Scott Bramley's Blog

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Gigs are like buses. They all come at once. I’ve had to turn down both a pantomime and a cruise today because my diary is already quite full. I guess I can’t be everywhere and do everything at once, no matter how hard I try! But enough of what I can't do and more of what I've been up to and what is upcoming.

I took my band out on Saturday evening to play for the centenary celebrations of Welton Sports and Social Club, just outside of Lincoln. It was a fantastic event, taking place in a huge marquee on Welton playing fields, with tuxedos and ball gowns in abundance. When we got there to set up during the afternoon the sun was shining and the marquee was roasting. I now have some idea what a roast chicken feels like! Absolutely sweltering! Luckily for us it did cool down as the evening progressed. With a programme of swing and jazz standards, the dance floor was full by the end of our second set which is what we like to see. Glastonbury may have had Bruce Springsteen, but Welton had us! The following afternoon I played at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough, where I was lucky enough to have a most receptive audience, so thanks to you if you were there (you know who you are!). I’m currently liaising with the Sands for my next set of dates, so watch this space for them.

On Wednesday I’m performing an afternoon recital at Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery, for an hour-long concert of standards from the Great American Songbook. If you’re in the vicinity why not take a break from work/shopping to join me!

This weekend I’m taking a well earned rest (hopefully this pleasant spell of weather will continue) but will be appearing at Choice Bar and Restaurant in Manchester the following Saturday 11th July from 8.30pm.

I’m going to leave it there. I have set lists to plan for the next few weeks.

Bye for now!

Midsummer Night's Dream??

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Is it terrible of me that for the past 40 minutes I’ve been comparing buildings and contents insurance premiums only to get bored with the whole process, close all my browser windows and go with our current provider?! I have more important things to do! I've had a busy few weeks with gigs, concerts, and a new venture that I’ve taken on.

Gig Diary
My band has played for two wedding receptions these past two weeks. In fact both couples had already been married abroad and were holding celebrations here in the UK for their friends and families that couldn’t make it. On Saturday the 13th of June we travelled down to RAF Marham, just outside of King’s Lynn, to play for Michael and Dee Dixon, or more correctly Wing Commander and Flight Lieutenant Dixon No. 6 RAF Police Squadron! The following week on 20th June we found ourselves in Market Harborough to celebrate with Paul and Helen Rowe. Congratulations to both couples. We wish you all the best in your married lives together.

Next Saturday 27th June my band is playing for the centenary celebrations of the Welton Sports & Social Club near Lincoln, with an evening of swing and jazz standards. That’s followed by a solo appearance at The Sands Venue on Sunday 28th June. And on Wednesday 1st July I'm performing an hour-long solo recital at the Doncaster Museum And Art Gallery exploring music of the Great American Songbook.

Strike Up The Band
Earlier this month, Doncaster Music Service, with whom I teach, held a massed band event at The Doncaster Dome with more than 40 primary school bands in attendance over a two day period. Five of the classes that I teach were there. Each band performed a number of pieces by themselves with the event culminating in a massed piece with around 150 children playing together simultaneously. It was quite a feat but they pulled it off spectacularly. All the teachers were very proud, and the parents too who had come to support them. Well done!

Tale As Old As Time
If that weren’t enough I’ve taken a position as musical director for the Doncaster Amateur Operatic Society who have been holding auditions for their upcoming production of Beauty And The Beast. I’m very happy to say that after a gruelling day of auditions yesterday we have put together a superb cast (they don’t actually know who they are yet as they’ll be receiving a phone call tomorrow!). Rehearsals begin in September and the show will be performed the first week of March 2010 at the Doncaster Civic Theatre.

Songs I’ve Heard
Whenever I hear something I really like I do feel the need to pass it on and there have been a couple of artists I’ve stumbled across recently. A month or two ago I mentioned an Australian artists called Missy Higgins. Well, it seems that the Aussie’s are out in force because I heard another great performance at the weekend as I was driving to my gig. I was listening to the Dermot O’Leary show on Radio 2 which featured a live session by Lenka, a singer songstress from Sydney who found fame in her native land as a serial actress, in such shows as Home And Away. Now based in LA, Lenka is currently touring the world with her band and had called in to Radio 2 to perform her song, “The Show” along with a quirky cover of ‘Friday I’m In Love’ by The Cure. She’s very easy to listen to with a very summery sound.

A little closer to home, I was in Sheffield a couple of weeks ago at Peace in the Park, a massive gathering of Sheffield’s unwashed (there were a lot of piercings and tattoos around!) with a good line up of live acts. The one that caught my attention though was a two piece band, drums and guitar/vocals. The artist in question was called Little Lost David. He had a superb voice and great songs. Much of the subject matter was devil related but nevertheless definitely someone to be looking out for.

Well that’s about it for me. I leave you now as the rain lashes down outside. So much for mid-summer. As my mother always reminds me at this time of year – the night’s are drawing in now!!

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

June Is Busting Out All Over

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:50:00 +0000

“Another bride, another June, another sunny honeymoon; another season, another reason for Makin’ Whoopee”. – Gus Kahn, "Makin’ Whoopee"

That’s right, summer is finally upon us, and what a fantastic day we’ve had to begin the month. I’m staring out now at a beautiful blue sky with not a cloud in sight and the rays of the evening sun casting long shadows along the ground. As the quote above mentions, wedding season is in full swing. In my last post I mentioned that I was Canada-bound to play at my friend’s wedding in London, Ontario. It all went swimmingly. I played for the ceremony, accompanying two other singers, and then played with a Canadian band for the evening reception. I was only there for the weekend and in that time I had to rehearse with a band I’d never met before so it was a little hectic but very enjoyable and fantastic to be a part of Adam and Andrea’s special day. I received the very warmest of Canadian welcomes from Pat and Ivo Dlouhy.Thanks also to those people that were kind enough to put me up (the Stovers), show me around (Mike Dlouhy), and join me for drinks in Crabby Joe's (Mike, Mike, and Ron... although Ron doesn't remember being there!).

Last weekend, back in the UK, my band played at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough as part of their 5th Birthday celebrations, sharing the bill with a German Oom-Pah band (from Ipswich!) and the Grumbleweeds. The following day I played for a wedding in Darlington, at one of Duncan Bannatyne’s hotels, for Joanne and Andy. I played during the ceremony and then quickly reconvened to an enormous tipi-style marquee, complete with faux animal skins and a fire pit, to play during the wedding breakfast. A spectacular setting and a lovely bunch of people.

This weekend proved to be another busy one, with a wedding near Wakefield at Wentbridge House, playing as part of the Matt Ball Trio. An interesting one, beginning with some jazz, then a couple of classical tunes, before dashing outside to entertain as the wedding guests took drinks on the lawn. And finally, yesterday I was at the Fairlawns Hotel And Spa in Birmingham with my own trio, playing again for my friends Adam and Andrea who were having a British celebration of their marriage in Canada. Not only that but both the bride and groom joined in with the entertainment, with Adam giving us a rendition of 'Georgia On My Mind' and 'Stardus't on his trumpet, and Andrea’s impromptu performance of 'Fly Me To The Moon'. Congratulations to you both, enjoy your honeymoon in Ville Franche and hopefully we’ll be able to catch up soon.

As if it wasn’t exhausting enough the first time, recounting all of that to you now has left me drained. I’m off to rest my weary head.

Until next time,

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Blame Canada

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:51:00 +0000

As my dad would say, “It’s all go” right now. I have lots of music to write between now and Wednesday for various gigs that are coming up over the next few weeks. On Thursday I’m heading out to Canada for a few days to play for the wedding of one of my dearest friends, Andrea, who is getting married to Adam this coming Saturday in London, Ontario. I’ll be playing for the ceremony, performing alongside two other friends (Andrea is a production singer herself and so was able to find plenty of willing and able volunteers) as well as for the evening reception for which she has found a band for me to play with. As soon as I arrive we’re straight into rehearsals followed by the wedding rehearsal itself. So there’s a lot to do but it should be fun. I will of course fill you in on my return and post some photographs up here too.

