Apologies for the late June Ramblings but music and dogs seem to take over for the end week in May and the first week in June!! Musically, I was working on preparing YESSONATA for recording and adding a few bits that weren't played on the USA tour earlier in the year. It was important to get the balance right and that did take quite a lot longer than I had anticipated… but finally I was happy and went off to the Granary to sit at my favourite piano and over three days, record both the YESSONATA and a piano version of much of King Arthur. Each side is around 20-21 minutes and so perfect for vinyl. I have no idea if it is intended to release it in other formats, so having no control anymore, I'll just have to wait and see like everybody else, although I expect September is likely to be the chosen month!!!
For future releases that don't end up on an existing label, I have formed a new publishing company, aptly named More and More Music, that will also release selected new product.
Rachel and I are also preparing for the arrival of Lux, a large and beautiful collie cross who as I write, is being transported from Bosnia and will arrive with us on Sunday the 16th. We always said that one day we would return to being a 3 dog, 3 cat household after we lost our beloved Garo to a brain tumour, but always said that it would only be when the time was right and the dog sort of chose us!!
Some of you may remember that my great friend and actor Peter Egan found Garo for us and guess what, he was on a visit to the shelter in Bosnia when he "met" Lux, and sent Rachel and I a video simply saying, "This magnificent dog has you two stamped all over him", and so without much delay… he's on his way!! Our current two… Puff and MuMu… love other dogs (and cats for that matter) and so we know they will all settle down together with little or no trouble at all.
Because the last 3 months of the year are so manic, I am going to make a real effort to get myself reasonably fit in readiness for the onslaught!
There's a lot of preparation to sort out for both the USA Final One Man Show tour and also the Yuletide tour with Adam and Mollie, which will be quite different from previous Xmas tours but hopefully very enjoyable and will feature some music both old and new mixed in with the usual batch of stupidity. I don't think Mollie has any idea what she has let herself in for!!
Sun 16th is Father's Day. I reckon I'll hear from 4 of the 6, reason being Father's Day is on a different date in both America and Switzerland, so Ben and Manda… you're forgiven in advance!!!
On Thursday the 20th I am introducing the film music night at the Marylebone Festival in London. Check it out, they have some wonderful concerts happening and each concert is worth an attendance.
On the 22nd I am a part of the concert that son Oliver now puts on annually in aid of his autistic daughter Lottie's school and the day after this I go to a Water Rat's Lodge before finally getting a late train home from Liverpool Street.
That's it for now… even more updates next month!!
Cheers Rick