Week in Review - 26 September 2014

Craig Charles

I usually start my weekly review with the beginning of the week, but in this edition I'm going to start with the weekend.

On Friday my originals band Mayfield did a show with the much celebrated Craig Charles at The Cellar in Southampton, and what an amazing night we had performing in a sold-out venue to a room full of Soul & Funk enthusiasts and sharing the stage with the most amazing DJ I have experienced since living in the UK! Mayfield performed a 1-hour set of our most Soulful, Funky tunes and the audience was with us from start to finish. At one point, I scanned the entire crowd that stretched right to the back of the venue, and each person was bouncing, dancing and grooving to our tunes. That was the most fabulous feeling! Many of our Portsmouth fans joined us in Southampton and we made many new fans who bought CDs and Vinyls after we finished. The hi-light of the evening for me was when Mr. Charles held up our album and the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. That was well cool!

Now, my plan was to stay for about 20 minutes of Craig's set because this is a 3-gig weekend for me and the mounting years means I need my rest ... LOL! Well, before I knew it I was drenched in sweat, dancing like a teenager at a rave, and more than an hour had past. I finally made the very tough decision to get my old bag of bones home and to bed. What a night!

Move On Up

As I write this, it's Saturday night and I just finished a sound check with my covers band, Move On Up, and will be heading back to Southwick Park Golf Club for a private event. Since we finished the sound check at 7:30pm and I live just 15 minutes from the venue, I decided to come home and do a bit of work :). On Sunday, it's up to London with Move On Up to perform songs from my CD, Let Go, at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho! I am deliciously tired, but looking forward to rockin' it tonight and tomorrow.

The earlier part of the week was all about photo shoots. On Tuesday, I drove to Somerset for a 12-hour power shoot with my latest venture, The Midnight Soul Sisters. Within MSS are several tribute acts, including Diana Ross (me), Tina Turner, The Supremes, The Ronettes, Beyonce, Whitney Houston and The Three Degrees. During the shoot there were many wig and costume changes, and much laughter and fun as we transformed ourselves into these great performers. My favourite wig of the day was the giant Afro I got to sport during The Three Degrees shoot. There is something very powerful about the Afro ... as soon as I got that thing on my hands went to my hips, my head tilted to the side, and I was dripping attitude ... LOL! Yeah, I was feeling that Afro! I'll post some of the pics once they're done.

Me as Tina Turner

On Thursday, I had two photo shoots, one for my new Tina Turner Tribute show in the morning, and then later for the four ladies of the Cathedral Innovation Center who have been nominated for a Venus Award. We're going to be featured in The News Porstmouth this week as we lead up to the Venus Awards Ceremony on the 1st of October. Hopefully, in next week's edition I'll be announcing that I am a Venus Award winner ... fingers crossed!

The rest of my week was basically prepping for photo shoots and gigs, while trying to fit in the daily running of GME. I had a little breather the beginning of September to recover from a very busy summer, but now it seems that I'm back to the grind through the end of the year. To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way!

That's it for now ... I've got to get back to my gig.

Week In Review - 20 September 2014

The highlight of this week was attending Ladies Day at The Southampton Boat Show hosted by Sherry Claridge of UK Women Magazine on Thursday. The luncheon was held at Kuti's Royal Thai Pier and the food and company of 70 amazing women from across Hampshire were amazing! There was lots of networking, laughter and raffle prizes throughout the afternoon and I was delighted to be invited to make a 2-minute presentation about GME. The event was presented by Tara Howard of The Venus Awards, whose energy and enthusiasm are infectious. I was joined by my good friend and colleague, Janey Howl and we enjoyed a lovely late afternoon stroll around the Boat Show trying to work off the 3-course meal and dreaming a bit about the good life while touring a few of the amazing yachts on display. I left that boat show thinking that I definitely need to dream bigger ... LOL!

