Today I have had to pull out of a gig due to feeling poorly which is not something I feel comfortable with but sometimes it’s necessary, and this is one of those times. Here is my latest song: It is a trance/world music fusion thing.

“Try it out, Wheres your Sense of adventure”

Sadly, I haven’t managed to progress with a few things I had thought would have started to blossom and bear fruit projects wise. Once you get to a certain point new beginnings become very difficult and that’s where I am at now. Things are also a bit difficult on the domestic front too and my partner is getting mobility issues. So I am stuck in the glue of the virtual world feeding on it to keep my endorphins flowing. The series of heat waves has without doubt worn me out. Physically and mentally. I was feeling a bit low so I treated myself to the latest Spielberg movie ‘Disclosure Day’ and I enjoyed it very much. The plot was a mashup of every UFO/UAP story/theory ever. But very well done I thought. And it sort of has a positive ending.
I think people can see there is something fundamentally wrong with the way things are; climate, government, Trump, migration and so forth but they really have no idea what to do about anything. It’s also obvious that neither do a lot of the people in power. A lot of the old ways of being just aren’t working too well. I need to rethink things. I have a slight tendency to hang on a bit too long in dead horse flogging terms. Tenacity is not always a virtue. There is always a plan. I am out of sync with my my musical wants and needs and my actual live music activities at present too.

Last night I was chatting with an 80 year old chap in the USA. He sends me pictures of his garden (not a euphemism) and was at the Airbases and at Saxmunden in the 70s. I do chat to blokes that are polite and not waving their bits at me. Interesting insights in to average unfiltered life in the middle class seniors community in the US. They spend a ton on meds even if they do have good insurance or veterans health benefits. Most of my musical mates have escaped from the middle classes and did have good executive/clerical managerial jobs. I don’t have any proper working class buddies my aging musician demographic. In fact looked at in the cold light of day I did the same as I got in to the Civil Service on an open entrance exam was middle management grade by the end and jumped ship and took an early pension and a home owner. So did I change class?
No not really.

And the final thought for today, often people don’t appreciate you if you just go quietly and efficiently about your business and don’t always value you even of you go well beyond your required duty’s to be helpful. Often it comes as a shock to discover this sadly.

I was reading on threads about somebody using their lyrics with AI to create music. I am not about to get in to the debate about AI music, rather what I am curious about is why if your were a lyricist you would not team up with a composer to work with?
When I first started recording I belonged to a couple of songwriting organisations and one function of them was to connect lyric writes with composers and arrangers’ and so forth. I might get a lyric in written form or perhaps a cassette with the words spoken or occasionally something which sound like demonic howling at midnight distantly across the Yorkshire Moors (please note other moors and desolate regions are available, see terms an conditions 😉). Often these collaborative efforts came to naught, but some time’s the cross fertilisation of human interaction allowed a seed to blossom that might be nurtured into a full blown healthy song, able to grow tall in the wind and the rain and withstand the bleaching searing rays of the sun. Anyways whatever.
Of course this was very far from instant gratification. You open the post and there was a lyric sheet or two or three in there. Sometimes scrawled, sometimes neat cursive or typed on one of those new fangled word processors. Then you had a think, then eventually you found something you liked and fooled around on the guitar or the piano and scribble down an accompaniment and made some sort of demo. Then you posted it to them, and maybe they liked it or not and then….
Some made on to Cds and Mp3s. a lot of people used to sell cds via mail order that were in fanzines and magazines and you would make you own artwork and print your own labels. Some indie record shops and outlets would sell the for you too if you were lucky. A very different world. It all took months. No algorithms to chase then of course.

Another thought:

I have been using the net since about 1995 I think. In those days you needed to have some idea of what you were doing…. Built my first website around 1997. Watching people repost rubbish was always a thing of course as the first forums and early social networks came into being. But what I find funny and tragic is the number of people that think they can control what happens to anything (Videos, photos, music or written content) in someway. When you post something on a website basically you set it free as it can be copied edited or passed of as somebody’s else’s work. That’s a risk particularly with photos and music. But I still see people posting stuff that looks like its written by a 5 year old using what they might think was legalise saying they dont give permission for their image/work to be used. Well actually you did when you posted it. look at the T&Cs you signed up with at your social media accounts. But notwithstanding anything you make public on the net can be copied, redistributed or altered. If that bothers you don’t use social media just create your own personal website or blog but even if you do that I wish you the best of luck in trying to control what happens to your content if you actually want it seen by others.

I met someone I hope will become a new friend recently and was surprised at how much we did have in common after we talked. That was pleasantly uplifting though I did up get a bit over caffeinated.

Happy Lughnasadh, Lughnasa or Lúnasa (for those that do )is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Traditionally, it is held on 1 August, or about halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox.

Hello August I wonder what you will bring? It’s a bit cooler today at least. I had a band rehearsal yesterday and it did leave me a bit fatigued I have to confess. I have been beavering away on a new piece of music as well that I just finished recording. Its a sort of world fusion instrumental for want of a better description. It’s called ‘Come the Rain’ which I admit is maybe a tad optimistic

A tad more introspection again this week in general it must be confessed. Way too much thinking but I have managed to do a few things music project wise so that’s good. The heat is problematic though. Some days are pretty warm but livable and others are just total shut down ones to be honest. It looks like next week will be much the same again too though the heat is a little lower on average.

I had a fun gig with Orchard at bands in the park at St Neots. A lovely audience and nice weather. Unfortunately I managed to trip up and injure a finger but I got through it OK. It a bit swollen and painful now though so I amy be out of action for a few days I suspect. next gig is two weeks so hopefully it will mend. Pleasure and pain indeed.
So just a short one today as the actress said to the bishop…

Stay safe and go well people.

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