Blog
Welcome to my Blog. Here I will be posting a range of stories, video clips, new songs, as well as general news updates and more. I hope you enjoy reading it...
Important Merchandise News and Offers
Posted on 17 December, 2021 at 7:50 |
Hi everyone. On the lead up to Christmas, I am introducing some special offers on certain items of merchandise, all available from our official online shop via Bandcamp HERE.
First and foremost, I am offering free postage worldwide on all CDs. (And, don't forget, each CD also includes a free download of the album, many with bonus digital tracks).
The last (20) remaining copies of the Whisky Priests ‘Bloody Well Everything! (The Complete Works 1985-2000)’ 12 Disc CD Box Set are still available at the previously reduced price of £19.99 but now also include a free enamel badge (worth £4.99) as well as a free accompanying postcard (also down to the final 20’ish copies). And don’t forget, this also includes free postage worldwide, so no-one pays more than £19.99 for this set.
In addition, The ‘Mad Martins’ 3-CD & Book Set - my epic collaborative project has been reduced from £29.99 to £24.99 and now comes with two free bonus CDs - ‘Fair Flowers Among Them All (The Mad Martins Instrumentals)’ and ‘Reflections on War’ (my 2010 solo CD), plus a set of 6 identical Mad Martins postcards (featuring the front cover artwork). And again, this also includes free postage worldwide, so no-one pays more than £24.99 for this set.
Please note, most of my remaining stock of Whisky Priests CDs is now in extremely short supply. At the time of typing this post, for example, there is only 1 copy each of ‘“Here Come The Ranting Lads” - Live!’ and ‘Life’s Tapestry’, 4 copies of ‘Bleeding Sketches’ and 7 copies of ‘The First Few Drops’ (1994 Reissue version with 6 bonus tracks). And, as mentioned above, we're also down to the last 20 copies of the ‘Bloody Well Everything! (The Complete Works 1985-2000)’ 12 Disc CD Box Set. It goes without saying that these will all be sold on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
All of the above offers, including the free postage, are only available until the end of 2021 and will end at the beginning of the New Year on 1st January 2022.
Also in the New Year, The Whisky Priests merchandise catalogue is being scaled back to just a handful of items. I will be discontinuing all of the Long-Sleeved Shirts, Polo Shirts, Baseball Tops, Beanies, Mousemat, Keyrings and all the non-black T-Shirts & Tote Bags. I'm keeping just a small number of the more popular Whisky Priests items available for the foreseeable future, such as the original and latest logo designs plus the ‘Dol-Li-A’ design, but each on black T-Shirt only, plus the various mugs - so, a lot of stuff will soon be disappearing from sale (including all the items in the attached photos, and more). In addition, should any new/alternate Whisky Priests merchandise be introduced at a future date, this would also be available for a strictly limited time only.
So, if you’re interested in any of these above items, or any of the Whisky Priests CD’s mentioned further above, this is definitely the last chance to buy any of them from our official online Bandcamp shop before they’re all discontinued/removed from sale next month.
Cheers!
Here's wishing you all success and happiness during the Festive period. x
Helen's 'Four Bare Walls' Illustration "Sheriff Hill Asylum, Gateshead, June 1821"
Posted on 5 November, 2021 at 0:55 |
Helen has produced this amazing illustration entitled "Sheriff Hill Asylum, Gateshead, June 1821" for the Mad Martins 'Four Bare Walls/Escape' animation...
'A Boy's Own Story' & 'Venus Through the Sycamores' now available on Amazon, itunes, Spotify, etc
Posted on 4 November, 2021 at 6:10 |
New Merchandise for 'A Boy's Own Story' & Nellie's Temple
Posted on 4 November, 2021 at 4:40 |
Woo hoo! We now have new merchandise available for 'A Boy's Own Story' and Nellie's Temple in the form of T-Shirts and Tote Bags, including two different Nellie's Temple designs for each.
To view my full range of merchandise click on the link to my Bandcamp Merch Page HERE.
Alternatively, to view/order each new item individually, click on the respective links/images below...
