August started with August 1st. I took a last minute slot at Carpe Diem for Leeds Acoustic Showcase and played 2nd on the bill. It was fairly quiet but I really enjoyed this one, for some reason it sticks in my mind. The sound was great through a full PA and it was all very relaxed. I played 'Nobody Said It was Going To Be Easy' for the first time in a long time. Also 'Dare' again and 'How Do You Sleep'.

August continues with August 2nd. Here the band was playing at the legendary Puzzle Hall in Sowerby Bridge. In our search to find the smallest pub venues in England (or indeed in the world), we played a good set- I felt a little down on what we did at the Railway, but still a good night.

I was back at the Abbey twice last week, firstly for the open mic on tuesday (this time duetting Hey Jude with Andy), and then on Saturday the 11th for the command performance full set. I'd like to thank all the people that came to support, because without you- it'd have been empty! I enjoyed playing the covers again though.

The following night (the 12th) I was back at the New Inn in Barwick playing to an even smaller audience of 7.....but they all knew me, liked me and bought some cds-so it was still a really nice night.

Monday was a bit busier and certainly trendier with my first gig at Revolution in Leeds. This is a relatively new night which seems to be working well. I was on first and played half an hour including 'Nobody Said' again and covers of One Of Us and Freefallin. This time 'Can't Believe the News' was introduced as Why does the drummer always get the girl, the bastard. Which I think is a good title.
Playing first enabled me to pop across to Doctor Wu's (is it really closing??) and watch Rob from Grain Division's band Silverlode. It was nice to see a properly tight band on this circuit for once.

I was back at The Grove on Wednesday (15th) playing 'Cold Steel Lover' and another new cover 'Nobody Knows You when you're down and out', I played the latter so well that I was asked to play a blues night, that's versatility for you!

I was partly there to promote a very important gig for the band there on THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 6TH. Make a date!

Is it really a month since the last post? Yes it is.

Quite a lot happening as always, including most importantly the long-awaited finish of the 2nd album! Yes, the new 10-track CD is finished, and awaiting final printing and duplication before I'll be selling copies.

As usual, these will be available at gigs and on cdbaby.com, and in due course various other digital distributors such as apple itunes and napster.

The album is entitled 'Seven Shades Of Grey' and 4 of the new tracks are now on my myspace site.
There's also a VIDEO of a LIVE PERFORMANCE from Zephyr Bar in March of 'Money From The Satified Man'. Carol Douglas also has the track 'Through Heartache and Back' on her page.


PAUL GOES MAD ON MYSPACE
Speaking of myspace.....apart from ranging between over-worked to lethargy the other reason for the long delay since the last blog is that I've finally become addicted to myspace, about a year after I started with it and about 2 years after everybody else cracked it and moved on.
Slow developer again.

I've progressively been getting more 'hits' on there than on here basically. Website traffic is a slow trickle and without constant mailshots and new releases seems to stay that way. Myspace is there, it's immediate and the networking potential is of course infinite. I've realised fully the power it can have for promoting my music and very slowly I'm learning how to utilise that power.

The site is virtually a website in itself, apart from the limit on songs (4). But with soundclick.com allowing limitless uploads that is easily stepped around. Pics, videos, and then your 'guestbook'-where people leave nice comments and promote their own wares-all add to the instant networking appeal.

Of course, you all knew this long before me and are probably now bemoaning it's lack of 'edge' and championing facebook and bebo. I think I'll stick to myspace for now, who knows I might even get nostalgic about that too.

Back to the gigs then, The 18th July Primrose was cancelled due to 2 bands pulling out. So I went off to try another new open mic night in West Leeds, the Old Vic at Bramley. This is run by Scouse Andy (who used to be riot controller/compere at the Fox & Newt open mic). Here in more civilised surroundings we had a good night. I played 'Your Shadow', 'Laura Jones' (over their heads a bit), and then a special impromtu duet of 'No Other Baby' with Andy. He happened to be playing it in the soundcheck which I remarked on.

'No Other Baby' is by the Vincents from about 500 your ago, and was covered by Paul McCartney on his 1999 Run Devil Run rock n roll album. I loved the vibe of the latter version and used to cover it in my old band. There's very little to it, just a 12-bar that builds up-the rest of the band hated it but I always loved the song. Andy sang the lead vocals and I harmonised, to me at times it sounded like the Everleys....

Saturday 21 July featured my set in the afternoon at the Abbey. Their festival brought indoors by the council this year, just as well with the abismal weather. I played around 20 mins and with Andy compering again, in went the duet for a 2nd time!

Dare Cafe was on the schedule for that evening but was cancelled as the venue has music licensing problems. These problems seem to have become more perminent since then so I hope they can sort it out.

Sunday night was my 2nd time at Santiagos. I played a set comprising 'Your Shadow', 'Whiskey', 'Can't Believe The News', 'Dare' and 'These Eyes'. I really enjoyed this one, and am now starting to recognise some of the other acts that are around, as well as having a bit of fun with the passing City Varieties Blues Brothers audience as they made their way home.

The Grove open mic on Wed 25th July was pretty special. I played '7 Shades' and 'Words' and sold quite a few CDs. It is currently my favourite of the open nights. The following night I played a set at the Puzzle Hall open mic, again pretty succesful, mainly to promote the following weeks' band gig. 'I Don't Need' had an airing this time.

The last Monday of the month was another first, a set at The Priestley Bar in Bradford. This is based in Little Germany and is a studio theatre with a bar. Another hugely succesful night in terms of cds sales and networking. It was here that I hooked up with bcb radio to do some interviews for the new album. I really hope this night survives because it deserves some success.

I'll pause there with August still to go, stay awake at the back....