On Saturday I was playing at Choice Bar and Restaurant in Manchester where I was joined by a huge party of people who were out together to celebrate a number of birthdays – lots of friends of friends – which made for a very enjoyable evening. Thanks to those of you who joined me at the piano. Much fun.

As I missed posting last week (I’ll blame the bank holiday!) I also want to mention another engagement that I performed the weekend previous, for the wedding of Ruth and Michael which took place over on the Wirral. Wishing you both all the best in your married lives together.

Well, needs must and all, I’d better get back to all of that music. Take care, until next time.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

A Little Light Music

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Hi there. I’m a little bit pushed for time this evening as I have a tonne of arranging work to do. Wedding season is upon us and I want to keep on top of all the special requests and what have you. But I didn’t want to let a week go by without checking in.

A Little Light Music
Part 1
We had a great night at the Earl of Doncaster Hotel on Friday. My trio were performing alongside the Doncaster Wheatsheaf Singers in ‘A Little Light Music’. They kicked off proceedings, bookending both halves of the show. For our first set we explored the Great American Songbook starting out with ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’. This was the last song ever performed in public by Frank Sinatra and also the words that are carved on his gravestone. We followed that up with the Jerome Kern standard ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ performed in a bossa nova style. This was followed by ‘Speak Low’, a song by the great lyricist Kurt Weill with music by Ogden Nash. We made this a bass feature with most of the singing accompanied by solo bass. We picked things up with Jim Croce’s ‘Bad, Bad Leroy Brown’ and then got all sentimental with ‘The Shadow Of Your Smile’, the theme from The Sandpiper made popular by Tony Bennett. We rounded off the first set with a trio of songs from the Rat Pack, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr., and Frank Sinatra – Sway, Mr Bojangles and (Love Is) The Tender Trap.

Part 2
The second half of our show was geared towards the great piano vocalists, starting off with a medley from perhaps my favourite artist of all time, Nat King Cole. That was followed by one of the rock ‘n’ roll era’s biggest selling artists, Fats Domino, and ‘Blueberry Hill’. Another favourite of mine followed, ‘New York State Of Mind’ by Billy Joel and then one of Ray Charles compositions, ‘Halleluiah, I Love Her So’. Elton John’s ‘Bennie And The Jets’ followed, with a couple of newer songs after that – ‘Bad Day’ by the Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Powter and ‘The Scientist’ from Coldplay. Our finale was the Nina Simone song that we’ve become familiar with as the music in the Muller adverts, ‘Ain’t Got No (I Got Life)’.

Coming Up
On Saturday this week I’m playing for the wedding of Michael James and Ruth Hall over on the Wirral, and on Sunday I’ll be making my regular appearance at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough. Until then, take care.

Songs I've Heard
Before I go I did just want to mention a couple of things that I heard this week that I thought were worth sharing. The first is a song by Ben Folds, from his 2001 album Rockin’ The Suburbs, called ‘The Luckiest’. I’m a fan of Ben Folds but I’d never heard this one before. It’s beautiful and definitely on my to-learn list. On Friday evening when I returned home from my gig I turned on the TV to find Later With Jools Holland. There was an artist featured called William Elliot Whitmore. He sang with a very distinctive voice, accompanying himself on guitar singing some great old time American folk music. But with that voice I could imagine him in front of a rock band, or even swinging with a big band. Let me know what you think.

Anyway, back to the arranging. Until next time.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

I like to be in America...

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:12:00 +0000

I hope you all had a lovely Easter Break. Back to reality now and I must admit that I have something of the post-holiday blues. I spent a fantastic ten days with friends over Easter travelling in the United States from San Francisco to the Grand Canyon and back. Before I tell you about that though let me remind you about a gig that my trio are playing along with the Doncaster Wheatsheaf Singers at The Earl Of Doncaster Hotel this Friday 24th April. Tickets are available on the door priced at £7.50 (£6.00 concessions) and the show starts at 7.30pm. We hope to see you there.

I Left My Heart In San Francisco
We started out in San Francisco, arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I’ve been lucky enough to visit a few times, for a week while I was backpacking and twice when my ship docked there. The weather wasn’t particularly clement for our first day and I was worried that my travelling companions weren’t going to appreciate the place quite as much as I. After visiting a rain-soaked Fisherman’s Wharf, we retreated to one of the shopping malls on Market Street where I tried in vain to find some trainers that I liked. With the rain finally abating in the afternoon we walked up through China Town to the Citylights Bookstore and the nearby Vesuvio Saloon, famous hangout of Jack Kerouac and the Beat poets. Cosy little place with lots of wood. That evening we ventured into North Beach, the primarily Italian district where we ate at a lovely little restaurant called Trattoria Contadina.

The next day my friends decided to visit Alcatraz but I’d already been a few years before so I took the time to explore some of the neighbourhoods I hadn’t visited. I walked from our hotel (The Phoenix) situated in the “gritty” Tenderloin district (for “gritty” read scary!) over to the Haight-Ashbury area, famous for its role as the centre of the hippy movement. Lots of small independently-owned stores, bars and restaurants with brightly coloured hand painted store fronts. It was early – I was still halfway between GMT and PST – so most of them were still closed. I walked as far as Golden Gate Park before turning back and making my way downtown via Japantown. During the afternoon I exercised my credit card in Macy’s. There was a sale on so not too much of a drag on my bank balance. We were back in Japantown that evening for dinner at Yoshis – a Japanese restaurant come jazz venue. Wonderful food. Our original plan was to go see the band afterwards but there was a $20 cover and we were still suffering a little from jetlag so instead we retired to a nearby piano bar called the Sheba Lounge where we listened to a blues band while relaxing by the fire.

Route 1
On Thursday we began our journey down the coast calling off at Carmel, famous for having Clint Eastwood as its mayor between 1986 and 1988. After a brief perusal of the shops we had lunch there before continuing along Route 1 which hugs this dramatic coast, often with only a few feet between the car and a huge drop to the Pacific Ocean. We spent that night in San Luis Obispo and we had timed it to perfection for the weekly Farmers Market was in full swing. Downtown Higuera Street was closed to traffic and filled with stalls selling and promoting all sorts of things. My friend Marija and I took our place in line at what seemed to be the busiest food stall, selling the most amazing barbecue. We sat on the kerb to eat. The rest of our night was spent in a nearby bar and where we danced the night away.

Viva Las Vegas
Friday we drove all the way to Las Vegas arriving just in time to hit the Easter Holiday traffic. That first night, after a couple of appletinis in one of the piano bars of the Bellagio where we were staying, we ventured out to take in the sights. There’s a lot of building work going on at the moment and massive swathes of the strip were out of bounds, covered in scaffolding. We visited the Mote Carlo and the New York, New York, finishing up in the duelling piano bar there. Saturday morning we hit The Buffet in the Bellagio for brunch. If I’m honest I pigged out a little bit. In total I had four plates of food, including two helpings of steak! We also had something of competition to see who could get the most bizarre assortment of food on one plate! With our bellies full to bursting Mateja and I went to explore some more of the Strip. First up we visited Caesar’s Palace. We weren’t up for gambling so we spent our time in one of the bars. Then we tried to find our way out and 30 minutes later we succeeded. I’d hate to have to get out of one of those places in an emergency – there are no signs! We then wandered over to the Venetian where even Mateja, who had been initially underwhelmed by the Las Vegas experience, was impressed by the indoor Grand Canal and St Marks’ Square. The rest of the afternoon we spent by the Bellagio pool, later to be joined by the rest of our friends. We had decided to indulge ourselves that evening at the Bellagio’s two Michelin starred Picasso restaurant where we spent a delightful evening. The food was fabulous and the service was impeccable. We were brought a different wine with every course by the sommelier who explained to us each time how it would complement the flavours of the food. He certainly knew his stuff. A terrific evening.

