tag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:/blogs/what-s-new?p=1What's new?2020-12-16T21:13:22+01:00Maaike Breymanfalsetag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/65009882020-12-16T21:13:22+01:002024-01-04T16:43:25+01:00Dark days
<p>I started 2020 full of hope. After years of operations, sickness and recovery, away from the stage, I started this year with a new day job and a handful of house concerts in my diary. More house concerts would follow, I was sure. I would finally be back on track to what could be called a fairly normal life. I would be able to go places, go out for drinks, see friends abroad and sing the occasional tune on a stage again.</p>
<p>It all went down a bit differently. No one is having a normal life in 2020.</p>
<p>I still feel when I write I have to do so about performing or music. But at the moment bringing people together in a room for a performance isn’t an option. Even when small groups were allowed to gather in Holland last summer I wasn’t comfortable with the idea, so in that regard there is not much for me to write about. Still, it’s nice to have a little bit of a platform, even though it’s not a stage.</p>
<p>What I have always loved about performing is moving people, making them forget about their worries for a moment, bringing them a bit of joy. I loved creating my own world on stage, a world where every story in every song was there just to exist, to be observed and be told without judgment. I miss that world.</p>
<p>These are difficult times, and they will last for a while longer still. Kicking and screaming won’t change that, it may only make it more difficult to deal with it. I try to live through all this as I have lived thought every song I have ever sung: to accept the motion of whatever feeling comes along with the story, and to try and find the beauty in it, however hard that may be. And to just go to sleep and try again tomorrow if I don’t succeed today.</p>
<p>This is in no way a plea to stop critical thinking by the way, just a reminder that even in all this mess, we must not forget to care about ourselves and each other. As lockdowns linger on and new restrictions loom, there are people I worry about. I try to reach out and check in as much as my own energy level permits and I hope they know I love them and I want to be there for them. In the darkest of times, I believe that kindness, compassion and love are the things that save souls.</p>
<p>I am not big on Christmas messages, but this year December seems to be darker than ever before. I hope I can bring a little light into the darkest days of the year by sharing a song that always comforts me, even though the album is still waiting for its re-release. I just felt that this message needed to be shared at this particular time. Be kind to yourself and others, and though it may not be this year, one day December WILL be magic again.</p>
<p>And as for my day job: at the end of my first year my employer has invented a measure of time known as a ‘Maaike-year’, meaning something like ‘a year in which so much has happened that it seems like forever ago when it started, yet at the same time went by really quickly’. I do hope that 2021 will be a Maaike-year in a more positive way though… </p>
<p>Love, Maaike</p>
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Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645172019-09-21T11:28:44+02:002024-01-04T10:23:26+01:00I fell off the face of the earth<p><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/blog-image.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="blog image.jpg" /></p>
<p>Hi all you lovely people,</p>
<p>I have thought about you a lot over the past couple of years. I have missed you, and I am so flattered that after almost 3 years of not being on a stage I still receive messages asking if I’m still performing. It warms my heart every time. I don’t think I have replied to any of your messages, but I have read (and loved) them all. These messages are part of the reason I want to let you all know why I have been so silent, and I’ll try to answer some of your questions.</p>
<p>As you probably know, I have always been somewhat of a private person and I have never put much of my private life out on the internet. I did feel I had to tell you why I had to cancel our Dreaming of Kate shows back in 2016 though; I am utterly grateful for every single person who takes the time and effort to come to see me perform, and therefore I don’t cancel shows lightly. ‘The show must go on’ has always been my mantra.</p>
<p>I was forced to cancel the last Dreaming of Kate full shows back in 2016, because I was suffering from a hip injury that was so severe I couldn’t walk past the corner of the street. The only shows I could still perform at the time were in October of that year; they were unplugged shows during which I only played the piano. Some people who ran into me outside the venue in Hull were quite shocked to see me walking with crutches. My very last Dreaming of Kate show was an unplugged show in a lovely little theatre in Richmond, during which we received the warmest applause for not cancelling the show despite my injury.</p>
<p>I went into surgery in November 2016, hopeful I would be back on stage soon. Recovery went well, and I could almost see myself starting Pilates classes again when I noticed the same pain started to occur in my other hip. I was right: I had the same injury on the other side. So right after ritually burning all my hospital papers, I was back to square one (except this time around I could walk for a whole ten minutes instead of just to the corner of the street).</p>
<p>I had the same doctors, same surgery, same physio therapist and again: the hip recovered well. The only thing was it seemed I was ill a lot afterwards. I couldn’t really blame my immune system; it was faced with all sorts of drugs in a short amount of time and my body was still recovering from the first operation (I was warned the body takes up to two years to recover after a serious injury or surgery). It would all be fine, and I was sure 2018 would be the year I would be back on stage.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with breast cancer instead.</p>
<p>First of all: don’t worry! It was caught at an early stage, well treated and I’m doing as well as can be expected. My one-year-scan was all fine too, and I haven’t had a cold or flu all year. But treatment has been severe, and though I am recovering well I still have a long way to go. And this time I couldn’t say it was ‘just a mechanical thing’, which was my catchphrase when talking about my hips.</p>
<p>Although I don’t share much of my personal life on social media, I have never made a secret of my diagnosis. I believe that it’s better to tell people what’s really going on if you want them to understand your actions. By choosing to perform publicly, I have chosen to be in the spotlight, and, however insignificant I am compared to a lot of other people, I have chosen to live a more public life than I would have had I never been on a stage. People have noticed me missing from the stage, so I want to explain my silence, and share some of my thoughts with you.</p>
<p>In Holland, where I currently live, various cancer related organisations have recently been in the news, trying to get better aftercare for recovering cancer patients and raise awareness about how surviving cancer might impact one’s life. This too is part of the reason I felt the need to come out with my story. Even if I can make only one person understand better what the implications or consequences of cancer treatment are, even if I can make only one person feel like they are not the only one feeling the way they feel, it will have been worth telling my story. It affects every person in a different way. Not just emotionally, but physically as well. While I recovered from surgery quickly, recovering from radiation therapy was a different story. It has wiped out my energy completely; for months I couldn’t even have a simple conversation after 5pm.</p>
