It’s been a long time since we aired any thoughts whatsoever on any subject. I can’t really explain why this is, apart from the fact that the rest of the Shana Tova business has eaten up all the time in the world lately. We’ve been writing for an album. The first, what…40% of which is recorded already by Greg Coates in a variety of dark corners and musky recesses. It wasn’t as hard work as you’d think, it was fun and we really enjoyed the fact that it was recorded in three different locations – lofts, cellars & lockups. Kind of unintentionally reflecting the lows and then spiraling highs that the band have experienced over the past year since ‘Lift This Red Mist’ was given a release online: You know when you’ve finished a big task and it’s been a long time coming and when it finally comes the aftermath leaves you feeling a bit empty and directionless…well we’d released everything we had and the future was a fairly blank slate, but after 12 long months or so of plentiful gigging, whoring and flogging and a lot of writing we’ve recorded again with another set of tunes ready to go: There’s a firm plan for 2011 which includes a single (or two) and the first album…there are working titles for this but typically silly stuff so we’ll keep everyone posted when we’ve started thinking about it seriously!

It’s totally exciting to be working towards a big project. Just talking about it is difficult because I feel like I’m flitting about like a hummingbird unable to focus on my point…anyway we’ve been talking to Dom James who fairly regularly records Johnny Foreigner and he’s been giving us some options for how to record the next few tunes.

For the last four tunes we got down Greg had a total understanding about what our sound is. We can’t wait to share the new songs with people because some of this is already popular with our audiences and the rest will definitely stimulate your Shana Tova gland. There’s more of a spectrum of sounds on the new recordings too, so you’ve got warp-speed stuff like ‘The Bloody Void’ or our most measured and mature stuff like ‘Flapper With Red’…these are working titles of course, because for some reason I always fall at the final hurdle and find it unreasonably difficult to actually name these works that we’ve lovingly crafted. I used to be frustrated that the band American Heritage named their songs ’1′, ’2′ and so forth, but I’m warming to the idea…

Anyway…onward we speed, hunting that snark, pursuing that great white whale, but never chasing dragons we promise…

Geordie

The more bands come out sounding like Bloc Party I should be happy because I love ‘em but I despair a little at the repetitive use of the formula: Aesthetically sound it may be but progressively less exciting with each encounter. Even a sado-masochist may tire of being beaten with the same kind of whip after a while. The human mind requires ever changing stimuli or it gets flabby. Each new batch of Bloc-ettes are a slightly poorer photocopy of the batch before, and in the same way that two mirrors opposite is considered bad fengshui, having infinite streams of bands trolling out the same sound in every direction ad infinitum for ever and ever amen is bad for my aural mojo…Even Bloc Party changed up their sound so why can’t everyone else think out the box?

…Pete Dixon from Calories recently said that over complicated math-indie was past it’s sell by date and people were looking for more unembellished thrills. To the same rationale ain’t it high time we put the disco beats to bed…just for a few years…and stop toying with the legacy of Debbie Harry and James Chance? Maybe I’ve just got ADHD, but I want something new…I guess it’s just because everyone I know was listening to The Faint when the Bloc-ettes were soiling their nappies…

Rich Batsford, instigator of the Project X movement and laureate of emotive Piano composition blogged on the subject of my show on his http://www.richbatsford.com/?p=398

“Geordie Blake of Shana Tova kicked things off with a debut solo set which he naturally found a bit of a learning curve, but his inexperience of solo gigs if anything only enhanced the performance as he let the audience in on his experience with frank honesty, rawness and humour – effortless and genuine showmanship.

Hopefully we’ll hear much more of Geordie solo as well playing with his tight and powerful band, since the stripped down versions of the songs showcase his excellent voice – a likeable and versatile instrument with the capability for raw power in the most passionate and intense sections and a strong, even falsetto to draw on in the quieter moments.”

Plus there’s another glorious outpouring at: http://www.mrelephant.com/events/featured/live-free-4

“First up on the live stage, was Mr Geordie Blake from Shana Tova, who was performed his first solo set in the history of his impressive career. What followed was a powerful and at times moving display of great musicianship, impressive vocals, and beautifully crafted tracks, which left the listener locked and moved at the same time. Pop hooks with rock guitars and a brilliant voice (even with an apparently sore throat)… Geordie Blake has songs that you want to hear again and again, and i feel is one of our cities hidden gems.”

So I live to fly solo again, and quite enjoyed having all the applause for myself, selfish egocentric needy freak that I am! Can’t wait to get back playing with the others though, gaaaaawd bless ‘em!!!!

I’m not always one for reciting a history lesson in a song. Sometimes I have to distance myself from my writing through playing out a scenario, or just changing the names to protect the innocent.

Metaphors ain’t just pretty flowery versions of plain speaking, although they add vibrancy to stimulate the voracious human mind. Stephen Lankton says that metaphors work because the mind operates in a metaphorical manner. Metaphor is used in therapy as it makes clearer what can so often be left unfathomable.

In this way we read into metaphors lessons on life; ways of learning from mistakes without having to make the mistakes ourselves; route planning for the mind, where metaphor acts as navigator.

I have sporadically made written account of my loves, losses, hopes and fears. I think that by reviewing my life through this vicarious means I have somehow not taken on board my own caveats; perhaps that is why I find the same themes cropping up throughout my lyrical past. DOH!

All the words ever written or spoken, and we’re all still trying to figure ourselves out. The myth of the grown up when the shadow of adolescence hangs long and opaque behind us. Ain’t it a shame that it’s easier to program a human brain for the worse than it is to improve it. Sign me up to be hooked up to some Clockwork Orange contraption NOW, man!

We managed to get ourselves embroiled in a discussion about the state of Punk…

You’ll be able to get a more personal insight into what’s under the banner and behind the Shana Tova thing. I hope that an occasional written gem will be uncovered, that stream of consciousness will prevail, as opposed to the carefully edited and re-edited bluster that appears in band biogs, laborious status updating and so on. The hype machine is OFF. That’s not to say there won’t be links to Shana Tova goings on: I/we are, after all, still proud of our work!

Anyhowowowowaykroyd. I recently read that you’re not an honest writer unless you regret things you write constantly. It means it’s been spoken without any of the self-censorship I was going on about above. So I hope I live to ultimately regret all of this…