Music, Music, Music

Willie G and me are just putting the finishing touches to our collaboration- I believe the lathe cut version of our release is going to turn up today, and the cover is almost complete. It was a real challenge to not only earn the Gaelic, but also to sing in a more gentle, lyrical way. Cailin Morin Sa has very few recorded versions but Ailein Duinn has lots; the general feel of the vocals in those versions is of keening, and I wanted to make a vocal performance that was more gentle and yearning. I hope it's been successful.

Meanwhile, I've been working on a song about Toadstools. We were out looking for Fly Agarics, the spotty ones, and couldn't find any. They are often late, waiting for rain, but we think that the trustees of the common have mown the grass so radically that they've stopped the toadstools from growing.

I remembered doing a track for a friend of Joby's back in the day at Rick Parfitt's studio in Camden, paid for with an accordion that I bought in a charity shop. Curiosity took me to an old computer, and sure enough I found it. I've been putting vocals on it and experimenting with storytelling. It's nearly finished: the experimentation part was a failure and I have to tame the sound before I send it off.

And today? A song writing workshop with people with complex physical disabilities, the second one I've done. 

I have a part-song ready to go and I hope it works!