Sid Peacock

WEBSITE BACK IN ACTION!!!!!

2009-11-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

sidpeacock,com is back in action this blog is now defunct but all the info is also on my main website.

Web Presence

2009-10-09T03:07:00.001-07:00

New Website Coming Soon.

www.sidpeacock.com

will be replacing this blog, hopefully in the next couple of months. If you need any info please contact me with the form below right.

Apologies, apologies, apologies.

2009-06-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Apologies for my lack of posting since March! I got incredibly busy and will be attempting to fill in all the gaps since then very soon when I have a bit of time to myself again. Check back after 13th July. Cheers, Sid.

Squint release on WM Recordings

2009-03-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

At long last the recordings from my Birmingham Jazz commission in 2006 are released on WM Recordings. I am very pleased to be continuing this relationship with WMRecordings/Weirdomusic and hope to have more music for release there in the not too far future.

There are 4 studio tracks and 2 live available for download so please check them out. Also check out some of the other stuff on WMR too, there is a wealth of free recordings to download alongside the for sale stuff.

Surge & Sax Quartet @ The Yardbird - Thurs 5th feb 8.00pm!!!!

2009-02-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

This Thursday Surge will be performing at the Yardbird Jazz Cafe at Paradise PLace, Birmingham. Second outing for the new set and line up. Also on the bill will be a new saxophone quartet I have composed for local boys, Lluis Mather, Chris & Huw Morgan and Colin Mills. It was inspired by a short trip to Paris and is thoroughly buckled.

Also on the bill is Welsh pianist/composer Lewis Clement. He is performing new material for jazz group and string quartet. Sounds great so get down to Yardbird for a FREE evening of new innovative music. Promoted by the Cobweb Collective.

Sat 24th January!!! On The Road and African Music night!

2009-01-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Two great events coming up on Saturday 24th January.

The first is Steve Troman's Beat Series Part II: A musical setting of Jack Kerouac's On The Road.. The performance of selected excerpts from the full work will take place in Lecture Room 1 of the Arts Building at Birmingham University at 14:30 on Saturday 24th January 2009. After the performance there will be a Q&A session. Really looking forward to narrating this. The scroll that Kerouac wrote the original work on is presently being exhibited at the Barber Institute so come and hear the gig and then see the original scroll. £2.50 and £1.50 conc. entry. (sorry I originally thought it was free. Still amazing value!)

The next in the evening kicking off about 8.00pm is an evening of African music at the Sunflower Lounge, Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham B5 4EG. It;s going to be a cracking night. Below is the flyer with all the info. Free in so hope to see you there! Click on the flyer to enlarge it.

Gregory Corso's Bomb! Thursday night at the Yardbird!!!

2009-01-07T12:37:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year folks,

A great start to the New Year too. Tomorrow night I will be reciting Beat Poet Gregory Corso's Bomb at the Yardbird as part of Steve Troman's Beat Series.

If you are interested in good music and/or Beat generation poetry get down to the Yardbird, Paradise Place in Birmingham. I will try and do a write up about the poem and event in the next couple of days.

Obama

2008-11-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

This is where I was when we found out Obama had got the gig. I'm only slightly concerned that Aaron is turning into a werewolf.

2008-11-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Yma Sumac 1922 -2008.

Surge pics

2008-11-02T13:41:00.001-08:00

A couple of pics of Tuesdays gig from the ever present lens of Russ Escritt

Surge at Jamhouse

2008-10-30T03:50:00.000-07:00

What a weird start to a gig! The Jam House had booked a hairdressing corporate event before us so there were lots of hairdresser types and models doing hairy stuff before we started. This went on late and we didn't get started till after 10.

Despite this we had a great gig. I am very pleased with the new Surge line up and we will be performing at the Yardbird Jazz Cafe in Birmingham on 15th January 2009. There was a modest turn out at the gig but those who were there vocalised their support loudly and we sold quite a few CD's afterwards.

Massive respects to the musicians Ruth Angell - violin and vocals, Max Gittings - flutes and whistles, Aaron Diaz -trumpet and fx, Huw Morgan - alto saxophone, Rob Anstey - trombone and fx, Dan Wilkins - guitar and kora, Colin Somerville - bass and Jim Bashford -drums.

Russ Escritt was there taking pics so as soon as he has them up I will link to them.

Surge Tonight (Tuesday 28th) at Jam House

2008-10-28T02:45:00.000-07:00

Like the title says...........

