Gig night, Great gig

Great gig at the 100 Club last Friday. I didn’t ride my bicycle as the forecast was rain. Got to the venue, the Headlining band was already doing their sound check. I got an email beforehand that the two other bands weren’t happy to lend their amps to us. I didn’t really know what would happen as no one in the band has a car, and to transport Liam’s amp from his house to the venue would be more than our pay check!

In the end, I didn’t know whose amplifier we used when we were performing.  It didn’t stop the crowd from dancing and cheering along with me.  What a great audience. What a great night. Thank you all!

We’re at The 100 tonight

I have just finished printing the set list for tonight’s gig. We’re all set for the 100 Club, London at 8:40 this evening, and we’re expecting a huge crowd.  This will be our second gig in this iconic venue, and we would like to make it as successful or if not, even better than the last one!

We have rehearsed, we are prepared, and we’re ready for an onslaught of Fun! Fun! Fun!

Basking in the Sun

It was one of those scorching hot and super bright days, and we had to go in and rehearse in one of London’s dingiest rehearsal studios. We all showed up on time. Zach, our new drummer, played very good and got on well with everybody. We were in the confines of  the small squalid room, with a torn speaker,  yet we were oblivious that the sun was shining outside.  For four hours with not one single break, we just played on and on. Only an artificial florescent bulb was  lighting us, but it was more than enough,  nothing else mattered at that time.

Happy Easter!!!

A real drummer found through a stranger

Funny sometimes how you meet people you work with. The last time I wrote in this post, I was looking again for a drummer. I asked around: musicians, my former drummer, I tweeted, and advertised in all possible avenues, but weeks passed and I still had no lead.  I was getting a bit nervous. Then one day, a guy who’s delivering  money to my office heard me playing my guitar. We struck up a conversation about music. He said he knows a lot of musicians as he is a big music fan. Speedier than Speedy Gon, I handed out my contact details asking him to give it to all the musicians that he could come across. Then I totally forgot about it. The next day my phone rang, a guy named Geoff was saying that he heard that I was looking for a drummer. Well he said, he normally plays bass guitar but also plays the drums. Of course I wasn’t keen at all. I didn’t want a bassist who can also play drums. I want  the drums to be played by a real and a kick arse drummer!  Anyway, the following evening, I interviewed and auditioned Zach.  A very nice, affable guy/kid (he looks like he’s 16. I hope he will be given a proper drink and not alco pops, and won’t be asked for his ID) from France and who now resides in London. He asked me how I met Geoff. I said, “I’ve never met him and I don’t know him . A stranger came by my office one day and found me a drummer via Geoff”.

What serious relationship?!

So much for the serious relationship!  A couple of weekends ago we played at Dingwalls in Camden for the Live and Unsigned competition and the drummer did not turn up. Of course we still got to go on stage, but the effect that we wanted was not the same if we had the drums. It was a complete blow to the rest of us.

On a more positive note, my friend Ian (photographer/video maker) and I filmed a music video to one of my songs. The day was bright, calm and dry -perfect for filming outdoors. The plan was to do most of the filming in a park, but our batteries were not fully charged, so we opted filming in my living room whilst we waited for the other set of batteries to charge up. We did the set (moved furniture around), chose wardrobes, etc. Both of us doing the behind the scenes role but it was just me singing in front of the camera.

We also filmed in my back garden. Some neighbours peered out of their window. Maybe they had wanted to see who was wailing outside. I felt a little bit embarrassed but I had to hurry up to finish a few takes as our batteries were going low every twenty minutes. We kept on going back in to my flat to re-charge them, then out again until we have had enough and called it a day.

Next time, we will film some scenes with actors and my band. Great! As there would be more hands to speed-up the production. A total DIY of a video, no big budget, we only have our imagination, a couple of video cameras, and our editing skills to play with. I can’t wait for the next shoot!

While the sun was still out, I got on my bike and cycled off to London’s busy streets.

Chh…chhh…changes

A lot of exciting things have happened in the past year. I made creative changes, written new materials, and recorded new songs . The recording was a bit costly than usual, but I am happy with the results and enjoyed working in the studio.

