Diary
 Rachel's 2004 Winter/Spring Memories
This year got off to a great start. The show "A slice of American Pie" on January 22nd at The Sussex Arts Club was wonderfully attended.
I was worried that no one would show up to an event in mid-January, but was nicely surprised.
The audience had a warm vibe, which is hard to attain in Brighton where the cold shoulder is an acceptance ritual artists have to pass.
For me all my performances are special and there is always a memorable part of the show. This one was the performance my wonderful musicians gave on stage. Rachael Wood, Jules Porrecca, Jason Day and Leigh Limbrick all gave an extra part of themselves that brought some extra magic to my songs.
Doug Hoekstra was our USA guest of honour . Doug is a very talented songwriter from Nashville. He is also an inspiration for any wannabe independent artist. I have enjoyed touring with him and it was an honour to guest vocal on his set.Check out http://www.doug hoekstra.com for further musical experiences.
The audience members who stood up and danced and who stayed around for the Wonderful Doug Hoekstra set will always be remembered. Thank u!
March has been a busy month and now it is almost Brighton Festival time. I played the 12-Bar Club, London, on March 25th.
I always enjoy the buzz of playing in London. I have a ritual of arriving and going to grab a coffee from one of the many coffee houses that dot the landscape in Soho.
Then winding my way through the music shops and back for sound-check. It clears my head and helps me think and drink in the atmosphere of London's heart.
We traveled in style to London in a 17-seater mini-bus which I drove (ahhhh!). On arrival to London we managed to pull up right next to the 12-Bar-Club - a stroke of luck!
My band shared the travel with Cathryn Stone and as the girls sat up front the boys and Rachael shared stories and sat amongst equipment in the back. It was a true rock band formula!
Tip to remember in future: There are no toilets in the service stations in Brixton!
Back in Brighton I opened the show for Eve Sellis on March 29th. Eve had a great sound and set and it reminded me of my time in the USA.
I love the story telling of country based music. Eve worked the audience and soon had an encore. Her guitarists were fabulous and what was note worthy was how supportive they were towards us - It is wonderful to share a bill with professionals who are courteous and so talented. Good Job Eve!
Next Month kicks off with a show at The Sussex Arts Club in Brighton with Sally Barris from the USA. Should be fun, get down there early to get a good seat. Come and say Hi and get details of our Charity event for Brighton Festival.
Rachel Tours Scotland
 My
memories of the Doug Hoekstra Spring 2002 England/Scotland Tour
are an unfading collection of images, each one sharper than
the last.
From the granite architecture of Glasgow to the blood red sunset in
Portmahomack, each image evokes a memory of the places and faces I encountered.
The soundtrack
for my memories are songs from the Hoekstra collection:- ’Desdemona,’
(‘Around The Margins’), ‘500 Miles Away’, (‘The
Past Is Never Past’) and ‘The Family Tree’ (‘The
Past Is Never Past’) to name a few.
Wherever you
travel in the world one thing is clear: Music brings people together.
Its unspoken power transcends cultural differences and calls out to
us to remember the human spirit.
I first
met Doug
Hoekstra inside the Hanbury Ballroom, Brighton,
England, three hours before we played together for the first time.
For
two months I had been listening and learning female vocals, on my personal
stereo, to accompany Doug on his England/Scotland tour .. so, I was
eagerly anticipating our first meeting.
I always think
it is a valuable experience to work with fellow artists
who have had more time out there in performance and craft. Gives me
the chance to shut-up for once: to breathe, listen and learn!
There is a lot
of space in Doug Hoekstra’s
work for vocals to weave in and out, creating diversity and adding harmony.
One of the reasons
I accepted the project was because I knew it was innovative
and would challenge me as a singer. I learned to call upon
my intuition and follow my vocal instincts and create my performance
from the inside.
The refreshing
thing about Doug is that he never waivers from his own truth as an artist.
He gets on stage and works his own show. This was an inspiring
thing to behold.
To me his songs
are a reflection of humanity in all of its dysfunctional and functional
forms. To listen to Doug Hoekstra, get his most recent CDs: “The
Past Is Never Past” and “Around The Margins”.
