I Remember Old Computer

Exciting new Moog news coming here for 2013 !!

Get ready to travel by time machine...

Hall of Ghosts - new album !

Hall of Ghosts is the new project from Additional Moog songwriter Jim Williams.

The new band develops some of the musical ideas explored in Additional Moog, mixing rock with folk, left field pop and Americana.

The album is out now to buy on CD, mp3 or 24 bit FLAC direct from the website :

www.hallofghosts.com

Endless Air - the new Additional Moog album, out now!

Our new album "Endless Air" is finally out!

You can buy the album from various outlets. If you're on line that includes iTunes and Napster.

Fans outside the UK can get the CD from CDBaby. http://cdbaby.com/cd/additionalmoog2

You can also order the CD direct from Fight This Generation! at : http://ftg.bigcartel.com/

The album has had some nice reviews so far from magazines such as Clash and Maverick. We've also had some radio play on BBC 6 Music courtesy of Tom Robinson and Stephen Merchant.

NME Radio's also been playing "Silver Diver" regular basis.

BBC 6 Music, Clash Magazine & Rapidshare

BBC 6 Music's Tom Robinson featured "Radio Silence" on his show last Friday. He played the full 7 minute album version - rather than the Radio Edit.

Meantime, "Endless Air" has been given a very positive review in next month's Clash magazine where it was rated 7/10.

Sadly, the new album is being heavily bootlegged on the internet. We'd urge any true music lovers to buy the actual CD or the official download version to enable Admoog to carry on making music.

Above all, please don't download the album from those Russian mp3 sites that sell songs for $0.10. The money funds illicit activities and musicians never get a penny.

Endless Air - reviews

We've just heard that our new album has been awarded 4 out of 5 by the highly respected country publication "Maverick". The review's due in the June issue.

Meanwhile, for our Dutch supporters, here's a review from "Alt Country NL" who also gave the album 4 stars :

Van synthesizers zijn we niet echt verrukt in rootsland. Maar soms… Wat te denken van bijvoorbeeld een band als Additional Moog. Met die groepsnaam begint het al. En jawel, die ouderwetse Moog-synthesizer komt er inderdaad aan te pas op Endless Air (eigen beheer) van deze Britse band. Maar, zoals ook al duidelijk mag zijn, hooguit als een toevoeging. Op het uitstekende debuut Thirty Three & A Third ging de band aan het werk in het verlengde van het Schotse Teenage Fanclub, maar deze nieuwe plaat is nog iets ambitieuzer. Quietly Through The Canyon is alleen door die titel al een fraai begin. Met Kicking Static doen ze aan het soort soul van Stillhouse, terwijl Harmonica Fuel brandstof zou kunnen zijn voor liefhebbers van Fleet Foxes. Holy Jukebox kent Byrdsy gitaarwerk. Het sleutelstuk van de plaat is Radio Silence, een ruim zeven minuten durend stuk dat begint met statisch geruis en iets dat lijkt op het draaien aan een radioknop waarbij geen enkele zender ontvangen wordt, en waar gaandeweg de ambities gaan richting het vernieuwende werk van Wilco. In Signs On Fifty-Four horen we het hoge geluid van de Moog in al zijn glorie, terwijl afsluiter The Slow Fade dan weer gaat richting westcoast door flonkerende gitaarboogjes en beheerste samenzang. Verkrijgbaar bij CD Baby.

John Gjaltema, Alt Country NL

Leicester and Oswestry this week...and BBC 6 Music

We're playing two gigs this week ahead of the release of our new single "Silver Diver" which is out on iTunes on April 20th.

The track's recently been played on the Stephen Merchant show on BBC 6 Music.

This Wednesday (8th) we play the Firebug in Leicester. £5. Stagetime 9pm.

On Saturday (11 April) it's a "hometown gig" at Oswestry's Ironworks. Full details to be confirmed but expect us to start making noises around 9pm.

NME Radio

NME Radio is the first station to pick up on the new Additional Moog single "Silver Diver".

The track - taken from the forthcoming second album by the band "Endless Air" - is released worldwide on April 20th via Fight This Generation! records.

NME Radio broadcasts on Sky 184 and Virgin Media 975 and also streams on line at www.nme.com

Silver Diver : Coming Soon

New single "Silver Diver" releases April 20 on Fight This Generation!

