ALLY CRAIG

I thought I’d give video blogging a shot, but I had nothing to say and so resorted to playing some music. Click to watch youtube video.

I conducted a phone interview with the Oxford Mail about tomorrow’s Childish Things concert at the New Theatre. None of my sparkling wit comes across, but you can read the article here anyway.

Although actual news has been slim (I’m sitting on a couple of eggs until I can be sure they’ll hatch), I am proud and equally ashamed to present a side project in which I take a detour into the world of sampling and programming (or so-called “fake music”). I have been learning how to use the rather lovely Renoise, and the result so far is:

Bug Prentice

In case you hadn’t already heard, Last.fm have made an impressive development by getting all the major labels to make full-length previews of their tracks available to all. Now people can listen to any song up to three times or subscribe to the service to have unlimited access to all the music. Also, artists will be paid for every play their music gets. Read the blog for more details, then go and get me some coin.

The X has sadly lost its long battle with the powers that be, and has been forced to declare bankrupcy. As one of the few venues in Oxford with wheelchair access, and the venue of my first ever gig in the city, it will be particularly sorely missed by me.

In case you haven’t already noticed, I have made Pilot Inspektor available as a free download. I’m sure you feel as though all your Christmasses, Hanukkahs and Kwanzaas came at once just there. I know how you feel, the other day I discovered a hidden extra commentary on a Simpsons DVD.

If free Ally Craig material isn’t good enough for you (or if you already noticed it and this isn’t news to you at all), why not watch this video of Tom Lehrer playing The Masochism Tango? I’ve been known to cover it at gigs, and now you can hear it as nature intended.

As you can probably see, I have made a new website with the help of WordPress. My old site, while attractive in its minimalism, was minimal on actual stuff as well. This one will be updated more frequently with news, music and various procrastinational aids, you lucky sod. I haven’t yet managed to make it look nice, but I have uploaded some backdated entries and pages of music, so here it is.

Oxford’s finest (well, only) music paper Nightshift has placed Get What You Pays For 16th in their Top 20 tracks of the year. Top of the list was Hummer by Foals, closely followed by Little Fish and Radiohead. Read the rest of this entry »

I have youtubed some footage of a gig at The X on Friday 16th November 2007. It features my good Dutch friends Jim Otten on guitar and Edgar Post on drums. Watch the shit out of it.

• Pilot Inspektor / Your Friends Lack Morals
• A Train then a Train then a Train

I recorded five new songs at One Cat Studio between August 28th and September 1st. I don’t like to blow my own trumpet (which is why I returned the one I bought on eBay) but it sounds stone cold awesome. I utilized the considerable greatness of Stephen Gilchrist and Ruth Goller on drums and bass respectively. Pete Wareham also made a face-melting appearance on tenor saxophone, and I even wasted the talents of Alice Grant and Rebecca Mosley by getting them to clap on Pilot Inspektor. Three of the new songs are now streaming on MySpace and Last.fm.