tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82151707828672707622024-03-13T19:24:15.635+00:00The Cracked ManOriginal foot-stomping, spine-tingling, brow-twitching, cheek-spasming, tea-dunking music that will leave you breathless but deeply satisfiedKim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-40607508168763199012016-06-07T18:29:00.004+01:002019-06-08T18:30:44.220+01:00New EP - Moving OnAs Kim slides the bottleneck across the strings of his bouzouki, it screams an unearthly sound more akin to a beast from the deep calling out in challenge, than some kind of folk instrument. Plugging the bouzouki through a distortion box and delay pedal we think, not for the first time, the recordings we have available online don't really reflect the full range of music styles The Cracked Man is now producing.<br />
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Yes, some of our music is distinctly acoustic with a bluesy or folky feel to it, as represented by our first EP, but some is harder and rockier or even a bit psychedelic.<br />
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Time to put some more tracks online to give a fuller flavour of The Cracked Man. <br />
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Although we are currently developing our debut album, the completion will be some way off yet - and at that point, the tracks will have many more instruments than just the 2 we use when playing live. So we set up in Marcus's living room and did a "live" recording to a bunch of microphones and recording equipment.<br />
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So as a taster for what to expect if you can come along to any of our gigs, or a flavour of what we sound like if you can't, below you will find 4 tracks - <i>Moving On</i>, <i>Zero Energy</i>, <i>Footprints in the Sea</i>, and <i>Demon on Your Shoulder</i>.<br />
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<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3354672505/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=2061249714/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://thecrackedman.bandcamp.com/album/moving-on">Moving On by The Cracked Man</a></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3354672505/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=4012013579/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://thecrackedman.bandcamp.com/album/moving-on">Moving On by The Cracked Man</a></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3354672505/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=524845419/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://thecrackedman.bandcamp.com/album/moving-on">Moving On by The Cracked Man</a></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3354672505/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=3900892647/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://thecrackedman.bandcamp.com/album/moving-on">Moving On by The Cracked Man</a></iframe>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-68824515718850355632016-05-25T19:18:00.001+01:002016-06-07T18:28:15.987+01:00Video Soundtrack - The Cracked Man and Dance Beats...When Kim's not playing the bouzouki in The Cracked Man, he fills his time being a professional photographer.<br />
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Recently he was doing a fashion shoot with a small team of models, hairdressers and makeup artist, and a textile designer, but also managed to get a couple of friends to shoot some video footage.<br />
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After editing the video together, Kim decided it needed a punchy piece of music, possibly with a dance beat. <br />
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Rather than grab some nondescript generic piece of music from somewhere else, he and Marcus decided to run a beat behind the track <i>Zero Energy</i> (now, <i>Zero NRG</i>), and re-edit it to fit the video which was less than 2 minutes long.<br />
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Here's the result!<br />
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<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q7hyTkRdt9E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-56448606577790676252016-03-15T17:18:00.001+00:002016-03-15T17:18:05.272+00:00Fundraiser for MOOL (Massive Outpouring of Love - D&G Refugee Action)<a href="http://www.thecrackedman.co.uk/"><u>The Cracked Man</u></a> recently played at Auchencairn Village Hall, along with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Under-The-Hammer-221049087999287/"><u>Under The Hammer</u></a>, to help raise funds for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DGRefugeeAction"><u>MOOL</u></a> (Massive Outpouring of Love) - a local organisation dedicated to helping refugees by <i>"organising the collection and delivery of supplies and human kindness to those in need at home and abroad. So far, we have helped locally, and in Calais, Lesvos,Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Hungary and Jordan."</i><br />
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We were delighted to be a part of an event that raised £750 for such a deserving cause.<br />
