From the Gnome... About this blog

In 2004, I left my corporate job and started a new journey. For a month or so, I wasn't sure what to do. I worked on my resume, but I just didn't feel right about getting back into a corporate role. I started a project that turned into a hobby, that turned into a business.

The Metro Gnome was my first website. I worked on it for a year and published 5 issues. Then I incorporated all of that content into Hotsource, a business I co-founded with Sue Stanbridge. In 2008, Sue and I sold Hotsource to another company, and we started to focus on other things....

I have let the www.themetrognome.com.au domain name go, but I've captured the articles here so I can look back on them and remember. This blog is an archive.

My interviews with Jon Stevens and Ian Moss are personal highlights. But as I moved articles over to this blog, I was reminded of the wonderful talents and unselfish effort put in by my friends. What a tremendous effort. Thank you!

Thanks in particular to Ben Little, Wayne Tritton, Cyndy Fahnestock, Rosie Oates Tritton, Paul DeCarlo, Angus Thorburn, Doug Lloyd, Michael Rootes, Dai Pritchard, John Swan, Jon Stevens, Ian Moss, Sue Konan, Stacey Morris, Sally-Heath Lloyd (my most diligent supporter and proofreader), Glenn Ford (creative designer of the Metro Gnome image), Tina Broad from Music Play for Life, Greg Dodge who taught me about Weekend Warriors, Rohan Whitmore and Colin at Encode, and all the proofreaders, fans, and friends for helping me start my writing career. It was a confusing time for me. I needed to be creative, to explore strange new worlds, and to figure out what was important to me. Thanks always to Alan, for letting me take the time to find my feet... I love you!

Enjoy! WLC.

From the Gnome... Lessons from Book Clubs

Lately I've been thinking about what we can learn from the book club. A group of people who like to read get together on a regular basis to discuss a book that all of them have read. Then, they collectively offer suggestions for the next book to read. Not everyone will like every book, but most everyone will put some effort into reading each book so that when they do meet, the discussion can be had. Most of the book clubs I've heard about (I've never joined one - just to be clear) include some sort of beverage component - always an enticement for me to participate - coffee and tea maybe, but a social alcoholic bevvy is more likely to do the trick.

So book clubs are a small groups of like-minded people who found something in common and through scheduled meetings, help each other to do more of it - and to get more out of it. They read, discuss, and grow.

Well, if it works for books - it can easily work for musicians. Small groups of players can start a club. Not a band per se - which requires more commitment - but a group that gets together, say, once a month, and plays 1, 2, 3, or however many songs together JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT. And then they break down and discuss what the next 1, 2, 3 or however many songs will be. Everyone leaves exhilarated from the jam and with a deadline for learning some new songs. There's no audience except for themselves. It's just a jam. If one or two people can't make it - it still happens. It's loose, relaxed, fun, and yet, it keeps you challenged and involved. Busy people making excuses and creating opportunities to GET OUT THERE! and play. What could be better?

Who knew there was so much to learn from your everyday book club?

If you like this idea, then do something about it. Start a JAM Club!

Can you make up a better group of words to fit the acronym? I came up with the Just Appreciate Music Club. Send your ideas to me.

Tell The Metro Gnome about your JAM Club - we would love to share your story with the rest of our readers. Don't forget pictures!

Now... GET OUT THERE!

~The Gnome

The Metro Gnome is a supporter of and collaborator with the Music.Play for Life campaign. For more information about the campaign check out the website at http://www.mca.org.au/music.playforlife.htm

Issue 4... From the Gnome,,, GET OUT THERE!

Hello! By now most of our subscribers know our motto. GET OUT THERE! is all about musicians taking the next step. And over the last few weeks, I've witnessed that effort from beginners through to professionals.

As a perfect example, this issue includes an inspiring 11 Minutes With... Rosie Oates! Rosie deliberately manages and prioritises music into her busy life. Know someone else who does that? Tell them about our 11 Minutes With... and let them share their secrets.

The Metro Gnome recently sponsored an event called "Hive Live" where students got the opportunity to play in a real band. I can't emphasise enough how great this experience was for the kids and adults alike. It was truly a GET OUT THERE! experience. You can learn more about Hive Live in this Press Release.

In March, I went to the first meeting of a new group of Weekend Warriors. Hosted by the Music Workshop in West Ryde and managed according to the international program recipe for success, I got to watch grown men (come on girls, GET OUT THERE!) who hadn't played with other people in quite a long time, nervously approach the amps and mics and play. It'll be great to see them again after a few weeks of rehearsals. What a buzz for them.

Also, in March, with a group of about 20 people from Sydney and Melbourne, I went to the Port Fairy Folk Festival and saw some incredible performers. You can read more about the festival in this our new section called REVERB.

Another GET OUT THERE! opportunity that came to my attention via the Musician's Forum is the PJ Gallaghers $30,000 Singing Competition. A great opportunity to perform whether you make it to the second heats or not. The preliminary heats are all through April, so check it out.

