Matt Gemmell's Legacy

Breathtaking work from Matt Gemmell:

But I’ll lie awake worrying about being forgotten. I’ve had conversations about it over the years, and I’ve learned that it’s not generally a motivator in people’s lives. I’m the unusual one. Maybe it was some trauma of the past. Maybe I should talk to somebody about it.

[...]

That’s why I’m willing (and compelled) to put myself out here on display. An eponymous collection of words, with articles that sometimes touch on very personal things. I’ve spoken about technical topics, of course, but also about writing, and divorce, and depression. Religion and politics. Prejudice and discrimination. The truth of me. Things written by an actual person, while I’m still here.

Liner Notes

Yesterday, Dead Pool released the 'Synesthesia' EP. I wrote about the process of making it on this site quite a few times, both in abstract terms and in a more matter-of-fact fashion. I urge you all to take a listen.

As a neat way to wrap up my thoughts on the process, I thought I'd run the liner notes that we put together just in case you don't get the opportunity to sift through Ryan's amazing accompanying PDF booklet. Which would be your loss, I suppose.

I'd also like to give personal thanks to Ryan, Jeremy and Nathan for their persistence and creative spark and to Andy for continuing to indulge us all this time.

Enjoy.

These recordings were made over a course of months in many different places, times and environments. They are the product of enthusiasm, dedication, frustration and friendship. We may not have known exactly what we were doing the entire time, but we found that there is often joy and satisfaction in the act of simply creating. Through this journey we learned a lot about the craft, ourselves and each other. The end result is certainly something for us to be proud of.

Dead Pool would like to thank co-conspirator Andy Thompson for the time, effort and expertise he contributed to the creation of this recording. Without him, 'Synesthesia' would not have existed in this form and for that we are extremely grateful. Both creatively and personally, Andy is a kindred spirit; of this band as a whole and of its constituent members.

To girlfriends and families that gave leave for afternoons and evenings and tolerated late-night returns from rehearsals and recording sessions, we say thank you.

To our friends writing, playing, learning or creating anything at all, we urge you to continue doing what you're doing. Persist with your own journeys of self discovery.

-Dead Pool

Of Black and Grey

This is a city that looks its sexiest in grey.

Across its breadth, wardrobes are at once opened. Heavy jackets of black and grey wake from spells of dusty hibernation. They know that just like the city, their time has come back around again.

The turning point has arrived. Seeking respite from the bitter wind, shoulders are draped in these jackets, the necks they leave exposed shielded by scarves that are neatly tied.

At tram stops and pedestrian crossings, subjects of the city stand impatiently. Hands are buried deep in pockets and ears are plugged by headphones. Nearby strangers stand within inches of one another yet somehow oceans apart. All the while the one thing that connects them, the physical environment they must share for their short journey, mutters quietly to itself.

Jaded and cynical, it goes through the motions. It's simply doing what it knows best: testing those who dare to take to the footpaths in spite of its warnings. Each day people press back against its wishes, seeking solace in weaves of polyester, cotton and wool.

Ominous grey clouds effectively frame a city whose skyline represents a power struggle between the preservation of the majestic old and the drive toward a refined new. Gathered puddles of water sit still only for a moment, reflecting back the beauty of both the city and its inhabitants.

As much as it might appear to being trying to punish its citizens on these mornings, it is not a expression of hostility. In this place, it is merely the way of things. The relationship between the city and its constituents is not accurately described as one of symbiosis. Instead it is like two old friends that sit opposite one another far less often than either would like, but still bicker and joust intently when they do. The people know a lot of their city; the city most definitely knows its people. They share a lot more in common than either care to admit: an adoration of culture, a belief in the richness of tradition and a sense of mystery, neatly expressed in the maze of laneways that conceal hidden gems and promise new adventures on every visit.

At about this time each year, the city and its subjects return to the wardrobe to refocus themselves for the bitter cold of the coming months. It is fortunate then that they both look at their best in heavy jackets of black and grey.