#they were my first gig ever! i remember the 2nd song was given up and the people around us started moshing pretty hard.

[moonchild-in-blue]

Oh.

[animeraider]

My Kevin Gilbert Story, and my latest single.

As some of you know I’ve had a few brushes with the “big break” that many in my line of work crave. I was signed to a major label in the early 1990s, and the record I turned in was shelved. The label wanted me to be the “next Michael Penn” and by that point not even Mr. Penn was interested in that, let alone me. I had three songs picked up for a movie, which was never released. I got out of my record contract and signed with another label, releasing an album that included 5 songs from the one that was shelved. The label put no money behind it. I had a big hit in 2009 and signed a European distribution deal, which fell apart when the married couple who ran the business fell into a messy divorce. I sold thousands and thousands of records in Eastern Europe – which were being sold by pirates. It took several years to get that fixed.

I had an audition that everyone felt I was a lock for to play keyboards for a Japanese band that had a huge following. My flight to the audition was supposed to be September 12, 2001. I actually watched the plane I was supposed to board land as it was the last flight grounded. I’ve done some engineering and performing I don’t get to tell anyone about – the NDA’s are pretty strong. One of my songs became the theme to a German Television show.

But let me tell you the story of a relationship I almost had with a multi-Grammy-winning star who soared high and made it further than I have, whose song I have made a cover of and released as a single today.

So where to begin. First of all, yes, I knew Kevin Gilbert. No, we weren’t friends, but we were colleagues and classmates. We performed together a few times – all of if school related. That’s it. Oh, and he invited me to a jam session he was going to have once and I turned him down. I’ll get to that.

Believe it or not, I have to tell this story starting in the middle. There was once a band called Toy Matinee. I loved that band. Clever songs, well written melodies, a sense of darkness and a sense of fun. It was a band that me and my roommate Max could agree on and we cranked that album loud and often. We went and saw them live at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, and were about 10 feet from the stage. This is NOT the live album released in 1999, but I can tell you they rocked the place that night. Played almost every song from the album, and did an encore of Elton John’s “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” that smoked.

A great night.

Now I jump into the past, to tell the tale of the UCLA Synthesizer Ensemble. It was the brainchild of Professor Roger Bourland, who at the time was only in his 2nd year as a professor at the school and would later become dean of the department. He searched out the most rock and roll musicians in what was mostly a stuffy classical music department. Me. Dave Koz. Joel Harnel. And this kid named Kevin. The five of us took another student’s source material and arranged up a musical. Straight musical theater and full of schlock, and all performed on synthesizers. We eventually put on four shows, with the five of us in the orchestra pit. I wrote the show-stopper ballad and a Latin inspired piece. I hate to say it, but I no longer remember what everyone else did, although I remember Dave mostly for his EWI playing and Joel for multiple reasons – including the fact that he wrote and arranged all of the drum parts.

I knew Joel fairly well – we had played together a few times and he was even more rock and roll than me, with more experience. Dave Koz was, even then, Dave Koz. The only saxophonist I had met up to that point in my life who was better than me. We had played in jazz bands together but he was already a rising star. When he beat me for the gig with Richard Marx’s touring band his career just took off – but all this was before then. I was one of Roger Bourland’s students – in fact, I had been in the “test” classroom when he had auditioned for his job.

I barely knew this Kevin kid. I was constantly getting his name wrong – for whatever reason my brain had him wired as Kevin Anderson.

My only real interaction with him outside of this 12-week experiment was down in the practice rooms. Many of these rooms had pianos in them and on any given day you could hear Mozart, Brahms, Chopin and all of the other usual suspects. I would go and write my own material and be pounding out rock and roll. Kevin did that too. Once while in the middle of the writing process for the musical he came into my practice room while I was working on a song in the style of Elton John. He invited me to a jam session the next Tuesday he was going to, and I declined. Tuesday was when MY band practiced, and as their lead guitarist I needed the practice.

That was the end of it. After the musical was over we all drifted our separate ways and for the most part didn’t run into each other again. I ran into Dave once at a music festival in San Francisco and he introduced me to Clarence Clemmons, which was pretty damned cool.

By now you’ve figured out that Kevin was Kevin Gilbert. Congratulations. I hadn’t. For many years to follow I would remember him as Kevin Anderson.

Now I’ve told you all of this so that you understand that this is long BEFORE Max and I went to see Toy Matinee in concert. I became a fan of the band without knowing that Kevin was its leader. I was ten feet away from him, performing for an hour. I had performed with him myself.

I didn’t recognize him. Nothing clicked in my brain that this was the same guy. I didn’t put two and two together. I rolled for my intelligence check and got a one.

Kevin Gilbert would go on to a solo career, win seven Grammys for his work with Madonna, be part of the driving musical force behind Sheryl Crow’s first album, become one of the founders of the Tuesday Night Music Club, and become one of my songwriting heroes. The man could paint a picture with very few words and his musical ability was enviable.

And then he died; a victim of his own vices. I’m not going to go into that here – I know nothing at all and can shed no light on the subject.

Several years later I relocated to San Francisco with my family. I discovered the band Giraffe once I was on their home turf, and of course discovered the fact that Kevin Gilbert had been their leader when he was a teenager. BEFORE I knew him. Giraffe was a pretty damned good band that had come so startlingly close to making it big – their albums are worth hunting down and they did a fantastic live rendition of Genesis’ “Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” (the full album mind you) that is lots of fun.

I was looking for a recording studio for my second album when I ran across a man named Steve Smith who owned a recording studio down the peninsula from where I was living. In his bio, he briefly mentioned that he was the drummer for Giraffe. Awesome. On his web site of the time if you dug in a little bit there was a bio of Kevin Gilbert, and he talked about the brief time he spent at UCLA.

Parts of the story looked and felt awfully familiar to me. Smith talked about the musical without mentioning the name, and again, it felt familiar. Me being slightly brave, I wrote an e-mail to him to ask what was the title of that musical and that I might have been involved in it. He confirmed it for me.

Holy crap.

All of the pieces started falling into place then. The rehearsals, our discussions about piano playing, that I went to one of his shows and failed to recognize him? The fact that I think he invited me to come join the FUCKING TUESDAY NIGHT MUSIC CLUB and I didn’t even fucking notice!?!!?!!?!!?

I’m an idiot.

Actually, in looking back at the timeline I don’t think he invited me to join TNMC. That came a couple of years later – I think. I’m never going to know for certain. If he had told any of the other members I don’t know about it. I’ve exchanged about a dozen words with one of the other members over social media but we certainly don’t know one another.

I wonder if he saw me in the audience that night and laughed. I will never know. I can tell you there is an album version of that night you can listen to and/or buy. A then-unknown Sheryl Crow played keyboards in the band, dressed up like a dominatrix biker chick. When I found out about that later I was amazed – I didn’t recognize her either.

I’m an idiot.

Nick D’Virgilio of Spock’s Beard played drums. I don’t remember the name of the bass player but what I remember is this man with the thickest eyebrows I have ever seen in my life. Marc Bonilla played lead guitar. Oh, the people I could have met.

I never did work in Steve Smith’s studio. I no longer remember why.

