Aubrey Music

The First Dance - Wedding Songs

2011-11-22T09:43:00.000Z

The first dance.
Whether you are planning an intimate sweep across the dance floor or a choreographed performance that would put Beyonce to shame, there is no denying the significance of a couple’s ‘first dance’ as man and wife.

I have been singing at wedding parties for over 25 years and one thing that strikes me is the importance that couples place on their first dance. Lets face it, the first dance will be remembered for the rest of their lives. Fast-forward 30 years down the road, and every time they hear 'that song', it will transport them back to a magical moment during a very magical day - That's the idea anyway!

A quick search of the internet will reveal a number of web sites dedicated to 'First dance choreography classes' and 'Favourite first dance songs' and there are a number of quite famous first dance videos on YouTube. One of the most famous UK based wedding dance videos was filmed at Fonmon Castle, near Cardiff Wales Airport - a venue that I perform at regularly. It shows Julia and James performing a routine from the film 'Dirty Dancing' and has (at the time of writing) received over 9 million hits; which in return has led to the couple appearing on a number of TV shows - but you don't have to go that far!

A quick history lesson.
The tradition of the first dance seems to be modern European and American one. I made a quick survey of previous clients and asked them to ask their parents if they'd had a first dance and it turns out that very few of them did. Those that did, performed a quick waltz around the room echoing the origins of the first dance which was usually performed at old-fashioned balls by the guests of honour and signified the commencement of dancing for the evening, and was certainly not a choreographed or surprise routine! In the past most people attending a ball would have been taught how to dance as a matter of etiquette - a skill few of us have these days. Therefore the modern wedding first dance seems to be an additional confirmation of the couples love, and unless the couple have some ball-room dancing skills or they have put a routine together, then it is generally an intimate 'shuffle' around the dance floor.

Nowadays, the trend seems to be that more and more people are opting to have a first dance and they are placing more importance on it. 25 years ago when I first started performing at weddings not many people would bother with a first dance. I offer a bespoke service where I will work with the couple to make sure they get exactly what they need for their all important first dance.

Choosing the right song for the first dance.
As couple, it's worth spending some time choosing a song that means something to both of you. If you are intending to have a first dance (and not everybody does), then make sure that whoever is performing or playing the song has at least a few weeks notice so that they can ensure they have the correct version of the song prepared. I once managed to play the wrong song for a couple. Instead of playing 'Can't take my eyes off you' by Andy Williams which has the opening line: "You're just too good to be true..." I played 'Can't help falling in love' by Elvis. The opening lines to this song are "Wise men say, only fools rush in...". I will never forget the look of horror on both the bride and grooms faces; and I will never make that mistake again - and hopefully neither will you.

Performing the perfect first dance.
If you are going to choreograph a dance, make sure the band, singer or DJ has exactly the same version that you have. In fact it is always workwhile sending a copy of the song in advance so it can be downloaded on to the music system that the DJ or band is using. I had one occasion where the bride and groom turned up with copied CD that just refused to play in my CD player and they had to make do with another song.

It seems that most women are quite comfortable on the dance floor, but the poor old groom is often left weak kneed at the prospect of having to 'perform' in front of his friends and family. On the anxiety / nervousness scale, the first dance comes in at third place behind the wedding ceremony and the speech. Therefore I always do my utmost to put the couple at ease, so preparation is the key. The last thing I want to do is to make a mistake whilst singing the song, or for there to be any kind of technical hitch.

After years of performing at weddings I've found the best time for the couple to have their first dance is after the buffet (if they are having one). This gives evening guests chance to mingle with the day guests and lets everyone 'relax' until it's time to start dancing! 5 minutes before the first dance I make an announcement to all the guests to make sure they have their cameras ready and to gather around the dance floor. This works as both a heads up for anyone who might be thinking of sneaking off for a cigarette, and it gives the bride and groom chance to get near the dance floor.

In recent years the trend has been for couples to dance to a choreographed dance routine. So I often have to supply them with a pre-recorded version of me singing the song for them to dance to. This ensures that the version I am going to sing has all the same timings as the version they are rehearsing with. As I mentioned, there are a number of web sites advertising wedding choreography and it's become quite a lucrative business. However, in nearly all cases the couples who have opted for a choreographed dance seem more stressed about the dance than about any other part of the day. In one case the couple abandoned their set piece just before they were about to do it and opted to shuffle around the dance-floor in each others arms - which was just as endearing!

Starting the live music or disco right after the first dance is a great way of re-booting the party. Everyone is concentrated around the dance floor and in many cases the bride and groom ask people to join them halfway though their first dance so it's a great ice breaker to get people boogieing the night away.

Tips for a great first dance.
To achieve a romantic and well-executed first dance, I recommend following....

Prepare: In order to make your first dance a memorable one (and not for the wrong reasons) make sure that your singer or DJ is well briefed on the song you have selected and the mood you want to create, whether this be light hearted, serious or even funny. This will give whoever is performing the song the chance to thoroughly prepare and make sure the music is seamless. I work closely with couples to make sure they get exactly what they want out of their first dance.
Pick a song that’s right for you both: I find that the song choices work best when they reflect the couple’s personalities and resonate with their relationship. Perhaps certain lyrics really stand out or a song takes you back to a special shared memory. However, you must bear in mind you ultimately have to dance to the song - so there’s no point in choosing an up-tempo number if your partner has two left feet!
Forget cool go with what YOU love: Don’t be afraid to choose something that’s cheesy, tacky or a little risqué! The day is all about you, not about what other people are going to think because you’ve chosen a Westlife number, or because you've shocked aunty Maureen with your intimate slow dance to an Rnb track.
Dance lessons: In general, women are more comfortable dancers than men. So if you're that bothered about messing up your big moment, take a few dance lessons together. Not only will this help to put you both at ease but it will also guarantee quality 'couple-time' in the busy run up to the wedding.
Timing: This may seem trivial but timing is key. After years of performing at weddings I've found the best time for the couple to have their first dance is after the buffet (if they’re having one). This gives evening guests a chance to mingle with the day guests and lets everyone 'relax' until it's time to start dancing. Also if you aren’t comfortable with performing in front of your guests throughout the entire song then tell your wedding performer in advance to encourage guests to join you half way through. I have performed at many weddings where the bride and groom have opted to do this and it helps set the couple at ease and involve the wedding party.

A list of first dance wedding songs.
From the timeless classics to the contemporary chart songs I've compiled a list of the most requested first dance tracks I have performed at weddings over the last 25 years...

The top 5: Timeless classics

Let there be love - Nat king Cole
Stand by me - Ben E King
Don't want to miss a thing - Aerosmith
Three times a lady – The Commodores
Let's stay together - Al Green (I was actually singing this song at a gig when Al Green walked in!)

The top 5: Current tracks

The greatest day – Take That
I’ve got a feeling – Black Eyes Peas
To make you feel my love – Adele
Don’t stop believing - Journey
Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol

The Top 5: Wild Cards

Burning love – Elvis
Gimme some loving – The Blues Brothers
Ain’t Nobody – Chaka Khan
Tiny Dancer – Elton John
Me and Mrs Jones – Billy Paul

Putting a show together and giving great performances every time.

2011-09-09T10:20:00.000+01:00

This blog applies to solo singers, duos, bands... In fact any type of live musical performance.

Your audience knows what it wants.

Simple really but this fact is overlooked by so many acts and singers. If you want to be a successful artist singing cover songs, there is no point in picking all your favourite songs and going out and performing them thinking everyone has the same taste in music as you. For me it was a difficult and frustrating hill to climb when I first started working as a solo singer. I thought everyone would love the songs that I loved - but I was very wrong. Different people like different music - and nine times out of ten you will be performing to people who want to be entertained. They want to sit back and be impressed by someone singing songs they know. They want to dance and sing along to familiar songs, and they can't do that with obscure tracks that they've never heard before. So before you start putting a show together, you can forget all of those amazing album tracks that you love. Stick to mainstream well-known songs and you won't go wrong.

Know your onions!

Every gig that you perform will be different. You will have a mixed demographic of people at every one; different age-groups, social backgrounds, levels of education, ethnic and regional up-bringing etc. All of these factors contribute to how you should think about your audience. There is no point turning up to a gig expecting to play exactly the same set list as the previous gig and getting the same reaction from the audience! Before you start your performance take time to look around the room. If you get chance, speak to the event organiser and double check what type of music they are expecting. Talk with the punters in the room and ask what they like. Get a feel of the room before you sing one single note. That way you can think ahead as to what type of music might go down well at this particular gig. Judge the room and act accordingly. If necessary, change your set as you go along. Be prepared to do this at almost every gig. If you can be flexible and read the audience reactions carefully, you should be able to blow any audience away by constantly tweaking your set as the evening goes on.

I've seen many singers walk out onto a stage and perform a 'technically' great gig - but they let themselves down by not taking any notice of how the audience is reacting to the songs. Even major name artists will rarely go out and perform songs that no one knows - and if you have ever been unlucky enough to go to a gig where the dreaded words are spoken:- 'We're about to play a few songs from our forthcoming album...' you will have heard the inward sigh that rises from the audience who are about to be subjected to a load of songs they don't know...

Your show can depend on the type of booking you are performing at.

The show that you give will depend largely on the type of booking and the venue you are performing in.
Gigs can be roughly split into four main categories:

Pub gigs - Generally the most relaxed gig of all. They are a great place to interact with your audience since you will probably be performing almost in the punters faces. Obviously you should always give your best at every gig, but pubs are a great place to hone your skills, try out new material and tweak your show. People will expect you to play some current chart material along with some great classics at pub gigs. You can also rock out a little more than you would at say a wedding or corporate gig - so let your hair down a little.

Social Club Gigs - A bit of a step up from pub gigs in the performance stakes. Quite often a lot is expected of the act in the UK. (see me previous blog 'So you want to gig for a living?') Turn up nice an early. Gear set by 7.30pm. You are expected to be smartly dressed in 'stage attire'. First set - Generally ballads followed by bloody bingo, followed by a second set to dance to... You may detect a small amount of animosity in my writing here. I worked clubs for many years and have been watching them slowly decline due to attitudes that are stuck in the past so I don't really have much love to lose over this type of work. However, Club Gigs are a great place to learn your trade. The money isn't great, but it you can keep a social club audience happy you are doing well. You will be expected to mainly play classic tracks, ballads and songs from the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's - if you manage to get anything more modern in then it's probably a re-release or a recent cover of any old classic. Club land loves the likes of Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Elvis, Shania Twain etc.

Corporate & Hotel gigs - Along with weddings, these are the most lucrative gigs of all but they are also the gigs where you need to be very careful about what you perform and how you present yourself. You will generally be expected to perform songs that people can dance to, but not necessarily rock out to. Swing, Jazz, rat pack etc. Classics from Sinatra, Jamie Cullum, Michael Buble etc. mixed up with some big ballads and a few sing along s from Neil Diamond and Billy Joel etc.

Wedding / Private parties - Dancing, dancing and more dancing. Basically if you are a guest at a wedding or a private party you don't want to be watching some boring old fart sing songs about old Ireland and lamenting about 'Old Shep'. The punters are there to P.A.R.T.Y. and as an entertainer it's your job to get the whole audience on the dance floor bopping their socks off. You want everyone leaving the party knackered and sweaty but with a great memory of a great night. So, don't hold back. Be prepared to throw every single classic dance floor tune you can at the audience. Think 'Come on Eileen', 'Love Shack', Burning love', Blues Brothers, Commitments, Soul, Dance, Jive, Rock and roll... Need I go on? Cheese is often the order of the day at parties like this. People aren't there to be impressed by a cool singer - they are there to enjoy themselves and have a party and it's your job to do that by making sure your perform the right songs which will allow them to do just that!

So what songs should I perform?

I tried to resist temptation and NOT put a set list of songs that I know works well at almost any gig. However, I've decided that giving you a few set lists will point you in the right direction to help you build your own. Some of my typical set-lists might contain the following songs:-
(Oh, and before anyone starts nit-picking - The examples I give here are versions performed by the singers named - I'm well aware that they may not have penned or performed the original version!)

