Friday March 1st 2024
www.jonwh33ler.wixsite.com/blog/post/moving-day
Tuesday February 27th 2024
Thursday February 22nd 2024
Before February escapes, I wanted to write something to kind of celebrate our Open Mic nights. This month ‘Open Mic with Sedge & Jon’ reached its 15th anniversary, and what a weird, wonderful, diverse, brilliant and often surprising ride it continues to be. It has to be said though, that the only person who’s actually experienced the full 100% of it is my wife, due to mine and Sedge’s various hospitalisations....😷
I talked about some of that weird and wonderful stuff in a blog back in December, which you can check out here:
https://bloggerrhythm5.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-open-mic-experience.html
The premise, for the uninitiated, is pretty simple. As best as we can manage it, everybody gets three songs or about fifteen minutes to do….whatever….within the realms of decency. The boundaries of those realms are pretty flexible though, it has to be said. People will be people. The multiverse is real. And it’s bloomin’ entertaining……
Without repeating December’s blog, it’s all about the performers, good and bad. There’s been a lot of friendships made, a lot of bands, experiences and good times! So here’s to all of you who continue to make those good times possible by coming out and playing. Whether you're sharing your favourite cover songs, sharing your 'art', or sharing original songs about the loves you’ve lost over beer stained letters, how much you want to be a pirate, or the origin of the boiled egg, it's all good.
I can’t feature all of you, although it’d be great, but I have made a video of all the photo album covers on our facebook page. If you’ve been to one of our nights, hopefully you’ll be able to spot yourself, however briefly. Make the video as big as you can! Thanks again!
The Crown, Selsey, first Wednesday of the month
SugaKane, Bognor, second Thursday of the month
The Murrell, Barnham, third Tuesday of the month
Find us on facebook….
For Dawn, Robin, Becky, Paul, Beej, John, Mark, Charlie….. & everybody
Tuesday February 20th 2024
So, I started blogging November 23rd last year, that’s one blog every 3.56 days. Is that sustainable? I have no idea! I write when I want to write. Two per week feels right…
First off though I’d like to thank everybody who’s commented or contributed in some way to any of the pieces so far. Special thanks to Trevor Hood (19/01, “Hey! Teacher!”), Keith Toop (28/01, “George Harrison’s Contribution”) and Steve Twinley (16/02 “It Takes Blood & Guts”) for their willingness to join in, those blogs would not exist otherwise!
There were six blogs about general music topics, six blogs on songwriting, three on playing live, four on tuition, three on gear, two on classic songs, plus however you’d describe this thing that you’re reading right now. Each blog has at least a few subject tags, in case you hadn’t noticed…. Look down the lower right hand side if you’re searching for something specific. There's also a list of the first 25 blogs at the end of this blog too, newest to oldest.
So going by number of views :
(I possibly should have expected that.
I didn’t tell anybody I was doing it….)
Most Adored Blog Winner :
#014 “Hey! Teacher!” Unmissable Pink Floyd tracks
In fact, lots of people volunteered their top 5 Pink Floyd tracks, I was going to tell you about them in this particular blog, if case you'd missed them in the facebook chat. Honestly though, there’s a few too many for that, and I don’t want to leave anybody out, so in the next few weeks there’s going to be a follow up. If you have a top 5 unmissable list of Pink Floyd songs, it's not too late to share yours…
Thanks for reading so far, don’t forget if you’ve got an idea for a blog or want to join in in any way, get in touch!
Cheers
Jon
Sunday February 18th 2024
The book isn’t advocating any of that though. It’s a considered explanation of successful lyrical structures, clear communication, correct tense, progression, and the avoidance of being cliched and derivative. Which are all things I now understand, but will probably ignore as and when it suits me, because it’s MY art. Just like you should choose what to ignore and what to embrace when you make yours.
Friday February 16th 2024
Once again I’m going to turn the floor over to someone else. I hadn’t really planned to, but a friend of mine wrote a facebook post for his new business ‘Purpose Mentoring’ the other day and it had all the right kinds of good stuff, including a reading and listening recommendations.
So, as with most people I know, I know Steve through music. He’s a great singer and musician, a brilliant songwriter and a home recording guru. Like many people, he does have a day job too, as an online mentor, coach and counsellor. I would love to get Steve back again at some point to talk about his music, (and he’s already agreed, so no backing out now.. hahaha….) but for today we’re going to stick with that post I mentioned…..
Saturday February 11th
via Purpose Mentoring on facebook....
Book recommendation for the month: “It Takes Blood and Guts” - the autobiography of Skin.