<p>By now I’m doing better already. There are days I feel great, but then sometimes little things can be too much. Like traffic, or a lawn mower, or a crowded room. Luckily, I live in a great place with lots of places to take beautiful and peaceful walks nearby, which has definitely contributed to my recovery so far.</p>
<p>Now coming back to the question in every single message I received: will I be touring again? Currently, the answer is a bit complicated. I am still restricted in my ability to travel for more than an hour, or stay up past a 12-year-old’s bedtime. Which complicates touring (like, a lot!), especially since I moved back to Holland and my band is still in Liverpool (and I’m not even talking about the Brexit chaos in all of this). I currently don’t have the energy to put into properly organising a project, like I did with Dreaming of Kate or the album I still want to re-release. But I do miss performing.</p>
<p>So here’s my plan. I might start with some low key house concerts (matinees!) not too far from my home in Holland in the not too distant future, see how it goes and take it from there. At the moment I can’t promise you I will be touring again. I won’t book any further shows until I know I’m ready for them. I believe the show must go on, and I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep.</p>
<p>Love, Maaike</p>
<p>PS: My hips are doing fine. Not only am a back doing Pilates classes, I am back teaching Pilates classes!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/46277192017-03-13T16:39:09+01:002023-12-10T18:32:44+01:00IMPORTANT NOTICE: RE-RELEASE AND REBRANDING<p>Not many of you know I come from a family of lawyers. Oh, and artists. But lawyers too. And for some reason this seems to haunt me. I didn’t mean to become one, but I worked as a legal secretary in an office specialised in intellectual property law for about 5 years, and I learned quite a bit during that time. </p>
<p>I have seen a lot of lawyers and such over the past years, apart from my family members and former colleagues. There were several included in WOW the Show. Dreaming of Kate started not with a band, but with a sollicitor to make sure we didn’t cross any legal boundaries. </p>
<p>I thought that making my own music would make things easier compared to doing a tribute and having to learn different intellectual property and music laws in different countries. But apparently even in a creative field, where you’ hope there would be lots of positive energy flowing around, people can’t let other people be. </p>
<p>I won’t share all the details, but lately I have been threatened with legal actions by a band from America with the same name. I usually don’t mention names, but in this case it’s a bit hard not to. I know enough about intellectual property and trademark law to not be threatened easily by someone who claims my facebook page is ‘their intellectual property’ (unless Mark Zuckerberg would send me that email personally). There are numerous double band names out there, and I knew that the name Mycah wasn’t trademarked at that point, so I had every right to use it. </p>
<p>I have tried to solve the situation in a nice way, and when they become even more aggressive I tried to solve the situation in at least a reasonable way, with the help of some very good trademark lawyers. But the other band still insisted on becoming increasingly aggressive, and filed for a trademark (AFTER they became aware of my existence). Long story short: they have now basically driven the situation to a point where I would have to trademark my name separately in every EU country where I want to be active as ‘Mycah’. Which would not only cost a lot of money, but more importantly: a LOT of energy.</p>
<p>My legal DNA keeps telling me to prove my case and to fight the injustice, but my creative DNA wants to just enjoy life and make music. I could pursue this, and I know I could win (at least in part), but maybe for once I should give up, come up with a new name and focus on all that’s good and beautiful in this world again (and not get distracted by the hatred and aggressiveness ‘some’ people seem to want to throw my way). </p>
<p>In conclusion: as of tomorrow, my album won’t be available for a while. There will be a re-release of the album, but as I’m still searching for a new name that does not even contain the name ‘Mycah’, it will probably take a couple of weeks before it’s available again. I will keep you posted. If you have a good suggestion for a name, don’t hesitate to pm me by the way… </p>
<p>Onwards and upwards! </p>
<p><br>Love, Maaike </p>
<p>PS: I rarely dislike other people, but this band has made an exception for themselves, and I hope karma will hit them sooner rather than later. Even my lawyers are amazed and appalled by the aggressiveness and unwillingness of these people.</p>
<p>PPS: My lawyers advise you not to listen to the other band’s music, as they don’t think it’s worth listening to…</p>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/45975372017-02-20T10:00:00+01:002024-01-04T16:43:25+01:00Mycah @ KidsFlits I am very pleased and honoured to be a guest in this Thursday's episode of KidsFlits, a TV show made and produced by children who are staying at the LUMC medical centre in Leiden (NL)! Due to privacy reasons, I won't be able to share the actual footage, but I might be able to share a pic or two...Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/45975462017-02-19T11:34:48+01:002023-12-10T20:17:50+01:00I'm back!After a short break from social media, Mycah is back! With a newly designed website! Have a look around, and as always: feel free to leave a message...<br><br>Love, MycahMaaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/45735122017-02-02T16:16:07+01:002022-05-23T08:02:54+02:00Mycah = Maaike<p>Dear all, </p>
<p>We regret to inform you Maaike and Remco have decided to part ways and continue on their own musical road. But all is not lost: Mycah will continue as Maaike's solo project. You can count on hearing more details from her shortly. Remco will follow his path as a drummer and songwriter. </p>
<p>As far as the past goes: we have created beautiful songs and have recorded and released an amazing album, of which we are and always will be terribly proud! </p>
<p>Love always, </p>
<p>Mycah</p>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/44916272017-01-01T10:00:00+01:002023-12-10T17:53:28+01:00Happy 2017!<p>Mycah wishes you a very happy new year! May 2017 bring you many ladders to the highest sky, bright coloured sunsets, bouncy castles, festival umbrellas, flowers in a capellas, ice cream sprinkles on your face, brighter days and different ways, pink bicycles, flowers to pick, and everything else you may wish for...</p>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/44916262016-12-24T10:00:00+01:002020-10-21T09:23:05+02:00Merry Christmas!Mycah wishes everyone a merry Christmas!<br> Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/44762692016-11-10T21:25:00+01:002022-05-24T23:48:05+02:00Mycah on ZFM radioOn Sunday 13 November, we will be a guest at ZFM's Fascinating Jazz with Gerhard ten Hoopen! Listen in at <a contents="www.zoetermeerfm.nl" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.zoetermeerfm.nl" target="_blank">www.zoetermeerfm.nl</a>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/44260512016-10-19T15:15:00+02:002021-12-16T12:12:54+01:00CKDCF slot moved!<p>We have just been informed that we will be performing our slot at the CKDCF benefit concert this Friday instead of Saturday. Since all tickets for the event are weekend passes, we don't expect people to miss out on this Mycah-live experience. On Saturday, we might still jump on the stage at some point. </p>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/44260552016-10-19T14:44:56+02:002022-05-30T15:20:53+02:00New video: Feeling On Top Of The WorldWith a new album comes a new video... Check out our video for Feeling On Top Of The World. Don't hesitate to share! Enjoy your day!