Keith Easton: Blog Page

RBS 6 Nations - Scotland v France Playlist

2012-02-28T16:43:00.002Z

Scotland's second home match of the RBS 6 Nations saw the hosts welcome France to Murrayfield.

Here's the music that I played on the day.

PRE MATCH
Olly Murs - Dance With Me
Adele - Set Fire To The Rain
Twin Atlantic - Free
Primal Scream - Country Girl
Girls Aloud - Can't Speak French
Ed Sheeran - You Need Me, I Don't Need You
The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger
Rihanna - We Found Love

ANNOUNCEMENT OF TEAM LINE-UPS

Avicii – Levels

MATCH BALL DELIVERY

Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling

MASCOTTS ENTRANCE

Flo Rida – Good Feeling

TEAM ENTRANCES

France: 6 Nations Anthem

Scotland

: Highland Cathedral - Red Hot Chilli Pipers

TEAMS BREAK - PRE KICK OFF

RunRig – Loch Lomond

SCOTLAND TRIES

The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

SCOTLAND KICKS

The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger

STOPPAGES AND BREAKS IN PLAY

RunRig - Loch Lomond

The Automatic - Monster

The Killers - All These Things I've Done

The Killers - Mr Brightside

Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes

The Silencers - Wild Mountain Thyme

HALF TIME

Primal Scream - Rocks

Katy Perry – Firework (Instrumental)

RunRig – Loch Lomond

END OF MATCH

Primal Scream - Rocks

Frankie Miller - Caledonia

The Silencers - Wild Mountain Thyme

RBS 6 Nations - Scotland v England Playlist

2012-02-07T14:14:00.001Z

Was thrilled to make my Murrayfield debut at the weekend. Not on the pitch I hasten to add, but as Stadium DJ.

Not only did my role invovled playing the music within the stadium, but working along side David Watson Event Services and his excellent team who installed and operated the PA system trackside.

So to the music. There was much debate and a lot of planning went into this. So, here's what I remember playing!

PRE MATCH
Florence & The Machine - Shake It Out
Oly Murs - Dance With Me
Lady Gaga - Born This Way

Katy Perry - Firework

Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar

One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
The Killers - Human
Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks
Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger
Jessie J - Domino
Rihanna - We Found Love

ANNOUNCEMENT OF TEAM LINE-UPS

Avicii – Levels

CHRIS PATERSON – MATCH BALL DELIVERY

Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling

LIGHT SHOW / MASCOTTS ENTRANCE

Flo Rida – Good Feeling

TEAM ENTRANCES

ENGLAND

: 6 Nations Anthem

SCOTLAND

: Highland Cathedral - Red Hot Chilli Pipers

TEAMS BREAK - PRE KICK OFF

Runrig – Loch Lomond

Scotland Penalties

The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

TMO Decision

Faithless – Insomnia

Peter Gelderblom - Waiting 4

Stoppages/Injuries

The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger

RunRig - Loch Lomond

Rob D - Clubbed to Death

Fatboy Slim - Right Here, Right Now
The White Stripes – 7 Nation Army
The Killers – All These Things I’ve Done
Martin Solveig – Hello
Foo Fighters – The Best of You
The Killers – Mr Brightside
Kings of Leon – Sex On Fire
The Captain – Biffy Clyro

HALF TIME

Primal Scream - Rocks

Katy Perry – Firework (Instrumental)

RunRig – Loch Lomond

END OF MATCH

Coldplay – Charlie Brown

U2 - Vertigo

Take That - Shine

Maverick Sabre - Let Me Go

Not the result I would have liked, but great to work along side Graeme for the umpteenth time and Mr Grant Stott, whose behind the scenes videos were brilliant.

Scottish Communities League Cup - Playlists

2012-01-30T12:28:00.001Z

Another good weekend at Hampden at the end of January at the Scottish Communities League Cup Semi-finals.

Here's the music that was played at both the matches.

Ayr Utd v Kilmarnock, Saturday 28 January 2012

PRE-MATCH

Morning Parade – Us & Ourselves

Admiral Fallow – Squealing Pigs

Mogwai – San Pedro

Noah & The Whale – L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.

Adele – Fire To The Rain

Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

Doves - Pounding

Twin Atlantic – Free

Jessie J – Domino

Example – Kickstarts

Biffy Clyro – The Captain

Snow Patrol – In The End

Hard-Fi – Living For The Weekend

Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby

The Killers – Mr Brightside

Reef – Place Your Hands

Feeder – Buck Rodgers

Primal Scream - Rocks

TEAMS COMING OUT TUNNEL

Coldplay – Charlie Brown

HALF TIME

Flo Rida – Good Feeling

END OF 90mins

The Chemical Brothers – Galvanise

Lady Gaga – Edge of Glory

EXTRA TIME – HALF TIME

Pigbag – Papas Got a Brand New Pigbag

END OF MATCH

Marie Osmond - Paper Roses

Rhianna – We Found Love

2 Unlimited – Get Ready For This

GOAL SONG

KILMARNOCK: Dario G – Ring of Fire (edit)

Falkirk v Celtic, Sunday 29 January 2012

PRE-MATCH

Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition

Arcade Fire – We Used To Wait

Elbow – One Day Like This
Manic Street Preachers - This Is The Day

Adele – Rolling In The Deep

Scouting For Girls – Elvis Ain’t Dead

Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

Jessie J – Domino

Paolo Nutini – Pencil Full of Lead

Hard-Fi – Living For The Weekend

Noel Gallagher – AKA …. What a Life

Twin Atlantic – Free

Example – Kickstarts

Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby

Reef – Place Your Hands

Feeder – Buck Rodgers

Primal Scream – Rocks

Avicii - Levels

TEAMS COMING OUT TUNNEL

Coldplay – Charlie Brown

HALF TIME

Kings of

Leon

– Use Somebody

Flo Rida – Good Feeling

END OF MATCH

Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough

KC & The Sunshine Band – Give It Up

GOAL SONGS

FALKIRK: Tony Christie – Amarillo (edit)

CELTIC: Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough (edit)

I'll get a Blog done with 6 Nations and Basketball finals music done some time this week. Promise!

This is a beer.

2011-12-06T11:04:00.011Z

Lots been happening in the music world, so let's get to it. I'm delighted to be able to share with you some fine music making and a little bit about those that help bring it to a wider audience.

The Deadly Winters have released a new single, The Deadly Winter. The lead track is a story of winter travels and the hardships faced, fought and conquered - best enjoyed beside a roaring fire, with friends and good cheer. As an added gift to you, the single includes two new songs, stripped bare to voice and guitar. The captivating tale of Edinburgh’s most notorious villains, Burke & Hare, and the heart-wrenching tale of traveling entertainers, Troubadours'.

There's a rather interesting video to accompany the lead track that I had a hand in shooting. The single can be downloaded from iTunes and Spotify.

