Rob Russell Davies: News and Blog

While over in South Africa earlier I came across some... um... interesting pics of my first professional band FLAGSHIP. They're now added to the photo gallery under 'Flagship' if you fancy a laugh. I was the kid in the band then at 17/18 yrs old, Gary the Bass Player was 24 and the 'oldies' were Maurice and Richard at 27!

Oh, and I also found this Caricature done back in the early 80's.

*Keepin' Up With Rob*

*The Newsletter of Songwriter and Musician, Rob Russell Davies*

www.robrusmusic.com
Hi everyone and welcome to the July edition of my newsletter. For those who haven't received one yet, the idea behind 'Keepin' Up With Rob' is to keep you informed as to what's happening with my music, to let you know about current and future CD's and downloads, and just to chat about some of the loves of my life... music, songs, songwriting, the people who make the music, and anything that's hopefully interesting.

NEWS

As the economy continues it's downward spiral, I've been cheering myself up by writing quite a few new pieces of music for the next album , and also trying to get some interest from radio stations for some of the songs on 'Crossing The River'. As I hinted in the last newsletter, I'm busy on some instrumental pieces that use the piano as the main instrument and have a kind of Classical / African feel to them. So far so good, and each song seems to be leading to ideas for other songs - so no shortage of inspiration!

The Duelling Pianos have been gigging around a few times, and a great night was had at the Gas House Tavern on July 4th. Thanks to all those who turned up! I've also been working quite hard with the solo show.

The list of companies that are offering downloads for both albums and individual songs is still growing and most can be found on the 'buy' page of my website.
http://www.robrusmusic.com/products.html
A special thanks to an inspiring e-mail from Judith Mills who organised the Pop Star event for the Wharfdale Festival in Ilkley about the song 'Turn Around'. Comparing it to Mike Batt's 'Closest Thing To Crazy' which was doing the rounds at the same time my ballad was written is high praise indeed. Thanks very much ..... and because of that, and because it's spotlighted singer Naomi's favourite song of mine, it seems appropriate to make it this month's song focus.

SONG FOCUS / TURN AROUND

I suppose there have been a lot of songs about going away, and of course the idea of going on 'a journey' is now becoming a little tired and clichéd. You know the idea... man/woman goes on a journey, and not only finds new places but he/she also finds new hope, new love, new friends and a new awareness of himself/herself. I'd imagine loads of songs and films have already covered this territory, and there's quite a few 'going on a journey' 'finding yourself' programs featuring on telly over here in the UK at the moment.

With 'Turn Around' I tried to inject something a little new and different into the 'journey' idea. First of all the girl sings about waving goodbye to someone at an airport... pretty straight forward! But it's in the middle section or 'Bridge' that things get a bit more interesting. As her mind wanders, she thinks:

"And as you walk towards the plane
I can't help thinking I'm travelling too
My journey's just begun, and won't be done
Until I learn to live without you
So baby fly... fly... fly... away
And take your chance to spread your wings
But as we reach the end
I'm asking you once again..."

So she recognises that in a sense they're both going on a journey... him away from her and she must now travel a new path as she's left alone. There is room in the last verse to develop another idea... a sort of final twist or 'turn around' at the end.

"And do you really know
If you wanna go?
And will you come back home one day?
But when you turn around
Baby turn around
Turn around
Baby turn around
When you turn around
You might find I've turned away."

First she questions whether he really wants to leave in the first place. I'm sure you'd agree that break-ups are never easy and the actual moment of leaving can be the hardest! Following on from that she thinks through the idea of him coming back one day... 'turning around' to come back home. The 'twist' of course is that by that time, she might have travelled too far from him and he might find that... she's turned away.

A few other things to look out for. The melody always goes up-down-up on the words 'turn around' basically turning around on itself. The structure is basically Verse / Middle / Verse with the last verse embellished and building at the end... sort of 'turning around' the familiar melody of the first verse.
The different meanings used of the words 'turn around':

Turn around - a final time, for one last look before you go away.
Turn around - to find a new direction, a new way of living.
Turn around - to change things, to move on, and maybe even to turn away.

