Typecast

For those of you that are new here, I used to host an irregular series called " Soundtrack To My Life " where I invited friends to share five songs that transported them back to a specific moment in time. It didn't have to be a major life event; just a treasured memory that you associate with that particular song. I occasionally interjected with my own lists of music and now I think it's time to revive the series.  This time, I want to share songs that I discovered by accident.  Now, back in the day (haha, that makes me sound SO old!) the only time I heard anything outside of my comfort zone was by friend's recommendations or... well, you'll see.  Nowadays, it's more likely to be by following 'you might like this' recommendations on Spotify.  But it provides an eclectic playlist  This time, I’m sharing songs I stumbled across completely by accident. Back in the day (I know, that phrase instantly adds years on me, doesn’t it?) the only way I’d hear ...

When I went for my initial interview / introductory meeting at Ribble FM, I met the Studio Manager, Lee Roe. As we got chatting, we discovered that we were both licenced amateur radio operators and he knew my husband! I'm still not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing... anyway...  Lee is the Station Manager at Ribble FM in Clitheroe and always been involved in music from working at Ames Records when he was 14 to DJ'ing, being in a band playing in pubs, and clubs and even a host/DJ in a cruise ship nightclub.  He tells me that music takes him everywhere, fixes many things and keeps him sane.   Lee is a very social person, loves being around people and having a giggle.  He has been a single dad for 21 years, is a self-confessed complete and utter lazy bastard foodie who cooks every day and loves making food for people to enjoy.  Music + Food = Life.  So now, it's over to Lee...  ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ Tiger Feet - Mud This was the first 45' single I e...

  Since January, I have been presenting the Saturday morning lunch time show at Ribble FM - a community radio station in the Ribble Valley (in Lancashire).  I thought it would be a great idea to get to know a few of my fellow presenters by asking them to participate in Soundtrack To My Life.   The first victim presenter is Mark Blackman - a.k.a. "Blackers".  He wakes up the local area each day as host of the Ribble FM weekday Breakfast Show and looks after music and presentation at the station (his knowledge of popular music is astounding and it was fascinating to listen to him when he co-hosted the show with me as part his 12-hour presenting marathon for Ribble FM's 4th Birthday). Mark knew he wanted to be a DJ or presenter as early as being three years old!  He set up a mobile disco at the age of 13 with his friend Gary and honed his craft with local gigs and residencies until he left university in 2006 to pursue a full time career in radio, working at ...

I've recently been shopping around for new headphones to use both for running and personal use but really struggle with in-ear buds because they never feel secure enough.  That was, until I had the opportunity to try the EarFun Air True Wireless Earbuds . These earbuds are an affordable alternative to Apple's Airpods and are compatible with both iPhone and Android devices.  I'm totally guilty of leaving wireless headphones to run out of charge so to be able to put these in their charging case for 10 minutes for an extra 2 hours of play time was a total bonus for me (I just need to remember to keep the case charged up now...).  On a full charge they can last for up to 35 hours - 7 hours play time + 28 hours with the charging case. The earbud controls are touch sensitive for volume and playback control but are also fully workable when wearing just one earbud.  They are also fully sweat and waterproof and didn't budge when I was using them both walking and running....

I remember the time that Jake brought a letter home from school explaining that he'd been given the "opportunity" to learn to play a musical instrument at school.  He was convinced he was going to learn to play the drums so I told him that he could on the one condition... that he teaches me too as learning to play the drums is on my bucket list.  He wasn't convinced but thought it might help with his college application  https://allsaintsuniversity.org/ There’s a decent chance that at some point your child will ask to learn a musical instrument like guitar lessons online, or it might be something that you as a parent would like your kids to do. Playing music can be one of the most rewarding ways to spend time, and it is a great way to make friends and develop self-confidence too – so if your child shows an interest in music it’s a great hobby to encourage.   You may also have experience of a child starting an instrument and then losing interes...

