Does 3 dates in two places make a tour?

Well, when your tour partner comes down with a bout of laryngitis after the 3rd gig, and has to pull out of the tour, then it does.  My amazing friend and tour partner Ryan James suffered a total loss of singing voice, but also gained a moment of true clarity and direction through this.  He's taking a break from music for now, but I'm certain the stage will call him, and his beautiful jacke, hat, warpaint and wings out soon enough.

I toyed with the idea of touring on my own, or getting someone else to join me, but I came to the realisation that this tour was about "Ryan James and Howard Sinclair".  No one else, and nothing else, would, could or should replace that.  There was something special about the show we created, and those lucky people of Swansea and Bristol who got to see it, will I hope agree.  Those who missed it, there will be another time I'm sure.

So, for me it was back to the drawing board.  Unfortunately, the bad/emotionally difficult news didn't stop there.  In that same week I discovered my ex-wife is re-marrying at Easter.  Now, we've been divorced for some years, and not in contact, but that sort of news hits you like a very delayed train coming out of a dark tunnel.  At first I shrugged it off and wished good luck to the both of them, then came the memories and the tears and the songs that made me think of what we'd shared.  So, I had a fragile week of it, but made the best of it by playing and singing whenever and wherever the opportunity arose.

A lovely night up at the Greyhound in Clifton run by the ever generous Ant Noel, I played bass for Chris Stanley on a couple of songs, and generally had a lovely night immersed in good company and lovely sounds.  One artist struck me in a way that she hadn't before.  Sadie Fleming, a leading light and regular performer on the Bristol Acoustic scene performed a song which she introduced by saying it was a friend who'd just been diagnosed with breast cancer.  The words, music and tenderness of delivery were breathtaking, and by the end of her performance I was fighting back the tears, with little success.  This was a true triumph of the songwriter's art, to deliver a message born from adversity, and make it at once both heartbreaking and upliftingly beautiful.

So, a new week has dawned on me already, and already I'm half way through it.  A really positive and productive rehearsal session with Graham Higgins, preparing for our debut performance as a duo at the Pilgrim Inn on the 15th of March on Monday.  Then last night, an open mic I didn't know existed, caught my attention!  It's hosted by Linday Bullamore, another wonderful singer-songwriter, at The Blue Lagoon, on Gloucester Road.  A total walk of about 5 minutes from my door, good real ale (A Leicestershire brew called Everards Tiger was particularly fine), and one free drink for everyone who plays.  A great mix of players including Sadie, Bex, Lindsay herself, Tom and Rob.  I played 3 original songs (As I Recall, Division Street and Hitcher) and "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" which went down particularly well with a very inebriated fellow sat singing into his empty pint glass, his timing was off, but you can't doubt his spirit!  I'll definitely be back there.

I'm hoping to get some writing done soon, there's a fair bit of material in emotionally difficult times, so maybe something will come out of the slightly dark week I've just been through.  This week is already looking very much brighter.  Tomorrow I'll be joining Ant Noel and the Peabody Drakes as sound engineer and temporary guitarist at the Seven Stars Inn.  I can't wait, it will be rip-roaringly good!

Sorry for the delay between blogs, I must get into a better routine with it!

Cheers, H

Wow that was awesome!!

I'm not usually one for using the word Wow, or indeed the word Awesome, but both completely fit in this particular case! 

On Sunday evening I took my car loaded with mine and Ryan James's musical equipment down to The Garage, Uplands.  It's a fairly unasuming looking venue, with more chewing gum on the carpet than anywhere else I've ever seen.  We were greeted by a sound engineer who was trying to open up one of the monitor speakers as it had stopped working.  We got everything in, and started setting up on the small, but perfectly formed, stage.  We then got on with moving tables about, giving the place a bit more sense of occasion, and scattering the tables with flyers, business cards and the obligatory origami birds crafted by Ryan himself.

Ryan's soundcheck was not without its trials and hiccups, including the moment he got scared by the sound engineer speaking to him through the PA - the photo is priceless!  My soundcheck by contrast was quick and easy, as was Rachel Rimmer's.

