Mementos

I'm back from LA and just about in one piece. Well apart from a severely bruised finger (I shut it in an industrial elevator door, yeah it did hurt). The last two weeks have been saturated with a host of experiences and emotions, way too much to document in detail, so here are a few snapshots (in no particular order, just as they come to me).

Waking up wedged into a airline seat, surprised to find that I've actually managed to sleep. Foolishly I start to watch another movie. Anyone know what happens at the end of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas? I can't help feeling it can only be bad. Just before we land I can swear that I hear the pilot say, "We hope to see you on another virgin soon".

Sitting on Zuma beach in Malibu, watching the sunset with Alex. I'm eating a picnic off a china plate with a knife and fork. Very civilised.

Walking downtown in LA in searing heat (they had a Spring heatwave just for me, it seems). It's a mixed area of very run down shops and beautiful old theatres. I walk for about 2 hours and am astonished to not see one MacDonalds.

Standing in a huge empty loft in the Toy District of downtown LA. Our voices echo around the walls. The view of the commercial district is stunning.

Trying not to laugh when a slightly camp real estate agent tells us that the apartment block we are viewing has a "breezeway".

More walking, this time on Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. Checking out the handprints and the walk of fame. Is this the true mark of having made it? Curiously it kinda is just how I always imagined it would be, although I am slightly disappointed I didn't see C3-PO's footprints. There is a man dress up as Homer Simpson, apparently this is how he makes his living.

Watching the homeless people make camp for the night in the road next to our loft (whilst trying to avoid looking at the stuffed snake and mongoose diorama). There is a mission and a Police station just around the corner. It seems that they are allowed to sleep on the streets from 9pm to 6am. Prior to Hurricane Katrina the city aggressively moved them on, so I am looking at social progress (of a sort). It turns out we are actually living on Skid Row!

Champagne by the pool in the Standard Hotel on Sunset.

Wandering the lot at Rent-A-Wreck. They've told me that they rent cars to the movie industry. There is a green convertible Jaguar just like the one in Memento. I don't ask if it is the same one, I don't want to be disappointed. In my mind it is.

Getting lost in the LAX airport complex on the way to the car park. Twice.

Looking down in the blazing heat on the whole of LA from the observatory in Hollywood Hills. Wondering what would happen if there was an earthquake right now. Trying to take a picture of us with the Hollywood sign in the background. Failing comically... most especially when the passerby who volunteers to take the picture for us manages to get it right behind our heads.

Brunch (Dutch Babies and Mimosas) with a number of young defense attorneys in the suburbs of LA followed by table football (my team loses 1-2, but it's pretty close). Their descriptions of gangs and crime in the area makes Thornton Heath seem very safe.



Dxxx

La La LA

More travels beckon as this week I'm off to LA and then it looks like I'm going back on the road as a roadie, but more news on that later.

First a round up of the last few gigs (mine for a change) which have all gone really well: last Wednesday I was in Guildford at a great bar called Fahrenheit 55 that has a great viewing area upstairs and I made full use of all my TC Helicon VoiceLive box and looper pedal during the set.

On Thursday I was up in Islington at the Edinburgh Cellars. Daniel, who promotes the Stripped Bare nights, had been let down by a couple of artists, and then on the night another had to pull out due to a death in the family! In the end there was just myself, Andy Page and my good friend CT, but we played our hearts out for the whole evening. I did two half hour sets and made use of the looper pedal again (despite a slightly dodgy PA) to entertain an increasingly enthusiastic crowd. The feedback from the evening was all really positive and I'm looking forward to getting back there soon. When I left Andy was still singing away with most of the audience joining in with his set of well performed covers!

Easter Sunday night brought me back to St. Albans were I first started out on the acoustic open mic scene. The Horn pub has just won an award as the Best Music Pub in the UK and it was fantastic to be able to use all my effects pedals with their excellent sounding PA and powerful monitors (the bits that let the artist onstage hear themselves... very important when you are building loops). The Sunday night crowd is very knowledgeable as most of them are veteran performers themselves, so it was particularly pleasing to have a good number of them come over to let me know they had enjoyed the set. Can't wait to get back there either!

Fancy hearing what everybody is talking about? Well you can tomorrow night, when I'm doing the full looping/VoiceLive show at the Powers Bar in Kilburn (332 Kilburn High Road, Kilburn, NW6 2QN), I'll be on around 8.30pm. Alternatively you can check out my videos on YouTube:

Daren's YouTube Channel

There are new videos from an exclusive Whitechapel gig going up this week and next week.

You might also be interested to know that a written piece of mine has recently been published in A3 magazine. This is available free from many London galleries, plus I have a few copies that I can post to you if you'd like one. Leave me a comment if you are interested.

Right, better get rehearsing for tomorrow!

Daren
xxx

P.S. Heading to see Fit & the Conniptions at the Abbey in Kentish Town tonight, do come along if you fancy it.

Travelling

I'm off on my travels again, tonight the one man electro-acoustic cabaret hits Guildford. Now technically this is a local gig as Guildford is in my county of Surrey, but it's still a fair old trek. I have to say I'm really looking forward to it, the set is really strong now, and it's a great sign when I can't actually fit all the songs I really want to play into my 25 minute set. My use of the looper and voicebox is improving with practice all the time. For the most part I can now hit the buttons I need without looking down, this is a bit improvement as it really lets me concentrate on performing the song and not on the technology. It's always supposed to be complimentary to the song and not take it over.