It's been a while since I published a Soundtrack To My Life but this is the perfect opportunity for me to introduce you to an author I have just discovered - David Richards. Here's a bit of the backstory... Just before I went on a recent trip abroad, I followed a book recommendation from my running pal, Karen. I duly download three books written by a friend of hers because they were on offer at 99p each to my Kindle and immersed myself in them on holiday. They. Were. Brilliant! So I passed on the recommendation to my followers (an off-the-wall, slightly bonkers, Northern humour style of writing), tagged the author and he was kind enough to send me a copy of his latest book with a very lovely handwritten note on the dedication page.  Fast forward a couple of days and I asked David if he'd like to guest post for me at some point but then I remembered my much-loved Soundtrack To My Life series, blew the dust off the instructions and got David to play along. ...

For new(er) readers, or those not in the know, Soundtrack To My Life is an irregular music series that appears on my blog from time to time.  Over the years, I've had guest posts from people who documented songs that transport them back to a specific moment in their life and I've generated playlists for a variety of reasons ( click here to scroll through the 100+ entries).  So, moving on from an entry earlier this year of Songs You Should Never Play On Hospital Radio , there was only one way to go... Songs You Should Never Play At A Funeral.  I've collated a few here but please feel free to hit me up on any of my social media channels and suggest your own. TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ Your loved one has just passed away and the family are gathered around paying their last respects.  The last song you want to hear is Another One Bites The Dust softly playing in the background on the kitchen radio. It's now time t...

Earlier this year I was asked to be an official blogger for The Snowman Tour , especially as the tour is coming to my home town and being presented in Blackburn Cathedral on 11th December. Carrot Productions bring you the magic of the iconic film, The Snowman , with a full live orchestra and additional festive treats in a unique setting. It's a beautiful, fun introduction to the orchestra and a perfect pre-Christmas outing for all the family. The show is in two halves - both around 35 minutes long - and aimed at children aged three and above. The first half will feature a wonderful Christmas overture followed by an animated film of the award winning book, The Bear and the Piano  (written by David Litchfield and narrated by Joanna Lumley) which promises to enchant all ages. The second half of the show leads into the film itself with a surprise conductor during the Snowman Waltz. The musicians are drawn from orchestras around the country including the Hallé, BBC P...

I'm seriously loving seeing a few of the old school blogging 'tags' doing the rounds again so I jumped on the opportunity to join in a music one as it really fits in with my irregular Soundtrack To My Life series. This prompt comes from Samantha who blogs at Hampshire Mama and it reminded me of a couple of posts that I'd done WAA-AAA-AAAY back in the day (see here and here ) where you put your music library on "shuffle" and see what comes up. I'm pretty mainstream "pop" with my music choices So here is my 2018 version, via my Spotify account... FYI, I have a playlist on Spotify which is linked to my Shazam account - it's my favourite playlist because it's so random, so I'm using that today. ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ 1. Outta Love - Anastasia A good song to start - and it has a pretty decent video to go with it.  And I can't be the only person who wishes they looked like Anastacia in that little red outfit, surely?  When...

If my Soundtrack To My Life series was building up to anything, it was probably going to be this blog post.  The album compilation series, Now That's What I Call Music, has reached it's 100th release - a concept that started back in 1983 and one that I can honestly say "I was there at the beginning" because the first album was one of my Christmas presents that year. It's interesting to hear how the Now! series was created (it was an idea from Virgin Records to showcase the best songs of the year. It turned into a collaboration with EMI - the first time two record labels had joined forces in this way ). The series took it's name from a 1920's poster that advertised Danish bacon and the pig in the same advertisement became the iconic image of the album series for the first five issues, although it's probably only us old heads that remember it properly! I loved receiving the latest Now! album for my birthday or Christmas, or even sa...

I get into the most random of conversations when it comes to music but a good friend of mine - Rowena, aka  DJ Row  - is going to be volunteering at our local hospital radio station in the very near future.  It's something I've thought about investigating after  my time at Preston FM  but fitting it into my already hectic schedule would be a bit of a nightmare! So, for the sixth instalment of  Soundtrack To My Life  this year I thought it would be a great idea to help Rowena out and compile a list of songs that she should  absolutely not  play during her time as a DJ on hospital radio. ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ She should definitely not be piping  You're So Vain  into the cosmetic surgery clinic and I think  Push It  and  Torn  could be off the playlist on the maternity ward. Maybe  The First Cut Is The Deepest  should be shunned for the operating theatre however post-op recovery ward residents may...