Looking Back, Looking Up, and Looking Good!!

In exactly a week, three members of Chasing Storms will be in the Montreux Jazz Cafe in Harrods, ready to give a one hour showcase of our original music with a few covers thrown in too for good measure. At the risk of repeating myself, it is, in equal parts, both totally terrifying, and extremely exciting. We have a miniature army of dedicated supporters making the journey to Knightsbridge too, so a celebratory atmosphere will be inevitable I think, but with only seven days to go, feelings are running high in Camp Storms!
Earlier this week FB celebrated ten years by giving (nearly) everyone a video short of their very own to reminisce with. Whether you loved them, or got sick of the novelty within half an hour (the spoofs were hilarious too) mine definitely struck a chord. It started and ended with a picture of the children (growing all too fast), and included a picture of our dear departed Tash, as well as some key moments I’ve shared with friends and family. Some things were a bit random, but it was the poster of one of our first gigs (Kelly and The Footnotes at The Turks Head in Hasketon), followed by a recent status update showing our current position in the Reverbnation Jazz charts that is pertinent here.
We recently appeared at an Acoustic Showcase at the John Peel Center. It was lovely to be back in the building where we shot our video, but the best part about it was being able to watch all the other acts. Every member of the audience is there to listen to, and support the independent artists and the centre itself, so they are very attentive and forgiving. On that particular night the line-up stretched right the way across the spectrum, in both age and genre, and it reminded me of how I felt when we first began as a group. In 2009 I was a returning musician. Returning, because over a decade earlier I had all but given up on singing, having allowed myself to be convinced by others that I didn’t have what it took, that I couldn’t write decent enough songs, that I was getting too old (at 24!) and I wasn’t prepared to do ‘anything’ to get somewhere. I see unbelievable talent everywhere, in young people who have the time, funds, skills, support and dedication to go far, but many never get there (wherever ‘there’ is) and it’s this knowledge that nearly prevented me from beginning again. I’m so very glad I chose to ignore all that, you have to follow your heart, not everyone else.
The night after the John Peel was Burns night and myself and Mike had been asked to sing at a private party. As well as performing we were also invited to dine as guests on Haggis Neaps n Tatties, and consequently had the privilege of conversing with a fascinating group of new people. We were completely spoilt and felt so very appreciated. We left on such a high….because it’s the heart of what we do. While I was there, someone asked me what the plan was, and where we wanted to go. I truthfully couldn’t answer that…because last year, of all the places I could have wished to sing in, I would never have thought to include Harrods!
The plan I believe is to keep moving up, keep loving what we’re doing, and keep doing what we love. Whether we are in somebody’s home, or in the worlds most famous department store, being able to sing songs you have written yourself and songs you love by other people, whilst giving pleasure to those listening AND getting paid to do it all (MOST of the time) really is a major achievement. So, next week I’ll be looking forward, and looking into the faces of all the amazing people who have believed in what do from day one. We have already come a long way, things are looking good, the rest is all a big fat bonus!

Happy News Year!!

Yesterday we received our promotional material for what is without a doubt, our most important and significant gig to date. Even though we had kept the news excitedly under our high-hats for a while, it still hadn’t quite sunk in until I saw it in print, before my very own eyes.
It all came about after a chance gig at the Steamboat in Ipswich last year, where we had the pleasure of meeting the very delightful Sophie Pol Simon. Sophie presents a radio programme that showcases new artists from Europe and beyond, and being French herself, she has an excellent ear for music that transcends the traditional musical borders between Britain and the ‘mainland’. She was there that night to promote Singer-Songwriter Gion Stump, who had travelled over from Switzerland to perform. We were fortunate to be supporting him (along with the wonderful Reb Capper), and we even managed to sing a spontaneous duet together, that later found it’s way onto youtube! Sophie showed an immediate enthusiasm for us, and was keen to play our music on her show. Naturally we obliged, and she then brought us in the studio for a one hour Chasing Storms special. We felt hounoured to be given that sort of opportunity.
Little did we know that behind the scenes Sophie was also working closely with a very exclusive and internationally acclaimed management team. One day I received a call that threw a totally new and brilliant light on our career together as Chasing Storms and Sophie offered us a Showcase at the kind of venue you can only ever dream of playing in. In order to promote the event, they required a full HD video of us, which we didn’t yet have! So, it was all hands on deck last month to create one for our track ‘Lighthouse’, and if you happen to be inside this particular place in the next four weeks, you may catch a glimpse of it showing alongside the Elevators!
So, without further ado, it is my humble pleasure to share with you our ‘Chasing Storms’ showcase special, on Saturday February 15th, 5-6pm, live at the Montreux Jazz Cafe, situated on the third floor of Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, London. We would love to see you there!!