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Just before we started our set Kim handed his camera to his friend, photographer <a href="http://www.allanwrightphoto.com/"><u>Allan Wright</u></a> and asked him if he could attempt to grab a few shots of us playing. Below are some of the ones he got.<br />
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Not bad for a landscape photographer...<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ycVIZZn2304/Vug-C7Ch7xI/AAAAAAAAGV8/mqiX5sowm24pdZHn22GC2QFryv1B8MzPA/s1600/web_TCM_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ycVIZZn2304/Vug-C7Ch7xI/AAAAAAAAGV8/mqiX5sowm24pdZHn22GC2QFryv1B8MzPA/s640/web_TCM_04.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eqpy4zMkvGg/Vug-BX6AUFI/AAAAAAAAGVw/R4DeM8p4hpkgpXx6kn18jQhQpMW1OcD_Q/s1600/web_TCM_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eqpy4zMkvGg/Vug-BX6AUFI/AAAAAAAAGVw/R4DeM8p4hpkgpXx6kn18jQhQpMW1OcD_Q/s640/web_TCM_01.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-De-xXcMP9cA/Vug-Bei0k2I/AAAAAAAAGV4/_hPK3sBbHksnzKSSBwz136T9x8OsXvHbg/s1600/web_TCM_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-De-xXcMP9cA/Vug-Bei0k2I/AAAAAAAAGV4/_hPK3sBbHksnzKSSBwz136T9x8OsXvHbg/s640/web_TCM_02.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRID-zK3m4E/Vug-Bv-qscI/AAAAAAAAGV0/9zy4eZTCt9Ma79L-KxQjIZGncCkMXGv6g/s1600/web_TCM_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRID-zK3m4E/Vug-Bv-qscI/AAAAAAAAGV0/9zy4eZTCt9Ma79L-KxQjIZGncCkMXGv6g/s640/web_TCM_03.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ABJN58DKzvY/Vug-D8sJsJI/AAAAAAAAGWE/y7oOMcr1vjUtRWtXG47DF4t6G9_hK4rmQ/s1600/web_TCM_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ABJN58DKzvY/Vug-D8sJsJI/AAAAAAAAGWE/y7oOMcr1vjUtRWtXG47DF4t6G9_hK4rmQ/s640/web_TCM_05.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iMWZGV9Yl_4/Vug-DztmxnI/AAAAAAAAGWA/RnTKLQFJoWswexdygHWNPeAzCsljo3dAQ/s1600/web_TCM_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iMWZGV9Yl_4/Vug-DztmxnI/AAAAAAAAGWA/RnTKLQFJoWswexdygHWNPeAzCsljo3dAQ/s640/web_TCM_06.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L8FgLYHlDPw/Vug-EOflkQI/AAAAAAAAGWI/ga8w7OgkIvUlB3XVH8ZyESyY8OyxMqjpQ/s1600/web_TCM_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L8FgLYHlDPw/Vug-EOflkQI/AAAAAAAAGWI/ga8w7OgkIvUlB3XVH8ZyESyY8OyxMqjpQ/s640/web_TCM_07.jpg" /></a><br />
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Thanks Allan!Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-76747365759447734082016-03-03T17:26:00.000+00:002016-03-15T17:18:48.748+00:00The Cracked Man Video Diaries #5 - Demon On Your ShoulderContinuing our exploration of the possibilities of going beyond the live performance restrictions of only 2 instruments and one voice as we record our album. <br />
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After the fun intro mentioned in episode #4, we got carried away developing the rest of "Demon On Your Shoulder" into a major rock 'n' roll scream-fest, but somehow lost "The Cracked Man" in the process. So we stripped it back and started again to see if there were other directions we could take it in...<br />
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qhnyuac0OZw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-65977437616396241952016-02-11T12:11:00.000+00:002016-03-15T17:18:48.745+00:00The Cracked Man Video Diaries #4 - Demon On Your ShoulderContinuing our exploration of the possibilities of going beyond the live performance restrictions of only 2 instruments and one voice as we record our album. <br />
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In this episode we make Kim's bouzouki sound big. <br />
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Really Big. <br />
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REALLY REALLY BIG!<br />
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Turn your volume up to 11...<br />
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Hugx9VykIw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-304864769382108692016-02-04T21:48:00.000+00:002016-03-15T17:18:48.742+00:00The Cracked Man Video Diaries #3 - Moving On (again)Continuing our exploration of the possibilities of going beyond the live performance restrictions of only 2 instruments and one voice as we record our album. <br />
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In this episode we look for different "drone" sounds to run behind the music. In addition to hunting down a shruti-box sound, Marcus nicks an idea from Steve Hillage...<br />
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5X3esYObFDI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-17694923734743290842016-01-28T19:14:00.002+00:002016-03-15T17:18:48.739+00:00The Cracked Man Video Diaries #2 - Moving OnWe've discovered as we've begun recording for The Cracked Man debut album, the arrangement of each of our songs goes through changes as we explore the possibilities of going beyond the live performance restrictions of only 2 instruments and one voice. <br />
