Buying gear

As a musician and drummer! i always have my eye open for a nice piece of equipment. I recently sold some studio equipment i no longer used, a couple of Focusrite compressors, to help fund the purchase of a new snare drum that was very cheap. I bought a 1968 Ajax Nu Sound kit a couple of months ago, 3 piece. Sounds and looks amazing. The matching snare drum was being sold by someone a couple of days ago, £100, couldn't afford it but i had to have it. It will complete the kit to its full 1968 glory and sound fantastic. How many other musicians do this? i feel the majority! But i'd love to know if there are some who get what they want, are happy with it and don't amass more gear.

Mercury Prize

Saw a bit on the news about the Mercury Prize winners, never heard of Alt J, but i liked what i heard, at least its interesting. Was quite surprised that the reporter went on to mention other acts that the mainstream won't have heard of but with the help of the Mercury Prize they may get some mainstream interest. One of these was Ben Howard, who even i have heard of and to be honest doesn't impress me. There are a huge number of acoustic guitar/songwriters out there now, and to me they have to pretty bloody special and i don't think Ben Howard is, but i had heard him. So how good is the prize in bringing the publics attention to abstract-ish artists. For me quite good, as i no longer buy music magazines, in hard copy or online so i suppose i'm out of the loop, preferring just to make some music and whack it online via a digital distribution company. Perhaps i should take more notice of trends............no sod that.

Struggling to do it all

Okay, as some people may know, getting time to do work, of a drumming/teaching/recording/creative nature that manages to pay the mortgage and feed the family is quite difficult.............but rewarding.
So trying to fit in the old FD in Music Industry Entrepreneurship is not easy. I wish blogging carried a higher percentage of the marks for the Study Skills module!
Am i the only one who is having, as the derisory term goes, Time Management issues?

Best get back to the studio to do some work, then try and prepare some time tomorrow for an essay or one.

all comments, ideas, suggestions more than welcome.

I thank you.

Am i obsessed with money?

I don't have anything to discuss this week...well not really.

I was looking at the Musicians Union rates the other day. £30 per hour minimum for private teaching, and £108 per person per 3 hour gig, with £36 per hour for overtime.
I applaud the fact that these rates are in existence but for most teachers and pub/club gigging musicians, they are approaching fantasy land

 I teach privately and i charge £20 per hour. Other drum schools, charge around £26. I know this is Swansea and that rates are probably higher elsewhere so £30 may be obtainable.
However the £108 per 3 hours for a gig is nowhere near obtainable. I got paid £100 last Saturday for a wedding gig, five piece band, and it was for a friend so cheaper than normal. However this involved 3 hours of travel, two hours of waiting/setup and 90 min set. If this was another band i play weddings for i would probably have got £150 but the time spent travelling/setting up and playing would have been similar.

Discuss?

Recording - as a totally creative concept

I am recording an album with one of my bands, Fernando Rey. However progress is slow at the moment, so Paul Battenbough and myself decided to spend most of Saturday on a new project.

Paul had sketched out some songs the previous week, came along to my studio on Saturday armed with an rather nice Epiphone acoustic guitar.
We recorded live drums, minimal mic'ing, along with the acoustic going through a Tech 21 amp. As there was no one on the desk, it was a bit hit or miss, but mainly hit. A friend dropped over a bass, so Paul put some bass down.
We then listened back, another friend turned up with his 60's valve Marshall and thin line Telecaster. We added some additional rhythm, replaced some of the original amped acoustic with mic'd acoustic, added lead guitar on all song and did some lead vocals and some group harmony vocals.
Had a listen back! All in all very pleased, there are obvious things that need to be redone, but probably about two bass lines and one lead vocal. So playing devils advocate, what do other people think about this form of recording? Or is it best with a dedicated sound engineer, full choice of instrumentation, time taken to find best spot in room for snare? etc etc.
Personally I had a load of fun, had a few beers, had a nice time with talented friends, and got a lot of work done, of which i can use around 85% (one very dodgy fill but i might make it a feature!).

