NOT too heavy a day today so we enjoy coffee in bed and watch Saturday Kitchen while dealing with emails and dsocvial media stuff.
In the studio I upload a live video of Loch Lomond Home from last weekend’s show at the village hall to my YouTube channel and Facebook then share vertical clips of same to TikTok and various reels and stories rounds my socials.
I have a catch-up meeting on Zoom with my pal Kevin to put some plans in place for the release of his next single.
The weather’s not too bad so we tackle some of the big chunks of wood that have been lying outside for a while. First the chainsaw, then the log splitter. Good to get it all done and stacked int he woodshed.
I spend a little more time in the studio then start making a cake topper for Catriona…it was her (44…cannae believe it!) birthday yesterday so they’re all coming for pizza tomorrow (Sunday) and Margaret’s made a pavlova to serve as a birthday cake.
Then it’s time to hit the road to Gartmore for dinner at Duncan and Irene’s where we have a great night. I happily drive home…one of the biggest benefits of being ‘off it’. Thirteen mon the since I had any alcohol!
I stumble across my episode of Blues’n2s with guest Andres Roots…
MAIN job of the morning is writing up news release about the May run of Scottish shows with my pal Andres….and getting the info out to the national press and longer lead-time media.
While pulling together media resources I stumble across a video of a Blues’n2s episode featuring Andres…I did the livestream series during lockdown back in 2020 and had guests from around the world.
After lunch my Friday guitar student arrives. She normally comes first thing in the morning but we had a wee change of schedule this week.
We need a few things from Costco and decide to take advantage of a wee lull in the schedule to nip into Glasgow and pick stuff up.
We’re home in time for a quick dinner – I made extra enchiladas last night 🙂 – then along to the village hall for the quiz night where we meet our team mates Fiona and Nicole. We take second place and have a grand evening….
OFF to to the school for a session with the kids. We have a blast 🙂
I finish up in time to join a Musicians’ Union (MU) Zoom meeting, albeit a few minutes late. I sit in the car and make my contributions.
Once done I get some shopping, drop off some merch at the post office then head home. Margaret’s been at a meeting in Aberfoyle and got a lift back to the village so I go and pick her up.
There’s a fair amount of stuff to be done in the studio and I’m keen to see if I can work out how to use the l;poppwer int he Quad Cortex. No real reason, just out of curiosity.
Betty’s coming for dinner and I’m running out of time. I need to make the enchilada sauce, some avocado sauce and then the enchiladas….
I create an image for my new website landing page and Facebook cover from a B&W image by Bernie McAllister
I HAVE a guitar student coming first thing. Once she’s done I hot he studio and deal with a load of admin stuff then start working one an image to use on a new website landing page and also as a cover for my Facebook page.
Fiona arrives soon after midday top go for a paddle. My ‘rotator cuff’ shoulder problem means I need to take it easy so we have a relaxed paddle round Inchcailloch. Margaret’s got soup and rolls waiting for us when we get back 🙂
After lunch I spend time on the new website landing page. Once it’s done I put together a Facebook ad set using yesterday’s Devil’s Left Hand video post as the creative. Each ad in the set has an identical budget and set up but tests differently targeted audiences. I’ll let it run for two or three days then take stock of the resulting data…particularly the video watch time…
Widescreen edit of Devil’s Left Hand form Saturday night at the hall…a simple, very basic edit destined for my ‘fan finder’ ad…
THERE’S some merch orders to be finished off and packed up to go out…and also a one-off item that I’m making as a gift.
A neighbour drops by to have us witness her signature on some documents. Then I get the one-off gift finished and set a pin on the back.
After lunch I edit more video and start planning a ‘fan finder’ ad campaign. All my past social advertising has been for specific shows or merch sales…I’ve never explored using ads to help reach a wider audience. The time has come where I think I really need to do that to try and move things on.
I’m not 100% that the theory actually works in practice but I’m willing to give it a bash.
A late afternoon guitar student arrives and once we’re done I start the ‘fan finder’ strategy. I aggregate all the info on doing such a thing, how in my own experience and thought and formulate my plan of attack.
First up, I need a full length song on video…a performance video rather than a ‘music video’, preferably without too much production of cuts/edits. I pull the footage of Devil’s Left Hand out from the weekend’s rushes from the local hall gig and set about creating wide, square and vertical formats.
I need to optimise a campaign for video views..and rather than use all my formats, I decide to follow some specific advice about using an existing video post as ‘the creative’. To that end I post the square version on my Facebook page and aim to let it get some traction before jumping into the ad manager. Watch this space for subsequent steps…
Meantime, it’s after 9pm and I’m on dinner…so it’s back to the huose to make a tofu and broccoli stir fry…
Walk the Walk from PJ Molloys, Dunfermline on Friday
THERE’ some guitar pendants needing made to fulfil online merch orders. I manage to get the flask packed and mould ready before my first Zoom guitar session of the day.
