Well I realised it had been a while since my last blog post..but not quite that long! Yet another stark reminder of the swift passing of time. It would be churlish to summarise nearly two years of news into one post, so i’m not even going to try! Those of you who have followed my progress on my pages will be in the know, but i will give a brief update on how things currently are, and the exciting changes which are now afoot.
Vocally Vintage goes from strength to strength, with an ever increasing diversity of gigs and venues, from care homes, to weddings, funeral services, parties and corporate functions. It still provides one of the most rewarding musical experiences for me, particularly my work with elderly and dementia patients and The St Elizabeth Hospice.
Chasing Storms has seen a few changes however. As creative musicians, we all evolve and grow in a very personal way, and our individual influences and tastes can move in different directions. I’m very proud of the body of work that myself and Mike have created over the past few years, and since we joined forces with Ben and Mark, we have become well known for our interpretations of popular Jazz songs. Our own creative output however no longer fits particularly within that genre, so for the time being Chasing Storms will remain largely a live covers band. Mike’s own compositions are now mainly instrumental and have found a new lease of life with the wonderful Ingenious Gentlemen. I have yet to catch them live but hope they will perform locally very soon. Please check them out if you get the chance, they really are a talented bunch of guys! Chasing Storms will be performing next at Jazz nights at The Sorrel Horse, Chattisham in April and at The Crown, Woodbridge in June.
As for my own songwriting, I’m very excited to currently be creating a new collection of material, and will be steadily performing and recording this over the coming year. I have the pleasure of working with some extraordinarily talented and friendly folks right here in Suffolk, most notably Kev Walford. I also have the privilege of singing on Kev’s own material too, and we are very excited about our next gig together on Easter Sunday March 27th, supporting the supremely wonderful and award winning Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar at the next Folk At The Froize. These monthly evenings are fast establishing a great name for themselves, and we are really honoured to have been asked to perform. We are also looking forward a playing a double bill at a new music venue in Colchester in October called the Three Wise Monkeys. These great new music nights are being put together by the lovely Sophie Pol Simon at Sophie Music, who also has a brand new website showcasing her ongoing talents and success as a music promoter.
To mark these changes I have created another Facebook page to keep up to date with all the latest developments, but it won’t just be about me! What keeps everyone going is not just the music that we perform and create but the people around us. The music community in which we thrive is such a joy and inspiration to be a part of; everyone is incredibly supportive of one another and their gifts deserve to be heard and shared. I will soon be posting another blog to highlight some of the many great artists and events that we have to be proud of in here in Suffolk!
Because of all the recent musical excitement, the running has sadly taken a back seat for now, and while i successfully made it round the London Marathon course in 2015 raising money for Action Medical Research in the process, there is still unfinished business to contend with! I have yet to crack the 5hr barrier due to some poor race planning and it deflated me for a while, but I know will return to the roads and rivers steadily, along with the warmer weather I hope, and ease that goal back clearly into view!
Well that’s enough for now, and be sure to expect another post soon…before 2018 I hope!!
The Road to Kansas 