Tag: beatles

I Am The Music Man

Posted on May 31, 2023 by BandOfOne
  • Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
    Purple Haze
  • The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There
    I Saw Her Standing There
  • Here Comes The Sun
  • Jimi Hendrix - Fire
    Fire
  • The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows
    Tomorrow Never Knows

Swipe or click arrows for more images >>

Music is such a big inspiration for me

Even the name Band Of One echoes this love of music. It’s something that I want to draw upon more in my future work. This series of illustrations was meant to re-energise myself for drawing after a much needed break. They were super fun, and succesfully got me back in the zone of creativity I’d hoped for.

I had a number of people (well, two) asking me at Lawless Con, what am I doing next after Jack Astro?

I’m pretty certain that Jack Astro has now concluded with Warped. So I am ready to embrace new pastures, one of which is writing and drawing Gallivant.

But the truth is, I also have two other ideas in the pot. They are simmering and I plan to use this blog to share some development and work in progress. Perhaps one will take a stand and claim further attention. One is a medieval fantasy with Dragons, Knights and Wizards. The other is very Music and Guitar orientated but with a Sci-Fi/Fantasy edge. I’m leaning a little more towards the music one at the moment but both are exciting so watch this space.

I plan to share some of the things that are influencing and inspiring me along the way, and I hope you will follow along on this journey. That’s all for now folks!

The Beatles, Get Back: Deadlines

Posted on May 5, 2022 by BandOfOne

I’ve been watching the new Peter Jackson Beatles documentary, Get Back. Aside from feeling like you are actually there whilst they make the album which is pretty special, it’s also a tremendous opportunity to sit and watch their creative process at work. 

Both as individuals and as a group I think there are lessons to be found that stretch beyond music and apply to any creative endeavour. 

The first lesson that struck me was SET YOURSELF DEADLINES.

The whole documentary only covers about 21 days and when the group ‘come together’ at the start they have a handful of fairly vague song ideas and yet they confidently plan to record an album and perform a live concert of 14 brand new songs in about 2 and a half weeks time.

Obviously they are veterans at this point and they know what they are capable of, but it still feels like this is quite a stretch and I feel like the deadline is the only thing that forces creative decisions to be made. 

In my own experience a deadline fires synapses in the brain that would otherwise lie dormant. I can have half formed ideas in a notepad that go nowhere until I give myself a deadline and then suddenly I’m able to connect the dots to complete the picture.