'Missives' is With Stones in His Pockets' second album. The first one is here: https://soundcloud.com/withstonesinhispockets/sets/falls-the-shadow?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

On these 9 tracks of dense, soulful psych-folk, With Stones in His Pockets ponders the fact there are no easy answers and frequently no answers at all. With Stones' inventive and powerful song writing backs up his unique voice on songs which are by turns wistful and propulsive, tender and confrontational.

THE LINER NOTES:

On this record, With Stones in His Pockets is:
- Glen Rowlan: Piano on 'My Haunted House'
- Leif M. Schaffland: Guitar solo on 'The Silence Mill', backing vocals on 'The Canal' and 'A Great Talk About Terrible Things', percussion on 'Ursula'
- Rob Tamplin: Vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, Arturia DrumBrute
- RebekahWDesign (rebekahwdesign.com): Cover artwork 
- John Yeomans: Rhythm guitar on 'Use Your Fantasy'

Written between 2014-2021 and recorded Summer 2021-Spring 2022.

Mixed and mastered by Leif M. Schaffland
Produced by Leif M. Schaffland and Rob Tamplin

All songs written by Rob Tamplin

Dedicated to the With Stones in His Pockets family of players: Amit, Andy, Glen, John, Leif, Nick and Paul.

© Rob Tamplin, 2022

MISSIVES

Heavy in thy Soul is the most recent EP by With Stones in His Pockets.  Five sprawling tracks of alternative rock, recorded in about 20 hours by Amit Chadda. 

LINER NOTES:

On this record, With Stones in His Pockets is:
- Amit Chadda: Production, electronic drums, keyboards 
- Johanna Mackin: Cover artwork
- Rob Tamplin: Vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, album cover photo

Mixed and mastered by Amit Chadda
Produced by Amit Chadda and Rob Tamplin

All songs written by Rob Tamplin

Dedicated to the With Stones in His Pockets family of players: Amit, Andy, Glen, John, Leif, Nick and Paul.

© Rob Tamplin, 2022

Heavy in thy Soul

A sort of songwriting diary of Winter 2023-24.

Sketches from 2023-24

09/05/22: I replaced the demo file with the final mastered file from the album. The difference between the two is unimaginable. This version was mixed and mastered by Leif M. Schaffland. Amazing what the process of mixing and mastering can do - especially when handled by someone so talented.

Here is a song from my forthcoming album 'Missives'. It's about a person whose head is being haunted. Written 2014, debuted 2017, forgotten 2018, this approximation of the original remembered and rewritten 2022.

Glen Rowlan is a piano superstar and that's exactly what he does on this song.

My Haunted House

'Falls the Shadow' is With Stones in His Pockets' first album. It was released in 2011. It is a very raw, live sounding album. All nine tracks were recorded quickly. It was recorded by Amit Chadda in de Stafford School's music department. 

THE LINER NOTES:

On this record, With Stones in His Pockets is:
- Glen Rowlan: Piano, keyboards and backing vocals
- Amit Chadda: Production, drums, backing vocals, album cover
- Rob Tamplin: Vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass

Mixed and mastered by Amit Chadda
Produced by Amit Chadda and Rob Tamplin

All songs written by Rob Tamplin

Dedicated to the With Stones in His Pockets family of players: Amit, Andy, Glen, John, Leif, Nick and Paul.

© Rob Tamplin, 2022

Falls the Shadow

Tree Song

Because of This War

Time, & Again

Positively Deathly

Down To The River

Lavender

'A Great Talk About Terrible Things' is the first single from With Stones in His Pockets' lush new album, 'Missives'.

Demoed in 2014, this is one of the earliest songs on the album. It's a song about changing for the better, but that change coming all too late for some important people in your life.

