THE OLYMPIC DIVERSION..

I'd like to start this latest blog post with a reference to my pyjamas..As I type, I am wearing my pink and white sheep decorated pyjamas with the words "Absol-ewe-tly Fab-ewe-lous" embroidered across them. I don't know which is worse.. the fact that I am still in my pyjamas at 13.06pm after starting work in them at 7.50am this morning or the fact that there is such an irony in the fact that I really don't look anyway fab-ewe-lous right now.. In fact the sheep on my pyjamas look in better nick..

It literally feels like I am cramming for my leaving cert!! The hours go by and all you keeping thinking about is the chapter you still haven't got through. There are half-drank cups of tea everywhere and pieces of paper with scribbles all over what used to be my kitchen!

Despite all that, things are good..No, things are great! This week marked the official two year anniversary of my new venture into life as a singer/songwriter! Hard to believe it's two years since I started working on the 2011 plan of action. It's also the end of week 6 of the 10,000 project and a little anxious at how much work still needs to be done in the next 6!
The project in some ways became diverted with my announcement of the Olympics gig next Friday 3rd August in the Olympic Park. Naturally this has been big news for me and it actually hasn't sunk in at all yet. It has meant that my focus on the project has been sidetracked somewhat but it is an incredible opportunity and very important that I make the most of it! In saying that, some of the project experiments have been doing very well. For exampe:

1. 1,000 BROADCAST MINS - I have made it over the 400 broadcast minutes ahead of the EP release. The single from the EP 'Something Has Changed' is officially on the airwaves from today. LMFM have added it to their A playlist. It has also already started to get plays on South East Radio, Breeze AM and Northern Sound!

2. 1,000 KILOMETRES - Whilst I haven't actually got on the road yet, the routes have been planned and the destinations organised and the kilometres being covered providing everything goes to play is actually closer to 2,000!! Starting out at Dundalk, the 10,000 troops will make their way to places like Galway, Cork, Limerick. Cork, Wexford, Donegal among more..

3. 1,000 WORDS PUBLISHED - Done and dusted in week 2 and has since been smashed with more articles over the past 2 weeks! Delighted.

And some, not so well just yet...

1. 1,000 YOUTUBE SUBSCRIPTION, 1,000 FACEBOOK LIKES - I have grouped these two together because they are both as appalling as each other! I have spent no time on either of them which of course doesn't help the situation but they are failing miserably at the moment. My plan is to really focus on these after the tour and see what strategies work best!!
2. 1,000 FACES 1,000 ARTISTS - Again I have bundled these 2 together as they are off the ground but the main activity on them takes place the two weeks of the tour and the two weeks afterwards!


Over all, I am really enjoying the project and whilst I know it is very ambitious and requires a lot of work, a lot of the experiments are really opening up so many new networks and all sorts of different opportunities..

Time to go, so much to do..Be back soon!! Olympics 2012 here I come....

10,000 WEEK 3 - THE IMPORTANCE OF A CURRY CHIP AND A BOOGIE!

So week three of the '10,000' project finished up last Friday and I'm beginning to contemplate the idea that I am in fact nuts and 3 months of constant promotion, emailing, selling, performing etc is quite a mountain to climb. Which is probably why I took the unusual step of having a boogie on Friday and wait until you hear this, Saturday night too!!!!! Not like me at all but without doubt, one of the best moves (not the dancefloor kind) I have made in a few weeks.



Working round the clock on a project like this requires serious discipline and effort and giving myself the chance to dress up, dust off the heels and eat a curry chip at 4am was the best thing I could have done. That used to be my life every weekend and I can appreciate now the importance of letting the hair down and thinking about something other than the music!

Nothing like a curry chip at 4am!

The week finished with a visit to the madness that is the LMFM Breakfast Show with Seamus and Chris. They have been great from day 1, supporting 'Moody Blues' from the minute I sent it to them despite being a completely unknown artist. Since then, like many other Irish regional and community radio stations, they have playlisted my songs and have plugged everything I do. I remember hearing Ian Wilson of 2FM say at a music discussion in the last year that he doubted the relevance of radio for artists/bands in Ireland and I couldn't have disagreed more. Getting my songs played on radio since I started putting them out there has been the most definitive reason for me being here believing in what I do and enjoying it and continuing to do it. Getting to know the presenters personally has been a pleasure and I have already made some great friends whose support I will never forget. I am also gradually starting to see the financial reward of radio plays. Radio for me anyways, is not just relevant but vital!

The usual cake and madness at LMFM!

Anyways, getting back to the project. It is the beginning of week four. I reached my FUND IT campaign target last Thursday and would definitely reccommend it to other artists and bands. My advice is to be realistic with rewards and targets. It is very easy to over estimate how much people can afford. I enjoyed running the campaign and thanks to all of you who funded it. My pre-sales are also approaching the 200 mark and the next few days will be occupied with making the last sales to anyone who would like to have their name on the EP packaging. (mcnallysinead@hotmail.com if you want to order one). On Friday, I have to finalise the database of names and get it all sent off to the designers. Next week sees the beginning of the manfacturing of the CD's so there is a lot of coming and going between all the people involved in getting the right information and ensuring everything from track codes to barcodes to design measurements etc are all in order!

I also reached my 1,000 words published last week thanks to a super amount of newspaper space being given to the project from Martin Hearty of the Newry Democrat.

Newry Democrat Piece

Hopefully that experiment will just go from strength to strength over the remaining weeks. Thanks to all the journalists who have written about it so far! I finally got my 1,000 faces off the ground and thanks to Carl in Ard products in Dundalk for the extra discounts on goggles and disposabe lab coats!! People's intial reaction is a little awkward but once the goggles and the lab coats are on, everyone just has a laugh with it and it's fun feeling a little silly for a few seconds. By the way if you wish to join in 1,000 faces, all you have to do is dress yourself up in whatever you think resembles a scientist/inventor look and send it to me at mcnallysinead@hotmail.com and I will add it to the gallery for 1,000 faces!!

Louise of Dundalk FM!

The 1,000 broadcast minutes is up to 231 already which I am delighted about as it is the one experiment most feared by many people in the music industry! For me, 1,000 new Facebook likes and 1,000 new YouTube subscriptions will leave me chewing off the ends of my nails I'd say. Whatever is going on with Facebook pages is making it extremely difficult to draw traffic to my page without paying for it! So, that's something I will have to figure out. My lack of activity on YouTube isn't helping that experiment either but again is something I just have to look into and see how I can get it working for me!

On a final note for this week, thank you for taking an interest as a supporter or a cynic. This project is bound to draw both. That doesn't bother me. I'm having fun and enjoying all the opportunities it is bringing in! Until next time, mind yourselves xxxx