Circular Music @ The Fiddlers Elbow, Walden Road, Kentish Town NW5

Saturdelic @ Project 142 142 Lea bridge rd,Clapton, Hackney,LondonE5 9RB

Hosted by Joeseph Synergy and uniteddiversity, this was a celebration of the emerging consensus towards peace, sustainablity and responsiblity. Joe Driscoll, The Pistachios, The Rub, United Vibrations, Jamie Woon, Sarah Bear and I shared the stage, with info stalls/NGOs and the Sattva Cafe for refreshments. There was a showing of the movie "the revolution will not be televised' which showed how news manipulation was used to attempt to underrmine Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. On the stage we all had a fantastic time. Sarah Bear opened up with a few songs, accompanied by a double bass player ... sweet and potent stuff indeed. Sarah's voice is superb and her grasp of reality, combined with her way with words makes for a powerful statement of intent. Jasper Hardhat, renowned impro poet, handled the intro/outro routines for the night. It was my turn, and I really enjoyed myself. I sang the geldof song, and was explaining the background, when one of the audience spoke out, saying Iwas being too hard on Bob, and too hard on the education system. We had a breif discussion, which we had to curtail (the show must go on ...) and I agreed to chat to her about it, but sadly I forgot to do that. I finished with Irish Mist, and was loudly cheered! Thanks to all of you who listened and gave me such a lovely reception!

There was more to follow, with Libra, who sang one song, Followed by Jamie Woon (always so beautifully soulsful!) and then DJ Rubbish, who lifted the show up a notch in preparation for the Pistachios, a funk/reggae crew of talent, humour and fine, flowing beats. The crowd wer ewell up by this stage and much hip grinding and bouncing was the order of the day. Joe Driscoll followed, and that one man, a guiutar and a loop-station could do so much just made the hight really hit the highest notes. Joe is an unbelievable performer, and he raised the room even higher. Fantastic. I especially loived his tune, 'music is my medicine'.... and then .... in rolled United Vibrations and the Rub, and oh my god, just when ya though it couldn't get better - it did! After the show, there was much jammin' with Sarah Bear, The Rub and myself untill 8am!........................ goto top

Hosted by Pony of Small World Solar Stage, this weekily open-mic was once again a wonderful evening of acoustic bliss, power folk, poetry and social activism. Jessica, Saint Angel, poets Jasper Hardhat and Tansi, Nicloe, Graham, Olivia Fenley, Queitus Jo, Lizzy, Ashiron, Samantha Marais and Amie (dancer!) all performed. WoW! You'd have had to have been there ... it was that good! I am thrilled and much encouraged at the qualityand breadth of performerance, and the pin-dropf listening that occurs at this weekily event. Nest week will see Lou Noble from cardiff, and a host of other really fine performers, as it will be Ponys last official night, after which I iwll tkae up responsibility for bookings. You Know where to find me.

East Oxford Community Centre is a wonderful place, full of colour, humour and lovely people. The Catweazle Club happens here every thursday night. An intimate and magical space for musicians, singers, poets, storytellers and performance artists of every imaginable hue, who grace the stage every Thursday night. A chance to sit, to listen, to connect, to inspire and to be inspired …been running in various venues for 11 yeares! .... I got there in good time, a to a room warm with people and chatter.The stage was very beautifully laid out with no PA, and the lighting was on the backdrop, rather than the artistes, a nice touch!

I was due to go on last, with three songs to perform, so I sat back, sipped on a pint Charlie kindly bought for me, and listened to singers and poets from Oxford and with each performer the show explored the passioned feelings and articulations, each building on the mext, with the theme of sring and renewal very much in evidence. Signs of hope, memories of ancient wisdoms.... by the time it came to my set, I was in a great mood, and I played POV, the Geldof song and We are all Family (WalF).... I am going to abrrreviate my songs when referring to them in this blogette. he he he

I realy enjoyed this event, and it is the first 'real' session I have played - I believe the traditional hgh stage to be an unnatural, authoritarian sensitising experience.

Catweazle's was a great event to be part of, and an insight into the power and value of small, unamplified events. Perfect full-moon fare!

The show wass a comedy about two friends who become trapped in an off-license after a worldwide collapse of all the saturated atmospheric carbon occurs leaving the planet burried under 11 foot of coal and soot.

