Some news, then…

2020 VISION CDs have arrived and are now for sale in my shop. If you’d prefer to order from Bandcamp (you get the files too) I’ll be adding it there in a day or so- please feel free to do so, if Bandcamp is more convenient. Also remember you can bank transfer or paypal to me if you don’t like shoddy looking home-made WordPress sites like mine! (I do the best I can!) If you have bought the digital but want the CD, feel free to guilt-free downloading of some LOCKDOWN SIEBEN material as recompense 🙂

I shall be online each Friday EVERY week, it seems, for LOCKDOWN SIEBEN live in concert – with all the gang, Kev, The Upstairs Hoover, Apple, Amber and Ogham Stand. This week Surprise Frenchman pops in for a visit! What will happen next in the ongoing saga at Sieben Towers? Probably a gig, with a touch of added silliness. And the warm and lovely vibe you’re all bringing to these online 🙂 All this stuff is archived regularly on my Youtube channel.

To that end, I’ve started a Facebook group called LOCKDOWN SIEBEN which you are most welcome to come and join, should you wish. It’s lovely to see the pics from your end, chat, get requests, interactions 🙂

LOCKDOWN SIEBEN VOLUME 1 & 2 are now on my Bandcamp, Pay What You Like. I’ve been busy learning things that take my fancy, material old and new, for this- and to vary the live concerts as much as is humanly possible. At the minute I’ve managed to learn, map, and loop 51 Sieben songs and 7 covers. And have 22 older songs yet to re-learn. So LOCKDOWN SIEBEN may well be an eight-album CD boxset when all this is over. I’m just looking into that now.

Thank you all so much for your generosity: of spirit, with your mails, interactions with myself and each other at and around the concerts; and financially, purchasing the albums online or physical, over-paying, simply leaving a tip – it is most appreciated.

Finally, there will be a US TIME SPECIAL concert on Saturday/Sunday 21st June, as well as the normal (ha ha, normal!) Friday concert. For everyone, of course, but to accommodate the different time zone, or those of you who are near me, but are night-birds! It’ll be Sunday, 1am GMT. And all my neighbours will be asleep 😉 I’ll add it to my gig list after the weekend.

Hope to see you on a Friday! 🙂
Matt
 

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Having just finished the new Sieben album 2020 VISION, I’d planned to sit back for a bit, send it off to manufacture, get CD copies back, send them to press, all in time for European dates and tour with a September release. With things they way they are, I’ve decided to push the album release forward to May 1st. No point it being upstaged by an actual apocalypse, I guess.

I’m planning on adding it to my Bandcamp, and then Spotify, iTunes etc if I can make the deadline. Some videos are in commission already.

I know this is of little consequence with what’s going on in the world currently, but to me its my livelihood and sanity! So, I will carry on. With us all possibly in self-isolation for the foreseeable future, I thought I’d add the album as “pay what you like” – so if you have no money you can still have the full album. (*NOTE: I tried this, but it wouldn’t let me do this with pre-orders, so will be offering free download codes to those with no money – simply email me if that’s any of you 🙂 ) And I have you as a captive audience! Had planned to do CDs, but for now this will have to suffice. Without the gigs I have no money to make the CDs

Keep well out (in) there, and see you on the other side. My ray of hope is that many people may question the nature of the modern way of living our lives, the rat race, the pace, the “endless more” of the society we inhabit. Or they may talk about loo roll. Either way, I’m going to try and add some content online when I can, in an effort to keep people’s spirits up. 2020 VISION may be my most apocalyptic work, but its upbeat and chirpy, irreverent and bouncy – we’re not counting the lyrics, here, right? 😉

Keep well and be nice,
Matt – March 2020

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Possibly a slight departure from what you might expect of Sieben, perhaps? #The world is currently truly absurd, I’m just following suit. Only the second time I’ve ever played mouth trumpet on a record, and a first for a Sieben album. This is ‘You Want Some?’ featuring the vibrant and lovely Zowie Lumsdale for a second time singing on this album. She’s the one with the lady voice.

