It’s Better When We’re Together

Hey Coo Kids,

I’ve done quite a few solo gigs in my time. Some have been great, a recent one was not so good where I lost confidence as someone asked the staff to ask me to turn it down and I clammed up, couldn’t speak between songs, was desperately trying to sing everything quietly, questioning and doubting myself continually.

Added to that I had to carry mountain-loads of gear up 5 flights of stairs afterwards and my positivity was at a particular low.

But I don’t do everything alone. I sing in two bands and recently have been practicing with my friend Ian as a duo to very exciting and rewarding effect.

I spend a lot of my time working solitarily on music but there’s nothing quite like being with one or more musicians.

First of all, you’re not alone! Obvious to say it, but any fears, doubts, worries, heavy-lifting, can be shared.

Also, the good bits too, the laughs, the little looks when something goes right, the camaraderie of being the only ones sharing this specific experience together. It’s special and precious.

Second, there’s more power with more than one musician. You can create a bigger, more elaborate soundscape, harmonies, you can realise something musically and do it organically without as much reliance on trickery, pedals, backing tracks, etc.

Another special experience for me was recording with Outlandish and Nick Scott recently at the Anvil pub. The downstairs was adorned with a lot of rock imagery but we spent about 6 hours blasting out folk music and it just felt amazing, living life to the very best of my ability. A large part of that was not doing it on my own but sharing a special musical experience with others.

At some point, in the hopefully not too distant future, Coosticks may be becoming a band again. How very exciting, I’ll keep you posted.

And finally, a lot of the friendships and acquaintances I have made over the years have been through music. So I wanted to share the music, to make sure we were connected as musical people.

So below is a list of some musicians. They are all very talented. Like me, they must all spend an obscene amount of time working on recording, practicing, honing, gigging, publicising and marketing what they do, and I would imagine it’s often because, again like me, they are driven to do it, obsessed by the love of just filling your life with music. Dip in to the list, choose one or maybe more at random if you like, give them some love, and you’ll discover something somewhere that you love, I guarantee it.

You can make music on your own, and you can make it successful, and it can be really special.

But it’s better when we’re together.