2010 – A Review of a busy year – Q1

.. of a busy year.

Seems like quite an eventful year now looking back at it. Here’s a quick “blow-by-blow” of stuff that happened.

January

Hope and Social were working on our first album since Jason and Ash had left. It was surprisingly natural to start working with James Hamilton, Simon Goff and Gary Stewart on what became April… and we toured.

Ed and I were also very privileged to get to work on some great music such as the David Henshaw and Joseph Lawrenson record “So Short of Time”. Gorgeous.

and Sky Larkin were working on the album to become Kaliede.

I was also working with Rosie on what became their Charlie Don’t Surf EP.

as well as The Shadracks first EP “Ill Repute and Aftersun” (more on that later in the year).

In January I also had my first meeting with Barnaby Aldrick of 3B Media, from which a load of lovely brilliant things sprung. More on those later too.

Work with 6K Vision (for North Yorkshire County Council) continued (I work with The Shadracks and Rosie through 6K, as well as deliver rock-schools, songwriting workshops, band/artist mentoring) as did the music project I work on with young people in residential care at Meadows Care – a school with a difference.

Blogging wise I wrote this piece on The Reality of Fan Involvement up on Creative Deconstruction, which led to some great stuff later in the year.

February

Tweeted Town Names for M.O.T.

Hope and Social started recording “April“. It was time to get the bare bones down and between this, rock schools and workshops that was the majority of February taken care of. At chez Hope and Social were tweeting out requesting town names for Marching on Through, and planning what was to become our “Come Dine With Us” event. This idea started off as a cheese and wine night whilst recording… it soon became something much grander and one of my favourite moments on our album “April”.

February was also Leeds’ first Tuttle club (which rose and fell in Leeds in 2010). It was good but the people there were in the main people I knew. Good while it lasted, I hope Tuttle gets a new Leeds home, a new owner and new vigour in 2011 (I’m looking at you Simon Wiffen).

March

We had to save 6 Music in March if only because of Tom Robinson. The beeb threatened and then withdrew it’s closure of 6 Music threat due to public demand. Whilst I still think 6 Music is flawed, the likes of Tom Robinson, and locally Alan Raw with their “BBC Introducing” shows are a beacon of independence in a sea of mediocre mass-market blandness in music radio. Long may they continue.

I was working on a couple of Rock Schools, one in Nidderdale, one in Rochdale, and I started working with ELFM on their Next Generation project

Hope and Social Sent a blue jacket out on tour Jacket on Tour, we introduced the Come Dine With Us Team and we contunued to work on April by asking who wanted to Come Mix With Us… and on the 27th of March we held our first Event of the year, Come Dine With Us, our first event venture with the lovely 3B Media too resulting in some amazing photos, and these two awesome videos (told you that meeting with Barnaby was a good idea).

Amazing!

Most importantly though, Simon Wainwright (@socialsimon) and Lu Etherton had their first nipper. Baby Fred.

Next post on Q2 tomorrow… stay tuned.