Weeks in Review - 11 July & 18 July 2014

First I want to wish my big brother, Arthur Miller, a very happy birthday! I wish I could be with him and his family in Milwaukee to help him celebrate, but since I can't I wanted to give him a honorable mention in GME Weekly! 

Due to technical difficulties with the newsletter program last week, I was unable to get the 11 July edition out to you, so I'm combining two weeks of happenings so let's get started ...

All of last week was putting the finishing touches on Foodies Festival Bristol. What a way to spend my first visit to Bristol ... the location for the Festival was absolutely fabulous and where the stage was set up couldn't have been better. There are a few pictures below in the 'Photos' section ... do check them out. The event was 11-13 of July and the Friday went so smoothly with everyone turning up on time if not early, and more important, each act sounded amazing. We had quite the good crowd for a Friday and by early evening, the place was heaving. 

The Funkinsteins

Then Saturday rolled around and everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong, from bands being stuck in traffic, to performers not turning up with all their gear to me having to do an emergency set to cover for a cancellation. Even with the issues, the day turned out to be fabulous and ended with an absolute bang with Brighton's Half Crown completely electrifying the place and local Bristol band The Funkinsteins who sizzled with their brand of Rock-laced Funk! By the end of the day I was dancing with the rest of the crowd and had completely forgotten about my earlier troubles! The beauty of good music ... 

The perfect end to the three days was on Sunday when we went back to operating like a well oiled machine, with everyone arriving on time and giving amazing performances. Supremely, Diana Ross made an appearance mid-afternoon and got everyone up dancing. And then the deliciously Bluesy Cherry White closed the festival with some great original and cover tunes, and even some classic Rock & Roll to get the crowd moving. Bristol was amamamamazing!! The next Foodies event is at Battersea Park in London on 15-17 August.

This week Monday, I took a much needed day off and hung out with the hubs doing normal stuff. On Tuesday, it was back to work finalizing a few bookings including confirming Mayfield to perform at The Southsea Show on Sunday, 3rd August. Also booked on this weekend event is Supremely, Diana Ross on Friday, 1st August and Move On Up on Saturday, 2nd August. Geoff Priestley, one of the organizers suggested I camp out for the three days ... if only I could ... LOL!

On Wednesday, I attended a workshop on Business & Personal Development that was hosted by the Portsmouth Venus Awards, which was immediately followed by the VA Finalist Announcement Tea where I was named a Finalist in the New Business Category! When I was driving to the Langstone Hotel that morning, I didn't really think I was that bothered about being a finalist. However, once I was in the room and they started naming names, the fact that my heart was literally pounding out of my chest was a little giveaway that I really wanted my name to be called. When it was, in good ole American style, I let out a yelp before I could stop myself *giggle*! I feel very proud of this accomplishment and look forward to attending the awards ceremony in October. Click here to see the full list of finalists!

Thursday, I met with a new client in Gosport and will be announcing some great shows at this new venue in the coming weeks. And finally, tonight I'm performing solo at Shepherd's Crook in Portsmouth and on Saturday night I will be with Move On Up at The Jolly Sailor in Southsea. Both shows are Supremely, Diana Ross followed by a party set. Can't wait ...

That's it for this edition, have a fantastic weekend!

Week in Review - 4 July 2014 (Happy Independence Day)!

Although my current home is in the United Kingdom, I'd like to wish my fellow Americans a very happy Independence Day. The reason we celebrate this day is encapsulated by this famous quote ... “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” - Thomas Jefferson, June 1776.

It has been a busy week and I have a lot to tell you, so let's dig in!

On Monday after spending half a day working in the office, Neal and I headed up to Leeds for a meeting on Tuesday morning. Given the distance from Portsmouth to Leeds (about 5 hours drive), we decided to have a leisurely drive up on the Monday. I met with a lovely lady who has created a Motown show that pays tribute to such legends as Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Gladys Knight and more. I am happy to announce that I will be one of the performers in this fantastic show with a few bookings for 2014 already. Learning the music will be easy because I already perform many of the songs in the show. It's the choreography that will be the challenge, especially since I'm turning 48 on Sunday. We learned a few routines on Tuesday, and I was definitely reminded of my age by the end of the session :)! I will make a more formal announcement including the name of the show and performance dates once all the arrangements are finalized.

