Meeting Points: a powerful musical collaboration
Meeting Points (November 2021) is a startling album that celebrates the unconquerable art of collaboration. It features thirteen tracks, twelve of which were written by Dave Artus and performed by an array of highly-acclaimed international artists he has long admired.
A singer-songwriter originally from Yorkshire and now living in West London, Dave is known for his long-standing commitment to grass-roots folk clubs and support of touring artists. His influences include Al Stewart, Michael Chapman and Reg Meuross.
The release includes moving performances from Ashley Hutchings, Blair Dunlop and Dave Nachmanoff, David Harbottle and Freya Jonas (amongst others) and began as a response to touring (and income) being torn away from musicians at the start of 2020. Commissioning these artists seemed like a natural step for Dave Artus to make, and working closely with lyricist Paul Ilechko he started to approach artists and arranging the incredible collaborations between them.
In this interview with Matt Rochford of From The Whitehouse, Dave talks about how it happened and how the project unfolded.
MR: Did the restrictions we all found ourselves living with impel you to do this or did they somehow give you permission to do what you had wanted to do for some time?
DA: The restrictions did lead to Meeting Points, more due to the effects on other people than directly on me. The songs were written because Jon Bickley of the Invisible Folk Club wanted something to do in lockdown and started a Songwriters Circle, giving me the kick-start. I was aware that artists I knew well, such as Brooks Williams, Dave Nachmanoff and Lukas Drinkwater had had their touring lives and income snatched from them, hence they were open to doing a little teaching - so I booked some lessons and soon realised they also had the time to record, and might welcome commissions to record my songs.
Once I had ‘New Horizon’ in place, with my three all-time heroes collaborating, the vision of recording more tracks opened up.
MR: You seem to have facilitated this album with a lot of skill. Is that something you’ve been good at for a while, or did the songwriting retreats you attended help you or give you greater confidence?
DA: I work in IT, and so coordinating projects is something I have experience of. However, the song-writing retreats gave me the confidence. The tutors such as Reg Meuross and Dave Nachmanoff are so good at engendering confidence in their students. I would not have dared to approach these artists had I not believed in the songs and I very much enjoyed bringing together artists in new collaborations.
MR: How long did this project take from the seed of the idea to the finished masters?
DA: New Horizon was completed in August 2020, but nothing more happened until the song-writing circle pushed me to write new songs. ‘To The Sky’ was written in late 2020, recorded in December and released in January 2021. From that point on, the idea of Meeting Points was clear in my mind, and I began sending songs to other artists. The final tracks was completed in July and the mastering complete in early August this year.
MR: When we were in the depths of the pandemic did this project give you a focus and discipline that helped you navigate it with a degree of hope?
DA: I’m very fortunate to have a part-time IT job - that’s what’s paying for Meeting Points. So my days were not entirely empty. However, yes, the combination of creativity in making the songs and the collaborative aspects of pulling the recordings together did make everything much more bearable. It was enourmous fun to hear these recordings emerge.
MR: Have the connections you have with everyone involved turned into friendships, now that we are in less-restricted times?
DA: The song-writing partnership with Paul was completely unexpected. I’d worked with Paul for years at IBM without realising that we shared a lot of musical tastes. I was vaguely aware that he wrote poetry. After we wrote ‘To The Sky’ together we went on to write a lot more - so I expect we will continue to work together.
I’ve had good relationships with several of the musicians before this project, as I put on house-concerts and help run the Uxbridge Folk Club. Dave and Lukas helped me with the previous album, but as they are busy touring musicians again I don’t expect to see them socially that often but I will be getting to as many of their gigs as I possibly can. I’ll always feel grateful to all the people who made this album possible, of that I have no doubt.
MR: Are there any anecdotes about the recording process you’d like to share with us?
DA: When I was really feeling blocked whilst writing, what would become ‘To The Sky’ I contacted Paul for help and he initially replied with a definite ‘no’ but something must have appealed to him about it as half an hour later sent me the words.
For me, the most encouraging thing about the recording process was that the musicians adopted some parts of my original arrangements. For example, there’s a little guitar figure in ‘In The Rain’ that Dave Harbottle included in his intricate arrangement, and I have some descending figures in ‘Doors of Perception’ that Blair has incorporated into his guitar part.