I've gone into a bit of detail here, just for the fun of it and to add some background, but really it's quite a simple song with a catchy tune that hopefully comes across as a meaningful ballad! In 2005 it was voted a finalist in the UK Songwriting Competition, and out of interest seems to be more requested and commented on by girls rather than guys. I suppose you can draw your own conclusions on that!

To hear an extract of 'Turn Around' and read the lyrics, please visit my listen page on the website: http://www.robrusmusic.com/music-group-30.html
SINGER SPOTLIGHT / NAOMI MURRAY


I first met Naomi just after she'd appeared on ITV's 'Stars in Their Eyes / Kids', winning her heat and appearing in the final. She soon won the 'Wharfdale Musical Festival' in Leeds for the second time and went on to take the first prize on Yorkshire's 'Real Radio's R Factor' singing competition. She's been interviewed a number of times on Real Radio and is highly thought of by the DJ's and staff at the station.

As well as being a great singer, Naomi's studied acting and dance at college and has recently been showing off her talents in the Upstagers Theatre Group's productions, who perform at The Kings Hall, Ilkley and the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford. So far she's had lead parts in 'Les Miserables', 'The King and I', 'The Wiz' and the Pantomime 'Sinbad'. She's also been booked as a dancer for street / show events and night-clubs in Leeds, Barnsley and all over the Yorkshire area.

Showing even more versatility, Naomi's has just recorded the vocals and written the lyrics for a dance track called 'Promises' with DJ / Producer Luke Pompey. The single is due for release soon. At the moment she's sailing the high seas on the ship 'Thomson Emerald' visiting cities like Venice, Istanbul, Dubrovnik in Croatia and the Greek Islands. Although singing, dancing and acting as part of the ship's entertainment crew, she's now been asked to do her own cabaret spot and to host special events.

Considering that's she's not yet turned 20, I'm sure you'll agree that she's done a lot in a few years! I forgot to ask Naomi who her favourite singers were before she went sailing down the Adriatic, but I know she does have a soft spot for Nora Jones, Katie Melua and Amy Winehouse while also liking music from theatre, jazz, pop all the way to dance. As I mentioned earlier, her favourite song of mine is 'Turn Around' but she also likes 'Let Me Find Peace' which gave us that fantastic weekend in Tipperary / Ireland.

Thanks for your help, talent and friendship so far Naomi, and I hope you get all the breaks you deserve!

LAST BITS

I get lots of funny e-mails from Sharon on our Monday night quiz team (A.K.A the wife from hell or the WFH!). I loved this one, and I think there's definitely a song in here somewhere, and appropriately... it's another 'journey' story:

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate and, as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out,

'Excuse me, could you tell me where we are?
'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.
'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.
'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveller asked.
'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought for a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'
'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'
'How about my friend here?' the traveller gestured to the dog.
'There should be a bowl by the pump.'

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveller filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were satisfied, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

'What do you call this place?' the traveller asked..
'This is Heaven,' he answered.
'Well, that's confusing,' the traveller said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'
'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.'
'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'
'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'

That's all for this month. Please do keep in touch. Don't forget that I've got a guestbook on the website, so please pop in and say hi... I could do with some friendly and 'normal' comments. At the moment, all I seem to be getting on that guestbook is loads of spamming and advertising junk, a lot of it in Russian would you believe... and who buys these products anyway, and how do they know about all these personal problems I seem to be having! I now filter it all out before it even shows up on the site.

Also, if you're on myspace, please add me as a friend and I'll do likewise.
http://www.myspace.com/robrusselldavies
Thanks for reading and go in peace!
Rob.
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*Keepin' Up With Rob*

*The Newsletter of Songwriter and Musician, Rob Russell Davies*

www.robrusmusic.com
Hi everyone and welcome to the June edition of my newsletter. For those who haven't received one yet, the idea behind 'Keepin' Up With Rob' is to keep you informed as to what's happening with my music, to let you know about current and future CD's and downloads, and just to chat about some of the loves of my life... music, songs, songwriting, the people who make the music, and anything that's hopefully interesting.

NEWS
'The Tipperary Song' has received more airplay in Ireland. A special thanks to DJ Noel Fahy at Tipperary Mid-West Radio for playing the unplugged version on his folk music program 'The Crooked Road'. Then surprisingly, he played the fully arranged version the following week, even though that arrangement isn't really that 'folky'! You must have liked it Noel, and thanks for the encouragement and support.