<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="3Bzd0mmKLIA" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/3Bzd0mmKLIA/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Bzd0mmKLIA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="400" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/44260532016-10-19T14:40:50+02:002021-07-19T13:55:27+02:00"The Mycah Principle" out now!It's here: our album!! You can buy "The Mycah Principle" as a hardcopy with a gorgeous design or as a digital download in our <a contents="own webshop" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store">own webshop</a> or on iTunes (but if you truly want to support us, we encourage you to buy it directly from us).Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/44110652016-10-09T12:52:29+02:002022-01-18T16:53:52+01:00New teaser: I Know It Ain't EasyAnother teaser from our upcoming album: I Know It Ain't Easy... Enjoy!<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="4nYa7axW93s" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/4nYa7axW93s/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4nYa7axW93s?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="400" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/44000482016-10-02T11:33:41+02:002022-01-18T16:57:42+01:00Second teaser out nowToday we have relesed the second snippet of our upcoming album. Enjoy!<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="CtGyj_naHE8" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/CtGyj_naHE8/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CtGyj_naHE8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="400" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645182016-10-02T10:37:27+02:002021-09-02T20:35:18+02:00A personal note from Maaike<div>
<div class="">
<div class="_1mf _1mj"><span><span>I am not the type to share much personal information on the internet. But when I am unable to perform I feel I do owe people an explanation, as I am a firm believer in the phrase ‘the show must go on’.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="">
<div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="">
<div class="_1mf _1mj"><span><span>Dreaming of Kate has had to cancel a full show in September, and unfortunately we can’t perform the show we had planned in January in Milton Keynes either. The reason for this is that I have a hip injury. I have received quite a few questions about it lately, which is why I decided to answer them publicly. </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj"></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj">First of all: I will be OK eventually. Doctors expect a full recovery, but it will take time. And surgery. I won’t need a new hip, apparently they can fix the damage (which is very good news, because it means will be able to dance again in 2017).</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj"></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj">Also: I haven’t been in an accident, I didn’t fall and it wasn’t caused by dancing too much; anyone with an office job could have gotten the same injury, it’s just bad luck that I got it and that it causes me so much pain and inconvenience.</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj"></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj">From a personal view: I can’t wait to be able to move around properly again. While 3 months ago I could run around like a maniac and do cartwheels on stage for two hours, I now need special assistance at the airport because it’s too far for me to walk. Frustrating at times, but then again: I’m happy that doctors can fix something like this.</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj"></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj">In the next couple of weeks, I can still be seen on stage three times (all in the UK): on 5 October in Hull and on 14 October in Richmond with our Dreaming of Kate UNPLUGGED show (where I’ll be playing the piano), and on 22 October I will be at the CKDCF Benefit Concert in Egremont for a couple of songs with Mycah. I will have surgery in November, and I will need several months to recover. So no Christmas shows for me this year, as someone asked… But in 2017 I will be hitting the stage again!</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj"></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj">Much love,</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj">Maaike</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj"></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj">PS: If you miss my voice too much: the new Mycah album will be out on 18 October; you can order it on our website <a href="http://www.mycahmusic.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.mycahmusic.com</a>
</div>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/44000642016-09-28T12:05:00+02:002020-07-02T10:28:36+02:00New album coming 18 OctoberWe have set a release date for our upcoming album: on 18 October, "The Mycah Principle" will be out! You can pre-order it by using the form left to this newsfeed.<br><br>Love, MycahMaaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/43893862016-09-25T14:36:13+02:002022-01-18T16:49:53+01:00First teaser out now!The very first sounds of our new album are out in the open now! Enjoy!<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="p8E4uw2ZGB0" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/p8E4uw2ZGB0/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p8E4uw2ZGB0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="400" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/42151762016-06-06T15:15:58+02:002021-02-11T14:20:25+01:00Radio mentionThanks to the wonderful Ruth Pollard, we were mentioned on radio 106.3 in Chester yesterday! Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/41590232016-04-29T15:49:22+02:002022-02-17T09:17:34+01:00New logoWe are proud to present our new logo today! Many thanks to Thomas Toonen at <a contents="Ask For Design" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/Askfordesign/" target="_blank">Ask For Design</a> for his patience and awesome work! <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171862/9cdaaca84a30360cea4c8dde06aa1329578cdb60/original/mycah-logo-pur-rgb.jpg?1461937740" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br> Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645192016-04-18T16:35:47+02:002021-10-15T17:18:44+02:00In the wings (Mycah blog)<p>We have been quiet to the outside world. Very quiet.</p>
<p>Behind the scenes, so much has been going on that every piece I have started to write, was outdated even before I finished it. And with our focus on finishing our album, blogging about it turned out to be extremely difficult. It’s a bit like being the action hero and the quiet observer at the same time.</p>
<p>But it is time to tell a bit more about what’s going on behind the scenes. Some of our fans and family have been waiting to hear what our album will sound like for almost a year now. That seems like a very long time, but to us, it has been a year that has flown by very quickly. Time for a quick recap.</p>
<p>We have started recording this album last summer with Francis Dunnery, in his studio in America. It has been a very valuable process, but unfortunately he did not have the time to finish the project with us. Since we were very eager to move forward, we started looking at alternatives. Since we don’t live in America, we started looking a bit closer to home.</p>
<p>In Maaikes old hometown Haarlem, we have found the perfect person to replace Francis as a producer: Bart Wagemakers. He understood the type of music we are making and the vibe we want to bring across. And he didn’t freak out when we asked if we could finish this album before the summer, instead we all started working really hard to actually try and make that happen.</p>
<p>For Bart, it has been challenging to finish a project that someone else has started. There are things that he would have done differently, had he been involved from the start. But he too confirmed that Francis has done an amazing job, and he started shaping the songs instantly.</p>
<p>The role of a producer is a bit unclear to a lot of people. In fact I have read an interview with a very well known producer that even he didn’t know what a producer exactly did, until he became one. In very short: Bart (and Francis before him) is hired to lift our songs from ‘that’s kind of a nice song’ to ‘holy crap, that should be on the radio!’. Or something like that.</p>
