Recording tunes, re-writing scripts and generally feeling quite excitable

It's been a slightly manic week and a bit, but my to-list suddenly feels much more manageable. After a busy weekend in which we had our Edinburgh Fringe fundraiser quiz (note to self: I could never be a quiz show host), played a couple gigs and re-wrote the Edinburgh shows, I spent two evenings recording with The Trevor Jones Band. It was a nice session, we were at Half Ton Studios (I seem to have spent a lot of time there this year), this time with the incredibly talented and remarkably patient Matty Moon behind the desk, and the purpose was purely to demo four previously unrecorded tracks for Trev's management. The songs were recorded virtually live in three takes, with additional guitar and backing vocals added on top, and they sound lovely already. The legendary Alister Bunclark has since added piano, and his contributions alone just remind me that I NEED to be in a band again with this genius. Not sure if these songs will ever be officially released, but I think they'll be put on Soundcloud at least and have certainly fulfilled their purpose of us having a good record of the full band in full swing.

After that I was back in fringe rehearsals. These feel like pivotal sessions; just getting the scripts perfect before all the learning and direction kicks in. Happy to report that the new Oscar Pike script is now a bit of a treat, after a few somewhat worrying earlier drafts, and we're all quite excited about it. Our other show, Probably The Greatest Goal Ever Scored (And Other Tales) is also going to rock (in a theatrical kinda way) because Michelle Golder is directing and she's just full of ideas. I'm really quite pumped about both shows now, in fact I haven't been this confident about my writing in years...which is probably why I'm writing like a madman at the moment. Currently finishing the script for an alternative musical (called 'Lorry Day' - can't help but feel somehow this could be one for Dowsing For Sound but logistically I just don't think it could happen), as well as working on a new play called 'Mr Honesty' and a film script about the obsession with the need to fall in love called 'The Gabby Factor.' My debut novel, 'Big Hopes In Little Winhaven' is now with a proof reader, it was hard to finally let someone else see it, but I've had it and been tinkering with it constantly since September and I have to hand it over at some point...

Band-wise things feel really positive, the session with the Dowsing For Sound band on Friday night was nothing short of remarkable. The gig at The Corn Exchange in Cambridge is less than a month away and it's going to be huge - biggest night of my drumming career I think. It's not just the size of the venue (played there a couple times before), or the size of the choir (drummed with them a couple times before), but just the size and depth of the project itself. On Friday we were focusing on a brilliantly complex piece of world music (I think it was originally by the Afro Celt Sound System), a free-fall jazz track, a beautiful and punchy rendition of 'Beautiful Child' by Rufus Wainwright and our big set finale, which I'll keep secret for now. The addition of Richard on trumpet is another masterstroke by Andrea, and between all of us (Andrea, Nicky, Gav, Sammy, Richard and myself) we are making wonderful sounds. We're back with the choir next week as rehearsals with both the singers and band kick in ahead of the gig, it's really something rather special. I said the whole 'this will be special' thing ahead of the first gig last year, but that looks like nothing compared to what we're creating this time around. Dowsing For Sound has gone up a gear or three, yet I couldn't have predicted where those gears could have come from. It is an honour and a privilege to be involved with something as good as this; I need to be challenged sometimes and this project certainly does that, yet above all I'm just completely in awe of the talents of those around me. The gig is on June 16th, I don't normally like to advertise gigs on here (I save that for emails and my website) but you really would be an idiot if you didn't attend this one.

