I know I said it was the last blog of 08 last week, but I thought it would be nice to review the year a little bit, and wrap up the rear end of the year as well.
Firstly, a quick word about last week. The PJ Band did it's last gig of 08 at The Owl, Rodley on Saturday night. Well, after some problems with the diaries there during the summer, I'm pleased to say the night went very well!
It's always good to see a pub where people actually go to watch a band, and this is one of the few where this is still the case. It makes for a better night all round. We also get to play more original material to a more discerning audience. Gone are the ignorant bastards that don't want to know. As a result we played well, enjoyed ourselves, and although it was quite tiring at the time I'm very happy looking back on the gig now. I hope we'll be back there before too long. Scores 7.
Thus the year's gigs are over. I've purposely avoided New Years Eve for the band, we're not really a party band and it's a night that can go horribly wrong-it has in the past. I'll be glad to be on the 'right side of the bar' that night I can tell you. It's the first time since the Millenium I've not worked december 31st.
THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS
Looking back it's been another busy year. There's always times when I think I should be working harder but looking back it's been a very full year and it's only on reflection that I realise quite what I take on at times.
I've categorised a few elements in no particular order:
GIG SCENE/PUBS/THE BAND: Our first full year of gigging regularly with the band was certainly eventful. I knew I was taking on a daunting task to begin with and am glad to say it just about came off although at times my nerves were frayed.
The target was one show a week and we hit this in a roundabout way. The target goes up to 6 a month next year (for the first part) and we're already on 8 bookings for January. So far it seems despite the 'credit crunch', smoking ban and all the other miriad of excuses there is still enough work available for us.
Speaking of the crunch, I'm not oblivious to it's effects of course. A lot of our gigs have been very quiet, poorly supported affairs. In some instances it's a case of 'why bother?' and I wonder how much longer some places will stick at it. Some are still very busy though and people were certainly spending money.
As far as the audience reception is concerned, there's usually a few who are interested, the orignial songs haven't really held us back and we've had some good comments. Of course, there's been a few numpties on both sides of the bar-but that's not going to change whilst we're still playing pubs.
The main thing I'll remember is the chaotic way in which the line-up changed, sometimes it was predicatable, sometimes it certainly wasn't!! It was a close-run thing at times but overall I'm looking forward to next year when we'll attempt to do even more shows, no doubt with even more musicians bailing out at any given in-opportune moment!!
SOLO GIGS: With the band taking more of a priority solo gigs were less frequent compared to 07 when I was dashing here there and everywhere playing open mics and showcases. I still did quite a lot and as usual some were better than others. The back end of the year was particularly slow for solo gigs and given that the last one I did at The Primrose was really good, I'm really looking forward to doing some more shows.
I went into the year aiming to phase out open mics, but having done this I'm now wondering whether to keep them going, as a way of trying out new songs and more obscure covers under no pressure. Also, compared to some of the booked gigs, there's several advantages to an open mic-no pressure and home in time for the pub! Sometimes CD sales are higher at unpaid gigs too.
Another thing I learnt was that I shouldn't fear a younger crowd as often they're more open-minded than the close minded bigots in the band pubs. Granted they can treat me as a curiosity, but if that makes them curious enough to buy a CD then great!!
The first solo gig of 09 will be the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet on January 4th. Here I'll be hoping to play more originals, and more new covers-it's the closest thing I've got to a 'home-crowd'.
ALBUMS, SONGS AND THE INTERNET: As usual I spent vast amounts of time adding friends on myspace and building databases etc... As usual I've met some wonderful people abroad who I'd never ever have known about without a tour pre-internet. My 'web-presence' has improved steadily mainly down to the time invested keeping it ticking over. I have limited charisma unlike some on there!!
My frustration at this led me to invest a small fortune on a Cyber PR campaign, of which you can read about in previous blogs. It was useful in getting my music out to more folk, getting me a few nice reviews and some podcasts and airplay. The downside was I had to do even more work and still had to log-in to myspace every day to keep traffic moving. However, one of the biggest long-term benefits has been the germination of the idea to start my own label-given some of the contacts and methods I've learned of. My new Paradise Street album is going to be almost totally web-based, so virtual promotion needs to be a big priority next year.
A FEW AIMS FOR NEXT YEAR:
1) Hit targets for doing more band gigs-moving towards two shows a week, build a live following and try not to have a meltdown in the process.
2) Do more intimate solo gigs playing more choice material, unleash the troubador within and hopefully sell a few CDs to students.
