It'll be a bit briefer this week, as I'm writing this between the soundcheck and performance with the covers band today. Yes, it's Sunday and it's a 60th Birthday party in a golf club, which can only mean one thing...it'll be too loud.
Just the one gig this week which was the old faithful Doctor Wu's on Tuesday the 23rd. This in itself nearly didn't happen due to a power cut, and having driven there in the snow it was beginning to look like one of those days....
Fortunately power was restored and though mysteriously the light in the room never seemed to quite return to normal, I was able to play and mingle.
I got 3 songs this time, 'Your Shadow', 'The Prisoner' and a cover-'You Got To Hide Your Love Away'. There wasn't much of a listening contingent this week, but it went off fine. 'The Prisoner' is a song that hasn't quite bedded in so far, and this was it's best airing yet.
Away from the gigging scene, there's been a major development:
CHECK OUT THIS MYSPACE PAGE
Here you will find details of a new movie based on the autobiographical novel 'Addict', by Steven Smith. There's full details on there, and also on Carol Douglas' page
Basically the song you can hear playing 'Money From The Satisfied Man' is written by me and Carol, and will feature on my forthcoming album. The song lyrically was inspired by the said book, and Carol had the ingenuity to contact the author, who it turns out is a big fan of the song.
We can only hope that the song makes it that far, and that this stage nothing is certain, but Steven wants full control over the film and if you read his blurb you will see it says the song will appear 'by hook or by crook'. It's all rather exciting....
The version you can hear is only the original rough demo, but the fuller version will be with us shortly, watch this space....
THE PRS
I guess if I achieve a worldwide smash hit in a movie, the PRS might even let me join. Like most things in life, I get the feeling they are becoming squeezed and as the music industry of old forever contracts I wonder just what will remain in another few years time.
MIKA
Thank heavens for talent coming to the surface in the face of all this..... I have to say I love the new 'Mika' song. After first hearing him on Jools Holland before Christmas, I was uncertain as to what I felt was the over-use of falcetto. Perhaps its a normal reaction to be a little uncertain over someone who takes things a little further.
I think it's wonderful to hear something different, and only time will tell if the rest of the album measures up. My main reason for saying all this is that he is clearly influenced by Queen. The middle section is very Queen, and its about time too!!
BOBBY
My other great passion apart from music is the real life 'who dunnits', in particular the Kennedy assassinations. I have bored many a person over the years with my conspiracy theories first triggered (forgive the pun) by watching the JFK movie back in the 90's.
So naturally I had to see the new Anthony Hopkins film Bobby which was released on Friday. It's not a conspiracy film, but paints of wonderful picture of the era and the atmosphere leading directly up to the lesser known shooting. If the aim of the film was to make you think 'what if...' then it certainly got me thinking again. Anyone who cares about the state of the world today should go and see it. Quickly.
THIS WEEK....
A busy week ahead, with open mic slots at O'Donoghue's, Wakefield on Monday 29th and The Ship, Briggate Leeds on Tuesday 30th. On Thursday 1st February there will be a booked 30 minute slot at The Old Police Station at Chapel Allerton and then on Sunday 4th my first full set show of the year at the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet. The latter is one of the nicer parts of Leeds (!!) and will feature covers as well as originals. It's a lovely venue so it should be a good night.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
This week it was a case of 2 out of 4 ain't bad. That's got nothing to do with Meatloaf (thank God) but of course the tremendously exciting gig situation....
Monday 15th: I had finally got around to trying out Carpe Diem's Open Mic night in Leeds, having had a reasonably succesful trip the year before. I knew that the promotion had changed hands to a more hip-hop orientated crowd. Well, on arrival, it was certainly busier....
The hip-hop jam was in full-flow (an early start?), and so not feeling entirely comfortable with the crowd I waited to see what developed. Eventually the open mic acoustic did begin and, given that there was a fari-sized audience, I decided to hold on for a while. Only then did I discover that it was too late to put my name down, as they were fully booked!
At the moment the jury is out on whether to bother going back, it felt more like a school disco than a gig, but we shall see.....
Tuesday 16th: It is after nights like Monday that you realise how well Doctor Wu's go about things. Ok, so the occasional transvestite throws a glass across the bar, but you have to take the very rough with the smooth.
Of course this time I did get to play! I went on later than normal, and this proved to be an advantage, as CD sales were helped a little by the increase in beer consumption. I played 'Your Shadow' (my live favourite), 'I Won't Back Down' (Tom Petty but in the Pearl Jam mould-a late but succesful inclusion), 'Whiskey Coloured World' and 'Life' (much better this time!).
The addition of a booked act (who were excellent), gives the night more of a gig-feel, and more focus. Indeed I will be the said act on Tuesday 20th February. I have a slight concern over how late they went on, but the policy of giving everyone a fair crack and a fair set length definetly works.
Wednesday 17th: My first 2007 appearance at the Grove. It was the usual atmosphere, and went very well. I played '7 Shades' and 'Old Wishing Well'. The same 2 tracks as on my last visit the previous month. The former went down even better than on it's debut, it really is a song I like doing.
Thursday 18th: I was supposed to be playing at the Black Swan in York. But given the uncertain weather I decided to give it a miss. I'd had a meeting with a publisher earlier in the day, so it wasn't completely wasted. The latter concerns a deal recently signed for a song called 'Ain't No Doubt', which I wrote with Chris Breen and Andy McNeil. It's in the r&b genre and is very commercial. I also think we've finally found a publisher that actually pitches songs, perhaps someone should suggest this at the MIDEM conference as a revolutionary approach to music publishing.
Friday 19th: My current standing on 'Pure' songwriting (ie, those I don't perform myself) is a little ambiguous. I'm enjoying so much at the moment the freedom and rewards of being a DIY singer-songwriter-record label-producer-tea maker that I could quite happily stay away from the world of publishers and cover-releases for the time being.
However, the past 24 hours reminded me of the amount of hard work that I had put into this area in the past. I had a call from a company called Acapella Heaven, who about 18 months ago seemed set to release a version of 'Summer Love'. The call was to inform me of a new mix of a different song, which was submitted at the same time. It reminded me of the importance of stsying patient-there may after all be something promising to come this time. After all, it took seven years in total for 'More Than The Need' to surface.
Speaking of the latter, that too has re-appeared. After the original single release of my charity song by TalentStar 2005, the song has recently been re-released on an album by the same people. It is the final track (#17) and can be bought here.
Swings and roundabouts I suppose....
This week it's Doctor Wu's on Tuesday the 23rd, and then possibly The Albert in Huddersfield on Thursday the 25th. Please check my myspace page for confirmed gig details.
Monday 15th: I had finally got around to trying out Carpe Diem's Open Mic night in Leeds, having had a reasonably succesful trip the year before. I knew that the promotion had changed hands to a more hip-hop orientated crowd. Well, on arrival, it was certainly busier....
The hip-hop jam was in full-flow (an early start?), and so not feeling entirely comfortable with the crowd I waited to see what developed. Eventually the open mic acoustic did begin and, given that there was a fari-sized audience, I decided to hold on for a while. Only then did I discover that it was too late to put my name down, as they were fully booked!
At the moment the jury is out on whether to bother going back, it felt more like a school disco than a gig, but we shall see.....
Tuesday 16th: It is after nights like Monday that you realise how well Doctor Wu's go about things. Ok, so the occasional transvestite throws a glass across the bar, but you have to take the very rough with the smooth.
Of course this time I did get to play! I went on later than normal, and this proved to be an advantage, as CD sales were helped a little by the increase in beer consumption. I played 'Your Shadow' (my live favourite), 'I Won't Back Down' (Tom Petty but in the Pearl Jam mould-a late but succesful inclusion), 'Whiskey Coloured World' and 'Life' (much better this time!).
The addition of a booked act (who were excellent), gives the night more of a gig-feel, and more focus. Indeed I will be the said act on Tuesday 20th February. I have a slight concern over how late they went on, but the policy of giving everyone a fair crack and a fair set length definetly works.
Wednesday 17th: My first 2007 appearance at the Grove. It was the usual atmosphere, and went very well. I played '7 Shades' and 'Old Wishing Well'. The same 2 tracks as on my last visit the previous month. The former went down even better than on it's debut, it really is a song I like doing.
Thursday 18th: I was supposed to be playing at the Black Swan in York. But given the uncertain weather I decided to give it a miss. I'd had a meeting with a publisher earlier in the day, so it wasn't completely wasted. The latter concerns a deal recently signed for a song called 'Ain't No Doubt', which I wrote with Chris Breen and Andy McNeil. It's in the r&b genre and is very commercial. I also think we've finally found a publisher that actually pitches songs, perhaps someone should suggest this at the MIDEM conference as a revolutionary approach to music publishing.
Friday 19th: My current standing on 'Pure' songwriting (ie, those I don't perform myself) is a little ambiguous. I'm enjoying so much at the moment the freedom and rewards of being a DIY singer-songwriter-record label-producer-tea maker that I could quite happily stay away from the world of publishers and cover-releases for the time being.
However, the past 24 hours reminded me of the amount of hard work that I had put into this area in the past. I had a call from a company called Acapella Heaven, who about 18 months ago seemed set to release a version of 'Summer Love'. The call was to inform me of a new mix of a different song, which was submitted at the same time. It reminded me of the importance of stsying patient-there may after all be something promising to come this time. After all, it took seven years in total for 'More Than The Need' to surface.
Speaking of the latter, that too has re-appeared. After the original single release of my charity song by TalentStar 2005, the song has recently been re-released on an album by the same people. It is the final track (#17) and can be bought here.
Swings and roundabouts I suppose....
This week it's Doctor Wu's on Tuesday the 23rd, and then possibly The Albert in Huddersfield on Thursday the 25th. Please check my myspace page for confirmed gig details.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
OK, the first full proper week of the year is over, and it already seems to be going quicker than last year...
Continuing in the day-by-day format:
MONDAY 8TH JANUARY: No gig today, so I decided to do a bit of web promotion, which is still a vital part of things alongside the live promotion. To this end I've joined a new upload site, similar to the others, but a different one nevertheless. These sites won't be much use to people who've seen me on the likes of soundclick, myspace etc... but the aim is to continually expand and find new listeners.
The site is www.7161.com and my page can be found here. The longhand version of that link is http://www.7161.com/~Paul_Jeffery
I've uploaded six tracks, and if you go to the homepage for 'rock/metal/indie' you can link straight to the tracks from the 'recently uploaded' list on the front page.
TUESDAY JAN 9TH: Gig at Doctor Wu's, the first of probably many there this year. I was expecting a quiet night but it turned out pretty well and busier than I thought. It's arguably still my favourite gig at the moment, and the more I get to know people there the more I can get out of it. I played four songs: 'Old Wishing Well', 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'Young, Lost and Hopeful' and a cover: 'I Guess Thats Why They Call It The Blues'.
Of those 'Young, Lost' is actually the first time in ages I've performed it live. And it ought to be played more often, because I think it's one of the strongest tracks. The cover received special comment from someone in the audience who approached me afterwards to say it was one of his favourite songs. You wouldn't expect anyone in there to really dig that kind of song, but it just goes to show you should never judge.....