The arrangement that most took me by surprise was Gus MacGregor’s interpretation on ‘North South Divide’. In my version this was a Johnny Cash, “I hear the train-a-coming’ type of song. Gus turned it into a thoughtful ballad, which moved me to tears.
MR: The artists involved are all established and renowned - even though you are an experienced songwriter, did you ever feel trepidatious approaching any of them?
DA: I definitely have a ‘I am not worthy’ thread running deep in my psyche! However, all the artists were encouraging and it felt as though they embraced the songs and brought something of themselves, it didn’t feel as though they were ‘phoning in’ a performance. They were entirely authentic.
MR: What’s your hope for the album? What does success look like for you?
DA: In broad terms, that people enjoy listening to the songs, which implies that somehow they get in front of people who would enjoy them. So I guess that means that they get played on the radio or get onto Spotify playlists. The hope is that other people choose to learn and play the songs. It would be so nice to hear one of my songs played in a sing-around. The dream is that an established artist adopts one of the songs. Given that most artists play their own songs that’s pretty unlikely, but I can dream.
The album can be purchased from daveartus.bandcamp.com
A singer-songwriter originally from Yorkshire and now living in West London, Dave is known for his long-standing commitment to grass-roots folk clubs and support of touring artists. His influences include Al Stewart, Michael Chapman and Reg Meuross.
The release includes moving performances from Ashley Hutchings, Blair Dunlop and Dave Nachmanoff, David Harbottle and Freya Jonas (amongst others) and began as a response to touring (and income) being torn away from musicians at the start of 2020. Commissioning these artists seemed like a natural step for Dave Artus to make, and working closely with lyricist Paul Ilechko he started to approach artists and arranging the incredible collaborations between them.
In this interview with Matt Rochford of From The Whitehouse, Dave talks about how it happened and how the project unfolded.
MR: Did the restrictions we all found ourselves living with impel you to do this or did they somehow give you permission to do what you had wanted to do for some time?
DA: The restrictions did lead to Meeting Points, more due to the effects on other people than directly on me. The songs were written because Jon Bickley of the Invisible Folk Club wanted something to do in lockdown and started a Songwriters Circle, giving me the kick-start. I was aware that artists I knew well, such as Brooks Williams, Dave Nachmanoff and Lukas Drinkwater had had their touring lives and income snatched from them, hence they were open to doing a little teaching - so I booked some lessons and soon realised they also had the time to record, and might welcome commissions to record my songs.
Once I had ‘New Horizon’ in place, with my three all-time heroes collaborating, the vision of recording more tracks opened up.
MR: You seem to have facilitated this album with a lot of skill. Is that something you’ve been good at for a while, or did the songwriting retreats you attended help you or give you greater confidence?
DA: I work in IT, and so coordinating projects is something I have experience of. However, the song-writing retreats gave me the confidence. The tutors such as Reg Meuross and Dave Nachmanoff are so good at engendering confidence in their students. I would not have dared to approach these artists had I not believed in the songs and I very much enjoyed bringing together artists in new collaborations.
MR: How long did this project take from the seed of the idea to the finished masters?
DA: New Horizon was completed in August 2020, but nothing more happened until the song-writing circle pushed me to write new songs. ‘To The Sky’ was written in late 2020, recorded in December and released in January 2021. From that point on, the idea of Meeting Points was clear in my mind, and I began sending songs to other artists. The final tracks was completed in July and the mastering complete in early August this year.
MR: When we were in the depths of the pandemic did this project give you a focus and discipline that helped you navigate it with a degree of hope?
DA: I’m very fortunate to have a part-time IT job - that’s what’s paying for Meeting Points. So my days were not entirely empty. However, yes, the combination of creativity in making the songs and the collaborative aspects of pulling the recordings together did make everything much more bearable. It was enourmous fun to hear these recordings emerge.
MR: Have the connections you have with everyone involved turned into friendships, now that we are in less-restricted times?
DA: The song-writing partnership with Paul was completely unexpected. I’d worked with Paul for years at IBM without realising that we shared a lot of musical tastes. I was vaguely aware that he wrote poetry. After we wrote ‘To The Sky’ together we went on to write a lot more - so I expect we will continue to work together.
