Callaghan Calling: News from UK singer-songwriter, CALLAGHAN, currently touring with SHAWN MULLINS http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:10:00 GMT http://bandzoogle.com Want to be in Callaghan's Holiday Video? http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1540913 &quot;Snowflakes and Wishes&quot; Another year has gone by, and I can&rsquo;t believe how quickly. This will be my second Thanksgiving and I&rsquo;m looking forward to spending it with the lovely friends I&rsquo;ve made since moving here to the US! Even though it&rsquo;s new for me, I love Thanksgiving. It offers a great opportunity to look back over the year and remember all the things you&rsquo;re grateful for and that you&rsquo;ve achieved. Sometimes when we get caught up with daily life it&rsquo;s hard to take a step back and realise how much we all have to be thankful for. So, this year, as something extra special I am going to try and spread a bit of holiday cheer by making a video for my Christmas song &ldquo;Snowflakes&rdquo; and inviting everyone to be a part of it! All you have to do is take a photo of you or your family sending a holiday message to someone you love. You can be as creative and imaginative as you like! Email the photo to callaghan[at]callaghansongs.com for a chance to be included in the video. There&rsquo;ll be some prizes for some of my favourite photos, and you&rsquo;ll be able to watch and share the video with all your friends and family on Facebook. The deadline for sending in the photos is Sunday 11th December. So get your cameras out this Thanksgiving, or over the weekend, and start snapping! You can find out all the details and watch a little video message from me on my website: <a target="_new" href="./snowflakes.cfm">www.callaghansongs.com/snowflakes If you want to hear snowflakes live - make a date to come to the show at <a target="_new" href="http://www.ticketfusion.com/store/one/index.html?store_id=19213&amp;cid=&amp;page_type=ticket&amp;qid=20476740606&amp;month=12&amp;year=2011&amp;tme=1322103974&amp;show_id=607954&amp;master_store_id=19213">The Crimson Moon, Dahlonega GA on Saturday December 3rd! I can&rsquo;t wait for you to send me your pictures and help me create my holiday music video! Happy Holidays wherever you are! Callaghan xx Example photo: "Snowflakes and Wishes"

Another year has gone by, and I can’t believe how quickly.

This will be my second Thanksgiving and I’m looking forward to spending it with the lovely friends I’ve made since moving here to the US!

Even though it’s new for me, I love Thanksgiving. It offers a great opportunity to look back over the year and remember all the things you’re grateful for and that you’ve achieved. Sometimes when we get caught up with daily life it’s hard to take a step back and realise how much we all have to be thankful for.

So, this year, as something extra special I am going to try and spread a bit of holiday cheer by making a video for my Christmas song “Snowflakes” and inviting everyone to be a part of it!

All you have to do is take a photo of you or your family sending a holiday message to someone you love. You can be as creative and imaginative as you like! Email the photo to callaghan[at]callaghansongs.com for a chance to be included in the video.

There’ll be some prizes for some of my favourite photos, and you’ll be able to watch and share the video with all your friends and family on Facebook.

The deadline for sending in the photos is Sunday 11th December.

So get your cameras out this Thanksgiving, or over the weekend, and start snapping!

You can find out all the details and watch a little video message from me on my website: www.callaghansongs.com/snowflakes

If you want to hear snowflakes live - make a date to come to the show at The Crimson Moon, Dahlonega GA on Saturday December 3rd!

I can’t wait for you to send me your pictures and help me create my holiday music video! Happy Holidays wherever you are!

Callaghan xx

Example photo:



]]> Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:10:00 GMT 7E6FC58DC3EDD7FA1AC18D7815157AFA "Remember remember the 5th of November..." http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1469878 &nbsp;&ldquo;Remember remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder treason and plot&rdquo; I&rsquo;m sitting in a lovely hotel room overlooking the ocean down in Pensacola, Florida and the sun is shining. I was performing at the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival yesterday and broke a personal record by doing 3 shows in one day. I&rsquo;m quite tired today, so it took me a minute to remember that the date is November 5th, which is Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, back in the UK. If I were back in London I might be putting on a scarf, hat and gloves to go out to a firework display. The tradition comes from a plot back in 1605 when a man called Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament and kill King James I. The plot failed, and so it became a custom to celebrate the date every year. Some people would have a huge bonfire in their back garden or set off fireworks to celebrate. Some people made &ldquo;a guy&rdquo; which was a man made out of old clothes and straw and would take it from house to house saying &ldquo;penny for the guy&rdquo;, the money raised would be used to buy fireworks. Then at the end of the night the guy would be thrown on the bonfire. I remember many bonfire nights from when I was growing up. I didn&rsquo;t really know what it was about, but I did know that there was lots of food, most of which was full of sugar. Toffee apples were a favourite, as well as homemade honeycomb, and something called Cinder toffee (a really dark toffee that was particularly good if you needed a few fillings removing). I saw this story in one of the UK newspapers today about the direct descendant of the man who foiled the gunpowder and caught Guy Fawkes is now one of the top firework technicians in the country! <a target="_new" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2057648/Bonfire-Night-2011-Guy-Fawkes-catchers-descendant-fireworks-display-expert.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2057648/Bonfire-Night-2011-Guy-Fawkes-catchers-descendant-fireworks-display-expert.html?ito=feeds-newsxml Here&rsquo;s one more interesting point about the Gunpowder Plot. Just under two years after the plot failed the first permanent English colony in the New World was established as Jamestown in Virginia. If the plot had succeeded and English history had changed, then maybe that would never have happened, and maybe I wouldn&rsquo;t be sitting here in Florida writing this blog! Happy Bonfire Night to all my friends back in the UK!

 “Remember remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder treason and plot”

I’m sitting in a lovely hotel room overlooking the ocean down in Pensacola, Florida and the sun is shining. I was performing at the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival yesterday and broke a personal record by doing 3 shows in one day.

I’m quite tired today, so it took me a minute to remember that the date is November 5th, which is Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, back in the UK. If I were back in London I might be putting on a scarf, hat and gloves to go out to a firework display.

The tradition comes from a plot back in 1605 when a man called Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament and kill King James I. The plot failed, and so it became a custom to celebrate the date every year. Some people would have a huge bonfire in their back garden or set off fireworks to celebrate. Some people made “a guy” which was a man made out of old clothes and straw and would take it from house to house saying “penny for the guy”, the money raised would be used to buy fireworks. Then at the end of the night the guy would be thrown on the bonfire.

I remember many bonfire nights from when I was growing up. I didn’t really know what it was about, but I did know that there was lots of food, most of which was full of sugar. Toffee apples were a favourite, as well as homemade honeycomb, and something called Cinder toffee (a really dark toffee that was particularly good if you needed a few fillings removing).