Pub Set List:
Let me entertain you - Robbie Williams
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
It's not unusual - Tom Jones
Grace Kelly - Mika
Sex on fire - Kings of Leon
Uptown girl - Billy Joel
Shine - Take That
A little respect - Erasure
She said - Plan B
Bat out of hell - Meatloaf
She caught the Katie - The blues brothers
Mustang Sally - The commitments
Life on Mars - David Bowie

Corporate Set List:
Come fly with me - Frank Sinatra
Haven't met you yet - Michael Buble
New York New York - Frank Sinatra
20 something - Jamie Cullum
Mister Bojangles - Sammy Davis Jr
The Way you look tonight - Harry Connick Jr
It had to be you - Harry Connick Jr
Quando quando - Michael Buble
The girl from Ipanema - Frank Sinatra
Strangers in the night - Frank Sinatra
I've got you under my skin - Michael Buble
Ain't that a kick in the head - Robbie Williams
Beyond the Sea - Robbie Williams

Wedding/party set:
Let's stay together - Al green
My first my last my everything - Barry white
Shake your tail feather - The Blues Brothers
It's not unusual - Tom Jones
The greatest day -- Take That
Pretty woman - Roy Orbison
Can't take my eyes off you - Andy Williams
Twist and shout - The Beatles
Lets twist again - Chubby Checker
500 miles - The Proclaimers
Local boy in the photograph - The Stereophonics
Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
Sweet Caroline - Neal Diamond
I believe in a thing called love - The darkness
I bet you look good on the dance-floor - Arctic monkeys

You can see that I've included three very different sets here. Each one is designed to reflect the different type of audience that you would have at each venue. However don't be fooled into thinking that you can build a pub set that will work at every pub, or that every corporate event will want swing music! It's a good idea to have these kind of set lists prepared in advance BUT you must always be ready to tweak these sets at a moments notice. Many corporate events start out gently by the end of the evening the audience is generally very drunk and in the mood to dance like a bunch of lunatics to almost anything you can throw at them. And as I mentioned before weddings, love them or hate them, need lots of cheese and lots of up-tempo music and lots of enthusiasm.

Stagecraft & Performance

So you've put an amazing set of songs together, and spend months rehearsing so that you can perform every song to the best of your ability. You've spend time rehearsing with your equipment so you can easily adjust your sound levels to any size or venue without deafening people. you have put on your posh stage clothes and now you are ready to rock.

As the lights are dimmed you walk out onto the stage and you stare at the audience... and you freeze. You haven't quite imagined it to be like this. The audience is looking at you with hungry eyes. There is an air of anticipation in the room that frightens you. You know that you have to perform to the best of your ability or they are going to start throwing things at you. Nasty things. Bottles, cans, sausage rolls, anything they can get their hands on. Time slows down and your legs feel as though they are about to start shaking uncontrollably and your tongue feels like a giant marshmallow which is now stuck to the roof of your mouth. You look like a rabbit stuck in the headlights and by this point, no matter how well you sing, you've just blown the entire gig.

What you just read is a scenario that with a little mental preparation will never happen to you. Once you have completed all of your rehearsals, you need to make sure that you can walk out onto any stage and feel comfortable with your audience right from the kick-off. You must be as prepared as possible in every aspect of performing before you even think about stepping up on stage!

Take a moment to think about every successful performer that you have ever seen. The likes of Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Take That, Plan B and Adele... They don't have some inbuilt magical ability to walk out onto the stage and start being great entertainers. Any successful performer spends months behind the scenes rehearsing, learning their craft, learning their songs and feeling comfortable with a live performance. A person sitting in an audience watching a singer is only seeing very tip of the iceberg. A performer who walks out on stage, moves well, presents themselves well and gives a good show, is somebody who has spent months rehearsing and visualising giving a good performance in front of any kind of audience, and under any kind of pressure, and in any situation. But there is no substitute for experience. So in addition to all of your practical rehearsals you should spend time visualising your gigs. You can even do this whilst you're on your way to a gig. Imagine yourself giving a fantastic performance - visualise yourself on stage giving it your all, and by the time you walk out on stage you will already have prepared yourself to give that great performance.

There is no harm in working out some patter to help get the audience on your side when you first walk out on stage. They are expecting YOU to be the performer and not them. Therefore you need to look as comfortable as possible the minute you walk out on stage and that includes being able to talk to your audience in a friendly manner that will make them warm to you from the offset. A word of warning here, never ever berate your audience in anyway. If they are not being the wonderfully responsive audience that you would like them to be, don't be tempted to slag them off. By doing so you will immediately alienate yourself from every single person in the room. If an audience isn't being responsive, smile sweetly and sing your best songs - they will come around eventually.

A good way to kick off show is by choosing a massive number for your first song. Depending on the type of booking you have will depend on whether you perform a ballad or a flat rock or pop song. Make sure you perform a song that everybody knows and introduce it by saying something like, "Hello my name is ... I'm here to entertain you and that is exactly what I'm going to do!". Then crack on with your first big number.
When I perform I like to leave as short a gap as possible between songs. I find pauses between songs can make your performance scrappy, and I hate those awkward silences where the audience just sits and stares at you whilst you fiddle with your backing tracks to get the next song ready. Make sure you have your playlist prepared at the beginning of the gig - you can always adjust it on the fly throughout the evening. If you do have to talk between songs, or introduce songs, make sure that you know what you're talking about. There's nothing worse than listening to a singer tell you that Robbie Williams wrote 'Mr Bojangles'. Get your facts right about your music! (By the way Mr. Bojangles was written by Gerry Jeff Walker). Also make sure that if you are going to talk about the song you don't just say; "This is one of my favourites.". Explain why it's one of your favourites and maybe a little bit about the song; who it was written by and artists that have covered the song etc. But don't go into too much detail or you will be in danger of boring your audience. They want to hear you sing, not a musical history lecture.

It's important to strike up a rapport with your audience, but don't feel that you have to stand there and tell jokes in between songs unless you are very comfortable with this. Don't be tempted to start telling a joke on the fly and then realise you've forgotten the joke whilst you're halfway through telling it, and try to avoid any rude, crude, racist or risque jokes that might backfire on you.

I was once a singing in a bar in Cardiff when there was a road accident right outside the window of the bar. I was half way though singing Nessun Dorma, when a young man ran out in front of a car and was knocked over. I looked out of the window and saw him lying in the road. I continued singing and when I reached the end of the song I could see that the young man wasn't too badly injured. So I made a comment to the audience that the man lying in the street outside must have thought his time had come because all he would have heard after the screech of tyres would have been the sound of me singing opera and therefore he must have thought he was approaching the pearly gates! Unfortunately what I didn't realise was that most of the people in the bar knew the young man as he was a regular customer. The landlady literally dragged me out to a back room of the bar, screamed at me for five minutes, told me I was insensitive, and asked me to leave the building - which I did with my tail between my legs. I've never made a daft comment on stage since!

Stagecraft is something that you can learn over time, however as I've already mentioned once or twice, preparation is the key to a good performance. Spend as much time as possible choosing and learning your songs, being comfortable using your equipment, and visualising giving great performances. Do all of this and you won't be giving good performances, you'll be giving amazing performances that will ensure repeat bookings!

Rock on.

Be careful of what you wish for!

2011-07-01T09:29:00.009+01:00

Well, June 2011 has turned out to be one of the maddest months of my life (musically). Be careful what you wish for! I've been wishing for more and better paid gigs...

Firstly, a disclaimer. I am writing this at 5.00am. I am tired, so damn tired but the kids will be up soon so there's no point in going to bed yet. Please excuse all spelling and grammar errors.
'To err is human'.

Friday 3rd June was my usual Friday night gig at the five star St David's hotel in Cardiff. For once this was quite a normal gig. A nice gentle evening singing my little heart out in a great venue. I kick off at 7pm at SD so I have to leave home at around 5pm to get in and set up so I'm ready to start singing by 7pm - but it's worth it. You never know who's going to walk through the door - but more of that later.

On Saturday the 4th of June I performed at the party for the Saab Wales Open golf championship at the Celtic Manor Resort near Newport. I'm pretty used to playing at the CM now (I sang at the Ryder Cup 2010 wrap party) but this time I was humbled by the words of billionaire business-man Sir Terry Mathews (the guy who built and owns the resort). Just before I started my performance Sir Terry came rushing over saying something like; "I can't believe your're here! I'm so frickkin glad you're here to entertain us all this evening. You were amazing at the Ryder Cup." He then grabbed the microphone and told the audience that they were in for a treat, "Aubrey Parsons is dynamite..." he continued. To be honest I was totally taken aback and really pleased to think that a billionaire is one of my fans!

I wanna be a billionaire, so frickkin' bad.

Working at venues like the CM means that you have to arrive nice and early to get gear set up and out of the way before guests arrive. You don't want to be fighting your way through loads of people in a bar or function room. So for those of you who think that us singers just hop up on stage and sing and then bugger off - think again. My day started at around 7am when my internal clock woke me up (damn) and I started to prep songs and equipment for the night. I then set off at 3pm to get to the CM at 4pm to get gear set by 6pm. The performance didn't start until 10m and finished at around 1.30pm. Then the whole process is done in reverse. I think I got home at around 4am.

Sunday 5th June found me singing at a 65th birthday party at an exclusive venue near Cardiff. The client was someone I had worked for before and he had hired a restaurant for the evening. Again I needed to arrive early and leave late. However it was a nice gentle night with no problems or surprises.

I then had the luxury of a few days off before the avalanche happened.

On Friday 10th June I had a last minute call to do some 'extra' work on the Welsh language TV show 'Pobl Y Cwm' ('People of the valley'). Usually when I work on 'Pobl' filming only takes a few hours. However this time I had a 'walk on' part as a hotel manager. This means you have to interact and speak with the main actors so I had to start filming at 9am and I didn't finish until 5.30pm. Luckily we were filming in Cardiff and it was just a 20 minute drive from the BBC to my usual Friday night gig at St David's. However, I had to do the gig in my hotel manager clothes - amazingly - no one noticed. Now what does that say for my dress sense and style?
During that evening, after a discussion with the management team at St David's it was agreed that I would return later in the week to perform for a certain band that was staying at the hotel...

Saturday 10th June was a wedding in Cowbridge. I love performing at weddings but it doesn't half take it out of me. Unlike many performers I more often than not DJ for the first half of the evening and then do a 2 hour straight flat-out live set and then finish by DJ'ing until the end of the night (which is usually midnight) and again the gear doesn't set it'self up or pack it'self away...

So to Tuesday 11th June 2011. Take That were performing the first of 2 nights in Cardiff on their Progress tour. I had been asked to perform at St David's hotel (where the band were staying) before the Take That gig and then later in the evening after the band had returned to the hotel after their gig. My first set started at 6pm and I eventually left the building at around 2am. In between was what can only be described as a circus. (see what I did there TT fans.)

The hotel had taken on extra security in addition to the bands own general and personal security (each member had their own 'minder'). Outside the hotel dozens of mainly women and gay men had been hanging around all day along with a gaggle of 'Paps'. No one was allowed into the hotel unless they could show a room key or confirmation that they were attending another function that was being held for the steel giant and Landrover owner 'Tata'. So that night the hotel had the 4th richest man in the world having an event along with the biggest band in UK - all under one roof. You would have had more luck getting backstage to U2 at Glastonbury. Inside the hotel was full of rather merry middle aged women who had all seem to have had the foresight to book rooms in St David's on the off chance that Take That would be staying there. Well done ladies!

One regular customer of the bar (who is very tall, very fit, very well built, very rich and very not about to put up with hassle from anyone) attempted to gain access to the hotel for a drink. He was stopped by security who told him that if he didn't have a key card, he couldn't enter. His reply was as follows;

"Listen hear butty, I drink at the bar in this hotel every night of the week. If Robbie Williams comes here for a night and thinks he can stop me drinking in my regular drinking hole he can f**k off!"

The security guard relented and opened the door for him.

Once the band's show was over they returned to the hotel but they were sneaked past the crowd of fans via the tradesman's (?!?) entrance and through the kitchens to the rear of the restaurant where they were entertained by me and their cohorts of management, crew and security. At this point I'd like to say that what goes on tour stays on tour. Mind you Robbie was gobbing off about what a great performer he was so I told him to 'button it' and showed him how it should be done (or was that a dream I once had). As soon as the band returned I was handed a piece of paper by the band's management which read 'No songs by the band!'. You will be pleased to know that I often perform songs by Take That because they have some great songs. Nearly all the customers in the bar had been to the concert and they kept asking me to sing TT songs. So you will be even more pleased to know that no snotty little so-and-so from any management company is going to stop me singing what I want to sing - and that night was no exception!

...and the world came alive.

I guess I didn't upset them too much because the following morning I had a txt message asking if I could do it all over again for the Wednesday night. Oh boy was I tired and the thought of doing it all again was quite daunting. By the time I had arrived and set my gear up at the hotel that afternoon I knew I was going to struggle. Especially since I knew that TT had two days off and would probably want to party a little later that night. Luckily I managed to negotiate a room with the hotel which meant I didn't have far to go at the end of the night.