<p>In the past couple of weeks, we have finished recording all the bass and drum parts for all the songs, and guitar parts for most of them. We are adding layers of musical instruments, real musical instruments. And with the addition of every instrument, the songs come to live a little bit more. We are looking at each song individually to see what it needs to make it sparkle.</p>
<p>Now this has been our story from the studio (in short). Stay tuned; soon we sill have more news about our music, and we will change the look and feel of our current website. We feel like we are standing in the wings right now, just moments away from getting out there in the spotlight…</p>
<p><img src="https://mycahmusic.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/chocolate.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="chocolate" /></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Producer Bart brings good ideas AND chocolate</em></p>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/41413562016-04-18T14:55:55+02:002017-01-10T14:05:36+01:00In the wings<p>We have been quiet to the outside world. Very quiet.</p>
<p>Behind the scenes, so much has been going on that every piece I have started to write, was outdated even before I finished it. And with our focus on finishing our album, blogging about it turned out to be extremely difficult. It’s a bit like being the action hero and the quiet observer at the same time.</p>
<p>But it is time to tell a bit more about what’s going on behind the scenes. Some of our fans and family have been waiting to hear what our album will sound like for almost a year now. That seems like a very long time, but to us, it has been a year that has flown by very quickly. Time for a quick recap.</p>
<p>We have started recording this album last summer with Francis Dunnery, in his studio in America. It has been a very valuable process, but unfortunately he did not have the time to finish the project with us. Since we were very eager to move forward, we started looking at alternatives. Since we don’t live in America, we started looking a bit closer to home.</p>
<p>In Maaikes old hometown Haarlem, we have found the perfect person to replace Francis as a producer: Bart Wagemakers. He understood the type of music we are making and the vibe we want to bring across. And he didn’t freak out when we asked if we could finish this album before the summer, instead we all started working really hard to actually try and make that happen.</p>
<p>For Bart, it has been challenging to finish a project that someone else has started. There are things that he would have done differently, had he been involved from the start. But he too confirmed that Francis has done an amazing job, and he started shaping the songs instantly.</p>
<p>The role of a producer is a bit unclear to a lot of people. In fact I have read an interview with a very well known producer that even he didn’t know what a producer exactly did, until he became one. In very short: Bart (and Francis before him) is hired to lift our songs from ‘that’s kind of a nice song’ to ‘holy crap, that should be on the radio!’. Or something like that.</p>
<p>In the past couple of weeks, we have finished recording all the bass and drum parts for all the songs, and guitar parts for most of them. We are adding layers of musical instruments, real musical instruments. And with the addition of every instrument, the songs come to live a little bit more. We are looking at each song individually to see what it needs to make it sparkle.</p>
<p>Now this has been our story from the studio (in short). Stay tuned; soon we sill have more news about our music, and we will change the look and feel of our current website. We feel like we are standing in the wings right now, just moments away from getting out there in the spotlight…</p>
<p><img src="https://mycahmusic.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/chocolate.jpg?w=1000" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="chocolate" /></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Producer Bart brings good ideas AND chocolate</em></p><br> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/mycahmusic.wordpress.com/144/"><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/mycahmusic.wordpress.com/144/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /></a> <img src="https://pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=mycahmusic.wordpress.com&blog=95831532&post=144&subd=mycahmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645202016-01-18T21:50:55+01:002023-12-10T17:41:38+01:00Snowy weather (Dreaming of Kate blog)<p>SNOWY WEATHER</p>
<p>We started 2016 with a practically sold out show in the Stables in Milton Keynes; I’d say that’s a pretty good start of the year!</p>
<p>Our van broke down recently and it couldn’t be repaired in time for this show, so we had to use my car. I still drive a Dutch car, and while Paul has driven European cars before, he wasn’t 100% comfortable to drive it, so I knew I would have to drive a big part of the journey myself. Not ideal before having to dance a whole show, but sometimes there’s no other option, really…</p>
<p>We have been to the Stables before (just before Christmas 2014), so we had less surprises about the shape of the stage and the whole setup than last year, which made a big difference in terms of stress on the day to me.</p>
<p>Those who read my blogs on a regular basis remember the recent struggles we have had with my microphone. It has been fixed before our last show in December (about which I only now realise I haven’t written a blog!), but still started popping during the show. We sent the mis away for repair, but on Friday morning it still hadn’t arrived. I did arrive later that day, but by then it was too late to test it.</p>
<p>We did bring a spare headset microphone. It didn’t fit quite as well as my own, so I used several pieces of tape to fix it to my cheek and prayed it would last (knowing that if it didn’t, my mic would move upwards and point to my eye instead of to my mouth). Unfortunately, I could feel the tape getting loose in the second song already… In my first costume change I told the guys to extend the intro of Babooshka because my mic was coming off. I forced the iron wired back of the headset into a weird shape to make the sides fit better and forced the front part to point down instead of up (and prayed I wouldn’t break it in the process).</p>
<p>Other than this minor microphone incident, we had a great show! Our weeks off have been good for us; we all seemed refreshed and the show had a really nice flow. The audience were lovely; all enjoying the show, some miming the lyrics, all clapping along, and a standing ovation at the very end. There were many returning visitors, as well as a lot of new faces; both really good for us!</p>
<p>There’s always something that makes a show unique from the others. Something that goes wrong or something that happens in the audience (like the girl and the yo-yo). I didn’t slip or fall, and there were no other weird incidents. But in terms of ‘I was there when…’ the people in The Stables can say that they were there the one night I started Cloudbusting skipping instead of yo-yoing…</p>
<p>When we left Milton Keynes it was snowing. It looked very pretty, but we were aware of the fact that we had to drive home instead of making a snow man. I started driving to at least get us onto the motorway, where Paul could take over. But kept snowing on and off, so we figured it would probably be safer for me to keep driving, instead of Paul. It seemed to take forever to get home, but we all made it safe and sound to Liverpool. Where there was no snow. Only floods.</p>
<p><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/mic2.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="mic2" /></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>A headset mic, so my story makes more sense</em></p>
