Letting Go

Let it go. That's what I learnt this week. Not holding on too tightly to an idea, a person, a cherished prize. With Belgium and it's forthcoming gig....we let it go after trying to hold on to keeping it, but the logistics were impossible, so with a heavy heart, we let go. It has come back to us in a much better version. I always forget about 'Letting Go'. Note to self.

This photo was taken by Jonny Cole, our sound producer, in Berlin on our 'Butcher' trip.

singing practice

yes it has begun. one hour of singing..and stretching...you cant sing without a good ole move about. thinking about singing, thinking about making the muscles strong. Voice a little weedy.no surprise. listened to BOCs album with my eyes shut today, planning a show at Stew in the dark with warm booze and smells. It looks great in my head. Smells good too! Got a new lead on shows in Amsterdam today.

41 days to Belgian show

In 41 days we will do a Belgian Show in Kortrijk.
It will be a first full-on unadulterated loud outing for a while.
I'm really looking forward to singing with total abandon....
Here I will trace my progress... you see I'm terrible at practicing.

ordinary extraordinary

Lene Lovich was the singer I saw as a kid on the tv and realised that ladies were allowed to be weird and funny, were allowed to leap about like monsters singing strangely. Last week Lene popped into The Playhouse Bar, we know each other a little, but this time she gave me a brooch, "Give this to anyone you know who might commit suicide, it will keep them safe." Will do Lene. Two days ago I went to a meal in London and was placed in a seating plan next to Robin Millar one of the world’s most successful ever record producers with over 150 gold, silver and platinum discs and 55 million record sales to his credit.We chatted, Robin is blind and hears your truth through how you speak your words. I'm making a point of noticing that I have spent time with these inspiring and quite ordinary extraordinary folks.

we rarely work in isolation

We rarely work in isolation....just thinking about all the folks who have helped make the book, there is a community of Butchers who have laboured. We were starting to put a budget together for our next show and realised that our team was growing from a band of 4 musicians in a small van to a troupe..........the troupe makes a whole new world for folks to live in.....a big cheers to the troupe.

Butcher Xmas

Butcher phase comes to completion...

This is always an evocative time of year as it reminds me of being in Berlin. the chill of outside and the orange light of indoors and the hope of Obama being elected.... a mirroring of experience.

On Sunday we took down the exhibition, I wasn't looking forward to it, but the event was extremely practical and not an emotional wrench....we took the work down in three hours whilst listening to radio 4 ramblings and radio 6 excitings. That episode is now complete, it feels good. We have work to re-exhibit. We have a live-show format. We have one set of experiences to work from. Next move to take the work and ourselves on a journey....back to Berlin. we have grown into artists who make work. As musicians one is channelled into 'chasing'. No more chasing, because the chasing leads not nothing at all. Chasing shadows. Nope, now is for being authentic, sharing ideas, making worlds for folks to visit and having fun.