Mind I think I it’s a Music Video and what’s that about a Master Album and 2 New Songs

So, last week I returned to Rockfield Studios to continue filming interview footage for the album documentary I’ve been working on with Gerry Lane. I won’t go into the fact of how over-the-moon I was that I would get to play ‘Mrs B’ (Rockfield’s beautiful Bösendorfer piano) twice in one week!! We unpacked the car, set up with two cameras and rolled Mrs B out into the main recording room.

I had prepared the 11 tracks on the album in both half and double speed format so that I could record me playing the songs on Mrs B. and then slow the film down or speed it up when I edited it (either giving the effect of me playing twice as fast, but still in time, or twice as slow, but also keeping in time). After a chat with the lovely Lisa and Kingsley, (Kingsley owns Rockfield and Lisa is his daughter) we cracked on with some footage of ‘Mind‘, at twice the speed.

The day quickly and rather unexpectedly turned into a music video shoot! - as Gerry and I got more and more into the shots, really relishing the experience - a story was beginning to develop. So we began to work backwards getting in all the playing/singing shots first, before deciding to find a rug or cover so as I could enter the main room and tear it off the piano revealing this gorgeous grand. Then we just kept going and, still in reverse order, went out through the Control Room… and then out through the Quadrangle Studio front gate. It was fast becoming apparent that our enthusiasm was turning this into a short film.

Little did we know it but it was suddenly 5 o’clock - we had spontaneously shot an entire music video and hadn’t stopped for lunch or even a cup of tea! So we ventured into Rockfield (town) and the Pizza Express there, which used to be an old Morgan Garage in the 1920 and 30‘s. On the wall was a giant mirror embossed with the lyrics from Bohemian Rhapsody! - Freddie Mercury had recorded at Rockfield on the very piano I’d been playing all day (and on my album) - very cool :P

Returning to the Studio we took a few more interview shots and then called it a day. We’d kept things really simple, only using natural light and what was available inside, taking advantage of the mizzly rainy day and just what was already there at Rockfield.

The next couple of days I spent glued to the computer editing away… it was a true joy, and after deciding to convert the shots into black and white (like a 50‘s TV show) ‘Mind’ looked stunning.

Gerry came over for the first screening and was blown away. A while ago I had composed an instrumental piece called ‘Waiting Game’ with a very subtle piano part that really just holds suspense, so I included it at the beginning of the video to give it even more of a feel of a film.

I could not be happier with how it has turned out… and can’t believe we completed the whole film in three days!! And so begins Monty Lane Productions - we are planning on doing a number of other music videos as well as the documentary.

‘Mind’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-pbhSbkPMY

In other news, the album has now been officially named, Have You Met George, and fully Mastered… hearing these songs, my songs, just sing out of the speakers, loud, proud and very powerful - it is amazing. I am so happy - all that needs finishing now is the artwork which I am really enjoying preparing, and then we go to print! I can’t believe it, my album is finally going to be out there for people to have their own copy and have me in their homes and on their mp3 players… it is very surreal. But very AWESOME too!!

Written two new songs in two days now as well, which is a great feeling, I’m very happy with them, an upbeat guitar/piano number, ‘Frog’, and a piano ballad, ‘F.I.N.E.’ - can’t wait to play them with the guys, they’ll be good additions to the sets for the upcoming gigs!

In the past few days YouTube has again jumped to some amazing stats… rather overwhelmed by the multitude of wonderful comments on my latest videos - ‘Mind’, especially, which has now hit 230,000 views! I can’t even begin to describe my appreciation for all this kind attention, ‘Blood Ties’ has sky rocketed to 380,000, and ‘The Smoke’ jumped to 175,000 too!! It truly is the most marvellous affirmation of what I do… thank you all. You are awesome :)

I will be playing a headline gig at New Brewery Arts in Cirencester on 25th May - this will be the first time I’ve played this great venue with Tom and Steve (drum and bass). Very excited about it! As well as a spot at Nibley Festival in Gloucestershire (again with the guys) which I am also very enthused about, especially as the whole festival sold out in 36 hours and it promises to be one fantastic day!! :D

I also wish to thank Paul Moss at BBC Radio Gloucestershire for kindly nominating me for the Facebook Vote to play the BBC Introducing Stage at Wychwood Festival in Cheltenham this year. Please, if you haven’t already :) I’d be really grateful if you would vote here - https://www.facebook.com/wychwoodfestival?sk=app_334660176568097

All in all although I know I do it at the end of each blog, I would still like to sincerely thank everyone who supports and enjoys what I do… I really do appreciate your kind and generous encouragement. Thank you.

Laterzzz!! :P

G xx