Conspiracy of the Rich

No, this isn't a case of me being paranoid about 9/11 or moon landing conspiracy theories.

In fact, it's an amazing book by the hugely influential author Robert Kiyosaki, who wrote the amazingly successful Rich Dad, Poor Dad series.

Kiyosaki actually lets us in on the reasons why only 1% of the world's population control 96% of the wealth. It's a fascinating (and infuriating) read.

Check it out!

Derby Folk Festival this weekend

I can't believe it's October already! Where does the time go?

Tonight, I'm gigging with the Derbyshire Volunteers for a two-hour ceilidh in the Great Hall at the Derby Assembly Rooms. Our fee will go, as usual, to a worthwhile charity decided on by the whole band.

The band tonight includes the legendary John Tams, together with his singing partner Barry Coope, who will be treating the audience to some great songs nestled in amongst the dance tunes. Not a song spot, but maybe even better!

I believe Stone Monkeys will be doing a rapper dance spot somewhere along the line, which will be fun to watch.

Then, when we finish at 10, we hand over to Edward II, currently on the last leg of their year-long reunion tour. Late to bed tonight, then!

Tomorrow, Saturday, I'm doing two half-hour spots of children's entertainment in the afternoon, followed by an "unplugged beginners' ceilidh" in the early evening from 4:30 till 6 pm. Look out for the Boomwhackers! (more on that later)

OK -- maybe see you there? Hope so.

Derby Festé Grand Ceilidh last night

Last night (Friday, 4th September) I gigged with the Derbyshire Volunteers at the Derby Festé Grand Ceilidh on the Market Place. We started at 9 pm, but by that time, the Market Place was absolutely teeming with people. They were all curious as to what was going to happen. There had already been something happening over by the Old Silk Mill, but we'd been setting up so I didn't see any of that.

What I did see was various artists walking about on stilts, some dressed like circus acts, others like something out of Doctor Who. Fantastic!

On the stroke of 9, we got going with a circle dance involving a random sequence of figures, such as "right-hand turn" and "do-si-do" and there were easily a couple of hundred people dancing - of all ages and sizes. It was great to see the ethnic diversity as well, especially as barn dancing (or ceilidh dancing) is often thought of as something old-fashioned and quaintly "English".

We were due to play till 11, and were cracking on at a fair old pace till it started to rain with 20 minutes still to go. As the stage had been put up without any roof or covering, we had no choice but to stop the show in order to avoid being electrocuted!

At least we left the audience wanting more!

Look out for the video, which I'll be posting in the next day or two.

Swinging into Autumn

Well, that was the "summer", I suppose. Not many gigs, but not a total dearth, thank goodness.

I've been taking the opportunity to catch up on some reading, particularly Alan Bennett, who has to rate as my favourite author. He has such a wry sense of humour, it never fails to raise a smile, even the occasional guffaw.

So what's new? The Ram Company have been working hard, behind the scenes, polishing up the "Waltzers and Wonders" show - new coloured shirts for one thing, and a really satisfying photo shoot on the stage at the Derby Guildhall. We're getting more enquiries about the show from festivals and larger venues, so watch this space!

I've also been doing a few gigs with the fabulous Kellys Heroes. Check out the video here.

My super agent Fifi (Fiona Maurice-Smith) is still feeding bookings my way, bless her. What would I do without her? I know it's trendy for people to knock agents, but Fi really does work hard for her commissions, and I for one do appreciate the fact that she takes a huge burden off my shoulders and lets me just get on with providing the show. Thanks Fi.

The Big Dance of 2008 was really good ... you might just catch a glimpse of the Derbyshire Volunteers on this video compilation of the event.

Looking forward to the Derbyshire Volunteers gig on Derby Market Place this Friday, 4th September 2009, 9 - 11 pm. The occasion? The rather grandly-named Derby Festé. I've been told there could be a couple of thousand people dancing! Let's hope so, eh?

OK. I've got to try hard to get myself back into a routine of getting up at a reasonable time in the mornings. Over the summer holidays, with Ben off school, we've got into quite a lazy pattern of going to bed really late (it's nice and quiet at night, very conducive to working on the computer) and getting up correspondingly late next day.

Nearly the end of June

I can hardly believe it's nearly the end of June already! Things have been quite hectic recently, as I'm trying to set up my own digital store online.
If you want to check it out, it's at http://www.digistuff4u.com.
What's available? A wide variety of eBooks at the moment, in 32 different categories. As from the beginning of July, there are going to be HUGE discounts for our Summer Sale, so don't miss out on this opportunity to download some real goodies.
As for the barn dance side of things (which is, after all, the main reason for this blog in the first place), bookings are coming in thick and fast, even as far ahead as October 2010, so if you're considering having a barn dance, don't leave it till the last minute!
Catch you later!