See below......

SURGE GIG TUESDAY NIGHT AT THE JAM HOUSE!!!

2008-10-27T02:57:00.000-07:00

Hi there,

I've got a Surge gig at the Jam House, St Pauls Square, Birmingham on Tuesday night 9ish start.

It's quite a new line up for the band and lots of new tunes. We were rehearsing last night and it is sounding hot.
If your in Birmingham come along, it's free in!

And in keeping with the current credit crunch we will of course be performing..............

British Gas Emails

2008-08-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

I had to share this. British Gas sent me the following email.

Dear Mr N G Peacock
Today we are pleased to be the first energy supplier to announce a drop in our gas prices and as a Click Energy 6 customer you'll be saving on average £137* compared to our standard tariff. This email is regarding: Our Gas Prices. If you have any questions please visit our help and advice section online. We'll automatically re-assess your monthly direct debit for you so you don't need to do anything. Providing you with cheaper energy. We were keen to pass on this price cut as soon as possible so that you benefit from a reduction in your bill. Although the gas markets are still volatile, we remain committed to reducing prices again if and when we can in the future. Making life easier by putting you in control. At British Gas we know your home is your world which is why we hope this drop in prices will be a welcome saving during these difficult times.

Thank you for being a British Gas customer which we very much appreciate.

Yours sincerely,

Phil Bentley
Managing Director

To which I sarcastically replied.

Oh super duper 10%! And your costs have dropped %50. Nice one BG.
Oh and what about electric? still the same...........

and they came back with......

Dear Mr Peacock

Thank you for congratulating British Gas for the reduction in gas prices from 19 February 2009.
At present the rates for the electricity supplied by British Gas is still the same. We will inform our customers if and when there is a reduction in the electricity prices.Thank you for contacting us.

Yours sincerely

Melvyn Mascarenhas

So, now I know the reason why our bills are so high and don't reflect the actual drop in costs to British Gas. It's not because they are greedy, it's because they are idiots. Check the grammar in the reply too.

Been cycling.

2008-08-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging of late. I've been cycling as you can see from the pic. Will post more informative things soon as my life becomes more eventful.

Hydrogen Jukebox

2008-05-18T09:50:00.001-07:00

Neil Jenkins of Dandelion Radio is playing Hydrogen Jukebox track "The Garden" on his monthly show.

Hydrogen Jukebox is a duet with Steve Tromans using mainly minimalist music and spoken word. We are both very into this material but gigs are elusive and we're not quite sure where to promote it. However, thanks to Neil Jenkins it is still being heard. The CD is available through Steve's website but we also hope to release it through WM Recordings soon.

If you are not aware of Dandelion Radio I highly recommend checking it out. It is inspired by John Peel and describes itself as independent, inspiring and uncompromising. Long may it last!

Albert Hoffman

2008-05-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

Albert Hoffman January 11, 1906 – April 29, 2008.

Birmingham Jazz Youth

2008-03-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

This pic is made of pasting two together. This explains the colour difference in the middle and odd liking of balcony above.

Last Saturday 15th saw the culmination of three Birmingham Jazz Youth sessions at the CBSO centre. We did an informal concert of small band pieces and finished it off with a creative big band piece. I will be uploading some of the tracks at www.myspace.com/birminghamjazzyouth very soon so please check them out.

A lot of people are involved with making this happen and it is an amazing community of tutors and young musicians, I am very grateful to be working with these folks.

You can see more pics from the session and sessions at Hamstead Hall at Bobbie Gardner's Blog. Bobbie was one of the tutors on the project.

Music jobs

2008-02-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

At some point or other I signed up for emails about jobs from artshub.
It is a website providing information about jobs in the arts. Today there was 23 music jobs listed. However, only 3 of those jobs were actually for musicians. All the other jobs were for interns, directors, admin assistants and all sorts of other titles that did not include the words musician or composer.

I am guessing that pretty much all of these posts are government funded. I also realise that all these people do contribute to making music happen, but I mean like , 3 out of 23 seems to be a bit lop sided, don't you think?

Hybrid Commission

2008-01-30T12:25:00.000-08:00

Last Monday at Hotel du Vin in Birmingham I presented a commissioned piece for Birmingham arts group Hybrid.

It was a musical piece developed conceptually on the them of "them and us". The process led me to develop a piece somewhat differently than I would normally do so it was an interesting composition process.

