I got a bit scared about my voice for a few days as it continued to crack when I went for high notes without any apparent cause except for maybe I had pushed too far. In the last couple of days the culprit has appeared though as I now have the symptoms of a cold. Strangely my voice has improved alot and although still nopt 100% I find I am able to fulfill the commitments I have without having too much further trouble.

During this period there as been much discussion on the SLMC forum regarding the lack of SL audiences knowledge of how much it costs to provide music and why they should show their appreciation in tips or risk music in SL changing dramatically. The point has been thrashed to the point of extinction on the forum so rather than go over it again here let me point you towards a link where you can get an idea of the issues involved.

Fee policy changes at Rocky Shores


SLMC Information campaign 1


SLMC Information campaign 2


And so it has been on my mind about the way music is going in SL and I thought the best way for me to make a contribution would be to produce a song that I'd make available for any number of other SL musicians to collaborate on and the song could then be handed out free at venues along with an information pack so that audiences understand that music in SL is not free. The song is called "Get It Together" and you can read about the project in a lot more detail here in this thread.

Get_It_Together


Keep an eye out for the track...we have a number of notable SL musicians on board and it should be a lot of fun with the end aim being to benefit music and musicians all over SL.

I have reached a point in my schedule where I think I need to take my foot off the gas and take it a little easier. This comes after a punishing schedule of gigs at the weekend.

Friday 18th - Alice Beach

Friday 18th - Crown and Pearl

Saturday 19th - Party For Seissab and JanKro and Kiama

Saturday 19th - Club Neptune

Saturday 19th - Cuddlers Cove

Sunday 20th - Sterling Vineyards Open Mic

So 6 gigs in 3 days is a bit much even though they were all well attended and received. My voice was already a raggedy before hand and now it needs time to recover. I am still going to honour the gigs I am already committed to but I am temporarily not taking any bookings in the hope my voice is just a little run down and I will be back to my best soon. Having this break will have a two fold benefit in that I will also be able to complete all the instrumental pieces for the rest of the album without having to do gig preparations. I have to be up together for the launch as I am planning a large scale operation of promotion for the album when it comes out. Quite what form this will take I am not sure but it should be exciting as the album is make or break time for me as an artist...no pressure then lol!



 

OK sorry about that..we have had the builders here for ages doing jobs on our long term project. I am pleased to say that part of that project is to build a dedicated rehearsal and recording studio but more of that another time.

So being good takes practice but there is another side to being a technically great musician and this is exhibited pretty well by Newton Faulkner's album. Great pop and rock muso's and particualrly guitarists have a propensity to noodle. Noodling is the extended indulgence in aimless melodic meandering often believed by the perpatrator to be inspired creativity of almost mystical significance. A good example of what I mean is that 10th dan black belt arch druid of noodling Dave Gilmour. Now I am not being so crazy as to suggest I know better than multi million album platinum selling stadium filling rock gods Pink Floyd but some of those solos when they play live let alone recording them are a little flabby...I mean come on! I can remember Dave Gilmour being interviewed in a documentary and I paraphrase him here along the lines of him saying.."I dont know where the melodies come from. They just seem to fall out of my guitar". I think Mr Gilmour wanted to portray an image of these melodies being channelled through him by an omniprescent muse and he simply releases them into the ether like sprinkling golden magical guitardust on our eager ears. I have more of an image of each melody dropping out of the guitar and hitting the floor with a resounding "thunk". But I actually quite like Pink Floyd not that you'd be able to tell from what I have just said!

Newton Faulkner's album has a few great songs on it. I like those songs alot but at 17 tracks it has been padded out with noodles that dont really warrant a title let alone being on an album.

I have been listening to Hand Built By Robots the new album by English acoustic guitar singer songwriter Newton Faulkner. He has immense talent, the sound he can get from a guitar is pretty incredible. He does a cover of Massive Attacks's "Teardrop" on which he creates the rhythm by tapping the body of the guitar while also playing the backing and singing. The are undoubtably years of practice that he would have put into developing that technique.

I remember once asking a guitarist friend why he was so good. Now that may seem like a silly question but I know there is more to being good at any instrument than just having a natural ability. While there may be some that can almost just pick up a guitar and play, the answer he gave me was much closer to the truth for almost all great guitarists. He explained that he was out of work and had no intention of getting a job either. Instead he lived on a few state benefits and spent his time..all day every day...playing. Now the point I am making is not most guitarists are lazy ass spongers who dont want to do a proper job (although the validity of this statement may require further discussion at some time lol) but that what it takes to be good is practice. You play and you play until you are sick of it. Then you take a little break and you play some more. Dedication is the biggest part of the equation.

I've got a bit more to say on this but the builders have just turned up..they probably want to be paid! Hold that thought I'll get back to you! :)

Had a great night last night starting off with a show at Virtual Cologne where there is a wonderful recreation of the famous cathedral. The show was well attended and expertly hosted by Annie Milestone.

Afterwards I dropped by Fable Sinatra's show at Taff's Bar which was great fun. Fable is playing a couple of my songs these days; Make Me Feel I Belong and I Just Want To Be Wanted. She is a lovely person and doing a great job and I am glad for the extra exposure as she is a really popular performer in SL and her shows are always well attended. You should check her out if you have not already http://www.myspace.com/fablesinatra

After her show she said she was having trouble with one of the lines on IJWTBW and eventually this lead to me doing a little impromptu show so she could hear the song and a few others. It really felt like a special time as some good friends just happened to still be there after Fable's show and everything seemed to fall into place giving me a warm feeling following an embattled couple of days :) Thanks to Fable Sinatra, Fury Streeter, Phil Spackler, Sally Silvera, Tallulah Maddaloni and Lyn Carlberg for sticking around and making me feel on top of the world! :)


 

Haha they've done it too me again...I did what I thought was a great audition for Best Of SL Live and still failed the progress!

Anything I say is gonna sound pretty churlish so I will leave it to others to comment on the validity of the voting system and not get involved in the controversy....good luck to those that got through!

Dropped by Fable Sinatra's show at Club Therapy a couple of nights ago. There is always great fun and banter at her shows but unfortunately a griefer initiate some kind of push bomb that threw everyone in the audience randomly around the sim. Of course the end effect was utterly pointless as everybody remained in the sim and could continue to hear the music without any problem. Fable and Raven the owner dealt with the issue with consummate professionalism. It seems a bizarre way for someone to get their kicks...making a pitiful attempt to disrupt an event.

And so I am playing at Therapy tonight..they get big audiences and the crew there are really supportive and alot of fun. While working from home and looking forward to tonights show I am listening to a CD I got for Christmas by Amy MacDonald, a young singer songwriter from Glasgow. There are some great tracks on there and you can get a taste at www.amymacdonald.co.uk

On Saturday I am a little bemused to be participating in the next round of Best Of SL Live. I mentioned earlier in this blog that the judges in the audition rounds had not been gushing with praise for me and yet here I seem to have made it through. The organisers say they whittled the field down from 40 to 25 for this round but I have to say that everyone in my audition has made it through so it is all smelling a bit fishy. Nevertheless, once I have given a commitment to something it takes an act of god for me to renege on that and so I will see it through and hope we can all participate with our dignity intact and a smile on our avi!