It's been a while since the last blog, and I've realised the longer I leave it the longer it will take me to do it, so I thought I'd better catch up. Ok, not a very positive way to start, but you must have wondered why my material is so depressing.

As mentioned before, the last week in June involved some recovery from the week before, and after getting rained on at all the weekends' wedding gigs it was Tues 3rd July before I did any of my own stuff again.
This was at The Abbey open mic, where I've made many friends and contacts since I started going there. I played 'Words', '7 Shades of Grey' and 'One Of Us' on the night.
I spent a long time on the Wednesday sorting out the 2nd album, bringing it to the point where only a few last minute adjustments remain, it'll be here soon.
On Thursday I was at the Primrose supporting the first night of their new self-run Open Mic. It was pretty busy and I was playing first. I did 'These Eyes', 'Gods And Angels' and 'If He Knew You'. I managed to sell a couple of discs which bodes well for the next show there on July 18th.

Saturday the 7th was finally a gig-free night. So in the best tradition I went to watch one instead! I say gig loosely because it was Genesis in front of 60,000 at Old Trafford. I've been a fan of there's for years so it was great at last to see the 5-piece line up. Despite being sat far back the sound and the show were great and it had a superb atmosphere, reminding me just how many fans they still have, despite what the music press would have you believe.

There was almost an exciting moment on our row when a punter to my left turned round and bollocked the 3 pissed up scrotes sat behind. Quite why these 3 wise men were there I'm not sure, but fair play to the gent for shutting them up, perhaps I could employ him at my gigs.

It seems reunion tours are going to shape this decade's 'memorbale gigs', which says it all about the current state of the industry. The Diana concert at Wembley was a flat fart. There are those who are not what they were combined with those who never will be. I thought Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli were the highlights by far. When you think back to the original Live Aid (and yes it was that good), it seems we've taken an alimighty dive when it comes to putting on a show and it's difficult to see where an improvement will come from. Perhaps it's time to 'try a little Freddie'.

So thank heavens for Genesis for proving it still can be done and I hope the Police play with the same energy.

I digress.

At Doctor Wu's on Tuesday I played 'These Eyes', 'If He Knew You', 'Your Shadow/One Of Us'. This was one of the better Wu's nights with a good music audience.

This takes us up to Sunday when I played my first show at New Roscoe supporting Jon Strong. It went very well with a great sound and at last a listening audience. I'm pleased with the way it went and hope to be back there soon.

This week it's the Primrose on Wednesday the 18th and then the Abbey Festival, Dare Cafe and Santiagos on the weekend, so a quiet weekend by current standards.

I've just finished watching Tim Henman win a match that seemed like it would go on forever, and after the last couple of weeks I know how he must feel. There've been 9 gigs in total since the last blog, 3 of which were cabaret admitedly, but viewed as a whole there were 8 shows in 9 days, six on consecutive nights.

The Primrose on June 13th was an improvement on the last 2 solo shows down there. Mainly due to there being an audience present. I was pleased with how my set went, and it was a much more enjoyable night.
On Sunday afternoon I had the band back together at The Railway and here we had the best gig of the June 'tour' and the best band gig so far. A really relaxed and friendly atmosphere complete with a great performance. It was one of those gigs that makes you glad to be a musician and I felt fully justified in going to the trouble of putting a band together in the first place.

I had to keep it all together last week, not having done 6 nights on the trot like that. In the end the 2 most tiring were the Morris and the Minors shows on Friday and Saturday, and with my own stuff it was a case of 2 points a-piece.

The bad ones came first. Tuesday solo at Zephyr Bar is always a gig that has the potential to be dodgy, it simply depends who's in the pub. This time, with the students gone, it was wall to wall townies, not one of which looked compus mentis to me! I can't honestly say there was one person in there who looked sober or clean. This was early Tuesday evening for Christ's sake. It looked like a scene from a 4am bar. Everyone just looked wasted, like what little brain was there to start with had been washed away in a heavy drinking binge.
Needless to say nobody was really listening. And I had the added bonus of an encroacher asking for Oasis songs. As I duly obliged he came over and asked me when I was going to do it. He musn't have heard of Don't Look Back In Anger, their biggest hit. Still, that's about your average Oasis fan's mentality I suppose. He was more keen on his pissed up mate who was dancing on the tables and trying to chat up some giggling girlies than anything else.
It didn't get out of hand though and at least I was spared a long night.

Wednesday with the band at Sandinista! was dissapointing more than anything else. We were due on at 11.20 which put paid to us getting much of a following. We managed to get on for about 11, by which stage a lot of the crowd had gone. On top of that the sound was difficult, although this was partly our fault, and really the night never achieved what it was supposed to for me.

On Thursday, the first day of summer, it was time for the Plough at Warmfield and here things went to plan. Ali, the landlord, is that rare breed: a live music enthusiast who happens to run a pub. Let's be honest, it wasn't very busy, but he managed to extract more added value than you would get in 100 pub gigs. Just think what he could do with a central venue and a bigger crowd! Along with his barstaff he managed to secure me 10 cd sales, a whipround for petrol money (not beer as I was driving) and an attentive polite audience. Thanks to Jon for recomending me to the venue, and I hope to be back there with the band in September.

Sunday night thankfully left me demob happy because it was the perfect way to wind down. A quiet solo set at Sandinista, not busy, but perfectly relaxed and comfortable for me.

I'm having a few days gigfree now so will update you on the next shows soon.

The second album is being worked on as we speak and I'm getting strangely addicted to myspace, as usual after everyone else has washed their hands of it. I'm only just coming round to Nirvana.

FIRST REVIEW!

