Well, as I started this thread I think it's about time I told my story. I've held back because I've posted bits about me before, and also it's probably one of the dullest you're gonna read...
When I was about 7:
..or before, I started writing poems and cartoon/comic captions (and drawing) and then came song lyrics too.
I started playing a cornet (brass, not ice cream!) then trumpet and also baritone; all brass instruments. The school orchestra taught me basic music theory and how to sight read. The headmaster got an MBE for his work with music for children (
Member in the most excellent order of the
British
Empire!!!); and we were on the main news once on BBC TV!
I mention the above as it is probably the highlight of my musical career to date!
I later gave up the trumpet as my teacher told me that I didn't have "the right shape lips" to play really well and he offered me a permanent seat on baritone, which I didn't fancy as it wasn't sexy enough! It semed to me that trumpet players got the girls. Well, they did in our school orchestra anyway, better kissers I guess... or something...
For quite a while I carried on alone with my poems and song lyrics and also bits of tuneless tunes.
About five years later I was encouraged by an old pal to "..buy a bass guitar and join my group!" I bought an old Hofner bass for £12 GBP and joined. Before I could hardly play a note we did our one and only gig at Christmas the same year. That incarnation broke up soon after.
For the next five years I went from one band to another, sometimes on guitar, sometimes on bass with the same pals or new people. We could never seem to get a full set of people or equipment together at the same time to get anything good enough to gig with, either performance or equipment wise. They were rehearsing bands: cellars, rooms in pubs, warehouses, etc. We were never satisfied and people came and went. It was always, always covers. I could never get any real enthusiasm or understanding from anybody regarding my own songs. I still have a tape of me singing my songs from 1974 and to be fair to one and all, it's grim listening. Even my mother said so... ;-)
1977: attempted to get one of my songs published (with a pal who put up one of his songs) and we got a personal introduction into Louvigny Music at Radio Luxembourg. They were really nice to us (in hindsight..) but didn't want our songs and we were devastated. I gave up. (I had a ton of confidence and stamina in those days..)
1978: I formed a gigging band with two brothers (me on bass) and they sang really well. We did covers and played around the working mens clubs in the North of England. We also did a bit of cabaret. It was fun, we got on well, we went down a storm mostly, and I was earning as much money from gigging at weekends as I was from the day job. But again there was no interest from the band in my songs. To be fair, I had no confidence to play them to the band anyway, as they were such good singers, and I was like a frog with laryngitus in comparison!
I later quit the band to further my career as a Sound & Lighting Engineer in nightclubs which required me to work nights at weekends... I regret leaving that band, but anyway... working in nightclubs was good fun too...
Eventually I moved from my hometown in the North to London and got a job as a computer engineer initially and then went into sales and sales management.
1985-2005
Worked hard, made good money, had a family, bought a house, got a life as they say, but could never give up song writing and always kept at least one guitar, even if I didn't play it much. On long car journeys when I was on the road as an an engineer and salesman, I would switch off the radio and sing my own songs acapela. I was happy enough just to create song ideas, let alone good quality demos.
2006
I had had enough of demanding day jobs after twenty years and decided to take a break from it, get a less demanding job and try my hand at writing comedy sketches in my spare time (which I'd always dabbled with). Also, I had by now written hundreds of songs, possibly 800. About 200 had survived in various forms (no demos) just words on paper and tunes in my head. Of all that lot I estimated there were about six that had any kind of commercial appeal and I thought I ought to try and get them a wider audience! Also, I figured I could do with a hit song to retire on! (Ha!) So the next job was to create some decent arrangements and demos.
2009
I have failed miserably to create any demos decent enough to play to anyone else. A few poor quality demos do exist, but nothing you could play to professionals. My next gambit is to try
www.jamstudio.com and "Band in a box" and with some roughish demos to showcase the songs, I'll probably then pay professional musicians to create quality demos for me.
*****
There's more to my story (but that would be name dropping and they only said no anyway..) Also, I am looking at representing the songs of others (who do have decent demos available) using my sales and marketing skills. But that's early days.
To anybody who is still reading, I'll say...
Naw, nobody can still be reading this!!!
In conclusion, I would say that what has held me back most is:
1. Lack of confidence.
2. Being more of a writer than I am musician/singer.
3. Possibly, an abundance of crap songs too!?!?
But yes I enjoy my music and another "problem" is that I am too satisfied (maybe) just by the creative process itself, which I adore, and which I mostly pursue as an art rather than a craft.
Ars longa, vita brevis!
Frankie xxx
