Amy Rayner Now Available On YouTube!

Hello!


Just to let you know that I have now uploaded the videos of my EP launch up onto YouTube for the world to see! Please let me know what you think here is the link to my channel:


http://www.youtube.com/user/amyraynermusic?feature=mhee


Big thank you to the band and Gordon Strachan for filming this for me!


Amy Xx

Most Productive Summer Holiday EVER!

Hello all!


I haven't written a post for a couple of months but so much has happened! I've been playing gigs in and around St. Andrews up to 5 times a week and have saved a lot of money (which is great seeings as I'm moving out in a week and now have to run a car!). I have sold well over half of my CDs, I only have 72 left out of 200. This was helped greatly by the EP launch I organized at the Byre Theatre. The guys that helped me out were awesome and really helped to make the launch feel more exciting and special than all my other solo gigs. There are photos on my Facebook page but here is one to give you a feel of how it looked!

After the launch I've been getting regular gigs at lots of venues around St. Andrews and have been booked to play at a few weddings too! Once I've moved to Perth in a week I have already got myself one weekly gig at The Bothy which is owned by the same people as Mitchell's. I hope to get more gigs once I've moved! I'm very much looking forward to getting back to college and have already come up with a few ideas for my Graded Unit. Sad I know...


Bye for now!


Amy Xx

Giggedy Gigs

So the CDs arrived today! Way earlier than expected and I'm really pleased with them. Just trying to figure out a way that I can sell them online. I need to start looking into organizing an EP launch party. I have already spoken to a violinist who I would like to accompany me in a short performance at the launch. Now for a venue!


After the gig at 'Mitchell's' I was asked by there area manager if I would like to play at some other venues they own in Dundee, Perth and Edinburgh which is great especially with the Perth venue as I will be moving to Perth after the summer.


This week I am playing at 'Mitchell's' again on Saturday and 'The New Inn' on Sunday. I really need to get out of St. Andrews and start playing venues in other towns and cities.


That's all for now!


Amy xx

Proud To Be A Geek!

WOOOOOOOOOO!


I got an A for my graded unit! I'm so glad that my hard work paid off in the end. Now I'm looking forward to get started on my next one, how sad is that?


Gigs are picking up again as well. Last night I played at a place called 'Mitchell's'. It went really well, a lot of people gave me great feedback and one table gave me a £25 tip. The only problem was that my performing area was really cramped but they've asked me back so hopefully I can arrange for a slightly bigger area next time.


I've also been asked to start hosting a regular open mic evening at the Byre Theatre bar which has been taken over and is now called Kingarroch at The Byre. I will get paid and I won't have to do as much work as normal because other people will be playing too!


The EP has now been sent away and in a few weeks it will arrive! I'm thinking of having an EP launch event somewhere, maybe even at the Byre.


So summer is here and I'm going to try and keep myself busy!


Amy Xx

Hello Summer!

Hello there!


So I haven't written on here in a few weeks but it's been so god damn busy!


All of my college work (including my graded unit) is now completed HOORAY! All I have left is my song writing assessment with my band on Tuesday and then I'll be done for the year. I'm looking forward to summer so much! Plan on playing a lot of gigs and writing loads of new material.


Also 'Streets The Musical' has been and gone. It was a huge success, went really well and the audiences we had seemed to love it. I'm so glad I took part in it. It was a lot of work but so worth it. I've made so many great friends and learned so much from it. Here's a pic of the cast at rehearsal!

My graded unit mark should be in soon. I need to get a B to get on the course next year so fingers crossed. I worked really hard on that project so I hope it paid off.


Anyway I'll keep you updated on how things went!


Amy X

Drinking On Stage = Success

How you doing?


Yet again another busy week! Ali's show on Tuesday was a great success despite the lack of rehearsal. It went really well and got a great response from the audience. There was a bar on stage which was great and the whole audience received complimentary drinks throughout the show. I think this might be something to do with why it went down so well...


The rest of the week was filled with rehearsals for Finn's show which is in 2 weeks! I'm starting to get nervous but at the same time I'm really excited. Really need to get my lines down though, I'm not too far off from getting there.


Our college gig which was meant to be on Thursday was cancelled, something to do with a cock up with the venue. I was some what relieved though, I'd been rehearsing all day from 10am and really wasn't in the mood to go up on stage. It'll give our band more time to brush up on our songs.


