Back with the gigs again!
I let myself down a little bit with this one at the Wharf Bar. I really wanted to play some of my new songs but if I'm honest I hadn't practiced my set anywhere near enough this week. All I could do therefore was to fall back on my usual material...
Kicked off with Bitterness, which is never a bad idea. There were quite a few people in the Wharf tonight who I'd never seen before and I think they were taken by surprise by the acoustic guy opening the show with a spiteful rock song! I got a nice big round of applause for that one. Didn't do the fast strums too well, which I put down to the fact that I'd had very little time to warm my hands up, but other than that OK.
I was going to do Girl's Names straight after that but then I remembered that they're in the same key and move more or less at the same speed which is never a good idea, so I went ahead and played Get Out Of My Head instead. This actually went down quite well; it can be a bit hit and miss but I think it's a good song and I reckon the greater majority of the audience thought that as well.
Then I introduced myself and did Wide Open Space by Mansun. Not sure how well this one went. Better than last time, and a lot of the audience were about the right age to recognise it, but it was as though most of them couldn't understand why I was playing a song like that in the middle of my own stuff. I might break that one out at a longer gig but for now I'll think I'll put that one to bed, (as though I ever repeat any of my covers in the same venue...)
Next was Dear Mr Manager. To be honest I think I chose the wrong gig for this song, it was a 'younger' audience and less likely to be appreciative of my speculating how badly working in retail could have ended for me. Plus it's a quiet song and a huge shift in dynamic, which had an effect on the rest of the set. Still, I played it without mucking it up, which isn't common...
THEN I played Girl's Names. I think I played this one OK, but one of the guys in the audience who's seen me before told me that this particular song lacked my usual energy. I don't know about that, but again after Dear Mr Manager it's a massive shift in dynamic which for a gig that small probably doesn't work all that well. Actually, now that I think about it, I've been playing that song for so long now that there's a certain level of familiarity to it to the point where I felt myself switching off when I'm playing it. That's not good...
Ended up with We Will Survive, there was only really one song I was going to end with! I think by then the novelty of the acousitic guy singing rock songs had worn off and the crowd were looking to get some bands on, but hey, this song rarely goes down badly and tonight was no exception. It was as good as could be expected!
So then we bailed out early (not being funny but a 4-band show was supposed to end at 10:20, one of the bands didn't turn up and the last band were still setting up at 10:40,) and journeyed up to Codsall for Sam's birthday party. What I didn't expect was for Sam to have set up a stage at the back of a huge garden for an impromtu gig. And, as so often happens, I got called up to do a slot... and Kayla asking me to play Get Out Of My Head by describing the lyrics to me was, I have to admit, a surreal experience!
I'm not going to go song by song here, this was a desperate attempt to recall some happy/party songs. I kicked off with A Little Respect by Erasure/Wheatus, which never fails to raise a smile and got people dancing which is all good! Then I played Summer of '69, you cannot go wrong with that! 500 Miles by The Proclaimers was next; an impromptu decision and helped out with the words by Sam and Dave, but if ever a party's going flat, all you've got to do is play that song and you're away. I finished up with Hotel Yorba by The White Stripes. Of course it wasn't until I got off the stage that I remembered I could have done Word Up, or On A Day Like This... but hey, there's always next time, right?
Sunday 27 March 2011
Saturday 19 March 2011
Open Mic at the Woodman 18/3/2011
Few are the times that I don't have something to say for myself these days...
Capos are funny things. Considering it's as simple as putting an extra nut on to the guitar so you can play higher notes, it's astonishing how you can come to rely on them, not only as a tool to keep your voice level with the music, but also as a songwriting aid, as sometimes chords sound more melodically suggestive when played higher up the neck. You also come to rely on them to always be in your guitar case, and it's a bit of a let down when you get three quarters of the way to Codsall before you remember that, actually, no, it's in your OTHER guitar case, and you've got to go ahead and do an acoustic gig without your capo. Well done. Sometimes I wonder how seriously I'm taking all of this...
Now there were plenty of people at The Woodman tonight who would happily have lent me a capo but I had a bee in my bonnet and thought no, if I can't even bring a capo to a night like this then I need to face the consequences. So I founf myself playing a load of songs that I hadn't played for a while, some for literally years, that I can do without the capo. I kicked off with Just The Way I'm Feeling by Feeder, and I found it quite startling considering that they're my favourite band that I couldn't remember what order the lyrics appear! I don't think it particularly matters with that song as they all sound near enough the same anyway, and Sam's Mom was singing along to it so that was cool!
Next I played Epiphany by Staind, I haven't played that for almost a year since the gig at the City Tavern in Birmingham. As I was trying to sing it I was struck by how low it actually is, I can barely manage it. As this isn't one of the band's singles, as far as I know, nobody really knew it, but it's the only one I can really manage because if I'm going to do Outside I really need to be in Eflat tuning. All things considered, I played it quite well, though I won't be too quick to put it in any future set lists...
