JodieBowie: How I Got Into Being A Promoter (My Journey) – Part 1

I may have break this up into different blogs otherwise people will be reading it FOREVER!! Believe it or not, my journey to where I am now in my music career wasn’t a straight line at all… to be honest, this wasn’t even the route I was planning on going down.

All The Best Decisions Happen By Accident

JodieBowie circa 2015

I think this is a good place to start.
It got to that time in school when you’ve either almost completed Sixth Form or College and you have to start considering what your next step is… further education, like University, perhaps an Apprenticeship, or are you going to find a job?

Well, I already did an extra year of Sixth Form because they just couldn’t get me to leave! So I stayed until Year 13, I think I was 19. I took Photography, Media and English Language as my A Levels.

Music was always something that fired up my soul more than anything else. It was all I thought about, all I was interested in and all I could really write about! For my last Photography Coursework my work was based purely on how to photograph bands. My media exam piece was based on The Rolling Stones. If I could include bands and music in my education… then I would!
My Tutor Mr. Mabert would actually set me extra work to do outside of school; he knew how passionate I was about rock music. I can remember walking down the corridor one morning wearing a retro crop top, paisley flares, red lipstick and Doc Martens and Mr. Mabert said “Jodie, what year is this?” and I said “1975 sir“. He knew I was good at writing, and he would encourage me to write about my favourite musicians etc and would read and give feedback on what I had written.

My winning billboard – 2014

To be fair, at this point I should probably add that I was doing pretty good at photography and actually won a world wide competition judged by renowned photographer Rankin, with a reconstructive photograph of myself as Mick Jagger from a photo that David Bailey took back in the 60’s.
I was also pretty well known on the Tribute Band scene because I absolutely loved David Bowie & The Rolling Stones so would be out regularly watching tributes to those artists and meeting people through those sort of avenues. I mean I had bright purple hair and wore a feather boa… I wasn’t exactly hard to miss.

This can probably lead on to how I got my name actually – JodieBowie.
At the age of 15 I discovered a man named David Bowie; and I thought he was Gods gift on earth! There was a boy in my year… I can’t remember his name, but I think it was Jacob? and for some reason I thought he looked exactly like David Bowie from Labyrinth (even though he had short black hair! But they did have the same teeth to be fair). Me and my friends would use the code name “Bowie” to talk about him. Of course this ‘Bowie’ never looked at me twice, let alone knew my name! I was a flat chested, goofy, boyish, awkward girl with a hair cut like Brett Anderson from Suede – not exactly what boys of 15 find ‘attractive’ aha. ANYWAY, because of my Bowie obsession a lot of my teachers started calling me JodieBowie and this followed me into Sixth Form.
Mr. Mabert, Mr. Presnell and Ms. Green were all teachers who’d call me Miss. Bowie.
So when it came to starting up my blog, I decided to go with “JodieBowie” and from then on it’s kind of stuck. I decided to use it also as my promoter name because so many people knew me as that. I’m sure I’ll get sued one day for copyright!

Me with Bobby T of TooRex at my first ‘job’ at the Memorial Centre

SO, I’m at Sixth Form at that annoying cross roads in life where you have to decide which way you’re going to do. At this point they’d already done me a favour letting me stay an extra year, so by this time they were desperate for me to spread my wings. I decided to just go along with what everyone else wanted me to do and what everyone else was doing. I’ll apply for University.
I thought seeing as I love music and writing… the obvious course to follow would be Music Journalism.

In order to get some practice within the industry I needed to actually try doing some journalistic things.
I saw my local centre – New Milton Memorial Centre – was doing a lot of Tribute Nights, so I popped in one afternoon and asked if they’d like someone to write press releases for the local paper to help promote the shows.
This decision literally changed my life.

They said YES, and the next thing I knew I was working with bands, learning about what actually goes on behind the scenes and doing all the writing I was supposed to be doing. A few months later, one afternoon they called me in for a meeting because they wondered if I had any ideas on how to get younger people in; and that’s when I thought “what about local band nights?“. I saw that Mr. Kyps in Bournemouth (at the time) had a few band nights which featured all the best of Bournemouth’s local music scene, so I thought why not just bring that line-up down my way and maybe add some other bands that I knew personally from other areas like Southampton.
I was basically just left to make this idea a reality, and I DID.

My first ever line-up!

This was when “ROCK NIGHTS” were born. They were originally called ‘Heavy Rock Nights’ but we decided to rebrand just in case the ‘heavy’ put people off.
My very first line up took place Friday 13th February 2015. At this point in time I knew of Western Sand as Tyler Hains and Jimmy Bradshaw were actually my guitar tutors from when I was about 14 years old, so I knew they’d make an excellent headline band. I was familiar with The Smokin’ Prophets from their Hollywood Trash days where I saw them support Alan Merrill at the old Talking Heads in Southampton, and they were up for jumping on my show. I heard that Saints of Sin were pretty big around Bournemouth at the time as well and had seen them on many line-ups with both bands, so I got in touch with those guys and that was it… that was my first line-up!

Honestly, compared to what I do now, I had no idea what I was doing. I somehow winged it, into getting the bands involved and probably got lucky through them just knowing me anyway, then it was the case of actually making sure people knew about it! I was still at Sixth Form at this time, so I would go out every Friday during my break and lunch and hand out flyers around my town, stick them everywhere I can. I’d spam all the Facebay groups in my area too in the hope someone would see it and share it. I learnt how to use the ticketing service EventBrite and that made life a whole lot easier.

I can’t remember if the night was particularly financially successful (at this point, I didn’t do any of the ‘money’ part of bookings, nor did I make anything from it), but there was people there and everyone was having a fantastic show and loved all the bands! So with that being said, it was time for round 2!
Originally I kept the same line-up, but Western Sand couldn’t make the second show which meant I had to do some researching a find another band!
This is when I came across a band called ‘Pirates of Panama’ who seemed to be doing not too badly in Bournemouth and when I listened to their music, I liked it. This was another unforeseen moment that would change my life again.