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Continuing to document some of the changes, here is the 2nd of our short Video Diaries and is to do with our song, "Moving On", where we discovered the one bodhran rhythm Kim knows worked quite well in the climactic section of the song. Apologies to anyone who plays bodhran professionally and is cringing at his technique.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EohHtZnm9xs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-86061377726331202272016-01-21T18:00:00.000+00:002016-03-15T17:18:48.751+00:00The Cracked Man Video Diaries #1 - Zero EnergyIt's coming up to 2 years since we formed <i>The Cracked Man</i>, and not far off a year since we released our EP. So now we're working on an album.<br />
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One of the core aspects of <i>The Cracked Man</i> is every song we create, and every arrangement we produce, has to be something we both approve of. If one brings in a riff the other dislikes, or suggests an alteration that doesn't appeal to both, then it is discarded. This means no song has a sound completely dictated by either Kim or Marcus - every output is a collaboration.<br />
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As Marcus once said, <i>"We're not a democracy, we're a dual dictatorship..."</i><br />
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Although we're pretty satisfied with the arrangements of our songs for our live performances, the album is turning into quite a different beast - not least because we don't have to be restricted to to a maximum of 2 instruments and 1 voice.<br />
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Marcus is a producer and sound engineer by trade, which gives us the wonderful luxury of being able to play, record, listen back, tweak, add, adjust, rearrange, experiment, delete and start again until we're both satisfied.<br />
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And what we've discovered is every time we start recording one of our songs, something new happens that we couldn't have predicted before we began. It could be the addition of an instrument, a different way of producing a sound or even a change of rhythm.<br />
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So what we've decided to do, for anyone who is at all vaguely interested in how songs develop, is create a series of short video diaries, documenting some of these changes on the very evening they've occured.<br />
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This means the videos are not rehearsed, highly produced or polished - they are just 2 blokes talking or playing to the camera to illustrate a particular alteration. We hope this means that what might be lost in slickness is more than made up for in a sense of authenticity.<br />
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At the moment, we are unsure how often these video diaries will be put up online - anything from weekly to monthly is our best guess - but over time they should accumulate into a collection that gives an insight into our creative process.<br />
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Here is our first, which is looking at our song, <i>"Zero Energy"</i><br />
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9rATOOVEJ8I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-58356196282288487922016-01-12T18:19:00.002+00:002016-01-12T18:19:23.099+00:00Zero EnergyKim reckons one of the things he enjoys the most in the world is standing on stage with his bouzouki, while it is plugged through a delay pedal and distortion box, and he's using a bottle-neck slide.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-egx-QyxLS8c/VbF6NNigudI/AAAAAAAAFro/7decJAc96cc/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_09.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-egx-QyxLS8c/VbF6NNigudI/AAAAAAAAFro/7decJAc96cc/s640/web_The_Cracked_Man_09.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson</span><br />
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One such time was when we played at "<a href="http://www.stereocafebar.com/"><u>Stereo</u></a>" in Glasgow, and in a rare stroke of fortune, it was actually videoed from 2 different angles. We were sent the footage, but unfortunately the sound quality wasn't very good, so it got shelved.<br />
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However, we are slowly putting an album together and a few weeks ago we were working on the track, "Zero Energy", which is one of our songs where Kim gets to use the magic combination of delay, distortion and slide. <br />
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Although the recorded version of this song is still being developed, Kim decided to see if he could construct a video using the footage from Glasgow and one of our more recent recordings. <br />
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It took a little while to line up the music with the video, because it turned out we played it live at a slightly different speed to our recorded version. However, changing the video angle each time it started to drift, helped a bit.<br />
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He also raided the freely available video archives of <a href="http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/"><u>The Hubble Telescope</u></a> to throw in some images of planets and exploding stars, to add a bit of texture to the visuals.<br />
