Tomorrow the East End Film Festival starts in London, England. And who is in the short list of 6 soundtracks for “Best Soundtrack” …. well it's the Sonic Generals … and who is in the Sonic Generals ???
Oh c'mon you can get the names from their Facebook page but included in the line-up 'tis one Robertson Tait ! Now I must confess that on the particular track used in the movie “Hackney's Finest” (a gritty tale) I was not involved. However, Ashleigh Eymann and Ishkan-Adrian Cree did a knockout, stompingly good job. Anyway, the festival starts tomorrow and it will be quite a big deal. It goes for two weeks, I think, and there are some heavy names from the movie biz involved. Now book-wise, my “Kyle Harrison: Movie Star” has started out quite brightly on Amazon, but I always can use all the help I can get. So if you like dryish humour and a bit of romance-laced action, Kyle might be your cup of tea. The book is only on Amazon Kindle (for now) and it is longer than their estimated 67 pages. Y'know, my “Riding a Strong Wind” they had estimated as 136 pages or so and the paperback proof version I am looking at is 210 pages …. So you can see the relationship to reality. And before I leave that subject, I will say that it would help greatly if I could get some reviews on “Kyle” as it changes everything profile-wise on Amazon. Swimming I have re-started, God is that a pain. I guess when you've been doing something for a long time it does eventually get a tad tedious. I mean, for me, and I'm sure most other competitive swimmers, there is no “go relax round a pool” or “just laze about in the pool”. Can't be done ...wouldn't know what to do. If it's a pool, it's for swimming laps in, and if I'm swimming laps, then I have to do some legs-only, arms only, sprints, etc. etc. So being thus compelled, it is a pain in that I have to work when I get in there, and being vaingloriously lazy, 'tis tedious. And then, of course, the recognition that one is slower than one wishes starts the whole “try harder” thing and before you know it, we're dissatisfied and planning on upping the intensity and the distance. Obsessive I call it, but it never returns my calls, so I just shrug. “Kyle Harrison” is suitable for eighteens on up, and there is no graphic material or course language; it's a light, humorous, read with a touch of romance. I don't “pad” my writing or try to stretch it out to fill pages, so I hope and believe that the story moves along in a style compatible with the main character's personality, a charismatic young Scottish actor making his mark in Hollywood.
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Couple of Canadians making big noise Fabulous sounds of Ashleigh Eymann and Ishkan-Adrian Cree on the "Down to Business" track from the Sonic Generals forthcoming album. Produced by Alexander Johnston of the powerhouse Funk/Blues 8 piece dynamo Mamma Freedom. I think they should win, cos this is a great vibe, with stellar performances from Ashleigh and Ishkan-Adrian. The song's on my timeline here ages ago but I will re-post it. Dancin' shoes on !! http://soundcloud.com/thesonicgenerals/down-to-business-the-sonic So c'mon my Canadian Masters buddies! Give the tune a listen and support Canadian talent - it is smokin' AND it is performed by two BC residents !! Ashleigh and Ishkan -Adrian, I think, are both from Victoria. Click here to listen ... So here's what I wrote a week ago BUT didn't post.
See, I read somewhere stupid that writing (particularly a book) could be judged on the quality of how much good material the author “cut” from the work. Well obviously this is one of those silly, pompous postulations from an over-amorous ego on the part of whoever was proposing such a nonsensical yardstick …. But I took it one step further. I edited out the whole lot, and so my post was there, it was just maxed out on editing so there was nothing to read. But the quality of the “nothing” was absolutely superb !! So, relenting, here is what I edited out: Friday, 23May 2014 Well I am very pleased to see you visit … yes, I see the visit stats and it prompts me to respond. See it's Honesty Friday and, well ... to be honest I must admit your visits do incline me to communicate. So here's a link to my newest Facebook 'friend', JV Johnston, singing his song “Waltz No.1”. http://soundcloud.com/jvjohnston/waltz-no-1 And I will confide to you that I have settled on a cover for my “Kyle Harrison - Movie Star” Kindle book and it is dynamite, if I do say so myself ... and one does have to be realistic, BUT this cover is Smokin' !! And I took the pic myself .. yes I did, and it is truly gorgeous. Taken in Moorea, Tahiti, where the middle section of Kyle's romance, in pursuit of Barbara Bertucci, takes place. So anyway, back to my new Facebook friend, JV Johnston, and his knockout vocals. Apart from his solo album, he also sings lead for the funk/blues powerhouse band Mamma Freedom. You can listen to their stuff over on Soundcloud and do at least give them a 'like' click. Cos their stuff is Top Quality Funk/Blues. * * * In fact got big news about a Short List of Candidates for Best Soundtrack at the East End Film Festival in London, England. Starting on 14 June. Six nominees and the Sonic Generals are on this exclusive short list. Tell 'ya tamarra. Goodnight! Something a little different, a video/film of the making of “Voodoo Suite Sessions” album by the superb blues/funk Mamma Freedom.
