elearning for music

Anne-Marie Parker 2nd July 2005 Anne-Marie has well and truly got her act together - own band, CD release. More at www.annemarieparker.co.uk

Julia Gordon 1st July 2005 ‘Hi pete, how are you doing? Just thought i would write and you let you know some good Jules news. i am about to debark on a musical tour of the South Island New Zealand. We have about 7 dates lined up and i have a couple of cd’s to sell. I go under the name of kalika for my own stuff. I have sold about 40-50 cd’s since ihave been out here and have accumalated a little following in a few parts of the country and Melbourne (where i played 5 gigs!). It is very exciting . I even got my first fanmail from 2 people who happened to hear my cd through someone else and took down my email address to tell me how delighted they were with my music. For the tour i am teaming up with a drum’n'bass duo who i have written some tracks with and a dancehall reggae dj. The night will start off with me playing an acoustic originals funky soul folk set creeping into some hipswaying and booty bouncing reggae rolling off into some rugged as your nan after a jog dirty drum’n'bass. It is going to be fantastic aprt from the fact that it iswinter here and we are going to be living in a van. oh dear. Il’l get some hefty thermals and good woolly soft scarf to keep my vocals warm. then the adventure can start- i can’t wait it is such a beautiful country. Have you been here?
Sounds like everything in manchester is all go as always. I like getting your little emails even though they don’t really apply to me being on such a distant land. Send my love to all the crew.
Keep smiling Jules*****’

Pete Hewison 13th May 2005 ‘I’ve just finished a job for Manchester United TV. You can see it at www.thegatefilms.com It’s the first video on the showreel of Phil Hawkin. I did a few different versions but he chose one of the early ones. ‘

Simon Raby 12th May 2005 ‘how are things going at college! things still the same? sorry i have not been in contact for a while, my old emasil account got shut down, so i have lost all my emaI addresses!
lifes been good to me since leaving college, i worked as a landscape gardener from july to feb which was a good laugh got to be outside everyday making a good wage. was playing a lot and did a little bit of teaching, really got into my giutar playing, written quite a few songs, at some point i need to put them to a full band!
in feb i left the uk and i’m now traveling round south east asia for six months or more if my finaces last! had great plans for going to cambodia vietnam and loas, but i’m still in thailand at the moment! i decided that i wanted to go to an area hit by the tsunami and do some aid work for a week or two it’s now been two month! i’m on an island on the west coast called ko phi phi don wich was hit really hard by the tsunami! i never seen anythink as sobbering as i did when i got of the ferry the place has been deverstated. thie island got hit by two waves and where they met in the middle not one building stands! over half of the population where killed and there are still hundreds unaccounted for. even now there are still bodies being found under ruble and in the sea. there is a lot of polatics ssurround ing this island, out of the millions of pounds that where donated from all over the world not one pen y has come to this island. the goverment want to sell the island for magor developement for five star resorts and don’t want the local people on the island, so to try and displace them they give no money to try and get them to the main land then they stand to make a lot money! no oficail aid agencies are aloud on the island like the red cross, according to the goverment the island is closed again a ploy to keep people away and to starve the local econemy!
i’m now a team leader i get my own team of volunteers and go out and do work that they give me. at the moment i’m clearing out water resevious before the monsoons come, i’ve done other things like demolition of biuldings that are not safe to live in, brick laying, carpentry, cement floor laying, and my next project that will start next week once we get permission, is to set up a small area on the island for growing organic vegetables, so poeple don.’t have to rely on supplys coming in from the main land, which cost quite a lot of money, about a month ago we set up a small school for the children that remain on the island, a lot pf the islanders still remain in refugee camps on the main land, so i’ve been teaching kids how to play the guitar wich is quite hard with the language barrier, and also we bought some percussion instruments from the main land, so that proves to be quite entertaining for them!
anyway thought i would drop you a line and tell you what i’ve been up to over the last few months after finishing college! if your interested to see a bit about what i’m doing over here have a look at www.hiphiphi.com they’re the unofficial aid agency on the island. hope all is cool your end, i now have to go an unload a boat with lots of suplys on it. take care and i’ll be in tiouch soon . ‘

Tobi Lustigman 4th May 2005 ‘I recently finished the production for my band (Shrugged) and we are now in the overwhelming process of getting the music out for the world to hear which is being amazingly aided by our website (www.shrugged.co.uk - luckily our songwriter is a computer programmer!!). I am finally in a band playing music that I adore which after years of feeling inferior due to not becoming a jazz musician is a wonderful feeling - lots of guitars, lots of fx pedals and great melodies.