<p> </p>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/39672682015-12-23T19:44:13+01:002022-05-10T20:55:43+02:00InspirationCheck out the new <a contents="Inspiration page" data-link-label="Inspiration" data-link-type="page" href="/inspiration" target="_blank">Inspiration page</a> on this website! On this page, we will tell you about ordinary people who make this world just a bit more beautiful, who make a difference to other people or to our planet, or who dare to make their dreams come true. In short: beautiful people. Our first post has been posted today.<br><br>Should we tell a story about someone you know? <a contents="Contact us" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:hello@themycahprinciple.com" target="_blank">Contact us</a>!<br><br>Love always,<br><br>Mycah<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171862/b3d0e95a1926c1f56167d1ed3253c844bf657882/medium/inspiration.png?1450897178" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/41413572015-12-22T18:36:15+01:002021-10-12T14:37:36+02:00Breathing life in our songs<p>Hi, it’s Remco here, writing to you from the Netherlands. I just uploaded the instrumental tracks of two of our songs in Dropbox (hurray!) You already know that we are working from three countries, with Maaike living in the UK and Francis living in the USA. Applications like Skype and Dropbox help us to share and discuss our songs.</p>
<p><strong>Do it the other way around </strong></p>
<p>In many ways, our album comes together in quite an unusual way. Usually, a band starts with recording the rhythm section and end with the vocals or horns. We did the opposite and started with recording the vocals in the USA and UK. As producer Francis said ‘this is a vocal album, so let’s start there’. And right he is!</p>
<p><strong>Breathing life in our songs</strong></p>
<p>So we recorded the vocals over the midi instrument tracks (= the mechanical drums, bass, keys, horns etc. all recorded from a synthesizer) and I brought all that back to the Netherlands. The next thing we recorded there was… right, the horns! Wouter Hakhoff played perfect flugelhorn, trumpet and basstrumpet (wait ’till you hear that one – so cool!), nicely recorded by Jeroen Tenty at the MI5 studio in Hoorn. I have to tell you, to hear well played and well recorded live horns on our songs for the first time, breathing life to those songs, is a fantastic moment. I called Maaike in Liverpool, screaming ‘woooow, wooohooo’ and ‘you must hear this!’ down the line and she came over to witness the next day of recording horns.</p>
<p><strong>More ‘wooohooo’!</strong></p>
<p>Then it was off to the city of Leiden, where I recorded drums, using a basic kit and focussing on the feel of the rhytm. Engineer Anton is a long time friend and he brought in some fantastic vintage mics to go for that authentic feel good sound we’re after. For Maaike it was hard to not be there, to witness and discuss the recordings. She had to do with my screaming on the phone ‘this sounds great! I could have kept playing that song for hours and hours! wooohooo!)</p>
<p><strong>Bass and weird things</strong></p>
<p>For some strange reason, we had a lot of bassplayers who offered their services. What luxury! We asked and chose Marcello Briganti, he and I used to play with Anton in a band, a long time ago. He did a great job, not put off by a weird error in the recording software, probably caused by Maaike who seems to be able to cause weird things to happen, even when she is on the other side of the North Sea. The live bass and live drums give the songs their long awaited feel good groove and authenticity, I think I called Maaike again, screaming ‘wooohoooo’ and ‘yeeehaaa’.</p>
<p><strong>More weird things plus gaffa tape and a bolt</strong></p>
<p>Back to the MI5 studio Hoorn, we finished the Holland recording sessions with a fine recording of grand piano, Fender Rhodes and Hammond organ. Well played by Eric Lensink and recorded by Jeroen and me. Did nothing weird happen? How can that be? Do not worry, ofcourse there was something strange! Listening to the first take, Jeroen noticed a little ‘click’ sometimes during the recording. Investigation led us to one piano hammer (the middle D) that scraped it’s neighbour hammer, causing that ‘click’ sound. We went searching for something small and heavy and ended up with a large bolt and taped that to the hammer. Gaffa tape and a bolt, never leave home without it. So problem solved, in true Mycah style. The MI5 lads immediately called their piano tuner to order 87 of those bolts.</p>
<p><img src="https://mycahmusic.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/imag0728.jpg?w=1000" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="IMAG0728" /></p>
<p>These last days I have been editing the tracks, just a little bit here and there, in my home studio. Now the tracks are in the skilled hands of Francis to make a fine mix and he might have a go at the drums as well!</p>
<p>Feeling good!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><br> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/mycahmusic.wordpress.com/11/"><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/mycahmusic.wordpress.com/11/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /></a> <img src="https://pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=mycahmusic.wordpress.com&blog=95831532&post=11&subd=mycahmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645212015-12-07T17:13:32+01:002022-05-29T15:19:41+02:00A new name (Mycah blog)<p>Though we have been planning this for a while now, today is the day we announced our new name: Mycah. Simple as that. To be pronounced like my own Dutch name: Maaike (m(y)-ka). I feel like giving a bit more background information on the name change and the recording process we’re currently in.</p>
<p>A year ago, we decided to record some songs, and we didn’t really care what the rest of the world would think of them. We wanted to record an album we felt we could be proud of, with songs and a sound that we liked, and that represented us. We were however willing to learn and grow and develop and see where it would take us, ready to discover what was hidden deep inside us. We were crazy enough to fly to America to record our songs, where our producer Francis (Dunnery) decided to reverse the recording process and start with the vocals (usually the last thing to be recorded).</p>
<p>In hindsight: ever since we decided to record our songs, the songs we wrote started to change. They became happier and poppier than ever before. And by the time we were in the recording process, it dawned on us that nothing we were recording was related to the prog/art rock background both Remco and I have anymore. Our old name “The Mycah Principle” didn’t fit anymore; we needed something to match the feel good feel of our current music. Mycah simply sounded catchier and better to us.</p>
<p>After our second vocal recording session in October, it was time for us to start recording some instruments. And we chose to start with the brass lines first. We found a studio (MI5 Studios) and one of the best trumpet players in Holland (Wouter Hakhoff) willing to help us find ways to add a Carpenters-like brass sound to our songs. They have done an amazing job so far (the rest of the songs will have to wait till 2016). Both engineer Jeroen Tenty and Wouter have been helpful to us in selflessly sharing their thoughts and experience with us, something that has been extremely valuable to us. We have been very careful with sharing our songs so far; even my best friends haven’t heard any of our recordings yet, so it was good to talk about our music with people who knew what they were talking about, in every way possible.</p>
<p>We have sent the brass recordings to Francis in America last week, who – despite his awfully busy schedule – immediately Skyped us to tell us how f-ing fantastic it was.</p>
<p>A couple of days ago, Remco has started recording drums for the first two tracks. With old school 70-s microphones, he and engineer Anton van Hooijdonk recorded some first takes. Their second recording session will be coming up tomorrow. Now for those of you who may have read in the Dutch IO-pages magazine or in one of our blogs that Francis has mentioned to Remco “I am the drummer in this project”: Francis reminded us he wants to have a go at the drum parts too. So we will have a choice what drum takes to go with. I’m curious!</p>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/41413582015-12-07T17:00:32+01:002022-06-01T11:20:17+02:00A new name<p>Though we have been planning this for a while now, today is the day we announced our new name: Mycah. Simple as that. To be pronounced like my own Dutch name: Maaike (m(y)-ka). I feel like giving a bit more background information on the name change and the recording process we’re currently in.</p>
