Well, in short, the whole system we’re in is based on a fundamental fraud. Though by nature I am a sentimental old fool, every once in a while I like to try and make sense of things with nothing but cold, hard logic to light my way. The conclusions you can come to are, quite frankly, horrifying, even if it’s a purely intellectual exercise. Watching so-called alternative news channels like Al Jazeera or Russia Today and comparing them to the BBC, Sky News or good ol’ Channel 4 is really quite enlightening. Those occasional astute questions about why we’re so bothered about the humanitarian disaster in Libya, when we’ve all but forgotten about Somalia and the Sudan et al, are clearly burdensome for the ever-revolving cast of politicians who consistently fail to answer the question. Still, we support all claims for democracy don’t we? I mean, at the very least it means we’ll be able to sell them more stuff right? No, not military hardware, don’t be silly, why would we ever do that? Oh, I see. You almost had me going there.

Where we are, it literally defies logic. I think I’d better try and get over this writer’s block double quick, maybe learning the piano will help? Otherwise I’ll see you in the basement. I’ll be the one with the plaster over the tin foil cut.

Say it with me, the first rule of Fight Club…..

News: Tautological Tuesday - Preaching To The Choir

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Tautological Tuesday – Preaching To The Choir

So, I watched the film Inside Job up in Leicester Square yesterday afternoon. Here’s a trailer:

For the uninformed, it’s a documentary about the global banking crisis; how it happened and who was responsible. Yes, that’s right. These are the kind of films I go to see of my own free will……and at £12.95 a ticket, who says capitalism isn’t working?

You may well be sick of hearing about it by now, or you may have far more pressing concerns, or your little corner of the world may be just fine thank you. Me, I find this stuff fascinating, not least because my pension fund projections are currently nowhere near what they were supposed to be heh, heh, heh.

I’d heartily recommend seeing the film if it has ever crossed your mind why you’ll have to retire later than you expected or if you’ve ever wondered whether you actually will end up working until you die. If not, then don’t, it’ll only depress you ;)

There are some splendidly awkward moments in the film where certain interviewees struggle to articulate why the necessary checks and balances were not carried out. You know, the sort of people who earn ten times what you and I ever will in a year. The sort of people whose job it is to ensure that what happened doesn’t happen. Oblivious to the numerous conflicts of interest that were surely apparent to even the most casual observer, they remained unrepentant. Their mantra was still that the system works, that the crisis was a blip, that Obama had no choice but to keep the usual suspects in their posts in spite of his promises of real change, that it is now time for business to get back to normal. It was quite remarkable.

How the talking heads that had for some time predicted the collapse, that are predicting there’s worse to come, were either ignored, quietened down or ridiculed was of course the heart of the film. Matt Damon’s sober narration certainly added to the atmosphere of disbelief. In the right circumstances, it is clear, some people just can’t help themselves. Still, the major positive is surely that now the information is out there we can make sure it won’t happen again right?

Hmmmmm.

In 2011 we’re halfway through a trial run of a journey to Mars. The global arms trade, thrust into the spotlight thanks to current events in you know where, is reportedly worth $1,000 billion according to Peter Lavelle’s Cross Talk programme and our technological advances in all manner of industries are nothing short of astonishing. And yet, some sources say the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening. That can’t be right can it? I mean, with all the tools at our disposal why on earth would life be getting harder for some people? With all that knowledge and technology why would anyone have to retire later? Surely all that stuff is supposed to make our lives easier? It just doesn’t make sense.

Given that the way things are is entirely down to human behaviour, we could change things if they clearly weren’t working right? I mean, why wouldn’t we? It’s not as if we’re too stupid to join the dots and see the bigger picture is it?

Is it?

News: Fun Friday - Shooting The Messenger

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Fun Friday – Shooting The Messenger

So, there’s been much discussion with Venom Carter this week about how we (as in people generally) absorb information.

Take a look at the clips below. Don’t shoot the messenger ;)

News: Fun Friday - What About The Money, Honey?

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Fun Friday – What About The Money, Honey?

This week I finally got my hands on some video-to-pc software that meant my archiving project was almost complete. This, amongst other things has kept me busy while the beast that is writer’s block has been visiting these last couple of months. Bless. Anyway, the opportunity to transfer VHS recordings of gigs in old bands to a simple hard drive and get rid of yet more stuff was upon me. Of course, first of all, I had to take a look and see what was what.

Me. With long hair. What was I thinking? I looked like my mother ;)

Now, as you get older, you may or may not get to a point where you feel like you’re turning into your parents, whether you like it or not. Given my dad wasn’t around when I grew up, and having two older sisters, I’ve often wondered exactly what it is I’m turning into. Mirth.

Watching my long-haired self rock out at The Cartoon in Croydon some sixteen years ago in a seriously misguided back-to-front-flat cap and head mic (I kid you not), led to predictable further musings on what traits I’ve inherited. It’s been a little over two years since my mother died and I’ve come to consider that there are some things I can in some small way attribute to her:

The practical requirements of living day-to-day are at best, an afterthought. I shop for food on autopilot. Aside from a discernable sparkle in my eye at the sight of a Terry’s dark chocolate orange, food is just fuel for the engine. As long as the jeans are bootcut, I don’t care who makes them. A lot of what passes for necessity looks like luxury under the microscope to me. A lot of things that other people seem to obsess over just don’t interest me, the why and how of many a creative endeavour on the other hand…..can feed me for days.

She was a dancer before she had us kids so that leg slide thing I do when I hear Dancing Queen at a wedding reception or something is her fault ;)

I cry these days when I watch the Remembrance Sunday parade. I never used to understand why she did that when I was a kid. I think I do now.

I watch very little entertainment on television, Chuck and Castle excepted. It’s all news, documentaries, Question Time, This Week and wildlife programmes. My growing interest in what’s going on and how the world really works is replacing my desire to be entertained.

When I stop to really think about the world (in the broadest sense), the way things are makes no sense. For a lot of people, yes. For me, no. It might just be the case that this will eventually separate me from much that I have held dear for a long time.

It was a fun exercise and now all that I had stored on those space-consuming tapes is on a tidy little black box. Technology is indeed a remarkable thing. Admittedly, why we haven’t managed to utilise it to fix everything that is clearly wrong with the world bothers me more every day but I’m sure we’ll, ahem, eventually get round to it. Right?

As I contemplate taking more boxes and once expensive (but now redundant) video and cassette players to the tip, I’m reminded of the words of an ex-girlfriend, “What about the money, honey?”

Quite.

News: Saturday Sidebar - Archive Your Life

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Saturday Sidebar – Archive Your Life

So, this past couple of weeks has seen Inky HQ travelling further down the road towards a destination free of surplus stuff.

Liberating many a VHS video (!) from a life of storage to offer them a new life in a recycling bin finally seemed the right thing to do. Likewise, transferring my entire CD collection to a single external drive led to the predictable feeling of why didn’t I do this years ago? The answer being of course, it was just something else I’d been meaning to get round to but had never done so. Ho hum. Now there are fewer boxes…..and if there’s one thing I want, it’s a life with fewer boxes.

However, a more emotional moment was discovering some two hundred audio cassettes, including thirty-two of my entire self-penned musical history. From the first days of owning an electric guitar (and like everything else, I was even late starting that) right up to today, I’ve recorded everything that I deemed worthy. From using a twin-deck tape boom-box with a microphone input, through a four-track tape recorder (a Yamaha MT120), to a sixteen track digital recorder (an AKAI DPS16), all my endeavours were there.

I stopped using audio cassettes (TDK SA60s for the masters and TDK D90s for general use) to catalogue my musical endeavours when I got the AKAI (thanks to its CD writing capabilities) but even so, realising I had tapes that were over twenty years old was a real trip.