My second line-up consisted of headliners Saints of Sin (and these were the first of many many shows together) and support acts Pirates of Panama and The Smokin’ Prophets. The show took place on Friday 31st July and needed some proper pushing, and the show almost got pulled! But somehow we made it work within the space of 3 days with some proper hard work and it went down an actual storm. The connection I had formed with the bands were unbreakable, people were beginning to recognise me a little bit, I was getting spoken to differently, I was behaving differently, my music taste had changed, I wasn’t listening to 70’s bands, it was all about the 80’s. I was having the time of my life, 19 years old and living the life you dream of when you’re watching Rock of Ages on TV.
This was the moment that I realised I wanted to be doing this forever.

Going to University to study journalism seemed like a lifetime ago, and was no longer an ambition of mine. I wanted to give my entire life, and my whole self to bands and doing and being what they needed me to be and do.
That hasn’t changed since that day.
I began really looking into bands in the area, adding members of bands on Facebook and making that contact. It didn’t take long before I was getting invited to gigs, being put on guestlists (which I still don’t like – I will always pay for a ticket, sometimes even to my own shows!), and bands were introducing themselves to me. I was having a great time going to gigs, mainly Saints of Sin gigs, meeting fans, living my life, discovering new music, figuring out how the industry works and just getting a taste for how many bands are actually out there!

I did a further 2 Rock Nights in 2016 which included 4 bands on the line-up. I worked with Saints of Sin, The Brash Bullets, Lip Service, Pirates of Panama, Daisy Chains, The Smokin’ Prophets, Our Propaganda and Freeway Mad.
Some members of said bands are now members of South of Salem, Crooked Shapes and The Treatment. Both gigs were fantastic line-ups and did fairly well to be honest, especially for the size of the venue I was working with, but the people who ran the Centre weren’t really up for following my dreams of bringing rock ‘n’ roll to a sleepy town of pensioners…

A little glimpse of what is coming in PART 2!

So, that’s where the rock ‘n’ roll dream took a break for a while. I grew tired of not being heard or encouraged and decided that it was better to be at gigs than it was to put on gigs. Everyone around me was convinced that music just wasn’t a ‘thing’ anymore, and no matter how hard I tried to prove them wrong, they just weren’t interested in helping me get to the next level, so I guess I got tired of my flame being blown out and took a step back.

BUT… that would soon change!
And you will hear about what happened next in PART 2!! ❤

I hope this wasn’t too long winded, but there’s so much life to pack into something like a blog! I might as well write a book or a movie haha.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed! Feel free to ask questions… do you thang! 😀

Feel free to follow me on social media:
INSTAGRAM: JodieBowie
INSTAGRAM: Nozfest
FACEBOOK: JodieBowie
FACEBOOK: Nozfest
FB GROUP: Nozfest
WEBSITE: www.nozfest.org
YOUTUBE: JodieBowie

Seeya soon!

Jodie x ❤ x

Top 5 Songs of September

Sorry I didn’t post my Top 5 of August in blog form, but they are on my FB page if you’re still interested in what they were & they are also included on my Spotify playlist 🙂
Anyway… where the heck has this year gone? It’s October already!! Let’s get crackin’!

Remember there is a YouTube playlist which includes all these wonderful songs from each month, and also a Spotify playlist which you can find via searching for ‘jodieharris15‘.

CHINA PLATES – MASSIVE WAGONS
“I don’t wanna be your friend anymore, it’s only Facebook official, nothing personal…”

I loveeee this song, mainly because it is so modern day with the lyrics! I love it when songs are about online lives because it’s such a huge part of our lives now. This song is so true, and I am living for it!! Gotta love me some Massive Wagons. I’ve mentioned these guys in so many of my Top 5 blogs, but I just keep discovering more and more stuff – if you haven’t… please check them out, and have a look at their new album “Lord Nelson”. FAB! ❤

I DON’T OWE NOBODY NOTHING – THE KRIS BARRAS BAND 
“Cos I’m living life for something, something that you’re not…” 

Wow. I saw Kris live in Southampton, and thought he was absolutely phenomenal! This man has an incredible voice, pure raw talent, a heart full of passion and his guitar faces are off the scale of epic! CHECK HIM OUT if you haven’t already… and get to a live show!! I love this tune so damn much, I feel like it’s definitely another one of my theme tunes for sure!! ❤

TEAR IT APART – PIRATES OF PANAMA
“Trying to shake the boss man off my back…” 

Oh.My.God.
Lads…… forgive me for saying this but…. that is the best music video and best audio you have put out! I was pleasantly surprised. Wow. If you guys didn’t know, the Pirate lads actually played my 21st birthday, so they of course hold a special little place in my heart. I am so happy for them that they are achieving their dreams and goals, and I look forward to see what their futures hold. Musically, if you’re a big L.A Rock fan….. go check these boys out! They’re definitely upped their game! Keep up with that sound boys ❤

JUST LIKE TIGER WOODS – STEEL PANTHER
“Get a platinum card it’ll be good…” 

I recently found myself reaching out for the good old Steel Panther again! This is just a song that generally calms me down, and gives me a “things will be okay” moment. Especially if I am going through family problems…. Steel Panther are a band I gravitate to big time during those times. I guess it’s part of the whole “rebelling” thing, but they give me time to feel like I belong somewhere…. because sadly around family, I always feel like I’m not meant to be there.

21 SHOTS – SAINTS OF SIN
“I took 21 shots for you…”

Well how could I not include this beauty! If you haven’t already seen, I was indeed in the music video – it was a great day and a great experience. Highly recommend checking out the music video, a lot of effort and planning went into it and it’s really payed off. Saints of Sin at their finest! I’m sure they’ve got a lot more tricks up their sleeve, so make sure you do check ’em out 😀

 

Hope you all enjoyed this blog, sorry I’ve not been as active lately – but hopefully you’ve discovered some new awesome tunes in this blog!!

