My Year...

2012 has now truly begun and I think it could be a good year for me. The latter year was a rather mixed affair but with a positive gradient I felt. There were a number of life-altering events that may well have some drastic effects on this year. But I do have an inkling that the outlook could be one of greatness.

I thought I would recap and reflect on the past year. Below is my abridged 2011...

January -

• Had the last of my Sno!Zone shifts in Xscape, Milton Keynes. Have yet to be asked for more hours.
• My band after returning from playing a festival in the Maldives and a new guitarist joining we began booking shows for the year. 
• Being single is balls.
• Anniversary of my late much loved Grandpa.
• Back to University (penultimate year)

February - 

• Video shoot for the second Lecarla single, 'Bruises' in the coldest of barns available in the country.
• More gigs played.

March - 

• Perform with Does It Offend You, Yeah? Biggest support slot up to this point.
• First tour of 2011 with Lecarla. Began 10th March with Arms of Atlas. Venturing into new lands such as North Wales, Crewe, Peterborough...
• Release of second single, 30th March.

April - 

• Tour continues until 17th April with a band named Violet joining the bill.
• HUGE LIFE CHANGER! 3rd April, Lecarla play a matinee show on Mother's Day in Croydon, 20 people present, the promoter walks without paying us, random man gives us his number because he thought we were good...
• Later that month, receive a phone call from producer of Led Zeppelin/Thin Lizzy - Nick Tauber, who entreats for a meeting with us at a studio in London.
• Met Nick and his partner Jack Rustin, they love us and look to get us management, booking agents, PR...
• 26th April, have a rather drunk night out in Milton Keynes and met a girl...
• Begin touring with Jody Has A Hitlist.

May -

• Continue touring and watches the Royal Wedding celebrations.
• Break up from University for the summer. Second year is over.

June - 

• 2nd June, I have a new girlfriend.
• Gigging and industry showcases start to pick up. Get a PR man on board.
• 30th June, CMO Management (roster of Gorillaz, Blur, Grace Jones) come to see us play at The Peel, Kingston...

July - 

• 2nd July, I reach the age of twenty. 
• Attended Sonisphere Festival and realised that screamo is horrendously poor.
• Play a festival with Ed Sheeran.
• Meeting with CMO Management in London and begin to work together.
• Experience my first Cambridge Folk Festival.

August -

• Braved the London riots.
• Attended my fourth Reading Festival.
• Further gigging...

September -

• Eight show tour with Thousand Autumns.
• Voted one of the top 10 Unsigned bands in the UK by Kerrang! Magazine.
• Girlfriend goes to University in Norwich.
• I commence my final year at Westminster University.

October - 

• Talks of heading into the studio to begin work on Lecarla's album.
• Witness Charlie Simpson live at The Waterfront, Norwich.

November - 

• First seven days of recording begins in Chichester's Old Chapel Studios. All expenses and recordings paid for.
• Christmas shopping begins...

December -

• A six month celebration.
• Last Lecarla gigs of the year, ending with a homecoming show.
• Recording for another five days again in Chichester. More recording to come.
• Christmas spirit is high this festive season for me. A trip to the Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland, the making of Mulled wine and Cyder with a Y. Christmas was exceedingly special.
• New Year in Norwich, rather subtle but was just right.

A somewhat erratic year one might say. But it definitely turned out well in the end. Who know what this New Year will bring. I look forward to experiencing its many trails and tribulations. We'll see how things pan out...

Yours Joe

x

New Year first sketch...

As a gift for Christmas I received two different sketchbooks. I aim as this year progresses to fill these with many a drawings.

After revisiting my artistic painting/drawing side for need of a present idea I had in mind, it has been invigorated by sketching, painting and illustration.

I have started one of my sketchbooks already. I aspire to keep to the theme of scenes in this one. By this I mean I would take sketches from various locations in the area where I am situated at that specific time. I make notes of any events or sounds that happen in or around that area. And thus come to final piece made up of a compilation of my day in sketch form.

Here is my first sketch of the New Year below.

Yours Joe
x

A Christmas cheer...

With countless amounts of leftover turkey inspired meals slowly coming to an end, we can all look forward to the New Year celebrations.

As clique as this may indeed sound to most, I would have to say that this Christmas period has turned out to be my favourite. Hitherto as the festive season would approach - and with more and more years adding against me - I have found myself increasingly in desperate need - come Christmas Eve - to obtain the slightest inclination of magical feeling.

However this year was very much different. Magical feeling came much earlier than usual and with a sense of serenity and ease. I think in a way in can be being immersed in Santa's Grottos or Hyde Park Winter Wonderlands that can help one fall into the festive mood. But it is more important with who you spend this time with. Friends, family, girlfriends, boyfriends... I believe this is what makes it special.

I am very sorry to anyone reading this who this year did not quite attain their much desired festive spirit in time for Christmas dinner.

Believe me, I very much can give condolence as I have found myself in this position on not too few occasions.

Happy Christmas (as I hope for everyone it was one)

Yours Joe
x

You know it is Christmas when...

...You wake up to the freshly sprinkled whiteness of the first winter snow, Santa's grottos with his green pointy-shoed little helpers guiding the sometimes more than reluctant small children into a dimly lit dwelling where they are to tell of the many things they desire to find under their trees in later days to come, all the while warming the rounded red jolly man's knee. On the slight fringe of a disturbing annual tradition one might say. The smell of cinnamon, sparkling incandescent lights draped across our high streets, many a steaming Christmas puddings. But foremost, seeing the iconic Coca Cola truck tops it all this festive year for me!

Yours Joe
x

Gingerbread, mulled wine and cider with a Y...

Sometimes Christmas can be made exceptionally special by the people which we share these magical times with and this is the way it should be as aposed to the gifts we recieve being the main event. Even though I am a little under halfway through the door-opening process of my advent calendar, I already somehow know that this year's festivities will be a very lovely resolution to the year. It has in fact been already a rather wonderful time thus far.

After a recent time passing of six months with my girlfriend, we thought that mulled wine and mulled cyder (yes, with a "Y") were in need of being brewed up to warm us up from the blistering cold that blows and blusters outside these walls in which I sit writing this. Also as it is indeed Christmas, what better time is there to make some gingerbread men.

Ensuing two or three hours of bubbling, stirring, messing up and slight charring, we had successfully mulled our wine and cyder as well as a number of gingerbread biscuits.

I think that the Jamie Olivers and Gordon Ramseys of this world would find themselves profoundly jealous of our efforts and able ability here!

Yours Joe

x

Bang the drums...

My movie-making addiction seems to have somewhat overwhelmed me, leading to me creating more recording vlogs, giving people an insight into my band's progress with their album recordings...

Video two of four so far; tracking drums.

Yours Joe

x

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

Time to embrace all those many Christmas songs that have been itching at our radio stations and shopping stereo systems. December 1st 2011 has come to pass and now our ears have but no choice to hear "sleigh-bells ring" knowing that "Santa Claus is coming to town." Indeed, I am sure he is busying himself along with his many little helpers to once again get all our most joyous desires wrapped up and safely put under our trees come the twelve strikes of midnight. But one must not forget that if you have not been on your very best behavior then you may well find your sooty hands clutched around a piece of coal come Christmas morn.

All towns have now been sprinkled with their festive fairy lights truly injecting the Christmas spirit into even those few humbugs that inhabit these lands. When I see such sites as this, a flutter of compassion and a tickle my belly lets me know that Father Christmas and his reindeers are soon to be on there way!

Yours Joe
x