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Monday 23 February 2015

People's Park Tavern

The gig at the People's Park Tavern that was due to happen on Tuesday 3rd March won't be happening.

They've had a change of management and are super busy dealing with all sorts of things so we won't be playing there for the moment.

Perhaps the new manager will want to have us.

I'm still looking for venues to play regular gigs in near my very cool new locality.

Watch this space.

Thursday 12 February 2015

What's happening

1) I can't log in to my website to update it. Don't know why.


2) Tonight I'm going - at M'Lady Angelika's behest - to visit The Loughton Folk Club . And I might even sing a song if Jim lets me.


3) I'll be playing at The People's Park Tavern on Tuesday 3rd March in duo form with Leigh Trowbridge III of that ilk. If John likes us - or even if he doesn't but his regulars do and therefore turn out to listen - I'm hoping that this might develop into a monthly or fortnightly gig.


It'll be fun because it'll be me and the Trow doing our Hopper/Trowbridge thing. You know, two guitars, two voices, maybe the odd egg and mandolin... We recorded our first CD, What's A Boy To Do? in 2005. Ten flippin' years ago. Heck. We might even sing the odd cover or two at the end of the evening.


4) The Annual Fans' Gig will take place as ever in Bromley . From 8.30, be there or be square.


5) I will be playing in Kernen in Germany.


Once upon a time I played the Wee Folk Club in Edinburgh and Paddy Bort (see earlier postings) offered me the chance to play at the Phoenix Folk Club in Lauffen in the Neckar valley near Stuttgart. This lead to me meeting Norma Huss of the folk band Clarsach . She introduced me to Paule Zeyner of the same band and three of us have played together more than once since then. Now Uschi, Paule's wife, has booked me the gig in a wine cellar in Kernen.


That's how it goes. I love being a muso.

Tuesday 3 February 2015

I've been on the move...

You see, when I left my apartment to travel to Gothenburg, I was also leaving my apartment for good.


I've moved from my home of 14 years to live in east London. Funky, ethnically mixed, creative, historic, trendy, poor, dirty, exciting, arty, youthful east London. You can peruse it here.


In the meantime I've spent some time sojourning, in-between-dwellings, with m'lady Angelika (thanks A) and then moved into my new place near Cambridge Heath station just south of the Regent's Canal near Victoria Park and just 20 minutes from Oxford Circus. It's cool, that's what it is.


Since then I've been busy moving in, organising, changing addresses, hosting house-warming dinners... you know, those things you do when you move: finding a doctor, finding a safe place to park my motorcycle, finding a good butcher, a fishmonger, a bakery, a decent grocers...


What I haven't had time for (it always gets left 'til last) is this blog, booking gigs, writing songs and such. But I have played a couple of times.


GERMANY
I played at the wonderful Phoenix Folk Club in Lauffen (near Stuttgart) and, that same weekend, the very charming Winnenden Folk Club run by Walter Erhardt and friends. Two great nights, two great events. Two warm and welcoming audiences. Paule Zehyer and Norma Huss of Clarsach were, once again, my accomplished accompanists - thanks as ever to them.


SCOTLAND
I played at one of my favourite places, The Wee Folk Club as guest of the magnificently bearded Paddy Bort and, while I was north of the border, popped in to do a session for Celtic Music Radio and Alan Burke as part of the Celtic Connections Festival Fringe (as I've just dubbed it). My cuz, Ian helped me out with that one - you know, shook an egg, sang a harmony. (In fact I was back up in Glasgow the following weekend with Trowbridge and McFarlane playing for CMR again in a different guise!)


So, for the future; there are interesting things on the horizon. There's the Fans' Gig in Bromley on 7th March, another gig in Germany on 13th of the same month and I'm looking for a venue to play a regular bar/café gig near where I'm living. Any ideas?