Live from the surface of the moon

October Sessions

2007-10-23T20:21:00.000Z

Well, its been eventful.
The main news is that due to my good friend Andy Ball's commitments to the Spice Girls tour, I have landed the job of looking after Dave Murray's guitars on the Iron Maiden 2008 tour. To say I'm excited is an understatement. It's going to be 8 long weeks away from home, working for one of my favorite bands from way back, and travelling through the world to far flung places on their own private 757. Before all that I have the Marillion Xmas tour to complete, with a set list to die for.
I hope to have some more dates with Carbon / Silicon early next year, which I hope don't clash (sorry!) with the Maiden dates as I really love working with Mick, Tony, Dom and Leo.

Went down to Putney studios last week to look after Francis Dunnery and band ready for his tour this week. It was an education watching them piece together a set over 3 days, and i also got to meet Peter Vitesse who's work with Ian Anderson I have admired for many years.

Gig wise I played with Soul Beaver last week, which was a very last minute call. Their keyboard player bailed out so Rich asked me to play the keyboard parts...on guitar! Despite only a couple of hours rehearsal the day before it was good fun. Kind of Booker T jamming with Thin Lizzy!

JakDog spent an evening in the Racket Club studios putting down two tracks which you can hear on our myspace site now. Gigs have now been put back due to my touring schedule until March / April, but we will try and fit some in beforehand.

Louise started her new job in Bicester this week, which brings her much closer to home and handy for when I'm away. Kids are off on hols this week, so the dog will have company during the daytime for a change!

I spent the last two nights creating two parts of a improvised track called 'Paris/Dakar' ready to send over to my good friend Will from Spingere. My idea is to lay down parts without hearing the original guide track, so I've completed separate guitar and keyboard tracks and Will can add his ideas to form one long composition. If it works we'll do more...maybe even a Cd's worth.

Right...going for a run...

Cols

Yeah...I Know...

2007-09-04T22:06:00.000Z

Been a while!
At least I'm consistent!
So...I shall attempt to sum up the past few months in bullet points only. I'm transferring my internet provider today and it's going swimmingly so far....zzz...

1. Finished 90% of the house.
2. Fired most of my band.
3. Hired most of other peoples bands for my own.
4. Started working for Mick Jones (The Clash) and Tony James (Gen X) looking after some very old guitars. Did a great gig at the Isle of White festival amongst others...
5. Shuffled the Racket Club live room, built a new drum booth and generally made it super sexy for the new album sessions.
5a. Helped get the original Marillion line up back together for one song. Historically it was a golden moment never to be repeated. Musically it was god awful. I laughed my ass off...
6. Did guitars for McFly last weekend. Great fun.
7. Saw Steely Dan, Smashing Pumpkins and due to see Beastie Boys instrumental set at the Roundhouse on Thursday.
8. Ran out of things to write.
9. Told readers to go and download my dear friend Will's new album here .
10. Went to bed.

Our week off...

2007-05-08T21:55:00.000Z

Reporting Back Sir...

2007-05-08T21:18:00.000Z

I don't have a clue what we've been up to since i last posted. I have been away on tour for a week giving Marillion's new guitar tech the lowdown, before scooting off and leaving him to deal with flying Pink Les Paul's and broken amps. He's a top bloke and picked up my tips with just a slight hint of blind panic. Lou came out to the last date in Barcelona and we spend a lovely day together doing things which most normal adults take for granted...Like having coffee in a street cafe and walking around shopping without the children. Since we started our family early on we have rarely had time to spend on our own and it was a nice taste of things to come (once we kick those pesky kids out to fend for themselves!).
Once I got back to work I had forgotten that Lou had booked a cottage in Yorkshire for a week, so we headed north with two out of three kids, plus dog in the back. We were based just outside Whitby and had a nice relaxed week.
We spent this weekend tackling the small unfinished jobs in the living room, as the rain moved in on Monday and stopped any work being done outside.
The band rehearsed at the Racket Club a couple of weeks ago, and we are ready to gig. My new (Vintage) Melancon Telecaster is a dream, but I still need to part with 4 of my other guitars to pay for it! If you are looking to treat yourself let me know and I'll sort you out with one of my babies...how about a nice Tokai Vee Sir?
I have made a promise to myself to read more. Instead of the usual Music Biogs and travel books I'm getting stuck into some classics. I was never interested with books at school and have missed out on many authors which most people have read time and again. My first project is a novel I have often been meaning to purchase for years, but i did not have the slightest clue what it contained...Brighton Rock by Greene. I'm just heading into part two and I'm slightly worried that it could be the greatest book I could ever wish to read. Every single page is like a giant jigsaw puzzle, with each letter carefully placed. Part of me feels disappointed that I did not discover it sooner. Feel free to shout out future suggestions!
I've been listning to Joanna Newsom's cd - Y's and trawling through Bill Graham's huge personal archive at http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/ . Take some time off from You Tube and check them out.