I turn 31 on Thursday and I feel like I'm really hitting my creative peak (although as the lovely Cathy said to me yesterday afternoon whilst we were walking a guide dog puppy, 'how do you know it's your peak?' - she has a point I guess). Both musically (Dowsing, British IBM, Flaming June, Trevor Jones Band and also the forthcoming return of Eureka Stockade) and as a writer (the Edinburgh shows, the novel) I'm finally starting to get things right. My attitude seems to be better as well, for example a former band of mine has just started recording their album in a huge world famous studio having been signed on a fairly big record deal - yet I'm not even bitter, or annoyed that I left them. Because I'm starting to realise the less I chase anything that resembles commercial success, the more I seem to enjoy myself. I'm a writer and a drummer for a reason: because I like writing and drumming, and sometimes you do just have to take a step back and remember why I'm doing this in the first place. Maturity, see. Yep. Although my pre-birthday celebrations last night were anything but mature - we drank like we were in our early 20's, and having woken up in a mates spare room with the worst hangover known to man this morning I've also remembered that nights like that are amazing (I was genuinely flattered by the amount of people that came down - my friends are actually the best people in the world - fact) but days like today are just lost as a result and I've got a lot of things I want to do. Right now.

Currently reading: Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace
Currently watching: Would I Lie To You, I'm Alan Partridge, Not Going Out
Currently listening to: Joe Jackson - Rain, The Cinematic Orchestra - Live At The Royal Albert Hall, Bill Ryder-Jones - If.

Gig report: The British IBM @ The Cornerhouse, Cambridge

Band: The British IBM
Venue: The Cornerhouse, Cambridge
Date:12/05/12
Audience: Packed, quiet
Set: Make It Happen, Pain In My Heart, Down Like That, Cannibal, Sugar Water, Animal, Not Your Day, The British IBM, 3 Years, Washing Machine
Notes: After Tuesday's gig, we decided that tonight's show would be our last in Cambridge for sometime - a year. The gig was for Mencap, and was organised and run by some lovely people, and you know - it's always nice to do charity gigs. We played well, it was a fairly standard set, the audience - well, there was a lot of them, but they just didn't seem to really get into it, but they were very friendly. It kind of justifies our decision to not play around here, it was nice, but it just didn't work tonight.

Gig report: Dowsing For Sound @ Busking outside the Guildhall, Cambridge

Band: Dowsing For Sound
Venue: Just outside The Guildhall, Cambridge
Date:12/05/12
Audience: Lots of them, gathered around
Set: Not sure.
Notes: Ahead of the absolutely huge gig at the Corn Exchange, Dowsing For Sound - the choir, complete with acoustic band (featuring myself on congas, Andrea, Gav and Nicky) played outside The Guildhall in Cambridge, it was licenced busking. We had a fantastic crowd and it was nice to see some friends there (especially Heather - I forget what a good friend she is sometimes). Although it was sunny, the conditions weren't great - because of the wind, so timings were a little askew sometimes as we couldn't always follow each other. The ending of that Coldplay song was terrible - and I didn't like the way it was so obviously terrible. So, I made a mistake, but I do feel it could have been not so clear to the audience somehow, professional dignity and all that. The choir were in awesome voice throughout, and as a whole it did get better as it went along, song by song. The Corn Exchange gig will be incredible - but that's weeks of rehearsals away, and we'll be a full band then with mics and everything, rhythmically today was just a bit of a struggle.

Edinburgh scripts, Bank Holiday stuff

So, right, this is probably going to be the best summer ever. It kind of goes: Dowsing For Sound MASSIVE gig at the Cambridge Corn Exchange, British IBM tour, 2 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, Lodestar Festival. And in between that lots of nice little things (the forthcoming event at Ickworth Park looks manic - I'm playing in three bands and also doing the relay for charity, a few festivals and hopefully we can finally get around to filming 'The Oscar Pike Diaries' as I'm proud of these scripts). And less nice things (turning 31). My to-do list keeps growing before I have a chance to really tick things off though, and I'm drinking too much Red Bull - even by my own standards. And the flat is a tip. But that would have probably been the case even if I wasn't busy because I am a messy person, end of.

The Wedding Singer musical was awesome by the way - we got it right by the final couple of performances, in fact I started to more than enjoy it, I found myself being genuinely excited by it all and want to do it all again. Maybe I've found my calling. Or maybe just because I like the challenge - it was a near impossible task to learn this in time but when it worked out I felt ever so powerful. I've not even claimed for my expenses yet, I feel I got a lot more from this show than any financial worth. Although it's this kind of mentality that is probably the reason why I'm always skint...