All my college work is more or less getting there. I'm a little worried as I'm unsure at to when certain deadlines are and I work much better when I have a deadline to work towards.


Apart from that things are going well. I'm so glad I started on my Graded Unit stuff earlier now that all my class mates are panicking.


That is all for now!


Amy xx

'Streets - A New Musical By Finn Anderson'

Hello again!


I've nearly finished all of my Graded Unit stuff! Just a couple more little things but the majority of it is done which means I have more time to focus on my final college assessments and Finn's musical.


Ali's musical has been scaled down now to just a performance of songs which is a huge relief for me as I won't have to learn all the lines any more. This is on Tuesday so I need to make sure I have all my songs nailed by then.


Finn's musical rehearsals have been going great and I'm so excited for the performances, two of them being in my place of work - The Byre Theatre, St. Andrews.

I have a music theory assessment and my Creative Industries interview on Monday which I'm slightly worried about as I still haven't revised for theory. I will find sometime later today or tomorrow to get that done.


My band assessment is on Thursday at Drouthie Neebors in Dundee. I'm looking forward to this as I really enjoy performing with a band. 


I have my own gig tonight at The New Inn, St. Andrews. Some of my friends are coming so hopefully it will be good fun.


Another busy week for me!


Amy xx

Papa Paparazzi

Hey!


So I've managed to get in the paper quite a lot this week. The BandStand gig showed up a few times in the local paper, a few adverts for my recent gig at The New Inn and a lot of coverage on the Royal Wedding Breakfast at St. Salvator's Quad in St. Andrews which I played at. I even got a mention in The Daily Record which I think is the biggest newspaper I've been mentioned in to date.


The EP is COMPLETELY FINISHED! Finally. This weekend I will be sending it off to be pressed, can't wait! I just hope they will be done and arrived by the end of May, fingers crossed. 


Rehearsals for Finn's musical 'Streets' are going great, only 4 weeks until the show. Although I am finding it difficult juggling two musical s, learning all the songs, lines and blocking. 


The other musical I am in - 'For Tomorrow' - is in 2 weeks and I am very worried. There has been very little rehearsal and I have been so busy I haven't had much of a chance to learn lines. I will make time today to sort this out but somehow I don't think this musical will be quite as successful as Finn's which is well rehearsed and organized.


Tomorrow morning I will record the 5 new songs I have written to fulfill my graded unit aim - 'Write 5 new songs'. It shouldn't take long as I will only be recording guitar and vocals. In the afternoon I will be recording with the band I am in 'Arcade Apocalypse'.


I have so much to do that I constantly feel like I'm forgetting something...not a good feeling.


Til next time!


Amy x


P.S. Here is a newspaper cutting of me playing at the BandStand gig! And also making a somewhat unattractive singing face!

I'm Gonna Be On TV!

Sup.


This week has been a busy one. Good news is I finished recording the EP last night, should be mixed by Sunday. Bad news is I have lines to learn, Royal Wedding Breakfasts to practice for, songs to learn, more songs to record, a website to produce and various other things that I know I have to do but seem to have been buried under that list.


All of this along with work and gigs and college is starting to get pretty stressful but I'm managing to finish one thing at a time.


Tomorrow I am playing at the Royal Wedding Breakfast in St. Andrews where there will be TV crews from the BBC and Sky so look out for me! I only have a 7 minute slot so I am playing two songs, just me and my guitar. The same evening I've got a gig at The New Inn, a pub in St. Andrews, which is somewhere I've never played before so that should be interesting.


My gig at the Bandstand went well, I got in the newspaper. The photo wasn't very attractive - I was in mid song. The write up was good however.


Another busy week ahead, I'm recording on Tuesday with my blues band which should be fun and I have a few rehearsals for the musicals as well as a gig on Thursday.


Fun, fun, fun.


Amy xx

Blog? What's A Blog?

Oh hey!


I'm sorry to say I haven't written a new post for a month now so I decided now, the day before I go back to college after the Easter hols, would be a good idea to write one. Hmm...where to start?


Well I got back from Austria yesterday. I was there for 10 days and had a great time not thinking about all the work I have to do. Unfortunately I had to come back eventually. 


The main thing I've been focussing on in the past few weeks is my EP which has been finished! The recording part that is. The finished mix will be done by next week, fingers crossed, and the album art is yet to be decided (my art student friend is helping design it). I really hope in two weeks my CD will have been sent off to be pressed and will be ready to sell but we shall see!


