Edele’s Year
I’m not mad on music being a competition, and not mad on the ugly, alchemic quest to turn music into cash. I love it when people do things like this. But I also love music and performance and massive pop bangers that enrich peoples lives.
Massive congrats to Ed Sheeran and Adele. I get fed up with people knocking them. No doubt about it those two craved success. But they’ve also produced albums with a lot of heart and substance and lots of peoples lives are a better place for them. That is cool and good news for music. I always liked Ed – he deserves it all. Respect!
People make music for all kinds of reasons – to get rich, for its own rewards, to pore their soul out, to look for self worth… Not all are inherently wrong or right. Bloody hell it’s great to make music that people will like. You’re bringing people happiness and meaning and that’s a really good thing. Screw the critics!
But what I really want to say is this. If someone reading this has the slightest inkling that inside them there may be something more than a nice pop song – something desperate, radical or challenging, something that might push us forward to be better people or understand each other better then I implore you – please do that instead. Lots of people can write a nice pop song, but only you can do something that is really you. Trust yourself.
Also – if you’re a music fan then look out for these people. Some are rubbish but some will be worth a thousand Adeles to you.
I’ve no idea where my music fits into this. Probably not well… all I know is that I’m gonna give it a hell of a shot trying to do this better, whatever that means.
LOVE!
On The Case
There’s definitely a pattern with me and photos. I’m always trying to do something stupid or distracting – climb up somewhere, grab something, jump, look busy, ANYTHING to avoid just standing there being normal.
I suppose being open is quite Continue reading »
HMV Next Big Thing – The Jazz Cafe – 12th February
On 12th February my band and I will be playing a special concert at The Jazz Cafe for HMV’s ‘Next Big Thing’ series. Also playing will be Sam Brookes and Liam Blake. It’ll be the curtain raiser for what will hopefully be a big year of tours and recording.
For tickets, just click the link below.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
I did send this to mailing list before christmas, but I’m only putting it online in January. Boo!
Even worse I’ve artificially changed the date of this post to before xmas so it looks like I posted it in time. Why do I do that? I feel like a fraud 
Still – it doesn’t change the fact that it’s an awesome custom Christmas Card. Thank you to my dear friend Kevin Pollard for designing it!
The Next Big Step
A few weeks ago I put pen to paper on a one-album deal to release Many Fish To Fry in every record shop in the land, along with a big marketing campaign. It’s going to be released on my own label – Sandwich Emporium Records – but through Universal who are right behind us. With a little luck, and some support from you, it might even get a bit of radio play and press to go with it.
All physical copies will be special editions of the album, including a bonus DVD of a full-length concert and a track-by-track interview. The album is now off sale until its release in March, but you’ll be able to pre-order it well before then to get it on your doormat first. If you’ve already got a copy that’s cool – no pressure to get this one too!
We’ll be working closely with HMV, and they’ve been good enough to give us a headline slot at their Next Big Thing Festival in February at The Jazz Cafe in London. Tickets went on sale this morning – so get your tickets fast! Here’s the link: http://www.hmvtickets.com/events/4941
We’ve booking up another big tour too. Tickets aren’t really on sale yet, but they will be soon…
I was once told a great little nugget of wisdom – “In many areas of life there’s good, there’s fast and there’s cheap, and you’re allowed to pick two”. With this album it had to be good, and we could only afford cheap, so its progress has taken a little time. But we’ve got there in the end, and we can now release it the way we always wanted to. All guns blazing!
I know some of you have had this album for a while, but if you could support it just a little bit longer while we tell everyone else that would give us such a boost. Then we can move onto recording album two safe in the knowledge that we did all we can to make this one a success.
Big love to you, and have a wonderful Christmas. Bring on 2012!
Free Tour T-Shirts
My tour t-shirts have arrived!! Don’t they look proper? Naturally I need to give a bunch of them away for free. Here’s the plan…
Continue reading »
Live At The Apollo
Very sadly I’ve had to reschedule two of the dates on the tour – Newport and Nottingham.
But I’m doing it for good reason – I’m confirmed as main support for Joe Bonamassa’s two nights at the Hammersmith Apollo on 21st and 22nd October. Continue reading »
Want Me To Send You A Postcard?
Everyone loves receiving postcards. This tour I’m going to send one every day. Here’s how it’s gonna work…
Step one: get the postal address of a person who comes to a gig
Step two: travel to the next town/city we’re playing at
Step three: buy a local postcard
Step four: write the postcard and send it to the person in step one
Step five: repeat
So someone from Bath gets a postcard from Inverness. Someone from Inverness gets a postcard from Stornoway, and so on.
If you’d like to be the one in your town that gets the postcard, just come to a gig (dates here) and ask me. All I ask is that you trust me with your address and post your postcard up on my Facebook page and / or twitter.
The Hills Are Alive
I can probably admit now to a little overconfidence in joining John for his running schedule. 5 miles? Eeeeasy. Up at 7:30am and wearing temporary £15 Tesco walking shoes, I set out into the Welsh countryside with John and Kev. Harry, a keen runner, had objected on moral grounds – “I don’t agree with running in the morning”. It turns out they don’t call it the valleys for nothing – I swear we ran up a vertical incline at one stage.
Walking for the rest of the week wasn’t easy. The hills and valleys in western wales are stunning but my calves were shot to pieces. A problem not made easier by the fact that the cottage floors tended to sweat, making them slippy. If in doubt I turned my inability to walk into a comedy dance.
It’s not a given that you can get everyone together for a week’s rehearsal. We managed one better by de-camping to a cottage on a dairy farm in the countryside. We set up all our gear in the living room by a log fire and spent 3 days learning new songs and tightening up old ones.
It’s really quite a special feeling when we’re all set up properly facing each other (unlike a gig), the sound levels are all perfect, and we’re letting the music really speak. It’s not often that a gig can totally match this epic rehearsal room balance, although the addition of an audience always makes up for that.
It made me wonder if I should set up a rehearsal room-style gig for a special occassion. Maybe in an interesting location? Drop a comment if you’d be up for that.
A quick note about the rare individuals that comprise my band. With each gig that goes under our belt they feel more like brothers. Talented at being musicians, talented at being people.
Besides if I did crave extra company, it’s never far away…
Many Fish To Friday
About 6 months ago I started to pick up whispers of something… and before I knew it sets were being built
and Pablo had come to life, looking all wise and friendly. Melody Wood and James Beck were making a stop-motion animation video for Many Fish To Fry. Totally unprompted from me and with fire in their bellies.
Set a scene, take a photo, make a tiny, subtle change, take photo, tiny change, photo, tiny change… It takes AGES and requires fanatical obsession, the patience of a saint, artistic eyes and understanding friends.
Fast forward to now and all 5 minutes of the video is finished. I think a celebration is called for!
On Thursday 8th September there will be an extremely special MFTF screening night and gig at Melody’s own night of live music, For The Love Of Folk at Indy Jax in Hemel Hempstead. I’ll be bringing a projector, a guitar and a band, and there’ll also be performances from two of the most respected singing writers around, Emily And The Woods and Gary Dunne. Can you come?
If you can’t you wont have long to wait… I have declared Friday 9th September ‘Many Fish To Friday’. The video will be launched on YouTube in a flurry of re-posting and hashtags. Will you help share it?