So, post-Wedding Singer, I was straight back into fringe meetings with the always fantastic Izzy and Grace. These girls (well, women, of course) have so much life to them it helps a great deal - so many ideas, so much drive, even when I'm on a knackered day they keep these projects nicely in shape. We've got a pretty strict rehearsal schedule now, and we're on the verge of confirming preview dates for both fringe shows in Cambridge, London and Bristol before Edinburgh, it's all very exciting. And Dowsing is very exciting too - I know it's all about the choir (and what a lovely bunch they are too), but the jams around Andrea's house with Gav, Nicky, Sammy and Andrea herself are nothing short of inspirational, we constantly challenge each other musically and it feels like there's a real musical mutual admiration there. Sammy - who joined us this year, fits in perfectly on guitar, he just 'gets it' and between all of us I can't help but feel it's it's limitless what we can create. On the few occasions we've joined up with the choir it's been a little nervy, as predicted, but it was like this last year and it will fit together after a few more sessions, and they have beautiful voices.

The Bank Holiday weekend was productive enough; beers with good friends Marcus, Jack, Ali and Michael on Friday (which turned into whiskeys at 4am whilst listening to Japanese jazz and Okkervil River mp3's), Saturday went to a wildlife park with a young lady which was oddly therapeutic - otters, tigers and all that, and fresh air - which I just don't get enough of these days, and then on Saturday night saw the quite remarkable Slow Club play in Cambridge. I love that band, and finally seeing them live was nothing short of inspiring. But after all that fun I needed to actually get things done - I don't think I have the capacity to switch off for more than a day at a time.

Finally finished writing, 'There's Absolutely Nothing Wrong With Oscar Pike,' - it's been a tricky beast to write. Whereas last year's show featured plenty of set changes as we followed Oscar in the run up to turning 30, this one is set completely in the one time zone - one evening, New Year's Eve. It's more of a challenge - I'm still not 100% all of it works but will re-write it until it does. Structurally I think it's solid, and the first 20 minutes is among some of my best material - but the tempo does drop a bit, it feels like a play very much of two halves at the moment, but at least there finally is a first draft that we can dig into and turn into something rather special. Our other Edinburgh show, 'Probably The Greatest Goal Ever Scored (And Other Tales)' is now being directed by Michelle Golder, which is by far the best news I've had all year as she always manages to add something to every show she's been involved with. It's going to be good you know, I just know, I just need to work on my time management a little better if we are to achieve everything I know we can this year...or say no to some projects, but we all know that's never been a strong point.

Currently reading: Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace
Currently watching: the climax of the football season, Not Going Out
Currently listening to: Allo Darlin - Europe; The Proclaimers - Like Comedy; Human Don't Be Angry - Human Don't Be Angry

Gig report: The British IBM @ The Portland Arms, Cambridge

Band: The British IBM
Venue: The Portland Arms, Cambridge
Date: 08/05/2012
Audience: Handful of people, enthusiastic enough
Set: Cannibal, Pain In My Heart, Animal, Sugar Water, The British IBM, Make It Happen, 3 Years, Not Your Day, Guns, Washing Machine
Notes: Headline slot on a rainy Tuesday evening in a venue we've all played at lots of time before. Don't get me wrong, I like the Portland a lot - the sound is usually pretty good there (and Will, who did our sound again last night, is a top bloke who always gets it right) but this just felt slightly demoralising. It's a long old evening when you're the headline band with three support slots, and we played pretty much to the main support (the excellent Feeds - who were an out of town band but still stayed for the whole evening to watch us, we appreciated this) and Dave's housemate. It was annoying because we played really well, it was the first time that the actual British IBM set started to flow properly alongside the old Aidy stuff we've been gigging for a while, and these new songs really are pretty strong. Not being arrogant, but we're in good shape as a band; we're well rehearsed, we're sharp, this is the best we've been and I can't wait to get on the road and start playing this set to new crowds. As for last night, it was all very nice, but - as we often feel about Cambridge gigs, what is the point?