When I was working on my third album in my newly built home studio I recorded a number of covers and one of those was Kevin Gilbert’s “Tea For One”. It’s a fantastic song of unrequited love and missed chances told from start to finish in only a few dozen words. I have no idea if he would have liked what I did to his song – he had a wicked sense of humor that I can recall now but I never got to know him on a personal level as a songwriter, which was my mistake. I could have but I was so focused on myself in those days that even if the overtures were made I probably didn’t even notice.

I recorded the song in what I called "Garage Pop" during those days. A bit uneven, imperfect vocals - what you might get from a band practicing in their garage instead of a polished studio version. If you want that, I recommend hunting down his version.

But I recorded “Tea for One” just the same – it’s a great song and I’d like to think I gave it some justice – even if it doesn’t come close his version. It was on the original version of my third album "The Long Goodbye", which I released myself, but was cut when the album was moved to digital streaming services (In all fairness, I cut 21 songs from the original release – which was a 2 CD set).

My music career has been dark for several years, but it got jump started in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic and I’ve been revisiting a lot of my unreleased work since, and of all the covers I did this is still my favorite. I am releasing it now, in tribute to a musician I admire and could have called friend if I had just paid a bit of attention.

The guy holding the roses was me, as it turns out. I had no idea.

+++++++++++++++++

For those of you with very long memories you should listen to the full single on Spotify, because I’ve thrown in a little bonus for people who remember the 1980’s band ASK. Just a little piece of a little ditty written by me, Kevin Donville and Ed Lee.

[aminiatureworld]

Every Third Day

Ship: Geralt x Jaskier

Warnings: Swearing?

Author’s Note: The books haven’t yet arrived so this is solely based off my viewing of the show. Forgive me if it’s not very good, I haven’t put fanfiction on tumblr in perhaps years. Also the first half was written at 3 am, and the second during a period of particular saltiness. Regardless I hope you enjoy reading it.

Premise: Jaskier gets a gig after the breakup and a scene ensues.

Also available now on Ao3

Jaskier was just angry that Geralt had been so undeniably rude. That was how the bard tried to rationalize it at least, after the mess with the dragon and whatnot. How embarrassing, was what he told himself the final emotion of that confrontation was, what a scene, and what a twat Geralt was for doing such a thing when there were other people up on that mountain with them; even if they weren’t close around them, it was really quite rude of him to risk such a thing getting into someone’s hearing. After all, bards have to worry about reputations, not like witchers, who can just slink around here and there and intimidate others into some form of silence usually. But it wasn’t as if Jaskier could glare a drunk patron to silence. And reputation was all that bards had really, besides their songs of course, and even popular hits could fail with a certain type of crowd.

           Yes, it was how unfortunately irresponsible Geralt had been, his rudeness,  that made Jaskier so testy in regards to witchers. There was nothing else to be said about it, that was that. It was what he told himself every time he thought of a joke for Geralt, or bought extra food for Roach, or strung together a hum, whose lyrics somehow always turned towards that dragon’s den, eternal lamenting, and whatnot. Of course, there was a part of him that knew he was absolutely in denial, that small slimy voice which needled him this way and that, which seemed to have some sort of inner clock set for three in the morning every three days, Jaskier wasn’t sure why it was always three, but then again he wasn’t supposed to be hearing the voice anyways, the voice which reminding Jaskier that there was a little more to it than simply being offended, that Jaskier was actually quite cut up about the whole matter, and that eventually someone was going to have to swallow their pride and make the first move towards reconciliation, or find some gods forsaken forgetting magic, or else nothing would be solved. Jaskier knew the voice wasn’t technically wrong, but really it only came every third day, and sometimes could be coaxed away, if he sacrificed his kidneys enough, so Jaskier didn’t see reason in bringing up the points that part of himself made.

           Of course easier said than done and all that, honestly Jaskier had always liked to think himself better than that nonsense, but he supposed sometimes it was truly inevitable. And he couldn’t really help that it was one such night, a third night, when he was invited to play at that god forsaken banquet. What it was being given for, well Jaskier hadn’t a damn. He didn’t really care that much after all, it was just another gig, and if it weren’t the third day and one of those times, he probably wouldn’t’ve even given it a second thought. But unfortunately Fate was being very rude, almost as rude as Geralt had been, so there he was, doublet half on, staring into the mirror of his room at the inn, wondering why he couldn’t have become some pompous professor, rather than, well, whatever the hell he was now, for he didn’t feel at all like a bard, perhaps more of a barnacle, unable to leave his fixture in front of the mirror.

He wasn’t even sure what he was staring at, some part of the wood on the back wall was holding all of his attention and none at all simultaneously, and though he had a vague awareness that he ought not to have been staring so much, and ought to have been doing something more productive, like finishing getting dressed or checking to make sure a peg hadn’t slipped on his lute, really the new chill in the air was causing the pitch to go all sorts of horrendous, but it also wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t find himself doing any of those things, and besides, it all seemed like an awful lot of work, and things like money were becoming a lot more abstract the more he wandered, really at this point why not try to lie outside in the woods, with his luck some other stupid witcher would pick him up for a few months before surreptitiously dumping him. The plan didn’t seem to horrible, but then Jaskier remembered that finding food was an awful lot harder in the woods, and maybe he’d be able to get some ale that was at least marginally better than whatever he was living off of in these grungy towns. Besides, war was hard to ignore, and there seemed an awful lot of that recently. Might as well try to enjoy something.

           To say such arguments were convincing would’ve been a bold faced lie, and Jaskier wasn’t quite so idiotic as to try those on himself, but it was certainly a distraction, and, to Jaskier’s great shock, he found arguing with himself much more entertaining than staring at pine, so, picking a variety of topics to scold and cajole himself about, he finally finished knotting up his doublet, and even had time to realize the A string had slipped once more, before walking out of the door of his room, heart not truly lighter, but at least a bit more distracted.

 -

           Jaskier wished he’d saved some of that distraction for later, for apparently only one of the hosts had wished for a bard, the other being quite tone deaf and quite without care, so the night was less bawdy jigs and the like, and more sitting in the corner wishing he could take one of the ceremonial daggers on the gentlemen’s belts and stab himself through the ears so he didn’t have to keep listening about a bad loan on one of the lord’s summer houses. Really Jaskier always though one house was quite enough, but though he supposed he could be wrong in regards to its necessity,  he was quite confident in the matter of whether the topic had any merit or worth, the answer being a most decisive no. He’d managed to excuse himself, claiming need for a piss, before finding a dark enough corridor to fiddle around in until it was time to be paid, or until one of the surly looking guards shoved him back into the hall.

