mokeblog

Moving up...

2011-10-27T02:17:00.000-07:00

New gig announced. We're done with Croydon. This time it's Hoxton. We're going to do all the ...ons. Wimbled, er...nope...can't think of any more.

Anyway, 'til next time...

a l e x m o k e

M O K E . . .

2011-09-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

What a month! Busy as fuck, but all good, so that's OK then.

On Friday night of last week (Sept 16th 2011), Moke reformed for one night only, to play the old favourites for a small but select crowd of well wishers who just wanted to rock out. And so we did!

Now, yes, the gig was in Croydon, which is hardly the epicentre of cool, but then nor are we. And at the end of the day, a room is just a room, and a very fine one it was too. Ample PA, excellent drinks, friendly staff...what more could one want. Two very cool support bands in the guise of perennial gentle groovers, Wake, and the rather splendid The 23 Enigma.

In the build up to the gig, we managed to bother a few journalists...

...met again our instruments and amplifiers, some not seen for over a decade. Here's a shot of one of the rehearsals...

...reverted to being cocky little show-offs and generally made a din. This is us walking onto the stage, ready for kick off. The octopus on the left is in fact Suneil, our sound man, also the current choice of Rufus Wainwright and Snow Patrol. He's ace, the little dobber.

It was fun!!! And although I said we reformed for one night only, I think we next play Notting Hill Arts Club, at a point nearer Christmas. So we're complete and utter liars! Christmas may also seem a long way off, but when you've been waiting for over ten years, a couple of months is nothing, especially when there's SO much to be getting on with.

Songs to write, websites to build, recordings to make...

a l e x m o k e

Ah, codeine...

2011-09-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

Moke rehearsal by MOKE

a l e x m o k e

LIVE TRACK...

2011-09-05T09:30:00.001-07:00

To whet your whistle for the 16th - this is a performance of Sleepyhead whilst Moke were touring with The Black Crowes in 1999. This version is from a show at The Aragon Ballroom in Chicage IL.

Enjoy!

a l e x m o k e

Ooh...!

2011-08-26T07:18:00.001-07:00

a l e x m o k e

SW France...

2011-08-14T16:56:00.001-07:00

...three weeks!

Green pool (now azure).
Many guests.
Intermarché.
Duck.
Cheese.
Goose.
Du pain.
Du vin.
Paté.
Pastis.
Strimmer fixing.
Chateaux.
Lions.
Joined circus.
Hospital stay.
Lots and lots and lots of driving. Mainly between Perigeux and Le Bugue.
Beardy.

C'est tout!

a l e x m o k e

Business...

2011-07-07T06:09:00.000-07:00

Rrrrrrrrrrrrroight!

I'm experimenting with effects pedals today. I'm trying to build the ultimate bass pedal board for the newly reformed Moke.

Yep, you heard.

Business will be done at the mokesite and at the mokemyspace, both sites currently being overhauled.

It's been strange, trying to relearn three albums worth of material. I thought I wouldn't have forgotten the songs, but I have. I've also lost my feel. It's been over ten years since we last played, so I'm having to remember how to play like 25 year-old Alex. Weird.

But I'm getting my chops back, as well as my tone, and so far, no blisters, although my shoulder's rather sore. Those Fenders are MIGHTY heavy.

I plan to play a 1970s reissue Fender Jazz, sunburst with a rosewood block neck...

...into an Ampeg SVT2 head and 2x15 Cab.

Basically, about as loud and splendid a noise as you can get, and it's important to have an amp that's taller than yourself. Regarding my effects, so far, the order of pedals runs thus...

Boss TU2

Sexdrive

Octabass

Bass Overdrive

Big Muff

Tremolo

...and I've just bought a Mind Bender.

Excellente! Now I've just got to string them all together.

More soon...

a l e x m o k e

Hmmm...

2011-06-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

...I think it's about time I started updating this sucker again!

H O O !

a l e x m o k e

2011 - year of the rabbit

2011-01-11T06:06:00.000-08:00

So here we all are. 2011. Year of the rabbit, apparently, which according to the Chinese means it'll be a quiet year, giving respite after the year of the tiger, whatever that was.

Who knows? Not I, that's for sure. Anyway...

TO BUSINESS!

The album is finally nearing completion.
It's been five months in the making, which I can't quite believe!
Here's the track listing...

..interestingly, the last one is Fleetwood Mac cover. You gotta love the Mac.
And after five months of pretty much exclusively staring at these three...

(...save for the odd visitor...)

...I think it's fair to say we're all going quietly mad.
In fact, that's complete nonsense.

Musicians?

Quiet?

HA!

No.

Noisily mad. Very, very noisily.
Case in point. Paul (48, Record Producer and Musician extraordinaire) has just torn Harry's trousers open.
At the crotch. Naturally.

And apparently, I've decided that wearing size 12 Uggs is perfectly normal look for a 38 year old father of two.

Hmm...maybe not.
Anyway, the record is sounding
A M A Z I N G ! ! !
Even if I do say so myself.
Until next time, hugs...your pal

a l e x m o k e

WHERE...

2010-11-26T10:42:00.001-08:00

...THE FRICK HAS MYSPACE GONE?!

Lost in the fog? Mabes. Probs.

