Take note. Well, rather we should take note.

Home work done! I’ve listened through the HowManyDevils back catalogue to see which, if any, of the tracks I’d like to revisit. I have a short list of ‘YES’ tracks and a much longer list of ‘MAYBE’  & ‘NO’ tracks. It was nice to revisit them with a critical ear. Brought back memories of reversing every other night in the old run down office block we had a room in. I wish I’d spent more time on the drums back then. Some of the tracks do sound like they need leaving in the past where as others feel they have unfinished business. There is still the case of getting a drummer type to join us. I think that might be better left till we have, as a band, got the set list decided and learned well enough to play through with hitch.

On a side note check out The Midnight. Amazing 80s sounds for your ears!

Listen. Listen. Listen some more.

Things are going quite smoothly at the moment and this is a good thing. We have a couple of weeks break from recording and production which is a chance to ponder on what we’re doing next. Probably a couple of older tracks. Probably writing some new tracks. Definitely working on some mastering of the EP and also looking to play some gigs. Need a drummer for that bit. Which is always a sticking point. We’ve had difficulty with the job of keeping drummers in the past. Maybe we need some one who can play a gig or two and record every few months rather than a permanent fixture. On the subject of gigging we might have a crack at streaming a performance or two. See how that goes. See if there are any tracks we can do anything with acoustically. 

Flashback – HowManyDevils1

We are very, very close to (i.e. months of tweaking mixes away from) releasing Space Cowboys Under The Sea Of Japan.  Our third full length album.  I thought I take a look back at the first (which is streamable on SoundCloud), HowManyDevils1 or as it was known at the time HowManyDevils.  The obvious thing that has changed in the nearly 20 years that have passed is that we’ve got more imaginative with the album titles.  We’ve also lost a drummer, the career path has paralleled Spinal Tap in that respect.  Technology has changed: in 1998 we recorded HowManyDevils1 in an old factory in Sheffield squeezing 6 tracks out of two four-track cassette machines, in 2014 we recorded Flesh Reunion with near unlimited digital tracks on a laptop.

Have we changed musically?  I’m the not the right person to answer that, listen to Flesh Reunion on SoundCloud and tell us if we’ve changed!  I’ll have to ask the others about their influences then and now.  I know at the time the significant bands to me were Nirvana, Manic Street Preachers, Mansun, Placebo, and a little bit of Nine Inch Nails snuck in.  Simon was probably listening to Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, and Babes In Toyland.  From a 90’s point of view I know Pete was in to Pearl Jam, but Pete always had broader tastes that just what was happening at the time.