The play is aimed at tackling big oil and TD are taking it up to Edinburgh this year. the show itself is only 45 mins long. And it rocked, full of quick-fire humour, pathos, sex with food, Alngela Routledge and moments of pure emotion. Great show!

I performed with Artur Dychinski, and Sarah Bear as complimentary entertainment. It was so much fun! Arthur was fantastic, lovely voice, great songs. And I jammed with Sarahbear so we had a ball! The sound was fine onstage too. Lovely. Big up to the Ramprtonians for hosting this event! Don't miss it if you intend being at Edinburgh!

Wupadupa Artistes songs with vast strings, in a church, bootiful!! It was in aid of Friends of The Earth, and much work went into the preparation. Scores for an Orchestra of 20 or so musicians to accompany 18 songs. Loads of chairs, cakes, leads and microphones. The day started for Matt at early AM, I arrived at 2pm .... we all had a quick run through our songs, Phil Dale and the orhcestra worked really hard for 5 hours in the prep. on the day. Mark ran around plugging in microphones, lights and various techie leads. ...... we were all really nervous .... well i was anyway! lol!

The gig itself was pure magic, Jono McCleery had the 'pleasure of opening the show, and did us all proud! Followed bythe elegant and ethereal voice of Miicala of PinknRuby, then the incomparable and beautiful Cate Ferris, after which Rodney Paradox recited his poems "love you ... if" and "The premanance of impermanence" , Myself with a highly imporvised "peace of Mind", and befort the half time a gorgeous set from Phil from Nun of The Above, and then the break for cake - what a sight to see 100 people or more devour the wupadupa cake stockpile, mmmmmmmmm. and the fine cups of tea that went with them ....

Part two commenced with Amrit Sond and a beautiful dance performance from Carly Best, followed by the exquiaite voice of Beth Parry ,then a really powered up set by Nigel Sugardrum, Phil Dales song "spring song" sung by Steve James, Steve James on his own track, then Bird Bones with Martha Tilston to finish......... maga maga maga! The gig was recorded and video'd....... all in all an amazing experience. Kindest thanks to the folk of the Parsih Church for enabling this incredible experience. and to the audience who cheered us on all the way. You mades us all feel so wonderfull.

Unity Rocks is an event hosted by Muddy Promotions, a not-for-profit arts organisation. This regular night was the debut full set for me in Peterborough, and I was delighted to enter the venue to see a full scale jam going on in the bar, before the gig actually started - these people really like to play! I joined in for a while on electric guitar .... oh what fun!

I was called to the stage, and played a fine set again, going quite deep into the political stuff. No worries here, for everyone was up for it! Most encouraging. I finisehed with Irish Mists, to a thunderous applause. I look forward to my return to Peterbourough and Muddy Promotions.

Played here last year, and engineered 22 bands, had a great time with a beautifull crowd. This time around the weather was better, and everything went to schedule. I was engineering, and had two helperes Chris and Rich from the Sage in Newcastle, who made my task really easy! (i had engineered and stage managed 22 bands the previous year by myself!)

This year my friends PinknRuby and Andy Shades were on the Sunday stage, and we all had great sets, and played to enthusiastic crowds, sprawled out on the graas in warm sunshine. My favoutites were Oran and Bodiddlysquat, The Woods, The Geussmen and Myrtle Turtle and the woderful poet and voice of reason JohnnySolstice. It was a real pleasure to meet these people and to hear their music and words, to feel their passion. And a great way to cpmplete the first mini tour of the summer!

launch gig & oil-free cabaret at the 491 (benefit for the Camp for Climate Action), hosted by London Rising Tide. The launch night is followed by a week of films, workshops & interactions with the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery.. I arrived well early to help out with engineering and there was pictures ans scupltures all over the place. 491 had had a paint job. White walls every where! Not much on the walls as yet! Oh Dear!. Well we tore into the work that had to be done, and by 8pm all was ready and the peoplestarted to arrive. In all more than a hundred people came out to celebrate art, truth and to hear some fine music, poetry, comedy and to connect. We had a Perrier Award winning comic, he was funny and interacted with a wee child, Claire was our compere for the evening. She recited some poetry, passionate and clearly active lyrics, very inspiring. Libra sang for us, acapella, then Mark one of the Organisers sang his version of a well known song. I sang, to a great reception, follwed by Sarah bear and Friends, followed by The Rub, and then a DJ mc duo from Califirnia, bigging up the connections and giving us an insight to the fear, which is quite prevelant in the US, of the Government and the neo-cons.

