Vinyl, Record Store Day & New Welsh Album

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Hello again
I'm writing this blog as we make our way steadily back to London on the megabus having spent a few days back in Wales promoting the release of the new Al Lewis Band record - Ar Gof a Chadw (meaning 'to keep in memory')
http://www.sainwales.com/store/rasal/rasal-cd033
Me and Arwel went into BBC Wales/Cymru HQ in Llandaff, Cardiff on Monday to do a radio interview for the lovely Dafydd & Caryl show on Radio Cymru. We then followed that later in the day with a performance of 'Darlun' on the S4C show Wedi7. It's always a nice feeling to see your record in the shops and it's strange to think that these songs which are so familiar to us will be heard by some people for the very first time in the coming weeks! We hope you like it :)

A few weeks back we were in with Huw Stephens doing an acoustic session to promote the new album, you can listen to it online here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radiocymru/c2/safle/sesiynau/cynnwys/2011_al_lewis.shtml

I also had the pleasure to be asked to do a Living Room session for the guys at tuckshop community radio a few weeks back- there's a couple of videos up on YouTube from the session:

Here's their website:
http://tuckshopcommunity.com/?p=590

Last weekend saw me in Farnham, Surrey for Record Store Day. I did a short set outside 101 Collectors Records and was promoting the special release of 'the arsonist' on 7" vinyl especially for that day. I'm ashamed to say I don't yet own a record player and so had to wait till I got to the shop to make sure that they worked properly!! Thankfully they did and thanks to Andy the owner for inviting me down to play, I'm pleased to report that his shop seemed to be making a bustling trade throughout the day - which was good to see!
It's amazing to think that a whole month has gone by since I did the last of my Caffè Nero shows - last night I posted a whole bunch of new dates onto the gig section of my website so please have a look to see if you'll be able to come down to one, there's a mixture of acoustic solo shows and full band dates.
Should be a great summer! X

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

To quote one Robert Allen Zimmerman...
It feels weird to think that as I write this that I won't be doing any more Nero shows. They've been such a prominent part of my life for the past month that it's become a bit like second nature to me now, my average day would typically consist of -
a) Load Car - Type into Sat Nav the Nero postcode for the day
b) Load-into Caffè (from as near as possible) - watching out for parking inspectors
c) Find nearest/cheapest available parking (not forgetting to pay!)
d) Go back to Nero - set-up gear
e) Perform
f) Get email addresses!! (to avoid manager's wrath)
g) Load out
h) Grab a take-away Caramel Latte and drive to hotel/home
....I know what you're thinking - how very rock n'roll :)

As I look back, my last week was typical of the whole tour really, there were some really memorable shows/places and some funny audience members!

I finished my last blog on my way to Hove. That was a good show, some people who had seen me with Ben Montague and Lotte Mullan at the Cellars in Eastney back in December had come along for the show which was nice to see. They had also learnt the words to most of the songs off 'In the Wake' which was an added bonus :)

The following day was my first day off in a while and I got to spend it watching Wales beat Ireland at rugby which is always nice (unless you're Irish of course!)

The next day it was off to Belfast and a 5am wake-up call to get to Gatwick in time to catch my flight. I always get a buzz when I go to the airport - the feeling of going somewhere new and exciting (even if it is only to Belfast ;)) I have to say the people of Belfast are some of the friendliest people I've had the pleasure of meeting, a year or so ago me and my oldest chum went for a 'lads' weekend away to Belfast on one of those 1p flight-deals and we had a wail of a time, drinking Guiness mainly....but yet again here the hospitality was top notch.
Upon arrival I headed to the BBC to do an interview/session for the brilliant Ralph McLean. Ralph's been a big supporter of the album and it was great to finally meet the man himself having heard him play me on the radio a few times. We chatted about all sorts of music from 'Drive by Truckers' new album to the Belfast music scene and Bruce Springsteen mentioning Pete Molinari...
The interview will be going out this Wednesday at 8pm
Listen online here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z2n9g
Afterwards I headed to do my two shows there - again a lovely attentive crowd in the first one. Sadly at the 4pm show I had no amplification of any kind and though I tried an unplugged set it was clear from the off that it was a no-goer so I had to ditch that one! Nevermind - it was during my time there that I stumbled upon a review of Ron Sexsmith's latest offering "Long Player Late Bloomer". This record would be the soundtrack to my final week of Nero shows. It is a truly beautiful record and it isn't surprising to hear that he has drawn admiration from his peers (Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello are all fans!!)
So in every cloud....

