The Storms of Change

Well I realised it had been a while since my last blog post..but not quite that long! Yet another stark reminder of the swift passing of time. It would be churlish to summarise  nearly two years of news into one post, so i’m not even going to try! Those of you who have followed my progress on my pages will be in the know, but i will give a brief update on how things currently are, and the exciting changes which are now afoot.

Vocally Vintage goes from strength to strength, with an ever increasing diversity of gigs and venues, from care homes, to weddings, funeral services, parties and corporate functions. It still provides one of the most rewarding musical experiences for me, particularly my work with elderly and dementia patients and The St Elizabeth Hospice.

Chasing Storms has seen a few changes however. As creative musicians, we all evolve and grow in a very personal way, and our individual influences and tastes can move in different directions. I’m very proud of the body of work that myself and Mike have created over the past few years, and since we joined forces with Ben and Mark, we have become well known for our interpretations of  popular Jazz songs. Our own creative output however no longer fits particularly within that genre, so for the time being Chasing Storms will remain largely a live covers band. Mike’s own compositions are now mainly instrumental and have found a new lease of life with the wonderful Ingenious Gentlemen. I have yet to catch them live but hope they will perform locally very soon. Please check them out if you get the chance, they really are a talented bunch of guys! Chasing Storms will be performing next at Jazz nights at The Sorrel Horse, Chattisham in April and at The Crown, Woodbridge  in June.

As for my own songwriting, I’m very excited to currently be creating a new collection of material, and will be steadily performing and recording this over the coming year. I have the pleasure of working with some extraordinarily talented and friendly folks right here in Suffolk, most notably Kev Walford. I also have the privilege of  singing on Kev’s own material too, and we are very excited about our next gig together on Easter Sunday March 27th, supporting the supremely wonderful and award winning Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar at the next Folk At The Froize. These monthly evenings are fast establishing a great name for themselves, and we are really honoured to have been asked to perform. We are also looking forward a playing a double bill at a new music venue in Colchester in October called the Three Wise Monkeys. These great new music nights are being put together by the lovely Sophie Pol Simon at Sophie Music, who also has a brand new website showcasing her ongoing talents and success as a music promoter.

To mark these changes I have created another Facebook page to keep up to date with all the latest developments, but it won’t just be about me! What keeps everyone going is not just the music that we perform and create but the people around us. The music community in which we thrive is such a joy and inspiration to be a part of; everyone is incredibly supportive of one another and their gifts deserve to be heard and shared. I will soon be posting another blog to highlight some of the many great artists and events that we have to be proud of in here in Suffolk!

Because of all the recent musical excitement, the running has sadly taken a back seat for now, and while i successfully made it round the London Marathon course in 2015 raising money for Action Medical Research in the process, there is still unfinished business to contend with! I have yet to crack the 5hr barrier due to some poor race planning and it deflated me for a while, but I know will return to the roads and rivers steadily, along with the warmer weather I hope, and ease that goal back clearly into view!

Well that’s enough for now, and be sure to expect another post soon…before 2018 I hope!!

April in Paris, la deuxième partie!

The second instalment begins somewhere on a platform in what is well known to be the busiest train station in Europe. Paris Gare du Nord is bold, bustling and hot, yet quenched easily by the effortless Parisienne cool. Now there are many words I could use to describe myself on a day to day basis, and cool is not one of them, however, I had decided that due to the current task in hand, I was in fact (for that day at least) pretty cool. Two minutes at the Gare du Nord, and my ‘pretty cool’ status was hastily upgraded to ‘über cool’ after spotting ledge front-man of Sonic Youth indie cult band fame, Thurston Moore.* I mused for a while optimistically whether he would have felt equally cool spotting Chasing Storms jostling through crowd. Probably, not.

We fell out of the station and into our hotel adjacent, and the full magnificence of the imposing Gare du Nord neoclassical architecture became apparent. It’s no match for St Pancras but it certainly beats the unimaginative functionality of Ebbsfleet. Completed 150 years ago, the facade is adorned with more than twenty statues of female figures, each representing a destination served by the terminal. Their presence dominates the otherwise uncertain atmosphere, so I drew from the abundance of statuesque confidence, and stored it in readiness for the evening. We checked in, and I checked out my pathetic French on the unsuspecting portier, who was (sympathetically) impressed.