I’m presently finishing the 17th of 17 tracks for Crumbs From The Rich Man’s Table. The release is actually 15 tracks, with the CD having two bonus tracks- full band versions of two of the tracks. Possibly it’ll come out August time. Here’s a rough track list, though contents may settle in transit to mastering and manufacture:
01 Is It Dark Enough?
02 Here Is The News
03 Coldbloods
04 I Will Ignore The Apocalypse
05 Just Be A Lot Nicer
06 Sing Loud
07 Crumbs
08 Sleep Our Dream
09 Liberal Snowflake
10 Forge A Better World
11 Post-Brexit Dreams Of Albion
12 Sell Your Future
13 You Want Some?
14 We Will Be Alright
15 Can You Hear The Wind Coming?

BONUS CD TRACKS:
16 BAND VERSION: Here Is The News
17 BAND VERSION: Coldbloods

I’m currently researching printing on small plastic baggies, so I can give away actual ‘crumbs from a rich man’s table’ with each CD bought. The first 200 copies will get this. After that, its baggies with a little bit of dirt or fluff in for the rest of you – your own little bit of Britain from the Great British bring-and-buy-sale 😉

Matt Howden

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Our Solitary Confinement came out as a vinyl re-release with previously unheard material, The Sound Of His Horn. 30 or so minutes of the most ambient material I’ve written as Sieben. A few copies still left in my shop. 6, in fact. I’ve also reduced the prices on much of my merch, including Barley Top (hardback book and CD, my father reading his poems, set to music by myself) now at £10.

I’ve barely written or recorded a thing since the release of 7JK’s Ride The Solar Tide. Principally because I’m building my new Redroom recording studio. I’ve put ‘sawing away at the violin’ to one side in favour of sawing away at wood in general; wooden floor, I figure its always handy having something to stand on; wooden ‘picture frames’ for acoustic panels to ‘temper’ the acoustics in my new room. I’m smugly satisfied by how my panels clip together to make a vocal ‘booth’.

Whilst sawing away, my brain has been secretly plotting my next musical move for me. “Sparse, dirty, quirky loops and strange melodies” it whispers whilst I’m measuring a piece of 2 x 1 (that’s 4.2cm x 2.1cm in metric, PSE). And “sonically odd and striking like never before” it opines whilst I’m drilling a wall. Or “try looping six beats on x6 setting, or with unrelated loops”, though I’m sanding with ear protectors on. I hear it. “Finish sawing sodding wood and make some music”. I hear it. Will do…

Matt Howden -March 2017

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In 2016 I’ve released the latest Sieben album The Old Magic, and sister album The Other Side Of the River, along with a second 7JK album Ride The Solar Tide, all of which I’m very happy with. Not sure when the next Redroom release may be, but possibly not 2017, at least for a Redroom physical release. If you haven’t any of the above, feel free to visit my shop and purchase them, I could do with the space, and I like them being out there, being heard 🙂 Those ordering from Europe still have a couple of weeks to ensure getting it before Christmas, if its a gift; those further afield only a couple of days. I’ll be including extras with orders, too, to keep the gods of Santa and Commercialism appeased. And because I appreciate people who are still buying music 🙂

I’m currently laying the floorboards for the latest incarnation of my Redroom studio, its sixth place of residence. And I have vague plans, as my next Redroom release is release number 20: A Sieben album where I free myself from the shackles of ‘having to be able to play it live’. I may write some songs with ‘true’ verses and choruses, where the chords change (steady on, now!); I may do a couple with a band; possibly even some written on piano or from chords; hanging upside down suspended by elastic, if it sounds good. Not even sure yet, nor allowing myself to think hard about it. Until the sound-proofing is down, those floorboards are laid…

Thanks to all for the support with music; coming out to concerts, engaging in the music, booking the artists, buying the music, sharing the music, sorting the venues, making the posters, running the festivals, sharing the events and releases. For caring and loving. For the positivity we can make and emit, in a scary world.

Matt Howden – 29 November 2016

ps: one more Sieben gig to go this year. A local one, for me. Regather, Sheffield, 21 Dec. supporting good friend Andy and his Silver Darlings. We’ll be out and about in the UK in 2017, with plans for London, Croyden, Brighton, and hopefully Edinburgh, Newcastle and Stirling. I’ll also be on the road in Europe, with concerts in Poland and Germany already pencilled in 🙂

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Moving house has revealed the unsold back catalogue ‘mountain’. Damn that ‘economy of scale’.
Cats are winning the internet. Its now official.

7JK’s second spiffing album, Ride The Solar Tide is out in a few weeks. available from my shop, now, though 😉

Looking forward very much to playing at Music Port Festival in Whitby in a couple of weeks time.

