The Slaughtered Lamb

Alright?
A friend of mine told me that my blogs are '..too f*cking long, like a Led Zeppelin Solo..'
Therefore, I'll condense last night's review into a bitsize chunks.

Supposedly respected promoter. I brought 10 people down. I played to exactly 10 people plus the promoter. Absolutely pointless and soul destroying. Plus the promoter made £25 out of me.

After saying I wouldn't do any more stupid acoustic gigs, there I was back for more punishment. I'll learn one day. I've got a few gigs at The Edinburgh Festival in a couple of weeks which will be well worth doing but apart from that, I am knocking these open mic acoustic gigs on the head. I don't even like acoustic music really. Apart from a few Neil Young songs and most of Solid Air, it's a bit boring isn't it?

Anyway, here's one of those photos of me with the Trans-Am that my friend Brad took a couple of weeks ago! I'm no Michael Knight but I think they're pretty cool. Yeah, I look a bit like a cock but the camera never lies as they say...

Until the next shitty gig...

Shhh! Quiet please!

Morning rat fans!
Nice weather for ducks...
Do you know what? Rock n Roll is a funny old game. One day you're playing in a sh*tty little acoustic venue with a bunch of talentless nobodies and the next, you're playing in a reference library! It's a rich tapestry this business of show!
Basically, I'm happen to know the band Mr Hudson and The Library quite well (the story is that I used to play guitar for them, but I decided to leave to do my own thing and a few months later they're signed! DOH!) and they ocassionally play the odd libaray (geddit?). I had a call from Ben on Wed night asking if I wanted to play Westminster Reference Library with them! I'll play the opening of a f*cking envelope so immediately I said yes.
It was a top night. Great sound, lovely audience and a brilliant venue. Considering there was no bar, everyone was bang up for it. I could actually hear what I was singing for once. What a great lyricist I am too! I try to crowbar all these literary references into my songs (Dorothy Parker/Rambaud/Hemmingway) and what better place to air them but a library! I don't think anybody picked up on them but at least I was happily deluded that they might..
Ben and co did a great set too. He's off playing festivals and supporting The Poilce for the rest of the year the b*stard. Many thanks to him and his crew for inviting me along.
If anyone works at a hospital or a civic centre, I'll come along and play a set for you. I'm cheap. All I need is my BFH...
Here a photo of last night taken by the lovely Sally BJ!



Hope you have a great weekend. I'll be back soon button moon....

RC x

'Cause you gotta have faith...(and a Brazilian)

Alright?
Yeah well, I changed my mind again. I love music and other bands now. For this week anyway..
Had a blinding gig at a hair salon/gallery called Flaxon Ptootch in Kentish Town last week. The place was packed! Not only was Rescue Cat playing that night but some of Mr Hudson and The Library were doing a set with Sting's daughter Coco! Copy and paste this link into your browser to see some photos and some live footage too! It was a top night.

http://picasaweb.google.com/bonniemoore1980/FlaxonPtooch120707

Last night I played a venue called the Strong Rooms just off Old St. My friend Louise Golbey (find her on MySpace music) had roped me in to play guitar for her so I thought, f*ck it, I may as well do a set myself while I'm at it. It went ok. I was nervous and f*cked up a few things but nothing too major.

ANYWAY, the guy on after me was bald and about 50 and one of his songs was about going down on a girl who was obviously a fan of the 70s bush. If that wasn't bad and tasteless enough, he sang that if she wanted him to go down on her, she had to shave it off! I could see some of the girls in the audience swallowing hard to try and get rid of the bile that had gathered in their mouths. I nearly choked on my risotto when I heard it. Yuk. I don't want to think about old people f*cking! EVER! Especially when they're ugly. And when they're talentless and tedious to boot, it doesn't go down well (geddit?!!). Anyway, he lent me his cappo so he's not all bad I guess...

As you know, I've stopped booking gigs for the moment as I'm going to try and get some new stuff recorded and maybe look for a drummer and a synth player so I can relax a bit on stage. If I go to any gigs and stuff, I'll let you know my thoughts.