I think I mentioned this was happening, a recent gig at Sandinista's was reviewed by Sandman magazine. The review is printed in this month's edition and is also online at http://www.sandmanmagazine.co.uk/sandman/pages/frame.html

It's only a short review, see what you make of it:

If you’ve heard anything by Paul Jeffrey before you see him you’re liable to end up rather confused. A slight balding man with glasses, a striped jumper and cheeky Yorkshire humour greets you before belting out emotional piano ballads that Bon Jovi would be proud of. The intensity of the emotion on the surface meant at times I found it hard to get into the rumbling chord progressions, they moved fast and his voice was constantly twisting and turning. There’s something of Elton John in the campness of this and bizarrely the songs retain a weird transcendent balance between despair and positivity. copyright Sophie Kemp

So there you have it, my first live review. It's the sort of thing I've part wanted and part dreaded for a long time. I suppose it's a positive review so I'm happy with that. I think it's interesting to get someone else's opinion although there is this feeling of circumstances being beyond my control, especially in the visual department. But we are up there to gain exposure so it's no bad thing.


Last week there were 2 gigs, the first was for Cloth Cat at The Primrose on Thursday 7th June. Here I had the band in 3-piece guise with Keith and Steve. We played for about 40 minutes including covers of You Do Something To Me, The Letter and So Lonely. The audience was a bit indifferent (as was the rest of the music that night!), but at least there was a crowd after some disasterous attendances there lately.


On Sunday I was at The New Inn at Barwick for the 3rd time. Again it went well and I was pleased that people listened well for the whole set. As usual the 2nd set was very long and it was a very hot night too. I was quite tired by the end of it, even more so after running out of petrol on the way home!


The 2nd album is almost ready. I think I can now say this with a degree of confidence as all the track arrangements are now finished. All that is left to do is tweak the mixes and sort out the running order. The last track to be finished, 'Laura Jones', is going to be one of my favourites, it's sounding superb.


Tonight (wednesday) there's another Primrose gig, solo this time, and I'm told there will be another review, this time for NoTitle Magazine. So I'd better not be too camp this time. On Sunday the band is playing in the afternoon at the Railway, Berry Brow, which was a great gig last time. The one I'm really looking forward to is Sandinista next Wednesday (the 20th) which is the band's second acoustic gig. I'd be glad though to see anyone supporting at any of the nights.

New Photos!

I forgot to mention the other day....
there's some new photos online taken at the recent Paul Jeffery Band acoustic gig at Carpe Diem, Leeds.


http://www.mppix.com/2007_music_pj_cd.htm


The photos were taken by Mark Sayer at MPPIX Photography. The above link will go straight to his site, so you can check out his other work.

I've also got the pics running as a slideshow at my myspace page.

Ok, loads to get through as a cold, a burnt head and a holiday have come and gone since mid-may.

'Young, Lost and Hopeful' continues to garner good reviews. It's gained these 'awards' they give out too, in addition to being Track Of The Day on May 21st.

Best Male Vocals overall, week of 21May2007
Best Male Vocals in Pop Rock, week of 21May2007
Best Production in Pop Rock, week of 21May2007
Best Melody in Pop Rock, week of 21May2007
Potential Soundtrack overall, week of 28May2007
Potential Soundtrack in Pop Rock, week of 28May2007

Shame it wasn't for the Ivors, maybe next year.

I was going to have a go at the two Norwegian reviews I received which went very much in the opposite direction to the general trend. Perhaps the word 'Hopeful' is too positive. However, I'm going to let them off as the poor person somehow had to review the same track twice, so it was actually only one Norwegian. I had it in my head that the only 2 bad reviews the song got were from the Scandanavian funland, but it's actually only one.

As I said at the start, it's been a funny fortnight for me. I made the old British era of forgetting a hat on Sunday the 20th, torching my head in the process. Although it gave me an excuse to say I'd been in an open-top car...still very painful though. Not sure if it was sunstroke as I also had a cold and was knackered from the two gigs already played that weekend.

Of course sods law dictated that the only Monday I felt off it, I had a gig to do. This was Doctor Wu's where they run a night of poetry, stand -up and even short films. I was not at my best, and wasn't too happy to be playing so late. But I found a comfy sofa and sat it out.

Everyone listened intently until the musicians went on. Gary Stewart copped it worse than me, as once again people displayed an inability to shut the fuck up during his set. They'd listened intently to some of the drivel earlier on no problem. I managed to get a rousing introduction from the compere which helped-there should be one of these at every mixed night-and mananged to sweat my way through 6 songs. I decided to debut 'If He Knew You' and 'Laura Jones' here, which will be on the new album. All in all not a bad set for me, and well received despite feeling like crap.

The following two days were given over to trying to feel better, and by Thursday things were back to the usual hectic pace. I went to watch old Elton at Sheffield and it was interesting to view from seats at the side of the stage. What a joy it must be to play a set from such a huge catalgue, as the mood takes you, and have 12,000 people go wild. No wonder Davey Johnstone says it's the best job in the world, too right!
The best moment came right at the end though. He finishes 'Your Song', walks off stage, and straight into a limo backed up with the doors open. Oh yes, I'd love to finish a gig like that too....he never spoke a word to the rest of the band, just straight off to a helicopter. And he never helped pack any gear away.

Saturday was the Barge and Barrel beer festival gig in Elland. This one is always more of a covers gig but I managed to play a good few originals too. They warmed up towards the end and it went down well. I had to laugh at the guy who said to me 'I liked half of what you did', damning with faint praise-Elland style! I know what he meant.

And that pretty much takes us into Spring Bank Week, which I spent in the Lakes, avoiding the Hole in t'Wall of course. Just time to mention one more gig which was last night, Sat 2nd. My first performance at the Royal Park Cellars, Headingly. Not a bad set, despite the lack of an audience, and another chance to play the 2 new songs.

