Dayve Dean

Rising Sun Acoustic Night

2012-02-12T20:16:00.001Z

Tonight I'm playing an acoustic night at the Rising Sun in Crewe. It's a totally acoustic night with everything played through the air without any microphones or PA system.

I'm going to be recording with a portable recorder and if the quality is good enough I'll make some songs available for download through the website.

I'll be playing guitar and ukulele as well as singing and will be joined by Nick Bayes on acoustic bass. We'll be joined by various musical friends including Suzie Does It and Phil Maddocks.

(Tim from Suzie Does It having a go on the uke)

Sidelines - live on the banks of Loch Ness

2012-02-07T01:38:00.000Z

I've just got back from a few days up in the Highlands of Scotland and on the way back decided to record a quick video on the banks of a (very windy) Loch Ness:

The song is called Sidelines and was written last summer. Although it's not been recorded except in demo form I've started to play the song in my live set, particularly at more acoustic or folk styled venues. Let me know what you think, and whether you'd like to hear it recorded properly.

Website and Facebook changes

2011-02-22T00:16:00.000Z

Having somewhat neglected the website for the last few months, I've started working on bringing it back up to date and adding some new social features.

A lot of the features on the site use features from other websites and I've changed the navigation bar at the top of the pages to reflect these changes including:

Removing the Photos and Videos links which previously showed content from YouTube and Flickr within the site. The videos and images are all still available by visiting my pages on those sites directly.
Removing the links to my MySpace page (more below), Bebo, Reverbnation and Indiestore. I now rarely use Bebo or Reverbnation and although they are updated automatically with status updates, these are the same as you will find on Twitter at twitter.com/dayvedean. Indiestore no longer exists.
Adding Twitter to the options - despite using it for years, for some reason I didn't previously have a link to Twitter on the navigation bar.

I've also started to integrate some more social features from Facebook including a 'Like' button on the song pages for Octagon. I'm hoping to expand on this more and to make the navigation on the site more about the albums and songs rather than repeating the same information in the shop, lyrics and discography pages. I'm also starting to make use of HTML5 audio on the site which means that you will be able to listen on a wider variety of devices including mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads. Watch this space... And let me know if there's any changes you would like to see on the site! Either send an email to mailinglist@dayve.co.uk or leave a comment on the Facebook page.

While I'm freshening things up, I'm also going to be making some changes to the Facebook page at facebook.com/dayvedean out of necessity as much as anything else as I will be switching over to the new profile soon. It's now possible to include web content on the page so I'm hoping you will be able to access a lot of the content from the main site without having to leave Facebook. Again, any suggestions welcome.

Finally, I've removed the main link to MySpace from the website. Although I still have a profile over there at myspace.com/dayvedean there have been some major changes taking place on their site which has resulted in my page appearing to be broken! Although I've made changes to clean it up, they don't appear to be taking any effect. So feel free to pop over there and have a look but it seemed to make sense to remove the link at least for the time being.

Upcoming shows

2011-02-10T15:01:00.003Z

I'm going to be playing a free show tomorrow (Friday 11 February 2011) evening at Square One in Crewe as part of their Unsigned Friday series.

I'll be playing an acoustic show along with bassist Nick Bayes, starting around 9pm. Square One is located on Mill Street in Crewe, close to Crewe Station.

View Larger Map

I'll also be back at Symphony in Sandbach on Monday (14 February 2011) for a Valentine's Day special Meet The Songwriters evening. This is a busy night for Symphony so both upstairs and downstairs rooms will be open and booking is advised. I'll be performing in both rooms in a purely acoustic format over the evening along with fellow singer/songwriters Guitar Mal, Hayley Strangelove and Sheena Bratt.

Symphony is located on Congleton Road in Sandbach. They can be contacted on 01270 763664.

View Larger Map

Support shows

2010-11-05T09:16:00.002Z

I'm going to be playing some support shows over the next few months:

Firstly this Saturday, 6 November, I'll once again be supporting The Christians at The Box in Crewe.

Later in November, on Saturday 20th, I'll be supporting Undiscovered Soul at The Rose & Crown in Biddulph, Staffordshire.

Then next year, on 8 January I'll be supporting Katy Lied at Darlington Arts Centre.

Edinburgh 2010

2010-08-08T15:47:00.003+01:00

It's two years since the official launch of the Octagon album and the month long run of Octagon '08 shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

I'm back in Edinburgh again today to celebrate with a show at The Pear Tree stage as part of this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Laughing Horse Festival.

I'm playing an acoustic set along with Nick Bayes on the outdoor music stage at 6.30pm. It's free admission so come along if you're in town. Otherwise I'll hopefully be uploading videos and photos from the show over the next few days.

Forum Music Centre with Katy Lied

2010-04-23T18:05:00.001+01:00

I'm playing at The Forum Music Centre in Darlington tonight supporting Katy Lied.

It will be an acoustic set with Spoons on bass. Hopefully I'll have more photos and videos of the show to upload later.

Check out Katy Lied on their website at www.katylied.com.

Music Supported Here

2010-03-05T10:23:00.002Z

Music Supported Here is a new movement from the Musicians’ Union.

It’s a campaign for all musicians.

It’s about the simple but important principle that musicians should not get ripped-off in the digital world.

For musicians, it will be a way to publicise and debate the issue and to remind fans that you want to control your rights.

It’s a platform for musicians to raise their profile and direct their fans to their own stores and websites: a source of music controlled by the musicians.

And for music fans it’s a way to say that you don’t rip-off musicians.

By supporting musicians' rights, we’re supporting music.

Manifesto

In today’s internet-sharing world, it’s never been easier for original music to be hijacked, plagiarised, copied or just plain nicked.

That’s why music copyright has never been so important.

And it’s important for music fans because it pays for musicians to make more music.

The Musicians’ Union (MU) is committed to making sure that everyone respects the value of music and the huge part it plays in our lives.

But we can’t expect the right to enjoy music unless we respect the rights of the people
who make it.

And if musicians do want to give their music away, they should be in control of the process.

By supporting musicians’ rights, we’re supporting music.

Find out more about the campaign at www.musicsupportedhere.com. There is a list of supporters on there including Feargal Sharkey and Kasabian. You can support the campaign too by posting the logo on your website, blog, Facebook, MySpace page etc, or creating your own logo to use. Here's mine:

Winter

2010-02-19T11:38:00.001Z

Before Christmas I was playing a set including several Christmas songs to promote my Another Christmas EP.

Once Christmas was over, the snow started to come down and still hasn't really stopped over a month later. I realised that there were not many winter songs which could still be sung in January and February, despite Winter not officially starting until 21 December, so I decided to write one.

During a snowstorm on a farm in Wrenbury I thought it would be a nice idea to go out onto the fields and play the song. Sometimes you just gotta sing in the snow!

Playing at de bees tonight

2010-02-18T20:31:00.001Z

I'm playing at de bees in Winsford tonight. It looks lovely against the falling snow:

I'll be playing along with Spoons and hopefully will have some photos and videos from the night to upload to the usual places.

Also playing are The Roseville Band and The Freelove Band.

It's the first time I've played de bees since April last year when I played here with James and the Giant.

Planned setlist for tonight is:

16 Again
Ordinary
Follow
Starting Line
Tell You
Who Knew
Like Jimmy Did
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

Tonight will also hopefully see the debut of the foot percussion...!

iTunes 10 Billion Song Countdown

2010-02-14T22:20:00.000Z

The iTunes Music Store is counting down (or shouldn't that be up?) to its 10 billionth song download.

The person who buys the 10 billionth song (or enters for free through the website) will win a $10,000 iTunes gift card which is a pretty hefty prize.

The 10 billionth downloaded song is also likely to be given a lot of publicity so it's a great time to buy some music from iTunes.

It would be great to have a song from Octagon as the one (find it at http://iTunes.com/dayvedean) or you could also have a look at some of the acts putting themselves forward for Storm The Charts. I'll be blogging more about that later but for the moment you can find out more at http://tinyurl.com/stormthecharts.

Find out more about the iTunes competition and enter for free at http://www.apple.com/uk/itunes/10-billion-song-countdown/.

(While you're checking out iTunes, it would be great if you could leave a review of my music on there! It's free to do and you don't have to have bought the album from iTunes to review it).

Twelve Days of Christmas Podcast

2009-12-28T22:28:00.005Z

Inspired by the iTunes 12 Days of Christmas free download promotion last year, throughout 2009 I've been giving away a free song most weeks in my Download of the Week podcast. I've enjoyed making it, so watch out for that podcast continuing throughout 2010.

As a special for Christmas I have created a new limited podcast. Grab 12 free downloads for Christmas this year, a mixture of full songs, demos, videos and ringtones. Find the podcast at http://dayvedean.jellycast.com/podcast/feed/110 and subscribe through iTunes or your favourite podcast software.

For more free exclusive downloads, join the mailing list at www.dayve.co.uk.

The Cat goes live on 87.7FM

2009-11-23T23:50:00.004Z

My new radio show on The Cat officially starts tomorrow, Tuesday 24 November 2009.

Following a week of trial broadcasts on the internet, The Cat started its RSL (Restricted Service License) on 87.7FM today in the Crewe and Nantwich area in South Cheshire, as well as broadcasting live on the internet at www.thisisthecat.com.

I'm presenting the mid-morning show between 9am and midday every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the next four weeks, accompanied by nuclear scientist Dr Gavin Hammond and (when he's not touring with Thea Gilmore) Dan Logan.

You can get in touch with the show by calling or texting 01270 266877 or emailing studio@thisisthecat.com. You can also keep up with the station on Twitter at twitter.com/thisisthecat.

Thea Gilmore: Strange Communion out now

2009-11-11T18:00:00.000Z

Thea Gilmore's new album "Strange Communion" is now available. It features 10 songs including a cover of Elvis Costello and The Chieftans' "The St Stephen's Day Murders". Thea has recorded it as a duet with Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2 and The Family Mahone) and I sing backing vocals on it along with three other guys ('the four wise men'!). The rest of the album is also well worth a listen.

I found a copy in HMV but you can also buy it on Amazon through the following link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d.html/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/276-3093790-7589504?ref_=sr%5F1%5F1&s=music&qid=1257119375&a=B002RVCXU0&sr=1-1

Or from iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/st-stephens-day-murders/id335335951?i=335336013&uo=6

I'm told that songs from the album are currently available to stream on Thea's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/theagilmore. Check out her website at www.theagilmore.net for tour dates. Dan Logan from my band will be joining Thea, Nigel and Fluff for selected dates on the tour.

iTunes 9

2009-09-28T10:20:00.000+01:00

There's a new version of iTunes out and it includes a whole new look for the iTunes store!