Rachel's set was beautiful, a lush mix of originals and covers, that really suited the early evening and the building mood of excitement of what was to come.  During her set, I got the nicest surprise, Anne-Marie Helder, lead singer of Panic Room, and winner, for the second year running, of Best Female Vocalist in the Classic Rock Presents Prog Readers' Poll, walked in!  She said hello to Ryan, they've known eachother for years and have worked together, then to me.  She stayed for the whole evening, listening attentively to my set, complimenting me on my songwriting and singing afterwards, then chatting to me about Ryan and his set which she, and the rest of the room were rightly blown away by.

I know people will say I'm biased, I am touring with him after all, but I have never met anyone as bold as Ryan when it comes to personal expression through music.  The poem he opened his set with was a real call to arms, an elloquent war cry to all those who have struggled with love, but still chose to wear their heart on their sleeve.  The video is available here: Army of the Loveless

An amazing set of amazing original songs and a few completely leftfield covers followed, and I was left elated, and exausted at the thought of what I've let myself in for!

Since then, I've been working hard on getting ready for Friday's gig at The Grain Barge, Hotwell Road, Bristol.  Can not wait to see all the Bristol lovelies out in force, it will be amazing!

I'll write more soon, but for now, I'll leave you with a line from my song Division Street "Every morning I throw the curtains wide, to watch my flowers fill, the divide".

Work, friends and rock and roll

Well, what a week that was!  The final week of my day job ending with a leaving do last night which left me in a pretty bad mess, but with good people taking care of me, and the real personalities of the people I worked with shining rather than being held back.  I have been lucky in this job, my boss has been kind, supportive, encouraging and brilliant, and will be a lifelong friend. Some of my colleagues have become real friends who I'll stay in touch with and hope to see often.  Others I will forget quite happily.

So, this weekend begins the next chapter.  Today I've been rehearsing, running through songs, playing my 12 and 6 string guitars, fitting second strap buttons on both so I can stand up and play (makes a huge difference to both confidence, and the amount of breath available for singing), and hoping and praying my voice holds up and I can sing through the remnants of my cold.


So, tomorrow I drive to Swansea to join up with my tour partner and amazing friend Ryan James.  We will be playing the Garage, Uplands, Swansea in the evening, and before that some joint rehearsal of the tunes we'll be playing on each other's sets.  Expect some nice percussion on my tunes, and some interesting guitar on his as a result of the collaboration!

This is going to be an amazing show, with support from Rachel Rimmer, a young musician I've not met yet, but clips on you tube and chats on Facebook lead me to believe she's going to be awesome!

Then onwards and upwards to Monday where my day will be made up of chasing venues for the tour, recording and playing for Geoff Pugh in his school studio, a Radio Session for Bristol Community FM then a little acoustic slot at the Mother's Ruin session run by "Howlin' Lord" - a sort of blues playing Johnny Depp look alike!  I am so looking forward to being able to choose where I am, what I do and how I spend my time, but I'm also scared that something will drag me back into the rat race!


I'll write more after the gig, which I know will be amazing, not bigging myself up, I'm just talking about that feeling you get when you're playing in front of people who are there to listen, and you realise they're feeling what you're singing about...there is nothing better!

First Blog

So, this is my first blog.  I decided since I'm about to embark on a new chapter  in my life I should give people a chance to follow the ups, downs, sideways moves and complete u-turns that may occur. 

The first step on this new path is a live acoustic session for Radio Tircoed's - http://www.radiotircoed.com Acoustic show this Friday 3rd of Feb in the evening.  Really looking forward to meeting Stuart Loosemore face to face, and to sharing a studio with my tour partner and avid blogger Ryan James http://abouttimemrwolfe.blogspot.com/

We'll be chatting about the tour we'll be launching and embarking on in February and March and letting you know where in the country will be so you can come and catch us.

Today I've been bed-ridden with a horrible cold which has effected my ability to sing.  Fingers crossed for a quick turn around over the next coupld of days so I'm fit to sing and play live over the airwaves and internet.

There'll be a lot of changes over the next few months, new challenges, new adventures, and most of all, a whole load of new people to meet, work with, write with, record with and of course,drink with!!

Thanks to everyone who's supported me and my music so far, be prepared for some big things in the near future. 2012 is the year for getting things done, join in, get involved and follow my journey alongside your own. :)