I’ve had good relationships with several of the musicians before this project, as I put on house-concerts and help run the Uxbridge Folk Club. Dave and Lukas helped me with the previous album, but as they are busy touring musicians again I don’t expect to see them socially that often but I will be getting to as many of their gigs as I possibly can. I’ll always feel grateful to all the people who made this album possible, of that I have no doubt.
MR: Are there any anecdotes about the recording process you’d like to share with us?
DA: When I was really feeling blocked whilst writing, what would become ‘To The Sky’ I contacted Paul for help and he initially replied with a definite ‘no’ but something must have appealed to him about it as half an hour later sent me the words.
For me, the most encouraging thing about the recording process was that the musicians adopted some parts of my original arrangements. For example, there’s a little guitar figure in ‘In The Rain’ that Dave Harbottle included in his intricate arrangement, and I have some descending figures in ‘Doors of Perception’ that Blair has incorporated into his guitar part.
The arrangement that most took me by surprise was Gus MacGregor’s interpretation on ‘North South Divide’. In my version this was a Johnny Cash, “I hear the train-a-coming’ type of song. Gus turned it into a thoughtful ballad, which moved me to tears.
MR: The artists involved are all established and renowned - even though you are an experienced songwriter, did you ever feel trepidatious approaching any of them?
DA: I definitely have a ‘I am not worthy’ thread running deep in my psyche! However, all the artists were encouraging and it felt as though they embraced the songs and brought something of themselves, it didn’t feel as though they were ‘phoning in’ a performance. They were entirely authentic.
MR: What’s your hope for the album? What does success look like for you?
DA: In broad terms, that people enjoy listening to the songs, which implies that somehow they get in front of people who would enjoy them. So I guess that means that they get played on the radio or get onto Spotify playlists. The hope is that other people choose to learn and play the songs. It would be so nice to hear one of my songs played in a sing-around. The dream is that an established artist adopts one of the songs. Given that most artists play their own songs that’s pretty unlikely, but I can dream.
The album can be purchased from daveartus.bandcamp.com
Steve Ashley's legendary Family Album - revisted and re-released
Released at the end of July 2021 and remastered with two extra tracks, Steve’s Family Album makes a long-overdue return to the limelight. This well-loved, Fairport-backed album was first recorded in 1979 and contains many classic Ashley originals - including Family Love, Once In A While, Feeling Lazy, Pancake Day and The Rough With The Smooth.
It also features a fascinating line-up of Fairport Convention members past and present, namely, Dave Pegg, Simon Nicol, Chris Leslie and the late, Bruce Rowland. The 12 page booklet includes recollections from Steve, Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie, with an overview by Simon Jones.
The Family Album was eventually released on Dave and Chris Pegg’s, Woodworm label in 1982. Today, Peggy, who produced the album, reflects upon its reissue: “Steve’s ‘Family Album’ was one of our first releases and to my ears, still stands up today with the quality of the song writing and the ‘vibe’ of all the musicians involved. It was great fun to do and I still love listening to it. It’s lovely to know it’s being made available again.”
Also on board are Brass Monkey’s Martin Brinsford, The Albion Band’s Trevor Foster, Mark Powell and the close harmony group ‘Capes’. Chris Leslie, who was in a duo with Steve at the time, is now of course, a key member of Fairport Convention. “I suppose it really started my playing connection with Fairport in many ways,” says Chris, “I definitely felt a strong connection with the album. Great songs, wonderful musical company, together with a real sense of friendship.”
With one track reinstated from the original sessions, and Steve’s poignant memorial to his friend, Bruce Rowland, we now have Steve Ashley’s Family Album – Revisited. And for those that know The Family Album of old, this new version will bring many fresh insights. For newcomers to it, this unique album is a classic collection of folk-rock songs about family life, by an English singer-songwriter in his prime, with impeccable support from members of another great enduring family – Fairport Convention.
