THE LONGEST RUNNING MUSIC EVENT.So, as long as I remember in Llanrwst town there has in some form been an open mic night. Mr Michael Marsh has been the main protagonist behind these events. In the early days these were acoustic affairs. Folk bringing their acoustic instruments and no PA gathered around an open fire with a few pints displaying their wares. The Llanrwst venues have been many over the years but the most established being the...
Bsc Music Technology. At 47yrs old, a lot of men go through a mid life crisis and while i did think about buying a flash car (had my eye on a Nissan 370Z and BMW Z4 coupe as it happens !!) i decided i would apply to go to University to study a Music Tech degree. I’d been having mid life crisis since about the age of 25 anyway so why not try something different!EARLY DAYS AT UNIIn early 2012 i applied for the course at the University of...
DA NEW BOY As a band, Man At Q And M would like to introduce and welcome Rich Eardley into the fold. We won't label Rich's role in the band as the boy has many a trick up his sleeve. On his first few run outs in the A team he'll playing in the bass position. Rich was invited to write an introduction of his self and his past exploits. He was only too keen to oblige. Here it is in its chronological glory and a jolly good read it is too:THE...
OLD NEWS, NEW NEWS!Many of you that know the band personally will know that last year we were set to release one of our original tracks. Unfortunately, it went belly up at the recording stage for several reasons that it's probably best not to divulge! F**kwittery that set us as a band back months. On the plus side. We commissioned some mighty fine original artwork from the very talented Amelia Hemmings Art that we have retained and will...
FANS OF PUNK AND POST PUNK First and foremost, favourite bands and artists do not necessarily have a huge bearing on the band's songwriting process. I think it's fairly safe to say that as a rule we are mostly fans of punk and the post punk scene. You'll definitely hear that in our songs. The Clash, The Jam, The Cramps along with old blues individuals. SONG STRUCTURE Some of our song structure comes from the 12-bar blues of old and indeed this...
WEAR WHAT WE WANT, PLAY WHAT WE WANT!Firstly, this week's blog was to be about the band's songwriting process and influences. That is until I read this article by Johnny Bradley. Johnny is a friend of the band, founder of Mods Of Your Generation and figurehead behind its associated media. The reason why I'd like to show you all this article is because it hits the nail on the head when it comes to Man At Q And M. Our image, iconography and...
The Beginning 1970’s.An article by Olly, in his words:Where did it all begin? I can’t claim to come from a huge musical family and I guess it’s more “heritage” on the lady side of the divide! I lived with my grandparents for a short time in Tunbridge Wells, Kent (my birth place) and my nanny Gilbert had an old upright piano in the front room with ivory keys and an iron music stand, where my mum used to sing along with the old war...
A little ditty about Mark's Gretsch White Falcon, named Chalky. In Mark's own words. STAYIN ALIVE, AH AH AHTo celebrate reaching 22 years of staying alive in the Army, I bit the bullet and shelled out for my ultimate Gretsch. By 2010 I'd owned a 67 Tennessean for 18 years. As a kid into music, owning a Gretsch had always been a dream. However, with greed once you have something you always want more. The ultimate model in the Gretsch line had...
Let's have a chat about pedals and pedalboards. I suppose all of this, is of my (Mark's) opinion. Generally, these opinions are agreed throughout the industry though. From a personal point of view I only use a pedal if I deem it absolutely necessary. In an ideal world nothing would be nice than a guitar going straight through an amp, no fuss. Unfortunately, I have neither the guitars or amps that allow that to happen and recreate the sound I'd...
Once upon a time. There stood next to Mark's abode a dusty cobweb ridden cast concrete garage. We can but assume the garage has been there for at least 30 years, most probably way longer. Never used as a garage and in its time a climbing wall and home recording studio. Let's take a look at the process of how it went from zero to hero.IN THE BEGINNING. Imagine if you can... a garage built upon a concrete plinth. The garage walls are large...