WEDNESDAY JAN 10TH: Gig at The Pump Room in Halifax, hosted by Al Dickinson. I first spoke to Al on the phone just before Christmas. He talked more sense about music and gigging than most people do in a month. So I was very happy to be there on Wednesday night. Al really does have a fantastic voice and playing style, really thick, rhythmic acoustic guitar and gravelly voice.
I played 'These Eyes Of Mine' and 'Whiskey Coloured World' and then broke the ice a little with a cover of the Kinks 'Sunny Afternoon'. Later in the evening there was a group 'jam' which saw me take the lead on 'Freefallin' in the company of about 5 other acoustic guitars-it sounded just like The Travelling Wilburys!!
The night is not as well-established as the Leeds ones I do, it's only been running a few months. I found the pub had more of a provincial feel to it, but the hardcore regular players were really nice people. And there was a special highlight, almost worth turning up for alone, which was a guy's version of 'Golden Brown' by The Stranglers.....except for Golden read Gordon!!!
It was brilliant, a piece of satire in deepest Halifax. The words were adapted and included such gems as 'Gordon Brown, wants Tony's job/'Gordon Brown, bit of a nob'/
Sorry, that's the only one I can remember. I can't say I'm as anti-Brown as some seem to be getting, but it was hilarious nonetheless. I wonder what Rory Bremner would have made of it......
The Pump Room does it's bit for racial equality.
Inside the venue, Al Dickinson is pictured left, here in full flow.
THURSDAY JANUARY 11TH: This was my first 'proper' gig of the year. A half hour slot at The Primrose, opening the night. I have to say this was my favourite night of the week. A half-hour set leaves a bit more time to warm up and pace the set and the audience. The sound was big and full (the best so far) and I was able to rock out to an audience that listened and appreciated. I can't say the Primrose will ever be a great venue, but it proved it can be pretty solid this week.
For the record, the set was 'These Eyes', 'Your Shadow', 'Even', 'Young, Lost and Hopeful', 'Old Wishing Well', 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'Cold Cold Day' and 'Rocket Man' to finish.
Of these I'm taking a real fancy to 'Your Shadow', it's going down very well pre-release. 'These Eyes' was good too, and the last song never seems to fail to get people's attention.
All in all a pretty good night, and I'm hopeful of another such slot in March or thereabouts.
Arkwright's till is now housed at The Primrose.
Bad Manners and P Diddy in shock collaboration.
FRIDAY 12TH JANUARY: The final show of the week tested my versatility to the extreme. It was at the hard-to-find Ukranian Club in Keighley, home to the Baccapipes Folk Club.
As I mentioned last week at Otley, I'm experimenting with folk clubs at the moment. The idea is that as a 'mature' singer songwriter I can get an audience that listens, and in these cases, joins in!
It has to be said 'gig' is pushing it a bit here. The club meet downstairs in a small room rather like a kitchen, and everyone sits round in a circle and takes it in turns to play or sing a song from their seated position.
Needless to say, having been the oldest there the night before, I was suddenly one of the youngest. From stiff to rebel in 24 hours....versatility, yes, but why do I never fit in????
Let's just say if the room had been more open plan, I might well have dived for the exit. But after a bottle of Taylor's Landlord (Ukranian strength) I took the step of staying and playing. As the singers set off, with renditions of folk songs from a bygone age, I was even more un-nerved by everyone joining in, treating the songs like old friends.
When it came to me, I was rather nervous it has to be said. So I took the plunge and played '7 Shades of Grey'. To my relief it was 'accepted' and of course everyone joined in on the choruses, it was almost like they'd heard the song before....
Later I was asked to play 2 more songs, so out came a debut of 'Chains Around My Heart' (a potential folk hit I think) and 'Reminders', which was plucked from my memory at the last minute-I haven't played that song live for over 3 years.
So I had walked the walk, I had a similar feeling to when I played with Desire at Jilly's Rockworld in '99, except that this time I was the long-haired rocker.....
I think folk clubs are as a big a culture shock as Working Men's Clubs, but at least the average brain cell count is slightly higher. It was good to see Tim Moon again, who joined in with a great slide solo in 'Chains', all improvised of course.
Having said all this, I know I'll have to re-think my folk club strategy. So far this year, they are the only 2 gigs at which I haven't sold any CDs. They simply aren't open to my type of music, which I don't suppose they ever said they wanted to be. Nice people, but I get the feeling deep down they would be glad if I didn't darken their doors again....and the cliqueiness is a problem, not something I care to be part of.
So, a bizarre way to end the week. Indeed one of the most bizarre gigs I've ever done, and that's really saying something. I think my scatter-gun approach to bookings needs refining a bit!
Christmas lasts longer in the Ukraine. Babushka prepares to exit.
"Welcome Folkies, what's your poison?"
THIS WEEK:
Monday January 15th: Capre Diem, Leeds. My return to this central Leeds venue.
Tuesday January 16th: Doctor Wu's, Leeds. If it's half as good as last week then last week was twice as good.
Wednesday January 17th:The Grove, Leeds. My first 'unplugged Leeds' night of '07.
Thursday January 18th:The Black Swan, Peasholme, nr York. Open night.
Amen.
Continuing in the day-by-day format:
MONDAY 8TH JANUARY: No gig today, so I decided to do a bit of web promotion, which is still a vital part of things alongside the live promotion. To this end I've joined a new upload site, similar to the others, but a different one nevertheless. These sites won't be much use to people who've seen me on the likes of soundclick, myspace etc... but the aim is to continually expand and find new listeners.
The site is www.7161.com and my page can be found here. The longhand version of that link is http://www.7161.com/~Paul_Jeffery
I've uploaded six tracks, and if you go to the homepage for 'rock/metal/indie' you can link straight to the tracks from the 'recently uploaded' list on the front page.
TUESDAY JAN 9TH: Gig at Doctor Wu's, the first of probably many there this year. I was expecting a quiet night but it turned out pretty well and busier than I thought. It's arguably still my favourite gig at the moment, and the more I get to know people there the more I can get out of it. I played four songs: 'Old Wishing Well', 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'Young, Lost and Hopeful' and a cover: 'I Guess Thats Why They Call It The Blues'.
Of those 'Young, Lost' is actually the first time in ages I've performed it live. And it ought to be played more often, because I think it's one of the strongest tracks. The cover received special comment from someone in the audience who approached me afterwards to say it was one of his favourite songs. You wouldn't expect anyone in there to really dig that kind of song, but it just goes to show you should never judge.....
WEDNESDAY JAN 10TH: Gig at The Pump Room in Halifax, hosted by Al Dickinson. I first spoke to Al on the phone just before Christmas. He talked more sense about music and gigging than most people do in a month. So I was very happy to be there on Wednesday night. Al really does have a fantastic voice and playing style, really thick, rhythmic acoustic guitar and gravelly voice.
I played 'These Eyes Of Mine' and 'Whiskey Coloured World' and then broke the ice a little with a cover of the Kinks 'Sunny Afternoon'. Later in the evening there was a group 'jam' which saw me take the lead on 'Freefallin' in the company of about 5 other acoustic guitars-it sounded just like The Travelling Wilburys!!
The night is not as well-established as the Leeds ones I do, it's only been running a few months. I found the pub had more of a provincial feel to it, but the hardcore regular players were really nice people. And there was a special highlight, almost worth turning up for alone, which was a guy's version of 'Golden Brown' by The Stranglers.....except for Golden read Gordon!!!
It was brilliant, a piece of satire in deepest Halifax. The words were adapted and included such gems as 'Gordon Brown, wants Tony's job/'Gordon Brown, bit of a nob'/
Sorry, that's the only one I can remember. I can't say I'm as anti-Brown as some seem to be getting, but it was hilarious nonetheless. I wonder what Rory Bremner would have made of it......
The Pump Room does it's bit for racial equality.
Inside the venue, Al Dickinson is pictured left, here in full flow.
THURSDAY JANUARY 11TH: This was my first 'proper' gig of the year. A half hour slot at The Primrose, opening the night. I have to say this was my favourite night of the week. A half-hour set leaves a bit more time to warm up and pace the set and the audience. The sound was big and full (the best so far) and I was able to rock out to an audience that listened and appreciated. I can't say the Primrose will ever be a great venue, but it proved it can be pretty solid this week.
For the record, the set was 'These Eyes', 'Your Shadow', 'Even', 'Young, Lost and Hopeful', 'Old Wishing Well', 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'Cold Cold Day' and 'Rocket Man' to finish.
Of these I'm taking a real fancy to 'Your Shadow', it's going down very well pre-release. 'These Eyes' was good too, and the last song never seems to fail to get people's attention.
All in all a pretty good night, and I'm hopeful of another such slot in March or thereabouts.
Arkwright's till is now housed at The Primrose.
Bad Manners and P Diddy in shock collaboration.
FRIDAY 12TH JANUARY: The final show of the week tested my versatility to the extreme. It was at the hard-to-find Ukranian Club in Keighley, home to the Baccapipes Folk Club.
As I mentioned last week at Otley, I'm experimenting with folk clubs at the moment. The idea is that as a 'mature' singer songwriter I can get an audience that listens, and in these cases, joins in!
It has to be said 'gig' is pushing it a bit here. The club meet downstairs in a small room rather like a kitchen, and everyone sits round in a circle and takes it in turns to play or sing a song from their seated position.
Needless to say, having been the oldest there the night before, I was suddenly one of the youngest. From stiff to rebel in 24 hours....versatility, yes, but why do I never fit in????
Let's just say if the room had been more open plan, I might well have dived for the exit. But after a bottle of Taylor's Landlord (Ukranian strength) I took the step of staying and playing. As the singers set off, with renditions of folk songs from a bygone age, I was even more un-nerved by everyone joining in, treating the songs like old friends.
When it came to me, I was rather nervous it has to be said. So I took the plunge and played '7 Shades of Grey'. To my relief it was 'accepted' and of course everyone joined in on the choruses, it was almost like they'd heard the song before....
Later I was asked to play 2 more songs, so out came a debut of 'Chains Around My Heart' (a potential folk hit I think) and 'Reminders', which was plucked from my memory at the last minute-I haven't played that song live for over 3 years.
So I had walked the walk, I had a similar feeling to when I played with Desire at Jilly's Rockworld in '99, except that this time I was the long-haired rocker.....
I think folk clubs are as a big a culture shock as Working Men's Clubs, but at least the average brain cell count is slightly higher. It was good to see Tim Moon again, who joined in with a great slide solo in 'Chains', all improvised of course.
Having said all this, I know I'll have to re-think my folk club strategy. So far this year, they are the only 2 gigs at which I haven't sold any CDs. They simply aren't open to my type of music, which I don't suppose they ever said they wanted to be. Nice people, but I get the feeling deep down they would be glad if I didn't darken their doors again....and the cliqueiness is a problem, not something I care to be part of.
So, a bizarre way to end the week. Indeed one of the most bizarre gigs I've ever done, and that's really saying something. I think my scatter-gun approach to bookings needs refining a bit!
Christmas lasts longer in the Ukraine. Babushka prepares to exit.
"Welcome Folkies, what's your poison?"
THIS WEEK:
Monday January 15th: Capre Diem, Leeds. My return to this central Leeds venue.
