Went North…

Inverness was definitely worth the round trip.  A 5.30am start and a 7.06am train got me to the Ironworks, Inverness and the goNORTH ‘fringe’ event which was pitched as ‘providing young people with support and advice on how they can take their first steps to engaging with the professional aspect of the music industry’. Lovely.

The day was being run by guys from right across the music industry (radio, A&R, management, distribution and working musicians) and funded by the Scottish Arts Council’s Youth Music Initiative.  All for a crowd of maybe 40 young musicians from Inverness and the surrounding area…and me.

I got some pretty great freebies (musician’s resource CDs and the like) and met some great people who I’ll be keeping in touch with.  The biggest thing from the day though was meeting people who’ve chosen to carve a niche in the music industry and are making a living from it. 

That’s the biggest change over the last few years for me, really.  Seeing real flesh and blood people working in the music industry and making a career of it.  It’s been proof that successful music artists don’t just appear with a ‘pop’ in ready-to-view 3 minute music video format. 

Pretty inspiring for a 6’6” lump from Dundee that it’s possible to make your own success with the right amount of talent and hard work.  Two things I’m putting the hours into.

PS – met a guy called James Mackenzie of ‘James Mackenzie and the Aquascene’-fame who played after the fringe event finished.  Good lad and a good band, check out ‘Climb the wall’ on their myspace.  I got a bit carried away cheering them on and poured free red wine all over my tshirt.  The ride home was a bit less fun: stripped to the waist and washing my clothes with fairy liquid in a toilet-cubicle sink.

I hope I don’t have to be suave to make it in this business.