Last Wednesday saw the launch of Paul’s new Drummers to the Rescue scheme. This one was a student showcase gig for his students at the lovely Village Inn in Witchford, where 19 of his drummers played live for the first time, backed by a brilliant live band. Lots of donations to the food banks were received (see below) by audience members, as well as £180 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Thanks to everyone who took part!
Paul has launched a new scheme, DRUMMERS TO THE RESCUE, where his drum students play live (and record) and others benefit…all of the details can be found here: www.drummerstotherescue.co.uk/about
As close to home as Paul is likely to get with his play, Harvey Greenfield is Running Late, tickets are now on sale for the forthcoming 2-night run at the Plough, Shepreth, Cambridgeshire.
Here’s the links and details:
23rd October: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/526760
24th October: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/526762
I'm quite used to spending my summers doing anything but relaxing; typically I teach all year and then spend August at the Edinburgh Fringe, performing somewhere between 4-8 shows a day, having the best, most creatively fulfilling time ever and often making myself a little ill in the process when I typically "overdo it" (nothing serious, the worst was shingles back in 2018). This year, for a second year running, I wasn't at the fringe. Mostly for pandemic-based reasons (I had a late offer this year for a run but still wasn't convinced the festival would go ahead, from what I can see it did, albeit smaller) but also because we had the small matter of making a feature movie. This all actually came about in my preparations for the 2019 Edinburgh run, when, in a preview, director Jonnie watched and liked my play, Harvey Greenfield is Running Late, and we soon entered discussions about making it into a film. It was supposed to happen last year, but there's only so many times I can bang on about how the pandemic has got in the way of such big ideas.
Fresh from the most intense run of teaching you could possibly imagine (12 hour days, 6 days a week - but I honestly love all of it), my summer break actually started with, for the first time in as long as I can remember, an actual proper holiday. Technically our honeymoon, seven months after the wedding, my wife and I got a last minute flight over to Antiguea. It was a bit hot, as you can imagine, and it felt like we were constantly at the mercy of PCR tests, but it was still as gloriously beautiful as a honeymoon should be. Lovely still beaches, great food, great drink, great music. I got a little bored after three days and wrote a new show, but it was still a pretty cool place to serve as a writing retreat. I also tried, several times, to learn my lines for the film. All 101 pages of it. Bit of a struggle, but there was no going back...
Four days later, I was back in the UK and on the film set. I was cast to reprise the leading role of Harvey. There's two ways of looking at this: a) I am not really an actor, despite 14 years of Edinburgh fringes, but b) I *am* Harvey...a clumsy, bumbling, very fast-talking, awkward man. I don't always like that, sometimes I yearn to be more confident and...well, break fewer things, but from a film point of view it was certainly authentic. We had what felt like a big crew and the organisation was top notch - multiple locations, multiple complications, an ambitiously tight schedule, we were a team - an incredibly hardworking, kind, caring team. I honestly have so much respect for everyone involved in this project and I feel like I've made a lot of good friends in the process. Making a feature movie is tough; trying to make one in 14 days is madness. We so nearly got there, we've just got a few pick-ups to do, but it's not far off. This is the hardest I've ever worked, the most exhausted I've ever been. The character (as you may have guessed from the title) runs a lot, and with multiple takes, I had to run a lot more than my jaded 40-year-old body was used to. Through Ely, through Cambridge, down the sides of rivers, in parks, into Cathedrals. Lots of strange looks, despite the cameras, but after a while you stop caring. So many guest stars, our biggest guest (who we are not allowed to reveal, but he's from a huge British sitcom) said of me, "I like him, he's different, he's like a puppy." I'm adding that to my CV. I was out of my comfort zone throughout, I ruined a costume on the first day with a coffee-based incident, I've shouted more than ever - my character has quite a few very loud, breakdown moments. I've been slapped by a former Blue Peter presenter (turns out Liz, who plays my girlfriend in this, can't do 'fake slaps' and kept catching me by accident), I've wrestled a live lobster and I've hung out with Howard from the Halifax adverts. The team, all of them, are bloody amazing. I can't believe this little play, which I wrote at the tail end of 2018, is now going to be an actual proper movie. I'm still having anxiety dreams about not knowing my lines properly. Every night. That just means I care, yeah?
