New Songs!

I got yer new songs right here!

Step It Up & Go has been our opener since the very beginning, but I think this is the first time I've been confident enough to upload a version of it. The yelps are a bit of an homage to Doug Macleod.

Vanilla Pudding gets more and more filthy the more I sing it. You'll definitely need a shower after this one, especially the third verse...

99 Secrets is probably over represented in our recordings, but its a song of mine that we do well and is well-liked. This version has a vocal, on the first verse in particular, that is very close to how I envisaged the song in the first place trying to be smooth and then rough to represent the passive-agressive sides of the original inspiration.

Dead Drunk & Naked is a brilliant song by the Drive-By Truckers that we've changed to make more of a sad ballad. I really like what I tried to do with my singing on this one and Hannes gives great Dobro on the solos.

Speaking of the music, it almost goes with out saying that the band are all playing wonderfully with fine soloing throughout.

I Was Not Wrong

The Bluesberries were pretty much on fire. I have mp3s to prove it. Expect uploads soon.

Cricket News To Come

So, ASKÖ Cricket Club Steyr were thrashed. We still enjoyed the day and, through a series of coincidences, I was the first player for CCS to bowl against another team.

Quite the honour.

I will have photos soon for you all. Velden CC is quite spectacularly situated, so hopefully there's some suitably dramatic shots.

Also I should have more news on the Bluesberries. We have had a couple of decent gigs in the last month and we have another one in St. Valentin this weekend. We've just got to get the wierd lull in the second set worked out and then we'll be able to progress.

Photos From The Unplugged Irish Gig

The Bluesberries in Widescreen.


All solos should be this much fun.



Won't someone please tuck in my shirt.



Beer. Foamy.



You talkin' to me?

Yet Another Post-Gig Claim Of Greatness

Well, we were great. All the 'Berries were on form. The Marki had any number of fine solos. Walter kept the all the pieces at just the right tempo. Hannes made "Dead, Drunk & Naked". I was glad to get through the whole thing with my voice intact.

The games room at Doherty's Bar isn't huge (I'd guess we got about 30 in — not packed but good enough) but singing with no amplification was a bit daunting. I managed it though. Having to belt out the songs didn't exactly suit all of them (a few songs really need more of a croon and the Tom Waitsy bit in Vanilla Pudding is diffcult to do without close miking) but some of the songs we did we as good as they've been. I personally thought we'd never done a better Prison Grove.

The only really wrong thing I remember was had an odd hesitant moment from me at the beginning of Dead, Drunk & Naked.

Our new song, "Love's Grown Cold", was a blast and just the thing to pep up the second set.

All in all, a fun night.

Yet Another Gig Poster

Yes, it came from Obamicon.me which I suppose sort of makes me a hack, but in Austria where that image isn't really in the public consciousness it makes me a poster maker of very great speed...

Gig Poster

This is the poster for the BluesBerries next gig. I'm fairly proud of this one. Though I may have ripped off this:

Though I like to think I've added something. Subliminal boobies.

First UK Appearence

"Guten Abend. Ich freue mich, hier in Rotherham zu sein"

Escaped Into The Wild

Yeah, so, three tracks from the BluesBerries demo CD "Back With The Blues" are available to listen to on our Myspace Page. I'm proud of them and I know my band are so I'd appreciate you all taking a few minutes to listen to them and, if you feel like it, to leave some feedback here or on the Myspace page.

I wrote "Invisible Friends", if you can think of any non-icky way to expand it to take in all the senses then I'd be interested in hearing your ideas -- I don't know why but the way I sing "lepers" on that track makes me smile, I hope it has the same effect on you.

The BluesBerries: Back With The Blues Cover

I believe you can see what I did there.

There are new tracks to be uploaded right now and as soon as I pick the best three or four they'll be on the myspace page

Band News

I've not spoken about The BluesBerries for a while, mostly because we've had a bit of hiatus from gigging, we really needed to sharpen our sound and work on new songs.

Anyway, we spent the other Sunday in Markus' basement recording some tracks. And, well, it seems that we got about 7 good ones. Around four of these will be appearing on the BluesBerries Myspace page in the next month or so so keep your eyes peeled and your ears ready.