A beautiful city.

I've lived in Glasgow all my life (a whole 18 years) and I'm ashamed to say that of all the places  recommended to visit in Glasgow, I've been to very few. I'd never even heard of the Glasgow Necropolis until a few weeks ago. Ridiculous, I know. I made a pact with myself that I was going to 'see Glasgow' while I'm still at university and studying, otherwise I'll grow up and move away and never have the chance. Last week I grabbed my new camera which has hardly been used and decided to do a bit of investigative journlism by visiting the Glasgow Necropolis. With the sun setting on a cold and windy day in March, the view from the famous Victorian cemetary was spectacular. It gives you a chance to think.

The Necropolis is right beside Glasgow Cathedral (which I have also never visited..) and over 50,000 people have been buried there. The main entrance to the cemetary is via a bridge designed by David Hamilton. His son James Hamilton is who the Heritage Loch in East Kilbride is named after. The bridge became known as the 'Bridge of Sighs' because it was part of the route of the funeral processions. Many tobacco merchants, scientists and other significant individuals of the Scottish Victorian era are buried here with monuments errected in their honour.




I only managed to have a brief visit of the Necropolis but there are guided tours available from January to July. With March's tour fully booked, I'm going to book a place on the April tour to learn a bit more about the famous cemetary that I have over looked my whole life but somehow facinates me. I know nothing about Glasgow's history so this year I'm going to do my best to learn as much as I can about it. Glasgow is a beautiful city with so much to offer that has been outside my doorstep for eighteen years and as of 2012, I'm going to allow myself to get lost in it.

The Ashtones

Hailed as ‘the best thing since sliced bread’ by the Metro newspaper, The Ashtones are headed for big things.  An atmospheric rock band from my hometown of East Kilbride met by chance at a party through mutual friends and decided to have a practice together. The band held their first gig at Ivory Blacks a mere two weeks later. I have known the band members for a number of years and was present at their first band practice which was now nearly two years ago. The band consists of David Gillies, 18, lead vocals and lead guitar. Calum Denny, 19, bass. Connaire McGuinness, 17, guitar and Calum Murray, 18, drums. Over the past two years the band has worked relentlessly hard to become noticed in the Glasgow music scene. With countless gigs and EP releases in 2011, the band is gaining in popularity every week.  Having already released ‘Amplification Situation’ and ‘Like Lightning’, they are now currently in the studio working on their third EP to be released this year.  The band supported Jody Has a Hitlist and The Angies at the O2 ABC2 before having the privilege to headline the same venue in November.  In July they also played at The Tall Ships Festival in Greenock, supported A Day Overdue and headlined the Oran Moor Festival in June.

So far, 2012 is looking to be an eventful year for the band. Their risky decision to alter their style of music has finally paid off.  Critically acclaimed blues musician Ben Poole is touring the UK after playing Glastonbury last year and The Ashtones have been chosen as his support for his King Tuts gig on the 23^rd of March.  Furthermore, they have been scouted by RCA Records and are heading down to Carlisle on March 25^th to play a showcase for the label which is home to bands such as Kasabian, The Strokes, Justin Timberlake and Kings of Leon. They also have the opportunity to record their first ever music video which they hope do to this month as well.

If all goes well in March, this could be the big break the band has been hoping for.  

The Ashtones also receive a lot of support from East Kilbride including gaining an unlikely fan in East Kilbride MSP Linda Fabiani and have set up a fan base which regularly attends their gigs. One fan in particular, Jason Small, has recently made a documentary on the band titled ‘TheWorld At Your Feet’. The band also has a successful Facebook page and you can follow them on Twitter for regular updates!

2012 certainly looks like a big year for the band, with an upcoming EP release and potential life changing showcase in a matter of weeks; The Ashtones  have the world at their feet.

