Jem Davis

Captains Log - Stardate 7-2-2010…..

Well here we are, 2010 and much has happened since the ole Firefest.  We were running around like flies with blue bottoms getting the album recorded, mixed and mastered in time.  Although in this day and age we can all do our bit at home with various recording set-ups, it was proved that there is no substitute for when the band are all together writing + recording.  We found this brill studio in Worcs run by the the splendid Chris and Moria D’Ada.

Turns out Chris used to play Tobruk covers many moons ago the fool, so we hit it off straight away.  It was just a great vibe in the studio and it helped to get through the great volume of work we had to do.

So after mixes flying about like crazy we finally were able to master and put the album to bed.  After all this time nothing short of perfect would do and we all feel that this album delivers on so many levels to please the die-hard fans and all new ones for 2010.

So it was then into rehearsals for the Launch Party which all went well although not an easy job to know what to play to please everyone.

I’m sure the others will write about the gig itself so….

For me personally I wanted to give my trusty Minimoog a day out, just for this show.  It’s a positive antique and my pride and joy.  It used to belong to Heart  many moons ago, and it's a fine specimen that stays in tune perfectly, rare thing in these ole beasts.  It might be the last time I will be able to have 'Jem's Keyboard Emporium' as we will hopefully have many festivals and support shows to do this year and I have to come up with a rig that can be set up quickly and deliver all the sounds needed for FM!  To this end I have bit the bullet and I’m going to try to run Mainstage from my Macbook Pro and just use the Roland Phantom G7 and Nord Electro 3 73.  This is a major step for me as my motto is why have 1 keyboard when 15 will do!!  Dunno whether I’m ready to put my trust in a laptop but I have to make that leap of faith.

As for the Roadhouse, it was strange having people all around me as I was unable to physically fit on the stage.  The only problem for me was not seeing Pete for certain cues, so Merv and Stiv had to relay info to me.  Gotta say the Nord C1 Hammond cut thro a treat and it was fun to have my Moog there.  Really enjoyed playing the new toons and they went down a treat along with doing the encore with Mick Ralphs, wot a lovely guy.  Big thanks to Jo for becoming my Keyboard Tech again, she did a fantastic job.  The whole day and night couldn’t have gone better.  The fans were fantastic and it was good to catch up with many old friends who came out of the woodwork.  So there you have it, gotta get programming now for the new rig but be assured will be bringing all toys out wherever possible despite Mr. Church’s protests ….

See ya on the road, 

Jem