Both albums are now available for downloads at 2 of the biggest music sellers on the net, Apple itunes and CD Baby, and I even came across Crossing The River at Amazon.com the other day. This means of course that you can now download individual songs directly onto your computer/ ipod /MP3 player or phone. Here are some useful links to take you straight to my pages on these sites. Other links can also be found on the 'buy' page of my website. Please don't forget that I also have a myspace page, and if you're part of that community, I'd love to have you as a friend.
My Myspace Page
[All of these links open up in a new window]

Apple itunes: Crossing The River ($0.99 per song / $9.99 for the whole album.)
Crossing The River at itunes
Apple itunes: Telling Tales ($0.99 per song / $9.99 for the whole album.)
Telling Tales at itunes
CD Baby: Crossing The River ($11.99 for the actual CD / $9.99 to download the whole album in MP3 format. They don't do individual songs)
Crossing The River at CD Baby
CD Baby: Telling Tales ($9.99 for the actual CD / $7.99 to download the whole album in MP3 format. They don't do individual songs)
Telling Tales at CD Baby
Amazon.com: Crossing The River ($8.99 to download the album in MP3 format / $0.99 per song)
Crossing The River at Amazon.com
Here's a great little story which I've held back for a while until I spoke to the lady concerned to confirm it and get a few more details. Just after 'Let Me Find Peace' became the 'Tipperary Song of Peace' for 2006 a copy of the song found it's way to the London head office of one of the world's largest 'perfume manufacturing' giants. Sorry to be mysterious, but I'm not allowed to tell who it is because they don't officially endorse the song. (But it is true... honest gov'ner!) Now things can apparently get quite stressful in this office, and so to 'chill out' and wind down a bit, the staff took to playing 'Find Peace' as a way of relaxing and calming down. Then the song got sent to the companies Swiss office, and one gent there loved it and also started using it as a 'calming influence' in his office. So there you go... maybe we should find a way of bottling it, give it a nice aroma, and if you dab it on just under the ear... you smell great, hear a peaceful and relaxing song and calm down to boot.

A quick mention that Craig and I are doing our 'Duelling Pianos' show at favourite local pub The Gas House Tavern / Whitehall Road Drighlington, Leeds on Friday 4th of July. Please come and join us if you're in the area.


SONG FOCUS
This is the section where I share with you the background, inspiration, stories, ideas and emotions behind one of my songs. With quite a bit happening, it might be appropriate to make this month's song, The Tipperary Song.

The little Irish town of Tipperary has been a lucky charm for me. They say that people have the luck of the Irish, but so far I seem to have had luck with the Irish having won the Tipperary International Song Of Peace competition twice. Also, both occasions were particularly memorable because we were made to feel so welcome, and had such a good time in that wonderful part of the world. So riding my luck, I got the idea of writing a song about Tipperary. The only trouble with that, of course, is that it's been done before with a pretty famous sing-a-long! So, down to plan B, I came up with the idea of writing a song about a song, so to speak and came up with the first ideas for what would become 'The Tipperary Song'.

Much of the time, writing music is all about trying to pull ideas out of a dark and barren place... some would argue, a description that best fits my head and everything inside it! But this project had the advantage of a clear objective from the start. Write an anti-war song with a strong story that has references to the original Tipperary song and features the town itself. Nice and simple!

Back in the early 90s Tim (Delaney) and I in the duo Sample This used to do a piano and voice version of The Pogues' 'The Band Played Waltzing Matilda'. If you've never heard it, it's a disabled soldier's personal tale about the terrible consequences of the ill-advised attack by Australian soldiers against the Turks in Gallipoli during the first world war. In the right environment (i.e.... not the Barnsly Radical and Liberal Club) the song went down great and now and again drove some of the listeners to tears. (I mean ...because the song moved them rather than our performance of it!) That great piece of music and the way 'Waltzing Matilda' was used in it was always in the back of my mind when working on 'Tipperary'. It seemed such an unusual but good idea to have a famous sing-a-long refrain built into such a touching story!