The Grand Canyon
The start of my Easter Sunday was spent dashing around Las Vegas trying to find somewhere to get a camera repaired. The night before Marija had left her camera in my care and I’d accidentally dropped it, damaging the focussing mechanism. A few a hours and $50 in cab fare later and I wasn’t anywhere close to getting it fixed. It was Easter Sunday after all. I had to come clean, and just before we were to set off to see the Grand Canyon. She was fine about it. We both have the same make of camera so I gave her mine, she popped in her memory card and all was fine. It was early evening by the time we arrived at the Grand Canyon, with heavy traffic over Hoover Dam slowing our progress. This turned out to be a blessing however, because we were able to watch the sunset which gave the place a whole different perspective to the last time I had visited. We drove on to Flagstaff where we were to spend the night and found our way to the Beaver Street Brewery for dinner and drinks.

On The Road
The next morning we were back on Beaver Street across the street from the Brewery at Macy’s European Coffee House and Bakery, a cosy place where we had breakfast and read the morning papers. Our drive that day took us west across Arizona with an unlikely detour to visit the original London Bridge. Robert McCulloch bought the bridge in 1968 and had it shipped brick by brick to its present location in Lake Havasu City where it now stands as Arizona’s second biggest tourist attraction after the Grand Canyon (probably quite a long way behind!). We were shocked at how hot the weather had become. We had set off from Vegas the day before dressed for the desert heat only to find ourselves shivering when we reached the Grand Canyon where the last remnants of snow could still be seen. When we set off from Flagstaff therefore we dressed relatively warmly only to arrive at Lake Havasu City to find the temperature was 80˚F. We continued on into the approaching dusk finally stopping for the night in Bakersfield. The area we were staying was basically a street full of fast food restaurants and gas stations so we got take out and played cards.

The last leg of our journey took us back to San Francisco. We arrived mid afternoon which gave us time to drive down Lombard Street, the most crooked street in the world, and visit the Castro District of the city, the heart of Gay San Francisco which featured recently in the movie ‘Milk’. We ate dinner on the edge of China Town at the House Of Nanking. The food is great but they throw it at you. In fact we weren’t allowed to order ourselves – the chef came to our table and ordered for us! There was loads of food. Definitely an experience! Afterwards we returned to the Vesuvio Saloon in North Beach to while away the last few hours of our holiday.

Happy Easter!

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:47:00 +0000

This time next week I’ll be in the air somewhere over the eastern half of the United States, winging my way westward to San Francisco. I’m spending the Easter holidays with five of my school friends on a road trip to Las Vegas. But before I leave, I’m appearing at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough on Sunday for the lunchtime set. On my return two weeks later I’m playing Choice Bar & Restaurant on Saturday 18th April and the Sands again on Sunday 19th April. Also a little reminder that my trio and I will be appearing in concert with the Doncaster Wheatsheaf Singers at the Earl Of Doncaster Hotel the week after on Friday 24th April. Tickets are now available from either myself, the Wheatsheaf singers, or the Earl Of Doncaster priced at £7.50 (£6.00 concessions). Your support is much appreciated.

I spent this weekend with some of my former housemates from University, meeting up with them in Derbyshire. Friday night was spent catching up in the local pub and then carrying on back at the house. My friend Jenny’s family run a B&B there and luckily for us there were some spare rooms.

On Saturday morning some were feeling a little worse for wear. As for me, I’d been a lightweight the night before and gone to bed early – two hours earlier than everybody else – and was therefore fresh as a daisy. Still, I was happy to indulge in the hangover breakfast that Jenny prepared for us. We spent the day in Buxton. I had never visited the town before and was really taken with it. As has become tradition, Kevin and I had tea and cakes in a little coffee shop. I’ve been joking recently that I live like an Edwardian lady. It was my mother and I that decided this. I play the piano, I write poetry, I like to take a stroll, perhaps a nap, tea and cakes in the afternoon. You get the picture! That evening we prepared a meal ourselves but having spent quite a while in the pub beforehand it wasn’t dished up until 11pm! Still, very enjoyable and certainly appreciated by that time. We made fajitas and homemade salsa – the real stuff: chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, chillies, olive oil, balsamic and coriander (I love coriander!). All very tasty. And then we were up until 5am (which became 6am because the clocks went forward) chewing the fat.

I was woken up on Sunday morning by my friend Jac who was in a rather annoyingly chipper mood having taken the early-to-bed option. I felt a little less clever (as rough as a badger’s arse I think is the phrase!). We remedied the situation by calling off at a pub for lunch and walking back to the house across some of the most beautiful countryside. It was glorious.

And so with that, I shall sign off. Happy Easter everyone!!

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Run

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:37:00 +0000

I’m currently watching The Simpsons so forgive me if I take a tangent here – I’m not so great at doing two things at once, apart from the whole singing/playing piano thing! That I can do!! It’s been a glorious day today. Very spring-like. I ditched my coat for the first time this year. I’m not putting it away for the summer just yet, however. I don’t want to jinx it. How has it been in your neck of the woods?

Gig Diary
On Saturday night I was performing at Choice Bar & Restaurant in Manchester. It was a most enjoyable evening and I got to meet some cool people who were kind enough to compliment me on my performance, including two representatives of the PRS who were in that night to take note of the songs I was playing. That doesn’t seem like such a bad job – sitting in bars all evening listening to live music! I’ll be at Choice again next month on April 18th (after I get back from holiday – hopefully the jet lag will have abated).

Run
Recently I was in the car with my sister driving to Meadowhall to pick up a few things for my mother’s birthday (they’re both in Istanbul at the moment as it happens as part of the birthday present). ‘Run’ by Snow Patrol came on the radio. I was more familiar with Leona Lewis’ version. I hate to admit that but it’s true. Anyway, we started talking about which version we liked the best so I thought I’d share my thoughts with you. Something of a rekindling of my school music class while we compare and contrast the two pieces. I like Leona Lewis. She has a great voice and her version does have a good piano part – I’m kind of biased that way. It starts quietly, with Leona singing very low, gradually building, with the addition of strings, then the drums kick in, before finally Leona is joined by a full chorus of singers (and I’m pretty sure I heard an organ in there somewhere). The Snow Patrol track has much more of a raw sound. From the beginning it sounds much darker, both the instrumentation and the vocal from Gary Lightbody. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of emotion in Leona’s voice but his seems to contain real anguish. There’s no waiting for the gradual build in this original version. At the first chorus the guitars kick in and they get right to it. I like the sound of the drums as well. They have much more of a heavy acoustic sound. In similarity, we hear the strings enter towards the end of the song. For me I think it has to be Snow Patrol’s original version. What are your thoughts? Leona Lewis or Snow Patrol?

Snow Patrol are currently playing the O2 Arena – as I type in fact they’ll be doing the last of three shows there this weekend. As for me, I have the weekend off so I guess I’ll just keep on practicing, keep on writing and try to come up with something as good as ‘Run’!
Bye for now.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:22:00 +0000

Good evening one and all. I’ve just been uploading and looking through some photographs I'd taken this weekend when I went to visit with friends just outside of Newcastle. I went to university with Kevin and we lived together for two years in Liverpool. He now lives with his girlfriend Mandy. I got a ride up there with two other former housemates, Jenny and Jaclyn, who picked me up Friday afternoon for the trip north. On the way we were listening to Chris Evans on drive time and it was all request Friday so we thought we might as well try to get a request played. I called up and after a couple of attempts got through to the studio. It wasn’t long before I got a call back and was asked if I wanted to speak to Chris live on air!! We were all so excited at this point!! I was so hyper that when I went on air I almost forgot what song I had asked for!! It was You Can Call Me Al by the way, by Paul Simon. Jenny and Jaclyn were doing a sterling job of screaming at appropriate times in the background. It made me sound like quite the man! In fact Chris said that he’d like to be out with us for the weekend! Take a listen and spin on to around 37 minutes through the show to hear my dulcet tones. And so we began our weekend on a major high. We arrived at Kevin’s and hastened down to the local pub before heading back to the house to eat a fabulous meal of lamb that he’d left slow cooking. The night disintegrates into something of a blur after that!

