Friday 30 August 2013

Seamus Heaney


Lovers on Aran

The timeless waves, bright, sifting, broken glass,
Came dazzling around, into the rocks,
Came glinting, sifting from the Americas

To possess Aran. Or did Aran rush
To throw wide arms of rock around a tide
That yielded with an ebb, with a soft crash?

Did sea define the land or land the sea?
Each drew new meaning from the waves’ collision.
Sea broke on land to full identity.

Seamus Heaney

Thursday 29 August 2013

Proper bloggage.

Yesterday was a day of yester. It was filled with all sorts of gooey sickly sweet loveliness... like when you eat too much candy floss at Goose Fair. Which reminds me, since my adventure down in the big smoke I've not been to Goosey fair for three years! For those reading who are not from Nottingham, Goose Fair is a traditional fair which comes every October, but it's not actually anything to do with geese any more, it's much more to do with crime nowadays. I shall return in 2013, and look forward to walking around, clutching my bag to my side, watching out for nutters and avoiding paying for anything. It's essentially a walk around a ruined park, ears being assaulted with terrible ride music, whilst being scared you're going to be mugged... *eh hem*

Nottingham is fun I promise... and yesterday that was proved by the lovely gentlemen at Trent Sound community radio, who yet again took me under their wings (not wheeled feet... I'm looking at Steve Oliver in my head right now). I did my first snippet of radio presenting, which was awesome. I was a wee bit nervous, but I think I pulled it off, and we're now chatting about whether we can have me on the NottinghamLIVE! show every Wednesday doing some sort of feature! This excites me, because I love radio, and I'm so determined to get involved. I've come to notice there really are not enough female radio presenters these days... it really is a shame because I think that women could really spice up the radio waves and get more people into metaphorically surfing them. Women bring different life experience to radio, and I think people warm to that. I'm going to get more involved with Sound Women which is a fantastic organisation with the same feelings as me.

Anyway, back to yesterday. The TS session featured Joe Sheldon aka The Sinister Minister doing an acoustic set which was beautiful. He's really fantastic, I think he has great talent for writing reflective and effective songs. He writes about the human effect on the environment, his distress with the royal mail and of course the more usual topic of the pains of life. I believe his music is well worth a good few listens cause it seems to always have something you didn't hear before... especially in his self produced and mastered tracks which are sensitively and creatively layered. Check him out on his Soundcloud where you can also get free downloads (bargain).

After the show, I headed down to a local open mic night at The Bell Inn, and managed to catch Joe's second set of the eve, but also saw Chris Turner perform. Chris has an individual style which takes influence from a variety of artists, with his American style vocals, he radiates warmth and his voice is upbeat and really tonally clear in his higher registers. It seems to float at times, while also still being gutsy. The chorus of original song 'Scorpion' is so catchy, you find yourself singing it and not realising... He also did a cover of local Nottingham band The Fade, which are releasing their second album 'Afterglow' shortly, but their latest track 'Perfect Storm' is available on their Soundcloud which is also well worth serious listenage.

I'm planning on writing more in depth reviews in the future, looking at tracks from a musicological perspective. I want to get out more in Nottingham, go to gigs, see performances. The local music scene in Nottingham is very vibrant and I want to be in the heat of that vibrancy and then write about it, maybe bottle it, and then open it in other peoples faces... Yahs.

So that's what I shall do.

Until next time, tarraraboomdeeyay.


Wednesday 28 August 2013

First blog.

I will keep this up. I will I will I will.

So, yeah. This is my first blog of hopefully many musings of the past, present and maybe even future happenings involving creative endeavours in my life. The music I listen to, gigs I go to, art I see, poems I hear, people I see, stuff I write, reviews and adventures. I have yet to call it something interesting or exciting... so for now, it shall just be my blog. The blog of little me.