Rachel M Davis Releases "Dreamcatcher"

Rachel M Davis has released her first commercial Album of original Piano tracks. Mu-Mu were very pleased when Jerry asked if we would be prepared to record Rachel. We decided to use Wyastone Leys in Monmouth as they have a great Steinway and a very good sounding space in the concert hall. It was a great pleasure working with Rachel and Jerry from start to finish. The compositions are all beautifully played and have a quality and depth that sets them apart from the crowd. We are certain that this will be a very successful record and will surely bring Rachel to the attention of a much wider listening audience.

We would like to wish you every success, and look forward to working with you both again soon.

You can find out more about the album on Rachel's website, as well as purchase the CD and the sheet music.



From Left To Right. Paul, Matt,Rachel,Jerry,Nina Jones. (Who was doing the video).

Matthew on tour with And Also The Trees Acoustic band from 4th august until 8th august 2010.

Matthew was once again applying his live sound mixing expertise to the Acoustic band. Taking in Belgium, Austria and Italy. Audiences were sold out or near capacity for all three concerts, culminating in an outside concert in SESTO al REGHENA.
Here is a link to a video of the track Macbeth's Head, from this concert

And Also The Trees Live In Berlin 9th July 2010

Matthew was once again out on tour with And Also the Trees. This time they were performing acoustically at the invitation of performance artist John Bock. The concert was situated in front of an exhibition he has curated at the Temporäre Kunsthalle in Berlin called FischGrätenMelkStand.
The echoey acoustics presented one or two challenges, but by keeping onstage volumes down and not chasing high SPL's a good sound was achieved. The more than capacity audience of over 400 people loved the performance.

Two new boys for the studio.

Catering for the discerning guitarist has always been one of our missions, we are lucky to announce a couple of new additions to the studio arsenal. Firstly we have the Mallard combo made by guitar amp tonemeister Mick Grabham, he of Procul Harum fame. This amp has to be the finest sounding 18 watt combo that I have ever heard, If you are looking for that early Marshall/Vox Valve sound then this amp has it in spades. This is a very special amp and spends all its time safely tucked up in the studio. Secondly I decided to make my own amp, no doubt inspired by the Mallard. Given that the Fender Tweed deluxe is a well documented amp and has a great deal of information concerning its construction on the internet, I decided that this was a great amp to begin with. Starting off with some research seemed like a good idea, so much study later I started the build with a chassis and component combination from Mojo in the States. Construction went well with many questions answered by looking at other builds on the internet. Valves and transformers were provided by one of the most helpful people I have ever spoken to, many thanks to Philip at Bluebell audio in Dundee for all your invaluable help. Cabinet making is not my forte, and would have required a huge investment in routers, thingies and sharp chisels which would no doubt have reduced my finger count somewhat so a cabinet was ordered from Rory Coupland in the Cotswolds, and a fine cabinet it was. Covering the cabinet was farmed out to my very talented son Ben Jones, who is a master Trimmer at Morgan Cars in Malvern. We were looking for a 1950's vibe with red and cream leather and a silver grill, hopefully pushing the automotive theme to the fore. Now that most of the components were in place a decision had to be made about a speaker. An original spec Jensen was the answer. The amp sounds great and looks fantastic. Just a handle to go and the job is complete.Hope you like "Lil Red". Number two will be making an appearance soon, once I have decided what it will look like.

mu-mu back at Wyastone Leys

Mu-Mu returned to Wyastone Leys on 1st of July for a recording session with very talented pianist Rachel M Davis from Evesham. Rachel had ten original pieces to record, the intention being to release her first CD of original material later in the Autumn. Rachel and her partner Jerry had spoken to numerous recording studios in the area before deciding to place the recording in the hands of Mu-Mu. The beautiful Steinway at Wyastone perfectly complemented Rachel's superb playing. Ten tracks were recorded during the day followed by a video session filmed by Nina Jones. We were impressed with Rachel's level of preparation and nearly all the tracks were recorded with a single take. Mixing and mastering took place and our traditional attention to detail seems to have paid off once again. The Steinway sounds fantastic and Rachel has written a very classy collection of piano tracks that are sure to attract the attention of anyone who listens to them. It was a real pleasure working with Rachel and Jerry and we wish them every success with this debut recording. Once we have further details we will post them on the blog and website.

John Etheridge and Chris Garrick Duo at The Barn

Saturday May 8th heralded Mu-Mu's foray into the world of gig promotion, with a brilliant performance by two outstanding musicians John Etheridge and Chris Garrick at Hellens Barn.
They delighted the audience with their musical interplay and between numbers banter. They showcased material from their latest album "Men on Wire" and also from "At The Dimming of the Day". Armed with guitars, violins, looper pedals and effects the duo's music included Mercy street by Peter Gabriel and Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone amongst others. A very successful evening with the audience asking for further concerts of this quality! We would like to think the addition of food and beer from Malvern Hills Brewery helped to make this event special.

Trees back at the Barn

Last weekend saw the return of "And Also The Trees" to the Barn for a recording session over two days tracking live acoustic songs for a new DVD. They were looking for a live vibe with some separation and control, but allowing Simon to track vocals live. We decided to bring out the Soundfield for vocal duties, and use an M/S pair for Justin's guitar, with a combination of the Valve Classic and Brauner for Eza on Double Bass. The Soundfield makes a really great vocal microphone, although it is not normally considered as a first choice in this role. Everybody was really pleased with the quality of the recording as well as the great vibe that the Barn brought to the session. AATT worked really hard over the two days recording twelve tracks in total. There will be some Dulcimer overdubs, and, maybe some guitar, but the vocals and backing vocals were all recorded live. Mixing will be at Raglan House as soon as we have the overdubs finished.

Jazz at the Barn

Mu-Mu have decided that the Summer needs kicking off with a bit of a party, so we have teamed up with Malvern Hills Brewery and booked two of the finest Jazz players anywhere to play at the party at Hellens Manor on May 8th this year. The players in question are, John Etheridge Guitar legend, and Chris Garrick on violin. Johns playing is nothing short of sensational as his stints with Soft Machine, Billy Cobham, Nigel kennedy, Stephan Grapelli's quartet and John Williams bear out.

Chris is widely recognised as the foremost Jazz violinist in Britain and one of the leading players on the world scene. He has toured with Cleo Laine, Angelo Debarre, Julian Joseph and Szapora, and recorded with artists including Van Morrison, Bryan Ferry and Luka Bloom. He has also featured on numerous film soundtracks including "Brideshead Revisited", "Borat", "Moulin Rouge", "Tomorrow Never Dies", and many more.

The Party starts at 6.30pm at Hellens Barn Much Marcle Herefordshire, and Tickets include a Pig Roast with Vegetarian options. Ticket prices are £17.00 in advance or £20.00 on the door.

Malvern Hills Brewery are going to be in attendance providing the necessary liquid refreshment, plus Hellens are providing a further bar for those who do not drink beer.

John and Chris will be playing material from their recent albums as well as a wide selection of music from the worlds of Jazz,Folk,World,and Rock.

The party will provide anyone who comes with the opportunity to see and hear two of the finest musicians in the world in a fantastic location, with fantastic beer and food. Did I mention the beer, (Yes?).

Well that's about it if you need further details email us on info@mu-mu.eu, or contact Hellens Manor via their web site or telephone them on 01531 660504 to book tickets.