Paul Jeffery Singer-Songwriter - Weblog

2012-01-17T14:30:00.005Z

Well it's been a long while since the last blog. I'd like to wish my reader a happy new year and hope he had a good Christmas too!

There's not many gigs planned at the moment as I'm working off my 'quota' from before Christmas. On the schedule I work from, I reckon I'm the equivalent of about 6 weeks over-quota at the moment! Now that may well sound like a cop-out but when there's lots of gigs and an outbreak of rehearsals with various projects other things I'd like to be doing get put off. (I think I wrote in one of the previous couple of blogs about the number of bands I'm in at the moment).

The things that get put off are namely recording/songwriting and practicing. The latter may come as a shock to you, but yes-getting to do some proper, structured, productive practice is not very easy to fit in when you're hanging round some hotel waiting to play a gig.

The writing and recording process is of course more time-consuming. I'm fairly quick at writing songs (not necessarily any good, but quick) but the arrangement and production process takes a lot longer. There's so many decisions to make every step of the way, and then there might be some backing vocals to arrange and record, or a dreaded tambourine part. Anyway, the main thing is that I would at some stage soon like to put some new songs out as it's getting on for 3 years since the last album and I always find it exciting working towards the next album.

So I'm not being idle, honest!!

There were a couple of great gigs with Atlanta Soul just before 2011 ended. The Cafe Artisan gig on Dec 17th was excellent with a great sound, and the New Year's Eve gig at Heywood Civic was also a belter, and easily the best NYE gig I've ever done. I've had some really dodgy Dec 31st gigs (mentioning no caravan clubs) so perhaps this wasn't the stiffest competition, but I think it's still worth saying how much I enjoyed it.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Things are changing rapidly on the social networking front so I thought I'd fill my reader in on this area too. The current state of play from my point of view is:

nb: click the title to link to my page for each one!

1) MYSPACE (remember that one?): Completely deserted and one-legged compared to it's heyday with numerous programming issues. A shadow of it's former self. However, still better than Facebook for promoting music (see below!).

2) FACEBOOK: The biggest site and easily my least favourite. Any site that persistantly tells you what to do, who you can or can't add and only lets you add people you 'know' is no good to me for promoting my music. The whole bloody idea is to attract people you don't 'know' who then you get to 'know' if they decide they like the songs. People I already 'know' I 'know' already and therefore I don't need to pester them to get to 'know' me when they already 'know' me anyway. This whole 'say no to strangers' culture has meant that in nearly 2 years of daily persistance, I've managed to attract 200 people onto my group page. I could do that on Myspace in a couple of days. For me, Facebook only works if you have a circle of friends to gossip to about nothing in particular. I have a different medium for doing that, it's called a pub. Everytime I trawl down the 'home' page I feel like I've gatecrashed a gigantic coffee morning.
No wonder I keep getting banned!

3) YOUTUBE: The site that now means there's virtually no need to buy a CD ever again (oops, that's buggered up my next album!) and a musician's dream for learning coversongs quckly. It also had a modest but very useful social networking content called 'friends' and for the more commited you could be a 'subscriber'. With a little effort over the past few months inviting people with similar tastes in music to be my 'friend' I'd managed to treble my number of channel and video views....
Then wallop, they change the format, do away with the 'friends' function and make everyone be a 'subscriber'. This removes the social networking tool called being a 'friend' and leaves anyone attempting to reach out to people (me) with only the 'subscribe' function which makes me seem like a spammer. Of course the net result was no-one subscribed back (they were happy to be 'friends') and my traffic plummeted in the first week to a fraction of what it had been. Great.
The most frustrating thing about youtube now is that there's all these people saying exactly the same as me on commenting about favourite songs, but I've no effective way of reaching them.

4)GOOGLE+: I levelled with youtube (owned by Google) in thinking they must have tactically killed youtube as a networking site in order to lure people onto Google +. I joined a couple of weeks ago. Any site that offers to take on Facebook is a friend of mine! Unfortunately no-one uses it and it's a complete waste of time.

5) TWITTER: The last great white hope and, thankfully, one that appears to be working well. I've been on it only a few days and already I'm really enjoying it. I'm finding that the simple approach of short messages is the best way to communicate with people within this multitude of choice. Even better, by syncing it to Facebook I now don't have to go on Facebook. AND, better still, I can pretend I'm a personal friend of Sharron Davies, oops.

So there you go, have fun with whatever you're doing and remember: Do you know this person personally, and have you read our draconinan spam policy? xx

2011-11-29T15:03:00.003Z

There's not been too much tangible to report on lately, which is curious seen as I'm actually very busy at the moment! The less time I spend on solo projects the busier everything else seems to be which is good but it can make balancing everything up a little tricky.

So I thought just for fun I'd list all the projects I'm currently involved in. They say blogs should always have a human interest angle after all! Let's call it 'a fascinating insight into the daily life of a (poor) working musician'!!

In no particular order:

1) Solo gigs:

These could be either original material or covers-orientated or a mixture of both. Either way I have to practice new and existing songs in order to do the gigs. Covers can also be sub-divided into well-known numbers (for the paying customer) and less well-known ones.

2) Paul Jeffery Trio gigs:

A similar scenario to the above, with it's own set of rehearsals, different songs, and the all-important vocal harmony rehearsals (not strictly necessary in the case of my solo gigs!).

3) The BitterSweetShop gigs:

This is my project with Katie Chadwick which involves yet more rehearsals, different songs and also an album project which is part finished.

4) Atlanta Soul Band gigs:

For which I am a member and we also rehearse for these.

5) Blueprint gigs:

Another covers band I play with and rehearse with.

6) Morris And The Minors gigs:

Yet another covers band I play with.

7) Songwriting and Recordings:

Yes, when I'm not gigging or rehearsing with 6 different live projects I'm writing, arranging and recording new original material! And just to sub-divide things further, these songs may be for me to sing or someone else to sing and could be for a variety of destinations. These include my own solo albums and also other possible future collaborations and side projects such as the Paradise Street one a few years back.

8) Throw in updating and networking via myspace, youtube and facebook, oh and typing this right now, that should give you some idea of why I've been busy lately! As I said that's just the music projects too!

I hope that was at least a bit interesting! I also think it helps explain why questions like 'what sort of music do you do' are not that straightforward to answer!

2011-11-15T14:30:00.003Z

I was performing solo at Verve in Leeds on Thurs Oct 27th. I haven't done many solo gigs lately due to all the band commitments but I'm still as keen as ever to get back to doing more of that. I'm talking mainly about the 'originals' type of gig as opposed to the covers ones. I can't believe it's 5 years since I started making 2 or 3 trips on average per week into Leeds to play at open mics and songwriter/acoustic nights.

On the Saturday just gone it was back to the Rose & Crown at Greetland with the Trio where it was the busiest night I've seen so far in there. It took a while to warm up, but eventually the response we got was very enthusiastic, with a second set running to around an hour and a quarter!

This Week:
Coming up this Sunday (20th) is my final New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet gig of the year.

Music:
I've just started re-listening to Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds. A musician friend of mine said recently that a good arranger is more valuable than a good composer, and if there is some truth in that then it's certainly born out on this album. Everybody with an interest in how music is arranged should go and listen to it. The choice of sounds alone is amazing, and of course the songwriting isn't exactly mediocre either.

Web News:
It's taken me over a year to realise it (!) but garageband.com has shut down. This is the site I once used quite regularly to get my music reviewed by other musicians (very brave) and to see how the songs ranked alongside others as they moved up and down the charts. I had two songs ranked as 'track of the day' which were 'Young Lost & Hopeful' and 'Coming Up For Air', the latter being under the Paradise Street name.

The reason I found this out is that I was looking to revive my presence there and get some of my new material reviewed. So I'm now on the lookout for a similar site to join, so please let me know if you can recommend one.

2011-10-26T14:38:00.002+01:00

The Paul Jeffery Trio was out again last Friday night (Oct 21st) playing for the Keighley/Worth Valley Beer Festival in the Oxenhope railway shed. As venues go this was fairly unique. I can honestly say I've never played in a room with so many huge steam trains before, nor have I played in such a nice smelling room either (I like the oil smell). I have however played in many rooms that smelt terrible.

The room was also enormous and contained hundreds of people and Lord knows how many beers. We played for an hour and I was really pleased with our set. Music at beer festivals is largely for background purposes but it was still more or less well received.

This Week:

I've a fairly hectic week playing solo at Verve in Leeds tomorrow night (Thurs 27th) at about 9pm. I haven't done many solo original sets lately so I'm really looking forward to that. Then on Friday and Saturday I'm playing keyboards for a new band, Blueprint, with both gigs over Bingley way.

Music:

I heard the new Evanescence album. No really, I did. You must play it loud. Over the years there have been 2 occasions when it's been suggested I produce a song in their style. Unfortunately both times this occured after I'd finished the song and produced it in a different style. Now I've finally heard them properly and it's really impressive. I'm not sure if I'll get asked to produce something like that again, but just in case maybe I should do a version of all my songs like that.

2011-10-19T17:08:00.002+01:00

I must apologise for the lack of blog action lately. I'm well behind with news updates although I can't believe it's over a month since I got chance to get on here....so I'll do my best to rattle through some of the happenings since what looks like Sept 14th!!

The BitterSweetShop did a gig at the New Conservatory in Leeds on Thurs Oct 6th. We were the 'headline' slot on what is basically an open mic night. Main feature of the venue is the grand piano which is in fairly good condition and would be even better facing side on rather than backwards with the player facing the back wall and having his/her back to the audience! Needless to say I didn't offer to turn it round!

We played 6 songs which went well and despite not being able to see the audience Katie tells me they were listening and watching!

I must just quickly mention the Atlanta Soul gig at the Hilton on Sat 8th in Manchester. This was an amazing night with such diverse acts as Anthony Costa (from Blue) and Bruce Airhead sharing the bill (and dressing room) with us. Please google Bruce Airhead to find out what he does because if I try and describe it in words on here you'll think I've totally lost it this time.

I was away for a few days on the Isle Of Man last week before returning and playing with the trio last Saturday at the Abbey Inn. It was a fairly quiet night but good to play a longer set of acoustic stuff. Highlight of the night happened before we'd played a note when a punter asked who the singer on the piped music was that she liked, well it was one of my songs.....needless to say she'd gone home by the time we went on stage. That is the true story of being a musician!

Plenty more going on but that's the last 5 weeks or so in a nutshell, cheers.

2011-09-14T14:50:00.005+01:00

Firstly some photos from the aforementioned biker do with Atlanta Soul in Stockport!

Last (2) Weeks:

2 weeks to catch up on here, starting with my solo gig at the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet which was on Sunday 4th Sept. I always enjoy this gig as it's almost my 'local' gigwise. I've been playing there now for nearly 5 years, and I still haven't quite got it right...no, seriously, it's a great gig for me because I get to play a wide selection of originals and covers and I have a loyal following who listen to what I'm doing. As a gig that certainly would be classified as 'intimate' I also get to practice talking to an audience, which in the context of solo gigs is very important. I'm really keen to develop this side of my act, so that the stories and comments add to the songs I'm playing.

This particular gig also saw me attempting to develop another idea, which is that of doing happier songs! Anyone who knows my own material will know that it's not the most cheerful bunch of songs. Now there was a time when the more emotional, heart-ripping the song was the more I felt I could get behind it and perform it. Now I'm realising that it's wise not to always be like that and to develop my sunnier side as well! I'm in the process of addressing this regarding originals but more immediately I'm adding more happy covers, particularly for the full-length gigs like this.

I've noticed 2 things from playing gigs over the past couple of years: 1) Slow songs are often frowned upon and 2) Introspective ie 'depressing' songs are frowned on. Bugger. That's about 90% of my repertoire gone!! I have a theory both are connected to the recession we're in. Yes, you know the one the govt denies but the one we're actually in. People need cheering up and taking out of themselves at gigs, not taking into themselves and being made to think too much about the darker side of life.

So anyway, another enjoyable night at the New Inn, with some happier songs too! It's just a shame that there aren't more venues like that in the local area. I hope I'm wrong in saying that so if anyone knows of any intimate pubs within a fuel-affordable range of Brighouse that host solo/acoustic nights to an attentive audience, please let me know!

That pretty much takes us up to date for the time being, I'm more than freeman, thank you for listening*

*that last bit will mean nothing if you live outside the UK, and probably nothing if you do.

2011-08-31T14:31:00.003+01:00

Last Week:

Last time I was about to go off and do the New Inn Music Festival on Saturday 20th August. It was very well-supported again and I enjoyed my all-originals set very much. It sounds like the day went very well indeed.

Since then there's been just one other gig which was last Sunday with Atlanta Soul in Stockport for the bikers' festival in the market square, right in front of the Bakers Vaults pub where we play. This has to go down as being one of my favourite events of this type with a really busy crowd that got right behind what we were playing. Even outbreaks of rain and lightening (!) didn't send the crowd away.

This Week:

That just about concludes the 'summer festivals' season for me (debateable on both counts, as we've hardly had a summer) and so it's back to my regular New Inn solo slot this Sunday (4th Sept) at Barwick-in-Elmet again.

Music:

I've been listening to Seasick Steve's latest release, which is called 'You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks' and features Paul Jones from Led Zep on bass. It's got some great dirty bluesy riffs on it and even a 10 minute monologue at the end!

Immediately following on from this album I listened to a bit of Chris Rea's incredibly prolific 'Blues Guitars' CD collection. Again, lots of dirty bluesy slide riffs. Having listened to both I just can't help feeling one of these gents is more authentic than the other....Chris Rea of course.

2011-08-20T11:35:00.002+01:00

OK, last blog was August 2nd so there's a bit to catch up on. You'll like it, not a lot.

Todstock 2011 was on Sunday August 7th. There was a lot of rain about that weekend so the field we played in (undercover thankfully) was pretty much waterlogged. The makeshift 'stage' of wooden pallets did it's job very well! There's some photos taken by Mike Green if you click here and go to page 5.

On Friday the 12th I had an altogether drier gig at Leeds Town Hall. This was as part of an exhibition about the history of popular music in Leeds. It was a lunchtime set, superbly organised and I played 2 20 minute sets, solo this time. OK, it was in the basement room and not the main hall but I can now say I've played (sort of) a venue Queen performed at on their first national tour supporting Mott The Hoople, so there.

On Thursday 18th the Paul Jeffery Trio was out again at the Chemic Tavern in Leeds. What a great night. Rarely have I enjoyed playing a 3 song set so much! It sounded spot on from where I was standing, and this of course makes for a much better performance. Absolutely loved it!

Today (Sat 20th) I'm gearing up for the 2nd Barwick-in-Elmet festival at the New Inn. I'm on at 5pm doing about 45 minutes. Last year you may remember I had to break off part way through the set to move my car so the combine harvester could get through! This year I plan to park further away if possible.

I listened to Paul Simon's recent album 'So Beautiful Or So What' this week. I'm not sure where he fits in these days. The album didn't feel relevant and it didn't really move me in anyway. Oh well, who am I to blow against the wind?

2011-08-02T18:49:00.002+01:00

Last Week:

I finally got a night free to play a solo open mic at The Hop in Leeds last week. I don't do much negative stuff on here now but to be blunt one staff member did two things wrong and I won't be going again with any of my line-ups. It's a pity because, as a recent blog will show, I was enjoying going there and it had probably pushed itself up to being my second favourite Leeds open mic night. However, as I'm only there for my own benefit giving my time and efforts for free, it's an easy decision to make to not bother with the place.

To put into some context, think how many open mic nights I've done since 2007 (if you're not familiar with it I must have done hundreds). And I can literally count less than 5 that have in any way pissed me off. That's 5 gigs not 5 venues!

Enough of that. On Friday night I was out with Atlanta Soul playing a wedding in a Cheshire hall, complete with gardens and estate. The problem these days is some of these venues are just not up to standard!

Stock cars in Skegness Saturday night, lunch in Port Sunlight on Sunday followed by watching the Bulls arsed by Warrington (I remember when we used to do that to them). I used to say to my friend about the annual arsing of Warrington, now it's very much by instead of 'of'.

This week:

Saturday with Atlanta Soul again (another wedding, will these people ever learn!). Then on Sunday afternoon it's the Trio back at Todstock. Our set is at 4:00pm so if you're near Todmorden come along to Centre Vale park and buy a CD, sorry, I mean watch us play.

Music:

Joss Stone's new album, imaginatively called 'LP1' is a stunner. It's all real instruments, classic rhythm and blues, hammond organ, crunchy guitars etc....and that voice, it's electric, I love the passion in her voice. To me she's a modern day Tina Turner, and I mean that in the best possible way, awesome record. Only 10 songs, short and simple, it's superb.

2011-07-25T14:53:00.003+01:00

Last week:

The BitterSweetShop was at the Hop in Leeds last Wednesday, I think it's a very under-rated open mic night that deserves a little more support. I've always enjoyed playing there!

Following on from this a fairly 'quiet' weekend with a trip to York Races on Friday night. Had a couple of winners so came out with more or less the same money I went in with. Blondie were on afterwards, as part of the music festival. I'm partly wishing I'd stayed for longer but after a few songs we decided it was time to get something to eat.

This week:

Atlanta Soul for me this Friday. A little lighter on the gig front meaning I should get more time to work in the studio as new releases creep ever nearer, plus a bit of practice time. I've also recently set up a page on Reverbnation so I'm attempting to get that working properly too.

Music:

I've done more listening in recent weeks than I have done for a long time. I listened to the new Feeling album and am currently on with Rumer. The Feeling are much maligned for being 'pop', a bit like the Michael MacIntyre of music....but they are good pop songs and I quite enjoyed it. Rumer is very very good, and very relaxing too. There is a big Carpenters influence, but it's got a lot of class, definetly one to listen to after a hard day.

2011-07-20T14:14:00.003+01:00

Last Week:

The Paul Jeffery Trio were at the Chemic in Leeds again last Thursday (14th). It's not quite as busy there in summertime after the students have left. But it was still a very well received set at a venue I enjoy very much.

This Week:

Tonight (20th) it's back to the Hop in Leeds with BitterSweetShop this time. It's been a while since our last one so I'm really looking forward to that.

I've been listening to quite a bit of music this past week. The new Yes album 'Fly From Here' produced by Trevor Horn is great. I'm not a big Yes efficianado but to me it sounded like their classic sound, at least compared to what I've heard before. No Jon Anderson but that is easily solved by hiring a singer from a Yes tribute band who sounds very similar!! And here's me thinking his voice is totally unique.

2011-07-11T15:04:00.005+01:00

Last Week:
Back from Switzerland after a short holiday. It's a beautiful place. I was by the shores of Lake Geneva which included Montreux. I got to see Freddie's statue there which was a poignant moment for me, especially when the cafe across the road had 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives' playing! It's also of course home of the Jazz Festival which started while I was there. I wish I'd realised sooner as tickets for Santana and BB King were sold out, so I was unable to see these legends.

This Week:
The Paul Jeffery Trio is playing again at the Chemic Tavern in Leeds this Thursday (the 14th). More videos are being added regularly from our recent filming session and you can view all these and more at my youtube channel.

I've been listening to the two Adele albums lately, which I'm very impressed with. I always find it hard to take in current music and musicians but I'm learning on that one. The music is very good quality in my opinion. That takes me onto a new release by an old band, Yes. Their new release 'Fly From Here' is my next on the list.

2011-06-21T15:01:00.003+01:00

The past couple of weeks have been quite busy with gigs. Following on from the last blog I was out at The Hop in Leeds on Wed 8th June. This was their weekly open mic night and Katie and I did a really good set in a venue that has loads of character....including the rumbling sound of trains passing overhead!

On Sunday the 12th I braved the torrential rain to play at The Rose & Crown in Greetland. Yes it was an indoor gig but just the load-in was tricky as it was raining so hard! It was as always refreshing to play my solo set and I only wish there was time to fit a few more of those type of gigs in.

Last Thursday the Paul Jeffery Trio was playing at the Chemic in Leeds. It got very busy in there which can only be a good thing. Of course, if you want to know what the Trio sounds like we have some fresh new videos...such as this one of 'Even' as mentioned last time!!

Listening has taken me from Prince to Adele via Robbie Robertson in the past couple of weeks. That's some variety....and that's just Prince!! I'm enjoying trying my best to keep a little more up to date (that means anything from the last 20 years) and must say the Robbie album was great...very consistant just like the other US singer-songwriters I admire, such as Jackson Browne.

This week I'm busy with a couple of Atlanta Soul gigs, so will bring you more news soon!

2011-06-08T14:14:00.002+01:00

New Video!!

Around a week ago myself, Dan and Ol got together to record and film a few songs. We ran them through live, no overdubs and the first film is now available to view online! It's come out really well and with more to come I'm really looking forward to seeing/hearing the results and reading people's reactions.

The first song uploaded is 'Even' and you can view it here.

This week:

I'm doing the Hop in Leeds tonight with Katie (BitterSweetShop), and then on Sunday it's a solo gig at the Rose & Crown in Greetland which is near Halifax. It's a regular venue for me and one I very much enjoy. So for an intimate gig please come along for 8pm. It wraps up around 10 so it's not a very late finish.

I've been listening to the rest of Kate Bush 'Directors Cut' which covers a real diversity of sounds, including some quite erotic moments I'll need to listen to again :) I've also started on a 'Best Of' Prince CD, as I thought it was about time I educated myself in that direction. Again it's a tremendous range of influences and styles.

2011-05-31T14:52:00.004+01:00

Apologies it's taken so long to update the blog. I'd no idea it had stretched to a month, time really does fly when you're having so much fun.

It seems, looking at my diary, that I've done seven gigs since the last one so it's been a pretty busy period. The thing that amuses me slightly is it's been 7 gigs with 6 different bands!

OK, one of those 'bands' is my solo show which was last seen at the New Inn in Barwick-in-Elmet on the 8th of May. This is a set I wish I was playing more regularly as it's damn good fun being able to play songs I'd otherwise get little chance to do.

The PJ Trio was at the Chemic on May 12th and either side of this the BitterSweetShop did 2 sets, one at the Ship on the 10th and then the Hop in Leeds on the 18th.