Tuesday January 16th: Doctor Wu's, Leeds. If it's half as good as last week then last week was twice as good.
Wednesday January 17th:The Grove, Leeds. My first 'unplugged Leeds' night of '07.
Thursday January 18th:The Black Swan, Peasholme, nr York. Open night.
Amen.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Is life too short for Freebird?
Well bugger me, (no, not you), it's only the 7th day of the year but I feel to have crammed about a month in already. I'm sure it can't last, as I warned before, it could be back to Bedlam by the time the vernal moon strikes.....and that's got nothing to do with James Blunt.
Where to begin, well I'm changing the structure this year in an effort to make it more organised. Firstly, my weekly review, and then a few general notes at the end-those that don't fit into any particular day.
SUNDAY DEC 31st/JANUARY 1ST:
My year started in a holiday camp, and while Ruth Madoc's legs (circa 1970s) were nowhere to be seen, it was very easy to imagine Ted Bovis popping in. No, I wasn't having a scrote's christmas break, I was working with one of the Function bands I play with: Morris and the Minors. The holiday camp in question was Ribby Hall near Kirkham, not far out of Blackpool. It's all chalets, none of your cheap caravans herder am I bothering to mention this, well it's simply because I took a few pictures to see out the old year. Also because it kind of bookends things as we start afresh.
Clem contemplaits his upcoming US tour with Beth Wheatley. The latter can be found on my new EP.
John contemplates a change of tie colour.
Keith (left) shows off his new stage clothes, Keith can also be found on my new EP playing bass.
Oh, the fun we have backstage, so there you go. Thats was the end of 2006 and the start of 2007.
TUESDAY JAN2ND:
The official release date of the new EP. PAUL JEFFERY & FRIENDS: GET THE DRINKS IN
There details in an ealrier blog about this, suffice to say the CDs are now available from me and cost £3. To purchase email me at paul@pauljeffery.com
To listen to the tracks, click the links below:
Whiskey Coloured World (Anglestar Blend)
Get The Drinks In (Vocals by Sally Rivers)
Old Wishing Well
Drinking My Way Down (Vocals by Beth Wheatley)
And to read rave reviews (!) click here.
I'm so proud of this EP, because it's involved quite a few experiments which have worked. The guest vocals, the live drums and the hip-hop flavoured remix of 'Whiskey Couloured World' have all gone to make this a most enjoyable CD to make.
It will be on sale at gigs for the forseeable future. All that remains now is to get it shipped to the States so I can sell online at cdbaby. At roughly $5 it's surely a bargain!
Early reviews and chart positions on the net suggest a bright future for the disc.
WEDNESDAY JAN 3rd:
The first gig of the year took place at Korks Wine Bar in Otley. This is the home of the popular Otley Folk Club.
Folk clubs are an experiment for me. I feel that as a singer-songwriter for the more mature listener (debatable I know!), I can crossover in this direction. Of course it's always better to check in advance as some like the Grove Folk Club don't want anything to do with my genre of music. I can understand this point of view as some follow a more traditional format, making use of traditional songs.
The atmosphere appeals to me, because it's a million miles away from the scrote-infested pubs I've played in the past. People are friendly, and generally more gentile-I can't promise they like what I do, but as I'm not going in there f-ing and blinding I think it's OK.
On this occasion it was unplugged with a lovely Piano (in tune too!). I played '7 Shades Of Grey' (A cheerful way to start the new year!) and 'Whiskey Coloured World'. Later on I was invited back up to play 'Old Wishing Well'.
All in all, a great night with a warm atmosphere. The standard of music was very high and whilst I was clearly a bit of an outsider, I'd certainly go again. I loved the way the audience joined in with the traditional folk songs. I got a bit of that going on the outro to '7 Shades'. Below are a couple of rushed photos. The piano is over to the far right.
THURSDAY JAN 4TH:
Definetly the busiest day of the week. I spent the day working on the 2nd album with Jon Strong. We worked on the 2 piano tracks which were more or less finished in the day. The 2 songs are both Sarah Thurlow lyrics, 'Gods And Angels' and the very new 'Cold Steel Lover', which I had worked on over Christmas at home. The piano sound is great and I can't wait to hear these tracks when mixed.
In the evening it was off to The Primrose, Meanwood Road, Leeds. The Cloth Cat Open Mic night was busier than I expected for deepest darkest January, this despite the lack of a booked act. Every act (including 2 bands) got 4 songs: so I took the chance to play 'Whiskey', 'Even', 'Your Shadow' and 'Life'.
After being the youngest present the previous evening, this time I was one of the oldest. And you really feel it at these nights! I must have seemed like a quirk to most of the younger ones, but I was very pleased with the reception-even if my performance of 'Life' was a bit wayward. 'Even' was only added after I read a certain interview of a certain artist in a certain magazine.....I've cleaned the vomit off the page now.
Next week (see below) I'll be back there for my 30minute support/opening slot.
The Primrose about to rock.
FRIDAY JAN 5TH:
A chance to see one of my very favourite musicians and his band, playing but 5miles from home. Paul Carrack made his annual visit to the Ritz Ballroom in Brighouse, and I was there this time. If you close your eyes, his voice is identical to the records he made, there is absolutely no studio enhancement, and the band are brilliant, totally vibrant. Unfortunately the Ritz is set to close, sold to developers this year. It must be one of the last preserved 60's style ballrooms left in the area, and it will be sadly missed.
A fantastic night!
SATURDAY JAN 6TH:
I finally met one of my newer lyricists, Carol Douglas yesterday. She has 2 tracks on the 2nd album and we were also meeting to discuss an exciting new project in the pipeline, I'll say no more for now!
LOST IN LOVE TOWN ALBUM ON APPLE iTUNES:
Should this have come higher up??? Anyway follow this link to buy my debut solo album as a download. The album is currently being distributed to 32 download companies, so stand by for more and more links!
THIS WEEK:
The gig schedule is hectic this week, I'm currently keeping the myspace page updated with the shows, as the list appears on the front page. I hope soon to have a list on a seperate page here too.
Tuesday Jan 9th: Doctor Wu's, Leeds
Wednesday Jan 10th: The Pump Rooms, Halifax-a night hosted by local singer-songwriter Al Dickinson.
Thursday Jan 11th: The Primrose, Leeds. The afore-mentioned 30 minute slot.
Friday Jan 12th: Ukranian Club, Keighley. BACCApipes folk club.
Where to begin, well I'm changing the structure this year in an effort to make it more organised. Firstly, my weekly review, and then a few general notes at the end-those that don't fit into any particular day.
SUNDAY DEC 31st/JANUARY 1ST:
My year started in a holiday camp, and while Ruth Madoc's legs (circa 1970s) were nowhere to be seen, it was very easy to imagine Ted Bovis popping in. No, I wasn't having a scrote's christmas break, I was working with one of the Function bands I play with: Morris and the Minors. The holiday camp in question was Ribby Hall near Kirkham, not far out of Blackpool. It's all chalets, none of your cheap caravans herder am I bothering to mention this, well it's simply because I took a few pictures to see out the old year. Also because it kind of bookends things as we start afresh.
Clem contemplaits his upcoming US tour with Beth Wheatley. The latter can be found on my new EP.
John contemplates a change of tie colour.
Keith (left) shows off his new stage clothes, Keith can also be found on my new EP playing bass.
Oh, the fun we have backstage, so there you go. Thats was the end of 2006 and the start of 2007.
TUESDAY JAN2ND:
The official release date of the new EP. PAUL JEFFERY & FRIENDS: GET THE DRINKS IN
There details in an ealrier blog about this, suffice to say the CDs are now available from me and cost £3. To purchase email me at paul@pauljeffery.com
To listen to the tracks, click the links below:
Whiskey Coloured World (Anglestar Blend)
Get The Drinks In (Vocals by Sally Rivers)
Old Wishing Well
Drinking My Way Down (Vocals by Beth Wheatley)
And to read rave reviews (!) click here.
I'm so proud of this EP, because it's involved quite a few experiments which have worked. The guest vocals, the live drums and the hip-hop flavoured remix of 'Whiskey Couloured World' have all gone to make this a most enjoyable CD to make.
It will be on sale at gigs for the forseeable future. All that remains now is to get it shipped to the States so I can sell online at cdbaby. At roughly $5 it's surely a bargain!
Early reviews and chart positions on the net suggest a bright future for the disc.
WEDNESDAY JAN 3rd:
The first gig of the year took place at Korks Wine Bar in Otley. This is the home of the popular Otley Folk Club.
Folk clubs are an experiment for me. I feel that as a singer-songwriter for the more mature listener (debatable I know!), I can crossover in this direction. Of course it's always better to check in advance as some like the Grove Folk Club don't want anything to do with my genre of music. I can understand this point of view as some follow a more traditional format, making use of traditional songs.
The atmosphere appeals to me, because it's a million miles away from the scrote-infested pubs I've played in the past. People are friendly, and generally more gentile-I can't promise they like what I do, but as I'm not going in there f-ing and blinding I think it's OK.
On this occasion it was unplugged with a lovely Piano (in tune too!). I played '7 Shades Of Grey' (A cheerful way to start the new year!) and 'Whiskey Coloured World'. Later on I was invited back up to play 'Old Wishing Well'.
All in all, a great night with a warm atmosphere. The standard of music was very high and whilst I was clearly a bit of an outsider, I'd certainly go again. I loved the way the audience joined in with the traditional folk songs. I got a bit of that going on the outro to '7 Shades'. Below are a couple of rushed photos. The piano is over to the far right.
THURSDAY JAN 4TH:
Definetly the busiest day of the week. I spent the day working on the 2nd album with Jon Strong. We worked on the 2 piano tracks which were more or less finished in the day. The 2 songs are both Sarah Thurlow lyrics, 'Gods And Angels' and the very new 'Cold Steel Lover', which I had worked on over Christmas at home. The piano sound is great and I can't wait to hear these tracks when mixed.
In the evening it was off to The Primrose, Meanwood Road, Leeds. The Cloth Cat Open Mic night was busier than I expected for deepest darkest January, this despite the lack of a booked act. Every act (including 2 bands) got 4 songs: so I took the chance to play 'Whiskey', 'Even', 'Your Shadow' and 'Life'.
After being the youngest present the previous evening, this time I was one of the oldest. And you really feel it at these nights! I must have seemed like a quirk to most of the younger ones, but I was very pleased with the reception-even if my performance of 'Life' was a bit wayward. 'Even' was only added after I read a certain interview of a certain artist in a certain magazine.....I've cleaned the vomit off the page now.
Next week (see below) I'll be back there for my 30minute support/opening slot.
The Primrose about to rock.
FRIDAY JAN 5TH:
A chance to see one of my very favourite musicians and his band, playing but 5miles from home. Paul Carrack made his annual visit to the Ritz Ballroom in Brighouse, and I was there this time. If you close your eyes, his voice is identical to the records he made, there is absolutely no studio enhancement, and the band are brilliant, totally vibrant. Unfortunately the Ritz is set to close, sold to developers this year. It must be one of the last preserved 60's style ballrooms left in the area, and it will be sadly missed.
A fantastic night!
SATURDAY JAN 6TH:
I finally met one of my newer lyricists, Carol Douglas yesterday. She has 2 tracks on the 2nd album and we were also meeting to discuss an exciting new project in the pipeline, I'll say no more for now!
