Give it away, pass it on

Give it away, pass it on

Last year I had the fortunate ability to take some time off work, about a year in the end. Having always loved music I decided to spend some time in my studio finishing an album that was Smile. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/smile/id438459539

Then I met the Barefoot Doctor and it turned out we would work together, we started off with just a jam that turned into a song and then two and then it was clear an album was appearing before us.

When I work on any creative endeavor I find time slips away. There’s a sense of not knowing what’s going on in the outside world. That’s why producers and promoters and girlfriends are important, because they say “When is it gonna be finshed? When can I sell it? When are you going to eat?”

Then you finish the thing and its ready to present to the world. I’ve invested so much of myself into it that I think that something really important will happen to it. The thing that you have been working on has been all consuming and therefore it must consume the rest of the world, it will sell millions, I’ll retire and in the future do holographic extras on the anniversary edition.

Then nothing happens. The work sits there, you carry on, and something else takes over. Contracts are discussed, distribution ideas are considered, promotion tactics laid out. Then nothing happens. Months pass by and you find yourself on the next project occasionally glancing back and wondering if that great thing you did will ever see the light of day.

I’m now glad to say that the album I recorded with Barefoot Doctor is going to be heard, but only if you have the time. We are giving it away, free, yes totally free, well nothing is totally free is it?  – there is your time. In the deluge of content that gets sent to us how do we choose the thing to listen to , watch or read? Well I’m asking you to listen. We need you to give us your time to hear it but also I’d like you to pass it on. Remember that film Pay It Forward – I worked out that if three people pass on the album to three people and so on by June 2013 the whole planet will be a happier place- fact! So please pass it on. Send it to someone who is struggling. Send it to someone who likes music. Send it to your mum, your friends and your enemies.

Time also allows you to look back at the work with more clarity; you’re outside it rather than in it. Listening now I have to say I’m really proud of it. It’s a well produced, played and mixed album with catchy tunes and positive messages. It’s testament to two great musicians and a Barefoot Doctor with great words and a mission to inspire and heal the world.

You can listen and download the album here:

http://soundcloud.com/barefootandleakster/sets

I recommend you download it - carry it on your MP3 player, in the car, listen on headphones, play it loud, play it in public, pass it on. A lot of care and love went in to making this so I do hope you enjoy it.

I wanted to write something to remember the period of creativity and make some notes on each of the songs and my memories of the songs, remember these are mine, there’s a Barefoot Doctor to consider he has his own take on things of course.

  

What Will Be Will Be

I spent a while on the Dooby doobys , I kept getting them wrong and Barefoot had to set me straight. I’m not musically trained so I go on feel and it really lets me down sometimes, I recommend learning chords and structures and things it just saves time. I like that there’s an acoustic guitar solo in this. And the final refrain is a lovely, uplifting melody. From your heart and from your soul you can sing.

Get Spanky

I think Barefoot came up with the guitar rhythm which we were told later is a well known rhythm? He put down some vocal ideas and “What you focus on grows” was repeated and then I got on the mic and sang “What are you focusing on today” The guitar solo uses my digitech pedal, I knew I’d find a use for it other than Rage Against the Machine covers. This is also my first time rapping in public.

There’s a mad video for this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylc4DekeOOI

Vagabond

This is the first song we did. I put on the beat and then Barefoot played the bass line and we ended up with a 30 minute jam which we then laid down vocal ideas  – we listened back and picked out the best bits and edited it into what you hear.

Connected

I had these chords down on the MAC for ages and Barefoot liked the feel so we looped it up and then he came up with the idea of Connected. I just love the final Edge like guitar solo.

Adventureland

This was originally called Bouncy and the riff was there and then Barefoot got on the mic and did this stream of consciousness rap about this amazing adventure called life.

He’s an amazing talent to be able to come up with these improvised inspired words. We then added the choruses and all the fun bits.

Does Not Matter

I love the atmosphere of this, the guitar playing and great bass line.

