Jig Blog

Big Changes For The Jiggers

A quick bit of Jiggers news...

JIGBLOG MOVE.

1. The Jigblog will be moving to our own servers at www.thejiggers.co.uk very soon. (hence lack of recent activity here)

2. PRICE INCREASE.

If you're thinking of booking the band, now is a good time to do it as our long-delayed price increase will soon be coming into effect! Eek! We've held off for as long as we can, but in order to keep delivering a consistent high standard of service, we now have to have slightly higher costs. It will still be excellent value though. We're still charging hundreds of pounds less than our main competitors, too.

3. VAT HIKE.

UK VAT also goes up to 20% in January. If you confirm and receive an invoice before then, you only pay VAT at the 17.5% rate.Another reason to book sooner.

4. COVERS SET.

The band are currently rehearsing a range of covers songs, so that we will soon be able to offer a covers set as well as a ceilidh set and DJ set (currently with the 5 piece band only). Our new website will have more details.

5. OUR NEW WEBSITE.

The old website has the reddish-pink jumping fiddler image on the right hand side. The new one won't have that. That's how you tell the difference! (plus, the new one will look much cooler, have even more helpful information on it and will also sync with your ipad. That last bit isn't true. I don't even know what that means.)

The new site will also have this video of the band on the homepage.

 

Thanks for reading. See you soon over at www.thejiggers.co.uk!

A new Blog Audio Player widget

Getting to grips with Logic 9

I recently went over to the dark side and invested in an iMac. The main reason (apart from the significant processing power offered) was the fact that my favourite audio editing software Logic, was discontinued on the PC since version 5.5. I've been recording everything using Logic 5 for a number of years, but it's had a few irritating niggles that really slowed down my workflow.

I'm now getting into using Logic version 9 (the company who made it was bought over by Apple, hence the lack of PC development!) and I'm quite enjoying it. I'm working out how to import old v5.5 projects, use legacy instruments and plugins, keyboard shortcuts. It will take a while until I'm up to the speed of "power-user" as I was on the PC, but it feels like time well spent.

When I was at uni, I wasted a lot of time on apple macs being taught non-standard office software (i.e. not Microsoft Office). This meant that getting a summer job as a temp was extremely difficult. Naively, my C.V. said things like "well-versed in Clarisworks software packages".

 

At least this time, using Apple-exclusive software won't result in other professionals looking incredulous and saying "whuh?" when I mention it...

Ceilidh in Glasgow University Union (GUU) this week

Want to come to a JIGGERS ceilidh this Saturday?

This Saturday night (22nd May 2010) the 5 piece band are booked to play at the GUU for an "old boys" school reunion party. Because of Champion's League and other stuff, the client has sold only about 50 tickets. It will be quite a relaxed, informal affair, so he's asked me if I can drum up any local support who'd enjoy a jig aboot. It's free if you want to join them, then let me know. The email is info @ thejiggers DOT co D O T uk

Note: please do contact me first if you'd like to come along, and I'll clear it with the client. The people who bought tickets are also getting a meal, but free guests just get to dance about, so carb up before you come!

PS GUU is a student union, so I.D. may be required for you young-looking types.

Nick Clegg: "Call me Chas"

I've created a new political facebook group. The noble aim is to get a nick-name to stick for Nick Clegg. Apart from performing at a few SNP and Lib Dem party parties in the past, that's about as political as the Jiggers is going to get, to be honest...

Nick Clegg Needs A Nickname. I vote for "Chas".

Venue Review: House For An Art Lover, Glasgow

A popular wedding venue where the Jiggers are regularly invited to play is Glasgow's House For An Art Lover in Bellahouston park. (It's just round the corner from where the Jiggers are based, which is nice!). This is the venue of choice for lovers of Charles Rennie Mackintosh art and architecture.

The venue has an upstairs section for the reception ceremony and meal, with the downstairs "Art Lover's Cafe" which is a kind of mini-gallery that transforms into the gathering place for the evening ceilidh.

We often provide clients with music for the full day there, and were performing there again at the weekend. A popular choice is our bigdaymusic Wedding Silver Music Package, which includes a piper for welcoming guests (handy, if you're lost in the park and can't find the venue) and our jazz pianist usually tickles the ivories on the venue's baby grand piano during the meal. We also supply our string quartet for e.g. the drinks reception or the ceremony which can be held in the venue too.

