Sunday afternoon chez Newey

Sunday afternoon.

Missed Monday last week, so trying to make up for it a bit. Will miss tomorrow as well, I'm pretty sure of that, but as long as something occasionally gets written, that'll be fine.

A friend yesterday suggested I put my 'training regime' up here. By this, I think he was being indicative of the lack of actual 'training' I do. And what did he mean by this, anyway? If he was talking in the push-ups, jogging, body pain sense, then that really would be a waste of time, and would serve only as a vehicle for everybody else to either take the proverbial or tell me how much more they do. Incidentally, I have noticed that on the rare occasion I do make it out for a run I always up my speed if I see someone coming the other way. This function bypasses any conscious decision I could make, so I can only assume it has to do with some very basic, animalistic urge to a) show that I am not a weaker human being b) can run away/handle my corner should I get into a fight with another gorilla c) to prove my very worth, in a completely non intellectual, all about brawn sense. I've tried to stop myself doing it, but I can't. What's particularly awful about the whole thing is that when I've rounded the corner after overtaking whoever else was on the pavement, I'm so completely out of breath and close to death I need to stop whilst everything goes dark for a bit. Mind you, this is the North East of England, and so I'm finding myself getting used to 'everything going dark'.

I've spent today picking up a gas heater (because as well as being dark, it's also cold), painting the rust spots on my car, and generally faffing about on here. I quite enjoy these fairly mundane tasks, and have learnt to deal with the domesticity of it all; there's a point where I probably would have lurched if I'd had to do such things on a Sunday (all that could have made it worse would have been a visit to B&Q), but secretly I enjoy such things.

As every musician knows, finding some kind of practice regime is pretty tricky. It's very easy when you're gigging/teaching/generally playing in one environment or the other to abandon furthering your skill, as it feels like you're doing this - it's not as if you haven't picked your instrument up. Whilst of course you'd hope that everyone of the above scenarios provides a learning situation, nothing substitutes actually sitting down and working on new music. So often people say 'I'm stuck in a rut' and so often it's because they just play the same old stuff - so we have to try and challenge ourselves to play different things, make different sounds. I'm aware I've not been great at this recently, and so I've decided to dedicate at least 1 hour a day to it, from now on. I'll let you know how it goes and whether I stick to it, but I also fancy the idea of making an instrumental guitar album, and I'm thinking that the practice and the making of said album can go hand in hand. You'll soon see.

Anyway, if you're reading, thanks. If you've given up.. I don't blame you...

All the best...

So I'll try and make this a weekly thing. I was discussing the subject of writing last night with a friend (and a bottle of wine, it's true), and we decided that regardless of who reads them, these blogs are a good idea. Anything to get pen on paper. Text on screen. Speaking of which, I should certainly write some more songs. I tend to go through long periods without doing much, maybe scrawling bits here and there, and then give myself an absurd deadline for completing an album.

I think it works for me. Driving back from Scotland on Saturday night (just outside of Glasgow, if you're interested) I had the BBC World Service on and heard Nick Cave interviewed about his new book 'The Death of Bunny Munro'. There is something brilliant about artists who could rest on their laurels and their previous material, live it up and tour once every couple of years, cranking out their greatest hits; but instead keep producing fantastic, rich material, challenging themselves and taking risks. There are certainly lessons to be learnt here - about working, creating and performing. I'd love to think that regardless who was watching or listening I'd try and play guitar and write a few songs.

This is also a reason I find the 'illegal download' debate so interesting. For what it's worth I'd far rather people downloaded and heard any music I make than not. I accept that not everyone can afford £10 - £13 for a CD, and so if they need a copy, I hope they get it. It does amuse me when 'artists' who have been given huge advances on their CDs by their massive labels start to complain about 'illegal downloading' like it really affects them; like they wouldn't make music unless they got their 6 or 7 figure sum for doing it. Eddi Reader wrote about this recently in her blog on her Myspace page, and I agree completely.

So enough of this rambling - once again I'm avoiding going for a run on the basis that it might rain. I should really just suck it in and get out there... so all the best to all of you!

Dave

Monday morning..

Well hello...

So it's Monday morning, it's a little drizzly outside, and any ideas I may have had about going for a 'run' have been thwarted. Nevermind - it's really an excuse, I keep looking out of the window secretly hoping that it is still raining, so exercise can be postponed.

Christi's new album is coming along beautifully - and will be finished by October, no problems. Hugely grateful to Dave Wisdom and his studio at Brancepeth Castle for the time he's given up to help out. If you'd like to work with him let me know, and I'll get all of you in touch. It's got a huge variety of stuff on it, all tied together by Christi's voice and fiddle playing, which are both fantastic.

It'll be released on the new 'Furrow' record label, when we get it together - which should also be October time.

Having spent a bit of time in the US, reading about Obama's health care reform package really interests me. Republicans have been using the NHS as a reason why not to have a 'socialist' health package like its a bad thing, regardless of the fact that when I talk to people in this country who don't realise how the US health system works, they are astounded to find out that there is no such thing as 'free at the point of use' care over there. For its problems, the NHS is a system which looks after everyone - and such a thing should be highly valued. America really needs something which does the same thing; and doesn't let some fall through the net. A persons health really should not be dependant on the money they earn. I know this is a highly complicated and sophisticated issue bought down to basics; but sometimes this is what it comes down to, I really think.

I have two gigs with Tom this weekend - one at Bromley Cross folk club, (a new one for me) and then up to Scotland, to Douglas, this Saturday. I'll let you know all about it... or better still, come along and find out for yourself.

All the best

Dave

Trying these things out...

Well hello. I've no idea who will read this and am well aware that it subscribes to a number of things I'm not sure I agree with (notably that you want to do what I'm doing). However, I also think it could be an interesting thing to try for a bit, and so here it is. You've probably arrived here via my website, and to there you could have come from a number of places. I hope that a lot of you have seen me at a gig - to those, thanks for coming, and I hope you had a good time. At the moment, there's a little down time for gigs - I had one with Christi (www.myspace.com/christiandropolis) last Saturday at a craft fair in Alford, and it was actually very lovely. We were bought curry from a vendor/drag act/multi-instrumentalist, and played to an ever changing crowd of people who were trying to work out why they'd just bought a china dog.

In the next couple of weeks.. I finish recording on Tom's new album (www.tommcconville.co.uk), and Christi's album should be done and ready to be mixed as well. That'll be out on brand spanking new Furrow records, along with an official release for mine, followed up in the New Year by Emily Portman's debut album of her own songs (www.emilyportman.co.uk).

So that's what I've got to tell you just now as I sit at home, in the rainy North East of England. I hope the weather improves, but it works out a little better if you don't hope for anything of the sort.

All the best to you

Dave