What can I tell you? I listened back to those early experiments, obsessed as I was with trying to be Eddie Van Halen, re-acquainting myself with tape hiss, wow and flutter and the music was.....well, mostly awful ;) As easy as it would be to say not much has changed (I’m already ahead of you), to hear the difference; in the guitar playing, the singing, the song writing, the recording gear and everything else about making music across the years, was really something. Sure, not for anyone else, but for me…..so that’s what I’ve been doing with my time. Maybe you have endless photos, in rarely opened albums from before the world went digital? Or you keep your birthday and Christmas cards? Or you keep other trinkets, holiday souvenirs perhaps? Me, I have songs, musical doodles. Over twenty years of them. Bless.

Thanks to a bout of insomnia, I transferred all that was worth keeping (whether from it being any good or for purely nostalgic reasons) onto an external drive. I found some long-forgotten treasures along the way, with the imaginary episode of This Is Your Life playing in my head. I’ve played with some amazing drummers over the years; a Kiwi, two Frenchmen, an American, a Bulgarian and of course, a handful of English chaps. Are they still making music today? I can’t help but wonder. I love a good drummer.

As coincidence would have it, I met up with a long-time musical collaborator last night, one of the most naturally-gifted musicians you’ve never heard of. I gave him a present. Two CDs of music we’d made over fifteen years ago. He was chuffed. We reminisced about recording his drum kit with eight cheap Ross microphones from Tandy, using two Realistic four-channel level mixers. We talked about my old Laney Linebacker amp, his refusal to do more than three takes and our inability to find a singer that he thought was sufficiently good enough to warrant putting up with another opinion. It was a decision that led me from there to here. You see, it’s his fault, not mine ;) We talked about the innocence of those times; the bad haircuts, the bass players that came and went and the desire to show that progress had, in some way, shape or form, been made.

We talked some more about how that desire doesn’t go away, regardless of whether you’re talking creatively or about the more practical aspects of life. Not through the judgement of others but by your own standards. What interests you? What moves you? What makes you feel like you’re making progress? What makes you feel like you’re not wasting your time here?

When I put those audio cassettes into the recycling bin, I got rid of some boxes. It’s a start.

News: Fun Friday - Wall-E & Other Precious Metals

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Fun Friday – Wall-E…..& Other Precious Metals

So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to you that the film Wall-E brings a tear to my eye. Officially, this is purely because of an appreciation of the creative genius of the Pixar team and their ability to imbue animated robots with so much humanity. In private, and after a couple of Babychams, I will of course admit that it’s because as far as on-screen love goes, it’s right up there with Chuck Bartowski & Sarah Walker (Chuck) and Richard Castle & Detective Kate Beckett (Castle) for me ;)

Anyway, further to last week’s post about stuff in general, and in a week when I finally figured out why the big ship in Wall-E is called Axiom (it only took me two years, duh, damn those Pixar people and their clever metaphors), I’ve been reading up on, amongst other things, the market price of precious metals like gold and silver.

Whilst researching likely second-hand prices for a variety of things, I inadvertently ended up on a site that buys pretty much anything you want to sell. Now, in a coincidence clearly blessed by the universe, in the other room I could hear a program about people selling their gold to those places that advertise on tv. The ones where you pop it off in an envelope and and then they send you a cheque. The crux of the program was that a lot of them were a rip-off and gave you nowhere near market value.

So what? Quite. I don’t have any gold to sell so it doesn’t affect me. However, given I’d also read in the paper that Tesco had gone into the we’ll buy your gold business it did make me look up the going rate for an ounce. I mean, if people are selling their gold because times are hard, and the doom-mongers are saying it’s going to get worse, who’s buying?

This ties in with my growing interest in how the financial system really works, having seen a couple of things on the global financial meltdown that, quite frankly, made me take a sharp breath. As daft as it sounds, juxtaposing the theme of Wall-E with the ability to for example, buy a blu-ray player for £50, with my growing desire to get rid of stuff and with the echoes of long discussions about the financial value of music in my head, made me wonder what we’d do if nothing was really worth anything. What would be considered of financial value?

The very basic idea I read up on is that paper money is becoming worthless. Everybody owes everybody else money and no-one can pay off their debts, country-wise. So, they’re all printing money, which makes the money less valuable and…….ah, I see where this is going ;) That’s a gross over-simplification of the ins-and-outs of the system but you catch my drift. It turns out though, that back in 2008 you could have bought a 22-carat 1oz Krugerrand gold coin for around £550. Today, they were selling for £942. Nice work if you can get it. That certainly looks like a better return than any savings account I’ve seen. You’ll almost double my money in two years? Where do I sign?!!!

Silver is on it’s way up too, if you don’t look day by day but consider a two year trend instead. That’s much more modestly priced at around £18 per ounce as of 6^th January 2011. Time to start coin collecting perhaps? Silver has lots of other uses too. Hmmmm. Can’t afford the gold so you never know. Mind you, I read somewhere that there might be a correction (price crash) around May so it might be better to wait ;)

Interesting. All very, very interesting. Think I’ll go and watch Wall-E again, sniff.

Graphs from http://goldprice.org and http://silverprice.org

News: Saturday Sidebar - Radio Silence

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Saturday Sidebar – Radio Silence

Well, 2010 zipped by pretty quick didn’t it? Inky HQ hopes you all had a happy festive season and are looking forward to whatever 2011 may bring you.

Here, the empty Babycham bottles sit in the recycling bin, the pile of books and dvds destined for the charity shop grows and the firesale of rarely used guitars, amps and music gear that no longer serves a purpose is almost complete.

Stuff. I want less stuff. Material stuff, emotional stuff, waistline stuff…..those pesky bathroom scales refuse to lie ;) In spite of the best intentions, I have still managed to over-consume this past year. I’m guessing a lot of you know what I mean. Are you going to join the gym? Use the date on the calendar to give you a little shove to do the things you meant to get around to but never seemed to find the time? Thought so.

Circumstances this time last year allowed me to try and construct a life of incredible simplicity. I still ended up at the end of 2010 with a ton of what sounded like background noise in my head. The fracture of my attention span? Perhaps. Douglas Coupland said somewhere that you can have information or a life, not both. I don’t know if I agree with that yet but it’s something I’ll think about nonetheless.

I spent Xmas doing one of my favourite things. No, not that. I mean talking with a selection of old friends about the passage of time, where we’re all going and how life in general is unfolding for us. Good times. A recurring theme was social media and the usual questions; Who on earth has the time to be constantly updating their status? What’s the point? Who cares?

It’s a question that has often gone back ‘n’ forth between Venom Carter (Inky web guru, friend and sneaker freak) and I. We sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. It comes very naturally to him. Me, most definitely not. Given some hearty subject matter to get my teeth into, a conversation about something I know nothing of, with people of experience and an opportunity to learn, I’m all in. A humble book, blog or film recommendation? Great. Try to sell me something and you’ve lost me ;)

And therein lay the irony. Over the course of the past year, in trying to get the word out about Inkysmudge music, the constant battle has been about promoting the endeavours without the hard sell. I hate being sold to. The joy of creating music for the sake of it becomes easily tarnished by the desire to sell it, as if that would somehow further validate its very existence.

It was this conflict of interest, common amongst creatives as I understand it, that I ended up discussing with my friends, all of whom have far better things in life to do than update facebook and twitter every five minutes. The best we could come up with was the axiomatic it’s how you use it. As far as sharing information goes, I can’t fault twitter. If you only follow people you find interesting (which in itself comes and goes) then chances are you’ll be fine.

What I can fault is my own filter.

A few years ago, in conversation with a friend blessed with acerbic wit and a never-ending supply of sarcastic put-downs, I said, “Yeah, but we only ever see the faults in others we can’t see in ourselves.” Not entirely correct of course, if you happen to be observing the behaviour of a serial killer for example, but you catch my drift. That line kept coming into my head these past couple of months, every time I’d been guilty of uttering some banality on twitter instead of sharing something interesting, something useful. I mean, who in their right mind would choose to be part of the problem instead of the solution?

For 2011, I’m praying for radio silence. From me as much as anyone else.

News: Fun Friday - Christmas Cheer

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Fun Friday – Christmas Cheer

Well, we seem to be getting back to normal now the snow is melting (at least it is from my window) and Christmas Eve is here already. Where does the time go?