3) Totally revamp my official website (yes-that's this one!) into 'Web 2.0' format, whatever that means.
4) Increase web traffic and web hits and promotion to a much higher degree.
5) Watch more stock car meetings.
6) Win the Brighouse Quiz league.
7) Dance with Christine Bleakley.
8) Do anything with Christine Bleakley.
and finally.... the much-anticipated 2008 AWARDS: The phone-lines are now closed, and the results have been fabricated.
1) BEST VENUE: The Peacock, Huddersfield. It may have a rough exterior but inside it's been the warmest audience we've played to this year. A credit to live music in the old tradition.
2) BEST GIG: The Peacock with the Band March 22nd. I guess it was a little unexpected but it was a good night.
3) WORST VENUE: The Snooty Fox, Oakworth. No fun in playing to an empty room.
4) WORST GIG: The Rock n Heifer December 6th, no fun in playing there either.
5) BEST VENUE LANDLORD: It's got to be Ali at The Plough at Warmfield.
6) BEST SOLO VENUE: The New Inn at Barwick-in-Elmet.
7) WORST SOLO VENUE: The Shepherds Rest at Sowerby Bridge.
8) WORST ADVERTISED GIG: The Abbey Inn Band gig.
9) HONOURABLE VENUE MENTIONS: The Kings Arms, Heaton. Berry Brow Liberal Club. The Owl, Rodley.
10) WORST TOILETS: The Church Steps, Batley.
Happy New Year :)
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
In the penultimate week before Christmas, things have been pretty busy here. Another 2 gigs played, more experience gained, another argument with a mad woman, just about normal I guess.
My band morphed into 'function-mode' on Saturday night to play to a room full of miserable buggers who were something to do with British Telecom. We played mainly soul stuff, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding... no original tunes. It was good fun and the band played superbly.
A lot of people danced and enjoyed themselves so I shouldn't let the one dissenting voice spoil things. It's just that I'm rubbish with confrontations. It was quite funny with hindsight. We were accused of playing 'niche music...more suitable for university students'. Yes, songs from the 1960s, students are clearly getting older these days. Not to worry, I kept to my basic PR skills...I told her to piss off.
Oh and just for the record we were underpaid by £20. Hopefully this was a clerical error, or perhaps I had some long-oustanding phone bill unpaid.
Sunday afternoon was back to normal fare at The Bridge in Huddersfield. It was very quiet but the band played as if to a full stadium. I exagerate not. The versions of 'Heroes', 'White Room' and 'So Lonely' at the moment are an immense sound. It's just hard to take when the song ends, reality kicks in and you realise you're a nobody playing to half a dozen folk. Still at least nobody complained this time. It scores 5.
The Paradise Street album is now but one mix away from completion. Then it's a quick once-over on the tracks and the layout and we're ready to go. For those that don't know, this is a side project as an outlet for some of my material more suited to female singers (I don't really like singing about my unrequited love for boys). There's 13 songs and the whole thing has been a joy to work on. Brilliant vocal performances and guitar work, I've really grown to love these songs. Hopefully it will sell a few copies too, or at least gain more exposure, I think it's deserving.
One final gig this Saturday (20th) is at The Owl, Rodley. Ironically, it's where we played our first show of the year too. Then it's on to Christmas time. As I'm saying this I realise this will be the last blog of 2008 (barring any major record deals) so it only remains for me to say thank you, merry Christmas, Happy New Year and for those that complain at my gigs: piss off.
My band morphed into 'function-mode' on Saturday night to play to a room full of miserable buggers who were something to do with British Telecom. We played mainly soul stuff, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding... no original tunes. It was good fun and the band played superbly.
A lot of people danced and enjoyed themselves so I shouldn't let the one dissenting voice spoil things. It's just that I'm rubbish with confrontations. It was quite funny with hindsight. We were accused of playing 'niche music...more suitable for university students'. Yes, songs from the 1960s, students are clearly getting older these days. Not to worry, I kept to my basic PR skills...I told her to piss off.
Oh and just for the record we were underpaid by £20. Hopefully this was a clerical error, or perhaps I had some long-oustanding phone bill unpaid.
Sunday afternoon was back to normal fare at The Bridge in Huddersfield. It was very quiet but the band played as if to a full stadium. I exagerate not. The versions of 'Heroes', 'White Room' and 'So Lonely' at the moment are an immense sound. It's just hard to take when the song ends, reality kicks in and you realise you're a nobody playing to half a dozen folk. Still at least nobody complained this time. It scores 5.
