Finally got round to setting a up a more lo-fi sound for regular tuning guitar stuff…
MY normally Thursday guitar student is coming this morning…and I also offered to change her guitar strings.
After the lesson I work on a particularly challenging guitar piece I’m trying to put together but may never see the light of day. Good finger exercise tho’!
After doing all the PRS/MCPS and PPL registrations for the forthcoming single (here it here now!) I get busy with some press/radio/media promo for same.
I work on some guitar sounds. I love the Quad Cortex I’m using for the guitar but sometimes I want a more ‘lo-fi’ guitar sound.
After updating the firmware I have a look online and find some ‘captures’ for amps like the Pignose and old Peavey Delta Blues (wish I’d never sold the one I had years ago!). I make a quick patch using the Pignose amp ‘capture’ in the chain and am really pleased with the result 🙂
There’s time for a walk through the woods before dark. When I get back Margaret’s’ home – she’s been getting the car services and picking up some shopping in Stirling.
After dinner we chill and enjoy a documentary about Mississippi Fred McDowell – Shake ‘Em on Down – brought to my attention by my pal Neil…
Almost finished…latest batch of castings with epoxy…
AFTER breakfast I hit the studio and work on some guitar stuff and also experiment with different sounds for an updated version of Come With Me.
The new single – Younger Days – is ‘processing’ on Spotify and other platforms so I need to get it submitted for Release Radar and also to the editorial playlists. While in the artists’ area on Spotify I realise I need to update my ‘artist pick’ but live dates are not available.
Normally they’re ported in from Songkick but Spotify is telling me there are no shows. I get on the online chat with Spotify to try and resolve things. Seems to be an issue living concerts at the moment. Hopefully sorted soon.
After lunch I do some more finishing the batch of items for both my own merch and West Highland Way Gifts then pack and post out some CD orders.
I’m out of promo postcards so I spend some time in. the studio designing some new ones and get an order of to the printer.
Margaret has a local place plan meeting with Maggi and Lynn in the house..I go back and start prep for dinner. Butternut squash, ancho and beef chilli….
Been a while – good to get out for a paddle before breakfast…
THE ALARM goes off soon after 6am. I get up and put on the oven for the wholemeal sourdough I prepared on Saturday.
By the time the oven heats up and the bread’s in for it’s covered and uncovered time I’m ready to go out for a paddle. It’s the first calm day in ages and although I have a busy day I can get out for a paddle while the bread cools. It needs at least an hour between coming out the oven and eating!
On the water I do a livestream to remind folks about tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream, stop off on Clairinch then paddle back home for breakfast.
After may first Zoom guitar student I work on finishing some prototype West Highland Way Gifts’ products which all turn out pretty good. Watch this space!
Next I prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream and decide to include a performance of Come With Me…the title track from my debut solo album released 16 (yup, 16!!!) years ago…haven’t played it in a long time.
Another Zoom lesson then it’s pretty much straight into the livestream,. Goes grand… 🙂
WE’RE up at 7am to say cheerio to Wil and Mia then back to bed for an hour or so where we drink coffee and check email, socials etc.
Most of the day is spent working on some new product ideas for West Highland Way Gifts and making some stock of existing designs for both my own merchandise and West Highland Way Gifts.
I manage a walk up the lochside before dark.
After dinner I spend some time notating a guitar piece for one of my guitar students. I tend to try and avoid ‘writing things down’ but this is a particularly complex piece.
Grand afternoon talking Wil and Kia around some of Glasgow’s sights…
EVERYONE’S still in bed when I take my guitar student to the studio for her session.
When I get back to the house the others are all having breakfast – I have a coffee with them and get some work done before we head into Glasgow.
We stop off to pick my cousin Fred who is taking us all for ‘afternoon tea’ which turns out to be a mega spread of cakes, sandwiches and other snacks at Bargacree Cafe in Bellahouston Park. Another cousin, Sharon, and her husband Gordon join us and we have a great afternoon.
Margaret takes Fred home and I take Wil and Mia round Glasgow University and down to Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum before walking over to great Western road where Margaret picks us up.
Back home I ball up the pizza dough for later then we wander along to Betty’s for a drink before what turns out to be a late dinner and pizzas in the garden.
I take Wil and Mia a walk up the lochside in the dark!
OFF to the school in Balloch first thing for a session with some of the kids. Goes really well 🙂
On the way home I drop off a Kickstarter reward and have a blether then back home in time for lunch.
I’ve quite a lot of work to get done before my (third) cousin Wil and his wife Mia arrive…they’re on a Scotland trip from the USA and spending a few nights with us.
I have another guitar student coming at 4pm then I get some pizza dough made. Margaret’s taken Freya back to Doune.
The pizza dough is just done when Wil and Mia arrive. Once we’ve had a bother I take them for a walk up the lochside and by the time we’re at Milarrochy it’s dark and Margaret comes to get us!
DESPITE a 2am bedtime we’re up bright and early at Jon and Maggi’s. I have an eye hospital appointment we need to get to.
Margaret drops me at the hospital and goes to pick up some shopping. There’s been a bit of a flare up in one which means upping my steroids to six times a day in one eye and reducing to twice a day over the weeks til my next appointment.
Once I’m through, we had to Costco and Tesco…then onto Ikea to get mattress for Betty.
After dropping of the mattress and manhandling it upstairs we get home and unload the shopping before I get my gear back into the studio.
I’m just sorted when Will arrives with Freya – she’s staying the night and Margaret’s looking after her tomorrow.
I play a short live set after the live music discussion panel for the Musicans’ Union at Mono
WE’re short of bottle openers for the merch table at tonight’s Musicians’ Union (MU) event in Glasgow.
I’m part of a live music discussion panel then playing a live show at the event at Mono.
After getting some stuff going in the office I get my gear ready and prepare a set list for later.
We head into Glasgow mid-afternoon and drop off some posters for the Glad Cafe show end November then load in at Mono.
The panel session goes well as do the live sets from Kapil Seshasayee and myself.
There’s quite a few pals at the audience including JonZip who were staying with tonight.
Good to chat with folks afterward then we head back to JonZip’s where Maggi has a big pot of chilli on the go. We eat, drink and chat….then head for bed about 2am….
