New year, New dilemas etc

I love travelling, even if it’s just from my flat to the shops, I love it. Any time I can switch some music on and have a good old think to myself I love, so as I write you this little UK instalment it’s coming to you direct from the Forth road bridge, enveloped in the misty countryside of Scotland whilst retreating to my small cosy city flat. I have been sitting thinking about everything that has happened in the last month or so, and even though I may not have done too much apart from study, I’ve really figured out a lot of things.

Firstly I will say my farewells to Spitalfield from this side of the world. Rolling into Glasgow on a freezing December evening I caught their last Scottish performance. Opening for them however were my ‘tip for 2008’, Tellison which was an altogether bonus on my part. On their last tour, Tellison (WWW.MYSPACE.COM/TELLISON) played to crowds of no more than a handful of people but you wouldn’t think that this evening. The most instruments, voices and strange noises you can include in one song make this one of the most interesting and joyful acts to rise form the UK for a while and with people knowing the words….I think the hype is beginning to spread.
Anyway, back to the matter in hand, Spitalfield. Churning out their best from the past ten years you could see the passion still in them and the faces of the (what should have been more) dedicated fans. These guys still managed to make people half way around the world lose their minds to their music for 90 minutes and it amazes me. If I can ever make someone like what I do that much, even one person, I can’t even put into words how happy that would make me. So as the farewell speeches and thank you sentiments were announced, I couldn’t have clapped harder. These bands who put their music before anything and everything in their lives mean every thank you they give to people and that really hit home at this show in particular. And to top it off, to still play a show with as much energy as your first ten years down the line, that deserves the biggest respect. Thanks Spitalfield.

I think this people appreciating what you do business ties in nicely to the inward argument I have been having with myself for months. Education.
Do you need education to succeed? That question seems dumb because obviously you don’t but does having all these qualifications make someone a better more reliable person at their chosen subject? I’m in the middle of deciding about carrying on studying or going it on my own to really do what I want and I’m not sure what to do? Considering I like to surround myself with self made people who, instead of going to college for four years have built up their own companies and lives from scratch there is a heavy influence to go it alone. Has anyone had this dilemma before? Can they help me? I have a plan but I do not know if I am brave enough to go for it or stay on the safe ground of education. Hell, Maybe I’ll do some research and contact some people for a chat and make a PV article about it because I don’t think I have been the only one in this situation. If you have any advice or a story (band members, leaving college to do music, that decision, company owners, anything!) please email me and I can put something together!

Just passed the sign for Edinburgh so thankfully for any poor soul reading I really do have to wrap this up. So!
BANDS TO LISTEN TO (based on my Itunes shuffle from this journey!)

Explosions in the sky – What do you go home to?
The Stranglers six – Back to the start
Anthony Green – Meet me on Montauk
Nine black Alps – future wife
Cauterize (who never made it to the UK RIP!) – Love in the attic

Love
Gina!
xo
PS – THANK YOU FOR THE RETURN OR PRISON BREAK AMERICA, FOR THIS I LOVE YOU!