Monday 25 September 2006
| The Pocket Gods | The Pocket Gods are the brainchild of singer songwriter Mark C Lee, who plays and sings all the tracks along with help from other guest musicians in his groovy kitchen situated in the Vale of Nub Country - otherwise known as somewhere near St Albans! The Pocket Gods had a track played on the Huw Stephens show on Radio One on 10 May 2006. |
Dave had finished the mastering of the CD today and cycled around to my house with a copy of the finished EP 鈥 still sounds great and my ears are no longer a mush. Tuesday 26 September 2006 Gone are the days of jiffy bags and CDs 鈥 the mp3s of the EP are e-mailed over in an electronic whizz to France and our various contacts around the world. Friday 29 September 2006 After a well earned few days off from music it鈥檚 all excitement in the Lee household 鈥 Annie (who is also my wife鈥檚 cousin) has come over for the weekend armed with guitar and vodka, and to top it off my first ever royalty cheque from the PRS arrives. Although not enough to buy a small Carribean island, it鈥檚 enough to have a good time this evening down our local 鈥 The Green Man - and still have change for a pocket full of plectrums. Saturday 30 September 2006 In between rehearsing for Sunday's gig at the Robin Hood, the girls take a break and have got their jugs of cocktails out while I鈥檓 on Diet Coke 鈥 in a desperate attempt not to end up looking like Frank Black (rotund lead singer of seminal US band The Pixies). More rehearsing and more rehearsing before we all settle down to watch the Star Wars trilogy - think I鈥檓 half asleep during Jedi though and am dreaming playing a gig to a load of Ewoks. Sunday 1 October 2006 No lie ins allowed in Sandridge as the bells of St Leonards awake us from our 鈥淪unday Morning Slumber鈥 - next stop the Robin Hoody. Well - this a truly unplugged gig played to a select audience of our mates from The Green Man 鈥 Paul Jones plays a great set and we follow him down to the White Lion. Paul Watson then spies us in the beer garden and asks us to play a set. We duly oblige, after another beer, and I experience quite surreal moment when I realise I鈥檓 singing the world鈥檚 most depressing song 鈥 鈥淟ove Will Tear Us Apart鈥 to a sun and fun soaked family audience in a beer garden 鈥 still went down well though Evening Next to complete the trilogy we鈥檙e just about standing and playing down The Horn Sunday eve - no Ewoks here though. Monday 2 October 2006 The full band is back together for brief rehearsal for Tuesday's Camden gig. We鈥檙e in the studio again but this time only have time for one cup of tea, two biccies, one Beer and two run throughs of the set - sounding great! Tuesday 3 October 2006 After a baking day at work we all rendezvous at St Albans station at 5.00pm. The surprise is that everyone is on time 鈥 we鈥檙e all sat on a sweltering Thameslink train sharing a cold tinny of Fosters psyching ourselves up for tonight鈥檚 gig. Arrive a Canarvon Castle 鈥 first impressions of a U-Boat Kaptain- 鈥淒ive Dive Dive鈥 Oh well - if it鈥檚 good enough for the Ramones, it鈥檚 good enough for the PGs.. It鈥檚 a sign that you鈥檙e an up and coming band when people you invite from the music industry actually turn up and Radio 1 where giving us a plug tonight - I鈥檓 not nervous just need another pint! I'm still nervously waiting for the sound check, then suddenly realise that the first band are playing their set, the show has started and there'll be no sound check for the Gods - we鈥檙e on straight after these guys. In true rock 'n' roll style we just walk onto the stage 鈥 plug in and start playing. Everything clicks in and the PGs have got their MOJO, the set is sounding great, we鈥檝e all raised our game to Champions League level and the audience are loving it. The highlight of the gig was the drummer鈥檚 seamless segway between Shark and Oily Smooth our last song. Annie and I instinctively came in at the right place without looking at each other - indeed, this was the moment we arrived as a band. The guy from the French label came up and said it was a great set, another A & R from Lostmusic said we rocked big time - misson accomplished. We head off to Lock 17 for a 鈥渜uiet鈥 post gig drink to wind down鈥 Next 鈥 artwork is coming along - lots of interest from management and publishing companies - and my search for the land of Ewoks. | 
