It's about time isn't it ?
Peter Fitzpatrick has been making noises about writing songs and performing for far too long.
He goes by the name imadethebbc. Here's why.
It all began in the 70s with a love of pure pop : The Beatles of course. As the joys of being a teenager meant a constant struggle between knowing what you liked and fighting your corner against the numbnuts in school... other artists always got a look in. In no particular order these artists influenced me in some way through the 80s and 90s : ELO, Vince Clarke, Yazoo, The Blue Nile, XTC, Jimmy Webb, Divine Comedy, Ron Sexsmith and many many more. I'll update this with a better list. One day.
Now that the kids are growing up I'm reminded of what it was like to get out there in 1983 and busk around the streets of Dublin knowing no fear and never being afraid of what people might think. The 80s was the time of the Dublin band wasn't it ? Cat Magic was one of them. We were damn good and it fell apart because we couldn't see what we had. We regrouped as Kick but it just didn't work.
I dumped the part-time job stacking shelves in a supermarket to do a gig with Thin Lizzy's Brian Downey and, another old pal of Phil Lynott, Joe Staunton. Led by the enigmatic Pat Courtney (oh he was in Sacre Bleu... Xerxes... Daddy Cool & The Lollipops... Rocky DeValera & The Gravediggers). I was the keyboard player. Halcyon days... I played with Gary Moore one night... with Eric Bell in a one-off Lizzy gig... various members of Level42 and the Pogues (now there's a mix you don't see in most lists eh ?) sat in with us on those hot sweaty Friday nights in Slattery's of Capel Street.
I moved to New York in 1990 seeking something. I fell in with a couple of bands and one of them (Brainchild) released an album 'Love Saves The Day'. I was still the keyboard player , the guy at the back and they weren't my songs. You can see some videos here.
My day job was a gig where I wrote music and did sound design for the early PC CD-ROM games and it was a learning experience. It burned the creativity out of me: too much technology and writing-to-order.
In 1994 it was time to become a dad. It didn't stop me from sitting in with various bands around Dublin doing dodgy Hammond impressions (Blues Up Front... with Brian Downey back sitting behind me again).
I've made some great friends & acquaintances through music (Thomas Walsh (Pugwash), Dave Gregory (XTC), Andy Partridge (XTC), Michael McGlynn (Anuna), Alan White (Yes, Plastic Ono Band). ( Here's me with the Pugwash gang. )
I've been trying to balance the family, my muse and my day job for a few years. Collaborations with some very talented people have come to naught because I was lost.
By late 2006 I'd had enough and I promised myself to get back to being a singer and a songwriter. I said in my blog it was "time to be 1986" again. That's when I last remember imagining that I could be that singer-songwriter.
There were a lot of layers to peel back. It's quite an onion.
In the spring of 2007 I joined with some other like-minded artists in attending 'Stand & Deliver 2007' hosted by Tom Robinson at Bore Place in Kent (UK). I wrote about it in my blog here. . As a result of this experience. I'm coming out of my shell. I'm writing at last. Most of all I'm so happy about it.
The prospect of performing is liberating. I'm not here for the money. I'm not here for the fame. I'm here to try and say something and to see if it resonates with an audience.
So. I'm looking for open mic nights and would even like to sit in during a band/solo break at a show- anywhere in Dublin or surrounding areas. It's just me and a guitar.
It's now early 2008 and I'm still writing. I've started recording demos for my first album and plan to start playing at open mic sessions and support slots again from Spring 2008 ... when the evenings are a little brighter and it feels more like summer.
Thanks for reading this far... if you like my songs let me know... if you'd like to let me play at your show let me know... if you just want to say hello : what's stopping you ?
