The 2010 ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP-AWARDS

I had big plans for the ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP-AWARDS this year. I remember planning to get sponsorship, and have more awards. Well, it didn't happen. I sent some emails, got one back from Hiwatt, who seemed a bit interested; Marshall sent me a nice email back, saying thanks but no thanks; and the rest ignored me.

Still, I'm not one to be put off by such things; if I was, I'd have given up making music around 1987 when the demo cassettes started coming back in the post along with xeroxed record company letters 'passing' on them. The show will go on, and the awards will be lovingly handcrafted and the engraved brass plaques will be funded by the 'firm', just as they were last year. The ERNIE BALL-ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP-AWARDS sounds shit anyway. (The ROTOSOUND-ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP-AWARDS sounds okay, though -Ed). (Fuck off - Author).

Last year's deserving winners of a 'Coffin' (so-called because that is indeed the shape of the award) were Creak for Best Band, 14 Carat Grapefruit for Best CD (Long Time Coming), Punks Not Dad for Best Song (In Me Shed), The Joint, Kings Cross, for Best Rehearsal Studio and the Dublin Castle, Camden, for the Best Venue.

 

I haven't decided how and when to present the Coffins this year, but I'm a few weeks ahead of where I was last year, so I'm not panicking. Quite yet. Gotta source some wood first, preferably oak...um, floorboards, like last year. No, they looked good, ask any of the winners, who incidentally are currently residing in the where are they now? file, where all award winners end their careers.

Of course that's not true. I know, cos they're all playing in December. See the RTYD Calendar for more details.

Voting link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NJR8C56

77 minus 70

It's my band's last gig of the year tomorrow night. At the Unicorn on Camden Road. It's free entry if you're around? This is where our new line-up had it's first outing back in December 2007.

That makes a grand total of....
....
....
....
....
....
....
....7 gigs, this year.
Gulp.
That's right, 7.
Not 77, but 77 minus 70.
Seven.
That's one gig every seven weeks or so?
Is that enough?
Not really.
So what you gonna do about it?

Well, we don't just need more gigs, we need better gigs too. I need to crack on with the idea that inspired the Rock-Til-You-Drop site and that is facilitating older musicians joining forces and playing gigs together. This will help maximise attendence. These events can also double as social networking occasions for mature musicians. This will be my New Year resolution. This is my mission for 2009. You read it here.

I have a few friends coming tomorrow night. The loyal few. Maybe they'll be ten or twelve of them. But what happened to the days when you could get thirty or forty people out? Here lies one of the main problems with gigging as a mature musician.

The band got up to speed last night in rehearsal and we've finally got round to including three or four of the newer songs. Thank fuck for that. After two run-throughs we we're firing on all cylinders. We don't get a warm-up tomorrow night, though.

The wife is working late but is coming to the gig. She is bringing some mates too, which is good. I have to let the babysitter in at 6pm. At which point, I have to dash across Camden with my guitar, my 100w Marshall combi and my kit-bag. I put my amp on a trolley and my guitar on my back. Soundcheck is 6:30 - if you believe it?

I shall let you know how the gig goes.