Wednesday was spent putting the final bits and pieces together for Foodies Festival, Bristol which is happening next weekend. I am still looking for a couple 4 to 5-piece bands who perform covers and originals for this event. Please email me at gloria@gloriamillermusic.com if you are in the Bristol area and available 11, 12 or 13 July.

Pictured w/John Leete.

On Thursday, I had a meeting with John Leete of Home Front History to discuss my new wartime show, 'I'll Be Seeing You' and the possibility of booking this show along with a few of my acts on some very exciting events in 2015. You may recall that I first performed my wartime show earlier in the year around Easter time, so the show is still in the development phase. Next week I'll be putting forth a couple proposals for these events and will definitely keep you posted as things develop.

Another show that I have developed this year is 'Totally, Tina Turner' Tribute Show which is debuting tonight at The Exchange in Bournemouth. I'm doing a double tribute ... Diana Ross vs. Tina Turner and every spare moment this week has been on fine-tuning this show! I'm quite nervous about tonight, but I will give it my all and hope for the best! I'll post some pics next week. I've got a three-gig weekend and will be performing Supremely, Diana Ross at the Carisbrooke Arms in Gosport on Saturday, and a Motown/Soul Night at Kingsley's Entertainment Bar in Southsea on my birthday this Sunday!

Just a reminder that GME represents some of the best entertainers across the UK and they are getting snapped up for Christmas and New Year's Eve shows. If you haven't yet booked your Holiday entertainment, call me today at +44 (0)7504 611 173 or complete this form to receive a free quote. If you book your Christmas or New Year's Eve entertainment before the 30th of August, you'll receive a 10% discount off the negotiated price.

Well, that's it for this week. Have a fabulous weekend!!

Week in Review - 16 May 2014

This week was a welcome light one with even an impromptu day off spent on The Isle of Wight with the hubs and in-laws on Wednesday.  I did attend an emerging artist showcase of Jerry Williams who I have been fortunate enough to book on the Foodies Festival at Clapham Common. Sadly, I was unable to stay for the entire show, but what I did hear was delightful. Jerry's voice is a unique mixture of vulnerability and sass and she is quite the performer. I was invited to the event by her manager, Jeff Powell who I met for coffee the previous week to discuss my original band, Mayfield, and I am looking forward to meeting with him in a couple weeks for further talks about the possibility of working together. I'm really looking forward to that!

Just a reminder that Mayfield will be performing at the Hipshaker Lounge at the Isle of Wight Festival 14 June @ 9pm! We had a fantastic rehearsal on Tuesday in preparation for this show as well as our next big show that's happening on 26 September where we will be appearing with Craig Charles of BBC Radio 6 at The Cellar in Southampton. We are great fans of the Soul 45 DJs and are thrilled that they have booked us on this show. We are debuting two new songs at the IOW Festival and hope to unveil a couple more at the Cellars.

It's good I had a light week, because the weekend is a bit hectic starting with two Supremely, Diana Ross Tribute Shows on the Friday & Saturday, and a power rehearsal with my covers band, Move On Up on Sunday as we prep for a busy summer of gigs.

Up against a deadline, I managed to record Volume 3 of Glo's Music for the Soul Radio Show which will air on One World Radio on Sunday at 5pm. This show featured several of the Foodies Festival performers and was so much fun putting together. It will be an interesting listen because the show is sooooo eclectic with a mix of acoustic, pop, hillbilly and blues! If you miss the show on Sunday, not to worry because I will post a link to the show in next weeks newsletter.

Well that's it for now ... have a wonderful weekend!!

Week In Review - 25 April 2014

The afterglow from my holiday in Spain has officially faded now that I've reached the end of my first week back to work. It's been a good week though starting with a fantastic rehearsal and songwriting session on Tuesday with my original Soul band, Mayfield. We are in the process of building our own studio and have already begun writing songs for our second album. Our current release, Tempo of Your Soul, is doing quite well around the UK and we are now on the radar of the UK's very vibrant Soul scene and booking some fantastic events for the Summer. Next week I'll be announcing our next show which is at a very prestigious festival! Stay tuned ...

By the end of this year my intention is to have my Supremely, Diana Ross Tribute Show on the cruise ship circuit. On Wednesday, I met with the arranger who is preparing the 10-piece orchestra charts that I will use when performing on ships! The arrangements sound fantastic and I'm looking forward to performing the show with an orchestra. I am in the early planning stages of putting together a Showcase for the tribute show so watch this space for more details. 

