Gearing up for Get Frank

The news in briefs (aka bulletpoints)

I’ve just finished my last bit of work for uni and now just have a dissertation proposal meeting (weds) and a 9am-5pm audition on tues to go.
Am about to launch a podcasting project on Burnfm.
Have been offered (and taken) the position of Generation Next Future Media Production Assistant for Channel 4 (more on that later.)
Have a featured open mic slot at The Phoenix, Coventry on Monday
Am preparing for my first gig with a full band at The Rainbow on Friday 29th May…

So firstly the ‘big gig…’ I’ve been dreaming of playing The Rainbow in Digbeth for over a year. It’s literally my favourite Brummie venue so I can’t believe I’m getting to play there. I’m playing with the wonderful Dan Smith, who I played at the Yardbird with in March. You can check out my myspace or my youtube if you’ve not heard my music before. All tracks on myspace are available to download for free! I’ve got five extra people helping me so expect glockenspiel, keyboards, guitars, drums, bongoes and a saxophone…

Also big thanks to all the lovely tweets about the Channel 4 internship I was very pleased too! I’m going to be focused on the Big Brother website and a few others I’ve not been told about yet. It’s my first proper paid internship so hopefully I won’t be too overdrawn at the end of summer like I was last year.

Hope to see you at the Rainbow on Friday!

Frank x

Swine Flu – How to strike the balance between fear and ignorance

The current subject of major international focus is the Swine Fl u. Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that – it’s probably the most talked about thing on the internet right now, seemingly stealing the focus from the ever depressing recession. Being a student I’ve felt slightly cushioned from the talk of unemployment and bankers’ distress, preferring to concentrate on my deadlines and my final year of study before I’m thrown into a world of economic turmoil.

When I last checked today, just before starting write this article, it seems that there have been 91 cases of Swine Flu confirmed by laboratory testing in America (51 of those in New York) and sadly one death (a child in Texas.) There have been five UK cases affirmed, with one woman being treated from her home in Redditch. On the TV as I am currently writing a news anchor reports from outside a health centre in Northfield reporting that ‘we must hope that the threat in the West Midlands remains mild’ and that a victim’s uncle could not obtain tamiflu from 6 different pharmacies. If this was a confirmed case of tamiflu then I am sure that the patient would have been given tamiflu directly by the hospital so I’m not entirely sure what that victim was suffering from… (I’d been briefly watching Newsnight on the other side…)

The following was published from this article on the BBC news website:

The BBC’s Alex Bushill in Paignton, Devon

No school expected to be at the centre of a national media storm, but for the pupils of Paignton Community and Sports College in south Devon, there were to be even more shocks and surprises.

A little after 1300 BST this afternoon, the 2,000 pupils were told that one of their friends had contracted swine flu from a recent trip to Mexico. They did not know it, but already satellite vans and cameramen were gathering outside the school gate and the prime minister had announced on the floor of the Commons that a 12-year-old girl at the school was ill with the virus.

Although she is now responding well to drugs, there is a great deal of anger amongst parents and pupils alike that they were not told in advance.

In amongst the tears, parents came to collect their children as the school was closed. Reeling not just from the shock that swine flu had arrived on their doorstep, but in the manner that they had heard the worrying news.

It is the content of stories like the one above that make me worry about the way that the potential pandemic is being handled. The fact that 2,000 students and their parents reacted with hysteria surely reflects what a nation constantly accompanied by the media must be enduring. I myself have become uneasy this evening particularly after seeing footage of Dr Margaret Chan of the World Health Organisation officially raising the alert over the level of swine flu to 5 – one away from the level of ‘pandemic (human – human transmission in two countries.) This means that countries must ready their ‘pandemic preparedness plans.’ In Britain this appears to be stockpiling as many doses of tamiflu as possible (and hoping that the virus does not mutate to become untreatable.)

All of this is news that we, as members of the public are perfectly entitled to of course and most coverage by the media has been greatly informative, particularly by sites such as the BBC. However, for the next few weeks I would not even consider buying a tabloid newspaper for fear of seeing sensationalized pictures or ‘survivors stories.’ For example this story on The Sun’s website starts to read as a fairly factual piece until a silly picture of random people arriving at Heathrow airport is followed by text in bold to make you feel INDIGNANT AND BETRAYED BY THE GOVERNMENT the piece ends by saying that ’25 million could catch it here in months.’ Surely this is scaremongering? The content about the lack of masks is completely unnecessary, particularly as we have already been informed that masks are only useful to members of the medical profession as touching the masks after using them renders them pointless.