Saturday we awoke to a huge breakfast – they really know how to look after their guests – which aided in our recovery as we waited for another of our friends to arrive. In the meantime we took a walk to blow away the cobwebs. When Oliver arrived we made our way back to the local for a few drinks as a precursor to the main event. We spent much of the evening in the Ouseburn area of the city, starting out in the Cumberland Arms. Real ales, great ciders and a roaring fire made this place very special, with a diverse clientele ranging from students to the folk crowd who came in later and began singing acapella folk songs. They served good food too. I had a plate of nachos and a quesadilla. We spent quite a while in there, meeting with yet another of our former housemates (there were originally eight of us crammed into one house), Max, who I hadn’t seen since leaving university seven years ago. He was still very much the same as he’d always been!

From there we moved to The Cluny where Jaclyn and Jenny decided to crash a wedding party until they were rumbled! Before heading back, Mandy and Kevin wanted to show us the Quayside. By this time I had a belly full of booze and the nachos were making fun of my insides – damn jalapenos! Added to that it had started to rain quite heavily. I was all up for flagging down the next taxi. Yet we pressed on. I’m very glad we did because as we got down to the river we were met by the multicoloured lights of the Millennium Bridge. It was a fantastic sight. We ducked out of the rain into the Pitcher and Piano which offered terrific and drier views of the quayside. It was Saturday night and people were out in their finery. We looked more like an advert for knitwear but that didn’t deter us from hitting the dance floor for the remainder of the evening.

Sunday rolled around and we were presented with yet another feast of a breakfast. Afterwards, Kevin and Mandy drove us out to see some of Hadrian’s Wall, at a place appropriately called Heddon-on-the-wall, dodging the occasional hailstorm. We then retired to a local pub called The Boat House in nearby Wylam, birthplace of engineer George Stephenson. The Boathouse sits next to the railway station just over the bridge from the village and has been voted Pub of the Year for the last six years by the Tyneside and Northumberland branch of the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA). It therefore would have been rude not to have sampled at least one of the beers on offer!

So, back to reality and I’ll be appearing this coming weekend at Choice Bar and Restaurant in Manchester. Had a great night there two weeks ago so looking forward to playing there again.

Bye for now.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Being and Having Genius

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:42:00 +0000

I’ve had a very musical weekend. On Friday night I was singing with the Barnburgh Male Voice Choir for a private birthday party at Thurston Hall near Doncaster. It was a surprise party so the birthday girl had no idea we were going to be there and was filled with emotion as she entered the room and we burst into song. She loved it so much that at the end of our set she went round the entire choir – each and every member – with thanks and kisses! On Saturday the choir were out again, this time at a wedding in Hooton Pagnell near Doncaster. I was actually asked by one of my pupils today if I’d been at that wedding because she had been a bridesmaid there. Small world. Later that evening I performed at Choice Bar and Restaurant in Manchester. I had a really good night, with people sat with me around the piano and plenty of requests flooding in. I’ll be appearing there again in two weeks time on Saturday 14th March. Coming up this weekend I’m taking a little break from gigs and travelling up to Newcastle to meet up with my old housemates from university. I’ll let you know how that goes next week!

Being and Having Genius
I came across a video recently on the internet regarding creative genius, taken from a series of talks hosted by TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), a group which brings together some of the greatest thinkers and doers of our time. It popped up again today in my feed reader via the Lateral Action blog so I thought I'd share a few of the ideas discussed. This particular talk was hosted by the writer Elizabeth Gilbert. She describes how ‘genius’ was originally thought of by the Ancient Greeks and Romans as some form of divine entity, a spirit – call it what you will – which was channelled by the artist. So instead of being a genius, an artist would have a genius to guide him. During the renaissance period the idea of ‘genius’ changed. An artist was now described as being a genius rather than having a genius. Gilbert suggests that this turning point was a huge error, placing far too much responsibility on the artist and with a tendency to cause those with any measure of success to become hugely egotistical. By believing in having a genius, a guiding force, the pressure is taken off the artist. After all, if the work is bad it’s not entirely your fault. Similarly there’s less chance of becoming big headed because it’s not all your own work! Her take home message is to strike a deal with the genius that you will show up and fulfil your half of the bargain by putting the work in. Hopefully the genius will honour its part. If you’re at all involved in the creative arts I urge you to check out the video. There are plenty of other inspirational talks to be found on the TED website.

That’s all from me this evening. I think I might go and find myself a genius!

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Jai Ho!

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:02:00 +0000

Hello world! Ordinarily I would be writing this from the comfort of my bed. That’s where I feel more relaxed, more contemplative. However, I fear that if I do that tonight I may fall asleep. And so I find myself sat in my office – the coldest room in the world - with a blanket wrapped around myself to keep me warm. It’s not so bad actually now that the weather has warmed, and the chill should keep me awake!

Gig Diary
On Saturday night my trio were playing for a party at Hickleton Golf Club, on the outskirts of Doncaster. It was for the father of one of my friends who was celebrating his 70th birthday. We played two sets of standard American songbook stuff (my favourite!), easing our way into the evening, slowly picking it up before launching into a final set of 60s and 70s music, drawing people onto the dance floor. So, happy birthday Frank – I expect the 80th birthday party booking! On the subject of birthdays, it’s my drummer’s 30th today so happy birthday to you, Rob! Coming up this week I’m performing at Choice Bar and Restaurant on Saturday night (that’s the 28th of February) so if you’re anywhere near Manchester I hope you can swing by. In other news, as I’ve mentioned before my trio are playing at The Sands Venue on Saturday 23rd May. I got a call from them this week and it so happens that the date coincides with the 5th birthday of The Sands Venue and therefore as an added treat we’ll also joined by the Grumbleweeds!

A Night At The Oscars
It was a fantastic night at the Oscars for the British contingent. If you read my post last week you may remember my mentioning the music from the film Slumdog Millionaire. Unless you’ve been living in a cave you’ve probably already heard that the film swept the boards, winning 8 Oscars including best musical score and best song for Jai Ho. If you haven’t heard the song then do take a listen and let me know what you think. I have no idea what the song is about, sung as it is in Hindi, but it has such wonderful energy. I still haven’t seen the film yet but may have to do something about that very soon. I’m also very glad that Kate Winslet finally bagged herself an Oscar for Best Actress – I do have a soft spot for her!

Finally, thanks to Milo for recommending some great tunes (see the comments section from last weeks post). Some things I hadn’t heard for a while.

That’s all from me this evening. I’ll catch you again next week.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Be Nice!

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:40:00 +0000

For all of the teachers and students out there I hope you’re enjoying your half term holidays. Being a teacher of sorts myself I’m not in school this week but I’m still finding plenty of things to do, with practicing, writing, arranging and everything else that goes along with being a musician. This week I’ve stumbled across a few musical items that I’d like to share, but first of all I’ll fill you in on my recent and upcoming gigs.

Gig Diary
On Friday (the 13th!) I was performing at Reeds Restaurant, attached to the Best Western Pastures Lodge Hotel near Doncaster. As I mentioned last week it was fully booked, creating a wonderful atmosphere comprising mainly of couples getting in early for Valentine’s Day. By the way, on Saturday I did wait for some time for my breakfast in bed, but the leggy brunette I had envisaged bringing it to me never showed! Anyway, I digress. From the comments I heard the food was delicious (and the music wasn’t bad!). Hopefully there’ll be more opportunity to play at Reeds in the not too distant future.

Coming up this Saturday the band and I are playing for a birthday party. One of my friend’s fathers is turning 70 this week. I met him for coffee this morning to finalise arrangements. He’s a big fan of the American standards which is fine with me as it’s one of my favourite styles of music. In fact, he’s loaned me one of his Ella Fitzgerald LPs which means I’m going to have to dig out my turntable. On Sunday I’ll be appearing again at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough for the Sunday lunch set. And then I guess it will be back to school! There’s no rest for the wicked.

