Richard John Thompson

Studio Diary 5

2009-11-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

So, a few more days of recording have past and it's starting to shape up nicely. Had a very productive few days laying down some vocal tracks and mucking around with a few sounds to help bring the record to life. I have two more vocal tracks to do, plus a few backing vocals, and then we have to record any additional instruments (outside of the obvious drums, bass, guitar, keyboards etc.).

Hopefully have some more news soon.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures from the studio.

See you all soon,

Richard

2009-11-16T08:09:00.001-08:00

2009-11-09T03:57:00.001-08:00

Midge Ure mini tour + EP update

2009-10-21T05:53:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon good folk,

So it's well into October and you're probably wondering how the EP is coming along (well even if you weren't wondering, I'm gonna tell you!). We're on a little break from recording as Fred (studio owner / engineer / all round good guy) is taking a couple of weeks holiday. When he returns at the beginning of November it's full steam ahead to finish the vocal tracks and tie up any other loose ends. We were hoping for it to be finished by now, but it turns out that wasn't a realistic aim. We were doing 12 hour shifts in the studio to try and finish it by now, but we've decided to take a step back and finish it in due course. It has to be right after all. It's certainly sounding great so far though, so I'm sure it'll be worth the extra wait.

Athol and I have just returned from a short 4 date mini tour with singer songwriter and Ultravox frontman Midge Ure. We had a great time heading to Cannock on Wednesday, Whitehaven on Thursday, Langholm on Friday, and East Kilbride on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who came and said hello during the intervals and at the end of each show. We clocked up what felt like thousands of miles, but it was worth it for all the new friends we made along the way. Here are a few photos we took on our phones (they're not great, but I thought I'd share them):

Speak soon,

Richard x

Studio Diary - 4

2009-09-14T03:03:00.000-07:00

Well we've been in the studio for a few weeks now (on and off) and we're in the middle of a short break before returning next week.

As things stand, I'll hopefully be in a position to finish my vocals next week, and then it's just a case of laying down a few keyboard parts and any additional instruments, plus the final mix.

James and I are making the most of this short break by using it to arrange some trumpet, saxophone, and trombone parts for a couple of the tracks ("Fables" and "The Day I Win") and we're also brainstorming some string arrangements that will hopefully bring one song in particular to life. Fred (studio engineer / all round good guy) has compiled some very very rough mixes of the work we have done so far so that we can import it into our home studios and work on the arrangements.

Finally, just to let you know, I've uploaded a few studio photos to www.facebook.com/rjtmusic. More will be going up over the next few days and weeks.

Speak soon,

Richard

Studio Diary - 3

2009-08-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

So, we're getting towards the end of this stint in the studio, and the songs are sounding ace. We're at a stage now where the bulk of the tracks are in place, excluding vocals, and the signs are all there that its going to come out really well. Stuie and Keith have done fantastic jobs on the rhythm tracks, and Athol has produced some unbelievably excellent moments on lead guitar. James hasn't finished his keyboard parts as yet, but what is there sounds great.

We'll be having a week or so off next week, before I can get the vocals done, and then the mixing will follow. Realistically, it'll be towards the end of September before there is anything to play to you, but we're having a great time recording so hopefully that will come across in the final CD.

Must run, will keep you updated,

Richard x

Studio Diary - 2

2009-08-18T15:19:00.001-07:00

Good evening folks. Quick update for you.

Athol and I are camped in the studio laying down our acoustic guitar tracks after we finished the bass and drums last week. So far so good. The songs all sound excellent, and the performances of Stuie on drums, and Keith on bass, are brilliant. We have been living off fish and chips (which has it's positives and negatives!) for the past few days. The dangers of booking a studio next to a chippy! :)

Toying with various ideas for EP titles, and will hopefully have something concrete on this soon.

Must sleep now. Speak soon!

