KATIE JOY MUSIC, 20th October.

Heyaaa my lovelies and thank you so much for clicking on
this, for supporting my music, and for showing an interest in my crazy life. I can't wait for you to hear a new song soon!

Special hiya to any newbies :) get involved on instagram to see what I'm making at the moment, and feel free to send me a message any time! I want to hear what you're up to.

Thank you for all the well wishes on my arm - and to the musicians who want to collaborate, and the lovely people who are waiting for the music and staying in touch :) That's what this is all about!

Special love to Ally, whose Labrador ‘Bay’ has just conceived what will be the most gorgeous puppies! And Stella, who has adopted two stray kittens this week in Cyprus!! - these bits of info basically made my week so thank you.

Lets get into it with the weekly newsletter update…

Covering: 

• Studio: lead vocals, bouncing and making stems, gig rehearsals for my own band and purely my songs! Vocal editing - we are getting close!
• Dinnering mainly in hibernation
• Poppy Dog big haircut
• Training horses from the ground - Lucy's first time on grass field to jump. 
• Choosing some cover songs for live gigs
• HOSPITAL APPOINTMENT, swelling, and CAST AND SLING OFF!
• Admin for festival applications 
• Rats and runaways, the rat boys at the end of my road. 
• Abba night and Oktoberfest. Our fave local pubbage :)
• My new song ‘Way Back Home’ and the process of writing it so far.
• No Thai food :((

But before I get into it, here's the bits and bobs of the week..

1. Songs I've been listening to on repeat and think you should too: 'Love is Hate' by Ray Bull. & ‘Last of the Steam Powered Trains’ by The Kinks. 
2. My watch recommendations: ‘Immaculate’ (movie), & ‘The West Wing’ (my absolute all-time favourite series I must right now begin rewatching).
3. THE cup of coffee of the week: anything with cinnamon in it (everything I make).
4. Aims for next week: get a live set together and well rehearsed, get into physio so I can get riding. 
5. My pictures of choice to capture the vibes:

Studio. My music. Progress update on the first Katie Joy albumn.

SO this week: much rehearsing, big amps, big sounds. 

Most notably, making a new song, “Way Back Home”. As documented in parts 1-3 so far on the Insta! I've been building it with a super cool drum groove loud through the monitors; it captures a real ‘mood’, I think (that's the aim anyway). I'll be demo-ing it next week if I have time amongst all the chaos. With this, I plan to have a tight, close, droning, drumming effect with the guitar - because that's what really drives the verse. I want it to feel on edge. Before opening up into the chorus, possibly with some cool soundscaping, low choral harmonies - but still with beefy, punchy bass and drums that are just really tightly locked in. It's all about the feel.

Rehearsal-wise, guitarist Arthur and I are cracking on to get stuff sorted for upcoming gigs - hopefully I'll be able to announce some soon! Anyway, also much ongoing editing admin, SINGING LEAD VOCALS, editing vocals and guitar - and continuing to bounce parts down to disk and make stems. Mix dates are getting in the calendar soon, and coming up quickly if I can heal my arm and get back to working so we can actually pay the mixing engineer! :) Excitingly, mastering dates will be soon after that. 

Teas spilt in the studio this week: only 2

Teas that got cold and not drunk: probably 10.

So, now moving on to Life day by day. 

MONDAY.

MORE GUITAR EDITING STILL, this time on ‘Shaking’. Then sung a new lead vocal on it, before trying to cram a new fridge someone was giving away for free, into our really rather small car. (We love free stuff). And popping to the town fair in the evening. Very loud. Lots of sweets, lots of ghost train riding. 

TUESDAY.

AM: training the horses with Toby from the ground. Set up cavalletti exercises on a circle, placement poles to bounces, curved and raised trot poles, and canter poles from an adjustable related distance. 

Then continuing to edit ’Shaking'.

Band rehearsal with guitarist Arthur in the eve, for upcoming gigs - getting going. 

Worked on parts for ‘Dark Blues’, ‘Boston’, ‘The News’ & ‘Bobby Joe’. Sounding very cool I think:) also making notes on these for our bassist!

Went down to grab late drinks with friends from the bottom of my road. They’ve just today made an impulsive purchase of two rats, Ratty and Gordano. Much fun only to discover one had already made an escape when we got back to theirs. The boys were absolutely mortified. But there’s one more free rat I guess, and who doesn’t love freedom. Hopefully a new mate for Gordano is incoming. And a more secure gaff 🏡🔑

WEDNESDAY.

FINALLY A HOSPITAL APPOINTMENT! Fracture clinic, Swindon, AM. Much waiting for an X-ray, and some pretty gruesome dressing removal. Wrist looks quite wonky in actual fact, but I’m hoping it’s just the swelling. INCREDIBLY PAINFUL WHEN TOUCHED, as it happens, so aiming to avoid that. 

Hospitals make me starving, and quite nauseous (weird combo I know) - so lunch straight away on homecoming before getting in the studio and writing a new song. 

(Process of this can be seen on insta! Lmk what u think). Anyway, playing around with that drum groove to get inspired because my guitar playing and the force I can (actually cannot), hit the strings with: is TRAGIC.  