Don’t forget to check me out on social media – don’t be afraid to reach out to me ❤
INSTAGRAM – JodieBowie
FACEBOOK – JodieBowie

Love you long time !!

Jodie x ❤ x

Awesome Local Bands You Really Should Check Out

I absolutely love local bands! I pretty much only listen to local bands, except for the Rolling Stones of course – I guess it’s partly to do with my job, looking out for the best of local talent to be a part of my popular Rock Nights, and partly because I love music no one else listens too. I love obscure bands that play their own songs as well as blistering covers… we need more of that in our music industry of today, rather than the shit we are supplied with through X-Factor and God knows what else. 

I thought I’d recommend some top bands for you guys to check out! Trust me, I’m very hard to please. I have a very specific taste in music so I’ll either love you or hate you, there’s not a lot in between.
I love guitar based bands, I.E riffs. I lovee riffs. The bass and drum have to be loud and powerful. Catchy lyrics. Good image on stage. Not too many pointless solos. I wont lie, I really really dislike bands that ‘over-solo’. I’m also specific in guitar players, I guess that comes from the Stones… I like guitarists who actually play the guitar, if that makes sense.
– I like being able to pick out certain instruments when I listen to music, I like being able to see how the band as a whole works together – I’m a Stones fan out and out, and if you truly watch and listen to the way they play and work together, its clever and traditional and it’s like eating your favourite meal – that’s what I look for in bands.

Also, some of these bands are not from the South Coast but are just as freakin’ awesome as the bands in my area.

STOP STOP

I’ll be honest with you. These guys are well and truly my favourite! This band will be the only one in which I’m really bias cos I adore them so much and everyone should check them out.
They are based in Birmingham but are actually from Barcelona, Spain.
I first saw these guys back in February at The Winchester in Bournemouth, as Saints of Sin were supporting them. My honest opinion afterwards was “what on earth was that?!”, I couldn’t work out if I liked them or not. Very loud, very in your face, really worked with the audience participation side of things… and their stage image….. I was pretty confused! The frontman, I found him fascinating – the way he moves on stage, reminded me a bit of John Newman/Marc Bolan. The guitarist, very good guitar play; very very good guitar player; and the drummers hair! Wow!
I sort of made up my mind, that they wasn’t really my thing – then one of their songs was stuck in my head all night, and all through the next day – so I decided to check them out a bit more and………… I’m pretty much obsessed now (they’re even playing my 21st bday!). Just goes to show not to judge a book by it’s cover, and truly good bands will stick in your mind, even if you’re not quite sure at the time.
Stop Stop – Toilet Party

PIRATES OF PANAMA

Pirates of Panama are based in Bournemouth, and have played in Hollywood LA a few times at The Whisky A Go Go along with other venues, and also been on tour with Faster Pussycat.
I recommend these guys cos I liked them from the first second they started playing at my 2nd Rock Night. Again, I’m hugely fussy with guitarists, but I actually love Ed Van Egan’s guitar style  – think he might be one of my fave local guitarists. The guitar is very catchy and not over-done. (Very Mick Ronson)
Their image on stage – LOVE! Again, it’s not over-done, it’s kinda normal ‘rock band’ – but not too ‘rock band’. They remind me of summer… dunno, but when I listen to their music I feel in the summery mood! Like I need to be on a hot sandy beach somewhere with a beer.
I just personally think they all work really well together – if there is any band half as close to being style in musicianship to the Rolling Stones… it would be these guys; personal opinion.
If you want a specific band they sound like, I’d say Motley Crue/Faster Pussycat maybe with a hint of Bon Jovi………..
Pirates of Panama – Been There Before 

VOODOO VEGAS

Another Bournemouth based band, and I have mentioned these guys before.
I’d describe them as Southern Rock – the bass and drum are very ballsy. Catchy tunes and both guitars work really well together. I guess you’d say they are a mixture of Black Stone Cherry and Guns ‘n’ Roses.
I loveee them and cannot wait to work with them in the future – they have a great stage image live, again they’re not too much, very riffy band. Literally just go and see them, I can’t possibly do them justice in blog form!
Voodoo Vegas – Tied Up 

THE SMOKIN’ PROPHETS

I’m going to say these guys are more Southampton/Portsmouth based? Correct me if I’m incorrect.
The one thing I will say in all honesty: image wise, they sort of look very ‘black’ which can be a bit off putting? BUT I think it actually works in the case of the Smokin’ Prophets. It work with their style of music. You’re probably thinking “oh god, they’re going to be really heavy!” – NOPE, I promise you their not.
I’m gonna say again that these guys are probably one of my faves purely because they are such a riff based band. Marty Mayhem is an awesome guitarist, his style isn’t over done and from the times they have played at my Rock Nights, they have won over a lot of people. I can totally understand why – as musicians they are brilliant. The drum and bass work together perfectly, and their style as a band is so diverse; they can be punk, the can be southern rock, hard rock, classic and even pull off a ballard! What else do you really need in a band ‘ey?
Very very catchy – in all honesty their album “Deceived Diseased” is up their in my favourites.
The Smokin’ Prophets – Liability 

FREEWAY MAD

Freeway Mad – from the Reading area I am guessing – DO correct me please!
One thing I do know for sure is they have just come back from playing Rocklahoma festival in the US.
I can totally see their Black Sabbath and AC/DC influence. Good riffs, lots of loud bass and drum, I’d say Tom’s vocals are very Bon Scott influenced? I can certainly here that anyway. Definitely got an imagine this band, their not too much on the clothing front but are pretty manic on the equipment front! Then again ain’t all the best classic rock bands… just look at Status Quo and their rows of Marshall stacks!
I know I’ll be having these guys back at my Rock Nights, and they were the one of the few bands I’ve seen that I was instantly “yep, they are my thing!”. You can probably tell so far that I really do like proper riffy bands, and these guys are one of them. If they play near you at all, go out and bloody see them – they deserve it! Love you guys!
Freeway Mad – Life Without Rock ‘n’ Roll

