Denny Newman

Hi one and all, hav'nt been here for a while, not much diligence on the blogging front. However there's quite a bit of news. I was working on the next 'Regulators' album, which was partly recorded from a live show for SWR1 Radio here in Germany, and I was doing some overdubs etc, and although that project was taking good shape I decided to shelve it for the time being, due to a lack of gigs for the band. I decided instead to develop an idea I've had for years, to do an acoustic style album using a backlog of songs, many of which I've also had for years. I wanted to record the songs as at my age if they don't get recorded now, probably never would. I started right back when I was about 16 with a song called 'The Chains of St Martin's', my old school, which I could'nt wait to get out of, foolishly in hindsight. Anyway I started from there and I'm really pleased with the results so far, and have just one more session to complete a couple of tracks. I did a pre-master 100 run cd to gauge response, and it's all been positive. There are 13 tracks all based upon acoustic guitar and lyric, although we've added some percussion, harp, backing vocals, and some beautiful nylon strung guitar. John Lingwood, my colleague for many years, this will be the fourth album he's worked on, still around from 'Earthband' days, has done some fantastic work which has made the album so much more than just acoustic, as has Evelyn Hollerith, a young singer from Germany who I'm so pleased to work with, adding great backing vocals which bring some songs to another dimention. I've never been able to get round a 'harp' so Albert Koch, who I work regularly with as a duo, has put on some great stuff. Many thanks to these guys for their assistance, and I hope you'll agree when and if you hear it. It's coming out on my own label, 'Stovepipe Records' which I'm in the process of registering along with a publishing company 'ISITOttermusic'. The album is called 'Is it any wonder' and with the continued help of Johanna Leonardt who designed the cd cover, and also made a couple of little films at a gig soundcheck last week. You can look at these here in a mix, and can also listen to mp3's. I did the annual Bob Dylan 'tribute' birthday bash on 24th May, here in Odenbach, when we sold out two shows and had one of the best audience reactions I've ever received, as happened again last night at the 'Kultur' evening in Meisenheim, where I played for well over 2 hours, which as a solo show is pretty daunting. Anyway the album will be with you soon, and this morning I'm resting a bit!!!! hope all is good with all my friends everywhere, speak soon..........................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi one and all,it's Monday 24th and a fine blue sky day, so I ought to be outside in the garden really, but needs must and I have to blog away. During the last week I've been travelling over to Pirmasens to work on the new album, my 5th. It has no title yet but it's early days. The basis of the recording is from 'Kopfhorer Live' which we did last October 31st for SWR1. Thats given us a live bass, drum, and keyboard tracks, and most of the vocal and guitar tracks are there. I'm really happy to be working at the studio of Jam Music, where owner, Andy Lubbert, is engineering, and doing all the modern stuff I bluntly refuse to understand. It would of course be great to just release the original recording, but with live things you only hear it once, while you're there! if you're putting it on disc, it's there for all time including the iffy bits which immediately stand out, and they're the bits that get the comments from 'duffers'. So, I've decided I'm going to make the best album I can and add the things I had in mind when I wrote the songs, but unfortunately are'nt available on gigs due to finance. Having said all that, it's still the live band, 'Regulators' and the tracks have a great feel, John and Scott are a really fantastic rythmn section. The first song we approached 'Big Wheels', I originally wrote when working for Mick Taylor, I have to admit it's a bit 'Stonesy' which I thought would be good for him with the two guitars at the time, and I've always been a great Stones fan? I tracked the original guitar, added a very raw bridge pick up hook on the intro, and an acoustic at the end of the chorus, but now it cries out for a female back up vocalist? Andy had just the girl, a young German singer named Evelyn Hollerith. Although I hav'nt even met her yet, she just came in and did it naturally, replacing my backing lines with a voice that is so much better, really lifting the live track. In the same session Andy worked with her on the second song 'Runaway Train', she did an equally fine job with chorus harmonies, and I'm really hoping she'll be around to the end of the project, possibly for some gigs sometime?. I added an 'eights' guitar throughout, and a small part behind the original guitar track in the chorus, and now the sound is far more the style I looked for originally. The tracks have been sent to the UK, where John is adding some percussion, just tambourine to enhance the already fantastic groove he and Scott layed down back in Baden Baden. Tonight I'm hoping I'll hear the final results, and then we'll mix, and start on the next track 'Telegram to Monica'?. Some would say working like this is not right, but we don't rely on a 'click track' and we play it all, right down to the bones, what was 'live' gets used wherever possible, and you'll never see this stuff on 'The Voice' 'X Factor' 'Blah, Blah's got talent' 'Blah, 'Blah's got Euro Talent' or any other shite Saturday evening TV nonsense. The album will have a warning, 'Achtung..echte Musiker'keep updated, live dates will be announced in the coming weeks, assuming someone out there is willing to book something other than a cover band. I heard a great quote from someone in KTown recently....................... "it's going great for us now, we don't have to play our own music anymore"OH DEAR................................................speak next week with the results, and blurb on 'Telegram to Monica'