Thoughts About The Last Two Years

Having finished college two years ago (yes, that's right... TWO YEARS AGO) Its hard not to think about how I could have improved the last couple of years. After I finished college didn't go nearly as well as I had planned, not immediately to say the least. I had to wait a couple of months until I could claim JSA (which I wasted) and then when I could claim I was stuck with them for a good number of months. In the time of struggling to find work they sent me on work experience. I went to two different places. I first went to the British Heart Foundation in Ilkeston where I still volunteer there when I can now and then later they sent me to The Original Factory Shop in Ripley. It was quite a pain to get there and back as at that point I didn't drive but, the government refunded my travel expenses thankfully. This was just the beginning of 2014.

Of course, my old band Zebra Crossing was still going strong then. I do kind of miss that band but it was always a pain to sort things out. Maybe I just miss being in a band in general, I don't know but I remember that Zebra Crossing was one hell of a roller coster ride. Admittedly the band started from me being envious that I had been replaced. That may not be the right word, furious maybe just in denial but, it did annoy me that the same songs myself and Lucy had played together whilst in Refraction were being repeated, especially the fact that I helped structure one of them and add music to it but them it got changed musically and I was no longer there. I probably didn't handle the situation well at the time but, the more I think about it the more I think maybe I should have just left them to it but, then they got a drummer and thats where I had to draw the line. I felt like I had to be involved. I felt pushed out and needed to get back in again. I know that I am nothing without music and needed something... So of course, I offered to be the bass player... since I couldn't be the lead guitarist anymore. Apart of me for the whole time though the very begining thought that this was a bad idea but, I stuck with it. There was something that I wanted to achieve, I was't sure what it was but, eventually I started putting every effort into the band. From producing a home recorded EP to a teaser video. I even got one of my old friends to help out with our band design even though I no longer speak to him now.

That was all late 2013 and if I remember correctly it was around December time we had a fall out on our hands. We had been together as a band for less that three months and one day had a little too much fun messing around during practise. If I remember Emmett threw a penny and it made Lucy drop her laptop. Next minuet the laptop screen completely dies and Emmett is out of the dab. To me, it was from that day that the band went downhill. We lost our drummer and found it very difficult to find a new one, even when we did it was finding the time to all practise together. I was getting stressed about the quality of my band going down hill and I think that demotivated me quite a lot. I would happily go to practice when I wasn't absolutely knackered from the Princes Trust Course I was on at the time but, it just wasn't the same. Forcibly writing new songs about nonsense and turning down ideas that would just never work. Some maybe but, no. Some of the last originals we made were really good though we never got them recorded properly if I remember, that or I have lost/forgotten where the copies are. It's just weird thing about all this now but its all come back to me over the last month and really hit me in the face. I don't speak to anyone now and I think it is fair to say I miss them all. I haven't spoken to David, our lead guitarist though I did see him busking in Nottingham not too long ago. He spotted me to and looked terrified. In regards to Lucy and Emmett, Lucy is at a Manchester Uni now from what I gather still studying music but, Emmett.. I have no idea. Maybe I will share this post with them and it might spark something between us, then again maybe not. Maybe they will discover it and be all like, "Kim, why are you blogging about me?" I really don't know.

That was probably the main thing I wanted to post to be honest. I don't get much time to talk to friends or announce that I want to talk to them about something because of work, that and because most of the time I don't want to feel like I am bothering them. It's quite sad really. This whole post is quite sad, so I appologise. I does make me wonder though, if things went a little better... would we still be going strong? Would I have still got my job? (I had two interviews and the first one my boss didn't hire me because I was in a band and it was too much commitment).

I will end on a lighter not, mind. In my eyes currently, 2015 is the year I will really push myself musically. Once I have my new contract sorted with work, I will be working less hours and have more time to record and work on my new (and old) songs. I'm going to be optimistic and say that I will aim to record and finalise at least 5 songs by the end of this year. I need to get this EP out as I have been planning it since last summer and just really not had the time at all. I can't wait to start recording again and really get back into the swing of things, roll on six hour shifts 2-3 days of per week still with holidays. I ACTUALLY CAN'T WAIT.

In other news, my video has finally reached over 1,000 views! Watch it here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwA8t3eaW1Y

EP Postponed Till idk.

So, over the last 3 months with working at the petrol station I have not been able to even start work on my upcoming EP: Alone or even practice all that much. I originally promised that my EP would be ready by around late August but, I simply have not had the chance to record. I am still in the process of making my new studio set up work purely because of a problem PC which, trust me has many problems leading to BSOD that I still don't know the exact reason for. It will work fine for a while, then after a bit it will blue screen.

