Here are the gigs that I’m doing for the week ending Sunday August 28th, 2011.
Make sure you mark these off in your diary with a BOLD RED PEN.
For more information please go to my gigs page.
Hope to see you there,
Corey
Today I’m preparing for my first originals gig in a couple of months.
It’s a gig I organise for SCALA (Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association) showcasing songwriters who perform through my Open Mic Network and it happens tonight. It’s a great way to keep my songwriting chops up to speed.
As a musician who makes a living playing other peoples music, playing my own music is a real breath of fresh air for me. Even though I always put my own individual spin on the covers that I play, the greatest artistic satisfaction I get as a musician is through performing my own songs in front of a crowd that want to be there.
If you’re in the area the gig is at the Higher Ground Arts Cafe located at Light Square in Adelaide and the night kicks off between 8pm and 8:30pm finishing at around 11pm.
I’ll be sharing the stage with 3 other talented songwriters Bryan Foley, Martin Mount and Steven Fotineas with entry being $5 waged, $4 concession and $3 for SCALA members.
It’s going to be a great night so wish me luck.
Peace,
Corey 
Late last year I had the pleasure of being the featured act for the Night Voices Open Mic which is held at The Garage Bar on Waymouth Street in Adelaide. The video below (taken by my good mate BT Cassidy) are the edited highlights from my performance.
In this video you’ll hear three songs, two of my own songs “Girl Like You” and “Back Of My Mind” which will be available on my upcoming CD release plus, a version of Spandau Ballet’s 1983 hit “Gold”
Enjoy…
I’m really quite proud of this video considering I was sick as a dog at the time. In fact, I detuned the guitar half a semitone to give my voice a bit of a rest.
Hmmm, the things we do for our art sometimes.
Peace,
Corey
Last week Darren and I completed the electric guitar overdubs for “Girl Like You” and today I’m hopeful that I finish the vocal tracks for the rest of the songs:
Another thing that I’ve started to do now is to keep track of what parts and/or what songs have been completed in the recording process.
At the moment I’m using a crudely drawn graph (as shown below) but I know that the neatness monster inside will force me to create a graph in Open Office or something like that.
After today I’m going to need to start thinking about getting Victor, the keyboard player in to do his tracks but first I’ll need to work out what songs need keys recorded before electric guitar.
An example of a song needing this process would be “Missing You Already” as my vision for the song dictates that it’s to be primarily a piano piece, similar to something that The Whitlams would do.
I’ve had a little bit of a head cold for the last few days so I’m hoping that my voice is ready for today. It feels good but getting the voice recorded can be a different beast altogether.
A few hours after I finish in the studio I’ll be doing a 20-30 minute guest spot at the Night Voices Open Mic at The Garage which starts at 7pm. If anything my voice will be nicely warmed up for that.
Now I’m off to get ready for the day ahead, wish me luck.
Peace,
Corey
For those of you who don’t know, SCALA stands for Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association and it was formed in 1987 which makes 2010 its 23rd year of helping songwriters be the best they can be.
I’ve been a proud member of since 1992.
My first ever solo show was at SCALA. It was a Wednesday night, July 29th, 1992 at the Duke Of Brunswick Hotel and I clearly remember how intensely nervous I was.
As a result of those nerves getting the better of me that night I put in a terrible show and afterwards, I was ready to give up (yes I was that bad) except for the amazing support and encouragement of SCALA’s president Rob Childs and the rest of the crew.
I would even go further to say that I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today if it wasn’t for the existence of SCALA in my life. Period!
Over the years I have seen SCALA develop into an organisation that really has the development of emerging songwriters as its primary focus. It provides for its members:
Not bad for an organisation running on limited funds and with virtually no volunteer base for the past 23 years.
For a number of years now, I’ve been a member of the SCALA board as well as a resident songwriting judge for its FOOM (Festival Of Original Music) song competitions. I relish in the opportunity to give back to SCALA what it had originally given to me when I was first starting out.
Time, effort and support, the very things that SCALA can give to you now, if you decided to become a member.
I don’t get any money for promoting SCALA, I’m just writing this because I really do believe in the power of community and the grassroots support for the next generation of talented songwriters and artists out there. I mean, my own efforts in running the Open Mic Network has been largely inspired by my involvement with SCALA.
The more I walk on my musical path, the more I realise that we are all in this music business thing together and organisations like SCALA just make the journey a little easier for those who choose to take that first step.
Peace,
Corey
PS: Here are some SCALA links for you to check out – Website | Facebook | MySpace | Twitter
One of the projects that I’m involved with is running an Open Mic every Wednesday night at the Daniel O’Connell Hotel called the Open Mic @ The Dan. This has been running for almost 4 years now and has a very solid following and is known around Adelaide as one of the best run and best sounding Open Mics around. This is something that I’m very proud of.
I’m also putting together an Open Mic Network in which all Open Mics can cross promote their events to a developing Open Mic community. I’m doing this because It’s my belief that grass roots initiatives such as Open Mics are essential in a vibrant music industry. I wish they were around when I first started my musical journey.
The benefits of an Open Mic are:
For everyone:
1. Open Mics are a great networking opportunity for songwriters, performers and musicians of all experiences and skill levels. Everyone gets together in one place with music as a common bond and allows magic to happen
2. It’s a great night out in a relaxed, performer-friendly environment listening to music performed by anyone and everyone. A mixed bag of good and improving performances. You can feel comfort zones being shattered.
For songwriters:
3. You can road-test new material as it is being written (even works in progress if you are daring) and get great feedback from your peers.
4. As other singer/songwriters are present you can easily find a songwriting partner.
For performers:
5. It is an opportunity to perform in front of an attentive, respectful crowd in which you can promote other shows, get names on a mailing list and sell product. If you have a band that you are starting and you want to get the vibe happening before your first gig, Open Mics are perfect for this.
6. If you are looking for other band members networking at an open mic should be one of the thing on your to do list.
7. Most open mic venues have music on other nights so consider your performance as an audition for a gig on another night.
For more information on the Open Mic @ The Dan and the Open Mic Network go to my projects page or to www.openmicaustralia.com
Peace,
Corey
