I make up a banner for Tuesday’s show for my socials and stuff…free tickets available here– or click the pic!
WE HAVE a lazy morning drinking coffee and watching Saturday Kitchen in bed…been a long time since we’ve done that!
We’re meant to be takin g a trip to the dump after breakfast but there’s been torrential rain all night and all the roads are flooded and many closed. Instead I create some images and videos to push the new design t-shirt pre-orders. I wanna get an order I. to our t-shirt guy on Monday
I don’t even wanna tackle the rain and go to the studio so I stay indoors and make some banners to promote my panel and live show at the Musicians’ Union’s ‘Fair Play on Tour’ event at Mono in Glasgow on Tuesday. Free to attend for members and non-members…and complimentary refreshments – but pre-booking is essential.
Next up, I decide to start an email list for West Highland Way Gifts and offer past customers a 10% discount on their next order. Takes a while and while not exactly priority in the grand scheme of things I have time today to do these kinda things!
FIRST job is finishing off a pewter and epoxy open dent with a brown/gold inlay…it was ordered online a couple days ago but the one I had in stock was bought by an in-person customer!
I get it finished and in the post then work on another couple of orders and a tiny wee music note pendant. The music note is by far the hardest thing I’ve tried to make so far but worked out pretty good 🙂
The other two pendants look a wee bit rough in photos but in reality they’re pretty smooth round the edges. We’ll see if they pass the ‘Margaret test‘!
After lunch I get some work done in the studio then we head off to Gartmore for dinner at Duncan and Irene’s. Can’t believe it’s six months since we’ve seen them…lots to catch up on.
OFF to the school in Balloch to spend the morning doing music with some kids.
I’m not long back when our new neighbours pop in to say hello and we have a coffee and a good ol’ blether.
After lunch I get some work done before my guitar student arrives.
Next job is working on some West Highland Way Gifts‘ orders…I posted a prototype men’s pendant on my socials the other day and it sparked a lot of interest,
Betty’s coming for dinner and Margaret’s on cooking duties…we have a grand time then I drive Betty home and we have a relatively early night 🙂
I get social media banners/covers prepared for the release of Yonger Days…coming 10 November!
I’M UP at 6am to get a sourdough loaf int he oven…once it’s done Margaret makes Charlie and I scrambled egg and smoked salmon on sourdough toast.
My Thursday morning guitar student is coming today (Wednesday) as I’m not around tomorrow morning….once we’re done with the lesson I go back to the house and have coffee with Charlie and his three buddies before they leave.
I have a haircut at the village then after lunch I mess with art ideas for the release of Younger Days, create cover arts and banner/cover art for my socials then get things uploaded for a 10 November release on all services – Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, AmazonMP3 etc. I’ll likely put it on Bandcamp much sooner than that 😉
By the time I’m done it’s after 9pm and I head back to the house and make tofu with lemongrass and basil for dinner…
Nice to take our pals from Michigan’s UP a wander up the lochside
AFTER listening to what was meant to be the final version of the new song – Younger Days – Margaret points out that the first word is a bit weak and weird. I agree, but it’s gonna be a real hassle trying to re-set the mics and stuff as they were for the original recording.
I spend some time messing around and manage to drop in a replacement phrase addressing the problem
Our pal Charley is over from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) touring Scotland with three pals…he’s the owner and promoter at the Nahma Inn and the company store venue next door where I’ve played a good few times.
His three travelling companions are staying at the Oak Tree Inn and Charley’s staying with us.
They arrive early afternoon. Charley and Jan come a walk up the lochside while the other two chill…later on we’re treated to dinner then we go back up the road for a drink and blether.
I close the Wildcats’ livestream with a version of Muddy Waters’ Can’t Be Satisfied
ON the ball this morning and get quite a lot of stuff done before my first Zoom guitar session….and I get an email from Reverb telling me the collapsible electric guitar has sold. Thank fuck – the bank account and credit cards are in a poor state.
When packing the guitar up, though, I spot a wee ding in the finish. I can’t send it off like tat without warning the buyer so I take a photo and send it off along with an offer to knock a few quid off. Thankfully he agrees 🙂
After the Zoom session I sort postage then take the parcel to the post office in Balloch. This is the nearest since the post office in the village closed a year or two ago…and a 25-mile round trip!
After lunch I work on the recording for the new song and make a wee video to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook so folks can hear progress. It’s getting there!
I have a young guitar student at the house late afternoon then back to the studio work on the song before another Zoom guitar student.
Grand day out providing the live music at Cashel Forest’s annual autumn festival
BEFORE breakfast I get the gear packed and car loaded ready to head up to Cashel Forest where I’m providing he live music for the annual Cashel Bash autumn festival.
We’re a little tight for time but I manage to get everything set up, sound checked and ready to roll.
I play three sets throughout the event between 11am and 3pm then enjoy a pizza from our pals Base Pizza who are sent up right next to me.
We’ve just finished tidying up when Catriona and the kids show up. They come back to the house for a coffee then I have a nap on the couch!
All the gear was dumped in the studio when we came back so I head over there and sort everything out so I don’t have to deal with a mess before my first Zoom guitar student in the morning.
NOT feeling much like getting up, but I remember the wind is meant to be low…so I drag myself out my pit and go for a paddle round Inchcailloch and do a livestream as I go.
Really glad I made the effort and enjoy both the exercise and peace.
Back home a shower and a couple of rolls and square and I’m feeling good.
We visit a local pal’s MacMillan coffee morning and I walk back home then I hit the office to finish off a the prototype pendants. They come out good. I’ll get them in t he West Highland Way Gifts’ online store over the next day or two.
I make up set lists for tomorrow’s ‘appearance’ at the Cashel Bash up at the native woodland centre further up the lochside then I get the grill fired up for the lamb…and the pizza oven on for the flatbreads….
OFF into Glasgow early for my emergency appointment at the eye hospital. I drive there then Margaret takes the car to go shopping – no idea how long I’ll be.
As it turns out, my journey through the eye tests can, triage and doctor’s examination is less than hour. Quicker than when I have a ‘proper’ appointment!
Margret picks me up and we go to Costco to pick up some stuff, Love Music to drop off some more CD copies of Devil May Care then Chung Yang for some groceries before heading home.
It’ starting to get dark so I go for a quick walk up the lochside then meet Margaret at Betty’s where we have a drink and help out with some bits and bobs before wandering back home for dinner.
The test pressings for the red vinyl edition of Devil May Care arrive…
FREYA has us awake at 5am then we manage to get back for a little more sleep.
Margaret is taking Betty to an appointment in Stirling and Freya goes with them. I get busy in the office with some more West Highland Way Gifts’ prototype ideas.
JonZip’s coming to finalise a mix of a song I recorded for him. while back so I get the studio tidied up a bit in time for him arriving. The mix doesn’t take long then we back to the house for some lunch and a bother.
Margaret and Freya get back just as he’s leaving and I carry on with some work in the office.
Next, I get back to the studio and try another method of recording the new song which works pretty well. We’ll listen in the house later.
Meantime, Margaret takes Freya back to Catriona and I listen through the test pressings for the forthcoming red vinyl release of Devil May Care. Sounds good. I fire off an approval to the pressing folks.
Betty comes along for dinner and we have a grand evening…then a relatively early night – I’ve an emergency appointment at the eye hospital in Glasgow first thing in the morning…
