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with tribute to Johnny Cunningham, my old friend and extraordinary fiddler
| 1 February 2005 | Obviously, it is a very long way from Stamford!!
I must have got lost!
Apologies for the delay in updating the site,
there have been some technical and administrative
hitches which have now been sorted out
Cambridge was excellent - weather amazing.
Thanks to all of you who met up with me -
it was good to see you again.
Currently working on some backing tracks
for a CD project
Hoping to upgrade the site soon to allow
video and audio sound clips
I would appreciate your feedback
on this development
|  | Happy New Year 2005 | | 11 June 2004 | Stamford Guitar Festival - see you there I'm off ----- better run! | | 10 June 2004 | My apologies for the long gap. Have lost a bit of
momentum but have picked up the pace again.
Have just got back from the Barcelona area and
have stepped up a gear. Since we last spoke :-
Have been in touch with Ted Hastings who reminded
me of a large chunk of history about the days in
Stirling I omitted from the history section.
Thanks Ted (and Karmanie)
Have entered a songwriting competition - one song
and one instrumental inspired by the wild Catalan Coast
Have organised to have a CD made by the end of this year
Have plans to make sound and video clips available
on an upgraded version of this site
Have got tickets for Stamford and Cambridge
(is it really that time already?) Alison and Elaine -
don't forget the first aid kit!
Have organised a small recording studio and
practice room -(its getting serious now)
Apolgies to the organisers of the Haslemere
and Raunds Festivals - I was unable to make
it due to competing committments - I hope
things went well. Thanks for the invitations.
| | 24 January 2004 | Looking forward to the forthcoming Burns Supper
at the Rose and Crown and the chance to meet
my piper friends Mick and George. | | 14 January 2004 | I was shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden
death of my old schoolfriend and very first band
member and duo partner Johnny Cunningham.
My thoughts are with his brother Phil and family | | 10 January | CB2 : Despite the off-putting stress and extreme
social embarassment of an unsilencable car alarm,
I enjoyed playing at the Acoustic Routes venue in CB2. | | 1 January 2004 | HAPPY NEW YEAR
(and happy birthday mandolin-george) | | 31 December 2003 | Hogmanay : Had a great time on New Year's Eve
playing through midnight at the Crown Court Restaurant.
Thanks Diane for vocals and to John and Dawn for the
kind invitation. | | 17 December 2003 | Heard news of Brian Thompson's new site.
Well done Brian (see people and places) | | November 2003 | Portugal and the Fado : My hunt was in vain
as I did not get near Lisbon. However, met many
fine musicians in the Algarve. See you soon Howard.
Nice mandolin playing! My gig list is now ready! |  | Diary Notes : September 2003 - European Tour
Please forgive the delay in updating the site but I
have been running around a number of European Cities
Had a great time in Genoa, Milan, Cologne, Bonn,
Dusseldorf. Off tomorrow to Pisa and Florence
and hopefully Barcelona and Seville next month.
Will update properly - when I get back. Cheers
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August 2003 - Cambridge Folk Festival
Reflections on the good times at Cambridge
Special thanks to....
Phil Cunningham it was a pleasure to meet you again
after all these years. Give my regards to John.
By the way...I never did get that drink you promised me.
Talk about coconuts!
Afrocelts - unexpected surprise and pleasure to be
sitting under a very clear sky by the pond in the
early hours of Sunday morning playing, singing
and meeting a couple of members of the band
Thank you Francis for the kind words
Snakes in Exile - Many thanks to all members of
the band for allowing me to join them in a lively
set on Sunday afternoon in the Guinness tent.
Great fun!
Not forgetting........
Steve Bliss - Wonderful performer.
How come your guitar and my mandolin never met!
Next time let's co-ordinate out efforts
Katie and Dave - well met - frequently
but never when I was playing.
Sorry about the free lesson -
keep the coupon and cash it in next time!
Alison and her sister - Thank you for the kind
use of your camera, booklet and medication.
Are your ears still ringing?
Andy on Mandolin in the Hobgoblin shop
superb improvisation - please e-mail me
SImon on Bodhran (nice hat!) never did find your tent!
Stuart from the Isle of Cumbrae on Bodhran
Claudia and the Anderson clan -did not expect
an in-depth discussion on psychotherapy.
Still, I enjoyed the afternoon.
Thanks for the conversation and company
Olive and Sinead - good to meet you.
See you next year
Hobgoblin music staff
for their patience and kind words during our 3 hour (eek!)
impromptu trial of their mandolins.
Never did get the new mandolin but managed
to pick up a Cuartos - watch new acquistions section
coming soon.
Apologies to anyone I may have missed out.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
July : Got to grips with new Yamaha APX5A.
Can't get the sound of Roy Book Binder outta my mind!
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June : Had a wonderful time at the Blue Goose
Guitar Festival. Fantastic performances from
Roy Book Binder, Woody Mann and a host of others.
A great weekend made better by the all the staff of the
Stamford Arts Centre who made us feel very welcome.
I can't wait until next year!
|
my three
favourite
mandolins |  |
This site was created on 1 January 2003 and launched on 3 February 2003. It is still undergoing some fine-tuning so please bear with me. There will be some additions and updates over the next few weeks. As a minimum, it will be checked and updated monthly.
At this point I can provide you with information regarding my current and planned activities. The emphasis of this site also deals with my longstanding interest/passion/obsession with the mandolin and other fretted stringed instruments. If this is of interest to you - I would like to hear from you
My early formative years were spent in Edinburgh,Glasgow, Stirling and Dunblane, Scotland, UK. When I moved to East Anglia, it was difficult to get back into playing but now the time seems right. It has been a long time since I played in public and it is good to be back!
I owe some special thanks to Leonardo (see People and Places) and his insistence that I get up and join him on 19 October 2002 (at the Acoustic Routes venue in Cambridge, UK) - otherwise I may never have got started again. Thanks Leonardo - I owe you one.
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