Listen to them not once but until they grow into you, which is truthfully
how I became an appreciative listener. Some music has become dominated
with songs that are so simplistic in form, there is nothing left to
ponder on.
Memories
of Concorde 2, Brighton,
England, are of
waiting to sound-check, with the rain pouring down outside as we stood
by the open door looking out across the damp greyness. Later it’s
of gold-sequinned-trousers (mine not Doug’s) and singing to an
audience whose faces were lit by soft candlelight.
Moving gradually
north to the 12-Bar Club, London: playing to an enthusiastic
audience and feeling rain (again) dripping through the roof and down
my back (I thought it was a spider!) After a celebratory beer, and lots
of adrenaline, my guitarist, Kenny Moreland, and I
busked all the way home on the 12.05am from London Victoria.
The following
week I flew to Edinburgh and went straight to the BBC to sing live on
the Brian Morton Show: BBC Edinburgh, where we were
offered red wine and everyone bustled around in a huge blue glass contemporary
office building.
After BBC
Edinburgh we went to The Village and met ‘Sunshine
Delay’ an Edinburgh-based alternative country band. They
were very gracious hosts and also great companions to us later in the
week.
At the 13th
Note Café, Glasgow, I was moved almost to tears by the
poignant voice of John Miller from The Radio Sweethearts. John is a
Country and Western Singer whose voice delivers music to tear at your
heartstrings.
When I am travelling
out of my own space there are moments when I experience feelings of
extreme fragility, a longing to wrap my favourite blanket around me
and curl up on my couch. Yet I know that it is going through these moments
that make me stronger and more resilient.
John
Miller’s voice lifted me from the darkness of the 13th
Note Café and delivered me some comfort for a moment.
The
next stop is ‘The Famous Bein Inn’, Glenfarg, Perth.
An amazing 19th century building filled with rock and roll memorabilia
and great home cooked food.
The
venue’s audience barely breathed when we were performing; respectfully
no-one left their seat to buy a drink. This was humbling and
a little scary. Normally artists are used to playing in venues
where there is some movement, at least a toilet run here and there!
They get the most attentive audience award from me!
We swiftly
headed for the highlands after cultural Aberdeen and a lunchtime date
at ‘The Lemon Tree Arts Centre’. The land
of my ancestors stretches to meet the heavens ..
We paused
en route to Portmahomack to visit some standing- stones
erected to observe the moon. There is a certain kind of peacefulness
witnessed at the site of something so ancient. Whether it is an acknowledgement
of what has come before us, or just something unexplainable. I felt
spiritual and at peace with the silence and space around me.
As we
rolled into Portmahomack it seemed that Portmahomack rolled into us.
The sky was so incredibly light it seemed almost harsh. We watched the
sunset at 10.30pm. It was as if the sky was burning.
The
Catalyst Festival is a colourful festival of music;
bonding local national and international artists alike. Robert
Main-Ellen, the festival’s organiser, invited me to perform
a set. Seeing as I was missing the other half of my ‘Just
Bizarre’ duo, Kenny Moreland, I decided at the last minute
to sing accapella. It was fun; nerve wracking and I got an encore!!
Yippee.
As I
took a walk along the highstreet I was lucky enough to witness four
dolphins swimming in the loch. I stood rooted to the spot and
watched in awe as they drove through the water.
Portmahomack
is a tiny town steeped in history. It is said to be
the first place that the Vikings landed. The archaeological site has
dated remains back as far as the 8th century.
I found
it interesting that the population size of a village
in the 16th century in the highlands was not much different to the size
of an average highland village now.
I can
still see Portmahomack in my mind’s eye. A gathering of whitewashed
houses, nestled in the bay, no hustle bustle, peace and tranquillity.
I met so many inspiring people.
A family
travelled, from across the Loch, to see Doug play .. Their five-year-old
son, Robbie, drew me a picture, which I will keep forever!
So long
Bonnie Scottie and thanks for the memories!
Special
thanks to:
Andy
for always supporting me, Mum, for watching over my angel, Mike for
your belief, Doug for inspiring me, Lisa and Shaun for giving me a place
to rest my head,
Sunshine
Delay for the bringing some Sunshine! Robert Main Ellen for inviting
me to The Catalyst Festival 2002.
Email: rachelmanagement@yahoo.co.uk
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