Beware! The Leopard

Friendly Friday Update!

Hey, it's been awhile since my Friendly Friday Update (I feel like a bad blogger), so here we go.

I've had a relatively productive week, although work has been sapping my will to live and made me dread half-term kids who are getting dumber by the day.

Musically I have another new song to try out at the gig on Sunday, and I've worked out a few new parts for old songs.  This will be my first gig with the keyboard in a couple of months, because it's the first gig that is close enough to a tube/bus stop to not have to worry about lugging it for miles. 

This is also going to be my last gig in London for a while.  I'm feeling a bit bittersweet about it right now, as this is the city where Beware! The Leopard made its solo debut, and where I feel that I've become a small part of the musical community (kind of like one bit of coral on the Great Barrier Reef - yes I've been watching too much David Attenborough).

However, I'm doing my best to be positive about the move to Toronto, with a smaller more closely knit musical community that I can hopefully charm my way into and make some friends who will join me on my musical adventure.  While it doesn't have the cache of London, Toronto is my hometown, and it will be nice to be among my peeps again.

So that's about it.  Come on down Sunday at the Phoenix Tavern, for a great time I'm going to pull out all the stops and make it a show to remember!

Sickness Setback

We are back from Barcelona, and a couple of Spanish bugs decided to hitch a ride.  Ok, I'll be honest, I'm not sure if they're Spanish, or plain and simple British bugs that have decided to take hold in our throats, but they are not pleasant. 

This means no singing this week while I recover, which also means no recording :-(

On top of that, my Nord is back on display at the shop until the replacements come in, long story, so there's no practicing until early next week.  At least no practicing of the keyboard parts, which kind of sucks because I'm working on a new tune right now that has a kick-ass keyboard riff to kick it off. 

So instead, here's a nice picture of the top of La Pedrera, in my opinion, Antoni Gaudi's best work. 

Bienvenidos a Barcelona

That is what I will be saying tomorrow morning at some ungodly hour. I have to use some holidays before Christmas, and seeing as how I don't get to take any in November or December, I'm taking a week off starting tomorrow.

Tomorrow at 6:10 in the morning, our plane will take off for the hopefully sunny-er (and slightly warmer) climate of Barcelona, Spain's cultural hub and a super cheap flight away.  While we will be only staying 3 nights it will be nice to get ou.  The rest of the week off will be spent doing some songwriting, recording, and photo processing. 

So here's my promises for posts before next Friday.  A review of the set I played this past Sunday at the Phoenix, including a recording of at least one track from that set.  Lyrics for a new song I've got on the go, and all of this accompanied by some gorgeous photos of Spain and/or France and/or Stonehenge (because it rocks!) 

The Dreaded G.A.S.

No, not the stuff that comes out your arse, or the stuff the kills you silently in the sleep (aren't they the same thing?), but Gear Acquisition Syndrome.  This is a serious affliction suffered by most musicians and wannabe musicians, and children.  It's very similar to the feeling of flipping through the Consumer's Distributing (or Argos) catelogue as a child, and circling the toys which I wanted to get for Christmas.  This time though, the toys are about 100 times the price. 

I'm in the process of selling my bass cabinet so that I can purchase an RC-50 loop station.  This is something that I think will add an extra dimension to my live show, and hopefully let me have the complexity I want to bring to my sound without needing the extra musicians that I don't want to have to spend the time training. 

Next up on the list is Nord Electro 2.  I would prefer the Stage 88 (for the weighted keys), but the £1000 difference in price is a little too much even for me.  So I need to fix my P120, one of the keys is causing some distortion, and then sell it off with the case, and hopefully get 3/4 of what I need for the Nord.  The reason for the switch is because the Nord has better electric piano sounds, as well as being much lighter and more portable, which is perfect for the gigging musician that I am slowly becoming.

Now the reason for this post, I fell in love with an acoustic guitar today.  It's the first time I've ever had that happen with an acoustic.  Normally it's electrics, or synths, or pianos.  But I picked up a 25th Anniversary edition Seagull Acoustic which retails for £799, but with my employee discount I could get it for almost half-price.  The only problem is my own Seagull which has been a dedicated friend for 14 years is not worth much anymore.  Plud I'd be sad to part with something that holds so many memories.  So what is one to do?  Save and wait I guess.  This is the problem with G.A.S.  it is insatiable and leads you to write crazy posts about gear that you want. 

Yes, for those of you reading that know me, this is a plea to remember my 30th birtdhay, no present is as good as one that curious serious illness. 

