Not having the knack but being lucky anyway.

I am a pretty lucky guy. I mean that in a lot of ways but today I'm going to focus on one particular way in which I'm lucky. Having played in bands for just over 15 years, most of which ranged from shoddy to awful I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of excellent people. Most lucky of all though is that some of these people have gone on to promote and put on punk shows as a side part of their everyday lives. As well as being an awesome thing to do in general it's also allowed me to carry on gigging, not only that, but carry on gigging with some really great bands at shows where the atmosphere is also excellent. The reason this is so lucky for me is that without these friends I would have absolutely zilch in the way of upcoming shows at the moment!!

I don't know what it is about trying to contact promoters and venue owners by myself that I seem to be doing so wrong but I really suck at the whole thing. I know I said I would rather only play the odd shows here and there rather than get sucked into the Monto Culture way of things but fuck I'm not telling the promoters that! For some reason eliciting any kind of response from people that do this sort of thing for a living is just beyond my powers, and the only people willing to acknowledge I exist outside of my circle of friends are the people that are coming at me with a contract and a demand for at least 20-30 fans who will state that they came to see me!

I wonder if I'm too polite in emails, maybe the problem is that I'm sending emails? has the counter-culture not quite caught up to this method of communication yet or does it spurn it as sending an email is not punk enough? How many times is too many when sending them another message? Will I incur the wrath of the punk police if I send more than three requests for a single response? Maybe the problem comes back to being in too niche of a musical genre for promoters to be able to fit me in to most gigs?

I love my friends for allowing me to play at shows that have numerous other acts that could take that slot. The thing is though I don't want to become a burden on them, asking over and over for them to have to make extra effort on my behalf so I can play more shows. There has to be a knack to this whole thing and unfortunately I'm falling short of the mark. I think I should talk to the guys in the Demon Smiles crew since they're practically drowning in shows these days and are clearly doing it right.

I am eternally grateful to those friends of mine that put me on at shows, because without you I literally wouldn't have a musical career.

Never thought I'd see the day. An over-saturation story...

Every now and again I'll blog about more than just how the band is doing and this is going to be one of those times. I was pretty shocked at my own reaction to something this morning and it really got me thinking. So here are those thoughts:

This video is one I took of Mike Herrera on the 27th April 2012. For anyone who doesn't know he is one of my all time heroes, and this was the first time I'd seen or heard him do anything solo acoustic before. I was blown away!! Not only was this hero doing something I had just started to do myself but he had this awesome re-working of one of my favourite MXPX tunes (we're talking top three here!!). I was so impressed that I don't think I had another topic of conversation for months after.

So excited as I was I put the video on my Facebook and set about seeing if there was any other videos of him playing acoustic stuff on YouTube. and goddamn if I wasn't dissapointed! There was a series of songs he'd done for Dying Scene and Secret Weapon was amongst them. Brilliant. This was from sessions he'd done a month before in March 2012. Later in the year he did some work with Guitar Centre (quite a few artists seem to have including another hero Tim Armstrong) and Secret Weapon appeared there too. Sweet. Another video of my idol playing one of his greatest tracks. Also there was another video for Doing Time, another great MXPX track that comes across very well acoustically. There are also other videos on YouTube including the cardinal sessions all of which are great. Then at the beginning of this year in
Feb Mike did a StageIT show, for those not tech savvy it's a way artists can do live shows and charge a small fee to see an acoustic show streaming over the web, like Skype specifically for musicians, I bought a ticket to
watch the show, but due to babies and sleep deprivation I missed it. Bugger!! what an opportuinty, but luckily for me Mike put it on his Bandcamp for download, I now own this acoustic album and it's great. Secret Weapon is the last track on there.

Then Mike also put on an old acoustic session album he had recorded way back in 2011 that had gone out of print. I thought i's have a listen, it's pretty good, a little tumbledown heavy for my liking but a good album all the same. Probably may as well mention Secret Weapon is on there.

So today I was nicely notified that Mike has released another StageIT album, which again I paid to see and again I missed (show times at 00:00 because of the time difference). I went onto his bandcamp and listened to a bit of a few tracks and then just didn't bother with it anymore. An example of why is that once again Secret Weapon was there on the tracklist.