Be Nice!
There is an artist (who shall remain nameless because I really don't like criticising fellow performers) whose songs I used to really like. That is until I heard him in an interview and he sounded like the most arrogant and obnoxious ass. I’ve now heard him twice and I like him even less. The thing is, now every time I hear one of his songs I can’t enjoy it. The reason I mention this is that the effect can also work in reverse. When Lilly Allen first came onto the scene I wasn’t particularly taken by her. For some time, however, I’ve been following her blog. Hers was highlighted by Andrew Dubber as a good example of what an artist’s blog should be like. I’m now also following her on Twitter. It could be to do with the fact that her new album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, is much better than the first. Certainly I heard Steve Lamacq saying something along these lines when he began his Radio 2 show with one of her songs. But I think there might be something said for how genuine she comes across in her blog and even more so now via Twitter. She comes off as a genuinely lovely person. So now every time I hear her songs I like them so much more because of that. I’m sure there’s a lesson to be learned – be nice!

Songs I've Heard
And so to the cool things that I mentioned. Earlier in the year I made some New Year’s resolutions which I’ve not been doing too badly with. One of them though I noticed was slipping a little and that was to listen out for new music. To remedy that I’ve had my ear to ground this week and have come across a few gems. Now this is something of a mixed bag so hopefully there’ll be something in here for everyone. The first is something I heard on the radio one morning as I was driving to schoo. It was a song taken from the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire. I haven’t seen the film yet but if the music is anything to go by it’s going to be worth seeing. Has anyone seen it? I’m told it’s awesome. I’m also told you need ot stay to the bitter end. I don’t know why but that’s what I heard. Another artist I came across in a blog this week was an Australian singer songstress called Missy Higgins. I don’t know much about her other than what I’ve gleaned from her website but there is plenty to go at on there. The few tracks that I listened to I really enjoyed. She’s been compared to Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette and I love to hear her Melbourne accent shine through. She’s apparently making waves in America now after experiencing success in her home country. I’m sure we’ll be hearing much more from her. On Saturday I was driving and listening to the Dermott O’Leary show on BBC Radio 2. He had a segment entitled: “Radio 2’s Guide to Non-Threatening, Ethnically Diverse Music”. Usually the gangster rap scene wouldn’t be my kind of thing but as I was listening I started thinking to myself that if I was out in a club I could see myself dancing to this sort of stuff. He played a track from “the world’s most dangerous band”, N.W.A., who were formed in the 80s by a group of then unknown rappers including Dr Dre and Ice Cube as well as Eazy-E and MC Ren. The track, called ‘Express Yourself’, featured some novel rhyme schemes, my favourite rhyming couplet being: “You ain't swift, movin' like a tortoise/Full of rigor mortis”. Finally, a name that has been making waves round these parts lately is Seasick Steve (excuse the pun). I caught a documentary about him last night on BBC4. His story is a real rags to riches tale. Spending much of his life as a hobo travelling around America with his guitar, his songs carry the weight of his experience. If you like the blues, take a listen.

Well that’s about it for me. If anybody else has any musical recommendations I'd love to hear them.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:24:00 +0000

On Sunday I played at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough to a small but appreciative audience. I’ll be there again in two weeks time on Sunday 22nd February. This coming Friday (the 13th!) I’m playing at a relatively new restaurant that opened in August of last year. Attached to the already established Pastures Lodge and part of the Best Western hotel, Reeds is the height of fine dining. If you were hoping to come along I’m afraid you’re out of luck. I’ve just checked on the website to find that it’s sold out. It is the day before Valentines after all.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!
It’s been a week of wild weather and judging by the weather forecast there’s more on the way for some parts of the country. It seems that here in Yorkshire we might miss the worst which appears to be hitting the south. The snow hasn't affected me too badly, with only one day of cancelled lessons last week. If you ask me they shouldn’t have been cancelled at all because Tuesday was one of the better days. Then on Friday we were in another school where class sizes were roughly half what they should have been. A good excuse to miss school I guess. The best thing I heard from one of the kids, though, was that he had forgotten his cornet because of the snow! Yes, I’ve heard that snow causes memory impairment!! In between the snow there have been some glorious days this week, including today (before the mists rolled in), with brilliant blue skies illuminating the snows that have remained, particularly if you’re in the countryside where the fields are still white out.

Finally, I want to mention some fantastic news I received from one of my oldest friends from school, Chris (I mean I’ve known him the longest, not that he’s older than everybody else!). On Tuesday his fiancée, Kat, gave birth to baby girl, Lyra May. Mother and baby are both doing well by all accounts. So congratulations you guys. I hope to see you very soon.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

February brings the snow (wait, that's not how it goes!)

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:30:00 +0000

I’m tucked up inside, hiding away from the snow that is falling outside my window. If you missed me last week then I do have a valid excuse. I was feeling somewhat under the weather. The doctor said it was a common feinting sickness. Not common for me. I conduct most of my affairs in a semi coherent upright position rather than sprawled on the bathroom floor. I therefore spent most of last week recuperating. And I think that the rest has paid off because I’m feeling much better now.

So what’s new? Well, I have the new dates for both The Sands Venue and Choice Bar and Restaurant. I’ll be appearing at Choice for the first time at the end of the month on Saturday 28th February and then at some point each month until July. For exact dates check out my gigs page. At The Sands Venue I’ll be performing for Sunday lunches every other Sunday which started last week so I’ll be there again this coming Sunday 8th February. I was there yesterday in fact – somewhat of a last minute engagement. I got a call late Saturday evening from Dan who runs sound at The Sands asking if I was available. The group that was due to play had called in sick. I had nothing else in the diary so I was glad to play. It was a very enjoyable afternoon with a good crowd, including a 40th birthday party (happy birthday Ian!). On the subject of birthdays, Herman Hupfeld would have been celebrating his birthday on Sunday (had he not died in 1951!). Who is Herman Hupfeld you may wonder. He was a songwriter, notable for only one song really which came to prominence when it was featured in the film, ‘Casablanca’.

"You played it for her and you can play it for me...play it!"

The song of course is ‘As Time Goes By’ which I included in my set on Sunday. Also in the birthdays today I notice there would have been Stan Getz, Les Dawson and Eva Cassidy. There also Shakira - don’t you just love Wikipedia!

Now I just need to decide if I’m going to brave the snow and ice and make my way to the gym, which had been my original intention this evening, or if I’m going to stay home. It looks ok out there to me. Perhaps I’ll risk it!

Bye for now.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Wednesdays With Andy

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:33:00 +0000

I’ve just been listening to ‘The Highwayman’ by The Highwaymen (aka Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson) courtesy of YouTube. What a fantastic track. It was written, I’ve just found out, by Jimmy Webb, who was the writer of another of my favourite songs, 'MacArthur Park'. We’ve been brainstorming again, my housemate and I, for music to play on our road trip we’ll be taking later in the year, from San Francisco to Las Vegas and back, and I’d forgotten about that one. It’s definitely on the list.

Gig Updates...Coming Soon!
Some good news on the gig front is that I’ll soon have the next batch of dates for Choice Bar & Restaurant in Manchester, one of my regular haunts, and I’m expecting to hear from The Sands Venue within the next couple of weeks when they reopen at the end of the month. I’m still on the lookout of course for more places to play, one of which will be the recently opened Reeds restaurant attached to the Best Western Pastures Lodge Hotel here in Doncaster, where I’ll be performing for diners the day before Valentine’s Day, Friday 13th February – it’s a good job I’m not superstitious!

Wednesdays With Andy
I had a brief respite from my day to day routine on Wednesday last week when I met up with Andy, one of my friends from school. We’ve been talking for some time about spending Wednesday in the pub because he has the day off from university, where he’s studying to become a lawyer, and I’m finished teaching by 11am. This week we finally got around to it, though not quite the all day session that had originally been envisaged because I really wanted to make it to the gym in the evening. We met at one of the Weatherspoons in town. With beer at £1 you can’t really grumble and because he is a student and I’m a musician it seemed the most sensible option. They’ve recently opened another Weatherspoons in what used to be Yates’ Wine Bar (we wondered how much wine they ever sold in there!). This used to be a regular haunt for us during our underage drinking days. We would congregate upstairs in the far corner in what became known as ‘the Hall Cross corner’. A lot of my friends were attending Hall Cross sixth form at the time so I used to meet them there, after band practice if I recall. It’s changed a little bit now. There used to be two booth seats which have disappeared. But if I listened very carefully and squinted somewhat I could vaguely make out the ghosts of our youth. It’s ten years since we left sixth form. Class of ’99. My, how time flies. We finished our day in Waterstones at the coffee shop discussing religion. I don’t know how we quite got on to that as neither of us is religious but it’s amazing where a caffeine high will take you.

