Tuesday 9 January 2024

WE SLEEP in a bit. Dunno why, but we’ve both woken early the last few weeks and then fallen back to sleep for an embarrassingly long time!

Main job of the day is to check the set list for Saturday’s show in Belfast and rehearse – it’s a big, sold out show so I wanna make sure I’m on my game!

I have a guitar student this afternoon who’s moving form acoustic to electric guitar so I decide to try and set up an patch on the Quad Cortex that we can both plug in at the same time and even jam a little at the end of lessons.

After an inordinate amount of time trying to work out why I can’t get any input signal from the second guitar when a mic works fine..there’s no apparent settings to change from mic to line level for the input, so I imagine it’s detected automatically…I stop farting about and get busy with some other stuff.

As it turns out may student got an amp for Christmas and has brought it along. I spend most of the lesson showing him how to use it and what al; the various effects do. And how to adjust them.

Back in the studio a bit of online research reveals a ‘secret’ screen not he Quad Cortex accessed by a swipe down on the touch screen. I’ve generally been using Cortex Control on the computer to change settings and this doesn’t seem to be available via the desktop software. Not that I can see anyway.

A simple on-screen setting and I get everything working!

Margaret’s busy negotiating a couple of shows – one in Oxford next month and a festival in Romania in April….

Monday 8 January 2024

Back to the control room for this week’s Wildcats’ livestream...

STILL some tidying up to be done in the studio before my first Zoom guitar student of the day.

Once the lessons done I get back onto my accounts and manage to sort most of the stuff out ready for the dreaded tax return.

It’s time once again to re-jig the studio. The livestream setup in the live room was good…but kinda made it awkward to use the space for other stuff..and there’s only one livestream a week. So instead of re-instating things as they were for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream I decide to go back to the old ‘control room’ setup.

That means a lot of setting up and prep.

I take a break when my young guitar student arrives with her mum then get back to it, with another break for a phone call with my pal Kevin. I also get the upcoming (March) local village hall gig online and start spreading the word.

Another Zoom guitar session then straight into the livestream which works reasonably well other than a camera dropout mid-stream.

Back int eh house we have dinner then watch all four episodes of the Post Office Horizon scandal dramatisation on the STV player.

Sunday 7 January 2024

Good to get out a wander with Martyn (and Orla!) and catch up…

THE KIDS have us up early (surprise) and I nip to the shop to get some rolls while Margaret sorts breakfast.

I’m not long finished when Martyn arrives with baby Orla and we head out for a couple hours’ walk.

When we get back Martyn heads off and I go to feed the ducks and another wee walk with Margaret and the kids.

I send some time in the studio editing more video then pay some fleeting attention to my accounts before Catriona arrives to pick up the kids.

Margaret and I are both goosed and have a nap in front of the fire then I get some more work done.

Saturday 6 January 2024

Some Johnny Cash from the garden concert….

IT’S a nice day – really cold and icy but the sun’s shining so after breakfast I do some tidying up in the garden while Margaret gets the Christmas decorations down.

I get the outside lights down and in to dry off before we put them away….the frost has made everything cold and wet!

In the studio I start putting together a set for next Saturday’s show in Belfast then Catriona rocks up with the kids. Maragert’s suggested we have them overnight so Catriona can have a long lie tomorrow (Sunday)!

The kids have some pizza then bed. Once they’re asleep I make some carnitas and we have dinner and an early night too.

Friday 5 January 2024

We set off in a pea souper!

UP EARLY to get some media calls in before I go for a paddle with Fiona.

Margaret has Maggi and Julie coming up to chat through ideas for the local place plan..I hit the studio and call the BBC in Belfast to see if I can get onto any of their Friday night or Saturday morning shows to play a few songs and promote the Out to Lunch festival show (which is sold out, but still no harm one extra exposure!).

When Fiona and I head out onto the loch there’s a layer of cloud/mist/whatever. It’s eerie, but very cool…eventually we get through it and the sun breaks through.

It’s a beautiful day and water is pretty flat. Although we’d only planned an hour or so’s paddle it’s so nice we decide to carry open across the loch to Luss. I call Margaret to see if she’d come and get us and she’s happy to do so.

We have a couple of rest stops the let out feet come back to life. The second is on Inchconanchan where we wander ups he hill in the hope of spotting some wallabies but to no avail.

At Luss we leave our board on the beach and wander up to the shop and grab some lunch while we wait for Margaret.

Back home I wash down my board, have a shower then have a nap not he couch in front off the fire. A bit of. skive, but it’s worth it.

I get back onto my emails and have a message from the BBC suggesting a session and interview on Saturday morning. Success πŸ™‚

It dawns on me that few musicians bother doing any press/media promo, especially if a show is already sold out…they don’t see the point. That amazes me – it’s not all about the fee…or getting folks through the door. Any newspaper, magazine, TV or radio stuff helps maintain raise profile in a. wider sense. And if there’s live playing involved – ie: radio or TV session – then there’s a good chance it’ll generate some income int he form of PRS royalties.