Update 20090614

Life seems to have been pretty hectic since my last post, which was absolutely ages ago. So what's been happening?

Well, I completed my contributions to two student films: Fiver Live at Sheffield Hallam University and Doors at Manchester Metropolitan University. They've sent me a DVD of the first one, but not the second one yet. Still waiting ... (I won't hold my breath though).

I also went to the BBC at Manchester for an audition for Totally Saturday (don't know why, because I don't enjoy watching that kind of show, so taking part would have been a strange experience). I'll never understand how some people can just be so ... enthusiastic ... all the time. About BoyZone, for goodness' sake! Ah well ...

About a month ago, I had an interesting video conversation on Skype with a Brit in Belgrade, about sincerity and stuff ... He's a video maker, called Mark Brogan, and I'm interested in what he puts out. Search for his videos on Dailymotion.

Finally, I'm going to be playing a bit of piano accordian for another short film -- again unpaid, but with the promise of a copy on DVD for promo purposes. The music is only about 2 minutes long, arranged for trumpet, saxophone, guitar, bongos and accordian, and the musicians have never met, so it'll be another interesting experience. Filming Sunday 21st June in Barnsley ... or was it Bradford? Whatever ...

OK, better go and do some work now. Have fun. If you find this remotely interesting (or just incredibly boring), please drop me a line.

Bye for now!

The Ram Company go back to school

Last Friday, 27th March, saw our fourth and fifth visits to primary schools in Derby. One of them actually let us shoot some video, which was very nice of them, considering all the hoo-ha that you get these days when you ask if you can video children. I mean ... not everyone's a pervert or a paedophile, you know!

Anyway, having edited the footage into a half presentable DVD, to be used as a souvenir for the school in question - Lakeside Primary - as well as for our own professional development (we get to see ourselves from the students' perspective), I decided to shorten it considerably and make a promo video.

The results (just over 5 minutes' worth) can be seen on the Gallery page of my website, or directly on YouTube.

Back to school

Yesterday, Thursday, a sub-set of The Ram Company went into two primary schools in Derby, to give the pupils a taste of our music and show them the instruments we use to make our wonderful sound!

The first place was Firs Estate Primary School. Now, believe it or not, this was Keith Kendrick's first school (as a 5-year-old) and he was quite intrigued to be visiting it again after such a long time. Not only that, but it was the second school I ever taught in. Back in the mid-70s it was two separate schools -- Infants and Juniors -- with separate heads and (more importantly) distinct educational philosophies.

I'd been teaching French (or trying to) at a junior high school in Derby (720 kids all aged between 11 and 13 -- a nightmare!) and was getting absolutely fed up with getting nowhere fast. I just didn't see eye-to-eye with the headteacher (I've always been a bit headstrong, I suppose) and eventually I decided to leave that school and try my hand at teaching music. So I applied to Firs Estate, and, with only minutes to go before the deadline, I took the application form to the school by hand. When I got there, there was only the caretaker around, and as I was talking to him, I realised I'd mis-read the advertisement. I thought I was applying to the Juniors, but in fact the vacancy was for an Infants teacher!

"Ah well," thinks I ... "in for a penny, in for a pound" and I gave him the application form. A few days later, I got the job, and became (as far as I know) the first male Infants teacher in Derby. And I loved that job. It was lovely, working with 5-year-olds. Such fresh enthusiasm, such joy, and such love. Those were the days, eh?

Anyway, we did our mini-show for the Juniors (sorry, Key Stage 2) at Firs Estate, and then zoomed off to Ashgate Primary School for the second one that morning. And as it turns out, this school was Michelle Short's old primary school (again as a pupil) so it brought back some memories for her.

The headteacher wasn't expecting us, as his deputy had actually arranged the visit, but he was so pleased with what we gave him, this is what he said in an email to the lady who's co-ordinating all these school visits:

Just a quick note to say thank you for sending this marvellous group of talented musicians to our school today.
Their input was educational, entertaining, outstandingly musical and thoroughly enjoyed by all pupils and staff.
My only question is....when can they come again?

What a wonderful start to our day.

Robert Roche
Head
Ashgate Primary

Wasn't that a nice thing for him to say?! I know I speak on behalf of the whole band when I say that we'd be over the moon to go back for a further visit. The children (and the staff) were so attentive, and applauded very appreciatively after each number. And so knowledgeable, those young people. Very impressive.

We've got more visits coming up next week, and I hope we'll be able to take a bit of video. I know we have to be very careful with video-ing children, but if we get the necessary permissions, then there'll probably be some more video to watch on YouTube!

Watch this space!

Great gig! Privilege!