For a song that's over 5 minutes long with lots of words, I found the lyrics of 'Tipperary' surprisingly easy to write. In fact, sitting outside one sunny afternoon I managed to come up with most of them in less than an hour... making just a few adjustments a week or so later. That's not bad for someone who sometimes spends months on a lyric! The music and chords came easy too, and I'm sure many of you have spotted the respectful references to the original 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary'.

My story is about a soldier blinded in the fields of Flanders in WW1. An Irish nurse helps him to get through this terrible time always singing the 'Long Way to Tipperary' song. The song follows the soldier from the battle fields through his recovery in hospital and finally to Tipperary Town itself as he searches for the woman who has helped him come to terms with being blind. I like to think of it as an epic love story, the kind of thing you could make into a film. It would make a great video, that's for sure!

The movie influence was also in my mind with the arrangement of the song which is divided up into 'scenes'. For example:
The first part takes place on the battlefield... listen out for the marching bass and snare drums in Chorus 1. Hear Naomi's voice echoing down the long corridors of the hospital in Chorus 2. Listen out for the triumphant military brass band celebrating the end of WW1 as the soldiers march home in Chorus 3, and an Irish folk band with fiddle, accordion and acoustic guitar takes over once we get to Tipperary Town itself.

The song is sung by Craig Michael, who's featured in this month's singer spotlight, and the girl vocalist is Naomi Murray who's currently sailing/singing/dancing and acting somewhere on the Atlantic and Indian oceans! (More about Naomi in next month's newsletter). Although I've given 'Tipperary' a big arrangement on the album, I also felt that in essence and sentiment, it was very much like a folk song. So, with that in mind, I asked good friend, top musician and singer - John Mycroft to bring his acoustic guitar to the studio, and along with his vocals and my piano we gave it a completely new unplugged treatment which can be heard as the last song on the album.

SINGER SPOTLIGHT / CRAIG MICHAEL


A friend for many years, I first met Craig in the mid 90s when he became a fellow Jumpin Jaks 'Duelling pianist' and was quick to realise what an excellent singer and musician he is. Classically trained on piano, he has a great ear for music and a sweet and natural tone to his voice which he uses to effortlessly hit all the right notes.

Craig has a great track record. So far, he's backed and worked with Tony Christie, Bernard Manning, Edwin Starr and Gerard Kenny to name a few. He's played on ship cruises travelling to Greece, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and beyond. Back in the 90s, he put in a stint in some of the best known piano bars in Norway. The Norwegians, of course, love their piano bars and many British piano player / singers end up working over there!

Last year, when it became obvious that nightclub chain Jumpin Jaks were moving away from the Duelling Pianos idea, Craig and I decided to rehash and keep it going in the Club / Cabaret and Pub circuit in the north of Engand. We've called ourselves Rob 'n Craig's Incredible Duelling Pianos, have thrown in quite a few fun tunes like The Duelling Banjos from the movie Deliverance / Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell and lots of piano-based party songs, and so far the audiences are getting right behind us. Of course, both of us also still go out as solo performers, and Craig got a big boost last year when he received a great review in Showcall - the prestigious showcase that's run by Equity's Stage Magazine here in the UK.

Some of his favourite artists are Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright, Ennio Morricone and Stevie Wonder. His favourite song of mine is 'Let Me Find Peace' and his favourite that he sings lead on is 'Haunted Eyes'. Out of all the singers that frequent the studio, Craig probably swears at me more than any other, although Naomi's got to be a close second! (Although she does it more under her breath). His nickname is 'Trigger' after the well-known drinker at the 'Nags Head' pub in the UK's favourite sitcom Only Fools and Horses, who keeps getting one of the lead characters names wrong. In Craig's case, we stayed at a B & B in Lincoln on quite a few occasions in the Jumpin Jaks days before he finally got the owners name right!

Thanks for your talent and help so far Craig... And don't forget... write Rob Russell Davies on the cheque!

WHAT'S NEXT?
For a change, the next album, which I'm hoping to get finished later this year, will be a movement away from narrative vocal songs and heading more into keyboard and piano territory. Think ...Ennio Morricone, Rick Wakeman, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Vangelis, Chopin and a few African percussionists and drummers gathering around the piano for a drinking session! (???) :)

Thanks for reading this. Feel free to get in touch, I'd love to hear from you. Email me on the website, leave a comment in the website guestbook or say hi in myspace.
All the best,
Rob.