We had allowed a bit of time in our schedule for some sightseeing, just to remind ourselves that we were about to play in one of the most iconic capitals in the world, and hoped that some of the atmosphere would rub off on us for the gig. Fortunately we were positioned within walking distance of one of my favourite parts of the City, The Sacré Cœur and Montmartre. Being the weekend, being warm and sunny, and being the first day of the French holidays, the crowds were prodigious yet calm and laid back, and entwined themselves perfectly with the gently simmering artisan vibe and culture. Ben, already very familiar with the capital (having previously resided there) remained at the hotel, so it was myself and Mike who eventually indulged in a traditional savoury crêpe whilst perched on a street corner amongst all the artists, buskers, diners, lovers, entertainers, drinkers, dreamers, chancers, 2cv convoys, lamp posts, cherry blossom, and cheeky opportunistic sparrows.

When it was time, we pulled away with ease from the Big-Top congregation; we were here to live a dream, not dream a dream. We hurried back down through the hilly streets and back to the hotel, giving ourselves an hour to get ready for the night. For Mike, this was likely a 50min snooze and a 10min shower/change. For me it was a 60 min of shower, change, decide on clothes, moisturise, log in to wifi, make-up, decide on hair, manicure, change mind on clothes, pack shoes, jewellry, update Facebook, change mind on hair, run out of time for nails (again), negotiate an extra ten minutes for more make-up, and finally, re-arrange bag to accommodate shoes with the CD’s and flyers. It’s ritualistic chaos, but adrenalin fuelled excitement too. I arrived in the lobby sporting an updo, evening gown and baseball boots. This was Paris, no-one either noticed nor even cared.

It was rush hour, though quite impossible to ‘rush’ anywhere. I had to keep my claustrophobia firmly in check as we negotiated our way decisively through the tunnels and crowded trains across the pulsating city clutching guitars, music, stands and equipment. We made it safely to the Gare de Lyon, another historical railway station of vast proportions. It’s bewildering airport-like interior and throngs of commuters had us stalled for a while but we made it nevertheless into the stunning old part of the station, and finally laid eyes on the welcoming sight of The Montreux Jazz Café, and a life-size poster of ‘Chasing Storms’. ….to be continued!

*A more detailed and accurate account of events would reveal that it wasn’t actually me, but in fact Ben who first spotted Mr Moore and his female, guitar bearing companion. Despite his lofty frame and brooding yet unassuming rock-idol appearance , his presence would have passed me by completely had it not been for the blatant show and tell. But it’s my story, my cool story, and I can tell it how I like 😉

April in Paris, la première partie!

It’s hard to believe (for me at least) that I’m actually typing this on The Eurostar train on the way to Paris, on the way to a gig, with my band, to sing songs that we’ve written. I was sent a picture during the week, of our poster outside the Montreux Jazz Cafe in the Gare de Lyon. That’s when it all started to seem ‘real’. Yet I was still scared to go to sleep last night incase I woke up to find it had all been but a wild fanciful dream of momentary fame and international stardom (cough). But no, we have just exited the tunnel on the French side, it’s a sunny spring day, and we are thundering along nicely towards the capital.

The previously daunting task of singing in Harrods now seems a mere warm-up compared to this. I’m sure it would feel the same in reverse for a European artist to come to London, however the increase in pressure is quite significant. Not only is there the psychological language barrier to overcome (although I’m not expecting, or indeed expected to converse in fluent French with the audience) but there’s also the perceived idea that to travel this far to perform, you must be good! So then, I wonder, will the universal language of music transcend all the barriers and break down the fears?

As a nation we are pretty lazy when it comes to speaking other languages. Not only that, we are lazy when it comes to listening to other languages too. For most the only exposure to foreign music is the annual farcical feeding frenzy that is The Eurovision Song Contest. Or course, other countries are used to listening to English lyrics, and I think on the whole this gives Europeans much wider palates and broader minds when it comes to accepting new music.

Or not. I could just be kidding myself, but at the moment, I am being positive and optimistic about how we will be received by our new audience. I need to stop worrying about my rusty subjunctives or word gender sexism, and concentrate on being English, and just doing my thing.

