Creative

Stage Performance Techniques, Bluescampuk 2023

This is a live recording of a workshop that Chris Penfold and I conducted at this year's BluescampUK at Tonbridge School.

As this was only recorded with contact lapel microphones there is some external sound with people playing drums at parts of the recording but there are some brilliant ideas here that if you're involved in presentation, you would find useful.

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music

Tom Collins, Plant Science, Travelling, Boats

I am talking to Tom Collins about his world of Plant Science the extraordinary biodiversity of South Africa, what we need to grow food for a burgeoning population and the very well real risks that we face in the future.

This veers into very interesting territory, Tom also discusses his sailing, building boats and just generally navigating the seas of science, commerce and being creative.

This is brilliantly interesting for amazing ideas.

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music

Using what you've got

This follows from my chat with Chris Penfold about making good and mending. This one is about using what you've got. We can talk about this from a material point of view, where you're using equipment that you already have, but it's also about your skills, and you have many of these placed within other areas of activity; bringing these on board will benefit you.

I spoke about something that Michael Breen said during an NLP training. The story was that his wife was very good at interior design; she could change colours and items in a room in her head, but it made her a nightmare to take out for dinner because she would do the same thing with the items on the menu. She would make endless comparisons between different dishes in different courses.

So look at all the skills that you have as a musician. You may also be a good people person, being a good communicator. That may be evident within your music, but it might not be. If you're not a very good people person and you're trying to be a teacher, then that would be a problem.

However, if you're not good at that but may be good at organising or something else, you could bring those skills to the front to help with project management.

As he was in the army, Chris was talking about the British Army having to be inventive because they didn't always have the equipment to fix the problem. They have to think it through and work out how they could accomplish the task with the gear that they have.

So, for instance, if you have a guitar, a music stand and a computer, you could set yourself up as a teacher. If you've got a car, you can travel to people. You don't need to go and buy a more expensive guitar or equipment to accomplish that. Now that on the face of it is obvious, you'll be surprised because I have coached people who would become teachers who had the idea that they needed new equipment so they could set this up. It's unnecessary, but you could also look at that from the point of view of what you require to be a performer. You only need what you have.

I interviewed Billy Childish, the artist and punk musician. Billy comes out of this aspect of using primitivism in what he does, particularly musically, so the idea of limitations is good. He has a couple of old amps, one which dates back to the 60s, possibly even earlier than that and a couple of old battered-up guitars, nothing new, and he has managed to produce well over 150 albums. It all comes from the perspective of keeping it simple, even the recording techniques. This idea of garage recording is playing in an ample space with the band and then just going into a studio and putting the vocals over the top.

He has done this for years, and it enabled him to produce a lot of albums with that very raw sound, and it influenced many bands, including the White Stripes.

So another aspect of working with what you've got also involves people; obviously, this presents a sharp focus on how good your networking is.

You probably know The people you need to form a band or the people who know them you already know. I think it's always problematic when you audition people because you don't know their personalities particularly well; the chemistry between various members makes a band, so working with the people you already know will lead to a better lineup.

I would also say this is true of running a team for business. If you're starting something new, you can headhunt the people you know; that's a good way forward.

The excellent book by Tony Buzan is called Genius, and it's all about such genius and Mastermind groups.

This book sites that many geniuses didn't do the stuff on their own they had help from very influential people, and that enabled them to develop not the way that history is taught; we always go for the grand man narrative, and to some extent, there is an element of that you know the great person that focuses attention. Still, they can't do this independently, and there's often more than one great mind that goes into creating and achieving.

You need to be able to work with others and be flexible with that, and again, if these people already know, then you're more likely to do that because I'll be friends of yours

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music

Chris Holdham Foraging Rewilding Us

In this episode of Creative I am talking to Chris Holdham who I meet whilst walking in a woodland!

Great chat with Chris about his work, foraging and teaching others.

I will leave it to Chris to explain

Hi, I'm Chris and have been developing the projects at Rewilding Us for a number of years. You'll be joining me on our wild walks.

A little about me... My deeper wild food journey stemmed from being on a plant based diet for 8 years. After spending years seeking the healthiest diet for my body and the environment, my journey turned into an all round rewilding experience, foraging my own water, plants and meat for the benefit of my body and the the rest of life on earth. This is a journey that is reflected in the courses, the majority are vegan orientated, however, we do cater for all walks of life.