           Now he sat in the near darkness, fingers strumming a variety of chord progressions. Jaskier was quite the fan of tritones, they always sounded so dark and distorted, and now he went down the line of them, chuckling as he remembered the time he played a tritone in front of a particularly swooning type of lady, and she accused him of either attempting to summon some sort of demon, or being a particularly terrible bard. Go figure that nobility knew next to nothing about music. The tritones having been played Jaskier strummed a few other random chords, minor 2nds and the like, before allowing himself to fall into the familiar. He hadn’t played Toss a Coin since the entire debacle, not publicly anyways. That thing might’ve sold well, but it wouldn’t really do for your bard to suddenly stop or, even worse, burst into tears or some such thing, so that song had been surreptitiously shelved for other tunes which, though perhaps not as popular or iconic, really in the end let Jaskier take more gigs than if he’d tried to push through and play… that. But now that he was alone, bored, and vaguely irritated, he allowed the muscle memory take over, and soon enough was singing softly to himself. When it ended he started again, and again, and again. He knew he ought to have stopped, ought to have gone back, but it was the third day, and surely it was almost three in the morning, and Jaskier was just, so tired. So he let himself go, for a moment, for only a moment, and lost himself in the music, and in the past.

           Eventually the moment passed, the talking died down, and Jaskier figured it’d been long enough, and it was probably time to collect the bill. He stood up from his position on the floor, brushing his pants off and strapping the lute over his back. He hoped that, despite the second host being hardly thrilled of his presence, I suppose bards were too peasant-y for his tastes, that wouldn’t stop him from collecting his fee, after all wasn’t it illegal to swindle bars, but while he was musing over the idea of how much his pay was in jeopardy, he hardly noticed that, though he’d arrived in the middle of the hall there was no one talking, and it was only until he bumped into the back of a lady that he found himself looking up, and, when his eyes met the back of the all too familiar figure, Jaskier wondered why he’d hadn’t just stayed staring at the wall of the inn, for surely there could be no worse experience than this.

           The emotions that hit Jaskier were really quite obnoxious, and he found himself trying not to run, or scream, or throw something. That bastard! Really he was quite the rudest, most infuriating, most inconsiderate man Jaskier had ever met. An emotion was welling up inside of him, an emotion that was too close to relief and, well, a sort of fondness that was certainly not welcome at the time, for Jaskier was angry. Angry as he’d been angry few times before, for this was that witcher, his witcher, and of course it was, of course Jaskier hadn’t been able to run far enough, though he’d slunk around in every sludgy hovel he could find trying to avoid just this kind of thing. A man who complained about house loans wasn’t supposed to be the kind to attract witchers, really; yet here Jaskier was and there was Geralt and it’d probably be more prudent to walk away just then, but Jaskier was still feeling quite angry, and all common sense had long since dissipated into the night, so he hardly felt anything that could be called embarrassment or regret as he shoved his way through the crowd, stepped into the center of the circle that people always cleared away when Geralt was around, and, taking the Witcher by the shoulder, whirled Geralt around to face him.

           Geralt looked as close to floored as Jaskier had ever seen him, which was to say his eyes widened, his brow furrowed, and he took a minute step back. Really it was sometimes unfair how reticent Geralt was, when Jaskier, had the positions been switched, would’ve probably been screaming by now. Instead a silence permeated the circle, while, at the borders of it a small amount of tittering came from the crowd. Jaskier realized he ought to have planned farther out than this, the idea of sneaking away had suddenly become much more appealing, but it was too late, and Jaskier was too angry, and honestly why couldn’t he have just gotten his money and left; so, instead of doing something polite, or perhaps even rational, he decided instead that to simply yell “What the fuck are you doing here?” was the best opening line he had. Geralt’s narrowed eyes immediately conveyed that was not perhaps the best decision Jaskier had made, but it was too late, and honestly Jaskier felt he deserved the answer to that question anyways, so, instead of perhaps backing up or turning and leaving, he crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one leg, an eyebrow raised, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

           Perhaps it worked, more likely Geralt was sick of the attention and had decided just answering was a quicker way to get out of this than haggling, Jaskier was a master at haggling, for after a few seconds pause the Witcher simply sighed and, gesturing towards the dais, roughly replied “I’m here to receive my payment.” Jaskier followed the hand towards the man who’d been complaining Jaskier’s ears off about the house loan. Now the man looked almost as purple as the belt he was wearing, and Jaskier didn’t know whether to laugh or bang his head on the wall.

           “So that was the payment you were telling me about.” He rolled his eyes. “Honestly you might as well pay now because last time Geralt was surrounded by so many people he ended up an adoptive father-to-be and honestly, if he deals with another one as well as he dealt with the first, your poor kid is going to be in great want of a guardian their entire life.” The man looked even worse at that and, shaking his head, gestured for the two men in the circle to come up and talk. Jaskier followed Geralt, after all he needed his wages too, and besides this was probably going to be at least the tiniest bit interesting, which would be some kind of payment for the whole embarrassing situation, and when Geralt didn’t try to steer him away Jaskier decided that if they could limit their actions to a line spoken every once in a while in public, maybe this third day thing would finally shut up.

           The haggling, there was always haggling, took almost an hour, and by the time both witcher and bard had been ushered out with what they were owed Jaskier could’ve sworn that he was already seeing the first signs of dawn. The walk towards the town was silent at first, but Jaskier figured since he wasn’t likely to see Geralt for a long time afterwards, if ever, he’d at least get some conversation out of him.

           “So whatever did happen to your child of surprise?” He glanced up towards Geralt, who looked as stodgy as ever, typical. Hearing the question though he tilted his head towards the bard.

           “Ciri’s with Yennefer.” He replied curtly. Jaskier, being very much drunk on lack of sleep, and a few stiff drinks, burst out laughing.

           “So not only did you finally accept you destiny and whatnot, but you sent a child to… Yennefer?” Geralt glared at the laughing Jaskier.

           “It’s more complicated than that.” His tone was irritated, but Jaskier wasn’t over, and simply smiled acerbically.

           “Ah yes, well forgive me for not having second sight in regards to your comings and goings. Really,” he rolled his eyes, “you dump me off in some forsaken dragon’s dwelling then expected me to spend my every move tracking you. Well, forgive me, but I don’t make it a point to keep tabs with closed bars.” He was growing irritated again, and started pushing ahead a bit.

           “Jaskier, I’m… sorry.” The bard didn’t think he heard the Witcher right, stopping dead in his tracks. Turning around, Jaskier stared up at Geralt, for he didn’t think that anything deserved such malice as this, yet Geralt seemed utterly serious, even regretful. It was an expression Jaskier hadn’t seen before, perhaps the most open emotion yet to cross the stodgy witcher’s face, and Jaskier honestly had no idea what to make of it, for to laugh or joke seemed inappropriate now and yet the terrain was so unfamiliar and he was surrounded by cliffs, and didn’t know which to jump off of. He stared as the moments passed, and, finding he could find no clever way to convey his feelings, decided that if Geralt couldn’t handle the slightly cut up bard, then better to realize it now then on another mountaintop.

           “What you did Geralt was very rude,” he started, before the small voice rose up, insisting on correcting him, for now if he didn’t he’d be very much lying to not only Geralt but himself and that wouldn’t do, “it was was very rude,” he continued, “and it was very hurtful. I thought, even if I was nothing than your bardic sometimes-friend, that, I deserved more. And that you never then sent word of your actions, only to show up now, I don’t know what to make of it,” he swallowed, forcing himself to look Geralt dead in the face, as he’d not look at an audience’s shoes during an important song or speech, “but that you’re sorry, that you apologized, well, that means a great deal to me, more perhaps even than all the money I’ve received since our departure.” He paused for a moment, this was veering off into dangerous territory. “What I’m trying to say is, thank you for apologizing and acknowledging that it was hurtful.” He smiled softly then went to turn back towards the town again.

