Maggy Simpson - Last Days of Cool (Sample)

Bat: 'There’s a time in one’s young life where taking drugs, getting pissed drunk and sleeping around is almost acceptable or even seen as ‘cool’ amongst your peers. There comes a turning point when those actions are no longer cool, or acceptable (unless you are Lemmy!). The person who continues in that way of life becomes someone who ‘has problems’ . Education is something thats important to most people but its not the solution for everyone.

Shane: 'The main verse arpeggios for this tune came about by way of a musical accident, and the subsequent parts flowed out pretty quickly thereafter. Bat was simply trying out my Ibanez (tuned to replicate the lowest 6 strings of a 7-string guitar i.e. B, E, A, D, G, B) and rolled out the lilting section that would become the beds for the verses of the song. Originally, I had a fairly busy, poppy groove propelling this one, but once the vocal harmonies started to take shape it was evident that the half-time feel was much more appropriate. This allowed the song to breathe more easily, and so the deep, sprawling bass parts emphasise this. I think the choppy, grungy sections create a nice contrast and add movement to a classic sounding tune.'

Mid-summer release for 'Lab Rat and Lobster'

After all the energy absorbed in debating, writing, recording, mixing and mastering we've found even more beans to set the marketing wheels in motion. Hopefully by now, you have had the chance to enjoy the advance delivery of both 'High Time to Die' and 'Gun Fun', but today's announcement is the one you've been waiting for.

We can confirm that Maggy's debut album, 'Lab Rat and Lobster' will be released on Monday 15th July 2013, on the Voodoo Bones label. The full tracklisting is:

High Time to Die
Spending Time
Last Days of Cool
Sorry
Free Your Mind for You

Gun Fun
On Blabbermouth
Coldest Eyes
Stoner Blues
Message in a Cosmic Bottle

Here's a snippet from 'Spending Time' to whet the appetite, with a few words from both Bat and Shane about the writing and recording of the song:




Bat: 'Before the days of mobile phones you would arrange to meet at a certain place and at a certain time. You would eagerly watch the crowd for a sign of your friend’s face. People were often late and it might be raining, but it didn’t matter; you waited at that certain place. You were young and carefree, and could get drunk on £10.'

Shane: 'Born out of a collage of riffs I sent to Bat in the very early days of the project, it was never really a ‘song’ in the truest sense – just some tasty, laidback comping with a sly nod to my formative influences. The chorus sections were originally acoustic, but we revised the parts to match the vocal melodies, and decided to keep the tones more consistent throughout the song. There’s a nifty gear change after the second chorus as the song elevates to a 6/8 feel. Not many layers on this one musically - it really has the feeling of a classic power trio and the exposed guitar solos cement the inherent live-ness of this track.'

 

Maggy Simpson - Gun Fun Video

Here's a little something for you from the upcoming album release. Images, words and music for the song, 'Gun Fun'. 

Bat: 'We live in a society that is becoming obsessed with guns and violence. So much of the ‘entertainment’ or sensationalised news we consume is factored around man’s violence against one another. This song, written before the tragic events in USA in December 2012, highlights our obsession with guns. Guns have been glamorised by films, TV and even some Music genres. Sadly, the killing will continue and provide inspiration for the next cop drama or Hollywood Blockbuster. The chorus takes a line from the Clint Eastwood movie ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’: “Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining”.'

Shane: 'This was the very first song we put together and leans heavily on the snaking riff that drives the ‘chorus’. It has become something of a production piece, covering a lot of ground in a short space of time. Check out the sweet Rocky George influenced solo after the first bridge. Comes with a PG rating.'

 

Maggy's First Born

Maggy Simpson is the brainchild of Bat Kinane and Shane Counter. Having known each other for over 10 years, and sharing a passion for high quality original Rock music, this is the first major work the pair will release. There have been a few collaborations in the past: Shane wrote some music for Bat’s first solo album, ‘A Lifetime to Kill’, and they put together a small library of production pieces in 2009, as The Random Event Factory. However, this is the first time they have been able to commit to something truly substantial over an extended period. With initial discussions taking place in June 2012, the final work steadily came together over a 10 month period, culminating in a mid-2013 release.

Guitarist, Singer & Songwriter Bat rose to prominence as leader of Classic Rock merchants, Glyder. A number of Bat’s musical contributions here started as demos for Glyder albums. Shane has released several Instrumental Progressive Rock albums, and also has a keen ear for the more direct melodic requirements of Production Music.

The album also features Davy Ryan (ex-Glyder) on drums throughout. Renowned for his precision, reliability and versatility, Davy is a top class session player working regularly in both the live arena and studio settings.

Today, we are delighted to announce the first public airing of the opening track from the album 'Lab Rat and Lobster'. Here are a few words to explain more about the song called 'High Time to Die':

Bat: 'This song is about the old cliché of a drink, drugs and rock n’ roll lifestyle: If you want to get high, you must be prepared to die. It’s often true that the best career move any rock star can make is to die.'

Shane:  'Rage Against the Machine-inspired riff seeks belting chorus with monster sludge riff to form a meaningful relationship! Based on a song Bat wrote about the ‘value’ of artists once they have passed away, we played around with this one a lot to get the right tempo and key, slowing it down and making it progressively heavier. In the end we made fullest use of a 7-string tuning, taking a C# riff and re-rooting it 14 semi-tones down to a low B. The music is at times dirty and sleazy, and at other times it is buoyant and aggressive (this is Rock ‘n’ Roll, after all!). The outro section features a sick sounding Whammy lead, harmonised with both 1 and 2-octave shifts.'

First Pressing

Today is a significant day. Maggy's first set of observations and 'tales of woe' have been captured for posterity in the form of a master disc. Needless to say, we are very proud of the results. Following countless hours of writing, performing, reviewing and refining we have the album to soundtrack your summer.

The dark secrets of release are currently being worked on, and we'll have more on that in the very near future. Thanks for your continued interest and support.

Until later, ROCK on!

Maggy