Anyway, enough of my reminiscing. I’ve got some time left before I head to the gym so I might look at finishing off a song or two that I’ve started. Bye for now!

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Yes Man

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:17:00 +0000

Good evening one and all. This one will have to be short because I’ve been trying to write a biography for myself and the band and it’s taking longer than anticipated. I should have done it this afternoon but unfortunately I fell asleep! I wasn’t even really that tired. I’d sat down on the bed for 20 minutes to relax after practising, to clear my head. That was about 3pm. Before I know it it’s past 5pm! I’m back at school now so I blame it on the early mornings. Musicians aren’t meant to do early mornings!

On Tuesday night my housemate asked me if I wanted to go see a movie. I’d planned on doing some music arranging but I don’t have much that needs doing at the moment so I agreed. I’m glad I did, given the film we went to see. It was ‘Yes Man’ starring Jim Carey. It also has one of the guys from Flight of the Conchords. I’d read the book before, a true story by Danny Wallace (who also had a small cameo part in the film, stood at the bar). The film was quite a bit different in detail but the whole philosophy was the same. How much better would your life be if you stopped making excuses and just said yes to everything?! And that’s exactly what the character does, to the extreme of course. In real life you might not want to say yes to absolutely everything but think about it. Are you simply making excuses or do you really have a reason to decline the offer.

And so with that in mind, I received a phone call on Friday afternoon which resulted in an impromptu trip down to Derbyshire on Friday night to meet up with a couple of my old housemates from University, Jenny and Jac. Jenny lives in a small village just outside of Bakewell. We took ourselves to the nearest hostelry for some food and wine and whiled away the wee hours discussing everything and nothing. I was left feeling a little dilapidated for the entirety of Saturday. I missed my trip to the gym and despite my best intentions to go on Sunday morning I just couldn’t do it. So, I didn’t fit in my four gym sessions last week. I realise now that some of my new year’s resolutions go against each other. While I ticked a couple of boxes by keeping in touch with friends and getting out and about, I went against going to the gym and eating well (having said that, I did have a lovely meal Friday night and Jenny was good enough to cook breakfast for me on Saturday.... full English, but still!). That doesn’t mean to say that I’m giving up. I’m heading back to the gym tonight.

Before I go though, I heard a couple of great songs this week. The first was an acapella song called ‘Tar Barrel In Dale’ performed by Rachel Unthink and the Winterset, a beautiful folk tune with luscious harmonies. Just listen to the changing harmony on the word ‘snow’. Awesome! The song is sung with a north east accent shining through. I particularly love the way they sing ‘year’! The other is different in that it’s a band from Seattle but again there are some fantastic harmonies in ‘Mykanos’ by the Fleet Foxes, a band from Seattle. I was compiling a list of great driving tunes earlier in the week for a trip we’re taking at Easter and I put that on there.

Still no news on the gig front this month. There are some in the pipeline for February but I’ll let you know about those nearer the time. Until then, January lays before me like a desert! I’ll see you on the other side!

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Happy New Year!

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:56:00 +0000

A very happy New Year to you! I hope you enjoyed a very merry Christmas. It’s technically the last day of Christmas today by my reckoning; in fact we’ve just taken our tree down and packed the decorations away for another year. After rather a hectic lead up to Christmas, the Christmas period itself has been fairly serene. Most of it I’ve spent with family and friends. Our Bramley Family Annual Christmas Hootenanny went very well with plenty of food and drink and singing around the piano. Christmas eve I made it to our local pub, the Cumberland, which has become a traditional meeting place for those with whom I went to sixth form. There were less people than in previous years, with a number of them getting married and having children and the like, but there were still plenty of familiar faces. Christmas day was a family affair, the four of us (mum, dad, my sister and I) enjoying a vast meal together. I’d originally conceived 8 courses but we were flagging after the sixth. I had more chances to meet up with friends on Boxing Day and at a party the day after hosted at a friend’s house (thanks Leanne, I know you read this blog!). New Years Eve I was playing for dining and merriment at Little Italy in Dronfield, near Sheffield. It was a fun night.

I made a point not to do anything until today (Monday 5th January) except for some quiet contemplation during which I came up with a few New Years resolutions which I thought I’d share. I’ve split them into two categories; the first relates to tweaks and changes in habit and the second are more specific goals.

Habitual Resolutions

Save money – always a worthy cause.
Reading – I read quite a lot already so this is more a continuation but to read great and influential books (I’m currently reading The Art Of Happiness by the Dalai Lama & Howard C. Cutter).
Get fit – I’ve been feasting for the entire 12 days of Christmas so I need to get back in shape. It’s back to the gym for me (I started today)!
Read quotes – I love quotes, in fact I have motivational quotes delivered into my inbox everyday so I’ll be looking out for more, and taking a look through my Quotations dictionary.
Write a journal – for the last year I’ve been writing a journal once a week. I’m trying this year to increase that, even if it’s just a short entry every day or two.
Moisturize – none of us are getting any younger so a good idea to look after yourself I feel!
Be friendly – I’m not saying that I’m a miserable grouch but this one can’t hurt.
Less TV – again, I’m not a huge TV watcher (apart from during Christmas – I became hooked on One tree Hill, which my sister was bought as a gift for Christmas, and we’ve watched three seasons of the show already!) but just a reminder to myself not to fall into any bad habits like switching on the TV and finding the least worst thing to watch!
Listen out for new music and buy more CDs – this could go against my saving money but will be worth it.
Live music – go to more concerts and gigs.
Keep in touch – I’m not bad but I guess I could be better.
Get out and about – this could also hinder my saving money but not everything costs money. Any suggestions?

Goal resolutions

Pay off my credit cards – hindered slightly today when I went shopping and forgot my debit card so had to put it on a credit card that I’d just paid off!!
Write my own original material and record a demo – this is probably my biggest goal this year.
Improved performance – always a good idea to strive for better!
Record some videos for YouTube.
Finish writing the book that I’ve started – a travel book about my journey across America.
Learn Spanish – that is if I get all of the rest done!

And there you have it. Perhaps you have some resolutions you’d like to share. So tomorrow it's back to school and teaching. As is usual with this time of year gigs are on the sparse side but I'll let you know as soon as I know when I'm back in the game.

Bye for now!

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Busy, busy!

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:01:00 +0000

I’ve taken an executive decision to forgo the 3rd series of Prison Break. My housemate brought it back yet again this week – it’s just too much commitment!! Instead, here I am sharing with you what’s been happening with me this week and what’s coming up next week.

We’re well into the Christmas run up now and I’ve had a number of opportunities to air some of my Christmas material. On Friday I was playing at a corporate event hosted by the Royal Bank of Scotland which took place at the Doncaster Dome. The organiser, an old school chum of mine, excelled himself with an indoor snow covered forest and falling snow as the guests entered the venue. Just out of range of the falling flakes I was close by the forest with my piano playing a whole host of Christmas songs to get people into the festive spirit, all the way from Silent Night to Merry Xmas Everybody. Also on the bill were a dance group called Flava who had been featured on Britain’s Got Talent, as well as a number of amusing spoof videos from the company themselves including a hilarious rendition of East 17s Stay Another Day.

On Saturday I was performing at Choice Bar and Restaurant in Manchester. For the first two hours the place was heaving, both the bar and the restaurant full to capacity. This gave me a chance to pull out some of the upbeat stuff to entertain my entourage that had gathered around the piano. As the night wore on many reconvened to the restaurant to take their seats and others headed on into town bringing the evening to a more peaceful conclusion. Silent Night and all that!

