Steve’s Internet Stuffs

When I'm getting ready to record solo stuff, two things happen: 

Firstly, listening to music becomes FOOD - I start to watch my diet, and conspicuously listen to things I want to be influenced by - this time round, that'll mean a lot of the ECM stuff I've bought off EMusic over the last year, as well as the usual Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn, Talk Talk, David Torn, Bill Frisell, Blue Nile... 

Secondly, I revisit my own older albums - I often have a fairly odd and wildly inaccurate memory of what they actually sound like, and the tunes that I continue to play live have often evolved a long way from where they started. So I go back, and listen, for perspective. Sometimes it's encouraging how far it feels I've come. Other times it's encouraging how good this old stuff still sounds. 

So right now, I'm listening to Grace And Gratitude - hand on heart, this is probably my favourite of my solo records. It was done with different tech to the set up I have now and there are lots of things I can do with a bass now that I couldn't do then, but there's a sound to it, a cohesion, a coming together of the narrative side of the record with the music that I'm immensely proud of. 

if you haven't got it, please download it. Pay what you like for it, but don't feel obliged to pay anything - I'm proud of it, and I'd rather you got to hear it and enjoy it that worried about money...