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To find out more about myself and Rewilding Us visit https://www.rewildingus.co.uk/

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music

Pete Turner of Pete Turner Guitars

This episode i am talking to Pete about those fantastic guitars and how he started, and we contemplate how much the guitar he made for Peter Green will be auctioned for at Bonners.

As a left-handed guitar player, Pete Turner was frustrated at the lack of choice available in acoustic guitars. So a few years ago he decided to make his own. Impressed, the partners at lefty shop Holiday Music each bought one, and enquiries started coming in from the local musicians' community on what else he had available.

I am lucky to have two of his guitars!

https://www.peteturnerguitars.com/about

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music

Andi Skipsey Bass Player, Explode the TV

I'm talking to Andy Skipsey bass player of Explode the TV. We talk about songwriting and creative processes, playing in a massive Christian rock band who played Wembley Arena, Wembley Stadium and European venues including Berlin.

Andi was in Red Touch with me during 90s and we also talk about the role of faith in music.

https://linktr.ee/explodethetv

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music

Helen Wilson Nursing, End of Life, Consciousness

In this episode I am talking to Helen Wilson about her life in nursing, working in end of life care and what we can learn from our elders regarding consciousness.

This is a fascinating talk about people's lives whether that is someone involved in the Dam Busters Raid to those who are spritely at 104 to those suffering from dementia at 40 and those who have profound experiences and how an ordinary life can contain such extraordinary meaning.

This is a great chat and we were only scratching the surface so I am looking forward to chat with Helen again. It was also very good to meet Doogie the dog who makes a grand entrance.

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music

Trish Nichol, writer, poet, singer and player of the ukulele.

I chat to the wonderful Trish Delish Nichol about her fascinating creative life.

Trish's biog is so good I have left it in her words.

Born and raised on the west coast of Canada, though her forays into the world outside a small island in the Pacific have taken and will take me far from the place I once called home.

I'm on an adventure, a journey of the in and the out. A quest of sorts, to find quintessence.

Fortunately Satori is everywhere.

So there shouldn't be too much trouble.

I've been writing for a long time, that classic tale of "since I could hold a pen", etc.

I've been talking about my feelings on the internet via this blog since 2009.

In 2018, I published my first book with the help of a grant from the CKCA (Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance) which gave me the kick in the pants I needed to actually get it done.

Never underestimate the benefit of a well-timed kick in the pants.

It's a book of poetry called the Mechanics of Dreaming, available in physical and digitally via Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon

I wrote and published a horror novella called Tales from the Busmeat Cafe Volume One: The Secret in the Sauce as a collaborative effort with my cohort, Mr Dark. It is available exclusively in digital form on Amazon and Smashwords. We are currently working on Volume Two.

Poetry, horror, rambly meanderings, silly videos of drunkalele antics, art, musings, there are all sorts of things within this site to amuse, befuddle, and engage.

I hope you find something that makes you smile – Trish

Visit

www.trishnichol.com

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music

What if we are wrong?

Solo show, looking and questioning our assumptions. What if what we believe is wrong? What does this do for us creatively? Does the ability to foretell create interesting dimensions to our creations? I talk about the excellent podcast The Witch Trials of J K Rowling on free speech and the historic witch trials in Salem Massachusetts

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-witch-trials-of-j-k-rowling/id1671691064

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music

Adrian Matthews, Freud, Harry Potter Zen and Professor Umbridge

This was such a great chat with Adrian we dive into the rabbit hole of Jung, Freud, Harry Potter and what is a WWOOFer?

We talk about landing after deep revelatory experiences, anarchy, Zen, building communities, the collapsing of personal realities, the deeper meaning of Professor Umbridge from the Ministry of Magic.

Adrian lives in a caravan in North Wales. He was meant to become a Freudian analyst, but he stole some corn and was kidnapped by the Fae. Now he spends most of his time composting, walking back in the dark, and digging holes. He has a MSc in Cyberpsychology, and this thesis (and interests) still centre around the morality of groups when exposed to psychological pathogenic distress.

To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland

and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk

For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com

Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music