JOIN MY PATREON COMMUNITY

So I’ve finally done it. I’ve set up a Patreon page. And I’m excited about it.

In the era of Spotify it’s harder than ever to justify the expense of recording and releasing music. Crowdsourcing has been helpful and I’m very grateful for it but I think Patreon is even better. It’s a subscription service that puts the artist in closer contact with fans and friends alike, an opportunity to share brand new songs and other goodies when they’re still fresh. Believe me, that’s a big motivator for an artist. I usually wait a year or two or three before putting out a collection of songs. For all kinds of silly reasons - perfectionism, business strategy, you name it. Patreon joins the dots and keeps the ball rolling.

Please join me on my adventure! Here’s my Patreon page and here’s my Patreon video pitch!

See you soon in my living room…

Trailer for EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT

Okay the film still doesn’t have distro but at least you can see the trailer. Director Roger Spottiswoode needed an upbeat poppy number a la Taylor Swift for a sequence in the middle of the film. I was cheaper. He liked the song so much he put it in the trailer as well. Sung by Bree Sharp and produced by Don DiLego.

BACK TO NORMAL?

It’s over a year and a half since I’ve shared any news here. I wonder why. Ah yes, the pandemic.

I’ve been so much luckier than most. I’ve even been able to enjoy the lockdown at times. Lots of new songs and scripts, plenty of walks, and (mostly!) quality time with my five year old daughter. Enforced home schooling took some getting used to but, luckily for me, my daughter was a good teacher. I might have learned some patience.

Also, the film of my feature script - Either Side Of Midnight - was edited and entered into festivals. I’m still digesting the journey I’ve had with it. I’m simultaneously thrilled the film got made and disappointed with its progress. The producers haven’t yet found a proper distributor. The main reason is that there are no recognisable stars. Still , the director and producers knew that going in. Is the film quite good enough? If not, is that due to some unwanted changes and additions made to my script? Of course, I’m the writer so you already know what I think. Like the narrator of many of my songs I dwell in a limbo of ambivalence. I’m simultaneously frustrated and grateful. Who knows where the journey will lead?

Much as I love films and hope that more of my scripts get made, nothing compares to the catharsis of music. More than anything else I’ve missed the experience of playing my songs with other musicians. I’ve particularly missed rehearsals. Some of my favorite memories are of working on new material with my Enemies. My little ditties suddenly put on a whole new suit of clothes. I can’t believe I haven’t seen the band since late 2019. It’s been far too long.

Thanks to the coming London visit of my good friend, Matti Muller, I’ve booked my first gig since March 2020. I’ll be playing as part of a quintet at The Green Note on Tuesday, August 17th. That’s the largest combo I’ve played with in England: Matti on guitar, Jonny Gee on bass, Joe Bickerstaff on piano, Moonsauce on percussion, and myself on schizo-romantic vocals plus the occasional strum. Rehearsals have been unbelievably therapeutic. Still, I’m weirdly nervous about the show. It’s been so long. Please come and calm me down. It will be… amazing! There are still a small number of tickets left. They need to be purchased in advance for Covid compliance reasons.

Matti Muller, Spott, Jonny Gee
Photo by Clare Elliott

If you live north of London you may prefer to come to The Twinwood Festival near Bedford on Saturday, August 28th. I’ll be playing two very different sets on the Moonshine Glade stage: an acoustic quartet set at 2:15pm and an electric quintet set as The Deadly Lampshades at 4:50pm. For my own safety each set will have an Americana slant in keeping with the flavour of the festival. Otherwise I’ll be lynched by a posse of angry Brits in vintage derby hats.

On the road again. Hope to see y’all soon.

Double Award Winner

The title track of my recent solo record BLAZE OF GLORY has just won two awards in a row. First it won the Mark Award in Los Angeles for Best Underscore In a Television Show. And then it won the Production Music Award in London in the same category. The whole song was used beautifully in an episode of the DirecTV mixed martial arts drama, Kingdom. You can watch the entire clip HERE. 

Many thanks to Thomas and Gregoire Kouzinier at the French label Super Pitch for commissioning the album. Thanks also to Riley McMahon, producer extraordinaire at New Warsaw Studio in Brooklyn. And further thanks to Carol Sue Baker at Ocean Park Music for pitching the song for the show. 

A Street Cat Named Bob

There's a lot happening this Autumn.
On November 4th the lovely feature film A Street Cat Named Bob will be released in the UK. Two weeks after that, on November 18th, the film will be released in the US. Two of my songs are in the film. Indeed, one of my songs, Beautiful Monday, opens the picture. The second song, Still Small Voice Inside, turns into a bit of a singalong halfway through the story.
The film's star, Luke Treadaway, plays a drug-addicted London busker who ultimately gets "rescued" by a stray cat. He performs both songs along with a few by Charlie Fink of Noah and The Whale. The story is based on the international best-selling memoir by James Bowen. 
How did the songs end up in the film? 
Funny you should ask. Since the director's name is Roger Spottiswoode it may seem like an obvious case of nepotism. But we're not related. Roger - who has directed everything from James Bond to Tom Hanks and Sylvester Stallone movies - happened to read a couple of scripts of mine during the summer of 2015. At the time he was in the middle of pre-production for A Street Cat Named Bob. He contacted me and asked if I might have a few songs...
To celebrate the New York release, the band will play its only show of the season at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan on Saturday, November 19th.