Hey guys,

I've just moved into quite a nice place in Harrow! It's 10mins walk from both Kenton and Northwick Park tube stations. Come visit sometime!

Hello there...

If someone could help me out i would be forever indebted!

I'm looking for a room to rent ASAP for the next six weeks give or take. Preferably with good transport links as i'll be dragging equipment into Uni to Harrow/Northwick Park. I don't need much space as it's just me, my computer and a bag and despite being a music student, i'm very quiet!

OI YOU, YES YOU.. WITH THE SILLY HAIR... what are you doing reading this? This journal is most likely going to meet it's demise so feel free to add my new journal at markabre


Here's the current post on markabre

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Hoorah! I just updated MARKABRE.COM



It's still pretty damn simple as i'm still pushing retard-proof fisher price software to its limits (Dreamweaver scares me but I think i'm just going to have to sit down with it) I'll add some more content soon(ish)

There's now a comment function among other things so feel free to pander to my fragile warped ego anytime ;)

The next step is to make a nice brush in photoshop so I can watermark each and every damn one of my pictures before any more disturbingly delusional socially inept freaks use my photos to send crude messages to embarrassingly unattractive goth girls.

That's my job.

Hi folks!

Ok, well with my new site and other things in the pipeline hopefully coming to fruition soon I've decided to change my livejournal username from one silly name to another.

To keep in line with most of my other web presence my new journal is markabre I also got kinda sick of people coming up to me and asking me if i was imaginary boy and referring to me as imaginary boy in conversation as if it was my name. It was meant simply as a quick username a long time ago,certainly not a name for myself!

If the same applied for others wouldn't half of the girls at alternative clubs be called sexygothchick666, darkdescendingdarkangelofdoomydarkdarkdoomydoom666, ilovemansonhimslipknotzomglolzorz11111, trashyjdpinkcocainecruedoll666 and the like.

I've decided to make the new journal "friends only" at least for the mean time to see how that works out for me.

This time I plan to update it more often with rants, music and photo-ey goodness so if you'd like to be added just drop me a comment on my other journal. If I'm unlikely to have a really good idea who you are please drop me some details about you and how you know me. There's not much point in making it friends only if I add a load of unknown people.

I hope to see you over at my new journal, there's already a new post waiting for you ;)

Mark

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Brian Eno & David Byrne - Pitch to Voltage

The puppies have gone...

Over the last few weeks they both developed terrible hip dysplasia frighteningly fast and basically found everyday life very increasingly uncomfortable. There was only one thing to do for their sake. It has been inevitable for a while now, but today was the day. They were really great dogs it's such a shame we only got to spend six months together. I will never forget either of them.

inkymitts and I took them for a walk in the park this morning, and they had as good a roam around as they could have had. They were sore by the time we got home but at least they weren't in pain for long. The vet came soon afterwards. Jack went to sleep on his cushion and Nero went on the sofa in my arms.

Inkymitts' Entry

Today I was going through a pile of songs at various levels of completion and discovered a track I wrote and recorded a little while ago. I had put it to one side until I had written final lyrics and recorded vocals for it. Upon listening to it for the first time in a while I think it would probably be stronger as an instrumental track. So if you're interested I've updated myspace and put it online.

It's quite a unusual track for me. It consists of Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Cello and Violin, so you could say it was more "musical" than most of my stuff. For this kind of music it's almost tempting to start another side project and get a female vocalist in but for the moment it will stay with MGM.

The track is called "The Usher" as i wrote it after a marathon viewing of Carnivale episodes, one of the best shows ever in my opinion. You may hear shades of it in the song. If you haven't seen Carnivale then I fully recomend going and getting the first season DVD, you won't regret it. This is from someone who doesn't watch TV at all. The last two times I watched TV was July 7th and 21st for obvious reasons.

This song lacks any logical song structure, its just a flow of conscienceness as its more about the feel of it.

Click here and listen to "The Usher"

I'd appreciate any feedback!

For those wondering where the vocals are on my other tracks, it shouldn't be too much longer now, but that's what I always say. It's just a question of time, money and equipment.


Enjoy ;)

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Mass Grave - The Usher

Lots of stuff has happened since the last update but i'm not in the mood to write an essay right now! So get ready for bitesize bulletpoints people!!

Went to the Rubber Ball TG and almost went blind due to some painful and extortionate new whiteout contact lenses. My eyeballs took a day or so to fully recover from being so scratched up.

Got a very cute Skull covered corset - I am a man of subtle taste ;)

Bauhaus tickets.... joy!

cavey_nik and co. came over, he brought a bottle of wine and was very pleasant company ^__^

I have my powerful studio speakers fixed...mwahahaha..the neighbours will love me! I have also invested in some more music techy goodness best described as Geek-Boxes.

