I spent Sunday evening watching the Olympic closing ceremony. A great combination of a big event, music and beer (I was at the pub at the time!). I enjoyed watching it, and not just because of the beer. There has been an increasing sense of belonging as the games progressed. And by the end of the weekend, there were people on Twitter actually wishing it would continue a bit longer, I know how they felt.
Now it's back to normal which means bad news will return to our screens. It's amazing how the Olympics has managed to push most of the bad news out of the picture, and leave us with mainly, well, good news! I'm all for positivity (as long as I can still moan about things) so I think for me that will be the lasting effect of the games: the positive effect it had on everyone. Even if you didn't like sport it pushed away a lot of negative stories and everyone can benefit from that.
Oh, and Queen with Jessie J has a lot of potential, I think we should see more.
GIGS
Back in my little world, I played 2 gigs last week, both bookings for a change. The first was the White Swan in Leeds on Thursday night which is next door to City Varieties. Resisting the temptation to play 'On Mother Kelly's Doorstep' I played a 20min set including some of my songs. The venue is pristine, and a couple of free drinks for performers are always welcomed! I'm still feeling my way a bit with the solo gigs. I used to do these sort of gigs 3-4 times a week so now I feel just a little bit rusty, under-rehearsed and over-aged! Let me just say I'm enjoying it immensely though.
On Saturday night I played at the Rose & Crown at Greetland, which is a local venue to me and a different style of gig. Here I did the full night, around 2 hours' playing in the end, and it's largely a covers gig with the emphasis on entertainment. The crowd is so welcoming there that it's a very enjoyable experience. I just wish there were more places like this, I shall keep looking!
This week is a little quieter as we're doing some mixing for BitterSweetShop, but I will be at the Chemic Tavern again on Thursday (16th) continuing my 're-learning curve'.
LISTENING
If someone had told me 15 years ago that I'd one day be talking positively about a Noel Gallagher album I'd have put them straight. But times change, and so do tastes. His 'High Flying Birds' album for me is very good indeed. It's also extremely well-produced. Whilst his voice isn't as penetrative as Liam's his songwriting most certainly is. I really rate this album, in particular the signature song 'What A Life!', a really tasty production job.
I also listened to Jethro Tull's 'Rock Island' album. I'm still a newcomer to their music, which can be a bit challenging at times. Some of the lyrics and sections are so far off the wall it's hard to fathom, but I must say I love the flute bits which sound really distinctive.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
OLYMPIC FEVER is gripping the nation at the moment, and I must say it's making the world a more positive place in general. I did my bit over the weekend, travelling down to London to watch the Tennis final at Wimbledon on Sunday. The weekend was already going well from the night before, as we sat in the hotel bar watching Jessica Ennis and Mo Farrar run to gold. The atmosphere in the bar was tremendous.
Despite getting soaked walking into Wimbledon on Sunday morning the day was very special. I got a superb view of the action as Andy Murray won gold, and nearly got another later on. In addition there were the Williams sisters and Viktoria Azarenka (she of the owl noise), all in all a day I'll remember for a long time.
GIGS
Back up North, I performed at The Ship again on Tues 31st July. Just before I started my last song I got a shouted request to play a Joe Cocker song. It's a nice feeling to actually get a request like that, rather than some of the stuff that's been shouted out over the years. So an impromtu (that means un-rehearsed) version of 'With A Little Help From My Friends' followed.
STUDIO
I've been recording vocals for BitterSweetShop. We're going to do a mini-album of the songs in their 'live' format, ie just keyboards and vocals, no overdubs etc... All the vocals have been recorded for the 6 songs so it's onto the mixing next. Shouldn't take long as there's only a maximum of 3 parts playing (2 voices, one keyb.), but with mixing anything you should never tempt fate!
LISTENING
I was very excited to listen to the new (yes, new) Beach Boys album 'That's Why God Made The Radio'. It's been recorded to mark the 50th anniversary of the band. Yes, all the classic elements are there but there's no real gem of a song, and it all sounds strangely dated to me. It certainly sounds like the Beach Boys but from about 40 years ago. Maybe that was the idea, but I'd rather have a timepiece that relates to the here and now rather than something that's purely nostalgic.
