Ficek Blog

So off to Scotland, Ogidan in tow….

First stop off the train ‘Traditional Local food’ should have known not to expect too much as it’s 1 min from the station, the tourist trap. In we go, microwave hell!

Catch, or at least try to catch a few zzzz at the hotel to no avail.  Tonight I’m playing the caves, it turns out to be one of the best venues I have ever played, it  literally is a hollowed out cave or so I’d like to think. The accoustics in the room are unbelievably. I always get scared when the support is a folkster, these chaps normally have top skillz on both the guitar front and the singing. (will find the name of the support – please excuse)  Anyway this guy was amazing, still waiting for him to send me his stuff.

The gig wasn’t packed but nothing really mattered in that room, I would have been content just singing and playing to myself and the cave walls, I will definitely go back here.

From there we wandered across the road into the local pub, a little unfriendly to start but ended up with one of our entourage helping out in a brawl. Can’t comment for legal reasons! I remember lots of apple flavour shots the rest is ??

Next stop was Glasgow, I love Glasgow, the grit and the twists and the turns it holds. But…….Last time I had an RKC here I played ‘Captain’s rest’ this venue is perfect, I knew it would take some beating.

Perhaps I’m being over sensitive but it was decided that a band would go on before me, if you’ve read my moanings on here before then you’ll know I’m not a fan of going on after bands, it’s the sonic environment and energy it creates. It’s very hard to compete with as a folkypoppy tone. Unless you have a catalogue of known songs or a media presence, it’s a grim challenge. It just felt wrong.

The other band grudge I do sometimes have is that lots of bands hide behind the power of the ensemble, loads of energy but no songs, when I’m up there I can’t rifferama or pull some fancy but louds fills, it’s all about songs when playing accoustically! Not a bad or a good thing, just an observation!

So glasgow this time didn’t really go off. Weren’t in the mood for a knees up but headed to nice and sleazys which was rammed packed so off to bed for me, picked up the worst pie I have ever had on route, bad choice, OG came to the rescue with noodles.

Off back to London, was supposed to be playing Ipswich that night but the venue had again put me on after two energetic bands, we always specifically send out emails pleading…..So I put my foot down like a sulky teenager!

Also had a Herts solo show pulled, they contacted saying that the tickets are slow, and not wanting to lose dollar they wanted to pull it. The next day they called back after a big press piece went out, it seems it was suddenly going to be busy…bit late says I, either commit or don’t.  Am getting a bit harder in this self managerial role.  Give em an inch and all that, any how it’s rescheduled for the new year.

Few days off, resting, well…..

Babyshambles time, a week of getting the ship back on course. I spent the week in the country with the band working on new stuff and entering the first phase of our 3rd album. It feels great to be digging back into it. Everyone’s had a chance to do their own thing for a while so it feels refreshed and rejuvenated. We listed about 25 songs to work on and we’ll probably write another 10 so there’s loads of weeding to be done. It’s all taking shape nicely, I don’t want to temp fate with a release date but we’re working towards a summer 2010 completion. The plan is to fine tune 10 songs at a time then demo them hopefully with Stephen Street again

So now, here, I’m in Milan, hold on I forgot to mention my RKC solo in Guildford, after a hectic day of rehearsals I squeezed in a lovely little accoustic set in Guildford. After the last Glasgow show I was feeling a little weary but this venue reinstalled my faith, the perfect environment, fairy lights and a warm listening crowd.

So Milan.. had a ‘record playing’ booking last night – still loathe to use the word DJ as the term is now used by the masses, especially in London, as a poor excuse attempt of being a performer of sorts. I do ‘DJ’ in certain environments (which involves pitch and beat mixing, and generally being creative with the weaving song forms) Last night I played the role of ‘record choosing’ which is also fine but ‘record choosing’ is not an art. Anyone can ‘record choose’ I do it well but it’s not like learning to play the piano!  I’ve ‘record chose’ since the ripe old age of 16, back in my hustling days it was my only source of income so I know how to please crowds. The club was wickedio but I got stung on a massive cab journey to the airport which practically wiped my fee out! oh well, we live and learn, off I go to Brussells.

Here I am in Brussells, it seems I have landed in the ‘other’ Brussells airport to the one the promoter is meeting me at! Sod’s law, oh bugger!

Was going to train it but the promoter is being a diamond and coming here for me.  I reckon tonight’s going to be ’stonking’ am playing some tunes with Paul Gallagher so it should get messy.

Am running out of things to talk about….er, I bought a new washing machine last week, the old one wasn’t cleaning and all my wool wear came out with some kind of tissue embellishment, I blame the previous owner.

