00056 // 08/03/13

i made a record last month as part of the rpm challenge, which is where you write and record an album entirely within the month of february. it is my fourth year of doing this, having made simulacra (2010), nondomesticity (2011) and i make melodies (2012) previously. this year's effort, well, is available to download for free from here. i've never written anything particularly good as a result of the rpm challenge, but it's a good way to stretch yourself and i think it's as good an exercise in writing as any. not that i've improved as a result of making an album in twenty-eight days, i mean i work pretty quickly anyway, but at the very least i end up with a few more albums in the can for posterity. and hopefully at least one of you thinks the rpm albums are worth a listen.

last night i opened for my first tooth at the railway hotel. after tom burgess played a handful of songs, i played:

let's do this

first song on the setlist

happy birthday richard hell

it's all for you

chelsea hotel #2

i told him it was wrong

just like pigpen

my body the temple and i the iconoclast

the outdoor type

marty feldman eyes

wwf

island in the sun

thanks to tom and lance for booking me for shangri-la once again. i've got one or two more tumbledryer releases planned for this year, but i am really going to concentrate on (among other things) making a record with my other band, red sails. i had hoped to make a tumbledryer collaborations type album this year, but when i finally do get round to it i want to make sure it is good, so i will wait until i can commit to it properly. in the mean time, you can download every tumbledryer babies release for free from thetumbledryerbabies.com, and if you want to help me pay for more drum machines and  other instruments i don't know how to use then buy my 7"s and cds from here. peace out x

00055 // 25/01/13

it was a pleasure to play at shangri-la last night. tom burgess played a few songs to open the night, then came a set from little penguin (great visuals) who over the last couple of years has had quite some influence on me, not least by introducing me to the thingamagoop which you can hear on pretty much all my records since 2010. i forgot the words to the outdoor type and dinosaur egg which was quite pathetic, but being joined on stage by tom on guitar for wwf and graham on vocals for island in the sun made up for that. i was followed by my old friend greg kiss who played a new song of his as well as some old favourites which made be very happy. it was a good night. i played these songs:

first song on the setlist

wwf

i wanna be r stevie moore too!

chelsea hotel #2

just like pigpen

e for effort

the outdoor type

island in the sun

i think we might be weirdos

marty feldman eyes

dinosaur egg

if you see her, give her hell

thanks to everyone who didn't heckle and to everyone who bought a cd.

next month is february which means i'll be undertaking the rpm challenge. this is where you have to make an album of ten songs or thirty-five minutes of music (i know which of those i'm aiming for) from start to finish in the month of february. it's my fourth year of doing this - you can download my 2010, 2011 and 2012 efforts for free. i urge you to join in too. my rpm2013 album will be available on the first of march, after which i'm hoping to have some live dates lined up so i can debut some of the new songs. see you in march.

00054 // 13/12/12

my new album, juice, is now available. you can download it for free from here and you can buy the ltd edition cdr (featuring letterpress artwork by a sparrow by water) for £4 from here. because i've made this new album i thought it best to play at least once to air some of the new songs, so i played shangri-la at the railway hotel on the sixth of december. here is what i played:

my life is starting over again
wwf
just like pigpen
i wanna be r stevie moore too!
song for the season
the outdoor type
e for effort
i told him it was wrong
if you see her, give her hell
island in the sun
marty feldman eyes

i'm going to be playing live regularly again in the new year and i already have ideas for the next album, so keep checking here or my twitter (@tdb_andrew) for updates. thanks to everyone who's already bought or downloaded the new album.

00053 // 17/07/12

i woke up on saturday morning to an email offering a last minute opportunity to open for the bobby mcgee's in southend. the new band still needs a few more rehearsals so charlot webster and i decided to do half a set each of solo material. neither of us have played since the pre-hiatus tumbledryer babies gig last december so we were both rusty and underrehearsed but half a set each felt doable. she was brilliant as ever; i had to abandon a song after one line because i couldn't remember the words. i played:

wwf

just like pigpen

i told him it was wrong

tell me what to do

island in the sun

marty feldman eyes

speaking of new band, i have been writing songs with charlot since christmastime and we will be performing them together as red sails for the first time at southend pier festival 2012.

finally, the long-overdue tumbledryer babies 'pledgemusic exclusive' extended player will be available for free download soon. it is called golden boy and it's nearly finished and i hope you like it.

see you down the end of the pier.