Inky HQ has been blessed this year so here’s a little something I hope you’ll enjoy, a piano led version of the song File Under Guilty Pleasures. I tried to mix it so it sounds like I’m whispering in your ear (especially on headphones…….er……..) and let’s face it, who wouldn’t want that on Christmas Eve? It is of course free to download so go grab yourself a little bit of Inky ;)

http://inkysmudge.bandcamp.com/

Be well and have yourselves a good Christmas.

News: Fun Friday - Fourdayturnaround Fun

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Fourdayturnaround Fun

So, last weekend was the weekend that was. Could I support my pal Richie Noble in his charitable endeavour to write, record, master and release four songs in four days?

Almost, almost. That’s an in joke. Think Victorian Dad from Viz. Nevermind.

You can see a couple of videos and whatnot over at http://fourdayturnaround.tumblr.com and hear the result (and donate £££ to Alzheimer Scotland if you feel so inclined) over at http://fourdayturnaround.bandcamp.com

I flew up to Edinburgh and we started the prep work on Friday. It’s been a while since my role was supporting someone else’s creative endeavour in a practical way but the experience proved to be a lot of fun. Using software I’ve never used before, mixing using a 32” flat screen tv (fully recommended!) sitting cross-legged on a hard floor, on a chair at the wrong height or on a giant beanbag (not recommended!) and trying to record vocals while an admittedly gorgeous trio of huskies (or Alaskan Malmutes or whatever they were) barked away on the snow covered path at the back of his flat was all part of it.

We worked hard (inasmuch as doing something you enjoy doing can be considered work), putting in 12 and 14 hour days and managed to get the four songs up for sale on the net on the fifth day. Our admin day as we called it.

So, without the luxury of aeons of time to second-guess every decision (….I think we need to up the ratio on that compressor) we managed to achieve what we set out to do, pretty much. That’s a good feeling. As I listened back to the finished article and reflected on my part in the endeavour (some drum-programming, some acoustic guitar playing and recording-related button pressing) I was reminded once again of what can be done if you apply yourself.

If we were going to do it again this weekend, we’d do some things differently of course. That is how we learn after all, but regardless of the end result, what I wouldn’t change is the decision to actually do something.

There are a lot of things around about using social media and all that jazz. Stuff like tweet as if no-one’s following or blog as if no-one’s reading. I’m sure you can add make music as if no-one’s listening to that list heh, heh, heh. Well, with that in mind, on we go eh? I’ll have that death metal symphony recorded shortly ;)

News: Fun Friday - Diamonds In The Rough

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Diamonds In The Rough

I don’t think to make

I don’t think to make corrections

Famous angels never come through England

England gets the ones you never need

That’s The National for you, from their goosebump-inducing England off their High Violet album. I got to see them at good old Brixton Academy on Wednesday and they were, quite simply, stunning. Understated but with great songs, their backdrop and projections were tastefully done. They made me think of REM doing Country Feedback (never a bad thing in my book) and well, that’s twice I’ve seen them this year. Awesome.

The support band Phosphorescent were only slightly less impressive and much of that was to do with two factors out of their control. The sound was poor and the audience, at least the part of it surrounding my friend and I, just wouldn’t stop bloody talking. I know gigs are a social affair and yes, we were there to see The National but for crying out loud. Shut up! Maybe it’s an old-school reverence towards musicians in general, clearly out of step in these ‘empowering the audience’ times but there you go. Hell, on occasion, appears to be other people.

And, on other occasions, not. Having got back to the deserted oasis of West Croydon bus station just after midnight, I scouted around for a bus for the second leg of my journey home. It didn’t look good with the snow falling so with a Yesterday channel image of Stalingrad arriving in my head I set off on foot.

There’s a weird light at that time of night with everything covered in snow, as I’m sure you know by now. With hardly any traffic on the roads, the snow on the ground reflecting the streetlights and your vision occasionally diffused by individual snowflakes getting in your eyes (the fuckers), it’s really quite beautiful. As were the smiles of the complete strangers I passed.

Now what it is about snow that reduces many to a state of child-like innocence I don’t know but I like it. I saw a group of young men, beers in hand, on their way for some midnight sledding on Duppas Hill Recreation Ground, I saw individuals and couples making their way to wherever and a guy even walking his dog. Everyone either smiled or asked if any help was needed and quite frankly, it warmed me to think that yes, just occasionally there is that camaraderie, that sense of community that I read so much about. My heart almost thawed a little.

I got in an hour or so later and, feeling uncomfortably at peace with the world and not in the least bit tired, I decided to delve into the furore around all the WikiLeaks stuff.

On a day to day basis, I’m sure there are a lot of people for whom this stuff really doesn’t matter. They have rent or a mortgage to pay, a job to do, kids to feed and so on. It doesn’t affect them directly so, you know, why worry? As I said in a previous post, it’s not like it’s a surprise that politicians lie or that some people out there are not, well, very nice.

As I began to take in some of the released information, obligatory cup of tea in hand, I thought that WikiLeaks is like the Millenium magazine in Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. Art reflects life reflects art and so on. The petulant egotism and conniving two-faced snides, unfit for office in any walk of life, let alone in a role of potential influence, restored my faith that yes, the body politic is oftentimes like the school playground. Some people never grow out of it.

Tell it like it is or tell it like it should be, the choice is yours. I’ll stick to trying to find diamonds in the rough.

News: Fun Friday - Quiet Loud.......Quiet

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Happy Friday. A couple of things for today.

Oblivia Rae & Me is a chirpy little song about killing people. You can download it for free here http://inkysmudge.bandcamp.com/track/oblivia-rae-me. It came to me in a dream, well, the line it felt good to take the life that took mine did at least ;)

Somewhere in the recent past I think I must’ve seen a clip or heard a mention of Bonnie & Clyde or something and presumably my subconscious held on to it for some reason. Funny old world. Reputable therapists can contact me with a summary of their fees at the usual address.

Four Day Turnaround is the little musical endeavour (for charidee no less!) of a friend of mine in Edinburgh. Simply; record four songs in four days. Mix, master and release and donate ALL profits to Alzheimer Scotland.

Here are some related links:

http://fourdayturnaround.tumblr.com

Twitter- @4dayturnaround

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Four-Day-Turnaround/116954221700935

Now, you’ll be pleased *cough* to hear that I won’t be singing on it. I am merely providing some musical assistance, drum programming and acoustic guitar playing etc. Suffice to say, I hope the end result will be something pretty…..and quieter than what I normally do ;)

Whilst doing some prep work, and given the nature of the suggested songs, I’ve noticed a shift in my way of working. Usually I try to get drums and guitars as loud as possible, now I’m trying to get things as quiet as possible, hmmmm…..maybe it’s the weather, or the roll-neck jumpers this time of year demands? Anyways, it could prove to be an interesting time of year at Inky HQ. After the pop-rawk self-indulgence of the past year it may be time to explore something a little more chilled. Cellos anyone?

News: Happy Birthday, Mr Smudge

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

All of us at Inky HQ, bandmates and management alike, would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to Mr Smudge, no one is sure of his exact age, I once suggested hacking into his leg to count the rings, but that just led to verbal punishment, and a week in the basement, so Happy Birthday Mr Smudge, however old you are, and enjoy celebrating with Jimmy Eat World!

News: Fearful Friday - The Glass Half Empty Blog

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

A twist on Fun Friday, as Inky's glass is in need of filling....

Glass Half Empty? What Glass?

So, did anyone see Channel Four’s Britain’s Trillion Pound Horror Story last night? If not you’ve got about 29 days left to watch it so here’s the link on 4od:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/britains-trillion-pound-horror-story/4od

I’ll be discussing it briefly below. However, as it happens I was out playing at an acoustic night put on by Chaos Theory at The Blag Club over in Notting Hill. It was a great evening and I thoroughly enjoyed sets by both:

Curfew Acoustic http://www.myspace.com/curfewacoustic

Tiny Birds http://www.myspace.com/tinybirdsongs

Go take a listen, they were really good.