Have you ever wondered which member of TT is the 'odd one out'?
I haven't, but I did think it was strange that Jason Orange didn't leave the bar until 5.45am the following morning after spending a huge part of the evening talking about George Michael. This I hasten to add came to me via a third party because I had crashed and burned by 4am.

Friday 17th June. I arrived back at SD for gig number 3 that week to find that Simon Cowell's production company were staying at the hotel whilst they were filming 'Red or Black' (his new show). It seems that wherever SC is, Ant & Dec are usually pretty close behind and sure enough, there they were. Dec opted for an early night whilst Ant and the crew stuck out my set like the troopers that they are. I must have counted at least twenty people who walked up to Ant and asked for photo's or autographs and he didn't say 'no' once. He smiled his way though every encounter and was courteous to everyone he spoke to - including me. They are regular visitors to SD and it wouldn't surprise me to see them there in the future. After my performance Ant (the one with the massive forehead who always stands on the left in case you are wondering) came up and said; "Aubrey, cheers pal, that was great entertainment." I couldn't think of anything witty to say so I just smiled and said "Thanks PJ... or is it Duncan?".

I'm going to skip a few days now. I did a few private functions and tried to get some rest but the phone doesn't seem to stop ringing (in a good way) at the moment so a rest is out of the question. I also have a fantastic wife and two daughters who have to get up for school every morning so there is very rarely a chance of a lie in!

Aubrey singing at the Raddison Blu Party

Thursday 23rd of June. I performed at an anniversary party for the Radisson BLU hotel in Cardiff. It was another long day. Get to the venue early, sound-check, hang around, perform etc. Eventful none the less. Before I sang, a flash mob choir surprised the guests by bursting into song wilst milling around them (the guests thought the choir were other guests and hotel staff). They then moved to the stage and performed a few numbers. It was all quite exciting. They were followed by 'Jukebox Juniors' a young street dance gang who had appeared on SKY TV's equivalent of BGT. They were quite frankly mindblowingly good and I had to go on after them - no pressure then. I did manage to get up and sing without anyone blocking their ears or walking out so I can't have been that bad. The whole evening had a blue theme and there were even a few blue men walking around....

Smurf genetic mutation.

After my performance I was stood talking with a few of the guys from FreshBaked PR who are the company who had booked me to perform at the event. As we were talking one the guy's attention was grabbed by some people who had just entered the room. His jaw nearly hit the floor and I turned to see five or six rather beautiful and stylish young women stood on the other side of the room.

"Who the heck are they?" asked one of the guys.

"I dunno but I'm going wherever they are going after this party is over!" replied the other. (Both will remain nameless thanks to a super-injunction.)

At that moment, one of the ladies saw me and gracefully walked across the room and came up to me, gave me a big 'air kiss' and said; "Hey Aubrey, great to see you, how's your voice? It's been a while..." We chatted for a minute or so and then she returned to her friends. There was a stunned and slightly confused silence which was broken by one of the guys...

"That was Miss Wales, Courtney Hamilton - how the hell does she know you?"

"Oh you know, you get to meet 'people' when you do my job." I replied with an air of mystery, and left it at that. They eyed me with a slightly confused, envious, "you lucky sod" kind of look.

Courtney Hamilton

I didn't tell them that I'd met Courtney when she used to work behind the bar at Bar 44 in Cowbridge where I sometimes perform. All the facts can spoil a moment - don't you think?

After the Radisson party I headed over the O'Neil's in Cardiff where another one of the PR guys from the company who arranged the party was going on to perform as one half of an acoustic duo called S&M. I couldn't stay for too long (I was shattered), however I am going make the effort to go back and see them again for the simple reason that these guys are bloody genius.

Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/bitofsandm

They perform at O'Neill's every Sunday night, and if you want to see some really well know songs played acoustic styleeeee with humour, energy and their own slant - and if you want to be entertained - GO AND SEE THESE GUYS. S&M Rock!!!

The next morning Friday 3rd of June, (nice and early) I drove to London for the first of two gigs that day.

I drove to Dartmouth House which is the home of the English speaking union on Charles street in central London for a lunchtime performance for a 'sporting lunch'.

Dartmouth House - Posh innit!

The people attending the lunch were part of a cricketing 'lunch club' and the day was hosted by an associate of mine called Roger Dakin - Roger is an after dinner speaker, MC, auctioneer and all round raconteur. The lunch was attended by Christopher Martin Jenkins who is a well known cricket commentator and head of the MCC. There were a few other sporting legends such as Peter Reed in attendance but my knowledge of sports people (and sport in general) will fit on the head of a pin so I haven't got a clue who they were. I hasten to add that they were all very nice people at the lunch and I was surprised at the reception I got after my performance.

I only had to sing six songs during the meal, but as gigs go I probably landed more future gigs than at any other time. By the end of the day I had been booked to perform at the 1971 Lions Reunion Dinner in London, Ian (Cricketer) Bell's testimonial dinner on board HMS Belfast, a private function in Chelmsford, a gig at the 'Long room' at Lords cricket ground, and a series of gigs lined up with Grange Hotels who are a seriously posh group of five and six star London hotels. Find out more about them here.

As soon as the the lunch event was over I had to retrieve my car from the NCP car park. £30.00 for 5 hours - bargain!!! Fight with a traffic warden so I could load the car up. and then speed off into the Friday afternoon traffic to make my way to the next gig in.... Cardiff. The traffic however did not want to play and it was 8pm before I managed to get back to St David's hotel in Cardiff. I then had a mad rush to set up my gear and start singing. I started singing and Liam Neeson walked into the bar and a few minutes later Sam Worthington sauntered in. Worthington played the blue guy in Avatar - It struck me that blue people were popping up everywhere that week and I wouldn't have batted an eyelid if Papa Smurf had walked through the door with Dr. Manhattan in tow.

The actors, minders and members of their crew were occupying a good proportion of the rooms at St David's whilst they were filming 'Clash of the Titans 2'. Wales seems to act as a magnet to the great and the good at the moment!

The following morning, 25th June 2011 I was up and out early to travel to a small village near Worcester for a wedding. I was singing in a marquee during the drinks reception and for the evening party. My prayers for sunshine were answered a little too well. I was asked to set up outside the marquee for the drinks reception and I thought I was going to melt in the heat. Note to self: Black suit and black hat + Sunshine don't mix. During the 'cooler' evening the wedding guests didn't want to seem to want to sit down, preferring to dance their little socks off - So I obliged by extending my performance. By the end of the day I had performed for 3 and a half hours and by the time I got back to Cardiff at 3am I really was ready for a lie in...

I had the following email the day after the wedding:

"Dear Aubrey

Well, what can I say....... Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

You were absolutely amazing. We and our guests were completely bowled over and captivated by your brilliant singing. It was quite simply “The Very Best”. Each and every one of our guests cannot stop talking about your brilliant singing saying how fantastic you are and what a truly perfect evening they had.

As I said to you, we were very lucky and privileged to have you sing at our daughter’s wedding. I just wish I had another 10 daughters so we could do it again and again.

Kindest Regards and Very best wishes

Jo"

Sunday 26th June 2011. I was hoping for lie-in but it was not to happen. I had to be at Cardiff castle by 8am to rig my gear for 'Polo in the Castle'. Boy it was warm. Even at 8am all the signs were there that it was going to be a scorcher of a day. I didn't start performing until 3pm, and by that time you could have cooked curry on my head. It was so hot that I took some of my own advice and ditched the black suit and black hat. I popped to M&S and purchased a cream Italian linen suit, boat shoes and a new Panama hat. Thank goodness I did, the heat peaked at around 31 degrees in the castle grounds and was more like 40 degrees in the marquees. Miss Wales popped up again - I think she's stalking me!

The started with sweaty horses and beautiful people and ended with beautiful horses and sweaty people, but my performance went down well with the pimms and shampoo drinkers. So much so that I didn't get out of the Castle grounds until gone 11pm. Now I was really ready for a day off...

Monday 27th June 2011.

Day off my arse.

After dragging myself out of bed I had to travel back up to the Celtic Manor for the 'Andy Gray & Gary McAlistair charity golf classic'. Gear had to be rigged by 5pm and they needed a PA system that would fill a third of the Caernarfon suit at the manor. Not very big you might think. but take a look at the picture below of the whole room and then tell me that a third of 'bloody huge' isn't still massive!

The event was in aid of breast cancer and was supposedly attended by (and I quote): "A large number of our sporting and entertainment friends, including: Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Des Walker, Jamie Redknapp, Tony McCoy. Geoff Shreeves, Mick Fitzgerald, Paul Jewell, Matt Dawson, Gareth Edwards, Dave Jones, Matt Le Tissier, Russell Osman, Trevor Sinclair, Ben Shephard and Charlie Nicholas."

Were they all there I hear you ask. Not a clue is my reply.

My stalker Gareth Edwards was there. He turns up at so many of my gigs with his wife Maureen that I'm thinking of adopting them both. Gareth commented that we must be visiting the same tailor as he had a suit that was remarkably similar to my new Italian linen M&S number... Oh and I saw Ieuan Evans, but I only recognised him because our kids used to go to school together.

After an auction that raised many thousands for the charity it was my turn to sing. It was quite hard work getting the crowd going. Most of them had been playing golf all day and were obviously de-hydrated because they seemed to be drinking excessive amounts of liquid....

Suddenly the stage was crashed by Andy Gray and we were singing 'Bat out of hell' together. I mean how did that happen. The evening then ended up with requests being shouted by the audience and various celebs clambering up on stage to sing with me. Who were they? I don't bloody know!

By the end of the night I'd had enough. I was on the verge of collapse. Luckily I'd managed to secure a room at the hotel so I was able to leave the gear and finally get a lie in. My head hit the pillow with thoughts of a nice breakfast and a swim in the morning...

Tuesday 28th June, 2011 8.00am

I'm dreaming of bells. The phone is ringing. And ringing, and ringing... I answer.

"Mr. Parsons, this is reception, the events team need you to move your equipment out of the Caernarfon suit because they are about to start rigging for any event this afternoon..."

Bugger.

By the time I had finished rigging and returned home it was mid afternoon. I had a pile of emails, accounting and missed messages to get through. This took until mid afternoon of Wednesday 29th of June 2011. By early Wednesday evening I had caught up with everything apart from this blog and I had just opened a bottle of wine to accompany the dinner my wife had just cooked. Peace and rest and an evening with my family at last.

The phone rang and voice said; "Hello Aubrey, this is Canada Lakes Lodge, we have 150 people here for dinner and they were expecting you to have set up for your gig this evening by now - where are you?"

"No, that event is tomorrow night." I replied whilst running into my office to get the contract.

"I have the contract here in front of me and it's dated tomorrrrr...... shit. I'll be there in 30 minutes."

I grabbed a shirt (My suits live in my van) and ran out of the house. My wife looked perplexed and I hit my hand with my head as I walked out of the door shouting "My flipping head's gone. Got the date wrong. I need a rest!" and off I went, to the next gig.

Cantoriaon Creigiau is a choir who were celebration their 40 year anniversary. 150 people turned to look at me as I squeezed my way into the venue which was packed to the rafters. I sheepishly set my gear up and explained to the event organizer that this was the first time in my life that I had got a date wrong for a gig. However I managed to rig the gear and get started on time.

At the end of the night, one of the guests came up and commented; "It's so nice to finally have an entertainer at one of these events who can actually sing. There are a few people here who like to think they can 'sing' but you really showed them how to do it!"

That comment made and still makes me chuckle and to be honest after the madness of the last month I need a good laugh.

So dear reader, I'd like to thank you for getting this far (unlike the other lightweights who couldn't be bothered to read all of this blog), I'd like to thank all the good and the great who keep booking me, and I'd like to thank my family for putting up with a very tired and grumpy old man. If John Peel was still alive I'd like to think he'd be proud of me.

Until the next time...

Rock on.

From Take That to Ant & Dec

2011-06-21T08:55:00.004+01:00

Take That

20/06/2011
Phew what a week!
After a few frantic phone calls and emails earlier in the week, Aubrey was booked to perform at the 5 star St David's Hotel in Cardiff bay for a little known band called 'Take That' on Tuesday 14th June 2011. The band were staying at the hotel during the Cardiff leg of their sell out 'Progress' tour and it was decided that Aubrey would perform at both the pre-show and after show parties.

The party didn't finish until around 2am and just as Aubrey was leaving he was asked to return for another performance the following night! Security in and around the hotel was very tight although the hotel was fully booked with Take That fans who had the pleasure of seeing the band after their show in the bar. The following evening Aubrey didn't leave the bar until gone 3am - which was an early night compared to Jason Orange who didn't leave until 5.30am!