Young, Lost and Hopeful to be garageband.com Track Of The Day!

Yes, as the title suggests, the main news this week is the progress of 'Young, Lost and Hopeful' on the garageband.com review/charts system. As I mentioned recently, the song had been getting some belting reviews, mainly from other musos too-which is never easy! The song's star rating has enabled it to progress into 'round 2', which means more reviews, and a higher chart placing.
But the big plus is that the track has been chosen to be garageband.com's 'Track Of The Day' on Monday 21st May!

This puts the song on the front page of the site on this link.

The song also had it's live band debut last night at Carpe Diem, where we were performing a set for NoTitle magazine's Leeds Acoustic Showcase. The set went very well and I think was well received. The standard of the other acts was good too.
Of course, being a scrote magnet, I had the pleasure of a couple of close calls, but thankfully there was no full scale pitch invasion-well it was Leeds after all.

The previous night I'd done a little set at Doctor Wu's, where again there were a couple of paralytic nobs, but again thankfully no infiltration of the stage area. I played 'Your Shadow' and 'How Do You Sleep', and also a couple of covers: 'Stuck in a Moment' and 'Boys Of Summer'. The latter especially helped to endeer me a bit more to the audience.

Last week I just did the Grove on Wednesday the 9th, which was a good do. I did 'I Don't Need' and 'Rocket Man', and managed to sell a whole album in the process. Not bad for a gig that means I can leave my keyboard at home!

This weekend it's cabaret time with a double helping of Morris followed by on Monday night a slot at Wu's. This one is a proper music night, with poetry, comedy and even films thrown in. It promises to be interesting for sure.

Thanks to everyone who found this link on their way to playing the new songs from the new mini-album. Last week there was a rush of excitement when 'These Eyes Of Mine' and 'Words' went high up the charts. Still no downloads, but we live in hope.

MINI ALBUM RELEASE

OK, it's been at least 3 months since the last cd so....I now have a 6 track mini album availble!

The track listing is as follows:

1.These Eyes Of Mine
2.Words
3.I Don't Need (Look At Me)
4.Take It Back (Original Version)
5.How Do You Sleep
6.Breathe (Featuring Ema Dane)

You can link directly to hear 3,5 and 6. The other 3 will be uploaded shortly. All songs are available as mp3 downloads for just $0.75.

A bit about the songs.......
'These Eyes' and 'Words' were both part of a publishing deal which finished last year and thus are now free to actually be heard by people. They are both produced by Marc Barnes of Angelstar who also did the remix of 'Whiskey Coloured World'. 'These Eyes' may be familiar to you from gigs, both solo and the band. It's my normal opening song solo and the band has played it at every show so far. 'Words' has been drafted into the solo set recently, it's an uptempo track which helps.
'I Don't Need' is one of my favourite tracks. I think along with 'Young, Lost and Hopeful' it's my favourite melody. I love doing it live as it builds well after a quiet start. On one famous occasion it got an audience's attention, turning the rest of the gig into a tear-up. A real turning point.
I'm really trying to push this track because it deserves to be heard.
The original version of 'Take It Back' was recorded in August 2003. It's similar to the version on 'Lost in Love Town' but without the guitars and including Cheryl Barnes' backing vocals.

'How Do You Sleep' was written way back in 1998 and recorded at the same time as the 1st album. It's a lovely song with a great mini moog lead line and the guitar capoed high so it sounds a bit like a mandolin. I think you will find it was mentioned in a blog last year.

'Breathe' features another special guest, Ema Dane, on the vocals. I've worked with Emma for a few years now. She's a superb singer and 'Breathe' always works well for her. We first recorded it acoustically in 2002, and finally got round to doing a more polished version. Again, a song with a long history, I'm keen to get them out in the open and heard by everyone. Which is the general idea of songwriting.

There is of course an actual CD too. And this is the good bit....It includes the fantastic artwork by Carolina DaRoch from Chile. I'm happy to say she's a friend of mine and I think the artwork is very striking. I've got the first copy of the CD sitting at home and I just keep looking at the front cover, I'm really impressed by the pictures!

These CDs will be onsale at gigs for £5 starting very soon.

As far as gigs are concerned.....last week I was in Leeds 3 nights running. On Tues 1st May it was Doctor Wu's open mic. Very quiet this week and as is usual there a very small number of listeners. However it did feature the debut live performance of 'How Do You Sleep' and also another run at 'To Heartache and Back'. I also played 'Young, Lost and Hopeful' to finish with.

Wednesday was the best one, perhaps the best solo gig so far. It was my first time at Sandinista playing for the Grain Division's 'Late Night Colour' showcase. Kris Messerman and Gary Stewart were the other 2 acts, and I thought the overall standard was very high. The venue is small enough to be intimate and enough people listened and enjoyed the music. I was very pleased with my set, especially as I noticed a reviewer present, scribbling away, who turned out to be from Sandman. There should be a review of the show in June's magazine which will be my first and also good publicity.

Thursday was my opening slot at the Primrose Cloth Cat night. This can only be described as 'challenging' given the lack of audience! For the second time in a row the Primrose was virtually empty and whilst this didn't distract me, the inclusion of a token nobhead did! Not to worry, I played 'Dare' again, plus 'Heartache' and 'How Do You Sleep'. I can only hope things are back to normal on the Thursdays when my band plays there on June 7th.

On Friday I went to watch the aforementioned Adrian Burns perform in Bingley. He really is worth checking out. An acomplished guitarist with a great voice and some fab arrangements of well known songs. In common with my gig the previous night, there was a token nobhead interfering there too! It's not a bad pub, but it does make me wonder what planet people are on when they can totally ignore someone of Adrian's talent. To be blunt he's way better than that type of venue.

