Burn is back...and hotter than ever

For my tales of the open mic night I went to on thursday check out my gigbeth blog, www.gigbeth.com.

It was such an amazing evening and I made a good friend in Chris Walker, who gigs part time with Duke Special. Apparently he was watching my videos at rehearsal when Peter (mr Duke himself) had a watch. Chris told me they tried playing it in a different time signature....oh lordy!

On friday we had a record number of people turn up to our Burnfm freshers meeting. The response was incredible so now I must trawl through applications and put teams together for the broadcast beginning on the 20th October. It's so exciting to see people getting as passionate as I am.....ahhhhh!

Tonight I'm having the evening off, going to a pub quiz in Selly Oak.

Hooray!

Frank x

Zombies, Jazz and Crashing Servers

Yesterday I had to pre record my Rhubarb show because the server went wrong, however when the station goes on automation it should be played on rotation with other pre rec shows.

I have decided that the show will be called The Temporary Show and each week will have a different theme. Yesterday's theme was Birmingham and Bestival and featured music from both. In future I hope to have someone with me so that I can talk further on the subject too.

This morning I rather excitedly looked on the Internet Zombie Movie forum to find that I'm the only person to have been shortlisted for the main female role of Maddie. There may still be other suggestions but I've got my wee fingers crossed. It would be so much fun plus....glam Halloween party! Hello!?!

Today I'm off to interview Mary Wakelam, the general manager of Birmingham Jazz. Mary is a sax player who has won an urban music performing arts bursary from the BBC. The interview will be for Created in Birmingham but Birmingham Jazz is curating a stage at Gigbeth so no doubt I'll be asking her some Gigbeth related questions too!

Later I've got a committee meeting with Burnfm.com. The new studio is blue and does not have enough glass for my taste however I'm sure we'll soon settle in. I spent too long yesterday filling out a Journalism Training Scheme application form and totally forgot to design the application for Burnfm.com mainstream shows...whoops!

Better get on with it...

Frank. x

Rhubarb Rhubarb...

Tomorrow is my first morning show on Rhubarb.

it's the perfect time for me because no one will be listening so I can start shaping the show and then perhaps move to an afternoon/evening slot which is what I am now considering.

Who was I kidding when I asked for a morning slot...I am a student!!!

I want to create a show that mixes a mainstream style with more specialist music...yes basically BBC 6Music! I also need to see how I feel presenting a show which relies on me as well as the music, whereas my Specialist show was very much about the production values...this will require more presenting effort on my part.

Hopefully I will be on air from 9 til 10am

You can find the feed on www.rhubarbradio.com

Frank.

Curating is grating

Well it's not really...

I'm just finding it quite hard!

Catherine Bray of 4Talent Central has asked me to help curate the stage at Gigbeth but I'm having issues finding a band to supplement headline act Einstellung.

Einstellung are a shoegaze band with indie credentials: no lead singer but no fanastical synth either. Their Myspace features 4minute edits of songs that can last up to half an hour. This is actually far more listenable than it sounds however!

I've found a band called Spacemen 3 who I think may fit the bill, they've got a vocalist but a suitably low key feel to their music so I'm going to pitch this to 4Talent and see what they think....

Frank.

Finding Danny Wallace

I've been back in Birmingham for over a week now and have been lagging on the blogging front due to Virgin Media not being very cooperative with the ole broadband...but now its here! It's arrived!

Yeeeeeesssss

BBC iPlayer here I come!

Last weekend I sampled the delights of ArtsFest in Brum, interviewed the Riptides and filmed works of art balanced on the eyes of needles. Or at least tried to!

Yesterday I interviewed Birmingham based legend, the photographer Steve Gerrard who created the first website to take me on, Birmingham Live! We talked about the site and what the new site will be like, the interview should hopefully be posted on CIB when the new site is up and running.

Right now I'm studying my empty diary, there's not much to it currently! Couple of parties/uni events but not much in the way of interviews/work. It's a shocker, but maybe downtime is good....downtime however, is not good when you're in a house on your own with no housemates or anything constructive to do.

Perhaps I shall visit Sainsburys later...although that does involve spending money.

Rubbish!

Frank.

Oh the reason for the title of my piece is that I just finished reading Danny Wallace's novel, Friends Like These. It was tres hilarious and now I want XFM work experience on Danny's Saturday show, my reasoning is that as it is a saturday I could visit a show during term time, whereas I'm not sure when I'll be able to take the Alex Zane work experience. Darn and darned it! No reply no far....

Back to School...

I wanted my last piece for BBC Kent to be a bit more personal than previous pieces so I decided to go back to my old school, Maidstone Girls Grammar (MGGS) to report on House Arts.

Every year the three house leaders of the six houses have to recruit volunteers from their houses for various events such as sports day. Arguably, House Arts is the most important event on the house calendar with a lot of work going into it during the first 6 weeks of the academic year.

In 2006 when I was house leader of the Vikings, we put on a production of Pygmalion. It was 25 minutes long and featured students between 11 and 18. It was literally my baby, I worked on the script and design ideas over the summer and then directed, produced and had a small last minute role in the final performance. The judge described it as 'the most professional piece' of the six. It was literally a seven year long dream come true when we won the event. I think I may even have shed a tear or two!

House Arts works on a three year cycle, with one year drama, the next dance and after that singing, before it comes full circle. The 2008 competition is about singing and I don't envy the house leaders one bit. For some of them, sheet music will be a completely foreign language, like not being able to read Chinese.