Excellent musicians and a stellar producer going about the process. Down-to-earth reality of creating excellence. It's a YouTube video and here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5pzlGVlWjA Now here's today's “intrigue”... try to freeze the video at 4 min 58 secs and read the song title marked in blue on the (right-hand side) white board on the wall. Right above Alex's elbow you may see “Homeless In New York” by Rob.... Now check my music page on this site ….!! Four tracks above “Homeless in New York” is the great track “Down to Business” marked on the same board in blue. You can hear that over on Soundcloud. Just search for the title and 'Sonic Generals'. It's Saturday, so it's 'dancing-shoes-on' day – right? So dance away ... OK, it's Saturday 25 January and the pool is not an option today because of the kids competition … SO let's ramble on, but in a little less flippant vein, and try to touch on some things that might be of interest and use to you, and then again they might not.
Well now, cos we are all different ... “Are we paying attention, Coaches?” We are all different and we all respond differently to our swim workload. Obviously all the distance guys and I.M. swimmers are going to need a really good foundation of mileage put in, BUT for 200 metres on down to the 50 m, life is very different. So coaches can't just do a “write up the same workout for all on a blackboard and then sit back posing with the whistle.” No, they have to “individualize” the workout to the talent they are working with, AND I believe the good ones do. Anyway, what I'm getting to for those on their own, is that you need to listen to your own body's response and adjust and sometimes accommodate. So right now I'm struggling on some of those 25 metre sprints, because I'm not really “flying fit” and by that I mean that on a 50 m the first 25 metres should be “no effort required”, it should come by nature; just fly down the first 25 without even having to think about it, then all I have to do is swim a 25 metres - the one coming back. So, if I can get that “flying easy no effort” feeling, then on the return 25 m I should avoid the tying-up, and that dreaded moment when you start “thinking your stroke to yourself”. Once you're in that territory you want to hope you're only 5 metres max from home. So you see, I'm on a lot about “feeling” here, and that's not really the body and the workouts , it's from the mind. Now of course without the workouts you aren't going to get the luxury of “self-psyching”, but if you're close, fitness-wise, then you can max the mind quotient in your performance. So when I'm at the pool and I finish my workout, I dry off, and I look down the pool concentrating, imagining and playing the movie of my competition swim in my mind. Never swim slow in your movie, no ... you are just eating up the distance no sweat. Try it, you never know !! So to the weights – No Heavy Weights ... No, dumbbells/barbells will do and 15 kilos is fine. Reps are dependant on the movement – we are not leaving the door open to rotator injuries, anyway, we don't need to, it's just a case of doing more reps. Safer.
Anyone out there reading, I'd love to know I'm not just talking to myself (mostly cos I've heard all my own rubbish before). So do let me know with a comment or such, and for all you Canadian Masters, do give a listen to that track on my Facebook page “Down to Business”. It's by two artists from Victoria BC, Ashleigh Eymann and Ishkan and, of course, my stellar favourite, Mamma Freedom from Manchester - and the track is great to get you pumped. So at the pool, 5:00 pm.
Miserable rainy day and that doesn't exactly enthuse, but it has to be done, it has to be done. On the two days off since the last swimming day, I thought about working out with light weights, but then I thought again, and, being immensely lazy, I didn't do any weights. But, I also didn't wade into eating inappropriate quantities of food goodies, which might not be beneficial. So I had one very small bag of cashew nuts … that was it for the two days. And, of course, some water, and ... I'll come clean, I had two Green Teas WITH a spoonful of honey in each. I never eat sugar. Of course, one cannot avoid it in essentials like Lindt Chocolate, but there we are, life is not all a bed of dahlias. And an interesting fact is that honey was the very fuel that the Romans used to give them the energy to build those Pyramids in Sicily, (they were later shipped as a present to Cleopatra), a well known archaeological fact. Anyway, yesterday I think, being factual, that I only covered about 400 metres of legs only, alternating between free and breast 50s. And then, as the pool was fairly littered with obstacles in the form of erratic and wandering bodies, I tried to squeeze in 25 metre sprints on free. I think I managed around eight. But one has to adapt to the situation if one swims in a public pool and when life hands you lemons, make Martinis with little slices floating in them. I see folks regularly come to the pool and do their workout routine religiously, and it's commendable but in many cases what they are doing is 'practising swimming slow'. They do good yardage, but it's SLOW and they're memory-banking swimming in that way. Pity, a few sprints would be very revealing, and sometimes less can do more. It's kinda like typing – if you type slowly as a rule, you will NOT be able to dash off 100wpm when the need arises. My elbow is getting there, and on the free sprints I didn't notice any challenge – fly I'll find out next time there's space to try a 25 m Fly. Pool closed Saturday for a local competition. So Monday 27th next swim workout day. And if anyone is actually reading this … give yourself a shot of energy by listening to the “Down to Business” clip from the Sonic Generals upcoming album ... It's on my Facebook page and the song will be featured in the Hackney's Finest movie coming soon. Good for energy !!! |
Robertson Tait
~ Author of fiction Archives
January 2019
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