Didim ‘Springs’ to Life

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

Oh My God !  The short, cold, damp winter here in Didim has suddenly come to an end.  And along with the blossom on the fruit trees, the sudden burst of colourful wild flowers along the roadside, and the influx of young, dark, handsome men from other parts of Turkey looking for seasonal work, my life seems to have sprung into overdrive too.

Rehearsals for the play ‘Someone Like You’ three times this week; an opening night for U2 Leon Bar on Thursday night; a leaving party on Friday night; new songs to learn for my Easter Friday gig at Lush Bar; the ‘Someone Like You’ performance on April 5th; two wedding invitations for the first two weeks in April; three other venues kicking off during April; preparations for my showcase evening in Didim later in the month; and all on top of trying to clean the villa so we can sell it !!

Meanwhile the whole town seems to be getting busier by the hour, and parking spots in the centre of town are already becoming increasingly difficult to find as many Turks arrive in town for the summer months.  It’s going to be impossible when the tourists also arrive.  It’s a good job I’m within walking distance of the shops, the banks and the bars :)

But hey, that’s what living in a tourist resort is all about.  And of course I love the buzz when the place gets busy and as the excitement builds towards a full calendar of gigs for the forthcoming season.

Let’s hope the local Belediye (Council) can get the beachfront finished in time for the tourists arriving and that this season can be a huge success for Didim and for me and Glen.  So looking forward to seeing many old friends and making lots of new ones !

Posted in DTs (Didim Thespians), General Comments, Gig Schedule | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Giving Eurovision ‘The Hump’

Posted on March 20, 2012 by

It’s been a long dry period for the UK in Eurovision, with ‘Love Shine A Light’, performed by Katrina And The Waves, bringing home glory in 1997 with victory in Dublin.  Since then the UK has had some of it’s worst placings in the contest’s history (perhaps due to the apparent politics happening within the voting process!)

In 1957, Patricia Bredin sang the very first UK entry in the contest, with a song called ‘All’.  It also happened to be the only English language song in the contest that year.  Since then the UK has been represented by many big names including the likes of Matt Monro, Sandie Shaw, Cliff Richard, Lulu, Olivia Newton-John, The Shadows, Brotherhood Of Man, Bucks Fizz, Michael Ball, and Blue.  The only year in which the UK received the infamous ‘nul points’ was in 2003 when a group from Liverpool called Jemini finished in last place in the contest with a song called ‘Cry Baby’.

The UK has a good history in the contest though and is still one of only three countries to have won five times.  Ireland hold the current record with seven wins overall.  The UK winners have been:

1967 – Sandie Shaw – Puppet On A String
1969 – Lulu – Boom Bang-A-Bang
1976 – Brotherhood Of Man – Save Your Kisses For Me
1981 – Bucks Fizz – Making Your Mind Up
1997 – Katrina And The Waves – Love Shine A Light

Well I have to say the 2012 UK entry, a soft ballad from Engelbert Humperdinck called ‘Love Will Set You Free’ is definitely not in the same style as our previous winners.  Click on this link to listen to it  http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/eurovision/

But will the UK give the rest of Europe ‘The Hump’ and bring home a glorious victory.  I for one love the song and I hope our ‘Gerry Dorsey’ (actually born Arnold George Dorsey) can pull it off !!

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Do I get nervous ?

Posted on March 17, 2012 by

Well yes a little – and I have to admit that as it is 4 months since my last gig, not only am I nervous about the 15 new songs in my set for tomorrow night’s Mother’s Day gig at Lush, but I am also nervous about my established songs.  I have been rehearsing most of the day today, although I have to say I have found it hard to focus and concentrate for some reason, and been finding it a little frustrating.  It happens – some days are like that !

There is always tomorrow morning, and I will do a full run through just to make sure I am up to scratch with my words.  I’d best be ‘cos the restaurant has booked me now for Good Friday as well.

Anyway, here is my song list for tomorrow night’s gig, and remember you are still not too late to book a table with the restaurant and treat yourself or your mum, or just celebrate the memory of your mum.  Have a great Mother’s Day.

Set 1
Have You Met Miss Jones – Robbie Williams
She Believes In Me – Kenny Rogers
Poetry In Motion – Johnny Tillotson
Make You Feel My Love – Adele
Halfway To Paradise – Billy Fury
You Make Me Feel So Young – Frank Sinatra
Dance With My Father – Luther Vandross
A Certain Smile – Johnny Mathis
Love Me For A Reason – Boyzone (duet with Glen)
Someone Like You – Van Morrison
Dream A Little Dream Of Me – Mama Cass
Back At One – Brian McKnight
So Deep Is The Night – Tony Christie
That’s Life – Frank Sinatra

