How to craft a life

I've just updated the gig calendar on here with three gigs that I'm excited to be playing. First up is the 18th of October in Glasgow at Gambetta with the legendary Evan Greer, the illustrious Roscoe Vacant and the heroic Al Baker. Kicks off at 8pm and is a fiver entry. Very small venue, so you are advised to get down very early and not bring much luggage.

Next up is in Dundee with Robert Sarazin Blake at Drouthy Neebors on Friday the 12th of November. I'm looking forward to seeing Robert again, it's been a good number of years since we last met. Also on this bill is Jinx Lennon (from Ireland) and newPortsound (from Newport). Robert is a fantastic performer with great songs sung with passion.

And then, I've been invited down to Cardiff to play an Oxjam all day festival on Sunday 14th of November at Koko Gorillaz This will be off the hook as the wonderful Ben Marwood (who some of you may have seen at 2000 Trees or supporting Frank Turner in Derby and Kendel) and Oxygen Thief (he who brought the rock via acoustic guitar at the Jim Lockey shows earlier in the year).

If I'm not playing near you (these gigs do span most of the country!), please email and we can sort something out.

In another note, I've had a couple people, and a fair number of Google searches reaching this site, asking about if the band and I are playing at the Glasgow Oxjam festival this year. Truth is, I don' t know yet. Since that busking thing at the Barras market, I've not heard anything either way but if I do, I'll let folk know.

Finally the new EP is still available for you to listen to over at bandcamp. I've also made it possible to buy a copy on CD from that site. It's a lovely package. In the last couple days I've finished a couple new songs that were in an embryonic phase when I recorded the EP, perhaps I'll put them out later on. Or hold them back for the band CD. Two of the songs, "How to craft a life" and "White elephant versus the dragon" are sounding pretty good at the moment.


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Do you hear the bells?

It's Monday 23rd of August, and that means that Seven Songs is out now for your listening enjoyment. When I listen to it, I realise that it isn't perfect (it was never recorded to be perfet), but as a set of songs, I think they are my strongest. Hell, when I play a gig these days, the setlist follows a similar sequence as the new CD, albeit with a couple older songs thrown in at the end.



It is for sale with a sliding scale of £2 upwards (CD will be a fiver), and for that you get the Seven Songs plus a ten page liner booklet (comes as a pdf in the download package). The liner book has full lyrics and notes about the songs and many, many photographs. I'd say it looks quite nice.

And of course, feel free to pass this around if you think your friends may like it.


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Start all over again

The gig in Tonic the other night was pretty good fun, a small audience was left by the time I got up to play. This was good because of the insanely loud backchatter in the pub during all the previous acts - normally I'd try and not play last at an acoustic night in a pub and just get it over with, but this time I reasoned that it would be a more direct audience by the end. This paid off I felt. I played most of the new EP and then a couple of older songs to finish the night, and generally had a good laugh.

The new EP is coming out on Monday through BandCamp, with a shifting price of £2 upwards. For your cash, you will get a digital copy of the EP and a 10 page liner notes and lyrics booklet. Not bad I think. Oh, and the front cover looks like this:

To further entice you in to getting a copy of this EP (some folk I really respect have said it's the best thing I've done, which is strange as I thought they prefered stuff with the band), I've put the track called "The Replacement" up for download. If you like the track, please can you send it around to people as well, or put a link to the download on twitter/facebook etc? I'd be forever grateful :D

And finally, I will be playing a solo gig in Glasgow on the 8th of September at MacSorelys, and using this as a kind of 'launch gig' for the EP. I'll have copies on CD for sale, more than likely for a fiver so I can pay for my bus down. I haven't done a truly solo gig in Glasgow for absolutely ages, so I've got a bit of fear about it. Hopefully some familiar faces come along and we can have a wee drink, some chat, and a good old time.


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Lo-fi tonic.

It's all very quiet here at the moment, waiting on a few confirmations of things coming through for the end of the year. The band and I were going to be going in to a studio in September to record a new CD, but due to work, I'll be spending most of that month in Germany. I'm not sure when we'll get the record out, perhaps February?

Until then, I'm putting together a wee EP of the lo-fi demo's I have done for the album. Again, I don't know when I'll be putting this out, but it'll be before the end of September I'm sure. I'll also try and do a solo launch gig for it in Glasgow around the time. It's sounding very nice, but not in a quality, pristine type way. I'll say more about it next time.