This week is quiet on the gig front, as O'Donoghue's is still being refurbished, so Thursday's gig has been postponed. The following week it's the band's first acoustic showcase at Carpe Diem, Leeds on May 16th-can't wait for that.

'Young, Lost and Hopeful' is still showing 5 stars with all it's 1st round reviews now in on garageband.com. You can read them all here. I'm hoping it will progress to round 2 thus gaining further reviews and a higher chart placing, all very exciting!

3 gigs this week: Tuesday I went back to the popular open night at The Abbey, Bramley. It was a lively session as usual and I performed 'I Don't Need' and a couple of covers: Handle With Care and Your Song.

I Don't Need (Look At Me) was written in November 2003 and recorded in 2004. Since then it's been performed quite a lot but never been released. Now it will be featured on the new mini-album, due out within the next week or so. The track is already on my site and is also uploaded on to the soundclick site. Click the link please! I'm trying to give this song the exposure it deserves, it's always been one of my favourites. The more plays it gets the higher up the charts it will go!!

Back to the gigging and Thursday was a new venue for me. The Puzzle Hall at Sowerby Bridge.
This is a real goldmine as far as live music is concerned. They run all kinds of music, on many nights of the week. The setting is good, as is the beer, and it's very small and intimate too. Amazingly, despite it's proximity for me, I've never played there before. I did 3 original songs: These Eyes, Your Shadow and Whiskey. I went down pretty well and was pleased to discover yet another friendly open night. I'm in the process of sorting out a booked gig there, hopefully with the band in some guise. It would be well worth a visit.

On Saturday I played a showcase for Notitle magazine at Dare Cafe in Headingly. I played about 40 minutes, including a live debut of a song called....Dare!! Well it had to be done really....it's a song written by Pete and me in 1998, and will be included on the 3rd album for those of you keeping score. I also performed 'Tiny Dancer' and 'One Of Us' to round things off. The venue is a small cellar bar, tailor-made for acoustic gigs. The audience is mainly students, who struggled to listen but remembered to clap heartily. All in all, a good night. Speaking of students, that area of Headingly is absolutely crawling with them. I nearly knocked several over driving in, better luck next time I guess.

This week there are 2 major shows. On Wednesday I'm making my debut at Sandinistas in Leeds for the Grain Division 'Late Night Colour' gig. This is another acoustic night. There's 3 artists doing 30 minutes each. I'm on at 10pm in the middle slot. Gary Stewart (who I've supported before and is excellent) is headlining, and Kris Mersessman is opening at 9.15.
On Thursday I'm doing my regular opening slot for the Cloth Cat night down at The Primrose.

More and more gigs are being added, with the Paul Jeffery Band getting in on the act too. I might have to start a seperate blog for that soon! Suffice to say for now that the band will be playing 2 acoustic showcases for NoTitle mag (as featured on Look North!) on Wednesdays 16th May and 20th June, both are in Leeds city centre.


5-STAR REVIEWS ON GARAGE BAND.COM

Rather like hotels, songs on garageband.com are rated on a 5 star basis. I've currently got 'Young, Lost and Hopeful' up for a grilling. At the moment it has an excellent 5 star rating, with over half the reviews completed. Remember this is the site where musicians and writers review each other's songs on a 'blind' basis. ie, you are sent a song at random to review, irrespective of whether you like the music or know who it is. As we all know, musicians are a cynical set of bastards, so to achieve anything like the reviews it's had is an achievement. Especially as I don't consider myself to play musicians' music, my tastes and influences are more akin to a housewife's (when such a thing existed).

More news very soon on the new mini-album, as soon as the cover design is finished!

Fresh from a Sunday gig in Sheffield, I went back to Doc Wu's on Tuesday 17th April. I played 'These Eyes', 'Words', 'I Don't Need' and The Letter. The set's theme kind of reflects the new mini-album I'm putting out very soon.

I'll mention that in more detail at some point, surfice to say it's going to be 6 tracks, and features 5 of my vocals plus one female guest. It's the usual mix of co-writers and the artwork is new and stunning. You can treat it as an interim release between the 2 albums if you like. It will be on sale shortly and the tracks will be hearable on all the usual upload sites.

A Chance Encounter.....

Directly after Wu's I decided to check out a couple of other places, so it became a non-alcoholic pub crawl around Leeds. Firstly, the Duck and Drake. I wanted to size it up for possible gigs there myself, but found I'd stumbled across a really good musician performing there. His name is Adrian Byron Burns and he's an amazing singer. Great bluesy, deep vocals. I only saw about 3 tunes, but was compelled to leave him a message on his website. I greatly recommend you check him out.
It just goes to show you can still walk into a pub by chance and see a talented artist perform. I had no idea who was playing that night when I got there. If only A&R men had the same amount of talent. I wish someone would pay me to go around venues listening to acts. There's always the PRS surveys I suppose.....

Wednesday was my second slot for Dr.H at The Primrose. This falls under the category of a 'quiet night'. The crowd was a bit thin, but I enjoyed my set there nonetheless. I've never been bothered about 'dead' audiences, at least if it's quiet there's less chance of attracting a loony. Something I should start a degree course on. BA (hons) in Scrote-Magnetism. I could teach that course.

Friday and Saturday were kept away from music, as I indulged some other passions I have (no, no those). I could add 'human interest' (which is the idea of a blog) but would probably bore you to death. Suffice to say, I'm contemplating starting a BRISCA Stock Car Racing blog in the near future-you have been warned and be very afraid.

