Yo! Dudes and Dudettes,
The Stackridge album (A Victory For Common Sense) is now in the home strait of the mixing process, but things have overrun for the last release date, July is now being mooted. This gives us plenty of time to get the pressing? burning? mastering? or whatever right and make sure that any photos have been lavishly airbrushed to way beyond recognition.
MSB continue to rehearse and add to the arsenal of Mutter songs. Talking of which I wrote a chorus in my sleep the other day (saved for posterity by scooting downstairs and getting the guitar out to work out the chords before i fell back to sleep) to which I have now added verses. Just a bit more music and a damn fine lyric and another one will have been hatched. I can't shake the feeling that my 'dream chorus' is something from the 60's though, no one has recognised it yet though.
Hope you are all well,
Mutter
Saturday 28 March 2009
Thursday 19 March 2009
Further Guff
I've just updated the gig list (Posted Feb so scroll down the page a bit). You have the complete list of CONFIRMED gigs for 2009. There will be others. MSB practiced Wed night which means that the three new songs (Cindy Lou, The Old Dog & The Unforgiving Man ) are shaping up nicely. We've also done some rather tasteful tweaks to a few of the regular numbers too. We hope you'll like them. Great article about yours truly in April's edition of Maverick too. Onwards and upwards,
Mutter
Mutter
Sunday 15 March 2009
Album Review Rock and Reel magazine Jan/Feb 2009
Riding A Hurricane. Star rating 3/5.
Planting his flag firmly in the territory somewhere between Richard Thompson and Eric Bibb, Mutter Slater returns with a collection of a dozen new songs delivered in his warm blues voice in an organic-feeling acoustic setting. Opening track 'Excuse Me Ma'am' sets rhe tone - Mutter's urgent, yet intimate vocal delivery over his percussive rhythm guitar, a double (sic) bass and unadorned drums - and this groove continues throughout Riding A Hurricane.
By about the fourth song, however, the lack of anything beyond the basic instruments begins to pall a little. Although the songs themselves are of a very high quality and Slater's voice is served well by the aural backdrop, I found myself craving a dash of trumpet counter-melody or an occasional harmonica fill to add some piquancy, some flavour.
When Mutter treats us to some breathy flute, on the coda to the title track, and bassist Chris Lonergan adds subtle bottleneck to 'Triumph Bonneville', they provide some sheen to the production that would be welcome elsewhere. All in all though it's an admirable return to Slater's blues roots. David Innes.
Planting his flag firmly in the territory somewhere between Richard Thompson and Eric Bibb, Mutter Slater returns with a collection of a dozen new songs delivered in his warm blues voice in an organic-feeling acoustic setting. Opening track 'Excuse Me Ma'am' sets rhe tone - Mutter's urgent, yet intimate vocal delivery over his percussive rhythm guitar, a double (sic) bass and unadorned drums - and this groove continues throughout Riding A Hurricane.
By about the fourth song, however, the lack of anything beyond the basic instruments begins to pall a little. Although the songs themselves are of a very high quality and Slater's voice is served well by the aural backdrop, I found myself craving a dash of trumpet counter-melody or an occasional harmonica fill to add some piquancy, some flavour.
When Mutter treats us to some breathy flute, on the coda to the title track, and bassist Chris Lonergan adds subtle bottleneck to 'Triumph Bonneville', they provide some sheen to the production that would be welcome elsewhere. All in all though it's an admirable return to Slater's blues roots. David Innes.
The latest ...
Hello,
MSB gigged in Yeovil last night. A slendid hostelry called The Quicksilver Mail (mein host Pete Lambden). Ady was in Germany mit Ben Waters so Dan Wheeler of Bridport more than ably deputised in his stead. Like most pubs these days the attendance was not as it once was - a fanfare here for the publicans around Britain who continue to support live music in the face of bitter and austere circumstances - but those who did turn out were most attentive and encouraging. MSB are not a covers band which tends to go against the grain with a lot of punters but Pete's pub gave us the benefit of the doubt and came along for the ride.
The newer numbers are gradually bedding in (Cindy Lou, The Old Dog, The Unforgiving Man) and go down as well as the comparatively familiar older songs. We have enough fresh material in the set now for another album. When the time comes to record it we should know them inside out.