Just thought i'd share

First Post for FD Music Industry Entrepreneurship

Is there any justification for owners of pubs/clubs not paying an agreed fee?

I came across this topic on Facebook, yes Jon Goode, FACEBOOK. There was a young musician regaling the Swansea Musicians group with a tale of woe. Landlady books her after seeing her perform at a previous, well attended  gig as solo acoustic act, agrees fee with her. She turns up and the pub is empty, she offers not to play at the start but landlady says "no play" So she does two sets, packs up, goes to get paid, and is greeted with "what you want paying?" "you emptied my pub" etc etc. In the end the musician gets paid half of the agreed fee.

Is there any justification for the landlady's behaviour? Personally i dont think so, i have always been paid the full agreed fee, even though a couple of times it involved not moving until being paid (pub owners won't lock a drummer in a pub). This is becoming more common, if some stories i've heard are true. If part of the contract is that you bring a certain number of punters then so be it, but if its a case of being paid to play your music, especially if the person booking you has seen you before, then there is no justification at all.

Unless the band wreck the place a la The Who.

I thank you.

Last December was my last post, with Facebook, Myspace, and LIFE, its really difficult to update every portal, i have a Twitter account i dont use! I've just attached some pics again.

my beautiful wife

Morgan sitting outside the Four Winds pub on Aberavon Beach waiting for a taxi!

Hello from my webcam, i'm missing my family but playing gigs, so all is not bad, i may have a few drinks tonight

Dylan Thomas Fringe festival

its getting closer some great stuff on
piccie of start of a great piece of urban spray art that will be unveiled on 24th Oct outside Uplands Tavern

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6Dkbw7PyU0 Craig Campbell on 27th Oct at Townhill Theatre very very funny man

http://www.dylanthomasfringe.com/ for all things DT Fringe fest

Its been nearly 18 months

Since i last blogged, quite some time, all family business is dealt with on my associated blog that manuela my lovely wife updates,

i am too tired to talk/type but i will show you some pics.

aint blogged for ages

Hi i've havent blogged for a long time, currently i am hungry a little stressed, not too much, just a little, quite busy, quite skint (poor for you non vernaculars) but happy

New baby due in October to make a lovely matching pair with Morgan.

anyway have a look at some piccies of my studio, my current thang

Boatbar at Waterfront - Sail on brothers!

French wedding

Some piccies for your delectation

Off to france for wedding no 2

Hi y'all, how pretentious!
Off to France to dress up and get married all over again! Only going for 4 days, on 2 of which we will be travelling, nip in and nip out! guerrilla wedding tactics..cool

Stuff i suppose

It's been awhile since my last post, my stag night really, but my other blog with family and lovely stuff has all the necessary marriage and honeymoon piccies on it.

I'm having soundproofing work done on my basement studio live room so nutty freaky neighbout can no longer complain.

I have to go now as i am married and have a child! But man its cool.

Fringe festival coming up please check out http://www.dylanthomasfringe.com/ for details

Here's a picture

My stag night in Brecon

here are photos, a picture paints a thousand ships, so why cant i paint ball? or something like that

Things that have happened

Hey, my fathers 80th birthday last sunday and Manuelas hen night on the saturday night! here are some photos from my dads birthday! Manuela can issue the hen night ones

Just lost the post i was writing

i had such a lot to say, never mind here is a picture, guess who it is.


also i've learnt the groove to Cissy Strut by the Meters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1lT4x3wMlU

so good bye

Huw

Hungary

Here is a great poster i got when in Hungary playing with Rag Foundation some years ago, the reason its on the blog is because the poster is all ripped and beaten up and i have to throw it away. So for longevity's sake, it's good to put it on a server somewhere. Hope you like it.

Morgan Grooving whilst i work out a groove in the basement