I am truly hoping to get this EP out before Christmas if not, then I may have more fun making it in the new year with even more tech behind me. I feel so luck have my job, the hours are alot but, it pays well plus work can be a challenge on it's own. I get to train a new member of staff tomorrow who is on his third week of training. It makes me feel so proud where I stand now that I am in a position to help others.

I'm not going to set any dates this time because I know that I will most probably surpass them. I still have a lot of work to do towards this I just really hope that I can find the time and effort after all these long days at work.

Thanks for reading

Ahem..

So, recently I promised to release am EP for this month and earlier this week a single too. Unfortunately, the world of Kim has been a very busy and stressful one. I've mostly been working night shifts these last couple of weeks and barely finding anytime to spare though yesterday I was fortunate enough to stubble across a couple of old PCs that have now been mashed together to create a half decent one that I am using now to write this post. Hopefully, I can get some more recording done tomorrow once I've woken up and fully recovered from my shift tonight. At least I have the rest of tomorrow off and Saturday as well.

My original song, "Work Pays" Should be finished in the next couple of days though, now I'm in the process of moving everything over to this new PC of mine. The good news is that my bedroom is looking more and more studio like as the days pass by. Tomorrow I'mm moving my bookcase and pushing my bed (and everything under it) further back against the wall in an attempt to make more space. I'm thinking of getting a new slimmer book case even though now I need to invest in a new qwerty keyboard and a wifi shin dig as this new PC doesn't have Wifi. I'm currently borrowing a good friend of mine's keyboard and his wifi thingy too.

Woo!

My First Single

Today is the day, (very late in the day) that I launched my first single 'Secret' for free steaming on Soundcould. This is quite the remarkable day for me. Recording for the song was completed tonight along with starting it. I Still need to focus on the recording of my EP but, I wanted to release this one to see the public's reaction to my break into a solo musicians world. This still feels all new to me and is somewhat surreal.

To listen to my new song, 'Secrets' follow this link:
https://soundcloud.com/kimkeeton/secret-kim-keeton

Soundcloud Success

This evening, I've noticed a steady increase on my Soundcloud plays and I'm actually quite impressed with how many plays I'm now getting per week. This weeks total 27. It may not sound like a lot at all but, the fact is that I have hardly visited the site or even been all that active in the last week. I have used Soundcloud for about 3 years now so it is nice to see some hard work paying off.

I am honored to have 349 followers and I am so happy that I recently managed to bypass 2000 plays overall leaving my current total plays to 2324 plays. I really am highly impressed and I am so thankful for all of the support I receive. Music is the career that I dream to follow but, in my current situation I can't quite see it though at the moment.

If you missed my announcement earlier on, keep you ears out for my upcoming EP titled "Alone" (DISCLAIMER: May not be the final title depending on what other cool, relevant names I can come up with).

Thank you all, so much!

Here's To A New Start

It's been a busy two weeks at the ESSO Petrol Station on Nottingham Road, Ilkeston for my training, the last couple of days in particular. Today, I have the day off so I will be making he most of it and going to the cinema to see "How To Train Your Dragon 2" with a good friend. Tomorrow, I start my new job properly as I will no longer be on training. My first paid shift is a night shift that technically doesn't start till Tuesday morning but, hey it's all a part of the fun. I will most  likely have trouble getting a healthy amount of rest beforehand but, as long as I don't fall asleep on the job (which I doubt) everything will be fine.

In other news, I've been thinking more and more about taking myself seriously as a solo artist. I hardly have anytime for a full band at the moment and it is already proving difficult to organize any musical get together. I already have a good albums worth of songs that I have written myself, it's just getting around to actually recording them all. Some have been heard before like, Innocent Romance but not many more. At the moment, I have two others recorded that are still unhead/unpublished to the general public. I plan to release them with a couple more tracks as an EP called "Alone". A slightly sinister name but, it sums up a lot of things recently, with the band spiting, song themes and with my new job how it feels with my new kind of social life. Without a doubt, I still have friends and the title may change but, that is the best I can come up with for now.

I will try to post make some artwork for this album soon, I may take my camera out with me today to try to give myself some ideas. It's been a while since I've been out to play with my camera and I've missed the creative freedom dearly. Yes, I will take my little Nikon with me today. I might need a canoe....