The band showed their appreciation by clapping wildly at the end of Aubrey's set - even after he'd slipped in a Take That song after their management team had asked him not to perform any songs by the band... naughty!

If that wasn't enough excitement on Friday 17th June at the same venue, Aubrey turned up for his regular Friday night performance to find that Simon Cowell's team were in residence filming his new TV show called 'Red or Black'. The team included well known presenters 'Ant & Dec'.

At the end of the evening, one half of the Geordie duo, Ant McPartlin came up to Aubrey and said; "Aubrey, Cheers Pal that was great entertainment!". We've always said that Aubrey's got talent...

Where can I get great Backing Tracks?

2011-06-20T10:07:00.002+01:00

Everything you need to know about backing tracks...

I first started out performing without a band (just as a duo) back in the mid 1980s. Back then all we had was a drum machine and a tape deck. Owing to the fact that the drum machine had very little memory, we would programme the drums for each song and record each song to tape. The quality was crap but it was all we had. Guitar and bass were played live over the top of the backing drums.

In the early 1990's the development of midi and midi file players meant for the first time solo performers could have control of something approximating a full band. Midi files were stored on floppy disks and each song would have to be loaded before it would play. This caused a slight delay between songs but it was far easier than messing around with cassette tapes.

By the mid 90's DAT (Digital Audio Tape) appeared which gave superb sound reproduction - especially compared to the old hissy analogue cassette tapes. I found it easier to dump my midi backing tracks on to DAT - the only downside being that you had no control over the order of the set as tracks were recorded in a linear fashion. This might have seemed like taking a step back, but I wanted to have a show that moved quickly with no gaps between songs to keep the momentum of the audience going.

For a while I used CD's as a form of storing backing tracks. This was even easier again than using DAT tapes because access to tracks was instantaneous, however at that time tracks could not not named and you could only get around 10 tracks on a disk.

Then in the late 1990's Sony released the mini disk. This caused a revolution on the live music circuit. Suddenly we had a facility to play back high quality backing tracks in any order we chose. Each disk could hold about twenty songs and each song was named so you knew exactly what track you were picking. This was sheer luxury. However as my library of backing tracks increased I found it more and more difficult to use mini disks in a live situation. Having a set list is fine, but if you turn up to a gig and the majority of the audience are over fifty, they don't necessarily want to hear the latest chart hits. I needed to be more flexible so each show could evolve with its audience's tastes. A full dance floor rocking out to a Beatles classic could be emptied by the latest hit from Take That and I would cringe sometimes knowing that the next song was going to kill the show if I couldn't change it. Even worse was sifting through hundreds of disks to find the track I wanted.

Many solo performers and duo's still use midi files and mini disks with some degree of success - but we are not talking about 'some degree of success' this blog is designed to make you the best at what you do, and as a performer, if you want the best work, you have to be able to perform almost anything at the drop of a hat.

The answer to my prayers came in the form of mp3 files. A compressed music format that when played through a P.A. sounded great with files small enough to fit hundreds on a CD or even thousands on a hard disk. Companies started developing dedicated stand alone mp3 players and I was lucky enough to get hold of one of the very first from a company called Creative. It had a tiny screen that displayed the track name and songs could be indexed by genre and name and it was possible to set up play lists. This first player looked like a portable CD Walk man but had a small hard disk inside so it was capable of storing a few hundred tracks. I built a number of play lists; Rocky, dancey, balladry, young, old etc. Searching for tracks was a bit fiddly, but it did the job for a few years.

Over time I went from working in pubs and clubs to doing more wedding and corporate gigs and people were asking more and more for a disco or karaoke at the end of my live set. I was also becoming frustrated with the limitations of the old style mp3 players so in early 2000 I purchased my first windows based laptop and set it it up to play my backing tracks.

At that time there were very few software options for using mp3's in a live environment (now there are literally hundreds) so I decided to opt for some free software called Winamp. I discovered that Winamp had a plug-in that allowed you to play CD+G files - which are mp3 files with lyric files attached. CD+G is the format that most Karaoke discs use and it is possible with the right equipment to rip CD+G CD's onto a hard disc. I also started building my own MP3 backing tracks using some simple music production software called Cubase. However, these days there are so many companies producing MP3 Karaoke and backing tracks it is possible to pay to download the tracks to your computer with the minimum of fuss.

There will always be a debate about which is best for music, Apple or Windows. However, if you are just using a laptop to play back backing tracks, you don't need much processing power at all. I use a very basic notebook (ASUS) which has a 160gig drive running windows XP and Winamp and in all my years of using laptops I have never had one crash on me.

At the time of writing I have recently been experimenting using an Ipod Touch to play my backing tracks which does a great job. I'm also looking into the possibility of using an iPad which will allow me to display lyrics in a larger window than is possible on the iTouch. My point is that you don't need to go out and spend a fortune on equipment to play your backing tracks. You can get a netbook for around £250.00 that will do a great job.

Getting the right backing tracks.

The backing tracks you use are just as important as your voice. If you had a really terrible voice no one would want to book you, and the same goes for crappy backing tracks. The advent of the internet means it is now easy to purchase and download individual very high quality backing tracks for a few pounds each.
I despair when I see artists performing with General Midi tracks that sound like they are being played on an old Bontempi organ. A guitar should sound like a guitar, not like something pretending to be a guitar! There is no excuse; and if you are one of the culprits, get with the real world and sort your backing tracks out now!

Fifteen years ago people would put up with the soulless sound of a General Midi sound card, but these days everyone expects perfection and you should give them nothing less. If you can't find backing tracks that are spot on - then don't bother using them. An entire set can be let down by slipping in a track that is out of kilter with the rest of your songs. Don't take the risk.

Backing tracks come in all manner of formats (CD, midi files etc.) but by far the quickest and simplest method is to download (legally of course) MP3s. A word of warning here. Don't go downloading from file sharing web sites - you are asking for trouble. Many tracks are corrupt, of low sound quality, contain viruses and most importantly - it's illegal. Thank you Mr. Lawyer - I've covered my arse.
There are a number of web-sites and companies that are worth visiting. If you don't have the internet, find someone that does and spend time finding the best tracks. I usually spend two or three hours a week looking for and checking out the latest tracks.

I've included the web addresses of some of preferred suppliers at end of this blog.

Once you have chosen your backing tracks you should spend time making sure that they are 'topped and tailed'. Some tracks - especially those designed for karaoke have a 10 second leader at the beginning of the track. This can be very annoying if you are performing and you have to wait for ten seconds before a songs starts. You will end up with a deathly silence and the natives will become restless!
The best way to do this is to import the files into a basic music editor on a computer and chop of the silence at the start and end of the track. Some music production software is very expensive and contains a bunch of bells and whistles that you will never use, therefore a quick search on the internet will turn up open-source software such as Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) which is free to use and dose the job easily.

A quick note here:
Please, for the sanity of me, your audience and yourself - DON'T USE BACKING TRACKS THAT FADE AT THE END. I know by using capital letters during that last sentence that I am shouting, but honestly it looks and sound really, really crap when you use tracks that fade. Have you ever seen a live act fade a song? Really? No you haven't have you! It's a sign of a lazy backing track producer if they let the songs fade at the end. The original record may have had a fade at the end but you can bet your bottom dollar that when the artist performs it live that they don't fade it - and neither should you.

Most backing tracks these days have been put together by production companies who specialise in the solo entertainer and karaoke market so the volume levels have been 'normalised' to make sure the volume is consistent throughout the track. However you may have some older tracks where the volume is too loud or too quite. Again use something like Audacity to adjust the track level to make it balanced and relative to your other backing tracks. You really don't want to be running back and forth to your mixer between songs because volume of your backing track is too loud or too quite!

In addition to allowing you to top and tail sound files, software like Audacity will also allow you to adjust the tempo and pitch of a track. This can be really handy if you have downloaded a track that is not necessarily within your vocal pitch. However, don't go overboard whilst using functions such as pitch and tempo adjustment otherwise the track may end up sounding a bit strange.

So let me re-iterate once again (I know you think I'm going on... but trust me), spend time getting the best backing tracks you can find. Get rid of all your old crappy ones and update them - it really will make all the difference to your show and people will be impressed. I am constantly getting people complimenting me on my tracks and asking me where I get them from - so now you know.

Backing tracks and Karaoke (MP3+G) tracks are available from the following web sites:

http://www.karaoke-version.co.uk
This is a fantastic resource for both karaoke tracks and backing tracks. You can listen to and download tracks. They also allow you to change the key before you download the track. Prices from £1.50

http://www.sunflykaraoke.com/
The big daddy of UK and Australian Karaoke. This company has been producing karaoke tracks since the dawn of karaoke. Their older tracks can be a bit ropey, but in the last few years almost all of their tracks are fantastic. Some of the older tracks also have a tendency to fade. Prices from £1.99

http://www.selectatrack.com/
This company has a huge collection of tracks available to download from many different producers. You can also get hard copies sent out if you don't want to download. Prices from £2.00

http://www.ameritz.co.uk
Another well established company with variable key downloads. Prices from £1.49

Feel free to comment and add any other suppliers that you would recommend.

Getting to know your live music gear

2011-03-21T12:43:00.000Z

Once you have chosen the tools of your trade you need to spend time getting familiar with it. I don't mean you should take it out to dinner and buy it a few drinks, however you do need to treat it all with respect - so no snogging on the first date. Seriously there is an analogy here. You wouldn't take a new partner out and expect to know everything about them and how they were going to behave, what they liked and didn't like and then take them to meet your parents after five minutes would you? The same goes for your stage set-up.

Whenever you start using new equipment you need to spend a good few hours getting used to it before you go out and gig it in front of an audience. Knowledge is power and lack of knowledge with sound and lighting equipment is no power - Literally. You could end up having no sound or a dark stage if you don't know what you're doing. Or even worse you might start a show with a great intro, brilliant lighting, then you open your mouth to sing and.... nothing.

In his second autobiography, 'Saturday night Peter' he tells a great story about a Meatloaf tribute act he once worked with who made three attempts to start a show. Lights, sound effects, smoke etc. The Meatloaf impersonator rode into the club on a big motorbike, jumped up on stage, grabbed the mic and... nothing. The mic hadn't been faded up on the mixer. This happened two more times before he started screaming at his poor assistant who was running his mixing desk and obviously didn't know what he or she was doing.

If you are just starting out or you have purchased a new P.A. or some posh lighting, it will pay big dividends to hire a hall or a function room for a few hours and use it as a dry run for rigging, testing and de-rigging your stage equipment. Put the whole lot together as if you were about to perform a gig. Work out roughly how much time you need to set up and break down. Set all your volume levels to an acceptable gigging level and make a note of the fader, tone control, and effects positions on the mixer. Perform with the system for a few hours to get a feel of the sound and it's capabilities. I may be teaching grandma to suck eggs here, but you will save yourself the trauma of arriving at a gig and having gear not do what you expect it to do!

I'm speaking from experience here. There is nothing worse than turning up for a gig, rigging everything and then starting to the show with volume levels that are all wrong, or lights that don't work or worst of all - howling feedback the minute you start singing. Punters really dislike 105 decibels of high pitch squealing blasting at them from a P.A. - and it upsets all the dogs for miles around. If you don't know your gear - it's going to be one more thing to worry about. You should walk out on that stage / corner of the pub / function room etc., confident that all you have to concentrate on is your performance; Not whether the sound system is going to start whistling Dixey as you run around panicking on a pitch-black stage! Finally if you are lucky enough to have someone who comes with you on gigs and you've asked them to take control of your mixing desk, make sure they have plenty of experience or they have at the very least been with you for a few dry runs first. Giving an inexperienced person control of a mixing desk would be like asking a monkey to drive a car - you wouldn't do it would you! Seriously though, you wouldn't...