I have a load of huge video files from the weekend’s shows converting on the computer in the background while I run my first Zoom guitar session…then I go back to the office and pour the metal for the pendants.
The video continues to process in the background while I join a Help Musicians’ Zoom seminar on music PR.
Then it’s back to those for lunch and a trip to the doc’s in the village to see what might be wrong with my left shoulder. Ive been having a lot of pain for the last month or more and, if anything, it’s getting worse rather than better. Time to get it checked out.
Robert, the ‘nurse practioner’ (whatever that fuck that is) gives my shoulder the once over and pushes and pulls my arm in various directions. Looks like I have a rotator cuff injury 🙁
I’m prescribed anti-inflammatory gel which I pick up at the chemist before walking home.
I get home just in time for my late afternoon guitar student arriving. Once we’re done I head to the studio and start editing some of the video…I’m keen to get a couple of songs done to spin into my Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook later on.
I have another Zoom guitar session with little time before the livestream but I manage to get everything ready in time…
WE ALL have a long lie. I’m aching all over and absolutely burst when I wake up.
A shower helps a little and we have a leisurely ‘brunch’ chatting and chilling for an hour or two.
I get a hard drive sorted to give Martyn to dump all the video footage form last night, Trevor and Emma hit the road…and Margaret and I go to get the rest of the gear from the hall.
Later on I go to pick up the hard drive from Martyn and top for a coffee and blether.
Back home I start getting some of the video files onto my system and tidy up the studio in readiness for tomorrow’s various guitar sessions.
For the finale I asked Trevor up to join me on Loch Lomond Home…(Pic: Jamie Houston)
I’M up early to take the first car load of gear to the hall and catch up with Martyn who’s putting in a load of cameras to film the show.
When I get back home everyone’s up and Margaret’s busy getting breakfast sorted.
I get the rest of the PA and lighting stuff in the car and along to the hall. I’ll get the main stuff rigged then Trevor will bring Margaret and Emma along in an hour or so. No point in them hanging about while I get angry with the PA set up!
And indeed I do get frustrated as the mixers refuses to connect with either phone or iPad. I end up having to totally reset the mixer which sorts the connection issue…but means everything has to be set up again from scratch.
While I get the rest of the setup done, the others sort the tables, chairs, merch and other stuff.
After I get soundchecked Margret and Emma go back to the house to get some dinner ready and I soundcheck Trevor then finish rigging and setting the lights. Martyn comes in to finish camera setup.
Trevor and I are about to head back to the house when Margaret and Emma rock up with our dinner! There’s only half an hour ’til doors open and they already ate…so had the brainwave to bring dinner to us 🙂
I have to go back to the house to get changed and pick ups few more things tho’…and when I get back folks have started arriving!
Trevor kicks off at 8pm for an hour’s set. he plays a blinder and everyone loves him and his music 🙂
We have pretty much a full house and there’s a great vibe. I kick off my set soon after 9pm and play for just over an hour then get Trevor up for the finale of Loch Lomond Home…then an enthusiastic encore sees us blast our way through Folsom Prison Blues….
We’re tidied up and home by midnight. Pizza, snacks, drinks and chat ’til 4am…
A prototype mini guitar pin with wooden inlay….on sale here!
OFF to the school first thing…Margaret’s going to get some shopping so drive and drops me in Balloch.
I have good morning and we’re back home before lunchtime.
We’re not long back when the team from a production company in Glasgow arrive. They did some filming for a pitch to TV a couple of years ago…the timing wasn’t right so they’re giving it another go and wanna shoot some updated bits and bobs for a sizzle reel. Good to see them – and nice to know that their idea hasn’t been shelved. Fingers crossed for success this time.
Trevor and Emma are coming later tonight and I have a lot to get done. The guitar pins and pendants need finished…some for an order bound for the USA and the rest destined for the merch table at the two upcoming shows. Trevor is my special guest in Dunfermline tomorrow (Friday) and the local village hall on Saturday.
There’s also gig listing s postcards to be printed and set lists to be prepared.
In the studio I reset the mixer and start trying to configure the remote iPad app so things go smoothly during wet up at the hall on.Saturday
In between times I have a Zoom meeting with my pal Kevin about his recent single release and the next one….
Then it’s back to the mixer set up and configuration…and back to the house for dinner.
Trevor and Emma won’t be here ’till about midnight…before they get here we have a video call with our pals in Spain who re setting up a wee tour for me over there in October 🙂
