UP early to get some brass coins finished for the folks on the guitar workshop…then I get down to the workshop space.
We have a fairly informal morning of sessions looking at songwriting, making up guitar parts/riffs/arrangements and amplifying/performing with the guitar.
All goes to plan and I think everyone has really enjoyed it.
Geoff and Roger are staying an extra night as they have a long drive down south and really need a whole day to travel. Before they leave the workshop space, though, Geoff presents me with a guitar he’s specially put together for me. I’m knocked out!
It’s a fantastic telecaster (my favorite!) styled electric that’s been distressed and styled meticulously.
I nip home for a while then take the car back to get everything cleared out the workshop space, go back home and have a sleep. I’m worn out.
Mikey drops by on his way back to Dundee to pick some stuff then I make some fresh pasta and prepare some Italian sausage sumo for later.
I go down to the pub to join Geoff and Roger for a drink then back home to make dinner and then….bed.
After the workshop I’m humbled to be gifted this guitar from Geoff…
UP early to get a load of stuff done before we head down to the space for the first full day of the guitar workshop.
Everything’s ready for the first session and everyone is there in good time for the start.
It’s a fairly intensive day of group and individual sessions and everyone seems to enjoy it.
We break for dinner and I go back to the house finish some stuff for tomorrow then set up a PA in the venue’s back conservatory for a session. It’s not compulsory for folks to play or perform – those that do enjoy…and those that don’t enjoy listening 🙂
AFTER an early Zoom session with one of my students my in-person student arrives.
Once we’re done we take some stuff down to the space we’re suing for the guitar workshop then I head off for a session with the kids at school in Balloch.
Back home I get a batch of signature bottlenecks engraved in case anyone needs ‘em over the next few days.
Workshop participants are convening at 6pm for a welcome session supported by Smokehead…and they get their goodie bags with a cable form the Music Cable Company, strings from Newtone, an insulated, personalized ‘workshop’ cup from yours truly and an itinerary.
It’s a threat wee crowd and by the time we all go to dinner an hour or so later everyone’s already got to know each other 🙂
TODAY’S diary is all about prep for the guitar workshop.
The goodie bags have to be dye subbed (printed) and some of the content finished.
Indeed, the bags take a bit of time. I’ve been putting off doing them after a bit of a false start the other day which saw me completely waste one bag and make two up that I wasn’t happy with.
It was a learning experience and I solved some of the initial issues by heating up the bags before pressing.
There’s a secret item that all the participants will get on completion the workshop. Producing said items is very time consuming but I’m keen to make it happen and push through the process.
After a walk up the lochside I print out all my workshop materials and blank chord/tab sheets and neck diagrams.
Finally I make up an itinerary. I have a busy day tomorrow before folks start to arrive….
THERE’S a lot to strike off the to-do list before a mid-morning Zoom session with one of my guitar students.
After an early lunch we drive into Glasgow. I have an appointment with a consultant at the hospital about the nerve tumour on my left arm and expect to find out the results of the biopsy. Turns out to be benign, so a relief even though I hadn’t been too concerned.
We stop for some shopping then get home in time for me to do some prep for my weekly livestream into my Wildcats’ Facebook group.
The livestream goes smoothly then we have dinner and I spend some time in the office sorting stuff for this week’s residential guitar workshop.
I manage to get a little work done before Catriona and Will rock up with the kids.
After a nice family afternoon I spend some time in the studio sorting out all the custom tracking tags, Google analytics and Meta pixel stuff for the upcoming Kickstarter launch.
There’s a little time to mess with the guitar and see if a new song idea might have some legs.
OFF to the village for a much-needed haircut then back home for breakfast.
First job of the day is dismantle the semi-trashed fruit cage to prevent any more damage. I’ll repair and rebuild when summer comes.
I mess about with more brass guitar pendant/pin prototypes then head up the lochside for a walk. The first in ages.
Refreshed after my walk I spend some time in the studio and finish setting up the Kickstarter project for my new album. Approval is a faster than I expect and I manage to get a pre-launch page up to try and attract some traction before I launch on Thursday 6 February.
I cure out some info and links round my socials and to my email list then retire to the house.
I WAKE up before my alarm…it’s the sound of the UPS (uninterruptible power supply) in the hall bleeping to say there’s a power outage.
Fuck. That’s a pain – but given the high winds it’s expected and we’re reasonably well prepared.
I dig out an old cafetière and make coffee on a camp stove then check the diary.
My 10am online meeting with fellow board members of the local community hydro society will no doubt be scuppered. I make a phone call and we decide best to rearrange.
The power comes back on at 10.30pm. For about 15 minutes. Then it’s off again.
I head to the studio and run through some of the songs I plan to include in my set list for the upcoming Aberdeen and Edinburgh shows.
When I go back to the house the winds are playing havoc in the garden and there’s driving rain. I spend the next hour or so going in and out to rescue various things from loss or destruction.
Despite not having any ‘wind catching’ parts, the fruit cage is totalled (again) then a tree comes down and hits the smoker/grill shelter taking part of the roof with it. Not much I can do about it just now.
We get the wood burner lit and I sit and mess around with the guitar until after dark.
Margaret lights some candles and we enjoy a glass of wine and a few games of backgammon before I make dinner.
Camp stove pasta with cherry tomatoes – and it’s surprisingly good. Good enough that Margaret reckons it’s better than any of the pasta she had while we were in Venice!
Prototype brass guitar for necklace…needs a bit more work!
AFTER breakfast I hit the office and start making some of the goodie-bag items for next week’s guitar workshop.
After re-jigging the workshop logo I add each participant’s name and engrave an insulated cup for each of them.
As well as personalising the cups, having their names on them will stop folks getting their coffee/whatever mixed up during the event!
The cups turn out really nice…then I turn my attention to dye-subbing the workshop logo on the canvas tote bags.
This is more challenging as ghosting is an issue and the whole process is, let’s say, temperamental! I get two done then decide to give it a rest.
I do, however, try a prototype of a brass guitar but my design and process need a bit of fine tuning. It’s not terrible, but could be a lot better….
In the studio I do a little more work on the Kickstarter, getting a little closer to completing the reward packages and images. I need to get it finished over the weekend and submit it for approval on Monday if I wanna have any chance of a launch on 5 or 6 February.
Margaret’s made Kung Pao tofu for dinner and it’s really, really good.
We chill in front of the telly for the rest of the night and watch the last few episodes of Patience.
Great to see our pals Robin and Greta at the Voodoo Rooms
UP early to get some stuff done before a 9am online guitar session.
I’m only halfway through the lesson when another guitar student arrives – she’s asked to come a little earlier today, so I said to go to the house and Margaret’s have a cuppa ready for her.
I have an hour or so before I need to head off for a session with kids at the school in Balloch and get a little more work done on the Kickstarter.
After the school session I get an eNewsletter out then we jump in the car and make for Edinburgh. We’re off to see our pals Robin and Greta with their band Beaux Gris Gris at the Voodoo Rooms – the first date of their UK tour.
We park up at Ingliston and get the tram into town. At the venue we bump into Belfast photographer and journalist Gerry and his wife Judith who are over for the gig…and a venue owner from Belgium who had me play a few years ago.
The gig is amazing. Robin and Greta are based in California but have a UK band behind them inducing our pal Kev Hickman. Great to catch up with everyone.