I once saw a young singer performing at a charity function. I had been asked along to compère the evening and I was talking with the young lady's father who told me that she was just starting out and that he'd given her a new P.A. system for Christmas and this was her first outing with the new gear. He was obviously very proud of his daughter but the smell of disaster wafted from his lips. I hadn't arrived in time for the sound check, but I presumed that everything was sorted. The girl was the first act on and every other act that evening was to use her P.A. system. I walked on stage to introduce her to the audience. As I approached the microphone there was a massive amount of feedback from the P.A. I ran over to the mixing desk and managed to tame the noise, and introduced the girl. She walked out on stage to much applause - however this soon turned to stony silence as people covered their ears. She kicked off with ('Black Velvet' - not a good choice I fear for a first song!) and it exploded like a distorted fart from the P.A. Both the input levels to the mixer and output to the P.A. were way too high and the system was peaking all over the blimmin' shop. A look of sheer terror spread across her face and she rushed over to the mixer to fiddle with some faders. After a few seconds she managed to tame the backing track slightly. The song has quite a long intro so she stood looking unsettled on stage looked upon by an equally nervous audience. Her microphone had a mute button on it, and she un-muted it just as she was about to sing. There was a howl from the P.A. that nearly shattered every piece of glass in the building. At this point I rushed on stage and pulled all the faders down on the mixer. She stopped her performance and I spent a few minutes re-setting her rig. By now the audience had lost patience and they were stood at the bar chatting amongst each other - Charity or no charity they were obviously un-impressed. When everything was sorted she re-started her show. The final nail in the coffin was the fact that the poor young lady had very strong lisp and the opening line of Black Velvet is: "Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell..."

One final point, whenever you set up a stage rig, make sure you take the dreaded 'Health and Safety' issue very seriously. Firstly you should make sure your public liability insurance is up to date and all gear is electronically P.A.T. tested. Secondly when erecting speaker and light stands always assume that some idiot could fall into them. Make sure your stands are sturdy and set up with plenty of spread on the legs to support whatever they are holding without being unbalanced.

You should make sure that all leads are taped down. That is what gaffer tape is for! Keep a few rolls handy. Even if your rig is up on a stage and out of the way of the general public, taping cables and leads down ensures that you don't trip and go flying off the stage and into the lap of the audience.

You should realise by now that knowing how your gear works and how to set it up is just as important as knowing your material and looking after your voice. You have been warned!

Getting to gigs or the road to nowhere...

2011-03-16T11:40:00.001Z

Transport - Without it you're on the road to nowhere.

A reliable means of getting yourself and your equipment to and from gigs is just as essential as looking after your voice and making sure you've got a decent sound system. If you break down on the way to perform at someone’s wedding you will quite frankly ruin the biggest day of their lives and will be bad mouthed by the bride, groom and all their guests to anyone who will listen - and quite rightly so.

Therefore make sure you some have decent transport or at the absolute minimum a decent road-side recovery contract with the AA or RAC that will get you to the venue if you do break down. (Worry about getting home later!!).

P.A. and lighting equipment has physically reduced in size and weight but has increased in performance over the past ten years and it's now possible to get a full stage rig in the back of most medium sized cars. However if you intend to be gigging more than two nights a week you are better off having a van. A van rigged with the best security you can afford is invaluable because it means if you have to you can leave equipment in it overnight. Obviously all equipment should be separately insured but we'll come to that in another blog later.

If you are in a band, why not club together or forgo the money for a few gigs to get a van? For a band van you will need something like a 'spitter van' which has seating for all the band and a separate compartment at the rear of the van for gear. These can also be hired from companies like: www.tigertours.co.uk

Splitter bus hire or tour bus hire.
In the past my band has even hired a full blown tour bus (a converted coach with beds, living rooms, toilet, galley storage area for gear. These are great if you have a really long way to get to the gig and you want to get back over night. For example, we did a gig in Loch Rannoch in Scotland. The bus picked us up from our base near Cardiff in the morning. We arrived at around 6PM in Scotland - did the gig and got back on the bus and we were home by 8am the next morning - nice and refreshed and ready for the next gig.

Owing to the nature and location of many venues you will often find yourself pulling up outside a venue that has either no off street parking or no easy access. This can be a pain in the arse, but something you should be prepared for. I had a yellow flashing light fitted to the top of my van and many of my friends ridiculed me saying it made it look like a motorway maintenance van. But believe me it was well worth the money as it allows me pull up almost anywhere and unload equipment without hassle from the police or traffic wardens who can immediately see that you are loading / unloading. In addition I often find that I have to reverse out of side streets onto main thoroughfares, and switching the light on makes most other drivers aware that you are reversing blind. Oh and I almost forgot, switching the light on when you are on double yellow lines makes the van invisible...

Seriously, the investment in decent transport is as important as a decent P.A. system and should not be overlooked.

One final point, whatever you use to get yourself around, don't plaster your name all over the vehicle! It's a great ego boost to see your name on the side of a van but you might as well put a sign on it saying 'Steal me! - expensive gear inside.'

Stage lighting - Turn your gig into a show!

2011-03-13T19:12:00.005Z

Stage lighting is not just for theatre or arena concerts. With a little bit of thought your stage area can be transformed making YOU the focal point of the room.

As a busy gigging musician I am still surprised to see solo artists, duos and bands working without any stage lighting. Let’s face it, most pubs and small venues don’t have in-house lighting and it doesn’t take much effort to transform a room into a proper venue.
So you’ve been rehearsing for the past six months. You’ve got a great set together and invested a small fortune in backline and P.A. You’ve thought carefully about what your hair will look like and what clothing you are going to wear for your gigs. You’ve done all this and spent a lot of time and effort doing it – so imagine turning up at your local pub and playing under cold-faceless strip-lights (like the ones your gran has in her kitchen) or even under ornate wall lights that give off just enough of a glow to stop you tripping and dropping your pint… The band might sound fantastic but it all looks a bit crap really – especially with the pub menu behind you as a back drop or even worse the football on a 50” flat-screen.
Panic not. Help is as hand. In the words of AC/DC, “Let there be rock!”.

Transform you gig from this:

to this:

OK so you might not be playing at the Millennium Stadium but similar principles apply to lighting a band or solo artist. There are a few things you need to bear in mind;

Power requirements
Most small venues will only supply 2 or 3 13amp electrical sockets (I have turned up to find just one!!!). If there is anything else plugged into the socket such as a TV or game machine you need to point out the venue manager that they will have to be unplugged before you can connect to the mains since you will have to power your P.A., backline and lighting from this power supply. Each 13amp socket can provide up to 3000watts of power so it is important that you think ahead before you go plugging everything in. Some single unit stage lights can draw up to 2000watts if they are powered to the max. Trying to fire two units along with your P.A. and backline could result in everything going very dark and very quiet. You also need to bear in mind that the ring mains of some venues are also supplying coolers, fridges, pumps etc. With this in mind some better prepared venues provide a 32Amp ring main which can be tapped into using 16Amp ring main to 3pin plug adaptors. These kick out around 7000watts each which should be more than enough for even the brightest loudest pub band. Stage lighting can draw a lot of power and generate a lot of heat so one consideration is L.E.D. lighting that has low power consumption and generates little or no heat.

Lighting equipment options
As a solo singer and band member I look after all my own lighting. That includes all requirement considerations, setting up and controlling during performances. Therefore the K.I.S.S. principle (“Keep it simple stupid!”) is certainly the way to go if you are new to the world of bright pretty colors. If this is your first foray into lighting you are better off keeping it cheap and simple…

Conventional Par Cans

The SM58’s of the lighting world. Everyone from ‘Rush’ to pub-bands uses these standard work-horses. By far the most common form of stage lighting, PAR cans come in a number of different sizes making them versatile for all kinds of lighting applications. The lamp case includes a bracket that allows the lamp to be bolted to a T-Bar mounted on lighting stand or an individual lighting bracket that will allow you to fix the lamp to almost any supporting structure, light stand, or even speaker stand. Some PAR Cans are also supplied with a floor mounted bracket which does exactly what it says on the tin. Floor mounted PARs can also be mounted on stands.

There are many different sizes and applications of PAR Cans but the most common lamp sizes used in a small gig situation is the Par56s. The diameter of the lamp is measured in 8ths of an inch – therefore a PAR64 is 8 inches across. For bigger gigs and larger stages a band would be better off with Par64s. Par cans are usually supplied without bulbs and in the case of PAR 64s the user can determine the power (a PAR64 is capable of taking a 500watt or even a 1000watt bulb giving some great versatility for larger stage coverage) and beam-spread of bulb they need. For the pub circuit I wouldn’t recommend PAR 64s as they are simply too bright and draw too much power for your needs. You want to add ambience to the stage area – not cook the band! Therefore if you’re heading down the PAR Can route I suggest PAR 56s are the boys for the job.

8 x PAR56 Cans will draw 300Watts each leaving plenty of juice in a standard 32AMP ring main for the rest of the band’s gear and gives more than enough lighting for a pub / hotel type gig. Some PAR Cans are supplied with ‘barn doors’ which can be angled to allow the user greater control over the direction of the lamp spread. In addition some PAR Cans are supplied with or can be fitted with a transformer to allow the use of low voltage bulbs. It is always worth double checking before you make your purchase so you know exactly what type of bulb it has been rated for.

Most PAR Cans come with a gel-frame which allows the user to insert different colored heat resistant gels in-front of the bulb which effectively changes the color of the lamp. This versatility allows you to have a different color for every lamp however you can’t really go wrong with the three primary colors of Red, Green, and Blue (RGB). By mixing these four colors you can get literally millions of color combinations.

LED PAR Cans

These are not the cheapest option at the moment since they haven’t been around that long and I suspect we are still paying ‘development costs’ rather than material and production costs however LED PAR Can lighting has some great advantages over conventional PAR Cans…

I have a number of different lighting set ups that I use regularly as a solo entertainer and with a band. Initially I was using a cut down version of the band lighting for my solo gigs but this still meant carrying a large-ish flight case with lighting and stands into even the smallest of venues. This often means that the lighting is very close to me as a performer (owing to the tiny areas that some pubs expect you to perform in) so I then had to take an industrial fan just to keep me from melting down. In addition to all that, some venues electrical supplies couldn’t even cope with my lighting and switching on 8 x 300Watt lamps would not quite give me the lighted ambiance of the ‘stage’ area that I required. More like the darkness of Wookey Hole as the electrical system tripped! On discovering LED PAR Cans my prayers were answered.

Imagine a single unit that generates hardly any heat, is half the weight of a conventional PAR Can and is capable of RGB (Red, Green & Blue) color mixing, dimming control and even ‘sound-to-light’ all for around 85 quid? Well that’s more or less what todays LED PAR Cans are capable of.

How does it work?
Light emitting diodes (just like the one in the key-ring torch you were given for Christmas) have come a long way since the Sinclair digital watch. LED technology has improved greatly over the past few years allowing them to be used as a replacement for conventional bulbs.

Instead of one single massive colored LED the lamp is made up of hundreds of small red, green, and blue LEDs allowing you to change the color of each lamp without the use of colored gels. LEDs use a fraction of the power of a normal light bulb resulting in a greatly reduced heat output. This allows you to use many more units without putting a strain on the power supply of the venue you are working at. The reduced power draw also means that the lamps have a much longer working life. You might get 30 or so hours of use from a conventional PAR bulb before it blows (which can also trip an electrical supply) but literally hundreds of thousands of hours from LEDs and, unlike your Christmas tree lights, if one of the tiny bulbs fails the rest keep on working! The hardware that the LEDs are built within requires no transformers making them much lighter than conventional lighting units.

However there is one slight disadvantage; LEDs are still not as bright as conventional lighting. When working as a solo singer I use a single PAR 64 LED which is about as powerful as a single conventional PAR 56. BUT and it’s a big BUTT momma, the advantages far outweigh the restrictions of their conventional predecessors.

Controlling LED PAR Can lighting.
Most LED PAR Cans are supplied with a DMX connector and a series of dip switches that allow you to set the color, fade time and sound-to-light settings. For 90% of my solo gigs I just set a single unit sound-to-light or on a slow color fade cycle and let it do its thing. However it possible to link up many lamps using a DMX controller but we’ll talk more of this later.

The ability to get the same amount of color as using 3 separate PAR Cans means saving on space, lugging gear and heat. I find that a single floor mounted PAR64 LED is sufficient for my solo gigs where space is a premium.

Aubrey performing with a single floor mounted LED Par Can.

Floodlights & color mixers
An alternative to using an array of PAR Cans to light up the stage area is by using a compact floodlight or color mixer.
These are not much bigger than a single PAR64 but house 3 or four 300Watt or 500Watt bulbs. Each bulb sits behind a dichroic filter (heat resistant colored glass). By controlling which bulbs are lit you can mix almost any color required. These units are great for lighting small to really large stage areas as they are so bright – but very compact. A pair either side of the stage is ideal for a solo performer or even small to medium sized band.