Studio Diary - 1

2009-08-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

Just a brief message tonight as I'm knackered and ready for a good sleep. First day of recording started with a 10am get in. The aim of today and tomorrow is to record the drums and the bass guitar for all the songs. The whole band performed today as a 5 piece, but the aim was solely to keep the bass and drums, and anything else that was "keepable" was a bonus. Drum and bass done for 2 tracks, and possibly a 3rd but won't know for sure until tomorrow morning with fresh ears.

Studio Diary Coming Very Soon

2009-08-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Just a very quick note to tell you all that the band and I are heading into the studio tomorrow (Wednesday 12th August) for 3 weeks so I will be running a little studio diary over the next few weeks on this blog.

Just sorting all my gear ready for tomorrow. I have a house full of guitar strings, batteries, and guitar leads!

Keep checking back,

Richard x

New Band

2009-07-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Good evening good folk,

I'm sitting listening to recordings from last week's rehearsal for the new EP, and it inspired me to write a new blog post.

I thought it would be a good idea to introduce you to the new studio band.

On the drums, all the way from Darlington, England..... STUIE ELLERTON. Stuie and I have known each other for donkey's years. Very well known on the session musician circuit, Stuie overseas the drum department at the NSCM (Northern School of Contemporary Music), and actually taught me to play the drums for several years before I picked up a guitar.

On bass guitar, KEITH PEBERDY. Keith is a very well respected bassist from Redcar, England. He has featured on countless records, including the Peter Kay remake of "Is This The Way To Amarillo?", and has been involved in music education in the North East for years.

On lead guitar, ATHOL CASSIDY. You all know Athol from the last few years of acoustic shows. He needs no introduction really. He's simply awesome!

On piano, all the way from Whitley Bay, JAMES PEACOCK. James is a regular on the North East music scene, performing in bands such as Mamacoca and the James Peacock Trio. I have known James for 8 years, after studying music with him at Newcastle College.

There you have it, the new studio band. I hope you're all looking forward to hearing the new recordings. We're having a blast rehearsing, so I'm sure that'll come across on the EP.

Studio dates resume in 2 weeks. I'll keep you updated....

Richard x

Picture: Richard and Athol with John Mayall & Band

2009-07-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Richard and lead guitarist Athol with John Mayall & Band. Left to right: John Mayall, Richard John Thompson, Jay Davenport, Rocky Athas, Greg Rzab, Athol Cassidy, and Tom Canning.

France & Studio dates

2009-07-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Just a quick update for you all. I've just got home from a quick trip to France, where I (in no particular order):

- visited the Guitar Nights in Beaulieu Sur Mer.
- missed out on backstage passes for U2's Nice concert as I wasn't in when they were brought to us.
- met a load of nice people, including a very nice chap who was involved in the filming of U2's "Electrical Storm" video, Iron Man 2, and the upcoming Ashton Kutcher movie "5 Killers".
- officially learnt to drive a boat (I now have a licence and everything! - crazy!).
- ate way too much steak!

Back to the hard work, and finishing off the recording of the new EP. We're in the studio at the beginning of August, so I'll be running regular studio updates on this page. More rehearsals planned for this week as well as a quick trip to London.

I'll keep you updated.

Hope you're all well,

Richard

Endorsements with Taylor, Fender, and Roland UK

2009-07-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

We are very pleased to let you know that Richard has been offered artist endorsements with three of the most well known and respected musical instrument companies in the world:

Taylor Guitars: http://www.taylorguitars.com/
Established in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listung, Taylor guitars are world renowned acoustic (and more recently electric) guitar makers. Check out their website for a beautiful range of acoustics, 12 strings, and electrics.

Fender Guitars: http://www.fender.co.uk/
Founded by Leo Fender in 1946, Fender Guitars need no introduction. Over the years, Fender has become a household name, with their range of electric guitars, acoustics, basses, 12 strings and much more. Check out their website.

Roland UK / Boss: http://www.roland.co.uk/
Roland is a world leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of electronic musical instruments including keyboards, guitar products (including subsidiary company Boss), electronic percussion kits, digital recording equipment, amplifiers and audio processing devices.

A big thank you to everyone at Taylor, Fender, and Roland!