Gary Miller 'A Boy's Own Story' Design T-Shirt available HERE.
Gary Miller 'A Boy's Own Story' Design Tote Bag available HERE.
Nellie's Temple 'Logo' Design T-Shirt available HERE.
Nellie's Temple 'Logo' Design Tote Bag available HERE.
Nellie's Temple 'Venus Through the Sycamores' Design T-Shirt available HERE.
Nellie's Temple 'Venus Through the Sycamores' Design Tote Bag available HERE.
Yet another (the 4th so far) Mad Martins animation test clip
Posted on 2 November, 2021 at 14:20 |
Here's another fun little snippet of a test piece for the animation project that Helen is currently working on, in collaboration with Doorstop Productions (with producer Stephanie Stender and illustrator Michael Sciortino).
This is all working towards an animated promo video for the paired track 'Four Bare Walls / Escape' from my Mad Martins project, to herald the planned Mad Martins restructure and relaunch.
I've been very excited seeing it all come together bit by bit and we are all looking forward to sharing the finished article in due course. In the meantime, hope you enjoy this little "teaser" for now...
'Journey' [Home Demo]
Posted on 28 October, 2021 at 4:30 |
Over the last couple of years (during "lockdown", etc), I've been amassing a wealth of songs and home demos for various projects, e.g. "The Butcher Baronet" (a 30-song folk-rock opera), "Northern Grit", "From Coalfield to Battlefield", "Nellie’s Temple" (a project with my partner Helen, as a vehicle for her own amazing songwriting), as well as an update of Mad Martins, amongst others. And that's just the tip of the iceberg - I'm particularly excited about the multi-media project "The Weavings of the Black Wool" that Helen and me have been developing (my own instinct tells me that if anything is going to be our joint "break-through" project it will be this one).
In the meantime, there are literally dozens of songs "waiting in the wings" and I'm desperate to finally start getting some of them out there, in any form I can. So, with that in mind, I've uploaded a track to YouTube that I demoed at home a year or so ago. It's my own cack-handed attempt at playing various instruments and I'm no producer/engineer but at least now I feel ready to let it loose as it currently stands (warts and all). It may (or may not) be part of my upcoming Gary Miller's Big Picture album (which may be a single or double album - time will tell) but I'm happy to be able to at least get a taster of it out there at last to get the ball rolling...
JOURNEY
The day is on it’s journey
And you’ve been watching every clock
Waiting for something on the wind
That you’re missing all the things that really matter
Whilst punishing yourself for others sins
There’s a broken piece of you that seems close yet far away
It’s trying to crush the things that you hold dear
But it won’t mend, it’s gone, it’s history, it can’t hurt you any more
There’s a new dawn with a future bright and clear
So take courage, take hope, take this helping hand
And grab the piece of justice that you’re owed
There’s love inside and all around you
And a strength that you’ve still yet to show
There’s a stray cat in the garden that’s being fed every day
It’s more familiar than the boy sat on the train
There’s a crowd upon the platform, there’s a car parked on a hill
And a figure dashing madly through the rain
So run hard and grab the moment that is given unto you
Like it counts for every second that you’ve known
There are questions to be asked there are drums still to be banged
And many parts to you that you’ve not shown
So take courage, take hope, take this helping hand
There’s a winding path that leads to who knows where
There’s love inside and all around you
And with every step you take it will be there
(Gary Miller)
My guest appearance with The Men They Couldn't Hang at Musicport, Whitby
Posted on 25 October, 2021 at 9:35 |
This weekend, I had the wonderful pleasure, privelege and honour of being invited on stage to sing with my friends The Men They Couldn't Hang, a legendary band I greatly respect and admire, at what may have been the final Musicport Festival, Whitby (I'd previously performed there with my ex-band The Whisky Priests (official) during the band's Reunion Tour in 2018) on Saturday 23rd October 2021.
It was a real thrill and I am delighted that it was recorded for posterity for me to able to present it here. "The Men" were fantastic on the night and the set list was superb. I joined the band for the final track of their set, 'Ironmasters', and then again for encore "Walkin' Talkin'", which also featured a fabulous guest appearance from the legendary Rory McLeod, who added some blistering Harmonica throughout.