If you want to come along to Guildford tonight, here are the details:

Strangers On A Train @ Fahrenheit 55
3 Milkhouse Gate, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3EZ

My good friend and excellent multi-instrumentalist, Wayne Myers (Fit & The Conniptions) came to a recent electro-acoustic gig and wrote some nice things. Thanks again Wayne, hope your throat gets better soon.

For those of you unable to get to UK gigs there is some good news. I'm halfway through downloading video from my recent White Hart gig. This involves two video camera views so the editing will take a little longer than usual, but I would expect to have 4 or 5 new videos up some time next week. You'll hear about it here, but you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel if you want the earliest possible chance to see them:

Daren's YouTube Page

Don't forget to give a star rating to any videos you like.

The rest of my gigs this week are as follows:

9th April 2009 - 8.00pm
Stripped Bare @ The Edinburgh Cellars, 125 Newington Green Road, Islington, N1 4RA

12th April 2009 - from 8.00pm onstage after 9.00pm
Blue Angel Acoustic Cafe @ The Horn, Victoria Street, St. Albans, AL1 3TE

15th April 2009 - open mic from 7.30
Stripped Bare @ The Powers Bar, 332 Kilburn High Road, Kilburn, NW6 2QN

Last night I ventured to the Hen & Chickens Theatre in Highbury (nearest tube Highbury & Islington) and saw The Brazner performing "Ay Me!". I'd seen Charlotte and Tom do some of these sketches before, but they were all excellently performed and really suit the small theatre setting. They certainly made me (and the whole audience) laugh out loud at several points and the horse comedian they brought in for the night was a real bray! Their show runs all week and is well worth a trip:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=57095362121&ref=nf

Finally I just wanted to make mention of the excellent new album by Hadar Manor - "Crossing London". This is a self-produced effort with help from many very talented friends (Wayne Myers, Tom Fry, Daniel Spiller, Geoff Southall, Gemma Fuller and Hezron Chetty to name check but a few) and can be bought for just a tenner (plus postage) here:

http://www.myspace.com/hadarmanor

The songs are all very good and recorded simply and with obvious enjoyment and a wicked sense of humour - drawing on her experience of busking and travelling across London. Some of the little bits of audio between tracks and the group singing on many tracks really shows this. It has to be said that all the tracks are tinged with a little sadness, so it never gets too sweet. In fact, having said that, some of the songs are downright heart-wrenching, but, hey, if you like a little pain with your pleasure (as I do) then this this is for you. A whole range of styles and sounds are presented here and I cannot recommend highly enough also seeing her live. Either with or without her talented band she is a mesmorising, beautiful, emotional and highly skilled performer.

Okay, that's all for now. See you on-line, see you at a gig - either way - see you soon!

Daren
xxx

Where Am I?

Jet lag is real - I know, I'm feeling it right now. Monday night I flew the red eye back from Newark, NY and, despite having a full row of four seats to myself, got no sleep whatsoever. I did try, but a crying baby and proximity to the loo made it impossible. Still it was a novelty to be entirely horizontal on a jet plane - now I know how the first class passengers feel (they have some very natty bed/chair type thingies these days).

New York was good fun. It was fantastic to see Alex again, and I enjoyed staying in Brooklyn and traveling around different parts of the city on the subway. I really like New York, it's probably my third favourite city in the world (after London and Paris) and particular highlights this time were walking in Brooklyn Heights (great view of Manhattan), viewing art in Chelsea (Deitch Projects is always interesting), eating in 'the only diner in LIC' (that's Long Island City of course) and catching a funky Brazilian influenced jazz band in the West Village. I have to confess that I didn't make it to any open mic nights (boo!) - preferring instead to have a break from playing - which has really energised me for more gigs here.

After arriving home on Tuesday morning I got a text from my friend Wayne reminding me that it was Hadar Manor's album launch at the 12 Bar Club that night! Well I um'd and ah'd for about half an hour before deciding that I might as well fight the fatigue and go anyway. I have to say I am very glad I did. The 12 Bar Club is a very strange venue which used to be an old forge or something, and it's very hard to see some of the acts due to the close proximity of stage and balcony. All the same it was a very special night. The warm-up acts included a bagpipe player, a harpist, and several singer-songwriters who were all excellent. Hadar sat in with most of them, and I began to wonder how her set could match up - but I needn't have worried. When she finally took to the stage with her band (a little later than advertised) they produced one of the finest live performances I think I have ever seen. With the peerless Wayne Myers on guitar and Tom Fry on bass (sorry, don't know the drummer's name, but he was excellent too - AND he had a nice hat) they were joined by a succession of other musicians. Violin, trumpet, vocals, percussion, harp, keyboards and guitar accompanied a wonderful set that covered all the emotions and was constantly entertaining.

Here are the other artists who I saw that night: Vashti Anna, Sean Taylor, Bare Hat, Judith Haustein, Wayne Myers, Diego Lavardes, Daniel Spiller & The Broken Record Project, Gemma Fuller, Tom Fry, Geoff Southall, Spencer Pierce, The Entertainment, Beth Rowley...