Son no. 2 told me this afternoon, "Our soil is poo!".
I misheard this as, "Arseholes are poo!"
I got cross with him and then he sulked.

I then realised my mistake.
He still wouldn't talk to me.
But it was OK.
I had chocolate mouse.

I won!

This looks like a poem, a non-rhymey one.

The end.

a l e x m o k e

That was the month that was...

2010-07-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

...JUNLY - see what I did there? I amalgamated two words to make one hybrid. A superword! Kind of like the Labradoodle. And the cockapoodle. And the Griffinsquirrel. Probably.

Anyway, I've done lots more recording...

...lived for a week as a true Amsterdamer...

...my base whilst performing a series of concerts around Holland with a rather super chamber choir...

...I probably Amsterdamaged my liver irrepairably with this silver-maned reprobate...

...I've eaten a lot of shit food, against my will (note to self - must stop putting finger over lens)...

...but it was GOOD shit food. In this fish and chip shop in Holborn, a woman in a tabbard serves you your food on china plates. And I got bread and butter. I love women in tabbards...

...and this was just plain weird (FINGER!!!)...

...I've also built some well known London landmarks in Lego...

...enjoyed the fresh air...

...worked on new hairstyles...

...continued to develop an obsession with the phrase "Jeah. C'mon"...

...which is getting a bit silly really. Excellent!...

...and hopefully found a producer for the forthcoming album, one of these guys, and this is very exciting, coz I just love their music.

So there! That's some of Junly. What I now need is a holiday. Here's hoping I get one!

a l e x m o k e

A while...

2010-07-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

...it's been a while. So I'm thinking I might actually post a blog again soon. Fill y'all in and all that. It's been a funny old month or two really.

a l e x m o k e

"He was good...

2010-06-28T09:33:00.001-07:00

...really, really good. "

Ah bless 'em, them there presenters.

Harold. S. D'Y. C'm Collier sung his heart out with the Faithless crew at, quite frankly, one of Glasto's best performances this year, especially considering it was a Sunday evening! But the build up was so fantastic - what's not to love...epic weather, brilliant music, eaaaaasy times and...oh, just everything really.

Although apparently, at some point, England went all wonky in the world cup. Didn't seem to dent the atmosphere at Pilton Farm however.

Check it out here - it's a long iPlayer clip, with lots of other acts but because I'm a sweetie, I've edited it for you. Though it does require some scrolling.

Best bit No. 1 - Feel Me @ 1h 07m 00s

Best bit No. 2 - Harreeeeee...Harreeeee...Harreeee & Bombs 1h 32m 40s

Bestest of all bit No. 3 - watch from 1h 51m including Edith Bowman and Reggie Gates' chit chat!

Whooooooooo ha!

Awaon and awoan...until the breakadaowan. Djyeah!

Cw'mon.

a l e x m o k e

Oh yes...

2010-06-25T01:28:00.000-07:00

Glastonbury? Yes!
Sunny? Yes!
29 degrees on Sunday? OH YES!!!

Meanwhile, to whet the appetite...

a l e x m o k e

Happy clappy...

2010-05-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

Ah, the joys of recording. We needed some handclaps. But instead we did leg slaps.

Why?

We just did, OK!

a l e x m o k e

An unusual musical message...

2010-05-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

I visited Tower Bridge today. Two lovely things happened...

(i) When it opened, everyone clapped.

(ii) When it closed, it played a Bm 2nd inversion triad.

Clever old bridge.

a l e x m o k e

To boldly go...

2010-05-07T01:06:00.000-07:00

To celebrate that today is the final day of teaching for twenty weeks - yes, can't quite believe it myself either - we shall be performing a rather splendid concert this evening. When I say we, I refer to the staff and students of KU music dept. Now, we like a challenge, so here's what we're attempting.

A magical melange of art forms, interwoven to create a narrative that is loosely based around the monomyth, The Hero's Journey. If you're not familiar with this, follow the link - pretty much most Hollywood movies use it as a framework, Star Wars being perhaps the best example.

There will be singing. Much singing - both our chamber choir and chorus are performing, as well as some rather snazzy sound diffusion courtesy of the noiseboyz and girlz. Students and staff have composed much of the music and there will also be dancers, with Wii controllers strapped to their bodies, who will trigger and perform large sections of music through their choreography.

And to really spice things up, whilst most of our performers will be in Kingston, we've also decided to send some students to perform in Amsterdam. The concert will then take place between the two cities, with our tech boys running live weblinks so that the performers and audience in Kingston can see, hear and interact with the performers and audience in Holland.

It's all a bit ambitious really, but I think it's going to work!

Finally, and just because we can do, we're going to broadcast the whole thing on the world wide web. Phew! So...

Friday 7th May, 7.30pm
T W I N C I T I E S
The Hero's Journey

Click the link above to see if we pull it off. Beats watching all this nonsense about the election.

a l e x m o k e

p.s - well done Brighton Pavilion!

Mics, camera, action...

2010-04-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

Whaddaya think fellas?
A pretty good place to immerse oneself in one's jam tart...

That was the month that was April...

2010-04-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

April is about to depart. Here's what I done did...

...I saw my bro get married...

...ate at a Michelin starred restaurant...

...sat in some interesting meetingszzzzzzzz...