This means that my music and podcasts will appear slightly differently on there once you upgrade. You can find my music directly (whichever version of iTunes you have) at tinyurl.com/octagonitunes, but here's a glimpse of what my new page looks like on the Mac version of iTunes 9:

I think it makes everything a lot easier to see, and means that all the albums/singles and podcasts now appear on one page. It seems a good time to have a quick run down of the content I currently have available on iTunes. Prices are given in GBP but should be available at the local standard iTunes pricing worldwide:

Music

Octagon, 11 tracks, £7.99
Octagon EP, 4 tracks, £3.16
I Could Be Happy With You, 1 track, 79p (only available in Europe)
Another Christmas EP, 3 tracks, £2.37
Still Life, 12 tracks, £7.99

Podcasts (all free to subscribe and download)

Free Download of the Week
Video Podcast - High Definition
Video Podcast - iPod compatible

The free download of the week podcast is updated pretty much weekly and I'm now hoping to do the same for the video podcasts so keep looking out for the latest 'episodes', or subscribe in iTunes to have them automatically downloaded as they become available.

And to give you an example of what the new look for the albums is like, this is Octagon in iTunes 9:

Music of the Spheres: Free download of the week podcast

2009-09-27T20:18:00.004+01:00

This week's free download is a song I wrote 13 years ago called Music of the Spheres

I wrote Music of the Spheres in 1996 as part of an A Level Performing Arts project. We were asked to create a piece using one of a number of phrases and quotes and I eventually chose to write a song influenced by music of the spheres, which is the idea that the movement of the planets creates a silent form of music. I'm sure the internet has many better descriptions of it! Read what Wikipedia has to say about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_the_spheres.

It took me a while to decide which phrase or quote to choose. It didn't really occur to me to take the phrases at anything other than face value, and two that appealed to me at first were 'Not Waving But Drowning', which I soon found out was the title of a poem, and 'And There Is No Health In Us' which I started to write a song around but never really finished. I still remember the parts of the song I had written and it's possible that I'll finish the song at some point and it will end up on a future podcast. My teacher at the time certainly liked the parts of the song I played to him, and I think actually preferred that song to this one, but I hit a bit of a block while trying to finish it. In the days before the internet, it was not so easy to just Google a reference and I wasn't really interested in finding out where the phrases had originally come from. I've just done a search and it appears that 'And There Is No Health In Us' is from some kind of religious confession, so it's possibly better that I didn't check it at the time!

I found out about the concept of music of the spheres almost by chance, I seem to think by an article in a newspaper at the time, and after researching it a little more was inspired to write this song almost in one go.

Originally written for guitar, this version of Music of the Spheres uses piano, violin and just a little bit of guitar. It was recorded using Garageband on my Mac Pro which is now feeling well again after its replacement hard drive. However, I started to get too overconfident in my new found computing power and after leaving it on for several days and working it hard with video, music and photo editing and uploading, it finally decided it was going to crash. I'd forgotten to save the last few days recordings, so lost a few days of work on the song! It was a mixed blessing though, because I'd hit a wall with trying to play the violin (an instrument I can't really play, so I have to record numerous takes and edit together the best bits, helped out by pitch correction and reverb effects) and get a nice vocal take. The computer crashed pretty much as I'd decided that the song was as good as I was going to get it, and it left me with just the piano and guitar parts. The rerecorded vocal and violin parts are much better than the first attempts.

As always, let me know what you think either by leaving a comment on the blog or in the Facebook Comments box at www.dayve.co.uk/downloadoftheweek/downlaodoftheweek.shtml, or email me at mailinglist@dayve.co.uk. You can download the podcast on my Download of the Week page, or through iTunes.

One & Other

2009-09-25T00:31:00.004+01:00

I'm really excited that I've been picked to do an hour on the Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Square tomorrow (Friday 25 September 2009) between 9pm and 10pm as part of the One & Other project.

I've been interested in this project since I heard about it a few months back, as well as the other artworks which have featured on the Fourth Plinth over the last few years. I signed up to take part as soon as the option was made available but missed out on all four of the random draws for a place. However, I was placed onto the reserve list and yesterday received a call asking if I would be able to fill the 9pm spot on Friday.

I will be able to send the time up there doing pretty much whatever I like, so it seems to make sense for me to do a bit of a gig up there in the busking style that I've been doing for various charities recently including Oxjam (for Oxfam) and Busking Cancer (for Cancer Research UK).

I'll also be doing a live interview with Sky Arts earlier in the evening, sometime between 7pm and 9pm, talking about the One & Other project.

You will be able to watch me live on the plinth from 9pm tomorrow evening at www.oneandother.co.uk and it should be archived there for later viewing. There is also a profile page for me on the site which has now become active, and you can leave comments on there both for and about me, and thank you to those who have commented already.

And if you'll be in London, come over to Trafalgar Square, have a listen and let's have a chat!

Hospital Food: Free download of the week podcast

2009-08-27T23:12:00.003+01:00

This week's free song podcast is now available. It is a cover of David Gray's Hospital Food recorded live at the Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride's, Edinburgh, on 24 August 2008 as part of my Octagon '08 show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The video of this recording is available at youtube.com/dayvedean.

It's been just over a year since my run of shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year. It was great to go back up there last week to play with the band, and because we were playing the Free Festival we could enjoy the festival without having to worry about selling tickets. It was quite a learning curve to do a show up there last year, particularly as I was launching the new album at the same time so there was a lot going on.

One of the things that became quite obvious even during the first show of the run was that the venue felt less relaxed than the places I usually play so the shows were more like sit down performances rather than a show in a bar or venue where it's fine to move around, go to the bar etc. I realised that an hour long show was quite a long time to sit and listen to new songs, particularly considering the album had not yet been released. I decided to restructure the show so that I was playing a cover version to every two of my own songs.

The covers I performed varied during the show's run: some were songs I'd prepared before coming up to Edinburgh, others I was either already performing regularly or had done so in the past. Hospital Food was completely new to me though and it was interesting to learn a song and start playing so regularly within such a short space of time.

I was performing several times a day in various situations including in the shop window of John Lewis and on an outdoor, unamplified stage on the High Street, as well as my hour long show at the Acoustic Music Centre. This recording is taken from the final show of my run, the only show of the run which I recorded. The videos are available at youtube.com/dayvedean.

You can download the podcast at www.dayve.co.uk or on iTunes.

Launch of the Words and Music Festival

2009-08-23T16:02:00.000+01:00

I've just played an acoustic set along with Dan Logan at the launch
event of the Nantwich Words and Music Festival at Costa in Nantwich.

We played a half hour set including:

Follow
Starting Line
Like Jimmy Did
After The Goldrush
Not The One
Lizard Skin
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore.

More photos and video will hopefully be uploaded soon to the usual
places.

We're now watching Nigel Stonier and are looking forward to Thea
Gilmore, both playing with Fluff.

The lineup for the festival has now been announced. It's taking place
between 8-11 October 2009 and includes performances from acts
including Thea Gilmore, Mark Radcliffe, Rod Clements, Ian Brodie from
the Lightning Seeds and Simon Armitage. There's more information and
the chance to buy tickets on the festival website at www.wordsandmusicfestival.com
.

Nantwich Words and Music Festival launch

2009-08-23T01:26:00.003+01:00

I'm going to be playing at the launch event for the Nantwich Words and Music Festival later today, Sunday 23 August 2009.

It will take place at Costa, 1 Church Lane (off Hospital Street) in Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5RQ between around 2.30pm and 4.30pm and will feature several acoustic performances from acts including myself, Thea Gilmore, Fluff and Nigel Stonier. There will also be an announcement of some of the main acts to play at the festival which will be taking place in October this year, as well as a chance to buy tickets.

If you're at a lose end this Sunday, come along and enjoy some free music and a (FairTrade) coffee! For more information, contact Costa on 01270 629733 and also check out the festival's website at www.wordsandmusicfestival.com.

Final Edinburgh show

2009-08-16T18:26:00.000+01:00

We've just finished playing our final show at this year's Edinburgh
Festival Fringe.

The weather was probably the best of the three days and we had a good
crowd in the beer garden. We tried something a bit different which saw
Carl take over lead vocals for one of the songs. Hopefully I'll be
able to upload some video of that coming soon.

The band are heading home early tomorrow so we've one more night of us
all in Edinburgh. I'm staying on until late on Tuesday so might be
able to get a solo gig in before leaving.

I'll be uploading photos and video from the shows as soon as I can!

James and the Giant at The Pear Tree

2009-08-15T21:19:00.000+01:00

I played the first Edinburgh show with James and the Giant tonight at
The Pear Tree Music Stage. It's an outdoor show in Edinburgh's largest
beer garden so it's dependent on the weather but thankfully the rain
kept away and we had a pretty large audience tonight.

I'll be sending regular updates during our time in Edinburgh which you
can follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dayvedean

James and the Giant at Edinburgh, 14-16 August 2009

2009-08-13T18:08:00.001+01:00

I'm up in Edinburgh again for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and am
currently in the beer garden at The Pear Tree, part of the Counting
House complex.

It's the biggest beer garden in Edinburgh and I'll be performing here
with James and the Giant for the next three nights. We'll be on stage
at 7pm as part of the Laughing Horse Free Festival so entry is free.

Here's the info:

Fringe venue 170: Pear Tree @ The Counting House
On stage time 7pm (for approx 1 hour)
Address: 38 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh
Tickets: Free, unticketed. Just turn up!

You can find events listings for the three shows on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dayvedean

Pear Tree Stage in Edinburgh

2009-08-13T17:49:00.000+01:00

New free downloads: Not The One and Starting Line (live at the Octagon album launch at Orchard Studios)

2009-08-10T22:45:00.002+01:00

There are two new songs available to download for free on my download of the week podcast:

This week's podcast song is something a bit different. I had a couple of songs which I had in mind to record for this week, both of which I needed to finish writing and play through a few times. However when I picked up the guitar I started messing around with a few chords and within an hour this song was written and recorded straight onto the Voice Memos app on my iPhone. The quality is surprisingly good!

I thought about adding a few things to the song, and can hear space in the song for a bit of bass, strings and picked guitar, and I've left room near the end for a guitar solo. I thought I'd leave the podcast version as just the raw demo, recorded as one take purely using the iPhone which I emailed to my computer for iTunes to convert to MP3. It was all written and recorded within around an hour this afternoon, 10 August 2009.

Let me know what you think.

Last week's download is still available. Here's the details:

4/8/2009

It's been a year since I launched the Octagon album at the Edinburgh Festival. Before heading to the festival, I held some launch events in Cheshire including a full band gig at Orchard Studios where some of the album was recorded.