DAISY CHAINS

Daisy Chains are Lymington based to my knowledge. Very disco/pop sounding!
I like them! Not my usual type, but they are actually really catchy, I love how they all wear red jeans and the frontman is a left-handed guitarist. Fuck yeah!
Catchy guitars, and the bass really keeps the rhythm. Such a cute little band!
I totally should write more on them, but as their not my usual… I have no idea what else to say! But give them a whirl! Especially if you’re more into upbeat pop/disco music, they’re pretty good! Maybe not if you’re into hard rock though haha.
Daisy Chains – Honey 

THE FEATHERZ

These guys don’t really need an introduction do they?!
The Featherz – London based, Bowie-esque, flock rock punk rockers!
I’ve known Danie Cox for years and she is an excellent front woman. It’s great to see a band that is so full on image that is glam! Pure glitter! I reckon these guys are the ultimate ‘be yourself’ band.
I guess you want to know about the musicianship – brilliant drums! Guitar is just perfect for me, perfectly riffy, great rhythm not a lot of need for solos and the bass keeps it all together. LOVE!
I really hate musical wanking (as my Dad calls it) and the Featherz are a prime example that you don’t need to show off in order to be a great band. More bands like these please!!!
The Featherz – YOU 

SAINTS OF SIN

“Boo! you are so biased! You only like Saints of Sin and pay attention to them! you’re so mean!”
Fuck you then!
YES,  I have seen these guys play the most and yes I do slightly favor them AND…..!
If that was truly the case then this list would have been very short wouldn’t it.
SO! – Bournemouth based again, although they do play Southampton and hometown New Milton.
One thing I will say; sometimes I think they ‘over-do’ the guitar. However, their musicianship is phenomenal, some of the best I have seen! The bass and drums are strong, both guitars do in fact work together (whether or not it is sometimes too much), Rui is an excellent frontman, they are catchy, have a great stage image, work really hard and their interaction with the audience is insane – some of the best I have seen… so if they do slightly over-do it, all of that makes up for it in abundance!
Yes, I do love this band rather a lot but that is because they are so good! They play more often and are in my radius; also a lot of my friends are Saints of Sin fans. I love working with them, I love seeing them play live, and they’re playing my 21st Birthday next year – WOO! ❤
Right I’ll stop big-ing them up now – these guys really do work so hard, not one member sticks out from another, and I think what really does get people to love them so much is their audience participation and their stage moves.
Guns ‘n’ Roses meets Steel Panther – BASICALLY!
Saints of Sin – Feed The Fire 

THE BLACK BULLETS

You guys are from Basingstoke right? Do correct me please!
I actually do really like these guys  – may be slightly too heavy for me personally, but I think they bend that exception. I found them via Danie Cox of The Featherz and thought “ah, I’ll give them a listen”…. turns out I like them a lot! They are rather awesome, I wont lie.
What got me was the fact that they are really riffy, ballsy, bass-filled, the singer has a real talent as a front man, the drums are powerful, catchy chorus’ and backing vocals – I mean what else do you want in Rock?
Image wise? I guess you could say they look a little scary… but I personally love it haha. Lots of tattoo’s! Never a bad thing in my opinion.
They do play around London frequently and Southampton, so get to a show and give them a go if you’re about. I can assure you it wont be a waste of time.
The Black Bullets – Eat Your Heart Out 

MIKEY BALL

Mikey Ball – acoustic artist, based in Bournemouth.
I’ve known Mikey for about 6/7 years now, and he used to be my guitar and vocal tutor at Clive’s Rockschool.
Mikey is just so sweet, it’s hard not to like him and his music. I’m going to say I can hear a lot of Bryan Adams in his voice and playing, sort of like a softer and smoother version of Paul Weller. It’s very easy to listen to in basic terms. His songs are catchy, and very light and addictive. I find them very addictive.
He plays at a lot of open mic nights around Bournemouth, so go find him and give him some love, he deserves it – and he is really good. I wouldn’t recommend him if he wasn’t.
Mikey Ball – Castaway 

OUR PROPAGANDA

Our Propaganda are a Southampton based band and proved ever-so popular at my 4th Rock Night.
Me completely personally, am still not 100% sure on them, but I have a feeling they will definitely grow on me – they are such lovely guys it’s hard not to support them and wish them well. I think what really surprised me and my friends was the fact we all thought they were gonna be a sort of, hippy/psychedelic sort of band, and then they came out and… weren’t.
Jack’s vocals are very Axl Rose sounding to me, the bass is on point (i.e lots of it), great guitar work and the drummer holds it all together.
Visually… don’t judge a book by it’s cover with this band haha. Looking forward to seeing them again though… perhaps I’ll become obsessed… who knows! They are very passionate about the music they play and are absolute professionals.
I do love these guys though, and I can’t wait to have them back at another Rock Night – I can see why people like them instantly. (I do believe also they have played with Ken Hensley of Uriah Heep recently….. that’s a pretty big name to play with right there! CHECK ‘EM OUT!)
Our Propaganda – San Francisco  

BLACK WATER COUNTY 

Black Water County are based in the Bournemouth/Wimborne area to my knowledge; I describe them as Pirate Rock.
Brilliant musicians, no denying that at all. Gotta love a bit of Banjo!
They’re just a foot-stompingly good band – by the far the most different in terms of style on this list.
Visual image is smart, paired with an impressive set of musicianship skills with all kinda of instruments – catchy tunes; would be ideal to listen to whilst on holiday or on a boat at sea, at the pub on a summers day or a festival – very upbeat and happy!
Black Water County – One More Beer Wont Hurt

I hope you enjoyed this blog, and I hope you will check out some of these awesome bands; go find out how they good they are for yourselves 🙂
SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC & SUPPORT LOCAL VENUES!