So let's round up that timeline: - 

• 6/04/2011 - Live from the basement released on CD
• 12/03/2012 - Dying Scene sessions recorded
• 27/04/2012 - Mike plays a solo show at Banquet Records
• 11/08/2012 - Guitar Centre tracks recorded
• 4/02/2013 - StageIt show, recorded and released on Bandcamp
• date unknown - Live from the Basement released as digital album on Bandcamp
• 27/06/2013 - Mike Herrera Live released on Bandcamp

That's a lot of times that Secret Weapon has become available as an acoustic version. It makes me feel like

I'm being force fed something I used to enjoy but now I'm kind of fed up with. Self marketing over the internet has become a wonderful tool for artists, hell it's only way I get any exposure, but is Mike an example of someone who's gone too far? Should I be more grateful that I let to listen to Mike play stuff so often or was it better when I had to work to find gems like an official acoustic version of a song. When I was originally into MXPX 15 years ago I had to trawl every record store in London to find albums like Teenage Politics and Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo. But now I can find whatever multiple times and I don't even need to do any effort to find it.

Am I just a fossil now reminiscing about trudging 30 miles in the snow for one Bad Religion album, and how it was better for me, or is there really an issue of over-saturation by artists we now have too much access to? 

Community, Unity and probably some other nitys...

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it, since I already have to anyone within earshot of me for the last two days. Best.Gig.Ever.

There, it's out there, and I stand by it at least until the next show. These are the reasons this Saturday was the greatest thing to happen in my musical life so without too much of a pre-subject ramble lets dive in there:

Well I can't begin a gig round-up without first mentioning the flying success that is Red Rag Front: Acoustic Duo. A lot of people have been very positive about the expansion, including a random dog walker in the park we practice in!! Also since we needed a quick pre-gig warm-up we decided to have a practice run though on the central line and ended up with a crowd of spectators who cheered and i think took photos and videos. So all in all things were going well before we even got there. I generally don't believe in omens but that would definitely have been a good one if I did.

Turning up led us to meet a few members of Not Pennys Boat, MuG and Cat from Demons Smiles. Traffic woes and crazy last night shenanigans not dampening anyones spirits and as the rest of the band members arrived all helped get things set up and ready for the night.

So we went on first and since Drew and I have only had a couple of weeks to practice I decided to split the set into a first half with just me and a second much better half with the both of us. First thing that happened was about three seconds into the first song I decided I didn't like the sound my brand new stompbox was giving off so that got almost immediately left by the wayside, one of the disadvantages to practising unplugged is that some things are impossible to gauge when up on stage and mic'd up.
Still the first half was passable even though I began to melt onto the stage with the heat in the place feeling more like the gates of hell than Deptford on a cloudy day!! Drew then joined me for the second half and not only did we manage to crush it on new songs, old songs and two covers (small missteps notwithstanding) but the reaction we got from the people watching was truly an honour. There is just nothing greater than hearing great praise for something we have worked so hard for and we are both so so grateful to hear that it went down well. If you ever get the urge to go back to the beginning of this blog and see how I felt playing my first few shows you'd see I was a goddamned nervous wreck but now I feel like everything has fallen into place. The songs, the style, the extra band member, it's all working just how it should be and I've never been more excited about what the future holds.

Of course we were only the first act on (and with a shortened set to boot) and if we were the only great thing about the evening then I doubt I could go around saying best show ever!! Not Pennys Boat were on next and the guys from Norwich were outstanding. I love it when I'm listening to a band at a show and I think this is just the sort of thing I would have on my stereo if I weren't here. To me they are like early Ataris, awesome melodic good time punk rock and having a band full of sound as fuck guys helps put them in my top ten favourites from now on.

The Vulgarities were next and I think it would be safe to say they were the most properly punk rock band of the night, thumping tunes with a shit tonne of attitude but not a single whiff of pretentiousness made it a really brilliant act to see. When Cat the lead singer stomped her boot of the stage the entire pub trembled!!! Awesome!

The penultimate act was Demons Smiles who managed to all be there despite a serious amount of shenanigans and arsehole landlords trying to prevent it. I'm pretty bummed I missed them in Slovenia at punk rock holiday but good god damn they made up for it by being super awesome. I haven't ever seen them tighter and more on the ball than last Saturday and they are really becoming a top class band. Listening to them now it's extremely hard to remember that they have only been an idea since November and that Cat hadn't even picked up a bass before then.

MuG were headlining and I entirely blame them for the stiff neck I have now!! They really were incredible and I went a bit ballistic dancing around to their stuff, but then again so did everyone!! Again they played the kind of stuff that I love to listen to and they absolutely crushed it!! Everyone in the house was going mental and a wicked time was had by all the whole time they were on stage. Playing a show with such talented guys and them being totally sound to boot makes every empty room and shitty line up I've played worth while.

