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Radio Interview Click here to listen to the Interview on Radio Scilly July 2010 The Lovedays documentary film "The Key To The Trap Door-From The Medway To The Mersey" is now complete and has been given the once over by front man Ben Jones. He is pleased with the end result and will be organising a premiere at a yet-to-be-confirmed venue in Medway. The whole experience of making the film has been really enjoyable and I'm looking forward to working again with The Lovedays in the future. You can read more of my thoughts on the subject on the blog page of this website. I wont be going to State Studios until the latter half of July to mix the Groovy Uncle tracks we recorded a while back. I will also be making a film to promote the studio and their current stable of artists-The Lykes Of Yew, Paul Messis, The Hidden Masters and Groovy Uncle-which will probably be a short, ten minute thing for You Tube. We all had another mention in the latest issue of "Shindig" too. Earlier this month I was asked if I'd like to contribute a track to the compilation album of The IPO (International Pop Overthrow) by David Bash himself (see last month's entry) but , alas it wasn't to be this time. I was pleased to be asked though, considering I have never even played at an IPO festival. My latest bit of news though is the announcement that I will be working with Ben Jones on a recording project separate from Groovy Uncle and The Lovedays. We are going to each select some of our own songs and record what will eventually be a Prangnell/Jones collaboration album! I'm looking forward to this and there will be some brand new songs in here too. It's all very much in the talking stages at the moment but Ben seems genuinely keen to do it so I'm sure it will be very interesting. Can't wait! June 2010 Another productive and very busy few weeks on Planet Uncle. Three tracks have been laid down at State Studos. Brand new versions of "Danger Zone", "Count On Me" and "Got Any Mantras?" were recorded on the weekend of 22nd and 23rd May. I'll be returning to State in a few weeks for the mixing. Work continues nicely on the Lovedays documentary. It even has a title now- "The Key To The Trap Door-From The Medway To The Mersey". We all had a fantastic time at the IPO festival in Liverpool on the May Bank Holiday weekend and I filmed plenty of footage including a busking session of The Lovedays at the gates of Strawberry Field. They performed an acoustic version of "Gypsy's Daughter" and "Roll Over Beethoven" in front of a small but delighted crowd.On Sunday night the band played an electrifying set at The Cavern which completely brought the house down! I am pleased to have been invited to capture it all on film and the entire performance (bar one song which had to be cut for technical reasons) has now been edited for inclusion in the documentary. I've put together a trailer which you can view here on the website. Thanks to everyone involved for making it such a memorable weekend and to David Bash (IPO) for putting on the event and contributing a short impromptu interview on camera. Another project I'm starting on is a short film about the work of Medway artist, musician and pinhole photographer Wolf Howard. I'll keep you updated. May 2010 More filming of The Lovedays has been ongoing over the last few weeks including some live footage filmed at the Rochester Castle Gardens on 30th April. A great night and fantastic performance. "Red Letter Day" has now been uploaded here on the website's video page. Groovy Uncle are booked in for a recording session at State Studio on the weekend of 22nd and 23rd May and we'll be rehearsing for it on the 11th. Paul Moss and Ben Jones are back this time and we'll be recording 3 tracks that will (hopefully) be included on the album. One of the tracks recorded at the last session is being considered for inclusion on a compilation being put out by "Lost In Tyme" fanzine. Talking of which, last week I gave an interview on for the publication which will also be included in a future issue. The "Monkey Trousers" single continues to receive regular airplay notably on WITR New York's "Whole Lotta Shakin'" show introduced by Mike Murray. The record currently stands at number 7 in the station's Boss 20 Countdown! We have also received airplay on Mod Radio UK. I finally managed to film a video for the single a couple of weeks back on a beautiful Sunday morning down by the River Medway. We were actually scheduled to film it down in Ramsgate with the full band but due to illness we had to cancel at the last minute. The weather was too good to miss a filming opportunity so I did a solo version. There is now a possibility of a State Records artists gig at a venue in London on July 10th but is yet to be confirmed. I know Ben and Paul can't make that date so I'm hoping Marty and Mole will do the honours. Of course the filming will continue throughout May for the Lovedays documentary project culminating in the weekend In Liverpool and The Cavern gigs on the 30th. Looking forward to it. Have a great month! April 2010 The launch party for the single on the 13th March was a great success and exceeded expectations. The venue was full, all the bands put in fine performances and we even sold a few records. Job done. So the single is now out and about and even available to buy via this website. An advert was placed in this months "Shindig" magazine, "Lost In Thyme" (fanzine in Greece) are going to run a review in the next issue and "Monkey Trousers"/"Now Your Pain Is Over" has been played four consecutive weeks on New York's WITR radio show "Whole Lotta Shakin'" as well as more mentions and airplay on Radio Scilly. Things, it seems, have been ticking along nicely, thank you. As for upcoming events, well a couple of things have fallen by the wayside for now-the video for the single and the Billy Wears Dresses shoot had to be postponed for reasons beyond my control. A little disappointing but these things are sent to try us and there are plenty more exciting things on the horizon. In a few days time I'll be back at State Studio to mix the three tracks we recorded in February. We are already talking about the first Groovy Uncle album though that is a while off yet. I'm hoping there will be another Radio Scilly interview in the near future too. The two most interesting projects though are happening in May and November. I have been asked by The Lovedays to film their performance at The Cavern Club, Mathew Street, Liverpool on 30th May. This is part of the International Pop Overthrow event at which the band played last year. The Lovedays will play two performances on Sunday but as well as filming the gig I will be shooting some interviews and "in and around Liverpool" type documentary footage. If it works out well there will be a "rockumentary" (hate that word!) available soon. In November Groovy Uncle are going across to France to play a gig or two in Paris and will be recording a new version of "Count On Me" while we are there. Finally, there is now a Groovy Uncle fan page on Facebook. See you there! March 2010 As expected February proved to be a hectic and productive month. Although the video shoot with Chris Hearsey was postponed I wasn't left bereft of other projects to be getting on with. I already had The Dentists "Creature Out Of Control" and The Lovedays "House Of Cards" video shoots to look occupy my time. Both promos were thoroughly enjoyable to work on but very different from each other. The Dentists wanted a fast moving montage of old photos from the bands history cut with new footage of (some of) them in rehearsal for their eagerly awaited reunion gigs. Thrown in were some speeded up shots of a Magical Mystery Tour around the Medway Towns. The Lovedays was more in the classic pop video stylee filmed on location with front man Ben Jones and the band shots filmed at The Barge Pub in Gillingham. I think all concerned are happy with the results and you can view them on the videos section of this here website. The most exciting event for me this month though has been the release of the debut single-on glorious vinyl in glorious mono-from Groovy Uncle. Yes folks, "Monkey Trousers"/"Now Your Pain Is Over" it is now officially on sale! And to top it all, we even have some distribution with Rough Trade, Get Hip and Intoxica. It is available on line from e-bay and will soon be available directly from Groovy Uncle. More on that later. The last weekend in February saw Groovy Uncle back at State Studios to record 3 tracks-"Play Something We Know", "Some Of My Best Friends" and "Vanity, Snake Hips And Hair"-with Marty and Mole taking lead and bass guitar duties this time. Sounded great and I hope to release them in the near future. While down there we discussed with our friends at Googies Art Cafe the possibility of shooting a promo film for "Monkey Trousers" in their basement and it looks like it could be happening on Easter Sunday. All this and another Billy Wears Dresses video in May. More good times ahead methinks! February 2010 The release of the Groovy Uncle single "Monkey Trousers" is getting nearer and a launch party has even been organised. State Records are also due to release, on the same day, "Mr Wednesday" by The Lykes Of Yew so Mole at State has booked a venue for the bash on March 16th. The Lykes will be playing, Marty and Mole will be deejaying, there may be a support slot from Sleeping Bear and, if all members are available on the night, Groovy Uncle will take the stage. I'm looking forward to hearing the bands and meeting some new people. It's all taking place at The Bar Below@ The View 6-8 West Terrace, Folkestone. Looking forward to it! On the 6th February I'll be in the studio (again at State) for a rehearsal with the band. This time, however, Marty and Mole will be on bass and lead duties for a recording session due to take place the last weekend of the month. We are hoping to record 3 tracks. The very next day I'm filming on location in Reculver with Medway singer/ songwriter Chris Hearsey for a promo of two tracks from his excellent concept album "Tael". Also coming up film wise is a promo for The Lovedays (from their soon to be released album "House Of Cards") and I'm also working on something for recently reformed Medway legends The Dentists. When I get time I also need to begin work on a promo for "Monkey Trousers" too! January 2010 - again After deleting the Groovy Uncle My Space in December 2009 things started to move forward with the band so I decided to create another profile which is now up and running. This time, however, it will be more about the band and the music rather than a personal My Space for me. For that side of things I have now joined the Facebook phenomenon. You can find me there under Glenn Prangnell. The artwork for the single