Jonah Stevenson 3rd March 2005 Jonah’s band The Forest (with Paul Hanley on drums) are signed to a label for a single.
“Hey pete, single should be out april the 11th. it’s called Living Room, with Any Day Now as the b side. Its 7″ vinyl only, 500 copies (ltd edition, obviously). Coming out on a new label called Slogan, which is an offshoot of Sanctuary.
Got a Manchester based press company (in house press) helping us out.- hoping to get a review in the nme, hopefully even a good review, also trying to get some radio play. Already been played on terry christians show on gmr, but we want to get some national, possibly steve lamacq and/or marc riley will play it. It will be in the indepedent shops and supposedly even hmv.
I have seen the record though and it’s amazing, just to hold it in your hands, hehehe. I still think I’m going to wake up and find it was all a dream.”

Leanne Revitt 3rd March 2005 “When I left ccm I took a year out and then got a place at the Brighton institute of modern music. I graduated in July. Me and my partner in crime Phil Hudson entered a demo competition on southern counties FM. and we won so we were
interviewed live on the radio last Sunday. We call ourselves HudsonRevais and the track was called In Your Stars. I think you can still download it from the website if you wanna check it out.. We are gonna be asked back in a couple of weeks to do a live session - I will let you know as soon asI know when that`s going to be . I’m also in a function band at the moment with Danny Hibbert who was in my year and Simon Main and Ian Beardwood who you should remember from the year after. We are trying to get ourselves a cruise contract. We had an audition a couple of weeks ago with Thompson cruises so will let you know how that goes too.”

Graham Robinson 2nd February 2005 ‘Hey pete, I thought you may be happy (or not) to here that i have joined a signed band from liverpool call ‘the stands’ and i have just signed an 18 month record contract with ‘Echo Records’. Everthing you and your colleagues taught me has come in very useful and i would just like to thankyou very much.
Cheers’

Kay Adams 6th January 2005 Surviving Salford and enjoying it (I think).

Julia Gordon 15th December 2004 Jules is down under doing the New Zealand/Oz thing, busking, writing and enjoying herself too much.

John Blaylock 22nd November 2004 Still doing the guitar teching work for Aziz. Done a week tour of Syria, Two weeks in India and a one week national tour with Ian Brown all recently. Writing some wicked tunes in foreign countries.
Working hard with International One, we played ITC and we’re drumming up some label interest.
Teaching guitar privately but also just got a job doing an hour a week for MANCAT teaching a group of sixth fromer students who take guitar as an extra curricular activity. £20 an hour is the wage I’ve been
waiting all my life to get paid.
Being a musician is top. Bad news - The Ford Escort is no more, now got a Golf

Josh Ruding 30th October 2004 “Since graduating in July this year I have completed a project with the Lowry Theatre, composing and performing the music for their production of Love on the Dole (adapted from Walter Greenwood’s novel written in 1930). The show was a total sell out, playing to thousands of people over a ten night run. I worked with an incredibly professional team of people and I look forward to working with them again. I’m negotiating with the Lowry for funding for a project working with 11-16 year olds for 2005 - working in schools and bringing together music, multi-media and live performance.
I’m having talks with Opera North, for similar reasons, to see if I can land some work via their Community/Education programme (they have some excellent projects going on).
In the short term, I’m composing music for a web design company, which is bringing in the dosh”.

Anton Campbell ["$corpio"] 30th October 2004 “I’ve been doing performances at the Contact Theatre, and at the Sale Waterside Theatre in Sept and Oct.
Still writing the album M-Demo presents…Urban Poetry. We have free studio access, which is good. So album should be done in no time. (stuff you’ve never heard before.)
Just recently, someone from a radio station in Newcastle is interested in me and my group’s material, so we may be broadcasted in Newcastle very soon. Just waiting for a phone call. Watch this space.
I met R’n'B singer Terri Walker in M2 in Sept. She has my demo too. Haven’t heard anything yet though. She’s a very busy lady. For those of you that know my song Same Shit, Different Day, I’m more than happy to tell you that I’ve done a remix. And I think this one is better.”