More than just rocking bands though was an air of friendship and community that was there from the second Drew and I walked through the doors. You just can't buy that atmosphere, it's a one of a kind feeling, like every person you turn around and talk to is going to be an excellent person and just by being the same space that you're now a better person too. I honestly cannot wait to do this again and hopefully with at least some of the same faces around, you never know what the future holds but I can't help but think whatever it is it's going to be bright if things keep going this way.


 

The mother of all good ideas...

field of rock!

You know when sometimes you do something and you wonder why the hell things haven't always been that way? Like the time when you spilled caramel ice-cream on a peanut butter and nutella sandwich, well that's how I'm feeling right now with the acquisition of Red Rag newcomer Drew MacLaughlin. I had my doubts about getting another band member in general, but of course  that seems like it was more to do with my own complacency than it being a bad idea. I think the band may now make that special leap from being something I like to listen to to being something other people wan to listen to as well!!

In true Red Rag fashion we have taken to practising in Ruislip Gardens playing fields, it's a definite step up from my shed (although the spiders all look lonely down there now) and I like to think we delight the ears of all those random Ruislipians that wander past finding a place for their dogs to crap.

As for the songs, Drew just kind of goes, "you know how that average arsed song you wrote goes well why don't I go like this <insert musical magic here>" and BAM! the song is super awesome. Things have been progressing along those lines now for a couple of sessions and I think we're onto a winner. I can't believe I toiled on for six whole months now by myself when I met the perfect compliment to my stuff on the fourth show I ever played as RRF. Hindsight, as with most things is a wonderful thing but better late than never is also a great place to start.

So what now? Well due in part to my complete lethargy when it comes to teaching songs to people we are gonna half and half my next show, with Drew coming in later, I think as well as easing into life as a duo it'll also be kind of a nice farewell to my life as a soloist, especially since it will be obvious how much better the second half of the set will sound. Apart from that I guess we'll need to discuss recordings and whatnot since I still have this idea that I'll (we'll) get a full length demo out before the end of the year. Maybe a video too. I guess I'll just roll with the punches and see where things end up.

Next show is with Demon Smiles and others in London on the 27th @ The Birds Nest in Deptford. Be there or be somewhere better!!!!

Expansion and the awful thought of social interaction.

For those of you that read the Red Rag Front small print you will be well aware that the band actually formed in 2004/5 (I don't remember which exactly because I was drunk for those years) when my best friend Tazz and I decided that playing punk songs on acoustic guitars could work since we both liked Against Me! and it seemed to be awesome for them. Now Tazz died a year ago and I originally started this all back up as a tribute to him, it's also been my main reason for not wanting to be any more than a solo act. Somehow in my head I have convinced myself that it's not a fitting tribute if I replace him.

A year on and, well, I'm beginning to think that my sense of loyalty is a little misdirected. Maybe instead of limiting myself and not being able to progress and better the band because I think that the ghost of Tazz may be offended for some reason (which of course he would not), I can make the leap to the next level and expand the empire, therefore making everything better. I have given some thought before to having more members in team Red Rag. I would quite like a drummer and I think an excellent starting place would be another guitarist/backing vocalist. From there the sky is really the limit but I can't see myself wanting to stretch to any more than four members max. With a bigger contingent on the rosta the songs I already have could be fleshed out to be more intricate and having more people to write new songs with would mean better variety and more substance than I can manage on my own. On paper having extra people in the group is all win, however to be honest I'm not really sure that adding permanent members is totally the right thing to do. Being a solo act does allow me a hell of a lot of freedom to take things in my own direction and to keep decisions, travel and practice to the minimum effort needed. I don't need to arrange practice slots, or organise times to get to a venue or teach anyone the new songs. It might just be that my real reason for not wanting other members in the band is that I've got this music thing on easy mode and I'm just too lazy to step things up a notch.

Well far from me to back down from someone calling me lazy, even when I just called myself lazy!! I'm gonna make a few preparations and trial having extra people join the Red Rag Front. Will it go well? Will I become a horrendous dictator? Only time will tell. Now if only I knew someone who was awesome and played acoustic punk rock.....

Putting a foot down to get a leg up.

Do you know what sucks? the holocaust that's what sucks. Also on a slightly unrelated note playing to a bunch of people who don't care that you're there sucks. During my earlier months my plan was to get out and play whatever gigs I could so that I could get exposure and experience doing this solo thing. Amazingly now I feel much more comfortable on stage on my own, the almost crippling fear I was feeling having to be the sole person desperately trying to hold a crowds attention has dissipated now that I have done it enough times to find myself a rhythm I'm comfortable with, and thanks to some rather kind feedback from friends I have a good idea what works and what doesn't.