“...there's a buoyant, all-together-now bonhomie to the album... And the joy is contagious…” - Dave Thompson
“It also includes two of the best songs Ashley’s ever written – Once In A While and The Rough With The Smooth... Steve’s assembled his various dramas with supreme sympathy...” - Colin Irwin
“Only a man of supreme sympathy could get so firmly under another’s skin as he does with songs like Days Like Today, Once In A While and The Rough With The Smooth, which must be his finest composition since Fire and Wine.” - Karl Dallas
“From the sleeve image to the flexible line-up of musicians, to the sentiment behind its overall concept, this has always seemed the epitome of the Woodworm Spirit.” - Nigel Schofield
For further information, please visit www.steveashley.co.uk
It also features a fascinating line-up of Fairport Convention members past and present, namely, Dave Pegg, Simon Nicol, Chris Leslie and the late, Bruce Rowland. The 12 page booklet includes recollections from Steve, Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie, with an overview by Simon Jones.
The Family Album was eventually released on Dave and Chris Pegg’s, Woodworm label in 1982. Today, Peggy, who produced the album, reflects upon its reissue: “Steve’s ‘Family Album’ was one of our first releases and to my ears, still stands up today with the quality of the song writing and the ‘vibe’ of all the musicians involved. It was great fun to do and I still love listening to it. It’s lovely to know it’s being made available again.”
Also on board are Brass Monkey’s Martin Brinsford, The Albion Band’s Trevor Foster, Mark Powell and the close harmony group ‘Capes’. Chris Leslie, who was in a duo with Steve at the time, is now of course, a key member of Fairport Convention. “I suppose it really started my playing connection with Fairport in many ways,” says Chris, “I definitely felt a strong connection with the album. Great songs, wonderful musical company, together with a real sense of friendship.”
With one track reinstated from the original sessions, and Steve’s poignant memorial to his friend, Bruce Rowland, we now have Steve Ashley’s Family Album – Revisited. And for those that know The Family Album of old, this new version will bring many fresh insights. For newcomers to it, this unique album is a classic collection of folk-rock songs about family life, by an English singer-songwriter in his prime, with impeccable support from members of another great enduring family – Fairport Convention.
“...there's a buoyant, all-together-now bonhomie to the album... And the joy is contagious…” - Dave Thompson
“It also includes two of the best songs Ashley’s ever written – Once In A While and The Rough With The Smooth... Steve’s assembled his various dramas with supreme sympathy...” - Colin Irwin
“Only a man of supreme sympathy could get so firmly under another’s skin as he does with songs like Days Like Today, Once In A While and The Rough With The Smooth, which must be his finest composition since Fire and Wine.” - Karl Dallas
“From the sleeve image to the flexible line-up of musicians, to the sentiment behind its overall concept, this has always seemed the epitome of the Woodworm Spirit.” - Nigel Schofield
For further information, please visit www.steveashley.co.uk
St Buryan Sessions: new album from Sarah McQuaid
Born out of the pandemic and released on October 15th, The St Buryan Sessions is the sixth solo album by award-winning multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Sarah McQuaid, and is her most powerful and emotive offering yet.
With pre-orders for the much-anticipated CD and limited-edition double LP now open, a new track from the album is being released to radio: the poignant “Last Song.”
“It’s a really special song for me,” explains McQuaid. “It’s been in my live set forever and always gets a really strong reaction — I see people crying, and then a lot of the time I wind up crying, too! Which is why I tend to save it for the encore, so it doesn’t matter if my mascara starts running.
“I wrote it back when I was still living in Ireland and my kids were toddlers — I used to try and fit in some guitar practice and get them to sleep at the same time by sitting and playing outside their room after I put them to bed, and it took me right back to when I was little and my mother used to do the same thing.
“I have such a clear memory of lying in bed, looking at the ribbon of light shining through the door and calling out requests for songs I wanted to hear. She’d answer “Are you still awake? Go to sleep!” And one night I heard myself saying exactly the same thing to my kids, and it was like my mother’s voice coming out of my mouth.
“And I wanted so much to be able to call her up and tell her about it, but of course I couldn’t, because she died just six months after my first child was born. They’re teenagers now, and it breaks my heart that she never got to know them and they never got to know her.”
The track is offered as an immediate “instant gratification” download with pre-orders for The St Buryan Sessions, which had its genesis in the spring of 2020, when Sarah’s gigs and tours were cancelled due to COVID-19.
Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, she was able to finance a live solo recording (sans audience) in the lovely medieval church of St Buryan, not far from her home in rural West Cornwall.