Edinburgh based singer and songwriter Alan R Davison has released his latest Video Blog. This Blog, number 4, follows the most recent stages of Alan’s journey to record his debut album, The White Eagle Lounge. The video features background versions of the tracks as they are progressing, footage of the growing performer cast and an appearance from Nathan Connolly from Snow Patrol.

The White Eagle Lounge will be released in early 2012, with the completed album featuring 35 musicians who have taken part in the collaborative journey. As well as the aforementioned special guest Nathan Connolly, fellow Snow Patrol member Tom Simpson, Rick McMurray from Ash and Alex Cornish also join the ensemble. Alan will be increasing his web updates as recording draws to a close so do follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

If you are looking for a festive gig to attend, and let's be honest, an alternative to your work Christmas night out, then clear your diaries on Thursday 22 December. There comes a point in everyone’s life where they begin to doubt whether they believe in Father Christmas. For The Dirt, The FiREBUGS and The Deadly Winters that day is yet to come……. On Thursday 22^nd of December they invite you to the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh to believe in Father Christmas as well. Expect the gothic country of The Dirt to be top of your Christmas list, the beautiful harmonies and wandering arrangements of The FiREBUGS to put some holly on your ivy and the stories and soaring melodies of The Deadly Winters to fill your stockings. Each will also bring you a festive tune to ensure that it won’t be a silent night.

It was good to follow the progress of the second MashUp Session at the weekend. The two acts this time round were Stanley Odd and The Banana Sessions. Here's what they produced in 23 hours!

A mention now for a few acts I really like who have new releases out.

Donna Maciocia has a new EP "Fists At The Sky".

Aerials Up, fresh from supporting Duran Duran at SECC on Sunday, release new single "I Am" on 12 December. You can give it a listen on Soundcloud.

Douglas Kay gets festive with his new 3 track EP "On Christmas Day". It is out now and you can download it from iTunes.

Adam Holmes and The Embers track "Follow The Sun" is available to download from Amazing Tunes.

It is amazing what you discover when you listen to so many Podcasts and new music radio stations. Discovered this track by Elenor Lupretz on the Close To Nowhere Show on Recharged Radio when it was played after The Deadly Winters. The whole album sounds a very interesting concept.

I'll take this opportunity to sell the radio station RECHARGED RADIO to you. Recharged has been created by Jordan Thomas, who has gathered presenters from all over the world to start up a radio station dedicated to bringing the grass-roots, unsigned, independent artists of the world the airplay they deserve. Recharged Radio does not favour "friends" of the station over new emerging artists when deciding who gets airplay. They don't favour established or semi-famous artists, rather the new unheard artists who are passionate about what they are doing and want to share their music with an eager new audience.

The only criteria that Recharged Radio has is that the artist is unsigned, independent and willing to support this cause - where new-comers to the scene have a place they can rely on for promotion, broadcast and support for their music - and indeed themselves.

Right. That's enough for today.

Radio is not so ga ga

2011-11-08T11:51:00.003Z

I promised myself that I would write one Blog each week. This means that something interesting has to happen each week, and if that is not the case, then I need to make it happen. So I come with news, news of a musical nature. What I cannot promise is a decent title for my Blogs, but having watched the MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday night, Queen and Lady GaGa were fresh in my memory.

I attended my first ever Born To Be Wide seminar at Electric Circus in Edinburgh last week. The seminar examined how Radio Station programming decisions are made, which shows support new talent and how best to approach programmers, producers and DJs.

The Panel consisted of some of the leading lights in the industry in Scotland, included Stuart Barrie, Capital FM Scotland programme controller, BBC Radio Scotland’s Vic Galloway, Jim Gellatly from the Bauer Scotland Network, plugger Grant Crain and the producer of Radio Scotland’s Iain Anderson show, Stewart Cruickshank.

I was aware that Born To Be Wide had the knack of pulling together some impressive people for their events and the five individuals were very open, honest and enlightening. I was very impressed with host Olaf Furniss and how he kept the discussions moving along and wasn't afraid to grill the panel. Stuart Barrie's extensive experience in commercial radio provided an invaluable insight into how the sector works and his opening statement that "we're a Top 40 station" was the perfect opening. Honest, frank and factual throughout it was interesting to hear the name of Mark Findlay pop up on several occasions. This really took me back to the days when I was an avid listener of Radio Forth RFM, as it was known then.

I recall listening to many shows on Radio Forth RFM in the early to mid-90s hosted by "The Findlay Brothers" of Mark and Bruce. Now Head of Music for the Capital FM radio network, Mark is most definitely one of the major tastemakers in the country. Many of the CDs in my collection are there because of that weekly show the Mark and Bruce hosted, showcasing new and emerging acts from Scotland. It is interesting to to see that not only are Scotsmen taking over managing in the English Premiership, but also in the music industry as well.

Stealer

I remember around that time Forth had a Sunday evening show hosted by Marsha Shandur. This would be around 1998/99. Marsha is now responsible for choosing the music for various Tv shows and films, including E4′s The Inbetweeners and Made In Chelsea and Channel 4′s Friday Night Dinner. I was doing a lot of gigs while managing Stealer around 1999 and one act that I really liked, which Marsha heaped a lot of deserving support on was a young three-piece called Eliot. Lead singer Joe McAdam went on to front The Cherryfalls but sadly their album was never released. I remember being given the choice by an Agent of booking one of two promising new bands, one being The Cherryfalls, the other being Editors. I booked The Cherryfalls, so do me a favour and checkout the video for My Drug above. Delighted that Joe is still writing as he's a very talented lad, as you can find out here.

So, back to the Radio Seminar. It's obvious to see that the number of opportunities for new acts to get their music played has grown sharply in the last 10 years. However, everyone wants to gain the biggest audience and will still chase play on the BBC and the mainstream networks. From experience, there are many, many fantastic Community and Internet based stations championing the cause of many an new act. I'm a keen listener to The Justin Wayne Show on Re:Charged Radio every Wednesday night. There is also great support for new acts from Rob Eden on NCCR Radio's "The Unsigned Community" show and Get Ready To Rock Radio were always great supporters of Rieser.

I merely scratch the surface of opportunities for people to get their music heard. Jim Gellatly does a fantastic job every week on his shows and Podcasts on Radio Magnetic, Amazing Radio and every Sunday night across Scotland on In:Demand Uncut.

Now, if you are looking for innovative ways to get people interested in hearing your new music then look no further than Donna Maciocia and Mike Kearney. For the last 24 hours Donna, Mike and all the guys involved with The Mash Up Session have completed their task. The challenge was this - two artists have 24 hours to record, mix, master and release a brand new track. It's been great following their progress on Facebook and Twitter over the last 24 hours and I'm delighted to say they've done it! Here's the finished track "You Can Leave A Light On"......