Atlanta Soul was in Blackpool on May 21st playing for a Scooter rally. I can only say I'm glad I wasn't one of those camping as it was raining horizontally for a long while!

I've since done 2 depping jobs with bands, these being over the bank holiday weekend just gone. For this I've probably done more practice learning songs than I have in the past decade. It's easy for me to forget sometimes that I'm a musician.

This week it will be quieter with just a couple of rehearsals planned. I'm also shoulder-deep in recording projects which, as time progresses, should see a whole miriad of songs come to light. It's just finding the time...

I've been listening to some interesting stuff lately. Learning all these songs for the various bands has made me realise I need to be listening to some more up to date music. As you probably can gather I mainly listen to music from the dark ages when things were done properly etc... but it's made me feel even more out of touch than I'm usually comfortable with. I've now decided to pour over the current new releases and delve into them a bit, whilst retaining an interest in back catalogue stuff as well. So be prepared for a few (by my standards) shock choices of listening!

I managed to combine the 2 (old and new) last week by listening to the new Kate Bush release the 'Directors Cut'. I'm still part way through but enjoying learning all the time. Cheers for now.

2011-04-28T15:28:00.002+01:00

I could get done by Trade Descriptions because it says 'updated weekly' at the top of this...but ah well it's been Easter and what with all those extra days off it pains me to take, it's now 2 weeks since the last blog, so here goes:

Last (2) Weeks:

The Paul Jeffery Trio did, as planned, play at the Chemic on April 14th. I'm going to stick my neck out now and say the Chemic is currently my favourite open mic night. It is well run and has a good PA system and perhaps more importantly an audience that fills a room with lots of character. This is not to say that there aren't other really good open mic/acoustic nights too (and you'd never catch me insulting people on here) but for me the Chemic on a Thursday night is a winner.

I spent the weekend in Canterbury for the JFK seminar. Explaining all this mystique would require starting another blog, which I haven't time for at the moment, so that's all I'll say for now.

The BitterSweetShop was back in action on Tuesday 19th after a fairly lengthy break from gigging. We did the Ship in Leeds which is another decent night. From there we're into Easter which was blessed by some amazing weather for a change. Maybe they should have it this late every year.

Next Week:

Having a BBQ tomorrow (Friday), it's got something to do with a wedding I think, then onto another bank holiday weekend in this tough schedule. Speaking of which, I have re-organised one or two things so I should now get to spend more time writing and recording. I'm really looking forward to finishing some more songs off.

Viagra anyone?

That made you stand to attention didn't it?! My email account was recently hacked and a rogue email for the above was sent out to my address book. I'm really sorry about this, hopefully it won't happen again now. Remember it's never too late to join my mailing list, for which you get a free download (but no viagra).

2011-04-14T16:10:00.003+01:00

Last Week:

A bit more to report on this time. I moan a lot about the weather in this country, and in particular this area so I'm really happy to say we had some belting weather over the weekend and the back of last week. It really helps. I enjoyed wandering round Yorkshire Sculpture Park in perfect conditions, watching the Bulls in Hull (even though we lost) and then 2 days of stock cars in the midlands.

I also did a gig at Bar Place in Hebden Bridge last Thursday. I was just solo and opened the evening. The night has a good following and a good PA set up. It was fun to get back out and play mainly my own songs, something I haven't done for a while on my own. I felt a bit rusty playing half an hour but it was good to feel productive on the live front.

This Week:

Tonight (Thurs 14th) the Trio will be playing at the Chemic in Leeds and provisionally The BitterSweetShop will be doing a set at The Ship (also Leeds) on Tuesday the 19th.

A-Z of music:

I've been listening to more Tom Petty, this time 'Echo' in it's entirety for the first time. It's perhaps not his strongest album but still 'Room At The Top Of The World' is a gem, and is making a hasty addition to my list of covers to play.

2011-04-06T15:02:00.002+01:00

OK, it's been a while since the last blog. I've just had a week off in Jersey. A very nice island although the best weather occurred on the day I arrived and the day I left. In between was not quite so good, but there you go.

I'm finally going to be back out doing a gig tomorrow night (Thursday 7th). I'm doing a slot at Bar Place in Hebden Bridge. In fact I can tell you it'll be the opening slot at about 9pm! The night, by all accounts, is thriving so I'm looking forward to returning to this venue.

There's now 2 tracks uploaded onto the BitterSweetShop page, the latest being 'Mirror'. Please feel free to have a listen!

Bye for now,
Paul

2011-03-09T14:53:00.002Z

Last Week:

Whilst still in a spell of relative in-activity on the gig front (voluntarily and not permanently!), I did a show with Atlanta Soul last Saturday at Cafe Artisan in Rawtenstall. It went very well again and reinforced my view that it's a great live music venue. I do remember raving about it in a previous blog after last time we were there, so it's enough said that it was equally as enjoyable this time around.

And there's even a video clip this time...click here

Speaking of videos, a whole host of Paul Jeffery Band videos have been uploaded onto youtube from a gig we played in November 09. I haven't had chance to organise them on my own channel yet, but there's about 15(!) songs on there. Mainly covers but a fascinating insight into how the band was on stage.

To view one of the songs (and find your way to the other 14 or so!) please click here.

Hope you enjoy them and I'll be in touch soon!

2011-03-01T14:35:00.003Z

There's been a bit of a lull in the number of gigs lately, not for any particular reason. I haven't been blacklisted by anyone (for a while) and it's not due to a loss of heart in playing live.

I used to try and cram in as many gigs as possible, 2007 being the best example of this. Now I operate a 'quota' system where I try and limit the number to a sensible and manageable amount. Over Christmas and, for some reason, January I've 'over-quotaed' a bit so I'm just letting things settle down before getting back at it on the road.

Of course if you throw in recording sessions (BitterSweetShop in particular), rehearsals with the 3-piece and a couple of quizzes it doesn't exactly leave much time for a mid-week tour. I'm 'in the studio' as bands often put it.

I will, however, be out playing with Atlanta Soul on Saturday at Cafe Artisan in Rawtenstall. Last time out, as mentioned on here, it was a great gig so I'm very much looking forward to going back there. I will let you know how it goes...

Restless...

2011-02-22T14:43:00.001Z

No, not me...but please take a listen to the song by my new project The BitterSweetShop.

www.myspace.com/bittersweetshop

2011-02-16T14:50:00.002Z

Last Week:

3 days last week (Friday to Sunday) were given over for the love of 'The Greatest Game' in Cardiff. That of course being Rugby League, which was venturing into Rugby Union territory which of course is not the greatest game. In all I watched 7 matches over the 2 day-event, covering about 600 miles getting there and back. Of course the Bulls were the victim of yet another dubious set of decisions en route to squandering an 18 point lead in the last 20 minutes. To make matters worse, Huddersfield won their game. But things are looking up and should be a big improvement on last season.

Needless to say there weren't any gigs this past few days. I'm still working on the next track for the BitterSweetShop, which I'm mixing at the moment. Not as we speak obviously.

This week:

Again, no gigs whilst I'm so busy with recording and a heap of new songs to work on too! I've also been finding some time to practice (yes, strange I know!) so hopefully I'll soon get chance to go out and play some solo gigs and play what I've been working on. I'd also soon like to do some more videos along the lines of the last batch: singing and playing the songs at home. If you didn't see the last videos here are the links to them:

Your Shadow

Cold Cold Day

Whiskey Coloured World (which is also the video on my myspace page)

Young Lost And Hopeful

Nobody Said

A-Z of Music:

Still near the end of the alphabet at the moment with Yello. Again, one of my early musical loves, I've been enjoying delving into albums such as 'Stella' from 1985, which I feel is one of their best.

2011-02-10T15:44:00.003Z

Last Week:

The gig with Atlanta Soul at Manchester University last Friday is likely to live on in memory for a long time to come. It was what can only be described as a proper gig! The Martin Harris Centre is a purpose built music theatre with the sort of sound that doesn't need eq-ing on the desk. A proper theatre venue, with an easy load-in (walk through the door and you're there!), fully seated, soundman, crew, gear in place, dressing room, steward to give you the 5 minute call....I felt like a real musician...

All we needed then was an audience to match. At first things didn't look too good, with talk of low ticket sales which thankfully turned out not to be true. OK it wasn't full but there were more than enough people to make a go of it with. Then there remained the question of what the audience response would be. Even at the best of gigs a crowd can take a bit of working and warming up. There's very few where they're onto you straight away. The latter have usually been venues with a bar and a standing crowd...this was a theatre with bar outside. I feared they'd take some warming up.

Not true. Even from Song 1 there were some out of their seats dancing. This continued and by the middle of the first set I think just about everyone was on their feet. By the second set many had come down to the front to dance. This was a world away from what I'd expected and thus was a very pleasant surprise indeed!

With a 10:30 finish, and not much gear to load out, I was away and home before midnight. Now I could get used to that!!

The weekend was fairly quiet after this. We went to look at a nuclear bunker in Cheshire on Sunday. I guess we needed cheering up! It's a museum now, but still contains all the earie atmosphere you'd expect from something like that. Full of Cold War memorabilia and a fascinating insight into the era and it's potential deadly outcome. Amongst a handful of government posts who had a desk there was the Inland Revenue. You may survive the Bomb but the taxman will still get you in the end.

This Week:

A slightly quieter week for gigs with this weekend being given over to the Cardiff trip. The opening weekend of the Super League season which can't come soon enough. It has been and still is a long winter.

The BitterSweetShop has finally got a song online from the new album. You can click here to visit our myspace site (still very new) and take a listen to the song.

A-Z of Music:

I've gravitated from Jean-Michel to Yello now. Another of my favourite European Electronic groups, I'm going to have lots more fun getting even more nostalgic. I've also been listening to Billy Joel's 1989 album 'Storm Front', largely because of hearing one of it's tracks on the radio recently. It's a great album from an era I admire a great deal.

2011-02-01T15:20:00.002Z

Last week:

I'm so glad January has finished. I know it's still winter and there's the ever-present threat of more snow (depending on who you talk to) but I always find it a long, cold, dark and generally crap month. I'm sure it's no coincidence that it's a lot brighter today and even a little bit warmer. I don't really take much notice of the weather forecast, just in case it's bad news...after all you don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.

I know a couple of people who revel in telling everyone it's going to snow 'later in the week', even if it's already Friday. They place great faith in the Country File Five Day Farmers' Forecast, told by a suitably youthful forecaster of course. Why I don't know, as it's all from the BBC Met Office, the same people who do the forecasts day in day out. But somehow because it's for farmers it's taken more seriously as if they're the only ones who have the right to know the real weather.

But the real point to me relating this is that they always seem to want it to snow. I'm sure it's so they can then crow about their vehicles' snow-driving capabilities while the likes of me are planning any possible excuse not to get out of bed that day.

Oh, last week, I was supposed to be talking about. Well the Paul Jeffery Trio played it's first full gig as planned at the Rose & Crown, Greetland on Saturday night. It went really well, the first full band gig of this sort I've done since about last March. It was good to do a gig at a venue that has the right attitude to putting on live music, and I'll be happy to play there again soon.

Last night (Monday) I also played a solo gig at Milo in Leeds. I arrived just in time to be greeted by about 50 people decending from a meeting upstairs. 50 people is a lot in there, and then I found out they were all musicians in bands or producers. I played the last set (headlining we call it if we're wanting to show off) so most had gone by then, but it was still a good night and a really good sound too for my set.

This week:

It's a bit quieter with now just the big Atlanta Soul gig at Manchester Uni this Friday. I'm doing some more writing of late so there's all that to fit in, plus the recording of the demos.

A-Z of Music:

What a great treat on Sunday night on BBC 4. I'd just walked in from the pub when an hour-long programme about Mark Knopfler started. It kind of restored my faith in him to be honest. I don't know if I mentioned it here but I saw him at the M.E.N last year and was a little disappointed, mainly because he just isn't an arena performer. Some great interview segments, and of course some great playing though, and I always like to listen to what seasoned musicians and songwriters have to say. Especially one as intelligent and articulate as he.

2011-01-25T15:34:00.002Z

Last week:

One gig last week, which was again as The BitterSweetShop in Leeds, this time headlining the Chemic's open mic night. Each week one act does a 'booked' slot in between the open mic artists (of which we have been one in the past!). I'm really happy with the way these recent Leeds gigs have gone, and there's a recording making progress too...it's still a way from completion but it's getting there.

This week:

The acoustic 3-piece will be doing it's first ever full gig this Saturday night at the Rose & Crown, Greetland. We're playing as 'The Paul Jeffery Trio' so why not come along to see a bit of history made...or at least what should be a really good gig in a nice venue!

By the time the next blog comes out, there will also have been yet another BitterSweetShop gig at Milo in Leeds. This one is on Monday 31st January and starts at around 8pm.

2011-01-18T16:56:00.002Z

Last Week:

Another couple of gigs with The BitterSweetShop on Thursday at Verve in Leeds and then solo at the New Inn at Barwick on Sunday.

Verve is a superb acoustic venue, with a PA that is super-clear, highlighting every note (including the bum ones!). It was a little quieter than normal in Leeds which at least made parking easier. I really enjoyed the gig though, and the CD we're making is going to be wonderful, it just needs finishing now.

Sunday's set also went well with even a bit of dancing near the end!

Earlier that day I'd been to Morecambe and Glasson for a little while, so I've put a few pics on facebook here.

This week:

Katie and I are doing the Chemic Tavern this Thursday. It's the headline slot which will be at about 10pm.

2011-01-11T15:03:00.002Z

Happy New Year

Welcome back to the first blog of 2011. Hope everyone had a good break over Christmas etc... and I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year, let's hope it's a good one without any fear.

Last Week

I was gigging with Katie/The BitterSweetShop on Thursday at the George in Leeds. They're running a new weekly night there which is a mix of open mic and full band stuff. We did a 40 minute set which went very well, including guest trumpet on a couple of songs! Got quite a bit on with this line-up, see below!

On the weekend I made my annual visit to see Paul Carrack at the Ritz in Brighouse, yes Brighouse. It was up to the usual standard so that was great. On Sunday it was the first Bulls match of the year, only a friendly, but I'd been quite desperate to see a match for some time. Something to do with the slightly longer off-season the team had by not qualifying for the play-offs!

A couple of other recent developments:

**Another Fan-video created by Vsevolod is now up on my youtube channel. This time it's 'These Eyes Of Mine' which gets the treatment.

**On Monday night, another track 'Through Heartache And Back' was aired on DJ Serious-Music's 'Independents Only' Show. This monthly radio show is based mainly around the music featured on www.indiemusicworks.com/ The link to the show is http://indiemusicworks.com/webradio/imw1.html

This week:

2 gigs this week, starting with The BitterSweetShop again this time at Verve in Leeds on Thursday night (13th, 9pm). Then on Sunday it's solo at the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet (16th, 9pm).

A-Z of music:
Still listening to the J-M Jarre back catalogue...now up to the Rendezvous Houston concert which even on mere audio alone conjures up fantastic images of what the famous 1986 concert must have been like to witness.

2010-12-24T14:31:00.003Z

It's been a couple of weeks since the last blog...I guess that's what Christmas does to you, time suddenly gets away. I dislike the Christmas build-up immensely. The most obvious reason is that I don't like shopping at any time of year, unless it's a stock car programme fair. But on a slightly deeper level I destest the commercialism that always ensues from about October onwards. Then there's the lousy weather, and it annoys me to hear the shops moaning about loss of trade as if we should all be ashamed for not venturing out. To my mind, if I didn't get any presents until next March I really wouldn't be bothered, it's not that important.

On a more music-related note, I always get asked how many gigs I'm doing over Christmas. And this year I can proudly and relievedly say 'none'. Again, it's no fun getting around in this weather and despite the possible financial incentives it's really no fun working at Christmas either. I played 8 New Years Eves on the trot and now that I've 'retired' for the safety of my local pub on Dec 31st I'm much the happier person. I also recall some fairly miserable Christmas Eve gigs, yes I think I've done my bit!

That said, the final gig before Christmas with Atlanta Soul in Stockport was very good indeed. The Bakers Vaults is another pub dedicated to live music and you can pretty much guarantee a good weekend crowd in there.

I have a few gigs lined up in January with all three line-ups featured. I'll be solo at the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet on Sunday 16th and with Katie/The BitterSweetShop in Leeds twice: @The George on Thurs 6th and The Chemic on Thurs 20th. The latter will be a headline slot for the Cloth Cat night. Then on the 29th my acoustic trio will be performing it's first full night at the Rose & Crown in Greetland.

I've also been to a couple of gigs this past week or so. I went to see Half Man Half Biscuit at Holmfirth. A few past blogs will reveal how much I like their sense of humour. It was a good gig, but with everything hinging on hearing the lyrics clearly it was sometimes a bit hard to follow the songs I didn't know as well. Last Sunday I went to see the fantastic Jon Strong Band supported by the equally fantastic Tim Wood in Chapel Allerton. A lovely sounding room helped this to be one of the finest gigs I've ever seen from these guys. It was a thoroughly worthwhile trip, even with temperatures on the roads down to minus 9!!!

As mentioned recently I've been re-visiting my love for electronic music and in particular Jean-Michel Jarre. I've enjoyed listening to his back catalogue including some albums that I'd never before heard on CD, nor indeed heard at all for about 20 years.

OK, I won't moan on about Christmas any more except to say I prefer Spring, Summer and most of Autumn. It only remains for me to say thank you and wish you a Happy Christmas and New Year.

Looking for a fox

2010-12-07T15:11:00.002Z

Last week:

Despite really terrible weather conditions, both of my gigs went ahead on the weekend. On Saturday night I played with Atlanta Soul at Cafe Artisan in Rawtenstall, which is near Burnley. This gig was excellent on all levels, and it begs the question: where are the other venues to match this??

Based in West Yorkshire, I've been mainly used to playing in pubs, virtually none of which have a PA system or any sort of emphasis on live music. This venue had it's own PA, an engineer and an easy load-in. I could practically throw my gear into the car from the back door. This was the best load-in since the Boot & Shoe in Ackworth....one of the few venues I've played to match this one.

Then there's the element ranked close to Satan's spit in my home county....a door charge! Of £5!!! Ok-pause whilst Yorkshiremen reading this blog are given chance to get up off the floor.

OK now? Right. As I said, there is a door charge and a fiver may seem a lot to watch a band playing all covers, with no known following in the area and making it's debut at the club. But it works. 60 tickets had been sold IN ADVANCE. And more turned out on the night paying on the door. Now we have the makings of a proper gig. 60 folk have paid to see a band they've not heard of and are going to come and enjoy themselves.

Needless to say it went down a storm and I'm looking forward to being back there in March. The sound was terrific too. The set-up at Cafe Artisan is first class.

On Sunday night I played solo at the Rose & Crown in Greetland, with the temperature dipping well into the negatives that night. It was a bit on the quiet side but still enjoyable to do.

This week:
Quieter this time with just one gig with Atlanta Soul on Saturday at the Townhouse in Macclesfield. This should give me a bit of chance to recover from the extra work required last week to get around in the snow.

A-Z of music:

(or should that be musique?)

I watch the Sky Arts channel quite a lot. As they tend to show a lot of good music and music documentaries, mainly on artists I like (ie, old music!). Recently by chance I got to see a documentary about Jean-Michel Jaree. It reminded me once again of my love for Jarre and synth music in general. Long before I sang songs in bands I composed and performed instrumental music heavily influenced by the likes of Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Jarre.

These days as I've got deeper and deeper into singer-songwriting it's all too easy to forget how long ago I loved this type of music and produced quite a lot of it. It makes one think...

Moan of the week:
Last week I tentatively mentioned the newly revamped scene at Myspace. Myspace Beta. This was before I'd got to realise the full extent of it's sins. I'm beginning to wonder whether Beta is the greek word for 'Shit' when it comes to technology. Remember BetaMax for example?

Basically, they've felt the need to change everything (I don't like change) and generally make the whole thing a poorly diluted form of Facebook (which I also don't like). However, having found my way around and got to know how to do the basic operations (adding friends, adding comments etc...) I relaxed a little.

But worse was to follow when I realised they'd changed my profile page (the one you see) to the new format. Then I really got annoyed. All the work which has gone into building that page has been swept away. It used to be so simple and the template allowed you to add in things as you went along, such as embedded videos and widgets. Now no html seems to be allowed. So all my vital links to my other pages (where I sell my CDs and downloads) have gone. The biog isn't immediately visible, the whole thing has been mucked around with. It's made it hard to promote my music on the site where once it was straightforward.

While Facebook continues to actively discourage the promotion of businesses on it's site, we're now faced with the tricky situation of there being no one definitive, easy-to-use music social networking site. I wonder if Purevolume.com is still going??

2010-11-30T15:26:00.002Z

Last week:

I stepped in to host the Moorlands Open Mic last Tuesday at Ogden. In and amongst the other performers I played a few songs solo and also some with Dan and Ol as a 3-piece. I've also been recording vocals with Katie for the BitterSweetShop's 'debut' CD which was great fun to do.

The weekend was the usual hectic madness but not for any work-related reasons this time. I went to see Peter Kay in Sheffield on Friday night which was brilliant, perhaps even better than expected. I went with an open mind as so long has passed now since he last did a stand-up tour and some of the gags have taken on near legendary status. This gives the new material a tougher job to measure up against it. I thought it was all very funny and it cheered me up no end. The opening Bernard Matthews comments set the tone nicely as I'd made the same observation on the way to the gig. Thanksgiving Day, turkey's ultimate revenge.

The following day I was down in London to watch the Masters Tennis at the o2. I was staying in Stratford amidst all the building work that's going on for the Olympics. I was a bit concerned about how much tennis I'd see from the upper tier but to be honest it was dead easy to see where the ball landed, the venue was superbly lit. It's luck of the draw when it comes to which match you will see. I saw the second semi where Federer demolised Djokovic. The afternoon semi had of course been Nadal-Murray which was something of an epic. We saw the closing stages of this in the bar outside which had a great atmosphere as there was a group of Spaniards present.

