2008 Archive
9th December 2008 (originally written 1st Dec) - The Last Hoo-Haa
In the wake of a brilliant final Star Bar Open Mic, I blearily write you this little meme… Perhaps it would be better if I waited for the tequila to wear off, however with the fading tequila-blood I would surely lose some of the detail of the night from my memory… so…
I had already had a big weekend - a birthday bash and dirty dancing on Friday, followed by the Gimme Shelter gig on Saturday night (which was feckin’ awesome btw)… so by Sunday I was feeling the liquor-strain on my liver. But the show must go on!
I had met some song-inspiring people on the Saturday night and had hastily thrown together a wee tune about boys, my apparent current lack of mojo, and ‘the galloway slap’… and decided that singing this ditty in front of the people who inspired it would in fact be a good idea - hmm… the jury is still out on that one!
Some of Edinburgh’s most fabulous musicians turned out for ‘The End of An Era’ night - including Eddie Robinson, Lorraine McCauley, Peter Michael Rowan, Susanna Macdonald, Nick Keir, Martin Lennon, John Hunt, Stuart Clarke, Rob Sproul-Cran, and Ewan Michael Riley. (Apologies if I have forgotten anyone - the tequila may or may not have affected that part of my brain)…
The whole night was stunning, but I’ll mention a few highlights -
- Martin’s version of Solsbury Hill was blazing and I think may have even got Eddie dancing (even if it were under duress)!
- Eddie’s new song ‘Keys to the castle’ was gorgeous - and shows a side to his voice that I would love to hear more of.
- John Hunt’s ‘The Spider & The Fly’ is one of my all time favourites, and I’m SO glad he sang it.
- Susanna Macdonald gave me the song I requested - ‘Akasha’ - which is stunning and my favourite song of hers - yay!
And to top a fabulous night off - Peter Michael Rowan wrote me a tune on his fiddle - called (fittingly) ‘End of an era’ - LOVE IT! I’ve never had a song written for me before, so am overwhelmed!
My guitar Audrey made her triumphant return to the scene of the crime, and despite some technical hitches involving old batteries and broken strings, she shone - as usual 
A big thank you to those who came, sang, drank, and generally made my last night as host of the Star Bar Open Mic a success. Thank you also to the Agavero Tequila Liquor company, that made my head hurt so badly this morning.
Lots of love, xxx Hann
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1st December 2008 Much to update!
After my previous post on the jealousy of those writers that didn’t have the block that I seemed to, I joined the 50/90 songwriting challenge - and managed a staggering 26 songs in 90 days (not a bad effort after such a long spell of inactivity!)
Much has happened in the last 4 months - it has been a time of intense change, heartbreak, upheaval, and unsurprisingly, of immense creativity. Fully formed songs - Aftermath, Sanctuary, Beautiful Abstract Girl, Boulevard, Peaceful, Six Percent, Comfort of Strangers, and Galloway Slap are just some of the results of this crazy time.
Other outcomes are - more paintings in 3 months than I’ve done in years; several poems; 15 more credits towards my Arts Diploma; my first foray into piano playing; many new friends made; my PR business back in motion; and a bunch more alcohol consumed
New demos are often available on my myspace - so check it out and please, give me feedback - good or bad - as this is much appreciated.
I thank everyone who has helped me through this rough patch - Martin, Susanna, Eddie, and everyone who has picked me up when I’ve been down (both literally & figuratively).
love and lustre,
xxxxH
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23rd April 2008
Writing madness…
I am jealous of my friend Martin - you see he is have a manic writing spell… whereas I struggle to write a song every 2 months! I am jealous - I won’t lie. Dear goddess, please bring me the writing buzz…
But I wish him ever so much luck. Plus, he wrote a great little blurb about me on his blog… so I love him
“I’ve already reviewed Hannah and PMR (as a soloist) and they came out top and swinging then too. I loved her work so much, I even asked her to take over the open mic at the Star Bar when it was time to move on, which she did brilliantly. I’ve been trying to follow her musical progress since then but, as I mentioned to her at the gig, it’s hard to follow someone who blogs even less than me! Fortunately, she heard and (almost) promptly got back in there. I’ve never seen a gig where she didn’t own the stage. Why isn’t she on really big stages by now?
She did a lovely set, aided and abetted apparently (but not obviously) by that lovely trio Mr Daniels and Mr Coke (with Mr Ice on percussion) on refreshments and, more pertinently, by Susanna MacDonald on (if I remember correctly) Killed The Man. I need to get out and review these people soon. I wish Edinburgh had a bigger audience for this stuff.” - Martin Lennon
xxxxH
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6th March 2008
Thanks to Secret CDs… and to Jack Daniels…
Secret CDs at the Phoenix Bar in Edinburgh was an absolutely awesome night last night. The vibe was great, the line-up fantastic (even if I do say so myself), and I had a fabulous night.
Apparently the few JDs I had beforehand made me pretty hilarious on stage - hehehe - but all I know is that I sang my friggin’ heart out… and I hope that the audience enjoyed it
I’ve been invited to play on Easdale Island in the summer, as a result of this gig, so I am absolutely stoked!
xxxHann
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28th February 2008
OOTB Review - 289
I just got this lovely review from Rob Sproul-Cran, the OOTB reviewer for Out Of The Bedroom 289…
“She looks at us like a schoolmistress over her specs, then goes on to sing
a song called ‘Bound,’ though there’s no dodgy stuff here. Rather, an
enchanting tale of love as enthrallment, in the true sense of the word.
‘Dirty Angel’ is about rising above one’s circumstances – “she’s a side
show freak, but this dirt angel flies,” and named after a great compliment
from a punter. Throughout, Hannah mixes original lyrical themes with a
beguiling and assured stage presence, and her last, ‘Strange Friend,’ is
typical of this. About a conversation with a crow, it is rich with
metaphors. Hannah is masterful in mixing full voice and falsetto; light
finger-picking and freefall strumming; and shifts the mood between verse
and chorus with ease.”
Bless ya Rob
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14th February 2008
Starry Things & Musings
So… I’m still gainfully unemployed… hurrah! Well, not so hurrah for my poor wee credit card *grumble*
However I am writing more, and have a few gigs coming up - woo! And am also hell-bent on recording my album this year… because if I don’t my adoring fans may well disown me… or send a lynch mob - aaaaaargh!
I’m back at the Star Bar running the open mic this Sunday (17th) - another hurrah! And am playing a Secret CDs gig at the Phoenix Bar (Broughton St, Edinburgh) on March 5th - woo!
Plus I wrote a song with the words ‘ninja’ and ‘arsehole’ in it, today.. so I’m stoked I mean, ninjas… how cool are they?
I am determined to be less girlie/melancholy this year, and wanna bring some ROARRRRR back to Hannah-land.
Much love and kisses,
Hann