So what I have deducted from the oodles of internet, tv and print info is that people should carry tissues, get out the old festival anti bacterial gel and to not sneeze on people. To be honest I’m going to be doing this namely because I have a bit of a cold at the moment and my hayfever is rather chronic and is beginning to flare up.

Personally I am going to try not to worry; I have an exam tomorrow and an interview for an internship with Channel 4 as part of their Generation Next scheme next week. My exam is a practical performance of an Alan Aykbourne play called Invisible Friends. In it I play an angry middle aged dad and the voices of a tv, including a speech about rising inflation which suddenly feels all the more relevant!

The Channel 4 interview is for a new media post, as an assistant to the producer of the Big Brother website. When the program is on each Summer I’d say I probably visit the website more than I watch the program itself so therefore I’m quite excited about it! Aside from being keen generally my experience online and also through running Burnfm.com I’d say I’ve got as much a chance as any. As long as they don’t think I’m too young or don’t like that I’ve not finished my degree hopefully I’ll do well. The internship is from July to mid september and therefore I’ll be free to devote all my time to the job. (Put it this way; I really, really want to do it!) A task created video of Ulrika Johnson and Verne Troyer performing the Diana Ross and Lionel Richie duet, Endless Love from this year’s Celebrity Big Brother got over 81,000 views in a matter of days (the task was to get at least 10,000) which shows exactly how cross platform content is becoming increasingly popular amongst mainstream audiences.

Hope you are all equally well and that this article hasn’t caused a panic!

Frank

Having Waterworks…

The other day I went to Sainsburys in Selly Oak and saw a man (in VERY unflattering leggings) and his son cycling down a path on the other side of the road so I thought, aha! Perhaps a shortcut! So shopping on my arm I followed and discovered that the path actually led to the Birmingham and Fazeley canal.

Aha! (I thought again) I bet this takes me close to Raddlebarn road, which is close to the top of Heeley Road where I live. There was an exit where I expected, by the hospital but it was a locked gate and I couldn’t use it, therefore I had to walk a kilometer further to Bournville train station to find an exit from the canal towpath. This wasn’t an unpleasant walk at all, I loved the scenery, it was just the heavy shopping and the rather narrow towpath (with countless cyclists its quite hard to avoid falling into the water!) I’m also a bit nervous when I’m in an area where I can’t see an imminent exit and I’m on my own. I guess its a kind of claustrophobia.

I would love to use the canals more so I can get some exercise and walk more but I would also like to know where exits are. I know there’s one at Brindley Place and at The Vale student halls but apart from that I’m a bit stuck! I’d like to walk to Five Ways Station but I’m not sure where the nearest exit is! I’ve tried looking for pedestrian guides on the internet but all I can find is guides for boating and council re-developments. The Waterscape site is meant to promote the canal to walkers but from what I can tell, it only promotes Brindley Place and the Mailbox.

If anyone can recommend me a decent resource or has had found the same issues with the canal then please comment!

Thanks

Frank x

In postscript I didn’t win Birmingham’s Got Talent, although it was a great night. The only problem I have is a problem that happens at lots of events, people talking REALLY loudly when you and/or other people are onstage trying to perform. When you’re on a stage trying to focus on two or three things at a time, (in my case singing, playing guitar, avoiding nerves but trying to acknowledge an audience it becomes very difficult to not stuff up!) There were certain performers yesterday who I feel deserved a bit more from the audience. But it’s in the past now. Big thanks to everyone who voted and helped raise important money for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice. It will be very well recieved!

May I count on your vote?

Hey everyone,

As I’ve already posted today, I’m performing at the Jam House tonight at charity fundraiser for Birmingham’s Got Talent. If you can’t make it you can still make my day and donate money to charity by voting for me. To do this all you have to do is text 8 and 10.30 pm ‘talent b’ to 64343. The texts cost £1 with at least 60 pence of this going to Birmingham St. Mary’s Hospice. If I win I think I get a night out I’m not exactly sure, the prize isn’t too important to me, I’d just like to escape ‘nil point’ as the results are being displayed on a giant screen in the venue! There is potential embarrassment factor there, teamed with the fact that I don’t actually know if anyone is coming to watch me BUT… the main thing is to raise money for charity!

