I have written a small song, 3 verses and a chorus, and am making these lyrics available to anyone who wants them in the hope they will create their own music.  I hope we can start a bit of networking and have a bit of fun.  If you decide to write music to the lyrics please feel free to use the song in anyway you see fit.  I ask for nothing except for a wee mention as lyricist. I and a few others plan to put up our songs on myspace in a week or 2.  I’ll gladly put a link to your site/profile if you want to take part.  Just get in touch via the contact page. So here’s the song:

If I could

Verse 1

I wish I could see the wind

Where it starts and where it ends

We would dance forever friends

If I could see the wind

Chorus

I want to hold you in my hands

I want to hold you in my hands

I want to make them understand

I want to make them understand

Verse 2

I wish I could hold the sun

I’d shine a smile on everyone

Nowhere to hide, Nowhere to run

If I could hold the sun

Chorus

Verse 3

I wish I could summon rain

Breath the scented air again

Lose myself in a state of play

If I could summon rain

Chorus

It was at Carrubers Christian Centre in Edinburgh; a beautiful church on the Royal Mile. It was set out like a cafe with dimmed lights and a warm homely feeling which was really nice and ambient. The quality of the sound in the venue was brilliant and the staff there were absolutely fantastic.

I was supporting American guitarist, and all round nice guy, Trace Bundy aka the Acoustic Ninja. Now I’ve supported a few good folk in the past but what did it for me was Trace’s wonderful personality as well as his abilities as a musician. He really was pretty cool bashing out some Metallica classics using a guitar app on his iPhone to playing tracks with 5 capos, a loop machine, and some quality percussion on his Macpherson guitar.

I got some great feedback from both Trace and the crowd so I was really pleased the way the gig went.

I also enjoyed the fact my wife and son were there, as were my friends. I’m glad I get to take James, my son, to various gigs and let him hear music other than the weekly dose of the x-factor. I’m not allowed to watch it in my house anymore as I get very upset about the whole thing.

Getting back to the point, it was a great start to promoting the album which will be out in January.

I have attached a youTube video of Trace. He’s a clever bloke so he is.

My good mate Andy, who is recording the album, is in his final year t Uni so he’s plagued with study and work.  The very same is true for Si, my drummer, who is also immersed in study and work.  Dave on Bass is a full time employee of the Bethany Christian Centre, the people who got me back on my feet, and is also busy.

However, we have acquired a room from a mate of Si’s where we can record the last of it.  We’re pushing for a strong finish.

On a completely unrelated subject, I’m recording another album in November.  I had planned on doing a Christian album next year with Euan MacRae and a Christian Charity called An Airde.  I had the privilege of recording at their studio on the Isle of Mull in January when I contributed to the Origin Scotland abum; UnBroken.  I met with Euan last week to discuss the project and he had some interesting news.  He said that he and his wife were moving to the Isle of Man in January as he was taking on a Pastoral position at a church.  Basically he said it had to be before Christmas or never.  I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of working with Euan.  The man is a genius.  So I told him we’d go for it.  Trouble is, I’m having to prepare and rehearse a 10 track album, organise and rehearse a band, and sort out a fundraiser and travel for everyone. Phew!!  All of this before the end of the first week in October.  We are recording in the first week of November for 2 weeks solid.  I have to finish all the songs in the next couple of days (it’s going really well).  The hard work will be the hardcore rehearsing in October.  My lovely wife has come on board to help with the organisation of everything.

It’s all go and I’m feeling very blessed at the moment.  The amount of support I’ve been getting has poured in from every direction.  There are people I’ve just met recently that want to help out.  I’m also writing some great stuff that really means a lot to me.  I’m feeling really close to God and I’m so happy that I have the opportunity to be involved in a project that intends to honour him.

I honestly didn’t think I was going to make the Wizard festival.  If you had asked me at the beginning of the week I might have cancelled due to ill health.  But, soldiering on with the Whynie Shuffle to my aid, we took the 3 hour drive up the east coast, past Aberdeen, to Newdeer; this years location for the Wizard Festival.  The weather was dreadful!  It was a cold harsh Scottish day with wind fighting the tents from every side and the rain lashing down on the site  only to add to the insult.  Add a bit of cold cold temperature to the mix and you knew you were at a festival on the north east coast of Scotland …. BRRRR!!!

