Dai Sharkey Project one.

Dai Sharkey Project one.

daisharkey.com

Dai Sharkey Project one 11.08.12

Dai Sharkey Project one 11.08.12

Played at SHEDSTOCK ’12. What an amazing gig. A real experience with great people, a wonderfully receptive audience in a great location.

Held on a farm, I was treated to wonderful hospitality by the hosts and it was a pleasure to be in the company of great songwriters like Ian Shimmin, Ron Savory and Bob Hilary.

My set, although reduced somewhat because of the amount of artists they had playing, had impact and I had excellent feedback off many people that had seen me perform before, saying it was the best they had ever heard me.

The after-show party lasted until early hours when I retired to my tent exhausted and slept like a log.

Can’t wait to see the photographs of the event. The staging was beautifully organic, surrounded by tree roots and stumps, great lighting and sound by Ash and an all round brilliant time. So privileged to have played there. Hope they invite me back. 

Dai Sharkey Project one 10.08.12

Dai Sharkey Project one 10.08.12

Well, today was the last recording day in the studio. Finished ‘Time’. Done some vocal tracks mixed and mashed the sound to make it really ambient. Sat back and listened at the end of the day and heard a really lovely, mellow ambient track that I’m well proud of.

We then went to the pub to chat about where we go next with it and to prioritise what we can do with the time left.

Next week we have to compile the tracks into an album adjusting volumes and adding fades, effects etc so that I have a finished work. At the moment I have over 70 minutes of songs that needs to be reduced to have an album of great impact.

Once this is done I can then leave Rich to do the ‘house-keeping’. Bouncing individual tracks so that we have ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ stems to work with in the future and saving them all as parts on the portable hard drive I bought to keep as a back-up for all further work on it. This is a few days boring work that I’m happy to say, Rich has to do and I don’t have to be present for.

Got home and did some rehearsal for the festival tomorrow. I’m feeling a bit worn out and mentally exhausted.

I need some time out to recuperate and have gigs to organise and plan for, as well as a few festivals and shows that I’m helping organise.

I also had a message back from the Arts council that they are willing to help me carry this on to achieve as much as possible with it. Let’s see how it goes.

Dai Sharkey Project one 09.08.12

Dai Sharkey Project one 09.08.12

Another wonderful day in the studio. Got up ‘it don’t weigh me down’ and spent a few hours mixing and adding some frills. When it was mastered I loved it. A new favourite of mine, a nice radio track.

We then spent the rest of the day recording ‘Time’. A new song that I wanted really ambient. It’s over 6 minutes long but sounds lovely. Hope there’s room on the album for it.

Going to finish it off tomorrow and then plan album mastering to get it all sitting nicely together.

I’m looking forward to playing at Shedstock’12 on Saturday. Have to get some rehearsal time in too.

Also in the middle of planning a Bandstand Marathon in Swansea for September. I’m playing at, and organising Party on the pitch in Mynyddygarreg next Saturday and have been booked to play at Uplands festival at the end of the month. It’ll be nice to get some live work under my belt ready to get an agent to get me touring the country to promote the album.

I’ve been turned down from another record company today and turned down to play at the Senedd.(I applied to play there after I’d seen an ad I was sent)

All good though. Many others to approach.

Jenny from the arts council got back to me and loves the songs I posted online and my blog. Hope she kind find some way to help me further the project with some more sponsorship.

Dai Sharkey Project one 08.08.12

Dai Sharkey Project one 08.08.12

Just got in. 12:29am.

Been filming with Daz from Ctv.

Done a piece to camera about my mental health and my viewpoint on what my music can contribute to breaking down social barriers and removing stigma that surrounds mental health sufferers. I truly hope that I can encourage those who suffer to keep trying to fulfil their dreams as I am doing and also to be some kind of ambassador for acceptance of those who have mental disabilities.

We also filmed loads of footage for a music vid for one of my songs. (I’m not saying which yet.) Helped may I add by my daughter who was audio engineer for the day.

Started off feeling a little awkward about playing to camera kind of miming but soon got into it. According to Daz he has loads of great footage from it so can’t wait to see what he creates.

Did find the public reaction funny when the dog walkers and general strollers find some mad people clearly filming a music vid at their idyllic walking location. One lady even tutted and rolled her eyes at me as she walked by, as if to say “grow up boys”.lol

Really enjoyed it. Came home buzzing, and exhausted.

Back in the studio tomorrow.

Big hugs to Daz though, he’s really patient and wonderful to work with. I’d recommend him to anyone wanting filming work done. Big hugs to you dude.

Dai Sharkey Project one 07.08.12

Dai Sharkey Project one 07.08.12

Today I awoke with “it don’t weigh me down” playing in my head. The only thing was that it wasn’t the version that I had just recorded. So I wrote the sound down in an email to Rich and then went in the studio and re-worked the song.

It took all day and although rich was dubious about my direction he is more than trusting of me that I know what an end result should be, so he indulged me and let me track everything I had suggested and voila there it was, a great song.

Just a bit of mixing to do and it should be finished Thursday.

I’m off to do some more filming for my documentary tomoz so looking forward to that. Have an interview to do about my mental health, play a few songs and do some stuff for a music vid.

I love it…..this is great.

Dai Sharkey Project one 06.08.12

Dai Sharkey Project one 06.08.12

Well, what a mad day.

In the studio early, had a good chat with Rich about where this album is going to end up and where it should end up. Again, he advised me to chill my boots and not to get stressed about doing it all now, to give it a few months so the word can spread and for the right interested parties to get on it.

He still feels that Amy holds the key to getting it heard. (the problem is not the lack of professionals to contact but actually getting them to listen to it)

Had another couple of refusals today. Both record companies replying that they a) have full books and

b) can’t afford to take on any more. Keep punting it is the moto of the day.

Spent all day tracking ‘it don’t weigh me down’, still not happy, going to take the hatchet to it tomorrow.

Spent all evening recording a Christmas tune with Rich. His first Christmas tune and the first time he’d ever recorded whistling. Had a great laugh doing so. Going to write some more and get my lullaby’s into shape to record.

Had so much fun today, don’t want this to stop.

Dai Sharkey Project one 02.08.12

Dai Sharkey Project one 02.08.12

Another great day in the studio with Rich.

Laid a lead guitar track on Son-shine, then did some mixing and job done, it sounds great.

By lunch we’d started laying the tracks for the last song on the album, it don’t weigh me down.

Started with the drum

tracks, then the main guitar track and then the vocals. Added some brass sections and did some mixing. Again, by the end it sounded excellent. Only a few touch-ups and mixing to do on Monday and it’s finished.

Made plans of what to do on the rest of the days booked next week plus Rich on my case to do some more of my ‘admin’. Just things like contacting Amy to get her to ask about for management, write a bio for Rach to start publicising when she gets back from hols and also for me to contact Jenny at the Arts council to see if they can give me some help and guidance for the immediate future.

All going well. I feel it coming together now, although I’ve already had some refusals from record companies and distributors, many more to go.