Hi all! sorry I've been quiet, rehearsals have been so intense I've not had time to blog!
All is going really well, we're powering through the set, getting everything as tight as can be. The last couple of days have been more focussed work on specific tricky bits in songs. Finding the bits that each musician finds most tough and working it til they nail it. Laborious but the payoff is worth it.
Today was a lighter day, we focused on the beginning of the set, playing the songs in order 'as live' - not with any stage stuff or choreography, just getting the songs slick. Slickness is very important in this kind of set-up. Not much room for spontaneity or improvising, but that's the way it works, I guess. Maybe that's just the way arena shows have to be. It's good discipline, that's for sure. If there weren't so many interruptions from outside the actual band, I think I could really get into the rehearsal process... Ah, enough about that.
Some of you who are fans of the band may be wondering how I, a lesser-known musician, ended up playing with eNaNoTangent. Well, the short answer is I knew one of the guys in the band. The long answer is, I went to music college with Barney - we used to share a house, practice together, went through a lot of music education together. We've stayed in touch all the way through, so when his arena-sized band needed an extra guitarist, he knew I was up to the job. I didn't need to audition, as such - Barney's word was good enough. The lesson in this for musicians is clearly to meet as many people as possible, and be prepared for any gig that comes along. Which means practice not partying. The partying happens once you're in the band!
...but not during rehearsals, so I'm going to sign off and go to bed, ready for tomorrow - no time off on 'middle Sunday' for this band. Keep going...