Set 2
Moondance – Van Morrison
Love Me Tonight – Tom Jones
Beat Again – JLS
I Just Wanna Be Loved – Culture Club (Glen singing solo)
All Night Long (All Night) – Lionel Richie
You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine – Lou Rawls
Take Good Care Of My Baby – Bobby Vee
Rock Me Gently – Andy Kim
Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) – Edison Lighthouse
Just The Way You Are – Bruno Mars
It’s A Miracle – Culture Club (Glen singing solo)
Never Knew Love Like This Before – Stephanie Mills
There Goes My First Love – The Drifters (duet with Glen)
Love Really Hurts Without You – Billy Ocean
Shang-A-Lang – The Bay City Rollers

Encore
Kissin’ In The Back Row – The Drifters (duet with Glen)
I’ll Go Where Your Music Takes Me – Jimmy James & The Vagabonds
Never Give Up On A Good Thing – George Benson (duet with Glen)
Love Is All – Malcolm Roberts

And that’s it folks.  Hope you enjoy the show.  And don’t forget to wish Glen all the very best of luck with his very first solo public performance ever.  Break a leg Glen !

Posted in Gig Schedule, My Songbook | Tagged | 2 Comments

Buy your tickets now….

Posted on March 15, 2012 by

….for the fabulous new play Someone Like You, performed by the amdram group the DTs (supposedly Didim Thespian’s, but has morphed into several other, probably more accurate, titles hehe). The play however is a serious attempt by this group of local ex-pats to entertain the people of Didim with a first ever theatrical production outside of the usual annual pantomime. And believe me it is NOT a pantomime. It is a very entertaining story of lost loves, broken hearts and strained relationships, and how a holiday in sunny Altinkum can solve it all !! Yes I said solve, and I know it’s usually the reverse :)

The play, written and directed by local author Kym Ciftci, contains song, dance, comedy and real drama – an absolute classic mix that promises to deliver a very enjoyable evening of entertainment.

Tickets are on sale from Deli-cious Cafe and Le Figaro hairdressers in Altinkum, or you can obtain them from any member of the cast and crew, including little old me!! They are 10 TL each – a bargain – and all proceeds from ticket sales will go to a local children’s charity ‘Çocuklar Aglamasin’.

Rehearsals are going well, and today I am attending our very first rehearsal on stage at the actual venue. Hopefully we will get some technical issues sorted out today as well as positioning problems associated with rehearsing in offices and bars hehe ! Backing tracks are coming along nicely for the various songs specially written by Kym for this performance, and attached is a link to a sneak preview of one of the songs. http://soundcloud.com/clints-2/backing-track-its-time-in-pink

So come on all you theatre lovers, and those of you who aren’t but still want a good night out, buy your tickets, have a fab night out, and support a local worthy cause all in one hit !

Finally, you can read some of Kym’s musings by following her blog at www.turkeywithstuffin.wordpress.com

Posted in DTs (Didim Thespians) | 2 Comments

Busy, busy, busy !!

Posted on March 13, 2012 by

Well what a busy, crazy day it’s been.  Phew!

I drove Glen absolutely mad this morning as he had to listen to my broken vocals as I hummed, squacked, muttered and blasphemed my way through my song list for Sunday – me singing along to my backing music on headphones and him listening to just my dodgy, dulcet tones.  Then off to a friend’s house this afternoon to sort out my new backing track for one of the songs in the upcoming play ‘Someone Like You’ – and what a fab job the musicians and technicians have made of it, not to mention Kym the fabulous songwriter. And then to cap it all, an early evening two hour rehearsal with the cast of the play.

I have now devoured my delicious dinner, had another practice of my new song for the play and am relaxing at my laptop, whilst watching a French film on Turkish TV, unable to understand either of the languages available to me via the overly-compex telly menu.

Tomorrow I have a full run-through of all 34 songs for Sunday night’s gig – the first time I will have tried to sing all of them in one session and without the words.  And Glen will be adding his two solos to the programme as well.  Wish us luck !!  And on Thursday, between further paractice on those songs that I ‘cock up’ on Wednesday and cleaning the apartment, I will be at the local theatre for our first run-through of the play at the actual venue (I am really looking forward to that session).

On Friday Glen and I will be at Lush Bar for a sound check on a few songs.  As we haven’t done a gig since early December we just want to check all is well with our sound equipment and that we have all the settings sorted for each song.  Especially the 15 or so new ones that we will perform for the first time.

So this week is definitely a busy one, and we are now getting excited about the season ahead.  We can’t wait to get into the swing of things again and hopefully keep our audiences well entertained.  We hope that many of you reading this will be able to join us during the summer months.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, there’s another 30-40 songs to learn over the next month to six weeks so that I can keep adding new and fresh material to my sets as the season gets underway. Any requests ??

Now, after writing this, I have just worn myself out (haha) and am off to bed.  Goodnight my friends.

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Someone Like You

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

On April 5th a group of local ‘thespians’ will be performing a brand new musical play written and directed by Kym Ciftci – and all for the local Çocuklar Aglamasın charity.  The play contains music, dance, comedy and a moving story about lost loves, broken hearts and missed opportunities.  Can the Altinkum sunshine put everything right ?