Anyway, Thursday evening is always a good tv evening for me what with Question Time and This Week. It was a bumper night’s viewing last night with BTPHS added to the list…..and I’d also received a copy of the Collapse dvd courtesy of Amazon…..but more of that later.

Arriving home a little after 12:30am, I made myself the obligatory cuppa and, as I’m usually buzzing a little after playing music, I settled down to catch up on the tv I’d recorded.

Oh my giddy aunt. I got to bed at around 4.30am……….and last remember checking the clock at 5.19am ;)

Now, being a cynical oik (yes, like everyone else I was formerly an idealist) I’m very wary of anything with the slightest whiff of an agenda. So, keeping them peeled (in honour of Shaw Taylor…….anyone else remember Police 5?!) I watched BTPHS. Jesus.

Now, it doesn’t feel like I’m £77,000 in debt but that is, courtesy of the national debt, apparently what every single one of us is saddled with. Every man, woman and child in Britain today, courtesy of the £4.8 trillion our economy is, well, somewhat missing.

Figures like this are so hard to get our head around because on a day-to-day basis, it’s impossible to make it tangible. If you can pay your rent, put petrol in your car, do your weekly food shop and maybe have a holiday if you’re lucky, it doesn’t seem real. I mean, as long as you don’t do any of that on your credit card of course, right? Oh, you mean you do? Why is that then? Don’t you earn a living wage then? Ah………I see.

BTPHS presented a lot of the economics in a straightforward and entertaining fashion. Even I almost understood it. Towards the end, there were a couple of things that made me think ‘that doesn’t sound right’ (is Eastern Europe still booming following the introduction of a low flat rate tax threshold – and if so, why do I have a Bulgarian drummer and guitarist who came here in search of work and a better life?) but, as I’ve said, you always need to be aware of where the polemic is coming from. If nothing else, it made fascinating viewing. I’ll see you down the bankruptcy court.

And talking of bankruptcy, with my brain still not demanding sleep, I decided to watch the Collapse dvd that arrived earlier in the day. Here’s a trailer:

You really should watch it if you have any interest at all in where you think we might at least possibly be heading.

It is one of those films that can easily be dismissed as alarmist or the work of a whack-job if, simply, you really don’t like to think about what will happen when we run out of oil or we all start thinking that the world economy sounds like a giant pyramid scheme.

Again, at the very least it is food for thought. Is the glass half empty? I don’t even have a glass ;)

News: Inkysmudge - Live at the Cavendish Arms, Nov 15th

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

That's right, for all you South London dwellers, or those willing to brave it and cross the river, Inkysmudge are LIVE, at the Cavendish Arms on November 15th, and below is a nice pictoral, flyer, reminder for your viewing pleasure, hope to see you there.....

News: Fun Friday - The Two Sides of Inkysmudge

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Another Friday, hopefully the wet weather will not dampen your bonfire night festivities....

We first had this idea for Hallow'een showing the Jekyll and Hyde of Inkysmudge, but we thought it more fitting to showcase their two sides this week, as they have a selection of very different performances coming up, and some treats to match....

This coming Thursday 11th November, will be a solo acoustic peformance by Inky, with perhaps some special guests, over at The Blag Club, Notting Hill, starting at 8pm...as a special treat the band have put together a beautiful acoustic version of "This Love" which you can download from the Music tab (for a standard mp3) or if bandcamp is your thing (and why wouldn't it be?) go here...

http://inkysmudge.bandcamp.com/track/this-love-band-acoustic-version

Then on Saturday 13th for all those of you in Kent, Inkysmudge (full band) will be supporting some extremely entertaining friends of theirs, As Is Now, over at The Hop in Sittingbourne.

Finally, to rock you back into the week, the full band will be playing Monday night 15th November, at The Cavendish Arms in Stockwell, so you can keep the weekend going one more day...

So plenty of opportunities to catch Inky this week, as always keep checking the shows tab for more information, and we look forward to seeing you out there...

Remember, be safe, wherever you are ;)

Inky HQ

News: Fun Friday - Reading

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Inkysmudge Photo & Lyric Book Now Available!

"I wonder what I meant by that?"

Indeed it is, via the wonderful folk at Blurb.

Er….yes but what is it?

Well, take a look at the handy little widget below and have a flick through the book!

It’s a collection of photos (taken here in the UK and also in Australia, Germany, Iceland and the US), rendered in stark black and white and accompanied by the song lyrics to provide a visual backdrop to the songs on the two albums, Probability and Proximity.

So, if you want to see the rain-soaked shelter on the south coast where the This Love conversation took place, or the street in Sydney that inspired The Needs Of Strangers, or the church in Iceland that led to The One That Got Away…….you know where to look ;)

Probability & Proximity by Inkysmudge | Make Your Own Book

News: Fun Friday - Live and Acoustic

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Hope you've been enjoying the Inkysmudge full band content...

In between these loud and rocky gigs, Inky has been playing a string of more intimate and subtle acoustic shows throughout the London area.....and we thought we'd share a striking solo acoustic performance of "There Will Come A Time" with you.....

Just head on over to the videos section and enjoy...

You can catch Inky on the road with the rest of the band next Friday 29th Oct, 8pm at The Miller, near London Bridge in London, and keep your eyes peeled for some special gig announcements

News: Douglas Coupland, Frightened Rabbits and Fleeting Glimpses.....

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

It's Friday everyone...the weekend is almost upon us, and Inkysmudge are about to bring more light into this greatest of weekdays...

In the blog section of this site (look up and click on BLOG) there is a new entry, discussing 2 days in the life of Inkysmudge, with guest appearences from Douglas Coupland, Frightened Rabbits, Pink Floyd and plenty of random women....intrigued....then go ahead and read it, and leave some comments..

There is also...you lucky, lucky people you....a NEW "Free Download Of The Month", entitled "File Under Guilty Pleasure", you can grab this just above this entry...

Enjoy the weekend everyone, happy reading and listening

Inky HQ

News: Pay What You Want - Fun Friday

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Afternoon

Well the guys are back from their well earned holidays, and Inkysmudge is kicking of it's Autumn/Winter Live shows tomorrow (Saturday 25th) at The Comedy, Leicester Square, London.....

To mark this run of live shows (the first in the south with the new line up), Inkysmudge HQ are pleased to offer all you lovely people the chance to get to know Inky's music a little better (if you don't already) and have made all Inkysmudge albums over at our Bandcamp store "Pay What You Want"!

That's right, YOU decide how much YOU want to pay, any donation is appreciated, in return you get to enjoy the musical fruit of Inky's labours, sounds like a fair trade to us :)

So why not head on over to the site by clicking here , or enter http://inkysmudge.bandcamp.com into the browser of your choosing.....

And....one more reminder for tomorrow's live show, if you fancy a night out in the heart of the Uk's Capital, then why not print out the flyer below, and bring it with you to gain yourself entry for 5.00 (instead of the usual 6.00), and come and say hi, we'll be glad to see you.....

Inky HQ

News: Dear God, Over To You.....

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:24:11 -0800

So, thanks to our man Hawking, God is in the news again.

Hang on a minute……Hawking…..then there’s Dawkins…..they sound similar don’t they? Has anyone seen them together in the same place at the same time? Just wondering…..

Anyway, following on from the second half of last night’s Channel 4 News, which sounded like an episode of The Big Bang Theory, today we have the obligatory pieces here, there and everywhere on whether God does or does not exist.

There’s been some fine tv this week that has also dealt with faith, belief, conviction and so on. The programmes I managed to catch were BBC2’s Andrew Marr interview with Tony Blair and More 4’s The Enemies Of Reason with Richard Dawkins.

Both programmes got me thinking about the notion of belief (in whatever sense that may apply) and the conviction of said belief. There was a particularly interesting exchange in The Enemies Of Reason where Richard Dawkins was talking about the increasing value of personal feeling over publicly verifiable evidence. Steve Fuller, a Professor of Sociology somewhere I think, commented on different people interpreting ‘evidence’ in different ways and the debate went on much as you might expect…..it appears people will believe what they want to believe, who’d have thought it?

