I read a post from Marillion’s manager, Lucy, a few days ago, that announced that the Port Zealande Marillion Weekend next March will see the return of something they’ve done at past Weekends called Swap the Band. Basically, fans are selected to stand in for one member of the band with their respective instrument and perform a song or two with the rest of the band. I’ve seen YouTube videos of it, and it looks like a great experience. Especially after the incredible time I had in Brighton with Steve Rothery and Dave Foster, I feel like I may try my hand at applying for a chance to take things up a notch and jam with the rest of the band.
I read over the guidelines and rules, and they seem pretty straightforward. You have to send either a Youtube clip or MP3 file of you playing a song with your chosen instrument, Marillion or otherwise. The problem is that it’s hard for me to pick just one song. I guess I could revisit one of the songs we learned in Brighton and fine tune one of those, but I was also thinking maybe I could do an edited video medley where I showcase myself playing multiple songs. I feel like this could be help them better gauge my skills as a guitar player. The last rule states, I believe, that winners need to keep their status as well as song choice(s) a secret, so I’ll need to keep a low profile in the event I do decide to apply and get chosen. I’m making sure to manage my expectations, though. I’m not sure how high the competition will be, but I want to make it count and give it my all if I want to audition.
In other news, I started jamming earlier today, and found myself with an audience shortly after starting!
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