Gone Live

April 15, 2021April 14, 2021 Dawn - The Sparkle Diaries.6 Comments

I can’t believe it’s been two months since my last post, the time is flying by and as usual, busy, busy days. It sure is correct that the older you get the faster time goes and surprisingly even in these days of lockdown and restrictions, the time has passed very quickly.

Anyway, I was planning on writing a post about how my first FB live session went and I still will include this information and also tell you how the second FB live session went. Yes, I’ve done two!! Go me and pushing the comfort zone in all directions.

I was so excited when the lady that runs The Virtual Club Bar group on FB sent me the above photograph for sharing the event. It was really happening. The day before the event I managed to get a bit of a cold with a sore throat. Typical. I drank lots of honey and lemon and a few Lemsips to ensure I had some kind of voice on the day. Oh I was nerve wracked the thirty minutes before I went live. I was so excited and so scared. I pressed the “go live” button and that was it, I was on. I had selected eight songs and I started off with the first one and although I couldn’t see comments I could see lots of hearts and thumbs up floating across the screen which helped so much. I knocked my microphone over half way through but I kept going. I do have a habit of losing myself in the music and forgetting where I am in a song and that happened to me during “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight”, I kept talking, restarted the backing track and off I went again. I have often said to my lovely vocal coach that my USP will be the audience wondering if I will come in on the right note, at the right time and if I can remember the lyrics because I do drift away into a world of musical daydreams.

By the time my 30 minutes was up I was nothing short of exhilarated, I’d done it, my very first gig in a virtual kind of way. My throat just about held up to the last song. It was well received as I was asked back and I did another 30 minutes, without microphones falling or forgetting where I was in the song, on March 14th and I was delighted with the comments and feedback. Somehow I managed to save this particular FB live session to my phone and I have uploaded it to You Tube so if you have half hour free at any point, tune in and let me know what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlqpXf1z_vo&t=23s

I have been asked back a third time this time for an hour on Sunday 25th April at 5pm so I am currently working on my set list for that. “Rose Garden” appears to be a firm favourite for people and I’m going to start including more Country and Irish songs as I get more confident. This has been great practice so far for when I may be able to take to an actual stage. The head will be gone off me with nerves when I get that far.

Singing is something I always wanted to do and never ever thought I would. After a career in Industry leading to the Corporate world and then giving it up to be a carer for Mom and Dad, I never allowed myself to think that I could make this happen. Yet here we are. I didn’t give up on the dream, I pray, I push myself, I dare to feel the fear and have a go. What have we got to lose but a bit of pride if things don’t go as planned. I know I will regret not having a go at this. I love singing so much, my guitar playing is coming along and I receive such lovely comments from people that it spurs me on. Never ever give up on your dream, you can manifest it, you need to work for it and you can do it.

With love and sparkles xxx

The Music Sparkle.

Home Free.

May 6, 2019May 3, 2019 Dawn - The Sparkle Diaries.Leave a comment

Before life started to completely unravel on me last September I did manage to get out to two live gigs, on consecutive nights!! Nothing for months and then two, one after another.

One event I was very, very, very excited about. Home Free were in Birmingham. Regulars readers of my blog will know that my parents discovered these amazing guys on You Tube last year and we all became huge fans. I was jumping around the room when I discovered they were visiting my city and I was so thrilled to get tickets. The weather was atrocious the night they were on, torrential rain, fierce winds but you couldn’t keep me away. I actually let out a scream when they walked out on stage, thankfully I wasn’t the only one that did so. Oh my, those guys can sing. It was pure joy from start to finish. I don’t have the words to convey how fantastic I found this concert, I think I’m probably obsessed by them. If you haven’t heard their voices check them out Home Free on You Tube

I have a few pictures from the evening…of course.

Jeffery Joseph East was the support and he is definitely going places, a pure voice, great lyrics and built a good rapport with the audience. Jeffrey Joseph East

Yes I was fairly close and yes I have my eyes peeled for the next time they visit Birmingham, I so want to be there.

With love and sparkles xx

The Music Sparkle.

The Video Files.

April 5, 2019March 30, 2019 Dawn - The Sparkle Diaries.9 Comments

As referred to on an earlier blog post, I had meant to tell you all about the excitement of making the music videos. The build up, the amazing weather we had on the day, how things just seemed to work out perfectly and how wonderful my friend who was making the video was. So professional, full of ideas, tricks and his schedule and project planning was spot on. It was such a fabulous afternoon and I am so happy that I got to make that particular big dream come true. Unfortunately life events took over and it is only now that I am endeavouring to catch up with my blogging.

“How are things in GloccaMorra?” is a song from the film Finnian’s Rainbow and is something my Mom says to visitors to the house. She wears a huge smile and asks “How are things in GloccaMorra?” We heard Barbra Streisand sing a version of this song with a medley from the musical “Brigadoon” within the song, a verse of “Heather on the Hill”. I loved this version. Getting a backing track was impossible so I had to commission one myself. It was a difficult piece for the producer to replicate as it is an orchestral piece but he did an amazing job on it. I recorded this song especially for my Mom and anytime we play it on You Tube she sings along.

I also made a video for the song “Summer Love” taken from the Neil Diamond film version of “The Jazz Singer”. I love the melody to this song. Imagine our surprise to be sitting on Friday evening in December watching the John McNicholl show on Keep it Country TV and for John to introduce me and play the video for “Summer Love”. Oh my goodness how proud Dad was of me. It was an incredible feeling to see yourself on TV!!

I posted both videos on Facebook and I was overwhelmed with the response I received and the amount of views, this really is a dream come true.

Here is the link to my You Tube channel which I hope to update very soon. I do have two recordings made last June when I made the other recordings which I haven’t uploaded yet. Please give me a visit, I really do value your support. Also below is the “GloccaMorra” video, would love to hear what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVHLg_2erVoITLESQY5trTw