friday

Nice one Nick! Please apologies to your Bro for me btw. I think he sent me a message via Facebook but I didn't get round to answering it as I had to take my page offline indefinately because it was attracting a few freaks (your bro not one of them I hasten to add! :D ;)) and was generally doing my nut in! We're trying out a new track this Friday so it's going to get interesting...it's Alt Rock meets Electro versus D'n'B...essentially everything and the kitchen sink! ;)

Cheers guys! We'll be playing tracks off the album as well as new material and we absolutely can't wait :D Dave: sorry I haven't been in touch again man. Since we last spoke I've been fighting to stay out of hospital again and spending my days blitzed out of my brain on pain-killers (I can almost hear you asking "so what's new"? lol ;)). Fingers crossed though, I think I've turned the corner so I'll give you a bell when I'm a bit more human if that's cool? :) One more bit of news: strangely, we seem to have aquired a growing German fanbase, to the extent that German web-magazine "Reflections of Darkness" ( http://www.reflectionsofdarkness.com/ ) want to review the album and help us arrange an uber short German tour. Life is delightfully weird. :D

Yep. The theatricality of that one impressed me so much I had to find out how he did it. Incredibly impressive but mind-blowingly simple, only a basic working knowledge of human anatomy and physics required. TBH knowing how he did it made me even more impressed with him...his abilitiy to "sell" something to an audience, to make them utterly believe what he's doing is second to none.

Yesterday we were asked to open for Hundred Reasons at their show on March 29th at Birmingham Academy 2. To say we're excited is an understatement. For those that don't know, Hundred Reasons are pretty darn famous within alt/rock circles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Reasons If anyone wants to come just let me know as we have a ticket allocation and can get them without booking fee :D We've also got a headliner gig coming up at The Wharf in Wolverhampton on Feb 13th which is going to be a REALLY good one...for once, not an "indie toilet"! :D ;)

Thanks for the kind words and support guys :) The good news is I've now got the green light to go ahead (muchos thanks to Brian and the rest of the Committee for allowing me to do this!). What I'll do is post up a thread purely for those who want to pre-order the album and keep an updated list of those members at the start (I won't ask for any £'s till the release date is a bit more fixed). Thanks again chaps! :D Leigh.

Done. Cheers for that. :)

Just wondering if anyone on the Committee has had chance to have a think about me doing this? :)

Hi all, as some of you know I'm on the verge of releasing my first album (see here for what it sounds like! :) http://www.myspace.com/thisburningage ). If my health for once remains ok and I can stay out of hospital long enough (filthy habit ;)) I'm aiming to have the artwork finished by the end of next week whiich means that the Master Disc (which has already been cut) can go to the pressing plant and hopefully be ready a week or three afterwards (depending on how booked up they are...the Mastering Studio/Pressing Plant I'm using was originally set up my members of Jethro Tull. Bizzare but true!). What I'd like to ask you, the committee, is if they wouldn't mind me selling the album on here? A few members have already expressed an interest in buying a copy (and some have even taken the time out to come and see us play live...thanks guys if you're reading this! :D ) and being able to sell to people on here would be a fantastic help. Although I have a great group of guys with me for the live shows I've written and played everything you hear on the album and, what's currently killing me financially, is that I'm also releasing it entirely under my own steam, it's funded by no one else but yours truly. The cost for Mastering a 1000 CD run is phenomenal on it's own but factoring in the physical pressing and the original studio time to get it down means I've put all I have into this (I dread to think how much it would've come to if I wasn't able to do the graphic design myself... :( ). It's literally an "all or nothing" gamble to get my music out there and hopefully get noticed by people in "the biz". The only plus point is that all proceeds go directly to me to pay off my insanely large overdraft and credit card bills accrued through the album, rather than into the pockets of a cigar chomping, fat record exec in an ill-fitting suit... I totally understand if it's a no-go but if it's at all possible it would be fantastic. I'll be in a position to start taking pre-orders soon and knowing that there is support and indeed buyers on here would be absolutely great. :) Thanks for taking the time to read this :) Leigh.

