I often lament the fact that I don't get the recognition from the local media that I feel I deserve. Don't think me arrogant, I'm not asking for a statue to be put up in the city centre, or a tram naming after me, (although it would be nice), but I sometimes feel that I'm shouting down a well. When The Nottingham Evening Post, (as I still call it) and Leftlion do any article to do with the local music scene, they ask the opinions of every Tom, Dick, and Harry, but never think to ask what I think. To be fair, The Post did do this nice piece when I first started doing the show in America, (Robin Hood Radio, Sunday 6pm UK time), but since then nothing. They all follow me on Twitter, so I imagine that they're aware of what I'm doing. My taking over NottinghamLIVE would have made for a decent story, the current climate of Bowie love meant that my taking over Moonage Daydream was there for the reporting, and now there's the return of The Sunday Alternative. They didn't report my resignation so they probably don't feel that my return is that much of a story, so when they all turn up on Sunday evening expecting champagne and canapes, I'll challenge them. There isn't going to be champagne and canapes for a start, that'll show them!

Leftlion have ignored me completely, despite the fact that one of their writers, (Penny) used to present The Sunday Alternative with me. They have their own podcasts that deal with local music, so they possibly see a radio show as a rival. I would have thought that the American show at least would be newsworthy, given that it is a Nottingham music show. Even the fact that I released two albums of live sessions recently has gone under the radar media-wise.

Anyway, it's the public that counts, and I still remember the kind messages I received when I quit Trent Sound in the first place. As Friday is the day that I record The Sound Of Nottingham UK and send it over the Atlantic before teatime, I had some last minute collecting of music to do. I couldn't find the mp3 that I'd intended to play by the band Scriptures, so I went to their Bandcamp page. I'd already read their press release, which mentioned my name, but hadn't realised that they use the same wording in public profiles:

SCRIPTURES ALBUM IMMINENT
Nottinghamshire band Scriptures debut album “Our Problems Revisited” is due imminently in 2013 however the band are planning to release three singles to promote the album in the meantime. Their first single ‘WAR On Love’ was released on 4th of December 2012 which was played on issue #44 of the Nusic Podcast, Notts Live radio show on Trent Sound and The Sound of Nottingham presented by Steve Oliver.

The second single ‘How are you going to change the world?’ (an introspective song about personal uncertainty after moving away from home) is due for digital release on the 27th of March 2013 from the bands official store scripturesuk.bandcamp.com.

The single will come with a free to download/pay as you wish basis B-side entitled Not Coming Back. This is a “Live” recording completed at NCN Clarendon. The track was then Mixed and Mastered by both Scriptures members and Rob Huskinson.

As long as the bands know that I'm on their side, then that's all that matters really. I'm fucking proud of NottinghamLIVE and The Sound Of Nottingham UK, and if the media don't want to share in my pride then I'm not going to lose sleep because of it.

One of my choice bands of the year was of course Prefontaine, who I'm pleased to have become proper friends with, rather than acquaintances. They have had a lot of airplay on my shows, which led to this blurb on their Soundcloud page:

We are 99% oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. We are also an original indie beat combo from Nottingham.

We have recently been a "Hot Pick" on Trent Sound's Nottingham Live radio show. We have also been regularly played on Connecticut's Robin Hood Radio show The Sound of Nottingham where we have been described as the house band!
Nusic said that "Prefontaine's slick harmonies and chorused vocals are astonishingly impressive."

I have not been asked to write, say, or get otherwise involved in Record Store Day. Neither have I, nor expect to be, asked to judge this year's Future Sound Of Nottingham.

However, I am available for weddings and private parties.

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