Let me know which ones you know of, or whom you’re now going to check out due to reading this blog 🙂

Keep rocking dears!

Jodie ❤

Life Update!

I just fancied a little chit-chat and seeing as I haven’t done an ‘update’ since September 2015…. there’s a lot of stuff I could tell you lovely lot about, if you feel like listening 😉 

A LOT has happened since September such as, the cancellation of Not The Rolling Stones at the Memorial Centre, finished off my Stones tattoo, I got to sing on stage for a bit with Rollin’ Stoned at Mr.Kyps, got invited to see Voodoo Vegas by them, Rock Night 3, mental health problems, my 20th birthday and Rock Night 4! That’s what I can remember anyway. I’ll tell you the most recent and important things though! I’ll try not to waffle!

ROCK NIGHT 3!
Now what a bloody nightmare that was. P.S not intending to ‘offend’ -_- in terms of it being my job, it was bloody awful, not only to organise, but the actual event itself did not do the venue any good. We are actually charity run, so we can’t really afford these Rock Night’s as it is without them losing us a lot of money, which this one did. I am not blaming anyone, I think it’s down to very wrong time of year and I felt the bands weren’t ‘local’ enough – but they were all very very good bands and I don’t regret booking them at all… it was a good night!
My job was just stressful, and was basically a slagging off war. All has since then been sorted, goodness.
Big hugs to The Black Bullets, Pirates of Panama, The Smokin’ Prophets and Daisy Chains for talented musical evening 🙂

My 20th Birthday! 
I didn’t do a lot for my 20th, I wasn’t up for a massive ‘let’s have it’ day; plus it was on a Tuesday! And Easter!!!
29th March, I went up to Southampton with my best friend Sophie, and met a friend there and just chilled out, had a look round a few shops and had a Sprinkles. Started raining which wasn’t the funnest. I got lot’s of music related gifts though.
As for the ‘party’ I had a belated on the 9th April – same day as my Rock Night 4! Anyway, the birthday bit was a bit of a fail as only three friends actually turned up, but I’m ever so thankful to those three people!! Freeway Mad got me on stage to sing Happy Birthday to me, and Saints of Sin sang ‘Devil You Need’ for me and also helped cut my cake 🙂
I got 2 cakes which my Dad actually designed himself. 1st one on my actual bday which was a jar of nutella and a 2nd on the 9th which was a Mod themed cake… which was frickin’ awesome!

My Mental Health!
That has really really suffered, I’m sure you’ve come to note that I’ve been prescribed 20mg (atm) of Fluoxetine, for my depression. I basically had what I can describe as a ‘break down’ at the end of February/beginning of March. Everything just seemed to spiral out of control and everything happened at the same time. I can honestly tell you that the feeling to ‘end it all’ was so intense it actually numbed me. I can now look back and pin point exactly what happened.
I had a bit of a tricky situation in the ‘man’ department – let’s say I put him on this incredibly high pedestal and he just left…………… one moment he was there, wanted to see me, the next (literally second) he’d gone and I haven’t heard from him since. I’ve tried getting in touch and it’s basically like fighting a brick wall. It’s taken me a while to get over that mole hill, truthfully, he was a prick to say the least and the fact he got 8 months of my attention for nothing – absolute waste!
Secondly, Bowie died! You don’t really think these things effect you as much as immediate family etc, but it does. Someone who was there through the hardest years of my life has gone… there’s still his music but he… he’s physically gone. It still hurts, and I’m still deeply saddened. If I could swap places, I’d offer myself a thousand times.
Lot’s of my friends have either moved away or have ‘other things’ to do now – where as I’m still pretty much doing the same old same old – so I began to feel so incredibly lonely. I still feel it now. It’s a horrible thing to feel.
I also made a very stupid and far too quick decision to stop working at the hall and get a ‘normal job’. I was at this ‘normal job’ a day, and I tried killing myself that evening so I wouldn’t have to go back. Don’t care how dramatic that sounds, it wasn’t for me and I couldn’t see a way back to happiness. I don’t get on in ‘normal’ situations anyway. Luckily I managed to go back to hall as they didn’t want me to leave anyway, and have given me something a little more to do than just events too, so I do actually have to go in now. That is so much better for me, and I’m a lot more stable for it.
Anyway, I do feel a bit better now. I feel more stable – I’ve made some new friends, I’m sort of figuring out where I’m going, and I’m not so desperate for someone to love me, I want to love myself first and I’m getting there.
Also, if I hadn’t of found this wonderful band called ‘Stop Stop’, I don’t know what I would have done, they were just what I needed and came along at the precisely right time! Honestly they are now one of my favourite bands, right up there with The Stones. They give me that feeling of joy and love back… no way am I letting that go!

ROCK NIGHT 4!
Right, I honestly cannot even begin to explain how absolutely out of this world amazing Rock Night 4 was. In the eyes of business it was the most successful, the most stress-free – and in terms of a music lover: best line up I’ve seen for a long time, so much talent and so much love and positive vibes, it honestly was like being thrown back in time and the feeling… I regard it close to love!
I think what made it so special was how all the bands were just so lovely and supportive of each other, everyone danced to each other’s sets and hanged out together. No one was divided.
The best part was when Saints of Sin were on, and I some how ended up headbanging with 5 members from all different bands right at the front! haha.
I also made some lovely new friends who are more my sort of people to hang out with, as appose to those I have been hanging out with most of my life. It’s like a breath of fresh air to finally have new people who are far more awesome and are on my level. Feel so lucky to have met them.
I did have some backlash from this event, but I think I’m allowed to be bloody more than proud that I pulled this off – what with my current mental state, and trying to jump out of the top floor window half way through the evening, it’s amazing I managed to see it through. A month ago I didn’t even think I’d be around to see it, let alone it almost getting cancelled a few days before the date – and I saved that all on my own, with the help of Josh of course! But still… I saved the day and put on our most successful Rock Night. I’m more than proud…. I DID IT!!!
Things are now going my way… exciting things for the future are now happening off the back of this Rock Night 😀
Huge thanks to Saints of Sin, Freeway Mad, Our Propaganda and Lip Service of course 🙂

 

That’s all from me for now!!