This week's download is taken from that session featuring Fluff on violin, Roy Martin on drums, Nigel Stonier on bass and vocals, Dan Logan on guitar, and myself on guitar and vocals. The sound is taken from the video shoot, and you can find the videos from the launch event at www.youtube.com/dayvedean.

You're With Stupid Now: free download of the week

2009-07-29T11:23:00.002+01:00

This week's free download song is a cover of You're With Stupid Now by Aimee Mann.

I've been a fan of Aimee for a number of years and recently rediscovered this song from her second album through Spotify. I like its simplicity, harmonies and the lyrics, particularly the Margaret Thatcher line!

Download it for free from www.dayve.co.uk or iTunes.

Echobelly! James and the Giant play support this Saturday at The Box

2009-07-08T11:31:00.003+01:00

This Saturday, 11 July, James and the Giant will be supporting Echobelly on the acoustic tour at The Box, Pedley Street Crewe, along with Silvertone Prophet Deluxe and Cutout Dreamers.

Doors are at 8pm and we'll be on stage at around 8.30pm. Echobelly will take to the stage at around 10pm.

Info from Wikipedia:

Echobelly were a prominent Britpop band and a force in the British musical invasion of the 1990s.

They burst onto the scene in 1994 with their acclaimed Everyone's Got One album. Although often compared to Blondie and obviously influenced by Morrissey, who himself is a big fan of the group, Echobelly carved out their own unique place with tuneful melodies that cascaded between exuberant optimism and vehement attacks against oppression, bigotry, and alienation in the modern world.

Tickets cost £7 and you can buy them using the PayPal button below, or going straight to the PayPal order page. You can select multiple tickets at the shopping cart page.
Check out the event on Facebook here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139376804464

New single: I Could Be Happy With You

2009-07-08T11:21:00.004+01:00

My new single, I Could Be Happy With You, is now available to buy on iTunes.

The song is taken from my Octagon album and features vocals from Thea Gilmore.

The single is released in association with Newsound Records in support of Rock Against Child Pornography. It is priced at 79p on iTunes.

Song of the week: I'm With You

2009-07-08T11:15:00.002+01:00

This week's free download song is I'm With You, a haunting song with raw, effected vocals and minimalist guitar.

It is quite an old song, probably written somewhere around the mid nineties.

Download it free for a limited time from www.dayve.co.uk or iTunes.

Facebook pages

2009-06-29T11:55:00.002+01:00

Do you use Facebook? Have you discovered the Dayve Dean and James and the Giant public profiles on Facebook yet?

If you're a Facebook user, you can become a 'fan' of these pages. This means that (depending on your settings) you will see activity and status updates in your Facebook stream, including new photos, videos and songs, information about live shows and events, and also gives you the option to post comments, discuss with other 'fans' and upload your own photos and videos.

I'm working on getting a direct URL for both my solo and the band pages, but until then you can link directly to the pages at:

Dayve Dean - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dayve-Dean/6338332724

James and the Giant - http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-and-the-Giant/73751652347

Song of the week: Ride (demo)

2009-06-25T01:20:00.002+01:00

This week's song of the week is a demo of Ride:

This is one of several demo versions of Ride, which ended up being recorded for the Octagon album.

Ride was a slow song to develop. The chord structure of the chorus, along with some vague words, were written a long time before most of the rest of the song. At some point the first verse appeared, using a chord structure used quite often on the songs on Octagon.

It was then several months, if not a year or two, before the other two verses and final structure were put together. I eventually wrote them on a train home from Birmingham after making a determined effort to move the song forward and took inspiration from the journey including conversations overheard on the train.

You can hear that the song did not drastically change from the demo to the final product on the album, other than being slightly slowed down, some basic structural changes and the addition of the piano and melodica.

The album version of Ride is included on the Octagon album, available to buy from www.dayve.co.uk.

Download the podcast from iTunes (search for Dayve Dean) or follow the link at www.dayve.co.uk

Whatfest Battle of the Bands

2009-06-21T21:44:00.002+01:00

A few weeks ago James and the Giant took part in a process to be selected to play at Whatfest, Cheshire's music festival, which takes place at Whatcroft near Northwich in July.

The voting for this is now online and the acts with the most votes by 12 July will be selected to play the festival.

The battle of the bands was a bit of a one off for us and we normally don't part in this kind of thing - they're essentially popularity contests as much as anything else and we're unlikely to be able to take on a young band bringing half their school or college along. It was nice to meet some local bands and promoters though, and it will be interesting to see how the voting goes for the online vote.

So, in the spirit of competition - VOTE FOR US AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE YOU KNOW AND MEET TO DO THE SAME! (Okay, maybe a little over the top. But it would be nice if you could spread the word :-D )

You can find the voting page at http://www.whatfest.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=391.

Unfortunately, casting a vote is not as straightforward as it could be, but should only take a couple of minutes of your time. Here's how to do it:

Firstly, head on over to http://www.whatfest.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=391 where you'll see a list of all the bands and votes.

To cast a vote, you need to log into the forum. You'll first need to register. Do this by pressing the register link on the top right which will bring you to the registration page:

Select 'I agree to the terms' and you'll move to the registration page:

You'll need to choose a username (between 3 and 20 characters), input and confirm your email address, and select and confirm a password (between 6 and 30 characters including both upper and lower case characters). At the bottom of the form is a confirmation code in a box which you'll need to enter, then press Submit.

You will see a confirmation page and an email from tom@whatfest.co.uk will be sent to the email address you gave.

Follow the link given in the email you receive. This will activate your account.

Select 'Login' and enter the username and password you chose, then select 'Login'.

The voting page will now allow you to select an act to vote for. Find the page at http://www.whatfest.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=391.

You'll find James and the Giant at the bottom of the list. Select the circle next to our name to select us, then press 'Submit vote'.

Your vote will then be added to the list. Thanks!

If you have other email addresses, you can repeat the above process for that address, but each username can only vote ONCE.

SPREAD THE WORD!

Cheers :-)

Steve and Dayve with Badly Drawn Boy

2009-06-13T20:12:00.003+01:00

We've having fun here at the LLAMA Music Festival, enjoying playing and watching loads of bands. Headliner Badly Drawn Boy played this afternoon. Me and Steve caught up with him after the show.

The post show drink

2009-06-13T13:53:00.001+01:00

Here's Steve and Carl celebrating at the end of our show at LLAMA.

Amazing weather to be playing an outdoor gig! I'll be posting more
photos and videos when I can.

We're now chilling out watching Mike Seddin from the Incredible String
Band playing alongside his daughter Georgia Seddon. Excellent!

Blue Ball Inn at LLAMA

2009-06-13T12:18:00.000+01:00

Here's James and the Giant ready to play the Blue Ball Inn at the
LLAMA Music Festival.

If you're in the Lynton and Lynmouth area, pop down!

LLAMA!

2009-06-13T01:24:00.002+01:00

We're at Lynton and Lynmouth for the LLAMA Music Festival this weekend. We'll be playing the Blue Bell Inn stage tomorrow (Saturday) at 12.30pm, and have been recording a bit of a video diary which we'll be continuing throughout the weekend.

Here's the first part - packing up the van!

Check it out at youtube.com/dayvedean or on the object below:

Song of the week and new videos

2009-06-10T19:04:00.002+01:00

I've been a bit useless as far as blogging, podcasting etc go for the past month or so, so apologies for that. You can find more regular updates through Twitter at twitter.com/dayvedean, which is updated much more regularly. The sad irony is the more I've got to blog about, the less time I have to do it... But more on that in a future post.

In the meantime, I've uploaded a new song to the song of the week podcast. It's a live version of Follow, performed acoustically with just voice and guitar, recorded at The M Club in Crewe at the end of May. Find it at dayve.co.uk/downloadoftheweek.shtml or on iTunes. I seem to have got a bit behind with uploading a new song every week (about 8 weeks behind as far as I can see) so I'll be working to address that over the next week or so. Watch this space, as they say...

I've also uploaded some video of James and the Giant playing at the City Voices Festival in Stoke, again from May. You can watch the show at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6C48C5EA0C01A069 or watching it in the embedded player below:

James and the Giant live at The Box this Thursday, 30 April

2009-04-27T23:53:00.002+01:00

James and the Giant will be performing at The Box in Crewe again this Thursday, supporting Suki and the Science, along with The Valentines and Soda. Find out more about the night at myspace.com/theboxuk or view the Facebook event page.

Doors open at 8pm and tickets are £4. Buy on the door or pay in advance using the PayPay button below.

James and the Giant perform live at The Box

Watch a previous performance by James and the Giant at The Box

Upcoming gigs

2009-04-23T01:17:00.001+01:00

I've got a few shows scheduled in with the band over the next few months and I've just made this lovely widget courtesy of ReverbNation so you can keep track of them! Feel free to add it and share the love :-)

Earth Day

2009-04-22T11:00:00.000+01:00

Today is Earth Day! It's the first year I've come across it although apparently it's the 39th year it has happened. There's more information about it at earthday.net. It's time to start planning things for the 40th Earth Day next year!

Check out this video from Greenpeace too:

James and the Giant perform at de bees, Winsford, this Thursday, 16 April

2009-04-12T19:15:00.002+01:00

I'm playing a gig this Thursday with James and the Giant at de bees in Winsford, Cheshire. We're headlining, and will be playing with Cheap Cuts and Ian Scanlan so should be a pretty good night.

Tickets are £3 and there's more information about the event on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=85237090733, or visit the de bees website at www.debees.com.

Facebook comments

2009-03-28T22:22:00.003Z

It's recently become possible to add Facebook comments boxes onto external websites using Facebook Connect. I've yet to decide whether I think this is a good thing - on the plus side it means that (in theory) any comments are fed back into the Facebook system raising awareness of the page, site, comments etc. On the, er... minus side? Maybe I should have used positive and negative! (Yes I know I could have easily gone back and edited that bit, but I'm going for 'as live' blogging tonight!) Anyway, on the bad side (that'll do!) it means Facebook is sneaking itself into other websites which is possibly not a good thing.

The point of this waffle is that, in the name of research, I've decided to give it a little trial on the dayve.co.uk website by putting a Facebook comments box onto the Download of the Week page at www.dayve.co.uk/downloadoftheweek.shtml. It might stay, it might not. It might work, or maybe not! I believe you don't need to be a Facebook user to leave comments and hopefully it has security in place (I suspect with the use of a Captcha) to avoid the numerous spammy porn comments which the message boards ended up full of a while back.