On Friday, I was at The Jolly Sailor judging the second semi-final of Southsea's Got Talent, and the seven contestants were outstanding. I wanted to put everybody through to the final, but sadly we could only put four through. The standout performance came from Harriet Standen, the teeny tiny singer with the huge voice! She wowed us with her version of 'And I Am Telling You' and earned first place in the semi-final. I can't wait to hear her at the final on the 3rd of October.

Tonight (Saturday) I am back at The Jolly Sailor with my originals band Mayfield hosting a charity event for Rowans Hospice. The night will be kicked off by Martin Jackson of SoulTime DJs spinning some great N-Soul, Soul & Motown. Mayfield will hit the stage around 9:15pm with two sets of funky soul originals and a few covers done the Mayfield way. We will also be debuting our brand new song, Ready Set Go, which we are currently working on in the studio. I'll give you a sneak preview once the track is finished. Watch this space.

Finally, on Sunday I will be joining my covers band, Move On Up to rehearse for our show at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho on 28 September. We will be performing original songs from my solo release, Let Go, as well as some Jazz & Blues covers. Tickets are still available for this show and your support would be greatly appreciated. Click here to purchase your tickets!

That's it for this week ... have an amazing weekend!

Month in Review - August, 2014

Venice, Italy

Where has August gone? Huge apologies that my last update was 25 July ... did you miss me? Don't answer that ... LOL!  I have loads to tell you about, so let's dig in!

The week of July 28th I was on a much needed holiday with the hubs. We went on a cruise from Venice, Italy to Kefalonia, Greece returning home on the 31st. There was lots of sunshine, food, drinks and dancing. Just what I needed to prepare for the very busy month of August.

I performed Supremely, Diana Ross on 1st August and with my originals band Mayfield on the 3rd at the Southsea Show. On the 2nd I performed at a new venue, Tinkers Tea Room in Gosport. What a lovely venue and fantastic audience. We started out with a very gentle Jazz & Blues set and then finished with an eclectic mix of uptempo classics that had the whole place up and dancing. Even drew in a few people who were passing by. I'm re-booked to perform for their Christmas season on the 12th of December. I'm also sorting out their entertainment for September with some of GME's amazing talent. More details to come.

Midnight Soul Sisters

The week of August 4th I was up to London on the Monday to rehearse with my latest venture, Midnight Soul Sisters, preparing for my debut performance with them on Friday the 8th at Felling Social Club in Newcastle. I was so nervous for the show because there were many dance routines I had to learn and actually remember, but the show was amazing and being on stage with three other dynamic entertainers was absolutely magical. At one point I was looking around at these women thinking 'how on earth did I get here'! We've been re-booked for that venue and I have several other dates booked with MSS. Learning and performing the dance routines reminded me of my cruise ship days, and I was thankful to have had that experience to draw on, because I don't think I would have been ready otherwise. Admittedly, sometimes I forgot to sing during the show because I was concentrating so hard on the dance steps ... LOL! The group is being re-vamped and we'll have some updated pics and video soon! Watch this space.

Move On Up

On 9 August I performed with my covers band, Move On Up, at The Concorde Club in Eastleigh. We did the Diana Ross Tribute Show and then finished up with a fiery party set. It was clear that the audience were there to have a good time, because the dance floor was full on the first Diana Ross song! What a great night.

The week of August 11th I attended a Shaping Portsmouth meeting on Tuesday. I am working with two 'work streams' within this organization ... Business & Enterprise and Cultural Partnership. The meeting on Tuesday was with B&E and my first meeting with Cultural Partnership will be on 1 September. Portsmouth is my adopted city and where I run my business from, and I wanted to find a way to give something back to this community that has embraced me and my business. Shaping Portsmouth allows me to do that and I'm looking forward to getting involved. Please click here to learn more about this organization.

