Live at last!

After a break of 3 years, I finally got a chance to play live with the new and vastly improved PBGB at the Nethercote Music Factory last weekend.  Only a cameo appearance, but the inclusion of John Drews on Hammond B3, Jen Halper on vocals and Rob Smallwood on guitar as well as long-term PBGB core members Pete (drums), Chris (bass) and myself (guitar) made for a pretty tight and funky set.

Here are a couple of videos from the night:

Post by Grant Webster.

Post by Grant Webster.

"Into The Blue" now available for online download

Finally!

My fourth album of songs is ready to be released into the wild.

You can listen to the tracks and buy the digital version of Into The Blue here - The CD version will be available shortly - printer problems have put that on hold for the next week or so.  Watch this space!

"My 4th collection of original songs. A fuller, rounder sound than my previous 3 albums, with new songs, and a couple of re-mastered earlier songs (lifted significantly compared to their original versions).  

I'm pleased to have a number of international collaborators on this one - Fran Dagostino on guitar, John Libby from Boston on keyboards, Anne Cozean from North Fork California on backing vocals and Mike Watkins from Virginia on drums - some familiar names there if you have the "Neil Porter Collection" :) I'm also very happy that I have a "live from The PBGB Shed" song here, featuring Chris Ralfs on fretless bass and Peter Reid on drums. Finally, Jan Porter joined me on backing vocals on "Money To Burn" - very glad that Jan was ready to join in again. You'll find reggae, some interesting time signatures, RnB and acoustic rock here - plus something a little harder :) The last song, "Eggshell Walk", is dedicated to the late, great Fran Dagostino from Boston, USA who plays all the astonishing guitars. Although I never physically met Fran, we Skyped a couple of times and he was good enough to play lead guitar on a few of my tunes for me. From all reports, Fran was a seriously good guy. He is very much missed, even here on the other side of the planet.  

Have a great 2015!"

Neil

Happy New Year!

An auspicious time to announce some serious recording coming up with Brett Ralph, Chris Ralfs, Kevin Breeze and Peter Reid in the PBGB Shed - starting February 3rd.

Something old ...........

Marastique may be waking after 40+ years - it looks like Graham Butchart, Ian Robbins and I will be getting together to do some recording, despite Ian now living in Canada.  With a bit of luck Gary Fredericks and Gruz Hilzinger might find out about it and want to join in too.
Patience is indeed a virtue!

Marastique circa 1972.  L to R: Gruz (sitting), Neil, Gary, Ian, Graham

3rd album finally released into the wild!

“Life On The Trapeze” 

So, here’s my third album of songs, 16 in all recorded between 2010 and 2012, and covering a fairly wide spread of genres, including jazz/blues, country rock, latin rock, acoustic rock and some odd little snippets of my life in non-genre-specific musical packages. 

I had always planned that I’d be in a position to do a “CD release” gig of some sort to celebrate the release of this one, but that hasn’t been possible. Maybe next album ☺ 

Once again, although I’ve played most instruments myself, there is a collection of 11 other players/singers who have helped me out. It’s a worldwide collaboration on some songs, with players and singers from Australia, the US and Norway. 

It’s the first of my albums where I’ve had members of the Pambula Beach Garage Band collective involved – on “Big Car – No Shoes”. I’m hoping to get more songs done with them for my next album. 

Included on the album is the song “(You Got Me) Spinnin’” which won me the “Artist Of The Year 2011” on the MSI international music website http://msi.icweekly.net/ 

Putting a collection of songs together is a fascinating process. To start, you need some songs worth spending time on, then you need to make the time! This has taken me over a year in preparation. All songs have been re-mixed and re-mastered so the quality is absolutely as good as I can get it. There are a couple of songs which haven’t been heard before, and quite a few that have – they are all originals, and all vastly better mixed than any previous versions. 

I’d really appreciate it if you had a listen to the tracks at http://jiguma.bandcamp.com/album/life-on-the-trapeze 

If you feel that you'd like to do a review of the album, I'd greatly appreciate it. You can buy individual tracks for $1 each or the whole album (download in a choice of digital formats, and including a .pdf lyrics booklet, a “make your own CD kit” and a video of “Safe Hands”) for $10. I’ll also have a limited number of “real” CDs (that you can play in your CD player) for $20 each plus postage (which includes the downloadable album and the other goodies that come with it). I’m also hoping to have it available on iTunes, but that may take a little while. If you’re short of $$, you can just listen. 

Almost forgot, you can also buy some spiffy “Life On The Trapeze” t-shirts @ $15 each from the BandCamp page already listed. 

Hope you have a Happy Christmas break and that 2013 is good to you, Neil

My "producer's hat"

Although I haven't released too many of my own songs recently (although that should change pretty soon) i have been busy with PBGB. The main result of this has been the production of two videos with Bill Brown for the ABC on camera of Garry Carson Jones, Jem Savage, Ken Vatcher and Dave Crowden. Garry wrote the songs, and the boys played up a storm. It was an honour to be recording engineer on the day and to also manage the mixing of the tracks ready for adding to the video.
The good news is that both videos were made "video of the week" on the ABC South East Music site - two weeks in a row. The video of "Kumeka" has now been included on the national ABC Online site: ABC Local Music – where one of the content streams is “Live to tape”, films and recordings from around Australia.
Bill does a fantastic job of showcasing local talent.