The Paradise Street album is now but one mix away from completion. Then it's a quick once-over on the tracks and the layout and we're ready to go. For those that don't know, this is a side project as an outlet for some of my material more suited to female singers (I don't really like singing about my unrequited love for boys). There's 13 songs and the whole thing has been a joy to work on. Brilliant vocal performances and guitar work, I've really grown to love these songs. Hopefully it will sell a few copies too, or at least gain more exposure, I think it's deserving.
One final gig this Saturday (20th) is at The Owl, Rodley. Ironically, it's where we played our first show of the year too. Then it's on to Christmas time. As I'm saying this I realise this will be the last blog of 2008 (barring any major record deals) so it only remains for me to say thank you, merry Christmas, Happy New Year and for those that complain at my gigs: piss off.
Monday, December 08, 2008
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
I've pointed out before that there's often more to write about a bad gig than a good one. A good one generally is one that goes to plan, therefore not much to comment on other than it went to plan. A bad one however throws up more talking points.
This weekend, for differing reasons, my intrepid band were faced with 2 bad ones. Friday being bad and Saturday downright ugly!
On Friday we played at the Snooty Fox, Oakworth. Avid readers of this blog (both of you) may remember that this once solid venue seems to be struggling from a terminal shortage of customers.
When this happens 2 things usually occur: 1) The pub is quiet leading to a poor atmosphere, obviously.
2) Those that are present tend to be hardcore locals who don't wish to be entertained, or people who have strayed into the cold atmosphere and therefore also don't wish to be entertained. This leads to a situation where the minority of 'anti-band' audience becomes the majority.
In the case of the Snooty, all this is fairly academic. The facts are that the pub was DEAD, we played at one stage to nobody, and rounded off with a crowd of 2 (they were very enthusiastic though!). The last time we played here in August the same thing happened, except that time we also had the stoney-faced locals to contend with. This time they pissed off into the pool room.
Needless to say, not a good night. Predictable if nothing else (and we didn't get any trouble from the staff). I think it's probably time to knock this one on the head before they do. A shame, but there simply aren't enough people to make the night viable.
This one scores 4. It could be less but I felt we did a good job as a band and played well.
Saturday night was where the major problems occured. Again, I can only say that the one consolation was that it wasn't entirely a surprise. We've played at the Rock n Heifer twice previously and had a good night each time. However, on both occasions I had a bad feeling about the Lady of the House, Mandy. She reminded distinctly of a couple of similar characters we've met in the past.
Let me explain. Some pubs, generally ones that don't have regular weekly entertainment, take the attitude that the band is at their disposal for the evening and get over-involved. Usually this can be mis-interpreted as a good thing as sometimes they are over-involved by being over-keen and enthusiastic. This manifested itself at both the previous visits in us getting a good reception and being paid a little extra to play a little longer. No real problem in that except that at this point we're tired and want to go home, as with July my voice is tired too, and whilst it all seems very polite, it's actually very controlling and the band is 'owned' by the venue at this point. Also at these venues there's a need to extract a pound of flesh from the band and part of the entertainment becomes seeing how long the band will play for.
That's the good part. The downside to all this is that I recognised in Mandy the potential for irrational behaviour and trouble-making, sometimes drink-induced. A few years ago we were stung at a venue when after some great nights the landlady, intoxicated, turned on us for no good reason. Here we faced a similar scenario. The first set was fine, no problem. Then about half-way through set 2 I noticed her body language had altered. She began studying our poster intently and I realised what was coming. By now the band wasn't going down particularly well. It was another thin crowd of mainly locals who'd pretty much decided to talk and ignore us. So we finished the set and I prepared for a confrontation I knew was coming about 20 minutes prior.
We were then lambasted for not playing songs by the artists on the posters, not doing an encour, costing too much, having too long a break, playing too many originals and generally not doing as we did before.
All bullshit. I knew straight away this was an argument I wasn't going to win, so I made sure we got paid the correct amount and left. In response to the series of stupid complaints she made I did my best to use logic and defend what we did. This was pointless as logic wasn't really present in the first place.