I know I’ve debated the role of traditional media recently and I stand by my views – BUT even if such exposure doesn’t have a direct or short-term benefit, it does provide content for socials, social proof and, as a good pal often says, at least “…dae sumthin’…”!

..and as the sun breaks through paddle across to Luss

Thursday 4 January 2024

THE morning is spent – reluctantly – working on my accounts which are horribly behind.

There’s also loads more video footage from Monday’s garden gig that needs the frame rate adjusted so I set that to churn away on the background while I get on with the accounts.

In between times I have a Zoom guitar session with one of my occasional students who drops in and out every so often., masters the topic in question then comes back for more. Works well for some folks.

Two upcoming gigs are now sold out! Belfast next Saturday (13 January) and The Muse in Brecon next month. That’s good, but I still need to do some ‘traditional’ (ie: newspapers and radio) PR for Belfast.

One of the longer-term effects of covid and lockdown is that many newspapers have shut down/merged with other titles…and many of them have laid off their staffers. My media contacts database is therefore as much use as a chocolate teapot. I start a it of research into what radio and papers are still worth contacting and who the relevant folks are.

Wednesday 3 January 2024

FREYA has us up early.

After breakfast Margaret takes Freya swimming and I get busy with some of the video from New Year’s Day.

The cameras were recording at different frame rates and I finally get my head round the fact that the audio pitch mismatch is not anything to do with audio sample rates, it’s the frame rate that’s causing the issue when the video clips are pulled onto a project timeline.

The workaround is simple if a little time consuming – covert the video from one of the sources outwith the Final Cut timeline. I use Compressor to convert the GoPro footage from 23.98fps to the 25fps frame rate of the master video from the main camera. It works!

Will comes to pick up Freya at 5pm then Maragret and I have a coffee and chill for a wee while. Then I finish up a couple of tracks from David and Fiona’s set and stick them on Dropbox for them to grab.

There’s still a load of cold ham in the fridge. In a bid to have something different for dinner I rustle up a ham fried rice which works out really good πŸ™‚

Tuesday 2 January 2024

DESPITE an early night we don’t wake up ’til midday! Still aching all over and feeling crap πŸ™

We have coffee in bed and a lazy few hours responding to comments and stuff on yesterday’s livestream.

It’s 3pm before we have breakfast then I finish the cleanup outside and start shifting stuff back to the studio.

Catriona brings Freya over – she’s staying the night – and we have a coffee. Catriona heads off, Margaret gives Freya some dinner and I try to get the studio tidied up and ready for an online lesson with one of my Zoom guitar students.

I also dump video from the camera that was live-streaming and start the GoPro footage download. The files are huge though and even after the guitar lesson I end up having to leave the computer churning away while I lock up the studio.

Monday 1 January 2024

New Year’s Day gig in the garden πŸ™‚

HAPPY New Year. No hangover for me…and up and out early doors to finish the smoker shelter roof, tidy the garden and start setting up for the garden concert.

Thankfully it’s nice weather and I;ve cleared up by midday. Margaret’s busy in the kitchen making soup and stoves for later and comes out to give me hand putting up the gazebos.

Next I start getting the PA and other gear over from the studio and set up.

Once we’re happy with the sound I move onto set up for the live-streaming –camera, lights, switchers, computer etc.

Finally we sort the seating and lights then Fiona and David arrive. They help finish getting the lights up then they soundcheck and we’re pretty much ready when folks start arriving just before 4pm.

I get the livestream underway then David and Fiona kick things off with a grand half-hour set. then it’s yours truly. It’s kinda nerve-wracking playing a load of covers that I’ve not played in years. My aim isn’t to ‘play’ the songs – more to give folks an idea of my influences and how I started playing guitar and performing…and how my style ‘evolved’.

All goes well and we have a good crowd. The livestream goes to plan too.

Once everyone’s away Fiona, David and his brother Stuart help clear up. They had off and I go indoors for dinner. Margaret’s got steak pie in the oven and we’re both starving.

I’m gubbed tho’…and asleep by 9pm!

Dave B & Fiona open the show

Sunday 31 January 2023

Post bowling meal at the Torbex Inn for Mikey’s 40th…

WE’RE off to celebrate Mikey’s 40th birthday…but before we go I need to try and get some more work done on the smoker shelter roof. Don’t wanna leave it all too tomorrow (Monday) – I’ll have enough to sort out!

I make progress then we head for the Hollywood Bowl in Stirling, stopping at Catriona’s to drop off Mikey’s birthday cake and balloons. We’ll go back there for coffee and cake after the bowling nd Mikey’s birthday meal.

We have two lanes at the bowling alley and everyone has great fun. Then, mid-afternoon, we have lunch at the Torbex Inn.

Back to Catriona’s for a couple of hours then we head home.

We watch our pal Bill’s livestream from Wisconsin – they’re normally in Florida, but at their son’s for New Year – bring in the bells, watch a bit of Jools Holland’s Hootenanny and head to bed.

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