Wednesday October 15:
When the album first came out locally, we thought it would be a good idea, since it is such a radio-friendly album as a whole, to get the local radio stations to play it. However, we'd bargained without the mean-spirited evil that is the "radio playlist policy". Basically, this means that, unless you can get your track on the weekly playlist for that radio station, then they don't play it - and, to get on the playlist, it would seem that you have to be a major label with an army of radio pluggers who'll do anything and spend anything to get your track on the list. Wave 102 said they'd have a copy of the CD to hear (we never heard back what they thought of it) and assured us that the only chance we'd got of a track being played would be what they called an "op spot", which is the bit of time where the DJ suddenly finds he's messed his timing up, needs something to fill the time and has a peek at the list of available tracks to pick something out to fill the gap - makes you feel really special, huh!! - so that was as good as a soggy lettuce.
However, Stuart Webster at Tay-FM was far more accommodating. As head of music there, he also delivers the weekday breakfast show to 10am, and here he's come with an ingenious plan to play and feature local bands' music. Because the powers-that-be up above, still won't allow local bands on the great god playlist, he came up with the plan to get a band to record a jingle for the Breakfast Show. On receipt of the jingle, if he liked it, he'd play it, and this would then provide an "excuse" to play a track by the band concerned. Various bands had recorded jingles, including SAZ and The Trade, so Paula stepped up to the task and recorded one herself. Armed with said jingle, we went to meet Mr Webster at Tay-FM studios in Dundee.
A most pleasant chap, we were escorted to the depths of the studios, where he played and enjoyed the jingle. He then proceeded to record, entirely impromptu, an interview with Paula for the Breakfast Show, at which she acquitted herself rather well. Unexpected job done, and having assured us that the results would be broadcast on Tay-FM the following morning, we thanked him and left.
Thursday October 16:
Eagerly tuning in to Stuart Webster's Breakfast Show on Tay-FM, with various hints along the way, it wasn't until 9am when things kicked off. Started off with several pre-piece announcements that Paula had recorded the jingle and that he'd be speaking with her in due course, until the time came when he broadcast the jinlge, which garnered favourable comments from himself and the other guy in the studio, then a wait until they broadcast the interview, which came across really well, the results of which should be available to hear on Paula's myspace site soon. They then proceeded to play "Forbidden", the opening and seriously commercial track on the album, and seemingly the track on which radio is most focused. Well, when I say they played it, they played about two thirds of it before fading it out. Now, while you can't argue with that and you have to be greateful for small mercies, it just shows how powerful a grip that playlist policy has on the station, but that's another discussion for another place and time. Either way, it was Paula's hour and it went down well - thanks to Stuart Webster for all his efforts.
Paula and myself listened back to the results on a tape I'd recorded of the programme, while driving to Glasgow. She'd been invited by Jim McMillan of Sunny Govan Radio in Glasgow to do an acoustic session for the station. Later that day we found our way to Sunny Govan Radio and hung around waiting for the main man to turn up, which he duly did. That evening, as it turned out, what they wanted Paula to do was to play a track from the album and do an interview as well as play "Forbidden" - all LIVE on air. Without a flinch, she got the guitar ready and sat down next to the mic. But she had an ace up her sleeve - you see, she'd also recorded a jingle for Sunny Govan, based on a new track she'd only recently completed, and handed this to Jim who promptly played it and loved it, and again, will be on Paula's myspace site soon. She then played a track from the album live on acoustic guitar and vocals, did the interview, they played "Forbidden" and another success was in the bag. It turned out that the station had been playing "Forbidden" in the preceeding weeks and that the feedback to it that they'd received from the listeners was so encouraging and enthusiastic, that they'd added the track to their own playlist, another triumph!!
Monday October 27:
The planned gig at Abertay University got cancelled by the venue - about 10 minutes before it was due to go ahead!! Turns out that the promoter - no names, to protect the guilty - had made a right dogs dinner of the gig the previous night where the bands turned up late and playedd to about 5 people while the University had laid on a full complement of staff and, without being able to contact the promoter to find out what was hapening re Paula's gig, they'd elected to cancel the whole thing instead - understandable decision, we have to say. They assured us that if we droped them a line, that they would reschedule a gig for Paula Knight at Abertay University, to make up for having to disappoint her in the manner that was presented.
Tuesday October 28:
Same promoter arranged gig at MacDaniels in Dundee - despite the fact that they'd done no promotion for the gig and that the scheduled bands to play after Paula had all pulled out the week before, Paula elected to play, even though she had to play the set with the guitarist from local tribute band Headroom, playing bass. With our friend and great acoustic singer Susan Perkington opening up things, Paula's band played the gig and even tried out the two new songs too, brave under the circumstances, but largely it all went OK and the audience provided good feedback.
Sunday March 22 2009:
Well, it's been quiet......
Due to personal circumstances, Paula elected to have some time out at the end of 2008, so no gigs were played. In the meantime, we'd decided it might be a good idea to get one of the tracks on the album done as a "dance mix" - but who to do it? We approached Dundee's Baxter Park Sunbather who directed us to one of the guys from Big Big Sound but he never replied to the e mail and that idea went nowhere - until American innovative and commercial indie dance musician Bev Stanton, who works under the name of Arthur Loves Plastic, heard a copy fo Paula's album and professed a great love for the tracks. We told her that we'd been looking for a dance remix of one of the tracks and she suggested that "Forbidden" would be perfect. A month or so later, along it came - and it's absolutely phenomenal!! Bev intends to put it on her next Arthur Loves Plastic album, so you'll have to wait until then before you get to hear it and we can get the radios to play it.
Into the New Year with weekend gigs from Paula's part-time covers duo, Oceans Apart, wowing clubs and pubs all around the area and beyond, as the first (and possibly only) all-female rock & pop covers act on the circuit, Paula getting amazing comments on the excellence of her guitar work, eveywhere she went. One particular gig as a undraiser at Strathmore Cricket Club, went down so well that they inviter her back immediately after the gig!!
So, the next step was to record a video - for this we needed a recording of a live concert. One was set up for April 11th, but Paula's drummer refused to commit to this - or any other - dates, so the hunt was on for a new one. At present, one has been found, but we'll leave news of exactly who that is, until next time.
Finally, it loks like that long-awaited UK distribution deal for the album, is about to hapen - again, more news next time.....