Some of the older units like the NJD Quartet (£142.00) do not have DMX control which would mean the use of an additional dimmer pack along with a lighting desk. However the ‘more recent’ versions such as the NJD Spectre and Stairville HM40 DMX

have full DMX control allowing dimming from a simple DMX lighting controller. The HM40 DMX can also operate via built in sound-to-light or with an optional controller with built in patters.
For me these compact units have been a blessing from above. They are small, and easy to maintain and in the case of the HM40 they take standard halogen bulbs just like the ones in outdoor security lighting which are very cheap to replace at around £1.50 per bulb. In addition they are very quick to transport and rig. The floods can fit in to a small flight case and will sit happily on the floor or mounted on lighting stands taking just a few minutes to set up.

Scanners & Moving Heads
If you want to add a little movement to your lighting there are plenty of units out there that will do the trick…

Scanners
A scanner is a lighting unit with a mirror mounted on a servo motor. A halogen bulb or a cluster of LED bulbs are contained within the unit and reflected out across the room by the mirror allowing a light pattern to be quickly moved around the performance area. By sending DMX signals to the unit it is possible to change the color of the lamp, shape and size of the beam or even project patterns by moving the internal ‘gobo’ wheel inside the unit.
The Martin Roboscan 812 (now discontinued) was a workhorse for a number of years and second hand units can be picked up quite cheaply. If you are looking to purchase a new unit (such as the Martin Mania SCX 500) a search on the internet will give you a host of goodies. There are also LED based scanners which may not be as bright as a conventional bulb but their low power consumption means the bulbs will last considerably longer unlike conventional scanner halogen bulbs which can be expensive to replace.
Most scanners will work as stand-alone units making them ideal to mount alongside PAR Cans or floods to add movement across the stage and out into the audience. They need to be mounted on lighting stands for the best effect.

Moving Heads
As the name implies these units have a moving head that can spin horizontally and vertically.

The example you can see in the picture uses has 14 different gobos (patterns), 11 different colors and is capable of a strobe effect. I’m a big fan of moving head scanners because I think they look cool and will work either as a floor mounted unit, on top of a speaker stack, or fixed to a lighting stand or rig.
The units will work stand alone but you can link two or more units together with a DMX cable (Standard Microphone XLR will do the trick). Units linked together give a synchronized show which looks fantastic. Not just from a lighting perspective, but the movement of unit itself looks really cool. With this in mind it’s best to use the units in multiples of two to get the best effect. Most of these units come with a number of pre programmed light shows for use in stand-alone mode. They also work sound-to-light or can be connected to DMX lighting controller which can be worked by a roadie or sound engineer. However in most instances I set the units to sound-to-light and let them get on with their job!

Lighting Control
Most bands cannot afford the luxury of a lighting controller (or even a sound engineer) so it’s usual to control all your lighting on stage. Again you need to keep this as simple as possible – screwing up that Darkness solo just because you were trying to change the pattern on the lighting controller with your foot will not go down well with the rest of the band. You have a number of options:

Plug all the lights in and leave them on - Simple but effective.

Use an non DMX automated lighting chaser.
Depending on the type of lighting you are using will depend on the type of light controller you use. Older conventional PAR Cans can be plugged in and switched on at the beginning of a gig – simple but effective. However if you want to make the light flash then you will need an automated lighting chaser. These come as rack mounted or floor mounted units that allow you to plug in your stage lights and flash away with either a pre-set pattern or by synching with a sound input from the P.A. or in-built microphone. A simple sequencing sound-light- controller is the NJD SC400e which will power up to 8 x 500 Watt Par64 lamps. It sends 240v power via a connector and 13amp cable to the lamps.

If you want to be able to adjust the brightness of conventional lamps then you will need a powered dimmer unit such as the NJD NJ202A. This unit has 4 x IEC connectors that will deliver a maximum inductive load of 1150W running at 5A per channel. This would allow you to power up to 8 PAR 64 lamps per channel.

Control your lighting using DMX.
If you are using DMX lighting all the units can be linked together and controlled via a DMX lighting controller which will give you dimming capabilities and individual control of each lighting unit – including PAR Cans, Floods and Scanners. Again you have the option of sound-to-light sequencing or if you are lucky enough to have a partner who can manipulate the controller during the gig – all the better (but not really necessary).

Using DMX to control conventional PAR cans requires the use of an additional dimmer pack for the lamps such as the Prolight DMX Digital Dimmer Pack with 8 IEC Outputs. This can be fitted to the T-Bar that the lamps are mounted on and will convert a DMX signal into a power signal to control the brightness of the lamp. However, if you are using LED Par Cans, they can be controlled via DMX without the need of additional dimmer packs making them an even tastier option.

The cost of DMX controllers has now reached an acceptable level for solo entertainers and small bands. A few years ago the desks were complicated and expensive and designed for people with a degree in lighting technology. These days things have become a lot simpler and a damn site cheaper BUT without the compromise on technology. I tend to use a small DMX color mixer such as the Acme ISolution IColour CA32 Mix Controller for my stage floods which can work sound to light or scroll through different patterns at different speeds. However if I’m feeling adventurous I link all my DMX lighting together and control it all using a Stairville DMX Master. This particular controller can be found hiding under various names as it is a pretty generic unit that has been re-branded by a number of manufacturers. It allows control of PAR Cans, Scanners, Moving Heads and many other types DMX controlled lighting.
It is possible to control all your DMX lighting using software and a laptop with a DMX dongle – however this is a subject on its own that would fill this magazine so we’ll come back to that in another issue.
As a solo entertainer and with my band I use a combination of all of the above controllers. I set my moving head units to sound-to-light. The two units are linked and therefore their lighting patters are synchronized. The stage floods are then controlled via a small DMX lighting controller which I use to adjust the brightness of the lights at the beginning of the gig. I then let the controller work in either a slow color mix fade which slowly changes the color of the lighting on stage (great for the slower songs) or I punch it into sound-to-light mode and let it flash away for the rockier numbers – Simple but effective.

Rigging Lighting Equipment
How you rig your lighting will depend on the size of venue you are performing in. I generally set my moving head scanners either side of the stage on the floor underneath the speaker stands. This keeps them from being kicked by any un-suspecting audience member. PAR Cans and floods wherever possible should be mounted on lighting stands. Lighting stands come in various shapes and sizes ranging from a lifting height of 3m up to 6m – however 3m pair of stands should suffice.

Push up stands have a locking pin and tightening system and are not unlike speaker stands in their construction and will lift to around 3m. If you are looking for something more substantial to carry the weight of a few floods and a scanner or two then you will be better off with a Wind up stand. These have a built in winch and cog system that will allow you to get your lighting up to 3m or more by winding the winch this makes the effort of lifting the lighting easier and allows a single person to rig the lights.

If you are rigging more than one light per stand then you will probably need a T-Bar. This is fitted to the top of the stand using a bolt or spigot. They can be square or round and come pre-drilled to allow you hang your lighting using bolts or lighting hook clamps.

You always need to make sure that the stands are on even ground and NEVER exceed the recommended loading limit for each stand.

It is not always possible to mount lighting on stands. A classic example is if you are performing in a marquee. The nature of the sloping room often means there is simply not enough height for stands and in these instances it’s best to mount lights either on the top of speaker stacks or directly on the floor. Not an ideal solution and you need to make sure they are away from party-goers feet, but it’s better than having no lighting at all.
Dressing the stage.
It is quite often the case that the area you will be performing in has the pub menu behind you or even a massive plasma screen. I combat the local décor by using a ‘star cloth’. This is not as you might think a piece of material covered in pictures of rock-stars but a black cloth containing an array of white LEDs. The cloth can be hung directly onto the wall with the aid of some strong gaffer-tape or hooks but most of the time I use a set of goal posts - basically two lighting stands with a cross bar that is set up behind the band.

You don’t have to use a star cloth simple black draping or a giant printed logo of the band will do just as well. It makes the stage area look more like a …erm stage!
Once your backdrop, P.A. and backline are rigged you can set the lighting up and play around with height and angle of lamps until you are happy that the audience can see you as well as hear you. Now you’ve made it all look pretty – the performance is up to you.

Choosing your P.A. Sound reinforcement - Tools-of-the-trade - Part 2

2011-03-09T14:34:00.002Z

P.A. systems - Big or small or none at all?

Once upon a time there was a band. The band's equipment included all their amplifiers, instruments and drums along with a P.A. system that was made up of 2 huge sub woofers (bass speakers), 2 massive full range speakers, and a cabinet full of really heavy power amps. All of this took at least two people to carry each item. The P.A. alone used to take up to an hour to set up and another hour to sound-check. Then quite often the band would get carried away and turn it up too loud - blowing either the amps or the speakers or both. And nobody lived happily ever after - especially with a room full of people angry at the fact that their evening of entertainment cut short.

That was then and this is now. Thankfully P.A. technology has changed drastically over the last twenty years allowing incredibly compact powerful P.A. systems to be set up and operated simply by one person.

P.A. systems can be split into 3 categories.

1. The tradtional system. Comprising of two full range speakers powered by a separate power amp which is driven by a mixing desk or a powered mixing desk.

This system is ideally suited for a band or even duo who need a system that is capable of handling a full range of instruments including drums. It is not recommended for a solo artist as you would end up spending all night setting the rig up and the rest of the night in casualty with a bad back!

2. The powered speaker system. Two full range speakers with built in amplifiers driven by a separate mixing desk. This system is ideal for singers or duos who are working in clubs, pubs and hotel function rooms. It's compact enough to fit in the corner of a pub, and yet powerful enough to fill a medium size club with a decent sound.

3. The compact portable P.A. A composite P.A. system designed especially for solo artists and DJs. Comprising of two speakers driven by a powered mixer amp. When not in use the entire system clips together to form a unit about the size of a suitcase. If the majority of your work comes from the pub circuit then this is the ideal solution for you. 99% of pubs will allocate only a tiny space for live music, and the more room you have to perform the better. You don't want your stage area cluttered up with a massive P.A. and the audience doesn't need to hear a 1000 watt P.A. system in a space the size of a living room!

Check out more information on the Fender passport by clicking the link below:

There are two important factors to think about when choosing a P.A. Firstly, what will be the average size of venue that you will perform at? Secondly, what ever size P.A. you choose, you must be able to fit it in your car and set it up by yourself. As with microphones, P.A. systems are a very personal choice. However the two main systems that are seen time and time again on the circuit are the powered Mackie 450 SRMs and the powered JBL 300's - so take your conclusion from that.

Check out more information, specs and pricing about the Mackie SRM 450 by clicking the link below:

Choosing your microphone - Sound reinforcement tools-of-the-trade - Part 1

2011-03-08T08:03:00.004Z

Part 1 of a 5 part blog that will talk about:

Microphones
P.A. Systems
Lighting
Transport
Leaning how to use your sound reinforcement tools.

As a performer you need to make sure that you can turn up at any venue and have everything you need to make a show. That includes a microphone, P.A. (Public address system - the thing that makes you and the music louder) and lighting.

Part 1

Choosing your microphone.

There are literally hundreds of microphones on the market and they all claim to do different jobs better that their rivals, but choosing a microphone is a very individual choice. I could write a whole book on choosing microphones and I could go in to great technical details but at the end of the day it's what sounds good to you.

There are two basic types of microphone for live use:

Dynamic - Uses the pressure waves of your voice to drive the coil in the microphone. One of the most popular hard-wired dynamic microphones for the live performances is the Sure SM58 dynamic microphone. It's been used as an industry standard work-horse for over 50 years and is an almost indestructible microphone which can take quite a beating and still work perfectly. I always carry a spare SM58 in case my main wireless microphone decides not to play.

Check out more information, specs and pricing about the Shure SM58 by clicking the link below:

Condenser - Uses the same principle as a dynamic microphone but electronically enhances signal and the frequency range to give a cleaner crisper signal. Using a condenser microphone will require a mixing desk with a phantom power facility to power the microphone - I'll talk more about this later. I used a wireless Senheisser condenser microphone for seven years and recently switched to the relatively new Shure Beta 87C (as used by Michael Buble). My reason for choosing a condenser microphone was that I quite often perform at venues where I don't need to be belting my voice out and a microphone with greater sensitivity allows me to sing quite quietly and still get a good level of voice through my P.A.

Check out more information, specs and pricing about the Shure Beta 87A by clicking the link below:

Choosing a microphone is only something you can do. People will recommend all sorts of makes, types and models, but what you need to do is go into a music shop and ask to try out as many different microphones as possible and listen to what suits your voice. Remember this is an important purchase. Find the right microphone and it will last you a lifetime.

If you're not used to using a microphone then you need to start practising now with your P.A. You need to be able to use the microphone as a tool to make your voice heard.

