Sleep siren
Hope everyone's well. Funny that, what is well anyway? I've just got up, I've not been sleeping, I can't sleep of late. This house, these people, it's impossible.
I have a gig tonight at the New Cleveland Folk Club. I'm not looking forward to it. It's nothing to do with the club, or the people that run it. I just feel like I don't want to go. I an't put my heart and soul in to it. I feel like a fake. I'm so tired.....
I tried to reherse, knock some tunes in to shape, but I can't even do that. I'm so tired....... Sometimes I wonder if people really are fucking ill in those wailing sirens that drive past my house?
HNY
Happy New Year !!!
Isn't television a pile of shit? It's getting worse. I don't ever seem to be able to turn the thing on and find anything of interest, ever. Ok I recorded the March Of The Penguins, which I haven't watched yet, but Christmas and New Year Tv just apperaed to obsessed with itself. With the in people, and the out people and the put it all about people. SHIT!
Now I'm hoping for a good year (isn't everyone) in my terms, I mean creatively. I have had the worse case of writers block ever. I've talked with my good mate Darren Poyzer about who seems to think it will come when it comes. He maybe right, but it's worrying me. My writing tends to be like a snowball. If I'm feeling creative and can buzz off the audience or the muso's in the studio, it just grows and grows. But I've had such bad luck with the studio side of things and being able to get people together so much that it has been heartbreaking and soul destroying.
I haven't been going out of the house, to any gigs, playing, writing. Absolute loss of confidence in my ability.
How do I turn it around? I have no idea, none at all. I thought if I could at least start with a blog update it may get things moving. I need to be me and I need to write. I need to record and get my songs on the new album.
Steve xx
There\'s a place, keeps on calling me
There’s a place keeps on calling me
Well, I\'d like to say the bags are packed and the passport is to hand, but as many of you who know me will testify, I\'m not the most organised of folk. So reality being what it is, I am running around picking up clothes, books, passport, valium, guitar -don\'t forget the guitar-, razor, I-Pod, books, money -mental note Germany does not accept the pound- shit, no Euros. Will have to change money at the airport for large commission no doubt.
How long to John Lennon airport from here ? No idea, have done it before but with a competent organiser. Tomorrows driver is just dropping me off, but last time I had Andy Goddard, trusted keys man and all round unflappable wise man. Andy got us through customs without so much of a hint of the love glove, tomorrow I will be wearing the look of an anxious drug smuggling mule from South America.
I am looking forward to playing in Germany again, I just wish I had some people with me. Originally there was something of a posse going over which included the afore mentioned Mr Goddard and Yorkshires ninth best band Roomthirteen. However, things didn\'t work out as we had hoped and so I am travelling alone. Imagine, if you will, Dr David Banner as he cuts a lonely figure walking along an empty road in the hulk...........or was it the littlest hobo? In any case I walk alone........sadly. I would have loved to have had the boys with me, if only for their know all tricks of ripping hotel mini-bars off. On the plus point however, I wouldn\'t have had to listen to John in the resident bars jabbering about name dropping and Mick Jagger!
Still I will miss the boys no doubt.
Anyway, I must press on I\'ve got ironing to do.........
Steve xx
This Ole House
>Hello,
it's been a while I know. I had to shift some boxes, it all takes time. I am currently in good favour staying somewhere near Lymn in a house apparently owned by a relative of the Earl of Wessex. I have no one or indeed, no need, to share this information, other than it seems that I should mention it.
I have been here for nearly two weeks now and have nothing to do but write music on the guitar and words on the laptop. If it all seems a little absurd, then that is because it is.
I had a notion that I would meet God and Oscar Wilde and they would speak to me with tales of great wisdom and insight. All I've seen is a couple of rabbits (nice ones) a family of sheep and a gang of cows. I began to grow bored by the solitude after a couple of days. There are no pubs close by and I haven't seen a smile for ages. I started to make characters out of the (sparse) furniture that I had. The hat stand became a rather arrogant fellow named Moorcroft, while it didn't take a genius to work out that the grandfather clock (Harold) secretly despised me for being there. The coffee table sings to me in the morning, she's very friendly, but on the whole her friendship alone has not been enough to sustain a happy time here.
The songs are the best part really and I needed to do it to save myself from peeling my own skin. So I have two more days before I head off home and lose myself in the sanity of others at peace wriggling my pathetic form in to other peoples lives.