I saw this story in one of the UK newspapers today about the direct descendant of the man who foiled the gunpowder and caught Guy Fawkes is now one of the top firework technicians in the country!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2057648/Bonfire-Night-2011-Guy-Fawkes-catchers-descendant-fireworks-display-expert.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Here’s one more interesting point about the Gunpowder Plot. Just under two years after the plot failed the first permanent English colony in the New World was established as Jamestown in Virginia. If the plot had succeeded and English history had changed, then maybe that would never have happened, and maybe I wouldn’t be sitting here in Florida writing this blog!

Happy Bonfire Night to all my friends back in the UK!



]]> Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:50:00 GMT F32F0593F0A2C0A8FF03D34B2EC402F9 Driving in a Winter Wonderland http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1447570 &quot;The snow is softly falling, its like the world just stopped still...&quot; Actually the snow has been coming down pretty hard since we left Massachussetts this morning. We were supposed to be doing a show in Connecticut tonight which I was looking forward to because the venue, Infinity Hall, in Norfolk, is supposed to be a cool place to play. Unfortunately the show had to be postponed because of the weather. It's disappointing but better to be safe though and not have people driving if they dont need to. We've been on the road for 8 hours now driving towards New Jersey for the show tomorrow night. It's been quite a journey with trees collapsing on the siode of the road and lots of cars that have skidded off the road. Luckily the weight of the RV means it doesnt slide around too much. I hope everyone gets home safely tonight. I'll be glad when we get to NJ tonight though and thaw ourselves out with a few glasses of something warming! "The snow is softly falling, its like the world just stopped still..."

Actually the snow has been coming down pretty hard since we left Massachussetts this morning. We were supposed to be doing a show in Connecticut tonight which I was looking forward to because the venue, Infinity Hall, in Norfolk, is supposed to be a cool place to play.

Unfortunately the show had to be postponed because of the weather. It's disappointing but better to be safe though and not have people driving if they dont need to.

We've been on the road for 8 hours now driving towards New Jersey for the show tomorrow night.

It's been quite a journey with trees collapsing on the siode of the road and lots of cars that have skidded off the road. Luckily the weight of the RV means it doesnt slide around too much. I hope everyone gets home safely tonight.

I'll be glad when we get to NJ tonight though and thaw ourselves out with a few glasses of something warming!


]]> Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:05:00 GMT 28084C8493846971E6B3A617161DD10A Keep Calm & Listen to Callaghan - "Life in Full Colour" album now available online! http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1423741 It&rsquo;s the 5th show of the tour...loads of fun so far. Fantastic audiences in Roanoke, Ashland Philly and Montclair. I&rsquo;ve been really enjoying experimenting with my set each night and trying out a couple of new songs as well as tracks from my album, Life in Full Colour. Tonight&rsquo;s show is in Bethel NY - at the site of the Woodstock Festival. I&rsquo;ve also been trying out a new t-shirt design. You might have seen the famous World War II poster from the UK with the slogan &ldquo;Keep Calm and Carry On&rdquo;. I&rsquo;ve adapted it so it now reads &ldquo;Keep Calm and Listen to Callaghan&rdquo;. I hope you like them! The new t-shirts and my album are available from shows on this tour and are now also available online from my website. The album won&rsquo;t be officially released until 2012, but so many people have been asking me if they can get it online, that I thought I&rsquo;d put some copies out early for y&rsquo;all! So if any of you would like to buy a CD, t-shirt, or a special super-fan-package we&rsquo;ve put together, head over to www.callaghansongs.com/store. You could solve all of your stress this year and get all your friends&rsquo; and family&rsquo;s Christmas presents from one place! Thanks for listening and supporting my music - I couldn&rsquo;t do this without you!
I’ve also been trying out a new t-shirt design. You might have seen the famous World War II poster from the UK with the slogan “Keep Calm and Carry On”. I’ve adapted it so it now reads “Keep Calm and Listen to Callaghan”. I hope you like them!

The new t-shirts and my album are available from shows on this tour and are now also available online from my website. The album won’t be officially released until 2012, but so many people have been asking me if they can get it online, that I thought I’d put some copies out early for y’all!

So if any of you would like to buy a CD, t-shirt, or a special super-fan-package we’ve put together, head over to www.callaghansongs.com/store. You could solve all of your stress this year and get all your friends’ and family’s Christmas presents from one place!

Thanks for listening and supporting my music - I couldn’t do this without you!



]]> Mon, 24 Oct 2011 01:02:33 GMT C8C72DB63F33517311FAEEC4828D8FE8 Exercise can be bad for your health! http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1395340 &ldquo;Exercise is bunk. If you are healthy, you don't need it: if you are sick you should not take it.&rdquo; Henry Ford An interesting point of view and one I had some time to think about this week while my latest exercise obsession had left me in excruciating pain and unable to move. This recent passion of mine is boxing. I knew that boxing had its dangers - judging by the facial structure of some boxers I knew the risks - but I didn&rsquo;t think a twisted rib was one of them. I didn&rsquo;t even know you could twist a rib? I&rsquo;ve heard of them breaking, but other than that I thought they were all pretty much happy where they needed to be. Well it turns out they don&rsquo;t always stay put and when one twists and hits a nerve, believe me, you know about it - and you cannot play your guitar. Thankfully a couple of trips to an excellent chiropractor put everything back in place and I&rsquo;m pretty much fighting fit for the tour which starts on Monday. Perhaps I&rsquo;ll leave my new pink boxing gloves at home though. Any suggestions for a song title inspired by this experience? “Exercise is bunk. If you are healthy, you don't need it: if you are sick you should not take it.” Henry Ford

An interesting point of view and one I had some time to think about this week while my latest exercise obsession had left me in excruciating pain and unable to move.

This recent passion of mine is boxing. I knew that boxing had its dangers - judging by the facial structure of some boxers I knew the risks - but I didn’t think a twisted rib was one of them.

I didn’t even know you could twist a rib? I’ve heard of them breaking, but other than that I thought they were all pretty much happy where they needed to be. Well it turns out they don’t always stay put and when one twists and hits a nerve, believe me, you know about it - and you cannot play your guitar.

Thankfully a couple of trips to an excellent chiropractor put everything back in place and I’m pretty much fighting fit for the tour which starts on Monday.

Perhaps I’ll leave my new pink boxing gloves at home though.

Any suggestions for a song title inspired by this experience?





