The End of Hibernation
It’s often been the way with any band I’ve been involved with to gig through the spring summer and autumn but to hole up during the darkest winter months in order to incubate, hatch and nurture a fresh crop of songs for the next year. And so at the end of the Fish tour in November last year I drew the curtains in the studio, stocked up on logs for the fire and wine for the mulling, dug out my cosiest, holiest cardie, locked the door and settled in for a few long weeks of writing, recording, experimenting and tinkering that has finally resulted in a fantastic new album, still pink and quivering from the force of its own creation.
It was hard work and an emotional time as it always is when I have to visit the dark sphere that loads of my tunes seem to emanate from and face up to my own demons. There’s probably a myth or old fable about a mirror that if you look into you see the darkest side of your own nature and are forced to confront it. Maybe then the guy wanders off into some harsh landscape and a self enforced isolation in order to deal with whatever it was he saw in the mirror. He grows a big beard and neglects his normal hygiene routine for a bit, shouts at stuff, eats a few insects, gets a little jumpy, goes a bit mad and comes back all disheveled a little older and a little weirder with a worrying rash and with more holes in his cardie. Well that’s what I’ve been doing. Sort of.
After my little foray into madness spending ages on lyrics, arrangements and recording all of my bits it was time to get the band in.
Gavin Griffiths of the Fish band and Panic Room came to stay and let fly all the thunders from all the heavens on his drums.
Paddy Berry from The Evernauts and Hazzard County, the hardest working bass player in the North and long suffering collaborator sunk to new depths of tone as he wrapped his greasy bass all around Gav’s beats. Filthy.
Anne-Marie Helder of Mostly Autumn and Panic Room spent a week locked in a cupboard producing an amazing display of vocal dexterity, from airy fragility to screaming rock, and adding her unique sparkle to the project.
Simon Snaize (buy his album!) from Keegan Snaize and Aktual Records created the most energising, mesmorising, original and ear splitting guitar work I have ever heard and got me my one and only noise complaint from the neighbours (even after all that soundproofing).
Then I spent ages doing my vocals again over this tremendous noise.
And now its all there waiting to be mixed, waiting for a name, and waiting to be heard. We still need a band name (help!) and I’m about to start finding out about really dull stuff like distribution, PR and promotion. If anybody knows about this stuff and wants to help get in touch!
Right. I’m off to shave off my beard and have a wash.
www.chris-johnson.info
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