Clients often ask what size of band is suitable for the House for an Art Lover...We usually suggest 3 piece or 4 at a push. 5 would be tight, especially if it was a full function band with backline. You can see the relatively small stage setup of the 3 piece Jiggers band, including DJ & lights, in the picture below. Including lights with the entertainment is a must for the art lovers cafe, whose white walls really benefit from some nice party lighting, i think.

If you've had an event at the House for an Art Lover, please do post a comment to tell us about your experience there.

Me, Katie & Dougie, the 3 piece Jiggers ceilidh band outside the House For An Art Lover.

The baby grand piano in the dining room

The 3 piece band & DJ option has a smaller footprint and fits snugly into the corner of the room!

 

Eco Coke Bottle design

This new coke bottle design looks very cool. I would buy it. They should make it.

Boturich Castle

Scotland is a great place to get married. You rarely have to travel more than 10 minutes from any point in the country to find a really beautiful backdrop for your wedding celebration.One of the best things about being in a ceilidh band is the fact that we get to perform in some of the most beautiful places in Scotland.

Raising the game for wedding venues around Loch Lomond (of which there are many) is the recently developed Boturich Castle.

Well, OK. It's not like they've just built an ancient castle, but the point is that they've just added a large fixed marquee which caters for (at a guess) about 200 guests.

They held their first wedding there last week, and Bigdaymusic was hired by the happy couple to provide the wedding entertainment (which included the bagpiper, and also the ceilidh band and DJ for the evening).

Now the Jiggers have played lots of really nice venues around Loch Lomond: The Lodge on the Loch, Luss, Cameron House, Loch Lomond Youth Hostel, Duck Bay, loch Lomond Shores- Drumkinnon Tower, Ross Priory. But the most breathtaking view has to be the one you get from from Boturich.

The castle (and marquee) is situated on a hill north-east of Balloch, and as you can see from the photos, has an unhindered perspective on the loch. The real selling point of Boturich, I think, is the fact that two whole walls of the large venue are completely glass, meaning all the guests benefit from that incredible view for the whole day.

I don't know how much they charge for events held there. I can't imagine that it's cheap... I believe that you can hire in your own caterers,though which might make it a bit more flexible if you can get a good deal on the food.

And of course, catch us on a good day and we might also be happy to shave a few quid off the price just for the chance to play up there again :)

Here's some pics of Dougie, Katie and Donald chillaxin' outside the venue...

 
  

Smartphone with background noise cancellation - Google Nexus 1

  Here is my rough explanation of how noise cancellation works. I'm not hot on the physics of audio, so techies, feel free to correct me!

The google Nexus 1 smartphone has two microphones on it. The one for your voice, like any other microphone, picks up all the sounds coming into it. That means it receives your voice plus any background noise.

The extra microphone is positioned to pick up background noises MORE than your voice. That means it will be aimed away from your mouth (on the other side of the handset, I presume).

So there are two audio signals going into the phone, with some pretty much identical audio content (i.e. the background noise).

Basic noise cancellation involves taking two signals, inverting the phase of the waveform of one of them, then mixing them together. One waveform goes "up" and an identical one goes "down" (because it's been inverted). That way, the downward waveform "cancels out" the upward one. If both signals are identical, you get silence. If the two signals are virtually identical (as is the case with two mics at slightly different positions) you get a reduction in the volume.

It's only the bits of the audio which are different in the two mics (primarily, your voice) which don't get affected.

So this phone can turn down background noise. Cool, eh? It's the same principle that happens with noise cancelling headphones, and it's a technique I've used in the studio to check the phase settings of mics (e.g. recording a drum kit).

It's strange that this technology has not been effectively recruited up until now. I'd say that's a far more vital feature than many of the apps you get on other smartphones...

The world's greatest mullet

 Simon Varwell, like a sociopathic Apache with highly specific depilatory tendencies, collects mullets.

How does one go about doing that without incurring the wrath of the judicial system? His new book explains all.

Simon is a travel writer, and is also a friend (and occassional photographer) of the Jiggers Ceilidh Band. This, I believe is reason enough for you to consider buying his book.