(Pictured are Hadar Manor, Wayne Myers on guitar, drummer in nice hat and you can just about see Tom Fry on right of the shot)

Tiredness overtook me rapidly after Hadar finished so I headed home in a drowsy (but happy) haze.

I finally fell asleep at about midnight...

...and woke up at 3pm the next afternoon!!

Somehow, despite all this sleep/music induced euphoria, I managed to practice for tonight's gig at the White Hart in Whitechapel. It's easy to get to, just take a tube to Whitechapel station, turn left as you exit and walk up to Mile End Road... the venue is upstairs. There is music tonight from 7.30pm (open mic, including my mate Ashley Cowen) and then featured acts from 9.00pm - I'm due onstage at 9.30pm and will be off half an hour later so don't be late!!

I can promise some looped delights, weird vocals and carefully crafted songs both old and new... and that's just me!

See you there.

Daren
xxx

Playing Without Electricity

I have to say I really enjoy playing genuine "unplugged" gigs. I'm sure that some performers hearts sink when they see that there is no amplifier or microphone to use, but actually I find it very exciting. There is a rawness and emotional connection that you get when the music from your guitar and mouth are reaching the people sitting before you directly. It has the added advantage of meaning that the audience has to remain quiet in order to hear the songs and this allows you to use playing dynamics and your vocal range freely.

I have just done such a gig at The Jago in Shoreditch. It was an electric (!) night of spoken word, poetry and music in an intimate and enjoyable setting. I particularly enjoyed the work of John Zammit, Andreas, the singing bouncer (who came in, sung one number beautifully and then left to go back to work!), Failed Hearts (part blues, part punk - nice harp playing), Trinity (the DJ, who played real vinyl and some of my favourite tunes - Supertramp anyone?) and the co-hosts David Amery and Jazzman John Clarke. I sold a good number of CDs, including one to a lady who wanted me to sing her a cover song before parting with her cash. In the end I managed a pretty reasonable version of California Dreamin' and the deal was done. I played 6 songs in total and the night comes highly recommended: it's the first Saturday of every month (so also a rare weekend gig) and I'm back there to play again on the 4th April.

I've got some really exciting gigs coming up, in north, south, east and west London, Guildford, St. Albans and (possibly) New York. Plus, this coming Saturday is the excellent Fiestival in Chatham, Kent. Expect lots of mexican themed songs and performances and lots of latin-American themed fun. I'm also back at the Montague Arms this Thursday (12th March) - this time performing a one-off interpretation of one of Daniel Lehan's art pieces. This really is a one-off, if you are not there, you will not experience it! In fact there are so many gigs that I can't really do them justice here, and I don't always have the time to promote every gig properly, so PLEASE go to my gigs page on my website and scan the list, find one near you and COME ON DOWN!

http://www.darencallow.co.uk/gigs.html

If you haven't yet taken advantage of the free downloads from the site, then I would swing by there too and grab anything you like. I'm about to record some new songs and review what is available for free, and what I will be charging for: so get in there now!!

Have a great week.

Daren
xxx

P.S. The photograph is from the excellent Powers venue in Kilburn, I'm back there for a featured set on the 15th April. Perhaps the Angry Badger has been down that way.

A Song About Pain

There is a lot of pain around in life: the pain of loss, of separation, of illness. But can there be times when pain is a good thing? It warns us of problems, reminds us we are alive and some people enjoy the way it can mingle deliciously with pleasure. Some people mistake pain for love. Chastisement for devotion. All I know is that it is necessary, sometimes healthy and mildy addictive.

Am I a pain junky?

No idea, but here is a song wot I wrote about it.

A Song About Pain
==================

Another lover packs their boxes
And moves away from the lies
But there are no lies in the tears in my eyes
as I ask myself if I am to blame

'Cos it's not like I know any better
And it's not like I'll ever change
I just keep on making the same mistakes,
So maybe I just like the pain
Maybe I just want the pain.

So there I am just lying
Alone on my bedroom floor
Another vodka or wine will hurt me just fine
But you know that I still want more

'Cos it's not like I know any better
And it's not like I'll ever change
I just keep on making the same mistakes,
So maybe I just like the pain,
Maybe I just want the pain!

You give me pleasure and you give me pain,
Over and over and over again.
I need the torture and I need the fear,
'Cos it's not torture if I volunteer

'Cos it's not like I know any better
And it's not like I'll ever change
I just keep on making the same mistakes,
So maybe I just like the pain
Maybe I just want the pain.

'Cos it's not like I know any better
And it's not like I have any shame
I just keep on making the same mistakes,
So maybe I just like the pain
maybe I just want the pain
maybe I just love the pain

(D. Callow 2009)

Oh, and you can hear how it sounds right here:

A Song About Pain - MP3

It's dedicated to all my friends in Blog world and real life, who like to invite a little pain into their lives from time to time - you know who you are.

Daren
xxx

P.S. I love the picture on this post taken by the excellent Kris Gruber. I will send a signed CD of this song and a few others to whoever can get closest to guessing where it was taken. Nearest guess (as measured on Google Earth) wins.

Music Around London

Busy, busy week. So here's a quick round up.