is now complete and I'm hoping for a March release. Gigs to promote it may be forthcoming. I'm hoping to do a short set at The Nags Head in Rochester supporting a couple of top notch Medway Bands and a gig or two abroad. The single should also be available to buy online. I'll also be starting work soon on a brand new track for recording at Ranscombe Studios, Rochester along with a version of one of my older songs featuring a female singer. The tracks will also feature a string arrangement For this, Paul Moss has kindly agreed to write the score which is a huge help to me as I lack those kind of skills. Coming up film-wise is a shoot with local musician Chris Hearsey. We are going to make a video featuring a couple of tracks from his excellent concept album "Tael". T'will be great! Lastly, I may be collaborating with another musician on an instrumental of mine to which he has written some lyrics . Over and out! January 2010 Happy New Year! Despite the inclement weather and a rather ominous, inauspicious start to the decade, things are still moving very much forward for Groovy Uncle. Slowly, I'll admit, but forward nonetheless. The single "Monkey Trousers"/"Now Your Pain Is Over" is due for a March release on State Records. Head honcho Mole is working hard on the artwork design for the sleeve as well as getting down to some promo work. Groovy Uncle will be back in the studio (again at State) the last weekend in February to record 3 more tracks for a future release. This time, however, Mole along with Marty Ratcliffe will be joining the line up to provide bass and lead guitars. As with all my projects the line up situation is always subject to change and musicians' availability and I'm sure Ben Jones and Paul Moss will be involved in future projects. I'm hoping to get together some footage of the sessions and put together a mini documentary for You Tube. I'm also hoping to do a few gigs to promote the single. We've got something lined up in Paris for May though I have absolutely no idea what the line up will be. The icing on the cake for me would be to release a complete album, though we shall have to wait and see. Keep warm! December 2009 I've decided to delete the My Space profile in the New Year as I think it has kind of run it's course. This will allow me more time to concentrate on other things including this website. However, if the band does eventually take off and proceeds to record some good stuff I'll probably end up putting a band profile on there in a few months. The Billy Wears Dresses video shoot for "Shirley Valentine" has been put on hold until the New Year. I still intend to go ahead with the single sometime in the next few months and there is now talk of a few gigs in France and possibly one or two nearer to home as well. I've already worked out a set list! Gigging is something I haven't done for a few years now as I kind of fell out of love with it all but the prospect of playing with a bunch of musicians I haven't worked with before combined with the lure of a break in France has not been altogether unappealing I must say. Should be interesting. The recording projects are still in the air and we continue to try and co-ordinate dates/times etc. I'm sure we'll get there in the end! Now I am planning to leave My Space I will be uploading more tracks here on the website shortly. Finally to anyone who might read this, have a very Merry Xmas and a Happy, Groovy New Year! Glenn. November 2009 Another busy few weeks for Uncle. After Medway Eyes spokesman Phil Dillon's interview on Radio Scilly (November 5th) promoting the Birthday Bundle Compilation, I was asked on the show (via phone link) the following Thursday (12th) to chat to "The Sound of Confusion" host Kev Wright. A few days prior to the interview he played "Got Any Mantras?", "Danger Zone" and plugged the video for the latter. The interview went well and lasted about 15 minutes. Again "Danger Zone" was played but also "Monkey Trousers" was given it's very first public airing-an exclusive for Radio Scilly! You can listen to the interview here though the songs have been edited out. Meanwhile plans are afoot regarding exciting projects for the New Year. The Groovy Uncle Band will be getting together again at State studios to record 2 tracks-"Some Of My Best Friends" and "Play Something We Know"- and also at Ranscombe Studios in Rochester for a slightly more ambitious project. I've written a brand new song called "Neptune Girl" which I want to be a more "produced" affair with strings etc and we'll be recording a brand new version of "Big Screen" and a female singer will be taking the lead vocal. I won't mention her name yet just in case she decides not to do it but if all goes well I think this could be a really enjoyable and interesting experience! The hardest part is getting everyone to agree on a date for all this as everyone is so busy. One bit of disappointing news is that The Medway Eyes Christmas Party (scheduled for 5th December) has been cancelled due to a lack of response from artists. As always everyone is busy this time of year and have other commitments. It would have been my first live performance for over a year. Still, onward and upward! October/November 2009 The recording sessions at State Studios are now complete and I'm happy with the end result. All along I wanted to achieve a "live" sounding performance and I reckon we got that nailed. There is talk of the two