I went straight from this into a little teaching, and then a 3-night run in London of my original play version. Cracking venue, great audiences, everything is how it should be. From there, I was back with the band with festivals in Worcestershire and Wokingham, both of which I enjoyed. Today is my second of two days off (mostly catching up on admin and tidying the garage) before I go back to teaching full time.
I hope your summer was equally as fun in whatever it was you chose to do. I also hope, though, for the sake of your sanity, it was a little calmer and involved a lot less Red Bull!
Alongside actress/teacher Caroline Burgess, Paul is running a one-off theatre workshop in August. Here’s the details…
Tickets for a new London run of Harvey Greenfield, which will take place at the wonderful Canal Cafe theatre in Camden in August, are now on sale here:
https://canalcafetheatre.com/our-shows/harvey-greenfield-is-running-late/
I turned 40 last week. I’m still not too sure what to make of this…I mean, there’s very little I can do about it, I guess, but I’ve always seen myself as young/sprightly/being able to avoid adulting duties. It’s all creeping in, though, I’ve got an incredibly sensible new car, we bought a puppy the other day who is awesome but demanding (and a bit like having a baby, that’s next on our list), wife, mortgage, career…and grey hair, the odd back twinge and, only recently, I’ve started going to bed before 2am. I’m in a good place, I really have nothing to complain about. Okay, apart from the fact that I’m suddenly 40, seemingly out of nowhere.
My 40th was lovely. Given the restrictions, everything had to be outside, but we had 2 parties in the garden (‘surprise’ parties organised by my amazing wife, although I knew they were about to happen - I saw that epic Asda order arrive and may have caught a glimpse of the bunting), 30 people in each and I’m lucky enough to be a very popular boy. Birthday gifts were mostly fine whisky and jazz vinyl, which was totally perfect.
40.
Anyway, as another frantic half-term ended (I missed one day due to feeling a bit woozy post-vaccine) with my students all brilliantly recording their parts for the forthcoming album, I was soon back on stage playing Harvey G, this time at the Brighton Fringe. First public performances in over a year and, let’s be honest, far too hot to be running on the spot for an hour. The audiences were lovely all the same and Joe from FringeReview wrote this wonderful, in-depth and very constructive review of the opening performance here: http://fringereview.co.uk/review/brighton-fringe/2021/harvey-greenfield-is-running-late/
The film adaptation of Paul’s hit play, Harvey Greenfield is Running Late, finally goes into production this summer (a year later than planned due to the pandemic). Paul returns as Harvey, with the film directed by Jonnie Howard (who is also co-wrote the screenplay with Ray Howard). The film enters production in August. Before that, Paul is back performing the original Harvey play at the Brighton Fringe at the end of May.
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We’re not allowed audiences at the moment, but Fred’s House filmed a cracking gig last weekend in the main theatre of The Stables, Milton Keynes, for the forthcoming virtual version of the IF Festival. More details soon when it goes live!
Void of fringe theatre during the constant lockdowns, Paul has started recording ideas he's had instead, as nice little audio plays, under the name of THE CLUMSY HANDS OF RICHARDS. Complete with backing music (quite experimental and lead by drums, as you’d expect) with Paul reading them himself, each album features a new play. They’re available to purchase as an mp3 for the same price as a fringe theatre ticket - £5.
The first play, NEVER TRAVELLED, is now available. It tells the life story of Rupert; a man destined to travel, but real life often gets in the way.
Available here from Bandcamp: https://theclumsyhandsofrichards.bandcamp.com/releases
Paul changed distributor for his ‘solo’ album, but now his debut album, as The Mr. Richards Drum Orchestra, is available again. Titled, ‘The Argument’, it’s a concept, drum/percussion album based around a…well, argument. Paul plays all 40 types of percussion on this record. Check out the album on Spotify here.