Naturally, Andrew Marr acquitted himself as you would expect, pulling no punches in reminding Tony Blair that a percentage of the population will not forgive him for taking us into Iraq. However, it did not stop Tony Blair from asserting once again that he was sure it was the right thing to do and by extension, that a world without Saddam Hussein was better than a world with him in it. Who among us would disagree with Tony Blair on that specific point? As the saying goes, difficult decisions are the privilege of rank.

Richard Dawkins could talk till he was blue in the face about how homeopathy or religion or any new-age related practice was all mumbo-jumbo but I cannot see a believer turning round and saying, “You know what, you’re right. Thank you so much for curing me.” Likewise, Tony Blair’s situation. If a person of faith, for example, feels better about life and attributes that to their belief then we can say that is a good thing. If, on the other hand you’re Josef Stalin, belief in what you’re doing might be considered less so.

And so onto Hawking’s recent comments. Ultimately, we’re never going to know are we? We can postulate all the theories we like but we will never know beyond all doubt will we? No. At least not unless we are graced with the presence of such awe-inspiring loveliness that we all fall to our knees, begging forgiveness for our poor stewardship of this beautiful little dot in the solar system. That is the only way that this question will ever be answered to the satisfaction of everyone. Until then, it’s business as usual. I believe this, you believe that, I’m right, you’re wrong, I’m opened minded, you’re not yadda yadda yadda.

A question that occurs to me is: what is it about the day-to-day of our lives that means some people need a little more spiritual sustenance?

Dear God, over to you…..

News: Venue change and a deep breath

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Hi All

Welcome to a relaxing bank holiday weekend for those lucky enough not to be working, apologies to all those in Scotland that don't get this one off...

Just to thank everyone for coming out to the variety of Inky events during the Edinburgh festival, it was great to see you all, and to get the full band live on stage for the first time....

Inky's taking a wee pause down by the coast, preparing for this weekend's acoustic spot at Hadfest, be there if you can for what promises to be an intimate performance, of some of Inky's rockier stuff..

Speaking of upcoming gigs, just to inform you that the gig on 25 September has been moved from The Hartley and will now be at The Comedy, off Leicester Square, hopefully this central location will be easier for everyone to get too...

Have a great weekend everyone, if you're near or fancy traveling to Hadleigh to see Inky, looks like it will be a nice weekend for it, there'll be giveaways and CD's for sale...

Until then, enjoy

Inky HQ

News: Where Can You Find Inky This Weekend?

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0800

As you're all aware, Inkysmudge are coming to Edinburgh this weekend, to play their part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and we at Inky HQ would like to make it easy for you to catch up with your beloved Inky!

As the southern half of the band are making their way up the motorway from London on Saturday, you could try honking your horn at a silver volvo blasting out classic Van Halen and Pumpkins tunes, you'll know it's them with the two Jesus look a-likes inside.....

However on Sunday 15th, you can catch more than just a blurred motorway view of Inkysmudge, and here's where.....

1700 - Live Instore at Avalanche Records - 63 Cockburn Street

2200 - Live on 98.8 Leith FM - Acoustic performance and interview

0000 - Live at Whistlebinkies

Hope to see as many of you as possible.

Inky HQ

News: Breaking News Inkysmudge Edinburgh Instore

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0800

The Edinburgh Fringe build up continues with the news that Inkysmudge will be playing an Instore gig at Edinburgh's Avalanche Records on Sunday 15th August at 5pm.

The Instore is in support of that evening's gig at Whistlebinkies, and the simultaneous release of the new albums "Probability" and "Proximity."

This is a great opportunity to see a unique Inkysmudge performance in a unique setting, especially if you can't make the midnight gig!

Inkysmudge loves to support local independent record stores, as they remain the life blood of the independent music scene, offering choice, value, and passion every day, so support your local independent record store, and if you happen to live in, or visit Edinburgh, then support Avalanche Records and Inkysmudge.

Details of Avalanche Records can be found over at www.avalancherecords.co.uk

Hope to see you there!

Inky HQ

News: New Line Up To Rock Edinburgh Fringe In Support Of New Releases.....

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Inkysmudge are ready to unveil not only their simultaneous release of "Proximity" and "Probability", but a brand new full band line up, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on August 15th...

Following on from their succesful low key, acoustic European Tour, Inkysmudge have recruited some talented musicians to bring their atmospheric indie-rock back to Edinburgh as part of the Fringe Festival, and to support the simultaneous album release.

Drummer Plamen Minchev and Lead Guitarist Nasko Nedev join old friend and Bass Player Antonis Mikelis to bolster the line up which once again sees long standing Inky collaborator Venom "Fingers" Carter join on Keyboards to complete the line up headed naturally by Mr Smudge :)

To thank Edinburgh for it's support after Inkysmudge's "There Will Come A Time" (from the "A New Transmission" EP), was played to great acclaim at Heart of Midlothian's Tynecastle Stadium, physical copies will be on sale EXCLUSIVELY in Scotland's Capital City...

"Proximity" and "Probability" will be available for sale at Elvis Shakespeare in Leith and at the gig from the band at Whistlebinkies.

The CD's will be priced at £6.00 per CD (or the complete double CD set for £10.00), and are part of a limited run of physical copies.

In support of the gig, Inkysmudge will be performing an acoustic set on Leith FM at 10.20pm on Sunday 15th (before rushing off to sound check at Whistlebinkies), and hope to be visible round the city centre during the day, keep your eyes peeled for Inky as there'll be freebies!

For those not in Edinburgh, don't despair, physical copies will be available to order from the Inkysmudge website from the 16th August, and at future Inkysmudge gigs while stock lasts, and of course ALL Inkysmudge releases are available from your favourite online retailers...

Itunes

Amazon

Play.com

Hope to see you all in Edinburgh

Inky HQ

News: View From Behind The Keys

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Today, Edinburgh based keyboard player Venom "Fingers" Carter, talks about home rehearsals, Inkysmudge commuting and the new band line-up...

It's been 3 months since the last date of the European Tour, and as the backing tracks and samples were created by Inky and myself, it was easier to attempt cross border rehearsals, as everything was always going to be in time/sync, and it was just a matter of a few face to face rehearsals to blend it all together with the majesty of Inky's voice.

When Inky asked me to once again embellish the new line-up with my keys, I thought long and hard about the logistics of rehearsing to play with a band who's human inconsistencies (compared to that of a metronome!) really place the emphasis on being in the same room at the same time and creating that musical bond, understanding their idiosyncrasies to ensure that the overall sound is punchy, epic and not cluttered, but then, all things considered, how could I pass up the chance to work with Inky again?!?!

I've been playing music with Inky in various bands/styles since moving to London in late 2005, and developed a strong rapport and friendship, both on and off the stage, we share a musical vision and a sense of humour, so when he decided to go solo, I was keen to be involved, despite the distance of my new home town of Edinburgh.

So....the rehearsal mp3's arrive and I slowly familiarise myself with the music, the songs I know already, having played them endlessly as part of Inky's quality control "brain trust", but with new musicians comes new stylings, so it was important for me to hear how they played as a four piece, in order for me to find my space...3 weeks after doing this, the time was right to begin my commute...

Edinburgh lies 408 miles north of London, so driving and train weren't really viable options for a short weekend journey, having procured a solid flight case for my Keyboard whilst in Aachen on the European tour, I placed it in the good hands of BA on a Friday night, and was in London, and the welcoming accomodation of Inky, by 10pm Friday night.

What followed (apart from the obligatory dvd watching (The Rutles and Springsteen!), and chatting 'til some godforsaken hour was a 2 day long rehearsal (or so it felt).

A new drummer and second guitarist had been brought on board (Plamen and Nasko respectively), this Bulgarian power duo, have given Inky's music a further lease of life, Plamen, tall and laid back, with a drumming style similar to that of Mick Fleetwood, laying strong foundations for Inky's intimately widescreen musical approach, Nasko providing intricate, soulful and sometimes mind blowing guitar parts, allowing the songs to soar higher then before.