I am playing a gig this afternoon at the band stand in St. Andrews. This will be an unusual setting for me to play at but I am looking forward to it as I only have to play for 20 minutes and thankfully the weather is nice.


Still need to learn all my lines for the musicals in which I must get stuck into next week before panic begins to sink in.


All that really needs to be said is that I have a lot to do so I should probably go and do it instead of sitting here at the computer.


Au Revoir!


Amy xx

All Work And No Play

What is up yo.


This week has been so so so busy I've barely had time to blog but luckily I've managed to find some time in my busy schedule :)


Monday I has two assessments in college, Creative Industries and Music Theory. Creative Industries went fine but Music Theory was tricky. I did a lot of revision before hand but I still struggled. The majority of our year failed so I won't be surprised if I have to retake the test. After that I had a rehearsal for Streets which lasted until 8:30pm.


Tuesday we had Songwriting, DAW and Band. Songwriting went fine and in DAW I recorded vocals for my cover of Beyonce and Shakira's 'Beautiful Liar' with the lovely Wendy Klotz. Band however was a different story. For some reason we just didn't manage to get much done and everybody, me included, was in a pretty bad mood. I hope next week will be better. After all that I had a rehearsal for the other musical I'm in - 'For Tomorrow'.


On Wednesday I was recording more for my EP and then I took my first trip to the gym which was fun but tiring.


On Thursday I was working on some Graded Unit stuff and then I had a gig in the evening at The Rule in St. Andrews which was a success despite the fact that the bar was quieter than usual.


Today I am taking a break until this evening, I have work. But tomorrow I have a full day rehearsal for Streets and then a gig at the Byre in the evening and then the day after I'm going to a wedding so I think I need to take today as some time out.


I am soooo looking forward to the holidays!


Amy xx


P.S - Here is a photo from  my photoshoot for my EP!

Sunny Sunshiney Sun

Good day!

Indeed it has been. This whole week has been so sunny and amazing. I've been feeling a lot more optimistic and happier and I'm pretty sure the nice weather we've been having has something to do with that.


I've been studying hard the last few days as I've got two assessments on Monday - Music Theory and Creative Industries Infrastructure. I'm not too worried about Creative Industries but am really nervous about Music Theory. I'm pretty sure I've got all my scales down I just hope I remember all the intervals and stuff.


Yesterday I finally got to do the photo shoot for my album cover. I'm so glad it's over and done with, that's one less thing I have to worry about. The photos have turned out great now I just need  to get the recording done!


I have a gig tomorrow night at the Byre Theatre Bar, nothing special but hopefully I'll have a good crowd.


That is all from me for now,

Amy xx

Leprechauns And Cancelled Photo Sessions

Top of the morning to you...ehem.

So last night I played a gig at The Rule in St. Andrews for St. Patrick's Day. It was a successful gig despite the fact that I had only managed to learn four Irish songs. There was a large group of Irish guys there that sang along to every song and even handed a hat around and put money in it for me! I've had a really sore throat all week so I wasn't sounding my best at all but nobody else seemed to notice. I just wished I'd been in a better mood, probably due to the fact I've been feeling rubbish all week.

Today I was supposed to be getting the photos done for the album art of my EP but my friend who was going to take them for me had to pull out because his brother had taken his camera without telling him. This gave me a full day without plans so I decided to get some revision done for my Music Theory assessment on Monday which I'm pretty worried about.

I've got a full day rehearsal tomorrow for Finn's musical which is going well at the moment. I haven't had a chance to learn any of my lines yet so I really need to find some time to get that done.

I haven't been able to record this week either because Ben is really really ill with some horrible infection thing which I won't describe because I don't want to make anyone vom.

So not a very productive week by my standards but hopefully next week will be much for fulfilling!

Amy x

This Week...

Hello!

This week started off as usual with college. For singing I've been asked to pick three songs from the same genre to work on for my next assessment. I think I'll go for the genre of 'musicals' as it will be something different for me and it gives me a wide range of songs to choose from. We also had our first band rehearsal for band. Our drummer was absent but we managed to get some ideas flowing. We didn't really come out with a product but it was good for us to discuss what kind of sound we wanted.

Rehearsals for 'Streets' are going great and I've managed to learn the majority of my songs off by heart. Now I just need to focus on learning my lines and understanding my character a bit more. The cast have really started bonding which is great because it means we can all have a laugh while we rehearse.

