Christo's Log

Govannen @ Acoustic Avalon Guitar Show, Leicester Racecourse.
We did good - a tight 30min set including a song each by Dan & I. We represented K.Yairi guitars an Leiva cajon drums. We sold 13 CDs including 3 of my live albums thanks to singing Carousel. One audient came up and said how moving he thought Carousel was :-) Great sound from Neil on his new digital desk. Nice to do a posh stage gig - as opposed to pubs & weddings.

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First solo jazz gig for quite a while - mixed in some tv themes, crooned some old songs and some of my tunes. Closed my eyes and drifted away...
Some muzo chums came to see me specially - Steve Hicks & Lynn Goulbourn - had a nice chat afterwards, shoptalk & anecdotes etc..

Kevin Kendle sent me a parcel of his 2 new albums & DVD !!!! - especially excited to hear the 4th Deep Skies album Light From Andromeda - some of my favourite electronic/space music. Can def still hear a Steve Hillage Rainbow Dome Music influence which is a good thing...

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Been tidying up the CD stock room, unpacking my synths from last Quadelectronic gig and tidying the studio. Also had to clean the decks of computer drives too. Someone ordered 3 CDs to be paid by cheque which was nice - 4am, Chocolate Bossa & Time Traveller. Also did some website work.

Book wise on my recent reading quest to read authors I used to read a lot but haven't in years I finished a Ron Goulart - completing his Ex-chameleon trilogy. Light sci-Fi detective yarns with catmen, ratmen, shapeshifters & androids. Always fun but not silly

Just started reading John Brunner's Double Double - a real time bubble of 1969 England. Pop group The Hermetic Tradition drive round Kent coast near a research establishment in their wildly painted Transit van to find a place to hold their "freak out". They report seeing an injured man at a police station in a tiny village where a young constable asks "Havn't I seen you on Top Of The Pops?" I can see the grainy print of the TV series that this wasn't made into...

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Friday I had Bridget McMahon in the studio to record some atmospheric vocals on the Govannen album. She was very quick picking up the notes as usual and she sang on 5 tracks.

Fri evening Govannen played at the Kidney Care Appeal barn dance with Neil Rab calling this year held at the university. All went well. Neil's best calling yet - he's enjoying it now instead of trying to remember.

Saturday - another Govannen Charity Ceilidh at Burton Lazars village hall. It was for the church but the raffle went to raise money for a cow to be given to an Albanian village... It was organised by Dan's Aunt Janet.

Sunday was chillin & chores day. I did go to the Golden Mile again and had a Chaat for late lunch and picked up a cheap DVD of Namaste London, a Bollywood magazine, and some burfi. I did talk myself out of the Shilpa Shetty yoga DVD tho ..
Evening I got sucked into the Frost/Nixon film on Tv tho did some wii workout after. Ive been on a new program - It's not as good a program as my wii yoga & Pilates but it makes a change.

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Adele and her fiddle came round for a second recording session for the Govannen album. Got another 4 tracks done fiddle wise. Another session should do it.
Her sister Bridget is over from Ireland this week do I'm trying to get her in for some atmospheric vocals as she did on the last 2 Govannen albums for Paradise label.

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After my nerd session with the video software I needed a social day out of my loft so had lunch at the museum with Mo the Harper and encountered Marti who I half knew and had also run into my previous weeks lunch. I'm trying to do a social lunch once a week. We checked out the dinosaur after.
In the evening I got totally absorbed watching the Bollywood Filmfare Awards - their Oscars - I knew more of the actors & films that I do Hollywood ones and the show is a lot more fun than the Oscars - 2 big stars SRK & hosted and did skits on the big films, plus there were musical numbers. Ranbir had to accept his critics best actor award for Rockstar from his sisters while still dressed as a woman from the skit. Was very pleased ZNMD won best film & director & dialogue & cinematography - it was my fave film of the year. Pleased Ranbir got his award for Rockstar too. Stayed up way too late watching it.

Today Adele was supposed to come and record but for the 3rd time this week she had to cancel - this time her kids were poorly...
So I mapped out 2 more Govannen tracks - ones from our live set - just finding tempos & making temporary rhythm & bass tracks.

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My 30 set went ok. It was a quiet night at the Don Quixote club which suited me. I did one as yet unperformed song from Time Traveller with a lyric sheet - The Deal Is Done. Voice was hoarse at end of night, and guitar fingers sore as it had been a long time... Good to get back to singing songs ...

Set - Let Me Be, Science Fiction Eyes, Lifespell, The Deal Is Done, Alien Salad Abduction, The Last Place On The Earth.

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On Sat my new computer came - they installed the audio drive from my old computer - cool. No time to use it tho cos I had to rush Steiger out to gig number one - a vows renewal in a pub in Whetstone.
Then rush straight on to a 70th birthday of a friends dad in Burton Lazars Village Hall. Amazing homemade buffet - nice people - slight subdued crowd. Nice to be earning again - was pretty knackered on my return & next day.
Kinda been fighting off low lever bug throat & cough .

Sunday - started installing stuff on new co
Outer but found no FireWire socket for my sound card :-( . Did some minor installing while listening to Jefferson Airplane but gave up in the evening - watched a Golden Girls, a DS9 and a Larry Sanders. Plus I read some Gibson & the Cantor biographies and listened to the Takemitsu - From Me Flows What You Call Time - stunning piece of music.

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Took PC to see of shop could do a quick fix. They kindly fast tracked its repair as I'd ordered a new one from them the other day.
Amazingly they fixed it. It was the graphics card that died. Made me wonder if I shoulda ordered a new machine, but I guess I knew I needed to move on. It does mean tho that the transition will be more gradual. I can keep working on the old one while installing stuff on the new one which will need a lit of new software coz of Windows 7.

Finished work on the new Memory Wire artwork - should be out in a few days.

Went to see Billy Connolly. Fun to see him. I didn't find myself laughing out loud much - just enjoying him as a character. It was his first show if the tour and it felt a bit like he wasn't quite yet in his stride. There was a patch in the middle where it all seemed to flow. But like Frankie Howerd, you don't really see him for his material or to see a slick show. Just enjoy the guy.

Tried to get into the new TV Sherlock but too many things I found really annoying I had to give up on it ad it just drove me bats and at no point did I find anyone remote believable apart from Watson. The guy who plays Holmes I found really hammy & tiresome. Everyone seems to love it.., it was the same with new Dr Who but I just didn't get it. It must be me..

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After pointless search trying to understand strange behaviour of computer sound card I got stuck into cover art designing for next Memory Wire album. Felt good to do something practical instead of chasing ghosts on the machine.
In evening went to see new silent film The Artist - imitation 20s silent - subtle, clever, fun & charming - really well done.
Even did some late night yoga.

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