France & Italy

Only meeee! I have just come back from travelling and performing in France and Italy.  At first I was due to have a mini tour of Italy but then it was called off. Then it was on again and then off again. So I thought about doing some travelling and booked a flight to the south of France…..and then it was on again!!

I started out in Nice, a city with plenty of glitz and glamour but it has a gritty underside that keeps it grounded. I played a couple of gigs but the music scene in this part of the world isn’t up to much….its more about drinking good wine and having good conversation.  Took many trips to the stunning coastal regions and it became obvious why Julian Lennon, Bono, Eric Clapton and Elton John all have homes here.

I also managed a return trip to Monaco. The last time I was here I was too young to grasp the concept of how much money this little principality actually has! This millionaire’s playground has more cherry red Ferraris than you can shake a stick at! When I walked down to the harbour to see these amazing floating palaces, at times it was difficult to work out if they were yachts or commercial cruise ships! I walked round the Formula 1 circuit and of course the casino, I tired looking for a rich Grace Kelly but couldn’t find her anywhere ; )

I then headed to Italy and the northern industrial city of Genoa. First stop was the coastal town of Camogli. A beautiful quaint fishing town and very romantic….however unfortunately I was with a guy so not an ideal situation : (

I took a visit to pay homage to the birth place of the cities most famous son, the king stargazer himself Christopher Columbus. I played a gig in Serra Ricco which was a success! So much so that I sold all the CD’s I brought with me and could easily have sold twice over!

Some Italian friends took me to the opening game of the Italian football season between Sampdoria and Inter Milan in the cauldron of the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. What an amazing experience if a bit scary, especially when Sampdoria scored! The atmosphere was incredible……it was one hell of a Hotbox ; )

Then to Milan to meet an Italian friend I was in Dublin with at the end of last year. Supposedly Milan is a city that’s obsessed with looks and glamour….. only problem….in August everyone is on holiday so the place is almost closed! I visited the city’s most important landmark, the Duomo Cathedral. While I was wowing over this amazing structure I had a random bloke place some bird seed in my hand. Within a second I was mobbed by pigeons and beggars wanting 2 euros for this pleasure!?!?! They were so aggressive in their quest for my money but I kindly told them to $%&£ off and eventually they got the message!!

We took a road trip through the heart of Italy to a beach resort on the east coast called Marotta. One gig was cancelled which meant more time on the beach!! However I played a gig on the Friday which was on the beach. It was a success but towards the end got lost in translation with all the Prosecco consumed by the locals!

I then headed to Bologna and where better to sample some Bolognese than the very place where it began. After my meal and more than a few drinks I heard loud music coming from the piazza. It was a huge open air concert of local artists so the drinks started to flow as did the broken conversations! After the concert finished I was faced with the prospect of walking home….hmmmmm???? Whenever I have been inebriated in large cities in the past I totally perfect the art of walking in the wrong direction and this time was no exception…….almost 2 miles to be exact!

With just 4 hours sleep I got the train to my last stop of Pisa. I was only there for a day to catch my connecting flight home…..quite lucky because other than the tower it’s a bit of a one horse town and not much to do.  At Pisa airport I was at the check-in-desk and I turned round to see a guy from home that I used to play football with……I am now convinced its 3 degrees of separation for me!

So now I am back recharged and ready for the challenge that awaits me….recording my first studio album tomorrow…..here goes!!!

xxx

Recording

After coming back from the Med my feet hardly touched the ground and I was off again……to Ireland to start recording my first album. To be honest I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing but what was awaiting me was to by far exceed my expectations!!

I was in the idyllic setting of Killaloe in a big house right on a lake, the perfect setting to create some magic. I must have taken the weather with me as I had 2 weeks of glorious sunshine! The house was right on the marina, not the floating palaces of Monaco but fortunately it just so happened that the producer I was working with had a speedboat! YEAHHHH….Every day I thought “we can’t be in the studio on a day like this hmmmmm…..lets get in that boat!!!

Most important of all the magic that was created with my music!!!!  Each time before a vocal take there would be ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ to clear the pipes and some Port to coat the voice box! However on more than one occasion I would start tweeting like a canary but if I left it too long……. So I had to do some of the vocal takes straight away before the walls started moving ; ) bottle the magic quick!

When the first part of the recording was finished I headed to Dublin to play a few gigs but also to visit my local haunt, the W.B. Yeats museum. It’s difficult not to be inspired when here as the creative juices always seem to flow.

I went home but once again my feet didn’t touch the ground and with less than 24 hours I was off to Spain. It was arranged for me to do a television interview before my gig. Thankfully it wasn’t live because half way through I started to get the giggles!! I have seen this type of thing on out-takes but stopping the hysteria is harder than it looks….the more you think about not laughing…….the more you laugh!

So I’m back and my feet have touched the ground (just!) and now im off again for the second part of my recording and to Northern Ireland to play to my biggest audience yet….1000 peeps…here goes…again!