See you soon then,
Steve x
Ask
People keep asking me "Steve, when is the new album coming out?"
I turn away and think to myself don't these people realise, I haven't cut the grass yet.
If people would only stop me and ask "Steve, when are you going to cut the grass?"
I would smile and say "This Tuesday, or possibly Wednesday?"
Steve x
Holding Back The Years
Hi Folks,
well things in the studio seem to be headed in the right direction. The acoustic tracks have been laid down. We just need to fiddle with a couple of guitar and bass parts before we move on, but the wheels are turning!
I've uploaded one of the new songs on to the myspace site. The song is called Holding on (a little bit too Simply Mick for my likiny but.......) I hope you like it.
I can confirm that I will be playing at the acoustc festival of Britain this summer. Please go to www.acousticfestival.co.uk for more details.
I will also be playing consecutive nights at Withingtons Fuel on April 16th and 17th. Hope to see some of you there !
Steve xx
Well, seems like the cold weather hasn't completely let us down. It's funny really, I find myself half way through February without much to shout about. I've had a great break from playing, just sitting about putting on weight and watching shite television (mostly).
Still, times move on and all. Tomorrow night I'm at the Octagon with Moore Marriot and I'm back in the studio from March 4.
Steve x
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Big Brother
I don't watch it and so can't really comment. It's nothing to do with tv snobbery, I just know I wouldn't enjoy it. I do think though, that Jade Goody is far more sinister than anything George Orwell could have come up with !
Steve x
Fistival
I've just walked through the local A&E department of my local hospital, and it struck me, with almost brutal simplicity. If our continued celebration of Christmas causes council bosses to lose sleep, hair and reputation. If we can't live and except each others beliefs, then yes, let's re-name the Christmas Festival.
Let's call it Fistiful, you go out, start telling everyone how much you love them and the spirit of Christmas, and then six hours later try and beat the sh!t out of them -Fistival
On a more serious note, to the people who have sent us Christmas wishes and cards etc, thank you. I apologise if some of you were wondering where your cards and email replies are.
Some of you already know that my newborn son Alfie was rushed into hospital on Friday with breathing difficulties. He is still on the CUI, but we're hoping to have him home before new year. The doctors and nurses have been fantastic, and we have been allowed to stay with him every night on a bed in his room.
Something in you changes when you sit with your three week old son on Christmas Eve. He lay in his cot while I sat watching over him, when a group of carol singers came into the room and sang Away In A Manger, I defy anyone at this point, who would say they would not have been moved to tears, because I wept like a baby myself.
The generosity of people coming on to the ward just to drop presents off, for the children was ridiculously humbling. Total strangers buying presents for kids who they will never see open them .
Alfie was visited by Father Christmas the next day, and received a stocking full of presents. Again, just a simple act of someone giving up their time on Christmas morning and putting a smile on the faces of these poorly children, was almost too much.
We have had a tough week, but I know it will get better, because Alfie is already showing signs of getting better. It's the simple things that change people the most, the carol singers, the present buyers, the nurse that brought me a solitary Christmas diner today complete with cracker (how do you pull a cracker on your own!) Father Christmas, all the parents........................
All I know is, that while I was being touched by simple human magic, the madmen in A&E were relishing their Christmas Fistivals. Talk about another planet.
Merry Christmas
Steve x
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Must be funny in a rich mans world.............
Last Friday was weird. The rain was heavy and the skies dark all day. It didn't look good for my first gig in Urmston for some ten years or so. I wouldn't be out tonight if I didn't have to be, I said to myself in a kind of Transylvanian village way.
It's been tough preparing for this gig, due to the birth of Alfie. We are all pleasantly shattered. I had £50 worth of ticket money in an envelope on the table at home, which soon became swamped with cards from well wishers. When we decided to try and make some sense of where we lived, and resolved to tidy away the mountain of paper envelopes, the money envelope ended up in the bin along with every thing else.
I had two options at this point, pull out of the gig and thus let not only the people who'd bought tickets down, but also Moore Marriott. Basically, I decided that I would have to do the gig, which in turn, meant it cost me £50 to play!!
The gig itself was great. It was nice to see some old faces and I always love going home. Enjoyed the MM set and the opener from the Wheels. Still I've never agreed with pay to play gigs and £50 does seem a little excessive..........
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