...went out with drinking with Suneil (hair) and Snow Patrol (boot) in a pub where Jack the Ripper used to pick up his victims...

...had my first BBQ of the year...

...had my life saved by a mysterious stranger...thank you, whoever you are...

...climbed some trees...

...tinkered with £50,000 worth of vintage keyboards...

...had a manly bonfire...

...these were the good bits, as ever, tempered by some that were not-so-good. All said and done though, an interesting month. And I'll tell you one other thing...I really need a new phone. The camera on this one is shit!

a l e x m o k e

Lovely...

2010-04-24T02:08:00.000-07:00

...especially when it's true.

Ooooofffffff...

2010-04-23T02:18:00.000-07:00

Such is the sound I made this morning.

Yesterday saw us having the last of a series of meetings with our lawyers, which somehow turned into a bit of a celebration. Rather a lot of Japanese food was consumed, along with rather a lot of Japanese beer.

I've come to the conclusion that my beer drinking days are over. I just feel so dreadful the morning after, whereas if I drink wine, all is fine. Well, fine-ish.

Harry is now winging his way to Macedonia to begin the Faithless tour - he's singing with them throughout this summer. An undoubted highlight of the tour will be their performance at Glasto, where they play the main stage just before Stevie Wonder. I can feel the need for a backstage pass coming on.

Meanwhile, I'm finalising a plan for the recording of the album. Originally, we were going to do this in London. We're now thinking that we should decamp to the South of France for a couple of weeks and do it there.

It worked for these fellas.

Arguably their best album, Exile...was made at Keith Richard's villa. But joking aside, removing ourselves from London would ensure we'd be free from distractions and able to focus on making a really great record. Which is what it's all about.

And I suppose there's the added benefit that the weather, food and wine are infinitely more agreeable.

A bientôt...

a l e x m o k e

Folky...

2010-04-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

I'm on a folk tip and I'm finding some very interesting music. Case in point - Sweet William's Ghost. It's an ancient song, impossible to say how old. There are many different versions of it and though the lyrics differ, the story is basically the same. It's a tale of great love. Margaret's feelings for her dead lover are so great the final line should really be "Stretched out her limbs and died". Most versions end this way, but in Kate Rusby's version, it's been adapted to "cried".

Very sad, but a beautiful song nonetheless.

Synthorama...

2010-04-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

How cool is eBay? It's our generation's equivalent of a jumble sale. And now, as I drift back for a dreamy and nostalgic wallow in the past, it's probably best if you imagine the first sentence being spoken in a Northern accent. Why? I'm not sure. I grew up in Putney.

"When I were a lad t'jumble sale' were magic." We used to have them at my primary school once a year, but no more than that. As such, they were big events. HUGE!

Jumble sales were ace because it meant you got to roam your school as a wild, feral pack of children, the membership of which consisted predominately of those with a one-digit age. Left alone and unsupervised, we'd exorcise our demons, usually doing the things that most of the year teachers, dinner ladies and playground supervisors told us we weren't allowed to do. As an example, I definitely once climbed a drainpipe to access the school roof. Why? Again, I'm not too sure. Though I think it had something to do with The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler, a book we had just read in class.

Jumble sales of the 1970s also seemed to attract a strange variety of ne'erdowells. Proper characters, definitely not just parents and relatives of kids at the school.

In the case of my school, it was gypsies. Time blurs the memory and rose tints events from the past, but I swear to you, this was true. And I mean gypsy in the kind sense of the word, i.e. used to describe wandering Romani people. Tinkers or travelers, if you will.

As well as them, the jumble sale would also attract a certain type of lady, the kind of which you no longer see. The sort that wore tabards and head scarfs, a bit like Olive from On The Buses. And it's these ladies (I shall call them the Olives) that I remember most clearly. They were the ones you had to watch.

Perhaps an hour before the school gate was opened, a large group of them would have assembled. Once the school gate was thrown open, the Olives would surge forwards, mercilessly beating a path through children and parents, intent on completing some seriously hard bargaining, sometimes to the point of theft. And all in order to snap up the general tat that was on sale. And more often than not, it really was tat.

The Olives, on discovering a group of squabbling children, would also resolve matters by knocking your heads together. We did our best to keep well clear of them.

Whilst all this went on, our parents were gassing away, usually all pissed up on booze. Which explains (a) how we were able to roam freely, and (b) how the Olives were able to haggle so effectively.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that thanks to the modern, electronic version of the jumble sale and my own skills at haggling, look what I've now got to play with...

Casio CZ3000 - I love this one a lot. Made 1983.

Roland Juno 60 - my dream keyboard as a child! Can't quite believe I now own one. Made 1982.

Korg MS20 - seriously desirable. And as such expensive. Made 1978.

Korg Microkorg - the world's best selling keyboard ever. And as such, cheap. Cheap as shit chips. Made now.

Roland RS-09 - on loan from a very dear friend. Joog! Made 1979.

Korg Triton LE - bog standard, but has sample playback option installed. Naughty. Made 2005, or something like that.

And finally, the best. Also a gift and the most special of them all. And that's saying something, coz the others are preeeeetty special. But I will make sure that this, above all of the keyboards, makes it onto this album! Conceived 1968, born 1969. The Rolf model debuted 1970. Hoo!