Sensitively captured by her longtime sound engineer and manager, Martin Stansbury, with the aid of ambient microphones placed throughout the church, the sound of Sarah’s voice and music soars through the stunning acoustic space as she moves between acoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar and floor tom drum, performing songs that span her 24-year career – from “Charlie’s Gone Home”, originally recorded on her 1997 debut album When Two Lovers Meet, to electric guitar based pieces from her most recent studio album If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous.
Two previously unrecorded covers feature on the album: the classic jazz standard “Autumn Leaves”, on which she demonstrates the full dynamic range of her lush, distinctive voice, and a cover of “Rabbit Hills”, written by her dear friend (and past producer) Michael Chapman. This second piece was commissioned by Michael’s wife as a gift for his 80th birthday and sees Sarah at the beautiful grand piano that resides in the church, her compelling, heartfelt delivery revealing the depth of her immersion in the rich imagery of Chapman’s evocative lyrics.
Conceived as a concert set and including such fan favourites as “In Derby Cathedral”, “The Sun Goes On Rising” and “Yellowstone”, the album is a journey not only through a wide range of instrumentation and styles, but also through the spectrum of emotions that Sarah evokes in her performance and invokes in the listener.
The recording was filmed by Cornish filmmaker and director Mawgan Lewis of Purple Knif with the aid of Eden Sessions veteran camera operator John Crooks, and the album release will be accompanied by a full concert video. In the meantime, Sarah has been releasing a series of videos of individual songs to her YouTube channel – https://youtube.com/sarahmcquaid — where Lewis’ short documentary “The Making Of The St Buryan Sessions”, featuring interviews and song snippets, can also be viewed.
The St Buryan Sessions is now available to pre-order via https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com on CD and limited-edition blue vinyl double LP, together with T-shirts, tea towels, tote bags, ultra-limited-edition test pressings, and the full concert film on a 16GB engraved wooden USB stick, all bearing Sarah’s original artwork.
Sarah will be launching the album on its release day, Friday, October 15, with a very special benefit concert in (and for) St Buryan Church. In order to make it accessible for all in the local community, no entrance fee will be charged, but there will be a voluntary retiring collection for church funds.
“I’ve been living in St Buryan for fourteen years now,” she explains, “and it’s been incredibly heartwarming how my family and I have been welcomed into the life of the village. I kind of thought when we first moved here that we’d be shunned as ‘blow-ins’, but that hasn’t been the case at all, and I’m so grateful. I’m also incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to record the new album in such a gorgeous space, and I really wanted to be able to give something back.”
A six-week UK-wide tour will follow the album launch and continue through the end of November. Sarah’s 2022 tour plans include Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and the USA. For more information, visit sarahmcquaid.com
With pre-orders for the much-anticipated CD and limited-edition double LP now open, a new track from the album is being released to radio: the poignant “Last Song.”
“It’s a really special song for me,” explains McQuaid. “It’s been in my live set forever and always gets a really strong reaction — I see people crying, and then a lot of the time I wind up crying, too! Which is why I tend to save it for the encore, so it doesn’t matter if my mascara starts running.
“I wrote it back when I was still living in Ireland and my kids were toddlers — I used to try and fit in some guitar practice and get them to sleep at the same time by sitting and playing outside their room after I put them to bed, and it took me right back to when I was little and my mother used to do the same thing.
“I have such a clear memory of lying in bed, looking at the ribbon of light shining through the door and calling out requests for songs I wanted to hear. She’d answer “Are you still awake? Go to sleep!” And one night I heard myself saying exactly the same thing to my kids, and it was like my mother’s voice coming out of my mouth.
“And I wanted so much to be able to call her up and tell her about it, but of course I couldn’t, because she died just six months after my first child was born. They’re teenagers now, and it breaks my heart that she never got to know them and they never got to know her.”
The track is offered as an immediate “instant gratification” download with pre-orders for The St Buryan Sessions, which had its genesis in the spring of 2020, when Sarah’s gigs and tours were cancelled due to COVID-19.
Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, she was able to finance a live solo recording (sans audience) in the lovely medieval church of St Buryan, not far from her home in rural West Cornwall.