The band changed too. New talented faces came on board around the end of summer. There’s Liam, a long- limbed guitarist who originally played covers with me; but got invited to perform at my solo gigs numerous times that he might as well take up residency. Then there is the other guitarist, Frenchman Jo or Sandwich man Jo, as he never fails to take homemade sandwiches with him in every rehearsal. When I first met him he had dreadlocks but decided to chop them off in the new year. He introduced me to Sabrina,  the Spanish leggy chick with a brand new bass guitar. If  I stand next to her, it looks like I’m on the same level with  her hips. The drummer, Tim, is a family friend of a friend of mine. She said that she used to change Tim’s nappies when he was a little boy – so sweet!!! Well, not single- handedly I hope, as she is only three  years older than Tim. I wonder what he really thinks about that claim?!

We’ve done a few gigs since our first rehearsal together and we’re booking for some more. I hope this will be a long term and a serious relationship.

Better late than not all…

I was meant to write you while I was in South America. Time whiffed by and before I could blink my eye, I was back in London again; a couple of weeks late with an update. I apologise.

Through a Brazillian contact I booked a gig for Rio, but when I got there the contact had disappeared- maybe he got swallowed up by  the sea??? Who knows?!

But there was a beach in beautiful Leblon where I had based myself. One evening just as the sun had set in, waves were beating rhythmically into the fine white sands, surrounded by the views of affluent concrete buildings  where they juxtaposed the  precariously hanging favelas on the clifftops, I placed myself in the middle of it, soaking up the rawness of  Rio de Janeiro. It was just me, my songs and my guitar. People watched, listened and appreciated.  The night was serene- nothing like the juggle of what Rio is reputed for.

When I arrived in Buenos Airies however, I left the airport without my luggage- they have lost it. But I was calm. I had some extra clothes in my hand bag and my guitar was always with me ( I thought I could do some basking to buy a small tube of toothpaste if need be). One of the people that I have stayed with was a journalist. She also shares her flat with her film maker fiance. It would ‘ve been perfect if I had met them a week earlier cause upon hearing me sing from the private gig that I gave, they wanted to arrange a bigger event for me that Saturday. Well, I was to leave for London that Saturday, and to alter my travel plans was not the brightest thing to do. They asked me if I ever find myself  hanging around Buenos Airies again with my  diminutive yet colourful guitar, I should definitely give them a call and they will sort out a gig for me.

Fly away

I will board a flight to Brazil shortly. Armed with just a bag, my guitar and my songs. First stop: Sao Paulo. But it won’t be until I reach Rio  that I will play. Hope they won’t look for samba as samba I’m not   Then I will continue my journey to Buenos Airies and other parts of Argentina. I wonder if they would start dancing to tango when I play my songs???  I’ll keep you posted.

Au revoir. XXx

Rock on!

It was a very nice and intimate gig. Last Saturday, I performed a two hour acoustic set with my new guitarist. He played the solo and I played the rhythm part. We were under rehearsed due to our busy schedules, but we were booked to play, so we did. The evening started with people looking more nervous than we were. I didn’t know why they were a bit stiff, but I urged them to drink more to loosen up. And loosen up they did. 45 minutes into our set, they were singing and wriggling along.  I forgot some of the lyrics but they loved it each time I went “lala la di dah”- they got really jolly!

And guess what? We got paid in full and the owners wanted us to perform for their venue again. Nice!

Day in, Day out

Life as an everyday musician unfortunately is not about playing everyday. It’s more about booking gigs, looking for the right people, writing new tunes and other things to expand your experience and network. These past week, I have been learning covers. I have recruited another musician who will perform with me in early September in a  bar in Belgravia. We will be playing for two hours that means learning at least fifty songs. I am cramming lyrics into my head plus some guitar parts.

Some days are better than others in terms of memorizing the songs.  I never thought it would be this hard but it is. If  this is all I do all day and night then it will be no problem, but I’m lucky if I get at least two hours a day to work on them. I  try not to panic and hopefully memorize most of them by Sunday’s rehearsal. Well, fingers crossed.