SPRING ACOUSTIC TOUR

PHOTO: STUDIO RAUSCH

This spring I will be touring across Europe for a series of small acoustic shows. I will also be busking on the street in various locations. I am hoping to see some new faces and also some old friends…

05.05 HAMBURG - Sängerknaben & Sirenen
06.05 HAMBURG - Bring Your Own Song Night
08.05 LEIPZIG - Dr. Hops
10.05 PRAGUE - Café Club Míšeňská
21.05 VIENNA - Polkadot
24.05 BUDAPEST - Montazs Art Cafe
25.05 BUDAPEST - Garden Wonder
28.05 NUREMBERG - Ludwigs
03.06 BERLIN - Bar Bobu
06.06 HAMBURG - Tazzi PIZZA

See you all soon.
Love,
Musky x

Single Release 'Kraken'

Greetings friends,

The band and I are happy to announce the release of our new single Kraken!

‘Kraken’ is the first single from a new Musketeer EP entitled ‘The North Sea’.

---

LYRICS
Rising up from the deep
Rising up from my sleep
I’ve had enough of this slumbering green

And I am reaching out for the skies
I am reaching out with open arms
The seas will part and the seas they will fall!

swallowed up
swallowed whole
into the maw

Well I’m boiling up in my veins
I’m boiling up in my beating heart
I’m hungry for the blood of loveless man

swallowed up
swallowed whole
into the maw

°

The only monster is man

---

Let me tell you how the song came together.

The Text
This song was the last track that I wrote for 'The North Sea' EP. I wanted to write an uplifting, sort of redemptive song for all the terrible things that occurred throughout the EP.  -  You will see this at the shows or when the EP comes out ;) - I imagined the character falling into a deep sleep and personifying the gigantic squid itself.

I ended up reading over a bunch of older text that came across the Kraken. A large part of the myth comes from old Nordic texts written in the middle ages. But I think the idea of a Leviathan goes back to something biblical. I recall the book of Job. The Lockness Monster is probably as old as time too! The mystery of the deep sea has been hanging about sailors for a long time. In the end I scribbled something down and then it found its way into the laptop. 

The Music
I remember sitting in a community studio in Stockholm that my friend Frida (I Wish I Was A Fish) was recording in and asking her about some typical Scandinavian chords. I wanted to recreate something along the lines of the Anna Von Hausswolff's 'Stranger'. I also happened to be in the Tallest Man on Earth's tuning for his song 'Rivers.' (The D string & the G tuned down half a tone.) Anyway I ended up strumming these two beautiful chords which I have no idea what the names are, but you can see me rolling the acoustic version here:

The Band Arrangement
We ended up recording this track, and the others on the EP in the dead of winter, at a little school house next the The North Sea. It is called Watt n' Sound Studios. We had already worked on the track before we got there. I didn't really have an idea of what the song needed to sound like except that it needed to sound like the thunders of the deep. Eric (E-Guitar) and Micha (Drums) worked on the sweet drum pattern and Felix (Bass) and I played along. Eric added his electric later, and we layered the track as we played it live.

Later in the mixing room. The track needed to be cut down. We had a 6 minute version with a long solo and an extra outro line. This sounded awesome live. But the recorded performance didn’t feel like it pushed all the way through to the end. Eric and I ended up cutting it down to the 4 minutes it is now.

Later we sent it of to master at Metropolis London. Thank you John!

FUN FACTs:
- The track was supposed to be out earlier. But we missed a couple of little click sounds in the mix. So we had to run it through the master again. 

& that is pretty much it.

We you enjoy it, and hope you can share and add it to your playlists!

Big love.
Musky. x

Single Launch Release Tour - Germany 2019

Greetings friends in Deutschland!

To celebrate the release of our new single 'Kraken', the band and I will be playing a series of full band release concerts in Germany to showcase the track.

‘Kraken’ is the first single from our second studio EP entitled ‘The North Sea’. Due for release in 2019. The single will be released worldwide on the 11th of January.

The song is inspired by old norse folk tales & various fictional works such as James Taylor’s ’20,000 Leagues Under The Sea’. 'Kraken' is a howling testament to the beauty of nature and the mysterious terrors of the deep sea.  

Kraken was recorded in 2018 at Watt n' Sound Studios 5km from the North Sea. The single was mixed by Eric Timmann at Off Ya Tree Studios, Hamburg. Mastered by John Davis at Metropolis London.

Love,

Musk n’ The Lads x

DATES

15.01 LEIPZIG Horns Erben
17.01 BERLIN Barkett
31.01 HAMBURG Hafenklang

Spanish Tour 2018

El cantautor y compositor australiano Musketeer estará de gira por primera vez en España este verano, presentando su trabajo con una serie de conciertos acústicos íntimos.

Tras varios años viajando y girando por varias ciudades alrededor de Europa, Reino Unido, Australia y Nueva Zelanda, Musketeer ha perfeccionado el arte de la composición gracias a la gente, la historia y los paisajes del conjunto de lugares visitados, habiendo llegado al fin el momento de su visita a la Península Ibérica.

En 2017, Musketeer sacó al mercado su primer EP de estudio, 'Seven Long Years', un álbum de Folk-Rock autopublicado que narra el viaje de un recluso del siglo XVIII enviado a los campos de prisioneros de Australia. Estas canciones formarán parte del repertorio de su gira española, junto con los nuevos temas que formarán parte de su próximo EP, 'The North Sea', grabado durante el pasado invierno en Hamburgo, Alemania, junto a su banda al completo.

Haciendo referencia a artistas de la talla de Nick Cave y el ya fallecido Leonard Cohen, esta gira brinda a la audiencia española la magnífica oportunidad de poder disfrutar de Musketeer en su formato más íntimo y lírico. En su directo estará acompañado por su compañero de viajes y compatriota, el también cantautor y compositor australiano, Edward Hughson 'Moondyne'.

¡No te lo pierdas! 

18.08 MADRID (Fotomatón Bar)
19.08 TOLEDO (TBC)
21.08 DENIA (El Velo Jack)
22.08 VALENCIA (El Volander)
24.08 BARCELONA (New Fizz)
 

Full dates including Matinée Sessions available here.
Advance ickets for Barcelona & Madrid Avaliable on Wegow & Atrapalo

Australian Solo Concerts 2018

After leaving to establish a base in Europe in 2016, the Australian born troubadour returns to home shores for two very intimate shows in the sunburnt country.

Having recently toured through Denmark and Germany at beginning of 2018 with a full band, Musketeer will return to Australia for a bold, stripped back performance, channelling the likes of such songwriters as Nick Cave and the late Leonard Cohen.

Over the years Musketeer has honed his skills as a formidable singer-songwriter, gathering rich stories from the people, the history, and landscapes of the places he has wandered. He has toured solo in several countries in Europe, including Germany, The Netherlands, France, Sweden, Denmark, The Czech Republic, The United Kingdom, as well as playing many shows in Australia & New Zealand - supporting such acts like Dustin Tebbutt (AU) & Half Moon Run (CA).

In 2017 Musketeer released the debut studio EP ‘Seven Long Years’. The EP, written, recorded and produced in Newcastle, Australia follows the journey of an 18th century convict sent to the prison camps of Australia. It combines old sea-tale story telling with a modern musical sentiment.

In 2018, Musketeer will release a second Studio EP entitled ‘The North Sea.’ After establishing a working base in Hamburg, Germany, the recordings will mark a new era for the folk project - joining forces with some of the most hearty local musicians to bring the vision to life.

Tickets Now On Sale...

29.03 MELBOURNE Wesley Anne
30.03 NEWCASTLE 48 Watt St