For over 3 weeks now I have been without a guitar and borrowing one from a friend (cheers Kev). Mine started in the minor injuries unit and quickly advanced to the HDU - the guitar quack desperately rummaging around it's insides trying to find the solution to some unknown, crippling injury. One he says has apparently kept him up for nights on end in frustration and despair.. One which when two weeks ago I said "ah well, fuck it off" he insisted I left it with him and refused to charge me any more because he "won't be defeated by wood and wires"..
Well he conceded this week. Read me my last rites...and I have agreed to pull the plug. I say 'pull the plug' - it was fucking me off so much I'd have gone straight for a pillow over the face, but still..
The point is I have been a little distracted of late and let my blogging duties fall by the wayside, so here I am. And whats been going on? Well I've been drafted in to play at Limetree Festival, pretty fucking chuffed about that one considering, as usual, I left all my festival applications about 6 months too late. *
special mention for James 'filthy stinking SWINE' Hunter for discreetly guiding my youtube account to the right folk there. Cheers pig ears* I will be opening the Green Man Stage on the Sunday so if you're there, come along!
I've also been playing about with some new tunes with which I haven't wanted to start recording until I am fully equipped
*see top rant. Last weekend I went back home to Hoylake for a friend's wedding - congrats Mike and Jo Cree - on the Friday. Needless to say it was a messy affair and by the Saturday I felt like Id been dug up. But the weather was glorious so I necked a few pints of water, grabbed my old guitar and went to sit on the beach for half an hour (2 minutes crawl away). 4 hours later I came home dehydrated and burnt to fuck but with a little music and a re-found love for my home town. Which is ace. It's small. It's quiet. It's got the beach, boats, old boys sailing little model ships, bike riders, dog walkers, pot smokers, cider drinkers, kite flyers, microlight flyers, an awesome view and a (literally) famous sunset. At one point I looked up to see an old couple holding hands, eating ice cream and watching the microlights whiz across the sand whilst a suped up Honda Civic screamed past behind them playing Tinie Tempah far too loud. Neither party was remotely bothered by other. Lovely.
Anyway, I'll stop bumming Hoylake now... the point is it was nice to be home. And with a bit of luck I'll come away with a tune or two. I will keep you
posted. Arf.
This week I have mainly been on the hunt for my new, improved, fully functional axe. I quickly came to the conclusion that 'PMT' in Leeds is rubbish - for electro acoustics at least, the new 'Northern Guitars' in the Corn Exchange is a little creepy - because I feel a little uncomfortable in the new charmless Corn Exchange, and I miss 'Music Ground'. Although big-up to the Call Lane Social staff cos they're all sound.
That's all for now, catch you soon
Last Word:An old buddy at the wedding ( cheers Cookie) was saying he particularly liked this tune from the CD I sent him, so here's a live-ish version for the rest of you..