<p>A year ago, we decided to record some songs, and we didn’t really care what the rest of the world would think of them. We wanted to record an album we felt we could be proud of, with songs and a sound that we liked, and that represented us. We were however willing to learn and grow and develop and see where it would take us, ready to discover what was hidden deep inside us. We were crazy enough to fly to America to record our songs, where our producer Francis (Dunnery) decided to reverse the recording process and start with the vocals (usually the last thing to be recorded).</p>
<p>In hindsight: ever since we decided to record our songs, the songs we wrote started to change. They became happier and poppier than ever before. And by the time we were in the recording process, it dawned on us that nothing we were recording was related to the prog/art rock background both Remco and I have anymore. Our old name “The Mycah Principle” didn’t fit anymore; we needed something to match the feel good feel of our current music. Mycah simply sounded catchier and better to us.</p>
<p>After our second vocal recording session in October, it was time for us to start recording some instruments. And we chose to start with the brass lines first. We found a studio (MI5 Studios) and one of the best trumpet players in Holland (Wouter Hakhoff) willing to help us find ways to add a Carpenters-like brass sound to our songs. They have done an amazing job so far (the rest of the songs will have to wait till 2016). Both engineer Jeroen Tenty and Wouter have been helpful to us in selflessly sharing their thoughts and experience with us, something that has been extremely valuable to us. We have been very careful with sharing our songs so far; even my best friends haven’t heard any of our recordings yet, so it was good to talk about our music with people who knew what they were talking about, in every way possible.</p>
<p>We have sent the brass recordings to Francis in America last week, who – despite his awfully busy schedule – immediately Skyped us to tell us how f-ing fantastic it was.</p>
<p>A couple of days ago, Remco has started recording drums for the first two tracks. With old school 70-s microphones, he and engineer Anton van Hooijdonk recorded some first takes. Their second recording session will be coming up tomorrow. Now for those of you who may have read in the Dutch IO-pages magazine or in one of our blogs that Francis has mentioned to Remco “I am the drummer in this project”: Francis reminded us he wants to have a go at the drum parts too. So we will have a choice what drum takes to go with. I’m curious!</p><br> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/mycahmusic.wordpress.com/9/"><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/mycahmusic.wordpress.com/9/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /></a> <img src="https://pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=mycahmusic.wordpress.com&blog=95831532&post=9&subd=mycahmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645222015-12-07T14:11:17+01:002021-10-15T19:15:14+02:00When two weeks feel like two hours (Dreaming of Kate blog)<p>In the past couple of weeks, I have started writing several blogs, but never had enough time to finish one. Too much has been going on to keep a log. Each day was filled with working on several projects at once, which I don’t think is too healthy. But sometimes you have no choice but to go with the flow, even if it’s an enormous tidal wave.</p>
<p>In only a couple of weeks, we have had some amazing shows in Holland, we have had the try out for our new UNPLUGGED show (which was nerve wrecking for me; I have never been behind the piano on stage for the entire duration of a show), and we had an amazing last show of the season in Liverpool (despite a rough start; the long intros of James and the Cold Gun and Babooshka were for changing my microphone – despite being fixed my old microphone was what was popping in the first couple of songs…)</p>
<p>I like keeping a log of every show, but in this case I’m afraid some photos by others will have to do it for me… The photo page on our website will be updated soon (because we had some awesome photographers present at our recent full shows). Here are a couple of behind the scene shots (courtesy of myself, Paul Tsanos and Willem Schalekamp)</p>
<p>PS: the main image is also a photo by Willem Schalekamp, but in the 1:1 ratio format his name fell off the frame; I couldn’t credit him anywhere near the photo, but he has done an amazing job for us!)</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/2015-11-19-23-32-55.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="2015-11-19 23.32.55" /><em>Bruges by night; our only time off (on our way to Holland)</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/2015-11-20-14-53-49.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="2015-11-20 14.53.49" /><em>Poster at Podium Puycker – Hoofddorp, next to my friends from Gotcha! (from my home town Haarlem)</em></p>
<figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_173" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-173" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/dreaming-of-kate-003.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Dreaming Of Kate" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-173" class="wp-caption-text">Dreaming Of Kate @ Podium Duyker 2015</figcaption></figure>
<p><i>Sound check @ Podium Duycker. Our sound engineer’s shirt has nothing to do with us by the way…<br>
</i></p>
<figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_170" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/dreaming-of-kate-004.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Dreaming Of Kate" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-170" class="wp-caption-text">Dreaming Of Kate @ Podium Duyker 2015</figcaption></figure>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i>Sound check @ Podium Duycker</i></p>
<figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_171" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-171" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/dreaming-of-kate-005.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Dreaming Of Kate" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-171" class="wp-caption-text">Dreaming Of Kate @ Podium Duyker 2015</figcaption></figure>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i>Sound check @ podium Duycker. Testing how far backwards I can walk without bumping into band members</i></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/dreaming-of-kate-001.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Dreaming Of Kate 001" /></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i>Sound check @ De Vorstin: waiting for sound<br>
</i></p>
<figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_174" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-174" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/dreaming-of-kate-002.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Dreaming Of Kate" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-174" class="wp-caption-text">Dreaming Of Kate @ De Vorstin</figcaption></figure>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i>Sound check @ De Vorstin</i></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/12234883_1089142647785034_7104818476637585981_n.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="12234883_1089142647785034_7104818476637585981_n" /><i>Sound check @ De Vorstin. I can’t remember why I’m surprised though…</i></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/2015-11-22-15-02-27.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="2015-11-22 15.02.27" /><i>Our horrendous journey home: random police check in France</i></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/2015-11-22-16-35-01.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="2015-11-22 16.35.01" /><i>Our horrendous journey home: after police checks and traffic jams we missed the ferry and had to wait in this cosy ‘restaurant’ (north pole temperature)</i></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/2015-11-22-16-51-43.jpg?w=768" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="2015-11-22 16.51.43" /><i>Best part of the journey home: the sky that seemed to be on fire…</i></p>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/39530142015-12-07T10:12:41+01:002021-12-10T13:26:32+01:00Mycah. Music to make you feel good.<p dir="ltr"><font color="#000000">Welcome to Mycah! </font></p>
