2013...Absolutely Nothing To Worry About, Honest

It's been an odd start to the year so far, and perhaps not the one I predicted. This blog is mostly for my more creative endeavours so sorry to bore you with this minor detour, but I'm being made redundant from my day job at the end of April - it's a few months off yet so nobody is panicking too much, but it has changed things completely. See, I started the year (after a nice family-based Christmas and then a hangover after New Year's Eve, as was always going to be case) with my usual set of ambitions for the year - many of them unattainable (like doing 20 different fringe festivals) and yet all of them probably would only serve as useful CV notes rather than any sort of progression as an 'artist'. I've always wanted to give this a go professionally - and 'this' being my life - session drumming, touring plays, generally doing exciting things, LIVING THE DREAM, but have always been wrapped up in this safety blanket. The safety blanket will be taken away from me at the end of April, and it's knocked me sideways - it's tough getting a job out there at the best of times and to actually lose one I quite enjoyed is a shame (and like everyone else says - it's not so much about the job at that place, it's about the people - and I'm deeply saddened that this cracking little team of ours is being split up), but this will be a positive thing. I am a drummer, I am a writer, and now there's nothing holding me back. Yes, it's scary, yes I haven't been sleeping too well trying to work out how exactly things are going to work out and a result I've been a little dizzy (physically, not just mentally scatty) over the last couple of weeks, but this is completely the push I've needed for a long while. Now, to make it work...

Touring, 'Some Plays By Paul Richards' again in April, have set aside a week to do this and it's going be similar to the last show only with the audio bits cut (they were nice but slowed things down) and replaced by a third piece (which is called, 'The Pretty Girl In The Supermarket' and I'm trying it out tomorrow night at the new material evening), will start booking the venues this week, then have a think about casting, poster and all that. Tomorrow night's new material session should be really interesting - as well as trying out the new solo-ish piece, we're giving a first airing to a play I've been working on called, 'Great Achievers'. It's a dramatic re-write of a play I wrote 7 years ago about an adventure on a rickshaw - I've been meaning to look and develop that script again for a while and I also had some 'issues' I wanted to get off my chest and needed a vehicle for them - it's barely recognisable from the original (the genders of the characters have even changed) and it's turned into quite an emotionally charged piece...tomorrow's show looks like it's going to be busy, not sure why as normally for the new material nights we get about 10 people in maximum, but by the sounds of things we'll be hitting capacity which is crazy. And crazy to be trying out arguably my darkest material yet, still - it's all about risks, isn't it?

Musically, The British IBM will be doing a live session soon for Q Radio (Q Magazine) in Birmingham and it's these kind of sessions that as a musician you just want to do - it has a kind of kudos to it, you know? I enjoyed the gig a lot on Saturday in Derby, it was far from a vintage gig - it was a small venue with a small audience, but it just felt good to be back again doing what we do. Recording starts on Sunday for the Dowsing For Sound debut release and the choice of songs is exciting, and I'm also recording with Fred's House and Eureka Stockade soon...and also a covers band I've formed with Ali and Izzy called Popping Candy. I've always been openly anti-covers band, but I'm a proper working musician now and it's a must, and if you're going to do it you might as well do a unique one and this project is - piano, congas and female vocals, Izzy has the while Kirsty MacColl vibe going on, Ali and I have played in bands together for years and have such a rapport it's been a joy so far.

Lots in the pipeline - fringe shows being plotted and written, my diary is being filled with good things. And I'm even eating healthier, cooked a stir fry for my mate Heather the night and I have to admit, it was damn tasty. My parents are naturally worried that I just won't get another job, end up on the dole and waste away or something, a couple of my friends doubt that my creative flourishes will make me any money, I have no idea myself - but there's really nothing to worry about, honest, things happen for a reason.

Currently listening to: Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country, Miniature Tigers - Tell It To The Volcano
Currently watching: Stressed Eric (DVD), Match Of The Day
Currently reading: just finished reading 'Mack The Knife' by Lee Mack (highly recommended), will probably move on to 'But Beautiful' by Geoff Dyer now.