Remember: Garbage in - Garbage out. If you're not a good singer, using a microphone will make sure that the whole room knows it. You're microphone is your friend, it's there to get your voice running through the P.A. and sounding sweet. If you hold it too close, shout or sing too loud, or hold it too far away from your mouth - then it will sound awful. So get used to working with it. Don't be afraid of it, it's there to help you. One final point, you may have seen singers who 'pull' the microphone away from their mouths when they hit the high notes. This is a 'Houstin-ism' (named after Whitney Houstin). Don't do it. It looks bloody stupid. Correct microphone technique doesn't require you to be waving the microphone all over the shop. Keep it simple stupid!

Next time: Pa's big or small?

Most singers are sinners!

2011-03-06T10:21:00.001Z

Look after your voice and your voice will look after you!

This blog is about earning a living as a singer. Therefore it makes sense that your most precious tool is your voice. So before we go any further talking about how you can make money out of your voice I need to make sure that you know how to look after your most important asset. I'm not saying that this blog is the most one you will ever read, and if you really don't want to read all about how your voice works and how to look after it then feel free to skip it. However do so at your own peril. There are many singers out there who don't look after their voice and as a result their voices don't work properly any more and as a result they are unable to pay bills by simply opening their mouths and singing. So the choice is yours read the this blog or plough headlong into oblivion.

Most singers are sinners. Many singers commit the crime of self abuse every time they open their mouth. Not because of the tone that comes out but because of the damage they do to their vocal chords due to; lack of training, not looking after their voice, and worst of all, not bothering to warm up.

I’ve been working as a part time singer for 30 years but it was only after I turned into a full-time professional 7 years ago that the penny dropped; I needed to look after my most important asset – my voice, because without it I couldn’t pay the mortgage. A series of colds and chest infections led to me cancelling gigs thus losing money and it was only after I visited an Ear Nose and Throat specialist and paid for some singing lessons that I realised the damage I could have done to my voice. I was lucky because I hadn’t caused any serious damage and I was amazed to hear the difference in my voice with just a few singing lessons. I don’t expect you all to rush for the yellow pages and sign up with a teacher – however, by following some simple pointers you will end up with voice that will last for a long and prosperous singing career.

Look, I'll be frank, there is some boring stuff coming up now about how your voice works, but you need to understand what's going on down there to make you realise how much it needs looking after - so bare with me!

How it works

The voice-box (‘larynx’) is a collection of muscles, cartilages and ligaments that function as a single unit and is located at the top of your windpipe (‘trachea’).

Vocal tones are created by vocal chord vibration and resonance. When you exhale air from your lungs, the sudden release of air pushes your chords together and outward thousands of times per second creating a tone. That tone is then amplified and modified as it travels through the cavities above the vocal chords before leaving your throat, nasal passages, and mouth.

Everybody has a unique vocal quality thanks to the interconnected cavities in your mouth and nasal areas. These spaces augment sound waves of certain frequencies and at the same time dampen others the whole process is called resonance.

The vocal chord is a muscle it needs to be warmed up - just like athletes who warm up their bodies before vigorous exercise. Going hell for leather on a cold vocal chord (and let’s face it we’ve all done it) can cause a build up of scar tissue that leads to vocal nodules or polyps. Once these have formed only resting the voice for a long period of time or surgery is the only way to remove them.

A vocal fold nodule reduces or obstructs the ability of the vocal folds to create the rapid changes in air pressure which generate human speech. Symptoms include hoarseness of speech, painful speech production, and intermittent vocal breaks and reduced vocal range. A number of high profile singers have been down this road including Rod Stuart, Robert Plant and Freddy Mercury. Whitney Houston developed polyps on her Bodyguard tour 1993-1994. She was unable to rest her voice due to the touring schedule and although she still sings her voice has taken on a deeper hoarser tone than before.

Dave Lee Roth, Stevie Wonder, Pavarotti, Kelly Jones and Madonna all have one thing in common, along with nearly all other high profile singers they warm their voices up before performing. There seems to be some stigma attached to warm ups in the music industry, people feel foolish running through scales; not quite rock ‘n’ roll. The fact is by not warming up your voice you will lose it or damage it for ever. A minimum 10-15 minutes working your way through scales will improve your voice and empower you with greater singing stamina. It’s no use thinking that your voice will warm up half way though the set, without warming up the damage has already been done the moment you start singing.

Warming Up

To prevent damaging your voice you need to find a quiet spot (or even warm up in the car on the way to the gig) and run through a warm up exercise like the one shown below:

1. Watch your breathing. When you sing, you need pull the air into the pit of your stomach. Place your hand on your tummy just below your solar plexus and breathe in. You need to feel your tummy pushing out against your had as you breath in. This is point where you need to sing from it’s called your diaphragm.

2. Run though simple scales – gently at first. You don’t need an instrument to get your key (although it helps), just make sure that you feel comfortable with the scales you sing.

3. Start with a simple 8 note scale within one octave. Try to ensure that each note is as loud and as clear as the last. Use a simple ‘mum mum mum’ to start with.

4. Now jump up one note and start the scale again – forwards and backwards.

5. Keep going jumping up one note at a time but don’t strain your voice trying to hit the high notes. Once you get to a comfortable pitch do the whole thing backwards.

6. Now repeat the exercise with the following:

a. ‘guh guh guh’

b. ‘gee gee gee’

c. ‘koo koo koo’

d. ‘ohh ohh ohh’

e. ‘ahh ahh ahh’

f. ‘la la la’

g. ‘me me me’

When hitting the higher notes you might find your voice kicks into falsetto – this is known as ‘head voice’ and the sound feels like it is travelling out of the back of your head. Lower tones are called ‘Chest voice’ and feel like they are travelling directly out of your mouth and a blend of the two is known as ‘Middle voice’.

None of these exercises should be forced in any way - the idea is to give the vocal chords a gentle work out using various tones and speech segments that the voice will use when singing for real. It’s not rocket science and it will make all the difference to your stamina and performance and most of all warms up will save your voice for the long term.

Singing teacher or no singing teacher – that is the question!

I cannot stress how much of a benefit it is to even the most seasoned of singers to pay for a session with a singing coach. I managed to increase my vocal range by almost half an octave after just two sessions with a professional tutor. Check out your local yellow pages or search the internet to find a teacher near you. When you speak to them explain what styles of music you perform and ask them if they think they can help you improve your voice. Some teachers work in specific areas such as Musicals or Opera – however even an Opera teacher can bring a whole new world of sound to a heavy rock singer Justin Hawkins is a classic example. A good singing coach will record each session with you onto mini disk or CD so you can take the lesson away with you and use the exercises over and over again.

Living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle…

Warm-ups are not the only thing that will help your singing. Looking after your body will ensure your vocal chords get the attention they need.

Late nights, too much booze, spicy food, smoking, caffeine drinks and hotel air conditioning are all synonymous with the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle - and they are all killers for the vocal chords. Doh!

Try to get a good 8 hours sleep every night. If like me you have kids who wake you up at the crack of dawn everyday, try to find some time in the day before a gig to get a good rest or catnap. It’s amazing how quickly your voice will lose its energy when you are tired.

There are certain drinks you should avoid before a heavy gig. Anything alcoholic will dry you out. If your voice isn’t on form don’t be tempted to drink rum & black or any other so called miracle spirit to coat your vocal chords. It will only work for around 5 minutes and the alcohol will cause inflammation. The same goes for citrus drinks or even slices of lemon or lime. Citrus acid actually strips the vocal chords of their natural lubricating mucous whilst both orange juice and milk can cause a build up of unwanted mucous which will hinder a performance. Too much unwanted mucous will cause you to constantly clear your throat which is a short-cut to the land of vocal chord desiccation.

Spicy food can irritate the vocal chords so save the curry until after the gig. It’s also best to avoid eating for a few hours before a gig. Singing on a full stomach is uncomfortable and will hinder your breathing. Dave Lee Roth used to avoid eating for around nine hours before a gig but this is not recommended as it affected his blood sugar levels to such and extent that he would collapse off-stage and have to be revived with a drip – I don’t recommend this!!!

It goes without saying that smoking affects your voice. The action of warm smoke passing over your vocal chords dries them out and affects the tonal quality of your voice. Singing in this condition will cause long term damage. Since the smoking ban came into effect, I have noticed my singing stamina has increased significantly. Before the ban my voice would sometimes struggle at the end of a 2 hour performance if I was in a smoky atmosphere whereas now my vocal chords do not suffer the desiccating effect of passive smoking. I have been a smoker in the past and the difference to my voice after giving up for just a few weeks was amazing. Stamina increased, tonal quality cleared and I found I had more money at the end of the night for a pint and a curry.

It is recommended that we all drink around 8 glasses of water every day. I tend to drink around 10 pints of water starting when I wake in the morning. It sounds like a lot but keeping your vocal chords is one of the most important factors of singing and speaking. It’s no good pouring two pints of water down your throat 5 minutes before the gig – the vocal chords won’t have time to hydrate before you start singing – spread the intake throughout the day. Tea, coffee, orange juice, larger etc. do not count.

Your environment can seriously affect your voice. Dry air caused by air conditioning is a big culprit. If you are driving to a gig try to avoid using the air-con. Sometimes you cannot avoid the dreaded A/C for example if you’re are flying to a gig or staying in a hotel. In those instances it is really important that you regularly sip water to compensate for desiccating effect of dry air.

Keeping it loud and proud.

Look after your voice by watching what you drink, watching what you eat, getting some decent sleep and most importantly - warming up. Be kind to your vocal chords. If you have a cold or sore throat it is best to avoid singing altogether. If you really must sing, then gently work through some vocal exercises and try to avoid pushing your voice too hard. Look after your voice and it will look after you.

The vocal exercise above is just a small example. If do not want to visit a singing teacher then there are plenty of books and CD’s on vocal techniques. I recommend ‘Singing for the Stars’ by Seth Riggs (ISBN-10: 0-88284-528-4) and ‘Set your voice free’ by Roger Love (ISBN 0316441791) both books include CD’s containing warm up exercises.

Voices of an angels and demons.

Charlotte Church explained to me how she warms up before gigs…

‘Obviously I had a lot of professional training in my younger days and I still visit a vocal coach from time to time. It’s my most important asset and the last thing I want to do is damage my voice.’

‘I have been taught various warm-up techniques and usually spend around 20-30 minutes giving my voice a gentle workout before performances. The technique involves working through scales either along with a. I also spend around 5-10 minutes panting like a dog – it sounds weird I know but it loosens up the larynx and warms up the vocal chords. It’s a bit like passing white noise over your vocal chords so your full vocal range is exercised. You have to be careful not to do it for too long and you have to be well hydrated to do it otherwise you can dry the chords out. Then there are the obvious things like getting enough sleep, avoiding alcohol, smoking and spicy food before a gig – but that’s just plain common sense!’

It’s not just opera singers who warm up vocally before gigs. Welsh rockers The Stereophonics also have a routine. I visited the band when they performed at the Cardiff International Arena for a series of three sell out dates and was surprised to find them back stage in a fully equipped rehearsal room. Bass player and backing singer Richard Jones explained…

‘We started doing this a few years ago. Kelly obviously has to look after his voice and the nature of his vocal range means he can’t cane it too much! He had a few vocal problems a few years back and was advised to get some singing lessons, but instead we decided to have a full band warm up about and hour before each gig. It means me and Kelly can work through the songs we’re going to perform that evening. It’s not like sitting working through scales – the way we do it means that we’re only using the range of vocals that we will use in the gig.’

I asked if there were any specific routines that the band went through to ensure their vocals were kept in tip-top condition on tour…

‘Kelly always has a glass of sherry before a gig it’s more part of his religion now than an actual medicinal treatment – he’s done it since he was a teenager. Oh and he’s always got a box of Vocalzones in his pocket but I think that’s just because he’s become addicted to them. Obviously we have some late nights on tour – it’s inevitable in our business but we’ve learned to realise that late nights are OK providing you still get at least eight hours sleep before a gig. That means if we don’t get to bed till 5AM we don’t raise our heads till way after lunchtime. Sleep is really important for the stamina of your voice and obviously your stage presence the more sleep you have the better it gets. We also found that the time you have to be really careful with your voice is when we’re not actually touring. It’s easy to get out of routine of warming up and jumping in a rehearsal studio to write songs can be dangerous if you don’t warm up. In-fact the longer you go without performing, the more important it becomes to warm up properly.’

It would be great to get your thoughts and comments on this post - please let me know what you think!

So you want to gig for a living...?

2011-03-03T14:20:00.000Z

OK so you've decided that you have a good voice and you fancy getting out there and earning money on the circuit as a singer - but before you do, ask yourself one question;

"Is it for me?"

Well if you read this blog and the answer is still "Yes" then you are on the right track...