LOST IN LOVE TOWN ALBUM ON APPLE iTUNES:
Should this have come higher up??? Anyway follow this link to buy my debut solo album as a download. The album is currently being distributed to 32 download companies, so stand by for more and more links!
THIS WEEK:
The gig schedule is hectic this week, I'm currently keeping the myspace page updated with the shows, as the list appears on the front page. I hope soon to have a list on a seperate page here too.
Tuesday Jan 9th: Doctor Wu's, Leeds
Wednesday Jan 10th: The Pump Rooms, Halifax-a night hosted by local singer-songwriter Al Dickinson.
Thursday Jan 11th: The Primrose, Leeds. The afore-mentioned 30 minute slot.
Friday Jan 12th: Ukranian Club, Keighley. BACCApipes folk club.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
All is quiet on New Years Day.....
Happy new year to everybody- and I say that now safe in the knowledge that there are quite a few people reading this page nowadays. So I'd better make the first resolution not to insult anybody online, wonder how many minutes that one will last.
LATE DECEMBER (OH WHAT A NIGHT!) REVIEW......
Firstly, there are 2 gigs to report on: Wednesday 13th Dec at The Grove was as mad as ever. I went on soon after a stand-up row between 2 poets, who couldn't have been more contrasting if they'd tried. You can sort of get a flavour for how these nights are...but don't worry they're not unpleasent-more amusing in a strange sort of way.
After this little contre-temps, I came on to uplift everyone with my new song 'Seven Shades of Grey'. I say uplift ironically because, as I said on the night, the song is about a woman on the edge, who proceeds to shoot herself in the middle 8! It was the song's debut performance live, and it certainly went down a bomb. A good sign of things to come with this one. I got people to help sing the ooo's on the outro-which worked very well in the intimate setting, indeed the song is very well-suited to that venue-and it raised the roof at the end.
I had intended to perform 'Your Shadow' but I switched to 'Old Wishing Well' as it's got some humour in the lyric. I didn't feel this one carried as well as it did at Doctor Wu's the week before, but the reation to the first song was very special. Indeed, '7 Shades Of Grey' is set to be the title track for the 2nd album at this point.
The final show before Christmas was back at Wu's on December 19th. There was a distinct end of term feel about this one. I played 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'Your Shadow', 'Cold Cold Day' and to finish with, 'Somebody To Love'-which is my favourite cover to do. It was one of those nights where people were applauding loudly, so that suited the last song very well.
THE BAND MANAGES A REHEARSAL, A NEW ERA BEGINS.....
Yes, it finally happened. On Thursday 14th December, the new band was together at last to rehearse. And as I always knew from the line-up, it sounded magic. Hearing songs like 'Hell Freezes Over' done live were a dream come true. Long overdue after all this time. All went well and now it's just a case of making sure we've done enough before the first gig on Wednesday 21st February at Zephyr Bar in Huddersfield.
2ND ALBUM PROGRESSES:
The album I'm working on with Jon Strong is well on the way now. I absolutely love the arrangements of all the tracks, four of which are now complete. I think it will be a great album and can't wait to finish all the remaining tracks now. Who knows, it might even be ready for the Feb band debut gig.....
EP Released this Week:
I'll not say too much here about the EP, except that it's finished-inlay artwork and all, and I'll be announcing its official arrival very shortly. I'll also do a blog about it on here.
Gigs This Week:
Subject to confirmation, I shall be playing at:
Wed 3rd- Korks Wine Bar, Otley
Thu 4th- The Primrose, Leeds
It's now full-on to make sure the EP is on sale at these venues, as it will be in the weeks to come. It's only £3 too.
Cheers
LATE DECEMBER (OH WHAT A NIGHT!) REVIEW......
Firstly, there are 2 gigs to report on: Wednesday 13th Dec at The Grove was as mad as ever. I went on soon after a stand-up row between 2 poets, who couldn't have been more contrasting if they'd tried. You can sort of get a flavour for how these nights are...but don't worry they're not unpleasent-more amusing in a strange sort of way.
After this little contre-temps, I came on to uplift everyone with my new song 'Seven Shades of Grey'. I say uplift ironically because, as I said on the night, the song is about a woman on the edge, who proceeds to shoot herself in the middle 8! It was the song's debut performance live, and it certainly went down a bomb. A good sign of things to come with this one. I got people to help sing the ooo's on the outro-which worked very well in the intimate setting, indeed the song is very well-suited to that venue-and it raised the roof at the end.
I had intended to perform 'Your Shadow' but I switched to 'Old Wishing Well' as it's got some humour in the lyric. I didn't feel this one carried as well as it did at Doctor Wu's the week before, but the reation to the first song was very special. Indeed, '7 Shades Of Grey' is set to be the title track for the 2nd album at this point.
The final show before Christmas was back at Wu's on December 19th. There was a distinct end of term feel about this one. I played 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'Your Shadow', 'Cold Cold Day' and to finish with, 'Somebody To Love'-which is my favourite cover to do. It was one of those nights where people were applauding loudly, so that suited the last song very well.
THE BAND MANAGES A REHEARSAL, A NEW ERA BEGINS.....
Yes, it finally happened. On Thursday 14th December, the new band was together at last to rehearse. And as I always knew from the line-up, it sounded magic. Hearing songs like 'Hell Freezes Over' done live were a dream come true. Long overdue after all this time. All went well and now it's just a case of making sure we've done enough before the first gig on Wednesday 21st February at Zephyr Bar in Huddersfield.
2ND ALBUM PROGRESSES:
The album I'm working on with Jon Strong is well on the way now. I absolutely love the arrangements of all the tracks, four of which are now complete. I think it will be a great album and can't wait to finish all the remaining tracks now. Who knows, it might even be ready for the Feb band debut gig.....
EP Released this Week:
I'll not say too much here about the EP, except that it's finished-inlay artwork and all, and I'll be announcing its official arrival very shortly. I'll also do a blog about it on here.
Gigs This Week:
Subject to confirmation, I shall be playing at:
Wed 3rd- Korks Wine Bar, Otley
Thu 4th- The Primrose, Leeds
It's now full-on to make sure the EP is on sale at these venues, as it will be in the weeks to come. It's only £3 too.
Cheers
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Christmas is no time for an anal eco-warrior
As Christmas fast approaches, and with it the realisation that another year has almost passed by, I always find it hard to focus on the present. Which reminds me, I still haven't done any Christmas shopping...
I'm a very date-obsesed individual (a bit like Noel Edmonds) and I'm always stimulated by the thought of a new year, fresh start etc... It has been known for me to get more done in January than the rest of the year put together, some years I book in too much and spend the rest of the year recovering (like last year). I keep saying I'll learn from my mistake there and not try and cram too much in, but I've never been very good at learning from my mistakes....
So, at the moment, it looks as though January will revolve around playing as many gigs as possible (I'm working out the schedule right now), releasing and promoting the EP, finishing the second album, rehearsing the new band, and commencing work on another studio album. February and March will be set aside for Vernal depression and a nervous breakdown. Still, soon be Christmas.
To explain a little further, the EP 'Get The Drinks In' is pretty much finished. The front cover is designed and ready, only the last few details need to be completed. Most artists would want something released before Christmas, but it really makes more sense for me to hold it back until January. Firstly, it's already a little late, secondlt, I've still got 'Lost In Love Town' just getting its momentum. Incidentally, don't forget the latter is still available for just $12.97 with a 30% discount if you get more than one.
January should give me a better chance at promoting it, especially live. I don't think it will be available on cdbaby, but may well appear on other sites, especially as a download. If you are especially curious, you can listen to two of the tracks already. 'Old Wishing Well' has been number one on the mixposure soft rock chart and is getting some brilliant reviews. Thanks for those! 'Drinking My Way Down' has likewise made a strong impression on 'the mix', and can also be downloaded here.
Album #2:
Work has been progressing with Jon Strong on the 2nd album, which is gaining momentum now. I think the final result will be very pleasing. The other studio album I mentioned, is going to contain more songs from around the same batch. I guess it will be album #3 but I suppose could be considered #2B. I have that many songs!
Live this week:
Just the one show again this week, a very pleasing set at Dr Wu's. I played 5 songs on a fairly quiet night, but felt the intamacy probably enabled the set to go down much better. So all in all a really good evening. Songs played were 'These Eyes Of Mine', 'Your Shadow', 'Gods And Angels', 'Old Wishing Well' and 'Rocket Man'. Numbers 2 and 4 there were live debutants. The former went especially well and is a track I think we'll be hearing more about very soon. It's on the new album whilst 'Old Wishing Well' is of course from the EP. And, oh yes, you notice one of those is not a cover, but a song I get requested in certain venues.... it was Gallo's fault this time!!
Live next week: I'm definetly going to be at The Grove on Wednesday the 13th and possibly Wu's on Tuesday the 12th. Can't wait to be back at the former, where a unique atmosphere is guaranteed!
I'm a very date-obsesed individual (a bit like Noel Edmonds) and I'm always stimulated by the thought of a new year, fresh start etc... It has been known for me to get more done in January than the rest of the year put together, some years I book in too much and spend the rest of the year recovering (like last year). I keep saying I'll learn from my mistake there and not try and cram too much in, but I've never been very good at learning from my mistakes....
So, at the moment, it looks as though January will revolve around playing as many gigs as possible (I'm working out the schedule right now), releasing and promoting the EP, finishing the second album, rehearsing the new band, and commencing work on another studio album. February and March will be set aside for Vernal depression and a nervous breakdown. Still, soon be Christmas.
To explain a little further, the EP 'Get The Drinks In' is pretty much finished. The front cover is designed and ready, only the last few details need to be completed. Most artists would want something released before Christmas, but it really makes more sense for me to hold it back until January. Firstly, it's already a little late, secondlt, I've still got 'Lost In Love Town' just getting its momentum. Incidentally, don't forget the latter is still available for just $12.97 with a 30% discount if you get more than one.
January should give me a better chance at promoting it, especially live. I don't think it will be available on cdbaby, but may well appear on other sites, especially as a download. If you are especially curious, you can listen to two of the tracks already. 'Old Wishing Well' has been number one on the mixposure soft rock chart and is getting some brilliant reviews. Thanks for those! 'Drinking My Way Down' has likewise made a strong impression on 'the mix', and can also be downloaded here.
Album #2:
Work has been progressing with Jon Strong on the 2nd album, which is gaining momentum now. I think the final result will be very pleasing. The other studio album I mentioned, is going to contain more songs from around the same batch. I guess it will be album #3 but I suppose could be considered #2B. I have that many songs!
Live this week:
Just the one show again this week, a very pleasing set at Dr Wu's. I played 5 songs on a fairly quiet night, but felt the intamacy probably enabled the set to go down much better. So all in all a really good evening. Songs played were 'These Eyes Of Mine', 'Your Shadow', 'Gods And Angels', 'Old Wishing Well' and 'Rocket Man'. Numbers 2 and 4 there were live debutants. The former went especially well and is a track I think we'll be hearing more about very soon. It's on the new album whilst 'Old Wishing Well' is of course from the EP. And, oh yes, you notice one of those is not a cover, but a song I get requested in certain venues.... it was Gallo's fault this time!!