Like I say, we'll see. But in the meantime, if you fancy leaving a comment, ideally about the various songs of the week, then please do :-)

Earth Hour

2009-03-28T21:04:00.002Z

It's just after 9pm on Saturday night, 28 March, which means it's Earth Hour! For a change I'm at home on a Saturday evening but it doesn't appear that it's making too much difference to the part of Crewe that I can see. At the front of the house, it seems to be more brightly lit than usual as my neighbours' houses are now occupied again and they have both indoor lights shining out and outdoor lighting permanently on. I overlook a park at the back, though the surrounding streetlights are still lit. I can't see into town, and don't have a very good view of the large BT office and telephone exchange building which is easily visible in daylight. I'd like to think this is because the lights are out, although I'll have to remember to check another time to see whether that is normal. While it would be nice to think they've turned off for Earth Hour, overall I think it's much better if they are off anyway!

The only other sign I've seen of Earth Hour near home is a poster in the local McDonald's saying they'll be turning the lights off on the Arches. It will be interesting to see whether Earth Hour made much difference to Crewe as a whole, and to see how it's affected other places around the world.

Find out more at www.earthhour.com,

Is Anybody Out There?

2009-03-26T23:41:00.004Z

This week's free song podcast, available at http://tinyurl.com/7nqlmd, is Is Anybody Out There?

Is Anybody Out There? was written around 2007 and was one of the songs which missed out on the Octagon recording sessions. Previously only recorded in very basic demo form, just guitar and vocals in one take, I've revisited it and recorded a fuller demo featuring sampled drum tracks, guitar, bass, voice, violin, glockenspiel and numerous effects courtesy of GarageBand.

Song of the week: I'll Never Stop

2009-03-21T00:36:00.002Z

It's been a busy couple of weeks which has meant I've fallen slightly behind on the free song podcast. Here is one for this week, and I'll see what I can do about catching up with the missing song! Check it out at http://tinyurl.com/7nqlmd.

I'll Never Stop is a song from a fair few years ago which I've never really done much with.

I've revisited it for the free podcast series and have changed the key (my voice is higher now than it used to be so have moved from an Am, F and G chord pattern on the chorus into Em, C and D). While I used to sing it with a strummed guitar, for this version I've gone for a picked guitar with just a bit of additional thumb strumming on the build towards the end.

I've also tried out a few instruments which I've not recorded before. I was bought a glockenspiel recently and although it's already received some live use, I have been itching to use it on a recording. I also learnt to play the violin last week in aid of Comic Relief (thinking it would be a very comical instrument to busk with after only minimal training!) but found it easier than I expected to get a sound out - so with the help of the auto tuning and a few effects, it has found its way onto this recording too!

Do Something Funny For Money!

2009-03-14T23:08:00.002Z

Dan and I decided to get into the spirit of Comic Relief by learning the violin in just one lesson and then going out busking outside the Oxfam shop in Sandbach.

Hopefully the clown/panto costumes managed to detract from the awful noises emitting from our violins, despite our excellent (yet very brief) training from Fluff.

You can hear how we got on by tuning in the The Dan Logan Show on Focal Radio, Mondays 6pm-10pm. This feature is currently scheduled to air on 16 March. Tune into Focal Radio on DAB in Staffordshire and Cheshire, or throughout the world on the internet at www.focalradio.com.

Happy Red Nose Day! Plus, gig in Crewe today.

2009-03-13T00:16:00.002Z

Have a great Red Nose Day! It's a great excuse to have fun while raising money for a good cause so let's hope there's lots of crazy stuff going to be happening!

I thought I'd better get a red nose on to get in the spirit of it. Get yourself one too at www.digitalrednose.com.

On a (slightly!) more serious note, I'm going to be doing a solo gig today at the Friday Busk at Square One, Mill Street, Crewe, around 5pm. If you're in the area, come along, have a listen and throw some money in the busket!

Song of the week: Foreign Ground (demo)

2009-03-08T22:45:00.002Z

This week's free download, available from http://tinyurl.com/7nqlmd or iTunes is a demo of an old but as yet unrecorded song of mine, Foreign Ground.

I wrote Foreign Ground in the early nineties and performed it live quite a bit around that time. It's a song that I've played occasionally through the years although it has never been properly recorded.

This version is a demo from 2007, recorded in one take straight into the MacBook. It is purely voice and guitar, pretty much as I would have performed it years ago

James and the Giant live at The Box, Crewe, 28 February 2009

2009-03-08T22:12:00.002Z

We played our first full gig with the new band name, James and the Giant, last week at The Box in Crewe.

Sophie Mazingarbe took some photos for us on the night which you can see on Flickr at www.flickr.com/dayvedean or using the widget below:

Simon J Newbury also took some photos and video. Check out the videos at www.youtube.com/dayvedean or on the embedded player below:

The set list for the night was:

Follow
Starting Line
Lizard Skin
Ordinary
Just Let Go
Ride
Like Jimmy Did
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

Following on from this show, I'll be doing a solo performance at Square One, Mill Street, Crewe, this coming Friday, 13th March. It's quite an early one - I'll be starting around 5pm and playing until around 7pm. Entry is free, although feel free to throw a few coins in the ol' guitar case, or buy a copy of the album!

View Larger Map

Ordinary live at The Box

2009-03-01T18:56:00.002Z

This week's free download podcast episode was recorded at the James and the Giant gig at The Box in Crewe last night! (28 February 2009). It's the song Ordinary which is taken from my Octagon album.

We had a great time at The Box last night so thanks to everyone who came along to support us.

I've uploaded videos from the show onto YouTube. The playlist is available at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=69F88A027C568B4B, or link in through www.youtube.com/dayvedean. I'll be adding the videos to both dayve.co.uk and jamesandthegiant.co.uk once I've figured out the fancy new embedding features I've discovered on YouTube. As time allows (and believe me, uploading videos takes HOURS!) I'll also be uploading them to the video podcast, MySpace, Facebook, et al.

We've got some pretty exciting gigs lined up over the next few months including:

16 April - headlining at deBees Music Bar in Winsford
16 May - City Voices Festival in Stoke on Trent
13 June - LLAMA - Lynton and Lynmouth Music Festival in Devon, where Badly Drawn Boy will be headlining
4 July - Concerts In The Park '09, Baggeridge Country Park, Dudley, along with Matt Tyler

If you haven't already, join the mailing list at www.dayve.co.uk to be kept up to date with the latest news. It would be great if you could spread the word by asking others to join the list too!

Gigs this weekend

2009-02-27T15:45:00.003Z

I've been busy rehearsing with the band for the last couple of weeks as we're playing our first show under the new name, James and the Giant, this weekend. Details below.

Firstly, if you're in the London area this evening (Friday 27th February), why not pop along to CafeDirect's TasteFair Friends' Friday event for FairTrade Fortnight? I'll be playing a solo spot and it's also a chance to find out more about Cafe Direct and sign up to become a Friend of Cafe Direct if you're not already. More information at www.tastefair.co.uk.

And tomorrow night, Saturday 28th March, I'm performing with James and the Giant at The Box in Crewe. Here's the press release:

James and the Giant
Live At The Box, Crewe
Saturday 28th February 2009

Sparks will be flying down at The Box this Saturday night as new acoustic band James and the Giant perform their first official gig.

Saturday 28th February will be the historic night for the band, led by Crewe based singer-songwriter Dayve Dean. James and the Giant play a mixture of acoustic and folk-pop, channelling the likes of REM, Tom Waits, David Gray and Aimee Mann into their original music. Completing the line-up is local radio DJ Dan Logan on drums and guitarists Carl Hill and Steve Welch.

It is the first time that the band will have performed live under their new name James and the Giant, having already played a number of shows in support of Dayve Dean’s latest album Octagon towards the end of 2008. You can listen to songs from the record at www.dayve.co.uk and check out the band at www.jamesandthegiant.co.uk.

 The Box is a new music venue located on Pedley Street, just opposite Crewe railway station and is building an excellent reputation as a live venue. They are committed to bringing the best of signed and unsigned acts from around the country to Crewe’s burgeoning music scene, with live nights every Friday and Saturday nights.

 Also on the bill on Saturday night are indie bands Sold Out Story, The Mons and Model Radio. The show starts at 8pm and entry is £4 on the door.

Official Website: www.jamesandthegiant.co.uk
Official Myspace: www.myspace.com/dayvedean
Official Dayve Dean Website: www.dayve.co.uk
Buy Octagon by Dayve Dean: www.dayve.co.uk/shop.shtml

Gigs this weekend

2009-02-27T15:30:00.001Z

Apologies for being a bit useless blogging of late. I've been busy rehearsing with the band and finding us places to play. I've added some to the gig guide including two shows this weekend.

Firstly, I'm doing a solo spot later today (Friday 27th February) at Whole Foods Market, Kensington High Street, London. It's part of Friends' Friday at Cafe Direct's TasteFair for FairTrade Fortnight. Check out www.tastefair.co.uk

End of the Day

2009-02-21T00:41:00.003Z

This week's free song download is End of the Day, taken from my first album, Still Life.

Inspired partly by an interview with REM about one of their songs, End of the Day imagines taking a look back at a long life and where to go from here.

This is the full version from the album. It was recorded in 2000 at Frog Studios in Warrington by Mark Walker and Nigel Stonier and is a Pondlife Production.

Still Life is available to buy from dayve.co.uk, CDbaby.com, iTunes, Napster, Amazon.com and more. Lyrics available at dayve.co.uk.

Apologies for the slightly late arrival of the podcast this week. I've been busy rehearsing with the band as we are doing some live shows in the next week. I'll blog about these very soon, as well as updating the gig guide, but in brief the upcoming live dates are:

Friday 27 March, Cafe Direct event for FairTrade Fortnight, Central London (solo gig)
Saturday 28 March, The Box, Crewe (James and the Giant band gig). More information at myspace.com/theboxuk

Rehearsal

2009-02-06T00:08:00.002Z

Another rehearsal with the band (who it looks like are going to be called 'James and the Giant') tonight - full band this time!

We've been working on some of the new songs, which are Freefallin' (originally by Tom Petty), Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen, or possibly Jeff Buckley. Just don't mention X Factor!), Just Let Go (one of Dan's songs) and Tell You (from the Octagon album). Once I've caught up on some of the videos from the rehearsal a few weeks ago I'll try to take along the camera again to get some clips of these online. Steve's started to play harmonica in a few of the songs which is sounding excellent. Too many instruments, too few players...! lol

We also went through some of the songs we know including The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Follow, Like Jimmy Did, Another Christmas, I Could Be Happy With You, Ordinary, Starting Line, and Lizard Skin. It's getting to the point when we don't have enough rehearsal time to run through all the songs as well as learning new things which is great in a way, but means we'll need to start getting a bit more organised. So probably less impromptu AC/DC moments (well, maybe only a few less...!)

Here's some photos from the rehearsal:

Steve was looking pretty photogenic with the Martin acoustic. Unfortunately he saw me getting the camera out...!

This was the best I could sneakily manage of him and the guitar together.

It's been snowing in Stoke today. Most of it has melted but Dan managed to find some on the wall outside the rehearsal room.

