2010 - looking forward to a great year...

One of my friends told me that her New Year Resolution was 'fearless'. When I asked her why, she said 'because great things can happen'. I like that. So much that I have now adopted it as my New Year Resolution - imitation is the greatest form of flattery they say. When I say my New Year Resolution, that would be alongside the perennial less chocolate, less biscuits, more exercise - so brain numbingly predictable.

Anyway, on to music, and I really ought to get to music as it has been a bit of a while since the album launch gigs which were pretty much the last time I was out and about. There is a good reason. Brain surgery. I reckon that must be up there on the best reasons to take a break from gigging list. Big scars don't really come across well on stage, and I must say the latest rummage around in my head seemed to knock the stuffing out of me more than those before. I've also been going best of three falls with my newest acquisition, temporaI lobe epilepsy, which, in short, is horrible. I've been having a quick snooze at all times of day, and then of course not sleeping much at night, which has been somewhat limiting to getting out and about. I've also been rather weak and feeble (no really) so have not had the energy to do much except shop on the internet and chill out in the local cafe with the occasional lemon poppyseed muffin for company. I had to do something to keep my spirits up... I was certainly perked up reading the fab review of my CD in Jazzwise magazine in December and also the mention of my album in the 'A Few of My Favourite Things 2009' article in December's Jazz UK. I have also found myself bursting in to song again which is a good sign that I'm ready to get back out and about. Watch this space.

I've just had a great Christmas with all my family coming to stay here at my new house. Fab. The house in now looking pretty darned gorgeous following a rather long catalogue of repairs and decoration. It seems the previous occupants took the bodge it approach to structural and other issues in the house so I've spent some considerable time and money getting those sorted. Oh how I laughed... Much of the major issues coming to light while I was in hospital having my brain surgery. I'll let you imagine the scene. Anyway, on to phase 24 (I have been here since July 29th so one has to get one with things). Next week, the builders arrive to start putting a pitched roof on the flat roofed end bit of the house. At the moment, it's a bit yucky and damp and cold and a sort of no man's land. By mid April it should be a lovely office, a large vaulted ceiling lounge come music room (with log burning stove), a utility room and a wet room. Hooray!! You never know, there has been talk between myself and my very good music friends of potentially having some kind of jazz sessions down here - workshops, gatherings. I think that would be a great way to put the space to work. Anyway, lets hope the whole process is relatively stress free - hahahahahahahaha!

Looking forward to getting back into the saddle with the singing and hope to see you at gigs around and about soon. Happy New Year y'all and see you soon.

Rx

Find Yourself in My Shoes - you can now!

The new album has hit town.  I have taken delivery of the beautiful looking fab sounding CD and it will soon be available through Amazon, iTunes, hopefully JazzCDs and with luck directly through my website using a credit card pay facility.  

To whet your appetite, you can now listen to clips from the album on my website  www.rachelbrand.com  and on my MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/rachelbrandjazz.  I have fettled the clips myself - Joe 'The Finger' Leach I hope you're proud of me.  More clips will be added soon but I can only fettle so many at once...

For now, if you are in desperate need of a copy of the album, and I can understand it if you are, just mail me a cheque or deposit cash in to my account, the princely sum of £10.  Email me your address if I don't have it already and I will send one by my own fair hand through the high tech mailing facility that is Croyde Post Office.

One thing I have to apologise for - on the "Thank You" section of the CD, the opening thanks are for the band.  In the original copy, this said thanks to Mike, Mike, Mark, Steve, Paul and Damon, there having been two Mikes in the band.  This led to the highly amusing and true anecdote that the tune to Pugh, Pugh Barney McGrugh, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub flew in to my mind.  If you don't recognise these names, you are too young, go to bed.  Anyway, the over zealous spell check function on the copy writer's software must have removed this duplication, and my proof reading capabilities not being what they once were - Specky One Eye and all that - it slipped through with just one Mike.  Sorry x million.  There were TWO, that's 2, Mikes and they were both utterly brilliant.  One might have eaten slightly more biscuits but hey, who was counting?

Big gig news - there will be two album launch gigs.  The first is in London at The 606 on Wed June 24th, the second at The Broomhill Art Hotel, Barnstaple on Wed 1st July.  You will be able to buy copies of the CD at both gigs and I might even sign them...  Please, please come and support me at the gigs and once I've worked out who we collectively need to  bombard with requests to play tracks from my album, I will supply you with a list, email addresses, times and places.  Do you think these things just happens spontaneously?!  Pah! 

Enjoy the new music.  Hope you love it and don't forget to let me know what you think!

Rx

Find Yourself in My Shoes has arrived!!!

Delighted to say that I have taken delivery of my very gorgeous CD.  I now realise I need to get my a**e into gear and sort out how to get it on iTunes, Amazon and all those other places it ought to be.  I am hoping that you will soon be able to get FYIMS through the website www.jazzcds.co.uk and also hoping to have a cunning pay method thing on my website so you can do the business right here.  The design is fantastic so you are going to love how it looks.  More importantly, it sounds pretty brilliant, though I say it myself so there's plenty to get your ears into.  Keep coming back and there will be reviews and updates as it finds its way out there.  Enjoy.