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The result was this:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6MnOXn9vsl4" width="640"></iframe><br />
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Hope you like itKim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-75370485313521854952015-09-22T18:30:00.000+01:002015-09-22T18:30:01.096+01:00Live on Alive Radio<blockquote><i>"...Any track we decide to develop, we've both got to be 100% behind it, or we don't do it."</i></blockquote><br />
On September 17th, we appeared on <a href="http://aliveradio.net/"><u>Alive Radio</u></a>'s <u><a href="http://aliveradio.net/shows/evening-shows/thursday/the-thursday-night-showcase/">Thursday Night Showcase</a></u>, talking about <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thecrackedman"><u>The Cracked Man</u></a>. The three tracks of our EP were played on air and we did 2 extra songs live - <i>"Moving on"</i> and <i>"Spaceman"</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vWfNDFhbOQk/Vfw_fgmShwI/AAAAAAAAF1Q/G8_dHXzgnxI/s1600/FB_Live_on_Alive.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vWfNDFhbOQk/Vfw_fgmShwI/AAAAAAAAF1Q/G8_dHXzgnxI/s400/FB_Live_on_Alive.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Live on Alive - thanks to Ali for taking this while we played</span><br />
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The show is normally hosted by Melissa Gunn, but she was recovering from an operation so Ali Donowho stepped in for her. His relaxed and friendly manner meant any pre-show nerves on our part soon dissipated.<br />
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If you'd like to hear the show, we were sent a copy which we uploaded to <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thecrackedman"><u>Soundcloud</u></a> and we've now embedded below. We've also marked off where you can find the music if that's the bit you're interested in.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/224462545&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-4078314551733528142015-07-24T00:37:00.000+01:002015-07-24T00:37:54.877+01:00Stereo, GlasgowWe played our first Glasgow gig in July, at <a href="http://www.stereocafebar.com/"><u>Stereo</u></a> on Renfield Street, as part of The Lost Wasp Showcase, alongside The Mind Sweepers and The Razorbills.<br />
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Thoroughly enjoyable with a supportive audience - what's not to like?<br />
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Our friend, Mark Robinson was on hand with his camera and produced a great set of pics:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-egx-QyxLS8c/VbF6NNigudI/AAAAAAAAFro/7decJAc96cc/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_09.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-egx-QyxLS8c/VbF6NNigudI/AAAAAAAAFro/7decJAc96cc/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_09.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lskLOGFZMCo/VbF6KLGHyFI/AAAAAAAAFq0/EjLl9dlhq4E/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lskLOGFZMCo/VbF6KLGHyFI/AAAAAAAAFq0/EjLl9dlhq4E/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_02.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7-hA43n7SQk/VbF6KtbybXI/AAAAAAAAFq4/fqSx0I8A5eY/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7-hA43n7SQk/VbF6KtbybXI/AAAAAAAAFq4/fqSx0I8A5eY/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_03.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R6ZjaNv0xcc/VbF6LRtQxxI/AAAAAAAAFrE/WeNwgQuSJeM/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R6ZjaNv0xcc/VbF6LRtQxxI/AAAAAAAAFrE/WeNwgQuSJeM/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_05.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EdvTxVzfpd8/VbF6Ls4-4wI/AAAAAAAAFrM/dmJVc9P1lWE/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EdvTxVzfpd8/VbF6Ls4-4wI/AAAAAAAAFrM/dmJVc9P1lWE/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_06.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Rn6TDptjY4/VbF6MZdyzPI/AAAAAAAAFrg/jyPLumkAlps/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Rn6TDptjY4/VbF6MZdyzPI/AAAAAAAAFrg/jyPLumkAlps/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_07.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XMIGwZR45oE/VbF6MY13A4I/AAAAAAAAFrc/ZdhpGqqUjkc/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_08.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XMIGwZR45oE/VbF6MY13A4I/AAAAAAAAFrc/ZdhpGqqUjkc/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_08.jpg" /></a><br />
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Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-90241937825382962522015-06-23T10:35:00.000+01:002015-06-23T10:35:12.435+01:00Eden Festival 2015<a href="http://www.edenfestival.co.uk/"><u>Eden Festival</u></a> is one of our favourites. It seems like pretty much everyone dresses up and the atmosphere is wonderful.<br />
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This year we were back playing at <i>Rabbie's Tavern</i> - the beer tent - to a small but very appreciative crowd on the Sunday afternoon.<br />
