As some of you know, i've been working in the stockmarket for the last 4 years in various roles including investor relations and stockbroking. Whilst the hours are often insane you do get to meet alot of interesting people, particularly those who are involved in what are called 'micro-cap' companies which are very early stage companies often yet to start making money but have an idea which they believe has the potential to make millions of pounds.(think dragons den without that annoying presenter and you are pretty close). I've spent alot of time with these directors who often run pharmaceutical companies who's drugs are several years away from potential commercialisation or Oil & Gas exploration companies who have found a spot in the north sea where they are going to drill down and see if they find anything. Although they are very high risk companies, to the directors who work there, they are the safest investments in the world and I guess thats how it is for us with this band.

There are hundreds of thousands of bands out there vying for attention and even those that get signed to major labels rarely actually break through. I saw a frightening statistic from Guy Hands who has recently bought EMI, that a third of its artists never even make an album. By controlling our own development at least that part of our progress is assured. Later on this year we will go into a studio with our chosen producer and lay down our 10 strongest tracks to the best of our ability..

04 March - (backdated)

Innovation? Give me a break!


Aside from complaining about the weather, the other thing Brit's whinge about is how we have gone from being world leaders and cutting edge innovators in the industrial revolution through to being a bit part player in America's foreign policy and who's current claim to fame is having the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in western europe. I have to confess, its not a thought that troubles me very often, but it did dawn on me just how bad it's got on my way to work this morning.

I saw an advertisement at the bus stop for the "Kit Kat Dark" with a big stamp on the poster proudly showing that it had won an award for innovation. Excuse me? How many years of creative thinking did it take to decide that they'd replace the milk chocolate with dark chocolate? As if to add insult to injury, the area of 'innovation'(the coated layer around the biscuit) is probably the most miserly amount of chocolate ever consigned to a snack bar.

I think its fair to say that when you look at the current state of the music industry, its awash with Kit Kat darks but very few Kit Kat originals. Do the British music taste buds want anything else though? Thats the million dollar question we are hoping to get answered in the next 6-12 months.

A

03 March - (backdated)


Thats right, the universal, unmistakable sinking feeling of the first day of the week. Even Paris Hilton, who doesnt have to do a proper days work in her life, probably wakes up in her luxury penthouse in L.A and thinks "ah sh*t its monday again".

Still, the weekend was productive and the band has taken another couple of big steps in the right direction. Friday and Saturday were spent brushing up(Tranalising) the recorded guitars for Prism. With each guitar sound recorded through 3 different amps, most of the time was spent finding the right blend of the amps to get the sounds we wanted. These final sounds along with vocals and drums were uploaded to a remote server(apologies for the technical babble, i've been watching far too much 24 recently) where they will be downloaded for mixing by the world famous....ok thats probably all we can say for now. Suffice to say, he lives in L.A., has mixed tracks for some of the biggest artists of the last 20 years and is really excited about working with us.

Will our new industry contact be able to meet our tranal standards with his mix of Prism? Will he be able to use his connections within the L.A. music scene to help us break America? Does he know Paris Hilton? Stay tuned for next weeks instalment. The truth is out there...

February 28 (Backdated)

Slicethepie total - £5775

So, firstly a big thank you to everyone who managed to make it to Punk in Soho especially after picking themselves up from the trauma and devastation left behind by last nights earthquake. (Damage bill runs into millions as biggest earthquake in 25 years rocks Britain - Daily Mail headline so it must be true)

Anyway, the promoters said we had the biggest crowd of the night and seeing all those familiar faces really helps us to feel at home up there on the stage.

With such an "intimate" stage and barely enough room to swing a Strat, we decided to leave the keyboard at home and put "Back Home" back in the set. With a new drum beat and extended finale it proved to be the surprise package of the night, getting a really great reception. It's becoming ever more evident that picking our 10 strongest songs for the slicethepie album is going to involve making some really tough decisions.

As we reflect on the gig that was and the rest of the weeks seismic events, i'll leave you with the final points from the Daily Mail Article:

The truth is that it(earthquakes) can happen anywhere in the world."

And - as Britain found out yesterday - at any time.

Meanwhile, i'm heading back to try and repair the damage done to my flat(see below)

Alex