Thankyou!

Frankie x

It Runs in the Family (I think)

My family isn’t really known for being musical. My dad played trombone and accordion when he was younger (I don’t really know how well!) and my sister played alto sax for a while (and I don’t even know for how long!) I would say I’m probably the most ‘musical’ in my immediate family.

However, not so long ago I discovered my dad’s cousin, Graham Ward is a former child ‘drumming’ prodigy who played the drums in the movie of Bugsy Malone and owns a recording studio in LA. Nice huh?

Anyway my dad is going to LA (I think for work…this is a rather unsure blog!) and is hoping to pop by so he’s going to try and take a CD of my music along. I guess because we both record (him obviously having the upper hand of a luxury recording complex!)

This is the tracklisting for the CD I’m sending to LA via ‘Dad mail.’ Not all of these songs are on my soundcloud yet, but the ones that are you can download for free. I’ve been recording over the past couple of days so I’ll put them on my cloud soon. I would have put them up already however the Soundcloud site won’t let me upload more than five tracks per month. I have made all of the featured songs on my myspace downloadable so you can grab and go from there! I hope that people who like my music will pass it on and possibly blog about it, however I know my recordings are scrappy. I can’t quite capture my voice as I like it – I know that vocally, I’m much better live. The effects on my desk aren’t great and the reverb is rather difficult to program. I also have coined myself the phrase that ‘I haven’t the time for a metronome’ because none of my recordings are recorded to a click track. I record to literally keep a record of what I’m writing and creating and I like to be quick. If I was recording with other people it would probably be more fun and a more precise process.

In terms of uni work I’ve got a 1,000 creative analysis of a radio play I’ve produced and designed the sound for and I’m ready for the next semester. Hurrah!

Frank x

Easter Holidays? Art Brut Vs Satan and Going gigging…

There is a question mark in my title.

I doubt very much that I’m going back to Kent this Easter for a number of reasons, mostly because I need books and have a lot of work and also because one piece of work, a 10-15 minute radio play requires me to use the computer network at uni.

One of the biggest common problems with Uni is it has a distinct lack of books. With thirty people or more writing the same essay often you can’t get the right book before the deadline. I’m popping into the library later before band practice with Pyschonaut to see if I can find anything and then tomorrow I’ll begin my radio play. Its a play called Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World by Louis de Bernieres. I’ve got some ideas but not sure if they’ll work yet so I’m sure I’ll spend tomorrow finding out. My aim is to get this done by the end of the week. I wrote a 2,000 word essay over the weekend. To be honest my aim is just to get rid of my current backlog of work. I want to focus on bringing music back into the guild.

My music ‘manifesto’ as it is shaping out is to try and get Guild Venues to put on music acts. You can find out more and join the facebook group I’ve set up too and have your say. The group has only been in existence for a few days but its growing nicely. I’m going to email Adam Craig, head of venues at the Guild of Students later and see if I can set up a meeting.

I think I’m starting to get a reputation as a workaholic.

I just like to get things out of the way so I feel responsibility-free…except that never happens because I take something new on! However I can’t afford train fare home so if I do get rid of all ‘to dos’ I still can’t go back. My real aim is to start recording better Get Frank demos, but my guitarist Nick isn’t around and he always plays my stuff differently to me! Martin from Urbanfly has asked me to play an unsigned showcase at the Victoria pub on the 4th June and even if Nick can’t make it, I’ll figure something out.

I was reading Eddie Argos of Art Brut‘s blogspot blog and read a Drowned in Sound article he wrote for them about new album Art Brut Vs Satan. I’ve just reviewed the new single Alcoholics Unanimous for Culture Deluxe and wrote a review of the album earlier today. I now wish I’d read the article first. I really really like the record, its another brilliantly realised collection of songs with more than your average share of wisdom. On my uni course we learn about postmodernism/challenging perceptions/going against the grain etc… and I completely ignored my own intellect and gave the record a 7 out of 10, when in my own personal opinion I’d probably give it a little bit more, I was just thinking in a ‘person reading the review’ rather than writing the review way. The band are playing the Academy 2 on the 28th April so I’m hoping to go see them. I’ve seen them a couple of times and both were awesome. The last time was at Lounge on the Farm in Canterbury. I managed to grab a quick interview with Eddie and guitarist Jasper Future for my BBC Blast page but my bloomin’ dictaphone ran out of batteries without me realising. Grrrrrr…..