That means that those earlier shows were in no way a waste of time but now I need to start paying my reputation attention again. I think begging for shows each month and playing to crowds who aren't really into the kind of music I play is gonna be damaging for Red Rag Front as the loss making enterprise that it is. I don't expect people to know all the words to my songs, but I expect people in a crowd  to maybe own a Chuck Ragan album or the like and to have an appreciation for the style of music I play. These were excellent lessons I learned playing in Worthing last month and I have come to a decision regarding my gigging future.

No more will the Red Rag Front be darkening any generic acoustic evenings, it was by pure luck that I had one acoustic show with Andrew Maclaughlin which turned out to be excellent due to our similar taste in awesome punk and playing with real punk bands made me understand that that is where I belong full time. I'm fully willing to only play a few shows in a year as long as each of them are as fun and rewarding as that Worthing show.

I put this sentiment out there via Facebook this week and was truly happily surprised to get a response back from the Recluse Club guys. They are super awesome and people should go check out their Bandcamp if they don't believe me. This is the type of thing I wanted to be doing when I started Red Rag Front. I don't want to have my name in bright lights or to have a huge following, I just want my punk rock friends to know that they have a solid fun opening act for their shows any time the space is available.

So here goes the next stage in my Red Rag career. Will it all fall to pieces around me? maybe, but I've kept myself going for a while now and I'm gonna enjoy all of it whilst I can.

The return of the great white hope for the Red Rag Front

So before I get right into things I'll just quickly mention the fact that I haven't written anything in a while, also my last post was a bit of a downer. That's mostly because as an artist, I can't help but want to feel some recognition for what I'm doing and previously was descending into a spiral of silence and unappreciated shows. Watching the fact that no one is listening to your music is a tad disheartening and it seemed to me like it was already time to call things a day in the Red Rag camp, that camp being me sat on my own in yet another venue!!

The tale of my redemption and subsequent reignited love for what I do started last Saturday and a small slightly smelly practice room on the polar opposite end of London. It was there that I had a super awesome jam with the musical loves of my life Demon Smiles. I've been threatening to do so for a while now but what with things getting in the way hadn't gotten around to it. Almost immediately after the practice phone calls were made and I was added to a bill for a show down in Worthing and as fate would conspire I could make it so it was on like Donkey Kong!!

Even a cancelled acoustic night the evening before and some truly british summertime rain couldn't put a dampner on my mood as I made my way down, full of beans and ready to rock. Not only was I about to play my own set, but I had also ingratiated my way into a couple of DS tunes too.When I turned up things were a hell of a lot different to my usual story (in a good way) and because of these key differences I am back in love with gigging (and i guess blogging).

Firstly a serious shout-out needs to go to Recluse Club, who as well as being the third act on also engineered the night and were responsible for me being there in the first place. Now usually when I turn up for a gig I spend around thirty seconds sound checking (no change there) and then sit on my own for the remainder of the time waiting for the show to start/someone I know to arrive (big change here). Instead of that though the RC guys and I had an awesome time getting to know each other, being that one of them had a Blink hat that I own (always the consummate conversation starter) and from there out it transpired that we also had everything else in common. I forget sometimes playing alongside such wildly different people from myself usually that there are people out there that do the same as me that also share the same interests I do.

Second on my love letter to the Worthing punk scene are the punks who populate it. This was the first show that I have actually played to my target demographic and let me tell you it has made me realise that I would rather only play a show a year at a punk gig than carry on playing to people who don't really want to listen to me. The crowd, although mostly made up of other bands and the few people drinking in the bar anyway, really got behind the set and it made a huge impact on my peformance, then went knocking out my covers (a 5 songs in four minutes rancid medley and my ever favourite Dammit cover) i couldn't actually hear myself playing over the rowdy singing of the crowd. That is an experience I've dreamt of ever since I first watched the Dashboard Confessional unplugged dvd and saw it happen to him. It was everything I dreamt of an more.

Last and by every means best were my DS collaboration songs. I played on two of their songs and I was pretty much the nuts!! I have missed playing with a full band and to play with a bunch of people I like and admire so much was a dream come true for an old punk like me. Playing with them is like the most obvious thing in the world. When I walked into the practice studio it was like I'd always been a part of the band, and because we are so close outside of the musical world I guess I have. We click musically extremely well and it was a pleasure and a joy to share a stage with them. This having worked so well opens up a world of opportunity for us both and the possibilities are huge for us.


So there you have it. Welcome back to a positive and enthusiastic me. Let's see where this leads me now.....