After explaining the situation with my capo to quite a large audience, I launched in to the only one of my songs that I don't really need it for - Get Out Of My Head. For some reason I was a lot less accurate with the plectrum than I normally am, although this may be because that was the first time I'd played it in the week it's been since the last time I played one of Sam's open nights. Nonetheless I was pleased with my performance, I can put quite a bit of drama in to that song which is probably why I like playing it so much!
Last, I went for a performance of Walking On The Sun by Smash Mouth. I like playing that song so I play it to myself sometimes but it's been some months since I last played it at a live show; whether there were enough '90s kids' in the room to know the song I don't know but Sam came up to me afterwards and said it was really good and that he hadn't heard it for ages. I think I'll be keeping that one as an emergency trump card in the future!
It was nice hanging around with Elliot, Kayla and Mike afterwards as well, Sam's open nights always attract a really nice crowd. Looking forward to the next one!
Capos are funny things. Considering it's as simple as putting an extra nut on to the guitar so you can play higher notes, it's astonishing how you can come to rely on them, not only as a tool to keep your voice level with the music, but also as a songwriting aid, as sometimes chords sound more melodically suggestive when played higher up the neck. You also come to rely on them to always be in your guitar case, and it's a bit of a let down when you get three quarters of the way to Codsall before you remember that, actually, no, it's in your OTHER guitar case, and you've got to go ahead and do an acoustic gig without your capo. Well done. Sometimes I wonder how seriously I'm taking all of this...
Now there were plenty of people at The Woodman tonight who would happily have lent me a capo but I had a bee in my bonnet and thought no, if I can't even bring a capo to a night like this then I need to face the consequences. So I founf myself playing a load of songs that I hadn't played for a while, some for literally years, that I can do without the capo. I kicked off with Just The Way I'm Feeling by Feeder, and I found it quite startling considering that they're my favourite band that I couldn't remember what order the lyrics appear! I don't think it particularly matters with that song as they all sound near enough the same anyway, and Sam's Mom was singing along to it so that was cool!
Next I played Epiphany by Staind, I haven't played that for almost a year since the gig at the City Tavern in Birmingham. As I was trying to sing it I was struck by how low it actually is, I can barely manage it. As this isn't one of the band's singles, as far as I know, nobody really knew it, but it's the only one I can really manage because if I'm going to do Outside I really need to be in Eflat tuning. All things considered, I played it quite well, though I won't be too quick to put it in any future set lists...
After explaining the situation with my capo to quite a large audience, I launched in to the only one of my songs that I don't really need it for - Get Out Of My Head. For some reason I was a lot less accurate with the plectrum than I normally am, although this may be because that was the first time I'd played it in the week it's been since the last time I played one of Sam's open nights. Nonetheless I was pleased with my performance, I can put quite a bit of drama in to that song which is probably why I like playing it so much!
Last, I went for a performance of Walking On The Sun by Smash Mouth. I like playing that song so I play it to myself sometimes but it's been some months since I last played it at a live show; whether there were enough '90s kids' in the room to know the song I don't know but Sam came up to me afterwards and said it was really good and that he hadn't heard it for ages. I think I'll be keeping that one as an emergency trump card in the future!
It was nice hanging around with Elliot, Kayla and Mike afterwards as well, Sam's open nights always attract a really nice crowd. Looking forward to the next one!
Thursday 10 March 2011
Open Mic Night at the Rainbow, Coven, 9/3/2011
This is another of Sam Draisey's open nights, moved from The Harrow to this rather modern-looking bar. It was also an interesting one for me, as I had to play through illness for the first time...
This being a new place and the fact that I STILL haven't practiced my new songs enough to play them live, at least not after that mess with Dear Mr Manager, I decided to stick to the songs I knew tonight. I haven't forgotten the benefits of starting with a fast one though, and kicked off with We Will Survive. This is usually my set closer but not one I'd necessarily play at an open night these days, having written better songs in the 3 years it's been since I first wrote that one. I played it OK although I messed up a couple of the chords, having said that playing a F when you should be playing a Dm7 isn't the end of the world and as long as you keep singing I guess you get away with it.
Then I played Girl's Names, and this is where I started to notice that coming to play tonight was a bit of a misplaced idea. Having not eaten very well over the last few days my innards weren't functioning at their best and I cut some of the vocal notes short, due to the very real possibility that I was going to be sick. This didn't happen, thankfully, and in all other respects I played the song quite well.
I then explained to the audience that, even though I do give up chocolate, coke and takeaways for Lent, for me the celebration that we might call Mardi Gras goes on for about the week running up to it. Therefore, having spent much of the last few days eating very little else, my stomach wasn't working very well, and now might be a good time to chill out for a bit lest my set be cut short by an emergency trip to the bathroom. Whether anyone other than the 4 people stood at the front gave a monkeys I don't know, but thankfully it's not hard to do with my set with the correct application of a little song called Get Out Of My Head. Couldn't have played that one at a better time for this particular night!
So after a set like that, there was only one thing I could end it with, and that of course was Bitterness. From the way this has gone the last few times that I've played it, I think I can safely conclude that a thinner plectrum makes all the difference! It's the best I've played it for a while; the whole set went down as well as could be expected I suppose, not amazing, but hardly my worst.
