Many thanks to Rich Desoto ( http://richpalmer.com/index.html ) for creating a CAYT widget that can be posted anywhere. At the bottom right is a "share" button which gives you the custom HTML if you want to post this on your own site...and please do!

So I finally get a chance to recap on all that has happened with the new Get It Together project with the song Christmas All Year Through.

The party on the 21st Dec went fantastically well with everyone having a great time a super reception for the finished track. Here is the line up of who played at the party...
12.00   -   Jean Munro
12.20   -   Franciskus Paine
12.40   -   Babblegrabble Swindlehurst
13.00   -   Zak Claxton
13.20   -   Carah Nitely
13.40   -   OhMy Kidd
14.00   -   Kiaranne Flanagan
14.20   -   Tpenta Vanalten
14.40   -   Lonnie Nightfire
15.00   -   Djai Skjellerup - with the premiere of Christmas All Year Through at the end of my 20 min set


Here is a list of the musicians who contributed to the track...
BabbleGrabble Swindlhurst, Carah Nitely, Djai Skjellerup, Franz Paine
Jean Munro, Kaklick Martin, Kiarranne Flanagan, Krell Karu, Lonnie Nightfire, Lyn Carlberg, Mambo Welles, Mimi Carpenter, OhMy Kidd,
The Professor, Rich Desoto, Saraine Sands, Slim Warrior, Tommy Cult, Tpenta Vanalten, Vicki Nilsson and Zak Claxton

Here is a list that Toby compiled of who did what...

And so with apologies for those bits I couldn't cram in, here's the cheat sheet.

Firstly, who played the instruments:

Piano: Djai
Bass: Krell (during intro), Rich, Mambo
Drums: Vicki
Acoustic Guitar Lead: Lonnie
Acoustic Guitar Rhythm: Lonnie/Lyn
Electric Ping, Chug and Solo guitar: Krell
Electric Guitar Rhythm: OhMy/BabbleGrabble
Trumpets: BabbleGrabble
Shakers: Saraine
Sleighbells: Vicki
Bellstrings: Rich
Tubular Bells: Rich
Backwards Piano Note: Toby
Scratchy LoFi Piano: Toby

Next, the vocals:

Harmony Vocals: Slim
Backing Vocals: Zak

You brought the break of day (Franz)
into my dark night (Carah)
It’s not like it’s alright. (Djai)
It’s enough to be going on with. (BabbleGrabble)

You brought the thunder clap that woke me from my sleep (Jean)
It’s not like it’s complete. (Lonnie)
It’s enough to get us by. (Kaklick)


And this Christmas I will try (Kiarranne)
to make it up to you (Mimi)
Though I am sure to mess it up (OhMy)
it’s the best that I can do (Lyn)
So this Christmas let us try (Zak)
to step out of ourselves (Tpenta)
And hope it comes to pass (Slim)
that maybe it can last (Tommy)
Like Christmas All Year Through (Djai, Kaklick)


You brought the lightening strike that chased me from myself (Jean)
It’s not like the hand’s dealt (BabbleGrabble)
but it’s too close to call (Djai, Franz)

You brought the hurricane (Kiarranne)
that smashed through all I do (Lonnie)
But it’s not like we have to (Lyn, Zak)
live our lives this way (Carah, Kaklick, Zak)


And this Christmas I will try (Zak, OhMy, Mimi)
to make it up to you (OhMy, Tpenta)
Though I am sure to mess it up (Tpenta, Slim, Zak)
it’s the best that I can do (Tommy, Tpenta, Zak)
So this Christmas let us try to step out of ourselves (BabbleGrabble, Carah, Franz)
And hope it comes to pass (hope it comes to pass - Professor) that maybe it can last (All)
Like Christmas All Year Through (All)

And this Christmas I will try (Carah)
to make it up to you (Carah, Jean)
Though I am sure to mess it up (Jean)
it’s the best that I can do (Jean)
So this Christmas let us try to step out of ourselves (Carah)
And hope it comes to pass that maybe it can last (All)
Like Christmas All Year Through (All)

Thanks to everyone who took part and here's to the next one...(just not too soon lol) !

I have alot to fill you in on like how the GIT2 project turned out and why I haven't played many shows lately. I am going to make an effort to blog more often as it has been a pleasant surprise for me that despite my activity levels being pretty low I am still getting 30 to 60 hits a day here. I'll start the catch up on news imminently!

I am very pleased to have stumbled upon the SL Shakespeare Company and their incredible recreation of the Globe Theatre recently. Unfortunately they are struggling to make ends meet and so I hit upon the idea to stage live music there when there isn't anything else on.

This was too much for me to take on but once I had a chat to Throughthesewalls Moody she ran with it and has done a fantastic job of setting up a series of shows on the 4 sim venue. I am starting the series of concerts today Tuesday 9th at 3pm slt.