Talking of Geek-Boxes.. I have been convinced to switch to mac and join the Apple corps (cringe). They seem much better for creatively minded people. A Powermac Quad with 30" screen ..mmmmm....one day! Right now I would consider myself very bloody lucky to play with a G5 imac. I doubt I could totally discard my pc.

The recent music material is coming along well, but perhaps a little slower than I initially expected. When I started this project I was aiming to have a cd and be gigging by the end of the year. I'm glad I've taken the extra time to quality control and start to build something carefully put together rather than rushing out and esentially wasting half finished ideas for instant gratification (let's just say I've been there with previous bands) Saying that I will have to update our myspace page with some new previews so you can hear how it's coming along.

I currently have written more material than I could fit on one full length CD album. Some songs are very different to others (Pianos, cellos and violins on some, Prodigy-esque beats on others)so I may need to set up a different project so I can keep the sound more focused.

Halloween was good fun! Went to see The Flaming Doodits and they were damn good and also rather spiffing chaps!

After getting ready in a hurry I ended up looking a little like a zombified evil version of Zaphod Beeblebrox which is perhaps a look I should adopt more often :)Don't have any photos but perhaps some will turn up somewhere at some point.

While working on music at home I have to put the pups away in the kitchen so they don't roam around the house unattended. But occasionally they manage to escape and come visit me in the "studio".




Nero finds my headphones comfy to sleep on! Bless 'im!

Current Mood: exanimate
Current Music: Danny Elfman - Remains of the Day

Well if you haven't heard already in some way, last week I became a proud parent.... of two puppies!



They are little poop machines and have cost me a lot of sleep, but I love the little sods! They are now 8 weeks old and are sleeping piled up on one another in the kitchen behind a bc rich bass. Bless 'em ^__^

They are called Jack and Nero.

( More pics here )

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Squitty Puppy - Warlock (you see what i did there.huh..huh?)

Last month I met up with the talented photographer Augusta and we frolicked in the park,
taking some pictures. It was refreshing to do something a little different to your standard alternative fayre and we should be working together again soon.



RAHR!! or Mmeow?

I have sucessfully moved into London...just a whole lot of boxes to unpack and a housewarming to organise. Hopefully once I am settled I can work on getting a more diverse portfolio.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: EEEN THEE JUNGULLLLLL

It seems time for my bi-annual update of livejournal!

Since successfully completing my course (despite the fucktards that both inhabited and ran it) life has been rather different. From where I've been living to the circles I've been socialising in. Not that I've been socialising all that much as i've been concentrating on my music...and that's another thing that has changed rather dramatically in recent months as some of you may have noticed (but more on that later).

So it's all change at camp "Mark abre" .. (not that i'm camp, sweedie) and it looks like a change for the better.

Despite many false starts I should be finally moving into a house in London (Seven Sisters) next week.

I'm planning to set up some kind of home studio and, between there and my collaborators studio, we hope to finish a cd this year. The material I have up my sleeve (no, not cotton and polyester) is sounding really promising and I can say without much doubt that it's the best music i've done yet. I cant wait to gig some of this music, it's going to sound absolutely great live and very very loud.

If you're interested in hearing work in progress tracks please visit our MYSPACE PAGE where you can stream them. I'm holding onto the really promising stuff until its totally finished and polished and have so far only put some stuff up to give people a bit of a taster. I just uploaded a new-ish track a couple of days ago so check it out! I hope to record my vocals for the record in the next few months.

What else to tell you.. hmm..well slightly old news but..

Well I've been in fairly regular contact with the infamous Eva O since she heard some of my new "solo" material a while back. The good news is that we get on really well and are going to work together on her next album! Details are still up in the air but we'll probably start working on it in the new year once I have my own material finished. We have also talked about gigging together, so you never know!

Misc. things since my last update:

During a rather dirty weekend in manchester a mobile caught in the bedding managed to phone the young lady's father, leaving a long and rather obscene voicemail. They apparently listened to the entire message and I wouldn't be surprised if she was given a mark out of ten.

I was backstage at the Big Gay Out (and yes that was the only gay backstage action I have ever been involved in...I was helping out friends...honest guv...*manly grrr*) I was also accosted by photographers while eating there..So should you see a picture of me at the big gay out with mayonaise around my mouth.. please don't assume the worst!

I attempted to learn to play a couple of old carny-style accordions in order to make spooky music.

I tried in vain to convince a certain someone not to purchase a BC Rich Warlock.. for they are gay and metuuuuuuhllll! It should not be encouraged.

In an act of vanity I posted a photo of myself on livejournal (now there's a rarity for you!)


Me looking rather pale at the rather spiffing club, Dead & buried

Current Mood: groggy
Current Music: Mass Grave Masquerade - Human Alter Human