The son of an old, old friend of mine (John Martin - no not that one!)sent me a photo of me in my first ever band the other day. A dewy eyed 14/15 year old cupping a blues harp and looking rather sharp (What happened?). I will try and get it posted sometime soon.
Mutter
MSB gigged in Yeovil last night. A slendid hostelry called The Quicksilver Mail (mein host Pete Lambden). Ady was in Germany mit Ben Waters so Dan Wheeler of Bridport more than ably deputised in his stead. Like most pubs these days the attendance was not as it once was - a fanfare here for the publicans around Britain who continue to support live music in the face of bitter and austere circumstances - but those who did turn out were most attentive and encouraging. MSB are not a covers band which tends to go against the grain with a lot of punters but Pete's pub gave us the benefit of the doubt and came along for the ride.
The newer numbers are gradually bedding in (Cindy Lou, The Old Dog, The Unforgiving Man) and go down as well as the comparatively familiar older songs. We have enough fresh material in the set now for another album. When the time comes to record it we should know them inside out.
The son of an old, old friend of mine (John Martin - no not that one!)sent me a photo of me in my first ever band the other day. A dewy eyed 14/15 year old cupping a blues harp and looking rather sharp (What happened?). I will try and get it posted sometime soon.
Mutter
Sunday 1 March 2009
Album Review from Maverick magazine Feb 2009
Riding a Hurricane (Star rating 4/4)
The man in the bowler hat rocks back.
Powerfully understated album of acoustic rock from an unlikely source - Mutter Slater, the genial,bowler-hatted flute player from (now reformed) 1970s folk-rockers Stackridge,with production by the once angry young man Billy Bragg. Here Mutter drops his trademark cheery farmboy vocals in favour of a darker,deeper,hugely individual (and unrecognisable) growl. At times it's sad,at others it turns into something like a curious bass yodel,but it's always powerful.
Mutter also,apart from a couple of moments,drops his flute in favour of some decent guitar picking,sometimes bluesy,sometimes Dobro like. He's backed by a simple bass/drum set-up,the sort of snappy bouncy rhythm you'd expect from a rockabilly band. The result is a hypnotic backdrop over which Mutter's vocals dart and leap. It might be a three-piece band, and it might be acoustic, but it's not like anything you've heard before with the production making the most of the simple instrumentation.
All the songs are Mutter compositions,and are first rate,and far from straight forward,with not an ordinary number amongst them. It's hard to pick out the best...there's the plaintive yet saucy 'Excuse Me Ma'am',the singalong 'Last Train From Heartache',and the desolate 'I'm Holding Your Picture' and 'Strangers In One Room'. And the title track is a six minute epic of darkness and light.
It's a world away from Stackridge,but each track works with a dreamy insistence. Excellent innovative stuff which cries out to be heard live. Nick Dalton.
The man in the bowler hat rocks back.
Powerfully understated album of acoustic rock from an unlikely source - Mutter Slater, the genial,bowler-hatted flute player from (now reformed) 1970s folk-rockers Stackridge,with production by the once angry young man Billy Bragg. Here Mutter drops his trademark cheery farmboy vocals in favour of a darker,deeper,hugely individual (and unrecognisable) growl. At times it's sad,at others it turns into something like a curious bass yodel,but it's always powerful.
Mutter also,apart from a couple of moments,drops his flute in favour of some decent guitar picking,sometimes bluesy,sometimes Dobro like. He's backed by a simple bass/drum set-up,the sort of snappy bouncy rhythm you'd expect from a rockabilly band. The result is a hypnotic backdrop over which Mutter's vocals dart and leap. It might be a three-piece band, and it might be acoustic, but it's not like anything you've heard before with the production making the most of the simple instrumentation.
All the songs are Mutter compositions,and are first rate,and far from straight forward,with not an ordinary number amongst them. It's hard to pick out the best...there's the plaintive yet saucy 'Excuse Me Ma'am',the singalong 'Last Train From Heartache',and the desolate 'I'm Holding Your Picture' and 'Strangers In One Room'. And the title track is a six minute epic of darkness and light.
It's a world away from Stackridge,but each track works with a dreamy insistence. Excellent innovative stuff which cries out to be heard live. Nick Dalton.
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