Happy Old Year!

So the final words of my last posting said that i’d hoped to get another one in before 2018! That wasn’t quite the intention, and it’s been far too long, but inspired by the posting of a friend’s blog yesterday, I’m getting back to doing this!

2016 was simply an amazing year, and very welcome, following on from 2015 which was, shall we say, not so good..but that’s the way of life, it ebbs and flows, and we take the bad to appreciate the good! Most notably was the introduction of Mat into my life. Having first met briefly through music, then latterly due to a chance meeting in Ipswich at Christmas 2015, we connected  and bonded a few days later at a party over our shared experiences with Brain Tumours. Not a pleasant subject, having lost dear Tash to the disease and speaking to Mat as a sufferer of one himself, however, if ever there was proof of something great coming from a bad situation, then this was it! Ironically, and most poignantly, it was the presence of Paul Daniels in Ipswich that day that led to mine and Mat’s subsequent meeting, but no-one knew then, not even Paul, about his Brain Tumour. We were very moved and saddened by his death just a few weeks later, and he will always be our magic man, performing one last magical spell that day! This January we joined together to create ‘Mat’s Walk and Talk Challenge’, an incredible month long project to get people to join together to make friends, get fitter, and simultaneously raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity. A separate blog will be created for that, but to find out more visit the Just Giving or Facebook page. So far we have raised nearly £19,000!!

As well as watching Mat’s band ‘The Broadside Boys‘ go from strength to strength last year and supporting them on their journey, in turn Mat has been a huge support and help to me and Kev Walford as we embarked on our own musical journey too. We’ve done wonderful things so far: released two e.p’s ‘Acoustic Sessions‘ 1 & 2, supported Reg Meuros and Russell and Algar, opened the stage at Folk East, played Ipswich Music Day, Cambridge Folk Club and Folk Festival, Ely Folk in the Town, featured in a week long session on BBC Radio Suffolk with Stephen Foster, collaborated with Honey & The Bear ..as well as many many more wonderful gigs and projects that took us all over East Anglia. We finished the year with a fun performance at The Froize for NYE, returning to the venue of our first real gig while joining forces with Mat to create ‘The Max Hayfield Quartet’. Not only was it magical night of music and friendship, but it also marked the first anniversary  together  for me & Mat, a very special time for us.

Vocally Vintage still makes occasional appearances too, as does Chasing Storms with various different line ups,  but the Jazz has taken a temporary back seat to the original Americana and Folk project with Kev. Stay up to date with mine and Kev’s progress on Facebook, or on the webpage.

So there was a very brief summary of 2016! I have no doubt that 2017 will be just as special, as we write new music, release Acoustic Sessions 3, as Mat embarks on his well deserved first National tour with Eric alongside Richard Digance, as more money is raised for The Brain Tumour Charity and yet more incredible  friendships are forged along the way, thanks not only to the music, but the Walk & Talks, as they continue throughout the year.

I still have Kansas in my sights, and the red shoes will always be there and waiting in the wardrobe; but as for my running shoes…will they be dusted off for one last crack at a marathon next year? Better watch this space to find out!

Kelly x

April in Paris, la troisième (et dernière) partie!

From the moment we stepped into the Montreux Jazz Café at the Gare de Lyon, nothing was like I had ever experienced a gig before. The seating area outside the front of the Café alone is larger than the space in Harrods, and the interior is bigger still, with beautiful elevated ceilings, chic diner decor, and most importantly, a stylish and perfectly sized stage with the Montreux logo emblazoned across the back. We were immediately greeted on our arrival….and I mean REALLY greeted….by everyone there! The sound and lighting engineers, the food and beverages manager, the floor manager and the front of house team all came over to shake our hands, introduce themselves, and offer their service for the evening. They hadn’t just been expecting us, they had clearly been looking forward to our arrival for quite sometime. They couldn’t do enough for us, and this made us feel very special indeed, something that can go a very long way when it comes to putting on a good show. Within a few minutes we had refreshments, an area to display our promo, somewhere to store our belongings, front row reserved seating for friends and family, and an extremely thorough and detailed soundcheck was underway. Even a trip to the toilets was out of the ordinary! The attendant was precious about my feet being on the (perfectly clean) floor while I changed my shoes, and a little girl washing her hands fixated on me putting the finishing touches to my make up, while I made out the words ‘tres Jolie’ spoken by her mother. Clearly, something special was expected from all these people, and I just hoped and prayed that we wouldn’t disappoint them.

