Opperman was first inspired to become a composer by hearing the music of Frank Zappa. The Chris Opperman website The Zappa influence on Chris Opperman's compositions is clear on his debut album, Oppy Music, Vol I: Purple, Crayon. But there are more strings to his bow (and his piano) than that. The solo piano pieces…Read more Chris Opperman
hidden gems
Polarchoral
It's at this time of year that it gets noticeably colder here in the UK. So, let's sing a song of winter. The meteorological office will say that's premature - it's still officially autumn - but hats and gloves have been at the ready in this household for several days now. And Grice released his…Read more Polarchoral
Five Rooms
A crowded 5-room house I should say straight away that this post has nothing to do with the band called Crowded House - unless they are fans of the Norwegian prog rock outfit, Wobbler (which seems unlikely). The headline photo is just an amusing illustration of Five Rooms, which is the title of the recently…Read more Five Rooms
All Flowers In Time
Sounddate: Tuesday, 26th January 2015 I heard All Flowers In Time for the first time yesterday on the RadMac afternoon show on BBC 6 Music. Curiously, it has never been released although, as you can see, it has escaped from the recording studio and is available on SoundCloud, YouTube and elsewhere. All Flowers In Time Bend…Read more All Flowers In Time
Acoustic Environment
Are you tired of electric guitars? Fed up with the sound of oscillators, filters and shapers? Do you yearn for the sweeter tones of traditional musical instruments? Then Acoustic Environment by Mark Hillis is the album for you. Mark is a guitarist and photographer from San Diego, California. During his college years he teamed up with…Read more Acoustic Environment
A Whisper …
Tuesday morning. Barney is almost here. This year the UK's Meteorological Office is naming the storms that hit us. Abigail, the first storm of the season, brought floods last week; Barney is now following in her wake. The forecasters have promised us strong winds and more heavy rain; there is likely to be some disruption to transport.…Read more A Whisper …
The Gnome’s Revenge
In 2007 Josh Dick and Brad Scoville used computers to create a music album for their U.S. college project. They called themselves Free Admission, the album was called Revenge of the Lawn Gnome and the result is available for free streaming and download on Jamendo, Last FM, Soundcloud and the Josh Dick website. There are…Read more The Gnome’s Revenge
The Queen of Elfland
Somewhere in the backwoods of Alaska there's a singer/songwriter/guitarist who makes beautiful music and gives it away. Why? Because we already have enough 'stuff'; what we lack is 'human connection'. So, rather than burn CDs and ship them thousands of kilometres across the globe, he makes his songs available (for free) on his website. His name is Kray…Read more The Queen of Elfland
End To End
Some bands I like, some bands I love. If I love them I'll buy several of their albums; if I only like them I try to find a Best Of... CD and maybe one or two download tracks. Blondie I like. At least, I like most of what they were doing in the eighties. I…Read more End To End
Crotchety Man 