On thursday I’m playing a headline gig at the Birmingham Academy 3 with Pyschonaut . I play bass. It’s fun but I’m running out of time/ diary space so not sure how much longer I’ll be a part of them. I also want to concentrate on my own stuff – I need to find a bassist, possibly another guitarist, a drummer and a keyboard player but haven’t got my bum into gear yet. The gig on thursday will be my third gig at the Academy 3, having played there once with Psychonaut, and once on my lonesome (literally last minute supporting The Rileys.) Tickets, I believe, are £5. I’m not even sure who we’re playing with to be honest but details on request folks!!!

Frank x

Let Battle Commence…

Tonight is the night!

Its the very first Burnfm.com Battle of the Bands at the University of Birmingham Guild of Students. Personally I’ve put LOADS of work into this, as have the societies who have been helping us, Vale Festival, Band Soc, Rock Soc and Metal Soc.

We’ve got 360 headlining which I’m very excited about…however I know I’ve blogged about this before so all I really need to say again is…

7.30pm, guild of students underground, tickets £5. Student bar prices!!!

On tuesday it was the guild of students Guild Awards. Burn didn’t win anything. Burn did not even have a photo in the slideshow of the years events.

We have had a number of issues recently and therefore I have decided to publish an email I sent to the sabbatical officer for Student Activities and Development…

I understand that the Guild want to support us however I really feel that currently we are not appreciated as a fully functioning society. At the Guild Awards we felt that we were unfairly left out of the proceedings, with any possibility of mentioning Burnfm completely overlooked. For example in the photo montage (and I sent in plenty of photos with nominations and after nominations had closed as I was aware that there would probably be a slideshow,) we were completely left out and the only look in burn had was a short, silent clip in a film made by GTV. Of course it is up to the discretion of the panel who chooses the shortlist for award winners and I totally respect those who won and was happy for them, but I think we deserved at least a shortlist position for Most Improved. We have worked so hard this year to get Burn back up and running. We visibly support the guild (including a ‘Guild news’ section of our hourly news bulletin,) advertise its events, give societies a spotlight in specially allocated radio slots and also allow the guild and societies to use our recording equipment, making time to show them how to use it, and often operating it for them. For example I have recorded podcasts with yourself in the past and today I helped Watch This! record voice overs for a production they are putting together.

Personally I feel my job has become a thankless one, it is not my agenda to recieve personal praise for what I do but to get the radio station noticed and appreciated. I’m sure you understand that. This is one of the reasons I do things like strictly brum, to try and get our society’s name recognised. I always do as the Guild asks me, including missing classes that my tuition fees have paid for but feel that the Guild do not always do what I ask of them. I am very grateful for the BOTB spot on the TVs in Joes bar however no A0 posters have gone up and there are still Got Involved posters up in the Guild that could be replaced. In the STA travel corridor there are at least two empty poster frames where the posters could have gone, without disrupting advertising for Fab and Friday or Stock Exchange.

Tonight I am writing this email after spending a great deal of time on the phone to Burn members who have not been able to do their last ever shows on Burnfm because Luke Mayer (?) of the sports night is refusing them entry on account that we have not given the guild a list of the DJs broadcasting after 8pm. This has never been requested of me or Burn, otherwise you can be assured that I would have done it. For the past two semesters we have been broadcasting until 11pm on a wednesday night. We have been broadcasting until 8pm on tuesdays, despite VIT’s cancellation (the Guild did not inform us of this, therefore wasting oversubscribed specialist hours) and this friday, despite not being informed, we have chosen to cease broadcasting at 8pm due to Fab and Friday. To make us cease broadcasting early on another day is ridiculous. It is another example of Burn being treated as though we do not matter. Mr Mayer refused to speak to me on the phone, but due to having spent 7 hours on shift at Burn today, I need to catch up on work and could not spare the hour or so required to travel to the Guild deal with an impossible situation and then travel back.