What was also very exciting about it was working with Iranian tar player Mustafa Abassi-Zadeh. Mustafa left Iran after his local Imam banned music and life as a sufi muslim became increasingly difficult there. He is making a living here in UK now but not enough of that comes from his great ability for performing.

Another local musician Frank Moon has been developing his oud playing (another Iranian instument) so I figured to get him involved along with violin, alto sax, guitar, bass and percussion. The effect was pretty cool and certainly went down well with the knowledgeable and arty crowd gathered at the event. I hope to keep this ensemble going and will be aiming for a gig or two in the near future, so watch this space.

As well as the music performance there were presentations by another group of Birmingham based artists. I will endeavor to get information on them up her soon.

Paddy Bashing

2008-01-30T05:30:00.000-08:00

I see Ireland's budget airline Ryanair is in trouble with the media again for an advert featuring a model as a scantily clad schoolgirl, BBC article here.

I got my first Ryanair flight a few months ago and it was actually a great experience despite all the horror stories I had read in the media. Unlike many other airlines the plane was new, comfortable and there was plenty of space. Of course there were no frills but for £35 I was cool with that.

Regarding the risque ad I wonder if the "concerned authorities" have noticed the above saucy bunch. The old St Trinians movie got a remake recently and I don't think I heard a peep of complaint. The picture here was taken at a Virgin media ( a wonderful British company ) launch for the film. Now, in comparison don't you think the Ryanair ad furore is a bit of a joke?

Perhaps it's not the crime that matters, but the person who is committing it? I was on a flight BA038 from Beijing to Heathrow in October 2006. As we were landing the turbulence was extreme. Everybody was quiet except for a hostess who was shouting "Oh my god, I don't like this, oh no." - very comforting. Another BA038 flight crash landed in Heathrow lately and in the media we heard time and time again about the great pilots and crew and how they were hero's and praise after praise was heaped upon them, and now it's forgotten.

Along the way of heaping adoration on "Britains favourite airline" the press forgot to mention that someone somewhere had seriously fucked up and put hundreds of lives at risk. Now if that had been Ryanair I'm sure the press coverage would have been altogether different.

The Death of Mr Lazarescu

2008-01-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

"The Death of Mr Lazarescu" is a Romanian film by director Chris Puiu. Mr Lazarescu is an old guy who lives in a flat with his three cats and obviously
drinks a lot. The film follows him over the course of a night from his flat to various hospitals as his health condition deteriorates. The film is laced with cynical characters and sarcastic doctors who look down on their subordinates. There is little pity for Mr Lazarescu and many of the scenes reminded me of my time as a hospital porter in London in the late 80's.

This film is described as a black comedy and despite the sadness of the theme you do find yourself laughing at the sarcy wit of the hardened doctors.

As a composer I was aware that this film contained no music. Without doubt this adds to the realism of the movie and enhanced rather than detracted from it. I think that once a movie adds music it immediately moves into a fantasy scenario, it is an attempt to manipulate emotions and does not in anyway portray reality. There is nothing wrong with this of course but I think a film maker should be pretty sure of their intentions before they start adding music. Perhaps more creative ways of using music in a film would be cool, eg car radios, buskers, bands in pubs etc.

Anyway, I'm going off on one, The Death of Mr Lazarescu is a fantastic movie giving a glimpse into the hardness of life in post communist Bucharest. If your renting a movie this week give Hollywood a miss and watch this great work.

Birmingham Jazz Youth Creative Big Band Sessions

2008-01-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

Coming up on Saturday 19th January at the CBSO centre Birmingham Jazz are hosting the first of 3 creative big band sessions. If you are interested in being part of a big group of improvising musicians and are aged between 12 and 21 come along. The first two sessions are 12pm-3pm and the final one is 2pm to 6pm and will include an informal concert. Email birminghamjazzyouth@googlemail.com or check out www.myspace.com/birminghamjazzyouth. Its gonna be great!

Taxidermia

2008-01-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

The other night my girlfriend and I rented Taxidermia on DVD. It is described by Bizarre magazine as "One of the biggest head-fucks ever committed to celluloid". And indeed it is a most gross and disturbing movie watching experience. But at the same time it is colourful, beautiful, hilarious and inspiring.

This is the second Hungarian movie I have watched recently, the first being Kontroll and both have been quite amazing. Although Taxidermia really is in a league of its own. There is much screaming and eye covering from the viewer throughout and at the end you sort of feel like you are emerging from a bout of the norovirus.