This week:

Snow permitting, and let's face it I hate snow, I'll be playing with Atlanta Soul on Saturday and then solo at the Rose & Crown in Greetland on Sunday evening.

Moan of the week:

2 words: Myspace Beta.

2010-11-23T15:28:00.002Z

Last week (and the week before!):

Welcome back, I've been away for a week in Angelsey. It was just a holiday break, and what a fantastic place it is. I know many would prefer to disappear to somewhere a little warmer but for me it was perfect. The rain thankfully stayed away most of the time, and the whole island was very quiet. It was an absolute joy to visit the secluded coastline, bays, villages and have a whole vast beach all to myself.

The week previous I'd been to see Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson in Manchester. No need to complain about audience reaction this time (see previous blog!). The music was first class of course and with most of it being on the quiet side it meant people had to be quiet to listen.

This week:
Tonight (Tuesday) I'm hosting another open mic night, this time at Moorlands- a venue popular with my old band. Then this weekend something different again: I'm off to see the Masters Tennis at the O2 in London and also Peter Kaye on Friday night in Sheffield. I first saw Peter Kaye in a comedy club in Manchester in 1998, before he hit the big time. I actually also shared a stage with him briefly at the Palace later that year. We were playing for the NSPCC concert and he was on after the band I was in. As we loaded out behind the curtain, he performed in front. It's my only claim to fame I know!

Music:
I got a bit of time to catch up on Sky Arts on the weekend, as they always show some good classic concerts. Thin Lizzy were being shown, and after 20 minutes I realised this was the most Thin Lizzy I'd seen in one go. I'm always a bit put off because I remember the type of bloke who used to like them when we played rock covers gigs in pubs. I must admit I'm not overly enthused by them now. It's not very melodic and seems to appeal to a more basic need to rock and grunt along. Status Quo are often accused of this, but they to me have the melodies and I would much prefer to listen to them.

The other concert I saw on TV was much easier to judge. Talk Talk at Montreux '86 was excellent! What a great sound and all the music fitted together superbly. I love the un-expected chord changes and I must surely now get some of their back catalogue.

2010-11-09T15:12:00.002Z

Last week:

Enjoyed a few fireworks on Friday night then rounded off the stock car season at Coventry on Saturday (more fireworks, dissappointing racing results!). On Sunday night I went to one of those 60s package shows at the Grand in Leeds. I know I have a reputation for liking very old music and musicians but on this occasion I swear I wasn't supposed to be going. But a ticket became available so there it is.

On the bill were Chip Hawkes, Gerry & The Pacemakers, PJ Proby and The Searchers. It was a good gig and I'll always readily watch professional musicians perform live, I might even become one myself one day.

One thing got me though, the attitude of the audience. From being a performer for some time I've become very sensitive to audience reaction to musicians. This extends to all gigs and not just my own. At one time I used to watch a pro band totally oblivious to the audience reaction, now I find myself studying it.

It may just be my hyper-sensitivity to these things (I blame clubland) but I detect a slight lack of respect among punters these days. Naturally in these circumstances I blame X-Factor and co, something I'm only too happy to do. Seriously though I have a theory that these shows have made people more blase about what a live performance actually involves.

TV shows make it look a lot easier (The Searchers weren't using autotune!) and with the angle on reality TV being 'give the public a chance' I think more people now think they could give it a go. Or at the very least, that more people can 'sing', without necessarily having any experience or training.

The one thing those guys on Sunday have is experience. Hundreds of combined years of it! The crowd however seemed to treat it a bit like a commodity rather than a finely honed craft. One person even came out with one of those comments I used to detest at club gigs. 'Best song so far' she says. Does that mean the previous songs were rubbish? Is she keeping a scorecard? To me, as far as the average punter is concerned, in the presence of such luminaries as these, EVERY song is equally good. And before you ask, no I don't expect people to think like that at my shows, these guys are legends and have had number one hits.

This week:

Going to see Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson in concert. This one is more my choice and let's see what the audience reaction is like this time! Best song so far indeed.

A-Z of Music:

More ELO this week, I now need a discography of their's as this is a double delux 'best of' containing lots of songs I haven't previously heard. All good stuff though.

Moan of the week: See above!

2010-11-03T15:33:00.002Z

There was a power cut here this morning, that's called 'outage' in the States I think...(usually it's the US who have more literal names for things)...we were told it could last until 4pm so I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have to do any work today as I seem to need a computer to do anything these days. However, those good old boys got it up and running again by mid-morning. Bastards, now I've got no excuse for not working.

Last Week
Fairly quiet. I spent Saturday night in Boston (Lincolnshire) having watched an enthralling stock car meeting in Kings Lynn. There was a Monstor Truck demonstration, it does 54 yards to the gallon. There's very little chance of a carbon-neutral stock car meeting.

I did get chance to add a home video to my youtube channel. So click below for a version of 'Young, Lost And Hopeful'.

Young Lost And Hopeful Video

I'm enjoying making these little films. For one it saves going out doing them at a gig! I know it's not quite the same, but thinking logically I've done over 1000 gigs and managed to promote the song a little, whereas I can film it at home and immediately post it for people all over the place to view. The chances being these people will actually want to see it, unlike the majority at a gig!

This week:
The big Stock Car finale in Coventry Saturday night. I have my priorities right!

A-Z of Music:
There was a major splash on Elton John over the weekend, with an hour-long 'One Show' (good music, and twice as long to watch Alex Jones), then there was 3 hours on Saturday night. I'm still watching these but the opening documentary was very good. I shared his sentiments about clubland (if I hadn't been fronting the bands I'd have stormed off too!), and the anecdote about Stevie Wonder made me laugh. Have to say Robert Crampton's derrogatory remarks about Sir Elton in the Times mag belonged more in the Sun than elsewhere. I don't recall him being a music critic, not that that would have made it any better.

I've also been listening to Tangerine Dream for the first time in years. I still enjoyed that. And then to follow that I've had a listen to some really old stuff I recorded. This was a mixture of cringing and pleasant nostalgia in equal measures. But good to remember those parts of songs I'd forgotten, those middle 8's and instrumentals I couldn't remember writing...

The Blog is Back!

2010-10-27T14:44:00.002+01:00

Yes, after a little break, the weekly blog is back today. The reason it's been away for a bit is that I've been having my website completely revamped...in fact if you're reading this you're probably on my website as we speak! So please feel free to take a look around, and listen to some of the songs!

The new format website means that it's easier to access this blog, as it's embedded directly into the site. This should mean more people get to read it, but will also mean I'll have to be extra-careful not to offend anyone...at least for a little while!!

Last Week:
I won't drag things out un-necassarily by including all the news from the past 2 months...so please imagine the last blog was a week ago, ok?!
Last Wednesday was my birthday, and as in previous years, it was the same date as Tom Petty's. How we continue to achieve this is beyond me. He was 60 this time, meaning that by far the majority of my biggest influences are 60+, the longer-term consequences of this are quite scarey.
On Thursday night I was gigging at Verve in Leeds with The BitterSweet Shop - that's Katie and I as a duo, and once again I enjoyed our set. We were first on and the vibe was intimate and the sound was really very good. We're currently working on our first CD which will be a 6-track mini album. I'm very excited by how it's coming together.

I also performed twice with Atlanta Soul on Saturday and Monday nights. They were both wedding parties (yes, people can get married on a Monday) and it was good to get out and play and feel like a working musician again. Saturday was in a big tent in Skipton and then Monday was over at Ormskirk.

In between these two gigs I went down to Northampton to watch the Stock Cars on Sunday, just 2 more meetings to go this season and I've been to that many this year I feel like I've taken part in it. Can't wait for the last 2 though, it's going down to the wire this time!!

This Week:
Quieter by far this time. I might possibly play one open mic, and also work on the BitterSweetShop album will continue.

A-Z of Music:
I've been listening to the new album by Elton John & Leon Russell (both well over 60...), entitled 'The Union'. 16 tracks of piano singer-songwriters, plus Neil Young on one song. It's growing on me, with no obvious singles, but it's more like the early days and the production is excellent. I know Leon is one of Elton's biggest influences, and the piano styles are similar. The pianos are panned to make it easier to tell who does what but they both play so well. It's a real inspiration to hear them both on the same record.

I've also been listening to fellow birthday boy Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, I currently have his first and latest album on the go! The debut has the same name as the band and dates back to 1976. The highlight is obviously 'American Girl' closely followed by 'Breakdown' but I like the rawness of it, even if some of the tracks are so short they feel almost unfinished.

'Mojo' is the 2010 version and after an indifferent first listen this one is really beginning to gel for me. It's different to the acoustic-driven radio hits of previous years. It's much more rootsy, bluesy and electric. There's acres of lead guitar work and it's much more of a band album. But for all the blues it's the reggae track 'Don't Pull Me Over' which is my absolute favourite. In fact I'd form a reggae band just to play it.

2010-08-27T15:23:00.002+01:00

Last Week: (and a half!)

I didn't get chance to write anything on here earlier in the week, so just to recap: I had a fairly busy week and a bit with open mic/acoustic appearances at The Ship in Leeds, Bar 62, Horsforth and the New Inn at Headingley. These were all solo and it's been good to sharpen up a bit and play my own material!

The main gig was on Saturday (Aug 21st) with the Barwick-in-Elmet music festival. I played a set at short-notice and it was 45 minutes of solely original material, a rare event in that sense but really good fun to do. The festival was by all accounts a great success. The gig was also notable for a unique interruption after I'd played my second song: A heckler perhaps? A streaker? Nope, it was the local combine harvester and my car was blocking it in. So I had to leave the room and go move it. I don't know, it never happens to Cliff....

WEBSITE AND VIDEO NEWS:

Just very briefly, my website is currently under-going a complete overhaul. It's almost there and indeed if you go to my site you'll see a lot of the changes already. When it's all done I'll mention a bit more about it.

I've also posted another new film on my youtube channel, this time playing a solo version of 'Your Shadow'. A lot of people have asked to see live performances, particularly those overseas who can't get to the gigs, so I'm hoping these films will go some way towards getting the idea across, and getting more exposure for the material.

This week:

It's the final bank holiday of the year, if I'm writing another blog on Tuesday it'll just be over...I've no gigs this weekend but will be busy doing lots of things.

A-Z of Music:

I listened to another Bruce Springsteen album last week, 'The Rising' (2002). I'm a big fan, and I'm still learning his back catalogue, which is substantial of course! This album has a lot of material to digest, all of it new to me. But there's always moments on his records that move me straight away. In this case it's the refrain to the opening track and the 4th song, 'Nothing Man'. Altogether it just inspires me to write more songs....oh to have more time!

2010-08-17T15:35:00.002+01:00

Last Week:

I completed doing 5 gigs in 7 nights on Thursday (12th Aug) where I was hosting the Open Mic night at The Plough in Warmfield. This was the first time I'd done this (I played a few songs too) and it was very interesting to see how it worked from the other side.

This Week:

I'm doing the Ship Open Mic in Leeds tonight (Tues) and then tomorrow an acoustic set at Bar 62 in Horsforth.

A-Z of Music:

Mine this week! I've got behind a little with updating you on the latest updates...there's quite a few new videos involving my music which have appeared recently.

Cold Cold Day has been subject to a new 'fanfilm'! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Oh7Hn0S1Y

My Acoustic 3-piece has been filmed in action twice in the past few weeks...resulting in 3 new videos, the first indeed of the this project.

All I Want From Love

Even

Four Seasons In One Day (cover)

Have a look thanks!

Moan of the week:

Why do people with no knowledge of a particular case feel the need to debunk a particular theory put forward by people very knowledgable in their field? And why is someone who believes an alternative theory labelled a crank by someone who is ignorant of enough information to form any opinion?

2010-08-10T14:48:00.004+01:00

Last Week:

A bit like the days of old here, I've just completed 4 gigs in the previous 4 nights, and all with different line-ups!

On Friday I was solo at The Abbey in Bramley, then on Saturday I was playing a function in Huddersfield with various members of my old band, Morris And The Minors. This was a great evening and rather reminded me how much I'd enjoyed my time with them circa 2006-2007.

Then it was onto Todstock on Sunday afternoon with Dan & Oliver. I really enjoyed the set we played for this event, playing for about 40 minutes in the Acoustic Tent. The tent was run by the fantastic Hole Note Acoustic Club who of course we know well from various venues around Calderdale.

Last night (Monday 9th) I did another new venue with Katie in Leeds, this being The Hop. This is the same people behind the Hop in Wakefield and it's built into the arches underneath the station near Granary Wharf which gives it a unique atmosphere, as well as the ground-shaking noise of trains passing overhead once in a while! So there you have it, 4 gigs and this at a time when I'm supposed to be doing less gigs! All good fun though.

This Week:
Slightly quieter, with just The Plough on Thursday night this week. That's in Warmfield near Normanton near Wakefield. Postponed from a couple of weeks ago, I'm hosting their open mic night. So if anyone sings or plays, please feel free to come down and do a few songs!

2010-08-03T15:27:00.003+01:00

Last week:

A busy and totally enjoyable week with another visit to the Chemic Tavern last Thursday with Dan and Ol. We played a different trio of songs this time, and it sounded very good. No two weeks are the same at an open mic so it was good experience to go back and play again after the previous week. We're now looking forward to doing Todstock this coming Sunday (Aug 8th). We're in the 'Acoustic Tent', playing from 2pm til 3pm.

Here's the poster! My name's on there, spelt correctly, job done!

On Saturday afternoon the BitterSweetShop (that's Katie and I) had another gig, this time at the Yarnbury RFC Beer Festival. The club had gone to a lot of trouble to make their innaugural beer fest a success and it looked like it was indeed a great success! There was a stage errected, and thankfully it stayed dry for our set....always a nervous moment given the combination of the British Summer and outdoor gigs. I did a couple of solo tunes and then we performed about half an hour as a duo.

This Week:

In addition to the above mentioned Todstock, I'm doing a full Friday night session at the Abbey Inn in Bramley. That's starting at around 9pm.

A-Z of Music:

I'm still listening to the over-long Fleetwood Mac album 'Say You Will'. But I've also had my ears open to some other great tunes. I'm sure all musicians have had this experience, where you learn a song and then wonder why you weren't playing it years ago? Well I found this with Billy Joel's 'Always A Woman To Me'. What a song! I've always known this, but only just got around to learning it. It'll be in on Friday night!!

Stock Cars on the BBC!

Just a quick plug for my other great passion, which has found it's way onto BBC 1 for the next few Monday nights. 10:30pm, straight after the news. You have to watch it and thus understand what I keep rambling on about! Here's the link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrqGEGl13Qo

2010-07-27T15:00:00.002+01:00

Last Week:

It was a busier week of gigs, with one for each of my current projects. Following on from The BitterSweetShop at The Hop on Monday night (as mentioned in last week's blog), I was out with the 3-piece at the Chemic in Leeds on Thursday night. The Chemic now having witnessed all 3 of my projects.

Despite it being student holidays the pub was packed and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Especially when we played '39 and there were premature applause before the song had finished. There are certain songs that have pauses near the end, or 'false tabs' as we sometimes call them, and if the audience are up for it you can sometimes get a cheer going at this point, without having to milk a big U2-style ending in order to let people know the song is about to finish!!

This was one such occasion and I was half-tempted to do a Freddie and hold the song up and keep the applause going for longer!!

On Saturday I had a full night solo gig at the Rose & Crown in Greetland. I'd previously played there for the LiveSpace night back in February. The pub are really into live music which got things going well from the start. I played a lot of covers and it was good to do this type of show, as I haven't done too many '2 45s' gigs lately. A throughly enjoyable night and I'll be back there in December.

This week...

A slight change in plans means the acoustic 3-piece will now be back at the Chemic this Thursday!! Who knows, we may even get some more premature applause! On Saturday afternoon (at about 4pm) it's the Yarnbury Beer Festival, in Horsforth, Leeds. This will be with Katie for the main part but I'll be doing a couple of songs solo as well.

A-Z of Music...
I'm part-way through another attempt at Fleetwood Mac's 'Say You Will' album from 2003. It's a long CD, with about 17 songs (why?), and ranges from brilliant tight tracks such as 'What's the World Coming To' to others that sound very experimental. When you compare this to the Eagles double album from 2007 which is quality throughout, one wonders why The Mac didn't just stick to the stronger tracks. There's a lot of acoustic guitar picking, similar to 'Big Love' and an awful lot of shaker on there. I just wish it was a shorter album then it would be really good! Having decided to take a break from the shaker, I switched back over to Radio 2 who were playing.....a Fleetwood Mac song!

2010-07-20T15:20:00.003+01:00

Last Week:

I did the Ship Open Mic, solo this time, last Tuesday. I played five songs which isn't bad for an open mic night. I feel my playing's a bit rusty at the moment. I've got a busier period coming up so maybe that will help things.

One other bit of news is that the new camcorder is working well. I've managed to set a sound balance that is at least passable, so I'm hoping to crack on and post a few films very soon.

I was also out with Katie last night doing the open mic night at The Hop in Wakefield. This is one of the best music venues in the area and we did a good short set.

This week:

I'll be out with my other project, the acoustic 3 piece, on Thursday. We're giving it a blast at the Chemic Tavern in Leeds, meaning that now all 3 of my projects will have been there! Then on Saturday the 24th I've got a full night session at the Rose & Crown in Greetland. Solo this time, it starts about 9pm and will be covers and originals.

A-Z of music:

I've recently finished listening to a Bonnie Raitt live album called 'Road Tested'. In music circles, she's extremely highly regarded, and I can see why. There's a quality that's so consistent about her music. And despite the fact there isn't really a massive hit song, there's just a constant thread of good tunes, well played. Her band is so tight. I'd just love to be able to step on stage every night and play through songs that way. There's not much fancy stuff on there, it just keeps on chugging along through every number, very enjoyable to listen to.

I've also had a bit of a Genesis session recently. Ok, I've listened to the same albums many times before but it was good to re-visit the 2 live albums from the 'We Can't Dance' tour. There's a sonic quality to these that was similar to when I saw them live in 2007. It's almost too good to be true. But it really is that good! The depth to the sound, coming mainly from the keyboards, gives it an orchestral quality.

There's a moment in 'Firth of Fifth', part way through the guitar solo, when a deep rich synth pad enters, and suddenly I'm on the road to Damascus. That moment somehow typifies what I love about them. Strange, but true.

2010-07-13T15:31:00.002+01:00

Last week:

I made my first return to the Ship Inn in Leeds last Tuesday (July 6) since about 2007. I was doing an open mic night with Katie and am pleased to say the night is going pretty well. I do believe the pub has been closed and re-opened since I was last there so it's good to see things picking up. The management are very keen on live music, so this bodes well.
From our point of view, the little duo sounded excellent! I think we also got the best slot to play when it was both fairly busy and people were attentive. We played 5 songs on what was our 5th outing. We also now have a name, 'The BitterSweetShop', is slightly more catchy than 'Katie and Paul' or 'Her and Him' or whatever.

Seriously though, it was a good night, one of the most enjoyable gigs I've had for a while.

The camcorder I think I mentioned last week had it's first test outings on Wednesday night. I'm aiming to run it connected to my mixing desk, singing into a mic, rather than just using the in-built mic. Of course, using the keyboard means it has to be plugged into something. I still need to do a bit of work on the sound and balance, but hopefully I'm not too far away from recording a few songs ready to post on youtube.

Don't forget, you can already friend me or subscribe to my youtube channel, where you'll find a few videos of my old band.

This Week...
I liked it at The Ship Inn so much I'm going to go back tonight (July 13th) and play a solo set. I should also get chance to test the camcorder before it's off to the European Stock Car Championships at Northampton, probably my favourite weekend of the entire season.

A-Z of Music:
Did you know it's 25 years ago today since Live Aid? By which I mean the original and best one. I always feel like that was the zenith of my musical taste, the artists from around that time, and the stage at which they were at in their careers. The really strange thing is I was only 6 years old at the time and barely remember it taking place. But then there are many strange things about me. I feel like it was 'my era' for some reason.

Queen and U2 were arguably the best on the day, working the stadium rock concept to the max. I also found Sir Bob himself to be one of the highlights, giving his all during 'I Don't Like Mondays'. There were so many others as well.

It's such a shame they had to bother with Live8 in 2005. The artists that played the first time around were much older and the ones who were younger lacked the talent, passion and stagecraft to bring the event to life.

Ok, I think that doubles as the moan of the week too. I'm still having problems with Facebook but won't bore you with the details. See you next week.

2010-07-06T15:35:00.003+01:00

Last week:
A lovely summer's week it has been too! I played at the Abbey Inn festival on Friday evening. I was the opening act so was a bit unsure what the turn-out would be like. With the weather very definetly in our favour, it was a good turn-out and I enjoyed my set.

This week...
With the World Cup nearly over, it's time to start thinking about more regular outings to play gigs. I'm going to be doing a short set with Katie at The Ship in Leeds this evening (Tues 6th). I am also now in possession of a fairly basic camcorder in order to film some 'home-performances' of my songs, and some cover versions as well! I'm looking forward to doing this for a number of reasons. The main one of these is that it gives people who can't attend the shows a chance to see some live performances, without either of us having to leave our own homes! I'll be uploading those to my youtube channel so will let you know when they're there.

A-Z of music:
Listened to the rest of Paul Carrack's mid-80s solo album 'Groove Approved'. Not really any very strong tracks on this, I think his best material really began about 10 years after this point. I also listened to a Crosby-Stills-Nash album called 'Allies'. The short up-tempo opening track was very good and full of energy. The bulk of the album is live and there's a great version of 'Blackbird' about halfway through. Their material is growing on me all the time, once I get past the gorgeous harmonies and onto the songs themselves!

Speaking of harmonies, can you believe that it was only a few days ago that I had my first full listen to the Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds'?? Of course, 'God Only Knows' is one of the finest songs ever written, and I think everyone ought to agree with that (!), but what of the album as a whole? Must admit another couple of plays may be needed. The drug-influences are very strong, and that makes it harder for me to follow. Some of the songs felt like sketches without having a beginning, middle and an end. Of course, nothing wrong with that, but it was at times hard to follow what was going on. Perhaps that's how BW was feeling at the time too!