I would also like to be updated on the motion passed in Guild Council about Burn being played in Joes [bar]. I want to work with the Guild on making sure this motion is stuck to, and making sure that the broadcasts are of high quality. Next term we are going to formally write up how training will work (probably an hour or two talk with the committee, James Piggot of Legal Services and hopefully a radio professional) and then studio sessions with small groups. We will start to look at how we can really push the idea of producers to potential members and how to make sure shows are efficiently structured and broadcast. We also want to focus on our community of DJs next term by having more socials, applying for SRA awards and putting together podcasts with input from everyone and anyone – just giving a voice to whoever wants one (this includes societies, musicians and the Guild in general.)

The reason I am publishing this is because I have not yet recieved a reply from the officer I sent the message to. I feel that Burn is actually supported more by people outside of the Uni currently. I have recently been faced with a situation that required me to miss classes that my tuition fees have paid for. My time might not be worth money to the guild, but it is worth marks to me….

On Friday I participated in Strictly Brum Dancing for the University of Birmingham Ballroom and Latin Society. After speaking to DJ Steve LeMaq on his friday BBC 6 Music show. I didn’t win but apparently, for my quick efforts in learning a chacha and a waltz I have been named a ballroom dance prodigy…hurrah!

Frank x

Burnfm’s Battle of the Bands

botb-poster

Finally!

We have a Battle of the Bands poster! I don’t think I can get it to display, but the event is at the University of Birmingham Guild of Students at 7.30pm on Thursday 26th March.

I’m ruddy excited…We’ve got six university acts lined up to battle for a slot at Vale Fest 2009, and a headline slot from brilliant Birmingham act 360.

The finalists are:

The July Days

Varney and Sons

Motion

Battle Stations

Jessica Sharman

Wicked Messengers

We held a preliminary round to whittle the bands down and you can here recordings from this here, simply click on the BOTB link. We judged the acts by their live performances, not recordings as we felt that this was much fairer.

The final will be judged by Aaron Wright, music editor of uni paper Redbrick, Johnny O’ Callaghan who runs InD at Walkabout and two members of another Birmingham band, the almighty Scarlot Harlots.

We would love to have you along as profits are going toward Vale Fest and its charities. Vale Fest usually raises over £50,000 for charity, we hope to make that over £60,000 this year! Tickets are £5 and are available from Joes Bar (in the Guild) or on the door. It is not a student exclusive event and is open to all, so if you’ve never been to the Guild/Uni before, or are simply feeling nostalgic and want to check out both new and established talent, then please come! Group (10 or more) discount is £4 per person and can be arranged by emailing me, frankiepromotes@googlemail.com

If you would like to review/photograph this event also please get in touch.

The live music ends at 12am and will be followed by DJs until 2am.

Frank

A Brief History of Helen of Troy (or Everything Will Be Different.)

I’m writing some songs for a Mark Schufler play called A Brief History of Helen of Troy (or Everything Will Be Different.) One of these is ‘Bedspread’ which I’m playing as part of my Get Frank on sunday at the Yardbird.

You can find out more here. The gig is free!

Helen of Troy is going to be performed at the Custard Factory on the Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th March. Find out more here!

Frank x

hope to see you sunday. It is free after all!

Get Frank are go…

Tonight myself and Nick play the Victoria. Here’s a video of Nature Boy that we recorded the other day during practice

I’m playing glock and Nick is on guitar tonight. I might play a little precussion, however I’m a rubbish multitasker.

Its £3 NUS or £4 without.

Last night I played an impromptue set for visiting London based act The Rileys. According to my friend and Burn’s head of music, Fuzz, two of the guys from the band came into the Burn studio to mention the gig and asked if she knew a potential support act. Fuzz called me. I had to go it alone without Nick but It was great fun. I’ve played the Bar Academy with Pyschonaut before (on bass) but playng on a stool to people not there to see you is a different but rewarding experience….and slightly alienating when you have two of the headlining act cheering directly in front of you. As singer Joe said, “It’s like a private gig!”

Don’t forget you can download some of my demos for freeness here.

Hope you see you tonight – come and say hi…

Frank x