BB&MP Tour! This Week!

Ben Butler & Mousepad (aka joe) is on tour from tuesday, with max tundra!
come say hello!

27 Jan UK Exeter - The Cavern *
28 Jan UK Cardiff - Shape Function / Clwb Ifor Bach *
29 Jan UK Bristol - The Fleece *
30 Jan UK London - Cargo * (free entry) *
31 Jan UK Brighton - Freebutt *
03 Feb UK Cambridge - Soul Tree *
04 Fev UK Coventry - Taylor Johns *
05 Feb UK Leeds - Brudenell Social Club *
08 Feb UK Glasgow - Nuts and Seeds / Cassette
22 Feb UK Glasgow - Glasgow Film festival / The Arches
* with Max Tundra

www.myspace.com/benbutlerandmousepad

stills

Stills from The man who fell to earth.

Scrapture Podcast vs. Cooper o' Fife

An instrumental version of a track i recorded for the Joemus album i worked on last summer, with Momus is being used as the backing for the next 4 or 5 editions of the podcast of Scrapture, a japanese fashion photography website.
Subscribe (itunes) Here, or type 'Scrapture' into itunes. Starting from the 01-09 edition!

"you made me waste energy!"

Food Hell *update*

I'm getting ready to go on tour again, this time an 8 day trip as BB&MP, with Max Tundra. As a vegan, road trips tend to require a bit of planning and while i should be able to mostly rely on promoters and venues to provide something decent, its always worth looking up veggie and vegan options in the various cities i'm to visit.

While looking for vegan options in Coventry (a city i've never visited, as far as i know), I came across the reviews page (linked from google maps) for Browns Cafe and Bar. I have to admit, after having looked through the dozens of irate reviews on this page, I'm slightly obsessed and keen to go, just to see what its like! It sounds like a diner's hell! Here's a taster of the reviews! Click the link above to read more.

"On 3 separate occasions within the last year (the last time being last weekend) the male friend I have been with has been refused entry. On the last occasion when asked why we could not come in the doorman said "I do not have to give a reason". I found this extremely rude and not the impression of Coventry I want to give to my vegan friends that are new to the city." - Jo (Coventry) wrote on 25 October 2005

"Browns is most definatly the worst place i have ever visited. The owner manager is incredibly rude, even nasty, how they get away with it is beyond me! Disabled people are not allowed in, also if you're face don't fit. I wouldn't go in there if I was starving. If you have any ethics please give it a miss." - Rea (Coventry) wrote on 25 November 2007

"I went to Browns for lunch with some friends, a lady took their orders and ignored me then told them I wouldn’t be getting served. I inquired as to why I was being refused service at which the lady replied she didn’t have to give a reason. I asked how she would feel if she were in my shoes and she replied "offended". I told her I wanted to put in a complaint regarding her very rude and unpleasant attitude, she told me that she was BROWN and that she ran the place." - Shaz (Coventry) wrote on 10 January 2008

"dont go near the place , is and always has been crap. the owners are rude and offensive and, if you are allowed in, you will probably get asked to leave for no apparent reason." - john guinan (Coventry) wrote on 3 September 2008

It's totally fascinating - How on earth does a restaurant stay open when the staff are obviously paranoid, xenophobes? I'm curious as to whether they are bound to a trade (veggie food) that they hate and want to pass on their bile to the public?

"Despite having ordered and paid for our three meals we were asked to leave by the bouncer before our food even arrived. We were beyond shocked and when we asked why the bouncer said 'I don't have to give you a reason.'
We didn't get a refund, we just got booted." - Sara McRaferty (Coventry) wrote on 8 September 2008

"Avoid this place at all costs they are ageist and just want badly dressed comfortable shoe wearing weridos like the owner.
the doormen are rude." - Paul Bottomley (Sheffield) wrote on 3 October 2008

"Recently, my auntie, who is a long standing customer of Ken Brown and his daughter, sadly passed away. On the day of the funeral, a small number of us decided it would be fitting to have dinner there, just as she so often had. Upon entry to the pub, dressed quite obviously in our funeral wear, we were told by the lovely lady there that our custom was not required and we were to leave immediately.
When we explained why we were there and who it was for, she responded with a polite 'Your funeral is not my problem and u aint gettin served so leave now'." - Kevin Quinn (Coventry) wrote on 8 December
2008

Vegan Flashmob, anyone?

*update* Join the 'I have never been served at browns' Facebook group!

Other Islands

Ben Butler & Mousepad - Other Islands from chris pell on Vimeo.
new *work in progress* BB&MP video, by the ever awesome Chris Pell.

Rat Tickler

For your further edification, please check out (and subscribe!)
to New York Public Radio's RadioLab
p.s I don't endorse any kind of animal testing.

Favourites January 2009

October 2006 / Warehouse / A roof in Peckham

October 2006 / Warehouse / A roof in Peckham, originally uploaded by PATANDTREVOR.

So Gross

Re-posted from Alex
This is frightening and depressing. Something tells me its not quite real, despite the Microsoft Research website backing it up. Digital musical democratisation! As long you like you're pre-programmed song to sound like High School Musical or Advertising music, which I guess people will!
Kind of a similar argument to the apparent pressure on the Guitar manufacturing industry in America to actually produce a *real* guitar that works in the same way as the plastic one from Guitar Hero. Democracy!
It's kind of great that the 'viral video' aspect of their campaign just makes it come across as comedy, rather than a useful, fun product. On the other hand, Apple having Sting in Garageband sucks now too.

Ile Aiye

Stills from David Byrne's 1988 documentary on Bahia religion, "Ile Aiye"

Jeep Whoosh!

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found via http://wordsmith.org/anagram

Best For 2009!

A happy 2009 to everyone. I've got a good feeling for this year and i think it'll be great for creativity, positivity and ideas, even if it might not be great for money, stability etc. I feel like its a good time to be taking some chances, trying new things, experimenting, being confident and excited again.



My new year's reading has been mostly 'On some faraway beach', the Brian Eno Biography, by David Sheppard. Its been sparking a lot of interesting ideas and leading to some music I'd never explored or long forgotten about, which is very refreshing and inspiring.

As both an encouragement to myself and the record-making class of 2009, and also a way of saying thank-you, I've put together the first mixtape of the new year, which is loosely Eno based / assosciated and roughly charts (albeit in a fairly lateral / non-logical way) how i've been jumping from record to record over the last few days. It's a soft, happy, positive and ponderous mix.

HERE
(Tracklisting is included in the files).

Hope you enjoy and do your best for 2009!