Helping to build the foundations along with Plamen, was a familiar face in the form of Antonis Mikelis, this Greek, Jesus lookalike, played with both Inky and myself in our previous band, and brings technical excellence along with musical eccentricity (and newly added backing vocals) to complete and compliment the writing and musical vision of Inky.

I'm not going to be so bold and do a John Landau and say "I've seen the future of rock 'n' roll and his name is INKYSMUDGE", but what I will say is this, you will be hard pushed to find a harder working, more entertaining, well crafted and enthusiastic band playing live this year, the songs are strong, the music engaging, and the performance and camaraderie entertaining, it would be a tragedy if you failed to catch their live show when they come to a venue near you...

Due to the distance involved I may not be at every live show, but I consider myself lucky to be invited along for the ride.....

Venom.

News: Fun Friday - Inkysmudge releases two full length albums simultaneously on August 1st...

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

That's right, hot on the heels of the Inkysmudge EP "So Much For Country", the first full length Inkysmudge CDs "Probability" and "Proximity" will be available at all major online retailers from August 1st. Limited edition hard copies will be available in selected stores, here of course and at gigs from 15th August.

To ensure you find out first how to get your hands on these, AND to claim your free BONUS track and DISCOUNT CODE, why not head over to the mailing list tab and sign up, not only will you receive the above, but you'll be FIRST to hear about Inkysmudge's upcoming tour dates, new releases, and competitions.

And here's a promo video to whet your appetite....happy Friday everyone!

News: Fun Friday, Vote For Inky to work with Linkin Park

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Inkysmudge are participating in the "Linkin Park Featuring YOU!" competition, Inky has remixed the upcoming Linkin Park single "The Catalyst" and needs your help in voting for it to be a winner...

If you would be so kind as to click right HERE, register your interest and vote for Inky, you could see him feature on the forthcoming Linkin Park CD and maybe more...

Thanks, keep your eyes peeled for some fan rewards later today.

Inky!

News: So Much For Country - Press Release

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Chaos & Bedlam Management

Management & Booking: lizabuddy@hotmail.co.uk

Phone: +44 (0) 7540 376642

July 2010

INKYSMUDGE Releases Album Appetizer ‘So Much For Country’

A surreal conversation in the early hours of an April morning in Germany inspires the release of an ‘album appetizer’.

“I was on a short European tour with a friend of mine and we ended up having one of those post-gig conversations where the night has gone so well that you end up talking about what you’re gonna do next. You know, when the beer means any idea seems perfectly sensible,” laughs Inky. “So, we got into this thing about putting out a country music EP called Happy Hour and, even on the train back to Paris, the idea still seemed perfectly plausible,” he says shaking his head.

“Anyway, I got home and started writing but the material went in a completely different direction. So, I shelved the plan and let the songs dictate the end result. That’s how So Much For Country came about. The title alludes to the idea that you set out to do one thing and end up doing something completely different. A lot like life itself I guess, it seemed like a good metaphor.”

The four songs on the EP, namely Under The Power Lines, Happy Hour, Your Witness and Fiction find Inky expanding on the sound of 2009’s A New Transmission EP with e-bow, brass and atmospheric synths. Addressing the idea of escape, an account of potential adultery, regret and the joy in, as Inky puts it, ‘letting someone in’ he says, “I tend to obsess over the details of what makes people do the things they do. That’s really where it all comes from.”

Under The Power Lines is an e-bow and piano led storm of a song, evocatively describing the moment when, sat in a car near an electricity pylon under a vengeful sky, the protagonist decides to leave their situation in search of sunnier times.

Happy Hour starts with an atmospheric and intimate observation of two people, meeting after work to discuss their respective relationships. The chorus unleashes ferocious guitars and a harrowing brass section melody that perfectly complements the direction the conversation takes.

Your Witness is a full-on rocker with a sixties beat that places the protagonist in court. Pleading his innocence that decisions made whilst ‘not of sound mind’ have led to feelings of longing and regret, the protagonist insists this is punishment enough. Miles apart sonically, there is still a surprisingly humorous undertone to the song, not entirely dissimilar to REM’s ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It’.

Fiction is an up-tempo but gentle reflection on those early morning intimacies with your significant other, the simple familiarities that bind people together with unspoken understanding. The brass section returns for the interestingly instrumental choruses, leaving the protagonist to declare ‘I won’t argue with that, if it sounds like this!’ as the song heads to its euphoric conclusion.

“The two full-length albums’ release date had already been decided (Probability and Proximity are scheduled for simultaneous release in August 2010) but I was so excited about these new songs that I just wanted to get them out. It gives people a further idea of what to expect so hopefully the A New Transmission and So Much For Country EPs will have sufficiently whetted their appetite.”

News: Happy Birthday Venom Carter!

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Yep, the man behind the scenes, Venom Carter aka @skyfulofscars (for those of you on Twitter) aka Richie Noble, celebrates his birthday today.

This is the man who slaves away behind the scenes providing technical assistance (and much, much more) to enable me to share with you my musical endeavours.

We should all take a moment to pause for thanks..........probably ;)

News: So Much For Country - AVAILABLE NOW!

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

That's right, the new Inkysmudge EP "So Much For Country" is available today from all major online retailers, we previewed this on our new facebook bandpage tab on Friday and it's now yours to own for no more than a bargain 3.50.

You can click on any of the below links, or go back to the facebook bandpage tab, and buy it from there.

Enjoy, and thanks for your support

Inky!

Itunes - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/so-much-for-country-ep/id376657258

Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/So-Much-For-Country-EP/dp/B003UNFEMS/ref=dm_ap_alb3

Play.com - http://www.play.com/Music/MP3-Download-Album/4-/15696076/So-Much-For-Country-EP/Product.html

News: Fun Friday "So Much For Country" Sneak Preview

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Hi..a special Fun Friday this week, why not visit the Inkysmudge Facebook page here (become a fan if you're not already), and click on the new Band Page tab, here you will find special exclusive previews of the four brand new tracks from the forthcoming EP "So Much For Country" - Happy Hour, Your Witness, Fiction and the lead single Under The Power Lines, are all there for your enjoyment, let us know your thoughts and comments, we LOVE to hear from you.

Inky!

News: Is It Friday Again, Let's Make it Fun!!

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0800

That's right Fun Friday is here again, and Inky is back with a brand new track!

In case you haven't been aware, Inky has been working on 3 new releases, available in the next few months..

So Much For Country, a 4 song EP

and a double CD release of Probability/Proximity, two 10 track CD's

The FREE download you can get your hands on today, is a Synth Rock outtake from those sessions and exclusive to Inkysmudge fans.

So, head on over to the music section, and get your hands on "Disappointed".....you wont be..

Remember, drop by to the Facebook and Twitter pages and let us know what you think.

News: Fun Friday (special Wednesday edition)

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0800

As promised, the technical hitch has now been sorted out, and what was supposed to appear to you all on Friday, is now available in the videos section...

See you again on Friday for more....FUN!!

Inky

News: Fun Friday - New Inkysmudge Release

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Looking forward to a new Inkysmudge release? Then you're in for a treat. This Fun Friday sees a short promotional video for the forthcoming release of the 'So Much For Country' EP. Check it out over at the Videos section and check back next week for the story behind it.....

News: Fun Friday - Double Whammy!

Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

As a reward for your patience due to our technical issues, we are treating you to a Fun Friday double header today...

Today's Fun Friday takes you to the beautiful city of Aachen,Germany, where we played a show on the 21st April..and we'd like to relive two special Aachen moments with you.

1. Head on over to the video section and check out the performance (including extended orchestral intro) of "A New Transmission", this video should definitely be subtitled how to win German friends and make them applause ;)

2. Head to the music section where you can download Inkysmudge live on Aachen Radio breakfast show. Here you'll hear Richie mumble his way through in his best pigeon german, hear the sigh of relief as our good friend Antje Zimmerman rescues him, and then it finishes with a beautiful Inky acoustic performance of Might As Well Be Blind.