]]> Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:21:08 GMT C9930AEA036DCF8DAC08E7C1934666D0 Back it up, Back it up! http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1375117 I&rsquo;ll take a guess that most people have had someone suggest to them that they should back up the files on their computer, and if they&rsquo;re anything like me, will have thought, &ldquo;Yeah yeah, great idea, who has the time for that?!&rdquo; Well I (almost) learnt my lesson the hard way. During a trip to Tennessee where I played a gig in Chattanooga and had some great meetings in Nashville, I managed to leave my laptop to fend for itself in a coffee shop somewhere in Music City. Only after having driven 2 hours back towards Atlanta did I realise it was missing, so had to turn the car around, spend an extra night in Nashville and hope that it was still there the next morning. It is only at times like these you wonder whether that very helpful email in the drafts folder with the subject &ldquo;Passwords&rdquo; really was such a great idea, and whether putting every important document since moving to the USA in one place might have been foolish. Not to mention all of the music files of new songs I had been working on and countless photos. It was bringing me out in a cold sweat imagining just how much I could lose and was praying that the Frothy Monkey was visited only by kind and honest people that day. Thankfully I was lucky. The lovely manager had noticed it had been left and looked after it for me. What a relief!! Now that me and my laptop are both safely back together, the first job for it will be a trip to Amazon to buy an external drive... I’ll take a guess that most people have had someone suggest to them that they should back up the files on their computer, and if they’re anything like me, will have thought, “Yeah yeah, great idea, who has the time for that?!”

Well I (almost) learnt my lesson the hard way.

During a trip to Tennessee where I played a gig in Chattanooga and had some great meetings in Nashville, I managed to leave my laptop to fend for itself in a coffee shop somewhere in Music City.

Only after having driven 2 hours back towards Atlanta did I realise it was missing, so had to turn the car around, spend an extra night in Nashville and hope that it was still there the next morning.

It is only at times like these you wonder whether that very helpful email in the drafts folder with the subject “Passwords” really was such a great idea, and whether putting every important document since moving to the USA in one place might have been foolish.

Not to mention all of the music files of new songs I had been working on and countless photos. It was bringing me out in a cold sweat imagining just how much I could lose and was praying that the Frothy Monkey was visited only by kind and honest people that day.

Thankfully I was lucky. The lovely manager had noticed it had been left and looked after it for me. What a relief!!

Now that me and my laptop are both safely back together, the first job for it will be a trip to Amazon to buy an external drive...



]]> Sat, 08 Oct 2011 01:55:00 GMT 91D9ACF3BEBD9738A889365B36830BD5 On the road again... http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1270815 The calendar is filling up fast between now and Christmas, and it&rsquo;s time to get back out on the road. I&rsquo;m really looking forward to going back to some places I&rsquo;ve already played and to discovering some new ones. I&rsquo;ll be touring for the last 2 weeks of October with Shawn Mullins opening shows for him up the East Coast, and also doing some of my own shows between now and the end of the year. Dates coming up in Georgia include a special Christmas show at The Crimson Moon Cafe in Dahlonega on Saturday December 3rd. I did one there last year and it was so much fun. Dahlonega is so pretty at Christmas, it&rsquo;s all lit up and Santa Claus was there with his sleigh and some huskies! I&rsquo;ve also just booked a full band show at Eddie&rsquo;s Attic for Saturday January 7th. The last one at the end of June sold out so quickly and was so much fun that we decided we had to do another one! Once again there&rsquo;ll be a great line up of players giving you the full Callaghan sound. It&rsquo;ll be a real chance to shake off those New Year blues. I hope to see you at some of the shows. For a full list of the places I&rsquo;ll be playing, go to <a target="_new" href="./gigs.cfm">www.callaghansongs.com/gigs - new shows keep being added, so check it out! I&rsquo;ve been using the map below to plan touring routes in 2012...it&rsquo;s brought home once again that the USA is a very big place. Still like the song says..&lsquo;Blue skies and an endless horizon...this could be the best year of our lives!&rsquo; The calendar is filling up fast between now and Christmas, and it’s time to get back out on the road. I’m really looking forward to going back to some places I’ve already played and to discovering some new ones.

I’ll be touring for the last 2 weeks of October with Shawn Mullins opening shows for him up the East Coast, and also doing some of my own shows between now and the end of the year.

Dates coming up in Georgia include a special Christmas show at The Crimson Moon Cafe in Dahlonega on Saturday December 3rd. I did one there last year and it was so much fun. Dahlonega is so pretty at Christmas, it’s all lit up and Santa Claus was there with his sleigh and some huskies!

I’ve also just booked a full band show at Eddie’s Attic for Saturday January 7th. The last one at the end of June sold out so quickly and was so much fun that we decided we had to do another one! Once again there’ll be a great line up of players giving you the full Callaghan sound. It’ll be a real chance to shake off those New Year blues.

I hope to see you at some of the shows. For a full list of the places I’ll be playing, go to www.callaghansongs.com/gigs - new shows keep being added, so check it out!

I’ve been using the map below to plan touring routes in 2012...it’s brought home once again that the USA is a very big place. Still like the song says..‘Blue skies and an endless horizon...this could be the best year of our lives!’



]]> Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:30:00 GMT 2E25AB9376BF3C998960C64065C4F72B Make Tea, Not War, y'all http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1234957 Friday 26th August Even though it&rsquo;s August I&rsquo;ve decided to make a New Year&rsquo;s resolution early (or late, depending how you look at it) to blog a little more often. So I&rsquo;m going to try to sometimes share some thoughts about my music and sometimes about things I have read which have sparked my curiosity. Because I&rsquo;m living in a new country those kind of things come up all the time, when I&rsquo;m on the road here in the USA or reading about what&rsquo;s going on back in London. A very British response to rioting... It was tough being away from London, watching those riots take place and wondering what was happening. My old street was smashed up, and it was shocking to see the amount of destruction a small number of people could unleash. But for each story which made you begin to lose hope in society, another would appear to restore your spirits. Like the communities who peacefully stood up to the looters and refused to let them trash their neighbourhoods, the teams of local people who showed up with brooms to clear up all the mess, or this young couple from London who made tea for local police officers who had been working non-stop for 30 hours. The good old British maxim that, whatever the crisis, a cup of tea is always the answer has stood the test of time! Trying out a new accent... I hadn&rsquo;t seen too many of Anne Hathaway&rsquo;s films before I moved to the USA, apart from the Devil Wears Prada, which I thought she was great in. I&rsquo;ve been looking out for her films more since I got here because quite often after shows people very kindly tell me I look like her - which is a lovely compliment. So I was interested to see her pop up a lot in the news recently. In her latest film her British accent has received mixed reviews. I&rsquo;ve only seen a clip of the movie and it sounds pretty good to me ( it&rsquo;s nowhere near Russell Crowe in Robin Hood), but it does seem like the British accent isn&rsquo;t an easy one for actors to do. A lot of the time you can spot a fake a mile off, but I wonder if it&rsquo;s the same for Brits trying American accents? As a big fan of the series The Wire, it took me a good while to notice that Idris Elba is actually from Hackney, London, because he sounded so convincing to me. I more recently found out that Dominic West, who plays McNulty is from Sheffield, and I never would have guessed! He even pretends to be an Englishman when he goes under cover, and his impression of an American attempting a British accent is so good, it&rsquo;s a whole new level of acting! I wonder if those Brits doing an American accent are convincing to American ears? A final note on accents, I&rsquo;ve noticed that I have started saying y&rsquo;all when I am on stage...it really made an American friend laugh to hear y&rsquo;all in a British accent! People often say that British singers lose their accent when they sing...interesting
Friday 26th August
Even though it’s August I’ve decided to make a New Year’s resolution early (or late, depending how you look at it) to blog a little more often. So I’m going to try to sometimes share some thoughts about my music and sometimes about things I have read which have sparked my curiosity. Because I’m living in a new country those kind of things come up all the time, when I’m on the road here in the USA or reading about what’s going on back in London.