Live next week: I'm definetly going to be at The Grove on Wednesday the 13th and possibly Wu's on Tuesday the 12th. Can't wait to be back at the former, where a unique atmosphere is guaranteed!
Sunday, December 03, 2006
I finally made it to The Primrose!!
Thursday this week took me to a new (for me) Leeds venue, The Primrose. It's a far cry from the city centre when you get to Meanwood, but despite this I had a really good time. The pub itself is straight out of the pub-rock world. It's small, basic but with an atmosphere. It's quite a contrast to the folk who run the night, who are very polite and well-to-do, a bit out of context really! But I'm not complaining about that.
I played 3 songs, 'These Eyes Of Mine', 'Whiskey Coloured World' and 'Life'. There is a strong chance of returning to play a 30 minute support slot there in January, if the promoter's reaction is anything to go by. So not a bad night, and another venue to add to the list. Strangely enough, almost 6 years ago exactly, my old band Dolly were due to play there. It unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the small problem of the band splitting up. So I finally made it 6 years later, amazing progress!
This week, I'm going to be at Dr Wu's on Tuesday (the 5th), with some more previously unheard songs.
The EP looks like becoming the christmas release, with one more track to mix, and of course the album is still available on cdbaby.
On a final note, why won't the Official International Queen fan club accept requests from bands on myspace? Music for the people I suppose...
I played 3 songs, 'These Eyes Of Mine', 'Whiskey Coloured World' and 'Life'. There is a strong chance of returning to play a 30 minute support slot there in January, if the promoter's reaction is anything to go by. So not a bad night, and another venue to add to the list. Strangely enough, almost 6 years ago exactly, my old band Dolly were due to play there. It unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the small problem of the band splitting up. So I finally made it 6 years later, amazing progress!
This week, I'm going to be at Dr Wu's on Tuesday (the 5th), with some more previously unheard songs.
The EP looks like becoming the christmas release, with one more track to mix, and of course the album is still available on cdbaby.
On a final note, why won't the Official International Queen fan club accept requests from bands on myspace? Music for the people I suppose...
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
3 gigs and other stuff
An extremely busy week again with the 3 live shows, plus 2 further with the function bands and a whole host of other stuff. In no particular order:
GIGS:
First up was visit number 4 (only counting the recent upsurge!) to Dr Wu's. There were no loonies this week, other than the regular harmless ones(!) and I took the opportunity again to play some new material. The set was 'It Will Pass', 'The Prisoner', 'Gods and Angels' and 'Cold Cold Day'. The first 3 songs are all fairly downbeat-as is most singer-songwriter material-and that's something I'm watching out for. I don't want to depress an audience too much! Anyway, all went well there, which moves us on to Wednesday:
The Grove Open Mic night is much more communal than Wu's. It has an intimacy and character and this it has to be said leads to better results for me. Even if the piano needs to go to the elephant's graveyard! I did 2 of Cath's songs this time, 'I Don't Need' and 'Life'. The former is something of a forgotten track which I'm aiming to release some time in the future. I still love that one, it perhaps does my voice the most justice of any song. I did a quick plug for the late Tim Rose in the latter song, as it was in Leeds where I saw him perform just 6 months before his death in 2002.
On Saturday afternoon I performed something of a more structured gig, with a 30 mins support slot at Dr Wu's supporting Gary Stewart (just him and not his band as advertised!!). Gary sounded superb to me, a little like Cat Stevens, very strong songs.
I learnt a few things from my set: Firstly, I discovered my phone has bluetooth (thanks for the video Vicky!), and secondly that I need to learn the words a bit better! However the sound was superb and it was great to be performing original material for a longer set, long may it continue. The setlist was: 'These Eyes Of Mine', 'Even', 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'The Prisoner', 'Gods And Angels', 'I'm Coming Out', 'Cold Cold Day' and of course the obligatory cover of 'Rocket Man'.
This week will be slightly quieter, I'm missing Wu's this week but doing a new venue on Thursday: The Primrose, again in Leeds. Tune in next week to see how it all went.
2ND ALBUM: In between all this excitement, I met up with Jon Strong on Thursday 23rd to do some more work on the 2nd album. Things are starting to move forward on that front more rapidly now, so it hopefully won't be long before the results are realised. It sounds great.
WEB HITS UP AND CDBABY: My web 'hits' are well up this month, certainly the best month I've had so far since I lurked into cyberspace in late March. I seem to be getting hit upon from the search engines more often, which must be good. Even if they were searching for something entirely different in the first place! Just in case they fall off a bit: SEX PORN MP3 EBAY
My album is available at CD Baby of course, so please feel free to have a look there. It's worth it almost for the customer care alone. British companies take note...
And finally, I also went to see Shawn Colvin on Sunday night in Manchester. A great night's music, and also interesting to hear another acoustic cover of 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkeley. Perhaps I should have a go!
GIGS:
First up was visit number 4 (only counting the recent upsurge!) to Dr Wu's. There were no loonies this week, other than the regular harmless ones(!) and I took the opportunity again to play some new material. The set was 'It Will Pass', 'The Prisoner', 'Gods and Angels' and 'Cold Cold Day'. The first 3 songs are all fairly downbeat-as is most singer-songwriter material-and that's something I'm watching out for. I don't want to depress an audience too much! Anyway, all went well there, which moves us on to Wednesday:
The Grove Open Mic night is much more communal than Wu's. It has an intimacy and character and this it has to be said leads to better results for me. Even if the piano needs to go to the elephant's graveyard! I did 2 of Cath's songs this time, 'I Don't Need' and 'Life'. The former is something of a forgotten track which I'm aiming to release some time in the future. I still love that one, it perhaps does my voice the most justice of any song. I did a quick plug for the late Tim Rose in the latter song, as it was in Leeds where I saw him perform just 6 months before his death in 2002.
On Saturday afternoon I performed something of a more structured gig, with a 30 mins support slot at Dr Wu's supporting Gary Stewart (just him and not his band as advertised!!). Gary sounded superb to me, a little like Cat Stevens, very strong songs.
I learnt a few things from my set: Firstly, I discovered my phone has bluetooth (thanks for the video Vicky!), and secondly that I need to learn the words a bit better! However the sound was superb and it was great to be performing original material for a longer set, long may it continue. The setlist was: 'These Eyes Of Mine', 'Even', 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'The Prisoner', 'Gods And Angels', 'I'm Coming Out', 'Cold Cold Day' and of course the obligatory cover of 'Rocket Man'.
This week will be slightly quieter, I'm missing Wu's this week but doing a new venue on Thursday: The Primrose, again in Leeds. Tune in next week to see how it all went.
2ND ALBUM: In between all this excitement, I met up with Jon Strong on Thursday 23rd to do some more work on the 2nd album. Things are starting to move forward on that front more rapidly now, so it hopefully won't be long before the results are realised. It sounds great.
WEB HITS UP AND CDBABY: My web 'hits' are well up this month, certainly the best month I've had so far since I lurked into cyberspace in late March. I seem to be getting hit upon from the search engines more often, which must be good. Even if they were searching for something entirely different in the first place! Just in case they fall off a bit: SEX PORN MP3 EBAY
My album is available at CD Baby of course, so please feel free to have a look there. It's worth it almost for the customer care alone. British companies take note...
And finally, I also went to see Shawn Colvin on Sunday night in Manchester. A great night's music, and also interesting to hear another acoustic cover of 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkeley. Perhaps I should have a go!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Be My cdbaby
Well blows me down, as Popeye would say, it's been a hectic week. Yes, week 3 has seen quite a bit of action....read on for action.....
ALBUM NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE
Yes, it's taken me a long time but finally I have my album 'Lost In Love Town' signed up on cdbaby
This means that anyone anywhere can now purchase the album, and it's cheaper too! Many of you will have received an email about it this week, but to sumarise it's just $12.97 plus a bit for p&p and there's a 30% discount for buying 2 or more copies.
As well as hoping to sell a few copies, I'm also immediately struck by the increase in traffic on this site and on my soundclick page. A big thank you to Chris Breen for re-jigging the website front page to accomodate the new happenings.
All that now remains is to wait for the digital distribution companies (napster, msn, itunes etc..) to get their downloadable copies online. This is being handled by cdbaby too, so anyone who prefers the comfort of their mp3 player can then purchase the tunes too.
It's early days yet, but it's been such a thrill so far to get a response from people, all those who have been in touch-some I know some I now know! Thank you, and I really do appreciate it so much if anyone is willing to buy the album.
LIVE STUFF:
The live side of things is of course the other major way I'm promoting things. This week saw 2 shows, Dr Wu's as usual on Tuesday, and the aforementioned fully unplugged show at The Grove. Both are Leeds venues.
Dr Wu's on Tuesday saw the live debut of 2 new songs: 'Even' and 'Gods And Angels' are both going to be on the new album. The set was bookended with 'Whiskey Coloured World' and 'Cold Cold Day'.
There was a rather good band on before my set too. They were Go Cadenza who were extremely talented, and even seem to have mastered the art of promoting themselves on the channel 4 website! They also had a couple of loonies to deal with in the audience, who were luckily evicted by the bouncers before I came on. I have deep-seated fear of loonies, which comes from playing to almost exclusive loony audiences in my Working Men's Club days. By the way please don't run away with the idea that Dr Wu's is rough. Firstly because it isn't and secondly becasue I need you to support me when I play there!
The second show was on Wednesday night. The Grove is something of a cult venue in Leeds, as it's an old real ale pub surrounded by ultra-modern buildings. It's bang in the city centre but might as well be in the middle of nowhere, such is the initimate atmosphere generated by the small concert room!
As mentioned it was purely acoustic. That means NO PA, NO KEYBOARD and NO MICS! I played the rather out-of-tune piano and sung loudly over the top of it. It's such an intimate show that everyone does listen. There were literally people sat next to me, including a girl in a short skirt, which inspired concentration...her boyfriend bought a cd though, so I'm not complaining. I played 'Gods+Angels' and 'Cold Cold Day', and the former took on a rather spooky quality with it's emotive lyrics set to a honky tonk piano. To be honest, if they tune the piano it will be the best venue for me. The people listen to what you are doing, and appreciate the quirkiness and genuinity of acts such as mine. They appreciate good music, I hope, and this was reflected in the number of Cds sold, not bad for just a 2 song blast! There's also a definite 'vibe' there, and this is conducive to networking with other artisitic types-both fans and performers.
EP:
In the midst of all this I'm still finishing the EP. Only one song remains to be mixed, the finished tracks are wonferful. They sound so much fresher than the first album and I can't wait to get them released.
WHO IS THE MYSTERY GIRL SINGER???
I have already promoed one of the tracks on mixposure and soundclick. You can listen to and read reviews of 'Drinking My Way Down' here.
Many people are wondering who the singer is, one person even went so far as to accuse me of rudeness for not naming her! Well when the EP is finished I will be naming everyone who has been involved. The song is getting great reviews so far.
