Buddy does “Eye of the Tiger”

Eye of the Tiger

Song number three. 

(For more info on what this is all about, please visit my first post about lessons with Buddy)

Our studio lessons have been going well. We start each lesson with 15 minutes of clapping rhythm exercises.

I found an iPad app recently called “Rhythm sight reading trainer” (iTunes link) which is proving to be successful.
It generates 2-bar sight reading patterns. The user taps the rhythms on the iPad and the app shows how accurately it was played. It’s not the most intuitive interface for a kid, but after two lessons Buddy warmed to it and I think it will prove very useful.

“Eye of the Tiger” was Buddy’s choice of song. It had quite a few parts to it and proved rather challenging. As always Buddy programmed every part. I sometimes sang the parts to him first, then he would play them in. I quantised some of the parts, but the guitars are as he played them.

Here’s the finished song:

We Love Rock ‘n Roll (Lessons with my nephew)

Song number two is done! (for more info on what this is all about, please visit my first post about lessons with Buddy)

There are a few time signature changes in this song, so I mapped out the entire song with all the changes so that the click (metronome) would reflect them.

This one took a lot longer than the previous one did, as the December holidays arrived smack bang in the middle of it, and Buddy broke his arm at the end of January!

 

Once again Buddy played all the parts in on the keyboard. We started with drums (the snare intro first), then added bass and guitars. He practiced the different parts at home. I slowed down the track substantially in the studio so that Buddy could comfortably play the parts. I sang and/or clapped the part that he was to program and he practised along. Then I hit “record” and we put down a few bars at a time. I made him do it over and over until it was correct. I did quantize the parts once they were played in. (For non-music people “quantization is the process of aligning a set of musical notes to a precise setting. This results in notes being set on beats and on exact fractions of beats”  – Wikipedia). I taught Buddy how to copy and paste clips so that he could paste them later in the song and not have to play them again. Lastly we recorded the vocals. I got Buddy to overdub the choruses a few times (and his friend Mandla helped out on 1 take, singing “put another dime in the juice-box baby”)

 

At around 01min40sec into the song is a solo that Buddy spontaneously played and I was fortunate enough capture. I decided to leave it as is: It’s not quantized or edited in any way and was done in 1 take!

Have a listen to the song below, and as always comments/suggestions are welcome.

 

 

P.S. we started “Eye of the Tiger” last week (Buddy requested it) and will post it here once it’s done.

Making and selling a CD

An indie album from start to finish

This is a simplified list of the processes I use when making an album. Sometimes the order will 

change slightly and some methods may differ to suit a particular project. I'm not going into any detail, 

but rather highlighting each step along the way.

********

Conceptualise, compose, compile

Brainstorm sessions, write, rewrite, scrap, start again, write, rewrite.
This part of the process can take (from my experience) anywhere from a few weeks to a
few years. The rewriting continues through many stages of the project, tweaking along the
way.

The skeleton

Once the writing process is complete I record rough versions of the songs. I utilise a
couple of different methods, depending on the project: 
1 . "Band in a Box" is a wonderful program that is primarily a practice/learning tool. I
sometimes use it to map out the geography of the songs and to experiment with
different tempos, styles and keys. I then export the song as a midi file into Sonar
(Cakewalk Sonar Producer Edition is the audio recording package I have used for
many years) 
2 . Lay down rough guitar rhythm and melody tracks (or get vocalist to sing the melody) in
Sonar. I often use a quick and easy general midi VST instrument like Cakewalk's TTS1
during these early stages. The sounds will be replaced later by real instruments and/or 
better quality VST instruments
Very little (if any) of the skeleton is likely to remain in the finished track.

Tracking and programming

Once I'm pleased with the tempo, key and geography of the song, the real recording
process begins. Vocalist lays down a guide vocal (if they haven't already done so). Then
the rhythm section: find suitable bass/drum sounds (these may change later). Record a
more suitable bass line and drum track. Lay down guitars, and keyboards. Other instruments
such as brass, percussion, strings are added.

Artwork

Sometime before, during and/or after the recording process a designer is briefed on
the look and concept of the CD cover. Track order and final CD credits are usually only
forwarded to the designer later so that no musicians' names are left off the cover.

