Last night was the end of term Songwriters’ Circle Showcase.
I sang “Invisibility is not a Super-Power”
I wrote the lyrics, Simon Coverdale wrote the music.
For the performance, Simon played acoustic guitar, Dave Sutherland played acoustic bass and Dan Whitehouse played electric guitar. Surrounded by such expertise, I felt well supported and encouraged. I feel more confident singing live these days, and actually… I quite enjoy it! I need to practice such a lot in order to feel comfortable, that it will be ok. It takes a long time, and lots of repeats for it to get into my brain and stay there.
I think I blogged after the last performance, on Threads, that the experience is warm and fuzzy, or something similar, as you get an instant response to your art, rather than when you hang work in a gallery, where you may not get any feedback at all!
In the bar after, we were discussing the possibility of me doing a nine song gig… I laughed at the prospect, but the seed has been planted and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
Now, I am filtering out the warm fuzzy sensation caused by flattery, the thought that someone thought I might be able to do it… A 45 minute set… it is daunting at this point. It was asked why would I write nine songs and NOT perform them live?
Good question…
A question I am thinking about very seriously. I think what I have to do is separate these things to examine them. Personally, this is an amazing challenge to think about. I have not done much performing. I’ve not done much live singing. It is a craft that I can develop. New skills… Exciting don’t you think?
And then… For this project, that isn’t what the songs are for. The songs are for ears, the bras are for eyes. The two things experienced at the same time. By throwing in a live performance, I become part of the visual, detracting from the pieces I have made to hang in the gallery space. The funded project is about the recording and production skills….
I have a whole year to figure this out. But I would appreciate any thoughts people have about how this COULD work.
I may have a recording soon… If it is good enough, I may post a soundcloud link to it here for you to listen to!
(If I feel brave!)
