This began as a set of guitar demos I recorded. When I started working with Lee Potts (just before we started the Omenopus project), he remixed and augmented some of my demos, adding drums, synths, samples and other instruments. Lee produced a whole album of them, which he presented to me.
This piece went on to become the epic "Snapshot" song on Omenopus's debut album, "Time Flies".

Jet Rhino In Pop

Inferno/Desire

Just me trying a few things out on the bouzouki.
I'd forgotten all about these recordings until this week, when I found them tagged onto the end of my most recent "Juliet" session recording!
I'll see about working these ideas into something more complete, now that I know they exist!

Bouzouki 030512_1

Bouzouki 030512_2

This is just me catching a nice melody on my old 3/4 size nylon strung guitar, using a Boss Micro BR with built-in microphone. However, our toddler is in the room, blowing on his recorder, because he wants to get into the act! Then we stopped and had a chat about how the recording equipment works. Then I picked up the guitar again and my fingers discovered a great little barre chord sequence (no brain process involved!). So there are a couple of interesting bits of music here, but I left the chat in, as I think it's hilarious!

2nd April 2017 Acoustic Guitar Plus Tristan

A simple paradiddle-like rhythm on a Roland FP-2 piano, set to Vox patch 1. This is a velocity-sensitive patch, giving different sampled vocal sounds for faster (or harder) presses of the keys, ranging from quiet "Ahhh" to the loudest "DOW!" (hence the working title!).
This produces a randomising effect, which was quite interesting when playing the rhythm on just the F and C notes.
I tried to match it to a 120bpm metronome, but it was impossible to stick to it. More practice required, I think!

I added a basic melody (same patch), and a pad (strings patch 7) just to hear what could be done with it. Neither are brilliant, but they indicate where this piece could go.

260417 DOW!

When I first began to work with Lee Potts (of Omenopus), he reworked some of my old demo tunes, presenting me with a CD of them, with the title "Jet Rhino In Pop" (guess where he got the title, anagram lovers!).
The finished sound is very close to that of Omenopus, so fans of that band may like these tunes. In fact, several were then further adapted to become some of the songs on the Omenopus debut "Time Flies". See if you can spot them!

Thinkin' 'Bout You (Tu-Tu Mix)

Bolero (Mystery Mix)

Summer Is Blue (Aestas Mix)

Slowburner (Charcoal Mix)

State Of Grace (Omen Mix)

In past times, I've been a member of local groups including Dusk, The Earthmovers and Randolph Flagg. Currently I'm playing bass, guitar, bouzouki and mandolin (and dabbling with other instruments) with TWO bands: "1912" and "Omenopus".

www.nineteentwelve.com

1912 is the traditional "live" band. That is, five guys playing together in real time, rehearsing songs, recording albums and playing gigs. We play what is known as "Progressive Rock", which is the handy tag applied to any rock music which features intelligent, complex, technically difficult music. But that would be selling us short: 1912 music is also powerful, emotional and damn catchy!
With four great song-writers, three excellent vocalists, and most members able to play several instruments, this is a band that's producing some genuinely exciting music!

www.omenopus.com

Omenopus is the "virtual" band. That is, we never meet or play as a complete unit, and therefore gigs are completely out of the question at this stage in the game. We collaborate on writing and recording via the Internet, and our chief audiovisual architect Lee Potts assembles our contributions into stunning aural experiences - sometimes beautiful, sometimes disturbing, always flying in the face of expectations!

Both bands have produced albums (available on Lee's own Monty Maggot label), which are widely available from many vendors, such as Amazon and CDBaby. However, you'll be able to buy them at much lower prices (with some great package deals, freebies and other goodies) if you go direct to the Monty Maggot web site: www.montymaggot.com.

(But check them out on Amazon too - that way, you can read some of the glowing reviews that are up there!)

John Pierpoint