So, some electronic jumblesy sales, some giftys...all now mine to play with. Cwmon. I'll post a picture when everything's set up.

a l e x m o k e

Kerching...

2010-04-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

For the last two years I've been playing in a band. We meet at least once a week, though usually more often. Sometimes to rehearse, sometimes to record. Sometimes to write music and, quite frankly, sometimes just to let off steam.

We also do gigs. Big, noisy splendid ones.

For a while now, a plan has been hatching. And last week we pulled it off - we've finally signed a record deal! And not just any old deal. A big, fat monster of a deal. And believe me when I tell you, this is also something groundbreaking. Something quite extraordinary, for want of a better word.

Putting all this aside, above everything, I'm just so chuffed that we're finally going to be able to make our album. The four of us have put in a lot of hard work over the past two years, and it's not always been easy. But we've stuck with it because we love it and we believe in it. And now to be given this opportunity, with those three other loveable scamps...well, it's just great.
In fact, it's fantastic!
Fantakka!
Fandabbydozy!

So things are going to start gathering momentum and first things first, I'm going shopping.

Gonna get me one of these...

It's such a beautiful instrument, made by Nord - they're Swedish don't you know. The pitch bend is made of wood, as are the end-cheeks. The mod wheel is made of polished granite. It's pure craftsmanship and as for the sound...I'm getting all hot and bothered thinking about it!

It also probably weighs a ton, but then that's where roadies come in rather handy.

And whilst I'm shopping, I'm also going to get me one of these...

...and most certainly one of these...

...and one of these for sure...

...and I could go on and on, but won't as it'd be self-indulgent. Besides, I've got things to do, places to go, people to see.

Happy Easter!

a l e x m o k e

HOT NEWS!

2010-04-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

Coming your way. Imminently.
Just as soon as I've finished celebrating...

x x x

a l e x m o k e

Fuck...

2010-01-25T02:56:00.000-08:00

Fuck fuck fuckety fuck.
Fuckety fuckety fuck!

F U C K!

Lifeline urgently needed...

Adverse weather...

2010-01-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

And so the UK finds itself caught in a snap of cold and frosty weather. It's been the sort of weather that British people bemoan the lack of, especially before Christmas. But then presented with it, all hell breaks loose. At the moment, the major news story is that we have a "crisis". Yes, that's right. A CRISIS!!!

At least according to the Currant Bun.

It's a battle, just like love is...or is it that love is a battlefield? Most probably...

Anyway, what they really mean is that the gritting depots have less grit than they feel they need. But is this really an issue?

Not really.

I've been driving quite happily over snow and ice over the last few days with no problems. In fact, I have been specifically seeking out the worst roads to drive upon because...you CAN drive on them, AND IT'S FUN!

And so I've now perfected what I have termed a new art form...car ballet! Graceful pirouettes, a bit of dégagé. It's a hard-paced but saucy routine for me and my car. And we're doing good. At least, no dents or dinks, so far...

Meanwhile, enjoy my other new hobby, surf-sledging, invented with my good buddy RichardfromPutney. Best tackled when full of Young's Winter Warmer.

a l e x m o k e

: - (

2010-01-07T12:34:00.001-08:00

Blurgh...

2009-12-20T01:32:00.000-08:00

Oh what a night
Late December back in...2009 actually

Last night we supported Ned's Atomic Dustbin at the rather splendid O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. I still think of the venue as the BBC TV theatre, a place I first visited in 1979 to watch my friend, Edward Mitchell, appear on Crackerjack. He lost Take A Letter and by way of condolence had to sit of Keith "Orville" Harris's knee. When Keith squeezed him, he had to open his mouth, and out would come Cuddles the Monkey's voice. What Keith squeezed is uncertain and the mind boggles as lil' Ed was never quite the same afterwards. Anyway, I'm wandering, which ain't too surprising as I'm still quite drunk. Worrying...? Well, yes potentially, as it's 10am, but then again IT"S CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISTMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!

The gig was magnificent! We played well, the venue staff were fantastic, photos were shot by the lovely Sarah (thank you), FOH sound ROCKED by Cap'n Mathew Stokes (who when things are going well, dances, and he was dancing last night, which was reassuring), and equipment humped and stowed by Mike and Richard (road crew extraordinaire). Best of all, 2,000 lovely Ned's fans watched and cheered us on. It's a great shame that not everyone I'd like to have been there, could be...

Probably time for another photo.

Beneath this sign is where I spent a large part of the evening smoking. Other than that I, along with the other Daddies could be found reclining in here...

I'm now starting to feel sick, so I'll go. And leave you with a snap of what it looks like walking onto the stage, albeit during sound check...

...as well as a photo of two drunk lushes...

...nighty night!

a l e x m o k e

It's been a while...

2009-12-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

...to be precise, ten whole months. That's nearly a year, and we don't have many of those to spunk away. I've decided to resurrect this blog, because I want to. Shall we say a general sense of catharsis prevails...

And I've got shit to post, so there! More soon...

a l e x m o k e

Lordy...

2009-02-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

There is nothing at all right with this advert. Though it's strangely compelling to watch.

a l e x m o k e

One of The Willing...

2009-01-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Gin, gin, it's good for your heart. Well, it probably isn't, but quite frankly, I don't care. It's working for me right now.

