OK, rather than the usual gig reviews, I'm going to start this week with a couple of pieces of news more connected with the web.
Firstly, I've started to put more effort into building up my online mailing list. This is the type of thing you used to find done with 'hardware' in which a newsletter would drop through the door everynow and then. Of course, now it's an 'emailing list', strictly speaking. Which means I'm doing my bit for the environment in the process!
It's mainly for fans who don't get to see gigs, particularly those in the US. And I've been adding names more regularly for a while now, with their permission of course. The result has been this month's innaugural newsletter-which contains a free gift: a free track to download!
And it's not a throw-away track that I had no better use for either. It's a frontline track from my new album, one of my most played songs, and one of my most popular too.
So, for those of you not on the list, here is the link to the free download right here, now:
CLICK HERE FOR A FREE SONG!
All you have to do is click it and save the file to your computer. Congratulations. You now have your free download of one of my better songs. You can now play it, copy it, share it, send it to friends, whatever you like with it.
Copy it? Share it? Isn't that illegal? As the artist shouldn't I be wanting you to pay for that?
Bollocks.
OK, of course I want you all to buy CDs and mp3s of my songs. But how exactly am I going to do that once I get past friends and family and punters at gigs (all very valued folk of course!)?
Once we lose personal contact, and talk to people online across the other side of the world, it becomes harder to make a 'sale'.
Therefore this is simply a way of introducing more people to my music who wouldn't have otherwise heard it. Simple as that. And for those who have already expressed an interest from hearing the tracks, it's a way of saying 'here I am, come inside and interract'. It makes people feel part of something. If some of these people then want to maybe, just maybe, part with a little money on a few other tracks, then the whole thing will have worked.
Remember, mp3s are infinite in quantity. You can't run out of them, there is NO CONCEPT OF THE LOST SALE. There are only new friends to find, and with a internet worldwide population of millions, there's plenty to go at.
So please go ahead, take the free track, and spread the word. You'd be doing me a huge favour.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
It's going to be a short one this week! I'd planned on a quieter week but it turned out to be a case of 'too little too late'. I'd probably already over-done things a bit lately and by Wednesday night I felt pretty awful. My throat was sore and I was aching and generally feeling like I couldn't be bothered doing very much.
This was a shame as I'd gone to see some live comedy in the shape of Andy Parsons that night. I still enjoyed it, but was feeling a bit rough. So Thursday became pretty much a day of rest and I certainly made the right call pulling my trip to the Chemic Open Mic (I'll try again this Thursday instead!).
By Saturday things had improved enough to mean the band gig could go ahead fairly comfortably, although it was a hot night and a hot room to play in! We didn't get a very big turn-out as people preferred to sit outside and do outside things, this being the hottest night of the year so far. The band, however, is more than used to playing to a handful of people and we actually had a great night musically. The set was tight and some numbers were the tightest they'd ever been. So not a bad do all in all.
This Friday we're returning to the Cricketers at Horbury, which went well last time (as most of them do!). We need re-bookings in order to turn over work and keep the diary full and the online giglist healthy. It's working just about so far to my target of playing once a week. Hopefully we can expand on that but with so many line-up changes for now it's probably about right.
See you next time!
This was a shame as I'd gone to see some live comedy in the shape of Andy Parsons that night. I still enjoyed it, but was feeling a bit rough. So Thursday became pretty much a day of rest and I certainly made the right call pulling my trip to the Chemic Open Mic (I'll try again this Thursday instead!).
By Saturday things had improved enough to mean the band gig could go ahead fairly comfortably, although it was a hot night and a hot room to play in! We didn't get a very big turn-out as people preferred to sit outside and do outside things, this being the hottest night of the year so far. The band, however, is more than used to playing to a handful of people and we actually had a great night musically. The set was tight and some numbers were the tightest they'd ever been. So not a bad do all in all.
This Friday we're returning to the Cricketers at Horbury, which went well last time (as most of them do!). We need re-bookings in order to turn over work and keep the diary full and the online giglist healthy. It's working just about so far to my target of playing once a week. Hopefully we can expand on that but with so many line-up changes for now it's probably about right.
See you next time!
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
I'm a day late this week, due to the Bank Holiday. I'm sure you were all really worried about that....
Anyway, last Monday I did a gig in Bradford. I say 'gig', when it could better be described as 'I played to 4 people in Bradford last Monday'. The Priestley gig has been one of the best nights of it's kind since I first went there last July. It's a songwriter/acoustic night, incorrectly billed as 'open mic'. It has had it's flaws but has real character and a decent set of people in it's network.
However, like all good gigs, nothing lasts forever. I arrived on Monday to find that not only was the audience absent, but that only 3 musicians had been booked. The gig hung in the balance at this point, until we decided there was just enough need for it to go ahead. Needless to say it was a complete waste of time, and the sooner everyone decides what's best for this night the better. It doesn't help that the venue is in administration and seems to constantly have an uncertain future.
March was supposed to be the last one ever, but then I found it was advertised thru July. Apparently last time the promoter and the venue had different nights scheduled and the whole thing fell through. It really isn't that hard to run a decent night, and there's no excuse for not booking enough acts, there's plenty of those even in the absence of an audience. So for now, it's a case of 'wait and see' with The Priestley.