You'll be able to download it from iTunes, Napster and other digital stores including 7Digital.

Be sure to request a play on your favourite national radio station!

Big thanks to Tim Sheerman-Chase who provided the artwork for the single. Investigate some of his photography over at Flickr.

Back to the Future

Many thanks for those who attended our show at "What's Cookin" in east London. We had a fine time shaking the live rust from our boots. Shame about the 2 hour M25 road closure on the way home.

As you may now, April 20th sees the release of "Silver Diver", our new single and the first track to be taken from the forthcoming "Endless Air" album on FightThisGeneration! records. See previous (and future) blogs for more info.

In the meantime we have homework to do ahead of some special "hometown" launch gigs which we'll be holding at The Ironworks in Oswestry over the Easter holiday weekend and at Leicester's Firebug a few days beforehand. If there's time we're also hoping to slot in a couple of other shows. More info soon.

Live in London this week

We're here at The Sheepwalk in Leytonstone, east London this Wednesday.

Doors open 8.30pm.

Additional Moog plays from 9.30pm til 11pm.

This gig's part of the What's Cookin' series of Americana concerts held at The Sheepwalk and also features local band Jawbone.

You can get a map of the venue here

The Big Durian

I wanted to introduce you to the photographer responsible for the picture on the cover of "Endless Air".

Shreyans (AKA The Big Durian) has a great eye for a good image and produces some very evocative work.
We felt the shot of the lonesome trees stuck in a snow storm was very apt for the atmosphere we were trying to capture in recording "Endless Air".

Some of his other photos have really good vibrant colours that bring his shots to life. You can find his work here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebigdurian/101356039/in/set-1436538/

"Silver Diver" - new single out April 20th

The 3 minute garage rockfest "Silver Diver" will be the first single taken from our second album Endless Air.

The new single releases on April 20th through 7digital's indiestore where it can currently be pre-ordered http://indiestore.7digital.com/additionalmoog/ for the special price of 79p.

The track will also be on sale through iTunes and Napster from April 20th.

For the discerning collector, we also have a limited edition 3" cd single version of "Silver Diver".

Remember 3 inch CDs? They're neat and they still feel like a single.

There'll be 2 or 3 bonus tracks on the CD version which you'll be able to order from our on-line store and from a few selected record stores.

More details on the CD version very soon.

We're Coming To London !

We'll be ambling our way to east London on Wednesday, March 4th to play the excellent What's Cookin' concert series.

The regular, Americana-themed shows are held in the quirky atmosphere of The Sheepwalk in Leytonstone. You can get more info on the gig and future concerts at http://www.whatscookin.co.uk/

This is a pre-album launch gig so we'll be unveiling tracks from "Endless Air" and throwing some "Thirty Three & A Third" tunes out too.

Hopefully, a few copies of the new album should be available to buy on the night, ahead of the official release date.

Introducing..."Endless Air"

Happy New Year!

"Endless Air" - the second album from Additional Moog - is now mixed and being mastered for release in Spring 2009.

Work on the 11 song album started in summer 2007, shortly after the release of the debut "Thirty Three & A Third", and finished in December 2008. It's been quite a journey.

Six tracks are now up for you to listen to at the Additional Moog myspace page. You can also download "Radio Silence" from our download links on the left of this blogpage.

"Quietly Through The Canyon" : This opens the new album and shares a musical motif with another track from the Silence/Quiet mini-concept. Wanted to open with a song that had no acoustic guitars. This nearly went a stage further, the idea being not to have ANY guitars, but the Les Paul refused to die.

"Kicking Static" : one of the oldest songs in the Additional Moog catalogue. This was originally demoed on 4 track back in 1997! It has often been played live since Additional Moog's concert debut in 2004 but only recently came together in this definitive form.

"Made From Games" : written at the beginning of the sessions for "Endless Air", this track has been played live several times in the past 12 months and is one of the album's key tracks.

"I'm Not Safe In This World" : the most recent song and a favourite. This was written, largely, in a hotel room up a snowy mountain somewhere in Switzerland. Another song not to feature any acoustic guitar.

