The light’s amazing while we have dinner at Passfoot
THERE’S a bunch of orders in for some old G63.scot merch I found the other day…it’s all free, but I;m using it as a hook to get folks to have gander round the West Highland Way Gifts’ website.
A glitch in the ordering system screwed up my stock control, though…so I sort it all out. Luckily nothing has been over-ordered…although most has sold out.
After letting folks know their stuff is ready for collection, I finish off the West Highland Way Gifts order for the village shop, do all the paperwork and delivery it, stoping along the way to pass a G63 sweatshirt to a ‘customer’.
In the studio iI realise that one of the new song ideas is just the same as one I’ve just finished…just a different rhythm. I ditch it and start again.
I take a break form the studio to stick the pins on the backs of the wooden badges I’ve made for Belladrum…and also to dye the leather bracelets so we have brown, purple and grey/black in all sizes for the merch tent.
Margaret’s made a desert and is now on the chicken fajitas to take along to Betty and Joe’s. We’re running a little late, but all’s well and we have a grand evening.
PLANNING to go paddling later, so lots to get done this morning.
I get on top of a lot of the merch stuff and spend some time in the studio before a Zoom session with one of my guitar students.
After an early lunch I get all the paddle gear together and put it in the car…Fiona and David roll up and Margaret drives us up to Rowardennan.
It’s a seven-mile paddle to Balmaha and maybe a bit adventurous for my first post-covid paddle but we have a grand adventure and a few beers in the garden when we get back.
Margaret has an online meeting while I grill some briers then we nip along to see Betty and Joe for half an hour.
Back home we have another glass or two of red and I fall asleep.out for the count.
Pleased with these wooden eco-friendly badges – we’ll be giving a bunch of them away during my set at Belladrum on Saturday 🙂
THERE’S two pretty full to-lists today – one music related and one merch (both my own and West Highland Way Gifts) related.
That means jumping in between the studio and the office and spinning a lot of plates. While some merch is drying (varnish, clear coat, epoxy etc) others are processing on the laser.
In the studio I make up a set list for Saturday’s Belladrum show then make a quick TikTok video featuring a riff for one of the new songs. I re-purpose the video for Instagram and Facebook reels and stories!
There’s some other online promo to be done then I spend some time working on another – my fourth (!) – new song idea.
After lunch I jump on the bike to go and collect a prescription from the village then finally put down some weedkiller before getting back onto the merch.
One of our ideas is to do a big batch of wooden badges to hand pout as freebies while I’m playing at Belladrum…that’s quite a production task!
We found a bunch old G63.scot t-shirts, sweatshirts and badges in the merch store. The website is no longer but the stuff is still kinda relevant so I make it available ‘free for local pickup’ on the West Highland Way Gifts’ website and spread the link round local community groups. As well as making some space in the store, it might spark some folks to have a look round the website and perhaps buy something while they’re there. It worked a treat with the ‘free plus postage’ CD clearance on my music website!
Technical issues in the studio meant today’s Wildcats’ livestream had to come from the phone…in the garden…see it here
AFTER my regular Monday morning Zoom session with one of my guitar students I go back to the office to retrieve some of the West Highland Way Gifts‘ stuff that’s been processing on the laser.
I reload the machine then head back to the studio to work on the new songs.
The day is spent jumping in between the songs in the studio and merch production in the office.
I’m starting to prepare for tonight’s livestream into my Wildcats’ Facebook group when I realise I still have to edit up the archive and songwriting video footage that I want to use. That’s all fine until the computer takes a massive wobbler and decides it’s not gonna process anything. FFS!
I manage to get Zoom to run for a session with one of my students then prepare to do a no-frills livestream from the garden. Actually, it works quite well and the technical benefits of a stripped-back production shine through!
After the livestream I take a quick walk while Margaret prepares dinner ..and after we’ve eaten it’s back into the office on merch production ’til bedtime…
NO LONG lies as Margaret’s meeting Catriona and the kids to go swimming.
My focus today is merch for next weekend’s trip to Belladrum. We reckon not many folks will want CDs or have to drag vinyl around a festival site, so the focus is on small, wearable stuff like earrings, badges and leather bracelets.
I’m mid-production on some leather bracelets when everyone arrives back from the swimming. Margaret made a quiche before she left earlier so we have that for lunch and I hang out with the kids a while then make a batch of quick, simple pizza dough for tonight. No poolish or cold proving…I wanna give the real basic stuff a whirl again. Takes less than three hours.
In between laser production I nip to and fro the studio messing with the new songs. I;ve got three almost fiinished…I;d like another two at least.
The kids are away and Margaret’s fallen asleep on the couch. the weather’s awful, so I forego plans for a walk and carry on with merch production.
I don’t have high hopes for the quick’n’dirty pizza dough, but it works out pretty good. More confident about last minute pizza now!
AFTER a lazy morning I head to the studio and create some social media content around next weekend’s appearance at Belladrum.
I also create a landing page on my website then go about all the social posts and stuff.
Margaret’s in the office taking stock of merch when I go back to the house. Looks like we need some leather bracelets and badges.
After taking Betty’s paper along, I drop into the shop top see what stock they might need – especially with the English school holidays about to start..then I go online and order a bunch of raw materials and supplies.
In the studio I do a bit more work on song ideas and by the time I go back to the house I’m pretty confident I’ve got three songs almost finished.
WE DO covid tests when we get up – Margaret’s clear…I’m still testing positive. I was positive a day ahead of Margaret and don’t seem to have been hit as hard so it’s kinda weird.
However, this is day seven for me and the guidance says if you don’t have any symptoms there’s no need to self-isolate any longer.
I have loads of new merch ideas and stuff but can’t get distracted from the songwriting as I only have allowed myself a few more days to gather/collect ideas and demos to pick what will go on the new album.
The entire day is spent in the studio with breaks for lunch and then, in the afternoon, half an hour in the kitchen to make some burgers.
Before dinner we take a walk along to visit Betty and Joe where I put up a graphic poster map that Betty asked me to design. It goes in a wee glass-fronted display box by their front door to give some local directions…Betty got tired of folks ringing the doorbell to ask for directions.
We enjoy a couple of glasses of red and a catch up then go home, fire up the charcoal grill and make some dinner. Burgers.
MY THURSDAY morning guitar student is away this week and next so I get on with some admin work before heading to the studio to work on the new material.
I’ll be recording/tracking everything here and had hoped to get my pal Paul (Savage) to handle mixing duties at Chem19 studios…problem is, I’ve left it a bit late to check his availability as I’m planning to get this done early August.
I call Emma, his wife, to see how the studio – and Paul’s – schedule is looking. Things are tight but she manages to find a coupla days. Phew! We have a good old catch up and chat for a while then I set up for a Zoom guitar session with one of my students.
There’s a half-hour between the end of the session and an online meeting of the Musicians’ Union Live Performance section committee. I make a quick sandwich then spend the afternoon discussing issues affecting live and touring musicians with my colleagues.
Still quite a nice day out there when the meeting draws to a close and I manage an hour or so’s walk up the lochside.
I spend some more time on the songs when i get back then head to the house, spark up some charcoal and grill the pinchitos Margaret’s prepared for dinner.
STILL not quite firing on all cylinders…but at least we’re not completely floored.
I was meant to be at the eye hospital today, but that’s had to be cancelled following the positive covid test…instead I hit the studio and get some work done before moving onto working on an idea for another new song using the three-string cigar box guitar.
Later in the afternoon I have an induction/online meeting with Help Musicians and some other grant awardees then it’s back to the house to make dinner….
