We’ve just found out that Neil Whitman’s excellent video for “Someone Here Is Missing” has been nominated in the Best Animation & Best Visual categories at the 2012 Limelight Film Awards next month in London.
Everyone from TPT HQ wishes Neil best of luck on the night!
BTW, if you haven’t seen the video yet, check it out on our PT.TV page.
We’ve just heard that Bruce is going to play a few acoustic numbers (some old, some new) at the Kscope ‘ ANight at the Tabernacle’ next Wednesday 2nd May in support of fellow Kscope pioneers North Atlantic Osscilation and Mothlite. Bruce says: ’I was actually on the phone to Kscope trying to blag some free tickets, at which point I was told to bring my guitar and ordered to do an acoustic set! I was happy to do this, it is a Kscope night after all plus I still get to see two exciting fellow Kscopers’.
Album Diary Part 1
2011 was a strange year for me, because it was spent, pretty much from January to December, writing the songs that will become our 9th studio release. I have never put myself through such an intense period of writing and right now I’m not sure if I can ever put myself through that again! By the end of the 2011, I had 11 songs that had made the grade (and the bar was set as high as physically possible). So, it was a nice feeling to start 2012 by getting away to the Chapel Recording Studios in Lincolnshire with the guys to actually start laying down the finished article.
I have a decent studio at home, but it doesn’t have the world class gear a place like the Chapel has. The live room here is very special Yes, it really is a chapel!
The first thing we did was track Keith playing his Pork Pie kit with a set of Sabian cymbals, fresh from his trip to their warehouse (Keith has a development deal with Sabian). As you can see from the shot below, we weren’t going for a super dry, close drum sound. We are a rock band, we want the kit to sound like a kit, full of energy and atmosphere:
The good thing for me was that while Mark was engineering all this…
I could spend the days relaxing on the Xbox (although the only game I could get to work was Lego Star Wars…) and shoot some pool. I also did a lot of cooking for the boys. Cooking is therapy for me, it’s a way to switch off from the constant mental demands of song writing.
The bass was tracked through an old Ampeg SVT stack, with Jon playing in the control room. While all this was going on, I was able to concentrate on drinking beer.
I borrowed a load of guitars from the very talented and very kind Darren Charles from Godsticks. They supported us early in 2011 and we’ve kept in touch ever since. He was horrified at the state of my guitars and promptly drove to my house from Cardiff and insisted I used his fine collection for the tracking. You can read all about the Godsticks guitar collection here… I also used my trusted, modified Telecasters and Strats, even though they were not as well cared for as Darren’s, as they’ve had quite a beating on the road…
The shot below was actually taken for a picture message to ‘someone’ who was insinuating that all I was doing was playing pool and not actually doing any recording. I’m not sure why my fingers look like they belong to ET though. The guitar in the shot is a Heritage, based on the Gibson 335 design. I used this a lot for fat, distorted sounds. Don’t be fooled by it’s vintage looks, it rocks very hard indeed…
I was lucky enough to get a good deal with Boogie so I mainly used my MkV head and 4*12 cab for the tracking. Although the studio had a vintage AC30 (which must have been an old 60s model) which I used a lot too.
It was evident as the tracking came together that the sound was going to be very open and organic. Steve added to this with some Hammond and piano:
Finally, it was time to track some vocals. A lot of vocals I will keep from the original demo sessions from my home studio, but for the more acoustic tracks, we chose to record them through a classic Neuman U47 mic channelled through all the expensive gizmos The Chapel is famed for:
and complete with rock and roll slippers, there was still the matter of acoustic guitars…
Coming soon:
Full studio nerd gear breakdown
Choir Diary
Strings Diary…
Latest news from Bruce: ’We’ve just finished tracking a 12 piece choir and I am delighted with the results. It’s a first for TPT and fits the two songs they feature on perfectly. I was very aware that dropping choirs and orchestras into the mix could be a one way ticket to self indulgence, but you’re gonna have to trust me on this one!
In a few weeks we’re off to Prague with string arranger Andrew Skeet to record the Prague Philharmonic. The success of ‘SHIM’ and the backing of Kscope has given us the chance to do things we could never afford before with this new record…’
Check out the new Pineapple Project fan site lovingly maintained by Rob Skarin. In fact, he’s probably quicker to the news than we are! We must have a mole…
There is also a very nice biography there written by long time fan and friend Will Torrens. Bruce said ‘I think Will knows more about the history of the band than I do. He was one of the first guys to get in contact, way back in 1999 when the first album came out and the web was just a little baby. Back then, the main music sharing site was ‘mp3.com’ and I remember I uploaded ‘Private Paradise’. At the time, Will had a boring job working nights and he came across my music…’
Work has begun in earnest on the new album. Keep up to date on the Brucey Blog and remember to follow him on twitter (he has only just learnt the art of the tweet) to be really on the ball as 2012 takes shape.
