Making Snowy

Spent much of today creating this fellow for the forthcoming video for 'Will You Be My Snowflake?'. I had a plan for a much simpler digital video, but the idea of a snowman came to be a seemed to be ideal.

My original idea was to photograph the different parts; body, head, hat, and background, and animate each separately in Argus. This worked, but looked rather digital and artificial, slightly less cute, not helped by the dark outer edges.

It has the advantage, however, of gliding and dancing exactly to the music, but only with this viewpoint, I'd have to rephotograph each part for different parts of the song. I'm thinking that a series of full scene photos may work better, like the old 'Jarre's Party' video. While musing on this I finalised the music for a new Flatspace Music Pack, for Another Violet Night

In the evening I sang to Queen songs, and managed the notes of songs like 'Breakthrough' and 'The Show Must Go On'. I can imagine doing this often and growing stronger, but growing stronger seems to be much harder, to take longer and be much harder to maintain, after 50. Yet, this is possible.

Winter Party, Good Vibes

The Winter Party event went brilliantly, everyone's performance on par or better than the album.

There were a few technical problems, and two acts arrived after the show had started, partly due to the terrible parking for Crewe Library, and partly due to the storm. The show overran in time, but that couldn't really be avoided, as discipline on timing was pretty tight, and the 'second half' (which was in practice only 25 minutes or so) for poetry readings certainly boosted audience numbers. We lacked a group photo too, partly because the brilliant photographer Peter Robinson (PDR Photography) had another assignment so had to leave early, but perhaps primarily because I forgot to stage such as scene.

Here's one of Peter's photos, with Nastee Chapel in the foreground waving fans made from 1920s Reichsmarks while Deb read 'Velvet Gelt' as we performed as Fall in Green.

Still, overall it was an excellent afternoon, and we sold one CD and raised £94.50 in donations, making the total raised £101.77.

Then on Wednesday, a Christmas Good Vibrations in Congleton. Great choices of songs by Mike, from 'Deck The Halls' to Shakin' Stevens' 'Merry Christmas Everyone', from 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree', to 'Jingle Bells', and a reading by Deborah from 'A Christmas Carol'.

I've spent today in recovery from the busyness. Have entered the Nantwich Open, and framed my Zelenskyy portrait for it. Filed the events of the past two days, including updating my website, and prepared the words for 'Will You Be My Snowflake?' for a singalong next Wednesday. It begins in high-E so may need to be lowered a few keys for the average casual singer. Plus, an important visit to the dentist for a clean and some excellent guidance.

I still need to finalise Christmas gifts... and complete the Another Violet Night Flatspace Pack; my next goal for December.

Unhappiness, Problems, Solutions

Unhappiness is caused by problems. Problems have solutions which can be calculated and solved, step by step. If resources are required, then these can be obtained step by step. Every problem has a solution. This can be achieved by identifying the problem, identifying the solution, identifying the steps required.

Library Preparation

Spent much of yesterday preparing for today's performance in the library. Mike Drew mentioned he'd like to perform 'Father Christmas' by the Kinks, a great song but full of really quick chord changes. Those are much easier to play as a riff, but the timing is complicated if we are to duplicate The Kinks' version because there are odd pauses of a beat or two here and there (or here but not there). Some parts are in 6/8 and the song has a very punk feeling that make it sound on the edge of collapse at any moment.

Secondly, Mike's playing it in A rather than C, with a capo, so I had to transpose his chord sheet for my keyboard. This is not too bad, my 'Snowflake' is in A too. I so rarely play in A, so it's something I need to do more of, but there are a few errors/anomalies in his printed version vs the Kinks version too... (like a missing chorus) this, plus a complex song and 24-hours solitary practice is going to make it all a bit musically dangerous. I've plunged in, and created a new sound for it which has a double-glockenspiel low down and a rock organ with a bit of distortion for the main part. This sounds great... I just fear chaos, that our chords as a small ensemble won't match each other.

I have had the rare opportunity to sing, to warm up this morning, and... disaster! My voice is so rusty and tight and weak, after only a week or two without singing. I've been singing warm ups for an hour and can barely scrape along. It's fortunate that 'Snoflake' is my only song today. I feel I need days or weeks to get back to where I was. In piano playing or painting, I can usually pause for a few weeks or months, and when I come back I seem to be magically better than before (this phenomenon is stalling in piano playing; time is cruel). This is not at all the case with singing. I need to sing often, every day or two days, yet my exercise and practice space is limited. I must try to find a solution.

John Miller has offered use of his mixer, and I prefer this. He's a great mixing engineer (as is Mike Aitchison) and it's a job I dislike. My personality is one of doing everything, but I'm learning to delegate.

A new outfit is ready, I will at least look the part. I need more headgear, perhaps the Santa Hat will work. This minor detail aside, all is now ready for the show.

RSPCA Stapeley Grange Christmas Fair

Attending the Christmas Fair at RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre to promote the Christmas Tails album. Several of the album artist came along; John Lindley and Jane Harland, Mike Drew, John Miller, and Nastee Chapel. Sold 2 CD copies and shared the word to a few more people. Rainy and cold, but festive and friendly. Had time to visit the cats in the rehoming centre.