Moans:
I've finally calmed down about Facebook and my 'blockade' on friend invites has been lifted. I'm still very cautious about inviting friends on there, but will see how things settle down. The upside to all this (and there's always an upside) is that I've found a few new things to do on myspace, including utilising their excellent Instant Messenger in order to keep in touch with the many people I've added on there over the past few years.

2010-06-29T14:59:00.003+01:00

Last Week:

Watched a lot of tennis, watched a bit of football, enjoyed the pleasant weather, oh and wrote a few songs for what will be my 4th solo album, I'm really happy with how they've come together.

This week:

Time for a gig again with the Abbey Inn Festival this weekend. My set is on Friday evening (July 2nd) between 6 and 7 pm. The Abbey Inn at Bramley has run this 3 day festival of beer and music for the past few years and each year it seems to grow in strength. I've been fortunate enough to play at the past 3 events and am looking forward to this one. Let's hope it's decent weather!

A-Z of Music:

I mentioned last week that I'd begun to listen to 'Cloud 9' by George Harrison. The album has really grown on me in the past week with 'When We Was Fab' becoming a real favourite of mine. I'm already sold on the Jeff Lynne production, for obvious reasons being a big fan of all his producer-writer collaborations.

I think the zenith of my new-found love for this album was on Friday when I watched the video of the above song on YouTube. You must check it out sometime!!

I'm also now listening to an early Paul Carrack solo album called 'Groove Approved'. It's a pre-hat and pre-baldness album from about 1986. It sounds a bit dated but still quite exciting. I'm yet to see if 'Don't Shed A Tear' is on this CD as that was a favourite of his from that era.

Rant Of The Week:

I could mention dis-allowed goals, I could even mention inept Bradford Bulls performances, but I'd like to have a go at FACEBOOK.

Up until mid-way through last year, there were still more people worldwide on Myspace than Facebook. This has since changed and so with myspace feeling distinctly less busy I decided to have a presence on both pages. More people on FB, meaning more potential fans for my music...or so I thought.

It now seems that the last thing Facebook wants you to do is add friends, heaven forbid someone you don't already know.

I've recently been blocked from adding friends on Facebook. The best thing is, I only added 3 people before I got an anti-spam warning, followed by a ban lasting 'anything between a few hours to a few days'....well that's very precise!

The trouble is that instead of letting the site police itself, always the best way, they have set in place a draconian system. Myspace has addressed all these problems, and whilst it has plenty of spammers, you can easily delete them, block them or report them. They also have a daily limit on the number of friends you can add. This is much fairer than Facebook's policy which it says is based on how quickly you add them rather than an exact number. Exactly how quick is too quick?? It doesn't say.

So I may well not bother much with this site. After all, there's still a good few million on myspace, more than enough to be going on with for the time being. And at least it was set up by musicians with musicians in mind.

Back home, we'll be thinking about you...

2010-06-22T15:11:00.003+01:00

Last Week (and the week or two before!!)

Yes, things are back to as near normal as possible this week. I've been away in Ireland having a much-needed break. I thought Eire was a beautiful place, both the city of Dublin and the West coast. It was a good trip, and it didn't even rain once!

The week before I left, I was out with Katie at the Yorkshire Rose Open Mic in Guiseley. This is certainly one of the friendliest open mics around, and we had a good night. It's nice to see the night is still continuing succesfully, as it's quite a long while since I was last there. After our set, I duetted with the host, Scouse Andy, on a few songs including 'Oliver's Army' which I used to know but now only partially know (!), and a couple of Beatles songs.

I then had my regular gig at the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet on Sunday June 6th. After recent PA problems, I'm happy to say my new amp worked like a dream, and the newish keyboard is now starting to sound the business. I got through lots of my own songs and covers as well. There were a couple present all the way from Queensland, Australia. No, they hadn't come specially to see me but they did take home a CD :)

This week

With the World Cup in full swing, it's time for live music to take a back seat until the finals are over. It's not because I'm obsessed with football, although I'll happily watch the games. It's just that, from past experience, it's a bad time to be sharing a pub with a football match and a load of drunkards. On one famous occasion I drove up to a pub the same day as an England match, got out of the car, saw a bloke come staggering out covered in blood, got back in the car, and went home!

A-Z of music

Roy Orbison: I could go on forever about my love for Roy's voice, but I'm still finding new tracks of his, particularly from the early days. This compilation covered the 60s hits in their original guises. I think I'm correct in saying that later he re-recorded most of them as he couldn't get his old Label to release them. Personally I prefer the newer versions such as the KD Lang version of 'Crying'. But the original version of 'It's Over', when it gets to that high note at the end....it is akin to seeing Christine Bleakley in the shower, honest.

George Harrison, Cloud 9: For all my years of love for the Wilburys/Jeff Lynne/Petty stable, I've never actually heard this album before. This is George's Jeff Lynne-produced album and sure enough it's got that sound of his I love. There's some great tracks and even those that aren't great still sound great if you see what I mean. I've been covering 'Got My Mind Set On You' for so long I can even remember the words, but the others were virtually all new to me. I must say it's good to be able to tick off another album I've kept saying 'I must listen to...'.

Moan Of The Week:

Who the bloody hell does John Terry think he is? How can anyone criticise their boss when they've just put in one of the most inept individual performances I've ever seen? I don't care what the formation was, it was tripe whichever way you look at it.

2010-06-01T15:30:00.004+01:00

Last week....

Back on schedule this week, with 2 gigs done over the weekend. The first was with Atlanta Soul at the Bakers Vaults in Stockport on Friday night. My old band played here and had a really good night too, it's a great venue, better than the average pub gig. It has a PA system and a member of staff to do the soundcheck. Will other venues PLEASE take note of this, I'm not the only musician who loves venues with their own PAs!! It gets busy too, and the audience were soon dancing to the music, it's a great atmosphere on a Friday night.

Next up was my acoustic 3-piece at The Hole In T'Wall, which also has it's OWN PA downstairs!! This was our first 'full' 30 minute set and it was great to finally get to play some of the songs we've been rehearsing. It was busy enough but not over-crowded, and people listened. I was pleased with the response we got and can't wait to play the set again. We've got two local festival appearances over the summer to come.

Well, another weekend has now become available to me seeing as the Bulls are now out of the Challenge Cup. It's a case of 'what can go wrong will' at the moment, even though we gave it our best shot and could have beaten Warrington with a bit more luck. I couldn't fault the effort but it's going to be another hard season if various rumours actually occur. The main one concerns our main man wanting to go back to Australia. I mean, Manly Beach versus Bradford, the great Aussie Climate, our shit one. Why would he possibly want to leave??

This just left stock cars at Belle Vue yesterday (bank hol Monday). It's not rained much lately, although that's being rectified as we speak (!), so a very fine dry track caused lots of dust to find it's way into my ears. The last two races were terrific though, and I was back in the pub before the quiz finished.

This week...

I'm playing at the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet, with a new PA amp, which will hopefully work, on Sunday (June 6th), starting at 9pm, I'll be playing originals and covers to the usual intimate audience, I wish there was a venue like this in every village!

2010-05-28T16:10:00.002+01:00

Last Week...

A quick blog this week, as I was out on business* on Tuesday and now it's getting towards the end of Friday afternoon...not a great time for doing anything productive! I don't think there's been any gigs since last Tuesday. No there weren't. I enjoyed the hot weekend and have generally been spending more time outdoors than usual recently. Yesterday I think I found a new potential favourite place in the country at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. I tend to think of favourite places as needing to be further away but sometimes ones close to home are good too. There's something about this place, and it isnt't the free entry! I could go back and just wander round, planning things and suchlike, lovely place.

*Well, I spent all afternoon at a pub in Upper Mill (also very beautiful) and then went to see Mark Knopfler at MEN Arena, (See below).

This Week:
It gets a bit more exciting with a long-awaited Altanta Soul gig tonight at the Bakers Vaults in Stockport. Then tomorrow (Sat 29th) it's the first 30 minute appearance of the acousitc 3-piece at The Hole In T'Wall, as part of the Big Green Weekend in Hebden Bridge. Our slot is at 9pm.

A-Z of Music:
I've now watched all 4 hours of the Tom Petty documentary, and found out a great deal. I enjoyed it very much. There's more depth to the man than I'd previously thought of, but it inspired me to keep going and to stay true to my particular dreams, which I guess is the general idea!

Mark Knopfler has written one of my all-time favourite songs (Brothers In Arms) and has the sort of guitar sound and feel for melody that causes instant air-guitar moments. I remember once having one of those moments in a record shop when 'Boom Like That' came on. My biggest cause for concern here was that it was in the Arena and I don't have him down as being a big venue performer. Sure enough, with Mark sitting down for the whole show due to a back injury, it hardly rivalled Queen in those stakes. His mumbling vocal-style meant it was hard to hear the words at first, and I wondered how much patience the audience would have, given the way people are these days.

Luckily it improved as it went on and I think he just about got the show to carry. Certainly the response was much better than for others I've seen who were stood up! The band sounded superb, it's just a pity that it didn't rock a bit more. When I saw Chris Rea in March I was tired by the end as I fed off his energy and the effort he puts in.

Moan of the week:

A non-musical one this week, although it could apply to any situation. My question is this: Why do I always get stood next to the guy at Rugby League matches who feels the need to constantly slag off his own team from half an hour BEFORE kick-off, until the end of the match??

I mean, surely it would be better to save the £18 and stay at home and moan. That way they could avoid inflicting themselves on everybody else. I find myself often commenting on the need to stay away from negativity, but this was a whole tirade. Poor lads, everything our team did was wrong, why not support the opposition instead? Why not just shut the fuck up, as I said to him about 10 minutes into the match. It didn't work of course. But I'm glad I said it.

I've been in bands with people like that too. I'm sure I've done it myself. In fact I'm doing it now, a moan about moaners. But surely when it gets so bad it's time to think: What am I doing here, and how must I sound to other people, right: I'll shut the fuck up.

I'll be standing in a slightly different place this Sunday :)

New blog feature (see below!)

2010-05-18T15:53:00.004+01:00

Last week...

A bumper week of gigs, albeit of the short, sharp open-mic variety. I played at the Abbey Inn on Tuesday night (11th) for the first time in about 2 years. It was nice to catch up with some familiar faces and to meet some new ones, but moreover it was good to see the night itself still going strong-such is the transient nature of live music.

The following night, and one coallition goverment later, I played at Verve's open mic night with Katie. Having played Verve many times solo this was the first time I'd done their Wednesday session. I have to say it sounded better than ever in the downstairs room, and my new(ish) keyboard sounded absolutely spot on through the PA system. After all the recent problems with my own system it was a relief to finally hear the instrument as nature (and Roland) intended!

On Thursday I opened the night at the Chemic Tavern, playing 3 of my own songs, and that was that for the week. That just left time for a Bulls win on Friday and 2 BRISCA meetings in Northampton and Buxton. Oh, and then last night I got to see Francis Rossi's solo project in Sheffield. As a lifelong Quo fan it was nice to hear some of the songs that don't fit into the band's set. Album tracks like 'Blessed Are The Meek' and 'Electric Arena' have long been personal favourites of mine so it was good to hear them live.

This week...
No gigs this time, but there will be rehearsals and a recording session to fit in. I also have a new PA amp for my solo shows and what's more it works!

A-Z of Music...
Not much listening time this week, but I will now need to find 4 hours to watch the Tom Petty documentary that was shown in full on Friday night!! I think originally in the States it was shown as a series, but here we got the whole job lot in one go. I've also been listening to a 'best of' Fleetwood Mac CD, which may sound a bit predictable but funnily enough I've never heard a lot of the songs on CD-warped now as my old cassette album of 'Rumours' has become, a bit like it's owner :)

Moan of the Week (*new feature*)

A special new feature for the UK edition*, seeing as we are a nation of grumblers. I don't like to talk negatively and far be it from me to offend anyone** but here goes...

I get annoyed with the submissions policy at some Music Review Blogs. They seem so uptight about the high volume of CDs and emails they get sent. So they take this out on us musicians in their submissions policies which basically amount to a rant about, well, musicians sending them stuff. There are so many 'don'ts'. 'Don't do this, we'll delete your email straight away'...'Don't do that, we'll shove your Cd up your arse'...'Do this and we'll hate you for evermore'...

I sometimes feel like they don't actually want to review any music at all, even though they say they review unsigned acts. I think I should have a submission policy for would-be bloggers and podcasters who want to use my music. But then that would assume any of them are going to contact me, so we'd best not go there.

*Ok, there is only one worldwide edition. **I've no-one left to offend.

2010-05-11T15:17:00.002+01:00

Last Week:

My only gig of last week was at Hoagys Bar in Leeds on Friday night (7th). This is essentially a covers gig which is fine by me, as I've plenty of other nights to play my own material. Then it was off to Skegness for the weekend. Stock Cars of course, not for sightseeing, and I stayed in the beautiful town of Boston on Saturday night.

This week....

I'm doing 3 open mics this week, starting with a return to the Abbey Inn (Bramley) tonight (Tuesday). Then it's into Leeds with Katie on Wednesday to see what the open mic at Verve Bar is all about. On Thursday I'll be at the Chemic Tavern also in Leeds, solo this time. So that's some form of gigging for the next 3 nights. This is more the kind of schedule I've been seeking since the band packed up: A nice run of mid-week gigs, all connected in some way with my songwriting, then a clear weekend to fill with other things!!

A-Z of Music....

Still been listening to Don Henley this past week, and I've now finished the greatest hits album I mentioned briefly last week. The highlights are 'End Of Innocence' and 'New York Minute', but there are others I enjoyed too. Don has plenty of angry tracks and in a way I think these would influence me in the future, as it's a similar style to my own writing. The only downside here is that the songs are mainly long, and I don't mean the 4mins30seconds tracks I get critcised for length on... most of these are 5-6 minutes, so I hope any session musicians were well paid ;)

2010-05-05T12:45:00.003+01:00

Last week:

Facebook...

I've finally taken the plunge and got a Facebook page. Here are the links:

Music 'Group' Page

Profile Page

I've been using Myspace as my 'hub' for around 3 years now but in that time things have changed, as they inevitably do. I've noticed that less and less people (as opposed to bands) are using Myspace these days and this means there are less opportunities to target new fans, meet new people and generally introduce my music to. There are of course pros and cons to both sites but at present the sheer volume of people on Facebook means I'm really missing an open goal not having at least some presence on there. So there it is! I'll be remaining on Myspace and also I have my Youtube channel, which is progressing quite nicely now I've got into it.

Gigs....

2 to report on from last week. I played solo at Verve bar on Thursday night. This went fairly well, I was on first and there was a decent crowd there. Going on first can mean 'breaking the ice' a bit, with people still sober (!) but I find the spin-off from that is that you have people's attention a little easier. I thought playing-wise it was ok so I'm happy with how things went.

Onto Sunday and I was playing with Dan & Ol at the Hole Note in Hebden Bridge. The sheer number of performers on this night make it a very popular night, with over 4 hours of live music it's tremendous value too!! We played after the main act and did 4 tunes. It sounds like a lot of hanging about, but it makes for a more focussed performance, and we did get a very good reception.

Throw in 2 stock car meetings and a trip to North Yorkshire and you have a typical bank holiday weekend!

This week...

Main event this week is Hoagys Bar on Friday night (May 7th). This is on Eastgate in Leeds which is central, and not far from the Headrow. I'm on at 9:00pm and am doing the full night solo, mainly covers but may sneek a few of my own in too.

A-Z of Music...

I had another listen to the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album I mentioned last week. It's definetly whetted my appetite to hear more of their music, even though the album doesn't contain a stand-out track as such. But it's all good quality writing and recording.

My only other foray this week was to Don Henley's Greatest Hits which I am also re-listening to at the moment. With Don you get a very thorough product as he's well-known as a perfectionist. The early tracks, apart from Boys Of Summer, seem a bit bland but the album really came to life after the magical 'End Of Innocence', the later tracks were a lot better and I'm looking forward to seeing how they move me on a second listen, which is usually more so!

2010-04-27T16:05:00.002+01:00

Last Week:

The Grove open mic night last Wednesday (21st Apr) saw the debut of the new acoustic 3-piece. It was the first time I'd visited the Grove in a long time and it's still a thriving night with many performers and spectators. We did our short 2-song set at the start of the second half. With the piano in the room now officially dead I used my keyboard in there for the first time.

This week:

I'm hopefully playing at Verve on Thursday night, I say hopefully because I've been unable to confirm my set at this time. Confirm before travelling as they say! On Sunday the acoustic 3-piece is back at the Hole Note Acoustic night at Hebden Bridge. That's in the upstairs room of the Hole in T'Wall from 8:15pm.

A-Z of Music:

ELO: 'A New World Record': Featuring about 3 songs from their 'greatest hits' this is a strong album typical of all the Jeff Lynne trademarks. I enjoyed this one, the album tracks are good too.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: 'Young American Dream': Still listening to this one, but it's showing a lot of promise. It's from the 80s (I think) and has some pretty good tracks. As usual, the vocal harmonies are as good as it gets and, stone me, they're touring the UK in the summer (minus Young). But don't tell everyone as I don't want it to sell out before I get a ticket!!

2010-04-20T14:58:00.004+01:00

Last week:

My first solo gig since the band finished was last night (Mon 19th) at Mr Foleys, on the Headrow in Leeds. I saw this as something of a fresh start, and it's amazing how much better a gig goes when you're in a positive frame of mind. Perhaps I should have tried that earlier!

When the night is not very busy, being in a good mood is very important to stop the dark clouds of doubt creeping in. A brighter mood can turn most gigs into a positive experience.

I played a mixture of covers and originals last night, and the room has a good sound, which helps, and this time I had no technical problems....my thanks go to Alan for the lone of the amp, and Ken for turning up to watch!

Working backwards a little bit, I saw the new Roman Polanski film 'The Ghost' on Friday night. I don't go to the cinema very often at all (and neither does anyone else judging by how quiet it was!), but I do have occasional cinematic moments. I've seen one of his films before and I love his low-fi approach, it's very atmospheric. Love the music he uses too.

I was away with the Stock Cars again over the weekend, at Birmingham and I'm thankful it stayed dry again.

NOW ON FACEBOOK

Yes, after all this time saying 'no' to facebook I've finally given in to it's advances and started a page. I've only just today figured out how to set up a 'music' page and am still tackling the art of adding 'friends'. As a long-time Myspace user it's taking some getting into.

I've taken the decision because I feel myspace is on the decline, although I will certainly be continuing with my page there. The music side of myspace is fine but the 'personal' pages are rapidly drying up as everyone moves to Facebook. Actually, they did this some time ago but it took me a while to realise!

As a songwriter promoting my own work, the main aim of these social networking sites is to find new fans, and potential customers, for my music. Bands don't tend to buy each others' music so attracting genuine musiclovers is the key. Now Facebook holds that key so I'll be on there as well now seeing how it goes. I'm also working on my Youtube channel, which I see as a half-way house between the two.

This week...

The next gig will be the debut of the new acoustic project with Dan and Ol, starting with The Grove Open Mic tomorrow night (Wed 21).

A-Z Of Music...

George Harrison: Living In The Material World:
The alphabetical side of this project has gone to pot, as you can see, but there's always time to listen to George Harrison. Not an album that really grabbed me, despite some of the trademark chord progressions and guitar work. 'Sue you, sue me blues' being about the best one, in typical whimsical Harrison style.

Alison Krauss: Every Time You Say Goodbye:
Foraging at it's best here, as I listen to this purely off the back of the aforementioned Plant/Krauss album. This one is purely country/bluegrass and not really at all in my line. I shall have to forage a little further!

Doobie Brothers: Best of:

I enjoyed this one thoroughly. Quality and energy throughout, good music for driving!

2010-04-15T14:47:00.004+01:00

Last Week:

The week after Easter is always a bit strange for me, as the following weekend approaches far faster once things have returned to normal. It's a truncated week and having been so busy again it'll be a few more weeks before things settle down again.

Anyway, that little philosophy aside, things were pretty busy with stock car visits to Skegness on Thursday and Northampton on Saturday. Going to mid-week meetings qualifies me for real anorak status, and my new fur-lined coat is in the post. Saturday was the warmest day of the year and I must say it even made the long drag down the M1 bearable as I negociated the longest Average Speed Check in the world whilst listening to the Grand National and on the way back the US golf. Listening to golf commentary on the radio is funny in itself as they have to whisper in order to not put the players off. It sounds like they're stalking somebody.

On Sunday evening I was playing at the New Inn in Barwick-in-Elmet (this is supposed to be a music blog after all!). I had a problem with my PA amp which was off-putting, and whilst the gig went fairly well I was not best pleased with my equipment, it leaves you very exposed at a solo gig!

More Stock Cars followed with the Monday meeting at Sheffield (anorak now arrived) and then onto last night (Wednesday 14th) I had my second gig with Katie at the Cardigan Arms in Leeds. This fabulous old-style Leeds pub has an upstairs room they use for music, with a very tidy in-house PA system, which worked, unlike mine! We played a 30 minute set featuring 5 originals and a couple of covers. I was delighted with how this went, and was revelling in the comparitive novelty of not having to hump gear around, worry about the sound, or indeed worry about anything.

Music is meant to be enjoyable to perform, which leads me onto another breaking news story.

THE PAUL JEFFERY BAND RIP

Yes, after a little while deliberating I've finally taken the decision to disband my band for the time being. It was of course a tough decision as for the past 3 years it's been my number 1 priority. I was finding the nature of the gigs a strain and the fact that there is so much outside pressure just to end up playing a handful of my own songs hasn't helped. My heart isn't really in the band project right now, although I still think you can't beat a band playing some of the songs.

For now I'm going to be concentrating on my solo work, plus the projects with Katie and the acoustic 3-piece with Dan & Ol (the latter I'm not sure I mentioned before but please read on for more details!). That's still 3 live music projects, hardly a quiet time for anyone once you throw in the recording and practicing side of things.

Maybe in a while I'll get the bug back to do something band-wise, but for now I'm really looking forward to playing without the stress and getting back focussed on making progress and promoting the songs: but most importantly looking forward to doing the gigs themselves and really enjoying them!

