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!

Week In Review - 20 June 2014

Chillin' in Spain w/the Hubs!

I had a much needed 4-day mini break to Spain from Monday through Thursday, topping up my tan and the scale a bit too! The getaway was the perfect combination on sunshine, sangria & paella!  

On Friday, I performed a dep gig with 'Beau' at the grand re-opening of The Westleigh in Havant. The venue and the crowd were both fantastic, and I really enjoyed working with the fantastic musicians that comprise Beau. Dep gigs keep you on your toes because usually you don't get a chance to rehearse, you just show up and hope for the best :). Thankfully, I've dep'd for them before, so we were good to go.

Beau

Gloria Miller Duo

Note to self ... never schedule three gigs for the same date which is exactly what I did on Saturday, the longest day of the year in every way! I put in a 12-hour day gigging at The Spring in Havant with my duo in the afternoon, a private party in Hedge End in the early evening, and finishing up at The Mermaid in Portsmouth performing Supremely, Diana Ross. I was one tired soul at the end of the night and the drive home was a bit of a blur. When I arrived home, my very lovely husband had lit relaxing candles all over the house to create a calming atmosphere for me to come home to! After murdering a veggie stir-fry I hit the sack only to wake up on Sunday feeling quite out of it. This was my excuse to sit on the sofa and watch movies on LoveFilm, which I did! 

One of my acts, the incredible Marlene Hill, will be performing in 'Swinging at the Cotton Club' at the King's Theatre in Southsea on the 26th of October. I've seen this show a couple times now and it is spectacular and features The Jiving Lindy Hoppers & Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra!  Take a step back into 1920's New York City and through the doors of Harlem's hottest nightclub, 'The Cotton Club'!  Swinging at The Cotton Club is an action-packed show celebrating music, dance, and song! Buy your ticket today!

I am excited to announce that I am starting to book original duo and band gigs as my CD, Let Go, is experiencing a bit of a revival over here in the UK. I released this CD in America just before moving to the UK five years ago and it seems the album got a little bit lost somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ... LOL! At the first of my three gigs on this past Saturday, I dried off and performed five songs from the album which received a really positive response from the audience, and I sold a few CDs too!  

I just confirmed today that The Gloria Miller Duo will be performing originals & covers as part of The Guildhall Summer Sessions on the 24th of July at the outside cafe! We're performing two 45-minute sets, starting at 5:30pm.  And, Move On Up will be backing me on a gig at The Pizza Express in Soho on Sunday the 28th of September ... doors at 12:00 and we start at 13:30. We are supporting a fantastic up and coming band, Alter Ego, and will be performing songs from my CD as well as a few covers. This is going to be a great show with two great bands performing original Jazz, Soul, Blues & Funk!  Click here for more information.

Venus Awards Nominee Networking Event

Lastly, it was just announced that I have been nominated for a 2nd Venus Award in the New Business category. I was completely surprised to get the 1st nomination in the Customer Service category, and I am terribly humbled to be recognized again for starting GME. Check out their blog and learn more about the other nominees and the businesses they represent.

I think that's enough for now ... I'll be with you again on Friday with the next edition!

Until then, have a fab week!