Life Goes On...

"...Sing-a-long if you know where I'm coming from"

It's been quite an intense couple of weeks in many ways, and I must say I'm certainly feeling it a bit. The last few days especially have been a time for reflection, re-motivating and re-starting. Last Sunday (1st) I played at the Surface Unsigned Festival in Tufnel Park. On the whole it was a fun experience, I met some cool bands (and one decidedly uncool singer) and I pitched my solo set (with voice effects and looper) against five rock bands! It was certainly a crazy thing to do and it was no huge surprise that I didn't get through to the next round, but all the same I was a bit disappointed. In the end the maths was just weighted against me, I'd relied on picking up some of the band votes (each band got two votes worth 20 points each) which I did (more than any other act) but just couldn't pull in the text votes and audience votes to get into the top 4. I have to say though I did well not to come last, and I am very grateful to all those who texted in and, especially, to Adrian, Olivia, Alan (my dad) and Lorraine who all come through the snow to vote for me in person. If you are interested you can see the full breakdown of the scores here:

http://www.surfaceunsigned.co.uk/londonHomepage.html

As you can see I missed out on fourth place by just 14 votes! Mind you The JayWays, who pulled out on the day, are an excellent band who might well have displaced a few higher up. At least I was there, I competed (against bands) and did myself proud. It was hard work doing the looping and trying to sing in tune when the onstage monitoring was a bit iffy, but apparently it sounded good out front, so what else could I do?

After enjoying a couple of post-gig drinks and hearing the result I headed out to find that the whole of London had turned white! As you probably know, we don't get snow in London very often and we are never prepared for it. Consequently I arrived at Balham station (after a very pleasant journey with one of the other bands and four girls from the Czech Republic!) to find no trains running, no buses running and one of the two cab companies shutting up early! The other company had a queue and there was me with a guitar and a bag full of electronic equipment trying to get in whilst the snow fell on me. I couldn't actually get into the lobby, so I check the buses again (no joy) and was just beginning to think I might actually have to walk home (some 9 km or so) through the increasing piles of white. Fortunately the other cab company had space for me to enter now, so I did only to find out that the cab that had just left was my best bet. Fortunately they waited, and after a quick trudge around the corner I was finally in a vehicle that was able to get me home safely.

In other news, the videos from the Double Book Launch are now up and you have a choice of two, this is my favourite:



Taken by Casdok herself, this one skips the intro and gets straight into the performance. Cunningly this angle means that you can't see the music stand with the lyrics on it (with the pages the wrong way around). You can just about make out a cable running from the PA and up inside my jacket to my iPod headphones - used as cunning in-ear monitors - vital to making sure I could hear what I was doing. If you would like to hear the (slightly nervous) introduction to this piece, then check out this version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAYBizvWDso

Don't forget that you can buy a copy of the Shrek Rap single (either on CD or as a download) for a donation of just £3. We have already raised £17 this way and it would be great to get even more money for DJ Kirkby's local Autism network. Do get in touch via a comment or an email to music @ darencallow.co.uk (without the spaces) and your very own copy will be on its way. It also includes two of my songs recorded especially for this release as an added incentive.

So what's next?

Well apart from a new version of Obsession and a new song called Life Goes On (see lyric at the very top), I'm also working on a piece for Daniel Lehan's show 50 Not Out at the Montague Arms on the 12th March. I'm also planing to record Until We Pass This Way Again and a new acoustic version of Lightkeeper. So there will be plenty to see and hear very soon - come along to Prohibition on the 15th February to hear some new things.

Daren
xxx

P.S. Do check out the radio show on South City Radio (see below) if you haven't already.

Surface Unsigned Festival - 1st February 2009

I am playing on the 1st February 2009 as part of the Surface Unsigned Festival 09.


http://www.surfaceunsigned.co.uk/homepage.html

1st February 2009, 9.30pm
Surface Unsigned Music Festival, Boston Music Room, 178 Junction Rd, Tufnell Park, N19 5QQ

This is a large series of gigs that support and promote unsigned acts all across the UK. However, in order to get through to the more exciting latter rounds you have to survive the earlier "battle of the bands" style rounds. Which is were you can help in one of two ways:

1) If you are free on the 1st February and can get to north London (Tufnell Park) - then please come along to my heat and give your support. I'm on at 9.30pm and you will get a chance to vote for your favourite act of the evening. If you can attend then please get your ticket(s) from me as this will save £1 on the door fee. Please add a comment to this post or email me (music @ darencallow.co.uk - remove the spaces) with the number of tickets required and an address to send them to. Tickets are £6 each, please bring the money with you on the night).

2) If you cannot get to the gig, then you can support me by text message. To vote for me text "LONDON 6004" to 64343. (You must be 16+ to vote, texts cost £1.00 plus standard network charges. Please get permission from the bill payer. Customer services: info@surfaceunsigned.co.uk or contact us on 0800 434 6076). You can vote any time from now right up to the gig and the votes will be counted on the night and added to my score in the venue.

Many thanks in advance for your support, I will send out more reminders in the new year, but thought I would send this invite out early in the hope that as many people as possible can make it along.

Can I also take this chance to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Thank you for all your support and love in 2008, see you all in 2009 if not before,

Daren
xxxx

Music Magic

Last night I was in Alexandra Palace to see a band: majestic soundscape, incomprehensible high-pitched lyrics, a Les Paul played with a violin bow... could it be? No, not an impromptu Led Zeppelin reunion, but those doyens of ambient music and the current coolest Scandinavian band on the planet - Sigur Rós. Of course the lyrics were only incomprehensible as I don't actually speak Icelandic, and I must confess to being pretty much a Sigur Rós virgin.

As mentioned the setting was Alexandra Palace, and it has been a while since I was there last. Considering how cold it was, it was great that they had a continuous loop of courtesy buses to ship the (mostly young and European, if I'm not mistaken) audience to the venue. A couple of queues aside it was a mostly painless process and even the buy-your-tokens-here-swap-them-for-booze-over-there system at the bar was tolerable.

The band themselves arrived unheralded (apart from bi-lingual roadies testing mics in Icelandic - "einn, tveir, einn, tveir anyone?") and the previously described music commenced. The backdrop for the band appeared to be a series of over-sized Chinese lanterns (presumably from Ikea), which glowed ominously in time with the sounds. There was no video screens in the traditional sense but the band and various other images were converted into a kind of pseudo-art and projected from time to time. I have to say the effect was about right, and I imagine if I had been on something stronger than white wine I would have been utterly swept away by it all. The music itself was weird without ever being unbearable, and there were some particularly cinematic moments that had me tapping my feet and nodding in approval. Since I'm not familiar with songs themselves I can't say a lot more, and have no idea what they actually played, but I enjoyed the experience. They also did some unusual things with smoke and lights, and the waterfall and snow effects were quite wonderful and, since I do love a good visual/sound combination, my highlights of the night.

Musical mention this week must also go to Wayne Myers who played at the Blag Club on Wednesday. This Sunday I'm off to see Uriah Heap, now there's a band for ya!

I must also take this opportunity to congratulate Peachy on the birth of her baby boy - Harry Peach (7lbs 12oz) on Tuesday this week. Lots of love and best wishes to you both.

Oh, and while I think of it... stick the date Sunday 1st February in your diary, more details to follow.

Daren
xxx