Whilst we are still working on 'discoveryONE' (see post below but the first set of demo songs have been recorded and they are now being refined with a hoped-for release sometime in 2023), ready to be sent to new owners is our 3rd missive - 'London Diary (Pieces of Eight #1)'. The artwork is by Keith with a 'coin' photo taken by myself that make up the artwork.
We decided to release this album - also available on Spotify and iTunes - under a new 'brand' to distinguish our more 'folk' type work from the rock/prog type songs (as on 'One Day', our first CD). We also wanted to be the only one on the streaming platforms with a recognisable name, and there are a number of 'UnderTow' bands on them all.
But if you should decide to search for us and this new album, you'll note that there could only ever be one 'Mitchell&Melhuish' and there is! We aim to make all our music easy to find on the new platforms moving forward. It's likely that we will find a way to ensure everything online is easy to find. After all, if you can't find it you can't listen to it. And if you can't listen to it, you can't enjoy it! 'London Diary' is available to buy now in a variety of formats as well as online via your favourite streaming platform. We don't earn any money as you need 1000's of streams to earn £1 but it means that Keith's daughters in America and Australia can find us and enjoy our music whenever they might wish too!
So can you of course...
NEW MUSIC BEING WRITTEN AND RECORDED NOW!
If you read my (very long) Blog Post of 1st February, you'll understand why I've been away from the site since early March 2020. Well, I'm back, and with Keith Melhuish, we are nearly ready to release an earlier project; the first in a series of releases that will have only 8 full songs on it. Each will have the moniker 'Pieces of Eight' and then the title of the piece. This first release is called 'London Diary (Pieces of 8 #1)' and is just about to be Mastered prior to release. We are also excited to announce that we are in the middle of writing and recording our very first 'Prog Rock' influenced album.
The title is 'discoveryONE' and it will (probably) be around the 90-120 minute mark, which provides lots of time to develop and explore a story 'arc'. For this project, we have created a specific methodology; all the music is written and recorded by Keith and then sent to Alan. Alan then writes the story and the lyrics and records both as a solo and returns it to Keith. This 'tick-tock' approach means that Keith is completely free to create the music he wants too and let it take him wherever he wishes to journey, whilst Alan's job is to react to the music as supplied and write accordingly. The written lyrics and (to a certain extent) the story are like aural 'thumbnail' sketches created to keep the story evolving but to also keep the music and lyrics moving ever forwards.
Once the overall story, themes, music and lyrics have been completed, it will then be time to return to the beginning and start to polish and enhance from first opening bar to the last fading words...
At the time of writing this (27th January 2022), we have 9 songs fully written and about 55 minutes worth of music, story and vocals. It's a very exciting story for us, but even more than that, it's a very exciting change to our usual way or working and we believe that it will produce something unique and (hopefully) remarkable.
More news about it as it develops, but here's a working version of the front cover of the CD Booklet, just to whet your appetite (I hope)!
NEW VIDEO - JUST POSTED ON YOUTUBE!
Yes it is true, I have just uploaded a 2017 Live Studio recording of Song 65, written in 2008 but recorded just a couple of years ago in Keith's (then) Home Studio. If you fancy watching me sit and sing my little heart out about scenes I saw when travelling across London for work, then head to YouTube Here.
If you do head over there, I do hope you enjoy it!
NEW MUSIC OUT NOW!
As has been referenced elsewhere on this site, we have a NEW CD which was released on 1st December 2019! It's called 'UnderTow Live in Session' and is the result of an 8-hour recording studio session at Rogue Studios in Wembley, London.
The CD has been created, the artwork created, checked, reviewed by Keith and finally completed. Once all CD's have been copied, printed and the CD Jewel Cases also completed, they'll be ready to sell.
If you like acoustic music with great lyrics and great musicality then one of our CD's is a worthwhile purchase. Both CD's are going to be available but obviously this 2019 CD is representative of where we 'are' now musically.
We are very excited about this new release and it has put back another of our projects; but that project is next on the list and there'll be news of it in the New Year (all being well!).
The Music of UnderTow
UnderTow were formed late 2006 when two (not so) young and impressionable men, Alan Mitchell (Lyrics and most Vocals) and Keith Melhuish (Music, some Vocals and Everything Else) were properly introduced to each other and their particular musical interests by a work colleague (thanks RW!). Initially they swapped some ideas, some music and words, thought about things for a while, chatted, prevaricated for longer and then decided to give collaborating a go.
Alan has always loved 'Progressive Rock', plus some pop and rock and some folk; Keith loves all sorts of music (including Opera) and has been active in various musical groups and combo's for some time (decades in fact) across Essex. Music seems to come easily to him but the words to fit it were (sometimes) a little more reticent in coming forward. To Alan, who cannot play any musical instrument properly, words come far too easily. Together, they seemed a great fit.
The team write music in a variety of forms; in different rooms (indeed different houses), together with something prepared and arriving together with no clue as to what is going to be the musical result. For a time, they were very prolific. They released a set of songs under the title 'One Day' in 2009, telling the story of a man who experiences a host of different phases of his life in a 'day' (OK, OK! Yes, it is a 'concept album'!). The album, still available here in the Store, and was also on iTunes for a while. It never made the top 10, or 100, or 1000 (I could go on).
The project went into hiatus as Alan had become quite unwell and had to concentrate on solo work such as his poetry and prose endeavours. Meanwhile Keith continued making music, most notably with 'Junkbox' and then 'The Highwaymen'. In mid 2016, the duo met up again to see if they still 'had it' (whatever 'it' is), and whether they could start writing material once more.
Pleasingly, they have started almost where they left off. New songs, re-working of old songs and a new project ('London Diary' which will be under the 'Pieces of Eight' theme) has been recorded and is almost ready to be delivered into the ears of those who might listen.
Work to bring undertow-music.co.uk online is finished and the site is now available. If you'd like to follow the link you can visit the new site (for a more comprehensive breakdown of our music, outlook and dietary requirements) as it is now available for your enjoyment.
So, UnderTow were away and even though Keith has now moved to the delightful market town of Market Harborough, music is still being planned, made and completed.
YES - UnderTow are BACK and working on new material; so why not visit undertow-music.co.uk to check us out?