Part two in our guide for the aspiring, imbibing, poverty defying rock star tackles the deliciously prickly subject of alcohol. How can we afford it? Where do we get it? When should we drink it? and how do we balance solid good fun and up and coming career as a starving thirsty musician? Or how do we balance at all for that matter?
The first difficulty with alcohol and muso-poverty is price. Fortunately we’ve got that all sorted here, though unfortunately it will involve USING YOUR LEGS. Get to Tesco on Lisburn road where among the soul crushing white light isles of mass produced bilge you’ll find the cheapest drink in the city. A bottle of well reviewed Tesco selected ‘Simply’ Chenin Blanc is £3.49. That is cheaper than a plastic glass of shit Guinness in the average venue. A bottle of Tesco’s standard vodka is £7 if you’ve got the balls, and the stomach, to handle it; and on that note an 8-pack of stubby bottles of ‘Biere Especiale’ is £2.98. Drink it until you develop a taste.
Don’t get a taxi anywhere, ever in Belfast city because it is TINY.
Now you’ve acquired your alcohol it’s time to flex your fledgling industry muscle – get that shit backstage! Many venues around the country have no problem with bands bringing their own booze backstage, grabbing some plastic glasses and working away. Don’t push your luck however, and with some venues it’s best to bring in bottles of beer that are on sale at the bar, to keep everything on the DL.
Once you’ve got this far you come to a crucial juncture – how much of this poison can I put inside me before I become terrible at music? Or just a terrible person for that matter; destroying relationships and networks in a whirlwind of over zealous jocularity? I have a two pint pre gig rule. This might seem a little, well, little but I happen to be a complete light weight and not that good at guitar. I’ll then bate one more into me while pulling off a killer solo or something on stage and smoke my complete brains out over another pint after the show. Any proper piss up should be saved for the after party to avoid undoing any good impression one’s music might have made. And if at all possible, keep the frequency of these piss ups to a weekly limit to avoid missing practices and meetings and leaving yourself too utterly skint to even survive,
In the words of the great Baz Luhrmann “If you succeed in any of this, tell me how.”
by Ian APR xxox
The building has begun
A Plastic Rose have released the first single from their forthcoming album ‘Camera.Shutter.Life’ is available exclusively through the bands website at aplasticrose.co.uk. The single, entitled ‘Build From The Ground Up’ comes with loads of b-sides and remixes and is getting amazing reviews absolutely everywhere.
A Plastic Rose to support Snow Patrol
Di Di Mau are absolutely honoured (and a still a little in shock) as we announce that A Plastic Rose will be supporting Snow Patrol in Belfasts Odyssey arena and the 02 in London. The dates will kick off an 8 month campaign that will see the band play dates around the UK (to be announced) and release their début album in September. The dates will be on Jan 25th in Belfast and February 11th in London. The band will be following this up with the release of the first single from the forthcoming album in March. It’s a song called ‘Build From The Ground Up‘ and it’s epic, wonderful and ferocious so we’ll be expecting the #APRmy to request it from your local radio DJ’s
Thanks again to Snow Patrol and if you were lucky enough to get tickets for the sold out shows then be sure to get down early to catch A Plastic Rose. More information on dates and the album to follow.
A Plastic Rose – New Album and New Dates
So fresh from APR’s 2 sell out dates in Dublin this week, the band have announced that they will be heading into the studio to record their debut album in October. The album will be recorded in Manor Park studios with Neal Calderwood who has recorded with The Answer, General Fiasco and Fighting With Wire. In way of celebration APR have announced some Irish dates to play you some of the new songs, so check the ‘Events’ section for those. One of the dates will be Animal Disco in Belfast, where a recording of the bands performance that night will be made available to people there. This is the first time a band has attempted to do this in Ireland so we’re really excited to see how it’s going to work out. If it’s a success we’ll be doing it much more in the future. There was something else…oh yes the title of the album is
New Dutch Schultz
Catch Dutch Schultz performing LACF at ‘SUNFLOWER Festival’ on SAT 20th AUG & ‘The Garage’ Islington, London, Mon 5th Sept. Full details on the Dutch Schultz Myspace
A Plastic Rose – New Dates
APRmy – A Plastic Rose have announced 2 new Northern Irish dates that we are very excited about. Firstly A Plastic Rose will headline ‘The Next Stage’ at Tennents Vital festival this year. Also playing the stage on the 23rd August in Ward Park, Bangor are Yes Cadets, Wonder Villans and Rams Pocket Radio.
A Plastic Rose are also pleased to announce that they will be playing Animal Disco in Belfast on Sept 30th. The band are on stage at midnight, and they’re recording the performance! You’ll have the chance to leave the venue with a copy of the bands performance from that night!
2 great events that APR are very much looking forward to. APRmy we’ll see you down the front!
Dutch Schultz are baaaaack!
Lock up your loved ones and remove your granny’s internet privilages for at least 6 months…Dutch Schultz are back! Not satisfied with being told that no matter how amazing it might be, LACF would NOT be included on the band’s forthcoming album, the Schultz have gone and released it themselves. Dutch Schultz didn’t take kindly to advice from Di Di Mau records and ‘Tonight We Hunt’ producer Russ Russell to keep LACF off the album so they took it upon themselves to make sure the world heard it. Parental discression is advised (although I know parents who might not enjoy it) and it wouldn’t even be work safe for Tony Soprano, but the video by the amazingly talented Martin Bolton is worth watching (with the sound off of course). Nice one lads…but there’s no way we’re putting it on the album.
The video’s here if you’re brave enough.
