Gone are the days when one could call on “Ifty Kanifty” (the god of double back somersaults) to get yourself out of bother. Have just been knobbled by a local council for stopping in a red zone. Did I stall … Continue reading
The first review out of the hat is by Dave Franklin of Green man Music. I’d say it’s mostly descriptive and is favourable. Here are the first two paragraphs: Having seen Ash Mandrake play as a solo act a couple … Continue reading
Couple of days ago, I had my new collection of hats photographed in Blackburn by Matt Ainsworth. It was a massive job. We didn’t manage to work with all the new ones. There are some that I haven’t used on … Continue reading
Work on the double neck guitar In a couple of days, I’m going to be installing a single coil pickup along side the humbucking Dimarzios on my top guitar for some harsher edge, but also for a split signal and … Continue reading
January is a cliff face for gigs. Really relieved not to have to live in my Citroen Berlingo this winter. It would have been a really tough first winter out of bricks and mortar. Think the Berlingo would have been … Continue reading
CMA = Constant Movable Abode A mate recently commented that I am now with “No Fixed Abode”. That term has many negative associations for me, especially because I have on quite a few occasions (sometimes planned, sometimes unplanned) been with … Continue reading
There is an original spark in the world that sometimes flashes in the ether of emptiness (and you don’t need sunlight to see it). If everything were just a reformulation of what has gone before, we’d still be extracting painful … Continue reading
I’ve been working on this album for more than three years (it’s been transferred between computers a few times) I’m working on rich vocal textures – Massive choral arrangements, tightly worked and different to what I do live; but still … Continue reading
I grew up in houses, imagining gypsies around fire places singing and dancing. I read a book recently about gypsies in England during the 50s. It was nothing like the image I had. Life was extremely tough for them, with … Continue reading