What a week! Me and Orson Welles UK Premiere!

Well, tonight I was rehearsing with my bro Mark and and another great musician Roger Goslyn (from Jools Holland Band) in Westminster Abbey! I kid you not!! We're providing music for a theatrical performance in the Abbey this coming Tuesday, the 17th November, called 'Elizabeth Redux'. It's pretty amazing hanging out in Westminster Abbey with my guitar slung across my shoulder.
On my way home (by tube) I changed at Camden Town and saw my first 'Me and Orson Welles' promotional poster. (see photo, with me lookin a bit tire...it was 11:20 pm on Sunday night...).

It's only a few days until the London premiere - my home girls, Tracey and Em, are getting excited - as is your truely!
So, a week to remember on the cards - a performance in Westminster Abbey and the UK premiere of Me and Orson Welles. I'm blessed... and I'm grateful....X

My 'YouTube' Channel!

I've been having fun looking back on bits and pieces of my work - all stuff I found on YouTube - and decided I might as well start my very own 'Channel' with all the different things I've done over the years that have been posted. Hope you enjoy it!

a week of things coming together...with time and c.a.r.e.

this week it felt like a lot of things i've been working on came together... series 3 'live from abbey road' starts tomorrow - with the new title music i wrote and produced! mixed by nick taylor and drums by hugo degenhardt. great guys-:) extremely creative and i love working with them.

but the really cool thing is that i've signed a deal with tom glagow's jazz label, C.A.R.E.  he's a lover of jazz/world/new music. i'm grateful that people like him are still out there... an experienced music business executive who has an opinion that he believes in enought to 'go for it' and get behind a project he loves!
The album will be out in spring 2010 -it's called  'terra cognita'. the music has been a labour of love, something i've been working on in my spare time over the past 3 years - all compositions have been inspired by the nature, the climate change issues we face in our environment, and the healing/spiritual power of earth....
you can hear some tracks on myspace.
it's all good!

my buddy Brent Leung here for RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

a film-maker friend, brent leung,  stayed with me here overnight yesterday evening because his film, the controversial 'HOUSE OF NUMBERS' was being shown at london's RAINDANCE film festival.

we hung out together and went to his film. it was interesting to see the film, especially after reading some of the passionate and sometimes agressive opinions by some of the press - but what was most interesting was that it didn't strike me as denialist (the claim made by many...) - though i could clearly see how a 'true denialist' could use it as 'evidence' to support their ideas.
my feeling about the film was that it highlighted some of the confusion i (and probably many people...) truely feel about how, why and what HIV-AIDS is! it didn't resolve anything particularily, but it carefully went through all the big questions related to the subject...questions which it seemed pretty clear to me (by the reactions of medical experts) don't have straightforward clear cut ansewers and which probably are reassessed often within the field. it sort of reminded me of the reactiion to questions raised about the US polical response/reaction to 911 - as it evolved from an attack by Osama Bin Laden to the 'axis of evil'. being in the usa at the time was wierd....i often felt judged by certain people (republicans usally...) if i questioned the bush administrations agenda - as if it's a betrayal of my country to question the leadership (basically wanting them to be accountable)  and decisions being made...

tracking sessions no. 2 with mary leay @ wincraft studios

what a great session we had with james towler at wincraft! totally beautiful vibe - in the cotswolds, lovely fresh air, no distractions... just into the music. miles bould on drums locked into the vibe perfectly. no click tracks, just instruments/people moving dynamically together. we laid down astrong foundations - 2 days of overdubs start tomorrow! it's shaping up into a classic album...

(left to right: miles bould, mary and me)

ahhh...my new studio, near the heath!

i'm finally settled into my new studio space. it's going to be a nice change from the westend - as much as i enjoyed the energy of central london, i feel like i'm at a point where the focus i want to have is only going to come if i can visit the trees regularily. fresh air - good for the brain!
here's a picture;

moving on...bye bye denmark st.

well, it's been 4 years in denmark st. many wonderful songs have been written (mary -:) and 5 feature film scores worked on (vexille, the heavy, nothing like the holidays, me and orson welles, and forget me not).

it's been a great vibe being in the thick of the urban energy, but i'm at a point where the daily underground ride to tottenham court road - being forced to stand way too close to perfect strangers - is getting to me.
the carbon content in the vicinity is too intense; it's time to move on...