Watch Whatever You Say and Kumeka below:

 

"World Music" - Fran Dagostino

Fran chose two of my songs for this compilation CD - Bill Copeland has something to say on each:

"Fran Dagostino’s experimental, progressive, and transcontinental CD World Music should not be overlooked by fans of adventurous explorations of song possibilities. It also features a lot of good guitar playing. World Music is Dagostino’s compilation of songs he has recorded with musicians from all over the world."

"Australian composer Neil Porter turns in his own solid performance on vocals and acoustic guitar on 'Blown Away'. Dagostino adds his own special twist on the lead guitar phrase underneath Porter’s mesmerizing voice and lyricism. The lead guitar shimmers brightly in its self-restrained, sublimated place."

"'Wrong Way Home' is another contribution from Australian songwriter Neil Porter. Porter has the appealing vocal style, acoustic guitar, and midi drums in tact. The lyrics are world weary while the voice delivering them are almost Tom Waits gruff and low. Dagostino pays out a high frequency lead guitar phrase alongside it all, framing as well as accompanying it."

Thanks for the invite to the CD Fran - "Wrong Way Home" (a complete remix with Fran) will be getting another run on my 3rd album coming out in November "Life On The Trapeze".

Quotes from Bill Copeland's Music News 

  Bill Copeland is a music journalist with over 20 years experience writing about the music industry. Bill writes articles and reviews about bands, singers, songwriters, and soloists. BillCopelandMusicNews.com is a for-profit on-line music magazine. The focus is on highly talented artists from the greater-Boston area/New England. Artists do NOT have to purchase advertising in order to be profiled. Music industry businesses, venues, musical instrument retailers, and CD stores are welcome to advertise in BillCopelandMusicNews.com. Musicians from all genres of music are welcome to inquire about coverage, but talent level will be the deciding factor.

"Big Car - No Shoes"

With Peter Reid, Ken Vatcher and Jem Savage.

"Big Car - No Shoes" is an oblquely political song, aimed at the paucity of informed comment in the Australian press and parliament these days.  

Boy Wonder Jem Savage lifted the whole thing well beyond what we had envisaged with his soprano sax and Rhodes piano.

Recorded at The Shed and mixed/mastered at Jiguma Studio in Pambula Beach, NSW Australia.

lyrics

Big Car – No Shoes 

©2012 Neil Porter 

Big hat – no cattle
Big sky – but no rain
Nice horse – no saddle
Got a ticket – no plane
Nice wedding – wrong person
Cool Gibson – no blues
Best schools – no learning
Big car – no shoes

Bad war – losing battle
Big smile – you’re in pain
Big bucks – big hassle
Nice tune – but no fame
Nice wedding – wrong person
Cool Gibson – no blues
Best schools – no learning 
Big car – no shoes
Big car – no shoes
Big car – no shoes

Good minders – bad manners
Fast rail – slow train
Low bar – flame fanners
Big head – no brain
Nice wedding – wrong person
Cool Gibson – no blues
Best schools – no learning
Big car – no shoes

Big car – no shoes
Big car – no shoes

credits

"Talk To Myself" - posted this week

I'm finding it harder and harder to finish songs off these days, and I'm not really sure this is finished either. 

Lyrics are maybe self-explanatory (maybe not). Music is all me.

Hope you enjoy it.

lyrics

Talk To Myself 
©2012 Neil Porter 

Talk to myself just a little too much these days
I’m just trying to find what’s going on
I still get puzzled by this crazy haze
It’s been in my head for way too long

I’m gonna rock with it
Gotta roll with it
I’m gonna get back in control
Then I’m gonna go with it
I’m gonna ease my mind
Goin back in time
I’m gonna get back in control
Then I’m gonna grow with it

Wind myself up just a little too tight these days
Just trying to stop things going wrong
Wish I could get back to my easy ways
Go back, get back, go back home

I’m gonna rock with it
Gotta roll with it
I’m gonna get back in control
Then I’m gonna go with it
I’m gonna ease my mind
Goin back in time
I’m gonna get back in control
Then I’m gonna grow with it

Flying just a little too close to the sun some days
Maybe I’ll fall but that doesn’t seem quite right
There’s no escaping from this crazy maze
Fall down, drop down, shut down

I’m gonna rock with it
Gotta roll with it
I’m gonna get back in control
Then I’m gonna go with it
I’m gonna ease my mind
Goin back in time
I’m gonna get back in control
Then I’m gonna grow with it

London/New York/Pambula Beach ;)

Neil featured as "Guest Expert" on MSI's regular weekly show this morning (5:00 start!).  Scrubbed up OK for  a PB boy ;)