I've had a holiday since the last post, a lovely week away in Cornwall. 2 days of which were spent queing in traffic, but it was nice to get away. I visited quite a lot of places I'd been to when I was little, (I'm not much bigger now), and it was interesting to see them through adult eyes. It was also great to finally see some sun, in fact it's hardly stopped shining here since I got back.
Of course you're really here to find out about my exciting career as a singer-songwriter, so for that we must go back to before Cornwall, (B.C.), well before I went anyway.
On Thursday August 16th Peter and I went to watch a band at the Queen Vic in Northowram. I've already mentioned some of this in my new blog on myspace (see below), but to summarise we saw the Chantell McGregor band and it was a little bit of a religous experience for me. Just a little one, but a little twinge of inspiration nonetheless.
Chantell was, I think, the girl I used to see around the various local jam sessions such as the Wilsons Arms at Mirfield and the Barge in Brighouse. She's now got her own band and it made quite an impression on me. Not because of the immediate impact of watching a girl in a corsette playing Steve Vai licks like there's no tomorrow, but because it was a tight band in a pub. Or should that be a band in a tight pub. The point being it got me thinking how I could do that......
Unfortunately I couldn't find a corsette I liked and I'm a useless guitarist, in fact no guitarist at all, but I did think how good it would be to have my band, the Paul Jeffery Band no less, playing tightly in some pubs.
I'm already rambling, so surfice to say I've played a few hundred pub gigs in the past. So it's not like I've never done it before. I had a cover band called One Night Stand which did them all between 2000-2005. By '05 I'd fallen out with the pubs a bit, dirty smelly places where people didn't really seem to like what we did. The majority were of course good gigs but the bad ones always stick in my mind. So after 2 years doing the wedding circuit (cleaner and less smelly), I'm about ready now for some muck and bullets.
The PJ Band has been going since December last year, the first gig was in February and we've done about 8 since then. I wasn't overly happy with the one at the Puzzle Hall on Aug 2nd, so seeing a band that obviously played and rehearsed regularly really fired me up. I'm a terrible spectator anyway, unless it's one of my heroes I'm watching. A few other things have changed recently in that I'm leaving one of the wedding bands, so I'm hoping to have more time to do my own band, and play in smelly pubs again.....
I must be insane, but part of the reason for this is the distinct lack of concrete opportunities to play with that sort of band. Clubs are OUT, weddings and functions are too, it only leaves pubs and the 'music venues', given that the ice hockey arenas are still slightly beyond our current fanbase of 15 (I love you all). Music Venues are hard because they tend to involve playing 30 minutes unpaid, and neither suits us too well. We need the discipline of regular paid gigs to sort things out, then use them to subsidise a few music venue showcases.
So from now on, the band is my priority, dirty pubs and all, and it's going to be very tough. I don't mind being honest with you, because that's what this is about. When I came back from Cornwall I went and spent a bit of money on a new mixing desk and some active sub bass speakers-very nice. I've also set about finding a few more musicians to cover for when the regular players can't make it, so you'll also get the excitement of not knowing who'll be playing at each show- a bit like seeing Amy Winehouse (or at least Atlanta Soul).
NEW EXCITING MYSPACE BLOG
I mentioned briefly above that I have a new blog. Here you can read about what music I've been listening to lately, it's just for fun really, but I think it's interesting for would be fans. My music reviews are not very hot, but my music taste is nothing if not varied, so click on to find out about everything from Tori Amos to Jim Mackie.
OTHER GIGS
After the excitement of the Queen Vic, I had the small matter of a gig with my band on the following Saturday (the 18th). This was a house party at Meltham, booked through one of our shows at the Railway, Berry Brow. It was similarly chaotic but quite good fun playing in someone's front room. Hardly the most auspicous gig but we got everyone dancing. Later a guy fell over passed out on the steps, so I hope he was OK as we had to leave around this time.
After Cornwall, I did the Ship Open Mic on the Tuesday (28th), playing 'Your Shadow', 'Cold Cold Day', 'Nobody Knows You' (which I forgot the chords to), and 'Rocket Man'. The Ship night is run by Ben Greavs and Al Leeming, who I see at quite a lot of other gigs. It's a night I tried in January and it's nice to see it a bit more established now.
On the 29th I was at The Grove playing 'Cold Steel Lover' and 'Nobody Knows You' (which was better this time). There then followed another Thursday night of receeing pubs-the Brewery Tap, Idle and the Queen Vic again. The former is definetly in the muck and bullets category, very heavy rock orinetated audience who growl if you play a Status Quo song(this is true believe me). I'm not certain it would suit my band, but it hosts 3 bands a week so must be considered seriously. The Queen Vic was mainly to establish what I assumed-that it was a lot quieter with Amnesia playing than Chantell McGregor. For the record we caught the opening numbers of Dufflegoat at the Tap.
After a marathon weekend of 3 Morris and the Minors gigs, during which I came out in a heat rash, (the stress of running a pub band already showing before the first gig), I then had another job on Monday night Sept 3rd playing at New Roscoe.
The acousitc springboard night hosted 3 acts, the others being Bryan Matthews and Kreinczes&McNaughton (although only one half of the latter played). I did a solid half hour set to a small audience, but got a live dvd recording, which in true tradition I've not looked at yet, but if it's any good you may well see a few clips appear on myspace and youtube. I played 'Shadow','Nobody Said','Whiskey','Can't Believe the News', 'Life', 'How Do You Sleep','Freefallin' and 'These Eyes'.
I think I'll leave it there and go and have a lie down.
No comments:
Post a Comment