After that I’m in Wroclaw, Poland, for the launch night concert, with 7JK, as the inaugural act for the WIF Festival.

A very worthy, and necessary, cause for this great compilation album featuring Sieben and 7JK and a host of great music, here.

More news soon, when the higgledy piggledyness dies down…

Matt Howden – Oct 2016

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The Old Magic CD brings together and develops the digital EP series, Lietuva, Norse and Briton into a cohesive whole. The mood is firmly set in Roman Britain. Matt Howden, Sieben, is in more confrontational and hypnotic mood than ever. The Other Side Of the River CD includes all other tracks from the digital series, and original EP full-length versions. Some old faves here, too, reworked for 2016.

THE OLD MAGIC CD TRACKS:

1. Old Magic;
2. Modron;
3. Come,
4. Raven King;
5. Hillfort Mindse;
6. Ready For Rebellion;
7. Black Moon,
8. Rise Again;
9. A Hart For St Hubertus;
10. The Other Side Of The River.

RUNNING TIME: 50 minutes. CAT NUMBER: Redroom Records 018
FORMAT: Maltese Cross digipack CD with artwork by Martin F Bedford.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER TRACKS:

1. Loki 2015,
2. The Old Magic (Norse EP),
3. We Wait 2016.2,
4. Knudlustysummer 2016,
5. Ready For Rebellion (Norse EP),
6. Love Must Wax Cold,
7. Cult Of The Fallen 2016,
8. Black Moon Rise Again (Lietuva EP),
9. Loki Rides Again

RUNNING TIME: 55 mins CAT NUMBER: Redroom Records 017
FORMAT: Four panel digipack CD with artwork by Martin F Bedford.
(LIMITED EDITION OF 500)

RELEASE DATE FOR BOTH CDS: 2 Aug 2016

Written, performed and produced by Matt Howden, at Redroom Studio, Sheffield, England, 2016. Mastered by Dan Worrall.

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(That’s June 2nd 2015)

My latest Sieben release is a digital EP entitled “Lietuva”, the old name for what we now know as Lithuania. The two main tracks have both taken inspiration from there. The first, Black Moon Rise Again, was written to celebrate the lovely Menuo Juodaragis Festival. The second, Užupis, a district of Vilnius, draws inspiration from the constitution, motto, flag, and mainly the aesthetic of this self-proclaimed (Art) State.

Both tracks are lengthy, at ten minutes each. I decided to dispense with the notion and restriction of ‘pop song’ length. Why tie myself to that? I wanted to give time for the ‘top lines’, the melodies and layered vocals to wash over each other, each new wave looping and dissolving the previous. What I do aims to draw you into a world. I figure that if you enjoy that world, you’ll enjoy the extended journey through these songs’ landscapes. Two, new, bonus tracks are included. I always try to give good measure, with what I do. I’ve re-worked the tracks Ogham The Blood, and Knudlustysummer, as snapshots of how they now are, ten years on from their original releases and respective albums. They’re quite, quite different.

Matt Howden, May 2015

Tracks:

Black Moon Rise Again – 9 mins 31 seconds

Užupis – 10 mins 18 seconds

Cult Of The Fallen 2015 – 4 mins 4 seconds

Knudlustysummer 2015 – 4 mins 12 seconds

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 28:05

Credits: Written, performed and produced by Matt Howden, Redroom Studio, Sheffield, England, 2015. mastered by Dan Worrall. Artwork by Martin F Bedford.

Catalogue Number: Redroom Records 014D

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Have mastered my next release, which is the Lietuva EP, two rather weighty ten-minute tracks, Black Moon Rise Aagain, and On the Other Side Of River. Redroom 013 will Redroom’s first digital-only release. Apologies in advance to those of you who prefer the physical. Having put all my redroom stock together in one place, around the edges of Redroom recording studio, I’ve decided that I won’t be doing a physical release again until I can see my windows once more! 😉 I may opt for a series of EPs, as I’m enjoying expanding the songs into lengthier pieces, it gives more time for the loops, the layers, the detail. After that it could be that I compile them into a physical release of a CD; and possibly vinyl if someone comes along and offers to make the vinyl.

Concerts in the near future include Furth and Berlin (DE), and Northern France with old chums Rosa Crux – details of that to be added to my site soon.

“Don’t fight, don’t win, don’t surrender!”

Matt  – April 2015

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