Well folks, it's done. Recorded, mixed, mastered, and on it's way to the pressing plant in Austria. And I can now announce that Safesake will be officially released on Monday August 23rd!
The pre-order facility is still available further down this page (£6.50 inc UK postage), and tickets are still available for the Album Launch gig on Saturday September 18th. Please see http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129388257093668 for more details.
Thanks again for everybody's support.
The live launch of "Safesake", will be on Saturday September 18th, at Durant Hall, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, at 7:30pm.
Also performing will be other prominent North-East artists Claypath and Math Hughes. For more information on these guys, please visit:
www.claypathmusic.com and www.upinthebarn.com.
Tickets are £3 and available on (0191) 232 2348, as well as on the door. I will be performing the album in its entirety with a live band. Please bring your friends and family - this has been a long time coming!
Keep scrolling down for your chance to pre-order the album. Thanks so much to those who already have.
OK folks, here it is! The official release date is yet to be confirmed (although 3rd July is now booked as the date for it to be mastered), it is time to launch the pre-order facility! I expect to have CDs ready to post by late August / early September. If you would like to be amongst the first to reserve your copy, I now have the Paypal facility to accept your payment and order. Simply select your postal option below and I will personally email you to confirm your order, and keep you informed as to when you can expect it to be dispatched.
In order to celebrate the occasion, please head over to the Music page and scroll down to the bottom (the demo version is still at the top!) to hear the album (still unmastered!) version of "Fields of Old". It's deliberately a little quiet at the minute so don't worry about that - just crank it up and let me know what you think via the Contact page.
Thanks once more for your support.
... I think. Well, apart from being mastered. You get the picture.
Having listened to last week's mixes for a few days now, I think Safesake has been taken as far as I can take it. All that remains now is to get confirmation of the booking with The Digital Audio Co in Skipton for the mastering process and then off it goes to the pressing plant.
I hope that we will get confirmation of a July / August date soon so I can let you know. From that point it should be a month or so till release so hopefully the September target should still be fine - fingers crossed.
In the next week or two I will post the first finished (unmastered!) track for you guys to hear. Thank you so much for your support. We're getting there!! Also, thank you once again to Ian Matthews for his patience in helping me record, mix and produce the album. Please check out his site www.upinthebarn.com for more info.
After two solid, long days of mixing I now have a version of the album on CD to try out on as many different stereos as possible! I'm really pleased with the vast majority of it, and with a few little tweaks here and there over the next few days or so, it will be ready to go to be mastered.
I'm still waiting for a confirmed date for that but it will be July or early August at the latest. After that, I'm expecting a 2-3 week wait before the CDs arrive and are ready for sale. Closer to the time I will announce the formal release date.
And in the next week or two I will make the pre-order facility available, as well as finally letting you hear the first finished song! Please keep checking back and tell other people about the site and album. I'm really proud that this batch of songs has finally been recorded and I can't wait to let people hear them.
Thanks for all of your support as always.
Here it is folks! After much planning and anticipation, I can exclusively reveal the final front cover for Sakesafe! Have a look on the Photos page, and let me know what you think via the Contact page. Thanks to Jill (photography) and of course Laura (design).
Please check out Laura's website for more information. www.laurastraker.com
And I can now also reveal the final tracklisting:
1. Lift the Sun
2. Medicine Note
3. Zeros and Ones
4. Fields of Old
5. 64,000
6. Ancient Shell
7. Downcast
8. Graceflow
9. Breathe
Safesake. Coming September 2010.
OK, here's the latest... The album is 90% recorded with just a few corners of instruments to finish here and there and 5 more tracks of vocals to do. Target date for completion is mid June if everything goes according to plan. At this stage I hope to be able to confirm a release date of early September (there's little point in releasing it over the summer when folks are on holiday) in the next few weeks.
Big progress has also been made on the artwork front, in that it's done!! A huge thank you to Laura Straker for all of her hard work. Please check out www.laurastraker.com for other examples of her work, and stay tuned for a preview of the front cover - coming soon!