"Silver Diver" : Another "oldie" - well, it's an oldie where I come from. "Diver" first started out on a 4 track demo tape around the same songwriting era as "Kicking Static". Finally found a satisfying arrangement in time for this new album. Handclaps and doo-wop backing vocals courtesy of Betsy and Sheila.

"Radio Silence" : this is one of the closing tracks on the album. Clocking in at just over 7 minutes, this track is a bit of an epic made up of several different movements and at one stage is meant to be musically tied to the opening track "Quietly Through The Canyon". The ending rocks

what we made in the war

here is a list of the released output of additional moog so far :














endless air (cd album & digital download)

This is the second album by additional moog, being released through Fight This Generation! release date and tracklisting tbc.

Personell :
James Williams : guitars, vocals, bass, piano, synth
Ian Powell : drums, backing vocals
Mark Rose : bass, synth, guitar, backing vocals

dust for la elbows (2007 digital single)
Released on mp3.com, this free track is an out-take from the "Thirty Three & A Third" sessions.

Personell as "Four Track Soul".

four track soul (2007 digital single)
Taken from the album "Thirty Three & A Third".

Personell :
James Williams : guitars, vocals, organ, backing vocals
Ian Powell : drums
Alex Reynolds : timeshifted bass








thirty three & a third (2007 CD album & digital download)
additional moog's debut album released on Fight This Generation! This was recorded at various locations including the band's sometime rehearsal room in Birmingham and a rented farmhouse in Mid Wales. Austin,TX songwriter David Lutes (Plumtucker) appears on a few tracks.

Personell :
James Williams : guitars, piano, synth, vocals
Ian Powell : drums, backing vocals
Mark Rose : guitar, synth, backing vocals
Alex Reynolds : bass
David Lutes : additional vocals

the bit war (2006 CD single and digital download)
Released as a taster to the "Thirty Three & A Third" album, this came out as a digital download and a CD single which was limited to just 100 copies. The CD version features three bonus tracks, although it's become pretty tricky to get hold of.

holy jukebox (2005 iTunes download & limited 7" single)
Released through Lost Cat Records. This was also a limited 7" in the UK. The first release was a numbered run of around 200 copies. A second (un-numbered) release of the 7" was sold with copies of the debut album. The B-side "Old Computer Instrumental" was recorded as a demo by James alone.

Personell :
James Williams : guitars, vocals
Ian Powell : drums, backing vocals
Alex Reynolds : bass

lost engines (2005 CD album and download)
A compilation of demos recorded by James prior to Additional Moog becoming a live band. Released on Lost Cat Records.

picnic injection, 1974 (2005 track on compilation album)
This track featured on "Good Things" - a compilation put together by Robannas Studio in Birmingham.

Personell :
James Williams : guitars, vocals
Ian Powell : drums, backing vocals
Alex Reynolds : bass

a long time gone

Here is a brief histoire of the band, additional moog, prior to the glam rock outfit we now know and observe :

Pre-1992 - Who's Harold Hucus ?
James Williams is in slow education in Shropshire. 'Additional Moog' is a name he invents for a fictional French "Starsky and Hutch instrumental theme tune band". He and friend David Tudor spend English lessons coming up with dozens of odd song titles by using a French vocabulary book as their sole source.

1992-1993 - The Gene Wilder Experience
Some of those odd song titles become real pieces of 'music' when James records some abstract avant folk with David on drums and keys and another friend Helen Morris who "interprets" a selection of kitchen utensils as percussion. Heavily inspired by 'Smiley Smile' and Syd Barrett, songs such as 'Fried Curly Sausage Roll Brother', 'Rub Seafood Into The Seafood' and 'Kipper Traffic' form the transatlantic pop album 'A Chemist's Philosophy'. Titling the band 'The Additional Moog', James threatens to send the tape to John Peel.