Last night I was immensely privileged to do a barn dance for adults with learning difficulties at the Wetherby Centre in Derby. The centre is in the middle of an industrial estate and the whole area really looks quite forbidding, but as I learned the last time I was invited there, it's a totally different atmosphere inside.

As soon as I walked through the front door yesterday evening, I was greeted by the incredibly dedicated and enthusiastic carers who organise all the events at the Wetherby Centre. There were decorations all over the main room, most of them executed by people that society often casts off as being "abnormal". There was bunting, spelling out things like "Tribute Act", "Comic Relief" and of course "Barn dance".

And when the audience began to arrive, their openness and warm-hearted greetings as they recognised me from last time was just glorious. They may have misshapen bodies; they may find it difficult to talk as clearly as some of the rest of us; they may be restricted in the amount they can move their limbs ... but I'll tell you what! Those people throw themselves into the dancing with total abandon. They're not precious, in the sense that they worry about who they dance with, and last night we had almost every imaginable permutation from the different "types" who were there -- including the carers. Wheelchairs are not an obstacle, either.

And something else that astonished me last night ... I didn't have to vary the speed/tempo of the music -- not one bit. They coped with the dancing as if they were born doing it. Of course I adapted the dances to fit, but we still attempted some potentially "difficult" figures, and ... you know what? ... they managed. Brilliantly.

There weren't as many people there as had been hoped, but that's because it was "Red Nose Day" and a lot of events were competing for everyone's attendance, so of course some people had gone to rival happenings. Nevertheless, there were plenty there to make the dance floor look full for the circle dances such as the Circassian Circle -- and of course the Hokey Cokey!

There were times when I was nearly in tears at the child-like antics of some members of the audience, but the main thrust for me was this:

What a privilege it was for me to be able to provide a service to such lovely people, so that they all had a great night out, enjoyed themselves physically and emotionally, and went home buzzing about a fantastic social gathering.

I'm looking forward to being invited back for a third visit!

Photos and videos

Went down to London yesterday with a friend for a very short visit to The Casting Suite, near Piccadilly Circus. We weren't there very long, but blimey what we packed into that time!

A very capable young woman took a score or more photos, in various suitable poses, against a plain white background and then a pull-down grey backdrop. Not easy to get up after sitting on the floor, but I managed it!

After that, it was time to face the video camera, introduce myself, talk a bit about what I want from the Casting Suite (which is basically the opportunity to appear in TV advertisements, as well as maybe do some modelling -- don't laugh!). After that, I gave my definition of "barn dance", as a contribution to the online visual dictionary website, Wordia.com. I'll let you know when it's up and viewable.

Having completed the photoshoot and videoshoot, it was time to go back upstairs to the office, where another woman showed us the photos by projecting them onto the wall. Great idea! We selected ten for inclusion on the Casting Suite's webpages, and hopefully they'll get spotted by casting directors.

Eventually I'll get hard copies of the photos and video, which I'll be able to use to promote myself even further.

Well ... you can't just sit still and wait for life to come to you, can you?

Another audition

I'm off to Manchester Metropolitan University tomorrow (Tuesday) to audition for a part in another student film. This one's called Doors, and it's a very short exploration of a family's emotions after the death of the mother in a hospice. I'm trying out for the part of the father.

It sounds quite interesting, and I'll report back once it's over.

Compilation video

I've just finished putting together a compilation of video clips from recent gigs. All the music comes from the MIDIband (which is my Yamaha PSR3000 keyboard). I played all the music myself, recording it as MIDI data. It's saved on a USB memory stick and the keyboard reads the information from that.

Close your eyes, and it's almost indistinguishable from a real live band. (At least, I like to think so!)

The YouTube link is here but you can watch it on the Gallery page of my website.

Filming in Sheffield

Just had a great couple of days -- yesterday and the day before -- taking part in a film being made by final-year multimedia students at Sheffield Hallam University.

The film's called Fiver Live, and I've got the honour of featuring in the opening sequence. Guess what part I play? Something totally uncharacteristic ... a drunk! It's dawn, and I'm staggering home after a good night out. I fumble in my pocket for my keys and out drops a five pound note. A young man just coming out of a brothel picks up the fiver, and the film follows the journey of this banknote through several individuals' hands, until it gets back to the young man again.

We filmed that at dusk on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday morning I had to be a flower seller on the market. The barman brings the fiver to buy some flowers, but as it changes hands (briefly) it's snatched out of my hands by a passing thief.

I can't wait to see the finished film. It sounds like a good one!

Watch this space!

Sad news

Sadly, after my glowing report of a recent barn dance, I received an email from the organisers, asking me very politely to take the video down from YouTube, and consequently from my own website, because someone had complained. Not about the video per se, but because nobody thought to obtain written permission from the parents of the few children shown in the video.

