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Current mood:  happy
Hello! It’s been too long, I promise to do better! I have a new mid-year resolution to write more blogs so hopefully a few more will be forthcoming!
The Loss of Milo
It is only right that I start with the news that Milo Bird has decided to leave these shores and go travelling for at least a year. So it is with deep regret that I have to embark on a musical life beyond Milo and rebuild a new band line-up without him.
Milo has not only been an extraordinary cellist who plays his instrument in such a fantastic manner, but through his sensitive treatment of my songs and his ability to embellish upon even the most basic of ideas, he has been a great creative influence. I think the whole band will miss his calm, likeable and somewhat mildly weird personality around the place and I know we have shared some great musical experiences.
He will be playing with us on Wed 8th July (The Fly) and Tue 28th July (The Troubadour) before making his final appearance at The Bedford on Tue 18th August. If you want to see him perform with us one more time, make sure you catch one of these shows!
The Future Band Line-Up and the Desire For a Second Album
Even before Milo’s announcement I had been thinking about how the band should evolve in terms of band members and instruments. Whilst he would naturally have been a part of that, it means I now have a big change and a big challenge ahead of me. While labels, radio stations and booking agents are approached in the background the only certain thing I have the potential to control is the creation of the songs and how they are played.
I think about 3 days after the completion of Until The Morning Light I was thinking about the next album. I would never want to create a UTML Mk II so I suppose it’s natural to think about the sound and any potential change in style or instrumentation.
When you start thinking about trying to find the right band member you realise there are many considerations – what they play, their personality, where they live, are they full-time/part-time musicians? (If you think you are well-suited – get in touch....)
The Passion of Creation
You tend to go through phases of when you are really enjoying rehearsals and gigs and when you are a little jaded but the one thing I never lose is the drive to write music. The idea of attending lots of gigs in addition to all this can sometimes feel a bit like overkill, but I had a superhuman effort last week and after my Monday gig at the 12 Bar I went on to watch other artists play on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. I was rewarded not only with some good live music but the visible passion when you see artists perform new songs.
One of the artists that seem to have been teetering on the brink of obscurity and stardom for a long time is Nerina Pallot. Her gigs over the years have varied in terms of standard and line-up but she keeps writing great songs and gave a fantastic performance on Wednesday at Scala. Someone of comparable natural ability who has gone back to cutting her teeth as a solo artist on the London circuit is Julia Johnson. Currently just playing alone at a piano she is writing some incredible music and has got that spark back. She is creating great songs and as ever has excellent delivery and thought provoking lyrics.
The Circuit Is Full of Rich Kids
From the time when I first started playing the London circuit many moons ago, to the present day, there have been many constants. Soundchecks are still late, musicians’ egos are still large and venue walls are still graffiti’d. Venues have always changed hands and promoters have always come and gone but the new people have always seemed similar to the old.
So what’s changed? Well over recent years it has struck me that most of the people in their late twenties/thirties – especially the solo artists – all seem to be fairly affluent with either rich parents or a big bank account covering all the gigging/promotional/touring costs.
Now this observation is not part of some socialist political monologue (some of my biggest musical friends have a fair few pounds in the bank) but it makes me sad to think of all those that are missing. Many will have had to turn their back on their dreams, faced the fact that making music break even only comes with wedding bands, successfully playing lots of sessions for others and/or achieving a high level of success as an artist.
It is true many of these people will not have deserved to ‘make it’ and many will have just been along for the ride and have a few memorable nights – but among these will be people whose incredible talent and songs won’t be heard.
I have often looked at people and wondered how they logistically manage to do what they do. Another artist (which many of you may know) who is in a similar musical situation to myself in terms of progression and the stage we are at, contacted me a few months ago and said ‘how do you manage to pay for the rehearsals, the band costs and the other gig costs?’. ‘I don’t really’ was my reply, ‘it’s a completely unsustainable situation.’ You could hear his heart sinking at the other end of the phone, he wanted what I had wanted months before – someone to simply tell you a magic formula so that the logistical and financial stuff can just go away and you can be left to think about creating and playing music.
DWM SongPoint
Speaking of creation, here are some amazing songs that have really hit a chord with me.
Samson – Regina Spektor
Who Will Sing Me Lullabies – Kate Rusby
Awkward Annie – Kate Rusby
Poor Man’s Heaven – Seth Lakeman
Flavor – Tori Amos
Self Help (live) – Julia Johnson
Gold – Jamie Scott & The Town
Two thorns amongst many roses in this selection. I know some of you take the time to listen to the inspiring songs that are on my playlist. You should be able to hear these on Spotify with the exception of Julia’s at http://www.myspace.com/juliajohnsonmusic (I think) and maybe Jamie Scott’s (his is definitely on his myspace page ....). These would be 25 minutes well spent in my eyes.
Holiday then Many Shows
It’s 1.53am. I am finally getting to take a little break and go on holiday for a week – a much much needed recharge – and then after that I have a very busy couple of months with many different shows. I am trying to get this blog posted before I go away and then I just have to pack and then get some sleep before getting up at 7am to make an airport run.
So with that mind, please let me go now! Keep an eye out for the new shows and stay in touch!
Cheers!
DWM
4:49 PM
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