It was great to see the AFC tent up and running.  Rick and Stoo were there and had been since the day before getting everything ready.  The weather had apparently caused a bit of tension in regards to the setting up of equipment.  It sure was muddy.  There was a dance group called ‘Hip Hop Scotland’ opening the tent.  They were a group of youngsters who did a variety of moves and tricks to various R&B and Hip Hop tracks.  It was great to see the kids having a great time regardless of the weather.  The tent was soon up and running after that with a good variety of music.  I did escape to see one of my all time favorite bands, ‘The Beat’ on the man stage.  I absolutely love this band and they really know how to play it to the crowd with tracks like ‘Mirror in the Bathroom and ‘Rankin’ Fool Stop‘. The place was bouncing! By the time I headed back to the AFC stage my very good mates Acoustic Butterfly were taking to the stage.  There were some serious sound issues with one side of the stage.  The Sound techs did a great job in fixing the bad leads with a bit of soldering.  We also ran into various pals of old and great acts like Devil Train, Oxbow Lake, Maria Hall and Jay, and one half of the Lyndsay Dolan Band.  It was a good gathering and a good crowd for the gig.  The tent wasn’t the biggest which suited me fine as it filled up nicely.  We had some close friends from nearby come along to see us so it was exciting.

So after the long drive we started and it went down great.  All the sound issues were fixed and we had a great crowd.  We even got an encore.  I was totally fecked by the end of the gig and had to take a backseat and crash all the way home.  Well done Dave and Si for slogging the driving while I kipped in the back.  You guys are a blessing.  The morning after, I’m feeling it man, but it was well worth it!

I didn’t win the cometition but Acoustic Magazine were really impressed with my music.  They have offered to feature me in their magazine and help out with some other stuff.  I’ve been contacted by, and as nothing is finalised yet I wont mention any names, a label who have asked if I would like them to represent me.  They want to help me with gigs and build up my music profile.  I have a support slot with Jon Allen in October at the Perfect Fifth in Taunton.  If you’ve not heard Jon Allen you have to check him out on YouTube.  He really is brilliant!

So, I’m down to support him in October and I’ll be talking more with the label.  They have also offered to help with the completion of my album, so I am very excited about working with them.  I’ll keep you updated with any developments.

Last night was my first gig at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  I was invited by the very cool LA band the Evangenitals to support them at the Forest Cafe.  I was also asked if I knew anyone who might fancy a support slot.  So I asked my very good and talented friends Acoustic Butterfly from Glasgow.  They kicked off the night with a cracking set, even if the sound was a bit miffy and the bass amp kept cutting out.  Then it was a another band from Glasgow; Skunnered who were absolutely magic too.  The Evangenitals took to the stage and the place took off.  Apparently they only have 1 song about genitals; a very nice song about the Vagina.  I really enjoyed their set.

We played next.  There was no air-con on the premises so it was like playing in a sauna.  My drummer, Si, had already played a gig at the Ark that night AND filled in for the Evangenitals drummer as he couldn’t make it over from the states.  The ma’s a machine and played a blinder.  It was a packed house and free entry.  The place was bouncing with similar jump arounds to Spratton.  It was a cracking gig and I look forward to the next one.

I’ve been trying to keep on top of other stuff.  The wife is getting heavy with the baby on the way and I have become ill again with the illness I had for about 9 months.  I’m back on the pain killers and seeking advice from my Doctor.  It’s nothing serious but its a real hindrance on my day to day living.  Hopefully I’ll get it sorted soon and I’ll be back on track.

Until next time…..

Unfortunately, I was unable to make the first day of the festival as my wife was due to have the first pregnancy scan.  All I can say is that everything seems to be in order and we are very excited about the baby.  So, Dave Biddulph and I drove the 6 hour drive down to Spratton on the Saturday.  I was scheduled to do a workshop for the kids but was unable to make it on time.  We did make it on time for the live performance of my good mate’s Brawth.  There was a good turnout in the Fringe tent and the bad weather was dragging people away from the main stage.  The DJ Buddha was on the sound desk.  He seemed very happy to be there even though it wasn’t his usual desk and he’d learnt how to use it that week.

