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“Band members have a special bond. A great band is more than just some people working together. It’s like a highly specialized army unit, or a winning sports team. A unique combination of elements that…
Back in the 1980s I was good friends with Tim Booth, lead singer for the band “James”. I spent a fair amount of time with Tim and accompanied him at many Leeds United football games…
Jake Shimabukuro is coming to the UK. The above clip is one of many examples of what an extraordinary musician he is! I will be seeing him at the Leeds gig and interviewing him for…
Home recording has changed beyond recognition in recent years. My first multi track recorder was a Tascam 4 track and at the time I thought it was cutting edge technology, despite the horrible hiss and…
During my latest trip to Tokyo I was talking to a store owner about my ongoing quest to find the best sounding ukuleles on planet Earth. To date I have amassed 14 different instruments mostly…
In 48 hours I’ll once again be heading to Japan. I usually visit a few times a year and spend time in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima. This time I’ll start off in Tokyo, then head…
Birdman was just played on BBC Radio
When I was writing material for the Small Change Diaries debut album it occurred to me that when it came to playing live I needed to think about amplification. I have a good background in…
I realised recently that many of my favorite artists often went against the flow of commercial expectations from music companies and fans. Back in 1970s I first started listening to Neil Young and some four…
Prior to learning the ukulele, I played guitars for many years. I started out with a basic Kay acoustic in the 1970s which cost £45. I used to busk in Guildford shopping centre playing CSNY…