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As Kim is a professional photographer, one of his great frustrations is not being able to photograph us while we're playing. However, in the audience he spotted fellow photographer, Chloe Adams, and handed his camera over to her. To our delight she took some great photos. <br />
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Many thanks Chloe!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fKUiN8Grvio/VYknExesN2I/AAAAAAAAFhI/CP_w-z5ArUM/s1600/FB_The_Cracked_Man_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fKUiN8Grvio/VYknExesN2I/AAAAAAAAFhI/CP_w-z5ArUM/s400/FB_The_Cracked_Man_01.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GouRh2fBaaA/VYknER_gFCI/AAAAAAAAFhA/wTIrl0Hves4/s1600/FB_The_Cracked_Man_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GouRh2fBaaA/VYknER_gFCI/AAAAAAAAFhA/wTIrl0Hves4/s400/FB_The_Cracked_Man_02.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-orrY_tud6Z4/VYknE9mVUfI/AAAAAAAAFhE/KgF_s8BqGkI/s1600/FB_The_Cracked_Man_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-orrY_tud6Z4/VYknE9mVUfI/AAAAAAAAFhE/KgF_s8BqGkI/s400/FB_The_Cracked_Man_03.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gr5tnbFO6yg/VYknI1gqvCI/AAAAAAAAFho/hOm0c6jRd10/s1600/FB_The_Cracked_Man_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gr5tnbFO6yg/VYknI1gqvCI/AAAAAAAAFho/hOm0c6jRd10/s400/FB_The_Cracked_Man_06.jpg" /></a><br />
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If you'd like to see some of Kim's pics of Eden, you can find them on Facebook, here:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1079153875432649.1073741866.114749591873087&type=3">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1079153875432649.1073741866.114749591873087&type=3</a>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-20063081175212597622015-03-14T15:02:00.004+00:002015-03-14T15:02:54.429+00:00EP LaunchOur EP launch at the Gordon House Hotel on Friday 13th March was a great success. <br />
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Support slots from both Alan McClure and Blue were wonderfully enjoyable, and the crowd was with us all the way.<br />
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A superb night all around and greatly enjoyed by all who came along.<br />
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Thanks once again to Pete from PR Imaging - <a href="http://www.primaging.net/">www.primaging.net</a> - for bringing his camera along and helping us all to look cool :)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lrTpDc9zJ8M/VQRNOQedD3I/AAAAAAAAFPI/tamaMf7pyTQ/s1600/1907472_527252707415173_8937007489776071592_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lrTpDc9zJ8M/VQRNOQedD3I/AAAAAAAAFPI/tamaMf7pyTQ/s400/1907472_527252707415173_8937007489776071592_n.jpg" /></a><br />
Alan McClure<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHzqrwz1B1k/VQRNOMzqPbI/AAAAAAAAFPA/gaH3jDpIW_o/s1600/11067480_527252964081814_7930690200376114957_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHzqrwz1B1k/VQRNOMzqPbI/AAAAAAAAFPA/gaH3jDpIW_o/s400/11067480_527252964081814_7930690200376114957_n.jpg" /></a><br />
Blue<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L1RBMD48A0s/VQRNNJT7wFI/AAAAAAAAFO0/uf4xuqbAcB4/s1600/10676370_527253400748437_6472335967009128233_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L1RBMD48A0s/VQRNNJT7wFI/AAAAAAAAFO0/uf4xuqbAcB4/s400/10676370_527253400748437_6472335967009128233_n.jpg" /></a>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-51855648411238655202015-02-17T14:28:00.000+00:002015-02-17T14:28:32.644+00:00EP Launch - Friday 13th MarchIt's now one year since The Cracked Man was created, and we've been working on our debut EP.<br />
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The artwork has now been created, the tracks have been mastered and everything has been sent off to Discwizards.com where we're getting 300 printed up.<br />
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We played around with several ideas when trying to think of a cover for the EP, and decided to go for a mix of both our heads blended into one. Originally it was going to split it straight down the middle, but after playing in Photoshop we discovered it was more interesting if it wasn't exact. So although the top half is an even split, Kim's nose is more dominant, it's Marcus's upper lip and Kim's beard. <br />
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That was quite fun, but then we played with aging it - sepia toning and a mold-speckled glass overlay - and then it leapt to life like some bizarre Edwardian creation. We knew we had the cover we wanted.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSrAzOmlO1g/VONLLANfOoI/AAAAAAAAFL4/SqM8pgHWWKY/s1600/web_EP_Front_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSrAzOmlO1g/VONLLANfOoI/AAAAAAAAFL4/SqM8pgHWWKY/s400/web_EP_Front_Cover.jpg" /></a><br />
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On <b>Friday 13th March</b>, we're going to be officially launching the EP with an event at <b>The Gordon House Hotel</b> in <b>Kirckudbright</b>. As a wee taster of the EP, we've put together a short video of photos of us performing and about 40 second bursts of each of the 3 tracks.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q9NUSZmxt2g" width="500"></iframe><br />