Personally, I think it's madness that we have to jump through so many hoops these days just to please the "politically correct" members of society, who all seem to be descended from Big Brother. However, I concede that there may just be some element of risk for vulnerable young people from paedophiles and the like, who might live expressly for the purpose of hunting down pretty children, identifying where they live and stalking them, possibly taking it further than that.

I am genuinely sorry if I upset or offended anyone by posting the video on the Net, and hope that taking it down will have appeased those who felt hurt.

Next time, I'll make sure we have permission in writing before including children in videos.

Belton Village Barn Dance

I had a fantastic time with the wonderful people of Belton, Leicestershire, yesterday evening (7th Feb). It was the third time I'd been invited to give them a barn dance in their lovely village hall -- and I'll be going back for a fourth visit pretty soon (more about that when it happens).

Despite the still snowy roads (particularly the cross-country ones, which many people would have had to traverse in order to get to Belton) there was a decent crowd of more than 50 dancers, including lots of children and a couple of grandmothers!

My assistant video'd some of the dances, and I've just uploaded the video to YouTube. There's also a link to the video on the Gallery page of my website: http://barndance.biz.

If you'd like a dance like this one at Belton, why not contact me?

New direction

Back in the 80s, I used to do quite a bit of presenting. I co-presented BBC Radio Derby's weekly folk programme Derby Tup, as well as a Saturday morning show (only once or twice). They also got me to voice short stories, and a couple of serials (one or them was about the Pentrich Revolution). BBC Radio Nottingham asked to stand in for Roy Harris once on their folk music show, and then I had to read some extracts from D.H.Lawrence for a 4-programme documentary. I remember they had to get clearance from very high up for me so say "the F-Word" (hee hee).

1990 saw me writing the scripts and the teachers' notes for a 10-part BBC Schools Radio series called Folk Dance. I also got to put together the band (including John Kirkpatrick, Phil Langham, and a very young Guy Fletcher), arrange all the music and play keyboards. Wonderful time!

I also did a bit of "acting" -- well, that might be a bit grand. I was an extra (one of those actors who stand around in the background, or walking across ...) and got to appear in Crossroads and Shine on Harvey Moon (remember them?). One interesting gig was being a prisoner-of-war in the mini-series Jenny's War, starring Dian Cannon, Christopher Cazenove, and a small galaxy of other stars. I didn't enjoy having my hair cut for the job, but it was quite good fun over several days.

Anyway, I've decided I want to do more of that kind of stuff -- extra work, as well as presenting. I'd love to read audiobooks (especially if I get to make silly voices) and Talking Books for the Blind. You know the kind of thing.

So, last Tuesday I went down to Nottingham (not a city I know very well) to visit Kickstart Media. They arranged for me to have a couple of hours' voice coaching with an actress, Elaine Donnelly, and then I had to stand in front of a green screen and an autocue system while they video'd me presenting a handful of items (TV adverts, etc). I even got to mouth off like Jeremy Kyle for a couple of minutes (imagine that!). They're putting it all together for me, and I'll eventually get my own show reel on DVD, which I can hawk around the agencies.

The message here, of course, is "Watch your TV screens" and "listen to your local radio" -- one day I'll be on there!

140th birthday party!

I had a great gig last night, calling for a 140th birthday party barn dance.

Well, actually, it was for 70-year-old twins.

The gig was at The Spot, on Sacheverel Street in Derby, and everyone had a wonderful time (especially me). My keyboard worked well, delivering the music for us to dance to (check out the sample MP3s on my website: http://barndance.biz).

It was also the first time out for my new four-feet-square banner. It wasn't cheap, but then nothing worth having really is, I suppose. At least everyone knows my name now!

My assistant also shot some video of the event, which I'll get round to editing, and then I'll post it on my website, so keep watching that space.

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year to any and all of my readers.

I'm looking forward to a great year, with Barn Dances (or Ceilidhs) at weekends, and time during the week to get on with some of the things I really enjoy doing. Now that I've got my website up and running (http://barndance.biz), I can devote a bit more time to personal and professional self-development.

One of my New Year's "resolutions" is to learn lots of new things, starting with my long-standing desire to get to grips with 3D modelling and animation.

Well, since procrastination and I are old friends, I've decided to make a start in January 2009, with the Open Source 3D software Blender (available from www.blender.org).

Why do I want to do 3D modelling and animation? Because I'd like to make some educational videos, demonstrating how to dance the various figures that I use in my barn dances. Rather than use human "actors" (with all the problems they bring with them -- not to mention the problems of lighting, at least two cameras with operators, editing ...) I thought I'd try to use computer-generated characters (probably slightly cartoony) to make the instructional films.

Watch this space!