David O’Dowda 30th October 2004 “Since the Peter gabriel tour, I’ve been playing with Sizer Barker as a session, doing promo gigs. some radio and regional T.v. Ive bought a G4 and Logic and I’ve been getting into Producing quite alot, I’ve been getting a bit of advice from a mate, Adam who works up there as an engineer/ tech … nice guy. Saw tobi at a gig in london last month… Haven’t heard from Nico.. you never know, I’m touring france in Jan, so I’ll try and get him to come. And carl has just turned into a Jazz monster!
I might be popping in in the next 6 months to record some drums and vox, I’ll give you a knock if i do.”

Axel Billot 20th October 2004 Email from Canada - doing some sort of grand tour I think.

Lana ??? 19th October 2004 Bumped into Lana (oh heck can’t remember her second name) at Night and Day last night. She did the nc in 2000. She is now in her 3rd year of a social sciences degree at Salford and loving it. She does voluntary work for domestic violence support groups. Respect.

Danny Boyd August 2004 Ran the Baysound music festival - turned into Mr Efficient.

Colin Ogdon July 2004 “We (Colin and Scott Anderson) both left ‘Soul City Exile’ which, were nominated for the Manchester Music awards, after deciding the music wasnt for us, and with an opportunity to join Folks in hand we went ahead with that. We’ve had a very positive response with Steve Adge (John Squires manager) who is gunning for us and have had a good deal of interest from SJM. As well as that we’ve been approached by Parlophone although I doubt anything real will come of it.

We played most recently at Bier Keller, the night following ‘Blowout’ which was a part of In The City. The night was in honour of an compilation album release we took part in called Ten From Ten, which is released by Concrete Recordings in affiliation with SSR. Our contribution to it is a cover of a Bee Gees track named ‘On Time’ which I recorded myself with my Digi 001 set-up and played Keys and Organ on. Scott as you might gather is the singer, however SSR mistakenly used the wrong vocal take when doing the master and subsequently we have a four part harmony completely out of tune for sale in the shops! Never mind! (its £12.99 at FOPP right now, or you can wait for it to hit HMV and the rest later in the year)

The band is a folk infused indie-rock type outfit with alot of individuality. Imagine bands such as Jet Etc combined with Crosby Stills and Nash and maybe the tiniest minute touch of Stone Roses and you get the picture.” Tobi Lustigman May 2004 “I hope all is ok at the CCM camp. all is good here in London. not sure when i last was in contact with you but to recap i was out in LA this time last year working with my cousin on the album deal he and his girlfriend got with Dreamworks. Since then they have spent most of their time trying to get out of the deal which they have successfully done and are about to finish building a top studio at the dead sea where they plan to finish the album. Since that experience I have discoverd the joys of live music. singers and songwriters and good players. I havent tuned or edited a vocal in a while now! (well maybe a little) and I have been doing all kinds of stuff - i rent a flat on the outskirts of London where I have my Pro Tools setup in one room and rent out the other room to a mate of mine who does IT recruitment. I have done some very bizarre sessions (and also some mundane ones too!). I am working at the moment with my girffriends band which is somewhere on the borders of experiemntal folk and classical flute and acoustic guitar based stuff. we should have the mini album/demo/whatever u want to call it done within the next month. I will send you a copy when its done. Otherwise I have done sessions ranging from cheesy covers of Les Mis to recording dialogue for an adult erotic fetish chat line (which is apparently now live!) I was working at a fringe theatre doing lighting and sound for a while until the electrics blew - not my fault - its a really cool place. its actually a registered charity so its all for a good cause unlike all the usual selfish ‘corporate’ music that goes on down here! I am living in a flat with my girlfriend near Camden which means that I am also doing some ‘real’ work a few hours a week. I somehow fell into basic website upkeep and design for a small trophy and medal company! - dontask!. I got back into playing again guitaring with a female fronted rock band. its been great to dig out the old ditortion pedals and let rip in dingey old rehearsal rooms but somehow the magic is missing somewhere.Well i wont go on. As we all know and as you taught us early on theres nothing easy, mundane or normal about life as a strugglingmuso/techy/producer/engineer/editor/porn king but its all wierd and wonderful in its many ways. The most recent prospect is an opportunity to go out to israel for 3 months to engineer on the same material that i helped start in LA. quite interestingly and positively I feel that whereas a year ago I jumped at the chance without hesitation, I now feel that i have so much cool stuff happening here that I am not sure whether I will go although it cant be a bad thing to spend three months making music by the dead sea!”