A very British response to rioting...

It was tough being away from London, watching those riots take place and wondering what was happening. My old street was smashed up, and it was shocking to see the amount of destruction a small number of people could unleash. But for each story which made you begin to lose hope in society, another would appear to restore your spirits. Like the communities who peacefully stood up to the looters and refused to let them trash their neighbourhoods, the teams of local people who showed up with brooms to clear up all the mess, or this young couple from London who made tea for local police officers who had been working non-stop for 30 hours. The good old British maxim that, whatever the crisis, a cup of tea is always the answer has stood the test of time!



Trying out a new accent...

I hadn’t seen too many of Anne Hathaway’s films before I moved to the USA, apart from the Devil Wears Prada, which I thought she was great in. I’ve been looking out for her films more since I got here because quite often after shows people very kindly tell me I look like her - which is a lovely compliment. So I was interested to see her pop up a lot in the news recently. In her latest film her British accent has received mixed reviews. I’ve only seen a clip of the movie and it sounds pretty good to me ( it’s nowhere near Russell Crowe in Robin Hood), but it does seem like the British accent isn’t an easy one for actors to do. A lot of the time you can spot a fake a mile off, but I wonder if it’s the same for Brits trying American accents? As a big fan of the series The Wire, it took me a good while to notice that Idris Elba is actually from Hackney, London, because he sounded so convincing to me. I more recently found out that Dominic West, who plays McNulty is from Sheffield, and I never would have guessed! He even pretends to be an Englishman when he goes under cover, and his impression of an American attempting a British accent is so good, it’s a whole new level of acting! I wonder if those Brits doing an American accent are convincing to American ears?

A final note on accents, I’ve noticed that I have started saying y’all when I am on stage...it really made an American friend laugh to hear y’all in a British accent! People often say that British singers lose their accent when they sing...interesting


]]> Sat, 27 Aug 2011 03:15:00 GMT E1626FBD9F9311DA998BBE0777CA3CC0 James Bond Spy Gear and Video Blogging - Opinions needed! http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1218797 I&rsquo;m aware that I&rsquo;ve not been the best at writing regular blogs but there&rsquo;s nothing like a new bit of technology to encourage me to be more interactive online. I recently decided that my lack of decent camera and recording equipment was not helping the situation and it was time to invest in something I could do video blogs on, record new songs, and take traveling with me. Most importantly, it needs to have good sound so I can record songs and post them online. The video should be good as well, but not as important as the sound quality. After spending hours and hours reading endless pages of reviews for cameras, I have narrowed it down to 3 options: <a target="_new" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002J95GVI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=ATVPDKIKX0DER ">The Zoom Q3 Handy Video Recorder ($150) <a target="_new" href="http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Q3HD-Optical-Screen-Gray/dp/B0046KOL14/ref=pd_cp_p_pw_1">The Zoom Q3 HD ($299) <a target="_new" href="http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-LS-20M-Video-Audio-Recorder/dp/B004ZKIZWQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1314040320&amp;sr=8-1 ">The Olympus LS-20 HD (250) Now comes the difficult part - choosing which one to get! All of them get good reviews for sound quality, and pretty good rating for video. I wanted to see if anyone has used any of these cameras and has any info that could help me out in choosing the right one. I need your opinions!! On a separate point, I thought it was funny that when you type &ldquo;audio video recorder&rdquo; into Amazon the first thing it brings up is a load of James Bond-type Spy Gear like sunglasses with a hidden camera, or a very innocent looking Smiley Face badge that secretly records. Who are the people buying this stuff I wonder?...Perhaps best not to think about that too much! I’m aware that I’ve not been the best at writing regular blogs but there’s nothing like a new bit of technology to encourage me to be more interactive online.

I recently decided that my lack of decent camera and recording equipment was not helping the situation and it was time to invest in something I could do video blogs on, record new songs, and take traveling with me. Most importantly, it needs to have good sound so I can record songs and post them online. The video should be good as well, but not as important as the sound quality.

After spending hours and hours reading endless pages of reviews for cameras, I have narrowed it down to 3 options:

The Zoom Q3 Handy Video Recorder ($150)

The Zoom Q3 HD ($299)

The Olympus LS-20 HD (250)


Now comes the difficult part - choosing which one to get! All of them get good reviews for sound quality, and pretty good rating for video. I wanted to see if anyone has used any of these cameras and has any info that could help me out in choosing the right one.

I need your opinions!!

On a separate point, I thought it was funny that when you type “audio video recorder” into Amazon the first thing it brings up is a load of James Bond-type Spy Gear like sunglasses with a hidden camera, or a very innocent looking Smiley Face badge that secretly records. Who are the people buying this stuff I wonder?...Perhaps best not to think about that too much!


]]> Tue, 23 Aug 2011 01:30:00 GMT E44C14C6A0965D1B7F996B09C2A80902 A house concert on water-skis! http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1205025 August 18th 2011 I have to admit that before moving to the US, the concept of house concerts was a bit odd to me. Going to a stranger&rsquo;s house, setting up in their living room and singing songs to them seemed like something my parents might have warned me against at some point! But after doing a few I now know they are a fantastic way to share music with genuine enthusiasts in a relaxed and positive setting, and most of all so much fun. I did two house concerts recently up in Michigan (a particularly intriguing part of the US to me as part of my family way way way back settled there - but that story is for another day...). The families hosting me were so lovely and treated me to things I would never get at a usual gig, including a big bag of British goodies, and a day out on the lake learning to water-ski! The bag of British goodies was somewhat easier to master than the waterskiing, although after numerous attempts and huge amounts of lake water swallowed, I did finally get up on those skis, and was so pleased with myself! The funny thing about it was that once I was up, I had no idea how to stop. I figured that going at some speed it might be painful hitting the water, so I just kept on going until my muscles could take no more. And let me tell you, I felt those muscles long after the trip home from Michigan. Just as well I had those chocolate biscuits to ease the pain! A look of happiness, exhilaration and terror! &nbsp; August 18th 2011

I have to admit that before moving to the US, the concept of house concerts was a bit odd to me. Going to a stranger’s house, setting up in their living room and singing songs to them seemed like something my parents might have warned me against at some point!

