Open mic-ing

Student life, it seems, is no longer about getting drunk, staying up all night chatting or going out on a whim.

As the christmas season approaches, so do deadlines and currently no one seems to be doing much socially which I feel is a shame as my dying kidney is back to happy and I can’t properly celebrate.

So today I’m off out to open mic at The Soak in Selly Oak as I’ve got nothing better to do (except um…work) and I’m going to play and probably leave…or stay depending on who is there.

The thing about open mic in The Soak is that only a few people are there for the event itself, everyone else is boozing, snooker-ing or gathered around the large screen watching some type of sport. Some will find this offputting, others will like that not everyone is examining them. I’m in between the two as on the couple of times I’ve played there before, I’ve been unable to hear myself playing and as a nervous newbie to the bussiness of gigging etc… I can’t even hear my own mistakes. This causes me to panic and make even more errors- so I act self-deprecating and laugh it off. No one will ever take me seriously until I do myself I suppose.

Tonight I’m going to play a couple of covers and a few of my own. I usually play originals but if you open with a cover people seem to settle a bit more. Their ears prick up because they’re trying to work out ‘what is that familiar-but not so similar tune.’ The eureka moment when they realise could lose their attention or retain it for longer, depending on the listener.

Will post a ‘set list’ and some you tube videos later…

Unusual blog

I came across this blog when I was randomly going from blog to ‘next blog on blogspot. Basically some proud parents have posted pictures of their baby for each month since it was literally in the womb! There’s pictures from some scans followed by the baby growing up.

Some people might think it is strange but I think its interesting. An online baby book which shows how quickly infants grow up.

I’m not a broody 19 year old, honestly! But baby hats are quite cute…

The bar of geniuses and a new band

I have discovered Genius Bar for mac!

If any of you aren’t aquainted with this handy tool for itunes on Macs yet then make sure you have the latest version of itunes then click ‘genius’ in the left navigation bar. It will contact the itunes store and then after a minute or two you’ll be able to click the neutron kind of Genius bar logo on the bottom of the itunes window. To make it work select a song you really feel in the mood for on your itunes and when that is highlighted blue, click the ole neutron sign. Then Itunes will make you a nice playlist to go with that song.

So far I’ve tried it with similar songs, so the same artists keep appearing. Currently Genius bar ADORES Guillemots love song no.43, anything by Iron and Wine and/or Regina Spektor. I selected Braille by Regina Spektor this evening and got some nice stuff including Broken Social Scene, Sufjan Stevens and Minus the Bear

Today I found a band to play bass with which will be nice. I’m not the best bassist in Birmingham so I’m not sure if this band know what they’ve let themselves in for…I’ll um…improvise! The band are called Pyschonaut and kind of reminded me of Death from Above 1979 and My Bloody Valentine. They’ve got a couple of gigs lined up, including one in January and one at the Actress and Bishop in february so I might even get to play a gig!!!

Frank. x

Focus.

Looking at my blog posts for the past few days I feel like I’ve been a bit unfocused with this.

The joy of blogging is it’s your own free space, but at the same time you can use it for a particular purpose. Currently my purpose seems to be just type up everything I’m working on. I guess its kind of eclectic.

As I’m busy with three drama practicals (for assessment in december) and a couple of assessed essays I’ve had to clear my diary out in terms of reviews and getting out and about and ‘meeting creatives.’

I was on twitter when I discovered Ed Walker’s blog. Being a student who dabbles in journalism I found his site really interesting and left a couple of comments. It was his blog that also made me rethink my own. I want to continue writing for Gigbeth but I also know that right now I’ve got to sort my degree out. Being ill in various grades of seriousness for three weeks has set me back a bit. It turns out I had a kidney and a chest infection at the same time so I’m still doing delightful tests for the doctors to make sure all the nastiness is gone.

As Gigbeth was my music focused blog, this was more about everything else. I may keep it general. Currently it seems to focus on Burnfm, other people’s music, my own music, youtube, internet zombie movie and a bit of drama (degree). I am starting to pick up on other people’s websites as well, which I quite enjoy doing so I may continue.

If I achieve my ultimate year old objective of Station Manager of Burnfm on the 2nd December I believe this blog will focus more on radio, but I’ll address that idea if and when I come to it.

If you have an opinion, then I welcome it. This isn’t youtube so I doubt I’ll get “Your fat, give up already” comments!

Frank. x

I went out…

I went to see a student production of the play Art which people went crazy for a few years back when in was playing the West End.

I have no idea why.

