Spotify Preview and Island Boys purchase links...

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Buy on Amazon Music

Café Musica - Island Boys EP out on 16-Aug-2019

will be available on all popular download and streaming services...

click here for the Apple iTunes pre-order offer of £2.49 for all 4 songs

with love...

The Rubber Wellies - Pirate Song #TunesDay

Went to see The Rubber Wellies recently at the rather wonderful Folk at the Froize, a monthly or so event in darkest Suffolk which combines live music and delicious food, what could be better?!

I first caught the Wellies at the Greenbelt Festival, at which they will be appearing this year too, and I was hooked. Their song lyrics' apparent charm often camouflage hard hitting social justice messages and therefore their appeal is on multiple levels. The musicianship and relaxed stagecraft is impeccable and ideal for the intimate venue the Froize provides.

I strongly recommend you catch them before they become a distant spec on a massive stage!

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Hope Trumps Fear...

Sorrow in my heart - Garden of Gethsemane

Love Letters to God - Nahko Bear...

Once seen, never forgotten... Nahko and Medicine for the People were the outstanding musical moment from last year's Greenbelt Festival, an annual pilgrimage. In fact the performance was one of the best gigs I've ever been too. And to be one of the many standing to challenge corporate oil, respect.

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After The Fire Spotify Chart (for statistics nerds)

Position	Title	Album	Label	12/09/2016
1	Der Kommissar	DK	CBS	1,003,100
2	1980-F	DK	CBS	91,113
3	One Rule For You	DK	CBS	22,792
4	Laser Love	DK	CBS	9,769
5	1984-F	AT2F	AA	8,849
6	Who's Gonna Love You?	DK	CBS	8,121
7	Joy	DK	CBS	7,247
8	Rich Boys	DK	CBS	6,486
9	Starflight	DK	CBS	6,391
10	Dancng in the Shadows	DK	CBS	4,890
11	Love will always make you cry	DK	CBS	4,627
12	Frozen Rivers	DK	CBS	4,578
13	Billy, Billy	DK	CBS	4,454
14	Sailing Ship	DK	CBS	3,411
15	Bright Lights	BBC	AA	2,218
16	Life in the City	BBC	AA	2,102
17	Dance of the Marionette	SoC	AA	1,896
18	Suspended Animation	BBC	AA	1,544
19	Cariba	AT2F	AA	1,470
20	A Little Sun, A Little Rain	BBC	AA	1,375
21	Back to the Light	SoC	AA	1,344
22	Now that I've Found	SoC	AA	1,308
23	Time to Think	BBC	AA	1,229
24	Step by Step	AT2F	AA	1,170
25	Signs of Change	SoC	AA	1,169
26	Like the Power of a Jet	BBC	AA	1,103
27	Pilgrim	SoC	AA	1,060
	ATF post 2005
28	Der Kommissar (re-recorded & remastered)	Single	AA/Cleo	362,551
29	Der Kommissar	OR	RMX	14,400
30	Sometimes	OR	RMX	2,781
31	1980-F	GB+	AA	1,942
32	One Rule For You	OR	RMX	1,710
33	Dungeon Ghyl	OR	RMX	1,497
34	High Fashion	OR	RMX	1,471
35	Laser Love	OR	RMX	1,212
36	Dancing in the Shadows	OR	RMX	1,129
37	You	OR	RMX	1,039

Label Key: CBS = CBS / Epic / Sony : AA = Angel Air Records : Cleo = Cleopatra : RMX = Roughmix

Over the weekend (10th Sept 2016) Der Kommissar went past 1 million plays - so a statistic like that gets me going! Certainly the songs that were singles do well, but there are notable absences that were popular live.

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Seeing Green...

So I was asked to stand as a candidate for the Green Party in the Colchester Borough Council election coming up on 5th May 2016... I said 'Yes'... here's a summary of 'Why Me?' thoughts:

Yes, I was born and bred an Islander, albeit on the Isle of Wight, and first visited Mersea in the 60s before moving here permanently in 2002. I feel a deep sense of belonging to the Borough, this island and am passionate about the need for greener, renewable energy, sustainable businesses and lifestyles.