I recommend this highly but be warned it is not for the nervous, blinkered or easily offended.

I intend to blog good art finds this year firstly to keep a note of stuff I enjoyed and also in the hope of making contact with folks of similar tastes. Please comment back if you watch Taxidermia, I'd love to know what you think.

On The Road

2008-01-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

My first artistic activity of 2008 was working with Steve Tromans on a musical setting of Jack Kerouac's classic novel "On The Road". This is part of Steve's "Beat Series" project which you can learn a bit more about here.

I was fortunate to narrate Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" for Steve and we had many memorable gigs especially one in the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast where I had met Ginsberg in 1994.

We recorded part of "On The Road" yesterday for the benefits of promoters and maybe a potential internet premier. We will be looking for performance opportunities in 2008 for both "Howl" and "On The Road".

Steve is a Birmingham musician who I had worked closely with before his leaving for foreign shores. He has kept a diary and photo album of his travels at his website along with some of the great music he has recorded along the way.

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T06:56:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to one and all. I am intending to be more active on the blog front this year so if let's see if I stick to it. I have a lot of stuff to do and quite a few projects that still need finishing! However, since starting my Phd with Ulster University my focus and work has been gathering momentum so I am intending 2008 to be a very productive year.

It's been a while.

2007-10-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

Yes indeed, it has been a while since I posed last. I have been to China and back and am presently adding the finishing touches to the pop CD I have been producing there. The China project has been an amazing experience and some very good musicians have been involved in making the CD. I am looking forward to its release and if all goes well I will be working in that part of the world a great deal in future.

I am in Bangor, Northern Ireland at the moment, my home town. I have started a Phd in composition at Ulster University and am over here to meet up with one of my supervisors. Most people know Northern Ireland as a place that is religiously divided but I can assure you the class divide is just as prominent. As I was growing up it slowly dawned on me that those of us from working class backgrounds would get taken to court and convicted for offenses that our middle class contemporaries would get a "telling off" for. I became convinced that the local police and government had a policy of criminalising the working class youth.

Well, I managed to escape doing time myself and have been fortunate to get into the position where my offspring (should I have any) will get a "telling off" rather than a conviction. This is not the case however for one young man in Bangor this week who has been sentenced to two and a half years for trying to set a petrol station on fire. Apparently he was blitzed and as well as trying to drink the petrol he set a bin on fire. Crazy stuff and extremely dangerous, I suppose that's why they locked him up for two and a half years. Funny enough though another young man from a more "respectable" background committed the exact same offense in a posher part of town. He didn't try to drink the petrol though and I wonder if this is the reason he got 120 hours community service instead of two and a half years prison.

120 hours = 4 weeks work 9 to 5. The working class kid has two and half years inside. They both committed the same crime.

Update

2007-07-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Once again no postings for a while but I have been very busy. The Home from home, transnational music and film project. should have been finished by now but it's still ongoing. Check the website for bits of info but it also needs seriously updating.

Big news though at the minute, I have been awarded Phd funding at Ulster University. I will be doing it in composition and I am very much looking forward to writing music on a daily basis again. All the other projects I've been doing lately have been a lot of fun but I have really missed composing and developing my own stuff. So expect to be hearing a lot more Peacock tunes in the next three years.

Presently I am working on a China pop music project and will be going to China around the 15th August for a month. I will try and keep my blog updated whilst away.

Also working on a project with a group called Hybrid Arts. Not quite sure what it's all about but have met a lot of talented and inspirational people. We will be developing collaborative work and so far it looks like its going to be pretty good stuff.

Cheers and speak soon.

Off to Warsaw

2007-05-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

I am off to Warsaw and Berlin to work on the
Home from home, transnational music and film project.

The above link will take you to the blog relating to the project. I will be updating it whilst away working on the project. Please check it out ove the next few weeks. It is a very exciting project involving refugee musicians from four different european locations.

Also, a quick congratulations to everybody involved in the Sandwell and Dudley Elements project, the young musicians were amazing! The concert was amazing and a big hand clap to Nicola and Sound It Out for bringing the event together.

Home From Home

2007-04-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

I've started the blog for the Home from home, transnational music and film project.

"Home from Home" is a transnational collaboration involving organisations from four European Union countries (Germany, Italy, Poland and Great Britain).