But after doing a few I now know they are a fantastic way to share music with genuine enthusiasts in a relaxed and positive setting, and most of all so much fun.

I did two house concerts recently up in Michigan (a particularly intriguing part of the US to me as part of my family way way way back settled there - but that story is for another day...). The families hosting me were so lovely and treated me to things I would never get at a usual gig, including a big bag of British goodies, and a day out on the lake learning to water-ski!




The bag of British goodies was somewhat easier to master than the waterskiing, although after numerous attempts and huge amounts of lake water swallowed, I did finally get up on those skis, and was so pleased with myself! The funny thing about it was that once I was up, I had no idea how to stop. I figured that going at some speed it might be painful hitting the water, so I just kept on going until my muscles could take no more. And let me tell you, I felt those muscles long after the trip home from Michigan. Just as well I had those chocolate biscuits to ease the pain!

A look of happiness, exhilaration and terror!  
callaghan_on_waterskiis


]]> Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:40:00 GMT 724650256132BFB9457E8B5B7F622506 Callaghan Goes West! (23rd May) http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1204945 &nbsp;Monday 23rd May I can&rsquo;t believe it&rsquo;s the last night of the tour already. We&rsquo;re back in Portland tonight to do another show at The Aladdin Theater which is an amazing venue. The venues on this tour have all been really great and I&rsquo;ve been so thrilled with the audience&rsquo;s reactions to my music. I&rsquo;ve even sold out of all the CDs I brought along which is so cool! I&rsquo;d love to come back to the West Coast again and play at these venues again. The next next few months will all be about getting the album launched but hopefully it won&rsquo;t be too long before I&rsquo;m back here again!
I can’t believe it’s the last night of the tour already. We’re back in Portland tonight to do another show at The Aladdin Theater which is an amazing venue. The venues on this tour have all been really great and I’ve been so thrilled with the audience’s reactions to my music. I’ve even sold out of all the CDs I brought along which is so cool! I’d love to come back to the West Coast again and play at these venues again.

The next next few months will all be about getting the album launched but hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m back here again!


callaghan_on_stage]]> Tue, 24 May 2011 00:20:00 GMT 76129F7E49ECDCF364B50AEE6632C7B5 Callaghan goes West (21st May) http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1204904 Saturday 21st May We did the drive from San Francisco to Portland today - a long and tiring 13 hour drive but the scenery made it enjoyable. The landscape of ocean and mountains on the West Coast is so amazing. I definitely wouldn&rsquo;t mind living in this part of the US one day! We saw a few of the sights of San Francisco like Alcatraz, but just from the van. That&rsquo;s the thing when touring, you don&lsquo;t have time to do any sightseeing really, and even when we get a few hours off all we want to do is catch up on sleep! I got a few photos of Alcatraz though and hopefully I&rsquo;ll be able to come back to this part of the US and visit these places properly. The amazing scenery on the trip from San Fransisco to Portland...
We did the drive from San Francisco to Portland today - a long and tiring 13 hour drive but the scenery made it enjoyable. The landscape of ocean and mountains on the West Coast is so amazing. I definitely wouldn’t mind living in this part of the US one day!
We saw a few of the sights of San Francisco like Alcatraz, but just from the van. That’s the thing when touring, you don‘t have time to do any sightseeing really, and even when we get a few hours off all we want to do is catch up on sleep!

I got a few photos of Alcatraz though and hopefully I’ll be able to come back to this part of the US and visit these places properly.


callaghan_in_sanfran

The amazing scenery on the trip from San Fransisco to Portland...

callaghan_amazing_scenery]]> Sun, 22 May 2011 04:15:00 GMT 780BACD34AC1613D6638C0EFEFDE506F Callaghan goes West! (May 18th) http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=1204897 &nbsp;Wednesday 18th May A few days into the tour and I&rsquo;m discovering a few things....distances in America really are huge, Cactuses can grow as tall as houses, and there&rsquo;s nothing better than starting your day with a run along the beach. I played in LA tonight at The Mint. It was a cool little venue that has a stage that reminds me of a movie set. It was an extra special night because Susannah Hoffs from the Bangles was also doing a set so I got to watch her perform which was really great. We had one day off in LA so we got to look around Rodeo Drive for a while and also had lunch with some friends in Beverly Hills so I definitely got a taste of the LA life which was cool!
A few days into the tour and I’m discovering a few things....distances in America really are huge, Cactuses can grow as tall as houses, and there’s nothing better than starting your day with a run along the beach.

I played in LA tonight at The Mint. It was a cool little venue that has a stage that reminds me of a movie set. It was an extra special night because Susannah Hoffs from the Bangles was also doing a set so I got to watch her perform which was really great.

We had one day off in LA so we got to look around Rodeo Drive for a while and also had lunch with some friends in Beverly Hills so I definitely got a taste of the LA life which was cool!


callaghan_in_LA]]> Thu, 19 May 2011 04:10:00 GMT B5C4AA71B9AB08AA7673F4342C6D6E2F East Coast Tour - Week 1 http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=936337 &nbsp;Well I&rsquo;ve been on the road with this latest tour for a week now, and a lot has been happening. With traveling, visits to radio stations, and gigs nearly every night, each day seems packed and, as always, it&rsquo;s a lot of fun. On Thursday Shawn was doing a live set at a radio station in Harrisburg PA, called The River. I went along to just enjoy the music but was asked to do one of my songs which was a great surprise. I was having some issues with my guitar but Shawn was kind enough to lend me his lovely Gibson to play. You can see a video of the show at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYIOR-H-gG4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYIOR-H-gG4 The last few nights have been great. I was at Levon Helm&rsquo;s Midnight Ramble on Friday night. Levon and his huge band were awesome. So many talented musicians and great singers, and you could just tell everyone on stage was having a blast. I can see why the Rambles have such a great reputation. I met a guy who had been to over 60 of them!... <a target="_new" href="http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=167350043322734">READ THE FULL BLOG HERE
On Thursday Shawn was doing a live set at a radio station in Harrisburg PA, called The River. I went along to just enjoy the music but was asked to do one of my songs which was a great surprise. I was having some issues with my guitar but Shawn was kind enough to lend me his lovely Gibson to play. You can see a video of the show at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYIOR-H-gG4

The last few nights have been great. I was at Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble on Friday night. Levon and his huge band were awesome. So many talented musicians and great singers, and you could just tell everyone on stage was having a blast. I can see why the Rambles have such a great reputation. I met a guy who had been to over 60 of them!...


