My site died. I was attempting a little, simple maintenance and it went kaput. Tinkering around with databases, I’ve managed to recover all the old posts, but all the images are gone, and the old theme has gone up in digital smoke as well.

The images I’m a little pained at losing, but I’m seeing it as a good excuse to do a bit of spring cleaning and refresh the look and feel anyway. Bear with me while I make it pretty again.

Old vs New EP – US release

In more relevant news, Americans will finally be able to purchase domestic copies of the Old vs New EP this summer. The EP was originally released in the UK back in 2008, and this Stateside release will feature brand new artwork and stuff, as it is being released as a split, pink, 12″ record with the top-notch Floridian outfit, Holopaw. We’re doing it in support of LGBT Pride month in the USA, and I’ll be donating profits to The Point Foundation. More details in the coming weeks.

The future

No new Sleeping States material at present. I’ve been playing and recording in a two-piece called Beginnings for the past year, and we have some music that will see the light of day over the summer as well. However, I have ideas forming for a new SS record. We’ll see.

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The cassette contains two instrumental drone pieces I recorded as part of a live art performance in June 2010, curated by artist Rhiannon Chaloner at the Arnolfini gallery in Bristol. The artwork is a still taken from a video edited by Rhiannon for the performance. Copies are pretty limited, so don’t hang around and that.

Here’s an excerpt of the track ‘Instruction’:

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So new/final info details: Philly show is at the Ox, Black Telephone are awesome, as, actually, are all the bands (seriously), tickets for the NYC show are available via the Live page – all other shows will have tickets on the door, venue and date info is up on the Live page, I’ll be bringing copies of the new Sleeping States cassette EP with me to sell at shows (as well as other merch), before it goes on more general (by which I mean very limited) release post-tour.

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Also, tickets are now available for the New York City show with Nina Nastasia on January 20. It’s gonna be a special gig I think I’m working some stuff out that I haven’t really done before for it. The venue’s one of those secret locations (somewhere in Bushwick), the address will be mailed once you buy a ticket. Also I believe there are drinks and hor d’oeuvres with the ticket price.

Other shows too, here’s a flyer for the Boston show:

This is going to be a LOT of fun, I’ll be playing with CUFFS who have risen from the ashes of the more than excellent Slumberland band Pants Yell! – in fact Andrew from PY!/CUFFS is going to be joining me as guitarist/percussionist for the whole of this mini-tour so I have a lot to be thankful for there as Pants Yell! have been high on my list of favourite bands ever since we played together on a UK tour way back in 2006. Total reunion moment.

The Philadelphia show is still being worked out (these things were ever thus) but I’ll put up final details on here as soon as they’re pinned down.

Until then…. Mxo.

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‘The Next Village’ from bandstandbusking.com

‘The Next Step’ from MCR Screenwipe

‘Showers in Summer’ from The Fly TV

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As of today things are looking somewhat different in here. I was getting a little tired of the appearance of this site and figured I’d set about redecorating. Also, just to make it a little more of a challenge I decided to build something nice from scratch rather than using a preset theme, so hope you like. On that note, if you have any constructive comments, anything not working as it should or whatever, let me know. There are a few newfangled webtricks in there so it probably looks best in something like Firefox or Safari, but it should look ok in all browsers.

Anyway, shh web-Markland.

New EP

I have a new cassette EP coming out in January. It’s called Kayfabe Juncture and is two instrumental tracks I recorded for a film/performance art piece by Rhiannon Chaloner, commissioned for the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol, which took place in June 2010. And that’s the artwork above. (Pre)ordering details will be up on here soon.

New tour dates

Finally, I’m doing a small selection of dates along the US east coast in January, so if you live in one of the cities below, come and hang out. I’m very excited that I’ll be joined on guitar and percussion by Andrew Churchman of famed and wonderful Boston-based Slumberland band, Pants Yell! and more recently, CUFFS. Also, the Homophones will be playing with us for a couple of dates, who are most excellent.

• Monday 19th 17th January – Boston @ Middlesex Lounge, w/ CUFFS
• Tuesday 20th 18th January – Philadelphia @ (Venue TBC), w/ Homophones and Scott Churchman
• Wednesday 21st 19th Jan – Washington DC @ Velvet Lounge w/ Homophones & Black Telephone
• Thursday 22nd 20th Jan – Brooklyn (Bushwick) @ Envelope

…

Oh! Before I go, Bristol people will I’m sure be stoked to hear that our city’s finest vegan establishment, Cafe Kino, are moving and expanding very shortly, and I’ll be playing a co-set with Sleeping State-ette Liz Hickson, and wonderfully wonderful Rozi Plain for the launch of the new place (yes, there’s even room for a PA in the new place!). This is taking place on the afternoon of Sunday 19th December, from 2pm. See you there amigos.

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Thanks to Zoe Bryant for her supergood version. Number 3 after xx and Cocteau Twins is certainly not a bad place to be.

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The songs included are:

• The Sleeping States, or Who Has Been Rocking My Dreamboat
• Breathing Space
• Showers In Summer
• Gardens Of The South

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