On Sunday I had to be a musician again. This time it was the Paul Jeffery Band and this time not at Zephyr Bar but at The Railway, Berry Brow.
This venue is the local pub of the producer of my 2nd album. I was assured it was ok, and indeed it was fantastic! A throw-back to the old days of playing to Sunday afternoon drinkers, when I arrived I must admit I was a little apprehensive. It was pubs of this ilk where I gained my foundation course in Scrote-magnetism.
However, after a few songs to settle in, and make sure we weren't too loud, the gig really flowed. We went down a bomb too. The original material carried well and the whole thing was a success. Next time promises to be even better with more promotion.
It may not be Wembley, but there won't be many bands playing original material who could work that sort of crowd.

The main one this week is on Saturday 28th April. I'm playing a showcase in association with Notitle magazine, a fast -growing Leeds fanzine.
I'm playing a 30 minute set at 9:30 at Dare Cafe, Headingly. Please come down, I'm told the atmosphere is great at these gigs.

I took in the old firm of open mics on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th April. That means Doctor Wus and The Grove.
Wus was around the normal level, and The Grove was a little more special given it was the 1st birthday do of the people who run the night.
I went on last in the 1st half, and played 'Words' (for the first time in ages) and 'In the Lap of The Gods (Revisited)'-yes, the Queen song which I attempted with partial success to turn into a singalong number. The atmosphere was just right for me and I felt I made a good impression.

The reason behind the choice of tracks: 'Words' was written with Sarah in 2003/4 and was then signed on a publishing deal for 2 years. I've since got the song back and will be putting it out on a new Mini-Album containing 6 tracks. This release may well be before the 2nd album at the moment. The Queen song is one of 2 covers I have recently recorded for the future. Brave I know but I love the song and wanted to give it a go.

On the easter weekend I worked Sunday night back at the New Inn, Barwick-in-Elmet. This is becoming a favourite venue where I can play a full night of covers and originals to an appreciative audience. Thats certainly been the case on the last 2 visits.

Had a lovely day out/off on Tuesday going to the Peak district and then it was a full weekend of gigs. The only originals gig of these was Sunday 15th at the Redhouse in Sheffield. This venue is ideal for acoustic gigs, a hidden city centre gem in my opinion. I was playing on the night hosted by Paul Pearson who I met at the Abbey Inn, Bramley a few weeks ago. I was on last (headlining?) and played a half-hour set. This was my first foray into Sheffield's original music scene and I really enjoyed the venue.

Well, that's the last couple of weeks' gigs dealt with. The band will be at the Railway, Berry Brow this Sunday afternoon at 4pm.

Tuesday 20th March saw a new venue tried for the first time. I was planning to go to Santiago's, which are advertising a Tuesday Open Mic, but while trying to find details I stumbled across a night at the Abbey Inn, Bramley. Yes, Bramley, not normally associated with a vibrant live music scene, or so I thought! I've played quite a few gigs in Bram, all the main 3 clubs, and all gigs had one thing in common-they were all shit. However, that was in the old days, and the Abbey had actually been recommended to me some weeks ago by a poet at The Grove.

To start with, it's a nice place, with a friendly atmosphere, vital if you want my support. It takes the form of a 'singaround', which at first reminded me of Baccapipes-an instant chill down the spine! However, this particular singaround is not exclusively anal folk. There's a variety of musicians playing a variey of styles, and I was made to feel very welcome. I played 'Hide Your Love Away', '7 Shades of Grey' and 'Waterloo Sunset'. A lovely night, and productive too in terms of CD sales and bookings. I'm now booked for a solo night and a festival slot there in the summer.

Wednesday 21st March brought us another new place. The Fox and Newt in Leeds. This place broke all the rules in terms of scroteiness, but luckily there was an open mic and I got out with my head still attached to my shoulders. The landlord has been described elsewhere on the net as a 'character' and this certainly helps create a strangely friendly atmosphere. Rough as a bears' backside, but friendly. To start with there were a few folk from the WTS, playing their first public performance-what a place to start! Then I took over and did 3 covers, 'Hide Your Love Away', 'Sunny Afternoon' and 'Weather With You', the latter of which was something of a favourite of the glass collecter. An interesting experience, and one which I peversely enjoyed, but I woulnd't be too sure about a repeat performance just yet. Put it this way, I dared not plug my CDs for sale!

The following week was busy with a repeat performance at the Abbey on the Tuesday 27th. This time I did 'Stuck in a Moment', 'Young, Lost and Hopeful' and 'Freefalling'. By coincidence I met up with the chap who runs the Fox&Newt open mic. I think he did a good job under trying circumstances at the latter!!

Onto Thursday, and yes-the band's 2nd gig at the Zephyr Bar. Billed as having 'a bigger PA than Knebworth' (I've a photo to show you when I get it uploaded). The night was another belter, with me right on the limit of vocal adhesion by the end. The first set wasn't as tight as we would have liked, but the 2nd was bang-on. 'Even' stood out as a strong song, and we debuted 'Old Wishing Well' from the EP too. I can't wait for the next gig on the 22nd April (4pm) at the Railway, Berry Brow, Huddersfield.

The following day me and Paul Flieshman recorded some guitars for the 3rd album, and that brought an end to a busy week.

This week it's just the old faithful of Wu's on Tuesday 3rd April and The Grove on the 4th. On Sunday the 8th, Easter Sunday, sees the second coming at the New Inn at Barwick-in-Elmet. A full set of originals and covers starting at 9pm.

Happy Easter.

The Primrose gig on Sunday March 11th was one of my most satisfying solo sets this year. I went on first, and got a very warm reception. I'm already looking forward to returning on April 18th to do another promoted night.

Speaking of future gigs, you can now view my up to date gig list on the website. Just simply click on 'gigs' on the front page.