So - to business. The image above is of Ian Wills' new album, or rather Wills and the Willing as they are known.

It's a fantastic record, some great songs and rather splendid production too, courtesy of Captain Sean 'knob-Topol' Genockey. I'm not quite sure when it's due for release, but I think it's soon. Immininet even.

The twenty-two handsome cover stars feature Mr. Wills, his band and premier league footballers Didier Drogba and Michael Essien. I'm not quite sure who they are. They may play for England, they may not. I went to a party at Chinawhite following the launch of Ian's single 'Skin'. Apparently there were numerous famous footballers there, though I hadn't a clue. I was more concerned about the price of the cocktails - thirty quid a pop! Naively, I offered to buy a round of drinks, then nearly collapsed when presented with a three figure bar bill.

The other hunks on the album cover are The Willing. These are people who contributed to the making of this record, either through studio wizzardry or by performing on tracks. I fall into the latter catagory, and consequently am one of the faces on the album cover. So are Messieurs John Hogg and Harry Collier.

Click on the picture to enlarge. Can you find us...?

a l e x m o k e

Christmas message...

2008-12-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

Ding dong merrily on high
For Harry C is singing
Alex, John, Martin and Dan
Are twanging, banging, plinking

Here's a sneaky peek into some of the new material, as well as an insight into how musician's communicate with each other during rehearsals.

Happy Christmas - looking forward to seeing you at a venue somewhere in 2009!

a l e x m o k e

Stop Press!

2008-12-23T10:59:00.001-08:00

New blog with Christmas message and snippets of music of the new band will be arriving tomorrow. But in the meantime, I'm off across a frosty London for a Christmas feast.

a l e x m o k e

The 12-step guide to making an album...

2008-11-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

Hello you beauties.

Lots going on at the moment, some good, some bad. Despite this, as the band continues to come together, I continue to film the process. I'm currently working on the next blog update, so keep checking back and I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, I've found my VHS tapes of Moke recording Carnival at Rockfield Studios in Wales. I thought I'd lost the tapes, so am delighted to be able to finally share a few moments with you. The album sessions began in Los Angeles, but we didn't like it there, so decamped to sunny Wales. It was also about as far away from our record company as we could get. We stayed two weeks, I only wish it could have been more.

Rockfield is where many, many great albums have been made. For example, the piano in the clip really is the one used on Bohemian Rhapsody. Pretty cool, eh...? Add to that a fabulous collection of mics and outboard gear, great sounding rooms and best of all...total seclusion!

Next to the studio is a house, each one of us had our own rooms, with en suites (complete with whirlpool bath, no less). Every evening you'd write on the blackboard by the kitchen what time you'd like to be woken in the morning, as well as what you'd like for breakfast. And at around 5pm each day, a cordon-bleu chef would arrive and cook you a three-course meal for dinner!

After Rockfield, we went to London and spent several further months recording before finally heading back to Los Angeles for a couple of weeks where the album was mixed.

Below is advice on how to make a record...

a l e x m o k e

Rehearsal No.4...

2008-11-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Feckin' Nora!

Rehearsal No. 4 took place last night and another song was added to the pot. Harry’s written some corking tunes – we’re all very excited! Everyone’s getting on top of the harmonies, as well as the instrumental parts that change subtly from verse to chorus. These subtle shifts mean learning the songs is a right old mental workout. If you’re not concentrating it’s easy to lose track of where you are. Good thing that we’re all such pros then. Er…

I’ve been filming select bits as we go along. I’d love to show you some of the music, but at this stage I can’t. Anyway you’ll just have to come and see it for yourself. Things are shaping up - gigs to follow soon.

Instead, here’s a short film about everything else that takes place when rehearsing. It packs sizzling facts, wise advice, poetry, epic voyages, hilarious jokes and lions, yes lions, into just two minutes! Spielberg and Tarantino are shitting themselves.

Rehearsals can be dull affairs, but not with this band.

a l e x m o k e

Homebrew...

2008-10-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

Strewth!

Johnmoke's Mum makes her own wine. She distributes it to her son in a petorl can, which makes you feel really naughty each time you go for a top up. Or should that be stop to refuel? Anyway, you could almost certainly power a small vehicle with it.

The wine was consumed whilst we rehearsed with our new supergroup. I'm very excited about this project, which will be coming to a venue near you soon. The music is written by Harry Collier - amazing songs played by a fantastic group of musicians.

It's the best band I've ever been in.

To celebrate this, we drank the wine. All of it.

And then didn't play so well.

a l e x m o k e

p.s - new Moke clip below. Thanks Heylad, whoever you are!

My Degeneration (live)...

2008-08-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

Zap!
Pow!
Kerblat!

Rock as hard as this don't come easy. Yes, Moke have their sex faces on, but when generating riffs of such gladitorial magnitude, is it really surprising?!?!

Ladies and Gentlemen...the mighty, MIGHTY MOKE!

a l e x m o k e

New music...

2008-08-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

There have been requests for new music and I'm planning on putting some new stuff up in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, I hope you've been resourceful enough to check out the Moke myspace site.

Here, you'll find our first single, I Dream Abused, two previously unreleased tracks, Leather Drag and Take It Out On Me, as well as a demo from the unreleased third album, The Fashion.