Carl managed to avoid any photos AGAIN! Must take more of him next time just to even things out.

And in case you were wondering who James is, or the Giant for that matter, there's a few hints in one of the songs we play and one of the band member's names. Inspiration also came from Steve's additional "I'm not your Uncle Jim" line in Lizard Skin. It's probably better not to ask!

31 Today

2009-02-04T07:48:00.001Z

This week's free download is a cover of the Aimee Mann song, Thirty One Today. It was recorded using GarageBand on the Mac in my home studio. It's the first time I've used the program for anything more sophisticated than an audio notepad so it's been an interesting learning curve. I'm sure I'll become better at using it as time goes on.

All the instruments are played live, generally in a single take (mainly because I've yet to master drop ins!). I attempted to use the automatic tuner and quantize features but neither seemed to work as they should so it's all as it was recorded, with just a handful of effects.

It features guitar, bass and mandolin along with the vocals and backing vocals. Download it at http://tinyurl.com/7nqlmd.

Feels quite appropriate for this week ;-)

I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore (live at Fringe Sunday)

2009-01-31T23:46:00.002Z

This week's free download is I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore performed live Fringe Sunday which took place at The Meadows, Edinburgh. This show was part of the launch of the Octagon album at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2008.

Video of this performance is available at http://www.festivalpreviews.com/blog/519/fringe-sunday-dayve-dean/.

I've been meaning to upload some of the photos from Edinburgh so it seems like a good time to do some... Below is the program from the Fringe Sunday event. A wet day (wasn't it always?!) but great fun and at least it made some mud, adding to the phone festival experience :-)

Tell You (demo)

2009-01-21T19:24:00.002Z

This week's new song of the week is now available from dayve.co.uk or (once it updates) through iTunes.

It's the demo of Tell You, the full studio version of which appears on the Octagon album.

Most of the songs on Octagon, as well as several that didn't make it, were recorded in a pretty rough demo format for the producer, Nigel Stonier, to have a listen to. From there we decided which songs were going to make it into the studio and any changes we would make. They were recorded straight into GarageBand on a MacBook and often just as a rough single take.

Tell You is quite a haunting song, implying a bad secret but "without ever revealing". The demo version is essentially plucked chords (Am and Dm) with vocals and an improvised lead guitar part. Although the album version is also quite stripped down, it is mainly lead by a bass guitar riff, vocals and percussion. The lead guitar part has stayed pretty much unchanged.

While a few of the songs from Octagon had been written for some time before recording, Tell You was written pretty well into the planning stages of the album, around September 2007, and as such was not as well known by me both in the demo and final recording stages which I think is actually an advantage for this song.

Wouldn't It Be Good

2009-01-15T11:09:00.000Z

This week's song of the week is a cover of the Nik Kershaw song 'Wouldn't It Be Good' which I recorded sometime around 1995 with the group Substance. It's not massively representative of my current style and I was around 17 when it was recorded so vocally I sound quite different now. We recorded four songs together, the other three being original songs. Maybe they'll see the light of day at some point!

Apologies for two dance songs in a row - not that there's anything particularly wrong with either, but I'm really trying to aim for variety! I was intending to upload an alternative version of a song from the Still Life sessions but it seems I've mislaid both the masters and my minidisc backups of all those songs... I'm sure they're about somewhere but it looks as though they'll now have to make an appearance later on in the year.

My plan for the free download podcast is to have several songs ready to go, ideally around 5 to 10. We're on week three and without the Still Life disks I'm starting to run a bit short so I can see I'm going to be doing a lot of searching and recording for the next couple of weeks! I've been working on a few demo style recordings of songs which didn't make it into the studio sessions for one reason or another, as well as some new songs. If there's anything you'd like to hear, leave a comment on the blog or email mailinglist@dayve.co.uk and I'll see what I can do :-)

We had another band rehearsal last night with everybody there. It's the first time this year we've all played together (although to be fair, it's still only the first fortnight...) so we went over all the (non Christmas) songs we've been working on as well as doing some more work on Dan's song, Just Let Go. Hopefully we'll be able to post up some live dates very soon.

We also had Simon Newbury with us to take some photos and video of the rehearsal and the band all together. I'll be putting these online as soon as they're edited.

Greenpeace Airplot

2009-01-14T11:14:00.006Z

You may have seen this in the media already but in brief: Greenpeace, along with Alastair McGowan, Emma Thompson and Zac Goldsmith, have bought a plot of land on the proposed site of the Heathrow Airport expansion. They're calling it Airplot and ou can find out more information on their site at www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/join-plot-stop-airport-expansion-20090112 as well as signing up for updates.

I think the money would be much better spent on improving the rail network in the UK, particularly opening high speed rail lines which would prove a real alternative to flying. I try to avoid flying if possible, and certainly to destinations in Europe it is easy enough to do, if not yet as cheap or fast as by air. I performed a show in Hamburg last year and travelled by rail. It wasn't particularly cheap, particularly when compared with the low cost airlines, and took pretty much a whole day to get there but it meant I was able to see more of the countries along the way, including having a good look around Brussels, and also experience a sleeper train (a great way to travel) and meet some interesting people on the journey.

I struggled to find a website showing the actual savings in carbon emissions (any suggestions of sites welcomed!) but my very rough calculations show that the emissions are likely to be less by rail and are also much closer to the ground so less likely to be emitting gases into the thinner atmosphere. If more people choose to go by rail than air, all the benefits will be increased as there would be less flights happening.

I'm not sure if I've blogged it before, but the way I got to Hamburg was:

Virgin Pendolino from Crewe-Euston
Walk from Euston - St Pancras
Eurostar from St Pancras - Brussels
City Night Line sleeper train from Brussels - Hamburg (originating in Paris)

and the return was similar in reverse, although I ended up coming back through the UK via an alternative route (via Reading or Wales I think) as it was a bank holiday and there was engineering work on the West Coast Main Line.

I got the information about the journey from seat61.com, a great website for information about travelling by rail. I've just checked their site to confirm the route I took and it seems that from 14 December last year (ironically the date that rail timetables in the UK seemed to get easier) the Brussels - Hamburg sleeper service was discontinued. There's more information about this (and places to complain to!) at euronight.net.

Band rehearsal 7/1/09

2009-01-12T12:11:00.002Z

The first band rehearsal of the year happened last Wednesday. Carl couldn't make it so Steve, Dan and myself went over the post-Christmas set list (which was surprisingly lengthy considering how many Christmas songs we seemed to have been rehearsing!) and also started working on one of Dan's songs called 'Just Let Go'. We've come up with two versions of it, one quite chilled out and the other more full on. We'll be working on it again at the next rehearsal on 14th January with the whole band and we'll maybe record a bit of it then to upload.

Check out the photos from the rehearsal, available on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dayvedean/sets/72157612395459086/show/

Download of the week podcast

2009-01-12T11:41:00.003Z

I've started a new weekly(ish) podcast, making available a free song to download each week during 2009. I'll be updating the blog as new songs become available. The songs will include things such as alternative mixes, live and studio recordings, demos and similar. The download will generally be audio with occasional videos.

The first two songs are available now and they are:

Starting Line (edit) - an edited version of the song taken from the Octagon album.

Innocent (remix) - a dance version of Innocent, the original of which is on the Still Life album.

Updates will be displayed on the download page at dayve.co.uk and announced in the blog and on Twitter and Brightkite. You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

The band!

2009-01-12T09:38:00.002Z

Since I got back from performing at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe I've been putting together a band and although I've made mention of them in the blog and they've been appearing on photos and videos, I don't think I've properly introduced them:

Dan Logan

I met Dan while recording at Orchard Studios and he engineered the tracks recorded there - Another Christmas, Christmas Ghost, River and Waters. As well as working at Orchard, he has a show on Focal Radio and you can find him on MySpace at myspace.com/danlogansolo.

Dan mainly focuses on drums and percussion but also does a bit of guitar, mandolin and banjo.

Steve Welch

Steve plays lead and rhythm guitar, bass (reluctantly!) and glockenspiel - sometimes more than one at once! Find him on MySpace at myspace.com/thebittershandy.

Carl 'Chill' Hill

Carl's on lead and rhythm guitar, bass, occasional percussion, but not on MySpace... yet!

They're all able to contribute to the blog so you might be hearing from them here soon.

Videos and shop links

2008-12-30T11:23:00.003Z

Happy Christmas and New Year! I'm having a very chilled out Christmas break which makes a lovely change, and I'm looking forward to getting a few new things happening in the new year.

I'm in a couple of TV shows available on the internet at the moment. Firstly, I was in the recent episode of Casualty as a barman sporting a lovely sailor suit. It's available for another few days on the BBC iPlayer at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00gg3hz. I'm in the party scenes starting at around 40 minutes in.

I've also been doing some filming for a new series, Being Human, which will be starting on BBC Three in the new year. I've got a small part at the start of the show where I get eaten by a werewolf! That will be available in glorious HD, but we also recorded a lower quality version which is now available on the internet. The part I'm playing in the show is being played by someone else in this clip, but in theory I'm the guy being the camera with the American accent. I'm actually visible (and this time it's really me!) at around 4:40 looking a bit worse for wear (or were?!) following the attack. Check out the video on the BBC Three site at bbc.co.uk/bbcthree and click on the Being Human: George link. It's also on YouTube - check it out below:

I've been doing some filming for a couple of other shows too - Lewis and Torchwood - which again should be on at some point in the new year.

And in other news...! I've now been included as an artist on Emubands, the online distribution company for the Octagon album sampler. They've included links to some of the sites you can buy or stream the EP from. Check it out at emubands.co.uk/bands.php?band_id=861. Most of the links require Internet Explorer so don't worry if they won't load using Safari, Firefox etc. The prices across the sites vary with some allowing streaming as well as downloads. In general I'd recommend iTunes but if you're using a PC then why not try the Oxfam Music website which will donate money to Oxfam with every purchase?

Gig tonight

2008-12-20T18:50:00.003Z

Just a quick one, but I've had a glance at the recent blogs today and realised that I really ought to blog more! However, I'm always micro-blogging via Brightkite and Twitter so that's the best place to check for more regular updates - www.brightkite.com/people/dayvedean or twitter.com/dayvedean.

I was out playing with the majority of the band last night (Dan was busy recording his radio show and it was a drum free venue in any case) in Birstall near Leicester. Not the biggest turn out for us or the other band of the evening, but good fun and great to be out playing live again.

We're out this evening too, slightly closer to home. We're hosting a jam night at The Woodlands, Shady Grove, Alsager, Cheshire where we'll be playing several songs from Octagon and Another Christmas, some covers (including our newest cover, REM's The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite!), and also joining in with any other singers and musicians who are up for it. So if you fancy a fun night out, either to join in or just to watch, come and join us anytime from around 9pm.

