Spratton Was v cool

Spratton folk festival was last week - amazing weekend - here is some video from my set: Was wonderful to meet up with so many amazing people I've met on the internet thru blogs and myspace and ustream and facebook. AMAZING. The other artists were all really good - they were mainly people I knew from www.afcollective.com - really talented people. I will write more in the next few days. Thanks to Lew DJ and everyone who made this a wonderful weekend. Restores your faith in humanity. And we got wellies in size 13!!!!!

Take it easy

Matt

This weekend

Hey

Busy yet lovely week. The Ustream went well - loads more people this time:

You can watch it ere:

I may well be ustreaming again tomorrow morning,

I've been asleep

I've written a new song called "Moon Dial", nearly there and finishing some works in progress. I still want to get another album done.

Mrs s and I went to Southend.

And took some photos

This weekend I'm playing Spratton Folk Festival. 5000 people in a field in Northamptonshire - nice courtesy of the AFC - wonderful people.

Hope to see you there

Matt Stevens

www.mattstevensguitar.com

Spratton etc

I've got my Yamaha archtop guitar back from the menders - they didn't do a great job, thy returned it with no truss rod cover and a buzzy b string - that was worth £85!!!! Very annoying.

I'm doing a ustream this Sunday as warm up for the next gig its 8pm BST on Sunday international times here.

I'm getting ready for the only real world gig i'm doing this year at Spratton Folk Festival - i'm going to try some new stuff and give away some CD's. I'm playing with a lovely bunch of people i've met on the tinterweb at www.afcollective.com - with the very wonderful DJ Buddha and Lew and loads of other great people. If you are around come and have a look I'm on at 12 on the sunday but i'll be there all weekend.

After that I'm going to look at doing a proper bunch of gigs to promote my album (which you can buy here) before i focus on doing another on another one with Mr Kevin Feazey.

Also have a look at Kev's blog with some really useful stuff about finding your own sound.

Here is some footage from the last Spratton gig when i played in the pub part of the festival. A lovely day.

Matt Stevens

Another Video from Ustream

Hey

The gig on friday went really well - very nice place and cool people.

This is a video from the rehearsals in the afternoon that i ustreamed from my website.

I'd really like feedback if you have any.

Will be ustreaming off and on for the next couple of weeks - there will a full gig on the 5th July as a warm up for spratton folk festival the following week.

I have restrung my tele - its a great guitar but i'm not sure i am still an "electric guitarist". I want a new sound with it - not fuzzy marshally rubbish. - more east bay ray or radiohead? I remember how bored i was of the instrument before - when i sold my Les Paul i thought that was it for me in terms of electric stuff.

Take it easy

Matt Stevens

www.mattstevensguitar.com

Gig Today

Sad news on MJ - he had a crazy life and any chance of being "normal" tends to be snubbed out by being really famous at 11. I remember having Bad on tape when i was a kind and i loved it.

I'm playing tonight at the Plough Walthamstow. Full Info on www.mattstevensguitar.com.

I will be rehearsing live on ustream thru the day here:

Streaming .TV shows by Ustream

If you fancy watching me practice.

This is cool

An interesting look at the future of the music industry.

Video: Topspin's Ian Roger's On Music Marketing & Direct To Fan Sales

NARM 2009 Keynote Interview With Ian Rogers from NARM on Vimeo.

Matt Stevens

www.mattstevensguitar.com

Plastic Dave & Another interesting conversation

Tragically Plastic Dave passed away last week. A very talented man and an inspiration. If you like Captain Beefheart or Zappa or the Minutemen you will love his work. Genius.

Another interesting conversation on improvisation from facebook:

Matt Stevens What inspires you when you improvise?

Yesterday at 9:06am · via Twitter · Comment · Like

Tracy L. Chappell at 10:50am June 24

As a looper, I need an audience to truly improvise. I might draw upon music theory to get started, i.e. invent a phrase based upon a snippet of a mode or a scale delivered with a rhythmic phrasing that leaves spaces between some of the notes. Once the harmonic/rhythmic environment is established I listen and respond. The presence of people is the inspirational factor here. I don't worry about whether or not anyone will like what I'm doing; I just refuse to let there be any discernible lapse between the creation and presentation of the musical performance so that no one has any iffy spots to distract their mind from the flow of the performance. Alone in my studio, the biggest problem is beginning; once I get started I seem to always find ideas.

Tracy L. Chappell at 11:00am June 24

Another source of inspiration is to design imaginary scenarios to decorate with music. Imagine a hero and a villain in conflict; create the fight in your mind as you make music to accompany the action. Or imagine a person clambering up the side of a hill; begin the music with the beginning of the ascent, throw musical difficulties and complexities ... Read More

Ashley Smith at 12:07pm June 24

i agree totally. i aint no looper i play death metal but imagining a scenario and finding the notes and moods associated with it always ends up being a good basis for a song

Joel Levy at 12:17pm June 24

The human and yet impossible desire to express the infinite as something tangible. Go johnny go!

Neil Dobson at 1:17pm June 24

Having a love for many styles of music,combined with a love of rhythm ,makes for a broad pallet . Passion for music and melody fans the flame. Rhythm is huge...

Philip Wain at 2:32pm June 24

1 other sounds/musicians 2 audience 3 prayer 4 what i've been practising 5 what i've been listening too... Read More

Jeff Duke at 5:45pm June 24

i am reading these in the hopes of learning the same thing. I not able to be able to be creative on demand. Alot of good stuff here.

Joel Levy at 7:02pm June 24

You are able already, but by thinking you're not then you won't be :-)

Jeff Duke at 7:05pm June 24

Sort of like a centipede trying to walk while thinking about how he does it? :)

Joel Levy at 7:26pm June 24

Yes something like that, thinking about how you're walking whilst you're walking will probably cause you to trip up! Like Morpheus said, stop trying to hit me and hit me...

Philip Wain at 7:34pm June 24

The trick is to think as little as possible - though I catch myself thinking often - and when thinking to think about abstract ideas rather than specific

Joel Levy at 7:45pm June 24

Observing your own thoughts or catching your-self thinking seems to be a contradiction (using the mind to watch the mind) but what you've put is of great importance and a fundamental practice in meditation - to separate you from your self and so step into that true creative place.

Philip Wain at 8:16pm June 24

Indeed. Whether you believe the creativity then comes from yourself, or from a creator, the separation from the self is crucial then.

Matt Stevens at 8:21pm June 24

Cheers guys - thats tomorrows blog post sorted!

Tracy L. Chappell at 9:43pm June 24

One more thing about improv. Never stop striving to learn, whether it be music theory, astrophysics, Latin, wanking or, perhaps, knitting. Expand your mind frequently. Then, when it's time to jam, just play. Forget everything you've learned and let what you know play you. Like the centipede Jeff Duke mentioned, don't think much about finger placement or musical structure while improvising. All the secrets disappear when you're in the middle of a jam; until you step outside the flow to think about the flow. To quote Bruce Lee concerning another discipline, "be water, my friend".

Getting ready for tomorrows gig - keep an eye on www.mattstevensguitar.com if you want to to see the rehersal

Take it easy

Matt