Oh here’s something funny, was flicking through the mags at the airport, actually no, no more moaning about young famous people’s kids dressing in charity shop attire. lower working class chic without the struggle? This chip sometimes takes over, I’ve repressed it for now though…it tends to shine on twitter more so, had a run in with the Fly mag the other day, tweeting about the traditional Babyshambles topic, bit rude to us all I felt, but alas no one came forward to justify when challenged. I’m sure any subsequent music I release will now get an anonimous kick in. Got to stand up for what’s right sometimes even if it makes enemies of the ‘Roman Empire’ of music reviewers.

Anyway are the Posties still out?

I was a postman for a while.

FPOTP = Moscow – Orange Juice

It’s raining here but I like Belgium, good bit of beef in Belgium.

Coming weeks we got…Me solo in Cardiff, me solo in Nottingham then hitting the European road solo with Peter, I might use an electric with some pedals to spice it up a bit, who knows, you might get lucky or unlucky. Will bring a ton of merch to make ends meet. keep an eyeball on the myspace.com/roseskingscastles, if anyone fancies doing a bit of street teaming on the europa dates grab me on the mysp or face book or twittski.

Christmas solo London show (me) being announced shortly. Bettsy Trotwood late Dec with Tommy Williams and his boats. Ogidan will dress up as santa and invite you into his grotto. Followed by another repeat of the last London outing back at Ogidan’s bar.

See you later…..

PS. Roses 2nd Album all done as you know, it’s out in Feb, waiting to build the sizzle on the recent ep still. 2010 Roses Kings Castles ‘Suburban Time Bomb’, Babyshambles III, RKCTVP and perhaps sneak in an Adam Ficek solo ep towards the end, am thinking 100 only to chums and gang members.

Excuse the PS. I’m back.

Am now Eurostaring back to London, last night was bonkers, It went off like a Tyson clump. It’s always these smaller but buzzed up places that surprise me!

I’m definately coming back for ‘Hindu timesII’  in the future. Don’t want to sound like a ‘London Polyester smiler’ but everyone I met last night was top dollar, real bunch of no bullshit chaps and chappesses.

This red wine on the Eurostar needs some attention!

As I have some time to kill til Kings cross thought I’d share some insight into the RKC trail/struggle/fight against nob eds.

It’s been a year or so now since the first album release and loads of things have changed. My biggest problem is working out how to place the live thing, I played all the instruments on the first album and a great deal of them of subsequent recordings(Ep and Suburban time bombs) am now faced with trying to work out a way to perform the songs to the best of my ability and resources. The most enjoyable shows I do are the ones where people are used to listening to accoustic acts, leaning towards the folky type venues. This is great but I’ve never really been that comfortable with the folk tag, I see my stuff as more indie pop but being performed in a stripped down fashion. I think the problem with some of the ‘folk’ tagggers is that they take themselves far too seriously. also the term ‘folk’ is a bit dated now and no longer relates to what was essential music of the people, this whole new folk thing happening now seems to be have a real exclusive middle class snobbery attached to it, maybe it’s that insecure chip taking over my mind again…I think perhaps the term ‘folk’ is more consistent with the sonic environment rather than the ethos?

In my opinion the closest thing to localised ‘Urban’ folk is probably the music and ethos that the estate kids and grimesters are making. It reminds me of how jazz changed from the 60’s as being a real popular inclusive art form into the schooled ‘high brow’ exclusive music type it is today.  I studied a bit of jazz and it’s development and used to love the freedom that improvisation held but the place I studied at drained me of any excitement and energy I had for it due to it’s one upmanship snobbery….

To conclude it might sound odd but a band like ‘Oasis’ are far more folk than ‘Laura Marling’ can ever be, in regards to ethos and creating a sense of community and social commentary.

Where was I, RKC live, right, as I said in the previous blog I’m looking to push the live forward, I’ll probably start going out with a semi accoustic and a few pedals to give me some different sounds, and perhaps in the future RKC will be an ensemble and I’ll do the Adam Ficek solo thing. I’m at a bit of a cross roads musically at the moment, I can write loads of songs in the style of my first 2 albums, but It’s important for me and any artist to try and push things along to open up other areas, looking back I do feel that some of the music I’ve written is far to melodic and slightly lacking in the swagger side of things so that’s what I’m moving towards. I personally think that it has to be a bit dirty and at the moment that dirt comes from the words, my next set of songs whatever release they get be it Adam Ficek solo, RKCIII, or Babyshambles will be much tougher with more restraint on the melodic content.

So that’s where I’m at, if you think this is all a load of balls, please email               Ogidan@Icouldntgiveaflyingmonkeys.com

aaahhh back in Blighty.