Promoting modern jazz and other arts in Canberra, Australia
Is there no end to these Pots promos? The latest is Freddy in LA. The Pots music is seriously getting around. The parsimonious listener counts must be wrong! Some in power would query the numbers. Whatever, check out the new cover and be seduced. Thanks to Freddy!
Now it’s Tom, partner to Chamberlain, parading The Pots in London. Proof: Big Ben in the background. How we get around! But most notably, in a bar, presumably with an Irish music session in the background. Maybe arguing the point for Potty electronica, or otherwise just enjoying a listen and a genuine British ale or Irish Guinness. Dunno, but thanks Tom from The Pots in far off Canberra.
BTW, Tom has his own musical achievements, including many more monthly listens than The Pots and songwriting credits including for Lime Cordiale Pedestal. See/hear Thomas Aren on Spotify, YouTube, etc. as singer/songwriter/musician/producer based in Los Angeles. Tom, I want to wear your t-shirt!
The buzz is beckoning! Nice to see Chamberlain proudly promoting The Pots in currently warmer climes, on the waters around Rhode Island, no less. Thanks Chamberlain! In the meantime, the buzz is on, at least at my house, with the release of The Pots - Flesh on Saturday 16 August. It's not quite as explicit as you may surmise despite MegSee feat. as Sappho! In summary, The Pots joins with MegSee to consider the themes of love and desire through the writings of several historical authors, Sappho and Euripedes, Dante and TS Elliot. But so as not to not limit our vision, we also hear of Hoodies and 18yo experience and the inevitable political rant and throw in some tortured Renaissance song. You'll find The Pots on all the major streaming platforms and Bandcamp or just follow the link below to the ePea page on CJ. And to Chamberlain, enjoy the swim and thanks again.
ePea on CJ
The Pots album no.9 is released today, 25 October, on Spotify, YouTube, Apple etc and my fave Bandcamp. The title is Indulgences and it aptly features a somewhat decrepit angel on the cover. The reference? "The damnably bad government is gone but its replacement has little imagination and small ambitions. So what to write about? That's the challenge and, thus, forgive the indulgences". Six tunes of which two with lyrics; five from my hand and one fabulous Bach counterpoint to settle the journey. Please have a listen. The full album is streamed on most sites. Special thanks to Annabel who innocently prompted this new album.
Indulgences / The Pots is the ninth album by The Pots. Have a listen...
The Pots on ...
Score seeks movie is my latest (8th) home studio album, under my nom-de-plume of The Pots. The movie music theme was a suggestion of Megan's. I quip that she finds instrumental themes so I don't sing or indulge a political rant but I manage at least one song on this album, even if it's a jokey, '80's new wave thing called Party. Otherwise, it's various orchestral and prog rock electronica with a score-like presence. Have a listen. In the meantime, here's my album note description to ponder: "Another story of modern love over dating apps. This time, a sprightly score strives to secure a monied movie. Let's see the outcome. A mix of prog rock, electronics, orchestral and one poppy plaything. And not a word of politics!"
Score seeks movie / The Pots is available on Bandcamp and all the main streaming sites.
The Pots flies again with album no.7. This time with another diatribe about climate based on lyrics drafted early one morning while navigating Drake's Passage with about 125 hardy souls. Have a listen to hear of COP27 and various actors in this drama; about our opportunity, perhaps obligation, to talk to those we disagree with; to hear the words of featured artist, ChatGPT (with some help from Greta and me); to compare our planet with our lifeless neighbour, Mars; to ponder various curves, not least the famed hockey stick. And to hear a glorious final Crucifixus a 8 by Antonio Lotti. Have a look at the ePea page for album notes and lyrics. Have a listen on YouTube Music and most other streaming sites (although missing from Spotify at present). Or you may prefer Bandcamp.
Bassist EP has released his seventh home studio album, sky vs weather / The Pots. You can hear it on all major streaming services (except Spotify at the moment for whatever obscure reason).
