Having decided to slow life down, recording songs is now a casual approach. The driving licence, because I reached 70 years old, has now been changed to a photographic credit card sized one with my face on it. A face that looks like it has aged 20 years in the 5 years passed by in retirement. What stares back nowadays is a tired and worn out countenance. Hence the need to chill the beans.
My old paper licence had to be sent back to the DVLA in exchange. On reaching 70 years in age you have to go through this procedure. Answer questions for proof you can still get behind a wheel and remain safe to drive.
I am saying this because, with this photographic evidence that I am who I claim to be, it allows me to open up a Stripe integrated system with my bank account. A bit like PayPal. This is required for the musicians platform called Bandcamp. Without photographic evidence, you cannot set it up. My passport expired during the COVID year and has not been renewed. My free Bus Pass, which includes a photograph, is not valid to open up a bank account. In short…I had no proof of being ‘me’. So could not get stuck in and complete setting up Bandcamp. The new driving licence has turned me into a real life living entity again. So full steam ahead.
Over the coming weeks, first uploads to Bandcamp can be sorted out after sorting out the banking stuff over the weekend. Initially, I want to simply create a platform of Frail Autumn songs that are now put to bed and finalised. Also, burning songs onto CD format can be started too. I’d love an EP (Extended Play) bunch of songs first. 5 songs in the collective.
Imagery for the Bandcamp site individual songs? A jarring vibe as opposed to relevant pictorial similarities to the titles? Still thinking. But the black and white film photographs from the past are there. Even more apt are the more recent iPad takes. Lyrics or song titles can easily be fountain pen scrawled in red ink onto the images of rawness and shadows. Layers of oddity in the form of rags, cut out typewriter typed wordery, beach found small pieces of rusted metals found in the flotsam and jetsam, etc. could added too.
Back in the 1970’s I wanted to put an EP vinyl 45 rpm single out. That little dream never reached reality. So maybe with Bandcamp and a little CD release alongside, this is the way I can finally make it really happen.
Getting these 5 song choices together now? I chose last year’s songs mainly. They have been patiently waiting to be released into the World. And the Bandcamp ‘Gray Summers as Frail Autumn’ can start to be realised as a nice little platform. Hopefully, the experience should be fun. Rather like the YouTube uploads started some months ago. The YouTube site is no great success. But it is a very nice pastime hobby in my retirement.
To get a decent visual and audio set up for Bandcamp? I will definitely have to hunt for a collaborator who has those type of setting nice and easy access for people skills.
The EP title? My little booklet of poems, illustrations and a short story that supported the pottery/ceramics mythological ideal I used to make back in the 1980’s was called ‘The Circle of Five’.
And so, for consistency in all things Summersville, the first EP will be called, yes you guessed it…….’The Circle of Five’.
THE ⭕️ of 5️⃣
Maybe the EP will be called The ⭕️ of 5️⃣ ➕ 18/50
