Thirsty

I had a very interesting (there's that word, again!) gig on Saturday. Wayne and I did a whole bunch of songs we hadn't done before as a duo, and once again, I did a few that I'd never sung before. I've started recording the gigs (on cassette, until I can find affordable, new technology) and it's actually cool to listen to the recordings afterwards. I listened on my way to work, this morning, and there were some that came out really well. I'm going to have the recording put onto CD, and see if I can use it for marketing. We've been upstairs at The Food Lover's Market in Claremont for 15 consecutive Saturdays, and we've covered a lot of ground in that time. I've put together two entirely new files of songs since we started this gig. Now THAT excites me!

I'm also very proud of the fact that I did a whole song playing lead guitar, and even more exciting is that it was one of my own compositions, Cobwebs in Unusual Places. Yes, I played the melody and did a solo - a major breakthrough for me! I wrote it about two years ago, and it's actually a very serious song, dealing with different issues that women suppress, but it's a really nice blues piece, and it sounds very good as an instrumental, too. It's actually the first time I've ever done one of my songs that way. I still have lots to learn, but I'm oh so happy to have broken through that barrier with my playing.

The restaurant was a bit quiet in our last set, but I loved it, because I could hear every note we played and every note I sang. That time of the evening, depending on the crowd, we slow it down a bit, and get a bit more interactive. Earlier, it's just too noisy, so we tend to play with the awareness that people are busy eating and talking, and not really listening. The staff are very cool, though, and they always request a special song, which we did once again for them, with pleasure.

So, this coming Saturday, 17th October, we'll be back there, from 7 to 10pm, playing music to make you smile. Our repertoire has sort of settled into a 50-50 combination of jazz standards and music from other genres, and it feels like a good spread. Next week I want to do more of my own compositions, because I've been neglecting them a bit. Surely one of the points of having a regular gig is to expose your work to the public?

To be honest, I've got a huge thirst building up that needs to be quenched: to do a concert - to perform my original songs, old and new, to a new audience, putting my new energy (and of course the new duo) out there. I've been thinking about adding a bassist for the concert and possibly a percussionist. I have a fabulous venue in mind, and I think today would be a good day to start the ball rolling. Yes, why not?!

Watch this space!