KATIE JOY MUSIC, 3rd November.

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.

Lets get into it with the weekly newsletter update…

Covering: 

• Studio: big sounds, new songs, vocal sessions.
• A very exciting first gig confirmation! 15th November in Stroud. Come along!!
• Band rehearsals, band bonding, potential drummers, and the ongoing search for the perfect fit.
• A long-lost best friend, lots of catching up, and a rather lovely few days.
• Being social. Pub trips, family dinners, London adventures and a questionable amount of travelling.
• Halloween: last-minute costume decisions, Infernos, cancelled trains and giant sharks.
• Horsey life: Lucy jumping, schooling, and approx 500 hours of vetting reports, X-ray viewing and horse admin.
• Ever more coffee shop work sessions and a little more gig hunting.
• Long leather boots, leopard print, soup, mango smoothies, and still being rather broke.

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: 'Hot Love' by T. Rex. And 'The Weight' by The Band. Two absolute belters. One for a bit of glam-rock boogie, the other for that wonderful, slightly dusty, travelling-down-the-highway feeling.
2. My watch recommendations: The English (series). A rather beautiful, dark and atmospheric Western with Emily Blunt. And The Last Waltz (film). If you love music, musicians, brilliant performances and the magic of a proper live band, this is essential viewing.
3. THE drink of the week: some dodgy things were drunk on Halloween; I will be sticking with a coffee or an Earl Grey for now, I think.
4. Aims for next week: Get the Stroud gig properly sorted, keep rehearsing, find ourselves a drummer, get a few more songs ready for mixing, make some progress with the physio (PLEASE), and get back on a horse a little more. Also, eat something other than soup and stop spending money I don't have.
5. My pictures of choice to capture the vibes:

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

SO this week: more rehearsals, more songs, some very big sounds, a gig in the diary, and quite a lot of musical excitement.

First things first, WE HAVE A GIG! Very excitingly, we've been confirmed to play in Stroud on the 15th November, opening for another band. It's our first proper date in the diary, and I'm so looking forward to getting out there and playing these songs to actual people. Do come along if you're nearby!

Rehearsals are exciting stuff - Ethan, Arthur and I have been bashing out songs, trying new things, adding another to the pile and generally getting to grips with what this band is going to sound like. We're also trying out potential drummers, which is proving to be something of an ongoing adventure. Finding the right person is important though because we al get on so well and share influences! 

On the recording front, I've been back in the studio getting backing vocals down for 'Shaking' (which is SO high, honestly), and playing around with vocal effects and production. I've also been getting another song, 'Side of the Road', ready for its final lead vocal. It's a pretty heavy rock number - I'm very excited to get it finished - and even more excited to play it to the guys (I think they'll love playing this one live).

I've also been learning more about production, just by spending ridiculous lengths of time listening and faffing in the studio on my own. There are literally seven thousand different ways of doing everything. It's a constant process of fiddling, listening, changing things, listening again, and very often deciding that the original version was actually better. 

The other thing I'm really enjoying is seeing the songs start to take on lives of their own. They all have their own personalities, sounds and little worlds, and I love that the album isn't just one thing. There's the bluesy, country and Americana side, the heavier rock moments, the more delicate bits, and all the storytelling in between. I want it to feel like a collection of proper songs, with real character, rather than trying to squeeze everything into one particular sound.

It's still a tonne of juggling at the moment. Finishing the record, getting the live set together, finding the right people, booking gigs, contacting promoters, helping with Red Box promo, getting music video ideas together, attempting a social life, posting on social media - and somehow keeping up with the horses and a few other side quests.

But things are moving. There's a gig in the diary, the songs are coming together, and I'm getting increasingly impatient to have this music finished and out in the world. (Basically would quite like to be demoing new songs I've written this year and get the creative side of things outweighing the admin and nitty-gritty side of things (as cool as that is).

Teas spilt in the studio this week: None that I can remember. A small victory.

Teas that went cold and were never drunk: Several. Obviously.

(& Just the one cup of soup).

Got the BIG AMP IN …

(For Ethan to come and silence us all with his bass, most likely)

So, now moving on to Life day by day. 

TUESDAY.

Showed Georgie around town, lots of teas, lots of wandering. Went to jolly nice pumpkin patch for coffee and sweets. Wandered around like middle aged women who love expensive snacks and groceries before not buying any :(

Had leftovers lunch before heading to introduce Georgie to the Cassie and Lucy (my ponies, my children, my loves). 

They were in a pretty good mood, very friendly. 

Got brutally locked out when we made it home but once finally inside had a cozy chill evening. Watched “Thrash”: mortifying number of surprise deaths by giant shark, enjoyable though. And should be paid attention, because violent weather anomalies and rising sea levels really are what we will have to contend with if we keep on how we are.  

WEDNESDAY.

Matcha and chia pudding at cafe in town, talking about our uni experiences. 

Parted with Georgie as she headed off back to London. Lovely to catch up so sad we aren’t close enough geographically to see eachother more often. 

Work in studio on ‘the news’ vocals. Before Cheltenham meeting and some speedy driving and big coffee drinking on the way to get there on time. 

More speeding in fact on return as Ethan and Arthur coming for band practice at 3pm. Tea and carrots with tahini dip, before good practise - bashing out 4 songs and 1 new. 

Meeting for a drink with a friend in front of the fire, and then out for a family meal with parents and my always featured very famous very football and WAG: cousin and her fiance. 