Barcode and online distribution

I use CD Baby as my online aggregator. I begin the registration process with CD Baby and purchase a barcode from them. (purchasing a barcode directly from them is cheaper than
buying one in South Africa and there's no annual fee). The registration process will be
completed later, once the album is complete.

Mixing and mastering

Once all the tracks are recorded, the final mix can begin. I constantly do rough mixes
during tracking, which makes it easier to do the final mixes. Once mixed, I burn a CD of all
the songs and test it in various systems: my car stereo, the cheap hi fi in my living room etc.
I also try to get a friend or two (who's judgement I trust) to listen to the CD and comment on
the mixes. Then back to the studio to tweak the mixes. Repeat.
On albums for commercial release I prefer to take the CD to a professional mastering
studio rather than attempt to master it myself. A decent mastering job adds a little "polish"
to the final mixes.

Manufacturing, paperwork etc

Get quotes from manufacturers. Before manufacturing can begin, clearance must be given
by the Mechanical royalty societies (there are currently 3 in South Africa). Songs must also
be registered with the relevant society for performance royalties (that would be SAMRO in
S.A.). The master CD and artwork are then taken to the manufacturer. Copies of the final
product need to be sent to CD Baby in the U.S.A
Around this time payments need to be made to the mastering studio, graphic designer and
manufacturer.

Pre release sheet

The pre release sheet is a one page document with CD title, cover art, bar code/Order
number, price, release date and a short description of the album and any planned
marketing campaigns. This document is then sent to customers so that they can pre order
the album.

Press release/marketing

I usually draft a press release then ask kind friends who work in P.R. and marketing to help
me edit and proof read the text. Once the press release is done, it needs to be sent (along
with the CD of course) to the media. It is pointless sending out unsolicited mail, so relevant
media people need to be phoned, mailed or met with in person.
Marketing strategies, both short and long term must be decided on and acted upon.
Website and Facebook pages need to be updated with photos, album artwork, links to
purchase the new album and links to listen to it. These pages need to be regularly updated
with press clippings, news and reviews and contests relating to the album.
People on mailing list (and Facebook fans) need to be contacted with news of the new
release, details of contests etc and where they can buy the album.

Orders

Old customers need to be phoned or called on in person to be made aware of the new
release and they are usually given a free sample of the CD. New retail outlets/avenues
must also be explored. Existing customers must be contacted at regular intervals to check
on sales.

The Future

When the CD is ready for marketing and distribution, I begin conceptualising the next
album, and the cycle repeats itself.

Our album African Numbers is due for release late September 2010.

Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated to or endorsed by any of the companies mentioned above.

Paper versus iPad

As a song-writer I'm constantly looking for ideas, and when I find one, I need to be able to jot it down immediately before it fades away. So I’ve always carried a notebook around with me.

I have notebooks scattered around my living spaces, each full of songs in various stages of completion. Sometimes when I page through them, old ideas jump up off the pages and spark a series of new ideas. A song that I spent months trying to perfect unsuccessfully, can suddenly fall into place. My notebooks are full of words, waiting to be fitted snugly together like pieces of an intricate puzzle.

But the notebooks aren't just filled with words. They are filled with thought processes - words crossed out and replaced with new words; arrows linking sentences from one paragraph to another; circled words that rhyme; notes on on an elusive emotion that I'm trying to pinpoint; a melody scribbled on a hand-drawn staff.

For years I considered getting a laptop to jot down my ideas so that they will be in one place, easy to access, easy to edit, with spellcheck, encyclopaedias  and rhyming dictionaries close at hand. Then came the release of the iPad. I'm a sucker for gadgets and I thought that aside from being a lovely (if somewhat expensive) toy, this was the portable electronic notebook I've needed all my life. I took the plunge and got a friend to buy one in the States for me.

So I took my shiny new iPad to one of my usual song-writing coffee shop/restaurant/park hangouts with the intention of doing some writing. Only this time I chose my venue based on whether or not they have a WiFi connection. 

Comfortably seated on a couch at the coffee shop, an hour or two passed, along with much caffeine, & I was yet to write a single word. Every time the creative juices started to flow, the iPad beeped an email alert. And then I "quickly" checked what was happening on Twitter. Some tweeter posted a link to a very interesting article. Which led me to another article....then "ping" another email announced....DISTRACTION!