Today I met some old teachers and interviewed them about the competition and deputy head/superstar Mr Harris assembled Head of music Mr Chapman and the 18 house leaders in a room for me! After what felt like an informal press conference with me running around dictaphone in hand, I got to have a more personal chat with the new Vikings House Leaders (they're awesome!) and realised how, despite many material changes, the school heart that I loved still remains.

Post 'conference' I spoke to the Head Teacher, Mrs Smith and deputies Mr Horstrup and Mrs Creaney (also a former english teacher of mine.) I've offered my help should they need it concerning work experience etc. I also popped up to have a brief visit with Mr Down, one of the most fabulous teachers ever who was another of my english teachers. Down to personal reasons, I had difficulties last year but Mr Down pushed me and without him I would not have my A grade English A level, (the same with Mrs Harris Tanzer of drama who I also got to have a lovely chat with.)

Tomorrow is my last day at the BBC Kent office as Blast reporter. These last three weeks have flown by and I can't wait to get back to Birmingham, however I shall miss it a lot. It's opened so many doors and also my eyes. If I should choose it, a future in the media is within my grasp, I just have to work for it.

Frank. 

X

From the Bestival Bog.

As I type this I can hear Grace Jones, one of Rob da Bank, curator of Bestival's, handpicked special guests. Earlier today The Specials were another unannounced act. Rumours abound that tomorrow will see Metallica play to the mud soaked crowds.

Today has been brighter for me. Yesterday saw myself, 4Talent Commissioning editor Catherine Bray and the rest of our 'entourage' pitch up in the wet, drizzly darkness. On account of my status as a 'competition winner' I was refused a press wristband which scared me into thinking I wouldn't be able to access my potential interviewees! I felt a bit desolate to say the least, having travelled for many hours by car and catamaran to get to the Isle of Wight site, only to have my planned press status refused. However this morning, with the aid of 'wet suit lubricant', Catherine was able to slip her wristband off and wriggle it onto me.

With my renewed press 'glow' I get on reporting occasions such as these, I swam through the mud through to the backstage press area. My aim was to find some 4Talent friendly acts and I believed that Kitty,Daisy and Lewis, whom I had down as the equivalent of a rockabilly Waltons, fit that bill.

Along with parents Ingrid and Graham, KDL blasted out classic retro tunes such as 'Goin' up the Country' and self penned tracks such as 'Buggin' Blues.' Kitty and Daisy come onstage and sing unaccompanied with sweet female attitude and on finishing announce Dizzee Rascal style 'Awrite, weeeir Kittee Day-zee an' Lewisss.' This certainly dispelled any former image I had of them. They expertly manouvre through a highly musical set.

Charismatic as they are onstage. offstage it seems that KDL do not favour interviews. Second up to the bat I wince as I hear the family trio complain about the previous interviewer from Bestival radio who apparently asked 'stupid questions.' I'd seen them ask him if the interview was going to be about music so this was the topic I decided to stick to. I tried to keep things upbeat and casual and soon you'll be able to hear the results on the 4Talent magazine podcast...

Next I interviewed Anthony and Rich from XXteens. The guitarist and lead vocalist were good humoured and rather down to earth. From their colourful, explicit record artwork I was cetainly expecting a couple of Swedish beardos, however the two young Londoners weren't filthy in the slightest

Lastly I managed to grab the 'Two Sams' of Castle Donnington's Late of the Pier. I'd noticed, prior to Bestival that they took a high amount of interest in new music, however during the interview I was hit with a wave of fatigue and completely bypassed the topic. All four of the guys are extremely down to earth and also not very tall...I was expecting them to be six footers, I don't know why....

Outside bits of coloured tape fly around as if Grace Jones as begun a ticket tape parade. Today the costumes have come into their own with a multitude of sailors and octopusses a plenty sticking to the '30,000 freaks under the sea' dress code. Rob da Bank, who has made fleeting appearances in the backstage area has a pair of googles on his forehead, however this may be for practical reasons!

One of my highlights of the day so far has been the kazoo band passing through the main arena playing a Queen song with military precision despite the mud. The other, which is easily guessed if you know me, was watching the Mercury award nominated Laura Marling performing on the mainstage. As a member of the press I got to wander across the empty main arena as she and her drummer Marcus Mumford of Munford and Sons soundchecked. I think she surely deserves to win at tuesday's award ceremony. Watch out for one of her newer songs, Rambling Man, its a good 'un!

Off to Bestival

I've been having a bit of a 'mare trying to sort out interviews for Bestival. Laura Marling's PR, who was very nice, called me today to say that shes flying in to play and then flying out again quickly so won't have any time, darn.

I've got an interview with Kent dreamy pop band It Hugs Back for BBC Kent which should be cool as I've been trying to pin them down for 2 years...

Really excited as I emailed Castle Donnington's Late of the Pier about an interview and they actually got back to me saying it would be cool which is great...hopefully it won't be too hard to pin them down! They're perfect for the 4Talent podcast, up and coming, talented and young, plus midlandesque. (Well, from the Midlands anyway.)

I think the biggest issue is that I've had to use my gmail instead of my bbc email and it just doesn't look official enough. People have probably ignored my requests...

However, as long as I get to meet Kitty Daisy and Lewis I'll be happy!

Frank.