           “Jaskier,” he stopped again, “what I mean to ask,” Geralt looked incredibly uncomfortable now, not a foreign emotion, and clasped his hands in front of him, “would you consider coming with me again, and meeting Ciri.”

           “What?” Jaskier’s jaw dropped and he utterly forgot trying to control his speech. “What on Earth for?”

           “You’re smart, and educated, and it’d be good for Ciri to learn; besides,” Geralt paused again, “I’d like it.”

           “You…” Jaskier shook his head, perhaps he was still at the inn staring at the wall, or perhaps he’d passed out in the castle hallway. “Are you quite sure?” was all he could manage. Geralt nodded curtly, and Jaskier figured if this was some sort of stupor or dream, he’d at least carry it as far as he could. And. if it was real, well Geralt was certainly rude, but he also was honest most days, and if his adopted kid, Ciri, need Jaskier, well then, how could he refuse. So Jaskier found himself smiling and nodding back, even tearing up, to what would be his great embarrassment when he slept a little, as he replied. “Then yes, of course I’d consider it, yes. After all, you are my friend.” The little voice whispered inside him that was also a lie, though perhaps a more complicated one, but as Jaskier walked closer to Geralt, humming a familiar tune and even going so far as to tentatively reach his hand towards the Witcher, he was truly drunk, he figured that dealing with that emotion every third day was certainly not so difficult. Of course not, he thought, when, to his delight, Geralt accepted the outstretched hand, not difficult at all.

[rochellek1994]

Summary of 2018

It is a new year tomorrow and I would love to talk about my year as whole and goodness me, what a year it was for me! Obviously it had ups and downs but there was something quite special about this year as a whole.

I will admit, the start of 2018 was a bit rocky with me having some really bad months with little to no motivation, some intense miserable moments as well. A big one for me though was the unfortunate news that one my uncles (Neil) passed away very suddenly in late March and it struck a lot of us in the family. As many people say, they may be gone but they will never be forgotten. (There was something minor that did help me through those months however, I will be covering that in another paragraph as this turned out to be a big and positive thing for me this year)

Skipping forward now to the positives/highlights. June finally came along and I specifically remember it being the end of Suffolk Day when I started really saying to myself "Nah, I've had enough of myself like this. I want to go out and do something instead of sitting here and getting gradually more miserable." (if anyone isn't aware, I do have some motivation issues and whatnot)

Note: Even though June was the start to something positive with Suffolk Day, there was something someone in my family did on Suffolk Day that was shockingly awful. I won't go into too much detail (the rest of the details are on my Twitter somewhere) but I was severely lied to and manipulated on that day, that is all I'll be saying there.

So, onto the good stuff! What I first started working on first was my sleep schedule (unfortunately, the schedule isn't exactly 100% but if I still fight and work towards a good sleep schedule, then it most likely will be) and it has worked wonders and has been very helpful for a lot of things which I will mention in the coming paragraphs.

During June this year I really started to pay more attention to my local radio station despite being a listener for many years, that radio station is called BBC Radio Suffolk. It might have just been one of the greatest things to do to see what I could do and it turns out that paying more attention to the amazing shows that are broadcast on the station had worked wonders and in fact, BBC Suffolk gets my massive credit for helping me meet so many new people such as presenters, show producers, other local listeners (most notably an amazing man called Neil and that will be covered in the one of the paragraphs).

Public events: Late June was the start of me wanting to attend local events and I did just that!

The start of it all was the Music By The Sea event on the 30th of June. If I remember correctly as well, it was hosted/compared by Stephen Foster from BBC Radio Suffolk the whole time and the whole event was brilliant! If it is on again in 2019 then I will definitely think about going back.

Then July 1st came along and I think this was the biggest music event I had attended in 2018 and that was the Ipswich Music Day in Christchurch Park. About 40,000 people were estimated to have attended that as a whole. My biggest highlight of the day had to be watching a local band called Reno & Rome perform for the first time ever. Something I had wanted to do for a while. Only downside of the day however, was a family member's behaviour that day. Not going to lie, it really shocked me with how rude and childish she was being throughout the day.

July 27th and July 28th then was the day of Sax Fest and that was an amazing concert, unfortunately Reno & Rome (who I mentioned earlier for Ipswich Music Day) had got their headlining set cancelled last minute when a ferocious thunderstorm came along and almost ripped the stage apart with high winds etc. I do need to say that the only downside I experienced at Sax Fest was on day 2. Many of you know that I have a form of autism and I can tell you guys right now, I may have felt the worst build up of a meltdown ever. I am so thankful however, that I didn't explode altogether as I was fighting to keep it away. That was a scary one for me, especially when it was with me for hours.

Then we come to an event called The Nearly Festival on the 30th of July and the weather completely changed, it was raining the whole time. Despite that, the event was lovely with some great performances. I will admit, I had a very embarrassing moment when an Oasis tribute band were performing but I won't go into too much detail on that one. lol

Then, 24th of August to 26th of August was my 2nd year of the Maui Waui festival! Just like last year, it was a great event. Only downside I had however, I did feel like I was a bit boring this year as I had some insane exhaustion/tiredness issues during the festival. A highlight however? Seeing my crazy mother dressed as an inflatable dinosaur on the Saturday. lol

2nd of September was the One Big Multicultural Event in Ipswich and it was AWESOME! To see so many people of different backgrounds to band together for this festival was truly an amazing sight to see. The performances, food, drink etc. was incredible. If it is on again next year, I will try to think about going back.

The 23rd of September, I attended a much different event than usual and it was a dog show called Companion Dog Day that was organised by a wonderful lady called Shirley and it was held at Jimmy's Farm in Wherstead, just on the outskirts of Ipswich. It was a nice day despite the horrid weather.

November the 1st was the night of Stephen Foster's Secret Gig which was a BBC Radio Suffolk special gig held at Greshams in Ipswich which featured an amazing tribute band to Electric Light Orchestra called the ELO ENCOUNTER. I remember seeing these guys perform at Music By The Sea in June and they were incredible. Not only that, I highly enjoyed the quiz-off with Stephen and the BBC Radio Suffolk travel presenter, Barry Lewis.

November 16th came along and as we all know, it was Children in Need. I attended some 2 great events which were Wayne Bavin's Big Buskathon at the Cornhill in Ipswich and then Lesley Dolphin's Children in Need Afternoon Party at Wherstead Park in Wherstead.

Finally for public events, the 7th of December and the 8th of December I attended some Christmas light switch-ons and both events were absolutely lovely!

Now this part will be about a man (that I mentioned on the BBC Radio Suffolk paragraph) called Neil (this one is not my uncle by the way) because on most Thursdays from 11AM to about 1PMish/2PMish, he runs these community respite walks with friends in Felixstowe and the best part is, anyone can attend! I started attending in July this year with my mum and this is by far my most favourite walking event I have ever taken part in. We do have to get up early to catch the bus at around 7.20AMish and then the train just a little bit after 8AM and then another train just after 9AM but the walks in Felixstowe are seriously worth it for the journey I have to take.