For more information, schedules and landmarks check out these two links on the SLMC forum....

http://slmc.myfastforum.org/about2219.html

http://slmc.myfastforum.org/about2194.html

After a month of receiving contributions for CAYT it is finally deadline day and I am pleased to say we have had a healthy number of contributions from those that showed an original interest. There are still a few hours to go but by my reckoning we will have around 18 to 20 contributors on the final mix. The great thing about those that have contributed is also that they have tended to send more than one track.

I look forward to chatting with Toby later as he embarks on the grand task of piecing together a usable track from everything that has been sent in. It won't be easy but there isn't anyone else I would trust more with this task.

After today I can also start contacting the contributors to organise who wants to play for the party on 21st December when the finale will be the first time we play the finished track.

Amazingly I have sent the guide track out to to 30 sl musicians now and with Toby and Me thats a pretty healthy number. Of course it is inevitable that some folks despite the best of intentions will not be able to provide a contribution by the deadline of 5th December but even so I think we are so far looking OK for getting enough material to work with. It is a strange time in the project for me and Toby much as it was last time. We just have to wait for the contributions to arrive so it is very much the calm before the storm. I am busying myself with distributing information about the project although the brunt of this is being taken up by the very able Cher Harrington who has been a godsend. With Sally Silvera helping too and other candidates waiting in the wings the imparting of information is under control in their hands.

Once the press release is distributed then I will do a little planning on how the track itself will be distributed when it is complete. With the premier on the 21st only 4 days before Xmas it is going to need an army of willing helpers to send it to every resident on their friends list and group they are a member of. I think I am going to need a methof for tracking which groups we have already sent it to so that we do not spam groups more than once. Cher also mentioned that it would be cool if we can get a download count. I have just had a look at the file host I use and this looks possible

So the new collaborative recording project is under way and it will be a christmas track entitled "Christmas All Year Through". I wrote the song in the run up to last christmas after setting myself the task of trying to write a christmas song that isn't cheesy. We will see if worked or not as I am pleased to say there are already 27 potential contributors who have so far requested the information card. Needless to say some may not be able to give something by the deadline of 5th December for all manner of reasons but it still looks as if we are going to have a healthy collection of talent on the track.

To follow what happens during the making of the track please keep an eye on my blog and this thread at the SLMC Forum

http://slmc.myfastforum.org/about2137.html

 

I completed recording the skeleton piano and vocal tracks for the new sl collaboration I am planning and sent them off to Toby today. Once I have had a chat to him then I will announce the detail of the project to try and get some participants. There are enough folks already interested on the SLMC Forum to be hopeful that we will be ok. It was nice to see some of the original GIT collaborators wanting to give it another crack. 

Check out this link for a heads up oon a new project I am instigating now!

http://slmc.myfastforum.org/ftopic810-160.php

The text reads...

Unfortunately our file host booted the copy of GIT from their server and we have been unable to retrieve it using the original link.

I have now uploaded GIT to a new file host so please can you all amend the notecard in your posters to use this URL link instead.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/knzmkilwniy/GetItTogether.mp3

As this is a bit of an onerous task let me give you some good news. It is with some trepidation that I am instigating another collaborative recording project along the same lines as GIT but with a different song. The track is being prepared now and when it is ready I will be making the details and the download available both here on the forum and in world via the myriad of music based groups. The song should be available in skeleton (halloween pun ha ha!) form next week.

So if you are a musician then please keep an eye out (not literally..you should only take halloween jokes so far) for developments on this. If you are not a musician your support is equally important. Please help us to spread the word initially amoungst the musicians of SL in the hope that we can hit the heights of GIT.

I'll start a new thread soon but in the meantime drop a line here is there is anything you need to know on the new GIT link or the new project!

My shoulder is getting better slowly although it is difficult to rest it. If I were a true rock and roll star I guess I'd have someone to lift the shopping out of the car for me but alas this is down to me for now and can result in a painful tweak of an existing condition! Oh the terrible condition's artists such as I have to work under lol!

I have not had any shows all weekend because it is my partner's birthday today and she is very patient with my online musical fun seeing as she takes the brunt of looking after our 4 children! So she deserves some attention and that includes a trip to the theatre tonight to see Hamlet starting the UK's most popular actor at the moment, David Tennant, and another stalwart of science fiction, Patrick Stewart. While hunting for tickets for this I advance booked for next March to see Sir Ian McKellern and Patrick Stewart doing Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot, a play I have seen a couple of times before. If you are wondering what idle ponderings on my current activities has to do with music then the last time I saw Godot I came home and wrote the song While You Wait based on one of the premises of the play; that it isn't what you are waiting for that is important but what you do while you wait. Sadly my song only gets an airing at my shows. I wonder if my pals McKellern and Stewart need to some music to play in the interval? :)