It was May Day and it's a strange and forgotten event in these days of neo-liberalism and post-Economic Left and almost post-unions but I was amused by a Red Flag carried outside the windows of Smiths and the bloke came in. He was a lifetime unionist and maintaining whatever rage is possible these days and a nice guy and there were plenty of others, surprisingly there from the very start and they saw The Pots. The Pots appeared as the first act. I had another appointment so Nigel gave me the opening spot. I was performing a few songs from my albums with DJ deck and mic and just for a lark I ran The Internationale (Russian version, huge choir) as a lead in. Given the age of the audience, I reckon they recognised it. Playing it to our kids and their friends later, it's clear it's forgotten. Then on to Hope%less ("This is coal, don't be afraid, don't be scared") and Double down (general rant) and Power (Trump and his Bible). I got some applause and hopefully my listeners will increase (Spotify: recently +400% to 5 monthly listeners! Next month?). I would have liked to stay; its good manners to stay for the other performers at these events. I did hear Karlo Paarsonen singing some very amusing lefty numbers, including with singalongs, then had to leave as a woman was introducing a song about the Tolpuddle Martyrs. I knew the name but again I doubt my kids' generation would. So history goes, gone and forgotten, with ideologies and inequalities, but it was a good turnout and I enjoyed my rant on stage. And good on the singers preparing outside, not least Mel. And again I missed Cuddlefish...
Smiths staged Songs of Protest for May Day (1 May). Eric Pozza (DJ deck, spoken word) opened as The Pots. Karlo Paarsonen (vocals, domra?) performed and was followed by numerous others. Mel Kordek (guitar, vocals) was amongst the singers outside.
We were being revolutionary in the ACT sense, performing at Smiths' National Anti-Folk Festival, day 3. I was there to perform one song from my home-studio identity, The Pots, as an adjunct to MDM Nightingale, a mate from Melbourne. The acts all had an hour slot (even if some were careless) and I only stayed for 3 and a bit, but what impressed me was the variation, not just the quality. First up was Mdm Nightingale with her electronic pop. I love pop and Phaedra does a great take on it. I wish her the best. Then Robbie Mann on clarinet, a secondary instrument to his stride piano, with Liam O'Connell on a century-old guitar sounding all the world like the era. They played early jazz styles, first up Bill Bailey. Nicely done. Then a guitar trio, a la Hendrix and the like, Transista Groove. I'd heard of them but not heard them, or essentially anyone quite so loud and guitary, for some time. Mostly originals, I think, with a homage to Led Zeppelin called Lez Zeppelin, apparently with lyrics fully derived from the titles of LZ songs. I felt the lyrics worked well and quite casually, so hard to believe this was only song names, but there are many LZ albums so maybe. They finished with a cover, starting with riff from Chain, I think, then into Voodoo Chile. Hendrix suited them to a tee. Then just a first song from singer songwriter James Cahill. He was described as acoustic tales and tunes, and the storytelling was clear and telling. I was impressed even if I heard little. There had been two previous NAFF sessions and this one was to go on for four more acts and just those four had been of considerable quality. And another session... Clever town.
Amongst many others, Madame Nightingale, The Pots, Robbie Mann, Liam O'Connell, Transista Groove and James Cahill performed for the National Anti-Folk Festival at Smiths.
The Pots has released its sixth album. This is a magic number. I can now claim twice as many albums as monthly listeners on Spotify. That's the way it is, I guess. (It wasn't always this way: I once got to 39 with a little more marketing) This one is called Mushroom meditations. Megan suggested I record a meditation album, fully instrumental, presumably given my voice and political indignancy. I liked the idea but just added some intellectual content as selections from my personal quotes. Most quotes are widely known and renowned; some are taken from novels or other and perhaps not in all the quotes databases, but nonetheless, they are public. Just one was a quote from the Spike Wilner from a SmallsLive newsletter in 2016. For that one, I sought his permission, given it was not too, too public or known. The longest quote is Carl Sagan on the famed Pale blue dot (1990), the photo of the Earth taken from the Voyager spacecraft. I use a more recent but related pic from the Cassini spacecraft (2019) on the cover. It's called The day the Earth smiled. Thanks, NASA. Otherwise, the content is minimalist, or as minimal as my excitability allows. I like musical repetition but I can't come at the endless single chord as musical expression so there are various embellishments. Anyway, have a listen. It's on Bandcamp now and will come to Spotify, YouTube and the other streaming sites as approved and distributed over the next week or so.
