This is the first episode of the second Series of The Eurobusk Saga.

Watch how 4 young musicians navigate their way through Europe armed with 2 video cameras, the instruments on their back, a pad full of Christmas tunes and their trusty steed; The Flash.

This years tour route sees the young Quarter Tones Brass Quartet travel to Berlin, Prague, Slazburg, Luxembourg and London.

Episode 1 Begins with controversy in London’s Covent Garden, the Flash’s race against time to the ferry, the first of a BRAND NEW FEATURE and an interesting journey to Berlin. All in all not a great start to the trip for us but an entertaining first Episode for you.

So enjoy Episode I of Series II

If you enjoyed this episode please leave me a comment, we love to hear what you think!

Episode II – Released Next Week (27/11/09)

Just a quick note to say that I’ve reduced the Eurobusk footage from 10:30 mins to 4 hours. It’s taken 76 hours and it’s looking to be a great documentary. More information coming soon!!!

I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last post. I really got out of my blogging routine. I think with a tour to Prague and my first none trumpet related holiday in 4 years I lost my enthusiasm for a bit. However with emails from friends and fans of the blog kicking me up the backside to write something I thought I’d get on the case.

In order to keep up regular blogs I think I’ll be looking to post twice a week from this point onwards. Otherwise I’ll come back to another 6,000 comments on my site!!! I know. Huge right?! But most of these are from the happy little spam droids (Note to self: Get Spam Filter).

I have a few things to write about since I took a vacation from the blogosphere including what I’ve been up to, recording sessions I have coming up in the near future, more great results from my pupils, Eurobusk 08 which is gradually being edited down into episodes (I may even be able to bring you a trailer in the next 10 days!) and many other trumpet/musician elated antics so keep your eyes peeled!

Recently I received an email commenting on a post I made a year and a half ago (January 2008) entitled, Want The Worst Trumpet In The World? Make Mine A Taylor!!

This boldly titled post, which has proved to be one of my most controversial, takes a slightly satirical poke at the trumpets made by Taylor. This particular post discusses my views, opinions and experiences of this particular make of trumpet and is written in a pretty light hearted manner in order to promote discussion. Which I’m very pleased to say it has and did.

Which left me a little surprised when I received the following email from Mr Andy Taylor himself.

Dear Matt.

Mind telling me where you get off on all this personal slagging off stuff??

I read your rant with interest. Pity you didn’t have the good grace to pick up the phone and address this to me. What is it with some players who think ‘all’ instrument makers are fair game to be insulted at will? We are a small band of guys who pretty much all know each other, so this is not new, or big, or useful. We exchange stories and sometimes have a good laugh about them, and sometimes not. Believe me there are number of players out there who some would like to see put against a wall for far less!

Next time, face your accuser and stop hiding behind the blog veneer. You are obviously still young and relatively inexperienced, so I shall put your rudeness down to that and hope you learn some humility in time.

Kindest regards.

Andy Taylor.

First of all I’d like to say what a shame it is that you have taken this so personally Andy. But I’d like to answer some of the issues you’ve brought up in your email.

I don’t appreciate you’re opening line as that seems to start off your email as a ‘rant’ and as a personal attack on me, however, that aside I’m glad that you read my post and I hope you enjoyed the rest of my site. I’d like to say that I have plenty of good grace thank you but if I picked up the phone and laid into all the manufacturers and service providers that I wasn’t a fan of I think it’d waste a lot of time and come over as quite rude.

However I would like to say that I am sorry if my post insulted you personally. If you carried on to read the many comments you’ll see that I’ve tried to be fair and state over and over again that these are my opinions. You are clearly very proud of your work to be so passionate and respond in the way you have. That’s great! Unfortunately it doesn’t change the way I feel about your trumpets. But then again, what do I know? I can’t make a trumpet! But I can play one. And I know what makes a good trumpet for me. Let me restate that last point; I know what makes a good trumpet FOR ME.

As for your final unfounded statement…

Next time, face your accuser and stop hiding behind the blog veneer

I’m not sure of whom my “accuser” is but I’d like to point out that if you continued to read the post you could have seen the comments of pro-Taylor players. Some were quite forceful with their views but following a post like this one I can understand why. That’s why the least I could do was write back. Please take time to read the comments and see that I am not hiding in any way. If I was I wouldn’t have put up the post in the first place.

I hope that this addresses the issues that you brought up in your email.

I think you might be right in saying that you can forget there are people who create these trumpets who might read a post like this and feel a certain amount of resentment and hurt. I hope you understand a little more now that my post isn’t a personal attack. It was perhaps a little insensitive but by the same token you can see that there are a fair few pro-Taylor comments there too. That should make you feel better about the debate.

I hope that you will leave your own comment on the post (providing that it’s not too rude or confrontational so that you can put your own views across in the right context. All the best Mr Taylor!!

Back to regular blogging; I hope to find the time to write a post on what I’ve been up to over the past few weeks over the weekend although things have been and are very busy with gigs. I’ll try my best to get something online soon!!

I’ve had a couple of the guys from the Quarter Tones (as seen on the Eurobusk Documentary) stay around at my apartment for the past few days. We’ve been putting together ideas for our next tour in a few months as well as cataloging the footage from the last trip.

I had done this before but due to a faulty power supply I killed my 360gb harddrive that it was all saved on. I wasn’t very happy. I was even less impressed when my second external harddrive of 120gb died on me today.

I’ve now just given up with starting work on putting the footage together until I get my new iMac in the next couple of weeks. I’m pretty excited to have another mac join the family. Especially after a visit to my parents resulted on me trying to go on the internet on their PCs. I never thought I’d become a mac snob but after 20 minutes of waiting for the PC (Piece of Crap) to stop thinking and open Internet Explorer I nearly had an anxiety attack . They really are terrible. Still useful to have around!! But terrible.

I’ve got a couple of weddings to play over the weekend in the midlands so I’ll get back to you after then.