The latest virtual student gig, featuring plenty of Paul’s drum students alongside pianists taught by Josie Campbell and singers by Vikki Jones, is now live. This month’s theme is ‘Queen songs’ and it’s an absolute cracker! Enjoy: https://youtu.be/mKckkJJQjh4
This lockdown is dragging a bit, isn't it? The grim weather meaning we're less inclined to go outside for our exercise, the continued uncertainty of when it'll end and the fact that January/February is usually a bit rubbish anyway. But, I'm determined for some good to come out of this horrible time, so...it's time for the student album to raise money for charity!
The plan is simple: each of my students are set a tempo (somewhere between 60 BPM and 170 BPM), I'm lucky enough to have plenty of students so it's roughly 4-5 students per BPM. The student then grooves to it, writing their own rhythm (under my guidance/encouragement in a lesson), not being restricted to just one pattern and quite often fill-heavy if they are able. Whatever they come up with, it's totally unique to them, their own creativity. Everything is recorded virtually and sent over to me. I then piece it all together, to create interesting rhythmic soundscapes. Interesting rhythmic soundscapes...that sounds pretentious! But it won't be, it'll rock...
It's essential that students get used to playing to a click (metronome) anyway as it obviously helps timekeeping, but it can often feel so boring. Recording an album at the same time makes everything so much more exciting!
And then what happens? With these interesting, and I imagine crazy, rhythms all combined and clashing (in a good way) all over the place, we're inviting guest musicians to improvise over the top of it. You'll be given an agreed key and obviously I'll let you know the tempo and you'll do your magical thing. Guests vocalists welcome, too. We're going to create a bold, imaginative album that changes in feel, in style and it'll do a lot of good. Why? Because it'll be released as a charity album for The Trussell Trust - who help stop hunger in the UK. ALL money raised from it will go straight to the charity (I'll pay for distribution costs myself), by making music, we can save lives whilst learning at the same time.
So, I'm pretty good for drummers, thanks, but we need musicians. Lots of them. As many as possible. I want this to be a nightmare to mix, because it'll be fun. Who's in? We're going to create a masterpiece, promise!
Drop me an email if you're a musician who's amazing at improvising/riffing over a set tempo/key and it'll be wonderful to have you involved!
My email is: thepaulrichards@gmail.com
The January student drummers showcase gig that Paul organised raised £255 for The Songwriting Charity. All gigs remain virtual for the time being, the next one is at the end of February.
The 10 Happy Songs Sessions: Every Friday at 2pm during lockdown
It's been a tough start to the year with yet another lockdown. It's probably because we spent most of last year in lockdown, too. Now, as we all know, drumming makes everything better. I could go on for hours about the mental health benefits of playing music, but the short version is: HAPPY SONGS MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY!
This is why I'm delighted to launch this extra new dimension to my drum lesson programme: THE 10 HAPPY SONGS SESSIONS.
This is for people who need the motivation to get playing, without not necessarily wanting lessons, as such. People who just want to play cheesy pop songs without having to worry about making mistakes or having to worry about doing it 'properly' - we're just having fun with a little enthusiastic guidance.
10 happy songs in 40 minutes. Non-stop. It's a bit of a workout, but also, it's more of a party.
What this isn't:
A gym workout. I'm nearly 40, I'm into home brewing and I've only ever been to a leisure centre once as an adult. I felt very uncomfortable, I don't fit in there. I doubt you'll sweat during this, there won't be any squats or stretching muscles that you didn't know existed and you'll be sat down the whole time.
What this is:
An experienced teacher (me) whacks on an awesome playlist, the songs won't stop, neither will your drumming - I'll show you the grooves as we're playing them, we'll play together (you'll be on mute). The tempos and rhythms are pretty much the same throughout. Just follow me, if you can count to four, you've got this. It's all happy songs, that's the whole point. We can let our guard down once every now and then, yeah?
You do not need to be a drummer, you do not need a drum kit - just a pair of sticks and something to hit!
The session costs £20 for 40 minutes, but feel free to invite friends and split the bill...the more the merrier, so if there's four of you taking part, that's a fiver each. It's all on Zoom. The sessions currently take place EVERY FRIDAY at 2pm during this latest lockdown. If you wanted to take part but can’t make that time, drop Paul an email and we’ll see if we can find a time that works for you.