Now, I best get onto all of my contacts and exercise some innovative techniques. There is a new single out on 5 December from The Deadly Winters that the world needs to hear. Practice what you preach and all that! Have a listen to previews of the three tracks below, including two brand new songs, stripped bare to voice and guitar. The captivating tale of Edinburgh’s most notorious villains, Burke & Hare, and the heart-wrenching tale of traveling entertainers, Troubadours'.......

Twenty, Twelve.

2011-11-01T16:01:00.008Z

October was another busy, busy month. Visits to Cardiff, Nottingham and then the luxury of working at an event in Edinburgh! It’s been another great year working with the fantastic team at Rat Race Events. Just one more trip to make to London this year for the Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest based by Battersea Power Station. As this year draws to a close I’m delighted that the 2012 diary and wallchart are already filling up with lots of interesting events throughout the

The Last September at The One Below - 28/10/11

It’s also been a busy time with music promotion. The gigs at The One Below have seen varying audience numbers. When it’s been busy the venue has really come into its own as one of the best intimate gigging experiences in Edinburgh. Special mention has to go to the four brilliant acts who played in October – Collar Up, Volitantes, The Last September and Keith Meisner. I'm particularly loving The Last September's track "Tears and Broken Glass."

I am continuing to work on building up the venue as a new and interesting gig for both the acts and the audience. We’ve got a great team together delivering the gigs and I’m confident we can develop during 2012 as respected promoters of gigs. Though I hate the word “promoter”! I prefer to tell people that I organise and event-manage the gigs. It's been a real delight to bring the following acts to the venue this year - Aerials Up, Boycotts, The Deadly Winters, The Hussy's, Tucker & The Scattered Family, Paul Gilbody, Donna Maciocia, Chris Bradley, Alan R Davison, Mike Kearney, Collar Up, Volitantes, Dropkick, The Elements, Six Storeys High, Ben Sturrock, K-Lab and Keith Meisner.

On Saturday I went along with Mike “Deadly Winter” Edie to the Radio Forth One To Watch Awards at the Liquid Rooms. I’ve always been a keen supporter of the event since I had the pleasure of being there with Rieser and Underbelly in consecutive years. The line-up this year was definitely one of the strongest I’ve seen in years, with the only disappointment being the small crowd. The event is an excellent opportunity to showcase some of Edinburgh and the Lothian’s best new acts and it is produced very well with each act performing four songs, enough to hold the attention span of the audience. Mr Jim Gellatly was on the judging panel and it was encouraging to see him reward two of the acts, The Directors and Tom Vevers, with sessions on his show In:Demand Uncut. The Directors edged it on the night, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on all the acts - New Confessions, Caroline Gilmour and Nettles. I have to say that the song of the night for me was New Confessions "Tell Yr Friends." It's a cracking tune, as was Caroline's Mashup of KT Tunstall and Aloe Bloc.

Jim Gellatly

Now, for over 10 years, my Thursday evenings were taken up with running gigs in the EH14 postcode to the west of the Edinburgh City Bypass. This was not great for attending the highly respected music seminars Born To Be Wide. However, I’m delighted that I’ll be heading along this Thursday to the Radio Seminar at Electric Circus. The guest speakers are Grant Crain, Stewart Cruickshank, Vic Galloway and Jim Gellatly. I'm sure there's tickets still available, but I’ll be sure to report back!

I’m still working away on setting up the Music Hub and base for Woosh Entertainments. Lots of paperwork and patience required and I remain positive of a favourable outcome by the end of November. It’s exciting times for Woosh Entertainments as we head towards 2012.

And finally, there's a new single from The Deadly Winters to promote in November and the conclusion of the recording of Alan R Davison's album. Enjoy The 'Ters performing live a new song, "It's Over Now" above and Mr Davison's Video Blog number 3 below....

I've got an inbox full of tunes which I need to download and review, which I will. Look forward to giving them an airing in London next weekend.

Ever onwards........

Why buy a car when you can buy a Land Rover......

2011-10-03T18:56:00.001+01:00

Well, that was some weekend!

The Deadly Winters.

Best start at the beginning and with Friday. I headed off to St Andrews in the morning via the workplace of The Deadly Winters bass player Mike Edie. The 'Ters had been invited to open the Kaleidoscope Festival and there was the usual logistics of getting 5 people, in 3 cars, to the right place, at the right time.

This we achieved, thanks to local knowledge, Google Maps and AA Signposts.

The 'Ters on stage.

We were delighted with the weather on arrival in Fife, and with The Dunhill Cup also in town there was a positive mood in the camp. The organisers had been met with some difficulties in the run up to the event, but they must be praised for delivering a highly professional stage set up. Needless to say, with the brilliant weather, it was a challenge for the boys to attract a large crowd in to the barn at Kinkell Farm, but they performed a great set to a loyal group of fans. Here's new song, Hand To Heart, from the gig.

After The 'Ters had finished it was back to Edinburgh where Woosh Entertainments were hosting another gig at The One Below. I was delighted to have secured Adam Holmes and The Embers and Alan R Davison. Adam has been attracting a lot of interest. At only eighteen Adam was a 2009 Celtic Connections Young Trad finalist and two years later his own brand of contemporary folk songs also brought him a Radio 2 award nomination for Best Folk Newcomer. Preview tracks from the EP have received radio play throughout the UK and are now beginning to get fantastic reviews from writers and bloggers as well as record company attention. Check him out on Soundcloud - http://soundcloud.com/adamholmesandtheembers

Alan R Davison has been working hard all year on his debut album The White Eagle Lounge, due for release late in 2011. The White Eagle Lounge features over 30 of Alan’s most trusted and respected musical friends who have been supportive of the project since its inception early in March 2010. It is these individuals that will make the album the amazing experience it should be.

Checkout some fantastic pictures from the gig courtesy of TDSRL Photography on their Facebook Page.

Mens' Health Survival of The Fittest Start Line.

On Saturday I drove to Cardiff to meet up with Mike Smith ahead of Sunday's Men's Health Survival of The Fittest event.

This Tri Nations Challenge 2011 takes place in the cities of Cardiff, Nottingham, Edinburgh and London, inviting racers from England, Scotland and Wales to front up to a tough urban assault course and battle it out to become Survivors. Packing a challenging 10km route in each host city, with tough and engaging obstacles every kilometre, participants pit their wits against 1000s of fellow "Survival" competitors in a test of stamina, grit, speed and guts.

Main Stage in Cardiff.

The weather in Cardiff was what I would describe as "Tropical". Mike and I had to brief and then start 8 different "Waves" as over 2,200 people took to the streets of Cardiff from the event village in Cardiff Bay. Sponsors Men's Health Magazine and lead partner Land Rover, provided much to see in the event village - in the magnificent setting on the south of Cardiff. The Welsh capital certainly has got it's act together, creating a magnificent facility that the holders of Edinburgh's purse strings would do well to visit.