I also listened to a Melissa Etheridge album 'Brave And Crazy.' I had the pleasure of seeing her perform in Huddersfield supporting Bryan Adams many years ago and I like her style. She's a bit of a female Bruce Springsteen in a way, lots of emotion and power in the songs.
Next up was Deacon Blue's 'Raintown' album. It's worth it for 'Dignity' which to me is a highly moving song.
More news coming soon!
Despite getting soaked walking into Wimbledon on Sunday morning the day was very special. I got a superb view of the action as Andy Murray won gold, and nearly got another later on. In addition there were the Williams sisters and Viktoria Azarenka (she of the owl noise), all in all a day I'll remember for a long time.
GIGS
Back up North, I performed at The Ship again on Tues 31st July. Just before I started my last song I got a shouted request to play a Joe Cocker song. It's a nice feeling to actually get a request like that, rather than some of the stuff that's been shouted out over the years. So an impromtu (that means un-rehearsed) version of 'With A Little Help From My Friends' followed.
STUDIO
I've been recording vocals for BitterSweetShop. We're going to do a mini-album of the songs in their 'live' format, ie just keyboards and vocals, no overdubs etc... All the vocals have been recorded for the 6 songs so it's onto the mixing next. Shouldn't take long as there's only a maximum of 3 parts playing (2 voices, one keyb.), but with mixing anything you should never tempt fate!
LISTENING
I was very excited to listen to the new (yes, new) Beach Boys album 'That's Why God Made The Radio'. It's been recorded to mark the 50th anniversary of the band. Yes, all the classic elements are there but there's no real gem of a song, and it all sounds strangely dated to me. It certainly sounds like the Beach Boys but from about 40 years ago. Maybe that was the idea, but I'd rather have a timepiece that relates to the here and now rather than something that's purely nostalgic.
I also listened to a Melissa Etheridge album 'Brave And Crazy.' I had the pleasure of seeing her perform in Huddersfield supporting Bryan Adams many years ago and I like her style. She's a bit of a female Bruce Springsteen in a way, lots of emotion and power in the songs.
Next up was Deacon Blue's 'Raintown' album. It's worth it for 'Dignity' which to me is a highly moving song.
More news coming soon!
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
THERE APPEARS TO BE something called the Olympic Games being held at the moment. As you will know, I am a sports fan, just not particularly of the sports that make up the games. I used to follow Track& Field Athletics avidly, but that interest faded a long time ago as Rugby League became a summer sport and more and more athletes seem to get caught cheating.
I've felt fairly indifferent about the olympics as an event even though I'm going to watch the Tennis next week. Tennis being the one sport I do follow. This indifference continued well into early Friday evening, but my cynicism began to melt and by the time the Opening Ceremony started I must admit I was fairly keen. I thought the event went very well and I did feel a sense of 'belonging' which I find is a nice feeling more people should try more often!
Gigs
My 'solo tour' (consisting so far of 2 Leeds venues) has continued with appearances at The Chemic on July 19th and The Ship again on July 24th. I can't exactly how much I'm enjoying doing these gigs, nor really why. Being self-reliant is clearly one aspect I enjoy. Another is the 'back to basics' feel. If I didn't mention it before, I've been practicing and performing arrangements I've been working on, rather than just going in the hope of remembering all the words and ploughing through each song. Now I go with an idea of dynamics, where songs should be louder or quieter, a radical approach I know! Being obsessed with figures (did I mention Beach Volleyball ?), I'm enjoying annalysing which songs go down better than others and which ones I play better...it's something that fascinates me and if it seems a bit over the top all I can say is it's something I'm very passionate about. I even sold a CD last Tuesday so things must be going fairly well! I think another factor is that it's been so long since I played some of the songs live that they have regained a vital freshness.
Web
I'm continuing my root and branch revamp of my web presence by having a go at Facebook Timeline. Believe me, there's plenty I could have a go at about it. I like the idea of entering in milestones such as previous album releases, major gigs, band events, break-ups etc....that's the obsession with figures again...but I find that once the info is on the page it looks very messy. I can't honestly see that fans find it easy to follow, the wall was far easier being as it was straight up and down. I hope things settle down but as always Facebook seem to conspire to make life awkward, especially for musicians. If you're interested to see how I'm getting on with it you can have a look at my page here.
