Concert Season

I have learned today that Christmas jumpers, especially of the cheap and cheerful* variety are rather too warm to wear in a heated office. How on earth have we got to December 12^th already? I only have three more days of work before Christmas, and rather more than three days’ work to do. (This blog is my lunch hour – I am typing whilst eating an (apparently) seasonal Brie and Grape sandwich.)

Concert season starts tomorrow, with Voxcetera’s Christmas concert in Tufnell Park – details here if you are a) interested and b) reading this within about 24 hours of publication. And my parents are coming down for the weekend. Largely to see me and the kids, but they have timed it to see Vox for the first time. I am sure they won’t be disappointed.

And then starting Monday evening I am into the Albert Hall run of Monday, Thursday, Saturday (twice) and Tuesday (23^rd) with a diversion via Birmingham Symphony Hall on Monday 22^nd. A very different animal from Voxcetera, but if you are going to see any of Jonathan Cohen’s 'Christmas Singalong's, do wave. I won’t have a hope in hell of seeing you, but it’s the thought that counts (in joke - see last blog).

In other news, I did wonder whether I should bother with a Christmas tree this year. But how can you not? There was a period in my life from about say 16 – 25 when I got very turned off by Christmas – the childhood magic had gone and it just seemed like commercialism etc. Having kids of my own rekindled it definitely – there are few better things than watching a three-year-old unwrap Christmas presents. Now they are all past the ‘magic’ stage – my youngest is 14, and although I've never had the difficult dad-son conversation with any of my three (the one about Father Christmas I mean) I don’t *think* he believes any more (and he’s lost all his milk teeth so the Tooth Fairy has passed into history too).

But I still feel that Christmas is something special. Yes, it is too commercial. No, I'm not religious so the Baby Jesus thing isn't a thing for me. But it is still a time when the country pauses and allows the work-life pendulum to swing decidedly too far in the ‘life’ direction for a week. I think that singing in front of 30,000-odd people (some very odd) who are out to enjoy themselves does engender the Christmas spirit. As do the parties and gatherings that happen at this time of the year.

For me it will be a nice mix – plenty of group stuff in the run up, and then some quiet time to recharge over the actual holiday (though I am being catered for on Christmas day). Might do a spot of busking as well I think… And then once the holiday is over I can get to thinking about what next year holds – am I going to carry on with blogging, is there another musical challenge ahead of me, should I write a book (or take to the stage)? [bonus point if you get that reference].

But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. For now, Let’s enjoy the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

* i.e. £12 from Primark

The Ghost of Christmas Presents.

Apologies to any Dickens fans for that title...

Well, it's been a while. But, like the best of friendships I'm hoping we can be straight back to being comfortable with each other right away, as if the gap had never happened. Right?

Its a little over four weeks since I wrote and it's just been so busy that I haven't had the time. Am typing this on train to work, but imagine I will not finish it until lunchtime, but I've been busy enough that any time I've had with a clear diary I've either needed to do the shopping/washing etc, or I have needed to sleep.

So, what have I been doing you ask? Plenty of rehearsals - for gigs with Voxcetera - gig Saturday 13th - come along, Albert Hall gigs, and Ukulele gigs too (less rehearsing for these to be fair). Plus socialising, trying to make the most of the nice weather - which seems to be back today - by getting out and about and thinking about / planning Christmas things.

As ever, the thought of buying Christmas presents fills me with dread and panic. 'Oh, it's the thought that counts' is a phrase I have always viewed with as much suspicion as 'size isn't important', 'it's what's on the inside that counts' etc.

At least with kids you get a list - and adding a surprise or two to that isn't difficult. This year, not only have I got a list from one, he has helpfully (no irony intended - I mean this) linked it to the relevant Amazon entries. If only he could have done it as a wish list, he could have saved me six clicks, but pretty good. And the others just want money, which is a pretty dull present but I was the same as a teenager.

Parents (who have everything they need and dislike clutter etc, so don't want to have things they don't need) are a difficult one though. But easy compared to friends - I'm not going to get disinherited for a 4/10 Xmas gift...

Mind you, I can't be an easy person to buy for. A book or music you think? Yes, but a good chance I've got or borrowed it already. Unless it involves Russell Brand. But if you know me well enough to buy a present you would know not to buy that.

If somebody asks me what I would like, I honestly have no idea at all. It's not particularly that I want to be surprised, it's just that my mind is a blank in that area. And that is an area very adjacent to the 'good ideas for presents for others' and indeed seems to share the same tumbleweeds.

Given I'm not going down the route of The Voucher (other than perhaps for those who are geographically remote) my strategy is to walk up and down the aisles of shops until I receive some sort of divine inspiration. Which just, short term, exchanges the uncertainty over what to buy with one for whether I bought the right thing. Which will by 25/12 be itself replaced with the knowledge that I didn't, or an uncertainty as to whether it was really appreciated or they were just saying that.

Be honest - am I over-analysing here? I am, aren't I?

Right - first 20 minutes of lunchtime used up in posting this - off to wander the Whitgift centre now in search of ideas. Wish me luck.

From gigs to pigs

Last Thursday saw my first ever ukulele gig, and what a blast it was. Performing in a benefit at Streatham's famous Hideaway club with some members of Balham Ukulele Society, we did a range of songs from Jonny Cash through to Keston Cobblers Club, stopping off at the Everly Brothers, the Jungle Book and many others on the way.

It felt a good tight performance (OK - I have no direct experience to compare it with) and it seemed to go down really well with the audience. We then got back on stage at the end with closing act MyFlat, to do a couple of numbers, which also felt great.

