Rafael Miranda
Fri 08 March 2024
Hello guys!
It's that time of the month again, and today's blog is about February, our show at The St Moritz Club and our bass recording sessions with Nic Richards.
So let’s start by telling you about our show.
Our second gig of 2024 took place at the St. Moritz Club in Soho, on February 3rd.
The St. Moritz Club is hands down one of the most legendary rock venues here in London, operating since the 60s, bands like Deep Purple and many others would perform there.
It was common throughout the 70s and 80s to find rock legends just having a drink and hanging out with friends there as well, and the place is full of old framed pictures capturing some of those moments.
One of the rock legends there regularly was none other than Lemmy, who has a famous picture found all over the internet taken right there, standing by a fruit machine!
The spot where the picture was taken is exactly the same as it was, now with a framed copy of that picture hanging on the wall. Everything about this place really takes you back to that golden age of rock'n roll.
This is a place where we perform every few months, having had many very special shows there. A special thanks to our friend Mark Williams, who is the promoter responsible for bookings at the venue.
And this legendary place is the one we chose for this special gig.
Our frontman Rafael Miranda's birthday is on the 5th of February, and that is also Breno Val's birthday, respectively the frontman and the bassist for Lost Gravity, an amazing London band who's been on the road for over fifteen years.
So over drinks after one of our gigs there at the St. Moritz Club a few years ago, Breno and Rafael, who are long-time friends, decided to organize a birthday party/gig there at the St. Moritz, so we could do it at the same time the two things we love the most: playing rock and roll and celebrating with our friends.
And so we did, and the party has been a yearly success ever since.
And this year’s show couldn't have been better!
A big thank you to all of our supporters and friends who joined us that night!
Each band delivered a one hour set, with plenty of originals as well as covering some of the best classics.
The place stays open until 3 AM so after the bands there is always a DJ ready to keep the party going, and the later it gets the greater the influx of people pouring in from all over Soho.
We'll be performing at the St. Moritz again really soon, so stay tuned, come down and check it out.
Now on to our very own Nic Richards bass recording sessions.
In case you hadn't heard, we are currently recording our second studio release: a brand new EP, with the first single to be released within the next few months.
Our first studio album was an absolute success, with results and feedback from the public much better than expected, and if you haven't already don't forget to check it out on all digital platforms: Black Wolf Blues.
And now a couple of years later, a lot of hard work and preparation has been put into this EP, with some of the songs having been in the works for years, now finally ready to be released.
Just to clarify for those who are not too used to the nomenclature, the only difference between an EP and an album is the number of songs, with EPs usually having up to 5/6 songs, with anything more than that being an album.
Our EP will consist of 5 songs in total, but they will be released in singles, with the first one set to be released in a few months.
Recording technology has evolved immensely in the last two decades, giving many independent artists the opportunities that once only big studios and labels could offer.
The music industry has also changed, allowing for artists to distribute their music directly to all digital platforms accessible to anyone around the world, as well as interact directly with their fanbase online and on social media.
And in case you didn't know, our guitarist Jake is also a certified music producer, fresh out of one of the best music universities in London, and he will be in charge of the recording and production of our EP.
Taking all of this combined with the amazing creative output we have been getting from our new line up, and all the beautiful material that has been coming out of it, means that this EP is only the second of many releases yet to come.
Check out a little bit of what Nic had to say about the recording sessions:
“(...) Playing bass in the studio was definitely an experience. Everything had to be close to perfect, I had to make sure not to accidentally play dissonant notes that did not fit behind Jake’s growling guitar and follow Cam’s aggressive grooves (between a powerful kick-drum hit and another).
The main problem I faced was the exhaustion of being in a studio all day with no windows, and my “A” string did not seem to be intonated properly due to the height on the bass guitar's nut.
Other than that, it was very fun and I cannot wait to record bass on Black Wolf Blues’ next recording projects.”
Also, check out a little bit of what Jake had to say, as the producer of our EP and of these recording sessions:
“(...) The bass recording sessions have been underway! It’s awesome to see the final element of the recording sessions being added to the picture especially with the fact that it now includes our new bassist Nic!
It was great to see how Nic interpreted the parts and it was great working with him as we built the chemistry as band members! Working with the bass is a really important phase of recording because I call this the glue.
The bass provides the glue for the rest of the band and makes all of the other instruments blend and work together.
The sessions have taken 3 days as we have been trying to get the bass lines recorded as quickly as possible! We are now in the editing / mixing stages so hopefully the E.P. will be with you very soon!!!
The excitement is growing and the band can’t wait to share this first offering from the new lineup of Black Wolf Blues!”
One thing that really amazed me personally and that became one of the funnest parts of the whole thing was the writing and recording process.
The writing and recording process we established in this new line up is better than ever! And on top of it all, the dynamic we established between us as band members during the writing process and during the planning of this recording project as a whole is something that finished closing the bonds between us as a band.
We are really excited and working on this project every single day, it will really blow your minds.
You will naturally also get to see the artwork of the EP - which will be awesome - from the very first single, as well as the name of the EP.
As an independent band we need all the support we can get, so we are running a crowdfunding campaign to help us fund the recording of our EP and make it as awesome as possible for you!
If you'd like to contribute with any amount just head on over to our website or Linktree and you will find the link to the crowdfunding there.
Check out our Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for some of our videos, pictures and exclusive content.
New videos and pictures are uploaded to our YouTube channel every week, so don't forget to like and subscribe so that you don't miss out on new content weekly.
We also publish a new blog every month, and next month's blog is going to be one of a kind. So stay tuned and rock on!
Black Wolf Blues
Rafael, Jake, Nic & Cam