I’m back! Last night I arrived in town after a rather difficult three hour wait at border control… I made my way into Manhattan and found ‘Buskers’ – navigated by luck rather than any rational or map and played a couple of songs to a very friendly audience – good start to the trip! Today …
Continue reading “Tales from New York part 1 – skateboards and squirrals”
I’m currently at BBC Wales, sitting on a sofa that’s too comfortable (fear I might fall asleep!) and have about another half hour before I play a live session on the evening show: Just enough time to share a few thoughts on last night’s show. Yesterday I played my second show with Ian McNabb at …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails (Stratford upon Avon) – The bard and the Harmonica”
Twas a long day in Bristol! After a rather painful 6:30am start I took a train to be at BBC Bristol in time to sound check for my live session at the 12 O’clock show. The BBC is always in a hurry – it is live radio after all – so I was glad I …
Continue reading “Tales from the rails (Bristol) – thoughts on Bill and the long road ahead”
Liverpool – I must move here one day, for it seems that I never want to leave. Just when my familiarity with this city had reached a level that’s almost too comfortable (like that proverbial old shoe, or in my case, boot), I found a new corner with a completely different feel. Two stops on …
Continue reading “Tales form the Rails (Liverpool) – echoes and new corners”
Glasgow was great! Last night I had the pleasure of playing at the Slow Club at Bar Bloc, which boasted a brand new PA and offered free cake (what more could you want?). The show kicked off with a set from Nyla. It was her first ever show and I kept wanting to tell her …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails (Glasgow) – brownies and the house on the hill”
I feel most alien in the suburbs of Birmingham. Pulling my suitcase and carrying my guitar, I walk up and down the slopes of Kings Norton, searching for this illusive venue ‘Tower of Song’ where I’m due to play this evening. I ask a girl with an asymmetric haircut for directions, but it’s her boots …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails (Birmingham) – Defying space and time”
I’m stuck on a 4 ½ hour bus journey from Leeds to London with a laptop full of music and no headphones, which is something my friends back at home would lovingly refer to as “white people problems”. Last night I had the pleasure of playing at the Gaslight Club at Oporto – show number …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails 2 (Leeds) – Friends and Guitar players”
Perhaps it’s the black coffee that’s making my head spin, perhaps it’s the inevitable ache in my shoulder from carrying my guitar, or maybe the rumbling noise of the trains in the background, but this feels familiar and it feels good. I’m back on the proverbial road, or indeed rails, with the first show of …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails (Manchester) – small places and the white rabbit”
So voting for the Kinks competition is now closed. We’ve had a MARATHON last couple of hours of mobilizing, tweeting, sharing and I’d like to thank you all SO much for helping me out!! I’m pleased to let you know that we’re fourth in the ranking. This means we have not won the prize of …
Continue reading “THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP WITH THE KINKS COMPETITION”
As an artist and holder of intellectual copyright, I still feel that there is a lack of constructive solutions to this ever-growing problem: How are artists supposed to make a living. There is no reversing in the road to “Open Everything” and this is a good thing. Yes, the majority of the entertainment industry with …
Continue reading “Thoughts on Intellectual copyright, crowd-funding and other fun stuff”