The Wedding Singer - musical

Last Wednesday evening I had a fairly late message asking me if I could possibly help out a couple old friends; Pam Jenner and Rob Wells, who had found themselves in difficulty with their forthcoming stage production of The Wedding Singer. The difficulty being lack of drummer. They fully understood the chances of me being available for four nights in a row (the length of the run) was unlikely, but by some odd twist of circumstances - ie; I had a gig cancelled and could nudge around some social engagements, I was actually free. As you probably have guessed my to-do list is a bit daft at the moment, it goes on for pages, and I really shouldn't be taking on another commitments...but then I did, for two reasons: 1) they literally could not find another drummer anywhere willing to take this project on at such short notice and without one the whole production - which is huge - might not happen  and 2) I'm crap at saying no. On Sunday, hungover from the Pidley gig shenanigans and having spent the morning recording percussion parts for the British IBM album, I arrived at Anglia Ruskin University to meet some of the friendliest people you could ever meet, and then to feel more than a touch daunted by the task ahead of me. I can't read music - I'm more about the soul and groove, but this was certainly a job for a 'reader', they gave me sheet music anyway (lots of it, it's a huge book) in the hope I'd follow it somehow. The songs are nothing like that of the film of the same name by the way, this is a proper musical - it was (and may still be) a big Broadway show, with huge swirling vocal lines matching the tight choreography. The kind of tight choreography an out of time/slightly lost drummer could really throw if he isn't sure of the material. Learning a whole musical - at this scale (big set, big line-up of musicians including full woodwind section and three keyboards) is about four months work. I had five hours on Sunday, followed by a dress rehearsal on Tuesday, to somehow get the hang of it. The thing is - there's absolutely no way I could have pulled out as soon as I met Emily - the musical director, and then the cast, because although I felt completely lost with it all for the first few hours it was clear they'd all put everything into this show and without a drummer it either wouldn't go ahead or they might have to have a backing track or something, which would be terrible.

I spent Monday evening in London watching my play, 'Probably The Greatest Goal Ever Scored' again in London with good friends (complete with Q & A with the audience in which I didn't let myself down: a first), and moaned a lot on the train journey back about the scale of the project I have to get my head around, and quickly. But alongside my negativity there was also this part of me which says...hang on, if I do pull this one off, I'll be absolutely shit hot. I then went back to being negative again, as we missed our first train and didn't get back in till 2am, and let's be honest - if ever there was a week I needed sleep, this would be it.

Tuesday's dress rehearsal was shocking. Absolutely horrible. In the space for the first time - I felt like a serious session muso in the orchestral pit, with my notes all lit up, and Emily - with such a huge task on her hands basically having to get a whole new band up to speed (I managed to rope my good friend Alister in on piano, because he's a genius and he's also someone I can rant to if it all goes terribly wrong).

Now, the problem I have, generally, is that I don't really have the ability to switch off from things. So many times have I taken on a project as a 'favour' but somehow became emotionally attached to it and find myself engrossing my whole brain into it just because I suddenly want it to work. This musical was a favour - a tall order, they probably weren't expecting too much from me in return but someone who turns up and can tick that drummer box. But having seen the set, the cast (all lovely and enviously talented people, I might add), worked with these musicians, I actually found myself starting to care, probably more than I should do. I've listened to the songs on repeat to the extent that they are practically haunting my dreams, from what was originally me helping a couple friends out has now turned into me being part of that team and actually not thinking about anything else at all. I believe in those around me, I can see the effort/energy they're putting and have put in - it only seems wrong somehow if I don't do the same, even if I'm only the stand-in guy who has a million other projects on the go.