Enjoy, and leave some comments, would be good to hear from you.

Inky.

News: Inkysmudge Go Green In Europe!

Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Inkysmudge's attempt at a carbon neutral European tour did not go unnoticed.....

You can read the full article below from the newsletter of the 3rd sectors leading travel supplier KEY TRAVEL, about how staff member and Inky collaborator Richie Noble set about making Inky's tour as green as possible

How it came about

It all began at a Hamburg gig in October last year….

Hamburg is noted for its Eco-City reputation and this inspired Inkysmudge to undertake a carbon friendly and potentially carbon neutral European tour….

I drew up a list of cities, all linked by rail or bus, starting in my hometown of Edinburgh, reaching down to London via Manchester, and across to Brussels (taking in sites of 3 of the Key Travel offices) moving onwards to Paris, Aachen and then finishing up on the banks of the Rhein in Cologne.

I wanted to reflect Key Travel’s environmentally friendly image whilst performing music, and demonstrate that it is possible for a band to go on tour without having an adverse effect on the environment!

With Europe so well connected by bus and rail, it was easy to travel between countries with our gear in tow and not worry about our carbon footprint. As it happens, due to ash issues and the airspace being closed, it was just as well we chose to travel by other means of transport! We were some of the luckier ones, not having our travel plans disrupted (although it did mean bus/rail tickets were more expensive than we’d budgeted for!).

What about the power used during the performance?

In our initial search for venues we tried to find those that operated on renewable energy, solar etc…this proved hard to come by in most locations, however the venue in Cologne did use a “conservatory effect” to light it’s stage, using the ever changing natural light show from evening light through dusk to create an onstage atmosphere. We decided to take an Electric Meter with us to calculate the onstage Power and offset the carbon on our return.

The reception

We received a great reception everywhere we went (with the exception of Paris, but it was a Monday night….). The Brussels crowd were the best, they were truly mental! It was great to see so many people across Europe enjoying our music.

The Future

We’re looking at putting a new album out later this year, and are now actively considering renewable sources for everything from packaging to ink, to the possibility of using one of Europe’s solar powered studios to really limit the impact the sessions have on the globe. This isn’t easy but we can all do our bit where possible, it’s just a matter of applying the principles.

You can catch up on Inkysmudge’s musical and ecological developments online at www.inkysmudge.com and on twitter at www.twitter.com/inkysmudge

News: Live In Manchester Tonight

Thu, 20 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Morning all from the Great North

Inkysmudge are Live Tonight at the Nexus Art Cafe - Dale Street (opposite Vinyl Exchange)

Richie Noble is once again guesting on Keyboards, and he's very excited as he's back on his old stomping ground having lived in Manchester for 5 years...

Come along and join us from 9pm, other great bands playing, relaxing settings (great cake!) and an awesome night of music.

Inky.

News: Media Monday #2

Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

After a few technical difficulties, now live in the video section is Richie (aka Venom "Fingers" Carter) opening the Brussels show with his own take on "Morning After", a rare opportunity to see and hear Richie NOT behind a Keyboard...enjoy!

Inky.

News: Fun Friday Fashion!

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Happy Friday everyone!

Today's Fun Friday sees Inkysmudge venture into the world of fashion, with some very original t-shirts (designed by Mr Smudge himself) online over at www.zazzle.co.uk/inkysmudge for your viewing (and purchasing) pleasure.

As always we're interested to hear your comments, so drop us a line either on the comments page, on twitter.com/inkysmudge or on the facebook page here.

News: Inkysmudge on Chuck?

Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

If this sounds like something you'd want to see become a reality, then head on over to the fan group created on Facebook. They're looking for as many people as possible to throw their weight behind this campaign to get Inky's Chuck inspired "Might As Well Be Blind" to hopefully feature in a forthcoming episode..

If you want to hear the song, well you're in luck, you can download it for free here (by clicking on the mp3 symbol next to the song) or over at the Inkysmudge bandcamp page.

If after all that, you think WOW, I want to be a part of this, then click here to join the Facebook group!

Happy Listening.

Inky!

News: Media Monday Starts Today

Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Yes, as mentioned on Friday, Fun Friday's little brother Media Monday has come to visit for a short while, and he's brought with him a bag of treats.....

First out of the bag is a live video of Inkysmudge's performance of Wear Your Damage Like A Badge at the Live Music Cafe in Brussels, so once again head on over to the video section and enjoy!

News: Fun Friday Goes Twice Weekly!..

Fri, 07 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Morning all, on this hung parliament day we're delighted to offer you twice the fun in your life, starting today for approximately 6 weeks, we're running a European Tour Fun Friday special...

We have so much we want to share with you guys that Fun Friday is going to have a baby brother Media Monday, so you'll get twice the fun for the same original bargain price of nothing....

Today features Keyboard player Venom "fingers" Carter and his guide to the Brussels gig and the aftershow party... so head on over to the videos section and enjoy!

Inky.

News: Fun Friday is back..

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Hi All...

After the European Tour hiatus, three, yes three, special Fun Friday video's for your viewing pleasure, one special acoustic performance on the breakfast show on Aachen Radio of "Might As Well Be Blind" and two of Inky as you've never seen him before

Enjoy!

News: Get In Touch!

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0800

As we met a lot of people on the road, some who's details we kept, others were fleeting...if you came to a gig, or met us on the road, why not drop us a line, either here on the contact form, or find us at..

http://twitter.com/inkysmudge

Facebook - Inkysmudge - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Inkysmudge/141908221729

or you can leave a message on the fan wall of the Inkysmudge iphone app

We look forward to hearing from you.

Inky.

News: European Thank You's

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Hi All

Now we're back from Europe, I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank each and everyone of you who turned out in your collective hundred's to support us across the continent....

Seeing and hearing the responses we received to the music was very heart warming, and the buzz we got from people who's first language isn't English "getting" what we were doing was encouraging and humbling to say the least...

There are a few people that deserve their name in lights as their stellar efforts really made some of those nights come alive...so a collective web round of applause if you will for...

Rebecca Hedges - for her work in promoting the London gig

Charlotte Van Der Vorst - for tirelessly organising and promoting us in Brussels, helping us to achieve a very memorable night.

Antje Zimmermann and Matthias Mohr - for ensuring Aachen was a success all round

and Christian Vant'hoen for his wonderful performance as a support act in Aachen...

We met some really cool people along the way, Richie got to catch up with some old friends, and the overall experience was mind blowing...so if you want us to come and play where YOU are, we're packed and ready to roll.....

Plenty more pics, videos, soundclips etc to come in the future, so keep coming back here to check out what went on during the tour, and what the Inkysmudge future holds....

See you out there, and thanks

Inky

News: More Tour Dates

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0800

We are pleased to announce that we have been able to add two more tour dates to the European Tour!

Inkysmudge will now also be appearing in Paris and Cologne on April 19 and 22nd respectively.

After an exciting start in Edinburgh, and a hometown gig in London on Thursday, it's becoming a must see event, we look forward to seeing as many of you there as we can.

Thanks!

News: Get Inkysmudge in the top 40!

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Inkysmudge are taking part in the "Storm The Charts" campaign, and you can do your bit to get us into the top 40.....

ALL you need to do is click here, cast your vote for Inkysmudge, and then relax, basking in the glory of you new favourite band being in the top 40!

Inky thanks you for the 5 minutes of your time :)

News: Thank You Edinburgh

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Had a great night at Whistle Binkies last night, with a really good responsive crowd.

It's always fun playing a brand new set of songs to brand new faces, and thankfully all the technology (and the keyboard player) worked out fine ;)

Keep your eyes on the tour dates, and If we're in a city near you, come say hello :)

Inky!

News: Fun Friday #3

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Something a little more thought provoking this week folks...

Head on over to the videos section and check out "Do you ever....?", let us know your thoughts through the usual channels.

News: Fun Friday #2

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Afternoon folks,

Normal service for a little Friday Fun is now resumed (following last week's metalfest), with a gentle lullaby to ease you into the weekend.

