Recording
I think that we're going to start with this one.
Recently, I've been doing most of my performing on the street instead of the stage. There are a number of factors for this, but most of them stem from the fact that Hot Apollo doesn't currently have a drummer. The best way to make these songs work without drums is to base everything around an acoustic guitar, which doesn't really require a venue at all. I've actually come to love the acoustic versions we've been doing lately, though Hot Apollo is still intended to become a full electric band again in the near future, which will necessitate a return to the stage and all of the attendant organisational annoyances.
But street performance has revealed to me some of its own advantages, and these go beyond the decreased emphasis on planning and forethought. It's a new, different, and fairly efficient way to bring the music out to new people and interact with them in the process. This is old news to anyone who has ever stood with an instrument on a street corner, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the experience and regretting the fact that I've only been able to start recently.
All of this is at the fore of my mind right now primarily because of one meeting that came about through an afternoon of busking in Kensington Market. One of the many pedestrians who presumably enjoyed our music on that day has offered to lend his technological skill and knowledge to the task of making what will undoubtedly be the first truly decent Hot Apollo recordings. I've heard some of the stuff he's done with his own music, and it's pretty great. If you're interested, my personal favourite can be found at http://youtu.be/9lV2-682nOg.
Anyway, I'm pretty excited, and I intend to put some of the tracks up as they're made. Soon!
Best bad recording? That "Raw and Live" Sex Pistols album I borrowed from my friend when I was 15. From what I remember, the sound quality was too atrocious to discern anything of detail, but it was my first real introduction to the band, and it had a bunch of Sid's solo stuff that's still inexplicably intriguing to me.