The night was an astounding success, the gallery was full of people, art and activism all in celebration of the people we are, world-wide. Top stuff!

Another offering from the Eartheart maestro, Sunbird, in collaboration with many of the best green festy people in the UK, to celebrate the sumeer solstice in fine style. I played Small World (3), Triban (2), Ogham Tree (2) and Bimble Inn (1) and took part in a few choice jams. The rest of the time I was engineering and stage managing at small world, which became a little world in it's own. Great shows from Three Daft Monkeys, the Bindoo Babba's, Martha Tilston, Jamie Woon and many others!

The big stage in the main arena was a bit of an anomoly, ( that's a subjective perception of mine own )though many top bands performed .... and some who did not, performed elsewhere within the festival. All in all a great week, with good weather, fine pople and great sunrise - thanks to my neighbour Colin, I got to see ALL of the sunrises over the week! lol! I hear the festival lost money ...... if so, I hope they find a way to keep up the good work, and do it again next year.

Muddy Promotions is an umbrella organisation that empowers and supports arts based groups and individuals by providing a physical and mental space for creative growth. The organisation is focusing on the promotion and development of social and environmental awareness through the arts, education and regeneration of the local community and neighbourhood, by encouraging a positive, diverse, culturally inclusive and cohesive community of likeminded groups and individuals .... so .......... three days in a field with some of the most inspiring and inspired as welll as extremely tired people is as good a tonic for the spirit as any.... grassroots was gentle, and the entire camp were pretty much aware of the camp as their home and treated it accordingly.

With such energy, the music at the festival became a constant delight, the only exception being the late sunday afternoon ragged soundsystem approach to programming music ....... mmm

Apart from what is a subjective comment, it was a heartwarming experience, with loads of good music in a field, good weather and happy people ...the Troubadour Tent was co-ordinated by Ian's solar powered system, and hosted by James Chadwick and Phil and Steve of HopeStreet music (based in Cambridge) and it had the feel of a gentle and deep family event, a community feel at the core of the gathering... I played a short set on saturday, and another longer one on sunday after the football, both gigs were lovely, really fine. and I also engineered on the Grassroots Stage.. I had a load of fun with Shaggy, Ben, Rich, Larry and Paul (I hope I have the names right!??) and big up to Greg, and Andy from Tarantism who tuned the system at different stages of the weekend, the sound was great as a result! Fave band were silverspace. Special Mention goes out to Mooney and the 12 nuttters who set up camp on an empty field on Monday 19th....... well done, ladies and gentlemen, well done! Moony you're a rocker!

and for more photgraphic evidence of the joy experienced, look no further than here the blogspot of Mike Da Hat ...... he's also a good read as well!

I love these people! Chilled, eclectic and ever so friendly, Eden Sounds has a fine reputation for family style events, great music and perfect cups of tea, and I enjoyed one of the most chilled out sundays I have had in London, for a long, long time. Makota played before me, it was their forst gig together and they were so relaxed about it all, though they did say the were a little nervous. The finished their set with a cover version of Martha Tilstons "Good World" which I had heard for the first time at The Bimble Inn during Sunrise Festival (see above). Look out for these guys their music is great!

I enjoyed my set, and performed to a set list for the first time in ages, and was pleased that it worked - I started off sweet, then after 5 songs went into political rant mode and then back to ballads to finish with Irish Mist, my guitar instrumental bashitup number. I had to rush off quickly after myset to catch the last trains home ...... so didn't get to say goodbye to all the lovelies there.... Thanks to you all for the support and encouragement.

Another open mic I had been meaning to attend for some time ...... and wow! it was a surprisingly fine evening - spares on crowds, replete with quality. I also bumped into Olivia Flenley whom I had met at Synergy Tuesday in the Spring, which was cool. Rick Kureck from the US of A, California local was a delight ..... he had a loop-station and a didge and did some pretty psycehdelic stuff wiv it all, as well as being quite a fine singer and having a great stage presence.

The open mic is now on the first monday of every month, with selected showcases for artists ont he other three mondays ........ the venue looks good, there's a good stage and sound and the crew are friendly as!

Hosted by my friend Owlsworld, on the outskirts of London this was a revelation, a wonderful evening of music and people. The stars of the night were .......everyone there ........ I was given a great reception, and plenty of good cheers to encourage me. Special mention goes out to The BoBs, a fine rock-ska crew who thundered through their set at the end of the night and had everyone roaring for more! more! more! Chack 'em out, especially foir the interplay between drums/bass and gutar/flute ..... delicious!