Plane Stupid at Stansted

2008-12-08T11:08:00.001Z

I've been watching the BBC News Channel reports about the Plane Stupid protest at Stansted. While I'm not suggesting that breaking the law is a good idea, it's been very interesting to hear the reactions to the protest.

There has been a lot of comment that people have been disrupted and that flights are a necessity for business and people going on holiday. There have even been complaints about the action by a group of delegates on their way to a conference about climate change in Poland.

Firstly, I can't help but think there's something ironic about catching a plane to a conference on climate change. Surely the best way to do this would be through technologies such as teleconferencing which would eliminate the need to travel at all. Or if not, Poland is pretty easily reachable by rail (check out /http://seat61.com/Poland.htm to find out how). I travelled to a gig in Hamburg this way earlier in the year and it's a really nice way to travel, both relaxing and allowing you to see a lot more than you are able to from a train.

I also wonder how many of the flights were as necessary as people seem to think. I'm very often surprised and disappointed how many people that I meet at various get togethers have travelled by plane, particularly if coming from Scotland to the south of England. While a high speed rail link could very well help to cut a lot of these journeys, and could easily be paid for if the money being proposed for airport expansions were used for this instead, I find it's the opinion of trains compared to planes which needs to be addressed.

Christmas

2008-12-04T21:17:00.007Z

If the lights up around town are anything to go by, it's heading towards Christmas time again!

It seems hard to believe that it's nearly a year now since the Another Christmas EP was released. If you don't already have a copy, it's available as a download on various sites including iTunes, Napster and CD Baby. I'm looking into getting a handful made as physical CDs too so watch this space... Another Christmas is also available on the new album, Octagon.

I had a good time performing with the band last Saturday at the Oxjam Unwrapped gig to make money for Oxfam. It was our first time performing all together and it seemed to go pretty well. We didn't have the video on for this one but for photos, check out the event's website at oxjam.dayve.co.uk or keep an eye out on my Flickr feed at flickr.com/dayvedean. You can find out more about Oxjam at their website at www.oxfam.org.uk/oxjam or check out the Oxfam website at www.oxfam.org.uk.

It's looking as though our next gig is going to be on 20 December at The Woodlands in Alsager. It's a jam night - so feel free to come and join in - but we'll be doing a fair bit of playing as well. We're going to be working on a number of covers and Christmas songs for the night so if you've any requests in advance, send them in to mailinglist@dayve.co.uk or contact via the blog comments or message boards at dayve.co.uk/forum. And if you're not already on board, why not join the mailing list - sign up from pretty much any page at www.dayve.co.uk?

It's the time of year that people send out Christmas cards, and I'm never really sure how I feel about this practice. At a basic level, I like to receive them as it's nice to hear from people that maybe I don't often hear from and I like the idea of sending them. I rarely actually get around to it though for several reasons, including not knowing people's addresses and running short of time. There's also the ethical argument to contend with. One one hand, it's a terrible waste of paper and resources especially if they're not made from recycled materials and recycled or reused after Christmas. On the other, charities are able to raise funds from the sale of the cards so good causes can greatly benefit. Maybe a solution would be to send ecards (but then I never know anyone's email address!) and either donate the money saved to charity or buy gifts such as Oxfam Unwrapped. I'll see what I end up doing this year.

In the meantime, I've come across some cool cards at a favourite company of mine, Howies. You can check them out here - http://www.howies.co.uk/product.php/1593/18/. They're recycled and donate to charity so maybe that's another solution.

Have a great Christmas if I don't get around to blogging again before then!

Ethical Christmas Emporium

2008-11-20T13:43:00.001Z

I'm in London today at the Bargehouse, OXO Tower Wharf on the South
Bank. I'm helping out Cafe Direct at the Ethical Christmas Emporium.

If you're in London today, why not come over and check it out?

Happy Xmas (War is Over)

2008-11-19T17:53:00.002Z

Here's a preview of one of the songs we'll be performing at Oxjam Unwrapped to get everyone in the Christmas spirit. A cover of John and Yoko's Happy Xmas (War is Over).

This is taken from our first rehearsal of it so contains the odd mistake here and there (just so we sound better on the night!)

Friends of the Earth CorporateAction: A raw deal for Africa

2008-11-13T19:07:00.002Z

Here's a couple of the latest campaigns from Friends of the Earth:

13th November 2008

Call time on global greed

Tell Gordon Brown we want a global economic system that works for everyone.

A raw deal for Africa

New European trade deals pose a serious threat to forests, biodiversity and livelihoods.

Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) will threaten the ability of African governments to protect their environment and achieve sustainable development.

In Africa these deals will hand rights to European businesses to exploit natural resources and cause massive problems for local industry.

Join the growing resistance around the world. Take action to change the way Europe trades.

Email EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso and demand that he stops Europe's destructive trade deals.

Focal Radio interview

2008-11-11T17:15:00.001Z

It's a bit last minute but if you're near a DAB radio or the internet tonight, you'll be able to hear me being interviewed on Focal Radio, a new radio station in the Staffordshire and Cheshire area.

I'll be on between around 7.15 and 7.45. You can access Focal Radio through www.focalradio.com or by searching for it by name on your DAB radio.

I've been rehearsing with the new band recently and you'll be able to watch us play on 29th November at an Oxjam event in Sandbach to help raise money for Oxfam. More details coming very soon but if you can, keep the date free. It'd be great to see you there.

Goodbye Bush, Hello Obama

2008-11-05T12:43:00.002Z

Email campaign from Avaaz.org:

After 8 long years of Bush – a fresh start!

Entrenched interests stand in the way, but Obama's victory brings a chance for the US to finally join with the world community to take on pressing challenges on climate change, human rights, and peace.

After years, even decades of distrust, let's seize this moment of unity, reconciliation and hope to send a message of warm congratulations and invitation to work together to the new President and the American people.

We've built a huge wall near the White House in Washington DC where the number of signatures on our message and personal messages from around the world will grow over the next several hours. We've also asked Obama to personally receive our petition from a group of Avaaz members. Let's get to 1 million signers and messages to Obama! Sign on at the link below and forward this email to others:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/million_messages_to_obama/98.php/?cl_tf_sign=1

This is a time for celebration of democracy, but already the sharks are circling – oil companies, war contractors, conservative lobbyists, and the powerful neo-con clique that brought us the war in Iraq are furiously lobbying to dim the prospects for change. Obama has promised national unity, and these interests will ask a high price for that unity.

Let's act quickly to make sure the people of the world are heard as Obama makes crucial choices in the coming days on how to live up to his campaign promises to secure a strong global treaty on climate change, ban torture and close Guantanamo prison, withdraw carefully from Iraq, and double aid to make global poverty history. Rarely has a US President been more likely to listen to us.

We'll make the point that on most of the pressing issues faced by Obama and the American people – from the financial crisis to climate change -- we need to work together as one world to achieve change. Sign below and forward this message on:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/million_messages_to_obama/98.php/?cl_tf_sign=1

With hope,

Ricken, Brett, Alice, Iain, Paula, Paul, Graziela, Pascal, Milena, Graziela and the whole Avaaz team.

PS – Send us a picture of yourself for our wall - email it to obamawall@avaaz.org

PPS – Here's a link to a report on Avaaz's past campaigning – http://www.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2/

PPS - And here's a list of 10 of Obama's campaign promises that concern the world – you can find his full platform here http://www.barackobama.com/issues/:

· Reduce the US's carbon emissions 80 by 2050 and play a strong positive role in negotiating a binding global treaty to replace the expiring Kyoto Protocol.
· Withdraw all combat troops from Iraq within 16 months and keep no permanent bases in the country.
· Establish a clear goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons across the globe
· Close the Guantanamo Bay detention center
· Double US aid to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015 and accelerate the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculoses and Malaria
· Open diplomatic talks with countries like Iran and Syria, to pursue peaceful resolution of tensions
· De-politicize military intelligence to avoid ever repeating the kind of manipulation that led the US into Iraq
· Launch a major diplomatic effort to stop the killings in Darfur
· Only negotiate new trade agreements that contain labor and environmental protections
· Invest $150 billion over ten years to support renewable energy and get 1 million plug-in electric cars on the road by 2015

People of the Democratic Republic of Congo need your support

2008-11-01T19:43:00.001Z

Latest email campaign from Oxfam:

Fierce fighting during the last few days has forced thousands of people to flee from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Many are finding their way into makeshift camps in the east of the country. Arriving daily, people are now desperately looking for security, food and clean drinking water.

Your support is urgently needed – please give to our appeal.

Oxfam is already working in four camps in the region but the size of the camps is increasing dramatically as tens of thousands more people flee towards Goma. This sudden influx means we now desperately need to ramp-up our relief efforts.

"The numbers fleeing are staggering. People urgently need our help. The latest fighting has spread fear and panic and left many more people living in very harsh conditions." (Juliette Prodhan, DRC Country Director, Oxfam)

In the camps, we have set up water tanks and tap stands to give people clean water. We are also providing sanitation facilities and are teaching camp leaders basic health skills to protect families from the spread of life threatening disease.

If you have not yet given a donation, please do so today.

So long as the fighting in DRC continues, it's not safe for many people to leave the camps and return home. But with your help we can provide them with a clean, safe water supply.

Thank you, again, for all you do to help save the lives of the world's poorest people. Our work wouldn't be possible without your support.

Cathy Ferrier
Fundraising Director, Oxfam GB.

Oxfam works with others to overcome poverty and suffering.
Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SCO 039042)
and a company limited by guarantee registered in England No 612172 at
Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford OX4 2JY.
Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International. Tel: 0300 200 1300
www.oxfam.org.uk

Oxfam World Food Crisis Appeal, a greener Local Transport Bill, Energy Saving Week

2008-10-21T23:36:00.006+01:00

Some more campaigns you might like to get involved in:

Oxfam launches report and £15 million appeal to tackle world food crisis

Oxfam has launched a massive fundraising appeal to tackle the impact of rising world food prices, which have pushed an extra 119 million people into hunger, taking the global total to nearly 1 billion.

The appeal has been launched on World Food Day alongside a new Oxfam report, Double Edged Prices, showing that the increases in food prices have pushed the world’s poorest further into destitution while quadrupling profits for some international businesses.

Oxfam needs an extra £15 million to pay for its international development and humanitarian work on food and agriculture, and to campaign for changes to the flawed trade and agricultural polices that have left poor farmers vulnerable.

Read more about this campaign on the Oxfam website.

Ask your MP for a greener Local Transport Bill

The Local Transport Bill will determine what happens to transport for many years to come. At the minute it doesn't say anything specific about cutting CO2 emissions. Ask your MP to support an amendment to the bill which requires local authorities to make sure their transport policies tackle climate change.