No Knives, Better Lives

This is a subject which kinda hits close to home but nevertheless i still feel the need too write about it. 'No knives, better lives' is a council run campaign founded in 2009 which aims to raise awareness of the potential dangers of carrying a knife. If you carry a knife, theres a pretty high chance you'll end up using it, even if you didn't mean too. Some of the risks included in knife carrying are scars to the face, loss of limb, brain damage and not to mention bleeding to death within minutes.

A prime example of this is the death of one of my very best friends Jack Frew. A victim of knife crime, Jack bled to death in May 2010 before the ambulance crew had a chance to get there. His fate would be completely different if his murderer, Craig Roy, had not left the house carrying a knife. It ruined not only Jack's life but the lives of his family and Craigs family. Ultimately Jacks family are the ones carrying the life sentence as they have to live the rest of their lives without Jack by their side. Craig was sentenced on the 1st March 2012 and recieved a minimum of 18 years. In my opinion life should mean life and 18 years will never take back what he did, but its at least something in the form of justice.

It can almost be gauranteed that if you are caught carrying a knife there will be a prison sentence of up to four years in jail. If you use it to injure someone the sentence will be significantly higher.

I have only recently heard of the 'No knives, better lives' campaign and hope to get involved with it at some point in the near future as it is something I now feel very strongly about. I want to make people aware of the dangers of carrying a knife whether you have the intent to use it or not. There are too many things at stake and its not worth risking it. I lost my best friend because someone chose to carry a knife and if this campaign stops even one person from carrying a knife, then a difference has been made.

There is also a Facebook page so go on, give them a like and help raise awareness of knife crime.

Little Eye, Big Future

After discovering this band on facebook a few months ago, my obsession with Little Eye is slowly getting stronger every day. Its quite refreshing to hear a great Scottish band as oppose to the English and American artists that dominate the music scene today. After winning 'Clyde 1 In Demand Band Of The Year' the four piece have been working on an album to be released at somepoint this year.

They already have a few songs on iTunes and have filmed covers of songs including Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Paramore that are available to listen to on their youtube page. In my opinion, some are better than the originals. Their cover of Katy's 'Part Of Me' is my favourite.

I haven't been able to make it to any of their gigs yet but hopefully I will soon! Just wanted to let all you bloggers out there know that there still is raw Scottish talent and that big things are destined for them in the near future! Well, I hope so anyway!

World Book Day

Yesterday was World Book Day, a day dedicated to show the importance of reading to the general British public. Back in primary school, this day was up there with the greats; Christmas, Hallowe'en, Easter and finishing up for the holidays. It was an excuse to dress up as your favourite fictional character and, like the other 'greats', the normal school routine was ignored for the day. Choosing your costume, getting up early to get ready and recieving the famous 'pound off book voucher' was something that I looked forward to every year. As I have grown up, the novelty and excitement of World Book Day has sadly worn off and now if it weren't for the internet, I wouldn't even be aware that the day still exists. Its a shame that outwith primary school, not much is done to promote World Book Day and as an aspiring journalist, I think that more should be done to promote reading. Despite this I am ashamed to say that I cannot remember the last time I finished reading a book. Not just a magazine, but an actual book. Its not that I don't make an attempt to read, quite the opposite. I can't go into Waterstones or a charity shop and leave without buying a book, its almost an addiction. I'm attracted to the shiny new covers and the prospect of getting lost in someone else's world for a little while. But these books have filled four boxes in my bedroom, untouched and collecting dust. Even magazines have lost their shine. Every week I buy at least two magazines, including a glossy such as Elle, which costs at least £4, when I know fine well that I will get halfway through reading it, eventually lose interest and it will lie around my room for a few weeks after. Most of the time my mum reads my magazines before I even get a chance to look at them. In an attempt to justify this, I tell myself every week that I just don't have the time to read anymore. However, I am simply in denial. Like every other eighteen year old, I waste far too much time watching meaningless tv programmes, refreshing my facebook and twitter homepage, convincing myself that this is what i must be doing right now, or sleeping.

