Show in Delicatessen, Amsterdam Saturday February 23rd

There's going to be a nice roundtable of music at Delicatessen on Saturday night in Amsterdam... a group of random musicians getting together to play songs from one another as an impromptu band. Come down early for indian food or the music around 10pm.

Riviera gig

I'm delighted to be playing in Agropoli again Saturday night in Riviera Rock. Come on down! More info

Concert Saturday 12th January

I'm playing in Paestum on Saturday night. Not in the temple unfortunately, but in Casa Ribini, a really cool little wine bar in the old town by the entrance. Starts at 9.30pm. Free entrance. Come on down.

Table jam with Gabrielle and Danielle

Sciue sciue

Great concert in Agropoli the other night. In my local bar. Grazie Alessandro and Lino per l' ospitalita.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you've had a good year. I spent most of it in Italy and played only a handful of shows this year. And don't have any big plans for next year. I've kept writing though and started recording in a very nice local studio here in the Cilento National Park, called TVA studio (in Aschea). It’s filled with all old analogue equipment and has a wonderful warm sound.

The first songs I’ve finished there are the recording are for this year's Christmas album. Four classic Hank Williams songs. I chose Hank Williams because the songs he wrote or has made famous all tell a simple story well. I’ve tried to strip them down even more, leaving out the country and keeping the sentiment. It’s a shame the sentiment is all sad. They’re all about women-trouble and I didn’t choose them because of that. I’m not having that problem thankfully as Maria is still very good to me.

I'd like to thank the following local musicians for playing with me. Francesco Citera on accordion. Antonio Fiorillo on double bass. And Piera Lombardi provides percussion. It was recorded and produced by Tonino Valletta at TVA studio. Tonino put so much time working on the sound of the recordings and all the quality you hear is down to him.

I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it.

LOST CHRISTMAS
1) Lost highway
2) I'm so lonesome I could cry
3) Your cheatin’ heart
4) Cold cold heart

FREE DOWNLOAD

Cold cold heart

Piera Lombardi on percussion

Francesco Citera on accordian

Antonio Fiorillo on double bass

Your cheatin' heart

I'm so lonesome I could cry

Lost highway

First of four songs from this year's Christmas Album - "Lost Christmas: Covers of Hank Williams, the King of Country. Four of most famous hits reinterpreted by Jack Stafford."

In the studio

Through my friend Paolo here in Agropoli I found a nice little studio with an old-school analogue setup in Ascea. Tonni, the producer, was a very laidback charcter. I recorded 17 songs yesterday. Piero Lombardi, a local Cilento star, was in the studio as well and very kindly did some backing vocals and percussion on one of the songs. I'm back next week to work on adding some more instruments.

Amsterdam gig

I'm playing in de Nieuwe Anita in Amsterdam on Tuesday 16th October, 9pm. It's a nice acoustic set with a few other artists playing the same night, behind the bar.

Vallo music festival

Acrobatics

Cilento food festival

Entertaining at the corner shop

New album recording

I've 17 new songs not yet recorded, but plan to do that in the next month. The common theme of the songs is Italy of course. There's a studio here in the Cilento that is quite economical. I think I'll do it mostly acoustic and then add on some piano and accordion (the typical local instrument) afterwards. Watch this space. 

Amsterdam show

I'm playing in Amsterdam on Saturday night (25th August) at
Delicatessen, the basement of Pakhuis Wilhelmina, Veemkade 574 - from
9pm. Lots of other good acts on. Be there!

Rome to Sicily

Three Danish cyclists - Sune, Andreas and Tuo - are cycling from Rome to Sicily. Sounds familiar! They're also a band, although not touring with music now. Great guys and it was a pleasure to have them. We hosted through warmshowers.org and it was nice to be able pay back some hospitality after all the people that hosted us.

Another day another saint

I think it was saint giovanni today. A brass band paraded around the village followed by a big procession of people. Then there was a flight of the angel - a little boy pulled along a cable above the crowd while he sang and recited scripture. He looked to be enjoying it.

Flying angel

Beachboy

The pasta hasn't affected my beautiful figure.

Food

Italians love their food. Meal times take a long time, not because they're so relaxed about it, but because there is so much food to get through!

Taking the saint for a walk

Every day is devoted to a different saint in Italy. And as most people are named after a saint it's like a second birthday. Different villages celebrate different saints days across the year, so the public holidays and celebrations seem quite random. You can go to a town for something only to find everything closed and everyone following behind the model of their saint while the brassband plays.

Village fountain

Most people still take their drinking water from the fountain. It might not look appetising from this picture but it tastes fresh.

Perdifumo

An update on life in Perdifumo. We're living in the village now. It was cold and empty in winter but now there's life to the place. The holiday houses are filling up with their Milanese owners. Germans can be heard occasionally. The village has two small cafes, a few shops and two restaurants. Everyone knows everybody else and their business. There are few secrets it seems. Maria's father has leukemia, which has been pretty rough. He's coping well with the chemotherapy now.

Hanne Boel

The lovely Danish songstress Hanne Boel has a beautiful house here in the Cilento and we went round for some Danish beer last night. She gave me some advice on songwriting for other people and being a topliner - a term I'd never heard before, refering to the top two lines on sheet music, and means writing the melody and lyric on top of someone else's track. I'll try and get on some songwriting retreats or collaborate with other people. There aren't many in the Cilento so will have to try the good old internet.

My gig in The Central on Saturday night

A nice gig in front of a small but well-formed audience. Only my second show this year! Last year I did over 200.

The F holes

The F holes - Rocking ragtime band. From Winnipeg. Definitely worth checking out.!

Lauren Mann and the fairly odd folk

Lauren Mann - Look as good as they sound. Fairy tale folk pop

Toronto buskers

That's my kind of drumkit

D'arcy

Went to a ping pong bar owned by Susan Sarandon, with D'arcy who I know from Australia. He's travelling across Canada to raise money to end Polio. Great to meet someone so selfless. An inspiration.

Too much stuff

Rooftop gig

Gangstagrass

Gangstagrass - Hiphop bluegrass from Brooklyn. Wicked!

Mary

My wonderful host! A fellow Englander who relocated to Toronto many years ago. She looks after children with autism, so having me around is no problem.

NXNE - 1st night

I had a good first night in nxne, wandering around and seeing bands. This guy steve hill was on fire. Guitar and bass drum. Wicked blues riffs.

There's lots to see here. I need a bicycle though. The venues are only in one corner of the downtown, but that corner is 5by5km at least.