So, will I be back? Almost certainly yes, though not for a while, I need to hit Walsall next week and give myself some time to rehearse those songs I've been banging on about for the last couple of months...
This being a new place and the fact that I STILL haven't practiced my new songs enough to play them live, at least not after that mess with Dear Mr Manager, I decided to stick to the songs I knew tonight. I haven't forgotten the benefits of starting with a fast one though, and kicked off with We Will Survive. This is usually my set closer but not one I'd necessarily play at an open night these days, having written better songs in the 3 years it's been since I first wrote that one. I played it OK although I messed up a couple of the chords, having said that playing a F when you should be playing a Dm7 isn't the end of the world and as long as you keep singing I guess you get away with it.
Then I played Girl's Names, and this is where I started to notice that coming to play tonight was a bit of a misplaced idea. Having not eaten very well over the last few days my innards weren't functioning at their best and I cut some of the vocal notes short, due to the very real possibility that I was going to be sick. This didn't happen, thankfully, and in all other respects I played the song quite well.
I then explained to the audience that, even though I do give up chocolate, coke and takeaways for Lent, for me the celebration that we might call Mardi Gras goes on for about the week running up to it. Therefore, having spent much of the last few days eating very little else, my stomach wasn't working very well, and now might be a good time to chill out for a bit lest my set be cut short by an emergency trip to the bathroom. Whether anyone other than the 4 people stood at the front gave a monkeys I don't know, but thankfully it's not hard to do with my set with the correct application of a little song called Get Out Of My Head. Couldn't have played that one at a better time for this particular night!
So after a set like that, there was only one thing I could end it with, and that of course was Bitterness. From the way this has gone the last few times that I've played it, I think I can safely conclude that a thinner plectrum makes all the difference! It's the best I've played it for a while; the whole set went down as well as could be expected I suppose, not amazing, but hardly my worst.
So, will I be back? Almost certainly yes, though not for a while, I need to hit Walsall next week and give myself some time to rehearse those songs I've been banging on about for the last couple of months...
Wednesday 2 March 2011
Katies Jam Sessions, 2/3/2011
Tonight, this was more of a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that I hadn't done a gig so far this week, and with Sam not doing the open nights this week, Katies was all I had left. Still, that doesn't mean that I didn't get anything out of it...
I ended up jamming with LC and Rob, always a pleasure. LC kicked the first one off with a funky bass line, which I followed with some choppy-choppy barre chords. Holding the chords together with LC's bass line was simple enough, but I think it's a testament to how long it's been since I've jammed properly on guitar that I kept losing my notes every time I tried to put a bit of lead work in there. I can do it on bass but for some reason not on guitar, it's something I think I should work at but then again I usually end up playing bass at this sort of thing anyway.
Next, inspired by Matt from The Fakes at band practice tonight, we had a go at She Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd. Considering I've never really played it in Eflat tuning before, and LC and Rob had never played it before at all as far as I know, we actually did quite well. I clocked a few reactions from some of the younger guys in the room tonight; it's the same with anybody over the age of 25, play them a song they grew up with and they will love it no matter how good or bad you play.
I led the next jam, this time with a funky but heavy riff. LC followed it well but what made this one interesting was the fact that I kept modulating it up a key. The riff usually remained the same so it wasn't too hard to follow but it keeps you on your toes. I enjoyed the breakdown part at the end of it!
I guess what I need to keep in mind about nights like this is that I'm always going to be playing with people who are better - or at least, do things differently - to me. I'll never be wasting my time playing with LC and Rob, and it's going to improve my playing a lot playing with some different people to the usual crowd (which, in the general context of guitar, is exclusively the Fakes these days.)
So thanks to LC for putting that on, I might be down there with Perception at the end of the month, you never know...
I ended up jamming with LC and Rob, always a pleasure. LC kicked the first one off with a funky bass line, which I followed with some choppy-choppy barre chords. Holding the chords together with LC's bass line was simple enough, but I think it's a testament to how long it's been since I've jammed properly on guitar that I kept losing my notes every time I tried to put a bit of lead work in there. I can do it on bass but for some reason not on guitar, it's something I think I should work at but then again I usually end up playing bass at this sort of thing anyway.
Next, inspired by Matt from The Fakes at band practice tonight, we had a go at She Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd. Considering I've never really played it in Eflat tuning before, and LC and Rob had never played it before at all as far as I know, we actually did quite well. I clocked a few reactions from some of the younger guys in the room tonight; it's the same with anybody over the age of 25, play them a song they grew up with and they will love it no matter how good or bad you play.
I led the next jam, this time with a funky but heavy riff. LC followed it well but what made this one interesting was the fact that I kept modulating it up a key. The riff usually remained the same so it wasn't too hard to follow but it keeps you on your toes. I enjoyed the breakdown part at the end of it!
I guess what I need to keep in mind about nights like this is that I'm always going to be playing with people who are better - or at least, do things differently - to me. I'll never be wasting my time playing with LC and Rob, and it's going to improve my playing a lot playing with some different people to the usual crowd (which, in the general context of guitar, is exclusively the Fakes these days.)
So thanks to LC for putting that on, I might be down there with Perception at the end of the month, you never know...
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