I SPEND the morning going through the Bartok Thins video footage from Saturday. I plan to edit one song for them and they can do as they wish with the rest of the footage.
The Manson Glass stickers are still ‘in production’ and I attend to that while editing the video. I get a good part of it done before it’s time to go to the school in Balloch for my Thursday session with some of the kids.
On the way home I stop off to pick up a free cross trainer that was posted on our local buy/sell/swap Facebook page. It takes a bit of manhandling to get to int eh car but we manage.
I’m home with five minutes to spare before my young guitar student arrives. He’s making good progress 🙂
Once done we unload the cross trainer an stick it in the live room at the studio. Nowhere else to put it at the mo’! The batteries are flat and one seems to have corroded a bit…but some further investigation reveals it can be mains powered and I happen to have a suitable adaptor in the cupboard 🙂
Next, I finish the video edit and send a Dropbox link to Bartok Thins…suddenly it’s 9pm and Margaret’s got dinner ready back at the house.
STRAIGHT into video editing – the files are pretty big and there’s a fair bit of archiving, backing up and swapping drives to be done.
In between times the materials to make the premium black/gold stickers for Manson Glass packaging have arrived. At last. The folks I order from invariably contact me after I’ve ordered to tell me something or other is out of stock…it’s usually a bit of an inconvenience, but this time delivery has taken weeks longer than anticipated.
I get the first batch of stickers running then take. walk to the post box, then onto Fiona’s along the road to drop off the key for the hall.
The loch’s like glass and I;d love to go out for a paddle but too much to get through today.
After lunch I continue juggling the video editing with sticker production. By late afternoon I’ve got five songs done and reward myself with a walk up the loch side in the passing rain.
I’m home just in time to help Margaret unload and put away the shopping then I make a beef and broccoli stir fry.
NOT sure why, but I sleep in and am woken by a phone call at 9.30am! No alcohol for weeks and I was in bed well before midnight.
I spend the morning updating various bits of software in the studio then start work on the video footage from Saturday’s show.
In between times I set up the PA in the live room and connect everything up ready to tweak and edit my Quad Cortex patches…hopefully I’ll get a start on it tomorrow. I also need to re-visit how I use the Cortex on a live show…worked fine enough on Saturday night, but there’s probably a more streamlined way to set things up.
By early evening I have he footage graded for three songs and got them edited. Lots more to do!
I take my time making chicken enchiladas and chilli the rest of the evening.
A FULL morning of Zoom guitar students then it’s lunchtime!
Martyn brought me a drive with all the video footage form Saturday’s show – nearly two terabytes – so before going back to the house I start the cooking process to get the files onto my server.
With my next show – King’s Live Lounge, Kirkcaldy – in less than two weeks I knock up a news release and get it out to all the Fife newspaper and radio folks.
It’s pouring rain but I really need a walk. I don the dry robe and wander up the lochside. Although really for getting changed when paddle boarding, the dry robe doubles as a great garment for cold, wet, windy days out! Although they get a bit of bad press, I don’t care.
When I get back I start editing up a song from Saturday for the Wildcats’ livestream later on…problem is it’s all shot in log (which is a good thing) and I need a lot more time to grade the colour properly. I’m out of time as I have a Zoom guitar student then it’s almost straight into the Wildcats’ Facebook live-stream…
WE ALL have a one in and then Margaret makes breakfast.
We eat, chat and drink coffee then I take Helen and Peter across to the bus stop.
Margaret and I go to the hall to dismantle the light and sound gear, tidy up and get everything back to the house. When we get there Will is waiting with the kids…he’s dropping them off to give him and Catriona a few hours off duty.
I’m pretty busy putting gear away and Margaret takes the kids to feed the ducks.
Catriona comes to pick them pop sometime after 5pm then Betty drops by for a coffee. Martyn drops off a drive with all the video footage from last night’s show and we all chat a while.
There’s some lasagne left from last night which we enjoy while watching Billy’s livestream from Florida….
Paul Stewart’s photo almost mimics the graphic on my backdrop!
AS soon as we’re done with breakfast I pack the car with more gear and head to the hall.
