Hey look, another update

I'm back, like I said I'd be back.

First things first, this blog post has a soundtrack. I doubt it'll take you an hour to read it, like, but go with the idea. This is my Tongue & Groove mixtape.



Look, the dog is singing and playing the piano. You can download it if you want, click on the, err, download button.

So Everything Ever was shown at the Spring Open show at the Egg, like I said last time. Here's a picture that James took of me looking awkward next to it. I don't know why it looks like I've got no eyes.

Very self conscious there, being forced to pose on the far side of a table from him. Another thing I mentioned last time was that my painting Venus Fly Traps has been included in the first edition of my friend Sian's zine Pushing Too Many Pencils. It's really great and if you click on those words it'll take you to her Facebook page, which you should like. I don't think I've ever posted it here anyway, so here it is.

It's actually a watercolour, which isn't something I've much experience of. Weeell, it's technically a watercolour. I actually drew the outline part of it in pen on paper like I usually do, then put the drawing beneath another piece of paper and painted over it. I deliberately kept it quite rough and used too much water because I like the saturated effect it gives. Anyway, once that was dry I scanned both in and composited them in Photoshop. So now you know. Here's what the zine looks like sat on my coffee table.

Pretty nice, right? That photo doesn't really do it justice but check out my coffee table eh. My grandad made that, it's my pride and joy. If you want a copy I've still got a few left. Drop me a line. Not on here, I never check the comments on this thing, but you can email me andyandyandy_vine@hotmail.com or tweet me if you're so inclined @DeadPheasant.

This City Is Ours is back with a new venue. They have moved to Wahlbar in Fallowfield, it's only just opened opposite Sainsburys and it's on the 16th of June. Phil told me he liked the flyer I did for the last one, the kaleidoscope cityscape thing (I'll get around to doing a how-to blog post about that at some point coz it's a nice technique and those things are amazing linkbait) so I came up with something similar. Here is the original photo I began with, it's by Kelly Ward and it was taken as part of a college project using a technique called tilt shift. Give it a google, it's well cool.

Well I started with that and made a right old mess of it, glitching it up and adding some words. Turns out they like this as well and want to run with the ruined pictures of the city as a bit of a theme so I'm going to steal more pictures off Kel and she's going to send them some photos to use in the visuals on the night hopefully. Lovely job.

I think that's about it. Some good stuff in the pipeline but I can't tell you about that here just yet for fear of looking like an idiot, so this will do for now.

Be safe x

Many many things

*Cough cough* bit dusty around here isn't it? Has it really been four months? Is anyone still here? Hello? Is this thing on?

Sorry blog. I know, I know, I'm always pretty bad at updating but I've got some totally legit excuses this time. I won't list them here but if you know me well enough to know what they are then I hope you;ll forgive me. And as much as I love reading dramablogz (I like staring at a car crash as much as the next man), that isn't, never has been and never will be what this blog is all about. Suffice it to say that a lot of changes have been made, life is very exciting and new and I have moved house from Stalybridge to Chorlton.

You'll be pleased to hear (read?) that despite my blog radio silence I have not been slacking on the creative front. Brace yrself.

First things first. Everything Ever has been accepted into the Spring Open show at the Egg in Liverpool. The open night is the 18th of May, I will be there and I hope you will to. Bambi was also accepted, one of his pics is even being used for the flyer coz they proper badly love him there. My, erm, impression of a watercolour painting Venus Fly Traps is going to in a zine made by my friend Sian called Pushing Too Many Pencils along with a comic thing by Greg and a recipe thing by Helen so that's very nice, a little Moreton Lodge Clan reunion. It looks amazing, it's quite limited but I should be receiving 20 copies in the post at the beginnig of next week so if you'd like one let me know. I'm keeping one and one or two have already been bagsied so don't be tardy.