1994 - American Stars & Bars
The 'the' is dropped from 'The Additional Moog' and one of the lost early hits 'Doughnut' with its potent lyrical themes of a LSD riddled bike ride has regular airplay on a small radio station in Mid Wales. Explorations in lo-fi 4-trackism continue. David and James team up on an almost semi-regular basis for the 'Free Surf and No Surf' sessions. James, having digested much 'Trumans Water' and 'Pavement', now has a feel on a direction for the music. He tracks down the singer from Trumans Water who now has a different band called 'Soul-Junk' and hatches a plot for a double sided 12" LP. Jobs and college come crashing in to put all that on eternal hold. Meantime, a call comes from a Canadian label called 'Fifth Beetle'. They want to put out an Additional Moog 7" and a couple of 10" albums. As a taster, the label puts out a compilation CD called 'Slow Children At Play'. 'The additional-moog' as the band is credited do themselves no favours by giving the label what can only be described as a "joke mix" of one of the 'Free Surf' tracks called 'Hey Hey Houlihan' rather than the proper version. Amongst some oddball tracks on said comp. it actually sounds like it could be a pop song in another dimension. 'Fifth Beetle' has great plans but when they sign 'Princess Superstar' there are all kinds of legal problems and the label apparently folds - holding the unreleased master for 'Free Surf And No Surf'.

1995-1997 - Hot Dogs For The Mystery Gang
Additional Moog moves into what can officially be called "Phase III". James buys an Alesis drum machine and goes into 'Brian Wilson studio project' mode. An early Beck-esque version of 'Cruising By Moon' dates back to this era. The songs start sounding a little countrified. Not Americana as such. We're talking rural Shropshire here, not rural Texas. David T emerges from his world ramble from time to time to add his inimitable dabblings, although these are few and far between and the 'Additional Moog' sound has now taken a slightly less leftfield turn.

1998-2003 - The Second Drummer Drowns
Here we move into "Phase IV" - the precursor to what can only be described as "The Bunker Years". The launch of mp3.com is an ideal platform for the release of a host of Additional Moog demos. These prove popular. In the short time the website hosts unsigned acts, AdMoog gets thirty thousand downloads. James encounters other likeminded artists from many corners of the globe at people start asking whether Additional Moog will play live. For a one man studio project based in a small market town, this isn't an option just yet. James gets talking to Pavement drummer Bob Nastanovich and invites him to drum on some Additional Moog material. Bob, an amiable man, agrees with some enthusiasm. Tapes are sent, many phone calls are exchanged and Bob books studio time in the States. In the meantime, Pavement split up and Bob gets a job tour managing for Steven Malkmus and The Jicks. Back to the 8 track.

