2017 in review

It’s only a couple of weeks old, so it’s probably harsh to try reviewing 2017 already, but I know there are a couple of things coming up I wanted to muse on, so here goes.

[tl:dr Reflections on stuff that’s coming up, a couple of name drops and a quick delve through recent events. Normal service continues sometime soonish.]

Advertisement

Love Your Neighbour in Walsall

I’m playing a gig in a couple of weeks in Walsall Town Centre. It’s only a short appearance on a stage I’m happy to share with a whole host of local performers, speakers and dignitaries. Love Your Neighbour is an initiative started in Birmingham and spreading across the country.

It would be great to see a whole crowd of people supporting their local community.

Chip off the old block

This evening the Doorknobs played another charitable gig in aid of the Aldridge Church Centre building fund, and St James’ Church Mere Green.

My role in these affairs is basically to sit at the back of the band on piano, fulfilling the time-honoured position of chord monkey (assistant chord monkey if a guitarist is present) and filling in with blistering improvisation if there are gaps to fill.

A week of achievements

In the last ten days, I’ve had a run of extremely positive moments. Since this blog exists partly to document my ego, I thought I’d pull them together and see what they all looked like in order. It started on Saturday July 4th…

tl:dr I did lots of brilliant stuff. Aren’t I epic?

Open Dischord

I love playing live music, and Dischord has been a great way to enjoy this vice with little time commitment. The entire premise of the band is that we simply roll up on the day and improvise. We’re comfortable enough to mess about and we “win” by making beautiful music.

Dischord’s next gig is this coming Sunday 20th July in the Bandstand at Walsall Arboretum, and we’re throwing the doors wide open. Do you play an instrument well enough to jam in public? Pop down and give it a throw. We won’t judge you, (although the audience might!) and you might find it’s something you enjoy. There’s a Facebook event page and everything.

Even if you don’t want to play, please do come down and have a listen. We’ll be playing laid back music from 2 til 4(ish) for anyone who walks past.

The Sow and Pigs. It’s not unusual.

Dischord are playing a gig tomorrow night, at the Sow and Pigs in West Bromwich.

More details can be found on the Facebook Event page or you could just come along at half eight, get yourself a beer, sit back and enjoy yourselves.

It would be great to see folks there. We have even found a drummer for the occasion. It should be great fun, and entirely devoid of septuagenarian Welsh singing legends on swivel chairs comparing our singing to long-dead and/or eccentric people he worked with a long time ago. Sorry, Tom, but we play by our rules.

Rule One: Make it up.

Rule Two: Make it good.

Back on the road

This week sees a return to form. On Thursday, Andy Arnold and I are playing as Dischord in Lichfield.

We’re getting the band back together.

I’m in a band again. It’s not the usual, in fact far from it. There’s two of us, and the first thing we did as a band was to split up. Now we’re putting the band back together and going on the road.

Selling Up

In 1997 I persuaded my Dad to let me spend the inheritance I was due to receive the following year. I blew the lot (not a huge amount, but enough at the time) on a brand new synthesiser. It was a Roland XP-10, and I’ve used it ever since.

Shameless Promotion

I love the Blues. I love the feel, the sound and the raw emotion.

I also love playing the Blues, and last year I played with the Grey Goose Blues Band. It was immense fun and I was very sorry to have to knock my participation on the head.

However, I still try to keep up with their latest movements. They played at the Chuckery Festival in Walsall Arboretum, and they’ve played a couple of gigs at the White Lion that I’ve been able to get to.

Today, I discovered they’re on Bandcamp, advertising their 2012 album “Beat the Devil out of me” which you can buy and download. Go and have a listen on the site. There’s some magic in that music.

(You won’t find me listed in the credits. Recording finished on this before I joined. Can’t wait to hear their next offering.)