With Mike and I again sharing MC duties, it was decided that I would do the Race Briefings as they were important and required an "authorative" voice. This allowed Mike to do what he does best - repeat sponsors strap lines and royally entertain the crowd and amuse the sponsors with his unique and entertaining style. It's safe to say that Land Rover, Men's Health Magazine, Tissot Watches, Asics and For Goodness Shakes would be happy with the coverage!

Mike Smith cooling off in the VIP Area.

This, I'm told, is important if you are a fan of Dr Who.

The VIP Area - Baked Potato and a can of Stella.

The Men's Health Wall of Fame.

Why buy a car when you can buy a Land Rover.

London Rat Race

2011-09-28T12:10:00.002+01:00

Spent last weekend in London town at the Rat Race. The Rat Race is an urban adventure challenge event that turns cities into high-adrenaline adventure playgrounds for participants of all abilities. Teams of three and pairs jogged, biked, abseiled, climbed, kayaked and navigated their way around the streets, structures, waterways and urban landscapes of the country’s coolest cities. Over 42 miles were completed by participants.

Waverley Steamer

Notable landmarks included Lord's Cricket Ground, Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, The Docklands, The Imperial War Museum and Tower Bridge. Saturday was the 2.5 hour Mean Streets Event and for the more adventurous, Sunday was the bike based Nine2Five challenge, featuring biking, kayaking, abseiling and more. For those who just couldn't get enough, they opted in for a whole weekend of adventure with the Rat Race Weekender – attempting both the Mean Streets on Saturday night and coming back for more on the Sunday with the Nine2Five.

I shared MC duties with TV's Mike Smith. Mike is a presenter on Price-drop TV, Speed Auction TV and BID TV and his unique style of presenting was great fun to work alongside. There was a great atmosphere in the Event village with Redwood Creek Wines providing free samples, The M.A.D Cycle stunt team and the UK Bungee Club who were doing tremendous business! Mike is convinced that Tower Bridge only "goes up" twice a week, but I can confirm it's about three times a day, including for The Waverley Steamer on Sunday. We were also graced with the sight of a film crew following of TV's Ben Fogle who was being filmed by the BBC taking part in the Nine2Five event.

I chose to stay at The all new Premier Inn at the Olympic Park. Everything is indeed premier, but the price. Despite not being brilliantly signposted on the site, the hotel was in an excellent location. There was very robust security at the London Olympic Park as I found out when I was picked out for a random car search. However, lots of security on the site is very reassuring. For what it is worth, I think the whole site looks amazing, the adjacent Westfield Shopping Centre is superb and the public transport links I used were excellent. Hope it stays that way!

As to the tunes. Well it was much the same as Scotland Coast to Coast, but with new tunes from Coldpay, Kasabian and General Fiasco added into the mix.

For the PA geeks out there this is the equipment we use at these events:
1 x HK Audio Lucas 1000 PA system

1 x Soundcraft Notepad 102 Mixer

1 x American Audio CK 800 Anti Shock MP3 CD Mixstation

1 x Laptop

1 x Sennheiser EW100 G2 Handheld Radio Microphone

1 x Shure SM58 Vocal Microphone

Scotland Coast To Coast - Playlist

2011-09-19T16:58:00.001+01:00

I spent the weekend located outside the Isles of Glencoe Hotel working as the DJ and MC at Scotland Coast To Coast. This was a quite stunning location for the finish line of the 105 mile challenge that traversed famous mountain landscapes between Nairn and Glencoe. The participants journey took in some of the most iconic locations and amazing views in the Scottish Highlands including Loch Ness, the Great Glen, Ben Nevis and Glen Coe.

Over 1000 people took part over the weekend, some completing the course in one day, while others chose the two day option with a stop over at Fort Augustus. The weather this year was very kind and everyone who ran, cycled and kayaked their way across the 105 mile course crossed the finish line to a large crowd of supporters.

There was quited a varied selection of tunes played over the weekend. Graeme and I had to fill 8 hours each day, and Graeme was encouraging requests from the crowds! Here's a selection of some of the (very varied) tunes that were blasting out over Loch Leven. I've added in links to some of the tracks.

Imelda May – Road Runner

Noel Gallagher – AKA.. What A Life

The Asteroids Gallaxy Tour - The Golden Age

Sonny J - Can't Stop Moving

Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger

Ed Sheeran – You Need Me, I Don’t Need You

Snow Patrol – Called Out In The Dark

Adele – Set Fire To The Rain (Moto Blanco Remix)

Coldplay – Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall

Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks (Gigamesh Remix)

Jessie J – Price Tag

Lady Gaga – The Edge of Glory

Noah & The Whale – Tonight’s The Kind of Night

The Naked & Famous – Young Blood

Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work

Foo Fighters – Rope

Wretch 32 feat Example – Unorthodox

Ini Kamoze – Here Comes The Hotstepper

Katy Perry – Firework

Example – Last Ones Standing

Aloe Bloc – I Need A Dollar

Ernie K-Doe - Here Come The Girls

Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb

Gorillaz - 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)

Kings Of

Leon

– Use Somebody

The Killers - Mr Brightside

The Chemical Brothers – Galvanise

Basement Jaxx – Do Your Thing

Florence & The Machine – You’ve Got The Love

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Russ Chimes Remix)

Run DMC feat Jason Nevins – It’s Like That

Young Soul Rebels - I Got Soul

Primal Scream - Country Girl

Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Proud Mary

Survivor - Eye Of the Tiger

Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting

Scotland v Lithuania Playlist

2011-09-07T11:27:00.008+01:00

So, it was back to Hampden last night for Scotland v Lithuania. I was interested to see what the crowd and atmosphere was going to be like after Saturday's match.

We decided to try something different after the National Anthems. There's about 3 minutes after Amy MacDonald sings Flower of Scotland until kick-off while the players go through the Fair Play Handshake, pose for a team photos plus the coin toss. I felt we needed to fill that gap and went for Runrig's Loch Lomond from where it gets pretty lively in the song. It seemed to work!

It was great to see the victorious Scotland Homeless World Cup Team get to do a lap of honour pre-match. Having been in Copenhagen in 2007 as one of the Announcers when the Scotland team first won the tournament I know what it means to the players and what a magnificent event it is. Checkout the Homeless World Cup website for videos and all the news from Paris 2011 - http://www.homelessworldcup.org/paris-2011

Here's all the tunes from Tuesday.

