How quickly I've moved forward

Earlier in the year I vowed for the millionth time it seemed to "get my act together and get into/form a band". I put an ad on R-T-Y-D and Partysounds etc. However I met with some people all mature musicians there was something missing it just didn't click. One reason was these folks all seemed to be either looking to me for the "big idea" or already had a "big idea" and I was more sort of "let's work it out on the way". Whatever the chemistry wasn't there and nothing really happened. I was a bit dispondent about it even talking about given up totally despite guitar playing being a key part of my life for more than 30 years now.

October came around and I notice Colin GIlman had stood up to appear at the R-T-Y-D Sunday Acoustic show at The LIbertine. I couldn't make it to see him but a part of me was saying... why the hell don't you just do something like that, if only once, at least you'd be doing something. So I emailed Toby and got the reply... "You're on the bill for the 15th Nov"... which was like only a month away at this point. Instead of my usual list of excuses about how my daughter would need to be at swimming trainning, I don't have the equipment, my mother-in-law is always around on a Sunday... etc. I actually said "Yes I'll do it".

My blog http://guitarsandlife.blogspot.com has some posts about that build up if you want to read them.

In the end I not only enjoyed preparing and doing the gig as it gave me some focus it brought out in me some of my influences that my more rock orientated playing has ignored a bit in the past, i.e. people like Dave Gray, John Martyn and recently Phil Campbell - check him out I think he is brilliant.

I learnt some stuff from the gig - namely some of the more technical instrumentals didn't work as well as I'd have liked but also that I can do this solo acoustic performer bit.

So as a result of that I decided to dust off my Boss BR-600 recorder that I'd bought a year ago and got confused with reading the manual. It actually wasn't difficult it was just I needed motivation to record. I took one of the original songs I'd done at the gig and recorded it.

Now one of the people who'd read my blog who came along to the gig to support me (I was really amazed and humbled by the crowd of friends and family that did by the way) happens to do a Saturday night internet radio show on Scooter Forums Radio. He picked up the song and played it the next week and asked for more. So pull out the recorder and record a couple more. He plays these as well.

Oh yes by now I'd asked Toby if there was a slot on the Feb R-T-Y-D Sunday Acoustic bill... there was so I had another gig lined up. That spurred me to identifying some new material to learn and also a couple of songs to write... one was a long standing lyric idea that needed a tune and the other a tune that needed some lyrics.

Sorry back over to the radio thing... I get played on another show on the same station! I get asked if I'd do an interview for them... I said yes. (I've yet to read Danny Wallace's book but isn't that the premise just keep saying yes and great things will happen?). Within a day or so it wasn't an interview but a live gig... yes I should be live on the internet playing to a pub and to the world in March!!!

Back to the recording and I record the newly written songs and they will get their world exclusive on Scooter Forums Radio this coming Saturday 12th Dec from 9pm.

I had put some stuff on DivShare but then found Reverbnation... it was free - or at least has been so far. So I uploaded the songs, good thing is you can specify only streaming as I'm now thinking of asking Toby to put my stuff up on R-T-Y-D for download and I might see if anyone will pay for the odd one or two...


Hold on... hold on... So a couple of months back I thought I'd do a gig just to get something done and to say I have done this finally. Suddenly the whole thing is way bigger and better than I expected and I'm throughly enjoying it.

Future plans then... like I say something with having the material available for download. More gigs, I'll be looking around in Kent where I live. Write and record some more material.

So anyone who keeps dithering etc. I was that person for ages ... just take the plunge and do something and just keep saying yes.