The Archives

Thoughts
A New Age. It’s the answer.
01.21.10 | Permalink | Comment?

Today it was my birthday, and I’m now 23. Hurray!
I’ve been thinking about new beginnings recently; we’re at a really exciting time in the music industry where the old rules are being questioned for one reason or another, and nobody can say with any real clarity what’s happening.
Surely we should be making interesting stuff? Stuff [...]
Thoughts
To string or not to string.
09.27.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

My cello strings break very infrequently. This is a good thing, as the cellists out there will know, because cello strings are very, very expensive.
The exception to this is my electric cello with it’s controversial 5th string. It’s an Ernie Ball custom gauge E string, and is incredibly tricky to put on.
Imagine my frustration when [...]
Thoughts
One thing that is unwelcome…
08.02.09 | Permalink | Comment?

Tonight, I met someone who really, truly, frustrated me.
She had visions of a musical world that ended with Mahler, where contemporary culture (she was talking about rap and r&b) didn’t exist and we all presumably, wore top hats and tails to walk to the butchers.
I truly believe in a no-holds-barred approach to the arts: if [...]
Thoughts
Value of culture.
06.05.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

Recently, somebody with whom I work was lamenting her eldest son’s lack of interest in “high culture”. They had brought them up going to galleries, concerts and museums. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t do it anymore, and whether there was any point in doing it when he was younger as it didn’t appear to [...]
Thoughts
Statistics
05.26.09 | Permalink | Comment?

Apparently I’m again to be quoted in a music magazine this month - this time, in a back page article about Last.fm: a site and service I’m very firmly a fan of.
I’ve just seen my “quote”, which was taken from an interview given nearly 8 weeks ago, and cites statistics that, at the time, [...]
Thoughts
Pirate Radio Ships in the age of the internet
04.22.09 | Permalink | Comment?

I think it’s really interesting how much stick Google/YouTube is getting right now over PRS payment issues, especially regarding the Rick Roll thing.

I absolutely agree that performers and composers should be paid fairly and accurately, but I don’t think this is bringing up a new problem: it’s simply business as usual. The Beach Boys were [...]
Thoughts
Born Digital.
02.15.09 | Permalink | Comment?

My generation was born digital: that is, in brief, I grew up not knowing a world where we didn’t have instant contact, information, media, the internet (YouTube was launched the year I left school…!) and, within my relatively short lifetime, all of these on one device in my pocket? Crazy times.
This was ringing in my [...]
Thoughts
Industry
11.06.08 | Permalink | Comment?

I’m in Kara’s Cupcakes for my morning coffee, just before I stroll the Golden Gate Bridge.
I would like to share my new favorite analogy with you. It relates to the computer industry directly, but I think interesting comparisons can be drawn with the new music arena.
Back in 1927 when you bought a car, you bought a Model [...]
Thoughts
Heist
10.17.08 | Permalink | Comment?

The word ‘Heist’ evokes the gentleman maverick who relishes a challenge and who navigates less-than-friendly terrain with ease and confidence. Alfred Dunhill website
A great quote from an unusual place, I agree. But I think that this is really a great way to sum up the CoffeeLoop approach to contemporary culture.