:-)

Drums

Today I become a drummer.  Yep, you read that correctly.  Me.  Alex.  Is going to sit behind a drumkit and be responsible for the beat.  The last time I did this was a few years ago when we kicked the drummer out of 9 O'Clock Gun.  I managed to hold a beat alright, and I have kept up with the ability to do basic stuff, in fact, my timing has only improved since then (not least because of my time with Roland demonstrating drum kits all day).  So we will see how it goes. 

The reason for this change is that as we have been unable to find a drummer, we needed someone behind the skins in order to provide the necessary foundation to keep moving forward with the songwriting/tightening of the band.  Me, being the jack of all trade and master of none, stepped up to do the job.  Should we find a proper drummer at some point in the near future, I will gladly give up the sticks and it shouldn't be too hard to figure out some guitar/keys parts that will fit in with the music we've created, but until then, at least in the band context, I will be the rhythm guy. 

It should be interesting at least. 

I also need to make up some new business cards, ones that use my real name along with the Beware! the Leopard moniker, because yesterday I had to write my name on a piece of paper for a potential dep gig as a cabaret pianist.  It would be nice to be a bit more professional about the whole thing.  The one thing the request for my details made me realize (besides the need for better cards), is that I need to practice my sight reading.  It's been a while since I sight read on the piano, and if I am going to attempt to get into the world of session musician (which I'm not sure about yet), then some sight reading skills are definitely a must. 

So that's what's up with me.  Sorry for the late update, but when you're working odd days your whole timetable gets messed right up.

Friday, Friday, Friday

Well, some good news today.  If the price of tickets is affordable, it looks like M and I might be spending the last weekend of August in Southern France at my aunt's house.  It's nice to have relatives who have homes in this part of the world.  It will be nice to get away.

Don't get me wrong, I'm having a good time here, but after awhile, the smell, the noise and the speed of life catch up with you.  This city never lets up, which can be a bit difficult for people used to a bit of down time, especially in the summer.  I didn't really miss Canada that much before the summer, but with hotter weather, all I can think about are weekends at someone's cottage, swimming in fresh water surrounded by lush green Canadian forest.  It's an experience that I think is tough to replicate in any other part of the world.

On the music front I'm working on a couple of new tunes and hopefully on Monday I'm going to record a tune that I've had in my head for quite a while, it's more of an acapella number, but I like it. 

We also may have found a drummer for the band.  He's got all the right cred, it's more of a personality thing now, so the four of us are going for a drink on Sunday to suss each other out.  At least it is progress. 

Catch ya next week!

Vandalism and a goodbye

Another late post.  This week has been a week of ups and downs, I suppose all weeks are like that, but this was more so. 

Almost two weeks ago, I purchased a bicycle.  Nothing fancy, but a commuter type bike so that I could ride the three miles to work.  I figured that it's time I get some more exercise, and the fact that I ride to work in half the time it takes the bus is a big plus as well.  So I've been riding, pretty much rain or shine for the last two weeks.  I find the ride clears my head before and after work, plus it feels kind of like a mission riding through London traffic.  The motorists here are pretty used to bicycles being all over the place, and so they treat them pretty well most of the time.  Drunks however do not. 

Last night was a going away party for one of my co-workers.  He's heading back to Australia with his wife after having spent a number of years here.  So in celebration, the cast and crew of Rose Morris went to a nearby pub after work and proceeded to get pretty trashed.  After 5 hours and 6 pints, I was in no shape to ride my bicycle home, so I locked it up near work and tubed it home.  This afternoon on collection, it appears that someone has kicked my front derailleur which makes it hard to change gears.  It's not a hard fix, and the bike shop is going to take care of it tomorrow.  I'm just a bit pissed that somebody would do that to a bike.  It's not like they bent a tire, or tried to steal it.  They just kicked one really important part.  Now that is London for you.  People here tend to drink more than they should and tend to do stupid things when drunk because they don't care about the repercussions.  Hopefully I'll be back on two wheels come Tuesday morning. 

On another note, I'm saying goodbye to my trusted Eden 210XST bass cabinet.  The damn thing takes up too much room, and now that I'm not a gigging bass player, it is hard to justify keeping it around.  The good thing is that once I've sold it, I can use the money to pick up an RC-50 loopstation and work on my live act.  I'm looking forward to kicking it into second gear.  Wish me luck.

I am a selling machine!

