Happy Christmas, is it over yet?...

I like Christmas very much.  I am an uncle 8 times over so there's always some little people to keep the excitement going for.  There's new Doctor Who and catching up with people I like but don't often see (there's loads of these now, being a full time musician means never being available to go to things when people ask you to but always, repeatedly asking those people to come to *your* things, yes that's fair and sustainable, hmmmm).

So here is this years Christmas song, rasing a glass to absent friends....

'Golden Hallelujah'


Chritsmas is good. But a new year, I properly like a new year. Not New Year, the 'party night' where you have to have a plan or you are deemed a lonely eyesore, not fussed on that. I tend to stay local and try to be home by 2 or 3 so I can get up early-ish and enjoy the really good bit of the new year. The new-ness.

Of course it's all arbitary but so is everything, so crack on I say.

I am especially looking forward to this year as I am releasing my sixth album but my first on a new label, with a new (ish) sound.  I am massively proud of this record, it is beautiful. You might have alreayd heard this, but if not here is a taster anyway, this is the title track....


A Chattering Of Birds - pre mastering

I've done loads this year, audio books, puppet theatre soundtracks, a gig on a boat that ended in a fight, producing other people, water-logged but fun festivals, videos (the xmas still above is a hint), flirting with brass bands, making backwards coconut noises for pantomimes and just, just, just failing to be on adverts and I've been too busy doing it all to really shout about it so thank you to everyone who has made it a massively enjoyable year.

Amongst the new things in the new year will be a new website where I'll be doing more reglaur free music and filling up that scrapbook with the songs and stories of some of those adventures befroe I forget them completely.

More samples of the new record to come in new year too, then the real thing, I cannot wait for you to hear it.

Hope you are marvelous, enjoy the holidays and see you in the new year with some tall tales and bird themed beauty....