BREAKFAST is on until 11am so we have a bit of a long lie then head downstairs. A good spread of stuff.
No plans or rush for anything today but I do have a few things I need to attend to. First up, remove The Met landing page form my website.
Next, there’s new cover images to be made for my socials to help start promoting November’s album launch shows.
The next single – and last one before the whole album drops – is released on 17 October and needs set up with my digital aggregator for timely distribution to all the streaming services. It’s a bit fiddly as I dealing with all the singles and subsequent album as a ‘waterfall release’ to see if it helps build streaming numbers.
I also take some of the video from last night’s show at The Met and manage to edit up a song from the set on the iPad.
We venture outside for a walk int he sunshine and grab snack before returning to the hotel to chill.
We’re not hugely hungry later on so have dinner in the hotel. Cheap and cheerful – although my chicken burger has, I am sure, seen better days!
The Met is a fantastic venue…and we have a great time
UP EARLY to get the gear sorted out and car parked for a 10am getaway…and we’re on the road bang on schedule.
With just one toilet/food stop we get our hotel in Rochdale where we drop our bags and chill for a while before the six-mile drive to The Met in Bury for load in.
Shaun opens the stage doors and helps us in with the gear…soundman Craig who worked my show in the same venue – way back in July 2009 – makes soundcheck quick and easy. The sound, and space, is brilliant.
We have time to nip out to a nearby Italian restaurant. Nice folks but the food is mediocre…Margret’s cannelloni isn’t hot all the way through and the pasta has a strange texture. My risotto tastes good but is a bit sludgy. The fact that the food arrived about five minutes after ordering doesn’t inspire much confidence in freshness.
We’re back at the venue in good time for doors. I have to go and ‘sit down’ three of four times before I take the stage. Not sure if it’s the food, nerves or both…it’s my first show like this in a while.
There’s a good crowd in albeit a few less folks than we’d hoped for – especially after throwing nearly £200 in socials advertising over the last two months. Amongst the audience is my old pal an bandmate Marsha who moved down here 23 years ago (gulp)…and Rachel…one of my predecessor student president’s at Kirkcaldy Tech, Haven’t seen her for 40 years (double gulp!). It’s great to catch up with both after the show.
RELEASE day for MacPherson’s Lament…and I realise that I haven’t set up the official video on Youtube or Facebook. I get right on it after breakfast!
There’s still a few songs needing rehearsed for tomorrow’s (Saturday) show at The Met in Bury. We’re unsure of my set length at Festival BAR and any other French shows so I make up a variety of set lists to cover, hopefully, any eventuality.
Next job is the edit for the next single from the album – Good Friend Blues. Drops on 17 October, so time is tight!
I take a break to clear the gutters both at the studio and the house then take a wander up the lochside.
When I get back I finish the Good Friend Blues video edit then make some vertical video of today’s release for my socials.
I’d hoped to get all the gear sorted and car packed tonight but there’s still guitar strings to be changed and a bunch of other stuff needing done so looks like I’m gonna need to get out my pit early in the morning!!
MARGARET has to go to the village for some stuff so I jump in the car and get a walk back, stopping to film some reels and stuff to promote tomorrow’s (Friday) release of MacPherson’s Lament.
In the office I make a brass pin – a surprise gift for a pal – and then pack up the old backdrop to end out to the winning bidder on eBay.
Next, rehearsals for Saturday’s show at The Met, Bury…and the subsequent shows in France.
I edit some video clips I filmed while walking earlier and get them posted round my socials.
Margaret’s busy in the kitchen when I get back from the studio. Fiona and Betty are coming for dinner.
We have a grand evening – I walk Betty home just after 11pm – then we sit chatting with Fiona until nearly 2am!
We have a grand evening at the BBC New Comedy Awards at Barrowlands…
AFTER the usual admin and stuff I have a session with one of my online guitar students.
