Carry On Hanging On by Richie Phillips
After few problems with recording I’ve managed to sort it all out and been able to record some music for this months free song. I’ve recently had to buy a new computer and this meant having to buy some new music software and this is a song I recorded when I was figuring out the new music program. It’s called Carry On Hanging On.
Tears From My Grave by Richie Phillips
This is the song I was gonna record last month and make available then but couldn’t so here it is now. If honest I’m not completely happy with the vocals and I was gonna take do another take but a piece of music equipment that use to record broke, so couldn’t re-do the vocals. Rest I’m very happy with, but I hope you like all it.
Two by Two – written & performed by Richie Phillips
I wanted to put up a new song I’ve written which has vocals rather then another instrumental but I’ve been ill and very busy and not felt up to it/able to or to worn out to do any recording. Hopefully next month I can feature that song. This months free song is called Two by Two.
I will be playing at The Monarch Bar in Chalk Farm on the 13th of March. It’s a gig for promoters Tune In Fork. They have newly relocated to The Monarch and this is the first of a series of gigs that they will be putting on over the coming months. It’s a free gig and will feature 5 act inculding myself. Free entry and start at 8:30pm.
Click on pic to visit the facebook link for the event.
This week was good. I played back to back gigs, three to be in fact. I’m enjoying playing live more then I ever had lately and I just want to gig and play as much as possible, that’s half of what being musician is all about. Normally my gigs are spread out over a couple of weeks or so, so I was pleased to be able to get three in a row sorted out.
I played at The Luxe in Old Spitalfields market, The Wheelbarrow in Camden and The Hoxton Underbelly in of course Hoxton.
I can’t say the gigs where successful as apart from the gig at The Luxe I didn’t play in front of to many people and also I had bit of a cold, with a sore throat, block nose and everything else that comes with having a cold made singing in particular difficult. I know most people would of pulled out the gigs if ill but I wasn’t going to let getting sick day before I played stop me. I was exited to be playing back to back gigs I wasn’t going to let this cold ruin that and I think though as I said difficult I don’t think my singing or my playing for that part was to bad.
My best gigs I’ve played and certainly enjoyed the most are ones with a audience that is listening. Everyone for most part is quiet and paying attention to what your playing. Though this can bring a bit more nervousness to the gig because your more aware people are watching you it’s far much easier to perform without the distraction which can come with a gig where nobody is really paying attention but to themselves and other around them.
Most of time when playing a gig, normally called an acoustic night or a singer songwriter night, something like that which mostly consist of solo acts playing on a bill together. People who go to them don’t really go with the intention to hear and see some music but to have a few drinks while they talk to there friends or whoever and enjoy or not maybe live music in the background. This might be just a London thing. I can’t lie it pisses me right off some time with the way acoustic music or just solo acts in general are treated as background music, even by some of the venues. I never understood why go and see some live music just to talk through it. You can’t hear properly what the other person is saying so you talk louder and then it’s like a shouting match, with me on stage thinking OH JUST SHUT UP!
My music for the most is quiet and interment. I’m not a strum the guitar loud and sing to the top of my voice kind of perfomer, I can’t do that and these gigs are difficult but I like challenge of trying to get through to the audience. But all this is only if people are there in the first place. I’ve done my fair share of gigs to a virtually empty room, as this week and couple of times to a completely empty room in the past.
To honest I’d would sooner play to room of 5 people listening then 20 who are not.
But as I said before I’m enjoying playing live a lot lately. Where ever and to ever and hopefully this year I can really kick it on. I think everything is taking it’s natural progression, if very slowly.
Translation – written & performed by Richie Phillips
Febuary’s free song is a piece of music I recorded this week. When I first started trying to write my own music all of it was instrumentals and lately I’ve been recording some new instrumentals, some if which I would like to make some films to go with the pieces of music. This is one of them. Translation.
A little late putting this up January’s free song of the month is a peice of music that I came arcoss when I was going through what music I’d recorded in the past and I found this. I can’t remember when I recorded this track. Most likely a couple of years ago and recorded one night when I couldn’t sleep. A perfect time to record a song.
Take A Step Back – Richie Phillips