Find out more and take part in the campaign at http://tinyurl.com/637dwo.

Energy Saving Week

While I'm blogging, take a look at the Energy Saving Trust's website as this week is Energy Saving Week. While I will happily waffle on about energy saving in ANY week, this one's a good excuse to take a look at how you can reduce your energy usage, saving both money and CO2 emissions. Check out the website at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/What-can-I-do-today/Support-our-campaigns/Energy-Saving-Week.

Environment E-campaigns

2008-10-21T08:23:00.004+01:00

It's a busy week for email campaigns. Here's some that I've taken action on and would urge you to do the same:

Scraplife: E-waste in Pakistan

Related action: Tell Philips to simply take back and recycle

www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/philips/write-to-philips

Make illegal logging illegal

Illegal logging is still a massive problem facing the world's forests.

20% of the total timber imports into the EU are illegal or of suspected illegal origin.

Much of this timber is then sold on to manufacturers and businesses legally under current EU laws.

The European Commission has proposed new legislation to combat illegal logging and address the trade in illegally sourced timber.

But it's too weak to meet the challenge.

Ask your MEP to strengthen this much needed EU law and tackle the trade in illegal timber.

www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/corporates/press_for_change/illegal_timber_15818.html

Crunch time for climate change

With the recent turmoil in the financial markets grabbing the headlines and causing so much worry for all of us, it's been hard to think about anything else. And yet, the climate change threat hasn't gone away, and a key set of EU proposals - called the Climate and Energy Package - is currently progressing through the European Parliament.

We need to keep the pressure on our political leaders...

This week the UK's new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband and the Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, will be part of the final round of climate negotiations between EU member states.

They must adopt a strong position and we need to show that we are watching them closely - we expect to see strong leadership.

Mr Miliband has recently committed to delivering an effective UK Climate Change Bill. Now he must lead Europe towards an effective EU Climate and Energy Package deal.

This week is crunch time for the European response to climate change.

Keep the pressure on Miliband and Benn

www.timetolead.eu

Greenpeace - Take action: Write to Angela Merkel

2008-10-19T23:28:00.003+01:00

More than a tenth of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU are caused by cars.

The German car industry is lobbying hard to stop European lawmakers from setting tough emissions standards. They want to carry on building heavier, less efficient luxury cars.

Now that the European Parliament's Environment Committee has voted for standards, starting in 2012, industry lobbyists and the German government are trying to wreck the proposal.

Take action now - visit http://greenpeace.org/eurocarsmerkel.

Octagon EP now on iTunes and other download sites

2008-10-17T08:50:00.003+01:00

My new album Octagon is now (partially) available through iTunes. A 4 track taster EP is available featuring the songs:

I Could Be Happy With You

A live recording of Like Jimmy Did, recorded at The Loft in Liverpool

Starting Line - edited version different to the full album, and currently exclusive to this EP

.

iTunes are pricing it at 79p per song or £3.16 for the full EP. It is available at iTunes stores worldwide where pricing will vary. It is available in iTunes Plus, which means better quality and no DRM. If you're downloading from iTunes in the US, you can even buy the songs as a ringtone for your iPhone!

The EP is also making its way to various other download sites including TuneTribe, TescoDigital, HMV and more.

The full album isn't currently available for download, but you can get your hands on a physical CD copy in innovative Jakebox eco packaging from my live shows, www.dayve.co.uk, Music Mania in Hanley, and AA Music in Congleton.

Live shows and general waffle

2008-10-12T20:59:00.003+01:00

It's been a bit of an odd week where I've been planning on doing a lot of things and although I've been keeping busy, I don't seem to have managed to do a lot of what I had intended to. On the plus side, I seemed to be getting a cold too, but it appears to have disappeared before developing which has got to be a good sign!

I've been in Nantwich today performing at the Words and Music Festival. It's the first year of the festival, and hopefully the first of many. It's a real shame that I haven't been able to make it to more of the events this year but here's hoping for next time around! Check out their website at www.wordsandmusicfestival.com, and watch out for photos of the Acoustic Sunday performance coming soon.

I've also started working with a new member of the band, Steve Welch. He's a great guitarist and bass player so watch out for him in future live performances. In fact, we're going to be playing a short set at The Ash in Mow Cop, Staffordshire tomorrow (Monday) night - free entry!

I've another couple of live performance coming up in October, one of which is part of Oxjam, the music festival to raise money for Oxfam. It's taking place at the Literary Room at Crewe Library on Monday 27th October between 9am and midday - possibly the earliest performance I'll have done in years! It will be a totally acoustic set along with Dan Logan, and there will also be music by Prad. Find out more about him at www.myspace.com/pradsmusic. The performance is part of an event being organised by the Oxfam shops in Crewe and Sandbach. They'll be providing games, items to buy from the shops (including music, books and clothing) as well as new FairTrade items, Oxfam Unwrapped and Christmas cards so if you're in the area, come along and support them.

Finally, I'm playing with Dan, Steve and no doubt several other performers as part of a jam night at The Woodlands in Alsager this coming Friday night, 17 October.

And while I'm waffling, here's a quick plug for www.focalradio.co.uk. They're a new radio station local to me who will start broadcasting on 5th November (when really they should be out burning bonfires, setting off fireworks and the like...). Presenters on the station include John Newbould, the main man at Orchard Studios, and my talented musical colleague Dan Logan. Check them out!

Octagon - new stockists

2008-09-25T23:11:00.003+01:00

My new album Octagon is now available in a couple of independent stockists:

AA Music Congleton, 15 Bridge Street, Congleton, CW12 1AS
Phone 01260 280778

Music Mania, 4-6 Piccadilly Arcade, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1DL
Phone 01782 206000

It's also available from Orchard Studios, Cheshire - check them out at www.orchard-studios.co.uk.

If you'd prefer to buy on line, visit www.dayve.co.uk/shop.shtml or

Fringe Sunday video

2008-09-19T00:06:00.002+01:00

I've come across a video of me performing at Fringe Sunday in Edinburgh at http://www.festivalpreviews.com/blog/519/fringe-sunday-dayve-dean/

I didn't even realise they were filming it! Cheers guys! :-)

Too much information

2008-09-18T23:35:00.002+01:00

I've had a busy couple of months, especially with the launch of the new album and performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

It's all great fun to do so thank you to everyone who has supported me so far.

Since getting back from Edinburgh I've been sorting through some of the videos and photos that I have from there and also the album launch events. I've still got quite a few to sort through and it seems to be taking a while to get them uploaded onto the various sites. There are now quite a few videos and photos to have a look through if you have time to spare - details below.

I've also been struggling to get the various social networks under control and ensure I'm posting to them all. You can find a list of sites that I'm part of at the top of most of the pages at www.dayve.co.uk, and that's also the best place to look for the latest information. I tend to update MySpace, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube more than others - does anybody ever actually use Bebo?!

If you're after photos then www.flickr.com/dayvedean is a good place to start (RSS feeds for my Flickr photostream are available at: feed://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?id=24174989@N03&lang=en-us&format=rss_200

I've uploaded photos from around Edinburgh and also the three launch events for Octagon. Feel free to leave comments!

For videos, go to www.youtube.com/dayvedean where I'll be posting new videos as they become available, and you can also subscribe to my video podcasts (search for them on iTunes) which I'll be aiming to update weekly in both HD and iPod quality.

YouTube currently has videos from the main album launch gig at Orchard Studios with a full band including Dan Logan, Nigel Stonier, Fluff, and Roy Martin. There are also the majority of my final show at the Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride's in Edinburgh, recorded on 24th August. These videos will be coming to the video podcast over the next few weeks. You can also view these videos on MySpaceTV and Facebook.

The web's interactive these days so feel free to comment, message, post and join in! It's great to hear from you.

New album Octagon now available!

2008-08-27T18:48:00.005+01:00

My new album Octagon is now available as a limited edition release exclusive to this website and live shows. The CD is packaged in eco-friendly Jakebox packaging, made with recycled card, printed using vegetable based inks and holding the CD in place using a revolutionary 'claw'.

The album was recorded between November 2007 and April 2008 at The Loft, Liverpool; Orchard Studios, Cheshire; and The Motor Museum, Liverpool. It was produced by Nigel Stonier and features vocals from top 40 singer/songwriter Thea Gilmore.

Octagon features the following tracks, and can be previewed using the music player at www.dayve.co.uk:

Ordinary

I Could Be Happy With You

Starting Line

Lizard Skin

Tell You

I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

Like Jimmy Did (live at The Loft)

Waters

Another Christmas

Ride

Half price tickets for Octagon '08 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

2008-08-11T01:40:00.004+01:00

A limited number of tickets for my Octagon '08 show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe are being made available for half price, making the tickets just £4 each.

These tickets can be bought each day, while the allocation lasts, from the Half Price Hut near Waverley Station. The tickets can only be bought for that day's performance.

The Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride's venue is also offering half price tickets - please call their box office on 0131 346 1405 for more details and to book.

Everyone attending the show will also receive a free 4 track sampler CD of the new album Octagon (while stocks last).

Octagon '08 takes place every day until 24 August (except 16 or 23) at 5pm (11pm on Sunday 17). Regular ticket price £8 (£6 concessions) available from www.edfringe.com.

Set lists - 10 August

Main Stage, Fringe Sunday

Today was Fringe Sunday, a gathering of around 100 Fringe acts performing in The Meadows in Edinburgh. It was a free event with around 200,000 people expected to attend. I performed on the Main Stage, which was the big outdoor stage. It felt like a real festival with mud everywhere, very authentic!

Set list included:

Starting Line
Follow
Hospital Food
Lizard Skin
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

SmartCityCafe

After Fringe Sunday, I went straight over to the SmartCityCafe on Cowgate/Blackfriar's Street for another of their Fringe Tasters. It's always a great atmosphere in there and today was no exception. I performed:

Ordinary
Weather With You

Back Room, Acoustic Music Centre

Finally, I performed by main show at the Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride's. Here's the set list:

Have A Nice Day
Starting Line
Lizard Skin
Hospital Food
Innocent
I Could Be Happy With You
Ordinary
Waters
Still Life
Follow
Man On The Moon
Out of my Hands
Like Jimmy Did
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

Fringe Sunday, ticket offers, set lists

2008-08-10T09:54:00.002+01:00

Today (10 August) is Fringe Sunday at The Meadows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I will be performing on the main stage at 1pm so if you're in the area, come down and watch. It's a free event!

