19 January 2014
Busy few days with Steve Vantsis up here and good to have him around to go over some ideas and plans.
He was engineering the small vocal session for the Lazuli track
” J’ai trouvé ta faille” on their new album. It’s sounding pretty good and Domi from the band is happy! We did a couple of sessions across the weekend to get different vibes and think we’ve nailed it for them. Great track and think this will be a happening album. We hope to be working together on my small French tour in the Autumn.
Saturday afternoon was a dismal afternoon together at Easter Road watching the cabbage go down 0-3 by half time against St Mirren. It ended up 2-3 but was what we deserved after a dismal display against an organised and well marshaled Saints who shut us down and made us look ordinary. We need players especially a couple who can provide teeth in the last third. Celtic next weekend so better be prepared for a doing on this recent performance. £22 for a ticket and had to queue outside and miss the first 15 minutes as a turnstile scanner had gone down. A £5 taxi ride from where we left the car at the bottom of Leith walk as we gave up trying to get a parking place near the stadium and the 30 minute walk back after losing didn’t make for a memorable experience!
I still didn’t succumb to a pint despite passing lures of waterholes and now am 7 days alcohol free! Watching Steve quaff red wine and occasional G and T’s has become a viewing sport though and he’s a wee bit impressed at my resolve! Have to admit I’m feeling good for it though!
We worked on the new set list for the May UK tour today. I think we have something quite intriguing and we will both be sitting on this for a few weeks to see how we feel later. At the moment there are no songs apart from the Feast material that are left over from the 2013 setlist. A return for quite a few tracks that haven’t been played for years and a brand new medley. I think you’ll like it!
Dinner with my parents in North Berwick and a fair old natter between the 4 of us. Great to spend some time with them and as always they were great hosts and the food splendid!
Off to Gatwick and a trip to Brighton with David Barras to recce the aquarium for the “Blind” video shoot and the short acoustic set Robin, Foss and I will be playing next month. Up to the city on Tuesday morning and into a tough schedule. It’s going to be a very busy and demanding week with business meetings and interviews every day and ” working” dinners every night. I should get a far better idea of where I stand and where the year is going by the end of it all.
All feeling good just now. The first builders picked up the plans for the new extension on Friday and the prospect of further changes to the studio has got me excited about the place again. This space needs some new energies. As much as I love it my home has been feeling like an office i live in in recent months. Time for some changes!
Laundry in the machine, checked in online, documents together, bags to pack and satchel to prepare. Ready to re enter old familiar territory tomorrow morning. Coming down out the forest and visiting the castle for a few days! Should be fun!