Jodie ❤

Best Moments of 2015!

As the year is almost out, I thought I’d share with you what some of my favourite moments have been!

In no particular order…

PAUL WELLER AT THE BIC!

Obviously this has to be one of the best moments EVER! If you didn’t know already (shame on you) I am more than in love with Paul Weller! I saw him for the first time live in Hyde Park in June 2015 and literally was mesmerized by him before he had even started playing. I got so obsessed so quickly that 4 days later I got an impulse tattoo on my foot referring to his song ‘Broken Stones’. I’m Weller mad! I can’t explain it, but listening to him and watching him makes me feel… loved I guess. However, I got to see him as the main act in October at the BIC in Bournemouth and it was out of this world. Even my Dad was getting emotional… for 2 hours, he was full on in love with the Weller. He does that to you… I’m not sure how, but honestly…by the end of the night you’ll want to marry the fella no matter what sexuality you are. All woman want him, and all men want to be him, FACT. He allows me to forget about the stresses and disappointments of life; his songs are the work of a genius and I had tears in my eyes when he was singing certain songs. It’s just his voice, it’s like melted chocolate, so beautiful that it just gets to you when he sings songs such as “Above The Clouds” aaahhhh ❤

SAINTS OF SIN on Bournemouth Square

This entire day was out of this world!
Me and one of my best mates Dan planned an entire day out in Bournemouth, as I wanted to see the Saints of Sin boys… and Dan not being a very keen fan, we decided to just make a day of it. So we spent about 10 hours in Bournemouth, which doesn’t sound a lot… but those 10 hours were absolute perfection. We had a look round the shops, had a 20 chicken nugget sharing box from McDonalds, went to see Pixels at the cinema, had a walk around by the beach, went to see Saints of Sin who were great as always and acoustic which was different, ended up spotting a mate from another band I ‘work’ with and we went to the pub with him and his mates for a few hours before going to Sprinkles, and then heading back to McDonalds (another 20 chicken nuggets) and having another walk by the sea where Jaws was being screened on the outdoor cinema. There is something epic about walking along the pier in pitch black and just hearing the Jaws theme-tune and thinking “shit, I can hear a shark!”. Was just the most perfect day in existence. It couldn’t have been any better… that’s my opinion personally.

MY 19th BDAY

Best Birthday ever! For so many reasons.
Firstly, it was a Rolling Stones themed birthday with a frickin’ Rolling Stones cake!
I had all my best and closest friends over and we had a KFC. We watched the 2013 Hyde Park concert which was the gig I was at when I saw them live. I went on a ‘date’ with a guy I really liked, pretty much spent the entire day with him… 12 hours to be exact and we didn’t get bored of each other. I sort of miss him, but it doesn’t matter… he made my birthday even better!
Dad took me to Bournemouth to get some presents then my ‘date’ took me back to Bournemouth and we had walk by the beach whilst getting caught in a sandstorm, we retreated to the pub where we discussed Rocky Horror in all it’s amazingness and we talked about the Stones a lot as he was a fellow Stones fan (and I challenged him to a Jagger-off), and he also told me tour stories which I really did love to hear. Sometimes I get bored of tour stories, but his involved a lot of Darryl Jones and I’m definitely up for listening to those kind of stories. I didn’t think he’d come back to my party but he did, and stayed till 2am even though he had to get up for work at 4am. He talked with my parents, and we had all sorts of convos and it was just nice and chilled and lovely. Also my longest friend David came down from Didcot for the day especially to see me on my birthday which was so nice of him, I’ve known him since Primary school. My Dad got that cake made especially, and I actually cried when it was revealed haha! It was a nice chilled day, and my mates let me smother them in my fave band… couldn’t have been much better really.

HEAVY ROCK NIGHT 2!

The second gig I got to organise, with 3 amazing local bands: The Smokin’ Prophets, Pirates of Panama and of course… Saints of Sin!
Has to be one of my top moments. It was just so much better than the first Heavy Rock Night I put on, I don’t know why… perhaps because it was summer. There just more amazing people there, and more amazing moments to remember. Two of my besties came to this one, I was absolutely hammered on a bottle of wine and 4 ciders plus whoever else’s drink I drank; got up on my friends shoulders and pretty much back flipped off. All the bands were on top form, I got some pretty cracking photo’s, my boss immediately wanted me to put on more events! Everyone was so fucking happy. I stayed out till 4am making new friends and seeing them again two days later. Lot’s of things sort of spinned off from Heavy Rock Night 2, I became better friends with people I already knew, the bands were so much more supportive and helpful… I mean the show nearly got cancelled and if it wasn’t for some supportive team work, it probably wouldn’t have gone ahead. I don’t really think any of my other nights will top this one… but that’s for the future to tell isn’t it.

These were just some of my favourite moments of 2015! I’d love to know yours!

Seeya soon

MERRY CHRISTMAS… if you don’t hear from me before then!

Jodie x

1 Year at the New Milton Memorial Centre

One year ago today I went for an interview at the New Milton Memorial Centre, volunteering to write PR for local papers to help promote their band nights. I got the job, and needless to say… it has changed so much!! 