Did a lot of video editing before going out and playing cards with my parents (was not on great form, but did manage to wrangle that Mum now owes me £17 🤝👍

Then dinner and a pretty early crash out - with a very clammy arm. 

THURSDAY.  

Errands, coffee shop for video editing, and pharmacy for what is hopefully a less sweaty wrist splint (TBC). 

Then straight into studio - to sort out the rest of the edit on ‘Shaking’ in the chorus - many many vocal parts going on! 

Then actually re-sang the chorus, as I thought I could make a stronger job of it. 

Working and organising outfits for some local events this weekend (info all to come). 

Met up with some friends, then picked bestie Molly up from the station around 9 pm after her pupillage at a fancy London law chamber, which she loved. Very proud of her! 

Came home, had dinner, yapped about boys and our inability to do relationships not being our fault (it deffo is). Watched a series we payed no attention to (might have been called ‘Ransom Canyon’?), and basically just giggled about general incompetence, mainly ours, but often the guys we are talking to👎👎). 

In other info, Poppy Dog has been groomed and has a new very naked very fresh very skinhead haircut. She's a happy gal, won’t be showing her a mirror though.  

FRIDAY. 

Early start to go and jump Lucy in the field with Toby riding. She was a bit sharp first time on grass, but brave and obliging and seemed to enjoy jumping round a course. Wow is she scopey and speedy! Cannot wait to get back on her. 

Came home, lunch, working in studio, festival applications and admin (In town. With orange juice). 

Further ‘Shaking’ chorus editing (it never ends), before getting ready and somehow scrounging an outfit together for an Oktoberfest event at our fave local pub. Very fun, very loud band, very enjoyable, very cold. Came home for scrambled eggs on toast and my bed around 11 pm though. Got to stay in good shape for the all-important ABBA NIGHT Saturday (tomo) night!!

SATURDAY.

Saw local friends for coffee in town in the morning, and walked around the Autumn food market in town - very festive. Mainly video editing again this morning, alongside some crucial horse admin and solving sales issues with my mare (it never goes to plan, does it!)

Visited lovely family friend and Italian professional event rider Matti at his new yard for a catch-up. 

Much-needed bath, and then: ABBA NIGHT. 

SUNDAY.

Trying to wash the wound and get the swelling down on my arm! Coffee and correspondence with horse sales. Amidst some general financial panic. 

Before going to watch Calmsdem horse trials and support a friend on a couple of young horses. Ran around in the wind trying to take videos of random fences with no phone storage available.

Very brutally reminded in the last couple of days how much I hate being cold. Basically just wish I was riding the horses rather than standing like a lemon. 

Home, studio work. Singing and working out harmonies, and choosing a couple of cover songs for my new live set to practise with guitarist Arthur tomorrow. Went for a chilly park walk, hibernated with my hot water bottle ‘Pablo’ :) And Goldie (real life cat).

MONDAY.

Straight into the studio early morning, working on lyrics for new song ‘Way back Home’ as I mentioned. And made a video documenting the process for my instagram reel's songwriting from scratch series. My guitar playing is still completely abysmal / not existent  due to my arm actually still being broken - so that part is pretty funny to watch. Would recommend. 

It's difficult to demonstrate the lyric writing process well though, because a) it's always a different scenario, mood, feeling, and inspiration. And b) it tends to ‘just happen’ (or it doesn't). But it can't be forced. The syllable- and rhythm-related gibberish that comes with writing the basic melody (for me) is in line with the intent and vibe of the song. And so this is what I shape into the story I want to tell, and the atmosphere I want to create. In this case, that may or may not be related to a certain enigmatic, flighty, and totally on-edge, unreliable character. But no spoilers will be disclosed.

Anyway, then headed straight to the stables for a morning appointment with my vet: full X-rays and vet check certificate for sales (really quite stressful).

Home for lunch, studio work and editing. Followed by a Teams meeting with my strategist for the album campaign and release. 

Followed in quick succession by rehearsals again with Guitarist Arthur - for the Katie Joy band (which I may soon name - any thoughts on ‘The Mad Cats’??)

Namely getting all the cool guitar parts down for one of my new songs 'Looking For Gold', as well as running through some very groovy covers which I will not be disclosing. Find out for yourself.. be there or be square.

Finished off the evening with a late living room supper with my uncle who had come to stay. Lots of yapping.

Before I love you and leave you: here's an adorable and honestly hilarious photo we got sent of Lucy as a baby, by her breeder in Ireland xx 

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The CIREN FC UPDATE: EXCEPTIONALLY A 6-0 (to us) away game - with 6 different goal scorers. Seems to go a lot better when I am not there - though you will not keep me away from next week.

Next week: More horse sale admin and organisation, X-ray viewing, band rehearsals, getting dates in with my mixing engineer, my long-lost childhood bestie coming to stay, RAT BOYS and my unsuccessful love life. will they or won't they.

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Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about another week in the life of a singer-songwriter horsegirl, soon to release music ur gonna love. And her hectic type B, pro side-questing family.

There will be more stories, behind the scenes music and songwriting content, and general yapping on a weekly basis. Message me on instagram if theres something specific you want to know or see :)

*Stay tuned and active on the socials my pookies, be part of the team and help me get to where people can hear my music!*

@Katiejoyella

Signing off, bye, love ya.

Katie Joy xx