READ THE FULL BLOG HERE

]]> Thu, 28 Apr 2011 06:15:54 GMT 6D6E723CB9EB6133A92E2C43FD4C9855 More touring and album pre-release copies! http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=896163 <a target="_new" href="http://eddiesattic.ticketfusion.com/store/one/index.html?store_id=1553&amp;master_store_id=1553&amp;page_type=ticket&amp;show_id=573352&amp;qid=15991873380&amp;cid=8253306"> I hope everyone is having a good weekend and enjoying the sunshine! It&rsquo;s a lovely day here in Atlanta and I hear there are blue skies back in the UK too - so hopefully most of you reading this are enjoying some great weather. I&rsquo;ve been getting used to the long and dramatic thunderstorms which happen this time of year in Georgia. Atlanta is a beautiful city because it has thousands of trees, but that combination of storms and trees can cause some real problems. So, it&rsquo;s 30 celsius / 86 fahrenheit here today, and the lovely pool in the park at the end of the road isn&rsquo;t open yet. It doesn&rsquo;t open until May 29th. I can&rsquo;t wait that long! Back in London any sunny day was swim time, because you never knew when the next one was coming! There&rsquo;s lots of great music stuff happening. It&rsquo;s not long now till I head out on the road opening for Shawn Mullins. We&rsquo;re up in New York and New England at the end of April then in May we&rsquo;re traveling West for some more dates from Arizona to Oregon. Check out my website (<a target="_new" href="./gigs.cfm">www.callaghaninfo.com) for details of all the places we&rsquo;re stopping at. It&rsquo;ll be great to see some new parts of the US and venues I haven&rsquo;t played at before. I&rsquo;ll also get a chance to try out some new outfits I&rsquo;ve bought recently - that&rsquo;s a great thing about being a touring musician - you get a very good excuse to buy lots of new clothes! Things are all coming together for the big launch party in Atlanta at Eddie&rsquo;s Attic on Saturday June 25th. Tickets seem to be selling quickly so make sure you log onto <a target="_new" href="http://eddiesattic.ticketfusion.com/store/one/index.html?store_id=1553&amp;master_store_id=1553&amp;page_type=ticket&amp;show_id=573352&amp;qid=15991873380&amp;cid=8253306">www.eddiesattic.com to book your tickets before they all go! It&rsquo;s gonna be a fantastic evening and it&rsquo;ll have a British theme - so look out for Bangers &amp; Mash on the menu and lots of free Cadbury&rsquo;s chocolate! As for the album itself - Life in Full Colour is undergoing its final mixing at the moment. The rough mixes sound great. I&rsquo;m going to put some previews of the tracks on my website and also do some special pre-release bundles through my website. So all of you who are on the mailing list and following these blogs will have the chance to get a signed copy before anyone else! Hope you have a great week! <a target="_new" href="http://www.facebook.com/callaghanmusic"> <a target="_new" href="http://www.facebook.com/callaghanmusic">Say hello on Facebook by clicking here!&nbsp;


I hope everyone is having a good weekend and enjoying the sunshine!

It’s a lovely day here in Atlanta and I hear there are blue skies back in the UK too - so hopefully most of you reading this are enjoying some great weather.

I’ve been getting used to the long and dramatic thunderstorms which happen this time of year in Georgia. Atlanta is a beautiful city because it has thousands of trees, but that combination of storms and trees can cause some real problems.

So, it’s 30 celsius / 86 fahrenheit here today, and the lovely pool in the park at the end of the road isn’t open yet. It doesn’t open until May 29th. I can’t wait that long! Back in London any sunny day was swim time, because you never knew when the next one was coming!

There’s lots of great music stuff happening. It’s not long now till I head out on the road opening for Shawn Mullins. We’re up in New York and New England at the end of April then in May we’re traveling West for some more dates from Arizona to Oregon. Check out my website (www.callaghaninfo.com) for details of all the places we’re stopping at. It’ll be great to see some new parts of the US and venues I haven’t played at before.

I’ll also get a chance to try out some new outfits I’ve bought recently - that’s a great thing about being a touring musician - you get a very good excuse to buy lots of new clothes!

Things are all coming together for the big launch party in Atlanta at Eddie’s Attic on Saturday June 25th. Tickets seem to be selling quickly so make sure you log onto www.eddiesattic.com to book your tickets before they all go! It’s gonna be a fantastic evening and it’ll have a British theme - so look out for Bangers & Mash on the menu and lots of free Cadbury’s chocolate!

As for the album itself - Life in Full Colour is undergoing its final mixing at the moment. The rough mixes sound great.

I’m going to put some previews of the tracks on my website and also do some special pre-release bundles through my website. So all of you who are on the mailing list and following these blogs will have the chance to get a signed copy before anyone else!

Hope you have a great week!



Say hello on Facebook by clicking here! 




]]> Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:08:48 GMT 5A55CF46831F3B7EB980CE989B3511E4 First US headline show this week...and ALBUM RELEASE PARTY CONFIRMED! http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=818804 &nbsp;Got back earlier today from a short tour of the mid-west supporting Shawn Mullins, and I'm now in my apartment relaxing to some Emmy-Lou Harris. &nbsp; It was a short but fun tour - I opened the two shows in Arlington Heights and Indianapolis and then went along to some of the radio shows Shawn was performing at. The venues we visited were really great - Metropolis in Arlington Heights, IL, and The Wheeler Arts Community Theater in Indianapolis, IN. The crowds were fantastic and I loved that they bought so many CDs - definitely the sign of true music fans! &nbsp; I've got two more gigs coming up this week. Tomorrow night I'm opening for Dayna Kurtz at Eddie's Attic here in Atlanta, and then on Friday night I've got my first US headline gig at The Crimson Moon Cafe in Dahlonega, GA (tickets available from<a href="http://www.thecrimsonmoon.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">www.thecrimsonmoon.com). I'm going to be doing two 45 minute sets with lots of the songs from my upcoming album and a few even newer ones thrown in that I've recently finished writing. I can't wait to be able to do a whole show - It's going to be such a fun evening! &nbsp; There is also news on the album release party.... It will be at Eddie's Attic in Atlanta, GA onSATURDAY 25th JUNE.&nbsp;A lot of Shawn's band have played on the album and they are going to be performing with me that night so it will be a truly fantastic show. Tickets will go on sale next week from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.eddiesattic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">www.eddiesattic.com&nbsp;so be sure to head over there and get yours before they're all gone!! &nbsp; I've heard some initial mixes of the album tracks and I m really excited about how it's sounding. Soon I'll be able to tell you how you can get your hands on a copy! Got back earlier today from a short tour of the mid-west supporting Shawn Mullins, and I'm now in my apartment relaxing to some Emmy-Lou Harris.

 

It was a short but fun tour - I opened the two shows in Arlington Heights and Indianapolis and then went along to some of the radio shows Shawn was performing at. The venues we visited were really great - Metropolis in Arlington Heights, IL, and The Wheeler Arts Community Theater in Indianapolis, IN. The crowds were fantastic and I loved that they bought so many CDs - definitely the sign of true music fans!