Blow Away

Barefoot came in with this mantra that he had been given by a friend and sang it on the mic, which we then built the song around. Lovely feel and floydy guitar.

Purify

I have a picture of Alan Moore in my studio looking very shaman like. I was very aware whilst making this album of what he says about music and art being a form of magic – that it has the capability to transform you and your state of mind. This song is about that. This is a serious song, a purifying song, a journey to another place. Download it, put on the headphones, and turn it up!

Highest Good Blues

This was so much fun. A happy blues song. I’m proud of the blues licks. We started to work on this thing of two characters Barefoot Doctor and Rudeboy. It was a lot of fun to do. I have a wonderful memory of absolutely collapsing on the floor with laughter when he did that giberise part. I wasn’t sure about that long note but Barefoot persuaded me to keep it in.

www.russellleak.com

Music, life, spirit, love

A note, a chord or a song can change us. Since ancient times music has been used to alter states and rouse nations. Music has been a powerful and transformative thing in my life. Isn't it for everyone? Maybe not. As I was vexing passionately to a friend about a new album from my favourite band he suddenly said "I'm not really into music...occasionally I buy a tape for the car" ! What?! How can it not fail to move you, lift you, make you cry, make you laugh? I remembered that he was also a football fan and that he used to sing his heart out every Saturday on the terraces. So it gets to us all in the end in. Maybe because it's wired in us in some way, woven into our DNA. Getting briefly technical; the Pentatonic scale consisting of 5 notes that can be heard in pretty much every culture of music, Chinese, Arabic, African, blues, everywhere. In those ancient caves, the ones with the animal paintings made by men from 20,000 years ago they find flutes made from a vultures wing bone and low and behold; the scale is Pentatonic. So there's something in music that goes way back in us, back to the shamans and the drums, back to the first person to string a hollowed out log. Who was that guy or gal?! A genius. It goes back even further than that, back to natures' natural rhythms. The beat of the wing, the rhythm of the waves and the delicate chimes in the wind.

And life itself has a natural rhythm too. It goes up and down. Sometimes we are happy sometimes sad and sometimes it throws us around so much we start to feel a kind of motion sickness. "I want to get off" or "I just want some stability" we find ourselves saying. So we choose something boring or gentle, we settle for less until the rhythm becomes a steady hum, a rut, a horizontal drone with just a few bumps. In which case we might want to get back on the ride, find a little excitement. As one of my favorite song writers said "if their lives were exotic and strange, they would likely have gladly exchanged them for something a little more plain, maybe something a little more sane" 

So through this chaos we start to look for a sign, a reason and a strategy for coping. We follow the wise words written by the ancients. We meditate knowing that we are searching to find ourselves. We remember those wise cracking gods that thought they'd have a laugh and store the secrets deep within ourselves. How can we go looking inside for that when the whole world is distracting us? It throws us daily emails, glowing lights and 3 minute videos that must of cost more than Star Wars. People start to say “With all this science and technology I don't believe in God, I believe in matter, I want what’s solid, but I'm sure I have a soul, I have something more here within. Don’t I?”

And if you stopped anyone at about 9.30pm on their commute back home or maybe got to them even later just as they were turning off the bedside light and asked "What was your absolute best moment of the day?" I'm sure most of them would enthuse; "Well I had a real laugh working with my colleagues" or "I hugged my man as he realised he’d made a mistake" or "I kissed my sleepy child as she gave in and let the dreams take her" or, some other wild and crazy act of love. I heard Smokey Robinson say that love is the most powerful emotion we have, and even people that hate love because in order to hate something, they love the opposite something else! Love is a mysterious and wonderful expression of our existence that makes us question, write, sing, express and confuse ourselves on a daily basis. 

With all these thoughts it's sometimes hard to find calm in the chaos. Perhaps a song can transform us, maybe a book, a poem or sometimes a smile. Maybe a talk from a couple of crazy guys who have been around the block, learnt a bit and want to share it with you. 