Sam Maitland May 2004 Touring with a dance company, running workshops, writing tunes.

Romy Davies June 2003 ” I passed all my exams and I’m in at Salford on the pop music and rec degree! -well chuffed! hope all is cool with you and school, keep sending the useful music info.”

John Jenkins March 2003 “We just finished the tour at the start of this week. Its been 2 1/2 years on and off touring now and i’m definatly feeling pain. Its nice to be at home for a few months, I am looking for more sessions now and making the most out of my endorsments and sponsers . so howz peter and the famliy ? howz life going at city college still see any of the old crew?our tour manager dave lawurance does some teaching at the college i believe , he knows dawn smith from way back . i may come up to manchester soon, first im off 2 israel for a dead sea detox!”

Carl Sterling December 2003. “I just wanted to let you know what I’m up to at the mo. I’m studying at Middlesex uni doing the last two years of their Jazz degree. I have to say its definitely been a good move for me. I’m learning so much, working hard and I’m loving the chance to practice and play all day and night. The course is very good, the teachers and pupils are lovely. The lessons are challenging but have really forced me to get my stuff together. I’ve met some great players and have managed to get some regular gigs. I’ve also been to a few Jams in town to get my face seen which has proved to be a good move because I’ve had a bit of session work recording for the BBC on one of their Nature programmes which I think will be broadcast in June sometime. I’m also working hard with my father rehearsing up a load of his compositions for an album we’re recording next autumn. The material is Jazz but not the serious self indulgent rubbish which alienates most people but is nifty and tuneful and has already been tried and tested over the last few years in a series of concerts we’ve done in East Anglia. Its gone down so well with the general public that it seems a shame not to market it. I will send you a copy as soon as its finished.
I’ve started drumming again and have even been booked for a couple of gigs which is great cos it spurs me on to practice. I figure more strings to my bow cant be a bad thing.
Well thats about it really. I really hope you and your family are well. On occasions miss Manchester and City College. Its the place that got me in to playing really, and I will always appreciate the support you gave me!”

David O’Dowda December 2003. “I’m playing for a band called sizer barker, supporting peter gabriel, its the maddest experience, I’m playing keys, sampler and using logic from a laptop, and a bit of singing, its a good laugh mixed with quite a bit of pressure.”

Lisa-Marie Glover November 2003: Busking in Spain.

Julia Gordon November 2003: “things are going okay Rumig did a really good gig at HMV Showcase the Late room on the 24th Sept. We’ve started recording an EP to send off to designated record companys. currently we’ve got interest from a guy called Dave Pichilingi (Virgin A&R) owner of Robot Records. He really likes us he just wants to see us play. Our next big gig is in the 7th dec at Jabez Clegg and he should coming down to see us. We have also been chosen to go under the jazz section on the glasswerk.com website where you can sell cd’s over the net and get your profile up there which is cool.”

Romy Davies November 2003: In the 1st year of a degree at Salford. Working hard and enjoying the course.

James Aykroyd November 2003: After completing his NC, James is now on the HNC in Music Technology. Band still rehearsing regularly.

David O Dowda November 2003: Working with Carl Sterling, as well as playing in a new indie band called The Beans - managed by Cornershop’s manager. New single called Sun Is Shining is available at Piccadilly Records, released by Northern Ambition - www.northernamibtion.com

Lowell Killen November 2003: Started a degree course at Salford but (allegedly) jacked it in for the guitar job with Puressence. www.puressence.co.uk Tour coming up supporting Inspiral Carpets.

