How much promotion is too much promotion?

It occurred to me today that I may be promoting myself too much.  But then maybe not.  How much promotion is too much promotion?

I find myself without a gig this weekend.  Well my family need to eat and I have bills to pay.  But in letting people know I'm available several times I wonder if I'm not just p*ssing them off.  I know on my social networking sites there are some who are seemingly never done blowing their own trumpet, and I must admit to getting a wee bit fed up seeing the same stuff over and over.  But then is that a bad thing?  Surely if you promote something in the morning, it's sensible to repeat your promotion in the evening just in case anyone missed it?  
I must admit to being torn between the need to fill this year's diary and not wanting to be a right pain in the *rse.  Is it a case of he who shouts loudest is heard?  Or are people all like me, selecting to hide status updates from people who bug you with the same stuff time and time again.

So does being seen and heard equate to success?  by, in essence, spamming the masses are we just looking to cast a wider net to catch ourselves a gig/audience/ticket sales?

We all know the dreadful garbage that is churned out by the fat cat record producers of this world, with their so called "Stars" (dreary guys mumbling their way through a cover of a song that used to be perfectly good before the powers that be got their money stained wee paws on it, thank you very much), tunes that are so heavily marketed and promoted, being played in every shop and on every tv show until our wee brains can take no more and the masses start to believe that this garbage is the epitome of music in the 21st century.

Maybe I'm just getting too old to appreciate new music.  Like Billy Connolly said, "That's no music, that's just a noise".  Well a generation of kids are growing up aspiring to be lollipop headed autotuned media puppets.  Sad. With their orange skin, jet black hair, huge false eyelashes and stupid shoes, young women (and men) are moulded by the tv and music they experience.

May I take a second to change the attitude of the public....?  

Instead of sitting in your onesie watching some reality tv sh*t on the telly, marvelling at who said what to whom and when, seeing who is the best skater out of a bunch of minor celebrites, or seeing which trainee media puppet wins the latest "Who wants to make Simon Cowell/Andrew Lloyd-Webber rich" scheme, get yerself all washed up and dressed.  Go out to your local pub or club.  

See a live act.   

They might not be what you are used to.  But they are live!  Real reality. In full colour 3d! Why not interact with real people! If you don't like that particular act or pub, try another one next week!  It's like a soap only real!

And if you can't decide where to go, please feel free to check out www.joaniesings.co.uk and see where I'm performing.  

Didn't I say I had a diary to fill???

Technology? Canny be good for you...

Well they say kids have their heads stuck into their games machines far too much these days...I would agree that a time limit should be imposed, but who are we really to say such things, I ask?  I spent hours and hours watching two plumbers shoot, fly and ground pound their way through various worlds, and spent an unbelievable time sorting blocks as they fell down to make a wall. I think my gaming time has been well spent, and would encourage my daughter to take advantage of all the technology she can get her hands on.  Her knowledge of the world is not limited to Mario characters, or what moves her Pokemon can do.  Her reasoning and logic skills are challenged by puzzle games, quizzes and strategy games, and her hand eye coordination is brilliant!  she can dance and sing along with Just Dance, rarely sits down while playing the Wii (even if the game doesn't require jumping about).  

Then there's other technology.  If someone had told me 20 years ago that you would have access to a mine of information so mindbogglingly huge you could find out almost anything you wanted to know about almost immediately, I'd have checked them for shrooms. And not Mario shrooms... I amaze myself with my constant need for information myself, whether it be on Facebook or other sites...Whereas we would have had to go to the library or consult some Tefal head for info on something, it's there, right there in the palm of your hand.  

Now I know, and you know that some of what is on the net is rubbish.  Claims of wonder drugs and diet pills etc are all over the place, but again i think we are all becoming more choosy about what we believe and disbelieve, and we should always check these facts thoroughly.

So, back to the sprog.  I'm more than happy for her to spend time with her 3ds, wii or android tablet, as they can all be used to expand our minds, hand eye coordination and logic skills.  Those who say we are wasting our time playing on "they hings" should pick one up and have a look.  I think they will find they might have a bit of fun, step outside their wee world and finally realise that technology can be our friend.....

I'm away back to play Call of Duty MW3 again - I've just prestiged up to level 3, so if you'll excuse me......

Things up with which I will not put......2013

So. I find myself unable to gig at the end of 2012.  After a relatively illness free year, I have flu in October followed by (what I suspect to be) laryngitis. Unfortunately, like a violinist who breaks a wrist, or a runner who strains a muscle, a singer is unable to sing if the equipment she uses in unable to move as it should.  No manner of pills and potions have helped, and I can only try to get a doctor's appointment after the busy new year.

Other people's attitudes towards singing never cease to amaze me.  Everyone has a voice (unless they have some form of problem in that department), and so everyone thinks that singing is just a matter of opening your mouth and making a noise. I suppose it's handy that we can carry our musical instrument with us at all times, but the downside to this is that it cannot be replaced with a new one should it develop a fault.  And it takes a fair amount of training to sing well without causing any damage - warming up and warming down are essential to my vocal health.

Anyway, if a singer cannot sing, there is nothing we can do.  We have to take time to recover, no matter the time of year.  We put ourselves under such pressure, which does no good and can exacerbate the problem. 
So next time you book a singer and they call off sick, spare a thought.  We don't want to let you down, and we probably could do with the money to pay for all the usual household bills etc (we have to live, same as you).  

Right that's out the way.

So it's 2013..

There are hundreds of "Happy New Year!" messages on my facebook wall, some of which are just simple messages of hope for the new year.  Some point towards a desire to change behaviours for the next 365 days through "resolutions".  Well if you need a day to make 'em, I suppose there's no better one.  Or is there?  Maybe a daily resolve to be a better person should be first on our list of things to do today. 

I recently posted a list of resolutions for my life in 2013, but they were really a list of continuing promises to myself and those around me.  

1.I will not bullshit  
2. I will always be straightforward,
3. I will not lie, 
4. I will never mess people about
5. I will never say that I'm ill when I'm not.
6. If you book me for a gig, I will not cancel for a more lucrative gig. 

Nothing changed from 2012 then.

Good friends and others who are in the same situation as I am will totally understand.  
Those people who do not trust others, and think everyone has some form of agenda will receive short shrift from me this year.  In my 42nd year on this planet there are things up with which I will not put.

So, some interesting blogs on the way for 2013....

look oot, world

xxx

Joanie