FatHand

You'll have a great time wherever you go. Uni is more about socialising than learning anyway!

Edinburgh has more moaners than here as well - they expect things to happen for them. This is something that people are starting to do something about in Aberdeen. There is more to a music scene than having bands that are hitting the big time, it is the vibe and the bands you can attract to it. I don't know about anyone else but I find that my standard of playing naturally increases by the challenge of playing next to a better band. I recently opted to stay in Aberdeen than move to Glasgow because I was enjoying it so much here. A decision I don't regret at all. There are loads of styles of music to choose from if you look out for it - places like the Blue Lamp don't advertise very well but I have seen some amazing acts there.

Love the jukebox but there needs to be more songs on it. There are only so many times you can listen to the same 12 songs. It is good having a compiled play list of local music - it saves a lot of time and the hassle of rummaging through myspace.

A good band should be able to control their own dynamics - dynamics are a good thing in music. It can give a song a personality. But that is not the sound engineers job. If you know one instrument is supposed to be louder at one point than the others, then you hold back and let the main instrument lead - very simple. Know your own songs.

I listened to your songs. I liked your tunes, you use some interesting styles and there was decent playing on them. Maybe the only thing I'd say is that 6 or 7 minutes is quite a long song, I'd maybe put your two shorter songs first on the player so that people don't get put off. It is a long time to try and keep the attention of a myspace music trawler. I have nothing against long songs, it's a shame that most things have to fit into a really small time window. Sometimes it is nice to let a song develop over a long time and find its way. But for maximum impact you need those songs that just say it all in 2 1/2 - 3 minutes. I would give you more of a crit on the music but I'm not the best at it, would just sound like a load of pretentious shite probably. You sound proud of the songs and the effort you've put in does come through. I'll need to see you live before I can make my full judgement. Would you say that the recordings were representative of you live performance? Colin

It does sound good. Jae, will you or a drop-d rep be coming over to do a little networking in your new target cities? It might be an idea as we all know that every city has a slightly different way of working the band scene. I think you would be pleasantly surprised with Aberdeen, there are a lot of people working independently and there are plenty of venues that are very supportive to musicians. I like the idea of sponsorship for events and prizes as it may tempt more people to watch and listen to live music instead of cramming into a shite nightclub. Playing in other Cities in a kind of circuit is a cool idea as well.

Use a drum machine

Sounds like a good idea, I take it that it is working well if you are wanting to expand! So can you explain more about how the drop-d franchise would be set up in Aberdeen, how does it fit with other promoters in the City, how often would you have gigs put on etc. Might it be worth being associated with an established promoter(s) so that both you and they can benefit from each other's networks?

glad that worked for you. Can listen to your tunes now!

got to love the drummonds open-mic I do miss vincent black lightening 1952 Jamie style though. We should start a open-mic host request a song thread.

Make them available for download. This seems to work: check out myspace.com/ghostofbongo where all the songs are downloadable then one that they aren't. At this level, the more people with your song downloaded the better I think anyway. Its not like once you get that record deal you won't record them again anyway!

I love a little jazz flute!

Dumb and Dumber has to be mentioned as well.

noting my interested in the distortion

"Old School", for me, is a modern classic. Pretty much anything with Will Ferrell cracks me up. I also like "Some like it Hot". Anyone for a bit of streaking - through the quad and into the gymnasium?

They do rule

And Some More New Tracks More new tracks for your listening pleasure. All downloadable so you can listen to them over and over and over...... on your mp3=pod. http://www.myspace.com/ghostofbongo

didn't realise he played piano/keys until I saw him on E4 music live. Played above (better than this) and sexy backhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX7qvYw-ZuI. I am very indefferent about the version you hear on the radio but played live, it sounded pretty good to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZSuwJBH9-A&mode=related&search=

Spread the word, would be nice to play to a busy Drummonds. Its been far too long!

We are playing on the 8th December in Drummonds. I'm not 100% sure but I think Grim Northern Social are also playing. Hopefully have some CDs to dish out and some new tunes to play. Should have a gig in Edinburgh towards the end of November as well if you fancy a road trip!

Got a couple of new tracks uploaded. The two new ones still require quite a bit of tidying up and I know Rob will want to add in some subtle production touches as well. http://www.myspace.com/ghostofbongo

It is also the Czech word for Beer.

We do still exist..... And we will be playing in Drummonds on the 8th of December, this will be our first gig in about 9 months (there may be some stealth gigs along the way to try out new tunes on unsuspecting members of the public). If you have never heard our music, please take a look at our myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/ghostofbongo If you like it, you will like the live performance even better so come along. It would be nice to see some of the familiar faces from before our little break - the Snafu gig in May was great fun and well attended if I remeber correctly!

I am non religious

I was brought up in a non religious environment where I wasn't taken to Sunday school to learn about religion. By doing this, I feel like my parents gave me the privilege of choice. They didn't cram anti-religious thoughts into my head, in fact my dad is well read in most religions. I feel that this gave me the ability, when learning about religion at school, to look at it in a very objective way and make an informed choice. I think that many people, from all around the world, are bombarded with religious dogma and moral code from such an early age that it can inhibit rational thought. How many young children are capable of forming their own independent opinions - in my experience they usually just regurgitate what they have been told. When you tell an impressionable mind something enough times it can easily become ingrained. This is how racist opinions remain, getting past down through generations and social groups, long after they should have been lost. Although not everything about religion is bad, I think bad aspects or personal ways of looking at religion can easily be ingrained into children. This is the major problem. Religion is something that should be offered to people when they are of an age that they can look at it and make their own choice. It should also be looked at/taught in a way that genuinely studies the reasoning and history, gory, bloodthirsty and good. The real history - not just the bible. It is difficult to know where to stop spouting your opinion in topics such as these so I will stop here.