Next time I ventured out to write songs, I purposefully chose a venue without WiFi, and therefore without the temptation of email and internet to distract me. I wrote for a while and then read what I’d written. It was going nowhere, so I deleted everything and started again. I repeated the process, writing, reading, deleting. This happened a few times, and in the end all I was left with was a blank screen.  I began to miss the real pages where lines get crossed out, words are replaced, ideas linked; but nothing gets deleted.

The process is the important part.

So out came the old notebooks again. And once again I spend 20 minutes a day searching my flat for pens (there must be a place somewhere in the world where lost pens, socks and plectrums end up). Perhaps someone will develop an app that mimics/replaces a notebook. I've tried out quite a few so far without success. Until then my iPad has been relegated to a fantastic, exiting & fun toy, ebook reader, dictionary, calculator, radio, video player, iPod, news reader, Internet browser, picture frame, metronome.....but not a notebook.

 

 

 

P.S. this piece was written almost entirely on my iPad.

Awards and retribution

 

Some years back I was booked for a three month contract, playing background jazz, five nights a week, in a restaurant at a popular holiday resort. Seemed like a great opportunity to earn some money and do some wood-shedding. My partner & I readily accepted and we were soon playing soft bossa novas and jazz standards between fake palm trees to empty tables.

The first couple of nights were great. The enormous restaurant was almost totally empty, but the hotel manager and the food & beverage manger both came to say how much they liked the music, and told to us help ourselves to food from the buffet when we were done. The week progressed and the hotel (and therefore the restaurant) remained empty.

Then things began to unravel. We spent the first week staying in a hotel room while we waited for staff accommodation to become available. Eventually we were relocated to a tiny one roomed apartment. We had been promised two furnished apartments. The place was dark & musty, covered in a layer of dust and teeming with cockroaches. The flat contained a moth-eaten couch and a bed. No cutlery or crockery. No TV. Not even a kettle.

We spent the day cleaning up the flat, and later after the gig, helped ourselves to food from the buffet as usual, a little disheartened at the thought of going back to our dingy room.

The next evening we arrived at the gig and sensed something odd was going on. None of the staff greeted us. They all appeared to be avoiding us. I called the F & B manager and asked him if something was wrong. He sat me down and gave me a lecture, telling me that the staff were pissed off that we were eating from the buffet every night. He said that it was a “privilege & not a right” and that if we asked once in a while he would probably say yes since “the food gets thrown away every night anyway”. I felt the rage build up inside of me, but managed to keep my cool. I told him that we had been under the impression that we were allowed to eat the food, but would never touch it again now that he had told us. I then took out my wallet and said that I’d like to pay for all the meals we had eaten.

Then trouble started from the hotel manager. He’d come to us in the middle of our set and say things like “The previous band played the Titanic song and the Spice  Girls”. We tried to explain to him that we’d been booked to play soft, background jazz, that there were only two of us (a guitarist and vocalist) without backing tracks, and that he should perhaps take the matter up with our agent. The hotel remained empty, and the manger & staff continued to treat us like second-class citizens.

One night we arrived at the gig & the hotel was busy and bustling for the first time. Glamorous people were walking past in evening gowns, tuxedos, Italian leather shoes, wild outrageous hats, dark glasses and various forms of glitzy celebrity attire.

During a break I asked a waiter if there was a function on and he replied that it was the SAMAs. I turned to my partner & said “This is all wrong! We’re sitting playing to two palm trees and 50 empty tables, while the rest of the music industry is being wined and dined and receiving awards. We need to change this situation!”

Shortly after that night, our contract was abruptly cancelled. On enquiring about whether or not we would get a cancellation fee as stipulated in the agreement, our agent told us to “write it off to experience”. Reasons given for our contract being terminated included “playing out of tune, and dragging”! I was terribly depressed by all of this. We were both experienced musicians and had been gigging for years, but it was still a big blow to my ego and self esteem to go through an experience like this.

We sued, and eventually were awarded an out-of-court settlement, but the incident has always left a bad taste in my mouth.

And now fast-forward ten years… We have received two SAMA nominations!
This time I’ll be wined and dined instead of playing to palm trees and empty tables. This time I don’t have to ask permission to eat from the buffet. This time I get to stay in a clean hotel room.

Music isn’t a competitive sport and winning awards doesn’t mean that you’re faster, stronger or in any way better than someone else. For me these nominations are just a reminder of where I once was and where I am now.