I also had a small rehearsal for the other musical I'm taking part in - the Brit Pop one. Unfortunately the majority of people involved failed to show up but we managed to get some songs practised. I just hope that this doesn't become a running theme with these rehearsals because it's a shame on Ali, who is directing it, and he rest of us who have made the effort to show up.

On Thursday I got a phone call from The Rule, a pub in St. Andrews, saying that their live music act had pulled out last minute and asking me to play. I've been really ill all week with a cold and sore throat but I said yes and The Rule really appreciated it. I'm glad I did say yes because I got paid well, I enjoyed the gig and The Rule definitely like me a lot more now which means more future gigs! The only problem was that it made my throat worse.

I have a gig tonight at One Golf Place, another St. Andrews pub. Hopefully my throat will be able to last the full two hour set. I just need to look after myself better than I have been.

Anyway I better go get ready!

Amy xxx

Current Affairs

Soooooooo this week has been a busy one and it's not even finished yet!

Had college on Monday and Tuesday during which I got to watch my Stagecraft and Band assessments. Musically I was fine but it was kind of embarrassing watching myself on stage. I never know what to do with myself because I'm so used to having a guitar. That's something I'm going to have to work on...

We got put into our new bands as well which I am really happy about cos I couldn't have been put with a better band! Really excited to start writing music together. We're going to be a sort of Blues/Rock band which is something I haven't done before so I'm very much looking forward to it!

On Wednesday I was recording at Ben's and we managed to lay down the guitar tracks, vocals and backing vocals for an entire track which I would say is quite productive.

I had a gig on Thursday at The Rule in St. Andrews. The crowd seemed to really enjoy it, someone even gave me a note to say thank you for playing for them and that they had a really good night. There were a couple of guys at the bar who were being...well lets just say 'rude' but I managed to publicly humiliate them which shut them up. I hate when people try and put me down when I'm playing. I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't know how to set up a PA system, write a song or sing Bonnie Tyler so personally I think they should just go and...YEAH!

Today I am going to try and do some more writing, maybe practice a bit for Finn's musical. I have work tonight which is good because I need the money to pay for all the petrol I'm using going to and from gigs and recording.

Tomorrow it's the full day rehearsal for Finn's musical in Perth which I'm looking forward to but it's going to be a long day from 9:30am to 8:30pm. It'll definitely be worth it and it'll be the first time the whole cast has been together.


So yeah, I've been busy but it's better than just doing nothing all week. Until next time!

Amy xxx

Fatties!

The title wasn't meant to offend I just wanted to congratulate all the bands in my year for their fantastic performances at Fat Sam's, Dundee, this Wednesday just passed. Everyone was amazing and I was totally blown away by how much talent is in our year.
I had a great time performing with my grunge band - 'The Dave Grohl Experience'. Our original song ('Cock Chin' a lament about man with a mutant cock on his chin) was a huge success and we even got the audience to sing along (most of the audience being our classmates who have already heard the song a billion times). Anyway it was a great night.

I am still playing my weekly gigs at the Byre Theatre in St. Andrews every Saturday. The pay is good but the audience aren't always that responsive.
I played at The Rule in St. Andrews last Thursday. I've been playing there every now and then for a while now and they've asked me to play once a month which is great. The audience at The Rule are a lot more fun and up for singing along and giving me feedback which is great.

I have decided on my aims for my Graded Unit which is good because it means I can start working towards them. My aims are:

1. Achieve at least a B for my Graded Unit Project.
2. Successfully complete HND Popular Music Performance Year 1.
3. Record and produce an EP of my own original songs which I will be able to sell at my future gigs by the end of May 2011.
4. Develop a website for the promotion of my music by the end of May 2011.
5. Keep a record of all the gigs I have played from February 2011 to May 2011.
6. Write 5 new songs before the end of May 2011.
7. Increase my fan base before the end of May 2011.

Hopefully these aims will be realistic and I'll be able to get them done before the deadline. I've started recording my EP with my friend Ben so at least that has already begun.

Rehearsals for Finn's musical are already under way. Next Saturday we have a full day rehearsal to go through Act 1 which I'm excited about, mainly because it will be the first time the whole cast has been together. Can't wait!

Anyway I better get on with finishing my Planning Stage for my Graded Unit off. Nearly done!

Amy xxx

My Life Right Now

Hey!