I’m loading in when Martyn arrives with a load of camera gear – he’s gonna film the whole show tonight 🙂
It takes me until lunchtime to get the PA and lights rigged and a quick check of all the guitars, mics etc…I spend a little time tweaking the presets on the new Quad Cortex then go back to those for some lunch and to pick up Margaret.
Back at the hall we properly soundcheck and start getting tables and chais rioted. I. between times I go to meet Helen and Peter – Bartok Thins – at the bus stop.
All soundcheck go to plan then we head back to the house for dinner and to prepare to prepare for the shows.
There’s pretty much a full house at the hall for the show and both Bartok Thins and myself have good sets and enjoy great audience reaction.
Unsurprisingly we have a late one when we get back – some grub and a few drinks…although I’m still “aff it”…surprisingly I’m not really missing it!
I HAVE a guitar student first thing then I hit the office to make a batch of badges for tomorrow’s (Saturday) show.
In the studio I finish my rehearsals for the show and catch up on admin stuff, email and my socials.
After lunch we take some stuff along to the hall to ease the pressure a bit tomorrow…we get the backdrop up, lighting stands and some other bits and bobs. Also means the car’s not too heavily packed in the morning!
Back home I continue on the badge production then start getting all the gear sorted ready to be loaded out in the morning…
New pedalboard complete and ready for Saturday’s show…
FIRST job this morning is to get some badges made up to put round the tables at Saturday’s show at Memorial Hall. Eco-friendly wood with engraved centre and dye sub surround.
There’s also some trekking and other flasks to me made up for the march table.
In the studio I rehearse some of my set for Saturday then it’s time to head off to the school in Balloch for a few hours with the kids.
I’m back with just a couple of minutes to spare before my 4pm guitar student arrives. Once done, I go back tot he studio and start putting together the new, compact pedalboard and making the necessary patch cables.
WE’RE off into Glasgow early and Margaret drops me at Milngavie train station.
I get off at Hyndland and take a walk up to Epicure on Hyndland Road for some breakfast. I order a sausage muffin…but there’s some confusion in the kitchen and I end up with a fully loaded breakfast muffin. A happy mistake, especially as I’m only charged for the basic sausage version 🙂
My appointment at the eye hospital isn’t ’til 10.30am so I take a walk round my old stomping ground before making my way to Gartnavel.
There’s the usual long wait and it turns out the uveitis is back in my right eye. Steroids to go in twice a day for a month, once a day for the next month then I’ll go back for another assessment.
It’s a cold but beautiful day and I enjoy the long walk into the city centre.
First stop is Mikaku for a big bowl of ramen…then onto GuitarGuitar to check out the Pedaltrain Metro pedalboard and bag. It looks perfect online, but the bag internal dimensions make it look too shallow for the Quad Cortex.
Reid goes and gets the pedalboard and bag then finds a Quad Cortex. Everything fits perfectly and I secure by bargain for just £65. Much smaller, lighter and more functional than the now retied effects board flight case.
Margaret picks me up to go shopping and we’re home soon after 6pm.
Betty pops round for drink and stays for dinner and we have a nice, long-time-missed off the cuff evening.
THERE’S some stuff to do in the office first thing – and I wanna try some merch ideas – but the old MacBook is playing funny buggers and taking an age to do anything.
I run out of time before I need to go along and help Betty with some stuff then I go and pick up a key for the hall so Martyn and I can go in for a wee video recce this evening,
The morning has gone by in a flash and after lunch I run a ‘cleaning’ app on the MacBook which seems to sort things out. I get my prototype ideas underway then hit the studio.
One of today’s tasks is to tab out (write out in a guitar notation) a song for one of my Zoom students. I generally avoid attempting this as it’s really difficult to notate my style with any degree of accuracy – I prefer to give students the main notes and get them to listen and work on technique for themselves.
I get some way forward using an online tab app then lose all my work. After binning that idea I decided to try using the midi pickup on an electric guitar but I run into all sorts of software issues – I’ve not had to to properly install and update the software on the new Mac mini in the studio. Back to the drawing board.
Suddenly it’s time to go to the hall to meet Martyn and discuss how best to film Saturday’s show…
Back home I make terriyaki chicken for dinner then mess on the guitar until it’s time for my 11.30pm phone interview with Abe Perlestein on his lunchtime radio show outta California.