And big up to Barry, Darren and Ryan who I met and chatted with - you are right on! I will be back when the summer touring is finished, for more of your company and energy!

St. leonards held it's first Arts festival on the Saturday and plenty people turned up for the day. Warm and sunny, I arived at the Rooms around 4pm and th emusic was in full swing .... a lovely vibe permeated, and some fine music, esepecially Red Deisil and Colonel Mustard, was performed, all for free, on the stage of the rooms.

It was a wcked night, and I played a few slightly, seriously tipsy songs and jammed with the lovely Daisy and Kate (Bones of Contention) .... much, much fun it was indeed, D & E are stunning performers, with the contrast between their voices and styles a contrast of two superb voices, two unique styles and a core philosophy that co-herently comes across in the sets...... bardic, truthfull and very much needed....... it was a privilage to play with these dudes....

....... I stayed over to see and hear a bit more about the rooms ... it's a social enterprise, not-for-profit music cafe which is designed to become a self-sustaining resource for the communities of St. Leonards, and a place where bridges can be built, as we move into more sustainable culture in our living practies. Concieved by Rob and Carol Sands, it's been in operation for a year, and so far, so good...... with a great potential future to explore the meaning of and evolve a different exchange economy than the current wealth creation model, it will be an creative time for The Rooms, and for St. Leonards......... The rooms hosts musicians from the local area three nights of the week and provide space for other uses, such as a kids-cinema, a knitting club, rehearsal rooms ....all providing much needed space for people to meet and socialise.

I played a few songs in the evening, as we sat around a few tables in the cafe, three of us, Keith, Nathan and myself, and we played our songs back to back with chatter and shared insights interspersed. It was a fine way to share the music, so thanks to Laura for making it all possible..

I look forward to returning to the rooms.

Global Village Peace Gathering is all about getting together and enjoying some great music, chilling out in beautiful surroundings, and getting involved in all sorts of creative fun! Following on from a great success with their first Gathering last year, was once again a delight, for the heart, the ear and the eyes! . There wasthree music stages: Main Stage, Acoustic/Open-Mic "The Island" Stage,(where I performed) and the One World Stage. PinknRuby, who are dear friends, played on the mainstage after The Bays, and another good friend, Carrie Tree performed on the Saturday afternoon. Both delivered wonderful sets, to the delight of the audience!

Bands I saw or heard : Mothers against Guns, Slim-line Papa's, Balkan Express, The Bays, Jack Broadbent, Andy Shades, Jamsons Nook, Graham Freestone, Dr. Badfunk, ...... I even had my first ever freshwater swim! GVPG was a delightfull and for me relaxed experience. So big respect to Zak, Sam, Ben and Norma and all the crews for their sterling efforts and their good humour over as fine a weekend as one could imagine. Peace!

A great evening of inspiring film, inspiring music, a few tears and a lovely crowd of people, to support the DA creative collective, to launch the Sunday Sounds CD and to Premiere Micheal Franti's: "I know I am not Alone"..

The movie was the second of two vitally important movies I had seen this weekend, the other being "Guantanamo 3" ..... both movies describe the reality, on the ground, for those cuaght up in the US/UK war on Terror and blow apart the spin, lies and justifications for the war on terror as it is being carried out. Moving, honest and compassionate, the movies tell the personal stories of people, real people and do not take sides, but look at the heart rending hardships inflicted upon innocent people.

I was greatfull that we had music to mitigate the impact these movies had upon me. The night started off with Daisy .... beauty, passion and great lytics in such s sunny human being, followed by The Rub whose talent is immense as is his committment to peaceful activism .... I played next, performing Peace of MInd, Government Hates and We are all Family with many voices joining in - and that experience lifted my soul..... Sarah Bear and Josh followed, then Jamie Woon who had just performed his first completely loopstationed gig the night before - he was magnificent! Venus, from Ireland then sang in the 'saen nos' (old way) of Irish ancients ... and at that point it was 11.20 and I had to leave to catch my last train home.............. missing hours of more music from Shingai, Excentral Tempest, Xander and the jam.......

