boston , ma / january 2020
greetings, one & all - & welcome to the new decade !
here’s an overview of what went on with yours truly in ’19 , & i’ve also included a list of some of the singers, musicians i’ve been fortunate to work with over the last 12 months - & more.
fyi , there’s some forthcoming 2020 events at the bottom of the page .
january .. Flew to san diego to do a “masterclass” {on drum & cymbal selection - also recording techniques} - you can see the day’s culmination here / Then up to los angeles for the “namm” {musical instrument} show for three days / Followed by recording sessions in north la for alex wright - that cd should be released in ’20 .
february.. Included recording for ej ouellette at his byfield , ma studio. There were several clients - these tracks will also see the light of day in ’20.
march .. We got to see our friends , the great band ‘procul harum‘ in boston - they were on fine form & t’was good to catch up with everyone / Not long after , i flew to the uk for the annual spring “feast of fiddles” tour. / Said tour { our 26th year } was preceded by a great date in sussex with friends { & world class jazz musicians } john donaldson {piano}, andy cleyndert {bass} & mark lockheart {tenor sax}. I also played a sussex date with the fine singer bob brookes & his band.
april .. Back home to boston on the 11th in time to enjoy the connecticut drum show - tis always nice to ‘geek out’ for a few hours! / Work continued on the debra cowan ep ; i arranged & produced it - & also played drums, percussion & keyboards. Recording sessions took place at mike barry’s “babyland” studio, medford, ma - & at “q division” in somerville, ma. I’m extremely proud with the end result {“greening the dark” - out now} - find out more here .
may .. Included recording sessions for {gloucester, ma based} allen estes - his cd is now available / .. And a trip to nashville to do a clinic at the famous “forks" drum shop .. a good opportunity to see & hang out with friends for a few days, including drummers jack bruno & pat mcinerney.
june .. Mastered debra’s ep at the excellent “sound mirror” facilty in jamaica plain, ma / .. And prepped ourselves for the arrival of ‘top uk chum’ dave payne for his annual summer stay!
july .. Had a great time here with ‘dp’, including catching a lot of music & visiting the ‘zildjian’ cymbal company / After dp’s visit , caron & i got a much needed vacation down on lbi {nj shore} with good friends the kirkebys’ .
august .. To the uk as a guest of ‘fairport convention’ to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 3-day ‘cropredy’ music festival / As well as playing some songs with them on the saturday evening, i also got to back-up the great richard thompson for his {friday night} set. september .. Dan king { see “kbmg” } & i were guests of 'the waterboys' in boston , courtesy of their drummer & my friend ralph salmins - & i was invited to sit in for a couple of songs! The 'evidence' here / Later in the month, i briefly returned to the uk to take part in richard thompson's 70th birthday celebration at the royal albert hall - the clip here is with richard & loudon wainwright . I'm proud to have been involved in what everyone agrees was a very special evening .
october .. The good folks at ‘yamaha' drums { i’ve been with them since 1980 } kindly asked me to evaluate some new products which they bought to mass. I’m happy to report the new gear gets a big ’thumbs-up’ from me - no doubt you’ll see these items emerge this year / The month also took in a trip to nyc to do another drum clinic at 'steve maxwells' drum shop. It was a very enjoyable day & - similar to the ‘ forks' clinic - credit & my thanks go to ‘lp' percussion , ‘zildjian' cymbals , 'pro-mark' sticks & ‘yamaha' drums for their help & support..
november .. Was particularly busy with ‘live’ dates {see the list below} - & of course , thanksgiving / Mid-month , t’was good to be asked to do a 'guest mix' for boston radio station ‘wumb’ by dj & friend perry persoff .. a chance to elaborate on where some of my influences are from. It’s already been broadcast, but will likely be repeated at some stage.
december .. I’ve been pleased to make a small contribution locally to david curriers ‘drum-circle’ which helps folks with dementia . This month, the 'boston globe’ did a piece on it . / The UK magz’ “Living Tradition” did a v nice article on y. truly , primarily discussing my production on the debra cowan recording - issue #131, fyi . / I also played drums on more tracks for mike barry’s new recording opus at his studio - watch for this one in ’20 as well .
ok - if you’ve got this far, well done !
As previously writ , here’s a list of some of the fine people i’ve worked for/with this year - & beyond.
“kbmg” { DO check out our "live from ‘chianti’ “ cd . / fozzie hill {singer/guitarist} / tom palance {trumpet} / “the new zeigeist” { i also recorded with them } / dave limina { b3 organ } / “4 piece suit” / cassandre mckinley { check out her latest -‘dragonfly'- which i’m on / dennis brennan {singer/guitarist/writer} / joe donelly & “wall of grass” / dave sag {bassist} / bob davis {guitarist} / brian templeton {singer/guitarist} / paul ahlstrand {tenor sax} / jon sarty & the “cold river radio show band” / marty ballou {bassist} ; marty & i do several different dates each year, some at the “top of the hub” - that's at the 54th floor of the ‘prudential' building in downtown boston .. & the views are great ! / amadee castanell {sax/flute} / billy walsh {guitar/vocals} / jim repa {alto sax} / maggie galloway {vocals} / bob franke {singer/writer/guitarist} / mike mele {guitarist} / jason crigler {singer/guitarist/songwriter} / fly & jb ameero {both guitarists/singers} /
.. my apologies to those i’ve inadvertently left out!
other recording sessions - apart from those noted above - included ones for ian jones , john jerome & mason daring .
Some events coming up later this {2020} year ; You can {sometimes] find me playing 2 or 3 times a month at "chianti" { beverly , ma } - check their { or my } website for when & with whom / From mid-march onwards, i’ll be touring the uk with “feast of fiddles” { dates here } / In aug’ , i’ll be making a guest appearance with ‘fairport’ @ their ‘cropredy’ music festival - this will include celebrating the 50th anniv’ of their lp/cd “ full house “ alongside richard thompson , simon nicol, dave pegg & chris leslie . ;
Any questions you may have for me , don’t hesitate to get in touch .. & thnx for your interest !