The cast are currently working really hard in rehearsals.  Some are getting really nervous about their debut singing performances !  But if the performance on the night is full of as much energy as the rehearsals have been then it will be a fantastic night for everyone.  They are all stars.

The venue for this fantastic evening of entertainment is the Ticaret Odasi Theater, which is located along the road between the main boulevard and the hospital, opposite the Sunflower Apartments.  Tickets are 10 TL and they are available from Deli-cious Cafe and Le Figaro hairdressers.  Doors open from 7pm on the night.

Don’t miss this fabulous night of entertainment – a FIRST for Didim/Altinkum – and hopefully only the first of many more performances to come !!

Posted in DTs (Didim Thespians) | 2 Comments

Countdown to first gig…

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

Well it’s less than a week now until my Mother’s day gig at Lush bar in Altinkum, and for all those who haven’t done so already please contact the bar and book your table.  Whether you want to treat your mum, treat yourself or your wife as a mum, have a meal and a drink in honour of your mum back in the UK, or have a celebratory meal in memory of your beloved late mum, then come along and enjoy a fab night of food, song and dance.  No-one comes close to your mum – so come on, celebrate that special relationship !!

I am working hard this week to learn all my new songs for this gig.  Already got many of them ‘in the bag’, including She Believes In Me (Kenny Rogers), Moondance (Van Morrison), Beat Again (JLS) and Dance With My Father (Luther Vandross).  But I am still struggling along with the likes of Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5), Never Knew Love Like This Before (Stephanie Mills) and Rock Me Gently (Andy Kim).  And of course Glen has been working really hard to learn his 2 solos – YES I SAID SOLOS – the Culture Club classics I Just Wanna Be Loved and It’s A Miracle.

It promises to be a fantastic night !!

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Come on Engelbert

Posted on March 3, 2012 by

I am gobsmacked, yet absolutely delighted, that this year’s UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest will be sung by the legendary Engelbert Humperdinck.

Engelbert was my Mum’s favourite and he is an international superstar. Born Arnold George Dorsey in Madras, India, Engelbert had 8 top-ten hits in the UK charts – including his two chart topping hits Release Me and The Last Waltz.

I am hoping his new song for the Eurovision Song Contest is a hit, and that I can start to include it in my tribute show ‘A Night With Tom & Engelbert’. Let’s all get behind him and give him our full support !

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Promoting my 2012 Gigs

Posted on March 3, 2012 by

I popped into two of my new venues for the 2012 season and was delighted to see my new promotional flyers displayed under the glass-topped tables. With my new branded ‘Andrew sings….’ Facebook Page, Blog, Business Cards, Flyers and Venue Posters I am really excited about my 2012 programme. I have really learned some valuable lessons about this business over the last two years and being more professional in presentation and promotion is, I believe, going to pay dividends for me, my clients and my audiences.

Looks like I will be starting at most of my venues around mid-April. It sort of depends on how many tourists/holiday-makers are around over the Easter period. Still got two venues to confirm for Tuesday and Saturday nights, but my gig schedule at the moment looks like this :

Sunday – Pasa, Akbuk
Monday – U2 Leon Bar, Marina Road, Didim
Tuesday – to be confirmed
Wednesday – Golden Park Complex, Didim
Thursday – Lush Cafe & Bar, Altinkum
Friday – Aqua Vista Complex, Didim
Saturday – to be confirmed

I look forward to seeing many friends, and making many more, over the course of this 2012 summer season. Stay in touch via Facebook or via this Blog, and do let me know your thoughts and feedback as often as you want.

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Loving the DTs……

Posted on March 1, 2012 by

…..Well, I didn’t actually like the ones I had on Tuesday after Monday night on the beers and the sambucas.  But earlier tonight the company of the DTs (Didim Thespians) was definitely a much more pleasant experience.   Well apart from the ‘stags’ rendition of their rowdy holiday song. 

The DTs are a group of local ex-pats who occasionally perform a play (or panto) for local charity here in Didim.   This April they are putting on performance of a new play written and direct by local writer Kym Ciftci.   It is a fabulous story based loosely around life here in the holiday resort of Altinkum, and has a fair bit of musical content, giving the cast a challenge to rise to.  And they are doing an absolutely wonderful job of it I must say!   The play will be performed in the local Didim Ticaret Odasi theatre, and full details of tickets, time, date etc. will be advertised locally very soon.

Tonight’s rehearsal was fab.   Everyone is really getting into character – quite worrying for some, and yet quite natural for others :) .   Now the director has thrown down the gauntlet and given us one more week with our scripts and then rehearsals are a script-free zone.   Hmmm.

Anyway, I will keep you posted on our progress as we build up to the ‘live’ performance in early April.

Posted in DTs (Didim Thespians) | 1 Comment