 

I've got two more gigs coming up this week. Tomorrow night I'm opening for Dayna Kurtz at Eddie's Attic here in Atlanta, and then on Friday night I've got my first US headline gig at The Crimson Moon Cafe in Dahlonega, GA (tickets available fromwww.thecrimsonmoon.com). I'm going to be doing two 45 minute sets with lots of the songs from my upcoming album and a few even newer ones thrown in that I've recently finished writing. I can't wait to be able to do a whole show - It's going to be such a fun evening!

 

There is also news on the album release party.... It will be at Eddie's Attic in Atlanta, GA onSATURDAY 25th JUNE. A lot of Shawn's band have played on the album and they are going to be performing with me that night so it will be a truly fantastic show. Tickets will go on sale next week from www.eddiesattic.com so be sure to head over there and get yours before they're all gone!!

 

I've heard some initial mixes of the album tracks and I m really excited about how it's sounding. Soon I'll be able to tell you how you can get your hands on a copy!

]]> Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:42:03 GMT 35A208D02F228E79CD4A0793E9CFFFC2 Sunny Days and shows in Georgia http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=818803 &nbsp;The sun is shining here in Georgia and it's a beautiful day! &nbsp; I was visiting friends and family in London last week and although the welcome, and the tea, were both very warm the weather was a little chilly - so this February sun is great! &nbsp; Things haven't stopped since I got back to Atlanta on Monday evening. &nbsp; I was in the studio with Shawn Mullins everyday of last week tracking the final songs for the album. We have a couple more things to do, but tracking should be all done next week and then the mixing begins! &nbsp; On Friday I had a great time opening for the amazing Randall Bramblett band at The Melting Point in Athens. There was a great crowd, and Randall and his band really delivered an amazing show. I hope I'll get to play in Athens again soon. &nbsp; If you didn't make that show I hope you can come to one of these upcoming dates to enjoy some great live music. &nbsp; On&nbsp;Friday March 11th&nbsp;I'm playing my own full length show at&nbsp;The Crimson Moon in Dahlonega. It's a short run up 400 from Atlanta to this very pretty town in the beautiful Georgia mountains. The Crimson Moon is a lovely, intimate listening room which offers great food so this will be a top night out. &nbsp; I've met some great people there doing opening slots for Shawn and for Chuck Cannon. This time I'll be giving you a full length Callaghan show on guitar and piano, and you'll get a preview of some tracks from the album. I hope you can make it, I'm really excited about this show! &nbsp; The seats sell fast at the Crimson Moon so please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thecrimsonmoon.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">www.thecrimsonmoon.com&nbsp;to book now! &nbsp; I'm also back at&nbsp;Eddie's&nbsp;on&nbsp;March 9th&nbsp;opening for the great Dayna Kurtz. So, if you're in Hotlanta that night please come and check us both out. Once again there's great food to go with the great live music! &nbsp; You can book tickets here at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.eddiesattic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">www.eddiesattic.com&nbsp; &nbsp; Thanks all of you for listening to my music and supporting my shows. It's six months since moved here to the USA to pursue my dreams as a musician and the welcome y'all have given me has been fantastic. Please help spread the word about Callaghan to your friends who love great live music, and I hope I'll see you at a show soon. &nbsp; I'll have news about the album launch for you VERY soon! &nbsp; Have a lovely Sunday. &nbsp; Callaghan x The sun is shining here in Georgia and it's a beautiful day!

 

I was visiting friends and family in London last week and although the welcome, and the tea, were both very warm the weather was a little chilly - so this February sun is great!

 

Things haven't stopped since I got back to Atlanta on Monday evening.

 

I was in the studio with Shawn Mullins everyday of last week tracking the final songs for the album. We have a couple more things to do, but tracking should be all done next week and then the mixing begins!

 

On Friday I had a great time opening for the amazing Randall Bramblett band at The Melting Point in Athens. There was a great crowd, and Randall and his band really delivered an amazing show. I hope I'll get to play in Athens again soon.

 

If you didn't make that show I hope you can come to one of these upcoming dates to enjoy some great live music.

 

On Friday March 11th I'm playing my own full length show at The Crimson Moon in Dahlonega. It's a short run up 400 from Atlanta to this very pretty town in the beautiful Georgia mountains. The Crimson Moon is a lovely, intimate listening room which offers great food so this will be a top night out.

 

I've met some great people there doing opening slots for Shawn and for Chuck Cannon. This time I'll be giving you a full length Callaghan show on guitar and piano, and you'll get a preview of some tracks from the album. I hope you can make it, I'm really excited about this show!

 

The seats sell fast at the Crimson Moon so please visit www.thecrimsonmoon.com to book now!

 

I'm also back at Eddie's on March 9th opening for the great Dayna Kurtz. So, if you're in Hotlanta that night please come and check us both out. Once again there's great food to go with the great live music!

 

You can book tickets here at www.eddiesattic.com 

 

Thanks all of you for listening to my music and supporting my shows. It's six months since moved here to the USA to pursue my dreams as a musician and the welcome y'all have given me has been fantastic. Please help spread the word about Callaghan to your friends who love great live music, and I hope I'll see you at a show soon.

 

I'll have news about the album launch for you VERY soon!

 

Have a lovely Sunday.

 

Callaghan x

]]> Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:41:19 GMT A9CE43180EBD6BEA71AD5A5FC61F3963 Back in Blighty http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=818801 &nbsp;I'm 7 days into my trip back to the UK already - time seems to be flying by at the moment. It's been quite hectic trying to fit seeing everyone into just ten days, but I'm having a great time. It certainly feels like I've been away for ages. It's funny the things I'm noticing now I'm back like how old lots of buildings look and how narrow the roads are. Driving a manual on the left was a challenge for the first five minutes! &nbsp; I've been trying my best to keep up the healthy eating regime I started a few months back, but it's proving difficult when I'm constantly offered delicious british chocolate and roast dinners!&nbsp; &nbsp; Seeing my baby nephew was fantastic. He's almost two weeks old now. It's definitely going to be hard to leave him behind, but I'll get to see him grow over Skype until my next visit.&nbsp; &nbsp; It feels very strange to have slowed down the pace of working since coming here. I'd got so used to working every day - writing and playing at home, gigging, working in the studio and rehearsing - that it's a real change not to be working all day everyday! I am looking forward to getting on with recording the album when I get back. There are only a few more days of work to do in the studio before everything can start being mixed, so the finished album will be a bit closer, and I can't wait to hear it!&nbsp; &nbsp; I've been looking through some of the shots from the photo shoot I did on an Atlanta roof top just before coming over to the UK. There were 1200 photos, which have now been shortlisted down to 38, and I'll need to pick the album photos from those. It's not easy to know which photo to choose for the cover since it's such an important shot - it's got to attract people's attention. I've been using friends and family as my focus groups to get their opinions, which has been great!&nbsp; &nbsp; You can see some of the behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot on my page by following this link:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=31431582601&amp;aid=269698" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=31431582601&amp;aid=269698 &nbsp; I'm also looking forward to the gigs I've got coming up very shortly - I'll be opening a show for Randall Bramblett at The Melting Point in Athens, GA on 25th Feb, opening for Dayna Kurtz at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, GA on 9th March, and then headlining my own show at The Crimson Moon in Dahlonega, GA on 11th March. So lots to keep me busy! (More details and tickets for any of my upcoming gigs are available from this link:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.facebook.com/callaghanmusic?sk=app_2344061033" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">http://www.facebook.com/callaghanmusic?sk=app_2344061033) &nbsp; I hope everyone has a great weekend and to see you at a show soon! Callaghan x &nbsp; I'm 7 days into my trip back to the UK already - time seems to be flying by at the moment. It's been quite hectic trying to fit seeing everyone into just ten days, but I'm having a great time. It certainly feels like I've been away for ages. It's funny the things I'm noticing now I'm back like how old lots of buildings look and how narrow the roads are. Driving a manual on the left was a challenge for the first five minutes!