A free download of Might As Well Be Blind in all its acoustic-ish glory is available on the music page. This is NOT the version that will end up on the album so get it while it's, er, hot.........or slightly toasted at the very least ;)

Enjoy the weekend and let there be light.....

News: More Radio Fun

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Just announced!!

The kind folks at Leith FM will be conducting a telephone Interview, ahead of the forthcoming European Tour (kicking off in Edinburgh!) with INKYSMUDGE on Monday 5th April at 9pm.

If you're in the Leith/Edinburgh area, why not tune your radio dial to 98.5 Leith FM, and if you're not in that vicinity, then you still have no excuse as you can listen live via the internet (ahh modern technology) just type www.leithfm.co.uk/listen into your chosen browser and you'll be magically transported to the beautiful city of Edinburgh, where you can hear the interview LIVE

News: Fun Friday

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Afternoon everyone, it's Fun Friday at Inkysmudge HQ, and straight out of the studio, hot off the press, is a Friday Afternoon release (in both meanings of the word), I'll let Inky explain...

"So, when I hit a little block I like to try and have a little fun with something, a palette cleanser of sorts.......like water with a hint of lemon or something. Today that something is a free download, 'Reset'. You're not supposed to like it ;)"

So head on over to the music section and help yourself to another free download...just check the volume on your headphones...

News: Radio Shows and Road Trips

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Had two great radio shows this weekend courtesy of Steve Stathers at CRMK's "the vibe online" and Dave Charles at HFM 102.3, so thanks to both.

During these shows some exclusive acoustic tracks were performed of previously unreleased songs such as "Might As Well Be Blind" and "The Needs Of Strangers", audio, and in some cases, video of these will be posted during the week, (photo's are going up as we speak!!).

I was accompanied by my friend and "musical director" Richie Noble (@skyfulofscars for those that tweet) who made sure the long road journeys were, how do I say it, "entertaining", and helped to keep the studio banter ticking over.

Right, back to the studio, working on some album tracks, and European Tour rehearsals...

Enjoy the Sunshine

Inky.

News: Radio Reminder

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Morning All, just to remind you to tune into thevibeonline.co.uk from 1630 to hear Inkysmudge being interviewd by the fabulous Steve Stathers and a Live acoustic performance, and again at 2030 to hear Inky and the incomporable Dave Charles at www.harboroughfm.co.uk/listen for more live acoustic performances and chat!

News: Exclusive Content

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Hello again, hope you're all settling in and enjoying the site.....may I direct your attention to the video section where you can see parts one and two of an exclusive chat with Inkysmudge, with more parts being unveiled throughout the week. There are also three, yes three exclusive new tracks, available for free download. They are Consolation Prize, an alternative mix of Turn Around and the intimately acoustic The Needs Of Strangers, and can all be found by scrolling up and down within the music player. As always the A New Transmission EP is on sale and your continued support is appreciated.

News: Welcome

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Hello to you all, and welcome to the official Inkysmudge website.

To celebrate it's launch and to thank you all for stopping by we have the following available EXCLUSIVELY to this website...

New song - Needs Of Strangers, hear the original demo FIRST here!

New Mix - A more industrial version of Turn Around

Video - An Introduction to Inkysmudge himself

and the mailing list, every email address we collect will also get a special track as a surprise gift..

Hope you enjoy it, we welcome all feedback and will see you all on the road VERY soon!

Inkysmudge

News: 13964 people can't be wrong

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

During the halftime playlist at Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh for the Hearts v Hamilton game, There Will Come A Time, was featured and played in front of its biggest audience yet, there is video proof in the link, let us know if you were there and your thoughts, where else would you like to see inkysmudge featured?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s9kFEm3Pfk

News: Radio Appearances

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Inkysmudge will be appearing on the radio in a city AND on a PC near you at the end of this month...

Sunday 28th February see's Inkysmudge on the Steve Stathers Show www.thevibeonline.com from 4pm, email address for the studio is below if you have any questions you want to ask Inkysmudge.

inkysmudge@thevibeonline.co.uk

Then there's a mad dash on the same day to Market Harborough where Inky will be on the Dave Charles show from 8pm click below to listen, or tune in if you're in the area.

http://www.harboroughfm.co.uk/listen/index.htm

News: European Tour Announced

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Inkysmudge announces an intimate semi acoustic European Tour taking in 7 cities in 12 days, calling at Edinburgh, Manchester, London, Brussels, Aachen, Cologne and Berlin, in what promises to be an audio visual spectacular..stay tuned for venue and ticket details

News: A New Transmission EP Released 27 November

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

A New Transmission the debut EP now available at all good online retailers , I tunes, Amazon etc...

Inkysmudge - RSS Feed

News: Saturday Sidebar – Daydream Believers And Confirmation Bias

News: Sunday Soliloquy - It's All Very Well

News: Sunday Soliloquy - Bonfire Of The Vanities

News: Fun Friday - Play.....er Piano

News: Fun Friday - The Future's Not Here.....Yet

News: Saturday Sidebar - The Blue Screen Of Death

News: Saturday Sidebar - On The Other Hand

News: Sunday Soliloquy - The Tea Is A Revelation

News: Saturday Sidebar - Sounds Crazy

News: Fun Friday - What's For Breakfast?

News: Fun Friday - The First Rule Of Fight Club

News: Tautological Tuesday - Preaching To The Choir

News: Fun Friday - Shooting The Messenger

News: Fun Friday - What About The Money, Honey?

News: Saturday Sidebar - Archive Your Life

News: Fun Friday - Wall-E & Other Precious Metals

News: Saturday Sidebar - Radio Silence

News: Fun Friday - Christmas Cheer

News: Fun Friday - Fourdayturnaround Fun

News: Fun Friday - Diamonds In The Rough

News: Fun Friday - Quiet Loud.......Quiet

News: Happy Birthday, Mr Smudge

News: Fearful Friday - The Glass Half Empty Blog

News: Inkysmudge - Live at the Cavendish Arms, Nov 15th

News: Fun Friday - The Two Sides of Inkysmudge

News: Fun Friday - Reading

News: Fun Friday - Live and Acoustic

News: Douglas Coupland, Frightened Rabbits and Fleeting Glimpses.....

News: Pay What You Want - Fun Friday

News: Dear God, Over To You.....

News: Venue change and a deep breath

News: Where Can You Find Inky This Weekend?

News: **Breaking News** Inkysmudge Edinburgh Instore

News: New Line Up To Rock Edinburgh Fringe In Support Of New Releases.....

News: View From Behind The Keys

News: Fun Friday - Inkysmudge releases two full length albums simultaneously on August 1st...

News: Fun Friday, Vote For Inky to work with Linkin Park

News: So Much For Country - Press Release

News: Happy Birthday Venom Carter!

News: So Much For Country - AVAILABLE NOW!

News: Fun Friday "So Much For Country" Sneak Preview

News: Is It Friday Again, Let's Make it Fun!!

News: Fun Friday (special Wednesday edition)

News: Fun Friday - New Inkysmudge Release

News: Fun Friday - Double Whammy!

News: Inkysmudge Go Green In Europe!

News: Live In Manchester Tonight

News: Media Monday #2

News: Fun Friday Fashion!

News: Inkysmudge on Chuck?

News: Media Monday Starts Today

News: Fun Friday Goes Twice Weekly!..

News: Fun Friday is back..

News: Get In Touch!

News: European Thank You's

News: More Tour Dates

News: Get Inkysmudge in the top 40!

News: Thank You Edinburgh

News: Fun Friday #3

News: Fun Friday #2

News: More Radio Fun

News: Fun Friday

News: Radio Shows and Road Trips

News: Radio Reminder

News: Exclusive Content

News: Welcome

News: 13964 people can't be wrong

News: Radio Appearances

inkysmudge@thevibeonline.co.uk

News: European Tour Announced

News: A New Transmission EP Released 27 November

News: Breaking News Inkysmudge Edinburgh Instore