The project involves working with refugee/asylum seeker musicians in each of the four countries and devising tracks to accompany a film/documentary. The approach is quite flexible and I am recording as much music as possible with the musicians I meet. However alongside the individual pieces from each country there will also be a piece that involves every musician in the project. This is a tricky task and I am trying to make it as organic as possible using the musicians improvising skills and then doing a remix of the audio recorded at the end.

This is very exciting and rewarding for me as I am meeting and learning about musicians from all over the world. Please check the blog if you have time.

Kill Ugly radio

2007-03-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Kill Ugly Radio is a top class Zappa related site. They gave me a plug last week for the WM recordings release Can't Buy Everything Forever. Go check them out and if you have'nt already done so download the CD at WM Recordings. It's free and there is also 59 (and growing) other free CD downloads on there.

Birmingham Jazz Youth

2007-03-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to all the young musicians who came to the jam session and creative big band workshop at the CBSO centre yesterday. Also a major thanks to the tutors and teachers who brought the young folks along. It was a great day with lots of amazing performances from all involved.

We recorded the creative big band piece and will be putting it up on the Birmingham Jazz Youth Myspace Site for you to listen to.

We plan to take this further now with jam sessions for teenagers in Cafe One at Five Ways. We will also send tutors to some schools and open the creative big band session up to all ages and abilities.

Thanks again to all involved!!

Creative Big Band Session CBSO Centre Sat 24th March 12.30pm - 2.30pm

2007-03-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Birmingham Jazz are running a jam session for young musicians at the CBSO centre on Saturday 24th March. It starts at 10.00am and goes on until about 12ish at which time we will break for lunch. From about 12.30pm we will run a creative big band session. I am writing a graphic score that will be part devised, part improvised and part directed. This will be open to musicians of all ages and abilities.

If you are a professional or amateur musician and are in Birmingham on that day it would be great to see you there. I intend to record the piece and put it up on myspace and other web audio places.

Hopefully this will be the first of many events involving a large scale community improvising group.

Update

2007-02-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, I haven't posted in a while plus I've got a lot of stuff to get through. This is just a post to let visitors to this blog know I'm still here. I'm hoping to have the Squint CD stuff available from my website very soon and also to do a new release for WM Recordings.

I am involved with some very interesting projects at the moment that are taking my time up. It means a break from seeking gigs (note I say seeking gigs and not doing them) but I aim to get some more creative stuff going towards the end of the year.

Stay tuned more soon.

!!! Congratulations President Chavez!!!

2006-12-04T00:25:00.000-08:00

Hugo Chavez has won the Venezuelan elections securing a third term in office. It's great to see that democracy can be harnessed to work for poor people rather than just a tool of the rich. Let's hope that more countries including our own have the courage to follow this example.

Peter Bacons Jazz Diary in Birmingham Post

2006-11-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

Re: Cabaret of Outsiders this Friday 24th November. 8pm

On Friday the composing is home-grown, with a Birmingham Jazz commission from Sid Peacock and his band Squint.
It’s called A Cabaret of Outsiders and the band comprises Sid on guitar, Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Dan Nicholls on keyboards, Ryan Trebilcock on bass and Carl Hemmingsley on drums. Add a vocalist, a string quartet and Uncle Tom Cobbley, etc, and the joint will surely be more than jumping.

Peacock is a daring and highly individualistic creator of new music who manages to combine innovation and accessibility – there’s more than a bit of Zappa in him, you might say.

Sid Peacock’s Squint are at the CBSO Centre on Friday at 8pm, tickets are £12 (£7.50) and available from the Symphony Hall Box Office on 0121 767 4050 or on the necgroup website.

Cabaret of Outsiders. 24th Nov, 8pm. CBSO centre.

2006-11-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

UPDATE

2006-08-31T12:45:00.001-07:00

Apologies for not posting for a long time. Here is a quick update.

Have recorded a CD of a new ensemble called Squint (Percy Pursglove - tpt, Dan Nicholls - keys, Ryan Trebilcock - bass, Carl Hemmingsley - drums and me - guitar and vox) with the help of PRS foundation. It's about to be mixed and released in time for 24th November.

Because - 24th November is the concert date for my Birmingham Jazz commission. This will feature the Squint qaurtet with singer Debbie Clare, string quartet, percussionist Jason Huxtable and alto sax god Mike Fletcher. The set is entitled "A Cabaret of Outsiders" and I am in the process of writing it now and aim to have it finished by end of September.