BBC Look East on the 6th of September (aired 7th of September): Along with Neil who organised this... Myself, my mum and a couple of others took part in a community litter pick at Felixstowe and we were being filmed by BBC Look East. Highlight had to be seeing my crazy mother dressed as an inflatable dinosaur again. lol (Unfortunately, as far as I'm aware, the episode is no longer available online)

Community Music Event in my town: I started to regularly be a spectator a local community music event again in my local town but the only problem is, I'm not a performer so I don't perform there but I did somehow find my own little 'role' in the community and it is the only place I use my phone to film the songs that the community confidently sing or play regarding instruments. One example I can give is that my best friend brings her Bongos to drum at the event and my word, I cannot tell you guys enough how incredible she is at drumming. It is truly spectacular!

LEAVING THE BEST TILL LAST!

The biggest positive for me had to be my photography and my drive to go out and take photos of the countryside (even though I had been doing it since 2017), this year was even better for me photography wise. Especially when it comes to sharing them online on my Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc. and not to mention, photography really helped me get by on my low months at the start of 2018. Also, I do have to say a huge thank you to those that have shown interest in me and my photography, I appreciate and love you all for it. I can't wait for next year to see what other photographs I can take not just for me, but for you all as well! The support that you all have given me has kept me going with this!

That is all I wanted to talk about. Overall, there were some ups and downs but despite all of that, 2018 was a very good year for me.

Happy New Year everyone!

[markwatkinsconsumerguide]

Consumer Guide / No.42 /  independent film-maker Sharon Woodward with Mark Watkins.

MW:  Sharon, why is promoting awareness of Ataxia-telangiectasia important?

SW: I am very lucky to be able to work in this film-making world that I love, Mark. I also feel I have some responsibility within that to explore areas and issues that are not given mainstream airtime.

With regards to this subject particularly, I wasn’t at the time aware of A-T (Ataxia-telangiectasia). I was commissioned by the CEO William Davis. He contacted me a couple of years ago with this idea about giving a voice to the individuals with the condition rather than it coming from a medical perspective. I ended up making two short films both around 4 minutes each. With a third film being a longer 10 minute project.

The 10 minute film has been shown at the FERFILM International Film Festival (Open Air Cinema). It was broadcast in November 2016 on a number of Freeview Channels via the wonderful Community Channel. Also shown at the 23rd International Independent Film Festival, PUBLICYSTYKA, in Poland.

The social work course and the health and well-being course at Northampton University are also using the film as a resource for discussion and debate.

The condition and the manner in which it manifests is varied and only hit me at the beginning of the year. Rupert, one of the main characters interviewed in the film, speaks candidly and at length about having Ataxia-telangiectasia. Sadly he died aged 31 in January 2017. I didn't really know him : we met during filming.

Yet, when editing an interview over a long period of time you listen and watch what people say and how they say it. You start to feel like you know and understand them.  I didn’t know him and I can’t possibly comprehend what it must be like to have this condition, but all these people opened my eyes and made me aware of it. I hope I never stop learning.

MW: How reflective are you as a creative person? How does this trait manifest itself when producing film projects?

SW: I think this is hard to answer. I do feel I have a responsibility as I indicated before. I do think about the world, the way we live, how we treat each other. Perhaps at times I overthink and would be wise to let go.

Growing up, I never felt in my wildest dreams I would ever be given the opportunity to make films. It was a pretty dreadful environment and I was damaged greatly by it and the experiences I had. My saving grace was going into care. I later met some wonderful people - kind, caring - and, I also received help and support.  So when the film-making presented itself to me I ran at it. This was a fantastic thing to have happen and I want to at least try and make a difference by using these skills.

I am clear that I have a belief system and trust it attracts like-minded people and organizations.

If it is only about money, then quite frankly, unless you make the big time you are more likely to make a profit and earn more doing something else.

MW: What was your involvement at Tyne Tees TV?

SW: This was an incredibly long time ago now (1988/89). I had been training at the BBC in Wales (cutting rooms) outside Cardiff. This was before, and after, I graduated from Newport Film School.

It was just another Trainee/2nd Assistant Editing job. Most of us (graduates at the time) realized that we were no longer going to be offered places in the industry. Permanent jobs were giving way to short term contracts : we were all going to be freelance. I was offered a feature film (I knew the director as she  was a mentor for me). The film ‘Women In Tropical Places’ was funded by the BFI (British Film Institute), Film 4 and Tyne Tees who were offering facilities and housing the production. I was taken on as a freelancer for the production. During this time I also assisted the 1st Assistant Editor in the cutting rooms with a Tyne Tees documentary.

This was not a glamorous job as you were at the bottom of the pile. I was running around after people, sharpening Chinagraph pencils, getting coffee and Twix. I did a lot of what they called rubber numbering which you had to do on film. So when you cut the clapperboard off you could keep the film in sync until it went to the Neg Cutters. So logging footage : labelling up film cans. It was a low-level position but it was fantastic for learning about putting a film together. I always say to students try and get some work experience with an editor because the learning covers everything.

MW: How did you get your first big break with Channel 4, Sharon?

SW: This was by accident, Mark. I’d been a drummer in a punk band ‘Limited Relief’ and a youth performer in a drama group ‘Teenage Zits’. All this resulted in some of us from the drama group making a video called 'Not A Girl Anymore'. Maybe now this isn't so unusual, and perhaps seen as a natural progression for youth groups? However, back then, you had three TV Channels until Channel 4 came along. Video was not the accessible technology it is today. We raised funds via The Prince’s Trust.

Back then, in the early 1980s, we had no idea. I didn't even know about editing. Just thought that you set the camera up and everything just happened including the music and credits. Very naive by today's standards. If Google had been around it would have been a case of looking it up on-line.

The film had already been shot when commissioning editor Rod Stoneman decided to take it on for the youth series.

It was filmed in 1983 ; first broadcast in 1984/85 ; and again in 1986/87 as part of the Channel 4's youth series 'Turn It Up'. The production standards are not high and Channel 4 didn't have the same set up and criteria it does today. However, I was bitten by the film-making bug and from that point on I wanted to know more.

MW: How did you come to collaborate with ska band Symarip on your new film project?

SW: I first made contact with Monty Neysmith and Roy Ellis back in 2008 when I used a song 'Skinhead Girl’ by the Symarip in a documentary I was making called ‘Thank You Skinhead Girl’. It was about teenage identity and the song was just right as the theme.

I had the idea about the Symarip story then, but put it on hold at that time. Eventually, after a number of failed attempts at interviewing anybody from the band, I revisited the idea once more in 2012 (after a brief conversation with Roy Ellis prior to a gig he was doing in the UK). The filming began at Club Ska (100 Club) in London. We recorded Roy performing with The Moonstompers. This turned out to be an amazing night, much more than I had expected as Neville Staples showed up and we captured them on stage together.

I was very fortunate to interview four of the original Symarip band members, that’s Roy Ellis and Frank Pitter (face-to-face) and Monty Neysmith and Mike Thomas (via Skype).