Coming up this week I’m playing for a community event on Thursday afternoon and another on Saturday afternoon. On Saturday evening I return to Choice Bar & Restaurant and on Sunday I’m playing the lunchtime set at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough. Add to that our family Christmas Hootenanny and two concerts with the Barnburgh Male Voice Choir on Wednesday and Friday and I seem set for a busy week! Still, only one more day of teaching left for me before Christmas.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Capital of Culture

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:51:00 +0000

The dreaded winter lurgy has bestowed itself upon me so I’m trying to give myself some rest and recuperation in order to get back to full health. I think I’m at about the half way stage so fingers crossed all will be well again in time for my gigs this weekend.

LiverpoolONE
I spent a fantastic couple of days in Liverpool over the weekend to meet up with some of my housemates that I lived with while I was at university there. We spent our first few hours on Friday night catching up in one of our old drinking haunts, Kelly’s Dispensary. I used to frequent this place every night with my friend Kevin, always arriving for last orders. It hasn’t changed much over the years. After a few pints of the local Cains bitter we ate dinner at Jalons, a favourite restaurant of ours where the majority of our birthdays were celebrated. There was a duo playing keyboards and drums (with some track which I’ll forgive them for!). I’ve actually played at the new Jalons Bridewell restaurant myself. They played a couple of our requests, including Fairytale of New York to get us into the festive spirit while we enjoyed a fine, albit expensive, meal. The next day we visited the LiverpoolONE shopping and leisure complex, a new 1 billion pound redevelopment of the city centre. We were all blown away. It’s has the feel of a shopping centre but the majority of it is open air. I think the best desription I've heard is it's kind of like a futuristic town centre. It's not just shops and restaurants though. In the past Liverpool was split into distinct sections separated by non-descript neighbourhoods. Now LiverpoolONE connects the city, leading from the main shopping district all the way to the docks, in a truly spectacular way. We reached the Albert Dock as the sun set and the night began to take hold. The sky was clear, with a half moon hanging in an inky blue sky and the new skyline of the European capital of culture before us. It was magical.

Breaking Boundaries
Later that evening we went to LIPA. Jenny, another of my old housemates, has a sister studying there and she was performing in a show called Breaking Boundaries. We’d been joking the night before about what we might be in store for – weird modern interpretative stuff - and weren’t disappointed by the first piece which was very avant-garde. There was no denying however the talent and hard work of the performers on stage and as the show continued there were some truly great moments. Some were tender and emotional, others full of anger and fear. I think one section related to the Russian revolution, though this is only conjecture and I’m no expert – that’s what it said to me. Another was titled Caravan, and was accompanied by a solo drummer. The timing kept changing from 2 to 3 then 4, 5, 6 & 7 and back and forth throughout while the dancers performed a complicated tap routine. We were all very impressed. I had to leave after the show because I was performing the next day. As I drove home I felt a longing to be back there. I’m sure we’ll be meeting up again soon enough.

Like Mamma Used To Make
Last night I had the pleasure to be served a fine Italian meal cooked up by my fine Italian bass player, Emilio Montuori. Rob Clark (my drummer) and I were treated to 5 delicious courses including crostini, Parma ham and melon, lasagne (the portion sizes Emmy measures against the size of a brick), ribs, and a very rustic meat and potatoe dish. The Italians certainly know how to eat, and I believe I have an aptitude for it also. It’s my turn next, so any ideas about what I might cook up to meet the same high standards would be much appreciated.

Coming up this weekend I’m performing for a private function at The Dome in Doncaster and Saturday I’ll be appearing at Choice Bar & Restaurant in Manchester. There’s also an extra date been added at The Sands in two weeks time.

Christmas is coming!!

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:32:00 +0000

I would have been here an hour ago had I not become engrossed in season 2 of Prison Break which my housemate brought back with him last night. I became hooked on the first season and this one looks to be just as rivetting. But I’m here now and you have my full attention.

It’s the first day of advent which means only 24 days to Christmas. I have most of my Christmas shopping done, with the final few bits and pieces to do online after this. I still have my cards to write and in some cases make – I’ve made it something of a tradition to make a small amount of Christmas cards incorporating a rather festive photograph of myself (I’ll post it here when I think the time is right!) to send to some of my closest friends. It also means that I’ll be munching my way through another 23 Lindt chocolates from my advent calendar – I bit Rudolph’s head off just this morning! And finally after a month of revising I can break out the Christmas songs. I love Christmas and looking forward to it all.

On Friday night the choir that I sing with – Barnburgh Male Voice Choir – had it’s Christmas party, a very pleasant evening held at a local golf club. A three course meal was followed by singing and dancing. I sang a few numbers and even took to the floor with my sister, Becky, for a foxtrot. It’s been about 7 years since I’ve danced properly – I used to compete in ballroom and latin dance – but some of it came back to me, and Becky pushed me round for the rest!

Saturday I was playing at Choice Bar & Restaurant in Manchester where I had the pleasure to be joined by three lovely people. They sat at the piano with me for the entire evening requesting songs and joining in with nearly everything I played. The young man refrained from singing himself, telling me later that he couldn’t sing a note, but the other two seemed to know the words to everything that I played. One was a lady from Dorset (I think) who was in Manchester to visit her family friend, a girl all the way from Sydney Australia but currently living here. At the end of the evening the girl was kind enough to say that out of all the pianists/vocalists she’d seen at Choice that I was the most enjoyable which left me with a very warm appreciated feeling inside – handy because it’s really cold outside!

This weekend I’m taking a trip to Liverpool to meet up with a few of my university housemates in the city where we all met 9 years ago. I’m really looking forward to it as I haven’t been back for a number of years now. I’ll be back on Sunday in time for my lunchtime set at The Sands Venue performing from around midday.

How an Orchestra Saved Venezuela's Children

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:13:00 +0000

It’s the kind of evening when you should be curled up in front of a log fire listening to the rain rattling on the window. I’m half way there. I can hear the rain, but alas I don’t have a fire. So I’ve taken the next best step and I’m coming to you live from my bed! I watched a TV programme last week that I’d like to share with you. First of all it was a very good documentary and well worth watching, but as well as that there are some parallels with what I’m doing myself. Before I get on to that though, a quick gig review.

On Saturday I attended a friend’s wedding in Doncaster, the first of our group of friends to tie the knot. We all met at school and as the years have passed we don’t always see as much of each other as we’d like so it was good to catch up. I played for a little while during the reception which was well received by all, including my friends, some of whom had never heard me perform before, despite the fact that I've been professional now for nearly six years. The good thing about playing at a friend’s wedding I find is that there are people there to help you load up the car afterwards! I'd like to offer my congratulations to Dom and Mel. On Sunday I was at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough playing my regular lunchtime set. I’ll be back again in two weeks time which is the last date I have there in the diary at present but there may be one more during the run up to Christmas before The Sands takes a few weeks off in January. This Saturday finds be back at Choice Bar and Restaurant in Manchester performing from 8.30pm-11pm. If you’re anywhere nearby it would be great to see you there.

On Tuesday night I was at my parents’ house after having visited the gym and happened upon the BBC’s ‘Imagine’ programme, a show dedicated to culture and the arts. In their own words: “We cover culture from ballet to fashion, sculpture to hip hop, literature to Britart”. This week’s show, ‘How an Orchestra Saved Venezuela's Children’, was about a project that’s been running in Venezuela for a number of years which goes by the catchy title of Fundación del Estado para el Sistema de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela – Sistema for short. The aim of the Sistema has been to steer poor children away from drink, drug and gang related problems by providing them with musical instruments and giving them free tuition which takes place in a classical orchestral environment from the very beginning. This is very different to the way many learn to play, by studying on their own for a number of years before joining an orchestra. There are currently 275,000 children in the Sistema taking part in 125 youth orchestras. The most senior and well renowned of these is Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela which has appeared at the Proms. The snippets I saw of them perform were excellent, not just for the musicality of the orchestra but the way each young player seems to throw so much of themselves into the music. This was all particularly interesting for me because I’m currently teaching as part of a Wider Opportunities Programme in primary schools (I was recruited last year by Rob Clark, the drummer in my band) where children learn to play instruments as a class in a band environment from the start. I’m involved with both brass (cornets, trumpets, baritones, French horns and trombones) and samba drum tuition. The only difference I can see is that ours is school based and the Sistema is all done outside of school, but is still government funded. It was very inspiring to see how far this system can be taken and I was happy to see that a similar scheme was being set up in the UK, starting in Scotland with The Big Noise. You can still watch the documentary on the BBC iPlayer but be quick because it won’t be there forever.