For the record, the posters contain a sample of the sort of music we do. This is obvious to anyone with a grain of common sense a guide to the sort of music we do, not a programme. We only missed off one artist. I didn't do an encour because the audience didn't deserve one and I knew what was coming: the bollocking would have happened anyway. I specifically asked what time the 2nd set should start and was told it was up to us. We play there for our minimum fee. We played exactly the same number of orignials (4) as last time and the time before.
etc... etc.... it doesn't really matter. The main thing is we won't be going again and I'm glad I'd mentioned to the band previously that there was the potential for trouble with an erratic landlady here. It amused me that her husband, when called for his opinion, thought we were 'fine' and told her to 'calm down'. It didn't work. I only hope there'll be some sort of phone apology but of course there won't be. And I won't get my chance to say 'fuck off' either.
Sometimes I get a 6th sense that there's trouble. I hope I don't sound paranoid. It's perfectly rational because it fits the pattern of previous ugly events. 2 good nights, then one bad one for no reason.
This one could have scored 6 at 10:00pm, but instead will be relegated to the 'room 101' of my gigging career. Score 2.
What about the good you may ask? Well, only that mixing the Paradise Street album is going well and I continue to be inspired by the comments of fans on myspace. Needless to say most aren't British and I only wish I could play to a room full of these people instead. Bookings are also up for early next year despite the credit crunch. I played a magnificent function with Atlanta Soul on the Monday night to 1500 people, oh, and I've joined the local quiz league...see, not so bad after all!
This weekend, for differing reasons, my intrepid band were faced with 2 bad ones. Friday being bad and Saturday downright ugly!
On Friday we played at the Snooty Fox, Oakworth. Avid readers of this blog (both of you) may remember that this once solid venue seems to be struggling from a terminal shortage of customers.
When this happens 2 things usually occur: 1) The pub is quiet leading to a poor atmosphere, obviously.
2) Those that are present tend to be hardcore locals who don't wish to be entertained, or people who have strayed into the cold atmosphere and therefore also don't wish to be entertained. This leads to a situation where the minority of 'anti-band' audience becomes the majority.
In the case of the Snooty, all this is fairly academic. The facts are that the pub was DEAD, we played at one stage to nobody, and rounded off with a crowd of 2 (they were very enthusiastic though!). The last time we played here in August the same thing happened, except that time we also had the stoney-faced locals to contend with. This time they pissed off into the pool room.
Needless to say, not a good night. Predictable if nothing else (and we didn't get any trouble from the staff). I think it's probably time to knock this one on the head before they do. A shame, but there simply aren't enough people to make the night viable.
This one scores 4. It could be less but I felt we did a good job as a band and played well.
Saturday night was where the major problems occured. Again, I can only say that the one consolation was that it wasn't entirely a surprise. We've played at the Rock n Heifer twice previously and had a good night each time. However, on both occasions I had a bad feeling about the Lady of the House, Mandy. She reminded distinctly of a couple of similar characters we've met in the past.
Let me explain. Some pubs, generally ones that don't have regular weekly entertainment, take the attitude that the band is at their disposal for the evening and get over-involved. Usually this can be mis-interpreted as a good thing as sometimes they are over-involved by being over-keen and enthusiastic. This manifested itself at both the previous visits in us getting a good reception and being paid a little extra to play a little longer. No real problem in that except that at this point we're tired and want to go home, as with July my voice is tired too, and whilst it all seems very polite, it's actually very controlling and the band is 'owned' by the venue at this point. Also at these venues there's a need to extract a pound of flesh from the band and part of the entertainment becomes seeing how long the band will play for.
That's the good part. The downside to all this is that I recognised in Mandy the potential for irrational behaviour and trouble-making, sometimes drink-induced. A few years ago we were stung at a venue when after some great nights the landlady, intoxicated, turned on us for no good reason. Here we faced a similar scenario. The first set was fine, no problem. Then about half-way through set 2 I noticed her body language had altered. She began studying our poster intently and I realised what was coming. By now the band wasn't going down particularly well. It was another thin crowd of mainly locals who'd pretty much decided to talk and ignore us. So we finished the set and I prepared for a confrontation I knew was coming about 20 minutes prior.
We were then lambasted for not playing songs by the artists on the posters, not doing an encour, costing too much, having too long a break, playing too many originals and generally not doing as we did before.
All bullshit. I knew straight away this was an argument I wasn't going to win, so I made sure we got paid the correct amount and left. In response to the series of stupid complaints she made I did my best to use logic and defend what we did. This was pointless as logic wasn't really present in the first place.