Pre-Match

Teenage Fanclub - Kickabout

The Blue Nile - Tinseltown In The Rain

Gerry Rafferty - Get It Right Next Time

Del Amitri - Spit In The Rain

The Supernaturals - Smile

Idlewild - Held The World In Your Arms

Travis - Happy
Twin Atlantic – Make A Beast of Myself
Biffy Clyro - The Captain
The Silencers – I Can Feel It
Paolo Nutini – Pencil of Lead
Gun – Word Up
Simple Minds – Waterfront
The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Tartan Specials - We'll Be Coming (Video)
Dario G - Carnival De Paris

Team Entrance

UEFA Anthem

Craig Armstrong - Escape

Runrig - Loch Lomond (edit)

Half Time

Runrig - Loch Lomond
The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

Full time

Tartan Specials - We'll Be Coming (Video)

The Proclaimers - I'm On My Way

Scotland v Czech Republic Playlist and The Southern Gatherin'

2011-09-05T13:13:00.001+01:00

Very busy weekend at Woosh Entertainments. Rugby, Football, Athletics and the inaugural Southern Gatherin' Music Festival.

Let's start with the football! Happy to admit that was the lowest I've ever felt after a sporting event. Ironically, in the match day programme there was an interview with Graeme and myself about the role we play on match days. I'd been at pains to mention that I don't get caught up in the excitement and try to remain focused. Well when Darren Fletcher scored even I was out my seat (before checking if the goal had been disallowed for offside, then hitting play on 500 Miles!)

On Friday was honoured to be asked to record an intro for Real Radio Scotland's pre-match "An Hour of Scotland" show on Saturday. Scotland players past and present, fans, and some special guests were asked to pick the tune that they love to hear when Scotland play. I chose Gun!

Here's the tunes from Saturday.

Pre-Match

The Blue Nile - Tinseltown In The Rain

Mogwai – San Pedro

Frightened Rabbit – Head Rolls Off

The Silencers – I Can Feel It

Kassidy – Stray Cat

Twin Atlantic – Make A Beast of Myself

Glasvegas – Geraldine

Gun – Steal Your Fire

Biffy Clyro – Mountains

Paolo Nutini – Pencil of Lead

Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

Primal Scream - Rocks

Simple Minds – Waterfront

Deacon Blue - Dignity

The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

Tartan Specials - We'll Be Coming

Dario G - Carnival De Paris

Team Entrance

UEFA Anthem

Craig Armstrong - Escape

Biffy Clyro - The Captain

Half Time

Runrig - Loch Lomond
The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

Full time
Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)
Frankie Miller - Caledonia
The Silencers - Wild Mountain Thyme
GoGoBot - Turn The World Around

After the drama of the football I headed to Peebles for the inaugural Southern Gatherin' Music Festival. A line up of over 20 bands playing, free, in The Bridge Inn and The Courthouse. The festival was the brainchild of Andy Tucker and, in his own inimitable style, he gathered together a quite superb array of talent to play over the weekend.

Some great performances and it would be wrong to single out any of the bands for special praise. If you are a music fan then I'd suggest heading over to Spotify and listen to some of the acts on this playlist.

Scotland v Denmark Playlist

2011-08-11T09:48:00.003+01:00

A very wet night at Hampden last night but an excellent victory for Scotland. I predicted a 2-1 win and that's what we got.

The night started well with Flower of Scotland brilliantly sung by Julie Fowlis, making her Hampden debut!

The Vauxhall International Challenge Match saw Charlie Adam have his first international goal taken from him but his free kick set Scotland on the way. While the Danes looked comfortable on the ball I thought Scotland did well, particularly in the first half. The second half kept us busy with 12 substitutions!

I quite literally sailed home along the M8 after the match. For once, people seemed to be driving sensibly in the quite horrendous conditions!

The tunes played in the stadium last night were:

Pre-Match

Gun – Taking on The World
The Silencers – I Can Feel It
Kassidy – Stray Cat
GoGoBot – Turn The World Around
Jon Fratelli - Baby We're Refugees
Snow Patrol – Called Out In The Dark
Twin Atlantic – Free
Amy McDonald – Mr Rock n Roll
Goodbye Mr MacKenzie – The Rattler
Mogwai – San Pedro
Paolo Nutini – Pencil of Lead
Simple Minds – Waterfront
Stiltskin – Inside
Primal Scream - Rocks
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Tartan Specials - We'll Be Coming

Team Entrance
Craig Armstrong - Escape

Biffy Clyro – The Captain

Half Time
Runrig - Loch Lomond

Frankie Miller - Caledonia

Full Time
The Proclaimers - I'm On My Way

Big Country - In A Big Country

Next up - Czech Republic and Lithuania.

Touch World Cup 2011

2011-06-29T10:42:00.000+01:00

I spent a very enjoyable week working at The Touch World Cup at Peffermill in Edinburgh. Don’t mention the R world – Rugby. It's touchdowns, not a try and there are mixed teams. Oh, and Australia and New Zealand dominate!

This was the largest Touch World Cup to date with 27 Nations competing in 7 competitions. Early starts were the order of the day as we had to build the PA system each morning to cover 10 pitches so that the 3 MC’s could be heard and, importantly, the Hooter which signalled the start and end of each match. There was a fantastic team of volunteers working at the event and an incredible atmosphere created by the 1500 people taking part.

Each day there was a strict schedule to be met and the tunes played an important part in setting the scene and building the atmosphere. The first matches tapped-off at 7:40am each day and as I recall, we went on until 9pm on the Saturday Throughout the week there was a TV Crew filming and I was briefly interviewed, explaining what my role was. I look knackered as it had been a 5am start that day! Key announcements were "One Minute to the start of play" and "Players and Officials, Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen Seconnnnnnnnds".

And so to the tunes played during the week. Far from comprehensive, but this gives a flavour....

1 Min Before Start of Play

FatBoy Slim – Right Here, Right Now

Team Introductions (Finals Day)

Escala – Kasmir

Drop-Off Music

MC Hammer – Can’t Touch This

General Tunes

Ini Kamoze – Here Comes The Hotstepper

Katy Perry – Firework

Example – Last Ones Standing

Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello (Single Edit)

Aloe Bloc – I Need A Dollar

Ernie K-Doe - Here Come The Girls

Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb

Gorillaz - 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)

David Guetta – When Love Takes Over

Tiao Cruz – Higher

Republica – Ready to Go (2010)

Eric Prydz – Pjanoo

Planet Funk – Chase The Sun

Kings Of

Leon

– Use Somebody

The Chemical Brothers – Galvanise

Daft Punk – One More Time

Basement Jaxx – Do Your Thing

Florence & The Machine – You’ve Got The Love

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Russ Chimes Remix)

RUN DMC feat Jason Nevins – It’s Like That

Young Soul Rebels - I Got Soul

Cornershop – Brimfull of Asha

Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way

Runrig - Loch Lomond

The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

Frankie Miller - Caledonia

The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger

Huge thanks to everyone on the Event Team and the Volunteers who worked tirelessly to deliver an amazing event.

Weekend Music

2011-05-22T11:16:00.000+01:00

Here's the tunes you heard at Hampden at the Scottish Cup Final. A few cheeky references to the weather with the inclusion of Deacon Blue and Garbage. Plus delighted to give other Scottish acts Aerials Up, Twin Atlantic and Mogwai an airing.