Anton Campbell

November 2003: Getting plenty of interest in his music. He has featured on the BBC 1xtra website and has a single out. Visit www.scorpiomusic.cjb.net to listen to the debut single and to see exclusive live footage.
To purchase the new single from $corpio “SameShit Different Day” visit the website
“I should be performing in Selfridges around for Christmas, and in February I should be performing at the City of Manchester stadium. Kevin Keegan is doing an awards ceromony.
I’m not recording but currently writing my album M-Demo presents…Urban Poetry due out for Jan/Feb 2004 hopefully.”

Mike GreenNovember 2003: Formed a band with other popstars:rivals musicians - landed an (allegedly) excellent deal. First single went straight in at number 10. www.phixx.info

July 2003: got to the final 7 of popstars: the rivals. Incredibly, he didn’t get through to the final band, but he’s made excellent contacts as well as gaining fantastic experience, which is opening up extra session work and career opportunities. Currently signed to Pete Waterman.

Pete Hewison July 2003: chasing film score work. He’s made some excellent contacts through North West film organisations, as well as getting his feet in the door doing extra work as an actor. - Carl Sterling July 2003: doing some sax teaching, running his own Latin/funk band and considering going to Uni to do a jazz studies degree. Paul WinterJuly 2003: working part time while he recovered from his HND but is now planning to continue his studies at University in the north east.

Tobi Lustigman July 2003: Went onto study at the highly acclaimed School of Audio Engineering in London. He turned down a job with tv/film composer Michael Conn, but has done work with producer Guy Sigsworth. [Bjork/Madonna/Seal/Lamb/etc].
email from Tobi - 24/3/3 I have some news. I’m off to LA next Monday for 3 months to help make an album with my cousin and his girlfriend (you know the ones who got me hooked on this crazy world of electronic music and expensive studio gear!).Adama (the girlfriend) landed a record deal with DreamWorks and they are renting a great house in Sherman Oaks, LA, where they have set up a fantastic Pro Tools HD studio and have about 8 months to deliver a finished album. I am going out to help all round, engineering, programming,tinkering on the guitar and helping creatively to help make the album sound cool. My living will be free and I am getting paid for my services so really I cant lose.
Over the last month or so I have been getting more and more work at a local studio. The last couple of weeks were spent recording a guy called John Lawton (ex-Uriah Heep frontman) and his band’s new album. What a pleasure to firstly record such fantastic musicians and secondly getting paid for it! This week there is an alternative metal-cum-circus music album being recorded and I get the odd bit of private Pro Tools work when the main engineer has too much on. John JenkinsNovember 2003: Still trouing all over the world with the Streets. Taking a break to recover from some exotic disease picked up on tour.

July 2002: drumming with the Streets (nominated for a Mercury Music Prize is 2002 and a Brit in 2003). he’s been touring the world, including doing some top festivals and venues. He appeared on Later with Jools Holland in November 2002. He is the human drum machine… Tour picks at www.pbase.com/image/14521658

Dawn Smith July 2003: Her own band Jersey Street released an album in 2002. She has also been spotted doing bvs for New Order.

Nicolas Driot
November 2003: “I’m back to France, to my region ‘Auvergne’, and I now live in Clermont-Ferrand…
I’ve set up the French version of “Kandid”, although my lithuanian cellist followed me… We’ve got a new bass player, but no more violinist… Back to the trio… I’ve been back only since the end of June, but things are already starting togo wellWe did a little tour during July, where we’ve met interesting people! We’re now part of a collective of artists, which is helping us to create promotional tools, to look for gigs, to set up objectives in time, to declare our gigs, to contact the press, etc… It’s very comforting to have people around us, who believe in us and give us advise! So, this year, the plan is to get known regionally… We’ve already had 6 gigs this month (the latest one was a battle of the bands that we won! This will allow us to play in June for a big festival). We also have some support gigs for some nationally known artists next month! So this is rather encouraging.
I’ve started a website (not up to date at the moment…): www.kandid-music.com ”

July 2003: His band Kandid goes from strength to strength, performing and recording round Manchester and at festivals across France. Click here to download his biog