I am just a week away from the start of Foodies Festival season and I am so thrilled to be working with Media Publishing Company again to provide entertainment for five of their events. Brighton is next weekend and the entertainment lineup is fantastic. Some favourites from last year's events will be returning, along with acts from the Brighton area and across the UK. I even managed to book Elvis and Amy Winehouse to make an appearance! Don't believe me? Guess you'll have to come to the event to see for yourself! You can get tickets in advance through the Foodies Festival website, or at the event. If you do come along, stop by the Entertainment Stage and say hello!

On Friday I performed at the Mayor of Havant's charity dinner giving the audience quite a shock when I appeared in full Diana Ross glory. Halfway through the tribute set, half of the attendees had joined me on the dance floor. When I returned to do my second set of party music, we all danced the night away! The event was held at the lovely Newtown House on Hayling Island and the staff were a delight to work with, even providing me with a hotel room to prepare for the show! What a great night!

On Saturday I'm back on Hayling performing at The Piranha Bar for a Save The Children charity event. I performed at this event last year and was delighted to be asked back! I'll be performing my Jazz & Blues set followed by a very eclectic party set tht will start with Beyonce's 'XO' and finish with 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams! I'm really looking forward to this!

Well, that's it for this week. Have a fabulous weekend ...

Week in Review - 4 April 2014

This week has been about finalizing the entertainment line-up for the first of the five Foodies Festivals for which GME is managing the entertainment stage.  The Brighton event is just short of a month a way on 3-5 May, and I am so excited to bring this line-up to the very enthusiastic Brighton crowd! Here's a preview of who will be performing:

Kyle Parry
Jipsy Magic
Beth Oliver Band

I will publish the full running order next week. Tickets are available at the Foodies Festival website. Stop by and say hello at the entertainment stage!

Last night's heat of Southsea's Got Talent unleashed some fantastic talent!  Every month's competition is full of surprises, and this time was no exception. Among those who took to the stage at The Jolly Sailor we had a David Bowie Tribute, Opera Singer, Diva and a 16 year old who sang with soul and passion way beyond his years. It was also a pleasure to share the judges table with Lulu from Love Southsea, Cheryl Buggy Express FM and Si Genaro who appeared on Britain's The Voice!  Si also performed a fantastic set during the intermission and from the first note, it was evident why he made it as far as he did on the show. He will be appearing in this Saturday's episode of The Voice ... be sure to check him out!

Tomorrow night I will be stepping into the persona of Diana Ross for a fun-filled party night at The Piranha Bar. I'll be starting with Supremely, Diana Ross and finishing up with a party set of party favourites from the 60's through today!  It's gonna be a good night!!

Well, that's it for this edition. Have a groovy weekend!!

Week in Review - 7 March 2014

This has been a typical work week for GME. I spent a couple days working from my office in Portsmouth getting caught up on marketing some upcoming events.

Today I attended a Hampshire Chamber event at the Portsmouth Marriott, 'Future Portsmouth,' and I am so happy to be a part of this growing area on the South Coast. They talked about planned development, grants and loans available for small to medium sized companies, and the main focus was Apprenticeships and how companies of any size can benefit as well as support our local economy by hiring an Apprentice.  

It was a struggle getting to this early breakfast seminar, especially after spending an amazing evening the night before at the O2 in London with Beyonce! I saw her last year at the O2 but was sitting in the nosebleed section of the arena ... this year, we were on Level 1!  What an amazing show. I was literally drained by the end of the night, and by the time I arrived home well after 1:00am I had major doubts about making it to my meeting. I'm so glad I did, though, because I left the meeting feeling even more connected to my adopted community!

On 8 March, Mayfield will be performing again at The Jolly Sailor. This is our first gig there this year and we are looking forward to spending a Soulful evening with our friends in Southsea!

My party band, 'Move On Up' will be performing at The Grosvenor Casino Osborne Road for their Wedding Fayre on Sunday, 9 March from 12p.  Hopefully, our performance will lead to a couple bookings. With our unique blend of Soul, Funk & Rock classics, we work hard to make any event sizzle from start to finish!  

Finally, I am gearing up for the first of five Foodies Festivals for which I will be managing the entertainment stage.  GME was scheduled to work on seven events, but the entertainment for the Marble Hill and Kenwood House festivals will now be handled directly through these venues.  Our first event is Brighton on 3-5 May. I will be announcing the performers for Brighton in the next couple weeks!  Watch this space.