THIS WEEK:
I could go on, but I'll wrap things up by promoting this week's shows:
Tues 21st November:Dr Wu's-9pm
Wed 22nd November:The Grove-9pm
and, more importantly, Sat AFTERNOON 3pm: Dr Wu's, I will be supporting the GARY STEWART BAND with a 30 minute set. This is part of the venue's Acoustic Revolution shows. This will be featuring original material with copies of the album available. Note the unusual start-time: A chance to do some Christmas shopping and see some live music! Speaking of Christmas shopping, my album would make a wonderful present!
Time for the pub.
ALBUM NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE
Yes, it's taken me a long time but finally I have my album 'Lost In Love Town' signed up on cdbaby
This means that anyone anywhere can now purchase the album, and it's cheaper too! Many of you will have received an email about it this week, but to sumarise it's just $12.97 plus a bit for p&p and there's a 30% discount for buying 2 or more copies.
As well as hoping to sell a few copies, I'm also immediately struck by the increase in traffic on this site and on my soundclick page. A big thank you to Chris Breen for re-jigging the website front page to accomodate the new happenings.
All that now remains is to wait for the digital distribution companies (napster, msn, itunes etc..) to get their downloadable copies online. This is being handled by cdbaby too, so anyone who prefers the comfort of their mp3 player can then purchase the tunes too.
It's early days yet, but it's been such a thrill so far to get a response from people, all those who have been in touch-some I know some I now know! Thank you, and I really do appreciate it so much if anyone is willing to buy the album.
LIVE STUFF:
The live side of things is of course the other major way I'm promoting things. This week saw 2 shows, Dr Wu's as usual on Tuesday, and the aforementioned fully unplugged show at The Grove. Both are Leeds venues.
Dr Wu's on Tuesday saw the live debut of 2 new songs: 'Even' and 'Gods And Angels' are both going to be on the new album. The set was bookended with 'Whiskey Coloured World' and 'Cold Cold Day'.
There was a rather good band on before my set too. They were Go Cadenza who were extremely talented, and even seem to have mastered the art of promoting themselves on the channel 4 website! They also had a couple of loonies to deal with in the audience, who were luckily evicted by the bouncers before I came on. I have deep-seated fear of loonies, which comes from playing to almost exclusive loony audiences in my Working Men's Club days. By the way please don't run away with the idea that Dr Wu's is rough. Firstly because it isn't and secondly becasue I need you to support me when I play there!
The second show was on Wednesday night. The Grove is something of a cult venue in Leeds, as it's an old real ale pub surrounded by ultra-modern buildings. It's bang in the city centre but might as well be in the middle of nowhere, such is the initimate atmosphere generated by the small concert room!
As mentioned it was purely acoustic. That means NO PA, NO KEYBOARD and NO MICS! I played the rather out-of-tune piano and sung loudly over the top of it. It's such an intimate show that everyone does listen. There were literally people sat next to me, including a girl in a short skirt, which inspired concentration...her boyfriend bought a cd though, so I'm not complaining. I played 'Gods+Angels' and 'Cold Cold Day', and the former took on a rather spooky quality with it's emotive lyrics set to a honky tonk piano. To be honest, if they tune the piano it will be the best venue for me. The people listen to what you are doing, and appreciate the quirkiness and genuinity of acts such as mine. They appreciate good music, I hope, and this was reflected in the number of Cds sold, not bad for just a 2 song blast! There's also a definite 'vibe' there, and this is conducive to networking with other artisitic types-both fans and performers.
EP:
In the midst of all this I'm still finishing the EP. Only one song remains to be mixed, the finished tracks are wonferful. They sound so much fresher than the first album and I can't wait to get them released.
WHO IS THE MYSTERY GIRL SINGER???
I have already promoed one of the tracks on mixposure and soundclick. You can listen to and read reviews of 'Drinking My Way Down' here.
Many people are wondering who the singer is, one person even went so far as to accuse me of rudeness for not naming her! Well when the EP is finished I will be naming everyone who has been involved. The song is getting great reviews so far.
THIS WEEK:
I could go on, but I'll wrap things up by promoting this week's shows:
Tues 21st November:Dr Wu's-9pm
Wed 22nd November:The Grove-9pm
and, more importantly, Sat AFTERNOON 3pm: Dr Wu's, I will be supporting the GARY STEWART BAND with a 30 minute set. This is part of the venue's Acoustic Revolution shows. This will be featuring original material with copies of the album available. Note the unusual start-time: A chance to do some Christmas shopping and see some live music! Speaking of Christmas shopping, my album would make a wonderful present!
Time for the pub.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Last Dance With Whiskey Coloured Mary Jane
Week 2 of the big push has been pretty busy, which was the general idea although much more like hard work than I thought, much more than a musician should be prepared for anyway...
LIVE IN LEEDS
I was at Dr Wu's again this Tuesday the 7th. For those of you keeping score this week I played 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'Cold Cold Day', 'Life' and 'I'm Coming Out'. There was a slightly better turn-out this week, although I'm still waiting for that mythical 'packed' night. Still, it's becoming a regular night for me, a good base for trying out new songs, and now that there's a booked band on later it seems it will continue to gain in popularity.
This week.....
I'll be back at Wu's on Tuesday the 14th and the following night I'll be at The Grove. This is an acoustic night with a difference, in that it is purely acoustic-no P.A., so just piano and voice. Stand by for an intimate performance, I've never done anything like that before and I'm told the audience actually do shut up and listen! I've played at The Grove a few years ago and been to many other gigs there. It's the most unlikely setting, tucked away from the main road even though it's practically in the city centre. The concert room is tiny, lord only knows how we managed to work a 7-piece band in there! I do hope it is as intimate as people say next week, because it's much more the sort of show I'm after.
NEW SONG!
The upcoming EP took another step towards fruition this week with the mixing of one of the tracks finished. It's called 'Drinking My Way Down' and features Beth on vocals. I'm so impressed with the final result that I've posted it on the various sites straight away. You can listen and download it here and here.
I'll tell you a bit more about the background when the EP is ready but for now let's just say I love it-it's very very close to sounding as I wanted it in my head.
Garageband.com reviews Whiskey Coloured World
This is the second track I've had forward for reviews on this site. To read what people had to say please view this link.
At one point the song was scoring 4.1 stars but then dramatically slumped to 3.2! This leaves it a little short of Cold Cold Day, but again most of the reviews have been great. Ok, yes it does sound like 'Last Dance With Mary Jane' but I did say Tom Petty was an influence!
Have fun. Is music fun??
LIVE IN LEEDS
I was at Dr Wu's again this Tuesday the 7th. For those of you keeping score this week I played 'Whiskey Coloured World', 'Cold Cold Day', 'Life' and 'I'm Coming Out'. There was a slightly better turn-out this week, although I'm still waiting for that mythical 'packed' night. Still, it's becoming a regular night for me, a good base for trying out new songs, and now that there's a booked band on later it seems it will continue to gain in popularity.
This week.....
I'll be back at Wu's on Tuesday the 14th and the following night I'll be at The Grove. This is an acoustic night with a difference, in that it is purely acoustic-no P.A., so just piano and voice. Stand by for an intimate performance, I've never done anything like that before and I'm told the audience actually do shut up and listen! I've played at The Grove a few years ago and been to many other gigs there. It's the most unlikely setting, tucked away from the main road even though it's practically in the city centre. The concert room is tiny, lord only knows how we managed to work a 7-piece band in there! I do hope it is as intimate as people say next week, because it's much more the sort of show I'm after.
NEW SONG!
The upcoming EP took another step towards fruition this week with the mixing of one of the tracks finished. It's called 'Drinking My Way Down' and features Beth on vocals. I'm so impressed with the final result that I've posted it on the various sites straight away. You can listen and download it here and here.
I'll tell you a bit more about the background when the EP is ready but for now let's just say I love it-it's very very close to sounding as I wanted it in my head.
Garageband.com reviews Whiskey Coloured World
This is the second track I've had forward for reviews on this site. To read what people had to say please view this link.
At one point the song was scoring 4.1 stars but then dramatically slumped to 3.2! This leaves it a little short of Cold Cold Day, but again most of the reviews have been great. Ok, yes it does sound like 'Last Dance With Mary Jane' but I did say Tom Petty was an influence!
Have fun. Is music fun??
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
November is rocket up the a**e time
November is here and Global Warming has finally relinquished for the time being after autumn missed out September and October. Did I mention Green taxes? Of course not.
I decided as we are close to bonfire night that I would take people's advise about which part of my body to stick a rocket to and become more productive. Did that make sense? Probably not.
PLAYING LIVE
First up is the news that there will be more frequent live performances coming up. Last night was my first original material gig for a while. As it was Halloween I decided to scare a few people by going to Dr Wu's in Leeds and playing a few of my songs.
For the archives (or Room 101?), the songs played were: 'These Eyes Of Mine', 'Cold Cold Day', 'I Can't Believe The News' and 'Life'. It was a quieter than average night, but the little set went well and I even managed to sell a copy of the Cold Cold Day single, to a woman as well....
I always seem to appear on the 'quiet night', on numerous occasions I hear people say, 'it was packed last week'. Even my own pub quiz that I run is busier when I'm not there. Perhaps they're trying to tell me something, or perhaps I'm being somehow prepared for a switch to Jazz, where the smaller the audience, the cooler you are.
In case you are wondering, I'll be going again next week (Tues 7th November) and all upcoming shows are posted on my myspace page and on my garageband page.
Read what the public says...
Speaking of garageband, I've just submitted 'Whiskey Coloured World' for a grilling from the mainly musician reviewers. My first track, the single version of 'Cold Cold Day', received some interesting comments, mainly nice, a few not so. A couple of the reviews are pasted below, and the song ended up with a rating of 3.5 out of 5, sadly not enough to push it far up the charts, but not bad. After all, it's 70% which means that if seven out of ten people liked it that's pretty good. Or am I missing the point? Perhaps.
EP nearly there.
I'm beginning to follow the long-established tradition of delaying releases, but the EP 'Get The Drinks In' is almost upon us. All the parts are now down and it's just a case of mixing them. By 2010 I'm hoping to have copies available.
The Big Push.
Finally, I should mention that I'm having a bit of a big push at the moment on moving things forward. This partly involves doing more gigs, as mentioned above, but also in terms of internet presence. It may also involve the jewel in the crown, my personal nemesis, a four-letter word. No, not 'Jazz' (which is a four letter word) but word on the street is that Paul Jeffery may be putting a band together to perform his own songs. These rumours are un-confirmed and may simply be weapons of mass destruction. But a strong pulse was felt on the richter scale and it is feared he may have the vital ingredients almost in place to build the band.
I should be writing for Private Eye. Perhaps not.
I decided as we are close to bonfire night that I would take people's advise about which part of my body to stick a rocket to and become more productive. Did that make sense? Probably not.
PLAYING LIVE
First up is the news that there will be more frequent live performances coming up. Last night was my first original material gig for a while. As it was Halloween I decided to scare a few people by going to Dr Wu's in Leeds and playing a few of my songs.
For the archives (or Room 101?), the songs played were: 'These Eyes Of Mine', 'Cold Cold Day', 'I Can't Believe The News' and 'Life'. It was a quieter than average night, but the little set went well and I even managed to sell a copy of the Cold Cold Day single, to a woman as well....
