Why A Blog?

Having written numerous blogs, the majority of which are music related and more succinctly related to the independent music scene, I have recently received more than a few requests from people to write a blog about myself. To be perfectly honest, as much as I truly enjoy writing, I don't know where to start so I'm doing this by the seat of my pants....as I tend to.


I was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1967 and emigrated to Tasmania in 1979. I currently live in Stanley, a small village of less than 500 people on Tasmanias far North-West coast. Serenity reigns supreme....usually.


I took to playing the guitar after seeing The Rolling Stones perform "Start Me Up" on T.V. For the next 3 years, night after night, hour after hour I would painstakingly work on my guitar playing. I have played in several bands since the age of 16. I quit the band scene in 1995 due to family commitments. I did, however, play occasional acoustic gigs and began recording late in 1998.


I seemed to have a bit of a knack for music recording....probably because I was recording myself and was playing all instruments, thus knowing my limits on all fronts. I had several years away from recording altogether due to a very serious alcohol, namely vodka, problem. I'll spare you the gory details; I think I've put them in print elsewhere and I make no secret of it.

In late April 2007, my abuse reached crisis point. Long story short....I returned to recording purely as a form of therapy. I then discovered a multitude of free music sites where one can upload their songs. Initially, I was over the moon with this and had a friend start my own website. Slowly but surely I started noticing the seedier side on online music for the independent musician....namely money. It seemed that if one paid for this, that or the other 'privilege' in the online music industry, then the better one would fare. This is not necessarily the case. Far from it.


Over the last 12 months I have sat back and watched more and more 'paid upgrades' and 'pay for distribution' sites emerge.

Earlier this year a colleague put me onto Bandcamp. The site is a no-frills, no-fees, high-quality sound-file options and fan discounts. If you look at the player to your left, you can press 'play' and listen to the album in its' entirety as often as you wish. Individual tracks can be downloaded. If you wish to download the entire album, enter the word thistle at checkout to view the hefty discount. Even at this point, you are under no obligation to make a purchase.


Earlier this year I released my first book, "Online Music Traps." The book, which can be downloaded is a comprehensive overview of the internet and providing advice to independent musicians on how to minimize cash outlay where it isn't needed. I am currently working on a second book.


As it stands at the moment, between writing my second book, having recently commenced recording my next album, blogging and family commitments, I'm keeping myself busy. I mention this because boredom is perhaps the biggest trap for the recovering alcoholic.


So....the next time I have a few minutes on my hands and have something informative and hopefully humorous I'll post another entry.

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Having written numerous blogs, the majority of which are music related and more succinctly related to the independent music scene, I have recently received more than a few requests from people to write a blog about myself. To be perfectly honest, as much as I truly enjoy writing, I don't know where to start so I'm doing this by the seat of my pants....as I tend to.


I was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1967 and emigrated to Tasmania in 1979. I currently live in Stanley, a small village of less than 500 people on Tasmanias far North-West coast. Serenity reigns supreme....usually.


I took to playing the guitar after seeing The Rolling Stones perform "Start Me Up" on T.V. For the next 3 years, night after night, hour after hour I would painstakingly work on my guitar playing. I have played in several bands since the age of 16. I quit the band scene in 1995 due to family commitments. I did, however, play occasional acoustic gigs and began recording late in 1998.


I seemed to have a bit of a knack for music recording....probably because I was recording myself and was playing all instruments, thus knowing my limits on all fronts. I had several years away from recording altogether due to a very serious alcohol, namely vodka, problem. I'll spare you the gory details; I think I've put them in print elsewhere and I make no secret of it.

In late April 2007, my abuse reached crisis point. Long story short....I returned to recording purely as a form of therapy. I then discovered a multitude of free music sites where one can upload their songs. Initially, I was over the moon with this and had a friend start my own website. Slowly but surely I started noticing the seedier side on online music for the independent musician....namely money. It seemed that if one paid for this, that or the other 'privilege' in the online music industry, then the better one would fare. This is not necessarily the case. Far from it.


Over the last 12 months I have sat back and watched more and more 'paid upgrades' and 'pay for distribution' sites emerge.

Earlier this year a colleague put me onto Bandcamp. The site is a no-frills, no-fees, high-quality sound-file options and fan discounts. If you look at the player to your left, you can press 'play' and listen to the album in its' entirety as often as you wish. Individual tracks can be downloaded. If you wish to download the entire album, enter the word thistle at checkout to view the hefty discount. Even at this point, you are under no obligation to make a purchase.


Earlier this year I released my first book, "Online Music Traps." The book, which can be downloaded is a comprehensive overview of the internet and providing advice to independent musicians on how to minimize cash outlay where it isn't needed. I am currently working on a second book.


As it stands at the moment, between writing my second book, having recently commenced recording my next album, blogging and family commitments, I'm keeping myself busy. I mention this because boredom is perhaps the biggest trap for the recovering alcoholic.


So....the next time I have a few minutes on my hands and have something informative and hopefully humorous I'll post another entry.

Custom Search