Before February runs out a few notes in here about what I've been up to...

I've moved on (again) to the quiet suburb of Forest Hill in London to shack up awhile in some cosy surroundings. With only one month left on my contract, I'm gearing up for more time on music, not least my ambition to start a new band and get gigging.

Last weekend, I caught-up with producer James Sanger and had a sneak preview of the Rubylux album (sounding good BTW), and worked on some new stuff. Without a regular singer, it was down to me to lay down a guide vocal for track 'Lovely Suicide', which I'm now using to measure-up singers. I'm reminded why it is I'm searching for vocalists, when I'm cruelly dessimated by the pitch corrector; its correction level leaping like a bullfrog- I think that everyone can sing, but the slightest vocal mistake turns you off faster than the image of anne widdecombe in edible underwear.

In the meantime, my StarNow shortlist is even shorter wit ...

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I encountered a strange situation today. I had a response to the singer ad, initially positive, but he later changed his mind because he thought the music wasn't the same direction that he wanted to go in. Fair enough; but why respond in the first place? Its a bit like going for a job in a fishmongers, if you can't stand fish. Forming original bands isn't much like forming cover bands, or other areas in the arts, like acting; where if you're trying to get a gig or land a role, you might as well apply for fifty castings and see which three get back to you. There isn't some obligation for equal-opportunities, where the wrong candidate is going to get a gig (except perhaps white actors playing Jesus).

You'll notice that the URL for this website is dangarland.ME.uk, not dangarland.YOU.uk. One day, I'll probably get around to making such a site; where I find out each individual listener's tastes, and create a remix down to their specific preferences, and send them out a ...

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So I've posted my first track in five months... "Why arn't you there?" a dancy track I'm working on. Its a work-in-progress, but its probably ready for vocals and lyrics. I'll post-up a vocal guide soon and see if anyone is up for singing it.

Click here to listen to it!!

I've got loads of tracks sitting in Logic that I haven't bounced out yet, but I'm determined to stick to at least one a month- if nothing else it keeps me focussed on finishing tracks and developing them. My recent experience of searching for singers has taught me that unless your bandmates are into the stuff you are doing its going to be a waste of time, so I think that by posting up some more tracks I can get an idea about what sounds are going to work with potential vocalists. I reckon a Robert Smith style would suit this, or even a Bono (without the levitation). Maybe you are a singer and wou ...

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This is a filler article to distract from the fact that I have not posted yet this year, and having new year's greetings is looking a bit dated.

I am considering my next move over the coming weeks. I have about ten weeks left until my contract runs out, and I am considering getting a place in London. If you know of anywhere, please get in touch. I want to put a band together, so I'm working on material evenings and weekends, re-vamping this site (about half-way there) and I think having a space to rehearse in can only help.

To be honest, I'm off to a slow start this year after a very disappointing December for me, in all fronts, and I haven't yet found the courage to renew my search for fellow musicians and to keep working on things. I have this idea to get more of my tracks in some kind of listenable state, and find people who are into it, rather than just putting out an ad and hoping for the best. 

Happy new year!

As I write, millions of people are poisoning themselves in honour of the new calendar. There is something remarkable about this annual time of reflection, where we look back and wonder at what might have been, where mistakes have been made, and the things we're going to put right next year (or does that happen in January?). After all, have we made a success of it?

Success is an unusual thing to crave. All those people busy drinking themsleves stupid, perhaps wondering why oh why was their prayer unanswered, their dreams dashed, their hopes unfulfiled, attach importance to New Year as a empirical milestone that they can measure up against, like a parent scoring a notch in a post, to mark the growing height of their young child.

And we always seem to fall short of it! Whether our single reaches Christmas number one, or we're invited to a party, Success appears aloof, beyond the end of our fingertips.

As a mere expression of causality ...

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