Because -then I am off to China on 1st October to produce some Chinese pop and explore other musical possibilities out there for three weeks and then hurry home

Because - I have to get back to start a new Elements project that Sound It Out are running in Sandwell and Dudley which will be great

because - kids make great music!

Anarcho Zen Doubter

2006-06-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

The Surge track "Anarcho Zen Doubter" is featured on a new programme at www.musicnerve.com. It's an amazing site of fantastic avant garde music.

This is how they describe themselves on Myspace.

"The www.musicnerve.com. podcasts are an eclectic mix of just about every type of music. We seek out the best indie rock, the most ground breaking of the experimental and avant-garde and the weirdest outsider music. If people call it music and it has a purpose other than filling the pockets of the major labels we hope to share it with you. We are a music site for people who love all kinds of music simply because it is good music."

Click here to hear the show with "Anarcho Zen Doubter."

Also! The Industrial Jazz Group. are featured on the same show. I was well impressed with them. Good to see outsiders surviving out there in this suffocating era of the "Uber Cool". Check out their site and they are on Myspace too.

Sonic Boom Radio.

2006-05-18T03:39:00.000-07:00

The electro acoustic track "Orchard Way" was played on Sonic Boom Radio show number 56.

This is the first I heard of these guys. Lots of good shows on their website to download. Check it out.

All About Jazz

2006-05-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

The Surge song "Can't Buy Everything Forever" is being featured at www.allaboutjazz.com.

AAJ is an amazing site and you can spend a lot of good time checking out the various articles, info and downloads.

Surge Pics. (click for larger pic).

2006-05-17T13:44:00.001-07:00

Please seek the permission of the photographer before using any of these pictures.

SURGE at Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer as part of London Jazz Festival. Pictures by Tomek Towski. www.tomektowski.com.

Ruth.

Max.

Phil.

Max.

Ed.

Simon.

SURGE at Glee Club Birmingham, November 2005 fo Birmingham Jazz.Pictures by Russ Escritt. www.russescritt.co.uk.

Ed, Mike , Phil and Simon.

Sid.

Steve.

Ed.

Franky.

Mike.

SURGE at Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2005. Part of the Jerwood Rising Stars Series. Pictures by Tim Dickeson t.dickeson@ntlworld.com

Surge at Cheltenham.

Sid.

Steve and Sid. This pic is from Steve's Howl Performance, also at Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

Mike.

Ed, Mike, Phil and Simon.

SURGE at the CBSO centre December 2004. The night "Live in Birmingham 04" was recorded. Pictures by Jo Hamilton. www.johamilton.com

Surge at CBSO.

Ed, Mike, Phil and Simon.

Frank, Ryan and Doug.

Surge at the CBSO.

SURGE at the Bullring Shopping Centre, August 2004. This is where "Can't Buy Everything Forever" got it's first airing.

Franky

Surge at the Bullring.

Myspace/sidpeacock.com

2006-04-26T01:56:00.000-07:00

Alright there folks. Change of tune. Will be keeping this blog here and will also put this stuff on myspace too. Click here for my myspace site.

Back from Belfast

2006-04-26T01:53:00.000-07:00

Sid PeacockThe Howl gig went great in Belfast. Steve Tromans is now of to Mongolia for a year so no more Howl gigs for a while. The Crescent gig in Belfast was a fitting conclusion to a good run of gigs for the Howl band.

Howl

2006-04-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

I am typing this blog in England now and will be getting up tomorrow to go to Belfast to perform Steve Tromans setting to music of Allen Ginsberg's epic poem Howl. This event is being presented as part of the Between The Lines Literary Festival at Crescent Arts Centre.

For me this is a sort of full circle from an event that happened when I went to see Allen Ginsberg do a reading at the Crescent in 1994. I was just discovering the Beat generation at that time and had it not been for my friend Lee Hanna I doubt that I would have went to this event. We sat at the back of the hall and drank the bottles of cider we smuggled in and smoked dope disguised in rolly's. Being a musician the thing that struck me most at the time was his songs on the squeeze box accordian. It was like a punk folk thing for me as he played in his own time and tune. To be honest I couldn't tell you what he read that night as I was still very fresh to it and was still in my transition period from feral youth to responsible citizen.

