The Granite Shore: Flood of fortune by OccultationUK
The new Granite Shore single, Flood of fortune b/w Highway code, sees Nick Halliwell joined this time by Phil Wilson (June Brides), Arash Torabi (The Painted Word) and Andy Fonda (Some Beans) for the basic tracks for both sides of the single which were rehearsed and recorded in the space of just a few hours in the village of Tipton St John in Devon. Says Halliwell: "there were omens a-plenty. Phil and I had never met before the morning of the session but both turned up dressed identically, in black corduroy suits, looking like a pair of somewhat sinister missionaries. On the drive to the studio Arash's car was clearly about to give up the ghost, and we had visions of being marooned somewhere in the very countryside dealt with in both songs on the record, with no mobile 'phone coverage and a drummer wondering where on earth we might be. However somehow the car made it as far as the turning into the studio and only then did it die... Not peacefully but with a sudden billowing of smoke from beneath the bonnet. We grabbed our instruments and leapt out. After a mere collective wiping of brows we set up, started playing and had the bones of a single in the can within a few hours."
Next came the 56-part string section, which was entrusted to Vaughan Jones. He was given a fairly clear brief for Flood but absolutely none for Code and came up with something absolutely monumental, overseeing the string date in London.
That just left the brass and for this, after an international tender had been put out (or it might just have been one e-mail, one or the other) this was handled by Probyn Gregory of the Wondermints and Brian Wilson's current band. Thus the locations for this single were:
Tipton St John * London * Los Angeles
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