One of the finest sites for a Festie festival in Europe, an eclectic mix of dance music, chill, acoustic stages, mountai views,, forests and more sunshine than you could shout at!It did what it said on the flyer, and my lack of expectations, as I was venturing into new pastures, was well served. I flew to Vallalodid, where a coach picked up our party of muso's, djs, vjs and friends. A two hour journy north took us into the foothills of a range of mouontains north-east of Leon. The festie was up a mountain track, from a small town called Bonar, which boasted 30 bars, a variety of shops, cafes and a huge out-door swimming pool.

We were greeted by Tim, who was delighted to see us all, and we carried our packs up a mountain trail to the campsite gasping under the weight of our packs in the heat and the sheer beauty unfolding before our eyes.. I was fortunate to find a spot with shade well into the morning, next door to Sean, from Berlin, and his friends from all over Europe who wee crewing for the festival. A lovely bunch, many languages, one heart! Respect to the shit-pit diggers, whose loos withstood the rigours of a week-long event.

The wooden round-pole stage was set on a meadow overlooking a series of valleys with a forested mountain for a backdrop...the PA comprised 7 stacks of OHM speakerage arranged in a cirdle. My gig on the Saturday was great fun, and in spite of the festival drawing only a small crowd of 100 or so people, there were many listeners as the music floated out over the entire site, and was the frist acoustic show on the main stage after 24 hours of dance music. I loved the experience, and the crew were very enthuisiastic. I gave out 10 or more cds to people whom I spoke with.

The best thing about the whole event for me was the way I could connect with other people with no shared language, just by gesture and feeling...... other things the food was excellent, the coffee superb, the sound was top notch! Martha Tilstons set was really good ..... I will be looking forward to this one again next year! Well done Tim and Fae, Sean, John and all the crew who put on waht was for me, the highlight of my summer season!

One of the finest green festivals in Europe, an eclectic mix of activism, entertainment. permaculture and sustainablity. I thought I might be be performing at the green forum on one afternoonthough in the end I played at Henrys Beard on Friday at 12 noon. I started with a few people sitting down to breakfast, and ended up with a crowd of 200 or more. I really enjoyed the sound and the vibe. The HB crew weree ver so friendly and helpfull at that early hour, and i felt quite relxed as I started my set. It all went very well, and I gave out 7 cds at the end of the set. Thanks to all the people who came to that gig - I feel so encouraged by your support.

I also played at EarthHeart (wedensday). The Small World (thurrsday), The Ogham Tree (every day), The Bedouin (saturday), Bimble Inn (sunday) and had many great chats about the music, and the points my songs raise and my philosophy - all very rewarding and inspiring.

I had heard of Thimbleberry a few years ago when I took part in the Newcastle Community Green Festival, And it was a last minute arrangement, made by my friend NIcola and Andy Shades that created the oppurtunity to partake of this event. Unusually for me it was a hit and run job, we arrived on-site at about 8.30 and were off site by oh, 3am)

I played after Andy Shades, who put on a top performance, full of life that really engaged the audience.... my set was fun, I felt it sounded fine, and the people wnet with me whne I sang a few quite songs - Keep on Moving was memorable for that...... a great night, in a field on a hill, with lovely people - like Oran and his crew, and the band Bo-Diddly Sqaut - may oh my what fine music - psycho-billy reggae ..... and The Wax Jackets - fine jazz funk-rock.....

Andy Shades was here to take part in a the Lincoln Songwriters Competition, at the Farm, Skegness. I was in his company as part of a trip up north. The Farm was a collection of buildings in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere, and turnd out to be a few minutes walk from the beach, and a short drive to to Skegness itself.

The 'competition' or more properly 'celebration' was great fun, the artisites all incomparable, the compere pitching a total lack of hype, which worked to mitigate the concept of 'competition', all the singers were obviously talented and glad to be there. I also met Graham Freestone, whom I had seen at The Global Village Peace Gathering (see above) and was delighted to be able to hum along with both his tunes. In the end, Andy Shades was selected as the 'winner'. My fave was the woman who sang her second song as an Acapella now -THAT was beautiful!

After the Comp I did a set, and enjoyed that muchly.........Andy Shades played sax, and Helen a little bit of congas......... The Farm is possibly closing down as an independent music venue. This is sad news for people in North East Lincoilnshire and further afield, as The Farm has been hosting top music for the past three years, they have a great venue, perfect for the job, with even an outdoor stage, camping and of course plenty of room!