On the 15-17 of August I was back in London for Foodies Festival Battersea Park. We were off to a very rocky start on Day 1 of this event ... when I arrived, the entertainment stage wasn't even built yet and wasn't finished until after the event had already opened. Day 2 of the event went much smoother and Day 3 was fantastic. I have to give a special shout out to James Gillespie, an amazing solo performer who covered my nether region big time by performing extra sets throughout the 3 days to help me cover cancellations. He was the perfect choice to ask to step in because he is a high-energy performer with a fantastic voice and quite the charmer with the audience. People were coming back to the event just to see him. By the Sunday, everyone was in love with him ... including me!

James Gillespie

This week has been all about Foodies Festival Oxford, the fifth event of the year for which I've organized the entertainment. Organizing this event has been full of challenges, and I didn't have the final list finished until yesterday! But, it's done and the line-up promises to be great. Click here to see the list of performers.

Finally, the 31st of August marks my 2nd year in business. However, before I can start celebrating I've got to get through next week which will consist of finalizing this year's accounts and year-end paperwork. I'll let you know how I get on in next week's newsletter.

My Dad!

On a personal note, my dad suffered a mild stroke while I was at the Battersea Park event. I received that news on Day 2 and I'm honestly not sure how I made it through the rest of the festival. On the train home from the festival on Sunday I was on a conference call with the doctor and my siblings and the news was really good. By Monday, my dad was off life support, sitting in a chair and talking. And on Thursday he was moved from intensive care. I had booked a flight to go home on Monday, but my sister said that it would be better for me to come when he's released to a rehab facility so I can help with the transition. I am so thankful for all the prayers and support I received during this time and feel extremely blessed that my 90 year old father is still with me!

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

Week in Review - 30 May 2014

Last week I received the news that I've been nominated for a Venus Award for Customer Service and have made it through to the quarter final. I am just under two years being in business and it is quite an honor to have been nominated. My customer service approach is basically the golden rule ... treat others the way I want to be treated, and to be recognized for this feels amazing.  The Venus Awards is a national organization that have just launched a Portsmouth chapter. I am so pleased to be working with this organization and for being nominated in the Portsmouth area premiere year. 

This week's focus in the office has been on sorting out the final details on the next Foodies Festival event being held 6-8 June at Clapham Common in London, as well as finalizing the entertainment lineup for the forthcoming Bristol event 11-13 July. The Clapham lineup is excellent with some new performers to the list as well as a few favourites from the Brighton festival. I'm still filling slots for Bristol, but that lineup is shaping up quite nicely too! If you are in the Clapham Common or Bristol areas during the festival dates, why not join us for what is always a fantastic event, especially if the weather is with us! You can purchase tickets in advance through the Foodies website or on-site at the event. I hope to see you there, and bring the sunshine with you!!

My band Mayfield are in the process of building a recording studio, and the band leader Dominic Elton and I had a fantastic meeting with Gareth Henderson, the founder of River Studios in Totton, Southampton. We toured this amazing facility and discussed consulting with them on fitting out the studio with latest equipment, as well as River Studios providing technical support to help us get up and running. As we are waiting for our studio to be finished, we will be using River Studios to demo some of the new songs we're working on for our second album that will be released sometime in 2015. 

With Tara Howard
Founder of the Venus Awards

Lastly, tonight I will be returning to The Piranha Bar to perform a Motown/Soul Night and to sort out some future bookings for several of my acts. This lovely restaurant was one of my first clients in the early days of GME and have been working with the agency and me for almost two years. The last time I spoke with the owner there, she said how proud she was of me for the growth of GME and she remembered when I only had about five acts that I was booking for. I've got a few more acts and clients now, and possibly this is due to good customer service :)! Do you see how I tied that in to my Venus Award nomination? So sorry, I couldn't help myself. And now I'm gonna be quite cliched in saying ... I don't care if I win, it's just nice to be nominated! LOL!

Okay, I'm done ...

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Week in Review - 23 May 2014

Okay, so I've just got TiVO in my house and it has been terribly difficult to pull myself away from it to get some work done this week ... LOL!  I feel strangely obligated to watch the shows it recommends and there have been some weird ones ... 'Grimm' ... really? 