 

Our two nominations:

             

Both CDs are available from Look & Listen stores and http://www.kalahari.net/

More info: http://www.africantreehouse.com  http://www.goggatjie.com/

Moshito: Some useful links/resources that were discussed

Moshito is an annual music conference held in Johannesburg “focused [on] broadening the business intelligence of music industry professionals in South African and the continent, strengthening business networks for participants and informing delegates, traders and the public about the multifaceted and dynamic nature of the global music industry.”

Here are a few sites that were discussed at the conference that I found interesting:

South African Sites:

www.speakerbox.co.za (Sort of a MYSpace for S.A. bands)

www.overtone.co.za “Overtone is a band bookings agency, music industry administration service provider and an events management company.”

http://www.entertainmentafrica.co.za/ (news site)

http://www.rhythmmusicstore.com/ (South African MP3 download store)

http://www.tunegum.com Gig guide & tickets for events

 

International Sites:

http://www.bandcentral.com/ “In a nutshell, BandCentral is an online band manager with all the tools you and your band members need to manage your band.”

http://themusic.com.au/ All things to do with Australian music. But also has great music business and news articles.

http://www.mediafuturist.com/about.html A lot of great information about the music industry & where it is headed

http://hypem.com/ “To put it simply, the Hype Machine keeps track of what music bloggers write about”

http://www.99dollarmusicvideos.com/ “independent music network dedicated to merging low-fi, cutting-edge videos [made for less than $99]with the best of today's music scene”

http://microfundo.mymondomix.com/ “MICROFUNDO will help you fund your music career. Need capital for your next recording? Looking for financial support for your next tour? We can help you raise funding directly from your fans and develop a core fan base from across the globe”

http://www.radarmusicvideos.com/ Post a brief for a music video, and music video directors will bid on the job.

http://www.songlink.com/ Tip sheet of producers/artists etc looking for songs

The business of songwriting

This post is based on a recent talk I gave at COPA (Campus of Performing Arts)

Its based purely on my own methods and findings

How I got started

I decided years ago that I wanted to be a songwriter. I’d always written songs, but never seriously and I’d never tried to make a living from it. I wanted to be a songwriter, but I wasn’t one. I was too busy being a gigging musician. A book I read gave me a wake up call: I realised it was pointless wanting to be a songwriter and that I should either give up the idea, or really try to work at it. (By the way the title of the book is irrelevant & it was a crap book except for one inspiring chapter, so I’m not going to advertise it here!) I made a conscious decision to do something about it and started to work on a plan of action…

I read Pat Pattison’s book “writing better lyrics” which gave me some amazing techniques and ideas. I worked with a partner & drew up a schedule and we wrote together on a regular basis as if we had a day job. I started telling everyone I knew that I was a songwriter. It took about a year until we got our first professional writing job: A friend asked us to write songs for an educational show to be performed at schools. The show was successful and the songs were well received. We were hired to do two more shows.

Soon after that we found a singer who was looking to record an album. We wrote, recorded and produced the entire album (except for 1 song). She licensed the album to Gallo Records, and we watched as the album become a monumental flop! My partner and I did all the writing and recording for free and earned a whopping R35 each from album sales. However it was the cheapest and best education I could ever have received. From that one album I learned about sales, marketing, distribution, contracts (get a lawyer!), performance royalties, mechanical royalties  and most importantly I learned a lot about songwriting.

 

My philosophy: All writing is good for you

Since then we’ve written in wide variety of styles for radio & TV commercials, theatre productions, meditation CDs, pop artists, kid’s CDs and a bunch of other stuff. I’m a songwriter, I’m happy to take on the challenge of writing in any style. I’ve lost the musical snobbishness I had as a student.

The obvious starting point is to write. And write. And write. There are many courses & books around to help you, but that’s not what this article is about. As with anything in the music industry you have to be good at what you do. That’s a given. I’m assuming that you’re already at a point where you’re writing songs and are looking for a way to make a living as a songwriter. You have to build up a library of songs, and they have to be recorded. Properly. There is no such thing as a demo anymore. Demos are unacceptable. Your songs need to be adequately recorded and produced. If you don’t sing well enough, pay a session vocalist or barter with one. I recommend setting up a simple home studio as it is far cheaper to do than always having to pay studio time.

