Hi everybody
More than a month ago, I wrote my first blog post on my blog website that I have launched. Mr limitless 95 blog. mrlimitless95.blogspot.com
I mentioned that my nickname Calvin Casino is used for making music.
In today’s blog, I want to tell you guys about my music. My original music.
In 2010 (over 10 years ago), I went to Youth Centre called “Canada Villa” in Mill Hill. It has a music studio (recording studio) with music equipment: keyboard piano, Mac computers & musical instruments. The name of music studio & project is Rithmik. Every young person from age 11 to 19 (& up to 25 if person has additional needs/SEN) could come to Rithmik to do any of the activities: Music production, songwriting, performances and studio recording. Also it has another project called Radio Rithmik. Rithmik’s own radio station.
Radio Rithmik includes: Public speaking (radio presenting) , debates and group discussion, journalism and media, open drop in sessions and running an internet radio station (which it has podcast & radio episodes on mix cloud website) & courses like foundation and academy courses. Radio Rithmik have been in existence since 2013. While for Rithmik, I am not sure, perhaps maybe around 2006 before I first attend there.
This is the place that I have been going for many years. Nowadays I don’t go there much anymore except making a visits to see how my mentors are up to.
Prior to me attending Rithmik, at the secondary school (high school), I had a guitar teacher who taught me how to play guitar. 🎸 He is originally from Australia and he goes by the name of Baxter Stone. I started learning to play a guitar for music lessons at my secondary school. I loved playing acoustic guitar (which is my preference although I don’t mind bass guitar or electric guitar. My friend who was my fellow classmate had his own guitar. Electric guitar). I even made my own motto. “Guitar makes me happy” at art lessons. Which led my father to buy me a guitar (which I still have it at my home).
When I played a guitar, I know the guitar chords. A minor, D major, etc. Alphabet letters for chords (major and minor). What does take for the person to know how to play a guitar well and confidently for fun or for career (which it depends) is to have someone who can either be guitar teacher or not to teach and guide the person of knowing a guitar chord and to play any songs whether be a cover or indeed original song. That is why Guitar is my favourite musical instrument to play (even I don’t play it much nowadays. Although it would be better for me to keep practising while other things are preoccupied on my mind. Not that I forgotten or dunno of how to play a guitar well given I do have a experience of how to play an instrument). Prior to playing guitar, I played other instrument like piano, drums, you name it. All for music lessons at primary and secondary schools. Even I used to attend the place where I had music lessons (after school) which I cannot remember the name of it.
The point is that as I enjoyed playing a guitar, I didn’t had any particular interest to make music or write songs other than enjoying myself of singing a cover for popular hit songs. Guitar playing gave me confidence, joy and peace of mind.
So as I began to go for Rithmik in May 2010 after being referred there, I started making some of beats on LogicPro music software, singing lessons & performing. I didn’t wrote my first original song until October (5 months after I first came there). I was figuring for the name of my first song with the youth worker and mentor (Ajril the Leano). I initially didn’t wanted the title to be my first song. The song that became my very first song was called “No idea”. To be frank, I have no idea. I didn’t had a idea of the song “no idea” became my first song. 😀😆Because of that, it had happened accidentally. Although I am happy to this day that had became my first song despite I could had come up with something original than no idea as if I am Mr No Idea. Nonetheless, the song became so catchy as I distributed my CD to everybody around at my school as I was happy that I had finally making original music. I performed one of my original songs at the talent show in school. I even had my guitar teacher Baxter filmed 4 music videos of my original songs (which was all been filmed at the school).
So on that point, that is I came up with my stage name Calvin Casino. Which is my nickname because I never had a English name. Not that I wanted to replace my birth name (real name) that is African as I was born in the UK to African parents who are originally from Nigeria and South Africa (which I am not obligated to disclose anything mainly for safety reasons) unless if any of you my readers have known me personally for long time.
So that is how I come up with both nicknames: Calvin Casino (music) & Mr Limitless 95 (blog).
So getting back to the topic of my original music.
The genre of my original music: I would say mainly pop, rock, dance, blues, R&B, ballad, country, funk, soul, etc. Mainly just pop, rock and dance.
My musical influences: Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Usher, Michael Jackson, Queen, Justin Timberlake, Kenny Rogers, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, Prince. I could go on. That is all I can think of.
So that is how I made friends with people who have musical talents at some places in Rithmik and Soundskool. Including Ajril the Leano, Mark Force (DJ & music producer), Sarah (Goldielocks), DJ Marco (Marcus), Simon Gordon, V Double V and MC Mighty Moe.
I even made friends with the owner of the Mill Hill Music Complex, musician, guitarist and Barnet Eye blogger Roger Tichborne which I first met him when I was doing my two weeks work experience. He is the one who suggested to me last year April that I should write a blog despite I had tried my best to find work during Covid 19 lockdown.
Finally, as I enjoyed making music, that’s when I started to have an interest of wanting to have a music career. Although in 2012 I completed a 10 week music course with Soundskool (which was after college), I wanted a music course which is career related which unfortunately I did not had a chance cos my English level (despite I am strong in English for reading, writing & speaking which explains why English is my strong strength in terms of writing songs & forming sentences) was not quite suitable to do course that goes beyond my education/qualification level as it was for A levels music course (which starts around level 2 and level 3 for qualifications in the UK). Because of that, I abandoned my approach for that & chosen an alternative approach. Like having a job that can be business wise (which I was happy to study a course which was a career related course. Level 2 business skills and administration = Business admin). Any career that is in business environment for instance, working in office. As far the coronavirus pandemic is concerned, I now don’t have any particular interests except working remotely at home & writing a blog (which will be the thing that I can do economically for my living) & that there aren’t many job vacancies available so that is how I intend to write a blog to earn money before eventually having a job (normal real job) in the world of employment. Given my blog can lead to other things than just employment.
The reason I wanted to work in the music business is that when I was teenager, I couldn’t think of what job or career that I want to do when I am all grown up (except having a interest to become a train driver because I love trains: London Underground and National Rail which I abandoned the interest of it & chose music instead). When I chose music to be my dream job/career ideally, some people do respect my choice. Some of them don’t. Mostly it has to got to do why I choose a career that might not be realistic & that is hard to enter in the music sector for aspiring musician or person to have a interest of working any job in the music industry or any of show business (showbiz) so that is how my class teacher recommended me that although no one is saying you cannot have a music career, you can do any job that doesn’t necessarily have to be music (while doing music either a hobby or even backup job like working in nights which I am not yet ready to work in nights). So that is why my teacher recommended me. For most part, I don’t care about anyone’s opinions (especially if I cannot succeed of having a music job/career) except I am open and willing to do any job that is not performing art like music in order for me to think realistically without having to abandon making and performing music. Sometimes hobby can turn into a job. Example: right now I just finished writing a blog which I know it will become my job.
So that is my today’s blog about my music.
You can find me on YouTube, SoundCloud and Reverb nation for my music. Except MySpace because I used to upload my songs which nowadays nobody uses MySpace (social media platform). The links are in description below.
And if you want to watch any of my music videos on YouTube. You can watch my first music video of my first song No Idea. m.youtube.com
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