Next morning of to Huddersfield, where I took part in a mini-festival, a collection of Acoustic performers on stage throughout sunday afternoon and into sunday night at Bar Amour in association with Bar 1 Twentyand Huddersfield Music Scene. I was made to feel very wlecome, and as I sat an watched Andy Shades and Ed, again, i was able to recover my voice from the events of the night before by quaffing a few pints of water and some red wine .... enjoyed Andys set, made even more so by Eds violin playin'. When it came to my turn I worked up quite sweat on-stage.I waa well happy with that - .the only question being .. when can I come back to play there?

I preformed at Callaghans bar, supporting Planetman and The Internationals and the livliest ska band ever, Tattsyrup.... Planetman sings of unity, peace, community and responsibility, plays the funkiest, chunkiest psychedelic guitar, Lorenzo feeds the bass, Craig brings meoldy to rythym and Charley, he plays a fine trumpet... check out their tunes on myspace! "Demonstration" is really good, and they also play stunning drum and bass - alive, alive-o!

We had quite a night of it, my set was strong, and I had the pleasure of watching a few people dance to the geldof song, people whom one might have erroneously assumed would not do so...... good on yer!...................................................... goto top

the Buffalo bar is an open mic event, it's friendly, cool and the guinnes is top-notch! however I couldn't face any more guinness after 4 night son the trot quaffing the black and cream nectar..... so I had some house wine, which turned out to be very, very nice indeed.

As ever a lovely crowd of people turned up, some to play, more to listen and chat. The sound was very good for my set, and I played a roaring 4 songs - Cup of tea, Family, Round and Round, and Irish MIst. Lou Noble sang with me for the middle two, her sweetly evocative vioce adding a few sublime dimensions to the songs.... Planetman and The Internationalz played after me .... and rocked the house big time, really big time. These guys are trule awesome - check 'em out at www.planetman.net or www.myspace.com/planet7

Way Hey! This was the first birthday of this wonderful event, and I had been asked to perform 5 songs...... it was afantastic night, very well attended indeed, with lots of familiar faces and warm vibes. I opened the proceedings with "perfect cup of Tea", "Family" and "Geldof" ...... I was scheduuled to perform again later though there were so many artists to perform that by the time my carriage was due, I still was waiting to play....... oh dear! I legged it as Harmony was performing having seen Rob the Rub, Maya, Jasper, Jacqui, Bob and Ash perform.......... i believe the event went on all night to much cheering and gleefully anarchic banter.....

This was an exciting oppurtunity for me to perform to an audience who, it turned out, would not be my normal audience of nee'er do-wells, activists and hippies! The Brunswick is a lovely old style pub, and the staff there treated me very well. Te PA was an old 80's Peavey Electronic HIgh-frequency PA and sounded sweet as! Warm like it ought to be.

I started at 9pm and finishe about 10.40 and played the best of my repetoire to a receptive and attentive audience, who had no idea that the Fringe Festival was in full swing in front of them. Nonetheless I saw many smiles and a few quizical looks too as I rampaged my way through "I don't like Geldof", "Government Hates you", "Remember", "We are going to war, pay your taxes", "Olympics", "Arthut MacBride", as well as beauties like "cup of tea", "family", "Keep on moving on", "Irish Mist", "unity Dance" and "Ride on".... I was complimented on the thoughful nature of my songs by a few of the older punters present and indeed, given that it was the usual weds. night crowd rather than a 'fringe' crowd I was well pleased with the overal reaction. I hope the feedback to the festival organisers relects my experience!

The Amnesty Freedom Festival takes place every year at the Grey Horse, and has been organised by the Wupadupa Collective in Kingston.. Three days of music, activism, cakes and laughter.... quite serious stuff! I will be playing on the Friday in The Ram Jam Club with Carrie Tree, Nathan, Jagtar and Cassi...which i did and it were lovely.

9:23 PM - recent experience of bliss!
Current mood: creative

This weekend I had the joyful experience of protest celebration curtesy of Wupadupa and Amnesty Kingston..s Freedom Festival ..... three days of music, voice, instrumentals and cake at the Grey Horse on Richmond Road and St. Mary..s Parish Church. Kingston..... in supprt of Amnesty Internationals work.

I played on the Small World Acoustic Friday night session in The Ram Jam Club, a warm, intimate and smoke free music cafe and really enjoyed the set, and the discussion that erupted in the middle of it. A very good question to ask : ..What can one do to make change happen, now?.. was asked.