Rob Tamplin: Vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, Arturia DrumBrute
Leif M. Schaffland: Backing vocals
Artwork by Rebekah W (rebekahwdesign.com)
Mixed and mastered by Leif M. Schaffland
Written by Rob Tamplin

LYRICS 
I immediately trust you
It's just a shame I never grew
It's 'cause my heart is closed
This is the terrible thing I know

Now you'll never see
That you never knew me like I knew you
You let me in but I never let myself
This was a great talk about terrible things

Give us more mystery
Ask yourself how can this be
A grim continuum?
Where there is nothing to, nothing to learn
We go

This was a great talk about terrible things

When possessed by the mind of a villain
No wonder I could never find another way
With no self control but obsessed by the outcome
The people I've lost
But the feeling remains
Oh, and the shame

Now you'll never see
That you never knew me like I knew you
You let me in but I never let myself
This was a great talk about terrible things

Oh, here it comes
The punchline at the end of all our lives/lies
It's hilarious
How at the end of us
We destroy our own world

Missives

Buy it here

A Great Talk About Terrible Things

This song just sort of fell out all on one Sunday in November. 

I was feeling musically stagnant, making a lot of plans for new music - EPs, albums, vinyl - but not actually writing anything new. My muse decided that was to come to an end, and out came this song without a home. 

I used it to learn how to use my DAW. I've still got a lot to learn, but I think this mix is satisfactory.

The vibe I was aiming for is 'wintery' - brittle, arch, cold, but with something comforting at its core.

It's about how a new earth is possible, even though we seem to be making a real hash of the current one. 

The accompanying photo is from a set I took on a Holga 120 medium format camera during the snow flurry in the South of England way back in 2012.

LYRICS:
Take one spirit, mix it with the stars
Mould this clay in the shape of a heart
Wrap it in skin and what have you got?
A machine that shakes itself apart

Put each contraption in its own box
Add space, add time, add avarice and lust
Stand back and admire what you've made
A race of things that just degrade

This morning the house around me felt like it was in its death throes
An ominous smell floating up from the streets below
Sheets of ancient piss and thickets of rotting dust
Hordes of Renaissance men descend from above
Setting flies a-buzzing, spreading mold like butter on toast
"Yeah, you know us!"

Experiment failed, these things only devour
Empty vessels create a new earth
Never mind and every moment's a rebirth
Scoop out their mind, subtract the hours

Winter Songs

The Hours (Winter Song 1)

This song is based on the fundamental teaching of Indian philosopher and spiritual teacher, J. Krishnamurti, who traveled the world for half a century, trying to articulate the secret to a mindful and spiritual life. One day, he asked his audience whether they wanted to finally know his secret. 

So the crowd sat up with bated breath, listening attentively for the master to finally reveal his wisdom, his great technique for a mindful, calm, and fully embodied life. 

Finally, he said: 'This is my secret. I don’t mind what happens.'

I wrote the music for this song because I was worried I couldn't write riffs anymore. When I first started songwriting, my work was very riff-based, but I soon wandered into the realm of chord sequences and meticulously considered song structures (because, believe it or not, I do try to be meticulous!) 

I hope you enjoy this.

I Don't Mind What Happens (Winter Song 2)

I was lucky enough to be invited to play a live session on Clayton Thompson's amazing Academy Alternative show on Academy FM Folkestone.
Clayton is a true gent, a real music lover, and is dedicated to boosting small acts, both local and international.
I'd heartily encourage anyone making music to send their tracks to his show on Academy FM Folkestone. 
Here is a playlist of the live tracks I played on Clayton's show.

The Silence Mill (Live)

Lavender (Live)

Ursula (Live)

The Canal (Live)

Down To The River (Live)

This Was Meant To Be The Future

Heavy in Thy Soul

With Stones in His Pockets is Rob, a singer songwriter from London. He has been writing music as With Stones in His Pockets since 2001. His work ranges from psych-folk to experimental pop, and has been described as 'folk with stage-show drama'. Rob has released 3 eps and 2 albums. 'Missives', was released in Spring, 2023. 

Follow on Bandcamp! https://withstonesinhispockets.bandcamp.com/follow_me

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