It was great to catch up with various people and friends from the AFC and MySpace.  Musicians and fans alike had made their way to the event.  It was as much a gathering of love for each other as it was for music.  Stefan Picard and the Germans had made the long trip in their oober bus.  I think there was more beer in the bus’s cargo hold than the ale and cider tent provided by the festival.

I was sorry I didn’t get to see Acoustic Butterfly perform on the Friday night headline spot.  I heard they rocked the place though; they played 3 songs, as you do, then did a bit of a ‘Ramones’ and rattled of the rest of their set in a oner.  The crowd loved it, were dancing, and demanded a 25 minute encore from the band.  I was lucky enough to get a copy of their new CD.  It really is a fantastic work of music!

Both Dave and I had a great time chilling to the music on the Saturday evening.  Stefan Picard, Roman, Michael, Klaus Peter, and the rest of the German contingent took to the stage (as did the mighty pOOkah) for the headline slot on the Saturday.  There were quite a few problems with the sound which took a while to sort; some bad cables and the huge size of Stefan’s band, not to mention everyone in the audience coming up to Rick and telling him what to do, made for a difficult job.  It took a bit of time but he got there and the boy did good.  Stefan and the guys were brilliant and we were up dancing and swinging to the great music they always provide.

There was an after dark jam session in the German tent. the rain was so bad that we couldn’t be bothered getting back out to the beer tent where the official jam was taking place.  There was a good mix of great music, chocolate, and our own versions of Halleluia being sang out from this crammed tent.  It must have sounded wonderful to the other campers.

Unfortunately the rain continues to thrash down on Spratton, and, somebody decided to leave a bloody generator running beside my tent.  It was not good!!  I tried to sleep with the sound of torrential rain and a petrol motor in my ear.  I must have gotten about 2 or 3 hours.

The next morning we were greeted with some lovely sunshine.  The wind was blustery and the chance of rain was always hanging over the festival.  Secretly I wanted it to rain when we were on stage so that the crowd would come in out of the bad weather.  The actual festival itself was a real pleasure to attend.  It was very family friendly with loads to do for the kids, very reasonable prices for both food and drink, and animals were running around enjoying the very relaxed vibe that we all felt.  The music kicked off again.  I spent most of the day n the Fringe tent enjoying the live performances from friends like Matt Stevens, Sammon, Maria Hall, and the very talented Volume Brothers.

Our drummer, Si Walker, made the long drive south with Andy Lowe (the guy who is recording our first album).  Like a true warrior Si was ready for the gig.  We took to the stage about 8:30pm.  I had missed the previous year as I had been in Egypt.  There was a cheers when I was announced and as I walked onto the stage it hit me that there was indeed an air of expectation for my performance.  After all, we were the final Fringe stage act of the festival.  I did a wee sound check with my own version of hit the road jack (Ray Charles) and, although I got through it ok, my bloody D string exploded. So, it was a quick string change as Dave and Si took the attention away from my bad luck.  This was to be the first time many of my mate’s had heard my music with the band and for many more it was the first time they had heard me live.

We kicked off our set with Soul Searching; a bold and ass kicking song that really woke up the crowd after my fiddling about with strings and tuning.  We then cooled down and played more folky songs.  The set went as follows:

1. Soul Searching
2. Circles
3. Man in the Cold
4. Alcoholic Synonymous
5. Grace
6. Breaking out
7. Disco in the Sky
8. 2112
9. Alone in the Dark
10. Rattle
11. Animals
12. Goodbye EMI

ENCORE

• How blue can you get?
• Soul Searching

We had people up dancing when we got to Grace as we had reworked it as a soul number; very Stevie Wonder Superstitious.  And they kept going with Breaking out, it was very cool.

As the Germans had to go soon as their bus was leaving I played Disco in the sky as Stefan Picard expressed his enjoyment of the song.  I don’t think they were expecting the band to come in as late as they did in the song, but it rocked and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  After that we played 2112 and then a wee solo by myself; Alone in the dark.  You couldn’t hear a pin drop in the place. it was wonderful!