Listening
Again, a very varied range of stuff. 'Lies' by Guns N Roses is more of a mini-album which shows off both sides of their character. Heavy, fast-paced live tracks followed by acoustic songs that are as melodic as they come, 'Patience' is a very tasty song I must say. Other blasts from the past included 2 of the most expensive albums of their era: Michael Jackson's 'Bad' still sounds awesome. It's actually the first time I've heard it on CD and about 20 years since I've heard some of the songs at all. The production is still fresh, brilliant synth bass sounds, and just some great pop songs in general. My favourite is still 'Smooth Criminal' but the title track is well up there. I had to laugh because I thought for years track 4 was called 'Librarian Girl.' I hope no-one ever heard me singing along to the lyrics on my Sony Walkman...
On the subject of lavish production, I also listened to Def Lepperd's 'Hysteria' album. This is the other side of the coin to Quincy Jones/Jacko. It's all glossy but the songs just aren't there to me. OK, I love 'Pour Some Sugar' as it brings back memories of a Dallas nightclub, but other than that it seems to me however hard Mutt Lange tried to make them sound exciting, he was essentially polishing a turd, and boy was he polishing it, one layer at a time.
And with that delightful thought I'll see you next time, thanks for reading.
I've felt fairly indifferent about the olympics as an event even though I'm going to watch the Tennis next week. Tennis being the one sport I do follow. This indifference continued well into early Friday evening, but my cynicism began to melt and by the time the Opening Ceremony started I must admit I was fairly keen. I thought the event went very well and I did feel a sense of 'belonging' which I find is a nice feeling more people should try more often!
Gigs
My 'solo tour' (consisting so far of 2 Leeds venues) has continued with appearances at The Chemic on July 19th and The Ship again on July 24th. I can't exactly how much I'm enjoying doing these gigs, nor really why. Being self-reliant is clearly one aspect I enjoy. Another is the 'back to basics' feel. If I didn't mention it before, I've been practicing and performing arrangements I've been working on, rather than just going in the hope of remembering all the words and ploughing through each song. Now I go with an idea of dynamics, where songs should be louder or quieter, a radical approach I know! Being obsessed with figures (did I mention Beach Volleyball ?), I'm enjoying annalysing which songs go down better than others and which ones I play better...it's something that fascinates me and if it seems a bit over the top all I can say is it's something I'm very passionate about. I even sold a CD last Tuesday so things must be going fairly well! I think another factor is that it's been so long since I played some of the songs live that they have regained a vital freshness.
Web
I'm continuing my root and branch revamp of my web presence by having a go at Facebook Timeline. Believe me, there's plenty I could have a go at about it. I like the idea of entering in milestones such as previous album releases, major gigs, band events, break-ups etc....that's the obsession with figures again...but I find that once the info is on the page it looks very messy. I can't honestly see that fans find it easy to follow, the wall was far easier being as it was straight up and down. I hope things settle down but as always Facebook seem to conspire to make life awkward, especially for musicians. If you're interested to see how I'm getting on with it you can have a look at my page here.
Listening
Again, a very varied range of stuff. 'Lies' by Guns N Roses is more of a mini-album which shows off both sides of their character. Heavy, fast-paced live tracks followed by acoustic songs that are as melodic as they come, 'Patience' is a very tasty song I must say. Other blasts from the past included 2 of the most expensive albums of their era: Michael Jackson's 'Bad' still sounds awesome. It's actually the first time I've heard it on CD and about 20 years since I've heard some of the songs at all. The production is still fresh, brilliant synth bass sounds, and just some great pop songs in general. My favourite is still 'Smooth Criminal' but the title track is well up there. I had to laugh because I thought for years track 4 was called 'Librarian Girl.' I hope no-one ever heard me singing along to the lyrics on my Sony Walkman...
On the subject of lavish production, I also listened to Def Lepperd's 'Hysteria' album. This is the other side of the coin to Quincy Jones/Jacko. It's all glossy but the songs just aren't there to me. OK, I love 'Pour Some Sugar' as it brings back memories of a Dallas nightclub, but other than that it seems to me however hard Mutt Lange tried to make them sound exciting, he was essentially polishing a turd, and boy was he polishing it, one layer at a time.
And with that delightful thought I'll see you next time, thanks for reading.
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