Bruce gives an interview with Love-it-loud.com and discusses the album re-releases, Money cover, new album and tour
http://love-it-loud.com/interviews/bruce-soord-the-pineapple-thief/
Bruce and Steve chat about the 10 Stories Down during their recent visit at Real World Studios.
The third album by TPT was released in 2003 on Cyclops Records but has been out of print for some time. This resulted in original copies exchanging hands for serious amounts of money on EBay, something the band always despaired at. Finally, the moment (a lot of) you have all been waiting for has come! Variations on a Dream has been lovingly re-mixed by Bruce and then re-mastered. The release will be re-issued in October on Kscope with the brilliant new artwork and packaging we have come to expect from our friends at our label. And yes, it features the original bonus disc ‘8 Days’ that was originally limited to just 1000 pressings. We’re also manufacturing a short run of commemorative t-shirts to celebrate the release, all of which are available as special offer bundles from our store. Remember, ordering directly from the band helps fund future tours and albums…
What Bruce has to say about the album:
‘Variations was written 9 years ago but when I dusted the old mixes off it seemed like only yesterday that I was singing ‘remember us’ in my converted terraced house studio. It’s a great feeling to be able to make the album sound so much better after all these years and bring this album back to the fans. In retrospect, Variations was a real turning point for us. It was only after this release that we started to get offers to play around the world and our fan base suddenly grew. It’s a great privilege to still be here after all these years and I think Variations was the album that started it all’.
Pink Floyd’s Money – the first single to be released from The Dark Side Of The Moon – has been re-recorded by Bruce Soord’s prog warriors The Pineapple Thief for our current covermount CD and vinyl Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon.
Their new, low-slung version was put together at Real World Studios. This is how they did it…
In the studio with The Pineapple Thief
In association with Mean Fiddler and Classic Rock Prog we are pleased to announce a series of UK dates this December.
07/12/11 – Fibbers, York
08/12/11 – MoHo Live, Manchester
10/12/11 – Bodega Social Club, Nottingham
15/12/11 – Borderline, London
Joining us will be some special guests. More news to follow.
Tickets can be purchased at: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user?query=search®ion=xxx&category=misc&search=the+pineapple+thief
The latest edition of Mojo magazine (October 2011) is now out. A Pink Floyd special including a cover CD featuring re-imagined tracks from Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here. All from Mojo’s favourite contemporary artists including The Pineapple Thief. Get yours now….
Bruce will be playing an acoustic set, along side label mates Anathema, Engineers and NoSound on Friday September 30th in London as part of ‘A Night at the Union Chapel’
This promises to be a really special evening, with delicate acoustic sets performed in a wonderful venue. Bruce says he’s going to bring a surprise or two to his set with a few insights into the history of the band and the songs. As it’s a solo acoustic performance, Bruce will be playing around 30 minutes of music, with Anathema headlining their highly regarded acoustic set that wowed the US crowds recently during the Blackfield tour.
We’re pleased to announce Bruce Soord (accompanied by Jon Sykes on upright bass) will be performing an acoustic set as part of the Burning Shed anniversary gig. Here’s the blurb:
On 14th October, Burning Shed will celebrate its 10th anniversary with
a special event at the Leamington Spa Assembly.
Already confirmed are No-Man, Bruce Soord & Jon Sykes (from The
Pineapple Thief), Theo Travis, Memories Of Machines, The Resonance
Association and Carl Glover.
No-Man will play a 45 minute set, including some pieces never before
performed live. This will be the band’s first performance since its
successful 2008 Mixtaped shows.
Memories Of Machines will be making its live debut performing a short
acoustic set. Bruce Soord & Jon Sykes will also be performing as an
acoustic duo.
The Resonance Association will be performing an instrumental set
accompanying an exhibition of Carl Glover’s artwork for the label (and
associated artists).
Another act may be announced soon.
The venue is the stunning, art-deco Assembly, situated in the heart of
picturesque Leamington Spa (one and a half hours from London and less
than half an hour from the Birmingham and East Midlands airports).
Please note, tickets can only be obtained from the Assembly box office
Hi Folks I know it's been a long time since i've typed on my blog, but now we have started 2012, the real business of where TPT is going can now begin. As well as getting on the road and playing some memorable gigs in 2011 (our two London headline
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