In the ward of Mersea and Pyefleet we live directly in the lee of Bradwell Power Station. Currently the station is being decommissioned and dismantled with completion dates repeatedly shifting from 2015 through to 2019 and possibly even further. The issues in the process have meant that the highly radioactive reactor cores have had to be encased in-situ which means that they, along with the Intermediate-Level Waste (ILW) store, it will be on our doorstep for the next century or so. Another part of this process is dissolution of fuel element debris (FED) which results in a discharge of radioactive residue, after treatment with nitric acid, directly into the Blackwater and Tritium into the atmosphere. As the river and estuary are relatively shallow it means this radioactive effluent will travel back and forth in the Blackwater for many tides before dispersion, promoting continued local community objections. Additionally the trapping of eddies of effluent in the mud creeks and saltings strengthens and concentrates this waste for longer still.

It is now being proposed that ILW from other sites should be transferred to Bradwell, which will make the site a regional waste store OR would not only increase the amount of waste on the site but, more importantly, the amount of radioactivity.

Entrust the role of councillor to me and I will work with local agencies and protest groups to prevent this. Groups such as:

• FAB - Fight Against Bradwell (closed Facebook Group - apply to view)
• MIEA - Mersea Island Environmental Alliance
• BANNG - Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group
• Save Mersea Harbour
• Blackwater Guardians

Since entering parliament in 2010 Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has been extraordinarily diligent in her efforts to ensure public views are represented. I would do the same for Mersea. You will already know me through my involvement in HM Coastguard (to 2015), the Parish Church and other voluntary groups and activities. As one who contributes towards the creative arts I am well qualified to encourage culture and aspiration for all to enjoy the fruits of our labours.

Let’s join together and make the world a better and more joyful place for us and the generations to come can enjoy.

P

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Promoted by Robbie Spence on behalf of Lisa Britton, Peter Banks and Bartosz Mizgier
Colchester & District Green Party, all at 124 Morant Road, Colchester CO1 2JD

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Martyn Joseph nails it...!

Captivating video for one of the songs on Martyn's latest collection 'Sanctuary' released today...

Love it!

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The Siege - Cultural Resistance...

Sometimes I have stood and clapped a production that has been excellent as I felt the need to be counted with others who had leapt out of their seats. However, it is a rare experience to be in an audience that immediately stands as one whilst applauding rapturously. This is what happened on Saturday 16th May at the Lakeside Theatre on the Essex Univeristy Campus as The Freedom Theatre's production 'The Siege' concluded. And over time, as the impulse that propelled me upwards subsides, the profuse images and moments from that memorable evening remain starkly vivid.

The Freedom Theatre is a company based in the Jenin Refugee Camp in Northern Palestine and 'The Siege' recalls the time when some of the Palestinian resistance sought refuge in the Church of The Nativity in Bethlehem after the Israeli army invasion in 2002. The media reported that these men held nuns and priests hostage, the reality was very different. As it transpires these very same men landed up making a massive sacrifice for their fellow Palestinians, and still do, as they are now nomads in exile.

This production is breathtaking in that it hits home hard, it is brilliantly executed with mix of video footage and with a script delivered only partially in English as subtitled Arabic is the principle vehicle. The dialogue swings rapidly between humour and pathos, hatred and redemption and gently draws you alongside the players. The Church of the Nativity's guide introduces us to the location and his love for the place and it's history enabled us all to robustly respond to his closing 'Amen'!

Do not miss seeing 'The Siege', I met folk who had travelled miles to Colchester to witness it, your remaining opportunities are here:

• BAC London 19th - 23rd May (Sold Out)
• The Hub, Leeds 26th May
• St Mary in the Castle, Hastings 28th May (tickets)
• The Merlin, Frome 30th May (tickets)
• The REP, Birmingham 4th - 6th June (tickets)
• Notts Playhouse, Nottingham 10th - 11th June (tickets)
• The Cut Halesworth, Suffolk 13th June (tickets)
• The Tron, Glasgow 17th - 20th June (tickets)

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Art, politics and the prophetic voice....

Respect due to my namesake...

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For the love of pets and beer... 500 miles

Using the inspired version by Sleeping At Last of The Proclaimers anthem 'I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)' to make a charming, albeit sentimental, narrative style advert entitled 'Lost Dog' for Budweiser...

The full cover version of the song is here... already claimed by X-Factor (in 2014) and The Voice (2015) as their original ideas despite Sleeping At Last's 2012/13 recording.

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But why the tears there?

Remembering Ian McLagan, great player and raconteur, looking back to his inspirational and understated Hammond organ tinkling here...

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The greatest of these is more than music...

