Grand time playing at The Vault for Darlington Blues Festival
PRETTY broken this morning but I need to get up and sort out some bust string and other guitar issues before we check out the hotel.
First stop is dropping past last night’s venues to pick up my apex…then on to Sainsbury’s where I order breakfast and Margaret goes to the in-store Argos to buy a folding table for merch. it’s just a wee thing that can stay in the car for emergency situations when there’s not merch area at a show!
We hit the road to Darlington and make good time. I’m in a nice venue called The Vault with a decent stage space and much more room than the tiny place I was in last time I played the festival. Probably about 10 years or more ago.
The show goes really well and it’s nice to see a mix of old pals, well-known faces and new folks in the crowd 🙂
We’re heading back home this evening and stop at a chippy before we leave Darlington..the biggest portion of chips and fish supper we’ve ever seen!
We share the drive up the road stopping in Glasgow for some shopping. Knackered.
Hot and sweaty time at Bluesbury Festival, Dewsbury \../
UP early to pack the car then have breakfast.
We’re on the road to Dewsbury and despite a big traffic jam just south of Glasgow we make good time and share driving duties.
First stop is the Ramada in Wakefield to check in and drop off out bags.
It’s just four miles to Dewsbury. When we get there we’re met by our longtime pal and festival organiser Pat (Fulgoni) and bump into loads of other folks – and spot a few old skool Arcari shirts in the crowd!
Antar Goodwin is on stage – we only catch the end of his set but I really like his music….and afterwards I find he’s a really nice guy too.
Catfish Mojo is up next then it’s yours truly. West Riding is a great spot for a festival with its outdoor stage and big space that can covered over if necessary. PA is good too as is sound man Jay.
Fantastic crowd help me through a few technical guitar issues too 🙂
Only criticism is there’s no storage for gear or green room/area, no merch table and the changeover time between acts is a little tight.
Still we have a great time.
Despite being really careful I can’t find my spex after we load out which is an expensive loss…
Back at the hotel, though, Pat messages us to say he’s found them on the stage. Yay!
There’s a load of leather wristbands and patches to be finished…
FIRST job after breakfast is to skive the edges of all the leather wristbands and patches ready for the next finishing steps.
I use saddle soap on some for a nice natural finish and use the airbrush and dye for a variety of grey/black, brown and red finishes. Once the dyed ones are dry I coat with resolene and leave to dry before burninshing.
In the studio I run through my set lists for the weekend’s festival show at Dewsbury and Darlington and get October’s Spain gigs listed online and print off a ,old of ‘forthcoming gig’ postcards for handing out at the weekend.
Back on on the leather stuff I burnish the edges then Margaret helps me with the shitty part of making the wristbands – setting the snaps. We’ve never really found a good tool for this job and even the expensive one I found isn’t that great. We get through ’em though.
Once we’re done Margaret gets the Merch sorted and I go back to the studio to pack everything we need for the two shows. I also manage to finish a rough edit of the new ‘introduction to Dave Arcari’ video…
I’ve a couple of hours with the kids’ in Balloch this morning so make sure of getting ups early to get some stuff done before I have to go.
Charlie and Mikkel are up before I leave so we get to blether a bit then I head for the school. They’ve gone and on their way to Newcastle by the time I get home just after midday.
Margaret’s made up a merch inventory and we’re low on weather wristbands and patches. I get a batch of wristbands engraving and cutting before my afternoon guitar student arrives.
After the lesson I go back to the office and get some patches set up to process before heading back to the studio where I do a little work on the new ‘introduction to Dave Arcari’ video.
Margaret’s of to Rural Stirling Housing Association’s AGM in Callander – they’re running (or trying to!) our local affordable housing project – and I take a walk up the lochside.
I clean all the wristbands and patches in the hope they’ll be dry enough for finishing tomorrow (Friday) then start prepping the beef for tonight’s tacos. I get some pickle red onion, a batch of avocado sauce and some fresh red onion/tomato/coriander/jalapeno salsa made.
This is also the debut of my home-made salsa verde. Verdict? Amazing!!!!
I HAVE a guitar student at the house first thing…then I tackle the salsa verde.
At last there’s enough tomatillos from my plants – and I had the foresight to make sure we had plenty green jalapeños and coriander for my recipe. It’s quick and easy and in less than half an hour the recipe is complete and I fill four sterilised jars 🙂
Our pals Charlie and Mikkel are coming to stay tonight after their Glasgow show so I get some sourdough ready so we have fresh bread in the morning.