The Pots. Mushroom meditations
Listen and purchase > https://thepots1.bandcamp.com/
I like to choose a release date with some significance. The first were trivial: New Years Day and Easter Sunday. I also got a family birthday in there, and I just missed the anniversary of the start of the Occupy Wall Street. My latest album is a playful pomo classical outing, again by The Pots (appearing as The Potsherds), called Play midi for me. It's a mix of midi instruments and samples and classical and pop and jazz. A bit of fun, really, and a change from my political and climate rants. And the release date is 11 Nov, the date of ... the hanging of Ned Kelly. I thought that fitted my purposes, although I could have chosen some other event that occurred on this date. Not to demean that event, especially not the deaths of so many Australians (or then British citizens?) and others in someone else's war. After all, there has been some change. We now go to wars for a different country. But, remember, this is an album with no rants. Have a listen to Track 1 Pergolesi if nothing else. Fun to create and hopefully fun to hear.
Play midi for me / The Pots (appearing as the Potsherds) is the fifth album by The Pots. Have a listen on these or other streaming sites:
A dedication of love set in cement lays claim to the hope of a generation in the days of failing climate, democracy and equality. Told in metal, electronics, EDM and even post-modern baroque.
The Pots, my home studio project, has released its fourth album. Thanks partly to the time afforded by Lockdowns. Now, The Pots is not jazz, but CJ has expanded to encompass more than just jazz after several thousand posts. Expect electronica/prog rock with a spoken word and political themes. Sounds pretty up to date to a kid of several decades back. Anyway, have a listen. It's delayed on Spotify, but is on YouTube and a string of other streaming sites, as well as Bandcamp. Themes for this album include a homage to Greta (Adult in the room), a rant about broken politics, not least ScoMo and his lump of coal presented in Parliament surprisingly recently (Hope%less), a more lighthearted theme with my fave dim synth solo (Ah! PBO), a paean to Gramsci (Wisdom of Gramsci) and baroque, electronica and EDM instrumentals. All released on the anniversary of the first day of Occupy Wall Street demos in NYC. Alas, a likely portent for civilisation's future given climate denial, or even just procrastination.
I am at a loss without a project during a lockdown (or at the whims of our cute dachies). So more album/s is/are on the way. But in the meantime, here's a video for track 1, Pumpkin discomforts, Double down. Again politics alert, so you have been warned. This was assembled from a series of videos taken at Parliament House (it fits the topic). It's not initially as I'd planned, but it works and probably is apt for the anger and dismay at the quality of our politics at the moment. Have a watch and a listen and expect a new album release this Friday. From The Pots!
Covid lockdowns are good for The Pots, if not for CJ. You may know that The Pots is my home studio project as Bassist EP. The Pots have 3 previous albums to their name, all with release dates in 2020, although one was well before lockdowns, on New Year's day. But the Delta variant has reached Canberra and we have more cases than ever before and we've been in lockdown pretty much from Day 1. In fact one son and his partner have been in isolation following a Hen's night at Fision nightclub; they were negative and are out now. But this latest lockdown has allowed me to complete another album that was just mostly just vague thoughts: one track recorded and otherwise just a string of poems/lyrics in store. The album is Hope / The Pots and due for release in coming weeks. It's mainly electronica/prog rock with spoken word but there's a final little mediaeval choral work. It's Ma fin est ma commencement, a crab canon over a palindrome from Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377) to which I add a post-modernist overlay. Amusingly, it reminded me of bickering over climate, forever back and forth, so its presence. (My albums get warnings for political themes. Another track is a dedication to Greta.) The National Capital Orchestra's next concert got cancelled and they called for videos of members' home music projects for their FB site thus this video. Hope you enjoy it.