This year I'm studying Popular Music Performance at Perth College and am very much enjoying it. I've been playing with bands and have made lots of new friends. In the past two weeks I've had to assessments for Stagecraft and Band. I'd like to think both of them went quite well although I wish I had tried a little harder in my Band assessment. Our genre was Grunge and I don't think I jumped around enough on stage. Next time I have an assessment I will prepare more by watching videos of bands of the same genre playing live on YouTube.

Outside of college I've been playing solo gigs almost every week around the St. Andrews area. I get paid well and people seem to be enjoying what I play. I play a huge variety of covers from stuff that's in the charts to Bonnie Tyler and The Jackson 5. I try and slip some of my own songs into my sets but I find that people prefer to listen to music they already know. Still I feel like I should because I eventually want to be able to play gigs with only my own original material. I need to get my own music out there now so that people can get to know it and might even recognise it when I play at future gigs.

I hope to do this by selling an EP at my gigs. I am in the middle of recording it now with my friend Ben who I studied HNC Sound Engineering with last year at Adam Smith College, Glenrothes. At the moment you can listen to my music at:

www.myspace.com/amyrayner

This is mostly my older stuff but the EP will contain my latest material as well as a couple of remastered ones from before.

As well as recording my EP with Ben, I've been working with him and our mutual friend Tommy on some band stuff. We haven't managed to finish any of the songs yet but the band 'Arcade Apocalypse' is a mix of drum and bass, hip hop and glitch. Hopefully something will be finished in the next couple of weeks.

I am also taking part in two musicals this year, my friend Finn's original musical called 'Streets' and a 3rd Year Degree student's Brit Pop musical called 'For Tomorrow'. I just hope that I don't get the lines mixed up between the two of them!

I will try and update my blog as much as possible or whenever something interesting happens!

Amy xxx

Skills Needed To Become A Successful Performer

At college we've been looking at the various skills needed to become successful in our chosen career paths. I have been looking at the skills needed to become a successful performer and these are the skills I have come up with so far.

TEAM WORKING
As a performer you will constantly have to work with people whether those people are your band, sound engineers, producers, management or stage crew. You must be able to put the work in and gain your team's respect as well as respecting them in return in order to avoid conflict and keep the peace. It also helps to have a good relationship with your team in order to make the experience more enjoyable for everyone.

LEADERSHIP
It is helpful to be able to have the initiative to take charge of a situation when nobody else is willing to do so. The ability to motivate people is also a useful trait when moral is low.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
When you are constantly working with other people it is important that you are able to relate to them, feel comfortable with them, get on with them and sense how they are feeling. This includes being able to communicate with as well as listen to people.

CULTURAL AWARENESS
As a performer you will have to meet a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds as well as different countries. You may even have the chance to perform in different countries. It is important to be aware of other cultures, religions and traditions so that you do not offend anybody by accidentally saying or doing something that is against their beliefs or ways.

PROBLEM SOLVING
The ability to calmly and effectively solve a problem when it arises is a great trait to have as a performer especially if you are being watched and judged by an audience.

FLEXIBILITY/ADAPTABILITY
Being able to respond to change or an issue is important as a performer for example if there was an accident on stage or if a string on your guitar snapped.

COMMITMENT
Commitment is a very important attribute to have as a performer as many other people are relying on you to get the job done. You should be committed to what you have to do and prioritise it over other less important engagements.

CONFIDENCE/HIGH PERFORMANCE ABILITY
A performer must be very confident in his/her skills. They can't afford to let nerves get the better of them especially if people are paying to come and see them play. They should also be very good at what they do which will also help their confidence as well as boost the number of people who enjoy their music.

SELF PROMOTION AND NETWORKING
In order to get new gigs, make new contacts and become more successful it is important for a performer to be able to promote themselves and be able to talk to strangers and make friends with important people. The more people who know about you the better.

STAGECRAFT
A performer should be interesting to watch on stage and should have a good stage presence otherwise people will just get bored watching them.

BASIC EQUIPMENT KNOWLEDGE
Although they will have help from sound engineers and stage crew it is useful for a performer to have a good basic knowledge of equipment such as microphones, amps, leads etc.. This will help them to understand what is going on when there is a technical fault and maybe even be able to fix it.

All of these skills will help any performer become successful, respected and prosperous within the music industry.

Bonjour!

Hey I'm Amy and I'm studying Popular Music Performance at UHI, Perth, Scotland, The World.


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