Last week I played just the one night, which was Tuesday at Doctor Wu's. I debuted a new song 'To Heartache and Back' which is hopefully going to be on the new album. In addition I opened with 'Life' and brought back 'Money From The Satisfied Man' as well as the popular 'Your Shadow'.

I had 2 days' recording sessions also. On Monday it was a vocal session with Sally, working on tracks for what will be the 3rd album(!), you have to plan ahead...
And on Friday with Jon Strong on the 2nd album, which is nearing completion, I will of course let you know when!

Interstingly, I am starting to get mentioned occasionally on the web, which is an exciting experience. So after googling myself last week (I still walk with a limp) I found that there has been some comment on the leedsmusicscene forum, and also a random mention in a blog. The latter can be viewed here. The post is dated March 9th and refers to the O'Donoghue's gig the previous night.

Monday the 26th February was straight back to business with O'Donoghue's again at Wakefield. I played 'Your Shadow, Whiskey Coloured World' and the Beatles' 'You Got to Hide Your Love Away', complete with Wakefield's answer to Ringo on tambourine... the latter song is one of the covers from my set.

On Wednesday I took in The Grove again, this time with the express interest in playing some new songs! So therefore 2 more songs made their live debuts, these being 'Cold Steel Lover' and 'Lost In Love Town'. The former is a new song from the forthcoming album, which is also getting nearer to completion now, more news soon!

March began with, you guessed it, another gig! On Thursday 1st I did the opening spot at The Primrose-doing half an hour's worth of originals plus the Rocket Man cover. The originals were These Eyes, Shadow, Whiskey, Prisoner, Old Wishing Well and Cold Cold Day. It was busy but well-received, although the latter song didn't seem to capture the public's imagination on this occasion.

This week just ending featured 3 full-on gigs. On Tuesday it was Zephyr Bar, scene of the band's debut recently. The solo set went well too, rising to a strong reception at the end. There was a bizarre moment when someone requested Waterloo Sunset, a song that I've only just started doing and never done there before. Perhaps that's 3 people who read this!!

On Wednesday it was The Wardrobe in Leeds, for a 25 min set. This is the sort of venue us musicians are always chasing after, as it's the sort of place where people come to listen to the live music, and not just talk over it. I was pleased with my performance which contained 'Shadow, Whiskey, Gods+Angels, I Don't Need, Old Wishing Well, Life and Cold Day. Nice to see the latter went well on all three nights this week, and I was also the last act on of the 3 on the night.

Last night it was my first booked slot at O'Donoghue's and despite it being a 'quiet night' (or intimate as we prefer to call it), I did 2 one hour slots of covers and originals. As well as the normal numbers, I brought in 'Even', 'Young Lost and Hopeful' and 'Lost In Love Town'. Quite a strong gig and well received by those there, I was very happy with it.

In between all this, I've been working on some tracks at home which will be the mind-boggling 3rd album soon. Please follow myspace also for further gig updates. I'm playing at The Primrose this Sunday evening, doing another half hour, the next week will be quieter gig-wise with 2 rehearsal nights, and probably a trip to Doctor Wu's on Tuesday.

Strike Up The Band

Well, I now have the new version of blogger, whether I wanted it or not....why can't things just stay the same, recent experiences with yahoo messenger have taught me if it ain't broke, don't fix.
Therefore I'm back using a version of messenger from 2003 (!) vintage in computer terms.

Of course this is irrelevant, but still, human interest content is what sets blogs apart.

I seem to have slipped into only updating this every 2 weeks now, which is not as intended, just that time is getting tighter, as things get busier.

Gigwise, it's been as hectic as ever.....from where we left off last time, I was straight back to O'Donoghue's on Monday 12th Feb. This was my second open mic slot there and I played 'Your Shadow' into 'Money From The Satisfied Man' and then a cover of 'One' by U2. This time it wasn't so much a listening crowd but I was still impressed by the vibe down there, let's hope the booked slot on Thurs March 8th is as good.

Tuesday saw a late decision to go to Wu's, as I was after all headlining the week after. Unfortunately I'd have been better off staying at home as 2 scrotes walked in just on cue as I got up. My days as a scrote-magnet are clearly not over yet, but the difference here is that with little to lose at least I don't have to contest them. Therefore after playing just 2 songs (Whiskey Coloured World and Money From the Satisfied Man) I jumped ship, not wishing to become a target for the brainless pair.

Wednesday was back to The Grove and here a more civilised reception is received, again 'Money For The Satisfied Man' and 'Your Shadow' were played, the former getting it's induction over the previous 4 nights. This was the most succesful run-through. Inspite of this there was still time for the least intelligent member of the audience to heckle over the price of a (£3) CD. 'Jim's are only £2' quoth the twat in blue....his point being what exactly?

Saturday was a lovely night, as a spectator this time. I watched Gordon Giltrap at the Halifax Square Chapel. It was in 1994 that I first saw the virtuoso acoustic guitarist but it's been a while since I've seen him, pre-beard indeed. He's as talented and modest as ever, and very entertaining. I was also impressed by the number of Cds he shifted at the interval, something to aim for there. And, to my knowledge, no one moaned about the price....better quality of customer I guess!

Into this week, and Tuesday was my headline slot at Doctor Wu's. I was wary of this, and it turned out I was right. Being right however brought me little satisfaciton. I don't want to publicly say too much about venues, but I knew that going on last is not the best time to play on this night. Indeed any time after 10pm is not the best time. I picked up another encroaching idiot, who thankfully didn't ruin the night. The sad thing is that when I arrived the audience was perfect-busy but attentive. Of couse by the time muggins went on it was thinning out and we were getting the usual post-10pm scrote influx.
I stuck to it, playing about 30 minutes, but with very little prospect of a good response, let alone any sales, I can't say I had a great time.