Tuesday

Open mic night at The Eagle near Old Street. Nice to be playing in a different place and to a fairly big crowd. Also good to see my friend Anne-Marie Sanderson on great form.

Wednesday

Back to the River Bar on a very, very busy night. Played my two tunes, met some nice people and hung around to see the rest of the night.

Thursday

This one deserves more than just a single line... I was very excited to play for Jazzman John up at the Fused Lounge Bar in Lewisham. This was partly because it's an easy bus ride for me to get there, but also because it promised to be a great night and I wasn't disappointed. First up was a fantastic trombone three-piece, who really entertained us and finished with a cover of the Star Trek theme! I was next up, and despite a really dodgy mic played through four of my songs. The evening went from strength to strength as performer after performer produced some really memorable moments. Sometimes Jasmine improvised with an electric cello, loops and effects, and Dan Razer played some great guitar and very evocative songs. The evening ended with Jazzman John himself rapping over improvised guitar, cello and saxophone (pictured above). It was and excellent night, and I do recommend it highly.

Saturday

Oh yeah, that's today... I have finally recorded my new song called A Song About Pain - I will Blog on this properly tomorrow and give you a chance to hear it.

Next gig is on Monday when I head to the Abbey Tavern in Kentish Town for the RAW open mic night.

Daren
xx

Meetings And Partings

Life is made up of meetings and partings (name the film). And always more partings.

Last night saw the final performance of 15 Minute Club at the Living Room in Islington. The reason for this is Islington Council changing their rules on music licensing due to an incident on a packed Saturday night disco. The venue now has to have TWO paid doormen on any music night, even the sleepy Sundays that the 15 Minute Club acoustic acts put on. The economics don't add up, so the (unpaid) musicians have to move on. Ours was a quiet, family friendly night where acts of any age got their 15 minutes and then relaxed and watched the other acts perform, and it is no more. So much for the support of original music in the UK. One person and a lot of bureaucracy have closed an exciting and fresh venue.

I actually feel sadder about it today than I did last night, because it was a surreal night for another reason which I'll come to. All the acts performed to their best for the Sunday night eaters and drinkers. My set featured a new song (more on that very soon) and an new piece of percussion (any guesses?). I really enjoyed all the acts Denai Moore, Harley Moon Kemp, Amy Wyke and two other chaps who's name I didn't manage to retain (sorry guys) - if they get in touch I'll rectify that. The jam at the end was great fun too as I improvised 15 Minute Club related lyrics to Get Back!

The weirdest part of the night came just after I had met Harley. A guy walks into the bar who is the spitting image of one of two brothers that used to be in a very successful 80s band that I grew up listening to. After a little bit of covert glancing on my behalf he came over and sat next to me. He asked if I was one of the other performers and I became increasingly convinced that he was one of the two men in question, or just an amazing dead ringer. I quickly formulated a plan to find out: if I introduced myself to him then he would give me his name and I would know. So I did and I could have sworn that he said his name was Neil! That's my rubbish hearing for you, he did though say he was Harley's dad (and her mum introduced herself too) and when she was introduced as Harley Moon Kemp my heart gave a little start. I had, as you all probably guessed already, just shook the hand of Martin Kemp the bass player with Spandau Ballet and, it should be noted, Shirlie Holliman - one half of Pepsi & Shirlie. I missed out on the chance to perform my songs for him, as they left with Harlery and her friends shortly after she finished playing, but I have to say he seemed like a thoroughly nice man. I suspect he probably thought I did recognise him, but I'm glad that in my naive way I just introduced myself as if he was any guy. Which in way, of course, we all are.

Meetings and partings indeed.


In other news, I'm playing twice this week. On Tuesday I'm going to try my hand at the open mic night at The Eagle, and then on Thursday I'm a featured act at the Fused Bar in Lewisham. I've also booked a featured artist slot at the White Hart in Whitechapel on March 26th - this will be a full electro-acoustic gig and I promise will be a must see (and hear, obviously).

Don't forget that the Shrek Rap CD is still available and all proceeds go to Autism related charities.

Have a good week!

Daren
xx

15 Minute Club @ The Living Room

I'm off to Islington tonight to play at the last 15 Minute Club gig at the Living Room. It's the last 15 Minute Club at the Living Room so it's sure to be an emotional night! If you would like to follow my preparations then tune in via Twitter:

http://twitter.com/Daren68

Planning to play my new song again (I did play it at Prohibition last week, but it's moved on since then) and stay tuned to this Blog for a chance to help name the song again. I also have a new piece of percussion that I'm going to use for the first time tonight. Really looking forward to it, so do come down and support:

22nd February 2009, 7.30pm
15 Minute Club @ The Living Room, Islington, N1 8LN

In other news, I've also got a great gig booked up at the White Hart, 1 Mile End Road, Whitechapel - if you've never seen my full electro-acoustic gig (looper pedal, VoiceLive box, percussion etc...) this is the one to come to. I promise to put on the best show I can. The date is 26th March - keep it free!

More on tonight's gig later.

Daren
xxx

The Real Brits

So we are living in a golden age of British music? Well that may well be true but if it is it certainly has little to do with major record labels, especially at the grassroots.