Clearing the decks

2007-03-12T00:10:00.000Z

Far to frantic at work this week. Not enjoyable...but a good day Friday pulled us back on track.

Got stuck into the DIY this weekend. Finished the floor of the conservatory, installed power through the old wall (we now have electricity...eureka!) and even managed to have our Sunday dinner sat at the table. Still have a few things to finish but we are almost there. It's finally usable...

Decided to sell of some guitars as I have my eye on a very nice Gretsch. I hate getting rid of good guitars, but I cannot justify having too many. Four is a good round number and takes up far less space under the stairs!

If you are after a bargain head over to eBay and see all the guitars i will regret selling in the near future!

I have at last taken some pics of the shower room and dog. For those with an interest in such things :o)

Now playing: Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Bark at the moon

2007-03-05T00:11:00.001Z

Busy week all round.

The conservatory is coming along. Laid the underfloor heating and tiles this weekend. The last major job being connecting the electrical supply, but that can wait a little longer. Got woken by the kids at 7am this morning and decided to crack on with the grouting. Slow work but nice sitting in silence with the rain lashing against the glass.

Can't wait to get finished. Louise is starting designing hand made cards and it will be a great space for both her to work, and for me to play guitar a bit more often.

The band is now officially a 5 piece. We have a second guitarist in Paul and it's all systems go. Check out the myspace site for updates and gigs.

Took Amy out for a walk last night just as the lunar eclipse was underway. I had to drag her back in after 5 minutes as she was going mad. Took the telescope into the garden to get a better look. Saturn was lovely and you could see thousands more stars than usual, including the milky way (which is rare...I've only ever seen this once before as light pollution is normally bad in the UK).

By Request...

2007-02-19T22:59:00.000Z

I've been told by some nice people at the Marillion Weekend to update this blog. Well, at least someone reads it!

Where to begin?
Shower room is completed and is a very lovely thing indeed. This means the band can resume...however not before the small matter of finishing the Marillion album and helping run the Marillion Weekend.

The album is the best thing they've done in 10 years. Its not the running order I would have gone with, and some of my absolute favorites have been chosen for the NEXT new album. However, the sound is lush and full, and the songs are epic. Its been in my car for a couple of months and i'm still finding new things within the virtual grooves :o)

The team at Racket have been non stop since...I can't remember!!
I'm just glad that the Marillion Weekend has been and gone. It was a massive gamble and could have gone VERY wrong, but the whole weekend was amazing. The setlists were great, with some choice cover versions. We have the footage of 'Hocus Pocus' and it's the best live Marillion video EVER. The crew were good fun and I really enjoyed looking after the guitars again. I had my trainee Lucy Spencer helping me with H and Pete. They certainly enjoyed having a female looking after their guitars, and if anyone needs a guitar tech you should talk to Lucy. She keeps saying sorry every 2 minutes even when she does nothing wrong, and then apologises for saying sorry too much!! But apart from that shes a true professional AND knows how to get unlimited free beer from the bar staff. Love your work, Spitroast!

I must apologise for everyone who kept asking for requests at the Racket Rock Disco on the Friday night. This was supposed to be a small affair with Lucy J, Stephanie and Myself spinning the wheels of steel. However, by the time I arrived Lucy and Stephanie were flagging (it had been a VERY long day), and after a 'frug' to Down Down by t'Quo they crashed out, leaving me with 2 cds of rock classics. People were being turned away as the room was heaving with air guitar acrobatics of the highest order, and we really did not have enough tunes to cope with the requests. Anyway, I do apologise for telling the drunk french bloke to come back tomorrow and i'll play Metallica. I did not have the heart or energy to explain to him that the following night was a Beatles tribute band...