Wednesday was everything Tuesday night wasn't. It WAS a great night.

Yes, the Paul Jeffery Band made it's debut at Huddersfield's Zephyr Bar and although I'm getting blase in my old gigging age, this one was a corker. And looking back on it now is very satisfying. Lots of people came to watch and I'd like to say a big thank you to all of them. The band was superb, and despite our under-rehearsed state it proved what I always knew-that put together good like-minded musicians and you will get a good show.

The originals played were as well received as the covers, the debut performance of 'Hell Freezes Over' being backed up by 'Whiskey', 'Shadow', 'Gods And Angels (solo), 'These Eyes', 'Even', 'Prisoner' and 'Cold Cold Day'.

All in all a fantastic night, and I just hope we can sustain it and continue to do live shows as a band. Come to think of it, I want to do it every night right now!

That just leaves today, with an afternoon session at Lounge Bar on Merrion Street, Leeds. I played 2 half-hour slots of mainly covers, with 'Whiskey', 'Shadow' and 'I Can't Believe The News' being the only originals performed. It was background music, as required, so not too much to read into this one. A big thanks to Nadine at NoTitle mag who organised it, and I hope they get the break they deserve with their live promotions.

This week will be quieter, with just the 3 shows(!). At the moment it's O'Donoghues Monday, The Grove on Wednesday and The Primrose on Thursday-the latter being a half-hour opeing slot.

OK, 2 weeks to catch up on.....very busy and very tired at points last week, hence no blog. Keen followers will be aware that I forcast a nervous breakdown for about now! Well, ok that's being over-dramatic.

I'll start where I left off on Sunday 28th January. My worst fears about Morris and the Minors being too loud for the golf club proved totally unfounded...we had a really good night and everyone enjoyed themselves.

The following night, it was back to my stuff, and on to a new venue for me, O'Donoghues in Wakefield.


This it has to be said was one of the best open mic nights I've been to. Maybe I just caught a good night, but it will be a major bonus as there's not much else happening on Mondays. I played 'These Eyes Of Mine', 'Whiskey Coloured World' and 'Rocket Man'. The response and the people running the night were great. I don't want to tempt fate, but I found the pub had a really nice atmosphere and is right behind live music-rare these days. I was booked for a full gig on Thursday the 8th March, so am looking forward to that.

Tuesday was another new venture. This time the Ship on Briggate in Leeds. This one took a bit of finding, as it's on a precinct, then tucked away down an alley.
A really nice pub, the open mic night is in need of more support. Ben Greaves is the host, and I played a couple of covers: 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Walking in Memphis' before doing 'Whiskey Coloured World' and '7 Shades of Grey'.

Below is Ben doing a tune.


Thursday was back to The Primrose this time, just open mic after the headline band had been on. It was nice to see Steve and Louisa's full 30 minute set, as they were the booked opening act. I've seen them quite a few times at Doctor Wu's. Very catchy songs, one of which I had in my head was a cover but it's there's, which is a good sign I guess. My set comprised 'Your Shadow', 'Whiskey Coloured World' and 'I'm Coming Out'.



Steve and Louisa @The Primrose 1/2/07.


The weekend was very busy. After a Morris gig in Hull, which ended at 4am and included too many pints of over-priced smooth, I had to head off the hangover ready for Sunday night and my first full solo gig of the year at the New Inn, Barwick-In-Elmet. Full means 2 45 min sets, or a 45 and an 80 as it turned out! I played lots of covers and a fair few originals thrown in. They were 'Your Shadow', 'Whiskey', 'Young,Lost And Hopeful', 'Cold Cold Day', 'I Don't Need' and 'These Eyes'. A lot of artists are allergic to playing covers, but I really enjoy playing ones I want to. On this occasion the audience was very good and enjoyed it too. So all in all a great night and I hope to be back there very soon.

Into week 2 of this double-header, and Doctor Wu's was played on Tuesday night, the 6th of Feb. I played 'These Eyes' and 'Your Shadow', 'Gods And Angels' and U2's 'Stuck In a Moment'. 'Gods' was only played due to a surprise request to 'play the Angels song'. I assume it was that one anyway.

Thursday, amidst the snow, was the 2nd rehearsal for the new band. The first gig is but 9 days away now, and it's sounding really fantastic. Most of my songs are 'band songs' really, and the ones I've been doing solo really come alive. I'm hoping for a good night at Zephyr bar, the potential is most certainly there.

Firday, amidst even more snow, was back to The Primrose, this time for a booked slot of 30 mins. Both bands pulled out, so just the 2 acoustic acts remained. In an informal night, where I opened, what had the potential to be a dull one became a really solid night. It was helped in part by the surprise apperance of a party of Aussies and Kiwis, out for a regular night out! Just goes to show you never know who might be there! And it's always the audience that make a show what it is, no matter how well you think you have performed.
I played 'These Eyes', 'Your Shadow', 'Even', 'Whiskey', 'Gods and Angels', 'Old Wishing Well', 'Cold Cold Day', 'Rocket Man' and 'One Of Us'(the encore).

A really fun night.

The final gig of this marathon was last night, Sunday the 11th at Santiagos in Leeds.An intimate setting, and a really good acoustic showcase, just the sort I have wanted to do for a while.
I played 'Your Shadow', 'Whiskey', Gods And Angels' , 'Money From the Satisfied Man' (debut performance, nearly remebered all the words!), and 'Life'.

So this week is thankfully a bit quieter. I'm going to O'Donoghues tonight and then possibly The Grove on Wednesday. The final band rehearsal before the gig is Thursday.

All the best :)

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.

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.

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.