The joke wore thin after 5 minutes….

 

However myself and friends went out afterwards and were amazing by the Yardbird. There were some amazing breakdancers there. I’m so there every third friday of the month from now on…

 

Perhaps I was scared of the camera
Perhaps I was scared of the camera

From the theatre lab…

Today in lab we worked on dreams. I lie back and say ‘ahhh’ when tors, also lying says ‘oooh’ and then lucy starts stratching in her sleep and I say “Lucy you’re alseep” except shes not asleep. Shes pretending to scratch the floor in her pretend sleep. We cough up our hearts and we throw them away. I sit and stare at an audience member who doesn’t exist yet and say “You have his eyes.” They don’t know who he is. A string represents a washing line and on it we hang paper, like dirty laundry drying in a back garden.

I bought silly string and guns after rehearsal. I might spray the paper in next rehearsal.

“She sat like patience on a monument, smiling at grief. Was this not love indeed? No; it was false advertising.”

I’m keeping a record of rehearsals for drama. We have to devise a piece of contemporary theatre for a module called Theatre Lab. I’ve been influenced by Forced Entertainment for a while so I’m up for the challenge, despite it being a large one.

I’m working with letters sent to me a while ago, although I may substitute these for blank paper. We also are working on movements and taking fragments of text from lyrics, books, poems and the internet.

I have to write an essay with a complicated title about the task. It’s due in the same week as the performance which makes the devising process hard as it has to be speedy to make time for writing about it in a formal way. I hope to start ‘formalising’ the process this weekend (if I’m not too busy writing my essay plan about restoration stage rape that is!)

My ex boyfriend said that devised theatre is self indulgent, but then again surely so is a curtain call or taking a photo of oneself? 

Frank.

You are cordially invited…

Today there was a letter to me stuffed in my mailbox. It was my 4Talent awards invite! I’m very much looking forward to seeing Iain Woods again, especially after I missed his set at Gigbeth. What I really would like to do however, is do vox pop interviews on the red carpet so on my to do list is emailing the organisers. It’s like festivals- I won’t feel right unless I’m working. It’s not like I won!

Yesterday saw the screening of Bryony Makes a Zombie Movie on BBC Three. In my opinion the documentary did not show the full extent of the project. I guess its main focus was Bryony, aka Paperlilies and therefore it was never going to show much of the other contributors however I felt it took the mickey out of members of the forum with constant talk of ‘flame wars’ and the like. Rather than ask the members of the forum about arguments and such, Hat Trick instead spoke to some bloke from The Sun! Comments from the forum were read in silly accents and don’t even get me started on the voiceover guy….

I, thankfully, was spared ridicule, but at the end of the film a few people were thanked in the credits…about five people. Many people from the forums as well as myself and the other actors made films and allowed ourselves to be filmed for the documentary. We signed release forums, filmed video blogs to deadlines and took up time to help Hat Trick get a bigger picture (that they chose, in the final documentary) to ignore. I felt that certainly more people deserved credit than was given. At the end of the film also there is the impression that the film will carry on being made. Currently on the forums it seems this is not the case, hence my ‘public facebook status disappointment.’

Basically everyone I met on set, particularly Bryony, were lovely and it seems a shame that things won’t be the same now.

Frank.

Blue cheese

I’m trying to get back to get back into the swing of things (my drugs are great!) and have begun writing for my degree (yes I do do one!) My weekend was spent researching Restoration stage rape which was enlightening to say the least.

Orange Unsigned Act came to the Custard Factory on thursday so I popped down and finally met my idol of 13 years, Alex James. I got a bit starstruck but managed to hold down a brief conversation with him about cheese. I also met Myspace radio co presenter Alex Zane again and thankfully he remembered me!

Its unfortunate that I can’t talk much about the finalists but to be honest, no one except a certain Birmingham band stood out to me- that and a singer songwriter who went asked whether he could form a band with his friends he quickly responded “I haven’t got any!” He was charming in an awkward way!

The other day I received a press release about a mobile phone competition to find new talent. The Motorokr competiton featured a couple of recording booths in the Bullring this weekend. Wannabe recording stars could record an except from nine songs. I took a couple of guys from Burnfm.com down to have a go. Not realising that the songs were set, the boys (Dan and Dan who go by the name Mac and Cheese and Pitta Bread…) brought along a guitar and a self penned christmas song! Noticing their efforts, the Motorola staff got the boys to perform their song in the Bullring infront of the wandering crowds.

Hopefully Christmas Number One This Year will be available soon!

Frank.