When the reading was over Ginsberg went off the stage to the side and back to his dressing room. Lee said "Let's go talk to him.". Lee had wanted to kidnap Ginsberg and hold him until the troubles stopped but of course we didn't do this. Some other guys came with us and as we followed him into the room he welcomed us in and told us to come in and sit down. This felt good because for I was more used to being chased out of places. It didn't last long though for a guy who must have been the agent arrived and true to form chased us out of there he also got Ginsberg up to sign books that were being sold. We all shuffled along the corridor to the signing room and as Ginsberg sat down we fell in to the line to see him.

Lee had a book with him to get signed and produced it from his pocket. I had no money and shuffled in my pocket for some sort of scrap of paper or something. I decided I wasn't going to offend this man with a frigging bus ticket so I just stood there feeling odd as the queue grew smaller and took me closer. Lee got his book signed and I arrived at the desk. I said, "I don't have any money to buy your book so I'd just like to shake your hand." He looked up at me and stood up, took my hand and kissed me on the cheek, saying nothing. Straight away I felt that that moment was to be a very significant one in my life.

In 2003 I had been living in Birmingham a few years and was becoming more and more involved in the local music scene. I heard in a conversation that a local musician Steve Tromans had received a commission from Birmingham Jazz to put Howl to music. I remember thinking I would love to narrate that but I didn't know Steve and there was no way I was ringing him up out of the blue announcing "I'm yer man!". I had been booked into do a gig at Fizzle involving two laptops. The guy who I was doing it with couldn't make it so I changed the act into an avant garde rock'n'roll outfit that involved a bit of spoken word amongst other things. Steve Tromans happened to be in the audience that night and as a result of hearing me banter asked me to audition for the Howl project. We did the first gig on January 24th in the CBSO centre to a packed house. Since then we have performed Howl in Cheltenham Jazz festival, St Andrews poetry festival, Aldeburg poetry festival, the Vortex Jazz club and an impromptu performance at Glastonbury festival. On Wednesday night we perform it in the Crescent Arts Centre.

To be part of this project with these great musicians and to be able to contribute to the communication of this very great work by Ginsberg is without doubt one of the most significant and rewarding activities in my life so far.

Sid Peacock at Weirdo Music

2006-04-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

www.weirdomusic.com/sidpeacock.htm

One of the best endorsements I had recently was being given an artist page on www.weirdomusic.com

It features the review from Dawgs Blog and links to various information on the web about me. The music featured on weirdo music has been very influential on my own style and it is a great honour to be featured there beside people like Raymond Scott and Frank Zappa.

Elements

2006-04-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

www.myspace.com/hellogull The Void

www.myspace.com/hardwahThe Hard Wah

Check out these two young bands and if you are on My Space link to them. They have come out of the Elements education project run by Sound It Out and Birmingham Jazz and based at Hamstead Hall school. Check them out for now and I will post a lot more about their work and this project when I return from Ireland in a couple of weeks.

UNDOMONDO

2006-04-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

www.undomondo.com Undomondo posted a bit about the Surge WM recordings release and I sent him a download copy of "Live in Birmingham 04" to review. You can read what he posted here www.undomondo.com.sidpeacock .

Needless to say I am very pleased with his comments but even more so because this guy has really good taste. He posts on a regular basis about all types of music and manages to discover some really interesting stuff from all types of genres. He is based in Istanbul and I am thinking this guy should have his own radio programme.

If Festival

2006-04-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Surge recently had a gig as part of the If festival in The Spitz in London. We were invited down by Peter Weigold and Colin Riley of Brunel University. It was a double bill with folk inspired trio Horse's Brawl and we were very pleased to get the opportunity to play in London again.

Given that we only had to do one set we packed in some of our most full on pieces and were able to give them plenty of focus in rehearsals prior to the gig. The band played a stormer and once again I realise how fortunate I am to have such good musicians performing my music. It seemed to go down pretty well and I am hoping we get back down to London some time soon.www.if-festival.co.uk

Castle Vale Gig

2006-04-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Since I last posted Surge has had a bit of activity. One of the gigs was at Castle Vale performing arts school in Castle Vale estate. The event was held in what is called an Arts Site. It is pretty much the school hall but with a good stage and seating facilities. The gig was hosted by a group called the Birmingham Arts Sites and they have five of these types of venues around the city.

I have often noticed that the musical events held at the Art Sites don't really relate to the punters in these types of areas and I've often thought that I would like to put a gig on at one. I had played before in a club on the estate doing songs and Irish tunes and the locals really enjoyed it so when the opportunity to do this gig came up I was well pleased. Prior to the gig in the Arts Site a few of us did some trio gigs in the old folks home and I was involved in some workshops at the school. This seemed to set the scene for the main night as over 250 people turned up on the night!