A day after the dress rehearsal it was the opening night. We got away with it; it was touch and go - some of it was a little loose, but some of it was really strong. The actual show on stage was excellent - I should know, I have a really good view from my position in the pit. Tonight it was the second show, and whilst it wasn't what you would call entirely 'tight' it was a million times better. You can just see everyone starting to gel, it's a lovely thing. I predict Friday and Saturday will be great - we're becoming comfortable with each other, Emily is doing an amazing job. It's almost challenge complete - almost, we'll see. If you read this in time you should come and see it.

But then by 10pm on Saturday it will all be over. All that stress, all that learning, for four nights. I've been treated and fed very well, and I am learning a lot from watching the show - I'm analysing every detail of the script, it will benefit me as a writer. But by 10pm on Saturday I'll be driving home, exhausted, favour ticked off, but the way things are at the moment I would have moved on from this within a month and that almost feels like a shame because I'm actually really enjoying it. Of course I'm tired too - for example yesterday at work my foot just went to sleep and as I went to the vending machine I just toppled over, it was a horrible and awkward moment, tumbling in the office in front of concerned colleagues. It's probably just a circulation thing, but I just know tiredness has something to do with it. Izzy sent me an email today and reminded me that it's only 3 and a half months until the fringe and we need to get moving with that - I need to finish that bloody script for a start. I probably shouldn't have taken on this extra project, but somehow - in a really vivid kind of way, I just feel my life has been enhanced by this experience.

Anyway, here's me moaning about being tired and when it's 12.40am and I'm writing this blog. Idiot!

Gig report: Charity Festival @ The Mad Cat, Pidley

Bands: Flaming June, The Trevor Jones Band, The British IBM
Venue: Outside at The Mad Cat, Pidley
Date: 21/04/2012
Audience: Due to the unpredictable weather throughout the day it was either really busy or not so many of them, but whoever was there were fantastic and looked like they were enjoying it
Sets: Flaming June: not sure; Trevor Jones Band: All I Am, Shine A Light, Badman, Alive, Old Fashioned Woman, Roll On The Rain, I Don't Wanna' Talk About It, Can't Take This Anymore, Falling. Encore - Solid Ground; The British IBM: Make It Happen, Pain In My Heart, Down Like That, Cannibal, God's Front Porch, Animal, Not Your Day, The British IBM, 3 Years, Washing Machine
Notes: That was a busy day, but a bloody good one. The event was organised by my mate Jon from LoveSongwriting, and it was for the Pidley Mountain & Rescue Team. Three of my bands were booked to play this intimate outdoor festival, which was in the sizable pub beer garden of the Mad Cat and it was just a really good day. Flaming June are perfect for this kind of gig, and despite the bad weather really held onto the audience we did have, this whole slightly angry folk thing the band does is incredibly endearing at times and I think FJ are very much a festival type of band. We played all of the usual stuff, one song we hadn't played for a while, and Louise played one solo too, all of which went down well. Next up was The Trevor Jones Band - not being arrogant or anything, but I felt (despite Trevor's throat going near the end) that this was the best we've played in a long, long while...probably something to do with the fact it was our second gig in two days so we were pretty tight, and it just all felt so comfortable, this kind of band often finds me drumming the way I know I want to sometimes, silky and jazzy, all wrapped up in a nice pop quartet. With The British IBM it's where it all went rock and roll, and where the excessive drinking began. We seemed to be hotly anticipated at the venue ahead of our set - people talk about things they've seen, and people had been talking about 'Washing Machine,' so we hit the stage in good spirits. Played well I think, Dave was allowed to smoke on stage and sambuccas were poured down my throat as I was playing, and it was nice to play 'Not Your Day' again, it was very much a mix of old and new material but it worked well. We were so looked after at this gig - people seemed so grateful that we did this for their local charity, and all the staff at The Mad Cat were lovely to us, with free food and drink. We drank a lot. I wasn't going to drink, but somehow ended up downing various shots with Aidy and Jon (Dave had to go back to work - they even had a whip round for his taxi) in the bar and crashing out in Warboys. The day after, Sunday, was tough at first. Self-inflicted of course. I would say I'm too old for this, but we all know a good night is always worthwhile and of course - it's all for charity...