Which is where I was again this Sunday just gone at Prohibition. I was there to witness the excellent original music of Byron Johnstone (pictured) and Sala. Both produced fun, exciting sets albeit in very different ways.

Byron Johnstone is a solo guitarist with heavy Flamenco leanings (but that's not the total of it) - he is also a great user of technology, with a looper pedal and reverb pedal being used to full effect. A great mixture of technique and textures and rhythms. He doesn't just play the strings, he creates rhythm parts, of surprising complexity, from hitting and tapping parts of his guitar. It's quite mesmerizing and brilliantly performed. The Flamenco pieces certainly went down well with the high percentage of genuinely Spanish people in the audience. On top of this he's a good looking chap and very nice person. I consoled myself with the fact that at least my lyrics are better than his (ha ha).

Sala speaks at least three languages (I actually heard him talking fluently in all three), as a large number of very attractive female fans and can play guitar and especially piano with are real flair and a great deal of enjoyment. He was a pleasure to meet too and I hope to see him again soon. Check them both out here:

Byron Johnstone

Sala

All this fun (and my set too, of course) was brought to you by the excellent 15 Minute Club, and I'm appearing for them again this Sunday at the Living Room (not Prohibition as previously billed). For the really keen I am also at the River Bar again tonight, and The Duchess in Battersea Park tomorrow (Thursday) night.

Loads of gigs coming up, so I've posted them below.

See you at a gig really soon.

Daren
xxx

22nd February 2009, 7.30pm
15 Minute Club @ The Living Room, Islington, N1 8LN

26th February 2009, 8.00pm
Fused Lounge Bar, 21 Lee High Road, Lewisham, SE13 5LD

8th March 2009, 7.30pm
15 Minute Club @ Prohibition, St. Katherine's Docks, nr Tower Bridge, E1W 1AA

12th March 2009, 9.00pm
2nd Thursdays @ The Montague Arms
- one-off performance of a Daniel Lehan piece

14th March 2009 - 8.00pm
Fiestaval @ Poco Loco, 58 High Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4DS

8th April 2009 - 8.00pm
Strangers On A Train @ Fahrenheit 55, 3 Milkhouse Gate, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3EZ

12th April 2009 - 8.00pm
The Horn, Victoria Street, St. Albans, AL1 3TE

In The Shadow Of Tower Bridge

Wednesday I played two songs at the Live In London open mic at the River Bar. Friday I'm back playing six songs to a packed bar. I made some mistakes, but gave it all I had. I met some old friends, I made some new ones. It was good.

Tonight I go back to Prohibition in St. Katherine's docks. I have a new song. I'm not sure whether to play it or not, but I think I might have to. Just to see what happens.

I hope to see you there.

Daren
xxx

What?!

I can't really describe the antics at the Montague Arms last night, and I'm quite sure you wouldn't believe me if I told you. So here's a picture instead.

Captions or suggestions at to what was happening are welcome!

Meanwhile, don't forget tonight's super gig at the River Bar, 206 - 208 Tower Bridge Road, music kicks off at 8pm. It promises to be a super night.

Daren
xxx

Friday Live At The River Bar

Last night I ventured to the open mic night at the River Bar near Tower Bridge. It was a really good night, and all the better for me as I now have a gig on a Friday night in London!! The only downside (there had to be a catch) is that it's TOMORROW NIGHT! So no notice at all, but it's looking like being a really, really good gig. So if you have no plans or even just loose plans - change them and make your way to the River Bar:

Friday 13th February 2009 - 8pm
LONDON NIGHTS LIVE downstairs at The River Bar
206 - 208 London Bridge Road, London, SE1 2UP

The venue is in the downstairs bar, there are five hand-picked acts playing 25 minute sets and IT'S ON A FRIDAY!

In other news I can confirm that will be playing at Fiestaval which is being held in the Poco Loco Mexican restaurant in Chatham, Kent. This will be on the 14th March and should be another crazy night. Unmissable if you are in Kent or, quite frankly, anywhere in the south east of England.

If you want to keep even more up-to-date with what I'm doing, you can now follow me on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/Daren68

If I can figure out how to do the mobile phone updates then I can even report on the crazy goings on during the evenings that I Blog about here.

See you at a gig very soon, don't forget this Sunday and next Sunday at Prohibition (also near Tower Bridge)

Daren
xxx

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.

South City Radio - A Double Dose

Yesterday was a truly fun day and a small milestone in my journey as a musician. A little while ago I met a chap called Patrick at one of CT's RAW nights (thanks CT!!) and he invited me on to his radio show. I was delighted to accept, of course, but I had little idea what was in store for me. His show is called PH7 from the Neutral Zone (PH7 - neutral - geddit? Actually it took me a while) and yesterday was the day that I made my way to Peckham to take part in his show. I had originally thought that I would just be having a small chat and playing a couple of songs, but as we planned the show in a local squat (more on that later) I realised that it was going to be much more than that. In the end it turned out to be a whole hour dedicated to my songs, influences and recordings - such a fantastic experience for me. I think I played four or five live songs (I'm just listening to the show now to remind myself) plus a couple off CD and talked about some of my early musical influences. I have to say I'm particularly pleased that the show featured both Abba and Bruce Cockburn - now when was the last time a radio show had both of those artists on at the same time. Anyway, you could be listening to the show right now as you read this - so head over to South City Radio's Shows list and scroll down to where you see my picture and listen to the PH7 show for Weds 28th Jan.