OK, lets look at the cold hard facts.

Being a gigging singer is hard work both mentally and physically. Let's look at the life of an average gig which, for the sake of argument is located about an hours drive from your home:

4.00 pm
Sort out which clothes you will be wearing on stage tonight. Get them ironed and hung in a suit holder by the front door - don't forget to take them! Seriously, if you are working at a wedding or corporate function the last thing you want to do is find that you don't have anything decent to wear on stage! I've done it - once. Once is enough to make sure you never make the same mistake twice. It was pure luck that my roadie had dressed smartly that evening and I was able to borrow his suit and shoes.

4.30 pm
If you haven't been to the venue before, double-check where you are going. Plan your route!

5.00 pm
Load up the car / van with P.A. and lighting equipment. Now chill out for a bit before you set off. You've got a long night ahead of you.

6.00 pm
Start your journey, but before you leave the house, do a quick mental check list to make sure you haven't forgotten anything.

7 pm
Arrive at the venue and meet with the landlord / entertainments secretary / manager / bride & groom etc. Try to get an idea of what type of music goes down well at the venue - although this is something that you should really find out in advance.

7.10 pm
Get the gear into the venue (bearing in mind it could be a difficult get with loads of stairs or no close parking etc.)

7.30 pm
Rig your P.A. & Lighting and if possible have a small sound-check. You should be very familiar with your gear so there shouldn't be a need to make a noise for more than 5 minutes.

8.00 pm
Retire to your dressing room to change (more often than not you will have to use the disabled toilets) and relax.

9.00 pm
First set. 45 minutes during which time you will quickly find out what the audience likes or more importantly doesn't like!

9.45 pm
Break. During this time you should try and talk to members of the audience to get reaction and a feel for what they like.

10.15
Second set - Give 'em hell!

11.05 pm
After one or two encores your done. If you need to go and change back into your civvies.

11.15 pm
Break the gear down. Keep an eye on things because there is always one drunken idiot who thinks it's OK to grab your microphone and use it to serenade his friends at the end of the night.

11.30 pm
Carry the gear back out of the venue and into your car / van. Make sure you lock it each time you leave to get the next load, even if it's only for a few minutes.

11.45 pm
Pick up your hard earned money.

11.50 pm
Drive home.

12.50 am
Arrive home and transfer all the gear from the car / van back into the house.

1.15 am
Chill out for a while before going to bed. Any kind of live performance increases adrenaline levels and it's almost impossible to go straight to bed - even after a long drive.

02.00 am - ish
Finally nod off to slumber land.

Imagine doing that 2 nights a week.

Now imagine doing that four or five or even six nights a week with the occasional double gig on a Sunday afternoon and Sunday night at different venues!!

Do you still want to make your living as a gigging singer?

Of course you do - that's why you're reading this blog.

The purpose of the above exercise was to let you know what you are letting yourself in for. Above is just an outline of a typical gig. Don't forget that you will have to arrange the gigs, liaise with venues, deal with agents and private bookers and deal with paperwork such as accounts and contracts. You will also have to find time to rehearse songs, source backing tracks and maintain equipment. My point is that it's not just about the performance. To be a successful and full-time singer you need to be a jack of all trades and a master at them all as well!

There is a very good reason that there are a lot of quite frankly awful acts working in the UK today. Quite simply - Karaoke. Don't get me wrong, Karaoke has it's place and it's a great form of entertainment. However many Karaoke singers have been told by their friends that they should take singing up professionally and with that they go off half-cocked and end up with a show that is embarrassing and insulting to any professional performer. It takes a massive amount of effort to put a good show together and if you can't be bothered to make the effort you won't have a good show.

A good polished performance will get you more work. Period. The more people talk about what a great performer you are, the more work you will get. A happy customer will tell a few of his or her friends about you. An unhappy punter will tell everyone and his his wife how rubbish you were. Performance and professionalism are the keys to success.

So if you are still willing to make a living out of this industry - read on!

The polite patter of applause.

2011-02-26T10:08:00.000Z

I am lucky enough to be the resident singer at the five star St David's Hotel and Spa in Cardiff Bay.

The hotel was built by Sir Rocco Forte but is now owned by the Principle Hayley group. The bar and restaurant underwent a huge refurbishment about a year ago, and I was asked to sing during the first two nights of re-opening. I have performed there almost every Friday night since and will do for the foreseeable future. The money isn't fantastic - However - and it's a big 'However' - the spin-off work I get from performing at the hotel is fantastic. Tide's bar is attached to the restaurant and quite a few of the customers visit the hotel for special occasions; anniversary, birthday, engagement even divorce! The important item in the list is 'engagement'. It's amazing the amount of work I get from people who have seen me perform at the hotel whilst they were visiting for their special engagement dinner. So in a sense I can follow the couple from engagement right through to their wedding party - But I draw the line at the wedding night. I can't really imagine being booked to sing Nessun Dorma at the end of a couple's bed during consummation...

I digress.

Being a hotel, there a very few 'locals' who drink in the bar. Over time I have got to know the few regular faces and they have become friends, including the staff (who are ace by the way). The majority of customers are people who are just passing through for a special occasion or a business event. However occasionally the 'celebs' come to town. Over the years I have performed to: Kylie Minogue, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Al Green, Michael McDonald, The Pussycat Dolls, Ant & Dec, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Stereophonics, Rhys Ifans, Cerys Matthews, Karl Jenkins, Amanda Holden, Oasis, Damon Hill (who I ended up playing in a band with), the entire England rugby team after they beat Wales the other week (very boring lot but apparently under orders not to get drunk or misbehave), Josie D'Arby, John C. Reilly (The perfect storm), Zara Phillips, Gabby Logan, JLS, The Hoff... the list goes on. They don't all acknowledge my existence, but some do and when they do, it makes it all worth while. Imagine being told by Sir Anthony Hopkins that I have a beautiful voice, or Al Green telling me that when he walked into the hotel and heard me singing 'Let's stay together' that he thought he was hearing a CD of of himself, or The Hoff commenting that if I had have entered Britain's got talent this year I would have probably won? All these are great up-side's to performing at this kind of gig.

There is however, a down side.

The majority of people who were at St David's hotel last night were not residents. A burst water main had left most of the bars and restaurants in Cardiff bay closed (it's illegal for a food and beverage establishment to open without running water), but St David's has a second separate water feed which meant it could stay open. Subsequently, quite a few of those people who had travelled to the bay last night for a meal ended up at the hotel. The bar and restaurant were packed to the rafters. I'm not being snobbish here (because even I can't afford to stay at the hotel!!!) but the punters were 'different' last night. Some of them looked slightly uncomfortable in the surroundings and I think a lot of them didn't know what to make of my singing performance.

I generally bash out a few swing songs earlier in the evening and ramp things up a bit later to get a bit of a party atmosphere going. People make requests and we generally have a bit of a giggle and I often get a polite patter of applause.

Last night - after every song - nothing.

It was odd, not even the regulars or my friends in the bar clapped and every performer knows that if that happens it's time to panic. 'What am I doing wrong?' I thought to myself. Then just as I was about to give up hope, the bar manager Tim came up to me and said; "Aubrey, you sound fantastic this evening. Your music choices are excellent and the volume level is great - keep it up!"

So I kept it up (Matron!). But still no reaction from the audience. It was only after I finished playing at the end of the night (and you could have heard a knat fart at the end of the last song) that I realised that people were enjoying it, it's just that the majority of them were too embarrassed to show their appreciation because they were out of their comfort zone and I don't think they realised that it was OK to clap at the bloke singing in the corner. My friend Simon who sat at the bar all night told me that he was watching peoples' reactions to my songs and they were obviously enjoying it. This was then confirmed when three people in a row came over to the bar where I was sitting to tell me how much they enjoyed it but even they commented how odd it was that no one was clapping!

Those three people that came and spoke to me put my mind at rest and made the whole evening worthwhile. Sometimes it's really hard to judge your audience - especially if they don't react, but I guess the thing to remember is that sometimes your audience is more scared that you are. People are strange, when your're a stranger...

So the next time you see someone performing, not matter what they are doing; singing, acting, comedy, public speaking, whatever - If they are good, don't be afraid to let them know. Clap! Say 'Well done'! Smile! Acknowledge their existence! Even a polite patter of applause will make that person's day.

However, if they are rubbish - throw monkey pooh.

Until next time...

So here goes...

2011-02-26T09:06:00.001Z

I'm not entirely convinced that my innate ramblings will be of interest to anyone other than my mother (like pet dogs mothers give unconditional love) and myself. However I have finally taken it upon myself to start letting those who are interested what life is like as a professional corporate, wedding and party singer in the UK and Europe. In addition to the sweet little anecdotes that I intend to bore you with dear reader, I will also be spoon-feeding those of you out there who are interested in walking the same path that I have chosen by giving out tips and information that will help your musical career - and all of this for no money. Nada. Dim. Non. Zero. Nout... whatever.

So what do I do?
Well I sing and get paid for doing it. I've been at it since I was 13 years old and I'm now 42 and rapidly speeding towards the old people's home - but not to sing. Although I have performed at a few in my time. Lovely places to perform if you like the atmosphere of hopelessness and the smell of wee, but that's another story for another time.

Who am I?
My name real is Matthew Robert Parsons but everybody, including my children, call me Aubrey. It's an unusual name and most people are too bashful to comment when I tell them my name is Aubrey. I'm pretty sure that I can see a glimmer of amusement in peoples eyes when they ask. 'Poor bugger, his parents must have hated him to give him a name like that.' they think. Well here it is folks the answer you've all been waiting for, why am I called Aubrey when my real name is Matthew? Cartoons. That's the answer. Now if you can be bothered to take the time to look up and 80's cartoon called 'Aubrey' on the internet you will find out exactly why. You didn't expect me to give you the whole answer on a plate did you? Too be honest I'm fed up of explaining my name so you can jolly well look it up for yourself on tinternet.
I was born in St David's Hospital in Cardiff in 1969 - it's not there any more they pulled it down and built houses on the site. I am married to Mariane a beautiful red-headed jobbing actress and we have two children; Elinor who was born in 2000 and Genevieve born 2002. We are based in the Vale of Glamorgan and like many people these days, we live a hand to mouth existence; constantly wondering if we are going to make the next mortgage payment on the house and frequently failing to do so. My next line was going to be ‘Life as a musician is probably not the best choice for someone who suffers from high blood pressure and a subversive eating and drinking problem.’ but then I thought what the hell am I talking all musicians have to suffer for their art. As I mentioned, I am forty two years old and I never made it onto Top of the Pops but I have been around the musical block once or twice and now seems like a good time to put into words my life so far. Let's face it I need to write all this down before the sex, drugs & rock ‘n’ roll completely scramble my brain.

As a teenager I convinced myself that I was going to be a rock-star - A household name revered by millions and living the playboy lifestyle by the time I was twenty one. However, the careers officer at Cowbridge Comprehensive School in 1985 told me not to be so stupid and to get with the real world and get a 'proper' job. I ended up working at a number of normal jobs for nearly 15 years, but during all that time I had a 'side job' as a singer with a number of cover bands and more increasingly as a solo artist performing well known songs. Then one day redundancy from quite a lucrative and secure job forced my hand. I had no choice but to rely on the income from my singing career and so I threw all my efforts into improving my chances of getting gigs.
Six years down the line as a full time singer and I'm still kicking myself that I didn't bite the bullet as soon as I left school! I'm not saying that it's an easy life - being self employed is not for the faint hearted or lack-lustre. It's a scary world at first, but the benefits are amazing.
I just wish that there had been some kind of resource that I could have drawn upon to help me on my mission to make a living as a singer. The idea for this book came about after I searched the internet and book stores for some advice on getting gigs as a solo performer and was amazed at the complete lack of relevant information available.
Some of you reading this may have always dreamt of making a living through music, and some of you may be just starting out and wondering how you go about getting those all important paid gigs, and some of you may be dreaming of super-stardom. If you are the latter, then I'm afraid this blog isn't really for you.
You are reading what will become a guide which will speed up the process of improving your voice, getting gigs, promoting yourself and more importantly earning money as a singer. Don't get me wrong, there is no short-cut to easy money as a jobbing singer - and anyone who tells you so or makes promises that they can speed up the process is lying. You will have to work hard, damn hard, but by the time you finish reading these blogs you will have improved your gigging prospects and therefore the amount of money you earn by using your voice.

Right then, I'm off for now - so you need to realise that the only way you will learn about my pearls of wisdom is by following the blog. Hey it's free - you see some things in life are!

I'll try to post at least one a week.
Back soon...