The album will be released on Wednesday 29th March (a.k.a. World Piano Day – see what I did there?), however if you place a pre-order between now and then I will also post you a free gift, in the form of a lovely drinks mat with a drawing of a piano on it:
You can find out more about the album and place an order via the following links:
And finally, don’t forget to tell all your friends, family and enemies – remember, there’s no publicity like word-of-mouth publicity!
Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to contemplate the various advantages of alternative limb configurations because it’s…
What’s it called?
If Only Your Legs Were On Your Head.
What’s it from?
This is the first EVER single from the most absurd band you’ve never heard of, ‘The Atwood Project’. This ‘band’ is essentially an excuse for me and my regular collaborator Mister James Ure to let our hair down and be as relentlessly peculiar as we want, by taking a title suggestion from an innocent member of the public and using it as inspiration for a surreal comedic musical dreamscape.
What’s it all about?
As the title would suggest, it’s all about someone mulling over how great it would be if his lover’s legs were on their head. This issue is explored in great depth from many angles, resulting in such enlightening suggestions as being able to “do a headstand with ease” and “swat away all the wasps and the bees”.
Listen out for…
Ohh, it’s difficult to pick just one highlight when the entire thing is so utterly absurd in so many wonderful ways. Definitely listen out for the central section which somehow combines rapping with an impersonation of Tom Jones’ cover of ‘Venus’ (nobody has yet worked out why). Also there are the last couple of lyrics, which manage to succinctly negate the purpose of the entire song.
Find out more at…
If you like behind-the-scenes video footage of me working at my computer in a dressing gown, you’ll LURRRRVE the music video, which charts the entire creation of the song from writing to recording right through to the final mixing:
Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to reconnect with long-lost relatives because it’s…
What’s it called?
The Foundling.
What’s it from?
‘Music for the Moving Image’, my ever-expanding album showcasing pieces that I’ve written for various film projects, with all the pesky sound effects and dialogue removed.
What’s it all about?
This was my entry for the 2022 Zurich Film Festival International Film Music Competition, the task of which was to write a new score for Barney Cokeliss’ short film ‘The Foundling’. The basic story centres around a mother reconnecting with her son, whom she had given up to the circus many years before on account of his having been born with a grotesque deformity.
Listen out for…
My use of a dissonant 12-piece woodwind section to mimic a slightly out-of-tune fairground organ.
Find out more at…
youtu.be/gCXIZAInaoU , where you can watch the full film to the accompaniment of my lovely music.
I was saddened and surprised recently to hear of the death of the legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach, at the age of 94. To be completely honest the main surprise wasn’t so much that he had died, but rather that he had still been alive so recently – but that’s beside the point! At any rate, I thought this would be the ideal time to record my own version of a particular Bacharach song that for many years has occupied a special place in my heart.
That song is the theme tune for the 1958 cult horror B-movie ‘The Blob’, which I believe to be the greatest ditty ever written and which makes me happier than pretty much anything else on the planet. Give it a listen and you’ll see what I mean. My version features me and 10 of my clones playing a mixture of ukulele, bassoon and saxophones, as well as singing and making a small selection of bodily noises. I hope you like it and that it doesn’t give you nightmares!
Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to reject potential suitors because it’s…
What’s it called?
The Last Man Left on Earth.
What’s it from?
My 2019 ragtime musical ‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’, which tells the story of four old friends who wake up one morning to discover they are the only people remaining on planet Earth.
What’s it all about?
Having now set up a new life for themselves on a quaint little farm, you’d think it would be plain sailing for our protagonists from now on, right? Wrong! It turns out Gary and Lizzie have some unresolved ‘history’, which comes to the fore when Gary realises that they are the only two unattached people left on the planet. In this ‘anti-love-song’, Lizzie demonstrates that even though her opportunities for romance are down to 1, she can still do better.
Listen out for…
The semi-random cluster chords at 1:58 that denote Lizzie fending off Gary’s advances. Also the rhyming of ‘rude’, ‘crude’ and ‘lewd’ at 3:00 – writing lyrics is often difficult, but occasionally the English language does play right into your hands! Oh, and let’s not forget the most laboured joke on the whole album, where Gary tries to lessen the insult of having a ’10 foot 2′ ego by suggesting it may be a circumference measurement rather than radius. Who says geometry can’t be fun? And who knew egos were circular?
Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/inrta
The other week I had a delightful time performing with pianist extraordinaire Jack Mitchell Smith for a wedding in Tabley House (near Knutsford). But if you don’t believe me, I HAVE EVIDENCE! Here are some videos taken from our performance on the day, as well as a couple of clips from our rehearsal:
Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to stop a school bus falling off a bridge because it’s…
What’s it called?
Stargirl
What’s it from?
‘Music for the Moving Image’, my ever-expanding album showcasing pieces that I’ve written for various film projects, with all the pesky sound effects and dialogue removed.
What’s it all about?
I wrote this as my entry for the 2021 Spitfire Audio Scoring Competition, to accompany a clip from the eponymous TV series (which seems to be available on Amazon Prime if you’re into that sort of thing). The basic plot of the clip is that a bus falls off a bridge, then a big robot catches it, then Stargirl makes a bright light, then there’s some conversation, then an ice man comes along and someone gets run over.
Listen out for…
The big moment at 0:30, where our hero saves the day with her shiny stick.
Find out more at…
youtu.be/GgOUxXUePWA , where you can watch the clip with my music incorporated into it.