After a very enjoyable chat and some live songs we headed back to the squat where Patrick was preparing for his second show of the day. This is a totally different beast. Airing at 10pm - live from the Peckham squat, this show is a chaotic mix of talk, music, noises, improvised singing and whatever else was going on. It all ends up with a big jam and makes for an unmissable show. I don't think this one is available to download later so if you didn't tune it you wouldn't have heard me playing practically my entire catalogue live in a disused pub - complete with some "interesting" drumming and background vocals provided by some of the visitors that night. You would also have heard a very rare cover version of California Dreamin' !! Actually the background vocalists where three super girls one of whom was amongst the squatters evicted from Mayfair during the day (you can just about make some of them out in the picture above).

I managed to get in a few plugs for my gigs and also the 15 Minute Club, Surface Unsigned and my friend Frog's nights on 2nd Thursdays at the Montague Arms. It was there playing for just over an hour so you can imagine how much I was enjoying myself.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy listening to the show as much as I enjoyed recording it, and I just want to say a big thank you to Patrick and Roxie (the producer) for making it so easy and enjoyable.

See some of you on Sunday, or at a gig real soon!

Daren
xxx

Radio Play And Shrek Rap CD

I'm very excited to announce that I'll be playing live for PH7 in his Neutral Zone show on South City Radio this Wednesday (28th Jan). They played one of my songs on the show broadcast on the 21st which featured Steve Bolt and Chosen Fume, which you can still hear via their website. Tune in live tomorrow at 7pm, or if you can't listen live revisit the site and download the show at a later time.

The double book launch and live performance of Shrek Rap went very well (see below) and if you would like to own a copy of Shrek Rap (by Casdok) on CD (also featuring The End Of The World Part I and After All) then please send me an email: music @ darencallow.co.uk (without the spaces) with your address, I would ask for a donation of a minimum of £3 all the profits from sales of the CD will be donated to autism related charities (to be confirmed shortly) - payments can be made via PayPal at the same email address or via the button on my Music page. If you would prefer to have the song via MP3 download, then please make your payment and then contact me by email, and I will send you a link to download the three songs and album cover.

For more information about the books the launch was for, then go here


Do not forget Surface Unsigned Festival 09 at the Boston Music Room on the 1st of February. The format is a kind of battle of the bands, so I really need your support. If you cannot attend then please consider texting your support (see below). Contact me for tickets (email music @ darencallow.co.uk - without the spaces) as you will save £1 on the door price if you buy from me.

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

If you can't make it then to support me please text "LONDON 6004" to 64343 to vote. (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).

Details of more gigs coming up can be found here.

Many, many thanks again for all your support!

Daren
xxx

Double Book Launch - Countdown

Today is the day of the double book launch and my once-only performance of Shrek Rap (by Casdok) - I'm intending to update this Blog during the day, so do check back often.

10:18am
I'm up and, coffee in hand, I've just listened to the three songs for the Shrek Rap one last time on CD and on my iPod. In all honesty I could fiddle around with the mixes for a couple more weeks, but there is no more time, so I've drawn the line in the sand and am about to start pressing the CDs for tonight's launch. In any case all three songs (Shrek Rap, The End Of The World Part I and After All) are very much "live" acoustic recordings, and I'm pressing them all myself - so there is very much a "handmade" feel to this release, which is good. This is very much a unique and limited pressing CD - so get ready to place your orders!

10:52am
CDs burnt: 10 CDs Printed: 1

I've just had my version of the Little Chef Olympic breakfast - two free range eggs, British bacon, mushrooms, gluten free bread, baked beans (take note Heston!) and, of course, HP Sauce. Oh and a glass of orange juice too. CD burning progressing well. Time to catch up on some emails.

11:36am
CDs burnt: 20 CDs Printed: 7

Have just worked out that I need to leave here at 4:45pm to get my train. The day suddenly seems really short!! Have loaded the route from the station to the venue into my iPod (fantastic gadget) - so I can't get lost on the way. CD burning halfway through: got to press on!

12:08
CDs burnt: 26 CDs Printed: 15

And my guitar is out of it's case. This is important as at some point this afternoon I will need to practice what I'm playing tonight. The guitar was actually tuned to an open D tuning. Not for me you understand, I only play in standard E tuning, but for the poor chap from Low-Fi Lung who was playing on the same bill as me at The Living Room, Islington last night. In one of those sickening moments that haunt all musicians of wooden instruments, his guitar slid off the piano it was leaning against and onto the hardwood floor - snapping the neck in the process. Total nightmare. I loaned him my guitar to finish the set, but it was hardly any compensation: it's a truly horrible thing to break your instrument. Listen and learn kids - put your guitar on a stand, or lay it flat on the floor - don't take risks!!

12:27
CDs burnt: 31 CDs Printed: 23

Hi DJ Kirkby! (see Comments below) - that sounds like quite a breakfast although perhaps more brunch at this time of day. A regular royal feast. Yeah, the walk to the station is 30 minutes from here, so hence the early leave. Let's hope the train isn't cancelled, as the next one is an hour later.