Thanks to Helen for filming it and to Paul Simmonds, Phil Odgers, Billy Abbott, Ricky McGuire and Bobby Valentino for welcoming me into their ranks for a few brief but highly enjoyable and memorable minutes that were really special to me. Cheers and huge respect!
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New Single! - Nellie's Temple 'Venus Through the Sycamores'
Posted on 20 October, 2021 at 4:00 |
In conjunction with the release of 'A Boy's Own Story' (see previous entry below), I am further delighted to announce another new release - 'Venus through the Sycamores', the debut Single by Nellie's Temple...
Nellie's Temple is a new band project that Helen and me developed during the COVID-19 Lockdown to showcase Helen's songwriting skills, with her as Lead Singer and myself as Musical Director, Arranger and Band Leader.
The current line-up of Nellie's Temple (with further musicians to be announced soon) is : -
Helen Temperley - Lead and Backing Vocals, Songwriting.
Gary Miller (Ex-Whisky Priests, currently with Gary Miller’s Big Picture and also a solo artist) - Guitars, Bass, Mandolin, Vocals, Musical Arrangement.
Jake Lucas - (Ex-DEAD!, currently with Gary Miller’s Big Picture) - Drums, Guitars, Bass, Percussion, Vocals, Tech Wizardry.
Geoff 'Sid' Siddle - Backing and Lead Vocals
Like its co-release 'A Boy's Own Story', 'Venus Through the Sycamores' was recorded for the Forum Music Centre, Darlington project 'Releasing From Lockdown, so thanks again to Allison McKay, Hayley McKay and everyone else involved, particularly the wonderful Chris Davison for his hard work, patience and incredible production and engineering skills.
'Venus Through the Sycamores' is released as the lead single from the forthcoming Nellie's Temple debut album, which we are aiming to release sometime next year.
Hope you like it!...
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VENUS THROUGH THE SYCAMORES
I was sitting contemplating
On how my working day had been
Drinking wine and needing to offload
You came and took my baggage
Put it away and somehow managed
To take the conversation down a different road
We sat and we saw
Venus through the sycamores
In a yellow room that was half painted green
We sat and we cried
And tried to see the other side
Of Venus and what she might have been
She will hide behind the new leaves
Another evil twin that we won’t see
Watching every move that we both make
Through the summer she will slumber
Leaving us to count the number
Of trials we’ve faced to get where life should be
We sat and we saw
Venus through the sycamores
In a yellow room that was half painted green
We sat and we cried
And tried to see the other side
Of Venus and what she might have been
We saw a crow with a stone in its beak
Did it have water it was trying to reach?
We saw Nefertiti in the branch of a tree
Looking South, what could she see?
We saw a pheasant on the highest ridge
Has he a lover’s gift he needs to give?
Only the sycamores know the truth
We sat and we saw
Venus through the sycamores
In a yellow room that was half painted green
We sat and we cried
And tried to see the other side
Of Venus and what she might have been
We sat and we saw
Venus through those sycamores
(Helen Temperley)
© 2020 Whippet Records
Copyright Control MCPS/PRS
Written and Composed by Helen Temperley
Musical Arrangement by Gary Miller
'NELLIE'S TEMPLE' on this recording is:
HELEN TEMPERLEY - Lead Vocals
GARY MILLER - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Backing Vocals
JAKE LUCAS - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Recorded at The Forum Music Centre, Darlington, County Durham
Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Chris Davison
Artwork by Helen Temperley
Nellie's Temple 'Venus Through the Sycamores' is available on Digital Download direct from my online Bandcamp Shop HERE.
New Single! Gary Miller 'A Boy's Own Story'
Posted on 20 October, 2021 at 3:25 |
I'm delighted to announce the release of my new Single 'A Boy's Own Story'...
Having sat on this recording for some time, now finally feels like the right time to "put it out there". 'A Boy's Own Story' was recorded last December for 'Releasing From Lockdown', a great project put together by the good people of The Forum Music Centre, so a huge thanks to Allison Mckay, Hayley McKay and everyone else involved for giving me the opportunity to make this recording.