I always seem to appear on the 'quiet night', on numerous occasions I hear people say, 'it was packed last week'. Even my own pub quiz that I run is busier when I'm not there. Perhaps they're trying to tell me something, or perhaps I'm being somehow prepared for a switch to Jazz, where the smaller the audience, the cooler you are.
In case you are wondering, I'll be going again next week (Tues 7th November) and all upcoming shows are posted on my myspace page and on my garageband page.
Read what the public says...
Speaking of garageband, I've just submitted 'Whiskey Coloured World' for a grilling from the mainly musician reviewers. My first track, the single version of 'Cold Cold Day', received some interesting comments, mainly nice, a few not so. A couple of the reviews are pasted below, and the song ended up with a rating of 3.5 out of 5, sadly not enough to push it far up the charts, but not bad. After all, it's 70% which means that if seven out of ten people liked it that's pretty good. Or am I missing the point? Perhaps.
EP nearly there.
I'm beginning to follow the long-established tradition of delaying releases, but the EP 'Get The Drinks In' is almost upon us. All the parts are now down and it's just a case of mixing them. By 2010 I'm hoping to have copies available.
The Big Push.
Finally, I should mention that I'm having a bit of a big push at the moment on moving things forward. This partly involves doing more gigs, as mentioned above, but also in terms of internet presence. It may also involve the jewel in the crown, my personal nemesis, a four-letter word. No, not 'Jazz' (which is a four letter word) but word on the street is that Paul Jeffery may be putting a band together to perform his own songs. These rumours are un-confirmed and may simply be weapons of mass destruction. But a strong pulse was felt on the richter scale and it is feared he may have the vital ingredients almost in place to build the band.
I should be writing for Private Eye. Perhaps not.
Monday, October 09, 2006
October News Upadate
It's been a little while since the last update, this is down to the usual laziness plus a little genuine hard work!
About a month ago I was asked to play keyboard for the Rachael Warwick band: New Jack Union. Rachael is a UK country/rock artist, perhaps more rock than country, signed to Impressive Records and with a great album called 'Anglo Americana'. As a result of this offer I can now say I've performed my first overseas gig, in the South of France this weekend just gone. It was at a country festival in Lavardac, which is near Agen. The show went well and was a very useful experience for me. The next show is this coming weekend at Eurodisney in Paris, so going to be a busy week in general.
Computer trouble holds up new EP
The new EP, 'Get The Drinks In, first mentioned in these pages a while ago, has been held up due to computer problems in the studio. This first occured literally as we were about to put the bass parts down, having done the guitars the week before. SInce then it's been no end of a job sorting out what is a simple component failure. The company who designed and manufactured the PC have been utterly useless and unprofessional, and I am now waiting for the local Computer Shop to pull it's finger out. All in all, a month's recording lost and am not too happy about it. Hopefully I can get back on track soon.
2nd Album underway:
.....that's not to say that there hasn't been any recording at all over the past month. I can now officially announce that a well-known local singer/songwriter is producing my 2nd album and that the 1st track is almost complete. And it sounds bloody fantastic. More news to follow soon.
Paul joins the Internet 'Jukebox Jury':
In addition to already joining several music upload sites, I recently stole myself to join the famous garageband website. My page on there is now up and running. Similar to mixposure, the site is review-based. But whereas mixposure invites only voluntary reviews, this site is structured so that you must review tracks in order for the same to happen to yours. More interestingly, the reviews are thrown at you so you don't have a choice of track and are unaware until later who the artist is. It's a bit like walking into a pub and playing to 20 people completely at random. So may like you, some may not.
On Mixposure most reviews are very positive, on garageband this is not necessarily so, and you are getting gut reactions from the 1st or 2nd listen. Please read my reviews for the Cold Cold Day Sing Version here. As you will see, most have been good, one or two not so good! Overall I'm very pleased as the standard of track is extremely high on there, and I've got a current rating of 3.7 out of 5. In future more tracks will be posted for the critics to pick apart!
In case you can't wait, here are a couple of tastey reviews....
And with that I'll be off...
About a month ago I was asked to play keyboard for the Rachael Warwick band: New Jack Union. Rachael is a UK country/rock artist, perhaps more rock than country, signed to Impressive Records and with a great album called 'Anglo Americana'. As a result of this offer I can now say I've performed my first overseas gig, in the South of France this weekend just gone. It was at a country festival in Lavardac, which is near Agen. The show went well and was a very useful experience for me. The next show is this coming weekend at Eurodisney in Paris, so going to be a busy week in general.
Computer trouble holds up new EP
The new EP, 'Get The Drinks In, first mentioned in these pages a while ago, has been held up due to computer problems in the studio. This first occured literally as we were about to put the bass parts down, having done the guitars the week before. SInce then it's been no end of a job sorting out what is a simple component failure. The company who designed and manufactured the PC have been utterly useless and unprofessional, and I am now waiting for the local Computer Shop to pull it's finger out. All in all, a month's recording lost and am not too happy about it. Hopefully I can get back on track soon.
2nd Album underway:
.....that's not to say that there hasn't been any recording at all over the past month. I can now officially announce that a well-known local singer/songwriter is producing my 2nd album and that the 1st track is almost complete. And it sounds bloody fantastic. More news to follow soon.
Paul joins the Internet 'Jukebox Jury':
In addition to already joining several music upload sites, I recently stole myself to join the famous garageband website. My page on there is now up and running. Similar to mixposure, the site is review-based. But whereas mixposure invites only voluntary reviews, this site is structured so that you must review tracks in order for the same to happen to yours. More interestingly, the reviews are thrown at you so you don't have a choice of track and are unaware until later who the artist is. It's a bit like walking into a pub and playing to 20 people completely at random. So may like you, some may not.
On Mixposure most reviews are very positive, on garageband this is not necessarily so, and you are getting gut reactions from the 1st or 2nd listen. Please read my reviews for the Cold Cold Day Sing Version here. As you will see, most have been good, one or two not so good! Overall I'm very pleased as the standard of track is extremely high on there, and I've got a current rating of 3.7 out of 5. In future more tracks will be posted for the critics to pick apart!
In case you can't wait, here are a couple of tastey reviews....
I like the vocals, and the music fits with them
The song and the vocals match, witch doesn't seem like a crazy concept, but it is often foreign to artists. Great job with this song. I would enjoy this band live, I'm sure, if you make it out to LA.
really good tune. Really catchy but not comepletely predictable. The vocalist has the voice of a star. -A really nice natural rasp but not in a painful way. Bridge is cool but I was hoping the vocalist would go off a little. Love the backing vocal in the outro as well.
And with that I'll be off...
Friday, September 01, 2006
News
September is here and with it another fun-packed summer draws to a close....thank God for that! I always concentrate better when it's not so hot and the local girls are wearing slightly more, but that's another matter.
This week in my own little world:
*The new EP mentioned in the previous blog(13/8) is now really taking shape. All the guitars were recorded this week and 'Get The Drinks In' (featuring Sally Rivers) is now more or less finished.
Paul Flieshman has done the guitars parts as he did for the album and he's now off to Israel for a month of gigging and adventure. It will make a pleasant change from war-torn Manchester.
*Mixposure continues to lead the way in terms of Internet promotion for my music. I've now added five songs from the album including latest additions 'Young, Lost and Hopeful' and 'I'm Coming Out'.
The reviews and overall response to each song has been fantastic. The reviewing nature of the site encourages interraction and networking, especially as there's some really great people on there. I've had 4 songs go in the top 5 for their genre, and 'I'm Coming Out' reached #4 overall at one point. In terms of artists, for Soft Rock I currently am top artist for this week and month, and now second on the all-time list.
*Exposure on Mixposure (catchy eh?) has led to plays on radio and podcasts too. Last night I was featured on a German station Interkosmos Radio. I had 2 songs played and enjoyed the show immensely with some great interactive chat, which they very kindly did in English for my benefit! Other recent braodcasts have included DJ Dino's show on nexusradio and the Rob Favre's podcast at . The show I featured on (surfside #3) is still streamable.
Further news to follow soon.
This week in my own little world:
*The new EP mentioned in the previous blog(13/8) is now really taking shape. All the guitars were recorded this week and 'Get The Drinks In' (featuring Sally Rivers) is now more or less finished.
Paul Flieshman has done the guitars parts as he did for the album and he's now off to Israel for a month of gigging and adventure. It will make a pleasant change from war-torn Manchester.
*Mixposure continues to lead the way in terms of Internet promotion for my music. I've now added five songs from the album including latest additions 'Young, Lost and Hopeful' and 'I'm Coming Out'.
The reviews and overall response to each song has been fantastic. The reviewing nature of the site encourages interraction and networking, especially as there's some really great people on there. I've had 4 songs go in the top 5 for their genre, and 'I'm Coming Out' reached #4 overall at one point. In terms of artists, for Soft Rock I currently am top artist for this week and month, and now second on the all-time list.
*Exposure on Mixposure (catchy eh?) has led to plays on radio and podcasts too. Last night I was featured on a German station Interkosmos Radio. I had 2 songs played and enjoyed the show immensely with some great interactive chat, which they very kindly did in English for my benefit! Other recent braodcasts have included DJ Dino's show on nexusradio and the Rob Favre's podcast at . The show I featured on (surfside #3) is still streamable.
Further news to follow soon.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
New EP-details announced
So many songs, so little time.....
With a single and an album out in the last 3 months you'd think that was enough. But, no, such is the rate of productivity (or nothing better to do) that a new EP is not far off release.
EPs are a forgotten art these days. In the 60's groups used them as interim releases between records and some even included tracks which were surplus to the album. The Beatles famously released their 'Long Tall Sally' EP in 1964 containing all 4 tracks not available on 'A Hard Day's Night'. Often EPs had tracks which perhaps weren't as strong as those on the album, but hopefully this won't be the case, as it covers some interesting angles.....
There is a even a theme for the release: drink.
The EP is called 'Get The Drinks In' and will be billed as Paul Jeffery and Friends. Yes, you heard it here first, Paul Jeffery actually has some friends-and not all of them were paid!
Track 1 is a familiar song, 'Whiskey Coloured World'. This will be the Anglestar Remix taking the song in a more contemporary direction.
Track 2 is the acoustic 'Get The Drinks In' featuring special guest lead vocals by Sally Rivers.
Sal(as I now feel I can call her) sang harmony vocals on many of the tracks on the album and has a stunning new album out in collaboration with Alan Whittaker. 'Inside Out' is a brilliant CD and you can find out all about it here.
Track 3 will be back to my voice, for 'The Old Wishing Well'. This is one of my favourite of Sarah Thurlow's lyrics, taking a quizical look at the modern-day pub. As a keen pub-goer myself, I think it's a very accurate assesement of one particular type of watering hole. For the first time in a long time, we've got real drums, bashed out by renowned session drummer Steve Williams.
Track 4 is a song I've been wanting to record since it was written nearly 4 years ago. 'Drinking My Way Down' is a superb piece of girly angst written by Cath Goldsbrough. I've been waiting to find a suitable vocalist and now have the right one. Beth Wheatley from the famous yorkshire band Morris And The Minors will doing the song justice. Steve Williams is again on drums.
So there you have it. An EP hopefully with enough interest and variety to mean it's far more than just the reject takes from the album!
More exciting news soon!