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On the day of the launch you'll be able to buy CDs or download the tracks online. But if you're in the area, do come along to see us play live.<br />
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And if you don't live elsewhere in the world, then we're open to travelling if you fancy being our manager for the country you live in :)<br />
Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-7243495004693799162015-01-30T18:23:00.002+00:002015-02-02T01:09:53.135+00:00EP PromoThe Cracked Man have been working on an EP over the winter, which is due for release in March 2015<br />
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Here's a taster for you of the 3 tracks on it:<br />
Loving The Sun<br />
Make Believe<br />
Mama's Jig<br />
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<iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/188670199&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true"></iframe>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-29584611751503404272014-10-13T18:20:00.000+01:002015-01-30T18:21:43.588+00:00Swan Inn, StranraerWith thanks to Jon Noad of The Razorbills for taking these photos of us at The Swan Inn at Stranraer<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IAjbYRF9drQ/VMvLb2bQ7MI/AAAAAAAAFI4/9Y4i3NKZZN0/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IAjbYRF9drQ/VMvLb2bQ7MI/AAAAAAAAFI4/9Y4i3NKZZN0/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_01.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j4efXf_SGPY/VMvLbTii7rI/AAAAAAAAFI0/xDnZvs_bJOw/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j4efXf_SGPY/VMvLbTii7rI/AAAAAAAAFI0/xDnZvs_bJOw/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_02.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUPOm4HVhyM/VMvLcPRPjLI/AAAAAAAAFJA/yE4v-k_tiOs/s1600/web_The_Cracked_Man_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUPOm4HVhyM/VMvLcPRPjLI/AAAAAAAAFJA/yE4v-k_tiOs/s400/web_The_Cracked_Man_03.jpg" /></a>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-18858546958694176662014-09-27T17:29:00.001+01:002014-09-27T17:33:30.526+01:00Dumfries Town CentreOn Sunday September 7th, we played under the Midsteeple in Dumfries Town Centre as part of the "In Our Town" summer festivities programme.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ourdg">Photos courtesy of <i>Our Dumfries & Galloway</i> - <b>https://www.facebook.com/ourdg</b></a><br />
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It was a dry and mostly sunny day and we played our set twice - once at 1pm and again at 3pm, with a bit of time off in between to eat our sandwiches, chat and be treated to a coffee by our friend, Rachel. <br />
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Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-64896012461971200342014-09-01T14:15:00.000+01:002014-09-01T14:15:17.905+01:00Wickerman FestivalLots of fun in July playing the Acoustic Main Stage at The Wickerman Festival.<br />
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Unfortunately technical problems at the start of our slot (lots of buzzing and sound cutting out) meant we lost about 10 minutes of our set getting it sorted out. However, what we did perform went down really well. <br />
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Here are a few photos of us, courtesy of Pete from PR Imaging - <a href="http://www.primaging.net/"><b>www.primaging.net</b></a><br />
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And this one, taken shortly after the gig by Lee Medd of Kim with radio presenter and magazine editor, Andrea Thompson, wearing feather earrings that match his glasses<br />
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<br />Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-66700874867703720992014-06-18T17:33:00.000+01:002014-06-18T17:33:25.276+01:00Eden FestivalTraditionally <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/theedenfestival" target="_blank">Eden Festival</a></b> has usually got underway on the Friday, although many revellers begin setting up camp on the Thursday, so this year bands were booked for <i>Rabbie's Tavern</i> (the beer tent) on the Thursday evening.<br />
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Marcus and I were there to entertain the crowd. A slightly shaky start when Marcus's string broke after the first song, but we soon got back into our stride and we received plenty of enthusiastic applause at the end of the set.<br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.primaging.net/"><b>Pete of PR Imaging</b></a> for these photos of us playing<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KBRcDlOC6w/U6G-xvynP4I/AAAAAAAAEbo/WR1V78W2v1U/s1600/10421147_346124058869056_3589926118638539756_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KBRcDlOC6w/U6G-xvynP4I/AAAAAAAAEbo/WR1V78W2v1U/s400/10421147_346124058869056_3589926118638539756_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p66ZD4Pq5Rw/U6G-yUJVNUI/AAAAAAAAEcE/tLsx8dSOmaU/s1600/10448255_346124138869048_5583281884733722473_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p66ZD4Pq5Rw/U6G-yUJVNUI/AAAAAAAAEcE/tLsx8dSOmaU/s400/10448255_346124138869048_5583281884733722473_n.jpg" /></a>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8215170782867270762.post-17945941025160099812014-03-04T20:33:00.000+00:002014-03-05T01:40:09.876+00:00The Cracked Man - the first gigs - by Kim AyresMarcus and I finally settled on a name for our new musical venture - <i>The Cracked Man</i>. I was looking for a name that wasn't clean and polished, but had something of a used and lived in quality to it. And then, in these days of social networking and promotion, we also needed something where we could get hold of the matching domain name, and there weren't already 20 bands out there with the same name - and that isn't particularly easy. All this in addition to making sure your band mate likes it too...<br />