Come along if you can:

Surviving The Chaos of the 21^st Century – Music, Life, Spirit, Love

http://nakeddragon.co.uk/events/talks/andy-dovey-russell-leak-surviving-the-chaos-of-the-21st-century/

There’s a first time for everything.

Last week I did my first gig with the wonderful Barefoot Doctor under the name Barefoot and Leakster. 

Andy Dovey joined us on percussion half way through and I danced my way through the set, pressing midi pedals, triggering loops and playing guitar and singing. I was too busy at the time to know if the gig was going well so now I've had some time for reflection.

I remember some years ago seeing one of my favorite TV shows called Six Feet Under and one of the characters was an art student and the teacher was saying “You must paint from the eye inside, everything you do should be a surprise to the earth” Well last Wednesday there was a surprise to the earth.  A collection of people in a lovely venue in Chertsey courtesy of the lovely people at Naked Dragon got to see and hear the Barefoot and Leakster experience for the first time. I think it was a positive experience for all concerned. It should be as it was billed as “Positive Message Music” The idea was that we would re-create the album we have been working on this last year in a live environment. The wonderful thing about live is that you don’t know what’s going to happen. This was the first time we would be sharing our music. The first time people would hear it, respond to it and judge it.  What happens if they don’t like it? What happens if they just walk off and we are left singing to an empty room? That’s happened to me before and certainly makes a man of you!

On the night, in the end, there was laughter, fun, some dancing, some clapping, a fair amount of lead guitar histrionics, positive rapping and all in all it seemed to go well. Before the last song called “Connected” I asked people if they would stay connected and fill out some feed back forms and tell us what they really thought. Here’s a selection of comments:

“I had a wonderful evening. I love your music so much - and the messages within
And your energy and presence. Thank you for a wonderful memorable experience” - J.A.

“I left feeling warm and happy, with a contended heart.” – M.E.

“The music was good. For me cool guitar & effects, a mix of blues, soft rock (floydish), soft trance and a bit cafe del mar The lyrics were uplifting (stuff happens but all is good...), made me ponder, connect with emotions and let go” - L.J.

I think that’s wonderful. It shows that the first time we did it… it seems to have connected with some people. That’s good for my ego – it also says we did something right. And I’d like to do it again. I’d like to spread this music to people far and wide because it seems to have the power to move people and connect them and get them singing and their feet tapping. What more do we need in these tumultuous times?

One of my favorite moments from the night was a lady who came and congratulated me on the song “Get Spanky” which deals with focusing on good stuff in order to make it grow. She said that she worked with people who were recovering from addictions and played it to them to help them think about focusing on good things. That was amazing to hear. To know that something I’ve worked on, labored over and poured love into is being received and is of use to people who might be struggling in there lives makes a wonderful connection for me, a wonderful way to give something of myself back to the world. 

There are some great pictures of the event here thanks to Ian Legge and on our facebook page and hopefully some videos to follow soon. Thank you for coming, thank you for listening.

Wishing I Had Tried

Wishing I Had Tried

I think I read my first self help book when I was about 18. On any one of my darker days I’ll be browsing one of the countries disappearing lovely bookshops with my ever patient girlfriend and I’ll pull random self help books off the shelf and say “read that, didn’t help…..read that …loada bull****” etc. My girlfriend once turned to me and said “They all helped, you just might not know how yet.”

In that first book something really stood out to me and has stuck with me and has helped me. The author was talking about why people don’t act on their ideas and was asking you to imagine how you would feel if you got to the point where you are about to depart this world and you suddenly realized there was all this stuff you could of done. It sort of jolted me really. I can’t think of anything worse than laying there dieing and unable to move and feeling the regret and wishing I had tried to do something. At the time I was thinking about writing songs but not really trying, not really knowing if I was good enough etc… so I wrote a song about it.

