As part of my project, I have conducted a number of different examples of session work from which I have collated valuable experience, skills, and evidence. At Riverside College, as part of my Live Performance 2 unit, I have undertaken rehearsals with one internal college band called Disciples of Bush. I have also collaborated with a first-year CSP band. As part of both bands, I was required to undertake months of rehearsals followed by three live shows that took place in December, March, and April 2025 at The Classic Grand and Ivory Blacks. I performed with Disciples of Bush and the CSP band in December and March and also in April. I played with Disciples of Bush for my summative assessment. Both shows were filmed by the college. I also regularly filmed rehearsals with both bands to gather evidence of my proficiency as a session drummer. As part of my project, my first point of call was to find songwriters at Riverside Music College undertaking self-release projects. After some time spent networking and communicating with my classmates, I was able to organise session drumming work with five internal clients. They were Jessica Hunter, Kyle Andrew Walker, Amy McHale, Michelle Morrow, and Sam Carchrie. As part of my commitments to all of my clients, I rehearsed with them on multiple occasions and produced my own drum parts for their tracks. I filmed these occasions so I could be aware of what I played and what I had to work on ahead of the recording sessions. I practised for each songwriter's respective track in my own time so that I could be extremely tight and well prepared for the recording sessions in which I would partake. All recording sessions were a successful endeavour, and I got the drum parts recorded very quickly playing along to a metronome. I also filmed these recording sessions, as I felt they would be incredibly useful as evidence.

External collaboration was with Jack Torrance, a solo artist from Glasgow. I played a sold-out show at The Hug and Pint in Glasgow on 15th February 2025. We then recorded his single "Reminisce" in March 2025. This was followed by a sold-out show at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut on 18th April 2025. My client, Kyle Andrew Walker, asked me if I would like to form a Status Quo tribute band with him and two other college friends. I accepted this offer, and we made our debut at Slouch Bar in Glasgow on 1st May 2025 and performed as My Status is Quo. I continue to rehearse on a weekly basis with The Jix with a view to recording a new album in October 2025. I have marketed and promoted my services on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, SoundCloud, Bandcamp and through the creation of this website.

​

Here is my link for "Reminisce" by Jack Torrance performed live at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut on YouTube.

​

https://youtu.be/tsysqm1jwdk 

​​

​​Here is my link for a rehearsal for my internal college band, Disciples of Bush, performing "Stay in the Cold" on SoundCloud.

​

https://soundcloud.com/mark-gormley_drums/stay-in-the-cold-by-disciples 

​​

​​Here is my link for the final recording of "Reminisce" by Jack Torrance on SoundCloud.

​​

https://soundcloud.com/mark-gormley_drums/jack-torrance-reminisce-master

​

 

 

Press Release

​

Session musician, drummer Mark Gormley reveals his thrilling new project: “MG’s Drum Discovery”. Mark Gormley’s role as a session drummer sees him collaborating this year with five internal students at Riverside Music College on rehearsals for end-of-term gigs, live performance sessions, recording sessions, session musician skills and personal practice for his first instrument studies to create a spectacular portfolio of work. He has worked with internal artists Michelle Morrow, Amy McHale, Jessica Hunter, Kyle Andrew Walker, and Sam Carchrie. We also see Mark collaborating with external songwriter Jack Torrance on his debut single “Reminisce” and with Kyle Andrew Walker on a separate project with the tribute band My Status is Quo playing their debut gig at Slouch in Glasgow in May 2025. He has collaborated with internal college band Disciples of Bush and external bands Dad’s Best Friend and The Jix. This project showcases his work from year 2 of his graded unit project at Riverside Music College, detailing his journey so far and highlighting his project management skills. This second-year project sees him building upon the skills and knowledge acquired during his graded unit project from year 1 of his studies. Being dedicated to rehearsals and self-practice has provided him with a wealth of material to build a successful portfolio of work. He has documented and recorded his work as evidence for his project. His work with fellow musicians, from self-release artists to bands, puts the spotlight on his excellent communication and drumming skills. He has marketed and promoted his services on social media sites Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. These sites showcase recordings of his drumming talent in the genres of indie rock, alternative rock, pop, and hard rock. Examples are taken from technical exercises from his first instrument study, live performance rehearsals, excerpts from recent end-of-term college gigs in December 24, March, and April 25, together with session musician sessions for six self-release artists and performing and rehearsing with bands, My Status is Quo, Dad’s Best Friend, Disciples of Bush, and The Jix. He has a presence on SoundCloud promoting examples of his portfolio of sound, Bandcamp, and his website, where you will find links to all of his social media sites. Finally, he has shared exciting news that he will be having a launch event online on his YouTube channel on Friday, 18th April 2025, at 7pm to showcase all of his recent work as a session musician and his collaborations with fellow students. You won’t want to miss it, check it out!

​

​​