Then it’s off to the school in Balloch for a music session with t he kids. Margaret drops me off and picks up some shopping And stuff before collecting me and we head into Glasgow via Braehead.
Next stop is our t-shirt guy to pick up a batch of shirts and hoodies then onto Barrowlands for the BBC New Comedy Awards which we enjoy more than we expect!
My first “I need a..” design and print solution! A tripod mount for the Osmo Pocket.
THE morning is taken up with promo for Friday’s release of McPherson’s Lament. It’s already available on Bandcamp prior to the ‘official’ release on all streaming services.
With the wee GoPro proving unreliable, I’m looking at ways of making use of the old Osmo Pocket camera to document gigs. It’s difficult to mount on a tripod when the WiFi module is clipped on the bottom so I set about designing a mount.
This is my first real attempt at 3D design and I get it started before ANita form the Black Bull in Gartmore comes for a meeting about the venue’s upcoming winter music season.
Once we’re done I get back on the 3D design and start a 3D print. It comes out OK but I made a small mistake measuring the hexaganol part of the connector. A small adjustment and version two works. I’m chuffed and amazed!
We spend the evening at Liz’s where we have a lovely dinner and good craic.
I make another wee promo for The Met show to post round my socials…
I SPEND AN hour before my first online guitar student trying to sort the wee GoPro I use as a close up/second camera for online lessons/sessions.
The camera’s been plague by power and battery issues for as long as I can remember and I’ve tried every combination of batteries, USB-C cables, resetting I can think of. And more. I finally get it to at least power up and get me through the session.
I usually use it to capture some video at live shows but its unreliability has made it impractical. I wonder if my DJI Osmo Pocket might be an option. I look it out and check its WiFi adaptor. Maybe give it a try at The Met on Saturday.
The sun’s out so I take the chance to do a little more tidying up in the garden then get some weed killer down – a job that’s long overdue!
I use the wee drone to make a another quick promo from Saturday’s show then take a walk up the lochside before my afternoon guitar student arrives.
Then it’s back to the studio to prep for this week’s Wildcats’’ livestream on Facebook. There’s time to send out a news release for the local hydro society before I go live and have a hassle free livestream 🙂
`LOVELY day outside – cold overnight but a clear blue sky.
After breakfast I hit the studio and run through some of my set for next weeken;s show at The Met in Bury. Must try and get myself match fit.
In the office I sort some more merch then tackle some of the stuff needing done in the garden. A bit too windy to spray weed killer so I start dismantling the fruit cage which isn’t very ‘winter-proof’.
Late afternoon Mikey leaves and I take a walk along to Betty’s to do a ‘quick fix’ on something….
AFTER breakfast burritos I leave Margaret helping Mikey with his accounts and I take the bus to the village and pick up a prescription from the chemist.
I stop in to the art studio and have a chat with Tessa then Walk home. It’s a nice, mostly off road five-mile or so wander listening to podcasts as I go.
There’s an event on at the nearly Tir na Nog that our neighbour Jess is involved with. We thought the kids might like it so we head off, taking Mikey, and meet Catriona, Freya and Aaron there. We have a fun few hours, the kids particularly liking the fire-breathing dragon.
Back home I grill some sausages and we all have hot dogs before Catriona and the kids go home.
In the office I engrave a batch of insulated cups with the new logotype and prep some other merch for our travels next week.
LOTS of social media stuff to do this morning – just a week to go ‘til my show at The Met in Bury.
In the office I get some bits and bobs of merch in production to make sure we have enough stuff – not only for The Met, but also our subsequent journey to France to play Festival B.A.R. and (hopefully!) some other shows. The booker/agent is, let’s say, a little laisssez-faire.
I manage to get a break for a wander up the lochside then when I get back I put the old backdrop up for auction.
There’s a decent harvest of wee tomatoes from the hydroponic – and forest of basil so I make some pasta dough and prep to make pasta with cherry tomatoes.
Later on Mikey arrives so he and Margaret can get a decent start on his accounts in the morning.
