I'm a rockstar on hiatus - Ask Me (Almost) Anything

[SweetnSaltyPopcornPlease]

I'm a semi-successful musician in a rock band. It's my only occupation, has been for some years. I've been a lot of places, seen a lot of stuff and met a lot of people. Ask me anything. I can't answer everything for various reasons but let's see how it goes...

@smilingontheinside

Have you ever played St the Red Rocks amphitheatre in Co! Fab venue

Yes we have, it was the hardest show we've ever played. Because the air is so thin up there, I couldn't breathe properly and we were all huffing and puffing after the first song😂

Are you Charlotte Cooper?

Fun fact, I was once told off by my record label for saying I was a fan of George Micahel. Apparently, it's not very cool.

Oh we both know he was so so cool 😎

Is constantly gigging the way to be seen or social media?

Can you make it when you’re 40 odd ? Asking for a friend

Hi, What's your favourite moment in your music career? Also, have you played with Bastille, and what do you think of their music?

@SweetnSaltyPopcornPlease thanks for that. It wasn't my son who is going to college though! My son is going to be a punk rock tree surgeon astronaut racing driver policeman, obviously. (he's 3)

If you go to a conservatoire to do rock or pop there are still plenty of connections you can make and great experience and industry advice. My friend had guitar lessons with Johnny Marr. We had Jamiroquoi at our college to do a masterclass. You can meet your band mates at college, there have been several bands emerge from ours alone.

@thedaytodayyesterday

My friend had guitar lessons with Johnny Marr

Wow.

@SweetnSaltyPopcornPlease

Fun fact, I was once told off by my record label for saying I was a fan of George Micahel. Apparently, it's not very cool.

They were right. Duran Duran all the way (and I have 5 years experience defending this statement at a girls school in London in the 80s)

How did you get noticed to play big venues quickly?

Have you done a Tim's Twitter listening party?

Are you a man or a woman?

Do you have children?

What style of music do you play?

I've been watching this all day and loving it, hoping there's going to be a reveal 😬. I'm really missing gigs and the prospect of no October to December "gig season" is really sad, I'm usually booking things around now. I'm completely wrong but for the sake of a guess, I'm going for Abi from the Zutons.

I'm loving this thread. My husband is a walking music encyclopaedia and this the first time I've got him to read MN as a result of this.

My question - what were the last 3 gigs you went to? (Not where you were on the same bill / same festival - I mean, you went independently to see a band you like?)

Yes me and DH are enjoying guessing but everyone I think of (even bands I think of as fairly obscure) has had a higher than top 20 single somewhere! I don't know many bands after 2010 anyway but did used to be involved in clubs.

I agree with someone else earlier, this is Grant Nicholas from Feeder, nailed on. 😃

Thanks for your time..
Are you still making new music?
As a songwriter, have you any tips on how to sell songs? Cheers mystery songster person :()

That was meant to be a smiley face!! Whoops

Have you been a MNer for a while under a different name?.. or have you just popped in for this AMA?

Feeder have had lots of top 10s though. (Assuming OP hasn't 'tweaked a few details'...!)

@serenada true story! It was at Salford uni in the early 2000s

What is your favourite breakfast?

Did you ever get to play t in the park either at strathclyde park or balado?

If someone was to guess who you are, you’ll just ignore them won’t you

@Baxterbear

Thanks for your time.. Are you still making new music? As a songwriter, have you any tips on how to sell songs? Cheers mystery songster person :()

We finished an album last year but due to Covid, will release it next year. Summer song out sometime between this June and September. I think.

Have you played Brixton Academy?

Problem is music students get no proper guidance on what to do when they hit the real world.

How do you know this? We toured ACM - DS chose to go to uni in the end but I was impressed by ACM. They talked a lot about training their students to earn a living from music. There was one tutor who earned a living from writing library music and teaching at ACM as well as writing and performing his own music. He had a band too and he said he'd rather earn from music than an unrelated job. Lots of other ex-students teach music and are session musicians. I think it seems very switched on to the industry. Maybe they had a rethink after the way they treated Ed Sheeran.