Next event, the performance in Crewe Library at 2pm on Tuesday.

Christmas Tree Day

The 6th of December, what has become our annual Christmas tree day. Since I met Deborah, she has, we have, bought a real tree each year, always on December the 6th, the established day of decoration and wrapping. Each tree is named, and this year's is named 'Hestia', inspired by Deb's poem 'From Eye to Hand to Paper', which was in turn inspired by the bonfire owl painting by Charles Tunnicliffe in the Ladybird book about autumn. Until that dreamed-of day when we can afford to live together, Deb must decorate today while I await to see the results.

I've prepared for tomorrow's Christmas Fair fund-raising event at Stapeley Grange. I've burned three CDs for sale, and will display the completed cover artwork. If I had use of the Crewe community gallery I could auction this artwork there, perhaps. I also realised that the old 'songlink' links to my albums are now all dead - annoying! So I spent over an hour making new 'smart link' pages to all of my (and Fall in Green's, and Oldfield 1's) albums and singles.

After that, I made basic lyric video outlines for the three Will You Be My Snowflake? tracks, for that single release. This will be my first single with three tracks. I didn't want to clash or take away any shine from the Christmas Tails release so the single will come out in the middle of the month without fanfare. Then again, all of my music is released without fanfare or any promotion whatsoever. Promotion of my work is something I've always feared and hated, perhaps due to my parents overwhelmingly negative reaction to everything I've ever made.

The day has flown, but I've done my best with it. Onwards through time we stride.

The Modern Game Complete, Winter Party Rehearsals

Woke late and converted and scheduled The Modern Game videos yesterday. NASA samples in the music stop the album from being released on some platforms, as the content can't be 100% exclusive. Of course, no music with NASA samples can be. This seems like a shortcoming in the licencing system, a lack of up to date regulations; 99.99% of my content is new and exclusive, but for the sake of 0.01% of overtly free-to-use samples I can't claim, for example, usage on YouTube for my content. All of the basic work on the album is now complete and ready for release.

Today, started the 'Snowflake' videos and rehearsed for Tuesday's 'Winter Party' performance before a sojourn in the rain with my beloved Deborah around Christmas shops. I need to charge on with new things but feel overwhelmed with possible remasters, tidying old works. Working on The Myth Of Sisyphus was planned for 2025, but I've worked on so many other albums instead. One thing that work on The Modern Game has taught me is how much I've improved in singing and production since 2022.

Christmas Tails in is the local newspaper again, we've had a huge amount of coverage. I feel I need to perform more, to exhibit more, to do more. I hope that I can do more next year. I hope I can find a break, a chance, a place, an opportunity. I'm always hesitant, if not afraid, to pursue anything or anyone.

Onwards I push through the heavy air of life. Onwards to our destiny we step.

The Ropes of Art, The Modern Game 4 Complete

A long sleep of many dreams and such languid laziness interrupted by spurts of waking. I became sad and worried about the toothache which has been with me for about two weeks, knowing I have no NHS dentist.

I listened to a moving and inspiring radio programme about Lancashire artist Michael Ashcroft. It made me somewhat melancholy and feeling like a failure as an artist, yet I was being romantic. I've had ups and downs, won prizes and now have work in two museums, counting the music from the Salomé project. I've never managed to find an art gallery interested in selling my work, and rarely sell a painting; yet I am able to continue to live and work as I do. I regularly exhibit, passing the jury in open competitions; have received the occasional commendation and exhibited in a few venues of prestige, though I usually feel that my best work is not selected and that the most mainstream and pretty works are favoured over the powerful paintings I feel convey something new and arresting.

Yet, I keep trying without compromise. My many artworks vary hugely in style and depth. The 'Will You Be My Snowflake?' song is a world away from the painting 'The Angels Musing Over All That Is Left Of Rachel Hudson', yet I try to make both the best they can be in their fields. Artists can only make what our passions instruct, and we can only pursue those passions and interests, whether good or bad. We grip the rope and must hold on until the journey ends, whether it pulls us under the waves or to heaven.

After such musing I started work on the list of the day, and today's rope pulled my limbs a little upwards.

I sang new vocals for 'All The Broken Flowers', and these were instantly better than the 2018 vocals. I mixed them and the album was complete. The rest of the day has been spent working on the huge job of preparing the album for release; breaking up the tracks, submitting the music for distribution, listing on Bandcamp, burning archive CD copies, compiling the final videos, archiving the Argus and Prometheus files, registering the music with some of the many different music authorities, and lots of other paperwork, half of which is still pending.

I have a sore throat and upper chest. Deb is ill with a cold and I probably have the same virus.

I started The Modern Game remaster on Nov 3rd, and now it's complete. I'm pleased with it, and pleased to complete it. Once done, I can work a bit on the Will You Be My Snowflake? videos, and prepare for next week's live events.

So many ropes pull me in different ways... which will win?