That's right, I've been outselling my comrades at the new shop almost everyday.  To be honest, I am given a bit of an advantage in that I am normally near a lot of the accessories which is what we sell the most of, but even then, it's a nice feeling to do a good job.  Sometimes I worry about becoming a sleaze ball salesman a la Robin Williams in that stupid movie with Tim Robbins from the 1980s where Robbins violently takes over a car dealership because his girlfriend is cheating on him.  I know it is unlikely, but I also know that I won't be a salesman forever, and that probably makes it easier to bear (bare?). 

Things are going pretty well otherwise.  I'm quite satisfied with the tune I posted on Wednesday.  I know that there are few things that could be improved, and I will work on them in the next tunes that I record, but overall progress is being made, if slowly.  However the band is no further a long as we still lack a drummer.  We've had a few nibbles on ads we've posted, but nothing concrete.  It doesn't help that all three of us have been relatively busy.  It's hard to be a music collective when it is not your primary concern.  That being said, I'm not down about it, because I'm mentally focusing on my own stuff, which I find easier to deal with.

So that's about it for now.  Tomorrow I'm going to check out a friend of mine play a show at the Old Queen's Head in Islington.  He goes by the moniker "The Great Sojourn", and I will write a full review for you in the near future. 

Fried Egg Update

Ok.  So I'm still playing the role of unemployed musician.  I have some leads on music related work in London which is good, but the bills do need paying, so I might have to settle for something non-musical in the near future. 

I've been feeling much more motivated the last few days then I have in quite a while.  So much so that I actually recorded a tune which should be up on Myspace shortly (I'll post here first).  It's called "White-Coated Wolves" and personally I think it is one of the best songs I've ever written. 

I've also come up with some goals for the rest of the year.  They are quite minor in terms of the bigger picture, but I need to start small or else I risk getting overwhelmed by worrying about reaching goals that are too big for me at the moment.  So here they are. 

Goal #1  - Record a 5-6 song EP by December 31st.  Now by "record" I mean actually go into a proper studio and record an EP.  It will probably take 2 days to do what I'm thinking of (mostly guitar/vocals or piano/vocals), and cost around 200 quid, but it is a necessary step towards being a full-fledged musician.  I've already got 3 of the songs that I know I'll want on it for sure.  I've got about 15 songs written, but I'm beginning to understand why bands write 50 or 60 songs for an album and then pick their best 10.  I feel like I've been progressing as a songwriter, particularly with regards to the lyrics, and as such, my earlier work just doesn't stand up to the quality of the later stuff and would bring any collection of works down.  So I need to get writing.  I've got some ideas floating around, and you'll probably hear some roughly recorded home versions before the EP comes out.

Goal #2 - Play at least one paying gig.  Open mics are a dime a dozen in London, and I'm going to be hitting them up very shortly (hopefully next week).  But if I really want to call myself a musician, then there has to be some form of income in it.  So my goal is to play at least one gig where I get paid more than it costs me to get there and back.  It's been a while since I've played a gig where I made more money than I drank, so this is going to take some effort.  London gigs are notorious low paying as there are too many bands about that will play for free or near to free.  It is for this precise reason that my goal is "at least one".  I don't want to set the bar too high, and I may even have to look for gigs outside of London to secure something decent financially. 

So that's where I'm at with my thoughts on Beware! The Leopard for the next few months.  Hopefully there will also be some news on the band front shortly.  Keep your eyes peeled for updates.

Back to square 2

So it is official.  This morning at 10:12 am, I was made redundant.  So now I feel like I am back to square 2.

When I first arrived in London nearly 7 months ago, I had no job, no band, and no place to live.  Now I've got a place to live but lack the other two.  Well, not entirely.  After some long deliberation, Tom, our fantastic metronome of a drummer, has decided to pursue other musical paths.  While we gelled mentally, he was just looking for something a little bit more experimental for his musical journey.  The three of us will be sad to see him go, but we understand as we have all been there before.  Now the quest to find another drummer begins.  Whoever he/she is will have huge boots to fill.

Tom's departure, coupled with the redundancy has left me feeling a little morose.  Include jet lag in the mix and the motivation to move forward on anything jumps out the window faster than an XKCD cartoon.  What I'm really struggling with is determining some goals for myself over the coming weeks.  In order to make a go of Beware! the Leopard, I need some recordings.  I've got three great songs that I want to put down to tape, but it will probably cost me in the neighbourhood of a hundred quid to do them at the local studio.  Either that, or I could buy a mic-stand and attempt them at home, my only concern is that the traffic outside will take away from the quality of the songs. 

I've never been good at taking decisions, and this week feels worse than most. 

Wish me luck.