On reflection I ought to reply to such questions ..well, you have to work that out yourself, in your own terms, from your own standpoint... Act locally, think globally.....

The night started offf with Cassi, a vocal loopist, poet and singer.... passionate, inventive and engaging to watch Cassi crafts soundscapes that one wants to dance to, sings truthfull lyrics.........Cassi was followed by Jagtar, who played guitar and sang .. his resonant voice lilting high and low, his guitaring exquisite, fluent and drawing inspration as he was spanning different cultures. A feature of his guitar was that the fret spaces under the high E string had been scalloped in the fashion of a sitar, thus adding a dimension he delightedly exploited. Wonderful!

I played, and then it was Nathan of Ballinsky Project and NayFumble fame. What a show! Passionate and vibrant Nathan was in great form, and sang like a lark with a deep and penetrating set of songs that fully echoed the political insights this night is celebrating. His guitar sound was fine, and his butterfly fingers blurred out melodies and rythms, a rainbow of sound......

Finally it was Carrie Tree..s set and Phil Dale playing Bassoon sat in with her..... Carrie was on top form, and sang beautifully .... Carrie creates such a sense of intimacy and warm honesty and as the room filled with the spirit, our smiles deeepened and we relaxed into the beauty of Carrie and Phils spot-on basson counterpointing and melodies...... the room screamed for more when we had passed the close time, and luckily the proprietor allowed a further song.... and still they called for more....... to which Carrie said .. ..Tomorrow, at the Church!......

And the Church! Oh dear oh dear! I must say I enjoyed this event from start to finish,,, say 1.30pm to 12.00 midnight....... setting up, watching the rehearsals, opening, the show, the close, breaking down and home to a few chats and drinks........ all of it one seamless whole, from my point of view.

I can only say that there is no way to creditibly describe the WupaDupa String Thingy and the feelings that that event inspires. In short, 15 singer songwriters whose genres range from folk singer to indie to world music to funk, backed by an Orchestral String Section .. Double Bass, Cello, Viola, Violin, Percussion, Piano - 30 musicians in all! The Ochestra and singers rehearse during the afternoon and the whole show is presented that very evening! A busy day, especially for the sound crew and the conductor and the orchestra.

I had a great time singing Peace Of Mind again, and of discovering a new way ot sing it in response to the ochestra .. it the best possible launch pad for an improvisation ... the launch button pressed and my fellow signanaut, Cate Ferris and I sign-walked, actually flew and danced through the song. Whilst we were singing there was only the song, only the music all else was as nothing..... by the time the song ended I was slightly surprised to find myself in front of an audience..... there was an innocence about the string thingy, felt by all.

We were all really excited, and so loved this event that we all wanted to repeat it again! And happily it did raise more money for Amnesty International Kingston Branch, who are spearheading the campaign to free Bishir AL-Rawi, a local businessman, who is being held hostage by the US government in Guantanamo Bay. They need all the help they can get to continue to work to free Bishir.

......with Planetman and the Internationals, Lena Cullen Band, I Jah Mo, Daisy and more ....... oh yes, this was a really fine evening/morning of music and good conversations ...... I started the hight off, though I got a muted response (people were just in, chatting etc.... so that's normal) and then Daisy sang four songs and really started the night off! Wow! Cheers rose after every song she sang that riased the roof! The girl is anatural star!

Lena Cullen was next, and was also quite special - truely gorgeous vocals whilst she played not one but two keyboards, coverning melody, rthym and bass with both hands - funky, and great music to dance to.....

One Jah, who followed, was a revelation to me, I had seen him last time performing as an acoustic solo artist and his voice and passion came across then, yet with the band with him he became a giant of the heart, a furious flow of passion and love. Wicked!

And then Planetman, as ever, with the Internationalz, roared through a set that encompassed reggae, hip-hop, funk, psychedelic rock and drum and Bass of a serious junglist flava! All of this was knitted together by the selctor, Edwise, all done beautifully. The only mishap of the night was the fact that i repeatedly muted Planetmans MC mike in between the acts! DOH!

This was the grand finale of the Acoustic Alternatives program ..... truely and end of era gig! Naama Hillman, Amrit Sond, myself, Sugardrum, Carrie Tree and Bird Bones (Dann Addison) performed, with Richard Evans opening on his last event at the helm of Acoustiv Alternatives.