This week:

I'm performing a solo gig (full night) at Mr Foleys on the Headrow in Leeds on Monday night (19th) from about 9pm. This will be my 2nd visit there and I can tell you it has good beer and nice relaxed atmosphere. I'll be playing covers and originals and really anything goes. I reckon the next blog will be on Tuesday but just in case I'll mention now that I'll be out with Dan & Ol for our debut performance at The Grove in Leeds on Wednesday night. That's open mic so can't say a definite time, but suffice to say it's a great little unplugged gig which I've done many times solo in the past.

A-Z of Music:

Just the one this week,
THE BYRDS (2 x CDs of Essential Byrds):

I have now had my first introduction to this iconic and highly influential band. I enjoyed the earlier material with its trademark jangling guitars. The songs oosed 60s-ness and were so atmospheric of the era, very representative of that time. There's also a song about the JFK assassination on there, so it's a winner in my book! The later material goes into a country style, which I need to research more as some of it sounded tongue-in-cheek country. Especially 'Drugstore Truck Drivin Man, He's the head of the Ku-Klux Klan....'. Sorry to speaking from general ignorance here but I will get to learn more in due course about why the band did what they did, that is after all a big part of the foraging and curating process.

2010-04-07T15:43:00.002+01:00

Happy Easter to one and all. I can't believe it's already the middle of this week, and will soon be the weekend again. Oh well, can't be bad.

LAST WEEK

My band was out on Wednesday night (31st March) at Harrys Bar in Wakefield, playing quite literally to a packed house....

When we arrived we were faced with the unique situation of not being able to physically get the gear in the pub, let alone set it up, as it was packed full of folk. As you may know, Harrys is a rather small room, so with no standing or sitting room left we had no choice but to wait and hope it thinned out a bit. The management were left with the potential headache of having to chuck customers out to fit the band in, which is supposed to be there to bring customers in! (if you follow me). I don't know, never happens at Wembley, or Oakworth...

Don't worry, they hadn't all come to see us by the way. It was the opening night of the Art Trail which had made the pub fit to burst by 8pm. Eventually we got the gear in and set up, and thankfully most people stayed to watch, so we played to a pretty full room. We also played the full set, starting at 10 and going on until nearly 12.

I had my new keyboard but a lack of practice time meant I hadn't sorted all the new sounds out for the songs, leading to one or two interesting moments and one or two very cheesy 80s ones! I didn't have the luxury of a monitor either due to the lack of space.

The Easter weekend then began, and there was much sport to attend. Starting with the Bulls going to Headingly and taking a draw, not great as we should have won, but better than losing none the less. Draws are rare in RL, unlike football, they're not a feeling I'm very used to, you don't know whether to be happy or sad!

There then followed 3 stock car meetings, and luckily the one where it rained (Coventry) I was feeling almost guiltily dry under the main stand roof. Doesn't make for very good racing though when the shale turns to mush. And to rub it in, within half an hour of leaving, the rain had stopped and roads were dry. I think there was a cloud over Coventry that night.

THIS WEEK

I am playing a solo gig at the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet on Sunday night, about 9pm. This is one of my favourite venues as people listen and it's a very intimate gig. Another small room, but to date no problems physically getting inside it!

A-Z OF MUSIC

Half Man, Half Biscuit:

Not strictly beginning with B and certainly not A, but I had it in my car anyway. I love this band for their sense of humour, a song that can make you laugh is to me as good as one that makes you feel any other sort of emotion. The humour is very Northern, very dry. You need to know a bit about football to get some of the gags, but aside from that it's just glorious from beginning to end. My favourites being 'Bob Wilson: Anchorman' and 'Joy Division Oven Gloves'. I heartily recommend them.

Robert Plant/Alison Krauss: Raising Sand.

The Grammy Award winning album, I like the concept but not all the content. I've been meaning to listen to this since it came out, but only just got round to it. From what I'd heard in snippets via adverts etc... I'd already come to the conclusion that this low-fi, 2 part harmony sound is very much suited to Robert Plant's voice as it is now. The blending of the 2 voices is superb.
3 songs in and I was really loving the album. After that it faded a little for me, apart from 'Please Read The Letters' which is strong if little over-long. Nice vibe and great arrangements throughout, but there weren't really any new ideas as the album progressed. Still, could have been far worse.

Big Country: Singles

As a long-time Runrig fan I was hoping for more from this band. All I knew before was that Peter Wishart was their keyboard player before joining Runrig, and that they supported Queen at Knebworth in 86. I think Peter made the right move to switch. I like the big anthemic, driving sound, which is similar to Runrig, but unfortunately it seemed to lack the strong melodies and clear direction they employ so well. I waited for a stronger song to hit me, but it never really happened.

2010-03-31T15:36:00.002+01:00

I've got an exciting new system for this blog now. From now on it's going to be in 3 sections: Last Week, This Week, and A-Z of Music.

That's it! There may, in exceptional circumstances, be other special feature sections, we shall see.

Last Week

No gigs in the past 7 days. (or 8 actually, as I'm a day late). I'm loving my new keyboard though, and can't wait to get out and gig a bit more with it. I've been using it in more rehearsals lately, and the sounds and playing action are making it all the more fun. Come to think of it, this must be the first time in over a decade when rehearsals have outnumbered gigs! So there you have it, I do practice after all.

Speaking of gigs, the highlight of the week was on Monday night, going to see Chris Rea in Sheffield. Having travelled down the road to Hell, or the M1 as it's known, we reached our own Heaven in the shape of the Kellham Island Tavern in Sheffield, a lovely pub, and not five minutes from the stock car track, but that's another matter. The concert was very moving, every bit as good as the one 2 years ago in Newcastle, which must make this gig rank pretty high in my list of best gigs seen...

It takes a lot to move me at a concert these days. The years of cynicism and pressure (or clubland as it's also known) have left me almost as jaded as a major Record Label A&R man. But the amount of energy and passion in this performance had me hooked from the start. Brilliant band, awesome playing, and that voice... Funnily enough this time it was the blues numbers 'Easy Rider' and 'Dancing Down The Stoney Road' which got me the most. But everything about this man's music, especially played live, is perfect to me. I just love it.

Last weekend there was also a win for the Bulls, and a weekend trip to East Anglia for the stock cars, where it miraculously stayed dry again.

This Week
Tonight (Wed 31st) sees the return of the Paul Jeffery Band at Harrys Bar, Wakefield. This will feature the new keyboard so as far as I'm concerned, it's going to be great already. We start at 9 and it's a unique atmosphere in this tiny venue.

That's the only gig, as we're then into Easter which is always a breathlessly busy time for me. A simple diet of one Bulls match and 3 stock car meetings will pass the time very nicely thank you. I may well be away from my desk next Tuesday too as in Yorkshire we have this thing called Easter Tuesday, which doesn't really exist anywhere else I can think of, but most places take the day off, as is traditional in some quarters of the county. So I will most likely talk to you again later next week. Until then, have a Happy Easter!

A-Z of Music

OK, here we go....

AL STEWART (Best of): I know Al Stewart should technically be under 'S' but in the world of internet search engines he appears under 'A' as well. I picked this one out because over the years a few people have compared my sound to his. And having never listened to any of his music this was either mystical or a coincidence.
I'm a little perturbed to say I didn't really get into his music at this early stage. So I'm not sure where that leaves my 'sounds like' plaudits. It's middle of the road with a capital MOR, and on the bland side. I think 'Year Of The Cat' is his best known song, but it again failed to really move me. As usual, there was good musicianship throughout, but it didn't hit me very much.

ALMAN BROTHERS (Hits): Best known for Jessica (or Top Gear as we know it here), there was some good ol' southern rock mixed in with instrumentals. Not perhaps bang on my wavelength, but I enjoyed what I heard.

ANTHONY PHILLIPS (The Geese and The Ghost): As a big Genesis fan, I wanted to check out this lesser known solo work from their founder member. It's largely instrumental, very pastoral, and a bit strange at times. But there are some good moments and lots of sounds in common with early Genesis, particularly the 12-string acoustic guitars. Looking at a discography I notice that it was released in 1977 and features Mike Rutherford as co-producer and instrumentalist. It also features Phil Collins singing a couple of tracks, now I thought I recognised that voice!!

ALBERT COLLINS (Iceman): As a lover of Guitar Heroes Expo 92 from Seville, I've long known the hard attacking electric blues of Albert Collins. This is the first album I've heard on CD, and it doesn't disappoint. A lot of the songs are stock blues arrangements, 12-8 songs, fast shuffles etc.. but it's extremely well-played and the production is immense.

2010-03-23T12:46:00.003Z

Firstly, the week's news: Last Thursday was a very exciting moment in the shape of the debut of the New Keyboard!! I've recently made a purchase after 11 years of venerable service by the old one...it has survived the rigours of clubland better than it's owner.

It was a double first as it was also the debut of a new project. The setting was an open mic at the Chemic Tavern in Leeds, with Katie singing and me playing and doing some harmonies. Me and Katie go back a very long way, and we're still performing some of the songs we did back then, but it was a great night, suffice to say that the magic is still there. I'll hopefully bring more news on this in the weeks to come.

The weekend was dedicated to my 2 favourite sports, with a trip to watch the Bulls in Hull on Friday (we lost, and it rained a lot), followed by stock cars in Birmingham Saturday and Belle Vue Sunday. The Brum trip set a new record for average speed cameras on the M6, with a total of 5 (!) between Manchester and the Second City...throw in a road closure on the way back, and it left me wondering how much more of the M6 it's possible to dig up.

This week:

I've no gigs this week but will be rehearsing and hopefully finding some time to write and record.

And now.....

It's time for.....My A to Z of music!!

Yes...you may remember my ramblings about curation of music last week, well it all starts here :) So stand by for more ramblings as I delve into the archive of music past and present, but mainly past, as I explained last week. To keep things organised, I'm starting at A, with Z scheduled to be reached in about 90 years' time.

1) A-HA: I remember A-Ha the first time around, when their posters covered teenage girls' walls and they were big, really big. As the years went on they were not so big, but then big again thanks to the old Slumdog do-da featuring their finest song.
They've also kept releasing new good quality material, no resorting to covers here. And whilst they'll probably never top the dizzy heights of 'Take On Me' and 'The Sun Always Shines On TV' (this being the finest song I was referring to) they do still have melody, atmosphere and falcettos in abundance.
In fact, it was their latest album 'Foot Of The Mountain' that got this project of mine underway. It got me thinking how I'd like to know more of their songs, as I only owned their first album. So, one double-CD greatest hits album later, I'm pleased to report I'm still hooked.

As a keyboard player with a love for the 80s that goes back, well, to the 80s, it's almost inevitable that I'm still drawn to this sound. It's like a thinking mans Duran Duran. The lyrics are often dark and subtle, they are Norwegian after all. It's hard to believe the band is around 25 years old now. That's a lot of albums under the bridge. From the brilliant opening album 'Hunting High And Low' there's then 'Scoundrel Days' which is less good but still contains 'Manhattan Skyline' which is powerful synth pop at it's best. Then there's the Bond theme 'Living Daylights', and then later stuff such as 'Summer Moved On' and the new album highlights 'Foot Of The Mountain' and 'Shadowside'. There's melodies that move me right through and even though I'd have to drop the keys a few octaves, there remains the possibility of cover versions in the future....

2) THE ANIMALS: Changing direction a little here, I listened to a 'best of' album and it confirmed one thing beyond any doubt: Eric Burdon has one of the best rock voices of all-time!
This is how a singer should sound, end of story. Then there's the organ playing. Actually Alan Price is appearing in Brighouse at Easter, I wish it was on a night I was free to go and watch. I discovered some real gems in this collection, aside from the very obvious ones. There's a narrative song about Bo Diddley that I think will end up on my mp3 player, and also some searing vocals on most of the tracks. Unlike virtually every other musician, I still have time for 'House Of The Rising Sun' too. I've never actually covered it, not over-heard it, and remain quite excited about it. Maybe now is the time to change that, maybe I should get out more. Either way I hope you'll join me next week for more classics, by artisits beginning with the letter A!!

I'm a Curator...

2010-03-16T14:50:00.002Z

In a recent blog, I was talking about the results of a survey I'd read in which it was possible to categorise people into 4 broad groups when it comes to music. These range from the very enthusiastic to the not-at-all enthusiastic, with about 75% of the population more towards the latter.

The book I read this in, 'Nets, Blogs and Rock n Roll' by David Jennings, is proving to be a very interesting read. Further to the above I discovered that the survey had sub-groups for these categories too. One of these sub-groups at the top end (very enthusiastic music lovers) were called 'Curators'.

As I read the description of a Curator, I got this eary feeling that I recognised the person it was describing.... me! See what you think of this:

"They tend to rely on old trusted musical choices rather than engage with anything new or emerging- as a result, they now look backwards to fill the gaps in their collection rather than forwards to discover new music." "They sound like curmudgeonly-before-their-time men in middle youth...."

Well it's nice to know I'm not alone!!

It's true, I admit it, I find it hard to relate to new music, unless it's by an old artist releasing a new album, which I don't suppose really counts. I've never been one to follow fashions, in fact I react adversly to new trends and run in the opposite direction. At the height of the Brit-pop boom of the mid-90s I was in my late teens, peak age for following fashions. At this time my favourite group was Genesis.

You only need to take one look at my myspace page to see where I fit in, or don't fit, as the case may be. I don't care: my influences are my choice and I'm not going to compromise them to fit in. Sometimes it can be hard work though, especially in Britain. Touting for local gigs using myspace, I've occasionally come up against a promoter probably half my age, who clearly can't abide the idea of puttting an old fart like me on the bill. Venturing further around local band's myspace pages, I see long lists of influences I've never heard of, plus the obligatory mention of Nick Drake, or Johnny Cash.

Start mentioning Elton John and Phil Collins in that company and you're in big trouble! The North-West music scene has a big problem with these sort of names. I know from first-hand experience that it's probably better to keep quiet when they start on about musical tastes, or maybe mumble the name 'David Bowie' just to keep them off my back. Me and a music collegue call it 'Cheese Tolerance', in most cases there's is set way below mine.

When I was at Music College it was a similar tale. I remember once being scolded by a fellow-student for liking my 'dad's music'. What she didn't know is that my dad likes a lot more new acts than I do!

Also the occasion springs to mind when I did a gig in Leeds and I got talking to another act on the bill. I was waxing lyrical about Bryan Adams' music. Only later did I realise he'd said 'Ryan Adams'.

So there you have it. Old before my time in middle youth. I also prefer older women, but that's another matter.

The curating side of me involves seeking out lots of old releases. I'm trying to find out where it all came from. I'm also looking for songs to cover, or influences to include in future songwriting and producing. Next week I plan to start sharing some of my curating with you in this blog. A few notes about the albums I've been listening to of late, and I'll share a few songs you might like to check out. They'll all likely be crusty old artists who've sold a lot of records. People of North-West England, you have been warned!!

So much to do, so little time!

2010-03-09T15:31:00.002Z

After playing Mr Foleys (that's a bar in Leeds, not a person) last Monday I haven't done a gig since, but I've been so busy it's hardly been noticed. I've spent 10 years trying to do more gigs, then a few more, and if there was another day spare, maybe another one. I'm now enjoying the reverse process just as much!

I haven't been blogging all the evolutions of my career 'plan' but to summarise briefly I've arrived at the decision to do less gigs and to make live promotion more of a component of what I'm doing in total, rather than a whole issue on it's own. Moreover, it's about doing the right sort of gigs, the right ones for me. So if there were seven great gigs to be had every week I'd still be there. But I'm not so enthused these days about doing the wrong kind of gigs. You know, those where a few more brain cells get left behind each time!

The Stock Car season has started too. Which means I'm more inclined to pursue that particular hobby than do more gigs as well. This weekend just gone I was in Kings Lynn on Saturday and then overnighted there before moving on to Skegness on Sunday. I visit all the best places :) Especially in March when none too warm....bloody freezing in fact. I've always questioned the sanity of mountaineers, but standing out at the opening Skegness meeting of the season is probably quite similar! At least it didn't rain this time.

I've always enjoyed watching sport. I follow Rugby League too. And this weekend it fell that the Bulls played on Friday night, and that was a very exciting game! We won of course, which is why I can now call it 'exciting' instead of 'crap' (no matter how exciting) if we'd lost.

Anyway, I digress. This week I'm playing solo at The Hop in Wakefield on Thursday night (11th), which will be a full set of covers and originals. I'm also working on some exciting new projects which will come to fruition in the fullness of time...in between standing outside in Lincolnshire.

2010-03-02T15:02:00.002Z

So we're finally into March. It seems to have been a terribly long time in coming this year, so thank Heavens it's not a leap year, or it would have been even longer. We've finally got a bit of sun even though it's still cold enough to snow at night. I'm just hoping it stays somewhere near fine for the all-important first Stock Car meetings of the new season this weekend! I don't mind wrapping up warm, but please: no snow, gales or floods or anything else that might lead to it being cancelled. So much has had to be re-scheduled due to weather this year already that I might just go spare if this goes the same way. I've been looking forward to it for a while you see :)

Speaking of adverse weather, my heart goes out to those in Chile and in France as yet again fate shits on the planet from a great height. I have a friend with family in Chile who remain uncontactable. It doesn't bare thinking about.

I was playing at Mr Foleys in Leeds last night, another new venue for me. It's located on the Headrow opposite the Town Hall, which means it's a bugger to even unload, let alone park. I took to driving down the pavement on the Headrow (a surreal experience) in order to pull up outside the front door and load in.

The gig is good for me though, there's virtually no paid work on a Monday night, or for that matter anywhere else in Leeds (!), and it's a nice relaxing bar. I played 2 sets mixing covers and originals as per usual and I was quite pleased with how it went. I'd also like to say a big thank you to the New Inn 'crew' who came along to support me, it means a great deal.

I hear that The Primrose is to close down. That's a real big loss to musicians everywhere, but especially locally at grass roots level. I was just planning on doing some more open mic stuff and the Primmy, with it's big PA, would have been one of my first ports of call. Now it seems it's gone the way of many other pubs, and alledgedly it's for the same stupid reason as why we now see so many derelict rotting pubs in the area.

More gig news to follow, if there's anywhere else left to play!!

A philosopher speaks...

2010-02-23T14:59:00.002Z

The band was back out this past week, on Friday night at The Hop in Wakefield. This was our third visit and it's a case of 3 out of 3 good gigs really. The main thing that helps is that the pub gets busy-this is not always the case these days!- also the positioning of the stage makes the band hard to ignore, and people do tend to get involved and enjoy themselves.

This then leads to the band enjoying themselves even more, and it makes the sometimes tough job of hitting the high notes and running about far easier. You may think that a rock band in a pub would be hard to ignore, but believe me some people try!

So all in all a very good night again in Wakefield. There's a few things changing on the gig front for me at the moment. The band has been my main thing certainly for the past 2 years, but I'm feeling that as a means of promoting what I'm doing it's definetly not the easiest! It's time consuming, energy sapping work, and the rewards are skant in comparison to the effort put in. If every gig was anything like as good as The Hop it would be no problem, but of course many aren't so good and that can get you down.

So the band will be being scaled back considerably this year, maybe to the point of going into hibernation, but that's not definiete yet. (it's been a long winter!). It could be that it carries on on a more casual 'fun' basis without the same emphasis placed on progress and world domination and such like. I have to admit I'm not sure yet.

This brings in the wider issue of how much gigs help to further what I'm doing in general. And that includes all gigs, not just the band. I recently read an article in which the results of a survey were very revealing. The survey was of people's musical habits and interests and it shows that all of us can largely be put in one of four categories:

Savants, Enthusiasts, Casuals and Indifferents. The four ranging from people for whom music is everything (also known as insiders and curators) to those for whom it means very little (to quote from the survey: 'Would not lose much sleep if music ceased to exist).

And here's the bad news (to quote a well-known music publicist): That bottom group of couldn't care less folk make up 40% of the population. The casuals make up 32%, meaning that only a quarter of us are in the music-lover division. So on a typical night, that's 3 out of 4 of you heading for the door!

But it gets worse. That's assuming there's a broad cross-section of society at the gig. Of course that's never normally the case. So there may well be an audience made up of 90% from the bottom two categories. That's daunting especially if the audience numbers less than 10 to start with!

Cover bands aim for the 'Casuals' as well. But for original music, those top two sectors are vital. So which category do you fit into?

It's comforting to know that there's some statistics to back up all these years I've been braying my head against a brick wall. It's also fascinating stuff. If I'm ever to get a following I'm going to need to bear some of this in mind. And where can I target and hone in on those categories best??

On the interweb, and not in the local free entry boozer.

It makes you think doesn't it.

2010-02-16T12:42:00.003Z

No gigs last week, so it falls to me to open the blog out a bit and talk about something else. Not that I'm complaining about not having any gigs in a week, it's no longer quite such a priority to be out all the time. I've done enough of that lately!

It was my mum's birthday yesterday, it was one of those landmark ones, somewhere between 59 and 61. We had a party on Saturday night. In fact, I tell a lie about gigs, because I played one song at that! Everybody wanted me to do more, but I just did one. I wish every 'gig' was like that! I played Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn, as it's one of her favourite songs. We had a superb evening, with lots of family and friends present, some who we haven't seen in a long long time, in one case 20 years! It got me thinking more and more about how important it is to keep in touch with people. There are enough idiots in life to make it all the more important to keep aquainted with those who you get on with to start with!

I wish I saw more of these people, we're not a close family geographically but when we do get together we tend to pick up from where we left off last time.

So that was another Saturday night where I did as I pleased, instead of playing a paid gig that I probably wouldn't have enjoyed as much. I've spent years not having what you'd call normal weekends, and now I'm enjoying having them. For a long time, my weekend started on Monday and lasted til Friday, which was very nice, but a totally different routine. Then I've had busy weeks followed by very busy weekends. And that just makes you knackered. So it's nice to have a weekend I can call mine. In fact, this one coming up isn't much different. My band is playing at The Hop in Wakefield on Friday night but then the rest is clear.