<p dir="ltr"><font color="#000000">We changed our name to Mycah. What’s in a name? Well, a lot! </font></p>
<p dir="ltr"><font color="#000000">Please let us explain:</font></p>
<p dir="ltr"><font color="#000000">Working on our debut album, the original demo recordings turned rapidly into Feel Good pop songs during the recording sessions. As our producer Francis Dunnery said: These songs let the sun shine in! So we felt that we needed to change our name to fit the music we bring to you. So here it is, in all its Feel Good purity, clarity and straightforwardness: Mycah. </font></p>
<p dir="ltr"><font color="#000000">With a new name also came a new home: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mycah4music" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/mycah4music</a></font></p>
<p dir="ltr"><font color="#000000">This new place will be easier to find for everyone, and better represents the change in our direction.</font></p>
<p dir="ltr"><font color="#000000">So, if you haven’t yet, please like our new page to follow the latest developments (no new name or address changes for a while, we promise ;) ) and all things Mycah.</font></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong><font color="#000000">Mycah. Music to make you feel good.</font></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em><a href="http://www.mycahmusic.com/" target="_blank"><font color="#000000">www.mycahmusic.com</font></a></em></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em><font color="#000000">Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mycah4music" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/mycah4music</a></font></em></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em><font color="#000000">Twitter: @mycahmusic</font></em></p>Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645232015-11-15T22:06:23+01:002022-05-17T22:00:01+02:00Lucky (Dreaming of Kate blog)<p>For some reason, no matter how well organized we are, or how smoothly things seem to go, something unforeseen always happens. A friend asked me not too long ago why unexpected things always happen to people like him and me while a lot of people’s lives always go according to their plan. I think it’s because people like me (and him) secretly like it when things go wrong. It takes creativity to fix unexpected things, and it feels rewarding if you have manage to avert a crisis.</p>
<p>When we arrived in Billingham yesterday (no traffic jams, no car break downs, no road blocks), we unpacked our gear. We had had a show the night before and none of it had been used. The guys were all set up and had finished their line checks when I plugged my microphone in. Instant massive crackling noise was the result. Not a slight crackle, but the kind that tears your ears off. After a quick check, sound engineer Ben concluded it was the lead of my microphone, quite close to the plug. Quick explanation: my headset microphone is plugged into a pack on my back (that’s the part where the lead/wire is: on my back). The pack sends out a signal with my voice to a receiver (which is connected to the sound desk), so there’s no leads/wires from me to the sound desk and I can freely run off the stage to change costumes or high five people in the audience.</p>
<p>Anyway, there was no way to fix the lead properly on the spot. We tried taping the connection to the plug. It seemed to work at first, but not for very long. We tried using our backup microphone, which is the one I did my first Kate shows with back in Holland, eight years ago. But using it quickly taught us why I had bought the new one: it didn’t sound very good. We decided to tape the lead to the pack in a position where it didn’t crackle and hope it would last…</p>
<p>The first part of the show went fine, apart from an usher who kept running back and forth whenever she spotted a camera in the audience. I hope it wasn’t as distracting for the audience as it was for me… And unnecessary; as long as people don’t use a flash we don’t mind. In fact: if anyone managed to take photos we love to see them! Back to the show, because to add to the distraction: by the time I had found out why the usher kept running back and forth, my microphone started crackling again! The only instant fix for me on the stage was to press the pack/plug/lead to my waist in some of the dance moves (does someone have a photo of me with my right hand on my back?). It worked, but obviously it’s no real solution. I altered some of the dance moves and decided to perform Breathing on the edge of the stage without running around and change into my white suit and gas mask, to avoid further crackling. It worked, and I actually enjoyed staying in that spot for the dramatic end.</p>
<p>In the break, Ben and I decided to use more tape and force the lead in an angle that either would be the best temporary solution or would snap the lead. We were lucky.</p>
<p>The second half of the show passed without any further issues, and I had the time to look around at the audience. I love seeing people having a wonderful time, and I could tell that they were. Extra thanks for the people who waved back at me at the end of The big sky, I love when that happens! Once again it was great to meet the audience after the show. Just like the day before, someone wanted to buy the only existing Dreaming of Kate T-shirt off the owner: our superfan Ian. And someone told me this was the fourth time he had seen me perform. The first time was a couple of years ago (in York), but he had missed the first couple of songs and he HAD to see them, so he travelled to Northampton not long after that. I love stories, and I try to remember the things people tell me. And I am honoured to get so much appreciation for what I do.</p>
<p>The weather on our way back to Liverpool was horrific, and by the time we got back we heard that some areas we had just crossed were being evacuated because of floods. Once again we were lucky.</p>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645242015-11-15T12:48:45+01:002021-09-11T15:34:29+02:00Applause for the girl (Dreaming of Kate blog)<p>On a morning when all of Europe is in shock about the attacks is Paris, it seems a bit strange to write a blog about some show in a theatre in a town somewhere in England. But as I refuse to surrender to hate or fear, I will continue to write this anyway.</p>
<p>To be fair, the first part of the day was not interesting at all. We left in time, traffic wasn’t too bad and the weather and the scenery were gorgeous. The downside was the lack of a proper motorway all the way to Peterborough.</p>
<p>We arrived at the Key Theatre and instantly spotted a massive poster at the front, which of course made us very happy. The first local crew member I met instantly said he was looking forward to the show. The second local crew member took the time to show me to the dressing rooms and took the time to have a chat about the theatre and their regular crowds. We felt welcome.</p>
<p>The audience in the Key Theatre is situated almost in a semi-circle around the front part of the stage, which gives a very intimate feel. The downside is that there was no white line at the edge of the stage (although I had asked for one), which made the spinning around in Wow almost impossible. Well, not the spinning around, but rather the stopping of the spinning with my face to the audience.</p>