Besides being glued to my telly, this week has been about paying the man ... yes, it's tax filing time! Through the beauty of networking I have found a fantastic accountant, Lee Scott of Addo Accounting, and he has been amazing at hand-holding me through the process. I barely understood US tax laws, and the British ones might as well be in Japanese! My record keeping is okay, but Lee still had his work cut out for him to get me ready to file, but he's done it and we're ready!! 

I'm starting to get inquiries for New Year's Eve entertainment, and really, this is the time to start booking if you want the best entertainment possible for your venue or event! Here at Gloria Miller Entertainment we've got some fantastic party bands, solo, duo and tribute acts so contact me today if you are in Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Kent, Sussex or London! Check out some of our Party Bands and get in touch to book your New Year's Eve entertainment!

Glo's Music for the Soul Radio Show aired last week Sunday, and I had a listen to it this morning and got my dance on a few times. This is Vol. 3, the 'Foodies Festival' edition featuring some of the amazing acts I've booked on these events throughout the summer! For those of you who can't make the Foodies events, or live outside the UK, this is a great chance for your to experience what the entertainment at the events is like!

The producers of my show, One World Radio, said that the show rated quite well when it went live on Sunday and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting this one together. WARNING:  The show is quite eclectic and will make you want to dance ... more than once! Enjoy ...

This week has been amazing for booking some great shows for my acts. And I am thrilled to announce that Supremely, Diana Ross and Move On Up party band will be appearing this summer at the Southsea Show! I performed at this event last year with The Fliks, and I'm thrilled to be returning this year. More details to come ...

Well, that's it for this week ... time to get ready for the first of two Supremely, Diana Ross Tribute Shows that I'm performing this weekend. I need to channel my inner Diva for this!

There she is ... :) Have a fabulous weekend!

Week In Review - 18 April 2014

Sunshine, Sangria, Spain!  I am on holiday in sunny Spain and loving every minute of it! It has been a slightly working holiday because I am still sorting out the first two of my five forthcoming Foodies events.  The Brighton event was 100% sorted last week, but due to a few last minute issues, it's now about 99% sorted ... LOL!  I'm just waiting on final confirmation from a couple replacement acts.  The Clapham Common event is quickly approaching, 6-8 June, and I am presenting the performer list to the Foodies organizers next week for their approval.  I hope to have both events done by the end of next week, but I think I'm dreaming a bit regarding Clapham!

Volume 2 of 'Glo's Music for the Soul' Radio Show, which airs on One World Radio, was released last weekend and I know I'm risking being thought of as vain when I admit that I've listened to it about 10 times already! The radio show is all about showcasing music that feeds the soul, and I'm really enjoying the song selection. Click here to listen and please let me know what you think. Also, if you have any song suggestions, that would be awesome. Next month's edition of the show will feature 'Foodies Festival' performers. Most of the acts I've booked on these events perform original music, and I'm looking forward to sharing their amazing music with you!  

I'm happy to announce that I'm working with a new venue in Southsea, 69 Wine Bar & Bistro and have booked the fabulous Marlene Hill to perform two R&B and Disco infused sets of music on Easter Sunday from 7:30pm! Marlene is the first act GME has booked into this venue, and I know she will set the bar high! If you're looking for something to do on Easter, join Marlene at 69 Wine Bar & Bistro and get your dance on!!

I mentioned last week that I'll be debuting my 'I'll Be Seeing You' wartime music show on Easter Sunday at an event at the Hayling Island Sailing Club. I've had a couple run-throughs of the show while on holiday, and it has come together quite nicely! The only potential problem is fitting into the cute little military number I purchased to wear for the event! Pitchers of sangria and pans full of paella seem like a good idea when you're indulging, but not so great when you're bulging!!  I barely fit into the outfit before I left for Spain, so I'm glad I sorted out a 'back-up' outfit just in case!  Here's hoping ...

That's it for this week ... have a fabulous weekend and ...