Something that I have found invaluable is having a songwriting partner. Someone to share the writing means less insecurity that you may be writing crap, and also helps to take you in directions you wouldn’t otherwise consider. A songwriting partner may also add skills/talents that you lack, such as a different vocal range, a good keyboard/guitar player etc.

Now back to the part where I assumed you already have songs recorded. What do you do with them?

 

Here is a list of things I’ve done (and often continue to do)

1. Tell everybody and anybody who will listen that you are a songwriter. Work often comes from places where you least expect it.
2. Make sure your songs can be heard easily by anyone. This means carrying CDs with you; putting up a website, MySpace page, FaceBook page etc.
3. Keep your ears open for bands/artists going into the studio to record, and remind them that you’re a songwriter.
4. Pitch your songs to artists or bands whenever you can. Be careful of playing just any of your material though, make sure it fits their style.
5. Network. In real life and online. Go to jam sessions. Hang out with musicians. Try and meet people in the record industry and the advertising industry. Use FaceBook, Twitter, write a blog or whatever else is out there. Engage with people.
6. Be an opportunist. Always be on the lookout for ways to market yourself. My partner & I were commissioned to write a love song for a woman who wanted to propose to her boyfriend. We approached Radio 702 and the whole thing was broadcast live on radio.
7. Join sites like Songlink and Taxi but be warned: Songlink and Taxi are expensive and there there are some dodgy sites out there waiting to take your money. Do your research before paying for anything and have a library of songs ready to send.
8. Read and contribute to relevant forums. You’d be surprised at the amount of information out there. A few that I like: Sound on Sound, Cakewalk, CD Baby, Composers Association of S.A. (CASA)
9. Get a routine. Write regularly. You’ll start to develop a method and a style.
10. Carry a notebook around and always be on the lookout for song ideas. Write them down, record them into your phone.
11. Don’t be too precious about your songs. Be open to criticism, but be aware of who who is doing the criticising. If it is someone you respect, take note, if it’s not then take it with a pinch of salt.
12. Pump Audio licenses independent music for film, television & commercials. As with anything, do some research before sending them your music.
13. CD Baby is a great place for indie musicians to sell their music
14. Some good places for info on various aspects of the music industry: http://sivers.org/ http://blog.artistshousemusic.org/  http://www.arielpublicity.com/

The business side

I learned most of the business stuff the guerrilla way, by making mistakes and later the right way from Donald S Passman’s “All You Need to Know About the Music Business”. It should be mandatory reading for all musicians

Join Samro immediately. They will handle your performance royalties.

I use Norm for my mechanical royalties, but there are other organisations handling mechanicals too.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE JOINING! This means reading the organisations literature, asking them as many questions as you need to. Ask other industry professionals for advice. 

DON’T JOIN AN ORGANISATION OR SIGN A CONTRACT WITHOUT BEING TOTALLY CLEAR WHAT YOU ARE GETTING YOURSELF INTO.

Conclusion

For me songwriting has become the primary focus of my career, but I’ve had to be creative to be able to make a living from it. I’ve learned to create my own platforms for selling my songs which include recording, distributing and marketing my own CDs. Empower yourself by learning all there is to learn about your craft and that includes the recording/programming techniques, marketing, distribution and sales.

Songwriting is a great way to earn a living even if you don’t ever have that number 1 hit song in the U.S.A. Getting enough good work in circulation in enough places should see you getting a fairly steady stream of income, and who know perhaps that hit will come along when you least expect it.

Good luck!

People die from exposure.

So my songwriting partner & I write a song. We hear that a popular local TV drama is looking for a song for one of their characters to sing, and our song happens to be the right genre. We submit it. They love it. In fact they gush. And ask us to submit another. They love it even more, and shower us with praise. They’d love to use it in an episode and they’d like us to record their cast member singing it. We’re ecstatic. They tell us how they had paid a well know local songwriting team loads of money to come up with something suitable and it wasn’t a patch on ours.

And then came the bad news. There was no more budget left to pay us anything. “But think of the exposure”.