Next time we'll run the Air Guitar championship over 3 nights...

More house and family updates soon.

Woof

2006-12-12T23:16:00.000Z

This months word children is: Manic.

The conservatory is up and just needs the floor to dry out and a few finishing touches...hopefully by christmas as it will become the dining room.

The downstairs shower room has been gutted. Louise and myself have spent hours with hammer and chisel, tapping away layers of old plasterboard on the former outside wall (now inside...the shower room is part of the extension) so we can look at a nice Claydon red brick whenever we use it. The rear garden looks like a builder’s yard at the moment, complete with old sink, toilet and shower tray...not to mention bags of rubble. I had a plan to lay floor tiles on Sunday morning, but ended up ripping up the floorboards in order to re-fit the plumbing. I eventually put some floor tiles down on Sunday evening after spending the day with my head through the floor. At least i now know what’s down there...

The band have taken a back seat since the aylesbury gig, what with the DIY run up to xmas. We are looking to tame the beast a little as it's becoming out of control, verging on motorhead territory which was never the plan. We have a new second guitarist coming in, and we want to get the vibe a little more Black Crowes / Stones style. I played on Saturday night with a soul band which was great. However, i missed our only chance to rehearse when Louise injured her eye whilst smashing the shower room wall (see above) and we spent 4 hours in oxford eye hospital. Thankfully she’s ok, but it did mean that the only time i got to play through the songs was during the gig! This actually made me play much better than i have done in a while.

The major news is that we now have a new addition to the family. We have a 5 year old Jack Russell called Amy, who has taken over the house. I wish we could have done it sooner as it’s got everyone of their buts and out on walkies. She's great fun and no trouble (unless you are a cat/dog/rabbit/badger/fox/car).

Talking of new additions, much love to Mr and Mrs C who are expecting their first born next year.

Lazy

2006-11-06T22:25:00.000Z

Yes...Very. Sorry!

Just trying to think whats happened since the last blog. Must try and take a leaf out of the mighty Will C's blog regime. Not too keen on the hot soup method though...

So, a-hem. Whats been going on 'ere then? Played a storming gig with Jak Dog in Aylesbury. Lots of friends came, saw, and lost the use of their ears for a week. Holy crap we were loud. My guitar sounded immense. I loved playing with Soul Beaver, but there is nothing like controlling waves of feedback. We are due to run through a bunch of new covers tomorrow night as most of the set has gone. No point having a great band if the songs are the usual suspects.

Had a great Halloween party for Scarlet and Alex's mates in the house. Covered the lounge in fake cobwebs and dunked the kids during apple bobbing. Everyone dressed up, and we blew up the back field with fireworks.
My mate Craig bought his family over on Saturday night. We walked down the hill with torches towards the playing fields and watched the Steeple Claydon firework display. It was fantastic with a huge well planned display. Walked back up the hill and Louise dished out apple crumble and custard. Yummy.

We should have a new conservatory within the next two weeks. The walls and floor are up and ready for the frame. Really looking forward to having the extra space.

Amazing sunset last night. Ran out into the fields with my camera. Another ruined pair of trainers!

Do you want a flake in that?

2006-09-17T22:26:00.000Z

Never seem to have time to blog much these days. The band is taking off now (with a new bass player - Stu was great but it did not work out) and we have gigs booked, and minibuses full of people attending. Blimey!

Cracking on at a rate with the house. I painted the hall and stairs when Lou was away, laid wood flooring in the lounge, and hand-made my first cottage style wooden door today. Really pleased with it, as our doors are not standard sizes and ordering them would cost £250+ per door. God I could make a fortune!

Got free tickets from the lovely Mr H for Robbie Williams on thursday. Took Lou and Scarlet who spent the entire gig screaming 'WE LOVE YOU ROBBIE!!!'. Must say, it was brilliant. The stage was unreal. HD video screens were amazing...so clear even from the back of the MK Bowl.

