One of them is called something.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

HERE IS FRIDAY 23RD NOVEMBER’S TOP 5 ALL THINGS AWESOME.

LET'S GET INTO IT...

1) Track of the week.

Official Promo Video for Radiohead's "Pyramid Song".

Another fantastic song from Radiohead, forget just how much amazing music they’ve put out over the last couple of decades.

2) Video of the week.

DJ Jon1st performs an impromptu set for Boxout.fm.

3) Quote of the week.

“One of them is called something and the other one, likewise, is named as well.”
- Bob Mortimer

4) Interesting thing of the week.

I’ve had a hectic week this week so haven’t read much at all, any suggestions?

5) Gig of the week.

Collective Vinyl Sessions - Aidy West & Rich Bee, Sat 24th Nov

A very interesting new club night at Maule Collective. Awesome beer, awesome music.

Speak to you next Friday,

Josh

I Wish.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

HERE IS FRIDAY 16TH NOVEMBER’S TOP 5 ALL THINGS AWESOME.

LET'S GET INTO IT...

1) Track of the week.

Download at iTunes Skee-lo I Wish (EP) : http://tinyurl.com/cyn2e3o Download at iTunes Skee-lo I Wish (Album) : http://tinyurl.com/conjur8 Stream with Spotify ; http://tinyurl.com/m89p5o5 [p]1995 Sunshine Entertainment under excl. license to Altra Moda Music. "I Wish" is a hip-hop song by rapper Skee-Lo released in 1995 as the first single from his debut album of the same name.

2) Video of the week.

This is the track 'Harmony' taken from the Secret Records DVD 'Hundred Reasons: Live At Freakscene' available now. Filmed at The Lemon Grove, Exeter on the 23rd November 2004 and features many of their most popular songs 'Answers', 'What You Get', 'Soapbox Rally', 'What Thought Did' and 'Silver'.

3) Quote of the week.

“Nothing good ever came from your comfort zone.”
- Ross Edgley

4) Interesting thing of the week.

WW1 guns fall silent.

5) Gig of the week.

Charlotte Carpenter, Alessi’s Ark, Beth Monroe live at The Playhouse, see you there.

Speak to you next Friday,

Josh

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

HERE IS FRIDAY 26TH OCTOBER’S TOP 5 ALL THINGS AWESOME.

LET'S GET INTO IT...

1) Track of the week.

"Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G. From The Notorious B.I.G. album "Ready To Die" (1994). Download on iTunes: http://bit.ly/Havuw2 Listen on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/HGeoal © 2011 WMG

Notorious B.I.G - Juicy.

2) Video of the week.

The Clash Belle Vue Elizabethian Suite, Manchester, UK 15. November 1977 Capitol Radio : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4VPkYzc1nE Janie Jones : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOgwuwzfyvQ What's My Name : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YX4EBf93pU Garageland : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPTBP53xdDM This was a specially arranged full gig which was recorded by Granada TV, of which 4 songs have only ever been broadcast on the So it Goes shows.

The Clash - What’s My Name, Live 1977.

3) Quote of the week.

“Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
When I was dead broke, man, I couldn't picture this
50-inch screen, money-green leather sofa
Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur”
- The Notorious B.I.G.

4) Interesting thing of the week.

Music venues create communities too, but this is exceptionally articulate in explaining a problem we have in Northampton at the moment.

5) Gig of the week.

Big Lad/Sleep Beggar At The Lab.

NOT TO BE MISSED. This will live, loud and lovely (?). Get involved.

Speak to you next Friday,

Josh

I'm sorry I missed your birthday.

Audio Works turned 6 years old on Sunday, 16th April 2017. I only realised 5 minutes ago. I'm sorry.

It's hard to believe that we've been going for 6 years. You get so lost in the day to day running that you don't think about the past, just what's on today's to-do list.

In the beginning I set out trying to make a space for bands to rehearse with 3 simple but important features in mind;

1. Reliability
2. Professionalism
3. Friendliness

I've repeated those words so many times in the last 6 years, partly to remind myself that I need to maintain standards, but also to put out there what we offer so people that want those features know where to come.

I didn't want Audio Works to be the cheapest place (in any sense of the word), I also didn't want to create a space for huge stage rehearsals at thousands of pounds a week to hire. I had used rehearsal spaces before, some were great, some were terrible, so I had a good idea about what I thought was important. So, I borrowed money, then borrowed money against that money and got cracking.