Since we last were together, I've seen Janis Ian, Bella, The Waifs, Dungeon, Nightwish, Stacey Morris (STOP PRESS: Stacey just hit #2 on the Scottish country charts - and last week she hit #7 in the UK - Go Stacey, Go!), Swanee, Weapons of Mass Distortion, the Stanaways, Telefunken, The LP's, The Grasscutters, Fourgery, The Little Riverview Band, Jon Stevens, Luka Bloom, Merchants of Menace, and Molly Rasher. Have you seen any music that you liked? Please tell us about what you're doing in the Musician's Forum.

Are you a Music Teacher? Get in touch with The Metro Gnome and let us know what you're up to. We want to promote you and your work. Just write to themetrognome@TheMetroGnome.com.au.

There's a lot going on from a services perspective here at The Metro Gnome. Our Gig Guide is easier to use now than a month ago and just wait until you see the next version! You'll be able to customise your preferences and ask us to notify you when your favourite bands are playing. You'll never miss another gig! And we will soon be introducing a classifieds section so you can find, buy, or sell anything and everything music.

There's so much more in this issue.... Take your time, and come back often to see what's happening in The Musician's Forum. It's getting busier and busier in there and I'm finding great information and people! You will too. See ya next time! Now....

GET OUT THERE!

~The Gnome

Issue 3... From the Gnome

What an action packed couple of months! All of us at The Metro Gnome have been busy, busy beavers. We made a point to GET OUT THERE! ourselves and play a few gigs around town. And there was a lot of live music for us to see all over Sydney!

We also went to California to see the biggest music industry trade show in the world! As a result, our All About Guitar's section has been superseded with an article called All About NAMM. Don't fret (sorry!), we made sure to include lots of guitar references (and we took lots of photos).

We've had lots of inquiries for stories about vocalists. So our feature this month is in the How To section. We talked to none other than John Swan (Swanee), Australian vocalist extraordinaire, about how he sings so well. Luckily for us, he knew all the answers because he now teaches others about his singing techniques. John provides a great description of how it all works on the inside, and he also provides some tips on how to improve your own voice. Sorry kids, believe it or not, it involves practice.

Calling all novice recorders... our third Gnome Recording article is out! This time we review what we learned in Issue 2 by walking through a suggested session.

Two Sydney artists are featured this month who have recently released CDs: Stacey Morris and nArdo. We interviewed Stacey to get her insight into the music business and how she's working to crack into the spotlight. And in our regular section, What Happened, we reviewed nArdo's EP launch party. Wait 'til you see it - we stirred the pot a little!

In our Products section we introduce the Australian market to 4 products we found at NAMM. Notably, none of them are available in Australia - yet! But all 4 have tremendous potential.

Music. Play for Life

We are happy to announce The Metro Gnome's support for and collaboration with the Music. Play for Life initiative. With that initiative, combined with our ongoing support of Weekend Warriors! we plan to be actively involved in spreading the word to help more people, young and old, get involved in playing music. If you want to know more about these 2 great initiatives, just ask us, we want to help.

Whenever you're looking for a live gig in Sydney, don't forget to check out The Metro Gnome's Gig Guide. We've looked the whole World Wide Web over to find a more comprehensive Sydney gig guide than this one - can you find one? Let us know!

Your feedback for Issue 2 was that it was great (the Ian Moss interview brought lots of great feedback), had lots of good information in it, and it took took long to get through - you want less info more often. So we made an effort in this issue to keep it simple. Most of our feature sections have only one article, and we kept the articles short and sweet - at least we tried to. Thanks for the feedback. And if you can't get through this issue all in one sitting, just bookmark it for later and come on back. Let us know what you think of Issue 3!

If this is your first visit to The Metro Gnome, welcome! You can find out more about our mission and objectives in the About Us section.

Now, GET OUT THERE! Play some music!

- The Metro Gnome

Issue 2... From The Gnome

New Year's Resolutions - Can you believe it? It's almost the end of 2004! The end of one year and the beginning of another is a great time to reflect on how freakin' fast this life of ours goes by. To keep the music in you, The Metro Gnome has some suggestions….

• Set a goal to see a certain number of new original acts each month
• Set a personal music goal – maybe to practice once a week – or to learn to sing harmonies - or to write a song – or to join a band – or to learn a new instrument – whatever it is… challenge yourself to do it, figure out what it’ll take, and then GET OUT THERE!
• Sign up for a few lessons –no matter what level you are you’ll get inspired - hint: ask someone to get you a few lessons as a holiday present
• Re-discover a poor, neglected instrument - one you haven’t touched in a long, long time - get it serviced and play it again
• Tell other musicians about The Metro Gnome! (You can't blame is for putting in one shameless plug.)