Pre-Match

Deacon Blue – Raintown

Aerials Up – Superglue

Mogwai – San Pedro

The Naked and Famous – Young Blood

Jon Fratelli – Santo Domingo

Twin Atlantic – Free

Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work

Claire Maguire – The Shield And The Sword

Example – Kickstarts

Cee Lo Green – Bright Lights Bigger City

Martin Solveig & Dragonette – Hello

Aloe Blacc – I Need a Dollar

Garbage – I’m Only Happy When It Rains

The Killers – Mr Brightside

Feeder – Buck Rodgers

Reef – Place Your Hands

Dario G – Carnival De Paris

Dario G – Ring Of Fire

Republica – Ready to Go 2010

Teams Entrance

Katy Perry – Firework (Instrumental)

Half Time

Lady Gaga– Born This Way

Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby

End of Match
Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough (Schizo Mix and Original Mix)

Gerry & The Pacemakers – You’ll Never Walk Alone
The Pogues – Fiesta

The Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger

Bobby Darin - Mack The Knife

Elbow – One Day Like This

Big thanks to everyone who came along to the gig at The One Below on Friday. An absolutely great performance from Paul Gilbody to kick things off, then an equally fantastic set from The Elements. Timing is everything, as on Friday the video of their performance on ESPN hit YouTube!

Free-dot.com

2011-05-18T10:06:00.001+01:00

I’ve been really pleased to discover a lot of new music recently. Importantly, it’s been great to be able to download this music for free. While MySpace, Facebook, Soundcloud and Bandcamp all allow the listener to stream music it becoming increasingly common to go to these sites and find acts giving away tracks as free downloads. So, I’ve decided to pass on to you dear reader the ones that I have recently discovered as well as ones from acts I’m more associated with.

I’m not reviewing the tracks, just pointing you in the direction of some great new music that you might want to transfer to your music playing device. Not all tracks are available free, so in some cases you'll need to buy, but you can listen for free.

Aerials Up - Superglue

Heading to T In The Park this year, as they did in 2010 when they headlined the BBC Introducing Stage. Superglue is from their EP, Superglue! Listen for free, then go and buy it.

Augusta Fireball - Slapped About

Debut Album out this year from Ali and Tony. Here's the brilliant video for Slapped About.

Alex Cornish - Always A Way

From Alex's forthcoming album. His third. It's going to be great. Checkout the other free downloads on his site, including a brilliant version of Sweet Child O Mine.

Alan R Davison - Anything/Everything

This is an old Underbelly song that Alan still plays a lot. This is a rather sublime acoustic version. Alan is currently recording his debut album, due for release this summer. It's going to be a biggy!

Boycotts - A Lesson In Gravity

Just announced as playing the T Break Stage at this years T In The Park. This track is from their debut EP which was recorded at Chem19 Studios with Andy Miller.

Dropkick - 59 Free tracks

The Dripcock boys have always been very generous with their free music. New Album "Time Cuts The Ties" is out now, and the boys headed out to Madrid to play some gigs to launch the 13 track album. There are 59 free tracks on their website. I've struggled to pick just the one.

Found - King Creosote - Leslie (Found's Bleak Midwinter Version)

Found do this sort of thing really well. Up until March this year they did Found Free Friday's, which was pretty much self explanatory. I've picked out the Found remix of King Creosote's opening track from the Bombshell album in 2007. Thanks to DJ Si at Acoustic Edinburgh for alerting me to this.

GoGoBot - Do You Remember

Bursting onto the Scottish music scene with a strident mix of synth anthems with a pounding rock base and infectious pop melodies, GoGoBot have proven to be a refreshingly difficult band to pigeon hole. To mark their arrival, GoGoBot will be releasing six singles over 2011 from the ‘See Saw Series’.

Iain Morrison - The Sky Throws You

I'm a huge fan of Iain's music and have followed him since discovering Crash My Model Car back in 2007. Checkout their back catalogue on iTunes. The Sky Throws You from his album "Haunted Bird" will be released on the 6th June accompanied by 2 B-Sides re-mixed by Calamateur.

The Deadly Winters - Tura Mae

Already picking up loads of airplay and coverage including on BBC Introducing, Jim Gellatly's Weekly Podcast, Amazing Radio, Get Ready To Rock Radio and Gill Mills New Music Matters, Tura Mae was the free taster track from their debut Album. Go follow the journey....

The Mars Patrol - Shake it Up

Another band heading to T In The Park this year to play the BBC Introducing stage. Shake It Up is out now and absolutely FREE for you to download. The single comes with two b-sides, including acoustic and lounge versions of the song.

We See Lights - I Hope You Like The Smiths

This is backed with a tremendous video. You can get the track free from Bandcamp. But watch the video. Helpfully, here it is for you all.

All we really need is a Superhero.......

2011-05-02T13:39:00.005+01:00

Here's the playlist from the Scottish Youth Cup Final at Hampden Park on Wednesday 27 April. Celtic won the game 2-1 after extra-time. Nearly 10,000 attended the game, almost as many as the Scottish Cup Semi-final between Motherwell and St Johnstone.

Biffy Clyro – Many of Horror

Fenech Soler – Stop and Stare

Aerials Up – Stay Awake

The Mars Patrol – Shake It Up

Mogwai – San Pedro

Beady Eye - Millionaire

Elbow – Open Arms (Radio Edit)

The Charlatans – One To Another

Jon Fratelli – Santo Domingo

Twin Atlantic – Free

Foo Fighters – Rope

The Elements – Superhero

Katy Perry – Firework

Example – Last Ones Standing

Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello (Single Edit)

Adele – Rolling In The Deep

Aloe Bloc – I Need A Dollar

David Guetta – When Love Takes Over

Tiao Cruz – Higher

Republica – Ready to Go (2010)

Dario G – Carnival De Paris

Guns N Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine

Eric Prydz – Pjanoo

Frankie & The Heartstrings - Hunger

Biffy Clyro – The Captain

Planet Funk – Chase The Sun

Kings Of Leon – Use Somebody

The Chemical Brothers – Galvanise

Journey - Don't Stop Believing

Doing my best to support as many new Scottish acts as possible as soon as the turnstiles open. New tunes from Twin Atlantic, The Mars Patrol and The Elements well worth checking out. Also played an older tune from Aerials Up who have a new EP, Superglue out now.

Loving Twin Atlantic's Free.

Good to hear Kevin the Stadium Announcer at St Johnstone playing The Elements track Superhero after the Saints 3-0 home defeat to Inverness. I'm sure Kevin would prefer the circumstances to be different, however the Perth side had gone 7 games without scoring a goal! The Superhero eventually arrived courtesy of a Liam Craig header at Easter Road on Saturday.

