Click above to watch the video for Glasgow Blues Players…visit the website here.
I MANAGE to get a few things done before breakfast so that after my fruit, yogurt and porridge I can go straight across to the studio.
The guitar part of a new song idea I’ve been working on is coming together and almost ready for some melody/lyric stuff, but I need to work out a format/structure.
Once I’ve settled on the riffs, I record them in ProTools thinking that I could cut the guitar part up into samples and the it into Ableton Live (my trial version). That’d kill two birds with one stone – let me mess around with structure/arrangement ideas and help me get my head round Ableton Live with a proper project.
The Mac in the studio is too old to run Ableton, so it’s running on the laptop in the office. I swap locations and mess about for a while, but I don;t really know what I’m doing. This is going to be harder than I expected. No surprise there.
After lunch I embark on the first lot of paperwork from the lawyers in the USA for my O-1 visa application. The sooner I get this all underway the better.
There’s a couple of PRS for Music members’ fund visits to set up for next month, so I get that struck off the to-do list too.
The sun’s still shining late afternoon so I go for a walk up the lochside and livestream to my Facebook page and profile. Kirk from the Glasgow Blues Players website has uploaded the video he made when he visited at the weekend, so I share that about a bit.
I stop in at Betty and Joe’s on the way back then get on with some mailing list stuff for the local community trust.
It’s late when I start cooking dinner..and it turns out disaster! One of the worst meals I’ve made. Rather than sticking to the tried and tested airfryer tofu we’ve enjoyed over the last few weeks I decide to try my own method. It didn’t work.
Ah well, it’s still edible…just not enjoyable. A beer helps.
Krik and I hit the lochside for some chat, pix and filming. Photo: Kirk Lothian/Glasgow Blues Players
LOOKS like a nice day.
After breakfast I tidy the studio and try and set things up to be conducive to my intended routine of spending an hour every morning – right after breakfast – to play guitar and work on new ideas.
For too long songwriting and playing have been in the lower reaches of my priority list and only reached later in the day or evening when I’m usually burnt out,
Kirk – who runs the excellent Glasgow Blues Players website – is coming to visit and rolls up early afternoon. We talk music, photography, video, social media and all sorts over coffee then he spends some time shooting some interview footage and taking some pix.
The afternoon flies past and soon it’s time for a final coffee before he hits the road.
I spend some time messing with beats in Ableton Live then go back tot he house for dinner.
I’m aware that, as na artist, I’ve never really got behind Spotify – and the other streaming services – so resolve to fix that and spend some time researching ‘best practice’. I really need to focus on building my Spotify followers and making better use of the platform…I begin by spreading this link.
FEELING a bit ropey this morning..no hangover – more my balance is all funny and I’m a bit dizzy.
A shower and breakfast later I’m still feeling odd, but no time to worry about that ‘cos all the gear needs sorted for tonight’s show in Edinburgh.
I get some more bits and bobs done and have the decks cleared in time for a phoner interview with Cara for an upcoming feature in fRoots magazine. We chat for a good hour or so then we hit the road to Edinburgh.
First stop is Les’s flat to drop off our bags and take her with us to the Voodoo Rooms. We’re all loaded ina nd ready in time for my 6pm soundcheck with engineer Keith.
We have some grub – ace burgers all round – then Mark who runs a Lothian events page arrives to do a wee video interview…see his page and the video here.
My photographer pal Jim, who I haven’t seen for 20 years has been in touch to see if he could take some pix. There’s time for a quick catch up before I hit the stage for the first of my two 45-minute sets.
There’s a good crowd in. Don’t think we’ve ever sold so many advance tickets for an Edinburgh show and by the time I start my second set the whisky’s flowing.
After the show there’s time to chat with folks round the merch table and catch up with some pals who’re out for the show.
We’re back at Les’s flat by midnight – eating and drinking red wine. Maybe gonna regret all this in the morning…but it’s fun!