Also, the Moonhead track, Lovely Day (featuring Alex and John) is available from the audio area of the Moke website, along with another B-side, Seven Lives.

So all in all, quite a lot of freebies so far, with more still to come. Trouble is, I AM SO BUSY at the moment, it has been extremely difficult to find time to get round to working on the Moke website.

You see, I've been developing an alternate career in television. There will be more on this soon. So very much more!!! I've also just bought myself a harmonium, see picture above. Which naturally has seen me performing a number of rude sea shanties, much to my children's delight, instead of concentrating on things I should be doing.

a l e x m o k e

Fixed it...

2008-07-15T03:41:00.000-07:00

Clever old me! Moonhead now available for all - feast yourselves my beauties!

By way of celebration, let's go jam with Roger Manning Jr & pal...

a l e x m o k e

Moonhead...

2008-07-14T13:02:00.001-07:00

Ok, Ok...
Stupid bleedin' website problems.
Bear with us.

a l e x m o k e

Glastonbury part 3...

2008-07-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

Now I've been to festivals. Many, many festivals. Unfortunately, over the years, these have varied in quality.

Low points...
Greenbelt festival, England '95.
As performer, Moonhead - band introduced by BBC Radio 1 DJ Simon Mayo, who had just waxed lyrical on how his parents accepting his ear ring was a bit like how God / Jesus is accepting of many similar challenging issues. OK Simon. Nice use of analogy. To the unitiated, the Greenbelt Festival is run by "an independent Christian charity working to express love, creativity and justice in the arts and contemporary culture in the light of the Christian gospel". Which despite my lack of religious convictions is just fine, until your sarcastic guitarist, arriving ten minutes late for the set, rushes on stage mid-song and announces through the mic that he's sorry for his tardiness, but en-route to the festival he suddenly saw the light and found Jaaaaaaysus.

Jools Holland, Beddington Park, England '95
As performer, Moonhead - supporting Sir Jools and his mighty Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Unfortunately, the man from the council came round with his noise-meter, to check that the bands weren't playing too loud, decided we were, and shut the PA system off mid-song, thus terminating our performance. Band then proceed to get regally drunk, enjoy Lonnie Listen Smith's and Jools' sets, ...and ultimately wake up cold, damp and alone behind some flightcases in a tent, unsure of time and how to get home.

Some fucker in Atlanta, GA, USA '99
As performer, Moke - sorry that I can't be more specific about the festival name, but we flew from Chicago...no the battery's flat (think about it) to Atlanta. Then we had to drive about 250 miles through torrential rain to the festival site. We did this, jumping off a major tour (arena shows), because it was, according to our label, "a fantastic opportunity". Which in essence translated to a fantastic opportunity to look at a load of electrical cables under 3 inches of water, a sagging, wind destroyed stage and three acid-soaked groovers, dancing to the beat of the monsoon that was lashing the festival site. Whilst we absorbed this, the poor promoter explained that the festival was off. No shit, Sherlock. Cue return 250 mile drive, 2000 mile flight...resume tour.

Glasonbury, England, 2000
As performer, Moke - best EVER on stage sound. Wonderful!

Cropredy, England '96
As security guard(!), Camp Site 4 - I stayed awake from Thursday 'til Sunday.

Rock Am Ring, Germany '99
As performer, Moke. Great show - other bands included Senser, Ash, Smashing Pumpkins and The Prodigy. The next morning, Seanmoke and myself decided that we needed to go home. An epic journey ensued, which included traveling in German Police cars (they're BMWs you know), several buses, wonderful smooth punctual European trains, two planes, a short visit to Switzerland, before finally arriving at Heathrow.

My final thoughts before moving away from the festival thing...

On the whole, committing to attending a festival is a bit like a trip to McDonalds. You know from the outset it's fraught with potential badness. But the reality is actually quite good.

a l e x m o k e

p.s - Moonhead were a lovely band with John and Alex, amongst other members. I will post some music by Moonhead next week.

Glastonbury part deux...

2008-07-02T04:24:00.000-07:00

MGMT
Goldfrapp
Kings of Leon
Ting Tings
Neil Diamond
The Raconteurs

I get it.

a l e x m o k e

Glastonbury...

2008-06-30T02:49:00.000-07:00

The Verve - I just don't get it?!?!

a l e x m o k e

Busy...

2008-06-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Man, we've been busy!

It has come to my attention that none other than Sean "Topol" Genockey has been busy keeping journalists in gainful employment. Sean featured in The Guardian last Saturday, and has also been busy talking studio wizzardry to techie publication, Audio Pro Magazine. If that's not enough, the Gnock's also just played at the Isle of Wight festival with Wills & The Willing, featuring none other than Moke No. 5 Charlie Morton on drums.

Similarly, Hogg have also been busy, playing the Isle of Wight two days after Sean & Charlie. Their next date is at the Hyde Park Calling festival on the 28th June. I've just mixed a track for them, called Television Blues. It can be downloaded for free from their rather snappy new website.

Now if that isn't enough activity for you, Johnny Morgan and the magnificent Senser have been busy enjoying a range of service stations accross the UK whilst touring, something they will continue to be doing throughout the summer. A new album is due out in September - details available here.