<p>After recovering from the spinning, I had time to actually look at the audience. I saw some regular faces. I noticed one of our most avid fans wearing what must be the only Dreaming of Kate T-shirt in the world. After the show he told me someone wanted to buy it off him. And I noticed the sweetest young girl, possibly the youngest we have had in our audience so far (and we’ve had a fair few by now; this seems to be a show that girls aged 5-8 really enjoy). I usually give my yo-yo to someone on the front row, but I HAD to give it to her (I had been looking if she was still awake halfway through the second set; and she was). I want to thank everyone in the audience for the applause for her, it made the moment extra special and I will definitely remember that!</p>
<p>My quick changes were quite hilarious. Not that they were any different than during any other show, but this time one of the local crew members was sitting right next to my quick change area. While I was throwing clothes around and acting like a whirlwind (there’s no way to do 10 second costume changes and be tidy), he was sitting, leaning forward on the desk and sending messages from his phone as if nothing was happening.</p>
<p>Despite a couple of issues (sorry for screwing up the beginning of Lily, but on the other hand: you did see me fall on my bum while singing “I gotta land with my feet firm on the ground” in Rubberband Girl), we had a lovely evening.</p>
<p>On a show day, we don’t see much of the outside world; we usually don’t even have time to read the news or look at Facebook. Bass player Bobby was the first one to read something about the Paris attacks, in the van on our way back. I don’t want to go into politics on social media, so I don’t want to start a discussion by mentioning the events. My heart is with all who suffer. In Paris and all around the world.</p>
<p><img src="https://maaikebreijman.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/61712-darkness-cannot-drive-out-darkness.jpg?w=400&h=400" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="61712-Darkness-Cannot-Drive-Out-Darkness" height="400" width="400" /></p>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645252015-11-12T14:52:00+01:002020-01-06T20:18:49+01:00Secrets (Dreaming of Kate blog)<p>One of the frustrating parts of my job is having to keep secrets. Not state secrets, life threatening secrets or anything major like that, but sometimes we have to work on things before we can tell the public what we’re up to. And it can be frustrating to not being able to share what currently keeps you occupied day and night.</p>
<p>One thing I can now finally reveal: we are working on a second Dreaming of Kate show. One that we have been considering for a while now, as requested by some of our fans after having seen me play the piano: an unplugged show. Truthfully, it won’t be 100% unplugged, but it will have that intimate feel we all associate with the term ‘unplugged’. I will be behind the piano/keyboard the whole evening. No dancing, no costumes, but just creating a wonderful atmosphere with my fellow musicians.</p>
<p>To be fair: I am nervous for our upcoming try out. I have accompanied myself on the grand piano in some of the biggest theatres in the UK and The Netherlands, but never more than a couple of songs. And I have never been the keyboard player in a full band before. On the other hand: I am looking forward to these shows, as these shows will be even more up close and personal than our theatre show. Plus it will bring us to venues that we like a lot but couldn’t play before with our full show. Like Alexander’s in Chester, where we will be playing our first try out two weeks from today.</p>
<p>I’ll keep it short for now; I should get back behind the piano… Hope to see you all soon!</p>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/60645262015-11-12T12:26:13+01:002022-05-19T11:30:41+02:00No other choice (Dreaming of Kate blog)<p>Originally posted: 1 November 2015</p>
<p>A couple of days ago, I received a text message from my worried mother. I hadn’t posted a blog about our shows last weekend. It’s a bit unlike me not to write about a show, which is why my mother asked if I was OK. Don’t get me wrong: I usually speak to her several times a week, so it’s not as if she has to read my blog to know what I’m up to. But she takes comfort in reading my stories; they confirm that I’m OK (and haven’t fallen off a stage).</p>
<p>The truth is that that Friday the whole universe seemed to be in a bad mood. People were late, props were left behind in Liverpool, I wasn’t looking forward to doing shows without Jerney AND without some of the props, people were cranky, traffic was aggressive and even the discussions on BBC radio 2 seemed annoying (among other topics, someone was complaining there were some pensioners skinny dipping where he was fishing, but it was never clear if he was annoyed because they were swimming, because they were naked, or because they were pensioners). We played a show in Bishop’s Stortford, which was a long drive. I couldn’t imagine the show being any goo that night, but it was actually an amazing night!</p>
<p>After the show, we got caught in road works and traffic and it took us four and a half hours to get to our hotel near Tewkesbury. Although I had a good night’s sleep, I could have done with more hours. The weather was depressing, our van had a flat tyre and more of us obviously suffered from the dreadful midnight journey. But the people at the theatre were great, we had a very constructive sound check (in which we could actually improve some transitions in the show) and the audience was amazing (again).</p>
<p>The next day, instead of finishing the blog, I decided to watch a documentary a friend of mine had posted on Facebook. I was about young, creative, successful people, and how they suffer from anxiety and depression because of the constant pressure of having to succeed at what they do. The fact that it took me four days to find the time to watch it was quite worrying to start with, but after watching it I decided to give myself the rest of the day off and relieve myself from the duty of writing about my work. I watched some movies instead, something I hadn’t done in a long time. And I fell sleep watching them. And it felt great!</p>
<p>After a week of constantly being behind either a piano or a computer, we had a show in Chesham last Friday. I was tired, a bit dizzy and doubting my life decisions and the effect they have had on myself and other people, and we had to start our day by getting some tyres changed. The tyre place was one of the grimmest places I have been to so far. While we were standing between the rusty containers filled with tyres, keyboard player Barney said “If you’ve come to England thinking it’s all castles, you’re wrong; this is England!”</p>
<p>We tried to continue our journey, but the traffic made it very, very hard. Traffic reports on the radio were endless, and we arrived at the venue late. I immediately locked myself in the dressing room with my costumes and an ironing board. I had to hurry to get ready in time; I even did most of the sound checking while prepping my props in the dressing room. The show seems to be consistently running smoothly now, and once again the audience was great! I loved singing the line “What was the question?” to one of the young kids in the audience. I enjoyed watching the people in the front row enjoying watching us. By now, we have some returning fans, and we are starting to recognize some of them. It’s hard to remember all the faces, but we do try! It was lovely speaking to the crowd, there were some really lovely people out there!</p>
<p>That show, that crowd confirmed what I had been doubting for a couple of days: I do need to be on that stage. No other job has ever fulfilled me the way music has. I need to create, and I need to perform. I have no other option.</p>
Maaike Breymantag:www.mycahmusic.com,2005:Post/39047512015-10-26T12:20:03+01:002015-10-26T12:20:03+01:00Under constructionWe are making some changes to our website this week. The introduction of this news feed is one of them. Check back soon to see what we're up to!Maaike Breyman