Rx

CD update

"Find Yourself In My Shoes" is the chosen title for the new album and its finely honed mixes are now on their way to mastering, the final stage before pressing.  Of course there is the small matter of album cover design to negotiate and while I'm not striving for any Sgt. Pepper like awards it would be nice to come up with something perky/sassy/fab at the very least.  I have the photographic raw materials and am currently working with my top (of course) designer to come up with some ideas.  Not sure what blurb needs to go on the cover and all the fine detail stuff but I think I've jumped through the required MCPS and ISRC hoops so it should surely be plain sailing from here on in... oh how I laugh.

I will of course be back as soon as there are more concrete details as to where and when.  Oh buddy, it'll run you nutty when you find yourself in my shoes...

Rx

Valentine's Day.... oh for goodness sake.

Hmmm - can't quite believe I'm remotely bothered.  I'm not, of course, but let's say I HAVEN"T SEEN ANY CARDS POPPING THROUGH THE DOOR AND THERE ARE NO FLOWERS HEADING MY WAY except for the daffs I bought myself.  Hey ho.  Mind you, the post man hasn't arrived yet - or has just flattened himself against the wall and made his was hastily past so as not to be harrassed by me.  Only joking of course...

It was sunny for a day a couple of days ago.  And it's almost verging on warm.  Nice.  Spring is here, why doesn't my heart go dancing..?  Cue for a song.

Have a nice day now.

Rx

CD almost done, great gig in Appledore and fab Christmas presents...

It's almost the end of January and I can remember all the Christmas presents I got this year.  I know that sounds a bit weird but I would be lying if I said I had never gotten to 1st Feb having forgotten my Christmas haul.  What an ungrateful old bag.  Still, the reason I can remember this year is because I got the best Christmas presents ever. I got a set of Sabatier knives which I use every day; a giant (and I'm talking colossal) beanie bag which I sit in every day - and in which I have broken the world record for falling asleep in front of the telly; I got the most brilliant Gaggia capsule coffee maker which makes real coffee from capsules - great name then - with no fuss and no mess, something else I use every day; I got a brilliant mug from my niece, Lottie, which says on it "I'd rather be adored, spoiled and pampered" - she picked this out especially for me and bought it herself and it slightly concerns me that she has me so totally sussed at the age of 9; and I got a case on wheels which I cunningly got before Christmas to replace a trusty, well worn servant - he was just wheezing and couldn't keep up.  So, my life has been thoroughly enriched by fab pressies from fab family.  Thanks x million.

Great gig at North Devon Jazz Club in Appledore last week.  Fab band - Craig Milverton, Al Swainger and Gary Evans - and a top crowd.  Nice one.  I might have mentioned my new CD once or twice... possibly more.  It's going to be called "Find Yourself In My Shoes" and is currently in second mixing tweak stage - that's a technical term and I don't expect you to understand it.  I'm having photos done this weekend.  Wish I'd managed to maintain my cake free regime...  We might have to talk airbrushing or use jaunty angles.  Then it's artwork, mastering and manufacture.  Oh, and purchase - that's you by the way.

And one more thing, my excellent neighbours have just launched the holding webpage for their gorgeous new B&B.  I urge you to check out www.homehousecroyde.co.uk immediately and book a room before they are full up.  They are right next door to me so we get to do stuff and if you stay there, I don't have to do any cleaning up once you've gone.  Erm, I mean you get your own bathroom. Really gorgeous and by far the best front door in the whole of Devon.  

Watch out for more news on the CD.  I'll be sure to let you know when it's ready for action.

Rx

Cowshed comes up trumps - great recording session

So, the tunes are in the can.  Fantastic.  What a four days we had.  More chocolate and biscuits consumed than can possibly be good for a jazz crew and that was just Mike Walker... Only joking!  Totally excellent band - Mike Walker, Mike Gorman, Steve Watts and Mark Fletcher with Paul Booth and Damon Brown thrown in for good measure.  Ian Shaw shed a most insightful and laid back producerial (if that isn't a word, it ought to be) aura over the whole affair and the man with the finger, well, that has to be Joe Leach.  What a superstar.  How anyone can push a button with such precision I do not know.  You will certainly be hearing the fruits of his labours so you will be able to tell for yourself.  Top tunes which I couldn't possibly divulge at this moment.  Oh, and I must not forget Eamon Bourke who dropped in to the mayhem and malarkey on the second day of recording to take some 'in action' shots.  You will also get a sneaky peak at some of these once they wing my way and I get them loaded up on to the website.  All very exciting.  We're mixing 18th-20th December and the whole shebang should be sorted by early 2009 - that probably means Februaryish.  Can't decide what to call the album at the moment so any suggestions welcome.  This means I haven't really decided what to put on the front cover - decisions, decision...

So, a quick hospital round up next week then it's pretty much the run in to Christmas - whey hey!  I love Christmas. 

Do you know, I had friends round for tea last night and after they left, I ate the whole remaining half of a fruit crumble that I made for tea.  I had to fess up to that as it has been on my mind all morning.  Please bring me back my ability to walk past all things cake without having to eat them.  At least I went for my second session of pilates of the week this morning.  Good excuse to have a long, luxuriating bath later on.

New late news gigs - Croyde Village Hall, Saturday 13th December and NEW YEAR'S EVE at AT ONE in Braunton where they are doing a black tie dinner type affair.  Should be great.  Next up though is The Toucan in Bampton on Friday which I believe is sold out.  Lovely.

Wrap up warm - sounds like it is going to be a cold one this weekend.

Rx