That's it for now ... have a fabulous weekend!

Week In Review - 7 February 2014

Nathalie Gunn

This week I've been busy booking performers for the Foodies Festival events I'm doing this summer.  I will be providing the entertainment for seven events and the performance slots are filling up fast!  Half Crown, Tiger Lilly and FranClassic are returning to several of the events this year, and I've booked a few newbies too ... Nathalie Gunn Duo; The Indigo Kings and McCrei Duo to name a few. Watch this space for other shout outs as we get closer to the Brighton event the first weekend in May.

Southsea's Got Talent kicked off at The Jolly Sailor on Thursday and it was great returning to my roll as judge along some very elite Southsea area entertainment professionals. Along with Andrew Pearce aka Miss G, who also judged last year's competition, was LuLu Whitmore of Love Southsea and Comedian James Alderson of Comedy All Stars.  The evening was hosted by vocalist and songwriter Rachael Hawnt and there were six performers competing ranging from solo singer to break dancer to Rap Duo.

The winner of the first heat was Nathan Canon who will perform again in the semi-finals in September.  Click here for a sneak peek at Nathan's performance!

Lastly, today I recorded the first edition of my new monthly radio show, 'Glo's Music for the Soul' which will debut on Valentine's Day on One World Radio!  Each month I will showcase some of my favourite songs from an eclectic mix of genres with one thing in common, each song will feed the Soul! I have a love for Soul, Jazz, R&B, Motown and Funk, so will definitely include songs from these genres, but I will also explore other styles of music that have impacted me in some way!  Also included in the mix will be original songs from lessor know and emerging artists that are worthy of a good listen! I will post a link to the show in next week's edition!

If you enjoy this blog or any of the stories, pictures & videos in my GME Weekly Newsletter, please do share your comments!  It would be nice to know if anyone is actually reading this stuff!! :)

Live, Love & Enjoy Good Music!!

Week In Review - 17 January 2014

This has been a not-so-typical work week because I spent the entire week working in the office.  This has allowed me to catch up on paperwork and my accounts. 

Supremely, Diana Ross

A big project for this week was putting together a short promotional video and setting up a website for my tribute show, Supremely Diana Ross.  Take a look at the site and let me know what you think!  Also, I booked Supremely, Diana Ross at the Piranha Bar for 5 April, which promises to be a fantastic evening of music. The first set will be me doing a fun party set followed by a guest appearance by Miss Ross!  

On Thursday, 16 January my band Mayfield had our first rehearsal of the year as we prep for our first gig of the year on 1 February at The Legion in Swanage. We hadn't performed or rehearsed since 16 November last year, but it was like no time had passed because we were all on top form!  We even started work on two new songs, one of which we hope to debut in Swanage!

On Sunday, 19 January Chloe Dixon will be making her debut appearance at The Jolly Sailor. If you will be in the Portsmouth/Southsea area on Sunday, please stop by and experience the dynamic vocals of this incredibly talented young singer.

Chloe Dixon

The first emails have gone out as I begin the task of booking performers for seven Foodies Festival events. I am looking for solo performers, duos & bands who perform cover & original soul, jazz, blues, folk, pop or reggae music. Email me at gloria@gloriamillermusic.com if you are interested in performing and I will send you all the details of participation.

That's it for now ... have a fabulous weekend!!

Foodies Festivals 2014

Gloria Miller Entertainment is pleased to announce that we will be organizing the entertainment for several Foodies Festival events for the 2nd year running. We are thrilled to be working with Media Company Publications again to bring together some of the best entertainers from across the UK to perform on the Foodies Entertainment Stage. 

Here are the events GME will be organizing:

Brighton Hove Lawns - 3, 4, 5 May

Marble Hill London - 24, 25, 26 May

Kenwood House London - 30, 31 May, 1 June

Clapham Common - 6, 7, 8 June

Bristol Harbourside - 11, 12, 13 July

Battersea Park London - 15, 16, 17 August

Oxford South Parks - 23, 24, 25 August

 

As you can see from this video, last year's Brighton event was a smashing success. The weather was gorgeous, the food delicious and the music was fabulous. Fingers crossed that we'll have good weather again this year! Click here to check out some pics of last year's performers at Foodies Brighton.