Ok, I’m thinking about the exposure:

1. Our song gets played on national TV. But wait, how will anyone know it’s our song? Oh, of course we’ll be credited. I’ve seen those credits zoom across my screen so fast I’m not even sure what language they’re in. And does anyone actually even try to read them?
2. The cast goes on a national roadshow and our song may be performed all over the country. Great. Remind me how that benefits me? Oh yes, the singer will be singing along to backing tracks recorded by me…for free.
3. The singer might record our song on an album. Which might sell. And we would then receive our share of the 6.7% mechanical royalty (divided by the number of songs on the album, and based on the wholesale price of the CD)

So I go to my dentist and say. “You’re actually quite lucky. I can’t pay you, but you see, I’m a musician, and I play a lot of high profile gigs and whenever someone sees my lovely smile, think of the publicity you'll get.”

Maybe this is growing up?

To continue the theme of my last post:

I was raised in a household where music was played all day.

My mom listened to great jazz & classical music – from Django Reinhardt & Chick Corea to Beethoven & Stravinsky……….

My older brother listened to pop & classic rock.

As a kid I loved it all. Then I became a teenager & rebelled – punk was the thing. The Stranglers, The Clash, Dead Kennedys, Bauhaus….the list is endless & gloomy! (Anyone here remember “The Dirtbox” & “DV8”?)

After school I studied music and slowly became a jazz snob. I’d outgrown all the rubbish from my teenage years & realised jazz was the only real music: It has soul and great musicianship.

And so for many years I frowned upon anything that wasn’t jazz, but played many rock & pop gigs to earn a living (jazz doesn’t pay the rent). I moaned and groaned about those horrible gigs.

But as I got older, I found myself secretly enjoying playing pop & rock gigs. Finally I decided to come out of the closet (the musical one, not the one you’re thinking of!). I now derive great pleasure from listening to most kinds of music. I’ve recently even discovered country music – the Dixie Chicks, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Brad Paisley – it rocks!

This is one of the fantastic things about growing up: You don’t feel the need to belong to a subculture any longer. I’m not a punk or a jazz-purist, but I do like Madonna, Siouxie & the Banshees, John Scofield & Ella Fitzgerald.

A quote that I think comes from Duke Ellington: “There are only two types of music – good & bad”

It either moves me, or it doesn’t.

If this is what it means to be “grown up” then perhaps I’m grown up?

Technorati Tags: growing up,music

Pros and cons of being a freelance musician

 

Pros

1. I can go to gym during "geriatric hour" (mid-morning or afternoon) when the only people there are a few old-timers. Makes me feel like superman.
2. I can take a vacation anytime I want to.
3. I have no boss.
4. I get to play different kinds of music and work with amazing musicians.
5. I get to travel to interesting places
6. I can turn down work if I want to (this is an important one, believe me)
7. I get to write music, record music, market music and perform music.
8. I seldom have to negotiate Johannesburg traffic
9. I can sleep in or take a day off if I feel like it.
10. I get paid to play music

Cons

1. When taking vacations I don’t earn any money.
2. It is sometimes difficult to find the motivation to be proactive.
3. I get to travel to interesting places: Lagos
4. I have to save money for the quiet periods.
5. I have to be a jack-of-all trades: I get to write music, record music, market music and perform music.
6. I have to sometimes chase after people to get paid.

Technorati Tags: Freelance,music,music industry

The music is the easy part

Been thinking about this lately.

Musicians spend hours practicing and learning. If they are serious, this caries on until the day they die. If Malcolm Gladwell is to be believed, it takes 10 000 hours to be good at what you do. We have our work cut out for us just trying to be competent never mind virtuosos!

So why then do we have to spend so much time dealing with all kinds of other non-musical stuff? Because we have to eat. And some of us want to do more than just eat. We’d like a car and a house, and possibly a family to fill the car and house. A vacation once in a while could be nice too.

 

So over the years I’ve had to learn about:

• Tax (OK that's still a bit of a mystery to me)
• Dealing with drunk, slobbering people at gigs.
• Getting money out of unscrupulous club owners/promoters
• Marketing, selling & distributing CDs (one of my most time-consuming and difficult pursuits!)
• Dealing with ridiculous requests: Guitar and vocal duo playing jazz at a cocktail party being asked to play “dance music”. I still get offered work and am told “it doesn’t pay, but it will be great exposure” or “I can’t pay you, but it will be lots of fun!” (try telling that to your doctor or lawyer).
• Dealing with insults: “You’re not bad, but have you heard (insert name here)?” “You guys sound great, but if you really want to make it you should play some John Denver”. “I love your music, you sound just like (insert any crap artist here)”. Being mistaken for a waiter by someone who has spent the whole night dancing 1 meter from the stage….
• Managing money (I’m still working on this one). My life gravitates from being paid badly for a nice gig, to being paid obscenely well for an awful gig. Then there are the quiet periods where I think how I should have saved some money from the obscenely well-paid gig.
• Spending many long, painful days working on ideas for a jingle, only to be told on submission that the brief has changed.
• Wearing ridiculous costumes on stage.
• Doing gigs under bad working conditions or in strange places (see last post) – I’ve played on heaving ships, behind salad bars, outside in freezing cold conditions (whilst everyone is indoors), next to a parrot who squawked louder than my guitar amp, in the lingerie department of a large store….