It was as fine an evening of music and laughter as one could hope for.

And yet another night that is closing, as the promoter Alistair has other fish to fry and is moving on. Steve Mahoney started the night off with his songs and a few Neil Young covers - though he was unaware of the great work Neil YOungs is doing at present, touring the USA with his Living With War tour, addressing the concerns of millions of us who abhor the wars the US and th eUK are currently waging.

I followed, and was warmly received, as I opened with peace of mind, cup of tea, family before launching into government hates ....... at which point a wonderful heckler started up, and in support of what I was saying too! He really energised me, and his support carried on throuhgout he set.

Nightshade, a duo, with much fingerpicking and sweet, sweet harmonies followed on from my set, a blam for the troubled soul........... and finally Rick Kureck closed the show. Rick comes from California, his sunshine kissed songs sweet and beautiful. He has a lovely voice to listen to, and plays with passion. Though I was not too keen on the 'love songs' - too many babies, needs, etc.................................. goto top

Wow! What a stunning evening, put on my the Glas Onion Community Arts Centre! My return fi=ound the crew well grounded into their work for the community, making connections with many people locally that will bring much needed interaction to Peterborough. The Glass Onion is fully volunteer staffed project, offering Arts facilities, workshops and a quiet place to have a cuppa during the day.

On the night Sam Beer, myself, Sarah Bear, Piper, Junior all played to a at times noisy audience.

The highlight for me was the address by Amanda, a Peterborough peace worker. It took a whiule to galvanise the room into listening to her crucial message. It drew a wave of passion from my heart, which led to a slight misunderstanding and to the great line "Do not mistake my passion for anger!!"

Yet again, a beautiful evening, the music was absolutely top flight all the way through, starting with Sam Beer, who mercifully had a quiet audience, and thrived accordingly. I had spent some time with Sam overnight and throughout the day, and I am impressed by the man. Warm, intelligent, quick witted and adoringly generous ....... and his songs, his fine voice and guitar playing was magical, we were all absolutely enthralled.

Local rock band Wake carried on after Sam, to a slightly underpopulated room, though that did deter them from a passionate and grooved out set! Sarah Bear then took the stage, and I sat in with her on guitar. Sarha had been struggling with a flu so was underpar ..... yet stilled the room, and filled it with sweetness and strength. I really enjoyed playing to her spongs - a privilege indeed for me.

I followed, and drew upon all the good feelings gathered during the previous 24 hours to produce a good set. njoyed it I did!!

Flipron played next, and my goodness, what a stunning gig, utterly beautiful musicianship, really sound lyrics and songs and a great sense of humour....... if you see them advertise locally, GO AND SEE THEM!

The same could be said for Joe Driscoll, that one-mand band with a method, a passion and a delivery that is exciting, grooving and urges one to dance like no-one is watching, freely, happily wildly. Joe is a lovely human being, and a good friend, and is just about to launch his new release - ORIGIN MYTHS - look out for the launch at CARGO, in LOndon on the 29thy of November.

Back again at this lovely venue, a stunning venue set in the hills above Cardiff, with wood walks, yurts, art, sculpture and very fluffy people - an all nighter, with bands, djs, and moi! Oh Yes! A wonderful evening, a family event full of good music, more good music and lots of smiling people.

YOGACHILL, KAPLICK, KILNABOY, AUNT MAUDS FOLLEY, COSMO, DJS BRUNO, LOOKWOOD, RICH AND DILLON ..... AND SOME FINE FIRESIDE SINGING!

I especially enjoyed the late morning acoustic jam set in the yurt - I don't often get to show off my guitar harmonising skills and it was agreat joy for me to do so!!

A saturday afternoon session at the Green Note Cafe, which has been steadily building it's reputation for great food, great music and a wonderful vibe since it's opening last year. This saturday event was hosted by the irrepressible Joan Coffey who had a short film to show in the interval. It was a film amde by a Canadian about his dog, and it very cleverly wove in other aspects of his life, by comparing the look on the dogs face to the look on his familys faces at different times, happy or sorrowful. A really touching film, and a great idea, music and movies, food and wine on a Saturday afternoon, in Camden.

Andy shades played as well,a nd in fact we were the only people on stage! I played some guitar with Andy and that went down really well. The Green Note crew were lovely, the fed and wined us and their really charming rooms are more akin to a living room than a fromal restuarant. I hope to play here again!