The weekend has a very slight tinge to it though because tomorrow is of course the London Marathon, which I had secured a place in. Thankfully I have been able to defer till next year, but it won’t stop me from thinking of all those I know who are taking part tomorrow, and remembering again what a momentous day that was in 2011 when I first ran. I will never forget that day, and I’ll never forget this one…however it goes! It took three blogs to cover that one day…..I wonder if today will be as eventful! A la prochaine!

A Tale of Two Cities

When I was a little girl, if we were in London, for a treat my mother would often take me to Harrods. I remember being mesmerised by its maze like interior; corridor after corridor running through never-ending rooms filled with luxurious displays of the very finest wares that money can buy. I recall also, standing in awe within the grandiose splendour of the Food Hall, speculating as to just how many people actually had the privilege of doing the weekly shop there. One could argue that its status now is more that of a tourist attraction than a shop, but to me, it is still as exciting a place to be as ever, and it buzzes constantly with all the energy and cultural richness of Heathrow airport. Because of all this, singing there the other week was not only an enormous privilege, but also an incredible, if yet surreal experience, and one that I don’t think any of us will ever forget.

We arrived at the back of the store at half past three to a security escort who took us to the Montreux Jazz Café on the third floor, and by four o clock we were sound checking. This was a strange experience in itself, because as soon as you start to sing and play, people start to look and listen! It’s then that you realise the enormity of what you are about to do, and if there are nerves to be felt at all, then this is the time! Things were about to get even stranger though, because the Café then began to fill with friends and family that had travelled some way to see us, but there were at least three groups who turned up as a complete surprise! It was very emotional and humbling to have so much support, and it’s fair to say I was in a state of mild shock by the beginning of our set! It’s tempting to suggest that no-one actually believed we were playing there and had to witness it with their very own eyes…but the truth is that it was me who had the most trouble believing it was real!! This really was a very special occasion, and I had been treated by my boyfriend to a five star weekend in the capital to mark the event. For Mike it was special also, as it was the start of a week long birthday celebration that then continued in Morrocco. It was lovely to meet the rest of his family whom I had heard so much about over the years. A big thank you to everyone who came, especially Steve Stoddart our videographer, who took the brilliant photos below.

At 5 o clock we had 1 hour to showcase the best of our original songs as well as a few carefully chosen covers. Our new bass player was as cool as a cucumber throughout, but for Mike and myself, this moment was such a milestone, not only within our history together as Chasing Storms but within our entire respective music careers. Wanting to be true professionals though, we did our best to hide our nerves, smile, and just enjoy the moment! We played a mixture of material, from the first song we wrote together, ‘The Mists of Avalon’ to the four that will be on our new EP, together with a brand new song finished only the week before. As this song is yet untitled, we gave our audience the challenge of giving it a name; a challenge they rose to very graciously, however it still remains wanting! We made it successfully to the end of our set, and even got asked for an encore. Fortunately we had ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ up our sleeves, which went down well too.
After bidding our farewells to friends and family, and being escorted underground through one more final security check, it was time to relax and enjoy the rest of our evening in the city with our respective loved ones. Every moment over the last few weeks had built up to that one singular moment, so it was difficult to know just what to do with myself after, but as long as it involved a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc, I was happy!

So…what next? How do you follow a gig like that? Well, how about the Montreux Jazz Café again, but this time in Paris? Yes please! April in Paris!!! So, on 12th, we will be heading to the French Capital for another 1 hour showcase at the Gare de Lyon! Now, the more astute of you will have noticed that this date clashes with the weekend of The London Marathon, so it’s with a certain amount of sadness that I have had to defer my precious place until next year. I was disappointed, however it has proved to be a blessing in disguise because I have been able to devote my time completely to Chasing Storms, which is a privilege in itself.

With less than six weeks to go before we board the EuroStar, there is still lots to do. All the recording for the EP is finished, but we still have the mastering, artwork and CD production to complete. This Saturday 8th March we will be live on Felixstowe radio, and on 21st March playing live at The Douglas Bader in Martlesham. We will be gob-smacked if half as many friends and family turn up in Paris as they did in London….but the way my life is going at the moment, you just never know!!