27 Minutes of Seasonal Improvised Background Music

Plus new merch is in the store

The other day I walked into the living room and some fancy finger-style acoustic guitarist goon was serenading my wife with sweet sweet homely background solo instrumental music.

“Hello hello,” I said, pointing to the stereo. “Who’s this then?”

“Oh it’s {goon’s name},” she replied, his melodies gently cascading around us. “Isn’t it beautiful? It reminds me of when you just sit there noodling away on your guitar. It sounds like home.”

Well, needless to say, I felt sick with rage. I can’t be letting some schmuck step into my patch and clean up the sweet sweet homely background instrumental acoustic guitar genre that I’ve worked so hard to make my own here all these years.

There was only one thing for it, and it wasn’t the putting in of many weeks of intensive effort to create a rival range of high-quality, carefully-constructed, well-recorded acoustic compositions. The house is a mess. I have a 6-week old baby. I’m exhausted. I haven’t even bought any Christmas presents yet¹.

No, what I did was set up a mic and record the absolute first things that came out of my guitar for a little less than half an hour. After all, who needs carefully-constructed compositions when you have hot, raw talent? Presumably some people, perhaps that could include me for a change? Did I practice first? No. Did I did tune my guitar? Yes, slightly. Did I at least edit out some of the most obvious mistakes afterwards? No, no I did not. It’s called integrity.

Listen now:

My christmas wish is that you stick this on and mostly ignore it while you do other things.

For the approximate duration of a classic episode of BBC comedy, feel your burdens lessen, feel the warmth and good cheer spread throughout your weary body, feel charmed by the bit where I get something a bit wrong and chuckle slightly.

And as you do that, consider that this is a time of year when we think of others who go without. We donate food and much needed supplies, we volunteer at a shelter, we build bridges with long-lost relatives.

We think of those who don’t have their own finger-style acoustic guitarist in the corner of their living room, and if we can, we offer what we have. We offer what we have so that those less fortunate than ourselves have something appropriate to kind-of-listen to whilst a 2 hour long video of a roaring fire plays on the tv and someone’s uncle talks endlessly about the mortgage market.

For the lucky few, it may be a Tesco Finest choice like the musician from further up whose actual name is Alan Gogoll and who is actually very talented and excellent and you should definitely check him out, or for others it may be a kind-hearted but middle-aisle-of-Aldi type soul like myself, flush with 27 and a half minutes and the spirit of giving in his heart.

It all counts. It all matters. Somehow, despite the odds, we chart a course through this cruel and turbulent world. Together. Thank you.

Not got a gift for the new parents in your life? No drama I’ve got you covered.

Mainly because I thought it was funny, but also with the secret hope that some people would actually buy them, I am celebrating the birth of my second daughter with a limited run of new merch.

It’s a baby onesie / body suit and it says No Drama on it, which is a reference to my song of that name about my first child. It’s also clever and ironic, because quite often the amount of drama felt by babies is considerably more than ‘no’.

I’ll ship out any orders in the next day or two as quickly as possible. They’ll also be at Many Fish To Fry Live, modelled by the new daughter in question.

You can find them, along with various other bits, at my Bandcamp store, which is here: https://jakemorley.bandcamp.com/merch.

Have a wonderful rest of the year everyone.
Many Fish To Fry Live is here if you still haven’t got tickets.

Love Jake

1. Some might say this is part of a pattern of indecision and poor organisation that I display at this time every year, stretching back long long before kids were on the scene. But right now I’m absolutely playing the tiny baby card.