Recording times

After a summer of dashing about everywhere it feels really good to be drumming in the studio again. See, as much as I love the thrill of live work (as a musician, writer, actor) there's always a sad sense that when it's done, it's done - with no or very little record of it. Now though I enter a few months where I'll be on stage less and recording more - and as a writer we (Izzy and myself) will be focusing more on radio projects. A good recording can go a long way - I'm really proud to be on the British IBM album - my dad believes it's the best thing I've ever been on and my dad is always right, yet that was one of the very few studio sessions I've done this year, unlike 2011 when I was seemingly in the studio all the time.

This weekend we recorded the backing music for a Christmas album I'm devising. Can't go into too many details about the concept of the project (for many reasons, the main one being I haven't finished writing it yet and it's likely to change a million times before I feel comfortable), but it is effectively a theatre/music crossover (but not a musical), utilising some classic Christmas tunes nicely rearranged as the backing track to the drama. For this I called upon a few good friends who also happen to be outstanding musicians; Alister Bunclark, Clare Calder and Steve Calder, and, aided by Una the enthusiastic puppy, we recorded the music in one fairly lengthy, live session. Alister, Clare and Steve really are brilliant musicians - and so versatile too, and on the record we have piano, double bass, strings, flute, saxophone alongside my percussion...I don't think 'Jingle Bells' has ever sounded so worldly. Felt slightly strange recording Christmas songs in early September, but it also felt bloody good.

A couple days later I was back in the studio recording with Louise and producer Rob for the new Flaming June EP. This one really is a quite dramatic leap (in places) from the last EP, but I now get why Louise has done this - the last EP was very successful and even won an award but why replicate it? It's sounding brilliant (quite a lot has been done already), the folk roots are still very much there but it just feels more electric (whilst remaining largely acoustic), it's sounding big already. On top of the congas I've added a bass drum, snare, hi-hat and ride cymbal - so yep, a full kit, but all recorded separately as each one is being treated as an individual percussional sound in the mix. I think this EP will be a while yet as everything is being done carefully, but it will really be worth the wait.

Next week work continues on the Trevor Jones album back at Half Ton with the most patient engineer on the planet, Matty Moon, and there's also the new Eureka Stockade album in the pipeline - Rob and Andy have 16 new songs, and at some point I'll be in to drum all over them, marvellous stuff.

Anyway, best get back to trying to learn how to cook. Since coming back from the fringe I feel refreshed and looking forward to some new creative challenges, with a new website, the launch of the new theatre company (Fat Fox) with Izzy which will be amazing, finally getting my novel out there, some new plays, some new recordings and yep, going to try and cook too. That's the bit I'm really struggling with to be honest, but we all knew that was going to be the case, yes?