2004-2006 - Left The North, Travelled South...Got Confused
South being Birmingham. "Phase V" is the era in which the real Additional Moog finally comes into being through no fault of its own. James meets Chester drummer Ian Powell in their mutual workplace and the pair find they both like R.E.M. and Abba. A Birmingham-based Benny/Bjorn cover band is out of the question so they consider an R.E.M. one instead. Drafting in fellow colleague Tim Rumboll on keyboards they start looking for a bass player. After a handful of moderately frustrating R.E.M.ersals, Tim suggests they play some of James' material instead. Additional Moog is finally a real band with the option to play live. First a bass player is still required. A bassist who has no love of slap style and will promise to only play with four strings. An advert is placed in Birmingham Central Library. Only one person responds - and he's a guitarist. So Alex Reynolds from Walsall joins, starts learning the bass instead. The band rehearses hard for many weeks until all hairstyles are correctly in sync. Birmingham's Bar Academy is the venue for the band's debut gig supporting a soon-to-be-heard-of K.T. Tunstall. It goes well. American label "Lost Cat Records" becomes interested in releasing the band. James agrees to licence a limited release of his previous mp3.com demos under the title 'Lost Engines'. Around this time it seems like a good idea to look for a fifth player to augment the line-up. This proves to be a good decision as Tim Rumboll suddenly chokes on his own vomit backstage at one of the band's notorious Tupperware parties. A Dave Matthews "enthusiast" called Dion Judge becomes the person who would be that fifth player but is now the fourth member instead. Despite being a West Brom fan, he is asked to play guitar with the band and even agrees. The new-look four piece get back to rehearsing and soon resort to working the streets in order to pay for their subterranean rehearsal studio. Initally referred to with affection as "The Bunker", members of the band spend many happy/rewarding/frustrating/semi-enjoyable/wasted hours here. Additional Moog begin spending money on petrol and exploring motorway services en route to various gigs throughout the land. Meantime, they record a track for a compilation CD of Midlands bands. Rather than the obvious indie classic 'Lets Eat Out' and with Dion being absent from the session they opt last minute for the folky 'Picnic Injection, 1974' - described by some as "oh yeah I see...it's like an instrumental with backing vocals". When the engineer leaves the room long enough for the band to construct a proper mix they go home fairly happy. That is, until the "mastered" version comes out and someone it seems has decided to turn it up to 11. Or maybe 12.
The band decide to record a debut single. Somehow - maybe because it's a favourite of Dion - they choose 'Holy Jukebox'. The B-side is James' favourite 'Old Computer Instrumental' - maybe because he doesn't have to sing on it. Lost Cat release it as a download single and a numbered 7". Some more radio play follows. James decides not to send the 7" to John Peel. Around this time it seems like a good idea to get a keyboard player. A friend of Dion's called Duncan Cook volunteers himself at a gig. 5 piece rehearsals and gigs follow. Among the best, a surprise birthday party gig complete with snowman in a Welsh village hall for original aux-mooger Helen. Among the worst, a trip to the Betsey Trotwood in London. Before the gig even starts James manages to lock the keys to the van inside the boot. The short-lived 5 piece comes to an end when keyboard player Duncan dies in a bizarre gardening accident. For a little while the band revert to a more musically comfortable 4 piece before expanding back to the ever-risky 5 piece with the signing of Middlesborough hot shot Mark Rose. The band is sounding better than ever but with Mark and Dion sharing additional moog and guitar duties it isn't long before the inevitable and things come to a head while attempting to overdub a twin guitar solo. Dion leaves the band to record an album of his acoustic numbers with the Birmingham Philharmonic. Back to a 4 piece James links up with Austin, Texas songwriter David Lutes to arrange a short US tour. The band goes over as an acoustic 3 piece and enjoys staying in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere – with the exception of Mark who is scared of spiders and basically any "creepy crawlies" and wishes he were staying in a (probably roach infested) five star motel instead. Back in the UK work finally starts on the debut album. Over an erratic period they record thirteen random tracks they just happen to be playing live at the time. Ian's drums at are tracked in Birmingham at 'The Bunker' before the band relocates to a farmhouse in Mid Wales to record vocals and guitars. David Lutes stops by while on a UK tour to add to the fun by lending some Barry Gibb-esque vocals. The album is finished in Shropshire and by this time it becomes clear that the band was never truly at home in Birmingham and with geography against them it makes sense to relocate to Shropshire on a permanent basis.

2007 – Handcuffed To The Wheel
Fifteen years and countless musical twists and turns after the first piece of music is recorded by something calling itself 'the Additional Moog' the band's debut album finally comes out. The band decide to release 'Thirty Three & A Third' through 'Fight This Generation! Records' and launch the album with a rare gig back in Oswestry. Around this time news reaches the band that bass player Alex Reynolds has apparently internally combusted offstage. Being reduced to a three piece at a most critical time for the band is a little unfortunate to say the least but initial shock and frustration dissipates.In summer 2007 the band start work on their second album "Lonely On The Rail" back in Shropshire. Meantime Dion "Belmont" Judge fills in on a few gigs on bass guitar before being called back to his day job in a Bay City Rollers tribute band . During 2008 there is a time-distance equation problem which makes finishing the new album somewhat of an extended process. Overdubs are completed at Saxondave's studiospace in Staffordshire and at Random Room in Shropshire. Finally mixed by Christmas of 2008, the album - now called "Endless Air" will see the light of day in Spring 2009.

Additional Moog is :

J "Llama" Williams - guitars, bass, keyboards & vocals (1992-)

with :
Mark "DeVito" Rose - bass, guitars, keyboards & backing vocals (2005-)
Ian "Cozy" Powell - drums, percussion & backing vocals (2004-)

early learning :

David "Vincent" Tudor – drums, keyboards & vocals (1992-1994, 1997)
Helen "Fizzgog" Morris – vocals & assorted kitchen utensils (1992-1993)

once upon a time in the West :
Dion "Belmont" Judge – guitar, bass & backing vocals (2004-2005)
Duncan "Norman" Cook – keyboard (2005)
Alex "Smalls" Reynolds – bass (2004-2007)
Tim "Bailey" Rumboll – keyboard (2004)