Andrew Milloy

Philomena EP Launches Soon!

andrew — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:23:15 +0000

June 1st is approaching fast – the release date of my three-track EP in support of Sands (the Stillbirth & Neonatal Death charity).

I have set up a website just for this project: www.philomena.mu. Please provide me with your name and email on that page, so I can keep you up to date when the EP is released!

Strings for Philomena

andrew — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 20:34:30 +0000

I am about to finish work on the 3-track EP “Philomena” which I hope to release in the next month or two. Two of the tracks on this EP feature string arrangements that I hope add depth and expression, as well as bringing in some rich harmony…

In February I had the privilege of recording OXUS string quartet playing my arrangement for English Rose. This song has a very acoustic folk feel, and I wanted the sound of a small chamber ensemble rather than sampled or synth strings (which would not have suited the arrangement at all). As well as a couple of takes of full quartet, we also recorded overdubs with just the upper strings, con sordino (this can then be brought into the mix if we need to fill out the sound). Having Sibelius playing the parts alongside the main tracks in Pro Tools 9 (via ReWire) was useful during the arranging stage, but hearing a professional quartet play it for the first was a moving and breathtaking experience (and such nice people too ).

However, the title track, Philomena, needs a more epic, cinematic string sound for its climactic ending, so I turned to the many sample libraries available. These have come on a great deal since I first tried mocking up orchestral arrangements in Sibelius a few years ago. My first attempt was using EWQL Hollywood Strings, which had received great reviews; unfortunately it turned out to be practically unusable on my modest music machine (a 2.8GHz core duo iMac with 4MB RAM). Even my i7-based laptop equipped with 8GB struggled to play back the more lightweight legato patches, one instrument at a time, with reliable timing. So this was duly returned to the seller, and replaced with LASS Lite (LA Scoring Strings), which ran beautifully and will hopefully sit in the mix. It was particularly satisfying to be able to control the speed of the portamento easily, to get some nice cello position-change effects.

Stay tuned for more EP news over the next few weeks!

Sands “Lights of Love” Service

andrew — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:41:34 +0000

On Friday I attended the beautiful Lights of Love service in St Paul’s Knightsbridge, organised by UK Sands, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity. The service gave bereaved parents a chance to remember their lost children and light a candle in memory of them.

I had the privilege of singing a song a wrote for my daughter Philomena, which I hope to release sometime next year, to raise awareness and funds for Sands, on CD and digital download. Watch this space for more news on that project.

St Michael and All Angels, Bampton

andrew — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:12:50 +0000

Photo by Ben Barrett

I was honoured to perform a selection of my songs at St Michael & All Angels Church in Bampton, Devon, on Friday 2nd December, to open their Christmas Tree Festival weekend. A warm, appreciative audience made the long journey from Oxfordshire worthwhile.

Also featured on the night were local handbell ringers, who drew the audience out to participate in a few carols. I even did my bit, playing low C and D bells!

8Strummer lands on Android Market

andrew — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:22:26 +0000

Guitarist and tutor Simon Nelson and I are proud to announce that the first Android version of our rhythm guitar trainer 8Strummer is now available on the Android Market. Since the iOS version was released in June this year, we have had an overwhelming number of requests for an Android version.

You may find the app here on the Market website. If you are viewing this on an Android phone, you may also click here to go directly to 8Strummer in the Market app.

Don’t forget to like the Facebook page as well!

Band of Hope with The Loose Salute

andrew — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:45:45 +0000

On Wednesday 14th September, the Bullingdon on Cowley Road, Oxford, was host to a great line-up of music, culminating in a set from The Loose Salute. Supporting were solo acts Nick Ruck and Lewis Watson, our very own Band of Hope, and Oxford band Cat Matador.

The Loose Salute posing with (6/7ths of) Band of Hope

The evening was great fun, and the sound (out front and on stage) was great!
Check out The Loose Salute’s new album “Getting Over Being Under”, which has been well-deservedly doing the rounds on BBC Radio 2 and 6Music.

Nelson Brothers at Wilton’s Music Hall

andrew — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:56:37 +0000

On Monday 5th September, I’ll be standing in on bass for the Nelson Brothers in the Mahogany Bar at Wilton’s Music Hall. It will be a great opportunity to hear some great songs in a beautiful vintage setting. Music starts at 9pm.

Band Of Hope at Greenbelt 2011

andrew — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:00:32 +0000

I’m looking forward to playing Greenbelt this year with the rest of Band Of Hope. The event runs from Friday 26th to Monday 29th August, over the bank holiday weekend. We will be performing on Monday evening at the Performance Cafe – a great little stage for upcoming bands and artists, as well as some more well-known artists playing acoustic sets.

For more information see the Greenbelt website.

Songs Featured on [edit] radio Podcast

andrew — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:32:50 +0000

The [edit] radio podcast showcases some of the best “New and Alternative” music every week. This week’s podcast includes all-acoustic sessions of “Two” and “Phoebe” recorded especially for [edit] radio, with my guitar and vocals.

Check this out, and the other great tracks by bands such as Zeus, Violent Femmes and Teenage Fanclub.

AutoArp 1.3 now FREE in the App Store!

andrew — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:26:41 +0000

AutoArp has now been updated to version 1.3. The major change is that it is now free for new users – with a limited set of chords. New users can unlock the ability to edit their own songs and chord lists, via a simple In-App Purchase.

Existing users will still be able to access full functionality as before.

In addition, features such as alternative bass notes and an echo effect have been added, as well as lower playback latency (on latest generation devices).

Try it now and play away!