Keep watching.
www.markdeeksmusic.com
Saturday night was the SSAFA jazz gig that I was Musical Director for and played at, and a really good turnout saw a very successful show. Thanks to all concerned - fingers crossed we can do it again!
As for Safesake, tonight and tomorrow night are the first official vocal sessions. Not sure how much we'll get done, but Ian's patience engineering it is sure to be tested! Keep checking back for updates - it won't be that too distant a future when the front cover is revealed for the first time!
Sorry for the lack of updates for the second part of last week - the long studios sessions took their toll! However the good news is that all of the instrumental parts are done! Yes, all kit, bass, acoustic and electric guitars, piano, keyboards, viola and even a couple of bazouki parts have been recorded! However, this obviously means I ran out of time to do the vocals last week.
Therefore, over the next couple of weeks, I'll be doing a few more sessions to finish the job. However in the meantime the lengthy mixing process has started and the results are fantastic.
Don't forget to check out the Photos page for all the latest from the studio.
See the Photos page for the latest from the studio. All acoustic guitars apart from one song were done today, plus the piano on one more. Tomorrow we'll do the last acoustic and hopefully do the few electric guitar parts that need doing. And if I'm feeling adventurous, I may try and finish the piano parts too! It's really coming together, and frankly I'm really excited!
Stay tuned!
See the photos section for all of the latest pictures from the album sessions. Bass and kit now finished, plus the first 2 piano tracks. Guitar tracking starts today!
Yesterday saw a full day session and Ian did great to nail the drum and percussion parts for 3 more tracks, just leaving him with one to go (due to be recorded on Monday). Visit the Photos page for exclusive pictures, including the complexities of the task at hand for Ian when he was recording "Breathe". Sorry Ian...
By the way, please visit http://www.upinthebarn.com/ for more details of Ian's other musical exploits!
Meanwhile, tonight is the Jazz gig with Merle White at The Corner House, Jesmond, at 7:30pm. I look forward to seeing you there!
Things are gathering pace with developments on the "Safesake" front. Yesterday I did a photo shoot for the artwork and they came out really well. The front cover has pretty much been designed already and I can't wait to let everyone see it nearer the release date. Stay tuned!
Last night saw Ian record the 4th drum track for the album, and this time it was the album opener "Lift the Sun". It's only when I've been teaching Ian all of these tunes that I've realised that I seem to have written some musically complex stuff, mostly unconsciously! To me, they all just seem very natural...
However, Ian did a fantastic job, and so that's 4 of 8 that Ian is playing on now done. Nice one fella.
On the gig front, the Inspiration shows went very well, so well done to everybody involved in all of those. Tickets are also selling very well for my two upcoming jazz shows at The Corner House and Durant Hall. Scroll down for further info - see you there!
OK, the line-up of upcoming shows is taking shape. Firstly, I will be at The Sage Gateshead this Sunday as part of the latest Inspiration choir shows. In a show of Sacred and Spiritual music from throughout the ages, there will be a performance of my arrangement of "Something Inside So Strong" by Labbi Siffre. Tickets are available at http://tickets.thesagegateshead.org/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=16641
Then on Friday April 9th, I will be appearing on piano with local jazz singer Merle White at The Corner House pub, Jesmond. This is the latest in our series of gigs raising money for local kidney research - see you there!
And finally, for now, it is confirmed that I will be appearing at Durant Hall, Newcastle, on Saturday 24th April at 7pm. Again this is a jazz show, where I will be performing both with other local jazz performers, as well as playing some solo piano tunes and generally having a bit of fun. The good cause this time is Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), so stick your hands in your pockets and get yer'sell doon! Tickets are £7 and available from SSAFA or on the door.
We are a go! Tuesday saw the first official session for Safesake, and drummer Ian Matthews nailed 3 songs in less than 2 hours! Great start. So that's drums done for "64,000", "Ancient Shell" and "Medicine Note". And for those of you that liked "Medicine Note" before, wait until you hear this!