The best bit was the encore. Robbie had spotted an ice cream van just before the end of the main set, and he appeared standing at the very top of the stage (VERY high...the stage, not him) with two '99' cones in his hand. He had the look of complete satisfaction as he rammed the whole thing into his face and then sang 'Let me entertain you'! Class...!

The man has 325,000 people attending the Milton Keynes gigs, millions of cd's sold across the globe, one of the best productions out on the road, but it's the joy of having 2 ICE CREAMS which is priceless!

wooooooooooooooo

2006-08-19T23:35:00.001Z

My ears are ringing.

The band rehearsed this afternoon (sat) with Stuart on bass. Sounded fantastic. A big slab of sound. Run through about 10 songs, most of which were the first attempts. Gave Radar Love a go and nailed it first attempt. Big smiles all round. I still need to work on my solos as i'm realy not at all happy with them.

Loaded the car at 1pm under summery skys and headed for wycombe. Passed a number of signs which read 'Event 400 yds - Warning' and counting down thereafter. Thought i'd get caught in long cues for a festival or some such major sporting event. Driving passed the final sign which read 'Charity Metal Detecting Event' I looked to the right to see a huge ploughed field stretching into the distance, covered by at least 400 people with long sticks and headphones. Very VERY bizzare! If only I was at the same spot 10 minutes later, as the sky turned biblical and unleashed a storm which literally stopped the traffic through wycombe. Street's turned to rivers within minutes. I hope the people on the hill got to safe spot, as they would have to arrange a Detectors Detecting event to find the missing!! BEEP....I've found a roman coin, and a small man wearing headphones. Wonder if its worth anything!

Rang Lou to warn her of the storm. She said there was not a cloud in the sky, but did get the rabbit inside as he's not the greatest swimmer. Not that we actually know that for sure.

Writing this in between coats of pink...

2006-08-18T20:37:00.000Z

Lou takes Scarlet and Alex away on holiday next week so I get the chance to decorate the small bedroom. In pink...

Rehearsing tomorrow with Stuart, our new bass player. It's been months since we last played and I'm really looking forward to it. I've got that 'Townshend' feeling!

Alone Again Or

2006-08-04T21:47:00.000Z

Alexander had a small operation on his big toe this morning. He's hobbling around in sandles with a huge comedy bandage on his toe. Everyone is attending to him, he's taken over the living room...xbox and new doctor who figures everywhere.

Louise and myself did some of the front garden one evening in the rain. Looking good...may get it finished this weekend but no great rush.

Started regular swimming now in buckingham. Realy good fun, although i've become a bad swimmer. I've not been a regular swimmer since school. Just can't get the breathing sorted out. It might be lack of fitness. I do feel much better since we started.

Looks like we have found a bass player. Just need to organise a run though to check but it's looking very good.

Arthur Lee of Love died yesterday. I listened to Forever Changes whilst driving from LA to San Francisco last year through hot dusty farmland...surreal but perfect.

Hot Hot Heat

2006-07-25T22:00:00.000Z

Not a huge amount happening at the moment. We've had the bathroom ripped out and our swanky new units installed. Spent all of Saturday (right up till 2.15am) painting and tiling. Woke up on Sunday morning very tired and decided that the shade of red we had chosen (salsa2) was hideous. Cue trip to B&Q. Completely redid all the walls in a much nicer Classic Red. 5 times. I love painting and will happily stay up all night if I'm in the mood, but this was a chore of the highest level. I'd spent my entire weekend in that one room and i was sick of it. Must say though...went in the bathroom today and it looks realy nice. A job well done (almost).

The best part of decorating upstairs is that I can pick up loads more digital stations on my little radio. Spent Sat and Sunday tuned into The Arrow. They played the new Cheap Trick single twice on the same day. Also, 'The Word' programme is top. David Hepworth in his loft http://www.totallyradio.com/show_pages/shows.php?show=92

The kids are off school now and are chilling out. Louise has been suffering with a nasty toothache which was finally sorted out today. I've not played a note of music in weeks. We had a band meeting on Friday night in which we sorted out a few things. Still need a bass player. Let me know if you are good enough!

ROGER KEITH 'SYD' BARRETT: 1946 - 2006

2006-07-11T20:10:00.000Z

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun....