I so wish the Sermon on the Mount included the phrase "Blessed are the Music Makers...".

All my life I have believed that art and music can change things for the better and I still endorse that thought. However after visiting the West Bank I have been challenged to consider greater callings.

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Upon this Rock...

Honoured to be taking part in the Bet Lahem Live Festival this week, depping on Keyboards for the Fat Band... very much looking forward to the whole experience and meeting up with the guys in this video.

One day...? Let's hope and pray.

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Coldplay - tearing me apart...

And I don't care... if you think I'm uncool, bah, I simply love this, so there...!

This touches me on so many levels, those who know me well may figure it out, a big clue is one of the tags below... and it is about time I posted again!

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Wide, wide as the ocean...

Come on come on and shake down those shabby bones.
We're tired and torn, creaking and cracked I know.
When did we last make some time?

Spinning with stars, dreams disregarded.
Days are all full, stuffed and congested.
When did we last make the time,
To be scared of the dark,
Where the gods and monsters hide?

Dust ourselves down.

Show me the way to make me a child again.
We'll be amazed by all we can't name and then,
We can at last stop to breathe,
And be scared of the dark,
Where our mind's got space to dream.

Click to download for FREE!

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Sounding out the Season...

A piece written leading up to and when contemplating Christmas, both the joy of being together yet also the sadness of those missing from families or potentially so...

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Full Choral Hide and Seek with Imogen Heap

Having already listed this song and Imogen Heap's original version of Hide and Seek as a 'stop you in your tracks' song how delighted was I to discover this full choral version?!

Featuring the University of Washington choir with Imogen, totally amazing and so Secret Chord!

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Jeff Buckley - BBC Soul Music Archive - Take 3

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BBC Soul Music - Dido's Lament

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I'm delighted to report the BBC has increased the duration of the archived pieces from Radio 4's wonderful Soul Music and have included this edition along with many others, link above.

Here's a re-post of what I wrote about this broadcast back in 2010 which includes some of the content discussed with Jonathan Evens in our book 'The Secret Chord':

BBC Radio 4's edition of 'Soul Music' which featured Dido's Lament turned out to be really special! It always gives me enormous encouragement (and pleasant surprise!) to hear top notch classical maestros admitting truths that most of their colleagues would consider heresy.

The program moved from a fairly conventional start covering thoughts from the mezzo soprano Sarah Connolly and the view of the conductor of the band at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Day.

Jeremy Summerly, the big boss of the Royal Academy of Music and a renowned conductor, issued the first challenges to conventional thinking about the approach to singing the piece. He asked how would anyone know how 17th Century singers would sound and then introduced Alison Moyet's version, praising her approach, the clarity of her timbre and the fact that every word is intelligible. For someone of Jeremy's stature in the classical world to say this is really something, especially as he stated that Purcell's masterpiece is 'the great tune of the 17th Century'.

The closing section of the programme introduced Philip Sheppard, cellist and now composer. He spoke about how he was invited along to be part of the supporting orchestra for Elvis Costello's Meltdown Festival in 1995. One of the pieces was to be Dido's Lament which would be sung by charismatic rock singer Jeff Buckley. Although Philip had never heard of Jeff Buckley before once he heard him singing it had a most profound effect on him:

He seemed to screw every ounce of meaning out of the words and physically he looked like he was wracked with pain and anguish as he was singing it. But what was coming out was beyond ethereal his voice had this quality where it meant so much more than when I had ever heard it before.

But then when he sang it it seemed to be a Lament so much more and it really went beyond what I would consider to be classical music...and to date it's actually probably the greatest musical
experience of my life, in as much as it turned my world inside out.

As a result Philip had to admit:

I know NOTHING about music - at all!

Up to that point I was a musican who played through study rather than a musician who played through feel and now I have to say I seek out people to work with who do not necessarily read music who have their first sense is one of 'ear' rather than of 'technique'...

Philip then goes on to say how this became a pivotal moment in his career which helped him to become a composer, enabling him to move away from being 'a player who just repeated other people's music'.

Jeff Buckley died in a tragic accident just two years later in 1997, sunsequently his version of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' reached number one in the US Billboard charts and is considered by many to be the definitive version.

Now Philip thinks of Jeff nearly every day and is ever grateful for the effect of the encounter, even though he only met him for around half an hour...

Listening to this has changed me forever, too, thank you so much...

P