|
Hello all.
Summer seems to be spluttering out, I attended a very British BBQ in the rain last weekend. Excellent! Summer is more of a state of mind for us Brits, so with that in mind... Having recently gone back to having one car between me and my lovely finance, the time has come to buy something with rear wheel drive and a soft top. Whoooooo! (For insurance purposes, my legal team have asked me to point out that no fun will be had by me at the wheel of any car, ever). I have been getting some incredibly positive feedback from people at gigs recently, and I wanted to say I have really appreciated it. If you ever see someone doing something and you think they are good, please let them know! It would make the world a slightly nicer place. I was very privileged to play at one of my oldest friends weddings last Sunday and I am so pleased for them - what an excellent wedding it was! The group congregated on the lawns in the New Forest whilst I played a quirky track by Pearl Jam. Life continues winding on in its fairly unpredictable and wonderful way, and I am constantly reminded that it will carry you wherever it may unless you keep pushing for what you want, whether that is a healthy bank account, more time with loved ones or just a quiet few hours to chill the hell out. I have also had a few inquiries from people about making music videos so thst is all very exciting. Watch this space! All in all I have really enjoyed playing all over the summer, I hope those of you that have caught a gig have enjoyed it too. All the best. L. X
1 Comment
Where did the first half of the year go? Anyone see it? I seem to have missed it! What a blur it has been working on another project with Emma. Very excited to say we are at the end of it (for now)! I have included a picture below so you can see a little of what I have been up to :-) So what now? Well, time to get cracking on the music again - finally! I have a meeting about making a new video very soon, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes out of that. We have managed to squeeze in a couple of new experiences recently, (Krav Maga lessons, anyone? How about some rock climbing?) and I have also learned a lot of DIY skills whilst finishing off a house refurb. It really is a good feeling learning something new and finishing a day knowing you can do something you previously didn't think you could. One word of advice... Do NOT get expanding foam sealant on your hands and if you do, DO NOT wash it off with water before it has set! Four days to get it off my skin, two weeks and counting for getting it all off my nails. I look like I have some sort if nail infection - not a great look! Anyway! Onwards and upwards! Take care (especially when doing DIY). L. X   Welcome, one and all, to 216! I hope you had a brilliant Christmas and fun NYE, I know I did, but this is the last year I'll be gigging as the fireworks go off... Looking forward to spending many future NYE nights in a different European city with Em!
I am so excited for this year! Lots of things to work on, lots of work about to pay off and lots of good stuff happening in between. I'm now very pleased to report that the new Bose P.A system is working a treat and getting a lot of good comments at gigs. And thanks to a lot of help from Matt at Nevada Music in Portsmouth I have a pedal board full of gadgets that have solved many issues and limitations I had before. In short, my live set has never sounded better! Now I just need to get some new threads so I look as sharp as I sound. Having been introduced to Joe Wicks' (The Body Coach) by a friend, Em and I bought his Lean In 15 book so lets see what a more focused meal plan does in addition to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training for you kids not down with the lingo) and / or weight training sessions on weekdays. Bosh. Midget Trees. Guiltyyyy! Plans are being formed for reworked versions of my singles Fracas and Bodies of Water, complete with professional music videos for a feel good summer. It'll be like I'm a real musician or something... I've got a feelin'... This year's for me and you.... L. x Dear Reader,
I hope you're well? I think it can be easy to lose sight of the purist part of what you enjoy. Usually when I pick up a guitar it is to work out how to play what have just written in my head, or to learn new songs / practice old ones I haven't played in a while. Yesterday I sat for an hour and really enjoyed playing guitar for it's own sake. Experimenting, working more on the mechanics of playing and really enjoying listening to the sounds that simple instrument can make! Then I remembered I should be working so covers wise I'm working on my own version of Rudimental's Lay It All On Me - a simple song with a nice sentiment. Also working on a new song of my own that sounds like Ben Howard and Nelly Furtado had a baby that was brought up by Fleetwood Mac. By the way, if you haven't seen the music video to Robin Shulz's "Sugar", go and watch that right now. I learned it recently for Jeremy (manager of one of my regular venues, The Boathouse in Christchurch). There is also a pretty brilliant remake of that video that someone with a LOT of time on their hands made in Grand Theft Auto V's movie maker. Crazy... Hope you had a horrifying Halloween. I think whoever came up with that make up that makes it look like you've unzipped your face is probably one of the most disturbing costume ideas ever conceived. Good job. Thanks for the lovely comments on my pumpkin lantern - I hadn't made one before. Somehow both making those and visiting Disney Land didn't make it into my childhood. So sad. Looking forward to tomorrow night, I love a good bonfire and some fireworks! DISCLAIMER: FIREWORKS AND BONFIRES ARE DANGEROUS. DO NOT BE NEAR, GO TO OR ENJOY THEM AT ANY TIME. L. x Hello Dear Reader,
