THIS IS MY BOOK

'Everyone has a book in them', or so they say.
For me it was an album, just waiting for the right time. So, this is my book.

For 40+ years, I've played bass in bands where the vocalist-guitarists were also the main songwriters. We always got the best results when they played/performed their own songs. Eventually, I got the confidence & determination to do the same.
Sometimes you just have to tell the story yourself.

It's taken more time, headaches and money than I anticipated, but I've enjoyed the end result way more than I could have imagined. This is mainly due to the help and collaboration I've benefitted from:
The 3 main drummers I've played with in the past, (Andy from Red Forest, Dino from The Henrees & Chris from Escape Goats) all stamped a great drive and feel across their tracks. Father & daughter, Dave and Meg, perfectly captured the Celtic melancholy I wanted on their track. Dan & Gareth, (The Henrees / Escape Goats) brought some of their proper guitar skills - to rescue and elevate a few songs, and of course, Gareth also added some of his secret-sauce harmonies 🎤

In the studio, all the songs started off as acoustic guitar & vocal takes, (same with the ukulele song) and as needed, we built-up from there. I say 'we', because the main colab was Phil Smith, owner of One Louder Studio and rehearsal rooms.

When you need a ton of help to pull a recording project together - Phil is the guy you need on your side! He worked though the song-builds in a very relaxed and efficient manner, without ever actually telling me I sounded crap!
He did have some initial reservations about bringing the drummers in at the end of the process, but I knew the drummers. 🙂

From guide tracks, through the recording mix, to mastering - he had my back 👍

I hope you enjoy the 9 short stories in 'my book'.
Now available to buy / stream on the following platforms: Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon & You Tube.

Dig deeper into This is my book.

Click on the song titles to find out more 👇
1. Blue
2. Bright Side Of Town
3. Mona Lisa
4. How Brave Am I?
5. Valentine's Day
6. The Song Lives On
7. Rumour Mill
8. This Old Town
9. You're Never Alone