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*Keepin' Up With Rob*

*The Newsletter of Songwriter and Musician, Rob Russell Davies*

http://www.robrusmusic.com/
Hi everyone and thanks for taking the time to read the May edition of
my newsletter. For those who haven't received a newsletter yet, the
idea behind 'Keepin' Up With Rob' is to keep you informed as to what's
happening with my music, to let you know about current and future CD's
and downloads, and just to chat about some of the loves of my life...
music, songs, songwriting, the people who make the music, and anything
that's hopefully interesting. That's the plan anyway!

*NEWS*
It's a change of scenery once again, as I'm back from moving houses
in South Africa to moving houses in the UK. You might think I'm
getting used to it by now... but can you get used to moving? I once
read somewhere that 2 of the most stressful days of your life can be
wedding days and moving days! Before I get into any trouble, let me
just state for the record that I loved the wedding day!

While in South Africa I took the time to update my myspace page and
it's looking a bit 'happier' now with a new design, more information,
more songs and more friends. If you're on myspace, please add me as a
friend... agents are always telling me I need all the help I can get!
I've also posted all my blogs on there including these newsletters and
my 'Rob on Songwriting' articles.
http://www.myspace.com/robrusselldavies
Which brings me to a big thank you to the International Songwriters
Association based in Ireland for printing my 'small scale / BIG
PICTURE' article on the story telling approach to songwriting in their
weekly newsletter. Thanks also to the songwriters who emailed with
encouraging words in response to that article.

I've had some great feedback from some people in Ireland to 'The
Tipperary Song' on the new album. Martin Quinn, secretary of the
Tipperary Peace Convention has been in touch and hopefully the song
will be used as a kind of 'theme song' in a future award ceremony. I
think we ran out of time to feature it this year. Incidentally, the
peace convention took place at the end of April with the peace prize
being awarded posthumously to murdered Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto
in an emotional and moving ceremony. The song competition itself was
won by Derek Ryan who was one fifth of Irish Boyband D-Side, a
songwriter based in London who will soon be relocating to Nashville.
It was a close contest this year with a beautiful song by written by
Nancy Vogl, Leslie Bowe and Geoff Thurman from Illinois, USA coming in
second and Dublin's Paddy Sharkey taking third spot.

Then, DJ Padraig Quigley who runs the Easy Listening Show on Radio
Dundalk FM 100 has kindly agreed to give 'The Tipperary Song' a spin/s
on his show... a special thank you Padraig! A few other stations in
the UK have agreed to play songs from the album and CD's and MP3s are
on the way to them. Of course, if anyone knows of mainstream radio,
Internet radio, TV shows, websites or people in the business that
might be interested in my music, then please email me the details and
I'll send a package. My attitude is that just about anything is worth
a try... well... within reason, you understand!

As I write, more and more digital download companies are signing up
'Crossing The River', and 'Telling Tales', the first album is already
with over 48 different companies. You can buy the actual CD(s) at
http://cdbaby.com/cd/rrdavies and digital download information is on
there and also on my website: http://robrusmusic.com , so it's
possible to download the whole album or individual songs.

*SONG FOCUS*
This is the section where I share with you the background,
inspiration, stories, ideas and emotions behind one of my songs. This
month, the title track off the new album: 'Crossing The River'.

This one was written shortly after my dad's death in 2006 and is
based on a story that was one of his favourite biblical tales... the
parable of the prodigal son. So, for me, this is his song and I never
hear the opening verse without thinking of him:

"Father I know I've done wrong, forgive me
And where I was blind to the truth, now I see
I thought of myself, and nobody else
Father please save me from this place, I need your help"

The direct inspiration to write the song came from Minister Peter
Chapman when he used this parable in one of his morning services at
the Klerksdorp Presbyterian Church (North-Western Province / South
Africa). He reminded me of this great story, which to my mind, seemed
initially to lend itself to being a Musical or Cantata. But once I got
to work on the lyrics, I came up with a novel way to work the story in
song form - not from the father's point of view, but more from the
son's.