This week I have been mostly learning some newfangled songs by The Weekend and Alt J, so await those with your usual sense of unbearable anticipation. If you're in need of some new, chillingly haunting songs to listen to then look up 15 year old Billie Marten. Ridiculously good. If you'd like something a bit more rocky then look up my new track, Fracas on iTunes! The book Emma and I are writing is coming along nicely. You'll have to wait a bit longer for that... Emma said I needed to think carefully about the structure, I proceeded to just write everything relevant I could think of. Whoops... Pretty standard three gig weekend coming up, so for anyone who likes to get a really good look at me whilst I'm singing you can look forward to seeing me being illuminated by my new, brighter, better looking lights. It's like watching a gig in HD... Need some advice on PA systems. I'm looking at the smart little Bose system that has all the speakers in one column. Not sure if it will be loud enough to safely get rid of my effective-but-heavy Mackies? Can the technical prowess of Bose stand up to the challenge of powering out many, many loops at once? I hope so, 'cos they ain't cheap! Reading a book called The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch. The idea of getting better results with less effort appealed to my lazy nature! Give it a read, and have your fears confirmed - the world IS unfair, and 80% of what you've been doing is a waste of time. Good stuff! Finally, if you fancy playing a 200 hour "perfect 10 out of 10" adventure about a white man in his forties, with a beard and a pony tail, riding a horse around completing a myriad of quests then go buy The Witcher 3, OR Metal Gear Solid V, depending on whether you like games with swords and magic or guns and explosions. Never before have two things that are so similar been so different, and so good. Whew! That's all for new dear reader, go well. L. x Hello Dear Reader! Don't give up. That is what I have to say this month! There have been some touch challenges for me and my nearest and dearest recently, and after it all I think the quotes I have heard and read about perseverance seem to ring more and more true. This isn't the same as ploughing on regardless of whether what your doing is effective or not - if I can master one thing in my life it would be to know when to keep going down a chosen road and when to divert to get to where I need to be. Especially in traffic like there was last bank holiday weekend! 3.5 hours to get from Fleet to Poole is NOT funny... Fracas, my new single is up and ready to be played and replayed and shown to all your friends, so go have a look if you please! Thanks to Arthur for making it the best sounding track I've done to date. https://soundcloud.com/lucas-raye/fracas All the best y'all. L. x  Hello reader!
Today I have been thinking about the importance of doing something you know you should do when you don't want to. Turns out, it is important! It has come up a lot in the books I have read this year, whether you want to get in shape, learn something new, break a bad habit or start up a new one - consistency is a key factor. There is also the argument that getting into the habit of doing something when you don't feel like it, makes it easier to to do the same in the future. If you allow yourself to say "Ah, maybe tomorrow" to many times, you don't end up doing it! For me today this meant doing some cardio fitness training. Didn't want to, didn't feel like it. But I do want to live a long healthy life, so now here I am, writing this blog, feeling hot, sweaty, exhausted and happy. Here's to doing what you don't want to do, consistently. L. x How goes it, dear reader?
Things my end have been upside down and inside out, but have some exciting stuff on the horizon. As anyone who does there own recording / mixing / production knows, the process can leave you forgetting what sound you want, what sound actually is and who you are. With a little help form a friendly Bournemouth studio I will have some very professional sounding tracks coming out soon! Looking forward to sounding more like the bigger kids bands. Once that is done it will be time for a shiny new video I think. Do you have any tips on driving round Thruxton raceway? I have a voucher I need to redeem and would prefer to tear round the track in a blaze of glory, rather than putter round like a nervous nelly... That's all for now, don't take it easy. Go and kick some ass. L. x Hello! How have you been, dear reader? Obviously you cannot answer this question, but it is polite to ask. I hope your lives are going as you want them to. were any of you 1 of the 10 UK millionaire from the Euromillions draw last week? I wasn't, so if you feel like sharing... But the important thing is to not rely on the unfathomably small hope of winning the lottery. If you have dreams, get on with making them happen! Life will pass you by like a strong wind, and leave you behind without looking back. So get out there, and get stuck in. L. x  |