00052 // 28/12/11

on the ninth of december i played the last tumbledryer babies gig for the foreseeable future (possibly ever) at the railway. it was nice, i was really drunk so it was probably quite embarrassing to watch but who cares. i lost the setlist but based on hazy memories and a scrap of paper i found, on which i was planning the set, this is what i think i played:

forget the past #6

pensioner's hands

dinosaur egg

wwf

if you see her, give her hell

now the geeks have a union

beautiful mental patient

island in the sun

just like pigpen

i think we might be weirdos

song for the season

we had it all to live for

the outdoor type

i told him it was wrong

runaway

tattoo

marty feldman eyes

there's no smoke without you

if this is wrong and you can correct me on the setlist please do, i've kept a pretty meticulous record of the songs i've played over the years so it'd be a shame for me not to know what i played at the last gig. charlot webster played after me and was absolutely amazing as ever, we've shared a few bills and she is always great. i got to play my records either side of the live music too which i'm sure annoyed passing trade but i loved it. quite a fun night really.

in other news the last of the pledge music records will be posted in the next few days,  and there is a pledge music extended player coming out soon (it's meant to be done by now but i've got a pretty valid excuse for delaying the release i think), and the final tumbledryer album is written (i just have to bring myself to record it), then it's on to the other musical projects i have lined up for the new year. but for now, thanks for the support and bye bye tumbledryer babies x

00051 // 27/11/11

it pains me to tell you that following numerous personal traumas my muse has adandoned me and i am unable to write songs anymore. i had hoped that recent events in my life might have at least inspired me to write more; alas i am utterly bereft of drive and inspiration and passion and joy and invention. after some consideration i feel the best thing to do is to finish recording the songs i've already written then take an indefinite break. apologies to everyone who has supported me over the last four years but i think it is for the best and i think you will understand. i am having one last gig at the railway hotel on the ninth of december. it is free admission and charlot webster is playing as well so it will be a lovely way to say goodbye. paul lagden is djing afterwards and he always plays great records from beefheart to the raincoats to the breeders and beyond. please come along and say hi, come and ask me for a record if you don't already have one.

in other news, the pledge music 7"s are done and the majority are now in the post. if you bought one of the more extravagant exclusives then yours will follow as i am currently putting the finishing touches to these.

on the fifth of november after the fireworks i opened for son of buff at the railway. son of buff were great as always, and here's what i played:

wwf

now the geeks have a union

pensioner's hands

beautiful mental patient

chelsea hotel #2

my body the temple and i the iconoclast

if you see her, give her hell

just like pigpen

man obsessed

i told him it was wrong

marty feldman eyes

there's no smoke without you

i am playing shangri-la tomorrow night with tom burgess and doozer from deferred sucess and that's free so if you can't make the ninth you should come along to that. and follow me on twitter if you like.

00050 // 29/10/11

the reasons to be tearful records will be ready very soon so all pledgers will have their exclusives and 7"s in november. once they have all been posted the records will go on sale to everyone else. if any of you didn't already pledge please buy the new record because i need the money. anyway, i played a couple of gigs at the railway hotel this month. first one was on the twelfth playing with son of buff, caleb and sectarian flytrap. setlist went like this:

wwf
happy birthday, richard hell
beautiful mental patient
chelsea hotel #2
if you see her, give her hell
my true geology is not stone but fear
dinosaur egg
marty feldman eyes
there's no smoke without you

then on the seventeenth i played with dave woodcock and tim keech:

wwf
happy birthday, richard hell
if you see her, give her hell
dinosaur egg
beautiful mental patient
i think we might be weirdos
my true geology is not stone but fear
chelsea hotel #2
just like pigpen
island in the sun
marty feldman eyes
there's no smoke without you

i know both sets are a bit similar but i haven't been practicing very much and i can't remember the words to songs at the best of times.

finally, on thursday i was recorded for the shangri-la soup podcast which is broadcasted live but you can still stream or download it from here. also playing on the podcast are tom burgess, dane glasby from the beatroots, owen williams and mick denny. it is recorded totally acoustically so i used my acoustic bass and had to sing a bit higher so i could belt the songs out a bit. also, excuse my horrible chitchat between songs, i'm trying to be a bit more affable and/or entertaining but i'm no good at that stuff. i play these songs on the podcast:

dinosaur egg
pensioners hands
wwf
i love you love me love
beautiful mental patient
my body the temple and i the iconoclast
marty feldman eyes
there's no smoke without you
chelsea hotel #2

once the records and pledges are all posted, the golden boy extended player will be released online. after that i'll finish recording my album weird summer and hopefully release it before the end of the year. if you haven't already, download all my albums and eps and singles from bandcamp (most of them are free) and follow me on twitter if you're into that sort of thing. next gig is fifth of november back at the railway opening for son of buff.