‘Sunken Dreams’, by Giant Chess Men

Right, listen up you lot! In precisely 5 weeks the world will look on in awe and amazement, as it witnesses the release of ‘Arcology’, the brand new album from the electronic prog rock artiste known as ‘Giant Chess Men’. Will it be the greatest album in the history of the universe ever? Possibly – only time and public opinion will tell. But one thing is certain: I’m going to be on it!
 
Front cover artwork for 'Sunken Dreams' by Giant Chess Men, showing a watercolour cartoon image of a city that is crumbled and largely submerged.
The track ‘Sunken Dreams’, which is already available to listen to as a single, includes a lovely little flute part which I recorded remotely way back in the dim distant past of December 2020. The song features exciting angular rhythms that jump around all over the place, even incorporating a section in the rarely-heard time signature of 5/8, while the heavy use of analog synths gives it a distinctive retro feel reminiscent of old video games and anime series. Add to that a dynamic Japanese vocal performance and it’s not hard to see why it is described by Giant Chess Men as ‘floaty, Nintendo-esque prog rock’.

Like all good prog songs, it has a very specific futuristic concept behind it as well. To enjoy it to its fullest, you must imagine yourself as a resident of a gigantic skyscraper in a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape, becoming increasingly disenfrachised with the new life with which you are presented…

‘Arcology’ will be released on Friday 2nd May, but you can listen to ‘Sunken Dreams’ right away via The Bandcamp:
 

 
And if you like what you hear, don’t forget to check out the rest of Giant Chess Men’s work in the usual sort of internet hotspots, a selection of which I shall provide below…
 

‘Windy Friends in Studio’: An Adorable Stop-Motion Animation

You may recall that back in September I shared with you an EP called ‘Windy Friends’, for which I recorded various sections of clarinet, bass clarinet and bassooooooooon. But that, my friends, was by no means the end of the story! For the magnificent Ellen Tsai has since released an utterly charming music video, showcasing some of the album’s music along with the handmade fabric musicians who have brought it to life.

Everyone I’ve shown it to so far has absolutely loved it, so if you like stop-motion, cute things and/or cats I would highly encourage you to give it a watch as well!
 

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to have a listen to the full album on Bandcamp:
 

Email Subscribers: Here’s What You’ve Missed!

It has come to my attention recently that my mailing list seems to have stopped working back in January without me noticing, and so anyone who follows my exploits by this method will think I’ve gone very quiet indeed! Well the good news is, if you’ve been brought here by one of my emails then that must mean I’ve managed to fix it – hooray! The bad news, though, is that you’ve got some catching up to do. So here, specially for the benefit of my email subscribers, I present a little summary of my recent blog posts that you might be interested in giving a read.
 
Piccolo For Sale

Yamaha YPC32 Piccolo in case
Back on 28th January I broke the news that – having recently upgraded to something a little fancier – I am now selling on my Yamaha 32 piccolo. At the time I was looking for £300 but luckily for you it’s since been reduced to £280, and furthermore if you buy through my website you get an extra 10% off! Whoa! Click here if you’re interested in viewing the product, or on the following link to read my blog post about it: Do You Want to Buy a Piccolo?
 

The Final Gig Review

A forlorn-looking Christmas tree at Chepstow Racecourse.
On 31st January I finished off my 2024 ‘Gig Review’ series, for which I wrote a regular summary chronicling all of the performances I had participated in each month. The final one, unsurprisingly, takes us through the month of December and covers all the ups and downs of playing for a production of ‘Footloose’, a Christmas event in John Lewis, three racecourse days (including the Welsh Grand National) and a cosy gig above a pub in Stockport. If that tickles your fancy, have a click here and read all about it: The Gig Review: December 2024 Also, stay tuned for my upcoming ‘Gig Review Review 2024’, when I will give a rundown of the whole year’s worth of gigs, complete with all sorts of graphs and statistics to help you get to sleep!
 

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’

The front cover of 'Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael's Left Thumb' by Michael A. Grant, with the words 'OUT NOW!' and 'michaelgrantmusician.com/shop' in bright pointy bubbles.
In a bit of a break from convention, on 8th March I released a completely non-musical project. ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail…’ is a book I’ve written (with the help of my left thumb) that tells the tale of my experiences walking coast-to-coast back in 2022. It’s about 200 pages long, with over 20,000 words and more than 140 pictures, and is available in both physical and ebook formats. If you’d like to find out more and download a free sample chapter (and maybe even buy yourself a copy), click here. Or have a look at the following links to go through my various teaser and preview blog posts:

Coming Soon…
‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ – Coming on 8th March!
‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail’: Some Lovely Pictures!
‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail’: Free Chapter!
My Thumb Has Something He’d Like To Say To You…
‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’: OUT NOW!
 

‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’, Live On Stage


And finally, towards the end of February I shared a video that I’ve had kicking around for a while, of the premiere live performance of ‘The Last Man Left on Earth’ from my musical ‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’. This took place last May as part of a cosy little showcase evening held in Stockport Garrick, and although I couldn’t attend on the night it’s very satisfying to know one of my creations has made it into the real world, and by the sounds of it been very much enjoyed by an audience. Click the following link to learn more and watch the video: ‘The Last Man Left on Earth’: Live Performance

And with that, you should all now be pretty much up-to-date! Apologies once again for my mailing list mishap, and I hope you continue to enjoy my updates and musings in the future. : )

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’: OUT NOW!

The front cover of 'Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael's Left Thumb' by Michael A. Grant, with the words 'OUT NOW!' and 'michaelgrantmusician.com/shop' in bright pointy bubbles.
The day has finally arrived! After much ‘umm’ing and ‘ahh’ing, my new project ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ is now unleashed onto an entirely suspecting public! And what a beast it is. So the time is nigh to get yourself a copy – go on, do it! What are you waiting for! Ohhhhhhhhhhh…

Find out more here…
 

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail’: Free Chapter!


It’s only 3 days until the release of my latest creation, ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ – a 200-page masterpiece chronicling my experiences walking coast-to-coast in 2022, all told from the perspective of my most underrated digit.

But if that all sounds baffling and disorienting, fear not! To get a taste of what to expect, and to show that it’s not all as intimidating as it may at first seem, you can actually download chapter 1, ‘Hornsea to Hull’, absolutely free! Just visit the following link:
 

 
And don’t forget to return this Saturday 8th March, when you’ll be able to purchase the complete unabridged account, in both physical and ebook formats, from the following page:
 

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail’: Some Lovely Pictures!

It’s a mere 8 days until my latest project, ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ is unleashed on the world! Don’t forget to visit the following link to find out more and pre-order your copy:
 

 
To celebrate, today I thought I’d share some of the lovely photos that I took on the route, and which can be found within the book. Because don’t forget, as well as more than 23,000 words there are also over 140 full-colour photos to be savoured and enjoyed within, cataloguing every stage on my (and my thumb’s) coast-to-coast journey! Here are just a few to whet your appetite…
 


























‘The Last Man Left on Earth’: Live Performance

Today I would like to share with you a video of a song that I wrote several years ago, receiving its world premiere live performance!

The song I’m referring to is called ‘The Last Man Left on Earth’, and is a duet from my musical ‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’. It’s not so much a love song as it is a ‘chat-up’ song, and involves the character Gary making amorous advances to Lizzie, only to be well and truly spurned in comedic fashion.

I was lucky enough to have it performed last May at a showcase evening in Stockport Garrick theatre, at which the following footage was recorded. It features the power team of Dominic Lo and Cate Berry on vocals, accompanied by pianist extraordinaire Alex Pollard. As ever, I hope you do enjoy!
 

Incidentally, Stockport Garrick will be holding another showcase evening on Friday 14th March 2025, and will include performances of a few more of my songs. Do come along and say hello if you’re free!

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ – Coming on 8th March!

The front cover of 'Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael's Left Thumb', with the text "Coming on 8th March. Pre-order at: www.michaelgrantmusician.com/shop"
It is with great pride and minimal ceremony that I announce the impending release of my latest project: ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’!

In a change from my usual musical-themed endeavours, this time I’ve gone literary and written myself a little book. This 200-page chronicle gives a blow-by-blow account of my experiences walking a 215-mile coast-to-coast route a couple of years ago, all told from the unique perspective of my left thumb (for some reason). It’s fun, interesting, and a little bit daft, and even features lots and lots of pictures to look at if for some reason you don’t like the prose.

I’ll be releasing the book on Saturday 8th March in both printed and ebook formats, but you can already pre-order your copy to make sure you’re among the first to read it! To find out more and download a free preview chapter, have yourself a wee click on the following Internet Link:
 

 
Happy reading! : )