Onwards

Wow - after all that excitement, the dramas leading up to the Dana Gillespie gig - it was a fantastic night - not without a hitch or two and a few lessons to be learned! Get the main act in and finished with sound-checking before 6 - have a fixed schedule for soundchecking! This will be so necessary esp in three band line-ups like 4th December - The Bitter Springs + BOHJ + Patrick Fitzgerald -double confirm their sound arrangements...anyway - everything was fabulous. My lindyhopping friends in their finery led the way with their dancing and the atmosphere was great - Dana and her band were wonderful - very polished and exciting - Dana herself powerful and also sensitive, genuine, warm...good news, she's coming back next year! Date to be confirmed and booked in the next day or two and will definitely be a weekend night.

So much adrenaline and enthusiasm about as interest in my projects builds - people are asking me to promote them, and I'm approaching others to come and perform - A photographer from Hounslow Chronicle is meeting me and Phil at church to take some pics for this Friday's edition and then I'm meeting my friend Anna from the Drama/Art dept at Brentford School for Girls to work out ways of involving their students in my events - hopefully one of them will be coming to film the Sean Millar gig this Friday! It feels a bit chaotic at times but a trusty to do list keeps me grounded as long as I remember to write things down.

So, Sean and Jim are coming from Ireland this Friday - it will be an emotional gig as Phil has not played with them professionally since the mid 90s and there'll be a lot of people there from Sean and Phil's different bands over the years -Sean hasn't played here in England for over 5 years and I can't wait! Hopefully all the flyering, pestering, facebooking etc will pay off and we'll see many of you there.

Exciting or nervewracking

I have been in a constant state of sicky excitement for the past fortnight - the big gigs, my first proper paying ones are nearly here...only two days until one of my all time heroines comes to sing at St Paul's - because of this gig, Angie Bowie, Dana's friend has asked me to promote her as well when she comes to London. Angie has been fantastic and publicised the Dana Gillespie gig on Facebook and elsewhere - I can't wait to meet her.

Back to the Dana gig then - the day after tomorrow: The support act (me, Phil, Serranda Serenaders, Brentford Blues Combo, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all) is ready and sounding really good - as long as we can keep it up and not crack with nerves - it'll be fine! Dana and the Brentford Blues Combo are going to play for about two hours non-stop including encores and I just can't wait - there is so much goodwill behind these gigs that it feels like the only way is up.

Serendipity - Kevin Swain who is a very experienced sound technician saw my poster during his one and only ever visit to Morrissons and contacted me to offer his services as a Hel's Angel - very welcome too! Turns out he is friends with Roy Hill (Chiswick gig next year) and probably many more that I know as well!

The gig after that is our fantastic acoustic night on 12th November - Sean(Doctor)Millar accompanied by Jim Walker with my Phil doing his own set ands also accompanying Sean on his set - this is going to be a really warm, special evening of beautiful music - Phil's set is going to incorporate numbers from all the bands he's been in, and there'll be musicians in the audience from all those bands as well as well-wishers and old acquaintances who have not had a chance to see Sean play in England for many years.

People are coming forward to help with the gigs and the Hel's Angels T-shirts are nearly ready! - what I really really want though (and I'm sure it will come to pass) is my own venue!