6 years down the line and I think we've got the balance right, it requires daily work and constant improvement but Audio Works is in a good place.

• Our Reliability rate is 99.9%. I made mistakes on 2 bookings a couple of years ago (out of roughly 8,500 total bookings (both bands got free sessions as is the policy)).
• Professionalism and Friendliness go hand in hand. While we want people to feel comfortable in this creative space, we also want people to feel that their time and money is being taken seriously, both are usually in short supply. Less dodgy warehouse, more recording studio.

Obviously, we'd be nowhere without any of you guys, so...

THANK YOU!

In business, like music, you always ask yourself 'will anyone want this?', and the answer for lots of people is no. Not everyone wants the same thing, but fortunately there are enough like minded people to enable different things for different people (both business and art). I like to keep Scroobius Pip's advice in mind...

"We might not be for you, and that's OK."

Thanks again for your support, here's to many more years and hopefully we'll see you soon.

Josh.

This town is dead.

"There's nothing to do in this town."

"Northampton is shit."

"I'm going to London"

These are all things i've had said to me about the town that I live in (said by people that have made no attempt to change their situation). I have no illusion that there are other, more diverse, more lively places in the world but if you're chasing the 'best' place to be;

a) You'll never find it and (the 'best' anything is temporary and constantly evolving).

b) All the time you spend moaning would be better spent creating.

I'm a firm believer that I am in control of my life, it doesn't just happen to me. Obviously some things are uncontrollable, but certainly in terms of things to do, it's down to me. We all get bored, but it's what we do with that time that can really make the difference.

I read an article about Tyler Perry (a very successful actor, producer, director, screenwriter, playwright, author, and songwriter) about how he had achieved his goals, and one of the things he said was;

"Stop wasting time on TV, games, dumb stuff & people. If a person doesn't have a plan... move on!"

That really resonated with me. If TV and games are my goal, then obviously it's all good, but those things don't get me where I want to go. If i'm not where I want to be, then doing anything other than chasing that is wasting time. If I don't work on it I wont get it. It doesn't matter what my goal is, whether that's money, relationships or expertise it all requires work. Playing Glastonbury festival requires plenty of rehearsal, has anyone ever played Glastonbury with zero practice?

I talk about quotes a lot, I think it's because my mind constantly wonders towards 'what are you doing with your life, you should be doing better/more' territory, so the occasional kick in the butt really helps me. As soon as I think I want to sit in front of the TV or eat that massive chocolate bar I ask myself 'Is that how I get what I want?', the answer instructs me what to do next.

That helps me, maybe it can help you, it's worth a shot.

Speak to you Friday,

Josh.

image found HERE.

How to have the perfect band rehearsal.

We've had a fair few bands through our doors at Audio Works Rehearsal Studio, over 5,000 rehearsal slots in the last 5 or so years. We've learnt a lot about how different bands rehearse and now you can too...

The shortest rehearsal we've had was 30 minutes, the longest was 6 hours. The smallest band was one person, and the largest was seven.

Top 5 most common practices;

1.  2 hours average duration.
2. Average of 4 band members.
3. 1 ten minute break.
4. First half jamming or writing.
5. Second half set run through.

It does seem that the bands that rehearse for 3+ hours get more rehearsal time, particularly as they tend to stay in for the duration of the slot, rather than having several breaks. Perhaps it's that 3 hours is more of a commitment, therefore the attitude is get in the room and get the work done. It's not clear why, but obviously with more rehearsal comes more productivity.

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book outliers, posed that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery in any field. That's 13 years of two hours music rehearsal a day. Obviously, you don't have to be a master to play music and have fun, but the more you know, the more you can do.

In summary, It's important to find the best way your particular band works well. I also think it's important to push yourself, and try out new things. I've been to many rehearsals with a less than perfect attitude. If I had pushed myself a little more, tried a new style/technique to further my musicianship I definitely would have benefitted from it.

Ultimately, I think you need find your way, find your preferred style, but push the limits a little to help yourself grow. I'm trying to do this with my own pursuits and it certainly seems to be working.

Speak to you Friday.

Josh.

p.s. How long is your band practice? Do you have any band rehearsal rules? Let us know in the comments.