A year ago, I was a very very different person. I ‘wanted’ to go to University and was in the process of putting my application together. I wanted to ‘study’ Music Journalism. I was in my 3rd year of Sixth Form studying Media Studies and English Language after completing 2 years at A-Level Photography.
In process of applying, I thought it would be a good idea to get some experience writing press releases or journalistic articles so I emailed round different local venues and centres that put on events with bands etc, and a day later I got a reply from the NMMC. They needed help getting the word out about their band nights… so I went for an interview.

The interview went brilliant and I shared some of my ideas of what sort of other events could help the hall out. They liked them so decided to take me on as it were.
My first event was working with Liberty Entertainments/Eddie Daniels with a Pink Floyd tribute band Perfect Alibi.
I wrote PR for the night and then wrote an article after the event as well as photographing the night. Eddie gave me the job of chatting with the band as well, which was… interesting. They looked after me more than I did them.

A few weeks after that event I was given the mission to put on my own event. I suggested when I went for the interview that it would be a good idea to get local bands in… next thing I know, I’m talking with Saints of Sin, Smokin’ Prophets and Western Sand and booking them for a Heavy Rock Night on Friday 13th February.
This was my first time putting an event together… and I really did do everything. I designed all the flyers, posters and banners. Ordered the tickets. Booked the bands. Handed out the flyers. Chose the bands. Decided the line up order. All the press releases. The only things I really had help on was obviously the money side, the date, sound and lighting and ticket pricing.
The stress that came with putting this event on is unbelievable but I stuck at it even though I had so many obstacles thrown in my way, by either people telling me what a mistake I’ve made about doing things, or friends being unsupportive or that I’ve booked crap bands. I didn’t let it get to me, I was determined I was going to make a go of it, and if it failed that at least I tried and could learn from what went wrong.
For a first time putting something like this it went pretty well! The total audience number was 120 was not expected. I thought the night was going to be a total shambles… but I pulled it off and it was amazing.
Obviously I have to thank the bands for making my first event go well, and giving me the confidence and encouragement to know that I did alright, and have another crack at it!

Before that though I got to work with Liberty Entertainments/Eddie Daniels again with a Marc Bolan and T.Rex tribute band TOOREX! I was so excited about this obviously being a Bolan fan since I was 13. This was going to be a pretty good night and I was so nervous about it. However, Bobby and the buys were absolutely wonderful to chat to and didn’t make me feel unwelcome at all. I had a great boogie with Sarah as well!

A few weeks after Heavy Rock Night, I was a little drunk on cider at home and thought “I know what would be good… booking a Stones tribute band!”. I emailed a few tribute acts and that night I got a response from Laurence Whiteley. I quickly told Clive that I found a Stones tribute band… and before I knew it Not The Rolling Stones were booked to play on Halloween!
Massive thanks to Clive and the management committee for letting me come up with these spur of the moment ideas and supporting them.
I was also given the chance to organise a Heavy Rock Night 2 which I jumped at the chance to do!

This time I had chosen the line up to consist of Saints of Sin and Smokin’ Prophets. It took a long time to find a third band, it got to the point where I couldn’t even see it going ahead. Josh and myself were messaging all sorts of local bands and getting no responses or stupid obligations. In the end I asked Marty for some help and he recommended Pirates of Panama… and that completed my line up!
Again I pretty much did it all single handed BUT Josh did help me go out and loads of flyers which I am so grateful for. We got told a few days before the event that unless we sold 80 tickets within 24hours then it wouldn’t go ahead… to say I was panicking is an understatement. Luckily I managed to sweet talk the management committee into still letting it go ahead; the message I received read: “I have faith in you”. Wow. Privileged!
Honestly, this venue is getting by on Donations… so the fact they are putting their faith and trust in a 19 year old with absolutely no experience what so ever is so brave! If it all goes wrong, the shit hitting the fan would literally be all my fault.
Needless to say it went very well again! I have said in a previous blog it was better than seeing The Who live; it really was.
Huge thanks to Ros and Clive for having confidence in me pulling it off… massive thanks to Saints of Sin and Smokin’ Prophets. You guys are amazing to work with it’s always a pleasure and you never make my work feel like a chore. Shout out to Pirates of Panama for filling in my support slot and doing great! I’m getting the hang of this event lark….
That night I got offered the job of putting together another two Heavy Rock Nights for 2016, which I’m currently in the process of finalising the dates for; so keep your eyes peeled because the line ups are pretty awesome and just keep getting better and better.

Before that I helped out with a few more of Eddie’s events: The Beached Boys and Only One Direction. Both were great nights, I had a boogie with a lovely lady at The Beached Boys and it made me really happy to know that I made her night a lot better just by being kind hearted and dancing with her especially when she gave me a hug and said “thank you” afterwards. I’m always up for a dance, so if you ever need a partner or find yourself at one of my gigs I’m always the one at the first or first up dancing. I’m not overly confident… I just love music and there’s no point being boring all your life! BOOGIE!!

Now, just got to Bon Jovie with the wonderful Saints of Sin coming up on the 17th October and of course my wonderful event which is literally my childhood dream coming true: Not The Rolling Stones with Pirates of Panama on the 31st October. Aaahhh!!!
For tickets for either of these events gimme a text on 07454925717 and I’ll give you more info.

MASSIVE THANK YOU to the hall and the people who help run it for letting me do all these amazing things. Thank you to the bands I’ve worked with for bringing out my creative side and boosting my confidence, I love you all so so much. I’ve made some awesome friends through doing all this and have had some amazing opportunities I wouldn’t have been given anywhere else. Thanks to my mates for being supportive and coming to my events, it means a lot that you guys back me too. Thanks to everyone who’s ever bought a ticket… literally cannot do it without you. Keep a look out for more of my work… I promise and guarantee you it wont be boring!