New stuff then. Lego from Akoustik Anarkhy emailed me the other week to let me know about Northern Quarter Stories, an aptly named website dedicated to collecting stories about the Northern Quarter. It's a great idea, Hayley from Skyliner has been interviewed for it already and says some nice things about pubs and mysterious public artwork which you should listen to. I designed a beermat and a badge for it. For technical reasons the badge isn't being made and, interestingly, the badge design is now being used for the coaster but that's fine by me because I preferred my badge design to my beermat. Here they are anyway.

This first one is the badge design which, as I say, has now been printed onto beermats. Hayley tells me they're in the Castle pub on Oldham St. I intend to go down there tomorrow and steal a couple (I hope they don't read this).

This is the design I did for the beermat which isn't being used but that's fine because the other one's better anyway.

Next up was a last minute job so I had to do some recycling. Phil from This City Is Ours / From The Kites Of San Quentin emailed me about a charity gig he was asked to play and sort of ended up co-organising and promoting. They needed a flyer for it so I cannibalised a drawing I did of a human cannonball which I did for a band a few years ago but they didn't use. I always thought it was a bit of a shame because I really like it so it's good that it's getting a proper use. I might do something else with it at some point anyway.

As you can see, it's on the 9th of May (this Wednesday) at the Roadhouse, it's a great cause, a great lineup and a great price so see you there.

Another one for TCIO next. Last Monday they released their first album, I Live To Die And I Die To Live by Depakote as a pay-what-you-like download and fair play, it's excellent. As such I am proud to say I've designed the cover based on a photo they sent me and the image sent out with the promo emails  which is quite nice so I'll show you that as well while you're here.

So this is the cover. I was sent a photo that they wanted to use which is great and pretty much just added the text. The font that I used for the artist name is something I designed a while ago, again for some badges for a band that never got made so I'm glad that it finally got used. I had to edit the letter P slightly as the curved bit (I don't know if these things have proper names, I'm sure they do) was a bit small but with a bit of Photoshop trickery it ended up much nicer.

This is the image I came up with for the promos. I thought I'd share it as I think it works quite well and not many people would see it otherwise. Very simple, just a picture of Depakote inside the This City Is Ours text, but I've not tried anything like this before. Turns out it's dead easy.

So yeah, I told you I'd not been doing nothing! I've done a mixtape as well but I can't upload it yet as Soundcloud has taken issue with the fact that it recognised the first track. You'd think they'd be more flexible with mixtapes but never mind, rules are rules and I will just have to find a way around them. Ha ha. To close, some dates for your diary.

Tomorrow, Sunday the 6th of May, Sounds From The Other City festival takes place at various venues in Salford. TCIO are co-curating a stage, I am hoping there will still be some tickets left on the day so that I can go after I've been for a cheeky one in the Castle because the lineup is excellent and I know that lots of lovely people will be there.

Wednesday the 9th of May is the gig from the poster up there at the Roadhouse with Kites and friends.

Friday the 11th of May me, Kelly and Bambi are off on an adventure. We're going to Brighton for The Great Escape festival, or more specifically the Akoustik Anarkhy stage. Over the course of the weekend the Longcut, Plank and Driver Drive Faster amongst others will be playing and therer will be DJs until the wee small hours so it's funtimes guaranteed. We're even staying at a hostel just around the corner from the aA folks. On the Saturday we're heading to London to go to the David Shrigley show at the Hayward Gallery and seeing Greg, hooray. It's going to be the Best Weekend Ever.

Friday the 18th of May is the open evening for the Spring Open show at the Egg to coincide with Light Night which is a Liverpool-wide arts festival thing I believe. Should be good anyway, me and Bambi will be there along with a crowd of people I hope to drag along with me.

Busy busy busy. After all that there's only like a week and a half left of May. It's going to be amazing. It's going to be the Perfect May, like that song Perfect Day, but with an M instead of a D. The next update will not be far off, I promise you. I know I always promise you but this time I mean it. Let's never fight again, blog x