12:37
CDs burnt: 32 CDs Printed: 26

Coffee and Creme Egg break. I've also submitted the CD track listings to CDDB - so you if you have iTunes or similar loaded then you should get the track names automatically. Nothing more annoying than having to type in the track names yourself, especially as they are only written on the CD itself!

12:54
CDs burnt: 39 CDs Printed: 32

Point taken about lunch (see DJ's second comment below) - where has the day gone!? Very nearly there on the CD burning now. Oh, I should say that DJ Kirkby is the author of one of the two books being launched today - worth noting for those occasional Blog visitors. The heater is on in the rehearsal studio, so I'm close to the first run-through of the day.

13:11
CDs burnt: 40 CDs Printed: 40

That's it - the first batch of 40 CD Singles are ready to go. Time for a break from computing and have a bash at playing through the tune. See you in half an hour or so. Do leave a comment in the meantime. Even if it is only what you had for lunch.

13:57

Why is it, do you think, that I decided to compose the music for the Shrek Rap with my capo on the guitar at the second fret? I'm not actually singing it, so the key the music is in is not really relevant. How very odd. Oh well, too late to change now - have run through the Rap twice, and it's sounding just fine. Resting my voice now, as I wouldn't want to get any throat problems before tonight.

15:18

Just chilling out a bit now, starting to get a little nervous. I want to make sure I take everything I need... I usually forget something. Ham salad for lunch.

15:32

Just seen the website for Rosie's Vineyard (where the book launch is) - looks very nice indeed. I always enjoy that first cold glass of wine after I play, and this looks like just the place to drink it.

15:56

There are a few ritualistic elements to a music performance, and all artists are different. One of my small rituals is that I like to put on my stage clothes to do my last practice, to get into the right persona as it were. So I have changed and got myself into the right frame of mind. My outfit for tonight is the one that uber-stylist Jeffrey Bryant helped me pick out - it certainly make me feel both comfortable and more like an artist. Funny how clothes can do that. Right, last time to practice then it's time to pack.

16:25

Okay, that's it for now. I'm all packed. I don't think I've forgotten anything, but we'll see. Heading out in 15 minutes or so to walk to East Croydon and get the train. Just want to get on with it now really. The waiting before you play is really the worst bit of live work, but it's all part of the job. If there is Wi-Fi at the venue then I'll try and update the Blog from my iPod, otherwise, if you want to hear how it went, tune back here tomorrow morning. I should be home by about 1am, and will write up something then.

Wish me luck!

01:11am Tuesday

Back. Home. Safe. Too much to really express here right now, in fact it hasn't really sunk in yet. I met some great bloggers, had a fun (but very brief) time, learnt a little bit more about Autism (there is plenty more to learn) and even had the presence of mind to buy a copy of both books and get them signed by the authors (so unlike me).

Oh and the Shrek Rap went well (so I'm told) - I'm waiting now to see the videos to make my final judgement, but there were no big mistakes. So, phew. I'm so glad and grateful to have been part of a special evening - I only wish I could have stayed longer and talked to more people.

So thank you Denyse, Chris and Jen for your faith and trust to let me get involved in your creations. I look forward to seeing you again and finding more outlets for your writing and the Shrek Rap.

Night night all, see you tomorrow.

Daren
xxx

Shrek Rap - The Single

I'm very excited to announce that as part of my commitments to DJ Kirkby's book launch I'm am recording three new tracks to put on CD to sell at the event (and over the internet). All money raised will go to the Portsmouth Autisim Support Network (and other selected charities). The single itself will feature the following tracks:

1) Shrek Rap (by Casdok)
2) The End Of The World Part 1 (Acoustic)
3) After All (Acoustic)

All three tracks have been recorded in one take - with a "live" feel. Shrek Rap was written by fellow blogger Casdok and features a backing track created with my Boss LoopStation RL-20 pedal. This is a pretty fair representation of how I'll be performing it on Monday, although there is always scope for improvisation in this approach and no two versions will be quite the same!

TEOTW I and After All have both been recorded very simply, the former in two takes (the end part was created separately using the loop pedal again) and the latter in one take - that is to say that the guitar and vocals were recorded at the same time. I've been looking forward to recording a version of this song featuring my ever improving picking skills.

I'm just in the middle of mixing the last of these tracks, and once it's all done I'll let you know how you can get hold of a copy either on CD or as a download.

If you are free this Sunday or next then please come along and see me play at The Living Room in Islington (this Sunday) or The Boston Music Rooms (next Sunday - 1st Feb). Also please do vote for me in the Surface Unsigned Festival by texting "London 6004" to 64343 (Please remember to include a space between the area and the band's unique number otherwise we will not be able to use your vote. 16+. 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). As far as I am aware there is no option to vote other than in person on the night or via Text.

Lost And Thieved

Three gigs in as many days, but not all my own this time. Monday night I was at the inaugural RAW (Real InterActive Writing) workshop and open mic night at the Abbey Tavern in Kentish Town. It was my first time there and I was highly impressed not only by the standard of contributions, but in the energy and attitude of the performers, next one is the first Monday of February, I expect it to go from strength to strength this year.