Sensitively captured by her longtime sound engineer and manager, Martin Stansbury, with the aid of ambient microphones placed throughout the church, the sound of Sarah’s voice and music soars through the stunning acoustic space as she moves between acoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar and floor tom drum, performing songs that span her 24-year career – from “Charlie’s Gone Home”, originally recorded on her 1997 debut album When Two Lovers Meet, to electric guitar based pieces from her most recent studio album If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous.
Two previously unrecorded covers feature on the album: the classic jazz standard “Autumn Leaves”, on which she demonstrates the full dynamic range of her lush, distinctive voice, and a cover of “Rabbit Hills”, written by her dear friend (and past producer) Michael Chapman. This second piece was commissioned by Michael’s wife as a gift for his 80th birthday and sees Sarah at the beautiful grand piano that resides in the church, her compelling, heartfelt delivery revealing the depth of her immersion in the rich imagery of Chapman’s evocative lyrics.
Conceived as a concert set and including such fan favourites as “In Derby Cathedral”, “The Sun Goes On Rising” and “Yellowstone”, the album is a journey not only through a wide range of instrumentation and styles, but also through the spectrum of emotions that Sarah evokes in her performance and invokes in the listener.
The recording was filmed by Cornish filmmaker and director Mawgan Lewis of Purple Knif with the aid of Eden Sessions veteran camera operator John Crooks, and the album release will be accompanied by a full concert video. In the meantime, Sarah has been releasing a series of videos of individual songs to her YouTube channel – https://youtube.com/sarahmcquaid — where Lewis’ short documentary “The Making Of The St Buryan Sessions”, featuring interviews and song snippets, can also be viewed.
The St Buryan Sessions is now available to pre-order via https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com on CD and limited-edition blue vinyl double LP, together with T-shirts, tea towels, tote bags, ultra-limited-edition test pressings, and the full concert film on a 16GB engraved wooden USB stick, all bearing Sarah’s original artwork.
Sarah will be launching the album on its release day, Friday, October 15, with a very special benefit concert in (and for) St Buryan Church. In order to make it accessible for all in the local community, no entrance fee will be charged, but there will be a voluntary retiring collection for church funds.
“I’ve been living in St Buryan for fourteen years now,” she explains, “and it’s been incredibly heartwarming how my family and I have been welcomed into the life of the village. I kind of thought when we first moved here that we’d be shunned as ‘blow-ins’, but that hasn’t been the case at all, and I’m so grateful. I’m also incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to record the new album in such a gorgeous space, and I really wanted to be able to give something back.”
A six-week UK-wide tour will follow the album launch and continue through the end of November. Sarah’s 2022 tour plans include Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and the USA. For more information, visit sarahmcquaid.com
First studio album for Worcestershire singer-songwriter Mike Weaver
Worcestershire singer-songwriter Mike Weaver released his first studio album this September. After a break of over twenty years, Cheltenham-born Mike return to songwriting and performing live in 2013. Since his 'come back' he has opened for several leading performers on the contemporary folk scene, as well as appearances at clubs, events and festivals throughout the English Midlands and South West.
Too Soon It's Time To Fly is a six track mini album, produced, recorded and mastered by Lukas Drinkwater, who also plays double bass, guitar and piano on four of the songs.
"The world changed dramatically and without warning in 2020, and many of us were left reflecting upon what had gone before - tempered with the realisation that life might never be the same again," said Mike.
"Somewhat improbably, I found myself immersed in a state of unexpected calm, underlined with a feeling that time really does move more quickly as we take one more step towards the great unknown. Too soon, it's time to fly. Initially I'd planned to record six tracks from my back catalogue to mark by sixtieth birthday, but the events of 2020 made me look at the album from a fresh perspective.
"I'd already written two new songs: firstly, Balcarras Road - which is a journey back to my childhood and nature walks we took from Charlton Kings' infants and junior schools, getting on for fifty years ago. Heart of Reunion - the second new composition - is a shimmering tune inspired by becoming re-acquainted with valued and near forgotten pals from those days, and the joy that shared memories can bring. Ties never broken, just loosened.
"The time seemed right to blend these musical bedfellows with some previously unreleased material, and songs re-worked to reflect upon the shifting patterns of my life.