We are looking for cover and original artists who perform reggae, folk, jazz, blues, acoustic, swing and pop genres to book for these events.  If you are a solo performer up to 6-piece band and would like to perform at one of these festivals, please email me at gloria@gloriamillermusic.com and I will send you all of the details of participation.

To find out more about the 2014 Foodies events, please visit their website.

Year In Review - 2013

Happy New Year! 

Before taking on 2014 I want to take a look back at 2013 and highlight some of the highs and lows that made the year so amazing!

On 13 January Mayfield hires Quay West Recording Studio in Gosport to start recording a demo that eight months later became our debut album. As we started cutting tracks, we realized that something more was starting to take shape and the final product became 'Tempo of Your Sou!' which was released on 30 August to local and national acclaim on the Soul music scene. In 2014 we will begin working on our 2nd release, 'Keep On!' (Click here to read Mayfield's New Year's message.)

Southsea's Got Talent 2014

Southsea's Got Talent is launched at The Jolly Sailor on 7 February and I signed on to be one of the judges. There were 7 heats from February through August with two semi-finals held in September. I had no idea how difficult the judging was going to be because I didn't expect Southsea's talent pool to be so reach with potential super stars. me and fellow judges, Rod Coombs (Stealers Wheel), Andrew Pearce (Miss G) & Ross McInally (owner of The Jolly Sailor) had the very difficult job of deciding who would win the £1,000 cash prize, and The Hourglass Duo consistently wowed us with their original acoustic pop music and were named the first winners of SSGT at the Final Gala Show on 27 September! The Hourglass vocalist Chloe Dixon is a GME Artist and is a highly sought after performer as a solo performer, with her Duo or as a dep vocalist with some of the top bands around the UK!

w/Fran Classic @ FF Hampton Court

GME was contracted to provide entertainment for five Foodies events across the South of England and the first event was 4-6 May in Brighton. Thanks to some absolutely fabulous performers we set the bar really high for the remaining four events.  When taking on these events, I thought it would be difficult to find enough good talent to fill all the performance slots. To my amazement, I was getting contacted by GREAT bands from across the UK who were looking for an opportunity to showcase their talents, and I was constantly humbled by the caliber of artists I was getting to work with. Some were beginners and some were seasoned pros ... and all came together to provide top notch entertainment for the eagerly awaiting Foodies crowds. The last event was 24-26 August in Oxford. By this time I had worked with several of the performers across several of the events and there was a real family atmosphere by the final day of the final event. The organizers were well pleased with how the entertainment went so watch this space for info on this year's events!

Move On Up Party Band

In September I started two new projects ... 'Supremely, Diana Ross' which is my tribute to the legendary performer; and 'Move On Up' party band, which is a 5-piece Soul, Funk & Rock band! MOU had our first gig on 21 September at Port Solent Tennis Club in Gosport, and I performed the first tribute show the next day at The Old Vic in Portsmouth. These projects were born out of a really low point in the year when I had to leave a band that I had spent a wonderful year working with. It felt bad at the time, however, looking back I now realize that leaving was the absolute best thing that could have happened. So many other wonderful doors opened when that door shut and I'm thankful!!

September 1st was the first year anniversary of being in business and I decided to change the name of the agency from GMM Booking Agency Ltd. to Gloria Miller Entertainment Ltd. which seems to better describe what the company has become during our first year.

Talk Network Event

October and November were my planning months for 2014 and it took me two months just to set four goals ... LOL! The main goal of the four is 'grow GME with a focus on private and corporate events.' I started laying the ground work for this goal to become a reality in November and December by going to local networking events, joining the Hampshire Chamber and by restructuring my artists and website to meet the demand for these types of events. The last few gigs of the year that were booked through GME were corporate and private events so we are well on our way to meeting this goal in 2014!

w/John Leete

Other highlights included meeting John Leete & Company of Home Front History at the Royal County of Berkshire show in September.  Home Front History recreate the social and military history of Britain during the 1939-1945 war at events across the UK and have adopted me into their family! I'll be partnering with them in 2014 as we lead up to the Anniversary of the D Day landings which took place on 6th June 1944. Also, joining Opus 20 Jazz Orchestra and performing two fantastic events with them in December was an amazing experience and I'm looking to do more with them in 2014.

I don't know what 2014 has in store for GME, but I will focus 100% of my efforts on my four goals and enjoy the journey! I wish you every success in this new year and look forward to hearing all about your journey!!

Gloria