With a single and an album out in the last 3 months you'd think that was enough. But, no, such is the rate of productivity (or nothing better to do) that a new EP is not far off release.
EPs are a forgotten art these days. In the 60's groups used them as interim releases between records and some even included tracks which were surplus to the album. The Beatles famously released their 'Long Tall Sally' EP in 1964 containing all 4 tracks not available on 'A Hard Day's Night'. Often EPs had tracks which perhaps weren't as strong as those on the album, but hopefully this won't be the case, as it covers some interesting angles.....
There is a even a theme for the release: drink.
The EP is called 'Get The Drinks In' and will be billed as Paul Jeffery and Friends. Yes, you heard it here first, Paul Jeffery actually has some friends-and not all of them were paid!
Track 1 is a familiar song, 'Whiskey Coloured World'. This will be the Anglestar Remix taking the song in a more contemporary direction.
Track 2 is the acoustic 'Get The Drinks In' featuring special guest lead vocals by Sally Rivers.
Sal(as I now feel I can call her) sang harmony vocals on many of the tracks on the album and has a stunning new album out in collaboration with Alan Whittaker. 'Inside Out' is a brilliant CD and you can find out all about it here.
Track 3 will be back to my voice, for 'The Old Wishing Well'. This is one of my favourite of Sarah Thurlow's lyrics, taking a quizical look at the modern-day pub. As a keen pub-goer myself, I think it's a very accurate assesement of one particular type of watering hole. For the first time in a long time, we've got real drums, bashed out by renowned session drummer Steve Williams.
Track 4 is a song I've been wanting to record since it was written nearly 4 years ago. 'Drinking My Way Down' is a superb piece of girly angst written by Cath Goldsbrough. I've been waiting to find a suitable vocalist and now have the right one. Beth Wheatley from the famous yorkshire band Morris And The Minors will doing the song justice. Steve Williams is again on drums.
So there you have it. An EP hopefully with enough interest and variety to mean it's far more than just the reject takes from the album!
More exciting news soon!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Mixposure Update
Well it's certainly been worthwhile joining the mixposure site. Within just over 2 weeks I've had airplay, a podcast planned, and more reviews and page 'hits' than most of the other sites put together.
Cold Cold Day has really taken hold, even thought it's not the first song listed on the page. It's been #1 for both score and plays on the weekly charts for Soft Rock and also placed as high as #6 in the overall top 100. In addition I'm ranked as number 1 artist for my genre this month.
'It Will Pass' has been added and gone very well straight away-in at #2 on it's first day.
News on the 2nd album and a bonus EP to follow.
Stay cool.
Cold Cold Day has really taken hold, even thought it's not the first song listed on the page. It's been #1 for both score and plays on the weekly charts for Soft Rock and also placed as high as #6 in the overall top 100. In addition I'm ranked as number 1 artist for my genre this month.
'It Will Pass' has been added and gone very well straight away-in at #2 on it's first day.
News on the 2nd album and a bonus EP to follow.
Stay cool.
Monday, July 17, 2006
From Canada to Elland
Mixposure is beginning to look like the best site I've come across so far. For promoting your music it outstrips rivals in terms of it's community spirit. People on there are very friendly and supportive and I for one can't fault it.
In only 10 days since registering I've had lots of plays and reviews of my 2 tracks on there. Cold Cold Day has already been number 1 in Soft Rock (as mentioned last week)and has been as high as #6 in the overall top 100. It also was broadcast on Trent Radio in Canada on the Friday evening show. My thanks to Darren and Bri-an for their support there.
CHANNEL 4 LAUNCH:
Whilst things have gone pretty well on mixposure I've finally got my page uploaded on the channel 4 website. Click here for the link.
Tomorrow night (Tues 18th) I'm playing a gig at the local Barge & Barrel in Elland. It promises to be rather hot by the looks of things!
In only 10 days since registering I've had lots of plays and reviews of my 2 tracks on there. Cold Cold Day has already been number 1 in Soft Rock (as mentioned last week)and has been as high as #6 in the overall top 100. It also was broadcast on Trent Radio in Canada on the Friday evening show. My thanks to Darren and Bri-an for their support there.
CHANNEL 4 LAUNCH:
Whilst things have gone pretty well on mixposure I've finally got my page uploaded on the channel 4 website. Click here for the link.
Tomorrow night (Tues 18th) I'm playing a gig at the local Barge & Barrel in Elland. It promises to be rather hot by the looks of things!
Monday, July 10, 2006
My first number 1!
It may only be of academic interest, but then again it's still a nice feeling....
Remember I told you about putting a page on mixposure, well it's been a great idea, arguably the best site I've come across so far.
In addition to receiving some fantastic reviews and comments the 2 songs I have on there have both made quite an imopression on the charts. 'Cold Cold Day' is number one in the Soft Rock genre based on 'plays' and number 4 on 'score' (points are accumulated on reviews etc..). 'Whiskey Coloured World' is at #5 on 'score' too. You can view these amazing feats here.
This translates very well in the overall 'hot 100' charts for all genres. 'Cold Cold Day' is at #23 based on plays and #53 based on score.
Of course, this is all of academic interest. The most important aspect has been the reviews the songs have received, and the networking opportunities brought about by linking in with other writers/performers.
CHANNEL 4 SITE ONLINE:
Despite only finding out by accident(!) my page on the popular channel 4 website is now viewable here.
Remember I told you about putting a page on mixposure, well it's been a great idea, arguably the best site I've come across so far.
In addition to receiving some fantastic reviews and comments the 2 songs I have on there have both made quite an imopression on the charts. 'Cold Cold Day' is number one in the Soft Rock genre based on 'plays' and number 4 on 'score' (points are accumulated on reviews etc..). 'Whiskey Coloured World' is at #5 on 'score' too. You can view these amazing feats here.
This translates very well in the overall 'hot 100' charts for all genres. 'Cold Cold Day' is at #23 based on plays and #53 based on score.
Of course, this is all of academic interest. The most important aspect has been the reviews the songs have received, and the networking opportunities brought about by linking in with other writers/performers.
CHANNEL 4 SITE ONLINE:
Despite only finding out by accident(!) my page on the popular channel 4 website is now viewable here.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Mixposure
A friend of mine recommended I join the mixposure site.
Please follow the links above to my page on there. The site differs from other upload communities in that the emphasis is placed on reviews. This means you get feedback on songs much quicker. OK, so part of the deal is that you have to review tracks in order to add more tunes, but already I get the feeling the site is more friendly for it.
At this point in time, it's always better to get feedback from people rather than the odd cd buyer here and there. Judging by people's comments, things are going the right way!
Anyway, come and join in the fun on the site, it's great!
Please follow the links above to my page on there. The site differs from other upload communities in that the emphasis is placed on reviews. This means you get feedback on songs much quicker. OK, so part of the deal is that you have to review tracks in order to add more tunes, but already I get the feeling the site is more friendly for it.
At this point in time, it's always better to get feedback from people rather than the odd cd buyer here and there. Judging by people's comments, things are going the right way!
Anyway, come and join in the fun on the site, it's great!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
gig and huddersfield examiner
The gig on Monday night went really well. It was very hot but a lot busier than expected considering the switch in nights. I was well pleased with the response to the original songs (especially Whiskey Coloured World). Cd sales are picking up too!
There was also an article in the Huddersfield paper-(the local equivalent of the New York Times) which read as follows:
JEFFREY's LONE DEBUT AT ZEPHYR
Paul Jeffery will be showcasing songs from his new album at Zephyr Bar tonight. The 12-track album, called Lost In Lovetown, is Paul's first as a solo artist and has been recorded and produced by him at his home studio at Rastrick over the past seven months.
Although this is his solo debut, 27-year-old Paul is a full-time musician and plays in several 'function' bands including local acts Morris And The Minors and One Night Stand.
He said he is looking forward to seeing the reaction of his Huddersfield fans.
He said: "It's my first outing by myself. I've had a good reaction at gigs in Leeds but I haven't been in Huddersfield for a while so I am really looking forward to it.
"The internet has been helping too, taking my music all over the world and given me a fan base."
The album can be downloaded from www.soundclick.com/pauljeffery or hard copies can be ordered from www.pauljeffery.com
So there you have it folks. Just for the record One Night Stand is no more... Thanks to Katie for the article.
There was also an article in the Huddersfield paper-(the local equivalent of the New York Times) which read as follows:
JEFFREY's LONE DEBUT AT ZEPHYR
Paul Jeffery will be showcasing songs from his new album at Zephyr Bar tonight. The 12-track album, called Lost In Lovetown, is Paul's first as a solo artist and has been recorded and produced by him at his home studio at Rastrick over the past seven months.
Although this is his solo debut, 27-year-old Paul is a full-time musician and plays in several 'function' bands including local acts Morris And The Minors and One Night Stand.
He said he is looking forward to seeing the reaction of his Huddersfield fans.
He said: "It's my first outing by myself. I've had a good reaction at gigs in Leeds but I haven't been in Huddersfield for a while so I am really looking forward to it.
"The internet has been helping too, taking my music all over the world and given me a fan base."
The album can be downloaded from www.soundclick.com/pauljeffery or hard copies can be ordered from www.pauljeffery.com
So there you have it folks. Just for the record One Night Stand is no more... Thanks to Katie for the article.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
New Album Available as Download-Part 2
As promised a few weeks ago, the rest of the new album 'Lost In Love Town' is now available to download. This means that all 12 tracks can now be obtained from the soundclick page, 4 of which are for free, the rest for just 0.75 cents each.
The full track list complete with it's relevant link to listen/download is as follows:
1.Cold Cold Day
2.Young, Lost And Hopeful
3.Hell Freezes Over
4.Whiskey Coloured World
5.Lost In Love Town
6.I Can't Believe The News
7.It Will Pass
8.Take It Back
9.Chains Around My Heart
10.Your Masquerade
11.I'm Coming Out
12.There You Are
Also still available are the 2 tracks from the single. Cold Cold Day (Catt Mix) and Life.
You may also notice that I've customised my soundclick page and become a VIP member, so now I can access the full stats and find out who's been listening. You have been warned!
The next gig is at Zephyr Bar in Huddersfield. Monday the 3rd of July. I'll be playing a full 90 min set with originals and some of my favourite covers. There will also be CDs available of the album and single.
You can also find me linked to the following pages too:
MySpace
dmusic
Pure Volume
Take care folks.
The full track list complete with it's relevant link to listen/download is as follows:
1.Cold Cold Day
2.Young, Lost And Hopeful
3.Hell Freezes Over
4.Whiskey Coloured World
5.Lost In Love Town
6.I Can't Believe The News
7.It Will Pass
8.Take It Back
9.Chains Around My Heart
10.Your Masquerade
11.I'm Coming Out
12.There You Are
Also still available are the 2 tracks from the single. Cold Cold Day (Catt Mix) and Life.
You may also notice that I've customised my soundclick page and become a VIP member, so now I can access the full stats and find out who's been listening. You have been warned!
The next gig is at Zephyr Bar in Huddersfield. Monday the 3rd of July. I'll be playing a full 90 min set with originals and some of my favourite covers. There will also be CDs available of the album and single.
You can also find me linked to the following pages too:
MySpace
dmusic
Pure Volume
Take care folks.
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