I read Skin’s autobiography recently and was blown away by her story. Growing up in Brixton, in a time when racial tensions were high, she found her own path that combined her Jamaican heritage with her South London upbringing; and her musical creativity enabled her to travel the world multiple times over, headline Glastonbury, sing at Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday, and become an amazing role model for black women.
If you’re looking for an inspiring and empowering story, I recommend this book highly. It isn’t a ‘self help’ book, but it’s full of life lessons which could be of value to anyone - not least the power of resilience and perseverance. And if you aren’t familiar with Skunk Anansie, or Skin’s own solo music, it’s amazing! Start with ‘Charlie Big Potato’, ‘Weak’ and ‘All I Want’.
ST.
Hi. Me again. Like Steve, I’m pretty much the product of a teenage nineties (well….early nineties…just...) ‘Weak’, one of the song’s Steve mentioned was a blast from the past for me from University - I had a housemate who was obsessed with this song! But if you listen to the first video and it’s not your cup of tea, perhaps try the second one instead. Taken from a performance with Luciano Pavarotti (yes, Pavarotti) if nothing you’ll get an idea of what an amazing vocalist she is.
Weak (Skunk Anansie)
You'll Follow Me Down (Pavarotti & Skin)
More about Purpose Mentoring :
steve.twinley@purposementoring.com
Want to know more about Skunk Anansie? Here’s a documentary......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc-0ooePqaA
Wednesday February 14th 2024
The Sonics
“Have Love, Will Travel”
Have a TV? Bought car insurance? You’ve probably heard this, but not known what it was…
The Black Keys
“Weight Of Love”
Filmed for the Austin City Limits show, one for the guitar spotters…
Grace Potter
“Love Is Love”
A while ago I recommended checking out Grace Potter’s recent album ‘Mother Road’ - I still do, but this is what came before that….
Eagles Of Death Metal
“I Love You All Of The Time”
This was the band whose show was targeted by terrorists in November 2015 at The Bataclan in Paris…. Don’t let the band name put you off, who doesn’t love a love song with a verse in French?
Wilco
“I’m Always In Love”
I’m trying very hard not to talk to you a lot about how much I love Wilco. I will fail at some point, be warned. Just enjoy this for now….
Florence And The Machine
“You Got The Love”
For the Teenage Cancer Trust, with a full orchestra, at the Royal Albert Hall. That’s the definition of epic….
Friday February 9th 2024
A week or so ago I told you about a songwriting workshop I went to. Quite a lot came up whilst I was there, if you’re interested, and too lazy to scroll, you can jump to it here:
https://bloggerrhythm5.blogspot.com/2024/02/a-songwriting-starter-heres-idea.html
It was a small group but I was surprised nobody had even heard the Wemsfest name, so clearly that’s something that needs to be put right. If you peruse their website, you’ll see they have a shed load of stuff on this year for all tastes, not just folk. I asked some friends, (Mr. & Mrs K. - they of the vaguely 70’s disco stable block, if you remember them) whom I know volunteer at Wemsfest events for a bit of perspective or perhaps some festival background. They put me in touch with Mark, one of the organisers, who graciously replied to my email by return…so…
'WemsFest' is a portmanteau of Westbourne and Emsworth and was the result of a chance conversation in The Stags Head (Westbourne) some 14 years ago and has grown from being an annual arts festival to a year-round programme of events which along the way has raised thousands of pounds for local charities. The festival has spawned a myriad of other events and activities engaging with all sections of the community in and around Emsworth, including, amongst others, The Emsworth Beer, Cider & Wine Festival and The Emsworth Blues Festival.
Upcoming Events in the next few weeks...
17/02 Soul Train DJ Disco Night
Westbourne Community Hall
23/02 Brighde Chaimbeul, Radio 2 award winning celtic smallpipes
The Old Malthouse, Chidham
29/02 McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle, Flute, fiddle, song & guitar
The Lens Studio, Portsmouth Guildhall
02/03 Ian Siegal Berry, 3x British Blues Awards Acoustic Artist of the year
The Old Malthouse, Chidham
Tickets and full 2024 listing at www.wemsfest.com/events
So, consider yourself educated, or better still, get online and get yourself some tickets. Go and see something you love, or something you’ve never heard before. It’s all good.
Briefly then, to complete the circle, back to the songwriting workshop. Remember the homework we were set? (bet you wish you’d read the other blog now eh? Never mind…) I chose the Kentish version of a folk song called ‘Bold General Wolfe’ I found on a useful blog called ‘A Folk Song A Day’. In researching it I found a cool version of the song my acclaimed guitarist Martin Simpson….. And guess where you can catch Martin Simpson this year???
