Hello Everyone,
It’s definitely been awhile and we apologize for the silence. As usual, I’ll try to keep it short and I apologize if I fail.
The last few months Neil has been working like an animal on drum transcriptions for the Wildwood album. He’s decided to create a nice little artifact out of it and have it printed in book format. So there you have it, Rhythm Of Wildwood is now here. The book contains the drum transcriptions for the entire album including commentary and his thought processes behind every song–some including lessons centered around the songs for examples. Also included is an extensive interview with Neil about the creative process, a gear list, a suggested listening list, and a forward by myself regarding the often overlooked importance of drummers in our modern music culture.
Neil has a very visual approach to how he writes his parts which may be of interest to the drummer. Actually, I believe this approach can be beneficial no matter what instrument you may be playing. Here’s an example from the commentary for Shoreless:
“My favorite part about Shoreless is how the vocal moves. Melodically and rhythmically. It haunts the track and sets up a water-like landscape. I really wanted to become the ocean that the rest of the instruments floated upon. In my mind the water went through many changes. There were calm waters for the verses, black skies for the chorus as the coming storm, and endless waves and turbulence for the rest of the track. A big part of Wildwood was becoming part of the melodic landscape and trying to paint a sonic picture of the emotions behind it. Personifying the storm and the water in an almost role playing kind of way…”
For someone who isn’t a drummer, however, what they may find of interest is the interview and the philosophical insight into the writing and recording process. This is a beautiful, handcrafted artifact for the collector–a 9×12 glossy covered paperback, perfect binding, and 69 cream colored pages (hmmmm….). This is our first experiment and foray into publishing through Seraphim House. It is limited to 25 hand-numbered copies that will all be signed and dedicated by Neil. It costs $20 plus S&H and is now available on our Store page: http://store.1476cult.com/merch/rhythm-of-wildwood
In other news, we recently did an extensive interview about Wildwood, Misanthropy, Art, Religion, etc. with the Greek music website Grande Rock. Check that out here if you like: http://www.grande-rock.com/interviews/1476
Oh! And before I forget, we now have a media page at www.1476cult.com with wallpaper, banners, things of that nature if you’re interested…
A new T-Shirt design is in the works as well. More on that next time.
Thank you for all the support you’ve been giving us. It’s been a great year so far. We hope this letter finds you all well.
Robb
21:V:13
Current Playlist
Olafur Arnalds – For Now I Am Winter
Avantasia – The Mystery Of Time Part 1 (and it’s a rock epic if anyone cares…)
Les Discrets – Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées
Wardruna – Yggdrasil
Alcest – Le Secret
Current 93 – Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain
Enya – Watermark
Cyclobe – Wounded Galaxies Tap At The Window