In which long players give me satisfaction…
#weeknotes S03 EP04 – week ending 3 February 2019
Another busy week – they all seem to be that way now, but in the best possible way.
I’ve just come back from the launch event of Classic Album Sundays in Manchester. The most trusted listening event around CAS already operates in a number of countries and it was great to get along to the first one in Manchester, where founder Colleen Murphy interviewed Peter Hook ahead of a play of New Order’s Technique. Listening collectively is a great experience, and being able to delve into the history of the album as well as its context is exactly my thing. I’m really pleased I’ll be part of the team hosting more of the events in Manchester throughout this year.
Otherwise this week has been a lot of process work – production is getting underway on Reckless Yes releases, Noble and Wild events are in the pipeline, and on the digital consultancy side there’s irons warming nicely. Lots of things seem to be coming together and I’m really excited to talk about them more openly soon.
I’ve also joined in #MWE on Twitter. Music Writer Exercise has been going a few years now and encourages you to listen to an album you’ve never heard before each day of February and tweet a review. It could be something classic you’ve never got round to, something new you’ve been excited for, or something outside of your comfort zone another tweet review inspires you to try. I am pretty bad at keeping up with monthly challenges, and album reviews are my least favourite way to write about music, but but I’m loving this – I’ve already listened to Even As We Speak’s 1993 release on Sarah Records Feral Pop Frenzy, Sarah Louise’s latest release Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars, and Bill Evans Trio: With Symphony Orchestra. Between this and Classic Album Sundays I’ve delved into albums so much more in the last week and I feel better for it.
What’s next?
This week has – as always – a bit of everything. Some digital consultancy, some music PR, and some record label bits.
I am loving the mix at the moment, especially that it’s balanced enough with every day life that I’m still getting lots of time with my children, a daily run and even time to read (currently on a re-read of David Cavanagh’s Good Night and Good Riddence: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped Shape Modern Life).
Digital consultancy-wise I’ve got plenty of social media bits coming up and it’s great to talk to public and third sector organisations about the digital and communications challenges facing them right now.
On the music side it’s nice to be working on Reckless Yes releases as well as some external clients at Noble and Wild, and for so many artists to be interested in what we’re doing as a label and wanting to work with us in some way right now.
Travel this coming week means Derby, London, and Bedford but I’ve also got a good couple of days at home. I’m relishing time spent on trains at the moment, for the listening opportunity and because I never tire of watching the country pass by the window. But I’m really looking forward to conversations and meeting up with more people from my #100people list, connecting and creating in ways that really deliver.