On Saturday I was back in audience mode when a couple of mates were singing at an open mic in Streatham - and very good they were too, and then a further uke practice on Sunday.

In the meantime, I took the boys to Bodeans in Balham. If you don't know the place - well, where to start? Brash, very 'American style' - lots of noise and sport, and above all lots of animal produce. Looked like a huge selection of interesting beers too, though none of us went near them.

Really not the sort of place to go as a delicate vegetarian or indeed an eater of small portions. I watched them as they polished off probably about an entire animal between the three of them, and then followed it with waffles and chocolate ice-cream. They loved it, and for that sort of family or quite-blokeish do, it was perfect. I suspect that if you wanted a quiet or romantic dinner for two, you would be better pretty much anywhere, including Nandos or the local chippy.

Rehearsals continue apace for Christmas gigs (with uke ones now figuring in the list as well as two different lots of choir stuff of course), and to close the musical journey, I'm off to see Difford and Tilbrook (as in Squeeze)at the Union Chapel on Saturday - should be fun.

All this doesn't leave a lot of time for sitting around and having a restful evening, so I am pleased that I am managing to keep reading. I must admit though that looking through the year, quality has not held up as well as quantity. Heavy tomes do not work well when I am tired, so it's been pretty fiction-based. 

I've just finished the three volumes of S M Stirling's Draka series - which is an alternate reality, dystopian nightmare - a bit like Croydon in that way I suppose. Bought in part because I like alt-history stuff, but largely because it was incredibly cheap on Amazon. It was OK. I think my slight disquiet is that it is written about some pretty nasty people (minor spoiler but necessary - the Draka is a civilisation based on slavery - the competing Alliance is based on tech) and because it is written in a point of view style (Game of Thrones-like) you start feeling sympathy with people for whom you should clearly have none. 

This sort of thing shouldn't matter - either the book entertains (and to be fair, it did - in a geeky way) or it does not, but there was an unease. There is no doubt Stirling does not advocate slavery, torture etc, but they weren't really eyes I wanted to look through.

Now looking for the next thing to read. As my search is based on 'Science Fiction under a quid' the same experience is entirely likely to occur.

What ever happened to plate-spinning acts?

It's been a fairly quiet weekend, for which I am quite grateful. Not sure if 'burning the candle at both ends' is the appropriate phrase, but I've had quite a few late nights in the last couple of weeks - a mixture of rehearsals, evenings in the pub that have gone on just a bit longer than they should have etc. So I took the opportunity Saturday and Sunday to recharge and do nothing more than have a wander around and a trip to the gym etc, and make use of my extra hour to sleep in a bit.

From here on in, weekends are starting to hot up with more rehearsals - this year I am doing a good number of gigs at the Albert Hall with London Concert Chorus, plus Voxcetera's Christmas concert on 13th (only one gig but lots of music to learn, plus at least one Xmas gig with Balham Ukulele Society - which will be songs I know, but do not know on the Uke. So there is a lot of practising to do as well. This may come across as a moan - it really isn't - I love doing this sort of stuff (otherwise why would I...) but put it on top of the usual social whirl and it all gets quite busy.

Other than that, work continues on apace. We've had a number of people out over the last month - a mixture of conferences and holidays and the colds and 'flu that are always around at this time of year. I'm hoping that now everyone is back I will be able to move things forward rather than just feel like one of those circus plate-spinning acts. (What happened to them - as a kid you couldn't go a fortnight without seeing one on TV - presumably they are all working in call centres or stacking shelves?)

And it's my birthday next week - which really isn't a big deal - I've reached the age where even the ones ending in a '5' aren't a big deal (this one doesn't) - it's pretty much only the decades you want to commemorate. But it's an excuse for a bit of a celebration if I want one, and to buy a nice book or similar (I need *no* excuse for the latter of course).

Anyway, that's a quick 'no news' that his filed my lunch break. Will write a little more later in the week.

Five Years

When I was 24 a friend of mine was killed in the street.

I can never know exactly what happened, but my friend was (in my considerable past experience) entirely non-violent and someone hit him outside a fast-food restaurant one night. His head hit the ground and basically that was that. 

With really only evidence from the puncher, who portrayed the incident as a ‘fight’, there was never going to be a murder charge here, and the judge eventually handed down a five-year sentence for manslaughter. Of course, it is only post-conviction that you find out that the guy has only come out of prison two weeks before and has ‘previous’ as long as your arm.

I felt five years was light, and looked into it a little – and actually it was at least consistent with sentences given out in similar cases at that time. Meaning that if it was too short, all such sentences were too short. But still, five years (and out in half that) seemed a small price for a life.

You know where I am going here don’t you?

One punch. A fall. Five years.

A gun. Several shots through a locked door (you do wonder why she felt the need to lock it don’t you?). Five years.

OK – different legal systems and twenty years apart (so not a like-for-like) and it does seem South Africa has a more-relaxed attitude to death than we do here. But it seems a very small price to pay for ending someone’s life in the way Oscar Pistorius did.

Don’t know about you, but I feel no sense of justice today.

I have two other thoughts here.

Firstly – guns never help. Without a gun there can be a lot of shouting, but a gun and an angry man escalates things rapidly.

Secondly – televising trials turns them into a circus, and that is no way to do justice.

A reminder

Nothing posted here for a little while but I have been busy elsewhere - remember my music reviews page which is here and which has got reviews of the James Taylor gig from a couple of weeks ago, and a couple of more recent things too.

Sweet baby James

Having separated off my music blogs I am going to cross-post for a while to help those who want to find it.

So here is my review of last weeks James Taylor gig at the Royal Albert Hall.

http://rossonmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/sweet-baby-james.html

Enjoy.