Who killed Bambi..?

2006-07-10T22:16:00.000Z

Time has come again to raise the paintbrush of destiny and get a move on with decorating the house. We had the new windows and doors fitted on Saturday which means I have started Alexander's room. Deep blue with dayglow stars. Looks really smart and I've only just started. I'll stick a pic up once its done.

Finally sold the Ford Escort on Sunday so that's one less job out of the way. Had a nightmare day with the new car. Went to pick up Louise from Oxford and chipped the windscreen. Later on the same night Bambi decided to end it all using the front end of my car. Wrecked my fog lamp and bumper. I'm still sulking.

Band news: We have decided to let our Bass player John go. A nice chap but he was finding it a struggle to keep up with the rest of us. We move at such speed...
Found a new chap called Dave who we are due to meet this week. Sounds like the right man for the job but more news soon.

Greg Dulli brings his Twilight Singers to the UK this week. Nottingham tomorrow followed by London on Wednesday. If you like no frills, straight edge, passionate music you really need to witness the band live. If they do not move you then I'd check for a pulse.

2006-07-02T22:04:00.000Z

Sorry...forgot to say hello to our new viewer The Mighty Nobber!

Damn Smarch Weather

2006-07-02T21:29:00.000Z

I really must update this more often as there is so much going on.
My son Craig has reached the grand old age of 18 and we put on a big party a couple of weeks ago. Spent all day cooking and running back and forth to Bicester, but come party time lots of his mates showed up and had a great time. It was brilliant to see some of mine and Louise's close mates as we do not get together with them very often. We had a big cake made in the shape of a Marshall Amp and the band Mofo came and played lots of old school metal. Rock...

Been to a couple of gigs. Myself and Rod (Marillion FOH) ventured out to the Royal Albert Hall to see Zappa Plays Zappa (stunning) and also managed to blag some passes the following day for Milton Keynes Monsters of Rock (thank you Lucy) so we spent the day eating very bad chinese food and watching Ted Nugent, Journey, Alice Cooper, Thunder and the laughable Queensryche. Headed out early to beat the traffic just as Deep Purple were starting their set. Sounded good but I was home 10 minutes later. Bliss! Always good watching Andy Ball doing a fine job during Thunder's set. Loving your work...

The following week was SAHB and Cheap Trick at the Hammy O. SAHB were good but very poor sound. The Trick were brilliant and played a longer set than the last time I saw them headline! Def Leppard were headlining but we walked out after 3 songs. Awful.

New band news! Played our first gig somewhere near London. Shithole of a pub but lots of people who did not mind if we had not worked out any solid endings to any of our tunes. We had worked them out...but some of us forgot...tut tut...
Still, how we managed to play a gig 3 weeks after meeting was a bloody miracle.
We also got a call on Friday night from the local pub in Steeple Claydon. They were running a weekend long music festival and one of the main bands had pulled out on the Saturday. After ringing round the boys I said yes and we were on to gig no 2. Great festival and good crowd but I hate playing outdoors. It sucks all the life out of the guitars and i struggled for the whole 40 minutes. My Flying V got a round of applause which made me laugh. The big firework display to mark the end of the festival is going on as I type this. Lots of energy and commitment in this band but I will be very happy once we sort out a strong set and line up...more news soon-ish.

Myself and Loubee got stuck into the back garden today. Cut down loads and discovered an extra few feet where the jungle used to be. The new double glazing goes in next Saturday and the conservatory as soon as the planning permission is granted.

Not much happening at work. The new album is sounding great. Lots of real instruments being used (which is different for Marillion...real piano) and Mike Hunter is busy issuing yellow cards or shooting people in the face. Its going to be one of their best.