Up for it? Email Paul to book your slot: thepaurichards@gmail.com
Paul’s drumming students are back with another virtual charity showcase gig, this month raising money for the Songwriting Charity. It’s a cracker of a show, with 14 of Paul’s students participating in this one. It’s also quite a loud show, as the theme is ‘rock’. All of the details, including the show and donation options, can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/january-showcase-gig-for-the-songwriting-charity
My final post of last year ended with, “HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2021 WILL BE AMAZING!”.
That didn’t age well, did it?
I do hope you’re keeping well, and safe, and sane? We’re fine here, I mean, going slightly mad by staring at Zoom all day, but I’m grateful to still be working. As well as the drum lessons, I’ve accidentally started teaching English, too, to students who have English as a second language and want to brush up their skills in the form of writing a story. It’s going remarkably well, we’ve written some lovely drama so far.
With the drum lessons, I really want something good to come of this lockdown, not, just ‘ticking over virtually until we’re allowed out again’ so we’ve started recording an album with all of my drummers purely on zoom. It’s working really well, a lot better than it has any right to do. More soon, but I’m looking forward to having my producer hat on and putting this all together at some point and releasing it as a charity album to raise money for the food banks. Sounds dramatic, but drums can really save lives, can’t they?
Otherwise, I’m missing gigging so much, and writing a lot of stuff. So much. Pretty much the same as a majority of 2020, then.
Anyway, best get back to shouting at a screen. Stay well and stay indoors!
Paul likes to organise charity events for his drum students to perform in. It’s a simple win-win for all parties: students get a chance to show off what they’ve been learning > the nominated charity makes a little money.
This year, only one of the events could be in person, with six of them being virtual shows, but across the seven events we’ve made a whopping £2,755 for charity!
Next year we’ll do plenty more of these, alongside an album idea that’s brewing…
HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2021 WILL BE AMAZING!
For 24 days in December, in the run up to Christmas, Paul posted a different drum student that he teaches playing a different Christmas song on his teaching Facebook page, to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. They raised £210 for charity, well done to all involved!
Here’s the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/drum-students-christmas-advent-calendar
It was the 23rd December, after a tough year (I mean, I explained my thoughts on this in my last post - we’ve had it easy really compared to most, it was mostly just a year of ‘continued disruption’ at this end) we were determined to get married. I proposed to my Aggie last May, in the tiny garden of our old house as our beloved cat, Coco, was having an asthma attack in the corner. The wedding was originally scheduled for 1st August with a couple of hundred people attending, and then early December with 30, and then December 28th with the legally-allowed 15.
On the 23rd, we were at the church for our wedding rehearsal, quite tense as the epic size of the OLEM church in Cambridge is quite intimidating. Mid-rehearsal, my phone beeped, a news update. “Put your phone away for just one minute” lovingly snapped Aggie, but I had a cheeky glance anyway…Cambridge, all of it (not just Peterborough this time) were going into tier 4 from Boxing Day. Two days before the wedding.
We dashed to the parish office and begged for a solution. “Well,” said the big man in charge (the lovely Cannon Harkness), “you could do 11am tomorrow morning?”
A Christmas Eve wedding! Best man had to drive overnight from Bristol, dog sitter hastily rearranged for my mum’s attention-seeking staffie, photographer re-booked, flowers bought in a hurry, reception venue had to have an urgent meeting. So much stress, so much panic…so perfect.
The press got involved - a friend of mine tipped them off, I was also on BBC Radio chatting about it on the morning of the big day as I struggled with my cufflinks. Four days later, it feels like a bit of a blur, but the press described it a lot better than I ever could have done:
https://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/couple-marry-before-tier-four-6868874?fbclid=IwAR0PCF7L34-SR5WCfJssM682k64lDIWoPm46Xg0uBaqxb9vDNzbjIR3ka3Y
I know a lot of people say, “I’m the luckiest person alive!” but I’m sorry, you’re not. I am.
Anyway, enough of the soppiness, back to professional posts after this.