tracks- "Monkey Trousers" and "Now Your Pain Is Over"- being released by State Records early next year as a vinyl single. This would be welcomed as it kind of sounds like an old 1960's 45rpm already! Thanks to Marty and Mole at State Records for their enthusiasm and hard work and of course many thanks must go to Ben, Ian and Paul for being The Groovy Uncle Band. We are hoping to get together again soon to work on a couple more old demos of mine but I haven't chosen the songs yet. Everyone has been most positive and keen on the project that it seems silly not to do more. I also need to get to work on ideas for a "Monkey Trousers" video too! Talking of videos, I have just finished work on the Billy Wears Dresses promo "Wonder Boy" which we filmed in Maidstone a couple of weeks ago. This band is another of Ian and Paul's projects. This was an enjoyable (though very cold) and successful day's work too. October 2009 The Groovy Uncle Sandgate Sessions are well and truly under way. After a successful rehearsal at State Studio on Saturday 3rd, we have now begun the recording process and have laid down the backing tracks. It's really sounding great so far and everyone has put in a lot of hard work in learning their parts. We return to the studio on Sunday 18th to get vocals and percussion down (along with any other embellishments) and hope to come away with some rough mixes. The final mix should be the following weekend. There will be some photos from the sessions uploaded shortly along with a few from my trip to the Scilly Isles. September 2009 Just returned from our holiday in the Scilly Isles where we had a fantastic week. The sun shone the whole time and didn't feel like the U.K at all. Of course, while i was there I shot about 4 hours of film footage some of which I have used to put together a promo for "Danger Zone"-now on the videos page. The Effectives video shoot has been postponed at time of writing and I don't know when the new date will be at the moment. At the beginning of October I am going into the studio with The Groovy Uncle Band to record a couple of tracks. Up to now I've only recorded alone playing all the instruments myself but I thought it would be interesting to get a bunch of musicians together to rework some old demos of mine. The line up is: Ben Jones on lead guitar, Paul Moss on bass, Ian "Snowy" Snowball on drums and yours truly on rhythm guitar and lead vocals. I think it will be an interesting and enjoyable experience as I've not worked with any of these fellows before. We are recording at State Studios down in Sandgate. Looking forward to it! August 2009 A busy month so far what with organising upcoming projects and working once again with The Singing Loins. After the positive response to their "Please Take My Scissors Away" promotional film (as they were called in the olden days) The Loins decided to give it a public airing at The Barge in Gillingham as part of their album launch night on the 7th. The video was certainly well received when it was shown at the interval and everyone laughed in all the right places which came as a huge relief to me, I can tell you! The lads also asked me to film the gig for another short promo to boost the publicity for the album, a task I happily performed. It was a really good atmosphere on that hot August night and you can view the montage on my videos page. I've also had a meeting with Medway popsters The Effectives to talk about their video shoot. Looks like it may be filmed at The Good Intent pub early in the morning and there may well be some dancers involved! The track we are filming is "Mary Mary" and I like it muchly. Filming isn't until the 26th September and I'm really looking forward to it. Meanwhile The Loins are talking about another film, this time "The Topless Twins Of Allhallows-On-Sea". I'm saying nothing......! July 2009 July has been a busy month. On the 4th I spent the day filming with Medway folk legends The Singing Loins. This came about after I recently got into making videos for my own songs and thought it might be interesting to do the same for other bands I like. The Singing Loins were the first to spring to mind as they have great songs and work well visually. Luckily for me they agreed to my idea and said they had recently been discussing the prospect of making a video. The track they chose was to be the single from their forthcoming album "Unravelling England" -the compelling "Please Take My Scissors Away". I'm glad they chose this one as I'd heard them play it live a couple of times and thought it rather "theatrical". I knew it would work as a promo film. Frontman Chris Broderick came up with a shooting script within a few days and kitted the band out in smart tea dance band outfits (and drag for Arf), came up with a set, props and lights and before we knew it we were making a damn good little promo! It was a pleasure working with them and I hope to do so again in the not too distant future. I'm also lined up to do a shoot for another Medway outfit, this time it's the turn of The Effectives. I think this one should be a more traditional pop video though. Looking forward to it. As for my own stuff, I'm currently working on an animated feature for the track "I Can't Stand Mirrors (And I'm Scared Of Heights)". We've made a little set and some plasticine characters-a Mini Me, Elvis and a Giant Mouse-though it's more "Vision On" than "Wallace And Grommit". Good fun.