I tried to imagine what it would be like and how horrible it would be:

Look into my eyes see the hurt inside the smiles just a disguise

I’m jovial and keen upfront but hurting here inside

‘Cause I have wasted time and watched life from the side

I realize right now I should have tried

Now I’m lying on my death bed wishing , wishing I had tried

Watch the silver screen, all the people that are living out my dream

A dream I’ve often thought of as I lie hear it would seem that my only chance has been and gone and been and gone and been

And now I’m lying on my death bed wishing wishing I had tried

Wishing all those days away, wishing I had tried.

Look around the world, all the people

but especially that girl I’ve seen her walking here before

but never said a word I just hope she’ll smile

You never know but I’ve been here for quite a while

I like to think of this song as a call to action and a warning not to let your life end up like this. Go and make that song, have a relationship, paint, risk, learn, buy sell, do all the things that a human being can do. Because even if you do them all there will probably still be a part of you on your death bed saying ”If only I’d….” Or maybe not, maybe the parting words might be more like Oscar Wildes who apparently said "This wallpaper is atrocious either it or I have to go."

I’ll be playing this song and many others at the forthcoming Bunkfest – an amazing free festival of music, food, beer and a great atmosphere. www.bunkfest.co.uk

Completion?

When is anything ever truly finished? I’m reminded of an interview with William Friedkin director of The Exorcist having just completed the “Final 30 Year Anniversary Directors Cut of Cuts” or something and he said “At some point you have to leave it and move on” He told the story of Pissarro going into the Louvre with his palette and touching up paintings hanging on the gallery wall, the security guard dragging him away.

“But it is mine to change!” wailed Pissarro “ No, no, no “ replied the guard ”Its on the wall. That means its finished”

My solo album has been finished and printed and arrived and I hold in my sticky hands a CD titled “Smile”. It’s a beautiful thing. Songs that I have written months or even years ago finally have a place in the world because they are up on iTunes and printed on a CD, that’s final. After many months of existing in my studio of recording, mixing, editing, re- recording, fixing and finally mastering they now live somewhere else. Some of the songs were from when I first started writing, some from bands I worked with. I remember when one band finished one of the members said “What a shame, those songs…nothing will happen with them” That must of stuck in my head because I kept some of them and recorded them. Others are moments in time when I just went into the studio with an idea and crafted it from there.

But is anything really finished? I still play these songs live and who knows I might re-record a song or a live version. There could be a remix or a re-master at some time.

All I can say is that “Smile” is the statement of the songs then, that is how they were recorded and mixed and created at that time, an audio snapshot of where I was with these songs, with these abilities and the ears that I currently posses. I’m still recording and still learning and still creating and all of that is moving forward and changing until I finalise it and make another snapshot. Until then ‘Smile” exists as a moment in time that I’m very, very proud of.

You can hear the album and there are some free MP3s here: http://soundcloud.com/russellleak

www.russellleak.com

New Music

For the last few months I've been slaving away in my studio with Barefoot Doctor. www.barefootdoctorglobal.com To say I was slaving is something of a misnomer 'cause though the work has been hard its been so much fun that I daren't call it work. Songs have just appeared one after the other. Mainly flowing from the creative juices of the good doctor. It seems to me his musicality has been stifled a bit over the years and being with me and my girlfriend has allowed him to be the great musician he really is. He's flourished I'd say in the deepest part of Oxfordshire, hidden from view in order to reveal himself. He's come with a riff an idea a chord or a bass line, I'd find a beat and then we were off. Jamming over a musical barren landscape. Fleshing it out with some melodies here, some words there, a stab of keys, a lead guitar , a shaker. Carving the uncarved block until its soundscape revealed itself. I remember as a kid watching Rolf Harris "Do you know what it is yet?"he'd say and I'd think "Does HE know?". We dont know until the song is finished. We feel our way until its stopped speaking to us and then we have a sandwich and a cup of tea and talk about how hard it is being a human being.

And now we have a good number of songs in the can....what shall we do with them? A thousand meaningless thoughts drift across our collective conscious post sandwich, pre-mix...."Music has lost its value, people dont want this now, they want that now, who are we to believe this can communicate?" In the end you just put it out there and so we are...here goes...there's a video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylc4DekeOOI....and then an EP coming.