BEEN raining all night but we’re all good in the tent. So far.
A few drips come in while we’re making breakfast but nothing too severe.
The roads into town close at midday so although I don’t play ‘til 6pm we get the car and gear down to the acoustic roots venue and load in to avoid the six mile detour.
It’s good to get everything in, car parked and merch sorted before the performances start.
We enjoy the music – particularly duo Sister Bodhi – and it’s great to catch up with lots of pals – both backstage and in the audience.
The venue is rammed for my set and all, thankfully, goes to plan – other than the fact that my carefully prepared set list is still back home in the studio!
We’re back at the campsite soon after 11pm and have something to eat, chill for a while and then bed….
ANOTHER early rise….Margaret sorts the merch and I take the car to the studio and pack the gear.
We have a quick breakfast, sort some more stuff and get all the tent/camping stuff in the car.
Despite our best efforts we’re still nearly two hours later leaving than we’d hoped…that’s compounded by a load of delays before we even reach Glasgow!
A quick stop at Tiso’s in Glasgow to buy a inflatable camp bed in their sale…half price 🙂 We remembered that Mikey had – against my advice – borrowed our original one a few years ago and had it burst within minutes!
Our delays mean we have to miss our planned stop in Stourbridge to pick up some bottlenecks from my pal Ian…he’s got some more to send later anyway so will post them up when my order’s complete.
We share the drive and roll up at Auntie Glo’s in Bridgend just before 9pm. A flying visit – we’ll see them tomorrow – then off to catch a supermarket before it closes to get some supplies then on to check into our hotel.
ALL hands own deck today – lots to do before we head off tomorrow and Margaret’s not only feeling crap, she’s off to the dentist to het one of her front teeth out!
The tooth was knocked out four or five years ago when she fell in Estonia and although it was successfully put back in, the root has started to deteriorate and notw it’s to come out.
First major job of the year is to put the tent up in the garden to (a) check it’s all OK and intact and (b) get some air thought it – not been used since I played the Red Rooster Festival a good few years ago.
I make up set lists for the Upton Blues Festival and Huddersfield shows and rehearse a bit then get on with finishing off a big batch of earrings and making some guitar necklaces for the merch table.
In between times I get the gear sorted and packed ready to load the car in the morning.
Dinner is pizza and then it’s back to finishing off merch and some Kickstarter campaign promo.
AFTER my regular Monday morning session with a guitar student on Zoom I get back to work editing the video footage from Friday night’s show.
Late morning a couple of Margaret’s pals and their kids arrive for a visit. I sit in the garden with them and have some lunch, take the kids into the studio to mess with guitars then they all go a walk and I get on with the video edit.
My eyes are falling out my head and I need a break from the edit so I go for a walk up the lochside…first chance I’ve had for a walk since we got back from Finland. it’s good.
I’m back just in time for my 7pm zoom guitar student then I nip to the house to sort a spreadsheet for Margaret who’s waiting on Maggi and Lynne coming for a local place plan meeting.
My Lomond Radio session is airing at 8pm so there’s no Wildcats’ livestream this week…
THE kids have us awake at 6.30am. We manage to keep them amused – mostly by jumping all over papa – for another hour or so then get up and get breakfast sorted.
Once things are under control I hit the studio and start editing the video footage form Friday night’s show. Margaret and Matty take the kids to the village to go swimming.
Catriona picks the kids up mid-afternoon and I get back onto the video edit until it’s time to light up some charcoal and grill the pinchitos for dinner.
Unplugged at Kilmaronock Old Kirk. Pic: Tom Wallace
AFTER breakfast I re-string the guitars for tonight’s show at Kilmarnock Old Kirk.
One of the tuning pegs on ‘the black guitar’ comes adrift and it takes me a good half hour to repair using some old parts I have kicking about.
There’s a few songs in tonight’s set I haven’t played for a while so I run through them then start packing the gear.
The venue is a great sounding space and I could play with no PA, but I wanna take it to add a wee bit lift to the acoustic sound. I also pack a spotlight and some other lights so I don’t have to play under the stark white house lights. the car is overflowing!
Matty stays at the house and will come later – Margaret and I make some sandwiches and head to the venue to load in and set up.
Everything goes to plan and the PA and lighting are the icing on the cake of a great sounding acoustic venue.
We have a great crowd in and the gig goes really well 🙂
We’re loaded out soon after 10pm and back home soon after…
I’ll rehearse later, but meantime there’s some ‘last minute’ promote be done round my socials etc.
In the office I do a little work on some mercy production and also start messing with one ideas to sort out my stomp box. The wee Wazinatoralways needs taped down on stage – not so much to stop it moving about, more to prevent the double hit after I tap it…the stage at the last Finland show in Helsinki was damp after the floods and it wouldn’t;t stick so I couldn’t use it 🙁
I mess around with bits of silicon sheet, felt and acrylic to see if I can come up with a standalone solution. It might also help feedback problems if I’m on a ‘hollow’ stage. I get quite far with it then put the project aside as there’s more pressing things needing done.
The pork loin I wrapped in a. bacon weave last night goes in the smoker and will, hopefully, be ready for dinner. A I didn’t;t notice a huge wasp nest on the roof above the smoker until I list some charcoal and was attacked by an angry swarm. A few seconds after they were smoked out their nest crumbled with the heat oops!
After rehearsing some of my set and sorting some camera and audio gear – I wanna record tomorrow’s show – I mess with another project idea. I wanna try and make a wee downdraft table (or box!) to minimise the dust in the office when I’m sanding stuff. I think I have a prototype, but the old car vacuum I use isn’t strong enough to be of much use.
Matty’s coming to stay a few nights and rolls up early evening…
MARGARET has an appointment at the doc in the village…I go for a coffee at Alfie’s and she meets me once she’s done.
Next stop, jimmy Egypt’s in Glasgow to discuss option for my ‘travelling’ guitar needs. Do I get some mods done to the folding electric or can he fit steel liners on a acoustasonic tele so I can easily and safely remove the neck. If that’s possible I don’t want to spend money on mods to the electric. He’ll do some tests and let me know next week.
Margaret drops me at the eye hospital for an emergency appointment and goes to get some shopping.
I have uveitis flare-ups in both eyes and the lens has somehow got stuck the pupil join my left eye. A bit jiggery pokery and I’m given a strict regime of drops and steroids.
Margaret picks me up and we drop into Ikea on the way home.I need to make some kind of down draft table/box to cut down on the sanding dust in the office.
We’re home in time for me to pack some gear and head to Lomond Radio to record a session and interview with David Dennett for his talent spotlight show that’ll go out on Monday.
It’s after 10pm when I get home – Margaret’s got Donner ready… 🙂