I'm doing a video/photo shoot this weekend by the way. A friend has got hold of a Trans-Am for it so I'm going to pretend to be Michael Knight for the day. I'll post some photos up as soon as I get them!!!! Expect this kind of thing...



Over and out!

RCx

I never thought I'd do a runner from my own gig but...

Morning,
I don't want to sound bitter and twisted...but I am, so that's how it comes out...
Last night I had a moment of what alcoholics call 'clarity'. The foundations were all there. A 'nice little bar' (that's my friend Bruno's quote) in Hoxton, I had two new songs to put in the set and I was generally feeling pretty good about myself. Then the first warning signs came in the form of some 'I can't make it down after all tonight after all' texts from my mates. Fair enough but it still unnerved me somewhat. The other warning signs quickly followed...
Grotty little bar, no bar staff, and quite possibly the most random, untalented, rag-tag (is that a word?) bunch of 'musicians' I've ever seen in my life. I was asked if I minded not having a sound-check and I thought, if I have to sit through this lot first then I'll take my chances and f*ck off to a pub until I'm due on stage. Which I did. Only to find a band already on stage when I was due on. Then another band, and then another. Apparently, the promoter had to 'juggle' the set list around. I can't describe the music really but I'll try. One bloke had a platted beard and a nelson Mandella t-shirt on. Highly technical and highly f*cking tedious. Someone else called 'Blue Rider', enough said. One guy managed to cart a full size keyboard on stage and sang songs with the lyrics, 'staring at this page I realise that life is just a stage' OH F*CK RIGHT OFF.
Anyway, TWO of my friends (Tom and Stuart) had made it down and they both looked like they wanted (a) to kill me (b) to kill the bands and (c) to kill themselves. My mate Stuart said 'This is the pits. Give this up. It's a waste of my time and yours'. He was right of course. I checked with all two of them and we decided to grab my equipment and nip out the side door. It was a thrill actually. Reminded me of doing one from a Pizza Express on Upper St years ago. Funnily enough, nobody run after us shouting 'Rescue Cat, don't deprive us of your uniquely introspective yet still commercial electro-acoustic music..'
There you go. I've decided to stop doing any more sh*tty open mic acoustic gigs, not that you care readers, seen as none of you come to them anyway. I might even try getting a band together which I'm obviously loathed to do seen as most musicians are complete and utter w*nkers. So, I have a strangely light feeling this morning, like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Thank you Blue Rider, thank you Troy Bar, thank you Stuart, thank you Tom, thank you Africa, thank you India, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SILENCE!!!

Here's another photo of someone I wish I could be. I am trying...



Until the next gig, take care of yourselves, and each other,

RC x

Satchmos 04/07/07

How are you all?
From now on, I'm using asterisks to cover up my swearing, just incase it offends anyone. By the way, suck my motherf*cking c*ck.
Anyway, on with last night's gig...
An 'intimate' gathering this! (ie, I played to the other acts and the bar staff)
Ok, first up was your usual open mic, Nick Drake wannabe. Can't remember his songs or his name. That was easy huh?
Next up an acoustic duo. Think 'Journey South' but without the River Island stlyings. Nice songs, decent harmonies, and dull as sh*t. Again, I can't remember their name. They did say it a few times but it was delivered without eye contact and in such a muffled way that it sounded like an apology. Damn right they should apologise.
Next up was a german nutcase called 'The Buddah Cakes' who looked like Morton Harket out of 'Ah-ha' and sounded just plain weird. He sang songs about cemetaries and played an old toy piano with a toy monkey strapped to it. Quite interesting and possibly quite good but I couldn't help thinking that I was enjoying it purely because I was so completely and utterly f*cking bored of the previous acoustic dullard ramblings. Anyway, my girlfriend told me later that he was coming on to her later on that night so if I ever see him again, I'll cut off his 80s mullet for him.
Now for the headline act...
Basically, I was great.

I've got two gigs next week so I'll write more then.
Until then, here's a picture of someone I want to be when I grow up..