I also have a number of other artists as well as fans and also interviewed the late Graeme (Goody) Goodall who sadly passed away in 2014, Co-founder of Island Records & Doctor Bird. 

So a wonderful documentation of history - both social and economic - as well as a film for the fans.

MW: Tell me your overall plans for 'Ska'd by the Music'... including funding / promoting...

SW: Well it is near completion. I’ve been working on it for five years and I’m aiming to finish around July/August 2017.  I had no financial backing. It was a difficult project to get funding for, and therefore I’ve been making it around my commissioned film work. This means what available time I’ve had has been spent on this production. All those involved: musicians, promoters, the narrator, researchers - everybody who helped me - they all put time in because they wanted to contribute. I’m extremely grateful to all of them for supporting this project.

The technical side has been another matter i.e filming, logging, uploading, editing etc. not to mention negotiating with music publishers. This is all time consuming and labour intensive and still ongoing (by myself). So has taken over my life quite a bit. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to take this story out to a wider audience. However, as I have already said it will be nice to have my life back.

Obviously there are somethings I have to fundraise for. I can’t clear the publishing rights of the music or get DVD duplications processed without money. So I will be crowdfunding. This will enable me to raise funding to complete the project. Those that contribute and also meet certain criteria will receive a copy of the film (those interested should look out for the crowdfunding page all information and criteria will be clearly explained on the page).

The plan overall is to complete the film, first and foremost. This will be achieved by fundraising, clearing publishing rights, sorting paper work etc. The absolute date is still to be confirmed. However, I would say the end of this year at the latest. On release of the film copies will be sent to the funders/donators to the crowdfunding page, they will receive a limited edition of the DVD.

I will set up a Facebook page for ‘Ska’d by the music’, so that those interested can follow what is happening. The film will be entered into film festivals so dates of screenings will be posted so interested audiences will be aware of when and where it is being shown.

Distributors - Concord Media (they distribute other work of mine) are an educational ‘Not for Profit’ organisation, so I’m expecting that they will be interested in distribution. The Community Channel is also interested so a possible UK broadcast as well.

Synopsis: Ska’d by the music (Symarip story)

The creators of the ‘Skinhead Moonstomp’ album. The Jamaican band that engaged a generation of working class teenagers.

They were known as The Bees, Seven Letters, the Pyramids and Zubaba. In 1969 they would head straight into the British music charts with a Ska anthem to be remembered.

Not the first group of black musicians to appeal to a predominantly white audience. But this was different; Symarip were appealing to council estate kids.  

Following the Nationality Act in 1948, many Jamaicans migrated to Britain in the hope of finding work. The outcome is well documented and not all found the country as welcoming as they had been led to believe.

However, leading into the mid to late 1960s, through working alongside each other in factories and visiting the same dance halls and clubs, white working class teenagers saw their own alienation and lack of opportunities, echoed in the young Jamaican counterparts.

MW: What sorts of ska / two-tone treasures can be found in your own record collection?

SW: Originally a lot of my records were on vinyl and like many of my generation I have the ‘One Step Beyond’… and The Specials, The Selecter, Bad Manners, The Beat as well as ‘The Dance Craze – The Best of British Ska...Live!’ album. Much of this has also been purchased on CD and downloads as well.

You will also find Prince Buster, Dandy Livingstone, Desmond Dekker, The Pioneers and of course, Symarip. I do love the originals and many of the covers. What a brilliant first album UB40 created with ‘Signing Off’. However, you can’t compete with Tony Tribe singing ‘Red Red Wine’.That first guitar string, like the strings of your heart. Always sends shivers down my spine.

MW: What's the best thing you've ( a ) read ( b ) watched and ( c ) listened to recently?

SW:

A)  Read – I’ve found with the ongoing and non-escaping political scene at the moment I have been sent further into the world of fantasy. I do love vampire novels and science fiction. I am now on the final book of the Deborah Harkness All Souls Trilogy ‘The Book Of Life’. I got hooked on ‘A Discovery Of Witches’ because I know many of the buildings in Oxford that she writes about in the book. The idea of this history professor being a witch amused and appealed to me. So I’m on the last book in the trilogy, but haven’t been able to read as much as I would like.

B)  Watched – I’m into boxsets. I have just finished watching the final of series six ‘The Walking Dead’ and found it very disturbing. Having said that, Andrew Lincoln is truly fantastic and I also love the strong female roles such as Danai Gurira’s stunning sword swirling Michonne. If you speak of fantasy often people just think you’re a nerd. Which of course I am, but wasn’t sure about this series in the beginning, it has grown on me. My husband had originally been very keen on watching it and zombies have never been my thing. However, what has engaged me is the concept of how society, humanity could, and let’s face it, would, probably break down. I find all the characters very believable, complex and scary as hell.  

The other boxset recently watched was volume three of ‘House of Cards’. Amazing performances by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in this tale of corruption in the political arena. You begin to wonder about art imitating life, or visa versa.

Films I watched quite recently ‘Europa, Europa’ directed by Agnieszka Holland. Based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel (he also appears in it right at the end) it’s the story of a German-Jewish boy who escaped The Holocaust by masquerading not just as a non-Jew, but as an elite "Nazi" German. It is very intense at times, but also has dark humour. One dreamlike sequence shows Stalin and Hitler dancing together.

C)  Listened to – Occasionally I listen to ‘The Craig Charles Funk And Soul Show’ on BBC Radio 6 Music and ‘Elaine Paige on Sunday’ on BBC Radio 2. Otherwise, it’s Classic FM in the car but I don’t listen to much radio. I admit though that I started tuning in to ‘The Archers’ on BBC Radio 4 when they had the Helen and Rob storyline going, but I often forget!

MW: How do you see the future of film making for independent production companies such as yours?

SW: I’m a freelance individual not a Limited Production company.  So fortunately I don’t have to worry about employees.

The nature of funding has changed, smaller film agencies getting moved to bigger under one roof organisations. This signals regional film-makers missing out more and more on funding. Many film-makers are moving towards crowdfunding and other ways of finding support for their projects. Also technology is constantly changing, so I think how we watch films will also impact on the film-makers themselves.

MW: Aside from 'Symarip', any other film making projects in the pipeline?

SW: I am still pushing to get ‘Ska’d by the music’ completed so will be a while before I think about another personal project. However, I’m always looking for commissioned work and have a keen interest in history so we’ll have to see what the future holds.

MW: Where can we find out more on Woodward Media?

SW:

http://sharonfilmblo1.blogspot.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/SharonWoodward

https://www.facebook.com/woodwardmediacom/

© Mark Watkins / March 2017

[ceciliewritesstuff-blog]

Interview with Nothing But Thieves

Boys by Girls Magazine, AW17.

Looking out into a sea of thousands of people; it’s a breath-taking view seen from the main stage at Reading Festival. British alternative rock band Nothing But Thieves have come a long way since we last featured lead singer Conor Mason and guitarist Joe Landridge-Brown. From the small stage at Barfly, where I first saw them three years ago, this is a completely different scenario; the boys have matured, their confidence has grown and the crowd is bigger.

