1..2…3…8

It took the combined efforts of two friends (Wild Night In and Swish Themes – check them out, go go go!) to persuade me to start blogging. Well, I say combined effort. To be honest, it was more along the lines of two unconnected friends of mine casually mentioning over dinner, coffee or whatever it was that I should set up a blog. So far, it’s all been very music orientated, but I think it may well be more interesting (for me, if not for anyone reading) if I  expand things slightly. So…here goes.

The other day, I was having a drink with my lovely friend Cat – the aforementioned Wild Night In. It’s strange – we’ve known each other for a long time (blimey, almost 15 years now!) but have never really had corresponding likes and interests. Somewhere along the ay, we both seem to have become interested in folk arts, hooping, blogging…just a few things here and there.  So, whilst sitting in the pub we decided to write down “to do” list. The deadline? A year from now.

Some (lose a stone, learn to hoop, run 10k,) are health related. Not that there’s any urgency (as far as I know, and touch wood there won’t be) – just a want to be more healthy.

Others involve learning new skills (go on a jewellery making course, learn to play the accordion…and again, learn to hoop!). Then there’s my wish to travel a bit – I’ve set myself the small target of 3 weekend trips abroad – just so I can see a bit more of the world on my own terms. I suppose wanting to broaden my horizons a bit more. It’s funny how a hobby can become a profession, and when you take education out of the picture it becomes apparent that your profession and hobby are all one thing. So – accordion aside – I thought I might find a hobby that’s not music. My jewellery making attempts have been fairly basic so far, but I now have a box full of beads and I’d quite like to do something with them….

And then there’s the ‘professional’ one. I’ll keep that quiet for now – I’m still waiting on my results from my Masters dissertation and don’t want to jinx anything, but I want to build on the research I’ve done for my dissertation and…follow a few things up. More on that another time though.

So there we have it. 7 goals, 1 year. Aside from that I want to discover some new music and really, really get to know some other genres. Again, a professional goal as much as a personal one. So, 8 goals.

And probably still counting…

I realise now there’s been barely any point to this blog. It’s all a bit self-indulgent really, but I suppose putting it all in writing, and then publishing that writing on the internet in a place where some people might read it has the potential to motivate me a little bit more and maybe, hopefully give me the extra incentive to get myself into gear and, step by step achieve my goals.

Now. I’ll stop boring you and – for those of you who’ve made it this far – here’s a video. I had one of those amazing moments when I remember how fantastic a singer Ella Fitzgerald was today. It’d be rude not to share the joy.

 

The Other Tribe: my gig a week challenge begins…

I’m not entirely sure what happened last night.

Well, that’s not exactly true. I know exactly what happened last night – I got on a train to Guildford, walked to The Boileroom (definitely didn’t get lost along the way…) and prepared myself to see Bristol-based band  The Other Tribe. I’ve been meaning to catch them for some time – an old friend plays with the band, I’ve liked what I’d heard so far but hadn’t managed to make it to a gig yet.

I won’t admit to knowing much about dance or electronic music (something which I intend to change – feel free to send me any recommendations!) but these guys are definitely something special. Tribal instrument and beat samples, live percussion, ridiculously catchy hooks make for a sound that’s both instantly recognizable as their own and ridiculously addictive. Quite rightly, they’ve earned themselves a place on Radio 1’s B List – and that’s just the start.

Last night I overheard someone at the bar say “I’m a pop person through and through, but I really like these guys. They’re sort of tribal… melodic… dancey… brilliant”.  Couldn’t have put it better myself.

Go, go go. Buy their single (out on the 30th September).  Go and see them live.  These guys are about to become absolutely massive. I’m definitely a convert…. #jointhetribe.

 

 

What next..?

After a trip to Towersey Village Festival, I’ve been thinking what to do next with this blog. As is glaringly obvious, my updating has been sporadic to say the least and it’s often hard to find the right thing to blog about.

Therefore, to give myself some structure for this blog I will be attempting to attend at least one gig per week – something to talk/blog about. I already have a few gigs in the diary of bands I’ve seen over the festival season I want to keep up with, but hopefully the weeks in between will be new discoveries, recommendations and perhaps people I might not have heard of before.

Let’s see how it goes….

As for Towersey: my personal highlights* were Bellowhead, who included some new songs from their forthcoming album “Broadside” in their set; David Gibb & Elly Lucas, whose song “Old Chairs To Mend” I chose as my song for the week on This Is My Jam and Northern Irish winners of the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, Ioscaid. I’m still kicking myself for not buying their EP whilst I was there….

*Of course, there were many, many more fantastic acts…these were just the first three that sprung to mind…

I’m off to Sidmouth!

Despite my promises in my previous post, I’ve neglected my blog. Again. However, good news! In an hour or so, I’ll be off to Sidmouth Folkweek for a week of ceilidhs, gigs, more ceilidhs and general merriment.  Since I’m currently mid-dissertation (and stay tuned for a mildly more serious post on that comment soon…) I will be ‘dissertation-ing’, so to speak, in the mornings…  Aaaand polka…