"In March I lost Daisy, my constant canine companion of thirteen years. Chasing Squirrels remembers the simple shared pleasures of a symbiotic relationship that will never be forgotten, but frequently lamented. Century Caught is a song I wrote back in 2014, which imagines how a house might view the generations of lives lived within its walls, and its eventual return to nature. Ashes to ashes, and all that.
"The Richness In You was written in 1996, when I discovered I was to become a father. I didn't realise then that I was to share the pleasurable parenting of twins - nor did I imagine what fine, caring and compassionate young ladies they would grow up to be. They first flew the nest in 2015 - to study at universities in Lancashire and Gloucestershire. It was for Megan and Alice that I then wrote Pembrokeshire Fair. Five years later, equipped with impressive respective degrees in Korean and English Literature, they boldly moved to Asia to take up teaching positions at a Primary School in Korea. A re-worked version of their parting song brings the album to a fitting close.
"Finally, I would like to thank Lukas Drinkwater for helping me to bring these songs to life at his Polyphonic Recording studio. I'm indebted to his skill as a producer, musician and engineer - but also to his musical intuition. I wanted to retain the live feel of my previous recordings, with more polish and depth through the addition of additional instruments. Lukas helped me to reach this goal - and then some. Check out Lukas's own music by visiting his website www.lukasdrinkwater.com"
Too Soon It's Time To Fly can be downloaded and streamed from the usual digital platforms and Bandcamp (£5.00)- where you can also order a physical CD (£7.00 inc P&P in the UK): mikeweaver.bandcamp.com. For more information about Mike and his music, visit www.mikeweavermusic.com
Too Soon It's Time To Fly is a six track mini album, produced, recorded and mastered by Lukas Drinkwater, who also plays double bass, guitar and piano on four of the songs.
"The world changed dramatically and without warning in 2020, and many of us were left reflecting upon what had gone before - tempered with the realisation that life might never be the same again," said Mike.
"Somewhat improbably, I found myself immersed in a state of unexpected calm, underlined with a feeling that time really does move more quickly as we take one more step towards the great unknown. Too soon, it's time to fly. Initially I'd planned to record six tracks from my back catalogue to mark by sixtieth birthday, but the events of 2020 made me look at the album from a fresh perspective.
"I'd already written two new songs: firstly, Balcarras Road - which is a journey back to my childhood and nature walks we took from Charlton Kings' infants and junior schools, getting on for fifty years ago. Heart of Reunion - the second new composition - is a shimmering tune inspired by becoming re-acquainted with valued and near forgotten pals from those days, and the joy that shared memories can bring. Ties never broken, just loosened.
"The time seemed right to blend these musical bedfellows with some previously unreleased material, and songs re-worked to reflect upon the shifting patterns of my life.
"In March I lost Daisy, my constant canine companion of thirteen years. Chasing Squirrels remembers the simple shared pleasures of a symbiotic relationship that will never be forgotten, but frequently lamented. Century Caught is a song I wrote back in 2014, which imagines how a house might view the generations of lives lived within its walls, and its eventual return to nature. Ashes to ashes, and all that.
"The Richness In You was written in 1996, when I discovered I was to become a father. I didn't realise then that I was to share the pleasurable parenting of twins - nor did I imagine what fine, caring and compassionate young ladies they would grow up to be. They first flew the nest in 2015 - to study at universities in Lancashire and Gloucestershire. It was for Megan and Alice that I then wrote Pembrokeshire Fair. Five years later, equipped with impressive respective degrees in Korean and English Literature, they boldly moved to Asia to take up teaching positions at a Primary School in Korea. A re-worked version of their parting song brings the album to a fitting close.
"Finally, I would like to thank Lukas Drinkwater for helping me to bring these songs to life at his Polyphonic Recording studio. I'm indebted to his skill as a producer, musician and engineer - but also to his musical intuition. I wanted to retain the live feel of my previous recordings, with more polish and depth through the addition of additional instruments. Lukas helped me to reach this goal - and then some. Check out Lukas's own music by visiting his website www.lukasdrinkwater.com"
Too Soon It's Time To Fly can be downloaded and streamed from the usual digital platforms and Bandcamp (£5.00)- where you can also order a physical CD (£7.00 inc P&P in the UK): mikeweaver.bandcamp.com. For more information about Mike and his music, visit www.mikeweavermusic.com
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