I am a fly-on-the-wall for the day. Capturing the moments before the boys go onstage, during the performance and the reactions afterwards from the boys themselves, as well as the crowd and people around them; the proud mums and girlfriends.

What is it like to be thrown into the world of music and be on the road for months? How do you deal with the public attention, pressures and growing adoration? How do you hang on to yourself? As I chat with Conor, he shares an honest perspective on what this has been like for him. Touching on how masculinity is changing; how vulnerability, staying grounded and open communication is a sign of strength. It is becoming clear that what was previously recognized as weakness, is now transformed into strength by a new generation of young men.

What has today been like, are you able to take it all in? Conor: It was such a childhood dream to be able to play the Reading Festival main stage. I used to read the lists, and whoever was on main stage I thought; ‘God, they are there for a reason, you know?’, so it’s really cool. Breathtaking crowd. Amazing moments. I was trying to be as normal as I could, but I was so taken back by it all. It meant a lot, and was just amazing! I could see my mum dancing on the side of the stage.

I’m really happy to capture you guys today. I remember seeing you at Barfly in your early stages, what has the journey been like since? Conor: I’m so glad you are here! I met you when we first started, and nothing much was happening at that time, except a bit of radio play and small gigs. Since then it has kept growing, including America, where our single ‘Trip Switch’ really took off. We started touring in January this year and supported Muse, which was amazing for us.

It took its toll on me though, because we didn’t come home for four months. I had been struggling with insomnia since December last year, and when it got to the Muse tour it got worse. Then we did another American tour in May, and I didn’t sleep a wink. By the end it really screwed with me, turning into anxiety and depression. I had been buying anything I could over the counter, or I’d have to smoke weed, which I hated as I don’t even smoke, and I just got more anxious through doing so. I was a shell of myself, and I came home from the tour wondering what it was all worth if I couldn’t function. I told the guys that I needed some time to myself to avoid going over the edge and to get some perspective.

My label was great; they got me some lovely help, and then I spent some time at home with mum and my girlfriend. That, alongside with the support I was given really sorted me out. I’m not like the guys, who can just go out, party and fall asleep drunk, you know? I’m not really built that way. Now I’m fully fit and playing main stage Reading, so that’s good. It was the touring lifestyle, the change in time zones and not knowing how to deal with everything. When you’re on the road 24/7, there is no time to stop and reflect. I’m not really good at getting myself out of my own head, so it was helpful to spend some time at home.

I started doing mindfulness for those moments I am stuck in my head. Conor: I do mindfulness too! I am doing a lot of things differently now. One thing is that I write down a lot of crap every day, anything that comes into my head, and that really helps. I also do meditation, and I read  a lot more than I used to; it’s a routine every night now, and it takes me away. I also try to have little breaks to see my family and girlfriend, even if it’s just a few days. Our management, label and the band  have been so supportive. You can’t just be going at it every moment of the day, a sensitive chap like me needs structure. I use my sensitive side when I perform; I’m quite an emotional singer - it’s part of my makeup. The band also connected more by me going through this.

Have you been able to be honest with them? Conor: Absolutely! That’s the thing; you have five guys in a very close environment, and lot of the time you hide stuff and keep your feelings in, but when this happened I couldn’t. I was literally at the end and I was like; ‘I need help’. I think it took them a little while to understand, especially Joe who has always looked out for me, but he’s a tough guy. He handles the business and doesn’t take shit from anyone, which I love about him. It took me a bit to be able to tell him that ‘mate, I need help’, and then a couple of weeks later everyone was really understanding and helped me a lot. It’s been fine ever since, I’ve been sleeping and am not really anxious anymore. I think this is an interesting perspective of what it means to be a musician today.

There is no school for that. Conor: Oh god no, haha! I feel like writing about it, in a book or something. The guys from Years and Years are very open about their struggles with mental health, and I thank them for that. I also want to bring more awareness to it. I don’t think it’s a weakness to talk about your mental struggles. Being on tour is amazing, and I thrive of gigs and being with the band, but it can also be damaging mentally. Part of it for me, was that I am very much a home boy, so I struggled at times towards the end of the tour. But I think it’s ok to be like that, you’re not a machine.  

There is a lot of strength in your honesty, and it sounds like you found your answers to what you need to do now. Conor: Absolutely. We are back in America in September, but I should be alright now. It will be fun.  

I almost think all musicians should have some sort of a life coach.   Conor: Yes, it’s crazy. For the first time today I was really nervous, which is strange, as I never get nervous. After the massive high of the gig, I was going through the motions. I’m trying to be more mindful with it all. In the band, we’ve all got each other’s backs and it has also helped Phil open up about his insecurities; it’s such a better way to be in a band. I feel like I’m married to five people and there is tug and pull for each person. You’ve got to balance that and work it out. I think we have, and it’s been so good.

Now that you’ve done Reading, what is the next dream? Conor: Main stage Reading and headlining Brixton were my two goals as a kid, so the fact that I’m doing them is outrageous. We’ve got to set new goals now, haha. We are performing at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on 30th November and O2 Academy Brixton on 2nd December this year; it is outrageous that we get to do that!

You are now in a position where you can make more impact, what are your thoughts on that? Conor: We have been writing about the human psyche, which is one of the themes in the second album. I think it’s really important to be honest and not be afraid of it. So many people hide it all, boys in bands especially. I think it’s cool and important to share a sensitive side.

Three years ago you wrote about random experiences, now your music seems to go deeper.   Conor: Yes, I showed Joe all the jottings and writing I was doing through that difficult period to keep myself sane, and I said I’d really like to sing about these hard times. He took a few of them and went into his crazy mind and turned some of it into our second album. This is only a fraction of what the album is about in its entirety. There is actually a whole story behind the album now, a theme, and it feels much more structured than our first album. We were finding our feet back then, now we’ve had time to grow, which is evident for this next album.

Is there some dark stuff on the second album? Conor: Yeah, haha, I wish I could tell you about the songs, but it’s not time quite yet. It’s gonna be bigger and better, there are two words for you. I’m really excited about it. I definitely feel we’ve grown so much, and I understand myself a lot more than I did before.

Masculinity seems to be changing with your generation. Conor: I used to be really closed, and didn’t realise how damaging that was for me until I opened up about things. Things are really good now.  

[writtenbehindthescenes-blog]

I’ve been writing blogs about everything happening behind the scenes with Robb Murphy for a couple of years now, but while writing the blogs about the band members and introducing them, it came to mind that I never really wrote a blog like that about Robb. It’s about time!

Those of you who’ve been reading my blogs already know a bit about Robb. Next to being a songwriter, creator of music and producer, he’s an outstanding pizza maker, coffee and tea lover, vegan, vinyl collector and he’s always up for silliness….a lot of silliness… Robb likes to challenge himself but, maybe more so, he likes to challenge others…yes I’ve been there ;) It’s not easy to fool him…but occasionally I manage to do it… Robb always tends to be late and I remember that during one of the tours we had to be at a radio station very early in the morning. I had reasons to believe that we would be late if I told Robb the exact time we had to leave, so I added 30 minutes spare time to that, without Robb knowing… Due to that we arrived at the radio station earlier than expected… That trick never worked again after that btw! And I have to admit…that trick was never needed again, because  we’ve managed to be on time everywhere we had to go ever since.

