My... First... Blog... Ever...
That's right! I've always loved the idea of writing a blog, but I've always been deterred by the fact that people may not actually give a crap about what I have to say, and I may come across as an egotistical unrestrained self-indulgent. Then I figured some people already think that, so here it is.
I'll start by telling you a little bit about how the band got together.
It was early December 2010, the rain was pouring heavily onto the tattered wardrobe door that was holding my house together and despite the strong beam of sun creeping through the clouds like Fagin on the streets of London, it was cold and my heart was empty.
Hold on, that's a bit much isn't it...? Let me start again.
It was December 2010 and Sierra Alpha had been on an indefinite break since October. In the two months I had been free, I managed to pen an album's worth of material. Unlike the stuff I was used to writing, these new songs were asking a bit more of my ability, so I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate instruments that weren't seen in bands much these days.
I had previously organised to record with some friends in Cardiff and I asked some music people I knew to session on it. There was a really nice musical spark in the room on those days, and I posed the question to everyone involved whether they fancied putting it out live and everyone was optimistic.
(Atrium, Cardiff)
(Andrew Harries playing the Journey intro for the seventh time that day)
(Alec Rees, Daniel Williams, Steffan Pringle at Rehearsal)
(Katherine Evans and Louisa Rich aka Violin Player 1 and Violin Player 2)
From the first few gigs it seems that the gamble of having such a big band had paid off. General feedback from gig-goers being "how different it is to anything else".
(Playing Fresh Ties Charity Night @ Cardiff Arts Institute)
This month alone has seen us play Sin City (Swansea), Cardiff Arts Institute (Cardiff), Buffalo Bar (Cardiff), Mocka Lounge (Cardiff), Trinity College SU (Carmarthen), The Club (Llanelli) and The Garage Venue (Swansea).
A big thank you to everyone involved with the gigs, in particular Dan Whitting for being our impromptu sound man on more than one occasion.
Zetar Member of the Month: Awarded to Steffan Pringle for being drunk at 6 out of 7 debut gigs. Followed closely by Katherine who survived being asked out by an actual Cage Fighter.
Month Highlight: Trinity College Sound Man: "That was f*cking awesome, we never get many talented bands here. We get some good bands, but not at that level". And that's just after THREE months together! To infinity and beyond...
We're already planning shows for a busy April alongside recording a track or two, so please watch this space. Next Blog will be with you SOON.
MG x