And so I reached the final stretch of the tour and my six London shows!
Anyone who's done a London show will tell you they're always a bit peculiar, it's as if due to hectic way of life here everyone's that little bit less patient and therefore harder to please!!
I kicked off on Tuesday with Trafalgar Square - tourist central :)
and then duly followed that up with Camden on Wednesday, Chiswick on Thursday and Westbourne Grove on Friday. Not much to report on these shows really apart from the usual. It was, however, nice to see people there who'd made a specific effort to come out and see me and in turn made the whole thing seem a lot more worthwhile.

And so to Saturday and Piccadilly. The grand finale/swansong if you will...
To begin with I thought things were going to go really pear-shaped. Having unloaded the gear I duly went in search for a parking space..4pm was fast approaching and I was still in Soho crawling/weaving my way through a myriad of diversions and one-way streets. Luckily I managed to grab myself a parking spot and run back to the Nero only 5mins later than scheduled. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not only very busy but that a lot of friends had also made the effort to come down. The show was a success and a perfect way to end the tour.

Which brings me to now and the question of what lies next in store??
Well, more gigs, conventional night-time ones now though me thinks.
Keep checking the website for more information.
So thank you if you've come along to one of the shows - it really has been a pleasure playing to you all, from Edinburgh to Hove to Cardiff to London, it's all been an enlightening experience. Hopefully I'll see you all again soon and next time you're in a Nero, listen out for me....!!

Al x

Regality - from Windsor to Wales and (Royal) Tunbridge Wells

To quote 'Ol' Blue Eyes' - "and now, the end is near..."

This week has seen me go up and down the M4 corridor starting on Monday when I was in Windsor, her majesty wasn't in that day unfortuneately so we had to reschedue our afternoon tea for another time. Perhaps in Balmoral I suggested... One is still awaiting her reply

The Nero itself was in the station concourse and seeing as it was a Monday afternoon was a bit quiet - nevertheless Sarah and myself had a good time and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Tuesday saw us arrive in Bristol, my old stomping ground. I don't get to go back to Bristol as much these days but sufficed to say little has changed since I was there as a student. The first Nero we played was on Union St, just opposite the old Castle Park. We then headed up Park St to play the Nero opposite the Wills Memorial Building. I can't believe it's almost 5 years since I was standing outside there in my gown getting my degree, how time flies!

Wednesday and we were back home in Wales - it always warms my heart when I cross the Severn Bridge and see that sign 'Croeso i Gymru'.

The Nero opposite Cardiff Castle was pretty full and it felt like a 'proper gig' as some might say - a nice homecoming for both me and Sarah, that's for sure!

Which brings me to yesterday and Tunbridge Wells - I was intrigued as to why there was a 'Royal' in front of its name so I decided to look it up and this is what I got from Wikipedia - The prefix "Royal" dates to 1909, when King Edward VII granted the town its official "Royal" title to celebrate its popularity over the years amongst members of the royal family.^[20] Royal Tunbridge Wells is one of only two towns in England to have been granted this (the other being Royal Leamington Spa) - so there you have it - don't tell me these blogs aren't insightful :)

This was a strange old gig - I had the feeling that not many people were paying attention - one gentleman who sat right in front of me was wearing huge headphones which made me laugh. However after the set I was pleasantly surprised by how many people came and bought a CD so goes to show I guess you never can tell who is listening....!!

Today I'm in Hove and then tomorrow I have my first day off in 3 weeks!!! Here's to watching a Welsh victory in the rugby :)

I'll report to you tomorrow on how everything goes

 