I get some work done in the studio after lunch before we head into Glasgow.
First stop is Kenny’s to pick up t-shirts and zip up hoodies for this weekend’s festival shows in Dewsbury and Darlington.
We’re meeting Charlie and Mikkel for dinner before their show. It’s great to catch up…and they play a blinder of a set at the Glad Cafe.
Then it’s back to ours for some snacks, drinks, chat….
I’M just finishing tidying up the studio when Elaine arrives. We’ve been chatting about co-writing a song and messing around online….we thought we should have a session in person.
We have a grand morning and get a strong outline for. song together. Some chords, lyrics and a rough recording.
After lunch I get busy in the studio trying to select bits and bobs of live footage for the new ‘introduction to Dave Arcari’ video taking a break when my afternoon guitar student arrives,
Margaret has to go to Balloch for some shopping ad drops me off at Kilmaronock for a walk home. I keep my eyes peeled for mushrooms as I wander through the woods and spot loads thanks to developing my eye at the weekend’s foraging event in Doune.
I have an evening session with a physio at the local village hall…an initiative set up by a local and part-funded by the community hydro scheme. Turns out I know physio Shona’s husband and the session is really good.
UP EARLY to get my sourdough in the oven so it’s done and had a chance to cool in time for breakfast.
My first online guitar lesson of the day is cancelled so I manage to get on top of some routine tasks before the next session.
We were meant to have pizza last night but we weren’t;t hugely hungry. instead, decide to make ’em for lunch which is a nice Monday treat.
Another online guitar student then I do a little prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook before my late afternoon guitar student arrives.
peedOnce done I make some sugo with Italian sausage for tonight’s pasta.
There’s poster art to be done for a couple of October’s shows in Spain. While I’m doing that I listen – and half-watch – the Apple event announcing latest iPhone (16) and Apple Watch (series 10). Nothing terribly groundbreaking this time round. Happy to stick with what I’ve got – series 5 watch and iPhone 12 ProMax.
My livestream goes well – then it’s back to the house for dinner and chill for a while…
THE KIDS aren’t up too early – just after 8am – ‘cos they stayed up quite late last night.
Margaret takes them downstairs at Catrioan’s to give them breakfast and I hit the shower.
Will’s mum – Joyce – arrives just before 10am to let us away as I’ve got a couple of urgent things to get done in the office then our pals Martyn and Louise are picking us up to take us for lunch. A post-birthday treat.
We have a really nice lunch and afternoon at the Old Mill in Killearn.
Back home I get the grass cut and some strumming done. Maybe the last time this year?
It’s not bad weather and not meant to be windy so instead of having a nap (which I really feel like) I pull on a wetsuit and go for a paddle. It’s fine in the bay, but really windy and choppy one I get out onto the open loch so I don’t say out helluva long.
Our pal Bill is doing his monthly livestream so we settle down and enjoy that for an hour or two then head to bed.
Interesting couple of hours with mushroom expert Liz at Doune ponds…
ACTER breakfast I sort some of yesterday’s video and audio for the new ‘introduction’ video.
We’re off to babysit in Doune for the day (and overnight) so I wanna take a laptop and the video to get a start on putting it all together.
Catriona and Will are off to an event in Dundee…we have some lunch then take a walk to Doune ponds where they’re a mushroom foraging event. It’s really for kids and although Freya and Aaron aren’t interested I’m welcomed into the group.
Margaret takes the kids home and I have an interesting couple of hours!
After getting some video editing done I take a break and we take the kids to the park….then it’s back for bath time, some snacks and telly…then bed.
Once the kids are settled down we have dinner and chill. Phew!
We film some bits for a new ‘introduction to Dave Arcari’ video…
ONCE my morning guitar student is done I hit the studio and prepare for a local hydro society board meeting via Zoom.
I have an online guitar student at midday then go back to the house for some lunch.
It’s a beautiful day and we need to get some filming done for a new ‘introduction to Dave Arcari’ video. The current one was made five years ago and I’ve never really been 100-% happy with it…so we take the chance to go up the lochside to film some bits.
Although we love the sunshine it brings more than it’s fair share of challenges, not least as our gear is all pretty DIY and I don’t have any lighting suitable to use outdoors. I do have a reflector which helps a little.
I always find it hard to sound natural when we do these things but by the time we’re done we have some rushes and useable (I think) audio.
When we get home I start dumping the video and audio in the the computer for editing over the weekend then we jump in the car to visit Betty at Forth Valley hospital….