GREATEST HITS MEDLEY ON MYSPACE

If you click onto my myspace page, you will find that the first song on my player is now a compilation of 5 songs, faded in and out in snippets of about 45 seconds each. This is available to download for free and includes excerpts from the songs 'Cold Cold Day', 'Young, Lost And Hopeful', 'Your Shadow', 'Money From The Satisfied Man' and 'It Will Pass'. The download is really aimed at newcomers to my music, so that you can have a broad overview of what I've done without having to trawl through full-length songs. But, seeing as all you blog readers are avid converts with full collections, you won't need to bother with this, will you? will you...

2010-02-09T12:20:00.002Z

Another week, another couple of gigs. I haven't done quite as many lately (plus one or two were cancelled) but they seem to be going pretty well when they do happen. On Saturday night the band was out at the Royal Oak at Paddock and then it was onto Greetland on Sunday night for a solo set.

Greetland (not Greenland) is near Halifax and the Rose & Crown stands on the main road heading uphill to the moors. They're making a real go of live music there and that is always to be credited. This night was run by LiveSpace, of whom you will know about from Hebden Bridge if you've followed past blogs...they're now running singer-songwriter nights at 3 venues in Calderdale which is fantastic and long may it continue.

I played a 40 minute set of mainly originals and the response was pretty good, especially considering this was the first LiveSpace night there. An original material night is not always easy to pull off but a lot more rewarding when it does work! I urge everyone in the area to get behind these nights and give some support, there's so many talented musicians out there, and I sometimes play as well!

Check out the LiveSpace myspace site for more info!

SONG OF THE WEEK: Included in my set on Sunday night was 'I Can't Believe The News', one of my oldest and dearest songs, which was written in 1998 but then re-recorded for the Love Town album in 2006. Please take a listen if you get a moment!

One Step From The Lash...

2010-02-01T12:47:00.005Z

There's always a new experience to be had when playing gigs. Sometimes it's a new town or venue, then sometimes it's an event you never foresaw. On Friday night, just after coming off stage, I was confronted with the bizarre sight of our drummer being whipped by a lady with said implement, in the vain hope we'd play another song. Audiences are getting more violent these days...

This was at the brilliant Cricketers Arms in Keighley, definetly one of our best venues. We'd played a good set to an enthusiastic crowd, then came the drummer lashing. OK, don't get too carried away, it was only a light tickling but the question still remains: what was this lady doing carrying a 4 foot whip around Keighley in the first place ?! I think it's better we don't know.

The following night I had another new experience, my first ever gig in Todmorden. This one was a solo set which came about via the Hole Note/Hole In The Wall people in nearby Hebden Bridge. The venue was the 3 Wise Monkeys on Water Street, and it was a really enjoyable night. As with the Cricketers, they have a PA system: other venues PLEASE take note!! I played two sets of mainly covers, to a good crowd. It was rather like the Zephyr Bar crowd, a good mix of ages, no idiots, and an encouraging response. So I'm really happy with how the weekend's gigs went. There's been some fairly lacklustre ones lately, so it was something of a relief. And for the record, not a whip in sight in Todmorden!

SONG OF THE WEEK:

The new Song Of The Week is Lost In Love Town, the title track from worldwide-selling* first album, which was also called Lost In Love Town.

So far, each week I've featured a song from my back catalogue, the track in question has reached a new high on the soundclick charts, which is based on song plays (streams). So please do have a play of the song by clicking the link on the title above. It's another of my favourite songs.

*= I make no mention of the quantity :)

Gigs this week......

Band at The Royal Oak in Paddock, Huddersfield (6th)
Solo at The Rose & Crown, Greetland, Halifax (7th) - this one being with LiveSpace featuring other acts.

The rugby season starts on Friday...only a month to the start of the stock car season, is winter finally loosening it's grip?!

2010-01-26T15:45:00.002Z

Friday night was my first full solo gig of the year, at The Plough near Normanton. It's long been a favourite venue of mine, and the band has also done about 4 gigs there over the past couple of years.

There was supposed to be another act performing but on the night I did the full show, playing a handful of originals and the usual mixed selection of covers.

It was a fine night, and I got quite a good reception, even playing on for a few extra songs at the end of the night. This week the band is back in action at another very good venue, The Cricketers Arms at Keighley, so we shall see how that one goes!

SONG OF THE WEEK

The latest Song Of The Week has just gone online on myspace (as of Tuesday 26th), which is Whiskey Coloured World. The track may well be familiar to some of you, but if not please have a listen, and if yes-please play it anyway!

Whiskey Coloured World

2010-01-18T12:41:00.003Z

I finally managed to get out on the road on Thursday to play at the beautiful Verve Bar in Leeds. By this stage, Friday night at Hoagys with the band had already fallen by the wayside so this was my only gig of the week.

I always enjoy Verve. It has a good PA, and a good following, set in a small, intimate room. I was on first, and played 6 songs. I felt I could have got more out of the audience, but it's always hit and miss. I was fairly pleased with the set, and as this is more the kind of gig I'll be doing this year, it was a good marker for the road ahead.

Just to keep you informed, this week's Song Of The Week is now featured: 'Hell Freezes Over' is one of my most popular live tracks as performed with The Paul Jeffery Band. You can also view a youtube video of the song (with the band) here.

2010-01-12T14:27:00.002Z

The snow curtailed much of last week's activity. It's amazing how much a change in weather can affect your routine. Coming so soon after Christmas, it's meant that things haven't really returned to normal yet. We had to cancel my band's gig at the Duck and Drake in Leeds due to snow, and then the following night (Friday) I was meant to see Paul Carrack at the Brighouse Ritz, but this too was frozen out.

On Saturday night I opted for the safer option of staying indoors playing Wi sports with some friends. I don't personally own one of these things but it's great fun, I'm still aching a bit, it shows how little exercise I get. Who knows, it could be 'Guitar Hero' next. Then again, Hell may freeze over...

The great thaw has now begun, so there's a chance of completing some gigs this week: Thursday solo at Verve and Friday (band) at Hoagys's. Both in Leeds.

YOU TUBE VIDEOS!

I've recently launched my own youtube channel, which features all the videos involving my music that I've been able to pool together so far. There's several of my band performing at Wills O'Nats last August, plus previously blogged films of 'I Don't Need' and 'Money From The Satisfied Man'.

So, if you've never seen my band, and are of a strong constitution, please have a look at the link below. Please also feel free to leave a comment or two.

Paul Jeffery YouTube Page

Highlights include:
* My Band performing original songs live, including 'Even', 'Hell Freezes Over' and 'Old Wishing Well'.

* My solo performance of 'Money From The Satisfied Man'

* The Final Fantasy X fan video of 'I Don't Need'

* My Band performing covers of songs such as 'White Room' by Cream and 'Lola' by The Kinks

Cold Cold Day...

2010-01-05T14:19:00.003Z

No sooner have we surpassed New Years Day and it's snowing heavily again and everything has ground to a halt!

The snow arrived just after the last blog, and this heralded the cancellation of my band's gig at The Bridge in Huddersfield. This would have been the last of 09. The first of 2010 has already taken place with our gig at The Kings Arms on January 1st.

I must just mention the fantastic experience of playing at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool just before Christmas. This was with Atlanta Soul and at last means I can brag about playing a venue people have heard of! It was a bit surreal, loading in through a back door and up in a service lift. But once inside I realised what a superb venue it is and I thoroughly enjoyed playing on a big stage through a big sound system!

As I mentioned, it's snowing again and so it will remain to be seen how the next few gigs go, if they go ahead at all.

Speaking of the snow, what better song to be the first Song Of The Week this year than 'Cold Cold Day'?! This is the original version that I produced and is the opening track on my first solo album 'Lost In Love Town'. This is the same song, but a different arrangment, to the recently featured Cold Day (Catt Mix).

2009-12-15T12:36:00.004Z

The New Inn at Barwick-in-Elmet was my latest gig on Sunday night. I've played there on Sunday nights now for 3 years and it's been a very good, consistant venue. I get to play to a small but appreciative audience and can therefore escape the rigours of playing covers to order and can play a)more of my own songs and b)covers I want to play, some of them a little more obscure!

So Sunday was as good as normal and one of my quests in the near future is to find more venues of this kind. Small, intimate solo gigs where there is at least a modicum of interest in listening to singer-songwriters. I don't know if there are lots more or whether this is indeed a rare gem. If anyone can recommend more venues with appreciative audiences please do let me know!

I've spent most of this year and indeed 2008 pushing my band which has meant sometimes having to play venues not best suited to what I'm doing. We end up playing more covers, which is fine if they're appreciated, but when they're done just to stop the audience from switching off altogether, then it can become hard work.

The two recent Hebden Bridge gigs, plus Sunday, have inspired me to start look more closely at what other local singer-songwriters are doing. From their myspace sites, most seem to be doing some gigs, and I wonder how many of their gigs are where I need to be, rather than on the crusty old covers circuit I've done for the past 10 years. Either way, for my 'art' to grow and survive, I need to be playing at places where the public want to listen-it's a slow road to progress down but we shall see.

I think this will be the final blog of 09, so just let me say a big thank you to all who have continued to support what I'm doing. We've managed to keep the recession at bay and continue to progress. It's been a busy year but a fairly fruitful one.

*This week's Song Of The Week: 'Life'

Tales from Hebden Bridge (Part 2)!

2009-12-08T14:31:00.004Z

On Sunday night (Dec 6th) I finished off my 2 week tour of Hebden Bridge, well- I've played there the last 2 Sundays anyway. This one was the Hole Note Acoustic Club upstairs in The Hole In T'Wall pub, and I was doing the main booked 'guest' slot.

I love the ambience of the room, complete with a range of comfy sofas and with the lights down low. People listen to the artists (most of them anyway!) and I felt I held people's attention during my set. This featured the debut of my Marc Cohn cover 'Dance Back From The Grave', complete with Hole Note host Craig on muted trumpet, it sounded superb! I played several of my own songs too including 'You Never Understood' off the new album. All in all another night I will go back to soon, the rest of the performers were all very interesting and the standard, for what is essentially an open mic night, was excedingly high.

There should be some photos to follow soon too!

Speaking of photos, check out the ones from last Sunday at B@R Place. I'm also using one of them as my default pic on myspace. BAR Place photos

HOW TO HEAR ALL MY SONGS PLUS MY 'SONG OF THE WEEK'

Introducing my new player which enables you to play any song from my back catalogue. That's 45 (!) songs, in full, to stream for free. Here it is!!

SONG OF THE WEEK

With such a big back catalogue, people often ask me which songs I would recommend they play. It's impossible for me to narrow it down to a favourite so what I've decided to do is focus on one song per week, and for the first week the song is:

COLD COLD DAY (CATT MIX)

Each week I'll do a bit of promo and blurb about one song. Starting with the above one. The first one I'm choosing is down near the bottom of the list: number 43. It was recorded in 2006 and is Ian Catt's remix of 'Cold Cold Day'. Ian Catt is a well-known producer, perhaps most noted for his work with St.Etienne, whom he also plays bass for. In addition to myself, Paul F and Sally Rivers, Ian plays bass and additional guitars on this version.

This Sunday (13th) I have another gig at the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet, which is near Cross Gates, off the A64, heading out of Leeds. It's a beautiful village with a huge maypole! It is also of course one of my most regular solo venues and I'll be playing the full night, starting approx 9pm.

Tales from Hebden Bridge and How To Join My Mailing List

2009-12-01T12:44:00.005Z

Sunday night at Hebden Bridge was an uplifitng experience for me, despite the lousy weather! As I mentioned last week, I was playing for LiveSpace's showcase at Bar Place. My 25 minute set was brought forward so I was all done by 9pm. I enjoyed playing particularly Broken Dreams for the first time, as well as other new album songs 'Nobody Said' and 'Free Freedom'.

It's amazing how, if the set is only short, the 'added value' of the gig goes up. I can safely say this was the first gig where I've ever been given a free lead, a mic cable! Ironic, as I'd only recently replaced a broken one...if only I'd known. Still, as any musician knows, these things always come in handy. Unless you're an acoustic act, or you mime.

I also secured another booking, plus there's some photographs on the way, which judging by the snapshots on the camera display, looked very good indeed.

So all in all a very useful night and I'm back in Hebden Bridge this Sunday at another acoustic night, at the Hole In The Wall. This time I'm the 'headliner' doing about 40 minutes. Needless to say I'm looking forward to it. Let's hope the River Calder holds up.

The night is called 'The Hole Note Acoustic Club', here is their myspace site.

There's two other gigs this week with the band doing the Malt Shovel, Drighlington on Friday and then another solo gig at Moorlands, Ogden on Saturday. The latter will be busy as there's a party and DJ booked also, I'll be playing more of a covers set for that one.

JOIN MY MAILING LIST!

If you would like to join my mailing list (which is by email of course) and receive news, links and free content all you have to do is click the link below!

JOIN THE MAILING LIST

Click the above link, and in the grey box enter your email address, then click subscribe.

You will then be sent a confirmation email from my provider, where you simply click another link to activate. This is just to ensure you are allowing me to send you emails.

*You will receive a free mp3 download when you join!! This song is not available for free on the internet.*

I look forward to talking to you and sending you many happy emails!

NEW ALBUM RELEASE: NOW ON SALE!

2009-11-24T12:35:00.004Z

NEW ALBUM: DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

The album has actually been out a few weeks, but the first batch sold out faster than expected (no, honestly, it's true!). So I've delayed announcing on here until more CDs could be shipped.

So now without further delay, here is the link for the new album:

NEW ALBUM

A bit about the album:
It contains 12 songs, 10 are new ones of mine, plus 2 cover versions. The CD also has a colour booklet containing the song lyrics. On the above link you can preview a 30 second-ish sample of each song.

Please don't forget, as mentioned last week, you can also purchase the album in mp3 format from the same page. You can also simply tick the songs you want and just purchase a few selected songs from the album as mp3s. Just one song if you wish!

For a very recent review of the album: click here

The album is priced at $12.97, which is about £7.75 at the moment, plus postage & packing. If you live in a Euro country, the rate is very favourable for you! There is a special discount of 20% for purchasing more than one copy!
You will need a login and password for the site, which is free, just like you would for sites such as ebay.

This week:

I had a quiet time last week, more through necessity than choice. Around Tuesday afternoon I hit 'the wall' a bit and knew that I needed to stop. This led to a few days doing very little. People tend to laugh when I put it down to stress, but that's what it boils down to. Sometimes it can all get a bit too much. Not that I'm blaming anyone else for this, it's down to me over-committing, over-loading and then burning the candle at both ends.

Anyway, that's as it was last week. This week will be back to work, but hopefully not the over-committing, over-loading kind. It's funny how the fans and friends I have on myspace seem to understand how busy I am more than the people around me. I guess it's easier to see it from a distance.

The band was out in Snaith on Saturday night and this Sunday (29th) I've a solo gig with my friends at 'Live Space' who briefly went into hibernation earlier this year but are now back in full swing at Bar Place in Hebden Bridge. There are other acoustic acts booked so it should be a good night.

2009-11-17T12:34:00.006Z

The Paul Jeffery Band was back on the road at the weekend, after a relatively quiet period of a few weeks. I expected to notice the gap over the past few weeks, leaving me more time to do other things, and more energy to do them. I can't say I really noticed the difference! So much rushed in to fill the extra space that as we approached Saturday night, I felt anything but refreshed.

But still, gigging has been the norm over the past 10 years, on most weekends. When I look back I'm constantly amazed by the workload of live shows I've done. I was recently reminiscing about a time when I did 3 or 4 gigs in a week, with various bands, all operating at the same time. I must be getting older.

Anyway I digress. Saturday (14th Nov) saw us back at Lockwood Conservative Club after a great night there in July. I'm pleased to report we had another excellent session this time, with a good response all the way through. The number of positive comments from folk was again inspiring and I'm looking forward to going back there in the new year.

The following afternoon we were back at another regular venue, The Bridge in Huddersfield. This was a bit busier than last time, and with darkness falling earlier now I felt it gave the gig a better atmosphere! Gigs in daylight just aren't quite the same somehow, in any venue, with the possible exception of opening Live Aid or something. That's on next year's 'to do' list.

The New Album Now Available As Digital Downloads (mp3s)

With more CDs currently being shipped (as we speak they are high above the atlantic-it's a big pidgeon), comes the news that my latest album 'Dare To Be Different' is now available to purchase in mp3 format, without the need for a CD!

There are several advantages to doing this:

1) It's cheaper for you! Obviously the most important thing....see number 5 for prices.

2) It removes the need for postage, packaging and courier pidgeons.

3) You can purchase individual tracks, maybe just one or two songs. No need to have all 12 songs, just get the ones you like best. Think of the album as being 12 singles!

4) You can easily put them on your iPOD, in any order you like. Listen to them on the train and annoy other passengers.

5) It's cheaper! Did I mention that? $9.99 for the full album, $0.99 for one song only.

6) By following point 2 you are helping the environment by doing away with packaging and postage. That means less aeroplane pollution and pidgeon droppings.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE DOWNLOADS*

*Simply select the songs you wish by ticking the boxes in the far right hand column. Then click the orange bar bottom right that says 'download selected songs'. To get the whole album click the oragne bar beneath the album title. You will need to sign up to use the site, but this is FREE and QUICK. Very similar to using iTunes or ebay.

The New Album Reviewed + Interview

2009-11-09T12:37:00.002Z

Well, I was right last week. The album became available from the distributor, was released online, and....has now sold out the first batch! Therefore I won't do a blurb about it's release this week, as it's currently out of stock and you won't be able to get it until the next batch is shipped. This won't take long, and we're shipping more this time!

This could be a cunning marketing ploy to get you thinking: 'Shit, it must be good if it's already sold out!', but it is actually true. But still think 'shit, it must be good if it's already sold out!' as that is the case.

So I will give you a couple more tasters this week. Firstly, the album's first review went online a few days ago.

Click here to read the album review.

The review also acts as a good way of telling people what the album is like. It's a lot better than my own descriptions anyway! I'll leave it to the professionals.

Also, as part of the promo, I was interviewed by the reviewer. The result is a great little Question & Answer session, where you can find out lots more about me.

Click here to read the Paul Jeffery interview.

That's about it for now. Just to say the Paul Jeffery Band is back in action this week, at Lockwood Con Club on Saturday, and The Bridge on Sunday Afternoon, the latter starting at 3:30pm.

The New Album Cometh

2009-11-02T11:08:00.004Z

Thank you to everyone who took the time to have a listen to a few of the new songs, courtesy of last week's links (see Previous Posts for last week's blog).

The latest on the album is that it is with the distributor and will be available online within a matter of days. All being well, in next week's blog I will be able to give full details of it's release.

There were no gigs last weekend and it's the same this week. Then the following week there's 3 planned so it's not really a quiet period at all! It certainly hasn't felt that way with all the work being done to promote the album, as well as starting a new project. It's all go.

New Album Songs Now Online For Your Aural Pleasure!

2009-10-26T12:43:00.004Z

HEAR MORE NEW ALBUM SONGS:

All 10 original songs from the new album are now online for you to have a listen. Just click any song-title below to play the songs in full.

1) Nobody Said (click here to download this track for free)

2) Dare

3) One Memory Too Many

4) Broken Dreams

5) I've Got To

6) Maybe

7) You Never Understood

8) Reminders

9) My Heart And My Soul

10)Free Freedom

FREE SONG DOWNLOAD!

Did you notice above there's also a link to download 'Nobody Said' for free? In case you missed it, here it is again.....

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD 'NOBODY SAID' FOR FREE

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

I'd love to know what you think of any of the songs. Perhaps there's one that moves you, or is a favourite for any reason, or perhaps there's one that you can relate to, or reminds you of something or someone. Anything really, but do please feel free to get in touch!

NEW ALBUM, WHERE IS IT??

This is the final stage before the new album is actually released. As we speak, boxes of CDs are making their way over to the distributor in Portland, Oregon. Fly safely please! As soon as things are set-up there, I will of course let you know how to purchase the full album. Over the next few months, the album will also appear on all the top download sites such as iTunes, Napster etc...

ZEPHYR BAR BAND GIG 22/10/09

Another great night for the band (3-piece version) at Zephyr in Huddersfield last Thursday. To me this is the spiritual home of the Paul Jeffery Band, as it's where we did our first gig. The first half was quiet, as was the whole town centre area, but by set 2 we had a great crowd who seemed to enjoy what we did. Given that the other larger town centre bars remained dead, I don't think we did too badly!

2009-10-19T12:41:00.002+01:00

Our one gig last week was cancelled so it was a rare thing: a gigless week! The first, excluding holidays, since May. I expected to be overcome by a feeling of relaxation, and inspiration at all the other jobs I could get done, re-charge the batteries, and dare I say a little bit of relief. What I was actually overcome by was a cold and a feeling of being really tired all week! I think these gigless weeks are over-rated!

I've a confession to make. I went to see Cliff Richard and the Shadows on Wednesday at Sheffield Arena. To American readers that's probably no big deal, but I'm sure there are one or two over here who have just fallen off their seats. My mum is the Cliff fan, always has been, well that's my excuse anyway!! I think I'm getting to the age where it doesn't affect my credibility at all, not that I've ever had much. The show was great, my main pleasure being drawn from seeing Hank Marvin who to me is such a great musician. I could hear every note, and the whole thing was very professional. A little too professional at times, twice Sir Cliff had them re-starting songs due to a bit of feedback. I think perhaps they should have just played on, I know Status Quo would have done!

Other than that, it was another stock car weekend to Birmingham/Northampton, so now I need a rest after that!

The new album, with tracks already streaming on myspace, is just about to go to the distributors, so everything is now in place. I'll also be working on over-hauling this website, and that should make a big difference. But unfortunately, the blog will continue!!

2009-10-12T14:57:00.003+01:00

NEW ALBUM SONGS NOW ONLINE

Come and have a listen!

New Songs From The New Album!

...whilst in the final stages of completing the album ready for release, I've finally been able to upload 4 of the songs for you to listen to. They're all in full and are on my myspace page, just click on the link above to have a listen.

...AND MORE OLD NEW SONGS!

