So...Wednesday arrived, I felt like crap in the morning but managed to maintain a spring in my step as the excitement of playing at Fat Sam's that day was building inside me (I always get a little hyper when I know I'm going to be performing). The conversation on the journey to Dundee was perhaps a little too thought provocative for that time of day for me but the free lift there was certainly appreciated (thanks Mary) and it gave me a chance to discuss other things from my course. Anyway, we arrived at Fat Sam's a little later than planned and sound-checks were already under way. All the bands were told the running order, some were more happy than others which makes no sense to me. Nobody ever seems to want to go on first. WHY NOT?!! I rather enjoy being on first! Why you ask? Simple. Get on, put on a damn good show and then make the next band have to work even harder to at least match, if not top your performance! They bloody hate it but I love watching some peoples reactions...you just see that look creep across their faces and you can almost hear the "Uh-oh" they're thinking in their heads! That said I don't think there was an added pressure to anyone's performance on Wednesday as every band was absolutely brilliant. A lot of hard work and effort had been put in by all and it definitely showed throughout the entire gig, so well done to you all!
Sound-checks could have definitely been organised a bit better however. It did mean a lot of people were stuck waiting around for a long time whereas if it had been thought about beforehand every band could have been given a designated time to be there for. It could have saved a lot of hassle! Also I think they should have started them earlier as by the time one of the bands I was performing with had completed the sound-check we had less than half an hour left to go get lunch. This did annoy me as I don't know Dundee well, I would've appreciated being able to go wander about for a while but as one of my bands were on at 5pm I had no option but to ensure I returned promptly! All in all I don't have much else to say except it was a fantastic event, I look forward to the next one and working with as many musicians as possible throughout this semester. I'd also like to say thankyou to Alissa Toolan's band for playing a fantastic version Blondie's 'Maria', best song played all day!
oh...here's a little out-take photo from the gig. Claire Komar and her facial expressions caught on camera!
Next up was my wonderful day out on Saturday attending the Scottish Brass Band Championships in support of my home town band 'Annan Town Band' which were awarded 3rd place in the 2nd Section. After having met with the band on Friday evening to enjoy their rehearsal at St Matthews Church, followed up by joining them for a fantastic 3 course meal (when was the last time I had one of them!) and a light refreshment or two (or 10!). I think it was around 3.30am by the time I finally reached destination bed only to have to rise again at 7am!
On the Saturday morning it felt nice to get my head clear on the walk down the road en route to meet up with the band. As I arrived most were looking bright eyed and bushy tailed with the exception of one. Big man Scott Carson (that's right named and shamed cause I know he'll never read this), one of the bands bass players, seemed to have bitten off more than he could chew when he was found feeling very very poorly. So poorly in fact that an ambulance had to called out to ensure he was in safe hands as the band had to hurry away to the rehearsal room at the concert hall. Unlucky big man, I personally thought it would've taken a bit than a a dodgy kebab to floor a butcher of your stature! For anyone that's ever in Dalbeattie (Dumfries & Galloway) and needs fine organic meat or prize-winning haggis then Carson is your man! Check out his website at;
http://www.thcarson.co.uk
I hear he does a big 10" special.
But after all that excitement it was merely the beginning of my crazy day. Annan were drawn to play second out of 12 bands, so it wasn't long until myself and wee Bob (cornet player with Annan Town Youth Band) were enjoying them performing. I thought they did absolutely terrific I just wish I could've been on the stage playing with them! Immediately after the band had finished they joined me and wee Bob out front, promptly deposited their instruments back on the bus, grabbed a couple of sausage rolls and then hit the pub! I'll not bore you with the details of the rest of the day as I must admit they are quite clouded! Essentially there were frequent visits in and out of the concert hall to listen to various bands perform and to support friends in other bands. The results came in at around 2.30pm and Annan were very happy to be awarded the 3rd place. A well deserved result. Well done everyone! ...the rest of my day spent out with a couple of trouble makers was memorable, yet I forget the details!
What a fantastic week! I'm looking forward to new bands this week in practical musicianship. It's gonna be so FUNK-in good!
I leave you all now with a Josh Groban quote;
"There's no half-singing in the shower, you're either a rock star or an opera diva."
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