It's Tuesday night and I'm heading through the extreme cold to a venue I've not been to in a while. All I really remember about playing and seeing bands at the Water Rats is that it's extremely loud! Well I wasn't disappointed. I went to see Thick As Thieves (pictured above) perform and they did not disappoint either. Their sound is a combination of Iron Maiden, Nirvana and perhaps shades of Guns N Roses but with an inventive twist or two. They seemed to be reading my mind through the evening, as no sooner had the thought "oh they should get the drummer to join in the harmonies" enter my head, but Lo! it was done. Okay smartarses, I thought, where are the quiet bits to go with the in yer face noise - and Lo(2)! a quiet vocal section ensued. There were other examples of this, but I can't remember them now. All in all it was certainly enjoyable, and above all LOUD! In fact they have subsequently informed me that their middle name is Loud (which I guess makes them David, David, Loud and Emma - or perhaps Thick As Loud Thieves - not sure) - which means that I will probably have to make my middle name "Earplugs" next time I go to see them play.

On Wednesday I went to see the Lost And Found Orchestra at the Southbank. This is a big show from the people that brought us Stomp, and I have to say it practically defies description. Within the show are elements of music, dance, comedy, theatre and, er, DIY. It's quite a spectacle and I thoroughly recommend it.

News
====

There are too many shows coming up to mention here in detail so I'll mention just three and list them all at the end.

On 26th January I am very excited (and slightly nervous) to be performing my interpretation of the Shrek Rap by fellow blogger Casdok. This will be at the book launch for From Zaftig To Aspie (details below) written by DJ Kirkby whom you will probably also know from the Blogging sphere. I don't want to give too much away about my performance, but it will be combining elements of my live show (most notably looped pieces like The Prophet) with a spoken word delivery that (at the moment) seems to be somewhere between Lou Reed and Baz Luhrman! Whether or not a recorded version of this track will ever make it into the public domain is uncertain, so if you really want to hear it - you'll just have to be there!

Very early notice, but on the 12th March at 2nd Thursday at the Montague Arms, I'll be performing another interpretation of a written piece. This time it's a piece by Daniel Lehan.

Finally, please, please, please consider either coming along to, or texting your support for my Surface Unsigned Festival 09 appearance - I need say no more!

Happy New Year to you all!

Daren
xxx

10th January 2009, 7.00pm
The Rialto Club, Raynes Park Lantern Centre Coffee Shop, 195 – 205 Worple Road, SW 20 8ET

11th January 2009, 8.00pm
15 Minute Club @ The Living Room Oxford, 1 Oxford Castle, Oxford, OX1 1AY

25th January 2009, 8.00pm
15 Minute Club @ The Living Room, 18-26 Essex Road,Islington, N1 8LN

26th January 2009, 8.00pm
From Zaftig To Aspie - Book Launch
Jardin Du Vin in Rosies Wine Bar, 87 Elm Grove, Southsea, Hampshire, PO5 1JF 87
- one-off performance of Shrek Rap by Casdok

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

15th February 2009, 7.30pm
15 Minute Club @ Prohibition, St. Katherine's Docks, London, E1W 1AA

22nd February 2009, 7.30pm
15 Minute Club @ Prohibition, St. Katherine's Docks, London, E1W 1AA

26th February 2009, 8.00pm
Fused Lounge Bar, 21 Lee High Road, Lewisham, SE13 5LD

12th March 2009, 9.00pm
2nd Thursdays @ The Montague Arms
- one-off performance of a Daniel Lehan piece

Christmas Present

I had not particular plans to write another post this year, but I experienced another wonderful evening of music at The Duchess in Battersea Park on Thursday and couldn't let it pass unrecorded. The open mic night at The Duchess is hosted by Will O'Durkan who always gets the evening off to a great start with a couple of tunes. We used to play down by the gents loos (which was always entertaining when someone started up the hand dryer - the whole stage shook), but recently the stage was moved to near the door and it's a much better place to play. I was second on after Will and, despite my half-pint of Guiness slightly skewwing my timing, felt I played well. I played Lightkeeper, The Fool I Am and I Need Your Love. A quick audience poll (picking between happy and up-beat, or sad and Christmassy) chose When The Snow Fell In Denver as the last tune (guess which one of the two that is!!). Of course I can't really comment on my set, but if any performers or listeners are reading this, feel free to leave your review as a Blog comment.

After that the performers all hit a really high mark. I don't remember the exact order, but praise must go to Ashley Cowan (great first tune, pictured above), Dog Boy (super sing-a-long to the tune My Love Is Subject To Change), Tobacco Brown (multi-talented picker hailing from Vancouver and Croydon - I particularly liked the rhythmic guitar tapping), Tammay (lovely strong voice) and Steve the harp-playing, box thumping osteopath!

In the end I got so into the whole event that I had to run for my train... and missed it anyway! But even the overly long journey home could not diminish what had been a top drawer night of entertainment. And you don't even have to pay to get in!! I'm really looking forward to more nights there in the new year - perhaps I'll see you there too?

All the best,

Daren
xxx

P.S. Have just been over to Giggles blog, and had to give a mention to the gold-hearted Nitebyrd - who not only said very nice things about my music in her Blog, but also has just played Santa with a lovely gift. Visit her now and spread the love!!