THURSDAY.  

Early AM giving Lucy a jump and a school, some more technical exercises and some larger fences - she is extremely cool. 

Before studio work and gig correspondents, + our back line planning - until 3 when the band came for rehearsal again! Trying out with a new potential drummer. Nice guy but musically possibly not the best fit - more into 90s brunch etc. Also because of our shared obsession with the same movies we are rather peas in a pod, so a social moron like us might be a better fit. The search continues. 

Now for band bonding pub trip. 10/10. Many topics were covered - won’t be sharing them all. Luckily we find each other very funny. Met a HUGE DOG called Stanley. 

FRIDAY. 

Such an admin day. (What a time to be alive 👎). Got a lot done but felt like an absolute vegetable 🥦. 6 more festival applications done for both myself and Red box. A lot of stalking and cold messaging random drummers and venues. A lot of social media editing and analytics. A lot of calendar organising for the month of November. 

Broken up by the visit of one of my parents oldest friends (New York based, but now recently and excitingly: Australia). So had tea and lunch with her. Before cracking back into the studio and admin work. Also sorting an outfit for Halloween tomorrow when I’ll be out and about in London. (Why always so last minute?! What a fab question). In the last three days I’ve had formal attachment to the following different outfits- none of which I had sorted out. Fairy godmother from shrek, puss in boots from shrek, Dracula’s wife, Robert Plant, and finally: a regular black cat. (Idk what will end up happening so watch this space I guess). 

An evening walk and yap with Molly, followed by editing a lyrics video, and dinner with a scary festival Halloweeny vibes show (called “Midnight Mass”). And a somewhat thank goodness early night. 

SATURDAY.

Walk. Work. Red Box application for wales and south west festivals! Followed by hair wash, lunch, singing backing vocal parts on ‘Shaking’. (Soso high). Then got my (last minute black cat) outfit ready to head to London. 

Got the email to discover we’ve been confirmed for a gig coming up in Stroud (15th Nov) - opening for another band. V v happy girl - feels like it’s all paying off. (More about this in music section above!!)

Did in fact stand up on a very oversubscribed train, changed at Paddington, Moorgate and finally to Clapham South. 

Interesting night, infernos and clubs generally still maybe not for me tho. Good kebab after though. Everyone and their nan was out and about - noooo lime bikes around :((

SUNDAY.

Sofa nights sleep, fairly stiff fairly ew! Actually slept great though. 

Rallied the troups together (or attempted for 4 ish hours), and went out for brunch in Balham. 

Only to discover my train had been cancelled and replaced with a rail replacement bus, and I was due to be in the studio much sooner than expected. So back across London at lightning speeds, got lunch, bought some cute Christmas tree decorations and a card as a surprise present for my mum (why I am spending such dwindling funds on this I am very unsure!?). Got lunch, and made it as far as Reading - where my incredibly amazing mother picked me up as it was really all going tits up in terms of journey progress. 

Finally made it home, cracked on with vocal effects on ‘Shaking’ - fiddling around trying to learn as much as possible about music production - an ever-enormous task :) but we all know I love a choice, I love an array of options. Spent some time video editing before getting fully into winter PJ’s and finishing off the Halloween stint by watching the original ‘Halloween’ for the first time. (I love a season, and it felt like it went so fast). That was good, I’m now fireworking and firesiding and then ready to lock into Christmas 🎄👍👍🤝✨. 

MONDAY.

Emailing many local promotors … sorting out set list for upcoming gig. (With a cup of coffee in a coffee shop). Then off to go and school Lucy with Toby riding, start sorting levels on a new song I haven’t working on in a while. Cup of soup and co for lunch (co: cheese and pesto crackers+ raw mushrooms 🍄‍🟫). Anyway, preparing the mix to sing a final lead vocal on a pretty heavy rock song called “Side of The Road”. It is absolutely trucking along (as it must, as it should). Finished work late, and headed to Drillmans with parentals to meet and yap with local friends. Had a giggle about family rows, and spouse related anger - at least everyone gets messy sometimes!

Also been organising for Nik (one of the bestest friends and videographer I've been planning to get very creative with for album stuff), and I to get music video content at a bonfire event next week. Making the most of the fact we won't have to start the fire or control it. Hopefully we don't die or get in the way too much, or get over excited by the fireworks, the food, and the pints: and forget.

Anyway, that's this Monday to a close, after a salmon and sweet potato cosy dinner with mum and dad (nothing better:), alongside watching weird, quite jarring but very enjoyable series: “Midnight Mass”. (*Still in the spooky spirirt as it turns out). 

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The CIREN FC UPDATE: We are in fact playing Carterton on this very day, tonight, 7.45pm. I start with that because we did sadly slightly lose to Longlevens last week :( oh well onwards and upwards. (should have passed to Harley more). Have not been to any games I will not lie, might need to show my face if I'm going to pretent to like foodball, so I guess expect me soon..

Next week expect: Horsey vets, singing and vocal sessions, setlist and backline dealings, checking out the Stroud venue for our gig, FINALLY PHYSIO at jockey's facility Oaksey House, doctors and cheltenham, band practise x2, more drummer correspondents, the horse sale begins! (stress stress stress), firework night - filming a bonfire without getting burned, Remembrance Sunday with the whole family :)

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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 there's 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!*

@Katiejoy.music

Signing off, bye, love ya.

Katie Joy xx