Personally I think the GTZ is a bit funny looking. If I wanted a splitter (which I do) I'd buy a Type III and add a carbon custom made jobbie underneath using the linkages that Si hates so much (which, funnily enough, is exactly what I'm doing). The Type III was for a TT but I cut out the slats... ;) Originally that's where we were going to site a pair of air ducts.

I guess I was lucky when I bought a Type III lip over as it didn't cost anywhere near £300 even with shipping! I even bought a couple of large bonnet vents over from Japan and the shipping wasn't extortionate by any means but I imagine it's more down to luck than anything else (plus the pound was considerably healthier then). I'm handling the front bumper of the 2 V8's and the Type III gives just the right look to complement the re-modelled front end (the pic below shows how it currently is, in its unfinished state).

Cheers folks, much appreciated :) Will be having a look on Ebay tonight to see what's going...I'm definitely thinking a Wacom A4 sized tablet if the budget will stretch to it... Danny: Alright chap! It's been a bit of a weird couple of months tbh which is why I've been a bit quiet on here. Ended up in hospital again for 3 weeks after the docs decided to stop my meds (long story!). Got out a few weeks ago now but it's only last week, after they finally restarted the treatment, that I've begun to feel remotely human again! In other words...same old, same old! lol :D Ahh, you've got to laugh haven't you? :rolleyes: ;) Hope things are well in the Zaat household and once Lucie manages to extricate herself from the Xmas rush of clients a drink, a meal and a bit of normality sounds like a ruddy good idea! :D

Thinking about getting a graphics tablet as I do a LOT of work on Photoshop (both touching up photos, more intense graphic design work and also full on arty farty nonsense for my art practice). Absolutely clueless about them so grabbed half an hour this evening looking up the subject. Came to a few conclusions: 1. Wacom appears to be a good name to go for. 2. You can get a combined Tablet/mouse affair if you want 3. Bigger is not necessarily better ie the bigger the tablet screen the more you have to move your arm. I "think" a 6x8 would be about right for me but the price of the Intuos3 nearly knocked me for 6. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with it or any other tablet and could give me a bit of buying advice? Hoping to shell out on a new i7 based system in the New Year as my main computer has just died (thank you for coming to my rescue Dave if you're reading this mate...was tearing my hair out at what to do! :))so with that plus the car costing me a small fortune and the album needing paying, for funds are a bit limited but I am royally fed up at struggling with the mouse for fine "free hand" work plus I'm starting to develop a touch of RSI which is really ticking me off so something needs to be done. :( Cheers, Leigh.

You've also got to factor in the ignorance of many buyers. You give them a spec list as long as your arm and they'll make the appropriate noises but essentially, unless they really know what they're being shown, the car you've spent £££££'s on just looks like the other 3 they've seen down "Del Boy's Motors" or on Ebay for a lot less...and when, particularly with the latter, they've read the ever present wild exclamations of power and trumped up modifications, the unknowing buyer will often think with his wallet. With cars that have had "mad" engine swaps it's a bit less of a problem as they can physically see a big change and even if they know bugger all the bloke-ish "cor, it's got a ruddy big engine shoe-horned into it!" factor kicks in. Without sounding too much like a borderline sociopath, people are essentially cattle and very easily led by simple signs and cues...the trouble with a nice, well modified Z is that it simply doesn't tick enough of the "lay-mans" boxes.

Thanks guys (and will do Tony, cheers! Will sort out the Paypal details :)). Nah Nick, we didn't get through. This will probably come across as sour grapes but after watching a few episodes I'm actually very relieved we didn't. To say it's a competition that's going to be won and lost in the editing room is no exaggeration. They've well and truly stiched some bands up. But the main reason why I'm glad we didn't make it is because of the deal the winner gets. It's only a 1 single/ 1 album deal...essentially the lowest of the low. It gives the record company absolutely zero impetus to support you and, if the first album doesn't do so well or is a slow burner, you get droped and chances are no one will touch you with a barge-pole. With a 2 or 3 album deal the record company has more of a vested interest and will work a helluva lot harder for you. Plus, at the moment, I'm very much enjoying being beholdent to know one but myself. I own all the rights and get 100% of the sales...and after forking out so much over the past couple of years for studio time, mastering and now pressing, I'm actually glad that's how it is. Being honest, it would have to be a pretty darn good deal to get me to relinquish control and rights. And with Record Companies floundering in the water at the moment, the DIY approach is even more appealing! :)