This month we bring you some fantastic and inspiring information. The cover story is our exclusive interview with Ian Moss! Guitar players - you will love this interview! Songwriters - you will, too. Our Australian audience will undoubtedly support me in saying that Ian is one of the greatest guitar players in the world. For those of you who don't know who he is - have a read - and then ask your local music shop to order in some Cold Chisel CDs and Ian Moss Matchbook. Become a fan!

We have a play by play of The Eagles Farewell I Tour and a review of some great Sydney blues talent in Rynsaardt. All About Guitars has a couple of really good articles that will motivate you to GET OUT THERE! Our Gnome Recording article will teach beginners how to record themselves. And there's so much more....

The Metro Gnome strives to make a difference in our world and contributes by participating in and promoting musical events that raise money to fight all forms of cancer. We learned about a Christmas concert raising money to support victims of breast cancer - click here for details, and please, give generously.

Next month we will have a special section on Women in Country music. We were inspired by the work of a newcomer to the Country music scene, Stacey Morris. If you have any contributions, story ideas, or artists that you want to see featured - send them in ASAP so that we can work them into the issue.

Enjoy this month's issue of The Metro Gnome! And please tell other people about The Metro Gnome. And have a happy holiday season. Make live music a part of your festivities. And make your own music, too!

GET OUT THERE!

~ The Metro Gnome

Coming in January....

* A Tribute to Country Girls
* How to... Vocal Performance!
* Product Range Review - Effects Pedals
* Weekend Warriors – Before the Jam....
* The Fabulous Bob Spencer!

Welcome to the Launch of THE METRO GNOME!

Metronome - (mĕt΄ rə nōm΄) – noun - Music - A device used to mark time by means of regularly recurring ticks or flashes at adjustable intervals.

The Metro Gnome – (thə mĕt΄ rō nōm) - noun - Music – A website used by musicians of all levels to get information and to collaborate.

Our motto is GET OUT THERE! Play if you want to play. Learn if you want to learn. Listen if you want to listen.

The Metro Gnome is a resource promoting live music. Playing music. Listening to it. Recording it (hey - it was live once). Buying instruments. Learning new skills and techniques. And sharing music experiences with others. Some of you get out there already – and we salute you! But maybe you are striving to move to the next level or just to play more. And some of you might find it really appealing to play an instrument, but find it hard to get started – a lack of time, skills, and/or equipment just seem to be in the way. In any case, The Metro Gnome is here to help you get more out of your craft. Every month, The Metro Gnome will provide tips and will identify opportunities to make getting out there easier. And every day, The Metro Gnome has the Gig Guide, so you can always find some live music near you.

In this issue, you’ll find a revealing interview with Sydney-local, Dai Pritchard, who, earlier this year, got the opportunity to fulfill a dream of his and go on tour with Rose Tattoo. In our All About Guitars section, we have two articles this month: one on the merits of big bodied guitars and another about the never-ending search for the perfect guitar. For those of you starting to think about recording your music, we have a series called Gnome Recording that will take you through the basics of home recording. And for those of you well versed in home recording, we have a product review of the Tascam digital 24 track. Our review covers everything from the benefits of digital recording to the difficulties of using new equipment. In the few weeks we’ve played with the Tascam we know we’ve only scratched the surface of its capabilities – so we’ll have to come back. I think you’ll enjoy it.

It’s important to know that all of our articles are opinion pieces. They are written in a casual style by regular people. We just happen to think that regular people have really interesting things to say. You’ll also see that we are not here to overwhelm you with quantity. It’s quality that matters. Your own article contributions are always welcome – more than that – they’re encouraged. Send your ideas to our editor. Your say is important.

But you don’t have to wait for a new issue to have your say - The Musician’s Forum is a place where the live music community can exchange ideas and information all the time. Want to find a band? Come here. Need to find someone to run the lights? Look here. Want to find out who uses in-ear monitors and what they think of them? Ask here. Need a fill-in drummer? This is the place. And the more we all use it – the better it gets. It’s free and it’s easy – and it’s available 24x7.

The Gig Guide is the real centerpiece of The Metro Gnome – a service available for musicians and music fans alike. This is THE PLACE people will look for gigs. If you’re in a band – they’ll look for you here. If you have a pub, they’ll see what’s on here. It is online, searchable, and up-to-date. If, for any reason, we’ve missed your gig, just send the information to our Gig Guru and we’ll get it up within 24 hours. Oh, and although right now you’ll see that the comprehensive content is all Sydney-metro based, the database can support all Australian and US cities – and we’ll expand it further if you send us something else. Bring it on!

To close, I think I should confess something to you; I’m learning the guitar. I’m not a master and I’m not trying to be. I just want to be able to play along while people sing and have a good time. So my confession is really that The Metro Gnome might be a bit biased toward guitars and guitar players. That’s my fault. I just figure I ought to be up front about it.

And that’s it for October…. We’re already working hard on the content for the November issue, so subscribe now and you won’t miss out! Whatever you do between now and then, make sure that you GET OUT THERE! Let us know what you think….

- The Metro Gnome