That’s all from me this evening. Wrap up warm now!

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

And now here's a little music...

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:47:00 +0000

For one reason or another I’m feeling weary this evening and I’m currently fighting the urge to hibernate for the rest of the winter – those bears have got it right. This is mainly due to the fact that I was out late last night at a gig and had to be up this morning to teach. I was playing at Wortley Hall for the wedding of Paul and Paula Evitts, performing two sets of solo piano vocal and a few extra songs to finish off after a generous bribe! It was a fun evening. I also sang as part of Barnburgh Male Voice Choir on Friday evening at St Leonard’s & St Jude's Church in Scawsby for a concert in aid of Retinitis Pigmentosa, a genetic disorder which diminishes eyesight in its sufferers. The evening went well and the money raised will be going to aid that cause.

And here's the little music to which the title of this post refers. Back in August my band and I recorded a live gig at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough and I've now got my hands on some of the recordings. There are still some tweaks to be made here and there but please let me know what you think. As I mentioned last week the hope is to be able to put these together into some sort of a live album next year. You can take a listen to the individual tracks in the ‘My Music’ section of this blog but here is a sample montage I’ve strung together:

Click here to listen!

Coming up this week I’m playing for a private function at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough on Wednesday. I’m not quite sure what it’s for but I think it has something to do with the Mayor. I know I should know! On Saturday my friend Dom Pay gets married and I’m playing at the reception taking place here in Doncaster. Then on Sunday I’ll be back at The Sands playing during lunch. So there’s plenty to be getting on with.

Until next time,

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

New tracks - coming very soon!

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:05:00 +0000

I’ve barricaded myself into my bedroom as it’s the only room in the house I seem to be able to get comfortably warm. It’s certainly warmer than my office which is currently colder than a snowman’s cold bits. Winter appears to be stealing upon us fast. But putting the wintry weather aside, I have good news: excerpts from the show that I played at The Sands Venue back in August are finally ready. I’ve still got to choose which ones to use but I’ll have some of those up here in the next couple of days. I’ve taken a listen and they’re sounding really good (even if I do say so myself!). My hope is to put some of them together into a live album. I’m currently in talks with my designer friend, James Mulkeen (who designed my website), to come up with some album art. We’re probably looking at the New Year for that but until then you’ll be able to listen to the tracks via my site.

This weekend has been a busy one. On Saturday my band and I performed for a Ladies’ evening at the Stockport Masonic Guildhall where we were received with great enthusiasm. We were told by one of the gentlemen there that it was the first time in 9 years he’d seen the dance floor filled for the entire evening. We started out with some ballroom and latin – waltzes, foxtrots, quicksteps, tangos, cha cha chas, rumbas and jives. If you’ve been keeping up with strictly come dancing you’ll be familiar with these dances. We certainly saw some fleet footedness on the dance floor. Then, towards the end of the evening, we launched into some 60s and 70s classics which went down equally well. It was past midnight by the time we finished our second encore and it was just before 3am when I finally arrived home. The next morning however I was up and out to play at The Sands Venue for the lunchtime set, then that afternoon, as part of Barnburgh Male Voice Choir, sang for the remembrance service at Barnburgh’s St Peter’s church.

It’s a little quiter this weekend with just one private function on Sunday, playing for a wedding at Wortley Hall near Sheffield. And with Christmas just around the corner I’m already brushing up on my Christmas repertoire!

Take care and wrap up warm!

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Wedding Bells

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:58:00 +0000

It was half term last week for the schools that I teach in so I thought I’d take a little holiday from blogging and start afresh this week. I am going to keep it brief however because I have a recording to finish for my housemate. He’s a primary school teacher and needs it to use with the children in his class and I don’t want to let the kiddlies down!

So, what’s been happening? Well, I’ve had a couple of weddings, the most recent taking place at the Crown Hotel in Bawtry, just outside of Doncaster. An old school friend of mine was getting married and as well as attending the wedding itself I was asked to play during the evening reception. We had a fantastic day, beginning with a civil ceremony and then a lovely wedding breakfast before the evening event. My friend, Brett, prefers modern music, while his wife, Anne-Marie, is also a fan of swing and Rat Pack, so I tried to mix the two and it seemed to work really well. I played two sets including the newest song in my repertoire, Human, from The Killers. If you haven’t heard it take a listen because it really is a great tune. My version was less of a dance version and more laid back because it was just myself and the piano. After the buffet I played for their first dance. Both Brett and Anne-Marie are teachers and the song they chose as their first dance played on this – Wonderful World recorded by Sam Cooke:

“Don’t know much about history,
Don’t know much biology,
Don’t know much about science books,
Don’t know much about the French I took”

I had one more small role in this wedding. Earlier in the week I went to see the happy couple to help out with a few dance moves and I have to say that they did me proud on the night. Congratulations to you both.

Coming up this weekend, my band and I are playing in Stockport on Saturday at the Masonic Guildhall for a private function. Then on Sunday I’ll be performing solo piano vocals at The Sands Venue in Gainsborough for the lunchtime set.

Until next time, that’s all from me.

Scott Bramley
www.scottbramley.co.uk

Showtime!

scottbramley@gmail.com (Scott Bramley) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:43:00 +0000

Hi Folks,

On With The Show
Thanks to all of those that turned out on Friday night to support me and my band at the Pastures Lodge, Doncaster. It was a really good turnout. We kicked of the first half with standards from the Great American Songbook, from songwriters including Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and George Gershwin, and from artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr., and Bobby Darin. After the interval we mixed things up a little with some fantastic piano based rock, pop and swing, going as far back as Nina Simone and Nat King Cole all the way through Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Ray Charles to modern day material including Daniel Powter. I really love to perform these sort of gigs because they’re different to many of the private functions that we play. A little scarier in fact as everybody is watching and listening so intently! There’ll be some more gigs like this coming up in the new year.

The Aftershow Party
A few of my old housemates from university came over to watch the gig on Friday then stayed with me for the weekend - an after show party that effectively continued for two days! After the show we all hastened back to my parents place (which was nearer and much more capable of accommodating an extra five people) where we partied until the wee hours. I woke fairly early on Saturday to prepare breakfast. I’d only had a few drinks the night before because I was on stage for most of the night and had to drive back with my equipment. Three hours later, feeling a little worse for wear, they began to surface. For some breakfast seemed to bring them around. For others something else was required. So we took a walk along the river back to the venue I’d been playing the previous evening to pick up the cars we’d left. That seemed to do the trick. It was a beautiful day. The air was crisp but the sun was hot on our faces as we sat outside with a shandy (we had to drive back of course). One of our number had to head off that afternoon but for the rest of us we returned to my house where we spent a leisurely evening. We cooked a lovely meal of Spaghetti Bolognese and washed that down with yet more beer and wine. As I mentioned my house is not best set up for an extra four people which saw me sleeping on our lounge floor - it wasn’t the most comfortable night’s sleep I’ve had. Still, it’s worth a night of discomfort to be able to get together with friends I think. I might not have felt the same if I had to sleep there again however! It was Benjamin Franklin back in 1736 that said: “Fish and visitors smell in three days”. Two days was just fine and I can report no bad smells!

Coming up this weekend I’m travelling all the way to North Wales on Saturday to play for a wedding taking place at Ruthin Castle. Sounds like a cool venue! Then on Sunday I’m playing my resident gig at The Sands Venue, Gainsborough, during lunch.

Scott Bramely
www.scottbramley.co.uk