I had a great performance of my show Octagon '08 last night so thanks to everyone who was there. I'm playing the Back Room at the Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride's pretty much every day until 24 August. Tickets are available from the Fringe Box Office at www.edfringe.com. There will be a limited number of half price tickets made available everyday from the Half Price Hut by Waverley Steps, for sale on the day of performance only. If you buy tickets direct from the Acoustic Music Centre box office by calling 0131 346 1405 or popping in to 10 Orwell Terrace, you can take advantage of their buy one get one half price offer.

Set Lists

I've been trying to post my set lists (as far as I can remember them!) as soon as possible after the performance. Unfortunately my cunning plan to post from my iPhone has meant some of the posts haven't quite made it, so I've grouped the missing ones below:

Acoustic Music Centre, 9 August

Starting Line
Lizard Skin
Ordinary
Hospital Food
I Could Be Happy with You
Waters
River
Still Life
Follow
Weather With You
Innocent
Man On The Moon
Like Jimmy Did
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

Lower Stage, High Street, 9 August

Starting Line
Follow
Hospital Food
Ordinary
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

The Ark, 8 August

Fringe taster night in Edinburgh's East End.

Starting Line
Follow
Man On The Moon
Hospital Food
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

Lower Stage, High Street, 7 August

Busker style set on the Royal Mile playing to people braving the rain!

Starting Line
Follow
Lizard Skin
Ordinary
Hospital Food
Out of my Hands
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

SmartCityCafe, 7 August

Fringe taster gig with several other acts.

Follow
Man On The Moon
Hospital Food

VIP Lounge, C Central

Performing along with a selection of Fringe acts including an 87 year old stripper between midnight and 3am!

Starting Line
Hospital Food
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

The Ark, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh

2008-08-08T16:55:00.000+01:00

As the picture says, I'm performing here at 9pm this evening. It's free!

Two For One for tonight's show (6/8/08)

2008-08-06T14:32:00.002+01:00

Tickets for my Octagon '08 show at 11pm this evening are now available as two for one from the Acoustic Music Centre box office. Give them a call on 0131 346 1405 or email mailinglist@dayve.co.uk. Regular ticket price is £8 (£6 concessions).

Here's the Acoustic Music Centre's poster which is dotted around the city. It's purely alphabetical but I seem to have done quite well to get the top centre position on the poster :-)

This is the empty stage in the Acoustic Music Centre's Back Room where I am performing Octagon '08. This was taken just after the first soundcheck so the finishing touches were still being made.

Set lists

Here's some of the set lists for my recent shows:

Acoustic Music Centre, 4th August

Starting Line
Lizard Skin
Weather With You
I Could Be Happy With You
Man On The Moon
Out of my Hands
Waters
Still Life
Follow
Like Jimmy Did
Hospital Food
Lie To Yourself
Ride
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

Lower Stage, High Street, 5th August

Starting Line
Lizard Skin
Weather With You
Follow
Out of my Hands
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

John Lewis, 6th August

Starting Line
Lizard Skin
Follow
Man On The Moon
Out of my Hands
Waters
Like Jimmy Did
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

Carlton Hotel taster

2008-08-05T18:01:00.002+01:00

I'm going to be performing in a Fringe taster show this evening after my full evening show.

The taster is at the Carlton Hotel from 12.15am until around 3am. I'll be getting there as soon as I can after my show, around 1am.

Half Price Hut

2008-08-05T15:03:00.000+01:00

A few tickets for tonight's Octagon '08 show are now available from
the Half Price Hut on Waverley Steps. See the show for just '4 ('3
concessions)

The hut sells half price tickets for a selection of shows on the date
of the performance only. There is a limited number of tickets
available at half price and can only be bought at this price from the
hut.

Regular ticket price '8 ('6 concessions)

High Street performance

2008-08-05T13:27:00.003+01:00

I'm doing some performances on the Lower Stage on the High Street while I'm up at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and did my first performance there yesterday.

There's no amplification allowed on the High Street so it felt like a real busker experience! The songs I performed were:

Starting Line
Lizard Skin
Hospital Food
Follow
Out of my Hands
I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore

I'll be doing more street performances throughout the festival so pop by and say hello if you're passing!

I put some posters up on the High Street for the Octagon '08 show. There are several special pillars in place during the festival for the various shows to promote on, and it tends to be a bit of a free for all with posters getting covered over pretty quickly. I was quite impressed to find that most of mine were still on show several hours later :-)

First Edinburgh performance

2008-08-04T12:22:00.003+01:00

I did my first Edinburgh performance yesterday, a taster show at the SmartCity Cafe. Great venue and I was on with some really good acts, particularly Adrianna who is also performing at the Acoustic Music Centre. Check her out at www.adriana-music.com. I'm going to be playing there again on Thursday 7th. The show starts at 5 and I'll be on somewhere around 5.30.

The songs I performed were:

Follow
Man On The Moon
Starting Line

Here's a couple of images from the show yesterday:

Smart City Hostels

2008-08-03T16:47:00.001+01:00

The empty stage at SmartCity Cafe in Edinburgh for their first taster gig and my first performance at the Fringe.

Edinburgh

2008-08-03T10:28:00.003+01:00

I'm finally up in Edinburgh for the Festival Fringe!

I've been doing a little wandering around and the photo shows the High Street along with the Lower Stage where I'll be doing several taster performances, the first of which is tomorrow (Monday 4 August). I've listed the full dates and times below.

I'm also doing taster gigs at SmartCityHostels on Cowgate in Edinburgh, just opposite Baby Belly and not far from the Lower Stage on the High Street. My first spot there is at 5pm this evening (3 August) and I'll also be on at 5.34 on Thursday 8 August. Free entry!

My main Octagon '08 show starts tomorrow night at the Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride's. Tickets for this show cost £8 (£6 concessions) and are available from the Fringe Box Office at www.edfringe.com, phone 0131 226 0000, or various places around Edinburgh including 180 High Street. They're also available from the Acoustic Music Centre box office at 10 Orwell Terrace, Edinburgh, or by phoning 0131 346 1405.

Dates and times

Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride's

Venue 123, 10 Orwell Terrace, Edinburgh, EH11 2DZ
4-24 August (not 8, 16,23)
5pm: 11-15, 18-22, 24 August
11pm: 4-7, 9-10, 17 August

*Please note, the show on 24 August is at 5pm, not 11pm as previously advertised.

SmartCityHostels Cafe

Venue 375, 50 Blackfriars Street (or enter from Cowgate)

5pm, Sunday 3 August
5.34pm, Thursday 7 August

Free event, no booking required

Lower Stage, High Street

3.50pm - 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 16–24 August
4.30pm - 7 August

Free event on outdoor stage, no booking required.

Fringe Sunday

The Meadows, Melville Drive

1pm, Main Stage

Free event on outdoor stage, no booking required.

I Don't Want To Be That Man Anymore - Orchard Studios, 1 August 2008

2008-08-03T00:13:00.002+01:00

Video from the live band performance to launch the new Octagon album and the Octagon '08 show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The band includes:

Dayve Dean - vocals and guitar
Dan Logan - guitar
Fluff - violin
Nigel Stonier - bass
Roy Martin - drums

Recorded live at Orchard Studios, 1 August 2008.

More dates in Edinburgh and website changes

2008-07-21T08:43:00.002+01:00

I've had confirmation from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe that I'll be performing some preview shows on the High Street (Royal Mile) during the festival. I'm still awaiting confirmation of the exact times and dates so I'll post an update when I have them.

I've made a couple of small changes to the website. The music player is now available in a pop up window so you can continue to listen while browsing the site (or other sites!). I've also added social bookmarking links to some of the pages, mainly blog posts and RSS feeds. I'm still trying to get my head around the whole social bookmarking concept so might be able to extend this to more of the website as time goes on.

Tickets for my show Octagon '08 have started to steadily sell which is great news - thank you if you have already bought one! If not, you can get one from www.edfringe.com or by calling the Acoustic Music Centre box office on 0131 346 1405.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Octagon '08

2008-06-25T08:40:00.002+01:00

After a bit of a false start, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe box office is now selling tickets at www.edfringe.com. You can also buy tickets from the Acoustic Music Centre venue's box office on 0131 346 1405.

I'm going to be performing from 4 - 24 August (not 8, 16, 23) at the Acoustic Music Centre @ St Brides. Tickets cost £8 or £6 (concessions) and the first show is part of the Fringe's 2 for 1 offer.

Lizard Skin (live in Llandudno)

2008-06-14T00:15:00.002+01:00

Octagon '08 at Edinburgh Festival Fringe

2008-06-13T10:35:00.002+01:00

Tickets for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe went on sale on 9th June - in theory. The box office has implemented a new computer system and is struggling to make things work. At the moment it looks as though the system will be up and running by 10am on Monday 16th July. Visit the Fringe website at www.edfringe.com for the latest information.

In the meantime, you can view the website for my venue, Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride's, and order tickets directly from them. They will have a greater allocation of tickets than the Fringe Box Office so this is the best place to buy your tickets from. View my page on their site at www.acousticmusiccentre.co.uk/gigs/dayvedean.html.To order tickets, phone 0131 346 1405.

The Fringe programme is currently available from the Fringe office on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and will be making its way to various locations throughout the country. Visit www.edfringe.com to find out where to get hold of a copy.

I will be performing between 4th and 24th August - visit the gig guide to check out times and venue.

I'll hope to see you there!

Amiestreet.com

2008-06-04T14:49:00.003+01:00

I've just started selling my music on AmieStreet.com, and to kick things off they are giving people $5 to download music.

All you have to do is click on the link below to get $5 to download my music or songs from tens of thousands of other great independent artists.

Just click the link below and you'll be all set!

http://amiestreet.com/_l/cdbaby

Liverpool

2008-05-13T13:27:00.002+01:00

I've been visiting Liverpool quite a bit over the last few months
while I've been recording the Octagon album. I'd never really been
much of a fan of the city in the past but it now seems to be a really
exciting and vibrant place. As you probably know, during 2008
Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture and this is probably part
of the reason for the massive regeneration. It's definitely worth a
visit and I'm hoping to be able to play songs from the album live
there before too long.

One of the outstanding landmarks in the city is the Radio City tower.
I'm told it's 125 meters tall and is one of the first things that you
see when leaving Lime Street Station.

It always seemed to shine outlined against the blue skies that seemed
to be present almost every day I was there (even while getting snowed
and hailed on!). The photos I've taken barely do it justice.

Compost Awareness Week

2008-05-08T23:22:00.002+01:00

This week is Compost Awarenes Week and I've been working with WRAP to help promote the week including using peat-free compost made from recycled materials and home composting.

I think it's a great thing to be making use of what would otherwise be waste destined for landfill sites while also helping to save the natural peat bogs from destruction.

Find out more at www.compostawarenessweek.org.uk and www.recyclenow.com/compost.

Starting Line - live from Llandudno

2008-05-06T21:51:00.001+01:00