Dear Reader –
I’m channeling my inner Bertie Ahern this week as we bunker down in Luke’s studio to put the finishing touches to the Theme Night Album.
*All hyperlinks in bold.
The Big Thing
One of the big jobs this week will be to put the tracks in order. Earlier this week, I revisited a 2013 email from Steve Wickham in which he gave me some advice on just this when I was doing the same with my first album that year. The following points are a mixture of his advice and things I have learned since.
It’s commonly said that many people don’t listen to albums in their entirety any more. If you are worried about this, don’t release an album. Release a series of songs instead.
If you are releasing an album however, treat it like an album, not a series of individual songs.
So - bring the listener on a journey. Can you create some sort of narrative?
Be mindful of tempo changes - consider pacing it like a concert.
Start and finish strong.
Be aware of the effect of going up/down a key from song to song.
Avoid staying in the same key from song to song unless you are doing it for a reason.
Be mindful of the balance and spacing between songs and instrumental tunes, big and small arrangements, happy and sad pieces.
Where else but Sligo?
Steve was always someone to whom I looked up. Someone who lived locally but played and toured the world with an internationally renowned rock band. When I was starting out as a musician 16 years ago my Dad suggested I ring Steve for a chat. I met him in town and he suggested I write 10 songs and give them to him for a listen. I never did - I wasn’t ready to write. Great advice though.
Like the email mentioned above, this is an example of someone experienced helping someone starting out. The passing of wisdom from one generation to the next. I wrote this article about it for the Sligo Weekender recently.
Generously sharing processes and practices. Not like what memorably happened with one piano player years ago. I heard him play a killer lick and asked him to show it to me afterwards. He refused, saying it was his and didn’t want to share it. As if it had never been played in the history of music before and wouldn’t again.
The opposite of Steve. and thankfully, many others in our community.
What’s New?
Our podcast - In The Lamplight- will return in the coming weeks. We’re shaking it up a bit, with new features and people involved. I’ll share more with you as soon as I have it. For now, here’s the interview we did with the aforementioned Steve Wickham last year.
“We’re going to take them all the way tonight Mary-Ann”. Epic commentary as always from Mike Finnerty & Martin Carney on Midwest Radio at the end of last weekend’s historic win for Mayo in Croke Park.
Back to Bertie - I met him once in a North Dublin pub. He spotted the Sligo GAA jacket I was wearing and immediately had a positive comment about the time we played Dublin a few years previously. You may not agree with his policies and actions, but he was skilled at knowing his audience and playing to it. It was the cornerstone of his success.
I’m not sure if he ever took Matthew Carey’s Audience By Design workshop, but if you’re looking to find ways to better connect with your audience, this ticks all the boxes, and a new session is beginning in a couple of weeks.
Finally…
Here’s a song of Steve’s we did with him earlier this year.
Till next time - Kieran.