 

I've been trying my best to keep up the healthy eating regime I started a few months back, but it's proving difficult when I'm constantly offered delicious british chocolate and roast dinners! 

 

Seeing my baby nephew was fantastic. He's almost two weeks old now. It's definitely going to be hard to leave him behind, but I'll get to see him grow over Skype until my next visit. 

 

It feels very strange to have slowed down the pace of working since coming here. I'd got so used to working every day - writing and playing at home, gigging, working in the studio and rehearsing - that it's a real change not to be working all day everyday! I am looking forward to getting on with recording the album when I get back. There are only a few more days of work to do in the studio before everything can start being mixed, so the finished album will be a bit closer, and I can't wait to hear it! 

 

I've been looking through some of the shots from the photo shoot I did on an Atlanta roof top just before coming over to the UK. There were 1200 photos, which have now been shortlisted down to 38, and I'll need to pick the album photos from those. It's not easy to know which photo to choose for the cover since it's such an important shot - it's got to attract people's attention. I've been using friends and family as my focus groups to get their opinions, which has been great! 

 

You can see some of the behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot on my page by following this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=31431582601&aid=269698

 

I'm also looking forward to the gigs I've got coming up very shortly - I'll be opening a show for Randall Bramblett at The Melting Point in Athens, GA on 25th Feb, opening for Dayna Kurtz at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, GA on 9th March, and then headlining my own show at The Crimson Moon in Dahlonega, GA on 11th March. So lots to keep me busy! (More details and tickets for any of my upcoming gigs are available from this link: http://www.facebook.com/callaghanmusic?sk=app_2344061033)

 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and to see you at a show soon!

Callaghan x

 
]]> Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:40:30 GMT B98D4FB5F92C36E66F81B9BE8F40C6B4 Rain rain go away, I hope the sunshine comes back today! http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=747378 &nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s raining it&rsquo;s pouring, the old man is snoring He went to bed and bumped his head And couldn&rsquo;t get up in the morning&rdquo; ....An old nursery rhyme I remember singing when I was little. I&rsquo;m thinking about it now only because of the weather - it has been pouring with rain here! It&rsquo;s slightly worrying because I&rsquo;m scheduled to have a photo shoot at the end of this week for the cover of my upcoming debut album &ldquo;Life In Full Colour&rdquo;, and some of the shots will be outside so we need the sun to come back! I&rsquo;m so excited about getting the photos done. I&rsquo;m working with a fantastic young photographer from here in Atlanta called Keaton Andrew (www.keatonandrew.com) and an amazing stylist who is helping me put the whole look together... TO READ MORE GO TO <a target="_new" href="http://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CALLAGHANMUSIC">WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CALLAGHANMUSIC  “It’s raining it’s pouring, the old man is snoring
He went to bed and bumped his head
And couldn’t get up in the morning”

....An old nursery rhyme I remember singing when I was little. I’m thinking about it now only because of the weather - it has been pouring with rain here!

It’s slightly worrying because I’m scheduled to have a photo shoot at the end of this week for the cover of my upcoming debut album “Life In Full Colour”, and some of the shots will be outside so we need the sun to come back!

I’m so excited about getting the photos done. I’m working with a fantastic young photographer from here in Atlanta called Keaton Andrew (www.keatonandrew.com) and an amazing stylist who is helping me put the whole look together...

TO READ MORE GO TO WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CALLAGHANMUSIC
]]> Mon, 07 Feb 2011 02:12:13 GMT 3EBF85E22C2D6359B10E2063287D8489 Sunshine, Christmas dinner across the pond, the Big Freeze of 2011 and a festival to remember.... http://callaghansongs.com/blog.cfm?feature=143335&postid=717961 Sunshine, Christmas dinner across the pond, the Big Freeze of 2011 and a festival to remember&hellip;.December and January have been great fun! After experiencing my first American Thanksgiving back in November, I spent Christmas with some great friends down in Florida so got to see an American Christmas too. It turns out that Brits and Americans don&rsquo;t differ that much in their celebration of Christmas &ndash; on both sides of the pond we all generally eat a lot of good food and drink a little too much! The American Christmas dinner seems pretty similar too, although ours also had a few essential Southern favourites added in like corn, sweet potatoes, and collard greens, and brussel sprouts made a guest appearance in Florida this year just to make us feel at home! I tried to sell the idea of the traditional British Christmas Pudding to friends here. I explained it as&hellip; &ldquo;a very dense and heavy pudding made of dried fruits, like a fruit cake but much, much heavier, you could use one as a door stop if you needed to&hellip;&rdquo; I guess I didn&rsquo;t make it sound too appealing &ndash; they weren&rsquo;t in a rush to try it..... To read more and see photos visit my facebook page at: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/callaghanmusic">www.facebook.com/callaghanmusic
After experiencing my first American Thanksgiving back in November, I spent Christmas with some great friends down in Florida so got to see an American Christmas too. It turns out that Brits and Americans don’t differ that much in their celebration of Christmas – on both sides of the pond we all generally eat a lot of good food and drink a little too much!

The American Christmas dinner seems pretty similar too, although ours also had a few essential Southern favourites added in like corn, sweet potatoes, and collard greens, and brussel sprouts made a guest appearance in Florida this year just to make us feel at home!

I tried to sell the idea of the traditional British Christmas Pudding to friends here. I explained it as… “a very dense and heavy pudding made of dried fruits, like a fruit cake but much, much heavier, you could use one as a door stop if you needed to…” I guess I didn’t make it sound too appealing – they weren’t in a rush to try it.....

To read more and see photos visit my facebook page at: www.facebook.com/callaghanmusic
]]> Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:07:41 GMT 61FA4C83CB5949F90ECDB6EA23128800