On Sunday my run of not announcing a Scottish Rugby victory continued in Selkirk. The Under 17 team went down 25 -5 to a huge French XV. Seriously, the size of the French team was astonishing. Glad I wasn't playing! Good crowd at Philliphaugh, on what it has to be said was a glorious day in The Scottish Borders!

Finally, I'm delighted to announce that Woosh Entertainments will be running regular gigs at The One Below in Edinburgh. It's a small intimate venue with a capacity of 70 in the heart of Edinburgh's West End. We are currently looking for acts to do acoustic/unplugged type sets. Contact me for all booking enquiries - keith@woosh.tv

Confirmed so far:
Friday 20 May - The Elements & Paul Gilbody
Friday 24 June – Aerials Up
Friday 15 July – Tucker & The Scattered Family
Friday 29 July – K-Lab
Friday 12 August – Six Storeys High
Friday 26 August – The Deadly Winters & The Hussy’s
Doors open 8pm, first act on stage at 9pm. £5 - Pay on the door, cash only. Over 18's only. Management.

Scottish Cup Semi-final Music and ESPN trip.

2011-04-17T19:31:00.003+01:00

I promised that I would post listings of the tunes I play. And look, true to my word. I've added some links to download the music by new Scottish bands. So get involved and download the tunes as a few of them are available for free.

Also met "Fenners" and Bianca Westwood of Sky Sports Take It Like A Fan fame. They were filming the show at Hampden and this one will go out this Friday. Curiously, I had the theme tune to the show on the playlist. It's by Frankie & The Heartstrings and called Hunger. Good tune.

Fenech Soler – Stop and Stare

The Deadly Winters – Tura Mae [Free Download]

The Mars Patrol – Shake It Up [Free Download]

Elbow – Open Arms

The Naked & Famous – Young Blood

Jon Fratelli – Santo Domingo

Twin Atlantic – Free

Doves – Pounding

Stone Roses – I Am The Resurrection

Foo Fighters – Rope

The Elements – Superhero

Katy Perry – Firework

Example – Kickstarts

Jackie Wilson – You’re Love Keeps Lifting Me

The Charlatans – The Only One I Know

Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello

Adele – Rolling In The Deep
Frankie & The Heartstrings - Hunger (Theme of Sky Sports “Take It Like A Fan”)

Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby

The Black Crowes – Hard To Handle

Aloe Blacc – I Need a Dollar

Biffy Clyro – The Captain

Tiao Cruz – Higher

Feeder – Buck Rodgers

The Killers – Mr Brightside

Reef – Place Your Hands

Dario G – Carnival De Paris

Guns N Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine (Team entrance music)

Eric Prydz – Pjanoo

Kings Of Leon – Use Somebody

The 5 6 7 8s – Woo Hoo (Motherwell Goal tune)

Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough (Celtic Goal tune)

I spent last weekend in London with The Elements. They had been invited to appear on ESPN's Talk of The Terrace and perform live. The whole day was a brilliant experience. As you can imagine, a show mixing football and showcasing new music somewhat grabbed my attention! It was very enlightening to be part of a live TV show and I also met Man Utd legend Gary Pallister. A far superior defender to Steve Bruce I'm told. Now, there was a 15 minute highlights video on ESPN's website here. However, it's not been working since Friday night. This has upset me somewhat. I hope it gets repaired soon. The Elements are on at the 9min 20sec point.

A fine Centre-half pairing, somewhat
lacking in pace these days!

Scottish Sport Cup Finals Playlists

2011-03-29T10:15:00.000+01:00

I get asked a lot what I play at sports events and the last two weekends have been quite a contrast. Scottish League Cup Final at Hampden between Celtic and Rangers and then the Scottish Basketball Finals Weekend.

So here’s the list of what I was playing.

Co-operative Insurance Cup Final – Sunday 20 March

Graeme with the fantastic selection of
biscuits served on a piece of slate.

PRE-MATCH

Elbow – One Day Like This

Bill Withers – Lovely Day

John Farnham – You’re the Voice

Deacon Blue – Real Gone Kid

Katy Perry – Firework

Example – Kickstarts

Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello (Single Edit)

McFly – Shine A Light

Take That – Kidz

David Guetta – Love Has Gone

Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed

Adele – Rolling In The Deep

Beady Eye – The Roller

Frankie & The Heartstrings – Hunger

Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby

The Beatles – All You Need Is Love

Feeder – Buck Rodgers

The Killers – Mr Brightside

Dario G – Carnival De Paris

TEAMS COMING OUT TUNNEL

Biff Clyro – The Captain

AFTER LINE-UP AND HANDSHAKE

Eric Prydz – Pjanoo

HALF TIME

Reef – Place Your Hands

END OF MATCH

Madness – One Step Beyond

Daft Punk – One More Time

RUNNERS-UP

Florence & The Machine – You’ve Got The Love

TROPHY PRESENTATION

Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling

The Drifters - Come On Over To My Place

Status Quo - Rockin All Over The World

Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen

GOAL SONGS

RANGERS: Madness – One Step Beyond (edit)

CELTIC: Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough (edit)

Scottish Basketball Finals Weekend – Saturday 26 – Sunday 27 March

PRE-GAME

DAVID GUETTA/K ROWLAND – When Love Takes Over

JESSIE J – Price Tag

BRITNEY SPEARS – Till The World Ends

CHASE & STATUS – Blind Faith

KE$HA – We R Who We R

MARTIN SOLVEIG & DRAGONETTE – Hello (Single Edit)

TIESTO v DIPLO ft BUSTA RHYMES – C’Mon (Radio Edit)

TRAVIE McCOY – Billionaire (Radio Edit)

TINIE TEMPAH – Written In The Stars [Clean]

TAIO CRUZ – Dynamite

ROLL DEEP – Green Light

EXAMPLE – Last Ones Standing (Radio Edit)

KATY PERRY – Teenage Dream (Manhattan Clique Remix)

ROLL DEEP – Good Times

LADY GAGA – Born This Way

ELLIE GOULDING – Starry Eyed (Russ Chimes Remix)

FOO FIGHTERS – Rope (Deadmau5 Remix)

EXAMPLE - Kickstarts

TEAMS COMING ONTO COURT

SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA – One (Your Name)

TEAM INTRODUCTIONS

KYLIE MINOGUE – Get Outta My Way (Kris Menace Remix)

3 MIN TO TIP OFF

TAIO CRUZ – Higher

EXAMPLE – Kickstarts (Instrumental)

POST GAME

Daft Punk – One More Time

RUNNERS-UP

Florence & The Machine – You’ve Got The Love

TROPHY PRESENTATION

Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling

If you are not part of the solution then you must be part of the problem.