As well as ourselves there was two dance groups led by Vilmore the dance coach at the school. These were great and no doubt attracted many parents and punters. There was also quite a few pupils doing bits with Surge and we performed some of the kids GCSE compositions. The place was heaving with people and I think the organisers were a bit overwhelmed.

I am hoping something else will come of this given the turn out we had. There are a lot of good musicians in Birmingham doing exciting stuff that the Arts site public would really enjoy.

"Live in Birmingham 04" Review

2006-02-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

Check out the "Live in Birmingham 04" review on The Dawg's Blog. It feels good that our music is reaching round the world to an appreciative audience.

"This is an album that keeps the listener wondering where its going to end up. In an age of mass produced cookie cutter music, that is cause for celebration and reason to highly recommend this CD." The Dawg's Blog.

The host of "The Dawg's Blog" also hosts another Blog called Free Albums Galore, "Free Albums" posts at least one new album a day of legally free mp3 downloads. The host has done the web searching for you to find intriguing and unique music of very high quality, trust me you can spend a long time on this site. Recent posts have included jazz saxophonist Steve Coleman, early Japanese electronic music, Alpendub - who mix yodelling and electronica (I kid you not) and John cage meets Sun Ra (starting to sound like heaven isn't it?). I would also recommend 'More Music from the Florida Folklife Collection" which I spent a very relaxed evening with the other night. The "Can't Buy Everything Forever" ep is reviewed there too.

Surge "Live in Birmingham 04"

2006-01-27T03:31:00.000-08:00

This is the live recording of Surge's gig for Birmingham Jazz in the CBSO centre on 4th December 2004. It has 6 lenghty tracks on it making up just under 70 minutes of music. The CD got a four star review in the Indpendent on Sunday and was number 1 in the Jazzwise Magazine office vibe chart for August 2005. You can download it for a fiver from my website or order it for £10 + £2.49 p&p. If you are outside of UK send me an email and we'll sort something out.

“Remarkable new wave British Jazz ..........conceptually bracing and sonically satisfying."
Independent on Sunday. Phil Johnson.

If you enjoyed my free sampler please consider buying this one.

cheers,

Sid

WM Recordings Release

2006-01-27T02:32:00.000-08:00

I have released a sampler EP with "WM Recordings" an internet music label. It contains three pieces from my 11-piece ensemble Surge, two elcectro acoustic pieces, 1 chamber work and a spoken word track from the duet "Hydrogen Jukebox" with Steve Tromans. You can download it for free at www.wmrecordings.com/releases/wm030.htm.

Tracks 1. You Can't Buy Everything Forever - Surge
2. Noise Section From Wee Green Man - Surge
3. Multiple Injuries - Surge
4. Orchard Way - Electro/Acoustic
5. Seagull Choking on a Ringpull - Electro/Acoustic
6. Bongo Psilocybin - BCMG clnt,bssn,tpt,tbn,vln,bs,pcn.
7. Want - Hydrogen Jukebox

Welcome to my blog.

2006-01-26T02:59:00.000-08:00

Hello there,

This blog will compliment my website to keep you updated on my musical activities. I am sure I will also go off on rants on various other topics in this space so please feel free to correct, accuse or argue with me at anytime. If you have just happened upon here by chance check out my website www.sidpeacock.com for more info on who I am and what I'm up to. The website is due a total refurb soon so keep checking it out.

dead on..........

JAZZWISE OFFICE VIBE CHART AUGUST 2005

2006-01-24T03:15:00.000-08:00

JAZZWISE ALBUMS OF THE MONTH
Hot picks from the Jazzwise hydrogen jukebox
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1\ Sid Peacock and Surge Live in Birmingham 2004 Peacock
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2\ Soft Machine Out-Bloody-Rageous 1967-1973 Sony BMG
3\ John Handy Quartet Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival Koch
4\ James Finn Plaza De Toros Clean Feed
5\ John Cameron Quartet Off Centre Vocalion
6\ Tubby Hayes On The Air Harkit
7\ Manu Katché Neighbourhood ECM
8\ Ron Blake Sonic Tonic MackAvenue
9\ The Five Corners Quintet Chasin’ The Jazz Gone By Ricky-Tick Records
10\ The Works Beware of the Dog Better Late Record
Jazzwise uses the JVC Compact Component System EX-A1
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