Blimey, I'm knackered just thinking about it all. I'm off for a rest...

a l e x m o k e

On the radio, part 2...

2008-06-06T02:19:00.000-07:00

I hope you were listening on Wednesday evening to the rather wonderful Ally Lee show on Lionheart Radio. As you know, Moke were the featured artist that evening, but I also heard some excellent non-Moke music including the late greats Johnny Cash and Bo Diddley, as well as my new favourite band, Airbourne - check them out here. With song names like Runnin' Wild and lyrics such as...

I got the wind at my back
And my foot to the floor
I ain't comin' back to you no more

...you know these fellas mean business.
And their business is to rock.

They're playing at Donnington later this summer, for those interested. But back to Ally Lee's show, much fun was had, and it was nice to hear that people from various parts of the UK were listening and texting / emailing in. We even had Moke fans from as far away as Canada listening online. Gotta love that internet. I plan to put highlights of the show up on the website at a point soon - meanwhile click here for a little taster.

a l e x m o k e

Palace O'Piano...

2008-06-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

Hello

Happy 1st of June y'all. A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month, and no returns. Though where is the sunshine?

Just a couple of things. The first is to remind you of Moke's forthcoming appearance on the radio, details in blog beneath. I'm not going to stop plugging this because I think it's fantastic and am looking forward to tuning in.

The second is that I've been busy moonlighting, recording some rather fabulous piano for the progressive rock supergroup, Frost. Much fun was had, and you can see the results here.

Quite why I'm known as Dr. Ean dates back to around 1986, but it's a title I like and an alias I wear well. I will be adopting a similar guise on Monday this week, when John and myself will be donning our mixing capes. We're working on a system that will revolutionise the record making process. The theory is, you can take several days mixing a track, or you can take just a few hours. We'll be testing the theory that a few hours produces better results than several days.

And I reckon it will too.

a l e x m o k e

On the radio...

2008-05-22T01:11:00.000-07:00

Moke will be on the radio, on Wednesday 4th June 7.00 - 10.00pm GMT. That's the time in London, England for you non-UK based Moke afficianados. The show is Ally Lee's Rock Show and Moke will be the featured artist that evening. The radio staion is www.lionheartradio.com - you can access them here.

Rock on...

a l e x m o k e

Sonic fun...

2008-05-16T04:18:00.000-07:00

I've just got me one of these. Such fun, though it's keeping me from working on the website, something I should really be doing.

In light of this, I should draw your attention to the comments feature at the end of this blog, which can be used to submit encouraging, supportive and motivational messages. Go Alex...GO! And if there are enough of these, you'll find me sprinting, Rocky Balboa-style, to the top of the Moke Youtube steps with a special musical treat.

Also, some news...I think there's going to be a Moke special on the radio in the next week. And coz it's on the internet, EVERYONE will be able to listen. I've just been recording idents for the show, something I haven't done in six years. An ident is when you say "Hi, this is Alex from Moke, and you're listening to (insert DJ's name here) on KLCX 108.6...the home of ROCK!"...or something like that. It used to be a task left primarily to John Hogg and myself, and not because Sean and Johnny weren't welcome to do it, but because we would actively seek out the opportunity to do so. Why? Within minutes we'd be reduced to fits of side-splitting laughter, tears rolling down our faces, barely able to breathe, whilst the increasingly frustrated DJ looked on.

I was going to post some outakes from John and myself, but then I stumbled upon a couple of pros. I think they best demonstrate why recording idents can be fun.

Which reminds me, I should call John and get him over to record some right now. And maybe have some wine.

Back soon...

a l e x m o k e

p.s - for interested parties, Memory Man stuff here!

Celebrity fan No. 2...

2008-05-08T03:29:00.001-07:00

We kicked Keanu's arse. How? Well...

Moke were the first band signed to our American record company. Dogstar, Keanu Reeve's band, were the second. The label thought it would be a good idea to send us out on tour together. This made a great deal of sense, particularly seeing as we were both about to release debut albums and The Matrix was doing rather well at the box office.

Being naturally inquisitive souls, we wondered if when backed into a tricky situation, Keanu would put his Matrix style moves into practice. Following a few weeks weaving our way across America, opportunity came a-knocking in a hotel swimming pool one evening.

Now it turns out, when faced with a bit of tasty Saaaaf Laaaaaaaaaaandan action, fancy kung-fu is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Yes - we did split his head open, but as it was all in the name of fun, nobody thought anymore of it.

Our label, however, were shitting themselves. Apparently, damaging the face of one of Warner Bros' biggest movie stars is NOT a good move. Fortunately, Keanu is a very nice man and the threat of lawsuits quickly subsided. Tell you what though - if our paths cross again, one almighty big can of Whoopass will be opened Reeves, make no mistake about that!

a l e x m o k e

Celebrity fan No. 1...

2008-05-05T06:35:00.000-07:00

Someone's just called me to let me know that they've just seen English novelist, reviewer and columnist Will Self lighting a roll up with a Moke cigarette lighter (soon to be available from our forthcoming, high quality, internet-based retail outlet).

a l e x m o k e

Farewell to Brewer St...

2008-04-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

This Monday saw our UK record company finally moving out of their premises in Brewer St, Soho. Soho is like a village that landed in the middle of London. Or more to the point, it's like a village that London surrounded, because that part of London is pretty old. But I digress...