Ch Ch Ch Changes

2006-05-27T22:20:00.000Z

Well, it's been eventful!
Been very busy at home painting, and doing all things DIY. I was hoping to finish off the main bedroom this weekend but i've got my foot strapped up at the moment. Even driving is painful. Had a lazy(ish) day today so we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Played my last gigs for the beaver last weekend. The final show at the Cuddesdon Ball was great. It was nice to have a decent gig to bow out on.
Two days later I received an email from a band and the next day I was heading down to an audition. This always happens. I leave a band with no intention of starting afresh and then jump straight into another!
I arrived an hour early so not the best of starts. The manager of the studio let me in to set up my gear. I had been warned that they are loud so i've changed my set up to cope with this. Had 30 mins of heavy playing alone before the band showed up (i ended up doubling the volume once we started!). The guys have not played in about 3 years and are all old mates. We attempted to run through 6-7 songs just to get a feel. 3 hours later we had run through 17 odd songs and have booked a gig in 3 weeks time.
I'd forgotten what a thrill it is to play as loud and raw as possible. I drove home at 1.30am with a huge smile on my face.
I loved playing for the Beaver but you are playing songs for the crowd and not for yourselves...almost like session players. This new band took me right back to what I do best. Raw rock music, controlled feedback, it just felt so real. My amp was on max and it still was not loud enough!! The room was just a blur... It also features the best drummer i have ever played with. Jesus this guy is good. Absolute power, solid as a rock, and putting fills into songs that just kept me thinking 'Whaaaaaa?'. We're going to get kicked out of SO many venues...but f**k em!

I really missed being in a 'gang' and this made me feel like it was 1989 again. All for one and turn it up. It ain't pretty...but it's a great way of getting fit!!

Still busy...but take time out once in a while...

2006-04-20T08:12:00.000Z

www.cloudappreciationsociety.org

Still Here...

2006-03-31T08:35:00.000Z

...Normal service will resume shortly

Moving

2006-01-28T21:14:00.000Z

Well we're almost done and ready for the off, which cannot come quick enough. We've been surrounded by boxes for weeks now which grow larger by the day. One whole wall of the lounge is just a floor to ceiling wall of cardboard. I dismantled the beds today and everyone is sleeping on the floor for the remainder of our time here. Don't panic...I have put down mattresses.

The next blog should be from the new place. I hope it's not too long. (the wait...not the blog).

It looks like we will be moving on the 9th Feb. I have a gig on the 10th. There's nothing like a good challenge!

I've finally got round to sorting out my diet. I've been eating nothing but fish for over two weeks, and no chocolate or sticky puds. Just lots of Tuna, Halibut,Squid, King Prawns and masses of spinach and yummy vegetables. I've lost a bit of weight but the main thing is i've now got loads more energy and feel great. Sod treats...a bowl of zero fat greek yog with lashings of nuts, seeds and dried fruit.
I may never eat red meat again!

Current Listening: Kate Bush. A Sky of Honey (Ariel)

600ft above sea level...

2006-01-04T23:48:00.000Z

Back to work

2006-01-04T23:26:00.000Z

Good day today. Plenty to do at work and no band around to disrupt the flow. Lots of orders processed and emails answered. Hurrah!
Driving home in the dark I came across a hand made sign just outside of Brill. It read Brill Oldies 87.9 fm. 30th Dec till 8th Jan. TOP! Some old blokes in a garage on the top of Brill hill playing nothing but great tunes all day (NOTHING from later than 1979). I kept the signal all the way home, eventually fading in and out, sounding much like Radio Caroline just as I parked up outside my house. The home made adverts are just so great I cannot do them justice. It sounds like they've got the wives and kids to read them out. The station is broadcasting online at www.brilloldies.com while they are on air. There is a guest in the 'studio' talking about Morris Minors as I sit here now. It fills my heart with gladness and I want to buy a bloody big radio mast and start Radio Beaver! I always knew there was something special about Brill. They do have one of the greatest windmills in the world which I pass every day.

New Year

2006-01-01T23:04:00.000Z

Not a great Christmas. Louise's Gramp passed away just before the holidays and it was a great loss. Her aunt lives in Australia and had to spend Christmas over here sorting out the funeral and all the loose ends. Louise was very close to her Gramp and he was due to spend Christmas day with us. We did the best we could and had a nice day.

The funeral was on the 30th. My 38th birthday and also a gig day for my band. The service was really nice but I had to shoot back and forth to the gig in order to soundcheck. I was looking forward to playing but I was shattered. The power supply for my effects decided it would pack up 5 minutes before we started so I had to play everything clean. Add to this a fellow guitar player who decided it was a good time to ask if he could play 'Soul Man'. He said he did not mind if I said no and would not be offended. I apologized and said no. He was offended and continued to keep asking, all the time while I was desperately trying to find the source of the problem with my effects. In the end I told him to fuck off. Twice. He sulked away and spent the gig shouting crap from the back. Thank god I did not see him afterwards. Went home fed up and paid a visit to KFC. The only true way of finishing an awful day...
PS: I played Soul Man really fucking loud.