2011-03-07T13:07:00.001Z

"The spark of initiative. The courage to make your dream happen. The hard work to see it through. There's only one strategy for growth we can have now and that is rolling up our sleeves and doing everything possible to make it easier for businesses to grow, to invest, to take people on.” – David Cameron

My sleeves have been rolled up for some time. If I lived somewhere where the sun beats down all day then I’d probably have nice tanned arms. Or more freckles to be precise. It’s encouraging to hear the words from Mr Cameron at the weekend. He’s right. People do need to have courage. People do need to work hard. We all need to roll our sleeves up. It doesn’t matter if you lean to the left or the right. The advice that hard work, initiative and courage will serve you well is good advice.

I was interviewed by a Student of The University of The West of

Scotland

last week. He was tasked with speaking to an Entrepreneur and find out what makes one tick. Ever willing to help out a student in need I agreed to meet and discuss Woosh Entertainments and Identity Parade Arts Limited. Do I consider myself an Entrepreneur? Well, I’ve had a few ideas as to how to provide a service to people and how to make a reality of the idea. But I’m very uneasy with the tag of Entrepreneur.

After the interview I began to question if I was enterprising. Do I have to invent a commodity to sell to be enterprising? Is being able to play music in a stadium and read out a list of people about to kick or throw a ball about enterprising? Is renting property to then rent out to creative people enterprising? Is booking a venue to hold a gig enterprising? My conclusion is that if you can see a solution to a problem then you have identified an opportunity. Taking the opportunity and developing it into a business takes courage. Wait a minute, I was asking if I was enterprising here! Not if I have courage. I guess I need to have a lot of characteristics to be in business.

I was asked to give one piece of advice at the end of the interview. Having worked with many volunteers over the years I’ve been inspired by the success of the many that were prepared to roll up their sleeves and do something for nothing (or next to nothing). The ones that wanted to be part of the solution.

I’ve been meaning to review some music on here.

However, rather than spout my opinion I’d rather just say investigate the fantastic album by Iain Morrison and Daibhidh Martin - "Haunted Bird"

I've been to Keith.

2011-03-01T10:28:00.008Z

I drove 400 miles at the weekend. This involved watching sport in the Highlands and North-east of

Scotland

. During my trip I never witnessed a Scottish team score a point. Not until Sunday. I was up in Inverness on Friday to announce and DJ at The Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Sadly Scotland went down 15-0 to Ireland in the U20 6 Nations. There was a good crowd despite the weather. Highlights of the match are available at the fantastic Scottish Rugby TV website. You can just about hear me at the start! The Inverness Caley Thistle FC staff very hospitable. The half time pie was a real highlight! In fact I think the guy who brought me the pie baked it, he was so enthusiastic about it. Or at least has shares in the Bakery. Now, if that Bakery was the Strathisla Bakery in Keith then I’d be an interested investor. Despite every town between Inverness and Aberdeen having “a” Tesco, it’s refreshing to see this small enterprise going like a fayre on a Saturday morning. Tremendous bacon roll.

I won’t buy shares in the McDonald's at Forfar, but I may be eligible for loyalty points. Every time I drive up/down the A90, a few miles north of Dundee the Golden Arches appear. My regular “away trip” co-pilot claims this is one of the highlights of the football season. A highlight when put up against other such trips made annually. It takes only a few minutes more to travel to Edinburgh from Aberdeen than it does from Govan to Edinburgh on a wet Wednesday night in February. The luxury of stopping for a Quarterpounder rated against stopping on the Kingston Bridge for no reason other than the sporting event that has taken place in Govan seems to attract many people not from Govan does render the Forfar McDonald's a “highlight.”

Last week was really productive music-wise. One thing that I have been working away on was a TV opportunity for The Elements. On the back of the release of New York City an influential music distributor got in touch acknowledging, “Lovely video and lovely record. Makes me want to get out to NY”. After some discussion it was felt that a good place to start for them would be to attack the sport market, starting with doing a live set on ESPN's Premier League Show Talk Of The Terrace. So, The Elements will be performing live on Talk Of The Terrace on Monday 11 April. They will be the house band, playing live throughout the show including a performance of their single "New York City". Talk of the Terrace is a Premier League highlights show presented by Kelly Cates (Kenny Dalglish's daughter).

On Thursday I had a great night recording some live tracks with The Deadly Winters for use in the run up to the official release of the album. The boys, as usual, have some interesting ideas for the artwork and packaging for the CD. Always enjoy our brainstorming nights, especially with bands who can think beyond the music and spend time and understand the importance of how you promote the song. I can’t wait until you all get to hear this album. The boy certainly knows how to write a tune or two. The launch date and gig to be announced soon (it’ll be early April). If venue and support acts all come together then it’ll be a belter! Huge thanks have to go to the work of the amazing duo that is Andy and Mo, aka The Little Rooms. Once they have finished with The Deadly Winters it’s immediately onwards with Alan R Davison’s album.

Enjoying The Cricket World Cup. Followers of this Blog will know that there were claims that there was an opportunity to find money in the street. The news is that this opportunity still exists. Somewhat strongly.

Akin to finding money in the street.

2011-02-22T10:48:00.002Z

The Cricket World Cup has started. I enjoy watching the cricket. I was particularly interested to hear that the betting opportunities are so good that it's, and I quote, "akin to finding money in the street." If you want to hear more of these opportunities then follow top Twitter tweeter @FegBizet It's not just exclusively Cricket from him, there's a broad overview of sports opinion that puts many a pundit to shame.

Back to cricket. If you are still reading that is! For a good introduction and overview then this video from Dougie Anderson, co-written by the fantastic Miles Jupp, is worth checking out. Even if you don't like cricket.

If pop music both entertains and annoys you then head over to Popjustice. This is akin to finding humour on every street. Great observations if the pavement cracks on the street are Lady Gaga and Britney.

Right, off.

Start all over.....

2011-02-21T21:57:00.004Z

I've been meaning to do this for a while. I find myself involved in a lot of interesting music and sports projects this year. A lot that I'm really excited about and privileged to be part of. 2011 is the year.

So, to start, I guess I'll justify this. Well, this is my first foray into the world of Blogging. I Tweet, I Facebook, I Text, I email, I don't use Bebo and I'm waving farewell to MySpace. So, is this another site to update? Another password to forget?

Why do this when I can keep my ramblings to 140 Characters @keitheaston on Twitter? I can say what I want to say publicly on Facebook. Do people really want to hear more from me? Well, best give it a try.

I've got a reasonable amount to say about music, sport and what some often refer to as popular culture!

So, I'll review the music I get sent. I'll comment on the gigs I go to. And I'll maybe have something to say about a sports event I've been to. But, I will definitely keep you in the frame about all the new music being made by the likes of Alan R Davison and The Deadly Winters. Oh, and the small matter of my Identity Parade Arts Limited project.

And there's an ulterior motive as well. I've friends and family who I know would be much better at this than me. This might just kick start them into action. I may even host their works here (giving credit where credit is due).

So, until the next one.......