Podcast number 11

Finally got round to recording pod-cast number 11. It's been far too long but there you are.

Possibly the quickest and easiest I've done yet.

I rant about so called "acoustic" music and Pure Acoustica

I played music by the amazing Julia K ,the delightful Wise Children and earworm specialist Matt Blake. I urge you to go and check out their sites and join their fan base.

I also sing the praises of independent internet types including the quite wonderful Watch With Mothers I should also have mentioned W.W.M. contributor Dave but didn't. I also mentioned two very funny ladies who make hysterical videos Yournottheone

You can access this pod-cast by click on one of links on the right. If you have iTunes then click the iTunes link if not click the widget link or click here to go straight to podbean and listen to it there

Birthday Boy (man)

Today is my birthday. I love my birthday and always have done ever since I can remember.
To me it is MY day. A day of treats and favours.
This year is slightly different to other years of late, I shall be spending this evening on my own. Now I'm not after any kind of sympathy as I am perfectly happy about it.
Mrs Nick is at a conference for the next 3 days, I dropped her at the train station this morning at stupid o clock, but she is whisking me away for a holiday weekend so that more than makes up for it.
However this does leave me with a bit of a dilemma.

So, what do I do tonight?

I'm think about a few JDs and a drunken Ustream gig interspersed with some online poker but will welcome suggestions..

Who the hell blogs on a Saturday?

Yes well I do!

My weekends are often like a work day for me.

Today I am preparing for the Winchester Mayfest.

It has so far involved, printing and burning promo cds of myself and a comp of some of the other acts playing this afternoon, tinkering with guitars cleaning and the like, hunting out minidisk recorder blank minidisks leads etc and printing and cutting card inserts for the cds.

My wet-suit arrived today and the surf at Boscombe looks great, typical.

It is also clean up day in our street. Folk move their cars, trim their street trees and generally tidy up. Then men and street cleaning lorries come and take it all away leaving the neighborhood looking neat and tidy.

In stark contrast, I intend to return from Winchester beery and disheveled!

Le Weekend

I love weekends. It difficult not to. I have tried to get out of the habiot of wishing the whole week away and just focusing on it (the weekend)

This weekend is going to be a humdinger.

I have organised for a group of musicians (most of whom I have never met) to play at the Winchester Mayfest. They are members of a company I started a year ago call Pure Acoustica. The whole idea is that no amps, microphones or p.a.s are used, it's all TOTALLY acoustic, geddit? We will be playing at the Discovery Centre (yes, it's the library) from 2 until 5 pm. After which I shall be heading off, guitar in hand, to a few pubs where other musu types will be playing traditional folky type music and hopefully joining in.

Those who know me will know my attitude to folk or "fulk" music. But this is different. It's a spontaneous almost improvised, natural kind of music. There will be fiddles and banjos, penny whistles and flutes. OK, I know what you are thinking but the ale will be good!!

My daughter is down for the weekend which is always a delight although she will want to get home in time to watch Eurovision.

What are your weekend plans?

The Power of the Post-It

I have a huge list of things I need to do. I find that with such a huge list, actually getting started on anything is a daunting task. However, earlier this week I acquired a pad of Post-it notes (does anyone actually buy them from shops?), wrote out a few of tasks I had to do, then stuck them on my comp at home.

Magically within 2 days, I had the satisfaction of throwing 3 of the notes away, muttering to myself (inner dialogue Clarry?) "Job done!"

I'm now wondering if there is an innate power in the Post-It note.

Does it discretely urge one into action?

One can even get them for ones iGoogle page

Could the bald write a "Grow Hair" post-it?

The fat write a "Lay off the Pies" post-it?

Perhaps the poor could try a "Earn more Money!" post-it?

What would be your post-it message today?

Webfriends

Do you have webfriends? People that you have met on the web. You may have come across them on a forum, social network, seen a video or heard a piece of music that they have made.

Webs friends are great.

I have many.

Most of my webfriends I have never met or talked to. I have met a few but I've found that once I have met or spoken to them they lose their allure, their mystery.

I re-recorded a track of mine for the guy who made the video. Originally the track was 4:32 but he needed it to be 3 minutes. Over 2 months or so we swapped many email and even recorded messages to each other, tweaking the track here and there, suggesting ideas for the video, that were sent as email attachments.

I have webfriends that I've had for over 8 years! In America, Canada and all over the shop.

I catch up with them sometimes via messengers and the like.

I have webfriends at http://watchwithmothers.net/ as well finding some new ones at Twitter and http://www.ustream.tv/nicktann

Do you have webfriends?

What are the advantages/disadvantages?

Jam?

In a shameless attempt to garner followers to my music type blog and therefore encourage people to listen and then buy my beautiful music as well as watch me on the Ustream, I have thought of an interesting and popular question,as well as constructing possibly the longest sentence ever.

*Deep Breath*

Which is the king of jams?

Is it the humble strawberry jam? The tarty raspberry jam?

I put it to you that it is most certainly the Peach Jam, combining the tart and the sweet in one wonderful concerto of fruity preserve

Ear Worm

I think that's what they call it, whoever THEY are. Lets say it's what WE call it. That tune that burrows into your head and sits there blooming and spreading it's essence through your very soul. At the moment this songs floods my every waking sense, it's my theme music accompanying everything from ironing (yes IRONING! Ir scares me too) to holding my wife.
Now I share it with you.
She's great is Joan as Policewoman. I found her randomly. All her songs are intricate and subtle.
Spotify her, as WE say. But first just let this lap over you....

Master Plan

So this is part of my master plan. I found this piece of software, I forget the name. You can expand branches and group things. So I spent most of easter doing this plan. This is just the website part, there is a much bigger plan that this is just one part of.

So now I get down to actually DOING the plan.

And to be honest, it's all a bit daunting and is it realy worth it?

Will it be a success after all the work?

It fucking better be!!!

n.b. click on the picture to see it in it's full glory....

It's been a while

I know it has been a while but I have been a bit busy and have lacked luster and enthusiasm when it come to blogging and pod-casting. It can be hard work keeping all this stuff up. The blog, the pod-casts, the ustream gigs as well as writing and recording and publicizing myself. Sometimes I feel that there is so much to do, it's hard to find somewhere to start.

However.

The summer holidays will soon be upon me and I will have six weeks to produce stuff as well as hitting some waves on my new body-board. 

I'm still as creative as ever. New tunes, new ideas and opportunities flood my mind.

I just get a little worried sometimes that I'm not producing enough actual material and that it's all a bit pointless. We all get like that though, don't we?

DON'T WE?

This will be good though http://www.winmayfest.co.uk/2009/performers.htm

that's me that is!