2am Birthday Reading: John Peel. Margrave of the Marshes. (A gift from my kids)

Been a long time...

2005-12-13T22:56:00.000Z

Okay. It has been a very long time between blogs. Still no real time to put any effort into a full force blogathon. Here are the highlights:

Decided to move away from Oxford.
Sold our house in less than 12 hours.
Put an offer in for new house next day.
Went away on tour with Marillion.
Got gazumped on first offer.
Found new house (same village, much nicer house). Offer accepted.
Looking at January for possible moving date.
Marillion Tour Bus broke down in the middle of France.
Got new bus from Simply Red.
Drank all of Mick Hucknells beer, wine, moet and coke.
Finished off his vast chocolate supply.
Gave Bus back to Simply Red (now christened Simply Empty)
Got Rufus Wainwright's Bus.
Finished tour. Went to see Rufus the next day.

There you go.

Now playing: Kate Bush, Ariel

Lego

2005-10-09T21:42:00.000Z

Took Alex to Legoland on Saturday. A bit overcast but not too cold. He enjoyed it but I just can't get my head around theme parks any more. Now Legoland is geared around toddlers to 12-13 year olds, and there were thousands there on Saturday. But who in gods name decided to make most of the rides seat TWO people at a time? The waiting time is just stupidly bad. The problem is made worse by the complete lack of energy of the staff who could not give a shit. We waited in a line of about 40 people for a ferris wheel. I worked out that it would take the best part of an hour to get on the ride, wait for every car to be emptied and re-filled, rotate twice, and then empty every car one...at...a...time...till...every...one...was...you get the idea.
Came home at about 7pm and was asleep by 8.30pm. It has been a hard week at work and I awoke after 12 hours sleep. Blimey...

Craig and Scarlet have been away on an adventure holiday this weekend with the Oxford Young Diabetics. The return coach bust a radiator and they had to be moved onto a second coach in order to get home. Over 2 hours late...could have been a lot worse. Both of them went straight to bed so they must have had a good time.

Loubee, Alex and yours went for a 'meal' with Lou's Gramp at the Duke of Marlborough pub in Woodstock. It was nice to have a chat but the food really was bad. Roast Lamb and we had to ASK for mint sauce. The FOOLS! My Thai fish cakes were dry and tasted like cold battered cod. Never trust ANYWHERE that has artificial flowers in clear gel and paper napkins. With a bit of luck they will stick to serving pints and let the 'chef' find his true vocation...Legoland are looking for staff...

Loubee's gramp insisted on paying and that made me even more grumpy as it was not cheap and was without doubt the worst food I've had since we foolishly entered a 'Hungry Horse' in abingdon a few years ago (we actually got a FULL refund on that day!). We'll have to treat him to a REALLY nice meal soon.

Strange Fact of the week:

Carl Glover (Ace photographer/album sleeve god/Led Zep 'cornfield' cd cover? thats him...) came into Racket to shoot Marillion's xmas cd cover (don't ask...you'll see it soon enough) and we were having a laugh about Marillion fans taking photos at gigs. I said that we should start giving out rules for photography at gigs. The no flash rule is just not enough. Whilst we were throwing ideas around Carl suggested that we only allow 50 iso film into gigs. We both fell about laughing. I realised shortly afterwards that I've laughed myself to tears over many things...but never film speed. We've entered a whole new world of comedy...

Current Listening:
Car: Rumours/Fleetwood Mac
Late night ipod: Down by the seaside/Led Zeppelin

Out with the old...

2005-10-05T20:28:00.000Z

Good gig on Saturday with the beaver. Very rusty but always a good laugh with Stew on trumpet. The man can raise any song up a notch or two with his full on playing. I played quite well and put in a couple of good solos. I've re-sprayed my strat now, going from a glossy graffiti yellow to a scuzzy pale blue. Actually I've coated many different layers and sanded through so you can see each layer down to the bare wood. Suits me as I can now knock the shit out of it and not worry about any scratches or dents. For some reason it reminds me of my new hero Dave Alvin's strat. My mission is to play in his style. Loud and on the edge! Working so far...