As myspace now allows you to have 10 songs on a page, I've taken the opportunity of giving some other older songs an airing on the site. Songs such as 'There You Are', from my first album, and 'Gods & Angels'- a very popular song from my previous CD.

Please feel free to have a listen and let me know what you think! I've had some great feedback so far, from people all over the place, I always appreciate people having a listen. It's really exciting to unleash some new material onto the internet.

In a short while, all songs from the album will be streamable on the web. There will also be a song available for free download to members of the mailing list. If you would like to be on the list all you have to do is email me.

I did a couple of good gigs last week. On Thursday it was Verve in Leeds, which of all the times I've played there now (quite a few!), this was my favourite session. It was a full and very warm crowd, who listened to the songs too. There were even people sat cross-legged on the floor which reminded me of late 60s footage of Joni Mitchell and suchlike. Anyway, a thoroughly enjoyable gig, and the response was very positive.

On Saturday, the band was back out at The Old Pond Inn, in Hove Edge, Brighouse. This was just as good if not better than the New Years Day gig we did there last time. Again, a good response to the originals ('who did that originally?', someone shouted...'I did'), and the whole set was well received.

NEW ALBUM UPDATE

2009-10-05T15:09:00.003+01:00

NEW ALBUM UPDATE

It's been a few weeks so thought I'd write a little more about the new album. As always, the period between finishing the recordings (excitement) and finishing the album covers, inlays etc... (relief) is a bit longer than anticipated.

However I'm glad to say that the first test prints of the album sleeve were succesful so now it really is almost ready.

In case you didn't see the earlier post from a couple of months ago, let me tell you the album contains 10 new songs of mine and 2 cover versions. The covers are of two of my favourite songs, 'The Musical Box' by Genesis and 'In The Lap Of The Gods (Revisited)' by Queen. I can only say I recorded these because I love the songs. I now also have clearance to release these, another reason things have been a bit slow.

The orignial songs are hopefully a bit more cheery than on Seven Shades (!) but there's a good mix of love songs and social comment songs, so it should appeal to a wide range of people.

I will bring more news as soon as the crunch moment arrives, and copies are available. It's likely that the first CDs will be out at upcoming gigs I'm playing. Again, more news to come.

The weekend just gone was busy as usual, with the band playing at Moorlands on Friday and then I did a solo set at the Barwick-in-Elmet beer festival. For the latter gig, my big thanks to Rich for the set, the beer and the programme notes!

2009-09-28T14:28:00.003+01:00

Back to something like normal hectic level last week!

The band made it's first visit over to the Bakers Vaults in Stockport on Friday night. A venue where music is a big part of the nightlife, with several live acts a week. We had a good crowd which, as always, means that the gig is better, and all the songs designed for a big crowd come into their own. It was a good set and, with so many original songs played, very pleasing for me.

On Sunday afternoon we were back on familiar ground at the Bridge in Huddersfield. The pub had just celebrated its 3rd birthday under the current owners the night before-which is great news for a venue that is really supporting the bands. Needless to say there were a few sore heads from their party and the numbers were slightly down for us, but it was still a good run-through for the band which I enjoyed.

I'm still designing the cover for the new album but it's really not too far away now. And thank you also to everyone who has signed up for the new mailing list. Off the back of this, 'Your Shadow' has reached the Top Ten in it's genre on the soundclick site. I can't wait to revamp my page there when the new album is done. To join the mailing list simply click the link above and go to the very bottom of the page-there you can submit your email address!

2009-09-22T12:39:00.002+01:00

Not much to report on this week, unless you want the lowdown on the BRISCA World Final. Ask me if you want, but I warn you you may get bored pretty quickly!

So no gigs last week, just one night out at a Conference in Leeds. This was a meeting regarding the South by South West music convention in Austin Texas. It was extremely well-attended and I always feel re-assured when there are other mad-keen musicians there, taking notes and so on. It reminds me that I'm not the only mad fool around.

I don't think SxSW is for me. Not just now anyway. It's very costly and there's VISAs to consider. Plus every other band, singer, etc.. is there. Is that really a good way to get noticed and stand out from the crowd? I'm not sure it's the best way these days. Plus there's a risk of ending up playing to 2 people, and I can do that pretty well here!

One other development last week, which some of you will know by now, is that I'm switching over to a proper 'management' system for sending out email newsletters. If you're not on the mailing list (shame on you!) then please feel free to email me. The old system involved be bcc-ing everyone from my own personal email address and then re-sending it 500+ times! I know, you're shocked that's how many people are on my mailing list...but it's not a very professional approach.

So now I'll be doing it through soundclick.com, where I already have a lot of my music uploaded.
This means I have to have your permission to send the emails, and thus a confirmation email will be sent to all existing subscribers over the next few weeks. Some have already been sent. It all means that in future the email newsletter will look better and, for once, give off the vibe that I know what I'm doing.

Next week there will be news on the 2 upcoming Paul Jeffery Band gigs. On Friday 25th we're over at the Bakers Vaults, Stockport. Then on Sunday 27th in the afternoon (3-5pm) we're at The Bridge in Huddersfield. If you can't wait until next week for the news, then come to the gigs themselves!

2009-09-15T12:38:00.003+01:00

2 gigs in the past week. Fernandes Brewery Tap returned to the scene last Thursday for a solo gig, this time playing in the downstairs 'kellar'. It's a great facility, just not very busy I'm afraid, in keeping with the majority of Ossett Brewery gigs! In fact, I ended up playing to nobody which is never a good feeling. This coupled with the fact it was supposed to be a 'trad blues' night meant it was really one to forget. The one consolation being that there was no-one there to complain that I wasn't a Trad Blues artist!

Friday was one of our regular band venues, the Kings Arms at Heaton. Not a bad night, but the noise detector is a bit of a pain. These devices aren't representative of how loud a band actually is. They're more representative of peaking frequencies, particularly when the vocal is un-compressed and has such a vast dynamic range. Playing a gig with a noise meter is a bit like playing Call My Bluff connected to a polygraph. I must point out however that the venue aren't in any way to blame for the need to have a meter, so it's probably a pain in the arse for them too.

Therefore I'm glad to be enjoying a couple of weeks with no gigs! It goes that way sometimes. If only there were more web-based sales, things would be very different. Still, the work of promoting the music must go on and live promotion is still one of the best ways to do this.

I've been working on the cover design for the new album, which is musically now finished. There will soon be tracks to listen to and, in one case, download for free.

In the meantime I'm gearing up for a weekend away at the World Stock Car finals at King's Lynn. This will be spectacular and one I wouldn't miss for anything, even a gig!

2009-09-08T15:13:00.003+01:00

Another heavy week of gigging, which has again delayed progress on the new album, now I know how Pink Floyd felt. (Their albums were always delayed and taking forever, although there the similarities with my career abruptly end).

We start off on Friday at Hoagys in Leeds, with my band playing there for the first time. We had a new drummer for the evening too. Not a bad night, it wasn't overly busy but those that were there had a good time.

On Saturday we had our second innings at the Cricketers Arms in Keighley. (don't worry, that's the end of the cricketing analogies). This is a venue that continues to amaze me. It has sort of crept up on us, a really good venue that until a few months ago I knew little about. Now we've had 2 really good gigs there, and we've only been twice!! Without meaning to offend anyone, and you know I'd never do that on here, Keighley isn't exactly known as a hotspot for a good night out, let alone with live music involved. This venue puts all that straight in one go-it was a superb crowd and it was so easy to feed off that energy. If, as seems likely, we lose one of my favourite venues in Leeds, this one goes a long way towards making up for that.

On Sunday afternoon we played at one of our longest standing venues in Berry Brow, the Railway. It's still a tight squeeze getting in but once in we make a good sound and the crowd are very supportive, including for the original material of which we did 7 of my songs. We generally get a good reception there, in one case a little too enthusiastic. The sight of male nipples is one I don't want to see at too many gigs!

Guy Babylon RIP

I was shocked to hear last week of the sudden death of Guy Babylon, who was Elton John's keyboard player for many years. He was at all the gigs I went to, including one just before Christmas. It's a big big shame, as it seems only too recently that Rick Wright and Billy Preston passed away.

Selling songs off the back of a lorry

2009-09-01T15:52:00.004+01:00

Well, I'm back from my short sabatical on the Isle Of Wight. I'd like to show you some photos but as usual the long-awaited flickr account and photo management of this blog is somewhat behind schedule (by a few years, a bit like the Isle of Wight really). So I'll just tell you a little about where I've been:

Saturday 22nd: Went to Birmingham F1 Stock Car semi-final, the 2 major incidents happened right in front of me. Including the site of Steve Jacklin sliding along on his roof, gouging out the tarmac, a small piece of which hit me on the cheek. I felt like James Tague in Dealey Plaza, glad to be part of the action! (but no blood). Overnight in Bromsgrove, too late for the pub.

Sunday 23rd: Down the M5 to Taunton for Formula 2 stock car semi-finals, (the smaller versions). Great day, best commentator ever at a meeting, and witnessed the legend that is Rob Speak, can't wait for the World Final at Buxton in a couple of weeks. Overnight in Yeovil, beer not bad, no cider.

Monday 24th: Drove across to Portsmouth and got a ferry across. Started my island 'tour' (nothing to do with gigging) in the evening on the south coast, beautiful sunset, shame it had to end in Ventnor.

Tuesday 25th: Continued from Shanklin (very peaceful) to Sandown (very tacky), then virtually every place onto Ryde. Appropriately enough, saw Speedway meeting here that evening. Only 2 hospitalised, great smells!

Wednesday 26th: Started at East Cowes (not so great smells), got 'floating bridge' to Cowes, then onto Newtown-a more beautiful place I can't think of. Yarmouth next, also cracking place-such a contrast to Sandown, much more middle-class. Heard about the death of Ted Kennedy while in a second-hand bookshop. I stayed in Newport, hotel and local pub fine, blocked the toilet once and had to ask embarrasingly for help. Twas a brave person that rectified that situation!

Thursday 27th: Carisbrooke Castle to kill time, home.

There were also gigs just before and after all this fun. Thursday 20th saw the band return to the Fenton. Last time was definetly one of the best shows this year, this time was nearly as good. The crowd in there are superb. They were behind us all the way, and I had another great night. Please give me more gigs like this!

On the bank holiday weekend just gone, we played at The Wills O'Nats (Meltham) 'festival' with 3 bands playing on the back of a truck. It was a shame the weather didn't smile on us, though the sheer mention of the words 'outdoor gig' seem to cause this to happen! Not a great occasion mainly due to the rain. The following day I did a solo gig in Rodley at the Barge, again....on the back of a lorry! I was beginning to see a pattern emerging here. This one went better as the rain waited until I finished rather than during the set and I was proud of my 'thank you Wembley...sorry, Rodley' closer, though no-one else seemed too bothered. Glad to say the festival was well-attended, and that with me going on first when it's usually not too busy.

So we're now into September, and a mere 3 gigs to do this week. All my band, Leeds Friday, Keighley Saturday, Huddersfield Sunday afternoon.

2009-08-18T14:16:00.002+01:00

Two gigs meant things were slightly less strenuous last week, but still as always plenty to do! We were back in my birthtown on Friday night at the Bridge Tavern in Bradford. This pub still has three bands on a week (and we're told live music is struggling!) and for me this was our best night so far here, even though we've played it a fair few times over the years.

Saturday was a change of scene with our first visit to Lindley Liberal Club, over-looked by the famous Clock Tower which has a bell louder than the band!! We got a nice response and it's always good to have a stage to work from, making it feel more like a proper performance.

On Sunday I was gig-free, so went down to the Galpharm to watch my beloved but struggling Bulls take on Wembley-bound Huddersfield (bastards). I'm talking about Rugby League if you're not following. How nice it was to take a rare win so Sunday was a rather pleasing day all round!

In and around all this excitement I've been doing a few other things. Top of the list of course is the new album, for which the penultimate track was completed last week, leaving the last one to mix. I have the artwork and then it's onto the final listen throughs. These will either be moments filled with pride or panic depending on what it all sounds like! There's usually a few things to adjust but nothing major, I hope.

I've also been continuing my promotion of the Paradise Street album, Catharsis. If you're not familiar with my female songs project you can find out all about it here. This has been the first album I've fully promoted online and I've learnt a lot. I've also made some great contacts particularly in the podcasting world where tracks have been featured several times. As usual with anything done for the first time, there is a lot of trial and error involved as I sift through my 'bible' of online contacts. When it comes to promoting my new album the groundwork will have been complete so I will know not to send it to, for example, a Live 365 station that specialises in Thrash Metal!

So there you have it, the new album will NOT be thrash metal. Other than that, all will be revealed pretty soon!

One last thing to mention is that the band will be back at The Fenton in Leeds this Thursday (20th) at 9pm. Last time we had a great night there so I'm looking forward to going back.

There'll be no blog next week as I'm taking a short break. You will find a way to cope.

If Carlsberg did music venues...

2009-08-11T12:39:00.004+01:00

...then they'd probably be something like the Boot & Shoe in Ackworth!

Let's start positive this week. The Paul Jeffery Band made it's debut at the above venue on Friday and what a refreshing change it was in some respects. Sure, the crowd was pretty good and the gig went down well, but the facilities for bands....wow!!

In what is essentially a pub venue, the same as most others we do, we found that the venue had it's own PA (a proper full-range one), own lights, smoke and a stage. Then there was the icing on the cake in the form of the load-in: open a door and step straight onto the stage. I nearly forgot to mention the drum riser. No wonder so many bands want to play there, and they have a live band 3 nights a week!

I know these things may sound like fairly basic requirements for a gig but they are so rarely found all in order in most of the places we play. Virtually no venues have their own PA system for example. When we use our own, I have to take some responsibility for the sound. This is a thankless task as anyone who has done it will tell you! So having someone else to twiddle the nobs, plus the fact we don't have to carry the damn thing around, is a MAJOR plus point at a gig for me!

With all these things in place, it's easier to turn the gig into a 'show'. And our setlist is aimed at doing just that. So the whole thing is lifted several degrees before we've even played a note. OK, there were some calling out for Van Halen at the end of 'White Room', but even this turned into the champagne moment of the night as I was able to play the hackneyed synth intro of 'Jump' in the middle of 'Hell Freezes Over'! Listen to the song, when it gets to the end of the instrumental it just fits perfectly. Oh how we laughed.....if only said hecklers were still in the room when we did it!

So overall, a fanstastic night and a fanstastic venue. Take me back there please!!

The previous night of another busy week saw me back at The Hop doing a solo set this time. Whilst the audience weren't overly keen on clapping and listening, the night went pretty well and it's nice to see so many events happening at this place, long may it continue.

It was a shame Saturday night followed on from the Boot & Shoe, as the gig at the Bell & Crown in Snaith was rather disappointing. We didn't get much of a reception, just a couple of beer mats thrown, unlike the previous two visits where we had a very good crowd. Still, can't win them all!

I sent out a very short ezine last week to all the mailing list letting them know the album will be on it's way soon. I now have the artwork and all the parts are recorded. I'm still finalising the mixes (or tinkering as it's also known) so there should be more news on this soon.

2009-08-03T20:13:00.002+01:00

Another very hectic week has concluded, with 3 more gigs to talk about. These started on Wednesday (29th) with the Paul Jeffery Band's third visit to Harrys Bar in Wakefield, this being the first time we'd done the more regular Wednesday night slot. This is just the sort of night I like as a musician. An 'unusual' night for a gig, with a good following for live music. We've been well-received here before and this time was, if anything, the best so far. The gig coincided with an art exhibition which drew in some more people. My throat was not at it's best all last week (recovering just after the conclusion of the week's gigs!), but this will be long forgotten after what was a very good night for the band.

Thursday saw me hopping over the Pennines (no passport required) to play at the Bakers Vaults in Stockport. This is a good music venue and the band will be playing there in September. The night was very quiet but I played a couple of sets to an appreciative crowd. There was then another solo gig on Sunday night at my regular New Inn at Barwick-in-Elmet. Where is Barwick-in-Elmet? It's just off the A64 out of Leeds heading for York, before the M1 link roundabout. It's a beautiful village and for once it wasn't raining so it was nice to drive over there, this not always the case with all gigs! I've got used to playing to the regular followers there, and I hope they've got used to me too. This time there were some 'newcomers' and this made for a great atmosphere in the small music room. I played a large number of originals, and also some requests (if I knew them). Well, all the people I didn't recognise stayed well into the night, so I think that must count as a success-I usually try and scare a few of them away!

In between all this excitement, on my night off on Friday....I went to a pub to watch a band. Just for a change! This was the Uplifters Ska band who are from Manchester, featuring my good friends John and Gaston. They were playing nearby in Wyke so I went along and found myself in a packed pub watching a band! There, it can still happen! I really enjoyed their set. On Saturday night it was strictly Stock Cars in Coventry where I drove down a flooded M1 but thankfully the night stayed dry. A great atmosphere for the first world semi-final, and 'm looking forward to the second one in Birmingham soon.

This week sees another 3 gigs with the first being solo on Thursday (6th) at The Hop in Wakefield. This being their acoustic night. Then it's back to the band for the 7th & 8th at Ackworth and Snaith respectively.

Until then, enjoy the British summer!

At the Hop, Hop, Hop-Hop-Hop

2009-07-27T12:44:00.002+01:00

Yes, the Paul Jeffery Band was back at The Hop in Wakefield last Friday (the 24th) for our only show of the week. Last time we were there it was a very good night and, if anything, this time was even better!

The best thing about the Hop is that it gets rather busy, and an audience is a great help at a gig! Better still, the audience is very knowledgable and so songs such as 'Badge' went down very well. Also our interspertions of various other songs went down very well, none more so than my blast of Neil Young during 'So Lonely'! Even better than that, the beer is first class (I wasn't driving!) and so I would rate this gig very highly. It even felt like summer as well with the window folded back, so we were playing to the people out on the terrace (the outside bit) as well as those inside. That's like a semi-outdoor gig I suppose!

The following night I was working with Atlanta Soul in North Wales at what must surely have been one of the most picturesque venues I've ever done. It helped that it was a pleasant evening with the sun shining down the river Conwy valley. A most beautiful setting for a gig, or anything else for that matter.

Owing to my cold the preivous week, I was struggling to record the last vocals for the new album, so hopefully I can make some headway with that this week, in between the 3 gigs I'm doing!

Of course, as soon as the album is finished, there will be many blogs, bulletins, emails, courier pidgeons and smoke signals sent out.

2009-07-20T12:50:00.003+01:00

With all this talk of Swine Flu (oink) I was a bit concerned to go feeling under the weather last week. It's just a cold, partly induced by a strained throat, if you really wanted to know! But I was a bit relieved when Thursday's gig at the Fenton was cancelled for reasons beyond our control. That show is now re-arranged for Thurs Aug 20th. As always see the myspace site for an upto date giglist.

That left us just one band gig last week on Friday up at the Moorlands in Ogden. It was a typical British summer's day. Yes, torrential rain all day with the wind whipping up over the moors. More like November I thought. I was quite surprised to see how many people had turned out to eat, drink and be entertained on such a filthy night. Things are going pretty well up there!

This was our second visit and followed on from the first with a good response, particularly towards the end of the night. Encours were taken, with more being asked for! I was then talked into doing just one more by a girl who was going to France the following day, and was yet to pack. Quite why this meant she wanted another song I'm not too sure, but it's always nice to be asked-for whatever reason!

With my throat well and truly knackered, it was a good job we weren't working the rest of the weekend. I was off to the Europeans at Northampton. It was another full action-packed weekend, with plenty of summer rain on Sunday. A tiring way to have fun, but you know I wouldn't let that stop me. Now for a bit of rest and hopefully some time to work on new songs (I couldn't obviously record any vocals last week). Then the band is out on Friday at The Hop in Wakefield, another venue becoming very popular for music.

See you next week, and don't let the swines get you down.

2009-07-13T14:51:00.002+01:00

Another hectic week with just the 3 gigs this weekend! My voice is feeling it a bit today, so it's a good job I'm typing this rather than talking to you about it.

Friday saw our long-awaited (by us) return to the Puzzle Hall Inn, Sowerby Bridge. This is the cult music venue that was closed for a period of time last year. Now it's about to celebrate one year since it's re-opening and is fully up and running once more. We played a good set which towards the end of the night had people bouncing off the walls....literally, it's quite small inside! This was mainly thanks to a birthday party who got everybody up dancing about. They were up close and personal towards the end, but after all the gigs over the years where we've played to the proverbial one man and his dog, there seems little point in complaining about a more lively crowd! All said, a good night and we'll be back for more in October. Thanks to Martin for making my job easier by operating the PA system!

Saturday night was my turn on stage left with Atlanta Soul at the Last Drop in Bolton, most people think this is a home gig for me but I've actually never lived there...and I still had to drive home in torrential rain with the M62 about as bad as I can remember it.

Sunday afternoon, having dried out, brought us back to The Bridge in Huddersfield for the first time this year. Feeling like a real working musician, there's something about Sunday afternoon gigs that always makes me feel I've done a hard weekend's work.
Voted 'Music Pub Of The Year' by our local entertainments paper this was I think our best gig here so far. We had a good crowd throughout and didn't shy away from rocking it a bit more, this is a biker's pub after all. In the 2nd set we were joined by some genuine 1950s throwbacks Teddy Boys (and Girls), and while I couldn't quite fit any rock n roll into our set it made for a colourful afternoon. Is there anywhere else in the country where you can find authentic Teds in the town still enjoying good old rock n roll? Or is it something unique to Huddersfield?

The New Album cometh:

In the middle of all these gigs I'm still finding some spare moments to work on the record, with another song mixed last week. I sent out an email to everyone on the mailing list giving it a quick preview last week also, so I'm very excited about putting this one out, as I am with any new album.

Just a note to say the Fenton gig which would have been this Thursday has now been re-arranged for August 20th.

Bye for now.

2009-07-06T14:33:00.001+01:00

Plenty to catch up on after a run of 4 gigs in the last 4 days. This started on Thursday (2nd) with the band at Zephyr Bar in Huddersfield, scene of the PJ Band's first ever gig!

