Well Blog two is about what am I planning to do after Beggars Row. The first answer is easy...music! I am working on three of my solo acts. Over the years apart from the fun of playing in Beggars Row and Celtic Horizon there are always downsides, although nothing too serious, ha ha.
When you play in established bands you don't get a chance to always play every style or genre of song you like. You have to be true to the audience that you have built up for that band. That does not mean you sing songs you don't like. A musician should never ever do that.
For me at this moment I am working on my new solo website. I have tried hard over the last three years to get a new solo website I could be happy with. However time always restricted me and also I realised I needed to change my web host to a more suitable provider. Hopeful I have done that now.
The new solo site will have individual pages on my solo acts, tours, novels and also any other music projects I will be involved in. Do I have other music projects coming ? Yes, more later in the blog.
My different solo acts music is explained on their relevant web page. Due to my wife and her health, I need to do things differently. To go on tour I need to take her with me now. That is the main reason for going solo. At the moment I am working on loads of my own songs. No messing around. testing each one solo with just guitar to see what songs are suitable for playing live solo.
Finding which ones are more for an album with a band sound behind them. Working out the arrangements and instruments. What is the best key for the voice for recording and what is the best key for singing live. You would think it would be the same. Not always. the admin of collating and a system for keeping notes, audio, arrangements and other details. That used to be the biggest problem. Working out a system. Still I am getting better at it.
When you plan a new solo act. You need the songs to sing. For 2 x 45 minutes sets that is around sixteen songs. Well not really, because if you have more than one night at the same venue then you need spares. So 25 songs is safer bet for 2 x 45 mins. Some venues pay extra for 3 x 45 minute sets. that is a pool of 35 songs minimum.
So Some of the songs will already be learned word wise from previous bands I have been in. However it is also only fair to find a different sound or arrangement for the fans entertainment.In most cases at least fifty percent of songs are new. That is the case for my Bob Ferguson solo act where I sing Celtic Folk and almost anything I feel like. So that is at least fifteen songs to learn the words for, the time spent to sit and memorise and then at least a month before you sing it live to get the words locked in your head.
With my Bob Ferguson Songwriter Solo act I sing mostly all my own songs. At least twenty songs still have the words to be learned or are in the process of being learned. With the Parody Man act most pf the songs are learned, However as the act develops you find that new songs are needed and written. So always learning new stuff.
Recording songs for Cd albums. A month can be spent recording an album and another month finalising it and one album is needed for each act. Then you have Pr and media, posters, adverts etc Cd covers to be designed, and websites to maintain, Social media. all of this happens while trying to have a family life too. Don't get me wrong it's fun doing something you love doing.
Then there is tour planning and the time it takes to contact with agents and venues, costings for travel against how much money you can make from concerts to pay it all and then your everyday bills for your home and living. It's a lot of hours and much of the computer PR stuff etc is done while watching TV during family time.
So what else is going to happen in the future. Well one project is Bob Ferguson and Andehlain doing some joint concerts as the one band. At the moment we call the band Bobdehlian. In this we are still in discussion and hope to perform in 2015. The basic idea is some of Andehlains songs along with some I have been singing, and then add some new songs in to the mix.
Another project is a Scottish music show that originally I had been approached for to appear in this year. However as happens in life, the promotions company could not get it organised in time so it is still on the cards for next year.
A Scottish themed new show for Corporate events in various prestigious venues and castles has had one test concert with me being the lead singer. This went very well and more bookings are being processed. This looks as if it is going to be a very a successful show.
There are another two separate theatre shows under discussion at the moment. Both look very promising at this stage. Two more projects have been suggested to me and I am waiting on word on more of them. On top of this I will still have Celtic Horizon big band. The big band has been a hit with corporate,ceilidh and wedding events in Scotland.
So as you can see. Life is going on. Offers are coming in for various projects. I am happy with that. On top of all that is my novel writing. However that is for another blog.
Now this Blog come update is finished I must think about going to bed. I have a very long day in the studio tomorrow. See you all soon.
cheers
Bob