So this evening I did an interview and live performance on a local radio station (PhoenixFM).
I don't know if anyone heard it apart from my family and the cat.

It was fun. I've been promised a CD of the programme which I'll use to make a podcast.

The presenters (Deirdre & Louise) had done their homework. They took my biography from MySpace and used it to ask questions. I guess I made it easy for them because the stories were there to be told - they just cue'd them up and let me run. A lot of spoofing on my part of course but sure isn't that all part of how it works ?

Part of me says 'it's only a local radio station, no-one was listening' while another part of me says 'screw that, it's a gig and you start somewhere'.

All these bits add up.

Don't they ?

Thank you Dan for driving all the way from Tipperary to Dublin to sit there and listen to me rehearse on Wednesday night. Your input has really helped.

So , things I've learned or re-learned this week:

• I can get up at a wedding and play a song I've written as a gift to the couple.
• I can't do three-nights-out in-a-row. Oh man I can't.
• There are not enough hours int eh day or days in the week. These days I'm squeezing the toothpaste every which way.
• Using a rehearsal room when preparing a gig with electronics is a must
• Edit! Less is more.
• If the vibe fits wear it

'Be Alright' has a folktronica arrangement which was too heavy but after some editing it's now not over-long and I can remember the arrangement so I don't lose my place with all the bleeps and pings.
'Interference' will work with acoustic but I am seriously thinking about reinstating part of the backing track for the middle 8 where I did an Andy Summers style arpeggio thing in the studio.
'Dive' needed a lot of re-editing but it's there now. This is one of those songs where I think for the recording I'll have to do something in the chorus because it's only 1 word repeated and it feels a little repetitive.
'Break Me' is now being played on guitar. I've decided not to do a keyboard part live because it needed something more. For the gig(s) I'll play acoustic guitar and will let the laptop play my piano part.

All-in-all I'm getting closer to material for the second CD and have an eye (just one eye mind) on a third CD.

Rehearsal tonight was focused. I didn't bother with the acoustic songs because I can practice those at home and I pretty much know them. I took time over each track that uses the laptop.
Next Wednesday (night before the gig) I'll go through the set twice - like a tech rehearsal.

Sitting here watching Glastonbury coverage (Friday night) I wonder 'will I ever?'.


It's hard doing this on your own. I like the control and I like only needing to keep 'me' happy. But promoting a gig alone is hard work. Bloody hell I hope people turn up for this or it's going to be a bit of a pisser.

I used a rehearsal room/studio for the first time in maybe 20 years this evening.

Last time I used one I was a keyboard player at the back of a rock/blues combo trying to find gigs and playing some classic rock & blues tracks.

It seems like an eternity ago.

Tonight I wanted to see how my songs would sound through a PA system. I already know how my acoustic + vocal songs sound and I'm pretty comfortable with them.
However my more ambitious songs using the laptop are a different matter entirely.
The first problem I encountered was that the PA system didn't appear to be stereo.
Now normally for bands this would not be a problem but for me it was a huge problem.
My tracks sounded awful: phase problems and with no depth of field.
A quick trip home (the rehearsal facility is a convenient 10 minute drive away) to get some different cables didn't fix the problem.

That was frustrating because I really wanted to use the session to rebalance the mixes to ensure nothing horrible was happening.
The balance between my vocal, the guitar and the laptop was not nice, not one little bit.

The session was not a complete waste.
I figured out that my arrangement of 'Dive' worked but there is one chorus too many, the folktronica version of 'Be Alright' was just too heavy.
I muted one of the tracks and voila it was fixed. Much much better.
'Interference' was going to use my electric guitar. In my home studio I struggled a little and in rehearsal it didn't improve.
Running out of time I decided to give my acoustic a try and it was much better. Luckily the other song (a cover version) that will use the electric will work just fine on acoustic.
So that's one less case to carry into the gig.

Me 1 - Circumstance 0.

My Taylor acoustic refused to give a signal to the PA or the tuner.
Hopefully it's just the battery. Hopefully. I really don't fancy dismantling the pickup circuitry or replacing the socket.

Next week I've got 2 sessions booked. I'll bring along my own PA amp (definitely stereo) and will leave 1 guitar at home.