Haven't been around here for a while as my health took a nose-dive and I ended up in hospital for a 3 week stretch (for those that know me, that's probably not much of a suprise! ;)). Luckily, I'm out now and hitting the ground running with the one thing that keeps me going: music. So, if anyone wants to see my band, "This Burning Age" live ( http://www.myspace.com/thisburningage ) our next gig is this Thursday at Bar Academy, Birmingham. It's an all ages gig so kick-off is a little earlier at 7pm. We're headlining and should be taking the stage around 9:30pm. Tickets for this one are available on the door (mention you're coming to see us if you can) or from me if you're local and want to meet up beforehand. £5 gets you in plus free admission to Birminghams biggest alt/inde club night, "Ramshackle" on Friday night. All the final Mastered tracks from the forthcoming debut album "A Muzzle For The Masses" are now online through both the stock MySpace and slightly more flashy ReverbNation player. I'm currently finalising the artwork ready for the album to go to pressing this month so, if you like what you hear, pre-order sales will be opening soon via MySpace and my Bigcartel shop space. The album will be available in CD (digipak with booklet), digital download, and very limited edition CD in Hand-Made "book" formats through my own fledgling label, "5th Day Records". Hope to see you on Thursday. I'll be the one at the bar for most of the night. Mine's a Jack Daniels if you're buying. ;) Cheers, Friday.

Superb mate! Just wish I was well enough to help fit them tomorrow...life getting in the way again! :rolleyes: :( Can't wait for Leon to finish my own set and see the sump and the TB's I'm having off him. :) Despite me being ghey and ill I'll order the extruded polystyrene so it's ready for me to make the carbon fibre airbox...should be able to do that from home even if I'm feeling a bit ropey! :)

Yep, just got some, as knowing that the ringing in your ears after a rehearsal/gig is a frequency you'll apparently never hear again was starting to worry the hell out of me (not sure if that's true but it worked all the same!)

Last call for anyone who's interested in coming to this. Should be quite a big event by all accounts (despite the band booker not being able to find their arse with both hands and a map...annoying isn't the word.). Would be nice to see a few faces but no worries if not.

No tinnitus (though being in a band I imagine it's only a matter of time... :( ) but I've been an insomniac since about 18, but it's only been really bad in the past 7 years. Often awake till 6am in the morning at best. Some nights, not a wink of sleep. The days after are always very, very strange. For me it's a combination of stress and medication that causes it.

Just emailed you Paul :)

To anyone that wants to see my band, This Burning Age ( http://www.myspace.com/thisburningage ) live our next gig is at The Stein Bar in Walsall this coming Saturday. It's going to be a fairly big affair with a large heated marquee along with the usual two floors in the club itself. There's some decent bands on the bill (I personally recommend the Isolated Atoms...apart from ourselves of course...;) ) and Emma Scott from Kerrang will also be playing a DJ set. If you like live music, alt/rock/electro/indie tunes and copious amounts of alcohol this is the place for you this Saturday. Tickets for this one are available on the door (mention you're coming to see us if you can) and it opens at 7pm. Hope to see you there.

It was taken on a misty morning over in Hanbury. The woods were pretty eerie and the road was virtually deserted hence me standing in the middle of it :) Also took these while I was there:

Yepski :) Will send it over via email if you like chap. BTW, website is FINALLY ready to go live (bar a few little things that will be added as we go on). Just purchased http://www.thisburningage.com and .co.uk so if the offer for hosting is still there I'm ready to take it up as soon as Heart Internet sends over the info! :)

Absolutely superb John...it looks great! Looking forward to seeing it in the "metal" when I'm next up Nottingham way! :)

Best. Post. Ever. This is mine. A foto wot I took like. ;)