And…there’s that thing with reading… Robb doesn’t always read everything…of which he recently posted proof…just a few emails to read…

Sometimes I have to be creative when it comes to making sure that Robb reads what I send him…by adding silly things for example. A while ago I made a to do list and I needed to be sure that Robb would read it. I added ‘practice choreography’ to that list and when he asked me what that was about, I knew that he had read the file ;) And there’s another example of Robb not always reading everything…it sometimes leads to funny situations like this:

All joking aside…I’ve been working with Robb on the music for 4 ½ years now and it’s been a pleasure. We’ve done so much, had ups and downs, but one thing for sure…things are never boring behind the scenes. There’s always a lot of work to do but we’re always having a lot of fun! Robb, the band and me…we’re all very lucky to have the support from partners, wives, husband and family, because without that we would not be able to do this. We have a lot of plans and are working on some exciting projects, so the work continues….onto the next 4 ½ years!

Time for a Q & A with Robb now…Just like all band members Robb was sent a list of questions too… He complained, saying that I sent him 9 million questions to answer – I think math is a problem here ;) – but he answered the questions, here’s what he said:

What drives you to write? Something compels me to write, I do not know what but I need to write music. Things that influence what I write about are just everyday situations, nature, and dreams. I also like trying to put myself in other situations, imagining how it would feel.

Can you remember the first time you wrote a song? Describe it to me. One of the first songs I wrote was called, “Turtle Dove”. Lyrics were; “I’m a turtle dove, I’m a turtle dove”. Half of this song credit goes to Rick from the band.

What’s your favorite piece of music and why? So many to choose from but for now I will pick Holocene by Bon Iver. I am usually more about the lyrics of a song but the melody, arrangement and textures created are what never fails to get me. I have been listening to it for years and have not once got bored of it.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you while working on a song? When I was working on Stars from the Sleep Tonight album I heard a few xylophone notes during the instrumental that really worked, but were not recorded in the mix, I thought I was going mad! What actually had happened was we had guests in another room where I had left a small xylophone, one of them by chance played a few notes at that particular time.  So I had to put it in the song !

Have you had any crazy fan encounters? Not many, but the first time I was asked to sign something I just assumed the person meant one of the other acts that had played so I went to get them. #Awkward

How would you describe your music? Lyric focused, emotive, my personal therapy! The music is arranged by whatever instruments and gear I have at hand, and whoever of my musical friends want to be involved.

Best advice ever given? Don’t try to copy current musical genres, trends will change so just be true to the type of music you want to create, and maybe a future trend will sync with one of your songs.

First song ever sung? The earliest song I have memories of singing is Nelly The Elephant, The Toy Dolls version.  It was a birthday party favourite !

Secret craving? Sultanas, in anything

Favourite food? Pizza

What’s the hardest part about producing your own music? And what’s the easiest? Hardest part is not having other people’s input, meaning I am sometimes unsure if something is working. Easiest part is not having other people’s input so I can do what I want.

Is there someone you’d secretly love to work with? Not really, I am a loner. I am most comfortable writing among people I know and am close to. Songwriting for me is a very personal thing so it’s hard to switch it on if I am not relaxed. I love bringing songs to the band that are not fully finished, songs I am not even sure I like, hearing their opinions gives them a burst of new energy.

What do you like to do for fun outside of working on music? I like traveling, going for a drive, gardening.

You’ve toured the Netherlands quite a few times now, what’s your favourite thing about the Netherlands? I love the feeling of space in the country, the openness and fresh air. Also the people, always very helpful and welcoming.

Favourite Dutch word? Stroopwafel

Oddest thing that has happened while touring? It’s all weird, but one that sticks out happened when on tour in The Netherlands.  Returning home late from a gig, my turn to drive, and in front of me was a cyclist riding from side to side on the road. We laughed at this but I just assumed it was someone not realising there was a car behind them. As I slowly approached him he swerved out again to the middle of the road, cycled in a big circle and I will always remember as the car headlights shown on his face his very large grin! He was a happy Chappy without a care in the world !

Cats or dogs? Don’t mind either but cats seem to find me, so I will go with cats

Favourite gig so far? A gig at Theater ‘t Heerenlogement in Beusichem during last year’s tour. It’s a great old theatre venue, we had a lovely meal with the owners Tineke and Gerard Holst, and a full house! Oh and wine back stage ;)

3 places you’d like to play? Coachella, Burning Man, Dublin Olympia Theatre

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I would love to have a recording studio and work with other artists to record their music.  Other than that just be alive, healthy and happy!

Best software you’ve used for producing so far? I use Pro Tools for recording as it’s what I learned in university. But actually before that, though it’s not software, I used a tape dictaphone for recording ideas and I would also record sounds I like when I was out. There will be a lot of weird stuff on there!

Best hardware investment for music production? When recording sleep tonight I got a Focusrite ISA 828 pre amp, a set of 8 preamps that can be used on a bunch of things, I think I will always use it even if I get a larger variety of pre amps!

Favourite instrument? Acoustic guitar, trumpet & wurlitzer close 2nds

How many instruments do you play? A few, but variety of skill levels! Main instrument is the guitar and this feels most natural to me which is why I usually write with it. I play a bit of keys, harmonica, trumpet / trombone (badly out of practice) and the belly slaps.

Favourite  place in Northern Ireland? Anywhere near the sea! North coast is great. The Mourne Mountains too. Not in the north but a recent favourite is Kellybegs, a small fishing town near Donegal in the North West of Ireland.

What trivial knowledge may save your life one day? I know how to open a bottle of wine with a shoe

If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live and why? I like it here, but it does lack some sunshine. So I would go somewhere in Tuscany, Italy, a farmhouse just outside Florence. I would take my new wife (not that I have an old one, but recently married) and my guitar. I could also take my macbook and phone, but I can live without them really. Tuscany has a lot of things I love, mostly reliable weather, scenery, art and culture all around. Oh plus coffee, wine and pizza are pretty good there too.

Top 3 songs on your playlist? Currently on my phone they are: Bon Iver – Holocene Traveling Wilburys – Tweeter And The Monkey Man Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Man On Fire

Favourite song from high school? A few that always remind me of high school are: Crash Test Dummies – MMM MMM MMM MMM Wet Wet Wet  – Love is all around The Cranberrys – Linger The Corrs – Runaway Enigma – Return To Innocence The Connells – ’74-’75 REM – Daysleeper

Favourite thing about music? Writing and recording, the buzz when something works.

Least favourite thing about music? Promoting it, needs to be done but I feel like a broken record.

If you were a vegetable, which one would you be? A chilli pepper

One perfect day…  what would it include? Big sleep in, good food, sunshine, sea, maybe a sneaky wine

Thanks very much for this Robb!

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If you’ve missed the blogs about band members Kevin, Dave, Rick and Al, click on their names and you can read all about them!

  Robb Murphy…Q & A I’ve been writing blogs about everything happening behind the scenes with Robb Murphy for a couple of years now, but while writing the blogs about the band members and introducing them, it came to mind that I never really wrote a blog like that about Robb.