Further thanks to Chris Davison, for all his hard work in the studio and for tweaking stuff along the way, as well as to Darren Tansley, Jake Lucas and Helen Temperley for their amazing contributions.
I've been 'umming and ahing' about releasing this as it stands, as I felt that it was unfinished and that my first pass at the vocals (on the finished mix) needed a revisit but, on reflection, it perhaps feels better to let the song stand as it is, slightly raw and relatively sparse, so that the intensity of the emotion in this personal song can hopefully speak for itself.
'A Boy's Own Story' is the first song I've released that is intended to eventually form a part of 'Gary Miller's Big Picture', an album project I am currently working towards in an attempt to encapsulate the last five years of my life through a very personal song cycle. Anyway, I hope you like it!...
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A BOY'S OWN STORY
For many years, it stood the test
Giving warmth and peace and rest
It nurtured love, it deadened pain
It inspired passion, it fostered gain
They closed its doors on a day of rain
It was never to be seen again
All its contents and knowledge gone
Except for memories that linger on
Black fire dancing through the trees
The weeping world is on its knees
Choking on the ash and smoke
But it cannot fix what never broke
For what has passed was meant to be
It was fated naturally
But its route was altered by human hands
Hateful minds, deceitful plans
Little boy hurting, little girl lost
Each one counting their personal cost
Slight the ferryman, pay off the clowns
Disperse the fog that shadows the downs
Two stars danced round a black hole
Heel to heel and toe to toe
Hand in hand and fist to fist
Good and bad both came of this
They tried to beat Eternity
With a Principle of Uncertainty
It tripped them up eventually
One spiraled in but one broke free
The Duke of York marched his men
To the top of the hill and down again
Many battles fought along the way
But they lived to fight another day
The days grew long, the men grew fat
Their hands grew idle, well fancy that!
Until they deserted on a fickle breeze
Now they fight as mercenaries
Little boy hurting, little girl lost
Each one counting their personal cost
Slight the ferryman, pay off the clowns
Disperse the fog that shadows the downs
There is no Heaven, there is no Hell
Just the confines of a wishing well
My coin is stuck halfway down
Caught in limbo, a lonely town
I’m treading water over shifting sands
Clinging on with arthritic hands
Cup your hands, give me a bunk
Lift me up, I’m almost sunk
The sky’s a blinding radiant jewel
The air is thick with precious fuel
Grasping the moment, I breathe it in
I know at last that I can win
Now I’ve got you by my side
I’m unafraid, I need not hide
The spell is broken, the bonds are gone
I’ve burned my baggage, I’m moving on
Sweep up the anguish, tie it all in
To a little bin bag that’s weak and thin
That’s all it takes to get rid of the waste
Do it with resolve if not in haste
Little boy hurting, little girl lost
No longer counting their personal cost
They've slighted the ferryman, paid off the clowns
And dispersed the fog that shadows the downs
Dispersed the fog that shadows the downs
(Gary Miller)
© 2020 Whippet Records
Copyright Control MCPS/PRS
GARY MILLER - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Bass, Percussion
DARREN TANSLEY - Piano, Keyboards
JAKE LUCAS - Drums
HELEN TEMPERLEY - Backing Vocals
Recorded at The Forum Music Centre, Darlington, County Durham
Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Chris Davison
Except : -
Piano & Keyboards recorded at Moonhare Studio, East Anglia
Artwork by Helen Temperley
'A Boy's Own Story' is available on Digital Download direct from my online Bandcamp Shop HERE.
Another test clip from the Mad Martins animation
Posted on 4 July, 2021 at 16:30 |
Wow! While I've been busy buried away in the basement demoing a new song this afternoon, Helen's been hard at work producing this fabulous little test clip of moving parts towards the animated video that the talented and wonderful Michael Sciortino at Doorstop Productions is creating for one of the songs from my Mad Martins project (see previous entry below). It's exciting seeing it come together piece by piece...