Practice? What? When?

But then again I wouldn’t change my career for anything. As a result of music I have travelled, met amazing people and worked with some fantastic musicians. So I’ll carry on trying to learn how to deal with unmusical things things and try and find the time to practice!

Technorati Tags: Music industry,gigs,music

Two Weeks in Lagos, Nigeria 02

Part II

(part 1 can be found here)

Things in Lagos appear to take time: Drivers often fetched us over 2 hours late and…..

The schedule was to spend 3 or 4 days rehearsing with backing vocalists and then move into the TV studio to start shooting the series. By the end of the week we were told that the set was still at customs and the studio a construction site. 

In the meantime we were supposed to have been given 3 cut-off points for each of the songs to be performed. Each cut represents a different level of difficulty in the game show. As with everything else, we were given these stops late (some only on the day of shooting).

OK at this point I’ll just list a bunch of things that were wrong about the time spent in Lagos (aside from those mentioned previously): Offices where we rehearsed sometimes had no running water (ie toilets didn’t work); our Per Diems ran out quickly as food turned out to be expensive; we were locked out of our hotel rooms one night for a few hours as the bill hadn’t been paid; we weren’t given a day off in two weeks (we eventually mutinied & refused to work); things often went wrong on set & the band had to entertain a restless audience while tech issues were being sorted out. I could carry on, but I’ll stop here. 

Apologies to all the wonderful people/friends that I made in Lagos: Ada, Roro, Noel, Nkem, Iyke and others for saying such negative things about your home city! Hopefully the next trip I’ll see a better side :-)

I’m supposed to return in April to shoot the rest of the series. The SA band members have requested certain changes (such as a clean hotel) for the second leg. Watch this space….

See all my photos of Lagos here: Lagos Photos

Technorati Tags: Travel,Nigeria,Lagos,gigs,musicians,Africa

The band in rehearsal

I’ve been rehearsing for the past month with a talented bunch of musicians for a show called “Don’t Forget The Lyrics”. We’ve been rehearsing at the Bassline in Newtown, Johannesburg and are flying to Lagos, Nigeria to shoot the series.

It’s been a rather demanding rehearsal period for a number of reasons, namely:

1. The amount of songs we’ve had to learn - Over 300 in the space of a month.
2. There was no sheet music (as promised) and the CDs with the repertoire kept arriving late. This meant that we often heard the songs for the first time at the rehearsal and had to “workshop” most of the songs.
3. We were supplied with some rather dodgy equipment & had a lengthy process of negotiating to get it (sort-of) sorted out.

A bit about the musicians:

Four South Africans: Me on guitar, Bheki Khoza on guitar, Melvin Peters on piano (& musical director), Godfrey Mgcina on percussion.

The Nigerians (I’m ashamed to say I only know their first names!): Ike on drums, Emmanuel on keyboards and Noel on bass. We will be joined by two backing vocalists in Lagos I believe. Noel has also been acting as our rehearsal vocalist and personal music encyclopaedia. None of the Nigerians read music, but all have an enormous repertoire of songs memorised. Noel knows by far the most – he is able to play basslines, while singing relevant parts to members of the band! He has sung entire guitar solos to me, brass & string parts to the keyboard players and even knows intricate drum grooves. All from memory (and I’m talking over 300 songs and counting!).

We leave South Africa for Lagos tomorrow (15 February 09) where we will spend two weeks rehearsing and shooting the first half of the series. It will be my first time in Nigeria and I have no idea what to expect. Watch this space for more updates….in the meantime, a few photos from rehearsals:

       

Technorati Tags: rehearsal,musicans,newtown,johannesburg