The trip to Ipswich was great. Will C drove the entire distance and as we chatted the miles flew by. We realy don't get a chance to talk about music in this band. In fact its the least 'gang' like of any band I've been in. A shame but thats the way of the beaver. Will talked about a new 'fusion' band he's putting together. They may need another guitar player. I'm up for it if they ask me (time permitting). We'll see.

So, before Saturdays gig I nipped out to Music Box in cowley road to pick up some strings. I've moved up to 10 gauge now after spending the last 15 years on 9's. My fingers hurt but its made a huge difference to my playing. Hopefully will keep down string breakage which has recently become more frequent. Funny, i'd go for years without breaking a string. It's Dave Alvin's fault!
I decided to take in my home made semi acoustic to part ex. And my Godin!! Opps...
Still...I've now got a lovely blue Fender Jaguar, a guitar I have always loved but never owned. Gary (Music Box/Beaver Sax) sorted out the dodgy trem and i picked her up on tuesday after work. Broke a string after 10 mins...Dave "******" Alvin!
I'll stick some 10's on her later this week.

Got totaly stuck into the garden on Sunday with Loubee. She laid a nice curvy border at the bottom of the garden with some old bricks, while I put some slabs underneath the rabbit hutch. The toms needed a good sort out. None have rippened so it may have to be Green Tom Chutney this year. Sorted out the front garden. Tried to saw off the old council steel gateposts. Broke the saw. Borrowed a big arse angle grinder the following day. New gate installed. Loubee very happy. Only took 5 years for a gate that now shuts AND locks...Its the little things.
Had some trouble with kids playing football outside the house this year. Its gone from my sons having a kick around, to FIFA divisions 1,2,3 & 4 outside. With no away games. I've kept quietly grumpy about it. However, the neigbour hit the roof on Sunday just as I was sorting out the last of the veggie patch. Next day the kids were back for a pre season frendly and i told them to get lost. Should have done it months ago. I'm now alex's evil dad. If they egg my car I'll kick their arses. Arrest me!

Pulled up my less than huge carrots and cooked a lovely bit of trout. With mini carrots. Yum.

2005-09-29T22:44:00.000Z

takeoff

Too good for too long

2005-09-29T21:08:00.000Z

Having just got to grips with jet lag from the west coast US tour date with Marillion, it was back to business with both Racket Records and Soul Beaver. Racket was not a problem, although i've returned to a huge archive ebay fest. We've turned every stone and found a load of super rare material (shirts, drum skins, programmes etc) which we are ebaying off in order to raise funds for the hurricane victims. A good cause and makes the fans happy to be finally getting their hands on long out of print material. Lucy talked me into putting up the huge mound of stuff onto the website, not that i minded.
The Beaver was another matter. We've not played a note in over 2 months and a big wedding gig is due this Saturday. It's trombone Dave's brothers wedding so the pressure is on. Him mostly! Tuesday night came and we gathered at Scout Hut Studios (well...a scout hut) and trawled through the 2 hour set. After a shaky start things picked up but it was clear everyone was finding the going tough. A headache did not help, neither did the harsh fact that the nights are drawing in fast. Winter is on it's way and it was pitch black when i arrived at 8pm. The last time we rehearsed i wore shorts and we knocked it on the head early due to the heat. I was happy with my guitar sound, and my solo playing sounded good. The only problem was i played the wrong solo on a couple of songs. Idiot. Need to get that fixed for sat. Also my back was in agony once i got home. Thank god i took the strat and not my les paul. It could have been a lot worse.

Had a nice evening on wednesday. Everyone was in the same room for dinner and it was nice to have the kids messing around on the floor while me and louise snuggled on the sofa watching telly. It does not happen too often. Craig is normally out or else chilling in his room and the two little ones are locked into gameboys.

Shopping tonight. Bought a huge Duck for Sunday lunch. We're going to tell the kids it's chicken. However, if they read this beforehand it could all get messy...