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For the past few weeks we've been constructing enough songs to give us a half hour set so we could be the support act in 2 different gigs. We decided from the start that we would only do songs we both felt enthusiastic about. Experience in previous bands has taught us both that performing songs we weren't that keen on because of compromises and politics within a group dynamic isn't very fulfilling. So if I introduce something that doesn't do it for Marcus, or vice versa, then we won't develop it and it can be kept back for a different situation or collaboration with other musicians. The upshot of this is I'm loving the music we've produced so far.<br />
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Our first outing as <i>The Cracked Man</i> was last Thursday at The Crown Hotel in Newton Stewart, supporting <a href="http://chrismillsmusic.com/">Chris Mills and The Distant Stars</a> - a superb act all the way over from America. Marcus had been booked to support on his own, but as we started developing our sound he suggested we do it together. Although I would love to have had another half a dozen rehearsals first, at some point you have to have your first gig, for which you will never feel ready. I was far more nervous than excited and had a great big knot in the middle of my chest for most of the performance. However, mistakes were minimal and the crowd seemed genuinely enthusiastic, which was a huge relief. Shortly afterwards, Chris Mills walked past humming our last song and was full of praise.<br />
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One of the drawbacks of being both a photographer and musician is that I can't photograph myself while playing. Fortunately <a href="http://davidmoses.photoshelter.com/">David Moses</a>, a Newton Stewart based portrait and event photographer, was there to shoot Chris and his band and took some shots of us. David's a sound guy and we had a good long blether about photography afterwards. I even gave him him a hand when he was photographing Chris by holding an off-camera flash unit for him so he could get some cool shots with side or back light, depending on where I stood.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DPqm3nEDM7U/UxW0SQBjKzI/AAAAAAAAEFc/hG2BSPpjLjM/s1600/Photo_by_David_Moses.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DPqm3nEDM7U/UxW0SQBjKzI/AAAAAAAAEFc/hG2BSPpjLjM/s400/Photo_by_David_Moses.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Cracked Man, courtesy of David Moses</span><br />
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Then on Saturday we were the support act for the amazing <a href="http://www.seantaylorsongs.com/">Sean Taylor</a>, who was kicking off <a href="http://kimayres.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Mill%20Sessions">The Mill Sessions</a> season. This was the 3rd time I've seen him play live and I'm always blown away by his skill and musicianship. Having survived the Chris Mills gig, this time I was more excited than nervous and was able to enjoy playing more.<br />
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I handed my camera to our friend, Susi, who was kind enough to video us playing. Unfortunately the low light meant the quality wasn't that great, and as the colours had an appalling yellow shift (I'd forgotten to adjust the white-balance on the camera before handing it to her), I decided I'd better put it in black and white when I edited it. So, it's not a brilliant video, but I did promise I'd try and get something up for you and it does give a flavour of the kind of music <i>The Cracked Man</i> is producing.<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6DjvMYpl_9g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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If you'd like to show us your support, please head over to our new Facebook page and click "like" - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thecrackedman">https://www.facebook.com/thecrackedman</a><br />
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<b>Further links:</b><br />
Chris Mills and The Distant Stars - <a href="http://chrismillsmusic.com/">http://chrismillsmusic.com/</a><br />
Sean Taylor - <a href="http://www.seantaylorsongs.com/">http://www.seantaylorsongs.com/</a><br />
David Moses - <a href="http://davidmoses.photoshelter.com/">http://davidmoses.photoshelter.com</a>Kim Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.com0