Dorado, our record company, had been operating out of their Brewer St premises for sixteen years. The office was a few doors away from the pub pictured above. Though the Brewer St office has now closed, the label is alive and well - you can see what they're up to here.

Monday afternoon found me retreading a familiar path, from Waterloo Station, through London's sunny streets, to Dorado HQ. On the way I had to walk through Trafalgar Square. Strangely, at that exact moment, so did Prince Charles. This was of great inconvenience, as around 1,000 tourists were rubber necking the jug-eared heir to the throne. Though he does make nice sausages, I'll give him that. And cakes. Again, I digress...

I arrived at 5'ish, to a haze of skunk smoke, copious amounts of ice cold beer, a sea of cardboard boxes, towering piles of vinyl, CDs and other paraphernalia. Other artists signed to the label soon turned up, and before long a right old knees-up was taking place.

By mid-evening I was pleasantly toasted and cruising back to Surrey in a cab, chockablock full of Moke goodies. Rummaging through the stock rooms of the label has unearthed CD singles & albums, 7" & 12" vinyl singles, posters, 1,000 Moke cigarette lighters, live recordings of concerts, unreleased studio material...oh and all the master tapes too.

Result!

The question is, what to do with all this stuff next...

a l e x m o k e

The Bounder...

2008-04-23T11:35:00.001-07:00

Man...we had a bounder. Or more specifically, we had The Bounder...THE Bounder. It looked very similar to the one in the picture above, but ours was pimped. And I mean PIMPED! The Moke Bounder had another set of wheels towards the back, a satellite dish that you cranked up with a handle linked to a huge television, fridges, a kitchen, a shower, toilet...and best of all, electric steps that popped out at the touch of a button. We eschewed the black paint job and went instead for pure beige. Classic, sleek, sexy...cool.

We first met The Bounder in Florida. It had been driven out to the East coast by our driver for the next twelve weeks, Hans. The man was, and hopefully still is, a legend.

Over the course of that tour, The Bounder took a bit of a kicking. We regularly overlooked to retract the electric steps. What would alert you to this was a horrific metallic scraping sound, which would only happen when the vehicle turned right. This could be ten, twenty minutes into a journey.

The satellite dish? Navigating a low bridge at high speed took care of that one. The huge wing mirrors? Casualty No. 1, entering a checkpoint at Disney in Anaheim, CA. Casualties Nos. 2, 3, 4... - I don't remember where, but what's important to understand is that there were multiple casualties.

We also ripped the roof off and crashed the fucker on a daily basis, usually at the back, which when you look at the design of the vehicle is understandable. Approximately one third of The Bounder's length was behind the rear wheels. You'd go to swing out of a parking space, and destroy the back of the bus AND a street sign in one fell swoop.

Inside, The Bounder was a palace when we took possession. Check it...

...just like Dolly Parton's living room. By the time the tour ended in Houston, Texas, it had also been destroyed. Following the incident with the roof, water had leaked in, helpfully all over the 1,000 or so Moke T-shirts we were carrying at the time. We chain smoked throughout the 600 mile daily drives, and in the tradition of all considerate rock bands, entertained well wishers in the vehicle following a show, instead of our hotel rooms. Hot rocks, spillages, general bon viveurie took care of the soft furnishings and interior decor. And due to the lack of a boot (GB) / trunk (USA), flightcases rolled over the floor on a daily basis had ripped the lino to shreds.

The final straw was when we travelled to a show somewhere in the mid-west. As we drove through a densely wooded area, a sprightly deer suddenly leaped, gazelle-like, into the road in front of The Bounder. I was riding shotgun at the time, and as we hurtled towards it, the deer's head turned - we locked eyes. What followed was that special moment, where animal and man are in perfect harmony. We understood each other completely.

"Maybe, just maybe, this isn't going to happen...?"

Then...

THWACK!
CRUNCH!
BUDOOMP!

May it's enormous great bulk R.I.P. And I'm talking about The Bounder, as well as the stupid deer.

a l e x m o k e

Analogue...

2008-04-15T03:14:00.000-07:00

As you're now probably aware, the webiste is back up and running in some capacity, though some pages remain under construction. In particular the media section. Oh the media section! There are countless video clips, photographs, demos, B-sides, live recordings and interviews for the band to sift through in order to work out what's fit for public consumption.

What's causing some delay is that Moke operated in an analogue world. The past six years has seen the digital revolution consume the media industries, which doesn't half make life easy NOW. But back then...phew! As you can imagine, trying to find a four-track cassette player is proving...interesting, though I think we're getting there.

Watch this space...

a l e x m o k e

Back again...

2008-04-14T05:29:00.001-07:00

Welcome one and all to the allsinging, dirtydancing, hardrocking M O K E B L O G, part of the newly revamped moke.com

Through various portals, and for some time now, people have been sending messages and asking questions...

Why did Moke come to an end?
Where are the band now?
How can we buy CDs?
Will downloads ever be available?
What about a live album?
Are there plans to release any new material?

The relaunch of moke.com plans to address all of these issues. And so many more.

Until next time…

a l e x m o k e

p.s - thanks to Dougorama for the excellent photo used above. You can see more of his rather snazzy work here.