The Wardrobe on Wednesday was at least as per normal. I was on first, but the place did fill up reasonably as the night went on. I did 6 songs, with Words and How Do You Sleep returning to the line-up. I bumped into Mark Sayer, the photographer who captured some of the live shots you see dotted about my websites. We talked, amongst other things, about the Freaky Pest promoter (see January's blog for further details!)...and it turns out he's upset plenty more people than I thought. It's sometimes nice to have my opinion qualified.
Thursday night on this busy week was back to the Band, playing the Waggoners in Queensbury. Steve was back, and we played pretty well to a thin crowd. (numerically not weight-wise). This is another of those venues where you get the feeling that bands won't be playing in another 6 months, or that the faces behind the bar may well change. A decent venue in theory, but a bit of energy is required to sort it out.
On Saturday, and the band managed a new achievement in it's short history: 2 gigs in the same week!! Of course, the line-ups weren't the same, (bass this time!), but it was one small step and all that.... Speaking of landing on foreign alien lands, we were playing at Berry Brow Liberal Club. The most Liberal thing about it being the amounts people drink.
We had a great night really, and got a thoroughly good reception. Most of the band gigs have gone down really well in fact. I just hope it can go where I want it to go.
I value days away from music more than ever now. That's a sign of getting a bit older. It doesn't mean I don't love what I do, I'm just more knackered than I used to be by doing it. So Sunday and the Bank Holiday Monday were set aside, not that I took it particularly easy. I had a family day out on Sunday going over to Pickering, Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay. The latter is one of those places I feel at home with, a bit like the Lakes. I keep eyeing the small houses that are for rent there, and planning.
The day after was back to Stock Cars. Yes, 2 meetings in one day, starting at Sheffield at 12noon, then over the tops to Belle Vue, Manchester for the evening meeting at 5.45. As I said, nice and relaxing. The latter meeting was especially thrilling, with fires, rollovers and drivers running across the track to wrestle with flag marshalls. A typical night's entertainment really. Sorry if this is going over your head, but I do like to try and educate people onto my little planet.
This week promises to be quieter on the gigs, with just a band slot at Lindley this Saturday, and an open mic on Thursday at the Chemic in Leeds.
Anyway, last Monday I did a gig in Bradford. I say 'gig', when it could better be described as 'I played to 4 people in Bradford last Monday'. The Priestley gig has been one of the best nights of it's kind since I first went there last July. It's a songwriter/acoustic night, incorrectly billed as 'open mic'. It has had it's flaws but has real character and a decent set of people in it's network.
However, like all good gigs, nothing lasts forever. I arrived on Monday to find that not only was the audience absent, but that only 3 musicians had been booked. The gig hung in the balance at this point, until we decided there was just enough need for it to go ahead. Needless to say it was a complete waste of time, and the sooner everyone decides what's best for this night the better. It doesn't help that the venue is in administration and seems to constantly have an uncertain future.
March was supposed to be the last one ever, but then I found it was advertised thru July. Apparently last time the promoter and the venue had different nights scheduled and the whole thing fell through. It really isn't that hard to run a decent night, and there's no excuse for not booking enough acts, there's plenty of those even in the absence of an audience. So for now, it's a case of 'wait and see' with The Priestley.
The Wardrobe on Wednesday was at least as per normal. I was on first, but the place did fill up reasonably as the night went on. I did 6 songs, with Words and How Do You Sleep returning to the line-up. I bumped into Mark Sayer, the photographer who captured some of the live shots you see dotted about my websites. We talked, amongst other things, about the Freaky Pest promoter (see January's blog for further details!)...and it turns out he's upset plenty more people than I thought. It's sometimes nice to have my opinion qualified.
Thursday night on this busy week was back to the Band, playing the Waggoners in Queensbury. Steve was back, and we played pretty well to a thin crowd. (numerically not weight-wise). This is another of those venues where you get the feeling that bands won't be playing in another 6 months, or that the faces behind the bar may well change. A decent venue in theory, but a bit of energy is required to sort it out.
On Saturday, and the band managed a new achievement in it's short history: 2 gigs in the same week!! Of course, the line-ups weren't the same, (bass this time!), but it was one small step and all that.... Speaking of landing on foreign alien lands, we were playing at Berry Brow Liberal Club. The most Liberal thing about it being the amounts people drink.
We had a great night really, and got a thoroughly good reception. Most of the band gigs have gone down really well in fact. I just hope it can go where I want it to go.
I value days away from music more than ever now. That's a sign of getting a bit older. It doesn't mean I don't love what I do, I'm just more knackered than I used to be by doing it. So Sunday and the Bank Holiday Monday were set aside, not that I took it particularly easy. I had a family day out on Sunday going over to Pickering, Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay. The latter is one of those places I feel at home with, a bit like the Lakes. I keep eyeing the small houses that are for rent there, and planning.
The day after was back to Stock Cars. Yes, 2 meetings in one day, starting at Sheffield at 12noon, then over the tops to Belle Vue, Manchester for the evening meeting at 5.45. As I said, nice and relaxing. The latter meeting was especially thrilling, with fires, rollovers and drivers running across the track to wrestle with flag marshalls. A typical night's entertainment really. Sorry if this is going over your head, but I do like to try and educate people onto my little planet.
This week promises to be quieter on the gigs, with just a band slot at Lindley this Saturday, and an open mic on Thursday at the Chemic in Leeds.
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