Welcome to March's newsletter. I had a fantastic February with my debut gig as a full band launching the album ‘Pebble in the Pond’ Live, the launch of a new improved website and more! Please read on to find out more!
Well what can I say! What a great night. Blues on the Barge was a huge success in which we all played to a sold out audience who where very attentive and responsive! Chris Chalmers (from the 2:19) kicked off the night with a brilliant set of originals in which you could hear a pin drop with the attention of the crowd. His usual wit and charm between songs bringing a sea of chuckles throughout lending to atmosphere! He was followed by the amazing Karl Devlin who gave us a history of blues in his charismatic way, capturing the audience with his unique style and giving us a proper show playing his acoustic behind his head! Truly spectacular performances from both and thoroughly enjoyed!
We finally got our turn of the stage lastly to deliver our set starting with Stevie Ray Vaughan cover ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’ , then hitting the audience with the album ‘Pebble in the Pond’ which appeared to go down down a storm! We then continued the night with plenty of blues rock covers as my guitar influences where explained and honored with performances of Gary Moore, Jimi Hendrix and Rory Gallagher to name a few! A full venue that seemed to dance along throughout from what we could see through the lights. A very receptive audience made it a truly memorable night and we are looking forward to doing it all again on the 6th April this time in the Bangor Rock & Blues Club at the Imperial Bar. It went so well the night even got a shout out from the Great Nigel Blair over at 89 FM in which we found out after is hanging up his headphones. Nigel will be sorely missed and I wish him all the very best in his retirement.
I would personally like to thank Chris Chalmers (the 2:19), Karl Devlin, for their support on the night and playing such brilliant performances. Chris Logan (from the band formerly known as ‘The Rising’ - now Night Hearts) for the amazing sound on the night along with helping keeping the night going! Stuart MacRory Photography & Film for recording the night and also taking shots throughout. Stuart Lunn (Chase the River) for his aid in photos and all his help behind the scenes. I would also like to thank my band members the amazingly talented John Davies (drums), Niall Greer(2nd Guitar), & Norman May(Bass), All the hard work and dedication to practice, bringing it all together with skill, playing amazingly, making it a huge success!! Last but certainly not least, my very patient, smart & amazing partner in crime Riona Keating for all her hard work not only supporting me and offering guidance, along with putting up with the late nights playing and working, but also being the Promotional Guru, along with taking charge of merchandise and just being a beautiful soul! I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart and am truly grateful to have had such great people to enjoy the experience with.
I highly recommend you get your tickets fast for our next show at the Bangor Blues & Rock Club at the Imperial Blues Club on the 6th April as they are selling already and the last gig Sold Out very quickly! Hopefully see you there.
I am pleased to announce my new website is now operational! I have been working hard in trying to find ways to improve the website as I found the old one to be not as user friendly as I would have liked. Therefore I decided to work on building a new one and thankfully it has paid off. I also would like to thank my good friend Stuart Lunn for being a huge help in the the technical side in getting my new site connected and all the help he has provided! He himself is a great songwriter and if you get the chance check out chasetheriver.com to hear just how good he is!
The new site offers a better, more fluent experience, making it easier to purchase the album from the home page and also has a better merchandise page. I have also added the VIP Lounge as a monthly subscription where you can get access to all my music and digital downloads absolutely free, along with 10% off all merchandise and much more! It operates much more smoothly now and gives even better value for money! I have also added a second tier of VIP Guitar Club, in which you not only get all the benefits of a VIP member but the added bonus of full access to all teaching courses available! This is highly recommended for anyone who would like to learn how to play the guitar! The VIP sections will be presenting more and more material each month and is well worth the small price of a cup of coffee. So if you would like to truly support an independent artist and help keep music alive! Subscribe today!
With the new site comes the new and improved online courses! A whole new layout and much easier to work through. The Beginner online course has evolved slightly to be more user friendly. I am currently working on videos to add to each module and it is starting to take shape. I have also begun work on an intermediate course and have plans to work into advance level along with some mini courses in specific areas like playing songs, chords and modes, and soloing etc. Join the VIP Guitar Club now and gain access to the online course available. If you have always wanted to learn the guitar and want to do it from the comfort of your own home. These courses are for you. They are laid out in an order so you can understand each step, I give practice tips and also make myself available through the online group forum in which you will have the full support of me as a tutor along the way! Why not take on the challenge you have always dreamed of and learn the guitar with me. I hope to see you there.
Lastly I would like to let you all know that I have released my Live & Lopped Cover of ‘Candy’ by Paolo Nutini, as a stand alone single which is now available in Spotify, itunes, amazon, youtube music and more! I am currently in writing mode working on more new songs in which I am stepping into the studio to record in the coming weeks. I will be aiming to launch a new single shortly so stay tuned! In the meantime, please enjoy this live cover. Head on over to spotify now and take a listen.
Keep up to date with all the latest news including new releases, gig dates and more by joining my mailing list. Just leave your email address and subscribe. Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. Your support is greatly appreciated! Until next month!