Always a favourite venue, it was a pity the bar (and indeed the whole area in general) was quiet that night. Perhaps it's due to the exodus of students, or because it was a hot day(and a hot night). Perhaps everyone had heard we were playing and decided to stay out of the area!
All the bars on King Street were quiet, and you could tell this by the lesser than usual number of people wandering up and down the road. Whichever way, I thought the band played really well and were well-received. 15 minutes after we finished playing....the bar got quite busy, at just after midnight! Was this coincidence, or just bad luck-perhaps they were all waiting until we finished playing!

Next up was a new venue in Drighlington, the Malt Shovel. I think the band nights are a fairly recent thing there but it seems to be working for them as we had a good, enthusiastic crowd. As I've said before I'm always a bit nervous about a new venue, stepping into the unknown, but this one came up trumps and we're looking forward to returning in October.

Saturday was another new one, the Lockwood&Salford Conservative Club. The last time I played in a conservative club was in 2005 and it very nearly put me off gigging for good! I'm tempted to wind up the people I know will be reading this and say it was rubbish, but that would be a lie: We had a very good night indeed!

Again, not quite knowing what to expect can lead to a more exciting gig. This one went down very well and it was great to see so many people into what we were doing, just dancing, clapping, it all makes such a difference. By the end of the night the place was really buzzing and I think this is currently tieing with the Fenton for the best gig of 2009 so far.

Sunday afternoon rounded things off with my solo slot at the Abbey Inn Festival. The most notable change this year was the addition of a fantastic tent to host the event, not only covering the acts but also the entire audience!

I was the opening act for the Sunday, and it was pretty hot come midday. The crowd was still beginning to arrive but I really enjoyed the set. I got to give 'Brian Wilson' another go, as well as 'Learning To Fly' and several of my own songs. It seems the Abbey festival gets better each year and it's great to see live music supported. I'm told there are many non-regulars who visit the event and this can only be a good thing. I hope some of them come back to support the regular music nights in the area.

This week we have just the 2 PJ Band gigs, with the Puzzle Hall: another cult classic in Sowerby Bridge, on Friday then The Bridge, Huddersfield, on Sunday afternoon.

NEW ALBUM

Now I know even more people are reading the blog, I thought I should mention again that my new album is coming soon! If you would like to receive further news, updates and ramblings, please drop me an email at paul@pauljeffery.com to be added to the mailing list.

2009-06-29T14:33:00.002+01:00

The first week back after a holiday is always pretty hectic. Try as I might, I never seem to come back home completely relaxed and tend to stumble through the week in a state of confusion. I shouldn't complain that things are so busy really, I was just tired.

There was one PJ Band gig on Friday at a new-to-us venue the High Park in Bradley, Huddersfield. It's more known as an eating place and they just do a band once a month. Eateries never seem to make for very good gig venues so I was pleasantly surprised at how well this one went. We got a good reception and handed out a lot of cards! Even the call and response section in 'All Day & All Night' (which sometimes features a call with no response) went very well indeed!

On Saturday I had a nice local gig with Atlanta Soul in Luton! This gig will go down in history as (I think) the only gig I've ever missed the start of! I encountered two serious hold-ups on the M1, both cases of shutting the motorway and in one case- a complete standstill of over an hour and the surreal sight of everyone getting out of their cars and wandering about. I can now say I've eaten my sandwiches in the middle lane of the M1, on foot. Over 6 hours after setting off, I finally arrived in time to play the 2nd set. Then it was back up the M1, this time in the clear, reaching home at 5am with the sun rising in the sky. Just a typical Saturday when you play in a band.

NEW ALBUM ALERT

Yes, it's that time of the year again....I'm about to release details of my new album to the mailing list this week. In case you're not on the mailing list (shame on you) the album is going to be titled 'Dare To Be Different' and is now nearly finished, hopefully in time for release in the coming months. I say 'hopefully' as you never know what might crop up before then but needless to say I'm excited about it and can't wait to have another batch of songs finished for people to listen to.

This week is even busier than normal with 3 band gigs Thurs, Fri & Saturday followed by my regular solo set at the Abbey festival in Bramley on Sunday afternoon. Details of all that and more in next weeks' exciting edition!

The Bells Are Ringing Out

2009-06-22T12:35:00.003+01:00

Avid reader(s) of the blog will have noticed the lack of said blog over the past 2 weeks. The reason, quite simply, was I was on holiday in Spain. I don't like to publicise these things in advance too much. Obviously, I don't want to be pestered by fans in my hotel room and spend the whole trip beseiged by autograph hunters, paparazzi and randy women. Well, I do actually but it's just as well I kept my trip a secret.

Returning to reality for a moment, I can say it was a wonderful break. Particularly Barcelona which I thought was a magnificent place. Madrid perhaps less so as it's not really geared for tourists, but I can now add these and other places such as Toledo, Salamanca and San Sebastian to my list of places visited. The highlight of the visit was definetly the fountain display set to music in Barcelona. The lasers off the top of the town hall putting me in mind of Jean-Michel again. What a superb setting! And just to cap it off, the last piece for the dancing fountains was Freddie and Montserrat's anthem-just perfect!

So, now it's back to work again so without further ado there's a few pre-Spain gigs to catch up on. These were on the first week of June starting with a solo slot at Verve Bar in Leeds on June 4th. This one coincided with the bar's 2nd anniversary celebrations and featured a movie theme, leading to the bizarre situation of being served a beer by superman. I'd have preferred Supergirl but Hayley wasn't having any of it. Anyway, the music suffered a bit from the celebrations as it wasn't very busy downstairs. But my set, including 'Brian Wilson', went ok. It was good to hear that they've now expanded to doing Sunday nights as well.

On Friday the band played at the Cricketers in Horbury. This was I think our best session there to date so I was really pleased with that. Then on Saturday we did the Bell&Crown at Snaith which always attracts a good crowd, partly due to it's central location in the village (is Snaith a village or a town?). Both went well so I made my way to Spain content but also in need of a rest...July is going to be a really busy month!

I think that is all, so I'll get on with catching up on the myspace page and everything else that needs catching up on. The 3rd solo album is making headway so I will bring you more news on that soon.

2009-06-01T12:42:00.003+01:00

We finally hit the jackpot with the weather this week, it's been a pretty hot weekend. I've just completed three gigs in three days, so have retreated to my dayjob for a rest!

Friday was my band at The Plough in Warmfield. As I said last week, it's one of our favourites. This is largely because mine host (where does that expression come from?) Ali is so enthusiastic for what we do, and for live music in general. It was a very warm evening, and I think some people were away or having BBQs and things, but we played a good set to those that were there, and got an encouraging reception, including to some of the original tunes.

Some people have asked which originals we play. Unfortunately they are mainly American fans who can't get to see the shows! But anyway, we play a few off each of the solo albums plus 'Old Wishing Well' which was on an EP called 'Get The Drinks In'. At some gigs we can only really play a few of these, and some get rotated around the rest of the time. One that stands out is 'Hell Freezes Over' which is on 'Lost in Love Town'. You can still buy it.

The rest of the weekend was taken up with Atlanta Soul gigs as I took up my role as keyboard player. We played 2 weddings in amazing surroundings, helped a lot by the weather. I took some pictures of the hall and grounds on Saturday night which I intend to eventually show once I get my flickr account going. I've been saying this for some time I know.

Just a further update on the recording side of things. My third solo album is not too far away now. There's a few songs to finish and mix and then it will be unleashed on the general public. It's called 'Dare To Be Different' which is apt when you consider most of my life's path! Seriously, I'm always proud of the stuff I release and I'm looking forward to finishing this one.

Another busy week coming up with a solo set at Verve in Leeds on Thursday (4th) and then the band plays Friday and Saturday at Horbury and Snaith respectively.

2009-05-25T13:33:00.006+01:00

A bit more to report on this week. 3 gigs, 2 of mine and 1 of somebody else's!

A GOOD INNINGS AT THE CRICKETERS....

Yes, OK, I'll never make a headline writer. This was my band's first visit to the Cricketers Arms in Keighley on Friday night (the 22nd). The venue had come highly recommended to me by several musicians as a good one to try, a musician's pub no less. There's always a bit of nervous anticipation playing somewhere for the first time, as is only natural there's a slight fear of the unknown. This often makes for a better gig (if it goes well of course!).

I needn't have worried about anything, it was a superb night and a real little gem of a venue. It's quite small but with a stage and as it's just one room it's easier to get people's attention. Apparently this was a quiet night by their standards (due to the bank holiday) but it was still rather full and generated some real chemistry between band and punter. So I can't wait to fix another date and go back there, I'd add this to the growing list of 'finds' we've made. The band always tends to go down better in this sort of pub, where there's a real effort made to get live music going. They run about 4 bands a week (!), including a popular blues night on Tuesdays. This one scores a 7.

JEAN-MICHEL JARRE

This is the one of somebody else's. I went to see the godfather of synthesised music at Manchester Arena on Saturday night. It may not be obvious these days, but I was and am a huge fan and his music has been a huge influence on me. It was quite an emotional night. I've seen him before, in 93&97. This was an indoor, more scaled-down production, with modest lighting and no fireworks! It let the music breathe better and it also sounded superb, definetly one of the best sounds I've ever heard in there.

In the days when I'm more likely to quote Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen as major influences, it's easy for me to forget what a childhood hero Jarre was to me. When I was about 11 all I wanted to do was compose and perform instrumental electronic music. It's a love I've often neglected but one I feel I might just re-kindle now. To that end I dusted off my Roland Keytar for Sunday's gig and warned the band to prepare for electronic drums, lazer harps and a big firework bill.

OUTDOORS AT THE GROVE

Yes, it finally happened yesterday (Sun 24th), the sun came out big time. As we arrived at the Grove it became clear that the best option would be for us to set up outside and play to the people enjoying some much-needed sun. After health&safety requirements were satisfied (ie, the pub found me a baseball cap to wear) we played an enjoyable outdoor set. The Grove is surrounded by huge modern buildings and this created a good atmosphere as the sound reverberated around. Playing my keytar, I couldn't help think of the possibility of screening giant projections off the buildings and letting fireworks off the roof....maybe next time we play there. Score this one 6.

I'm not doing a full days' work today (if I ever have done one) as I'm off to the stock cars at Belle Vue, it's sunny at the moment so hope it holds out, otherwise it could become a mudbath like last time!

The band is doing a show this Friday (29th) at the Plough in Warmfield near Wakefield. This is another of our favourite venues so we shall be looking forward to that one.

Music Thoughts

2009-05-18T12:40:00.002+01:00

I found a brilliant website last week.

http://musicthoughts.com

It's a collection of quotes on all aspects of music, from all kinds of people. I particularly enjoyed the 'music business' section. If you ever wonder what us musicians think about what we're doing, this section may help! There's some great quotes from people like Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan and even Oscar Wilde.

It certainly made my day on Friday.

The band will be back out this week twice. On Friday 22nd it's The Cricketers in Keighley followed by the Grove on the 24th starting at 2pm.

Don't know what to write about...

2009-05-11T12:05:00.003+01:00

Our gig on Friday was cancelled (don't worry, they hadn't heard us in advance) so I'm struggling a bit for news this week. I was going to mention UIC Radio but I notice I did that last week. John has now played 2 of my songs ('Money From The Satisfied' and 'Laura Jones'), so that's really good news.

And I've no gigs this week at all, which is extremely unusual for me. Not that I'm upset about that, it's been so busy that it's very much welcomed. And it should give me time to catch up in the studio and on some other jobs. I try and do at least a short session in the studio every day (except on gig days). This sometimes means a quick half-hour blast when I feel about as creative as a major label A&R man. But it's good discipline to work on, because I can still see that mountain of songs on my piano waiting to be recorded.

If you add in the daily myspace updates (my own and the Paradise Street page), gig bookings, band admin, accounts, web promotion for both projects.....then it soon mounts up. So a free weekend is something to really look forward to. I enjoy gigs, but it is still classed as work.

It can be confusing at times. Last week I saw that I was receiving more 'hits' on my first album page than on any other, and it's the only one I'm not currently promoting! And there's been a recent increase. Maybe I should just do less and see if more happens.

With no gigs this week it will be interesting to see next week's blog topics, any ideas let me know.

2009-05-05T12:31:00.002+01:00

You'll be glad to know, if you read the previous post, that I managed to get my bags of change gig fee exchanged for pound notes.

This leads us onto Friday, the 1st of May no less. We were back on form here with a gig at the Kings Arms, Heaton. This continues to be one of my favourite venues, and this despite the presence of a noise meter! I thought we played very well and at least had a crowd to feed off. It's another score of 7 from me.

On Sunday night I played solo at the Barge& Barrel beer fest in Elland. I've worked quite hard on making the solo set a)more interesting to play and b)hopefully more interesting to watch! I was pleased to be able to combine playing some that interest me and some well-known stuff at the same time. As with many gigs where people have another purpose for being there (the beer!), some were a bit unsure about who this scrote with the keyboard was...but most were receptive enough and some even quite enjoyed it! I'll score it a 5.

I spent my bank holiday chasing round the North of England watching stock cars. This started at Sheffield in the dry at 12noon and ended soaked to the skin at Manchester at 9:00pm. Having dried myself out by using an autovac at a carwash (standing in front of a jet engine had already failed) I made it to the pub. Here I got carried away taking the micky out of people who go to B&Q or SofaWorld for their bank holiday fun. Then I looked down at the inches of mud on my shoes and wondered who had the last laugh! It won't stop me though :)

My blog was also mentioned in my latest e-zine (that's a newsletter in the real world I think). So hopefully one or two more readers can be added to the list. If you saw something you found amusing please let me know!

UIC RADIO

I'd also like to give a quick mention to John at UIC Radio who has been playing some of my songs on his Monday show. There's no podcast archive at the moment but I wanted to thank him just the same, it's really appreciated.

All the best til next time.

2009-04-29T19:42:00.002+01:00

It's a couple of days late this week...it's been too busy the past few days. I'm happy to say my mad week of gigging is over, at least until Friday, oh and then Sunday too.

It started at The Primrose last Thursday the 23rd playing the regular solo opening slot. Not too bad this one, maybe not quite as good as some of the previous ones but it was ok. I was tired out before I'd even started doing this week's gigs so the set here was a bit 'forced', a case of trying too hard. I felt some of the tunes were a bit frantic. I'd give it a 6 though, and I thought Sam and Anna sounded really good from where I was listening in the other bar room.

Onto Friday and the band was out at The Travellers Rest in Meltham. The area looks great when you turn up in daylight. The night was pretty good too. It's a hard room to work as the band is placed at one day down some steps. Nobody sits down there as they're very close to the band, they all tend to hide further up the room. Thus we spent a lot of the gig playing as if from a castle over a moat to where the audience were! The first set left me feeling we weren't making the right impression. This changed in 'White Room' which was so fierce it made everyone pay attention. From then on things improved culminating in several people coming down for a dance in the moat. I'd taken to wandering out into the moat to sing infront of the speakers, and then had to retreat as I was nearly trampled underfoot by the dancers! They all appeared at once as if from nowhere, as if it was stage-managed. "....and when the clock strikes 11pm Couples A,B,C &D please take to the floor..." For the ending alone, it's a 7 out of 10.

I was working with Atlanta Soul on Saturday night in beautiful Lincolnshire, and then it was onto my hotel room for a bath, some tea and some snooker (it's a sport similar to pool Kelley!). This makes it sound very rock n roll (apart from the snooker) but in actual fact I paid for the room myself in order to move onto Kings Lynn for the all-important Stock Cars on Sunday!

With hardly time to eject the Kings Lynn shale from my hair, nose and ears it was onto more band gigs. Monday was a return to Harrys Bar, as a 3-piece this time (which meant we almost had enough room!). It was a fair night, hard work in places for me, but we got a reasonable response. I'd say this was a 5. Last night we did the Junction at Queensbury where a new low ebb was reached as the band was paid in bags of coins due to not enough cash being taken on the night! Whose fault is this you may wonder. It's always been quiet when we play there, and this time it was actually busier than some previous times. I don't think we were very popular with the management after this one but we had brought nearly half the crowd. When something goes wrong like this the band is made to feel accountable, as if we've forced ourselves upon the venue and demanded we get paid to play. I'm sure some customers think this is the case! Of course, we were asked to play-not the other way round, so really responsibility should be shared at least. I'm just glad we got paid in full. One to forget, scores 3.

The band is out again this Friday at the Kings Arms in Heaton Bradford and then I'm doing solo for the Barge&Barrel beer festival in Elland on Sunday evening. Come down if you can, I may buy you a beer, I've got plenty of change....

2009-04-20T12:36:00.004+01:00

Welcome back to my blog......I'm sure you are by now suffering from serious withdrawl symptoms due to the lack of a blog last week....and also am sure you are literally cross-legged with curiosity to know what I've been up to in the past 2 weeks. I also dream of winning the lottery and marrying Christine Bleakley.

So where to begin, so much to tell. I think we're back into the week leading up to Easter. I just did one gig that week at the Bay Horse in Lindley, Huddersfield. This was solo and, in common with the band gigs in the past there, was absolutely no different to the previous occasions! By which I mean it was deadly quiet with no real interest in what was going on. I played a fairly satisfactory set but one has to wonder how the pub has managed to run live music nights for so long. I guess it's not my call to reason why as long as they continue to book me. To be fair, the owners are lovely and they at least thought I was good :) So it can have a 5 out of 10.

That was Easter Saturday. The previous night I celebrated that well-known miracle. Yes, a Bradford Bulls victory over Leeds. The team is still rubbish but at least I can paritally avoid the total ridicule of losing to our dear neighbours (bastards). The rest of the weekend was motorsport orientated and then it was off to the East coast for a couple of days' break. Ah yes, Whitby looks beautiful so I'm told. A pity as the whole coastline was covered in mist for 3 days and I couldn't see a thing....the sea sounded pretty good though.

Refreshed from 3 days of poor air quality we returned to work on Friday night (the 17th) with the band playing at the Bridge Tavern in Bradford. This was poor quality of a different kind. Yes, another dead night playing to a handful of souls, some very nice, some not so. Each song greeted by a spontaneous round of indifference. In the second set, which is usually the worst on these sort of nights, I found the band actually sounded marvellous and I closed my eyes and dreamt of that far-away day when we get to play to a packed crowd. We sounded fucking amazing and with nothing to lose it at least salvaged something from the night. I'd give it 6 from 10, normally it would have been a 4.

I often read marketing tips for musicians. They all tend to mention stuff in the context of a certain type of gig. Things like 'your merchandise stall' and 'your fans' and 'fans' email addresses'. I wonder how to work this into some of the shows I do!! The scenario is very different. Perhaps there's a lesson to be learnt about what type of gigs we play, but then given the state of things at the moment, it's not that easy to alter.

Anyway, at least the weather has been nice today! It makes a difference. This week gets quite busy later on with a solo gig at The Primrose in Leeds and the band are out in Meltham on Friday.

2009-04-06T14:03:00.002+01:00

A much-need quieter week last week, I think it was a blessing really, even though there's the need to keep working. So, just one gig to report on since last we spoke, that of the Abbey Inn at Bramley on Saturday (the 4th). Not a bad night, a bit quiet on the audience front but another opportunity to play more original material. There's been a few of these lately. Given that is the aim of the band I think that's a vague sign of progress! I'll score it a 5.

This did leave more time for recording of course. The work on that never stops. I could write a huge book on all the songs I've written and/or recorded, there's still a huge backlogue of songs from yester year. I'm slowly working on them, trying to do them all the best possible justice (otherwise there's no point writing them), song by song, album by album!! The next installment of this madness should be with us in a few months' time: it will be my 3rd solo album.

Have a good Easter week-next week (and don't be too upset) there'll be no blog but I'll be back with plenty to catch up on soon enough, oh yes.

The goose that laid the golden egg

2009-03-30T11:30:00.003+01:00

Another extremely busy week, but at least the blog is on time this Monday! There's been 2 more Paul Jeffery Band gigs since last time. On Thursday we completed a run of 3 new venues in 6 days at The Fenton in Leeds. This is a proper old-fashioned Leeds boozer, a former Tetley house, and long-running music venue. It has an upstairs room where bands play but we were downstairs in the bar, playing to a cross-section of students and older folk. It was pretty busy all the way through.

There's something about playing a pub for the first time. There's always a bit of nervous anticipation about what it will be like. With me the novelty of a new venue wears off quickly, especially now the band has found it's feet. This was one such night when the adrenalin of a new venue, combined with a lively crowd, and the knowlegde that we were playing where we were wanted, all contrived to make this a great gig. It scores an 8, which as you know is quite rare for me to do.

I thought it had all the elements in place, from early sing-alongs to 'Lola', to later rocking to 'Can't Stand Losing You' and 'Gimme Some Lovin'. The originals went down pretty well too. I'd be more than happy to go back here. It's the sort of pub I used to hear about bands playing without ever getting the chance to do them. Now I feel we're doing these places, and that they still exist in 2009. Although very tired at times, I felt last week we were a proper working band, doing Friday, Monday and Thursday. It was fun!

That still leaves The Railway at Berry Brow yesterday (the 29th) which was, as usual, pretty good. We always get a good sound in there, and a good reception. For the first time, all 8 originals were played, and they actually seemed to go down better than the covers. This is the main reason for building on these venues. I'd score it a 6, as I was struggling a bit towards the end. But at least we went down well. We were even offered one of our first gifts from the audience, a goose egg, freshly laid! Some bands get ladies underwear, we get goose eggs.

In between this hectic rock n roll lifestyle of seedy Leeds pubs and goose eggs, I managed to fit in going to see a concert myself. Yes, Jackson Browne was in town (Sheffield City Hall) on Friday night and was well worth seeing. He's one of these singer-songwriters I always knew I'd like even before I'd heard any songs. There's a quality and consistancy to him and his band and whilst it's never overly spectacular, it's always listenable. That's another seminal artist to chalk off the list, Bob Dylan's touring soon.....

MAILING LIST:

Don't forget you can enjoy more pearls of wisdom with my monthly e-zine (I think that's the correct jargon for 'newsletter in email form'). Just send me an email to be added to the list. paul@pauljeffery.com