This week it was a case of 2 out of 4 ain't bad. That's got nothing to do with Meatloaf (thank God) but of course the tremendously exciting gig situation....

Monday 15th: I had finally got around to trying out Carpe Diem's Open Mic night in Leeds, having had a reasonably succesful trip the year before. I knew that the promotion had changed hands to a more hip-hop orientated crowd. Well, on arrival, it was certainly busier....

The hip-hop jam was in full-flow (an early start?), and so not feeling entirely comfortable with the crowd I waited to see what developed. Eventually the open mic acoustic did begin and, given that there was a fari-sized audience, I decided to hold on for a while. Only then did I discover that it was too late to put my name down, as they were fully booked!

At the moment the jury is out on whether to bother going back, it felt more like a school disco than a gig, but we shall see.....


Tuesday 16th: It is after nights like Monday that you realise how well Doctor Wu's go about things. Ok, so the occasional transvestite throws a glass across the bar, but you have to take the very rough with the smooth.
Of course this time I did get to play! I went on later than normal, and this proved to be an advantage, as CD sales were helped a little by the increase in beer consumption. I played 'Your Shadow' (my live favourite), 'I Won't Back Down' (Tom Petty but in the Pearl Jam mould-a late but succesful inclusion), 'Whiskey Coloured World' and 'Life' (much better this time!).

The addition of a booked act (who were excellent), gives the night more of a gig-feel, and more focus. Indeed I will be the said act on Tuesday 20th February. I have a slight concern over how late they went on, but the policy of giving everyone a fair crack and a fair set length definetly works.

Wednesday 17th: My first 2007 appearance at the Grove. It was the usual atmosphere, and went very well. I played '7 Shades' and 'Old Wishing Well'. The same 2 tracks as on my last visit the previous month. The former went down even better than on it's debut, it really is a song I like doing.

Thursday 18th: I was supposed to be playing at the Black Swan in York. But given the uncertain weather I decided to give it a miss. I'd had a meeting with a publisher earlier in the day, so it wasn't completely wasted. The latter concerns a deal recently signed for a song called 'Ain't No Doubt', which I wrote with Chris Breen and Andy McNeil. It's in the r&b genre and is very commercial. I also think we've finally found a publisher that actually pitches songs, perhaps someone should suggest this at the MIDEM conference as a revolutionary approach to music publishing.

Friday 19th: My current standing on 'Pure' songwriting (ie, those I don't perform myself) is a little ambiguous. I'm enjoying so much at the moment the freedom and rewards of being a DIY singer-songwriter-record label-producer-tea maker that I could quite happily stay away from the world of publishers and cover-releases for the time being.
However, the past 24 hours reminded me of the amount of hard work that I had put into this area in the past. I had a call from a company called Acapella Heaven, who about 18 months ago seemed set to release a version of 'Summer Love'. The call was to inform me of a new mix of a different song, which was submitted at the same time. It reminded me of the importance of stsying patient-there may after all be something promising to come this time. After all, it took seven years in total for 'More Than The Need' to surface.

Speaking of the latter, that too has re-appeared. After the original single release of my charity song by TalentStar 2005, the song has recently been re-released on an album by the same people. It is the final track (#17) and can be bought here.

Swings and roundabouts I suppose....

This week it's Doctor Wu's on Tuesday the 23rd, and then possibly The Albert in Huddersfield on Thursday the 25th. Please check my myspace page for confirmed gig details.