Now this was fun! Smiths runs an open-mic session called Bang!Beng!Bing!Bong!Bung! and The Pots appeared there in their incarnation as a DJ set. Well, The Pots playing snippets from Pumpkin Discomforts. The Pots have produced 3 albums but this was their first outing as a CD launch with Bassist EP doing the transitions and intros and just a touch of effects and giving some introductions and apologies for the tunes ("Beware: Political themes!"). All a good lot of fun even if those political themes were not so rosy, sounding great over Bevan's PA at decent volume, even bringing some dancing shoes out, at least to shuffle about to my fave, Power. What a fun outing. I have ideas for another, more live incarnation. Maybe. TBC.
The Pots is a project of Bassist EP. The Pots performed as a DJ set at Smiths.
Thanks to Rich for the pic
If you listen to my recorded music (under the pseudonym "The Pots" on Spotify et.al.) you'll realise I have political opinions. Fairly strong and, at least I think, fairly ethical. Also, I think, reasonably informed by good sources providing guidance from evidence. Now, we have had some dog days of late. The bushfires and Covid and ScoMo/LNP's response to rebuilding the economy and generally to climate and secrecy and security and much more. But maybe there's some hope. Trump got the flick and he seems to be strangely restrained in the face of defeat. Biden is no arch-lefty (clearly to the right of our own revered Liberal Menzies, as is our contemporary Labor party) but at least he's not so impetuous and ill-informed and has at least some respect for truth and belief that it exists and we can at least approach it. So there's some mild, distant hope. Thus, I embarked on a day of demos.
First up, a morning fling outside Parliament in support of Zali Steggall's climate bill. Not a big crew, mostly retired. Strange that, but the kids have much less time these days, what with flexible work and dearer housing and the rest. I was handed a sign to hold and it worked for me "Coal ... too stupid", but I wish I'd made one "Invest in Gas / What could possibly go wrong". Well, lots, given Europe, US, Japan, South Korea, China (others too) are committed to give up on fossil fuels within 30 (China 40) years. So it's not just survival of civilisation, but even survival of economy. That's changing minds!
Second up, a lunchtime session outside the ACT Courts in support of Bernard Collaery and the subjects of secret trials. I wish to say justice, but the essence of secrecy is the denial of justice. Thus is the way of an increasing state of security, the primacy of Home Affairs and the rest. Our local luminary journos spoke, Jack Waterford and Mark Kenny, with hosting presumably by host Sister Susan Connelly.
I took the opportunity to promote my albums to the fellow travellers at the demos. If you've heard my albums, you'd recognise all these themes: climate, broken politics, Covid. If not, catch up with these. In the meantime, remember Gramsci: "Pessimism of the intellect; optimism of the will".
The Pots is a project of Bassist EP of Canberra. Here's some listening:
On Broken politics > Spotify
On Climate > Spotify
On Collaery et al > Spotify
On Trump's Bible photo-op > Spotify
There's a line from Sting on the 1980 album Zenyatta Mondatta by The Police that has always stuck on my brain. It's a great melody with a hypnotic endless rhythm and with considerable depth: "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around". It's in this light that I released my third home-studio album by The Pots, called Pumpkin discomforts. The first two albums had themes of climate then Covid-19. Pumpkin has the theme of broken politics. Plenty of anger with disillusion and despair and some Catholic guilt for being comfortable amongst it all. I'm getting better with various tech things and perhaps with conception and implementation with more experience, but that's for you to judge. I invite you to have a listen.
Have a listen to Pumpkin discomforts / The Pots on Spotify, YouTube Music or some other streaming site.
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