High Notes

From concept to web

Well as your reading this, you’re probably looking for a little more information about High Notes and or it’s crew.

First a little insight into how it all began... it’s a pretty simple equation when you think about it... take four full time professional musicians, one pandemic and add an internet and you have the beginnings of show!

One week one of the first lockdown Jack did his first ever “virtual gig” via FaceTime to a local promoter/friend for a mini dinner party

The following week having learned how to use an iPad, Jack logged onto his social media profile and streamed his fist off 52 weekly Friday night ‘my living room to your living room’ private concerts.

Eventually it became clear that lock down was here for a while so Jon & John stepped in to help out rather technophobic JTH by recording a couple of backing tracks so Jack could play a little harmonica during the virtual gigs. (Louisiana & fly me to the moon).

Finding that the guys can record at home and email their musical parts to each other they began to work on an EP comprised of swing numbers.

As work progressed we found the new covid law allowed us to collaborate in a recording studio for the purpose of recording and our streaming. So the guys got together and performed their first live stream.

This was an eye opener for the guys as playing to the camera in place of an audience was ... well let’s just settle for the term 'alien to them' 😀 But as time went on and a few streams were under their belts they all became a little less camera shy.

Jack and the crew, along with Pete and Mick discussed the idea of prerecording a full Christmas gig with the vote to “up load” the clips during the live stream Friday/Xmas day special.

Once the ridiculously difficult challenge of training Jack how to join the 21 St century and use his computer was completed, it became clear “uploading clips” has far more potential to entertain you guys than ever was expected.

Coming up with a few ideas of what content could be used Jack did his usual running away with an idea with no real concept of logistics.

Enter our in-house project manager come trumpeter Mick, and now things start to take shape as Jack starts penning bad joke after dad joke. Then they wrote the first instalment of the beans. And filming got underway.

As soon as the filming process began we all realised it had outgrown our original idea of something to pop up on a live stream. In fact the idea has outgrown social media platforms.

Help came in the form of 'Gig Industry Software' who designed and built out bespoke website. That would allow audio, video, and pictures to be streamed without the limits of social media

With such sweet a studio as Steve Beighton has, it’s a no brainier to record something as smooth and sophisticated as Steve himself... inspired by the embodiment of suave and sophisticated, Roger Moore & Tony Curtis, 'The Persuaders' Jack and Steve developed the request section of the show 'The Persuade Us' Blessed with the exceptional musical prowess Jon Trier, themes and intros were born for the opening credits, Persuade Us, Parkie etc...

Spilling the beans.

With Jack being a fairly good mimic he thought a nod to a local movie legend Sean Bean and a some fun at the expense a couple of politicians (Cummings and Sunak) that suggested creative artists aren’t valued and should 'get to the back of the queue' For assistants during covid and that artists and artistes should 'retrain'. We thought it would be amusing to bring a little school boy humour in the form of a slapstick cringeworthy sketch called 'Giving it t’ Beans' dragging John along to make a brace of Beans.