P to the Cee

My weekends are pretty regimented at the moment. Radio on the Saturday morning, maybe a few drinks in the evening, then Football on Sunday night.

With me getting more and more involved with putting gigs on and getting more sound desk experience, during the week things are getting quite busy at times. It’s a welcome distraction until I can find some gainful employment, don’t think I’d change it for the world.

I do actually like the Autumn, especially as we’re on the doorstep of some great looking countryside. This weekend I will mostly be walking in that countryside

I’ve been producing podcasts for nearly five years (on and off) and in that time I’ve taught myself quite a lot about audio and video production, online promotion and a whole lot more.

Since July this year, I’ve been presenting a Saturday morning show on RhubarbRadio.com. It started out as a simple show – sitting down with a long time friend and playing some music for a couple of hours, but has since evolved in to something much more than that. I love live music, and after we did Podfest live a couple of years ago, have been really trying to get bands to perform on for the podcasts.

Now we have a studio, a regular live slot and a heap of support, this is a reality. Local bands are really interested in getting in to talk to us and play some of their music, and the feedback from listeners has been great. At the moment we’ve got a two week break before going right back in to the live music with a visit from The Benwahs and The Amateurs.

Much like wanting to be in a band, I’ve always had a quiet dream of wanting to play football, in a team.

For the past couple of years, every Sunday, I’ve been playing at our local 5 a side Powerleague. We’re by no means the best team in the league, but we work hard every week to make sure we’re not completely rock bottom.

A season runs for 14 weeks, in all weathers and it’s always a load of fun, if not a bit “rough” at times. Players have had their fingers broken, balls smashed into their…faces and we’ve even had a few near fights.

I’m hoping to carry on for as long as my knees will let me, as it’s not just about the football – £1.50 a pint often makes up for the losses and injuries we sustain.

I’ve always wanted to be in a band, but never had the musical skills to do so.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been working closely with Henry’s Children at getting them promoted online. As many bands aren’t that hot when it comes to gettiing their stuff out there, my skills at online promotion and links with the music industry are really starting to help.

Their debut EP, Woodbine Street, should hit iTunes on the 16th of this month and it enables them to sell their music digitally instead of having to rely on shipping CDs around the world.

My role is quite blurred at the moment and lies somewhere between manager and roadie, with a bit of sound engineering thrown in for good measure.

Whatever it is, I like it and I’m hoping it comes good soon.

Thursday marks my second gig helping out Henrys Children with the sound at Flan O’Briens in Walsall.

I’ve always had an interest in helping out bands and had a great time a few weeks ago when they played the Adam and Eve in Digbeth.

Currently being out of a job, it’d be great to be able to get paid to do something like this, so at the moment I’m looking at helping any bands out there that need some help with the hope I’ll get asked to do it regularly with some form of monetary payment.

If not, I don’t mind. It allows me to experience live music for free and help out an amazing local band.

I’ve been out of a job for just under a month now and it’s not going well. Jobs available are oversubscribed and agencies aren’t interested in interviewing a lot of the time.

Most days I’m applying for 10+ jobs with most not even getting an acknowledgement. Not a good time to be out of work, even less so as I’m still owed money from my previous one.

Any tips out there?

Last year I promised I would take part in NaNoWriMo, simply because I had been writing since I was about 10 and seemed to have a lot to draw on at the time. In the end I fell short of the 50,000 word target but a couple of thousand but nonetheless, I had taken part and put in as much as I possibly could.

This year, I’m not only taking part in NaNoWriMo, but also NaBloPoMo which if you haven’t already guessed involves posting on the blog at least once every day of the month. Posts will most likely be connected with my job seeking, sound engineering, writing, football playing and general things that are going on with my life that, I hope, will kick start me in to using this space more.

Wish me luck, and feel free to comment as much as you want throughout the month.

I’ve always been slow getting round to some of the big things in life. I *should* have taken my theory and practical test when I was 17/18, but never had the money to commit to lessons week in/week out. It wasn’t until I got my own place that I actually looked in to the possibility of driving and even then things were stop, start (and not just my driving!)

I started learning when I was 22 and have been through a series of driving instructors, most good, and none bad but one in particular made me lazy. We’d spend the hour chatting and driving round instead of practising maneuvers like we were meant to.  Suffice to say I stopped learning with him and took a break of about 6 months before picking things up again.

I’ve now found an instructor whom I get on with, is flexible and always turns up on time for lessons. We have a chat while on the lesson, but he knows my weaknesses and how I should be combatting them.

Yesterday I (somehow) managed to pass my theory test. I’d done hardly any revision due to working long hours and being too tired to after work, so I was setting myself up to be told I’d failed. After I’d completed everything, I walked out of the insanely quiet exam room to the reception desk. A little old man picked up my license, matched it up to a piece of paper and pointed to the first line;

Congratulations, Mr Coyne, you have passed your theory test.

Still under exam conditions, I couldn’t burst out a cheer – but I did pump my fist a little before collecting my things from the locker and running as fast as I could to Michelle and Sophie who were waiting upstairs.

I’m now on course with my goal of passing my practical by the end of the year and regularly take out my car (which Dad left to me when he passed away) with Michelle supervising and offering guidance when she needs to.

It’s a new lease of life and something that is allowing my confidence to grow each time we go out. Will it make me pass my test? Of course not. That’s up to the examiner and how I drive on the day. All I know is, I now know I *can* do it, it’s just a case of proving it to that man/woman with the clipboard

A small audio update from me while I sort out some lunch