The time had come to move it up a gear.  The guys and I had arranged some songs to get a really rocky sound without using electric instruments.  Although there is going to be electric instruments in the album recordings we did it acoustic on the night.  We played Rattle, a new track called Animals, and finished with Goodbye EMI.  Brilliant!  The place was rocking at the end of it.

We had finished our set but the crowd wanted more so on we came to do a couple of more songs.  We had pretty much run out of stuff to play but we did have a wee blues cover up our sleeves; BB Kings ‘How Blue can you get’.  I saw Acoustic Butterfly’s Craig Ralston in the crowd with his guitar.  “You’ve got a guitar.  Get up here!”  I said over the mic.  Once we got him up we started the blues.  Craig made it sound sweet with some great riffs and licks.  We smacked into double time and the crowd was bouncing.  Once we had finished we ended our set with our opener – Soul Searching.  Craig and I played this at the Hidden Lane a couple of months earlier so I knew he would make it sound sweet.  Dave and Si went off on a few tangents and we played a different version of the song.  The crowd went bananas, I got inspired, and we started to really have some fun!  There was audience participation with some singing, people were hitting the dancefloor from all sides, and we just went for it!  It was possibly the greatest musical experience I have had to date!

When I came off stage I lay on the ground and relished the emotions running through me.  But I had to get up as people were coming towards the stage and asking for autographs.  I’m still not used to that.  The first ladies were apparently members of the main stage acts committee and said they were going to try get us on the main stage next year.  Then a lady asked me to sign her T-shirt, and another her belly!?!  It was all very rock and roll albeit a bit strange.

The response from everyone was overwhelming!  I really appreciated it.  We said goodbye to Dave as he had to make the long drive up that night.  The rest of us hit the beer tent where everyone was having a jam.  I was shattered!  Someone had heard my complaint about the generator and it was off.  So I had an ok sleep; the best you can expect from camping.

The next morning we made the long drive up to Scotland, this time with my mate’s Si and Andy.  I really am going to have to learn how to drive as I’ve been given lifts everywhere.

All in all, a bloody amazing festival!  Here’s to SFF 2010, and a big cheers to all the Spratton boys for making us very very welcome.

Rick, a.k.a. DJ Buddha, had some good news for me a few weeks back.  It turns out he entered me into another competition a while back in Acoustic Magazine.  To cut a long story short, I had made the final 10 and was invited to play live in Exeter at the Phoenix Theatre.  After driving, flying to Cardiff, then the Train to Exeter in probably the hottest heat I’ve experienced this year, I spent much of the day in my B&B room in my underwear watching the tennis.  It was far too hot to do anything.  I stayed in Exeter for the night and made my way to the Phoenix for 9:45am in the morning.

I met some wonderful people there, who were also participating, and the staff from Acoustic Magazine were very welcoming and nice all round.  The sound was brilliant and we got to play in the Theatre.  I got to go on 2nd as I had to get back to Edinburgh by plane in the afternoon.  It went really well and I enjoyed the set I played.  Longest way I’ve went to play 2 songs.

I met a cool band called, wait for it…Troubadour; a 2 piece from Blackpool who were very good.  And a nice lass called Jo who was only 5′ and had cool dreads.  It was a pity I had to leave as I enjoyed the acts I saw and I felt very priviliged to be a part of the day.

We did get these very cool ‘Goody Bags’ with a couple of magazines, Strings, Peg Winder, a Breed Love calendar, and a years subscription to Acoustic Guitar Mag.  Brilliant!!    I was also informed that I would be getting some exposure in an upcoming Acoustic Magazine.  All in all it’s very exciting.

If by some chance I actually win I get a Breed Love acoustic guitar (which are stunningly beautiful!) some recording equipment, and a set at the Beautiful Days festival!!  That would be very cool.  I should find out on Monday.

Saying that I was happy to get to the final and play.  It was another huge confidence boost and everyone was so kind about my performance.  Just to take part and be invited was a dream come true.

So, it’s full steam ahead with the completion of the album.  I’ll keep you posted with any news.