Billy Collins - Litany

As a ceilidh caller and a performer, I always like to look for examples of how better to connect with an audience, hold their attention, make them laugh. Billy Collins communicates in a comfortable, droll way that is unhindered by false confidence.

BBC spending 08-09

My favourite radio station, BBC 6 Music is being threatened with closure. It costs 9 million pounds a year to run, and has had a growing audience since its inception, and "had an average weekly reach of 695,000 listeners in the final three months of last year". I agree with Richard Bacon's comments about 6 music that "6 Music is a beautiful example of the BBC at its best."

This chart shows spending of the BBC in 08-09. Click for bigger. From here

The obvious cuts the BBC should be making, in my opinion, are in talent. If times are hard, they should be investing in fresh presenters. Removing Ross, Robinson and Clarkson alone would keep 6 music afloat. I'm a fan of Top Gear, but I'd be happy watching reruns of the first 12 series on iplayer if they had to drop the presenters. Jonathan Ross is great on radio, but on TV he is cringe-worthy and doesn't deserve the slot (or the money) he gets.

6 music is a fantastic station, with a brilliant variety of witty, intelligent DJs who are passionate about the music they play. I've been a great fan of Adam & Joe, Jon Richardson, Lauren Laverne, Steve Lamacq to name but a few. How many stations can land Bob Dylan to present a radio show?

It goes on every morning in my house, and often throughout the day too. Nothing else comes close to the quality of this station's output. The fact that they deliver it on such a small budget is incredible.

Support the petition here

Avatar: a big h3Dache

I finally got around to seeing Avatar 3d yesterday.

Can I suggest that if you've never seen a 3d film before, don't pop your 3d cherry with an epic that seems to be about 9 hours long.

If you want to know why I felt it was a truly rubbish movie, check out my Jiggers facebook profile from today where I discuss it in laborious detail. 

The main problem with 3d is that you have a huge screen in front of you, and only certain sections are in focus: the bits you're *supposed* to be looking at. I don't know why, but I want to look at every possible section of the screen, and take in all the details. So I ended up with a rather distracting headache. I often just took off the 3d glasses (which cost 80p, mind) and watched it all "in blurry".

To find out more about "h3daches", see this article

Look at this...Don't look at this? Actually, I think I'd prefer to not look at any of it, James. It's a lovely sunny day outside in *actual* 3d. I might go and appreciate that instead.

Choir of the Year 2010

A spine-tingling choral performance down the Duck and Switchblade. Maybe Bigdaymusic should see if these guys are available for singing at weddings.

How do you turn a duck into a soul singer?

For animal rights reasons, we will not be recommending putting it in the oven until its bill withers.

Watching this sublime performance from the man himself, however, would be a good start.

David Ford, Go To Hell

A stunning video from David Ford, a hugely engaging singer-songwriter. I loved this when I first heard it. It's being looped and recorded (and quite possibly mixed as well) live, in real time.

How to know you're tweeting too much...

Twitter may be the reason some children originally to be named Nathaniel Obadiah mercifully ended up as Bob.

Latest Beatcave Remix - Ash - NEON

*edit* because this remix is getting used for an upcoming compilation I've been asked to take it down from youtube in the meantime. Still, I think that's pretty cool. Nobody ever cared enough before :)

Apple Iphad announced

Apple's new tablet PC. Full unbiased reviews, pros & cons, measured and thoughtful analysis of the Apple iPad. On the Jigblog? iThinknot.

 

 

(yeah, these are all from b3ta, obviously)

Tramageddon

Some of the great things about playing a ceilidh in Edinburgh city centre are:

a) Sat Nav signals go crazy

b) Some roads have "no entry" signs at both ends

c) Some vehicles have been stuck in the one-way system since last August

d) The tram "works" (ironically, they don't)

(note: subtitles are a bit sweary)

I blame that big old grey building in the middle. Knock it down and stick a big dual carriageway through the hill it's perched on. Who's with me?

Twitsig

Twitsig creates a graphic image for forum signatures which updates every time you update your twitter account. This means that on any static site that allows images to be linked, you can show your twitter feed.

And clicking on the image above takes you to the twitter page directly. Cool, eh?