Yep. Wemsfest. In the Lens Studio at Portsmouth Guildhall on March 17th. Get your tickets here : https://www.wemsfest.com/event/martin-simpson-2/
A Folk Song A Week by Andy Turner
www.afolksongaweek.wordpress.com/blog
WEMSfest
Going to a Wemsfest event this year? Fancy sending in a little review or some pictures to share? It'd be great to hear from you - Cheers, Jon.
I love it when I discover a chord trick that you can use on both the guitar and ukulele, it means I can share it with you, and no matter which you play, you can use it. I probably overuse it..... but still…..
If you’ve spent anytime on Youtube for guitar lessons, chances are you’ll have seen Marty Schwartz. I found a lesson of his, many years ago, called “The Land Of A7” and it’s basically a whole set of chords you can substitute for, or mix with, the A7 chord. If you read my blog on the ukulele / guitar relationship, (link at the very bottom), you’ll perhaps twig that the A7 shape we’re discussing is the D7 shape on the ukulele - hence this trick or pattern can be used as a substitute for D7 on the ukulele in exactly the same way.
I can tell you’re not convinced. Watch Marty’s video whilst I draw up some diagrams for you, and I’ll catch you on the flipside for how you ukulele players can use it too, ok?
At about 6 minutes in, he plays some E7 variations too, don’t get distracted……
Ok. So here we’ve got a diagram showing the original chord position (A7 for guitars on the top, D7 for ukuleles below) and the first three positions up the neck after that, which are totally interchangeable with the original chord. Just to repeat what Marty said, play the original chord using your middle and ring finger, so that when you slide into the second position your index finger can pick up the note on the second string. I’ve made a little video here, just backing that up, and demonstrating the technique on the ukulele. For those up to speed on such things, in both instances I’m using the trick as the IV chord. If you only want to see the ukulele bit of the demo, skip to about 2:48....
Full disclosure it was pretty early in the day, yes, I do refer to the ukulele as a mandolin at least twice, I know you know what I meant ;-)
FAQ: Why would I even want to do this?
One of the main blocks to getting more out of your playing is that people only play one voicing (one finger pattern) for virtually all their chords. It’s especially true on the ukulele. Ever had the feeling that whatever you play, every song sounds the same? Tricks like this make your playing more interesting, for you and your adoring audience. Give it a go, but like Marty says, to get the most out of it, you really need to get it “under your fingers”, so that it's almost automatic. Let me know how you get on!
Missed that earlier blog I mentioned? - here it is...
https://bloggerrhythm5.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-guitar-ukulele-relationship.html
Monday February 5th 2024
Last Saturday night we, (REMbrandt), played at The Booking Hall in Dover as part of a double header tribute gig with our friends, U2 Tribe. There are photos and video from the gig on our facebook and instagram accounts (links below), but what I wanted to share in this blog is some of the stuff the average punters don’t see. So here we go, sex, drugs, rock’n’roll, and access all areas!
For shows like this, the venue typically supplies the sound system and a soundman, who really needs to immediately become your best friend, or all hope of sounding any good disappears rapidly. We don’t have roadies, so it’s a question of getting all the instruments and amps in ourselves, connected and tested, and running through a few songs. The two bands share a certain amount of gear (like the drum kit) for practicality, but it’s typically an hour to load in, then 45 minutes to soundcheck each band, being sure to finish before the doors open to the public at 7pm. What the room sounds like now, will not be what it sounds like when the audience is in, and every room is different, so it’s important to get as settled in as you can while you have the chance.
Some venues sadly have little or no hospitality towards musicians. The Booking Hall I’m pleased to say is not one of those. Backstage we have a lounge area, kitchenette, toilets, a shower and a fridge with something actually in it. It’s not the Ritz Carlton, and it is being shared between nine blokes, but it’s clean and it’s comfy. Between arriving and actually playing can be three to four hours, there's quite often a bit of time to kill and a lot of waiting around. I don’t think anybody actually played the MarioKart.... A few people did trudge up to the garage on the corner to get cheese sandwiches. Uninspired by cheese sandwiches, The Edge chooses to drive into town to find a Burger King. Discussions generally revolve around travel times, people’s ages, good cups of tea, divorces and weird gig experiences, like being supported by The Cheeky Girls...
Anyway, It’s 7:45 and it's time to go on. Better head over to facebook and instagram for those pictures!
With thanks and acknowledgements to:
Mark at The Booking Hall and DCR Radio 104.9FM
thebookinghall.com
db Rising Audio Engineering and Acoustics
doverhistorian.com
u2tributeband.co.uk
Friday March 1st 2024 Ok, it's official. This blog has now moved to... jonwh33ler.wixsite.com/blog Why don't you come on over and ...