After the sound check we were in for a lovely surprise. First, both Mike’s Mother and Sister appeared having spent a few days already holidaying in the city, followed by Sophie who arrived with some very special family members of her own. It was uncertain for a while whether she would be able to make it due to family commitments, but I’m so pleased she did. She was responsible for us being there and has been such an important part of our journey recently, it just wouldn’t have been the same without her! Another really special surprise for me was having an old school friend turn up during the set; it was the first time we had met in over twenty years….and she really hadn’t changed a bit.

It was time to begin, and the surprises weren’t over yet. As I positioned myself behind my microphone, I noticed that the many TV screens around the room (AND outside) had gone blank. Thinking they had just paused the current programming out of courtesy, I got one hell of a shock when I then noticed ourselves on all of them!! There would be people throughout the venue who would be able to see me, yet I wouldn’t be able to see them! It was a very scary thought, but I realised quickly that too long spent contemplating that would start to knock back all the confidence I had built up since arriving.

Now this may seem a little strange, but what happened over the next hour is actually a bit of a blur! The brain goes into overdrive during a gig…it’s a multi-tasking, multi-thinking, multi-thrilling experience…only this time with added multi-lingual too! Speaking in French is good, not speaking in French is bad, speaking in bad French is very bad. With this in mind, I kept it basic and let Ben translate for me…although I did manage a few whole sentences towards the end! The lay out of the Café means that not all the diners have a direct view of the stage which is why they have the TV screens, however, to my amazement it didn’t stop people from standing up and moving towards the stage to get a better view, many of whom were taking pictures and videos too. It was both thrilling and humbling, and just as I had debated in part 1, the audience were as I had hoped, extremely open to, and appreciative of our new music.

The hour soon came around, and we were delighted to be asked to play a couple of encores. It was a real watershed moment for us. You are often told in life to believe in what you do, and not everyone will appreciate what you do, but you don’t change it if it feels right, you just make it better. You have to keep searching for your audience, and when you do find it, it feels just like coming home. I felt VERY at home on that stage in Paris….so maybe THAT was my homecoming gig after all!

The gig finished with a shower of praise and wonderful compliments, and we sold some CD’s too which was lovely. The wonderful hospitality continued, and we were treated to a complimentary meal and drink which we shared while getting to know our new friends, and catching up with the old. While the Café closed up for the night, we definitely weren’t ready to, so, accompanied by my school friend we headed back to Gare du Nord in search of suitable bar to finish winding down in for the evening and take it all in! It was a huge relief to be sitting at a table in Paris, wine in hand, amongst good company, and feeling very proud to have done what we did. It was very poignant too to be sat reminiscing, not specially about the old old days, but about what we have learnt and acquired since. I have always been envious of studious and academic business types with a comfortable and regular income, but I am reminded every now and again, that just as many of them will envy what I do even more. Few well paid jobs are really that stable anymore and life can change in a heartbeat, so it’s reassuring to feel that my future is in my hands and no-one else’s, and that’s just the way I like it. Throw in a lot of faith and a little bit of luck, and I may just be heading home a little more often…..metaphorically speaking of course!

It was then time to head for a different sort of home. After just a few hours sleep we scurried for the train across the road, grabbed a couple of pastries and coffee and made ourselves comfortable on the Eurostar. I thought sleep would have overcome me, but my mind was alight with excitement and anticipation about the future of Chasing Storms. I had a very inspiring conversation with Ben about it, although we did have to amuse ourselves for a while too completing the Euro Star customer satisfaction survey.
Question: Was the reason for your journey business or pleasure?
Answer: Definately both!

I’m going to leave you with the song we closed our set with. Many thanks to Sophie and her family for all the lovely photos and video. À Bientôt!

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!