The Blues (light v.s dark) and the two ronnies

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Oxford v.s Cambridge
Hello Wetherspoons my old friend, what is it about when me and Sarah are together that makes us gravitate to the nearest branch (hint: free wi-fi)...
At least we are getting great comic comfort from the name of this one - the four candles (see Two Ronnies sketch to see what I mean)
Friday saw me in Cambridge and another glorious one-way system experience awaited me - I swear the people at TomTom are having a right laugh sending me this way and that - believe me the hilarity wears off pretty quickly - even the parking attendants seem to feel sorry for me!! The Nero on Market St wasn't the greatest but I consoled myself in the knowledge I'd be going home that night. Though it was only a short stop-over in Herne Hill it was good to be home and in my own bed for the first time in two weeks. Yesterday I was in Reading, playing at the Oracle shopping centre. A bit of a logistical nightmare this one too, but it was a good gig and there were some familiar faces in the audience including my old friend Adam who used to drum in my old band 'Sexy Russian' not my name choice I hasten to add ;) Afterwards I picked up Sarah from the station and we headed to her friend Ruth's house in Oxford. Later I had a scrumptious steak at the Turnpike pub in Yarnston and a few glasses of Cab Sav/Shiraz before we hit the hay.
Which brings us to today and Oxford - it was my first gig with Sarah since Liverpool and it was good to have her on hand to help me navigate the Oxford roads. We played twice today finishing off playing downstairs in the High St branch to a large collection of students and Italian and Japanese tourists - and now we're here in the Four candles, or should that be Fork Handles.....

From St David to St John

Here I am in the beautiful city of Norwich - home to 52 churches (some dating back to medieval times) this picture is of the cathedral of st John the baptist and it's also the view from my window!!
Going back to Tuesday and I was heading to Bath at the end of my last blog, there to greet me when I arrived was mother dearest as she'd taken the train from Cardiff to come make sure I was doing OK and eating properly, as all mothers like to do from time to time! Also after the gig she treated me to a nice slap up meal in town (thanks Mum). Following day I headed over to Nottingham - I was staying in a guesthouse that looked and smelt like Bates motel from the film Psycho - thankfully this owner didn't have a penchant for mass-murder, nevertheless I made sure my door was securely locked before I went to bed!
Which brings us to today and Norwich - I must confess to having a soft spot for Norwich, something about this place and the people really appeals to me. After the gig I went and grabbed a bite to eat with a friend at Take 5 - I ordered Veg Chilli and initially they brought a Beef one over - because of the mix up I got it for half price and got a free coffee, see what I mean - nice people!

The Midlands and St David's Day

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus / Happy St David's Day!

Here's my friend Jock Davies - The half-welsh/half-scottish bengali tiger from Edinburgh (check out his bison slippers)

I trust you all have something Welsh planned for you to do today :)

May I suggest perhaps making Delia's Welsh Cakes - http://bit.ly/bpl1jd Jamie Oliver's Slow roasted shoulder of lamb - http://bit.ly/en5UyR or perhaps his Leek & Potato soup - http://bit.ly/dQd7fv

So I'm in Birmingham this morning preparing to head to Bath for today's Caffe Nero show. On Sunday I was in Leicester and I have to stay the staff there were very friendly, here's a picture of them:

....I also met Andre who's a local filmmaker who took a video of the gig and he's going to be posting it online soon so I'll keep you posted! Yesterday I played at the Bullring Nero first which was a bit of a struggle as I had to lug all my gear from the car up to the 3rd floor manoevring my way past lethal buggy/pram wielding parents! I then moved on to the Harborne branch which was much nicer and then had a lovely evening with my friends at the pub called the Junction - few bottles of Shiraz later and we retired back to their place all a bit squiffy!

War of the Roses - The First 1000 miles

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Greetings from Mansfield, my stopover for the night. It's been a manic few days since my last post. Thursday I was in Sheffield, playing the Nero outside the beautiful town hall. This was the day I was also joined by Sarah Howells (Paper Aeroplanes) and we proceeded to spend most of the day & night leaching off free wi-fi from whichever Wetherspoons was nearest - we got cabin fever in the end and had to retire to our hotel!!
Friday saw us arrive in Liverpool - home to the greatest football team on earth ;-)
Another city were my tomtom decided to send me down bus lanes! At the Bold st Nero we met a lady whose eclectic music tastes made us feel shamefully inadequate - Lupe Fiasco, Janelle Monae & Al Lewis!!
In the evening I bid farewell to Sarah and went to meet up with an old friend from Abergele and discuss LFC and a possible homecoming gig. Which brings us to today....
Manchester - quite possibly the best day so far, it seemed like the traffic/parking gods were smiling on me for once! Both gigs went really well, sold plenty of copies of 'in the wake' and got to see some old friends who I first met during my year living in Toulouse back in 2005!!
Plus Wales won in the rugby
All in all a good day - which brings me to Mansfield and the 1000 mile juncture of the tour...right time to go 'match of the day' is starting....