Thanks to Ian. I'll try to get some pictures up of the different sessions as we go so keep checking back.
I promise! "Safesake" the album will be recorded this April. Yes, that means the previously recorded tracks now achieve the status of "demo version". The whole thing will be recorded with a live drummer, with me playing everything else, and frankly I can't wait: this has been WAY too long coming. There will be 9 tracks in total, with new song titles including "Ancient Shell" and "64,000". Stay tuned for updates.
In other news, I am currently preparing for gigs with Inspiration Choir at The Sage Gateshead (21/03/10), a gig with local jazz vocalist Merle at The Corner House, Jesmond (09/04/10), and a jazz piano gig at Durant Hall, Newcastle (tbc/04/10). Fingers crossed there will also be a launch gig for the album - more details to follow.
In addition, there will hopefully be a pre-order facility for the album, so check back for updates on that. I mean it, this album WILL be made - this music means too much to me for it not to.
Safesake: coming Summer 2010.
Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but just wanted to let you know of a couple of upcoming shows....
Saturday 22nd August
Durant Hall, Newcastle Upon Tyne
7pm
The latest in the series of musical "rendevous" staged here sees me making a guest ( / emergency!) appearance on piano. I'm going to play a couple of tunes on my own (of a jazz-ish nature), accompany a female singer for 3 jazz tunes, and also perform with a local jazz violinist! There'll also be an impromptu "jam" I think...hehehe... that will include us, a classical guitarist and classical piano player - anything can happen! All the others will also be performing in various combinations.
Tickets are £6, and the money goes to a good cause: this time it's a local charity for blind people. Like I say, it's a good cause and it would be great to see some of you guys there - come and say hi!
Then...the next night!....
Sunday 23rd August
Fever Club, Newcastle Quayside
Doors 7:30pm
Here I'll be making my latest appearance performing my solo material from my upcoming (roughly translates as "if I can ever find the time to get it finished") album "Safesake". For those of you who know nothing about this side of my musical life, think acoustic based folk / rock with me on guitar and vocals. These gigs are hosted by Radio Newcastle's very own Simma, and see 6 acts get a 25 minute set each. The quality of stuff is usually really good and again it would be great to see some of you guys there.
It's free in, and it's a great opportunity to support local musicians. For the record, I have no idea which slot I'm playing in as it's usually decided when we get there, but if possible it's "good form" to stay for as much of the night as you can and not only turn up for "your man / woman" as it were :-)
Please see http://www.tynesidemusicians.com for more info.
Cheers!
Just an update on my latest live stuff that I'm doing. (If you want to receive emails when these updates happen, then please send me your email address via the Contact page).
Last night I played my first Acoustic Circus gig at The Bridge Hotel in Newcastle courtesy of Radio Newcastle's Simma. Great turn out, great other acts, top night. Thanks to all who came down.
Off the back of it I've been asked to play the Fever Live Acoustic gig at Fever on the Quayside on Sunday April 5th. 8pm start, free in. Hope to see you there.
That's the night after the first Inspiration choir shows at The Sage, so a busy weekend in store. Snap up one of the last Inspiration tickets direct from The Sage whilst you still can.
Then on May 15th, I'll be playing piano with local jazz singer Merle White at The Corner House, Jesmond. If you want tickets for this then use the Contact page. Few quid in in aid of Northern Kidney Research.
Think that's it! The album is still (pretty much!) in line for a release in the summer. Fingers crossed!
To coincide with the site launch, click on Music now to get a sneak preview of new track "Breathe"! Don't forget there are 4 complete tracks at www.myspace.com/markdeeks
to the new site! Here you will be able to find all the updates about what's going on with all of my musical projects. Please have a look around to learn about some of my previous work, and stay tuned as we near the release date for "Safesake" for the chance to hear exclusive clips and pre-order the album. Enjoy!
...and we're hours away from being fully weblive. it's all bustle here at the codehouse, and we're uncrinkling crinkles, copying and pasting, and playing pacman working really hard. ¬_¬