A year on and I’m not at University but I’m working part time as an events organiser and getting paid to promote the venue. I already have events in the bag for next year with Aladdinsane, TooRex, a Who tribute band…. you can’t stop me now, I’m only just getting started! It’s something I’ve been desperate to do for 12 months and I’m now doing it and getting paid finally. All because they have confidence in me and I’ve gained confidence in myself. Nothing is impossible! Don’t let anyone knock you down or try and stop you doing what you want. If I listened to all the people who said my first Heavy Rock Night would fail, then I wouldn’t have been able to organise a second one in the same year… let alone another two for 2016!
I know I’m getting known as well because I get knew local bands message me all the time asking if I have any slots for them… even tribute bands get in touch with me asking for dates; how and why I don’t know, but I’m not complaining. It’s a bloody honor to have acts of such standards wanting me to put on shows for them… like wow! Who knows what could happen………………

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Jodie!

Another little update

I thought I’d write another blog to update you on what’s been doing on since the last update… which was only back in June believe it or not; but stuff has happened, and just fancied a little chit chat.

So the last time I updated you guys, my Mum was in hospital, I was in the midst of organising/promoting Heavy Rock Night 2, going to see The Who and leaving the Arnewood School.
2 months later… a lot has happened and changed!

Let’s start with the mother shall we. She is now out of Hospital after 3/4 months. She went to a rehabilitation centre for a month or so before coming home – let’s just say my mum is fine, there’s not really an issue with her broken leg anymore. I can’t really say a lot as I have no idea who in my family reads my blogs BUT family life is not great. I don’t really feel like she is my Mum anymore, I’ve had my Dad for 4 months and we’ve kind of got this little routine/lifestyle thing going that suits us now. Plus some of the things my mum has said to me and my dad… really can’t be taken back, and it’s just created the most awkward atmosphere.
However, if you want to know about my mums health, she is doing fine… apart from all the disabled equipment which is around the house which she doesn’t really need anymore anyway but is refusing to get rid of them.
As for mine and Dads health…. we’re the ones struggling with this, we both have depression (believe it runs in the Harris side of the family) I also have anxiety and get extremely paranoid most of the time, which then leads to panic attacks. I’m not too bad at the moment, I was a few weeks back…… but I had a huge pizza binge day with my best mate and I soon snapped out of it.

Right next – the Who!
Okay, The Who was fucking awesome. I have written a blog on it I do believe, but if you’ve not read that, I’ll just update you anyway. Me and my friend Jayden went up to London to the BST-Hyde Park festival (which always has at least one day of decent music) for the ultimate Mod fest with bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs, Johnny Marr, Paul Weller and of course The Who. We caught all the main line up acts, plus a band called Rival State, a bit of Gaz Coombes and a personal fave of mine Vintage Trouble.
If you’ve not already guessed, I fell deeply in love with Paul Weller from the moment he came on stage. I don’t know what it was… but you know when you just get that feeling when you know someone is incredible before you’ve even properly seen them or listened to their music… I got that feeling. The Who were phenomenal as well, which was to be expected really. Has to be one of the best of this year, and probably of summer as well…… did we even have a summer?!

My Heavy Rock Night 2! – Ah what a night that was!
I think I summed it up as better than The Who….. still stand by that comment.
The line up consisted of the headline act Saints of Sin, (massive thanks to Josh for helping me out the promotion for this) with support from Pirates of Panama and The Smokin’ Prophets (cheers to Marty for helping me complete the line up). Ah I’m so proud of this line up, and how great the night turned up, and I’m so thankful for the support from all the bands involved… in return I support them back of course! Love you all to pieces.
We had a few issues with being told the event was going to be cancelled… but I managed to sweet talk the management committee into letting it go ahead, which also meant there was a lot of pressure and faith put in me to make sure it wasn’t a complete flop. Luckily it wasn’t!
I’ll leave links so you can check out the bands involved.
Saints of Sin: Facebook  YouTube
Pirates of Panama: Facebook YouTube Vevo
The Smokin’ Prophets: Facebook YouTube
I was pretty drunk I have to admit which probably made a difference, I had 2 of my best friends there with their friends and family and of course my Dad came in after work. Had a bit of a boogie on my friends shoulders, made friends with some awesome new people, took some pretty cool pictures which you can see here. Oh, I also may have ‘met someone’. 😉
Got 2 more Heavy Rock Nights in the pipeline for next year, with a pretty good range of local bands, so make sure you stay updated on what I’m doing in that department because my nights are pretty rocking!
Plus I wouldn’t get the opportunity do half of the things I do without the constant support, so cheers for that.

 

Ah yes, I have left Arnewood now. After three years of the Sixth form and 3 years of the school… of course I’m going to miss it. Mostly for some the teachers though, some of them really supported me as an individual in all my weirdness and let me embrace that. Have to be thankful!

Now, what else has happened?!
I got another tattoo! A Paul Weller reference…. the week after I saw him live. I just got so desperate to get my foot tattooed and I wanted a Weller reference for a whole week (haha) so I went and got it done, and now I’m in love with my foot. It’s beautiful. Huge thanks to Leemo at Black Heart Tattoo Studios for giving me the perfect script. Did it hurt? Nope.
Like the fact the co-owner of the studio was singing ‘Broken Stones’ for the whole morning.

So, coming up next for me is… my next event at the Memorial Centre with Not The Rolling Stones and Pirates of Panama. Get in touch with me for tickets or head over the venues Facebook Page for more information. It’s going to be a pretty epic night, and a very exciting one for me.
My braces are finally coming off in 9 days. I’m seeing the Rocky Horror show live broadcast, then seeing Johnny Marr at the Engine Rooms and I’m seeing Paul Weller in November! So that’s me keeping occupied for a while. I’m following a new code of conduct called ‘Gigs before Dicks‘, it’s very refreshing, you should try it sometime 😉

Anyway, I’ll stop waffling.

Seeya soon!

Jodie.