The last book I bought was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Hailed as one of the 'best american books of our time' and a 'modern classic', I was instantly attracted to it. Saying that, I had already bought The Beautiful and Damned by the same author a few months before. Which is obviously untouched and collecting dust in a box in my room. I did manage to read half of The Great Gatsby a few weeks back before I convinced myself that I didn't have time to read it anymore. The usual routine.

World Book Day has reminded me again of the beauty of reading. There are many people out there who can't read or write and who don't have the opportunity to get lost in a truly great story. I'm lucky that I have the ability to do that whenever I want. I'm angry at myself that I gave up on reading and as of tonight, that bad habit is going to come to an end. Before I know it, i will have finished university, will have a full time job, be married with children and at that point I'll be able to say that yes, I actually don't have the time to sit down and read a good book. Some may call me old-fashioned, or simply 'grannyish', but who cares? I'm going to go to bed tonight and do something that I haven't done in years: finish reading a book.

SHOWCASE!

Musical theatre is an industry which may not appeal to just everyone, including myself. It is a very different take on the music scene around Glasgow but is one that still exists in its own right. Every year the graduating third years of Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre Arts (GAMTA ) create a captivating performance showcasing their musical and acting abilities. This year was no exception.

Years of gruelling dance and voice training have been leading up to this moment which is the be all and end all of their careers. I almost feel like a part of 'Showcase' as much as the eleven third years do as one of my best friends, Lindsey Barr, was graduating this year. The word 'SHOWCASE' has been drilled into my brain over the past few years and even I can't believe it's over. Endless stressing over leotards, hair extensions, music, gym classes and salads, no drinking or smoking for weeks on end and mini breakdowns around the clock for my best friend have all been leading up to this one hour and fifteen minute show which determines whether or not she will get an agent and ultimately fufil her lifelong dream.

Having never seen Lindsey or her fellow third years perform before, I had no idea what to expect and little did I know what I was letting myself in for. I'm not going to lie, 'Graduate Showcase 2012' quite literally blew me away. The opening of 'It don't mean a thing' from 'swing!' showed the audience what the graduates were capable of, looking at ease with the choreography and remaining positive at the same time. Each performance effortlessly rolled into the next and it is clear the graduates designed the pieces themselves. Be it a sketch named 'Cock', solo performance or group performance, each was delivered with ease and showed no signs of nerves whatsoever. Lindsey's performance of 'How did we come to this?' from 'The Wild Party' reduced me to tears but I will never tell her that! Personally I have no idea what she was worried about, her perforance was flawless. But I suppose I am a little biased.

After performing two shows in Glasgow, 'Graduate Showcase 2012' was on the road to London to perform infront of various agents and important people in the musical theatre industry. That is where the real stressing out began I'm sure. According to the review on  'The Stage' website, they also did very well:  .

I am very proud of my best friend as she has had interest from an agent in London, already has a few auditions lined up and is hoping to have moved to London by the end of the summer. The years of training finally paid off and I've got to admit that musical theatre is an industry which is now appealing to myself, and I never thought it would.

                                                       (Lindsey is second from the left!)

Journo!

My names Amie Grimason and I am currently studying Multimedia Journalism at Glasgow Caledonian University. Journalism is something I am very passionate about and hope to generate a career from it in the near future. I have done a lot of work experience at Press Association Scotland and hope to do more this year. I am also applying for various work experience placements so I'll keep all you bloggers updated with any work i get. A few weeks ago I bought my first camera, a small Sony Cybershot. Nothing special but its a start! I am hoping to develop my interest in photography and upload the pictures I take to my flickr photo stream (the link to this is in the tab above). This will be my third year as a 'Tweeter', there is a link above to my new twitter account for all things Journalism but feel free to follow my personal account https://twitter.com/#!/dontmakemewait aswell. My main interest is music and as many of my friends are members in bands I am hoping to conduct interviews with a few of them on their up and coming gigs and EP launches. Lets hope 2012 is a great year for Journalism, its certainly looking to be a great year for me.