March 34th

 OK, I missed March but I am trying.

March was an interesting and busy month. In the first week I turned 60, which felt surprisingly good. I spent the day with the family, starting our with breakfast at a local bakery/cafe. The home-made cake was greatly appreciated, especially as half the family (who are allergic to wheat) couldn't eat it.

But enough abut me. Later in the month the band convened in Oxford to record an album of our own songs. It has taken a very long time for us to get around to this, so it was somewhat ironic that we got it all done in two days.

Music is not my profession but it has always felt like a proper job (in the most positive way). I have a lot of fun and take it seriously, but it pays me back in ways I can't fully explain. So having a couple of days to focus on playing good music with such talented people, a couple of whom I have know and played with for a long time, was terrific,

There were problems of course. I brought two basses, very different from each other. Their recorded output was like the difference between a bicycle and a Ford Torino. Balance was achieved by just accepting how different they are.

Next comes mixing, mastering, artwork, distribution, some sort of launch party (well, that might just be an excuse for more cake) and then the inevitable arguments about why we didn't mix the bass higher, when it's all too late.

Fabulous singer and pal, Emma Jones, took some great photos, but I only managed a handful of black and white shots of the studio and my feet. Enjoy!