On the gig front, the only confirmed gig I have at the moment is Sunday 15th August at Tonic on the Perth Road in Dundee. It's a free entry gig that kicks off at 9pm. If you are in Dundee, please come along.


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Triumphant

Jesus christ i don't think Full Throttle could have gone better. Throughout what we saw on the Friday and Saturday before we played we were starting to get anxious as to how well it would go. In the hour before we got up to play, people started appearing and telling me they'd caught me last year on the acoustic stage, and were looking forward to it. During our quick line test before playing, a group formed in the tent to listen. We did a verse and chorus of The Replacement, and then retreated to wait for our set time to start. People didn't leave.

Finally we got up, played what might have been our best constructed set for a new audience. More people arrived during our opening sinners, and by the time we got to Daddy fought the law in 3rd place, we had smiles, sing a longs and some dancing. I think our audience peaked around 80 to 100 folk, which might not have been the highest of the weekend, but it was the best kind of audience. Attentive, appreciated and made us feel like a million pounds.

There are so many folk to thank for helping us get to Full Throttle, not least of all Glen from The Steady Boys for booking us (and being very patient with us). However, the biggest thanks from me goes to Tim who stepped up at the last minute to drive us down. Its a very special type of person who will chose to spend a weekend with a bunch of strangers when they are in need. Friends for life i'd say. Also, cheers to Roscoe Vacant who drove the other half of the band down and who did a jaw dropping set through the saturday, with Woody on drums. It was something special. And, of course, thanks to my band for coming along with me.

Indeed, memories are made of things like this.



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Cut up to ribbons and taught how to drive

I'm still trying to work out how it went yesterday. I'm pretty sure I had a bit of fun, and that I enjoyed chatting with friends who came along. And the bus ride was alright too. I just think that I'm not cut up to being a busker, and the Barras market is perhaps not the place to learn this. Ah well, Oxjam raised a bit of money which is what it was all about.

Trying to form some kind of action plan for the next few months. I've had a couple emails through from some fantastic acts who are coming to Scotland to tour. The only date I have confirmed at the moment is the 19th of October with Evan Greer. Yup, he who wrote I Want Something. This has been a hell of a long time coming, so if you do anything while reading this blog, please put it in your diary. I haven't got a venue booked just yet, but hopefully by the end of the week. I'm not sure what form the gig will take, but I do know that it will be utterly amazing even if only Evan Greer plays.

As for the present, the band and I are playing with Gecko on Wednesday at the 13th Note. I think this will be a vastly reduced renegade folk punk band show, and even be another one of the 'me-on-electric-guitar' themed ones.

From looking at the diary, it's the last Glasgow show till the Evan Greer one (if we even play that one), so if you want to hear our songs, come along and give it a good send-off. We'll be main support and on around 10pm and it's £4 on the door. Then it's Full Throttle Festival on Saturday, we're on the main stage at 5.30pm.


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Doon the Barras, for real!

I played last night at Tonic in Dundee, it was pretty good fun. Your typical pub-does-acoustic-night affair. Went on stage around 10pm after watching Spain with the world cup (which was good) and played a mix of songs. For the first time in ages I tried Midnight Walks, it felt good, so perhaps I'll start playing it more. I've also been booked to play at Tonic again on the 15th of August, I'll maybe speak with my band about perhaps bringing them along.

I posted on twitter and Facebook last night that I am playing The Barras on Saturday. Well, I am not lying. As part of Oxjam's fundraising activities for the Takeover in October (as yet, I don't know if I'm playing as part of this) I'll be spending some time playing some songs at The Barras market. The historic, and number one of my goals before I die to play, gig venue is The Barrowland Ballroom. 

Pedantics aside, if you want to come along and make this more of a gig, please feel free. I'll keep people up to date through twitter and facebook as to where and when my spot will be, in my head I'd love it if it was a wee group of us all having fun in between bemused bargain hunters buying sports socks (two for a pound). Would make a good video.Does anyone have a camcorder?

Other than that, the next gig that I will be playing with the band is Wednesday 21st of July at 13th Note supporting the sublime Gecko from Bristol. Then we're off to Full Throttle Festival in Durham where we'll be on the main stage on Saturday 25th July at 5.30pm, I've heard this is almost sold out, so check the website if you are still wanting tickets.

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