It has been a tiny little chunk of
'far too fecking long!' since I buh-logged some buh-log in your
general direction, dear Reader. Here's my best middle class
apologetic-and-politely-embarrassed face to make up for it. Notice
the scrunched up cheeks and a general forehead topography your
average Klingon would be proud of? Please also note that I'm smiling
in a way that suggests I'm going to get away with it. Gimme a tick,
let me put on this tie and stand next to this water-cooler. Better?
Look, the point is that I'm sorry. That used to be enough for you!
I'm taking this tie off in disgust.
The truth is, it's hard to think of
stuff with which to load the buh-log cannon. I could be rocking out
all over the place, playing a whole host of great shows with the cool
cats I'm lucky enough to play with, but by the end of the week, the
only thing I can remember about the week is that we're trying a new
type of peanut butter and the Hound tried to kill a chicken. Speaking
of peanut butter and the Hound, we're trying a new type of peanut
butter (preliminary results indicate that it's ok), and the Hound
tried to kill a chicken while we were out walking. Not happy about
that at all. The chicken didn't take it well either.
As it happens though, the last two
weeks have been dotted with some lovely gigs, a few of them quite
landmark in their own small way. Small landmarks. You get those, you
know. Chrono-mologically speaking, the first was Fast.Like.Fun's
first headlining gig, in a lovely venue in Cork called An Bróg.
That's Irish for 'The Shoe', which takes away from the place's rock
credence I suppose. Pronounced 'brogue', by the way. And that's where
'a pair of brogues' comes from. That little ingot of info would very
likely qualify for a “...and knowing is half the battle...” if
G.I. Joe had been more footwear-oriented. So yeah, Fast.Like.Fun gig!
I'm happy to report that it couldn't have gone better! The support
acts we got in were fantastic, we drew a sizeable crowd of people
fully intent on rocking out, and the new material went down a storm!
One of the things that really got me was that I recognized quite a
lot of heads of the local music scene in attendance, everything from
punk rockers to metallers, from folkies to jazz-heads, and everyone
seemed to be enjoying it. That's alright with me! We played tighter
than we've ever done before, and although we deviated from the
setlist once or twice, the set we eventually played had a lovely flow
to it. The fact that we have now have a full set, in which we have
the confidence and comfort needed to properly play it means we'll be
able to take Fast.Like.Fun further afield, which will be kicking off
in the new year. Interesting times ahead!
The
second gig that really stands out in the last few weeks was far more
intimate and chilled out. In one of those scenarios that often
happens in any music scene, I had played with each of the two
singer-songwriters I was accompanying in the past, and they have
worked extensively together, but it was the first time we had all
shared a stage. The result was fantastic! The room was packed, and
yet still had a lovely intimate feel, the sound was great, and the
fact that we all have different playing styles meant that the three
acoustic guitars were very complimentary of one another, rather being
muddy. We got a great response from all and sundry, so I won't be
surprised if there aren't more of these down the road. If you get the
chance, check em out; Lynda Cullen and Fintan Lucy. Both have a wealth of self-penned songs in their repertoire, and are absolute joys to play with. The barman even
suggested a name for this incredibly attractive and effortlessly harmonising little ensemble (not biased...); LynFinTintin, owing in part to the Hergé-esque
nature of my hair on the night. Much guffawing ensued...
The
third was a few nights ago. What made this one is bit strange was
that it was the first time I've played a solo gig in years, and the
first time I've ever played a show of just my own songs. I've got to
say that I have a newfound respect for singer-songwriter-y types. It
can be a bit lonely up there all on your lonesome! For all that, it
went very well. I played a few songs of mine that fit neither the One
Horse Pony groove nor that of Fast.Like.Fun, so it was nice to give
them an airing. Since playing on my own is something on which I
want to focus more, it gave me a lot to think about. Figuring out a
way to fill the spaces I'd generally leave to for a lead break is one
that comes to mind. Although that ability to play a melody over a
basic rhythm part is something I admire in many of my favorite guitar
players (particularly in the acoustic world) it's not something I can
do very well for much of my stuff. Definitely something worth taking
a look at. The kazoo (commonly referred to as Satan's kazoo by OHP)
made an appearance, but the kazoo is, to me at least, a novelty in my
material, and I'm reluctant to make it a bigger part of my set. The
kazoo is just going to have to deal with that.
On
a none musical note (there's probably a joke in there somewhere),
life in this neck of the woods continues to be sweet. In the sticks
though, you feel the seasons a lot more. The desire to hibernate is
positively palpable. Productivity has gone way down, and doses of the
flu, colds, shivers, sniffles and sore throats are never more than a
few steps away. A crappy summer, crappy weather and the onset of
Christmas-related financial woes have left all of us at the Ranch a
little drained and more dependent on vitamin C supplements than we
have any business being. Both the Hound and I are really feeling the
lack of running. Luckily, I've discovered that the trick to surviving
such bleak days and chilly nights is to surround oneself with good
people, invest in a good onesie and to never pass up the opportunity
of engaging in a rigorous game of 'Rob has Stick, Rob throws Stick,
Hound gets Stick, Stick belongs to Hound now, feck off Rob'. As an
aside, if anyone out there knows where I can find a onesie that looks
like a Star Trek: Next Gen uniform, please let me know. You don't
know how happy owning such a garment would make me.
More
to come, dear Reader. Thanks for reading
Later
R
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