For the record, the posters contain a sample of the sort of music we do. This is obvious to anyone with a grain of common sense a guide to the sort of music we do, not a programme. We only missed off one artist. I didn't do an encour because the audience didn't deserve one and I knew what was coming: the bollocking would have happened anyway. I specifically asked what time the 2nd set should start and was told it was up to us. We play there for our minimum fee. We played exactly the same number of orignials (4) as last time and the time before.
etc... etc.... it doesn't really matter. The main thing is we won't be going again and I'm glad I'd mentioned to the band previously that there was the potential for trouble with an erratic landlady here. It amused me that her husband, when called for his opinion, thought we were 'fine' and told her to 'calm down'. It didn't work. I only hope there'll be some sort of phone apology but of course there won't be. And I won't get my chance to say 'fuck off' either.
Sometimes I get a 6th sense that there's trouble. I hope I don't sound paranoid. It's perfectly rational because it fits the pattern of previous ugly events. 2 good nights, then one bad one for no reason.
This one could have scored 6 at 10:00pm, but instead will be relegated to the 'room 101' of my gigging career. Score 2.
What about the good you may ask? Well, only that mixing the Paradise Street album is going well and I continue to be inspired by the comments of fans on myspace. Needless to say most aren't British and I only wish I could play to a room full of these people instead. Bookings are also up for early next year despite the credit crunch. I played a magnificent function with Atlanta Soul on the Monday night to 1500 people, oh, and I've joined the local quiz league...see, not so bad after all!
Monday, December 01, 2008
I'm a little bit pushed for time today, not that I want to make you feel rushed in anyway, but I'll catch up on the latest podcasts and things next time-I'm sure you can wait until then!
The band did 2 gigs last week. Tuesday night we were up the Junction at Queensbury, no fog this time just a nice thick frost. The audience was sparse but as this was a chance to play the set as intended I fully enjoyed myself. We played a relaxed set, and I thought we delivered it very well. If there'd been more in it would have been a good night.
I'm happily scoring it a 6.
On Saturday night we ventured down through the ice and fog to The Peacock on Leeds Road, Huddersfield. This is a venue with character. By rights it ought to be one of those places you avoid on a dark night (and it was certainly a dark night), but in actual fact it has a respectable clientelle for bands and we always go down well. It wasn't as busy as previous visits but it certainly maintained it's status as one of my favourite venues. That's now 3 good ones in a row, surely some sort of record!!
The gig will largely be remembered for the fact that I played all the bass lines as we were down to a 3-piece on this occasion. I faced this with some trepidation but after a couple of practice sessions felt it was worth a go. Yes, things got so desperate I had to practice.
So we played the full set with a mixutre of 'split sounds' whereby I could play the bass with my left hand and some piano in the right. I also dusted down my legendary remote 'keytar' for a few of the guitar-driven songs: such as The Police numbers and the Cream ones. All in all, it was a great night and I'm very grateful to Dave and Norm for helping me hold it together. It was a very special night in that respect.
I'm tempted to give it an 8 or 7 and a half but I think we'll say 7 as there's no half-marks under this system!
I've managed to progress the Paradise Street album to the point where there's just 3 mixes to go now. The release will be January, so more details to follow, along with the rest of the stuff, next time.
The band did 2 gigs last week. Tuesday night we were up the Junction at Queensbury, no fog this time just a nice thick frost. The audience was sparse but as this was a chance to play the set as intended I fully enjoyed myself. We played a relaxed set, and I thought we delivered it very well. If there'd been more in it would have been a good night.
I'm happily scoring it a 6.
On Saturday night we ventured down through the ice and fog to The Peacock on Leeds Road, Huddersfield. This is a venue with character. By rights it ought to be one of those places you avoid on a dark night (and it was certainly a dark night), but in actual fact it has a respectable clientelle for bands and we always go down well. It wasn't as busy as previous visits but it certainly maintained it's status as one of my favourite venues. That's now 3 good ones in a row, surely some sort of record!!
The gig will largely be remembered for the fact that I played all the bass lines as we were down to a 3-piece on this occasion. I faced this with some trepidation but after a couple of practice sessions felt it was worth a go. Yes, things got so desperate I had to practice.
So we played the full set with a mixutre of 'split sounds' whereby I could play the bass with my left hand and some piano in the right. I also dusted down my legendary remote 'keytar' for a few of the guitar-driven songs: such as The Police numbers and the Cream ones. All in all, it was a great night and I'm very grateful to Dave and Norm for helping me hold it together. It was a very special night in that respect.
I'm tempted to give it an 8 or 7 and a half but I think we'll say 7 as there's no half-marks under this system!
I've managed to progress the Paradise Street album to the point where there's just 3 mixes to go now. The release will be January, so more details to follow, along with the rest of the stuff, next time.
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