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…
I try and get some separation between the guitar and vocal mics with some spare foam panels…
STRAIGHT into the office too post some new and images online for the local hydro society.
Been waiting for the local press to run the story – and it may still appear – but we need to get the grant awardees info out sooner rather than later.
I also put together a very simple social media/online plan.
In the studio I carry on trying to get a decent recording go the new song. There’s couple of ‘issues’ – my yodelling is coming in, but it’s still a bit hit or miss, so I need to overdub them. That doesn’t sound great. But with three yodel sections it’s unlikely I’ll ever get them all right no matter how much I practice.
The other issue is guitar bleeding into the oval mic. A lot. it means that anything I do to tweak the vocal sound affects the guitar too..and the guitar bleed into the vocal mic is almost as loud as the main guitar mic but sounds weird and ‘distant’ as the vocal mic ain’t in good place for guitar sound.
I improvise a set up to try and cut down the bleed with some foam tiles that are clicking around but it doesn’t help much.
Other options are to use a directional mic on the vocal, but that compromises the sound and seems ridiculous when I have some great vocal mics. Or, I can record the guitar and vocal separately but that really messes up the feel, especially if I play to a click.
I take a break when Will brings Freya – we’ve to look after her tonight and tomorrow as the school’s shut. Will’s off work but wants to get on with his own stuff…we’re busy too and I need to go to the eye hospital but that’ll have to wait ’til Friday
Back in the studio I persevere with the recording but still don’t get anything I like…it’s 10pm when I get back to the house….
Posters up round Glasgow – including Love Music in Dundas Street…
THE morning is spent finish off one West Highland Way Gifts’ prototype items which all work out pretty good 🙂
After an ear
Early lunch I head to Glasgow and drop a bunch of posters off at the Glad Cafe for the November show…then I drop more off at the Scottish Music Centre and Love Music before making for the STUC Centre for the Musicians’ Union regional AGM.
The meeting ends on schedule and I stop off to pick up some odds and ends of shopping en route home….
UP early to get a wholemeal sourdough loaf in the oven and get some routine stuff done before a morning Zoom guitar session with one of my students.
I book a space at Drymen Primary School’s Christmas Fair for West Highland Way Gifts. Talking of which, the prototype gift products I started making yesterday progress well and should be finished in a. day or two.
Next job is to create Facebook events for the Berwick and Sheffield shows, ticketing for Berwick and add both to my landing page, social banners etc. Also need to get them on all the online listings.
Rather than trying again to record the new song – Younger Days – I spend some time running through it and trying to get into the swing of it and fine-tune the arrangement. I also rehearse some songs I havenb;lt played for a while so I’m match fit for Sunday’s sets at the Cashel Bash further up the lochside.
I have another Zoom guitar student at 7pm then it’s time for the livestream into my Wildcats’group on Facebook – it goes fine with no major technical clusterfucks…then it’s back to the house for dinner and some more work.
THE KIDS have us awake at 6am…I manage to doze off and on for another hour or so then Margaret gets them sorted with breakfast.
Once everyone’s sorted we drive over to EdenMill to meet Martyn and Louise with their kids Oran and Orla. Margaret and Louise take the kids into soft play – Martyn and I go for a walk round Burncrook reservoir.
Back home the kids have lunch and Margaret takes them back to Catriona and Will. I do some work on new product ideas in the office and cast some prototypes.
When Margaret comes back I’m in the studio working on promo for upcoming gigs and searching for an old video that I’m not sure even exists! Maybe a figment of my imagination, but I’m sure there’s video of Lucy Zirins and myself performing Girl From the North Country at the hall somewhere…
HAD hoped for a paddle after breakfast but there’s too much to be done…we need to take advantage of the lull in the rain to chop up all the oversized bit of wood that have been taking up space int he wood shed.
It’s good to get he job done and we finish just in one for Catriona dropping off the kids. They’re here for the weekend.
Next job is cutting the grass and trimming. Probably the last time before winter.
Margaret takes the kids to feed the ducks and I have a quick paddle to Clairinch then land at Betty’s where Margaret and the kids are…David and Lyndsey are there too.
I chat for a while then paddle back to the bay.
Back home I spend a little time in the studio but still don’t manage to get a decent take of the new song. I really need an uninterrupted spell to tackle i…everytime it’s been rushed and ‘last minute’.
Front row seats at the Communities Housing Trust AGM in Inverness…
AFTER checking out the hotel we stop for a quick coffee and croissant in Aviemore then one to the Leonardo Hotel in Inverness for the Communities Housing Trust AGM.
It’s an interesting and informative event and we come away with some more strategies for getting the affordable housing project in our village moving.
We share the drive back home, stopping off in Doune to see Catriona, Will and the kids.
I manage to get some work done in the studio before heading back to the house to make red beans and rice…
Taking the west coast route north is a spectacular drive…
WE’RE heading up north later so lots to get done before we go.
Posters for the October and November shows have to be parcelled up and postage printed so they can be dropped off at the post office later. It’s a job!
I have a Zoom meeting to prep for the upcoming Musicians’ Union Live event in Glasgow on 10 October. I’m on a panel then play a short live set.
It’s at Mono in Glasgow and open to both MU members and non-members. Booking essential tho’…book your space here.
After lunch I do a rough mix of the new song to listen to on our journey north then we hit the road.
First stop is the post office in Balloch then a slight detour to Arrochar to drop off posters. Although a little longer, this route north is much more interesting than the main roads via Perth.
We’re staying just outside Aviemore which makes our drive into Inverness for tomorrow’s (Friday) community housing conference.
A quick trip to the Winking Owl for dinner then back to the hotel for an early night.
MY Thursday morning guitar student is coming today…she’s not around tomorrow and we’re away on Friday.
I have a loch pendant to deliver in the next village and Margaret has a meeting at the village hall. I go with her, deliver the pendant and walk home. Margaret’s off to Glasgow for some shopping after her meeting.
After lunch I do some more work on the new song recording and re-do some of the yodels. Still a bit ‘rustic’ but maybe that’ll add to the effect!
An afternoon guitar pupil is a no-show. Despite my text reminder it seems ‘mum forgot’ that we’d changed this week’s lesson to Wednesday. Ah well…
I continue work in he studio ’til Margaret comes home with the shopping then we wander along to Betty’s for dinner and a nice chilled evening.