If you remember, it's a tale about a man who has 2 sons. The younger
one takes his share of his inheritance to leave home and live in a
foreign country. After wasting the money on reckless living and losing
everything during a severe famine he is left with nothing, and is
forced to become a virtual slave tending pigs on a farm. Eventually he
decides to go back to his father's farm, expecting nothing more than
to be treated as a lowly hired worker. But his father is overjoyed to
see him, and after celebrating with a feast he tells the disgruntled
older son... 'your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost,
but now he has been found.'

The song is set on the river that divides the two countries. I
imagine the younger son standing on the river bank of his adopted
country where he has lost everything. He looks across the river to the
land he left, taking stock of his situation, missing his father, his
home, his land... and gradually coming to the realisation that... 'I'm
on the wrong side'.

You can read the words and hear an extract on my website by visiting:
http://www.robrusmusic.com/music-24.html
*SINGER SPOTLIGHT / BETH WHEATLEY*

I've been very lucky in finding some fantastic singers who make my
songs come to life. All different and all exceptional, these talented
artists and friends have always backed me up 100%, while putting up
with a lot of fussing, nitpicking and moaning from me. So to say
thanks, and to put some character behind the voices I'd like to tell
you all a little about them. This month I'm shining the spotlight
on... Beth Wheatley. (Just slip me a few quid when you see me Beth!).

Beth is currently the lead singer with 10 piece function and charity
soul band 'Morris And The Minors'. To my shame, I've never actually
seen this brilliant and much in demand group, but have heard so much
about them. I don't know what you think, but for me the sound of a
full rhythm section, live brass, and a powerful girl singer out front
takes some beating!

In the past, Beth's gone out as a solo singer in clubs and cabaret
venues in the north of England, has won many talent competitions in
the UK, and was once a finalist in the 'Song for Great Britain
contest' which chooses Britain's entry for Eurovision. She has a
powerful voice which really works well on soul, blues and rock,
although she's equally at home with ballads and show songs.

A good ear for music is a gift and a huge advantage in the recording
studio where time is often limited. I've often had Beth doing
harmonies to songs she's never even heard before!... just show her
what to do a few times, and she'll get the job done. When it comes to
lead vocals she always turns up knowing the melody and timing, in
spite of me giving her my usual wonky guide vocal tracks to learn
from. That's a huge plus as it leaves time to get on with the feel and
character of a song, rather than spending time learning it in the
studio.

One of the biggest thrills I've had in my songwriting career was when
Beth and Naomi (Murray) first blended together in the duet 'Let Me
Find Peace'. A definite goose-bumps moment! To then take both of them,
family and friends to Tipperary / Ireland and have such a successful
and fun time was a memory never to be forgotten.

Some of Beth's favourite artists are Aretha Franklin and Christina
Aguilera and so far her favourite song of mine is 'Turn Around'. Her
little boy's favourite is 'Show Me What You've got'... he loves the
way his mum does jazz and blues, although Beth's mum disagrees and
prefers 'Damascus Road'. (I haven't a clue if dad has a favourite?! -
please let me know Beth!)

So thanks for your talent and enthusiasm Beth, and I look forward to
making lots more music with you in the future.

That's my lot for this month and don't forget, please keep in touch.
All the best for now,
Rob.

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As you all know, I still have a keen interest in what's happening over in Tipperary. I've heard a few of the songs at this years Tipperary Song of Peace contest and it seems the standard was very high. The peace award to the family/friends and associates of Benazir Bhutto must have been very moving too.

Here's some info on this years winner taken from the Tipperary website: http://www.tipperarypeace.ie/
24 year old Derek Ryan, who has enjoyed success as one fifth of Irish boyband D-Side, claimed the 2008 Tipperary International Song of Peace Title in Tipperary Town on Saturday April 26th.
The Carlow native, with his song titled "You Give Me Peace", was a hugely popular winner of the Contest that attracted a capacity crowd to the Excel Theatre.

There was just two points seperating the top three songs at the end, with an American entry being runners-up and Paddy Sharkey from Dublin taking the 3rd spot and the Mick Tuohy Memorial Perpetual Cup.

Following the announcement of the winner, Derek was presented with the Tipperary Crystal Trophy and a cheque for 1,500 euro by Contest Secretary, Martin Quinn.

There were 10 finalists in the Contest with entries from Ireland, England, the Netherlands and the U.S.A. making it to the final.

Derek Ryan is a keen songwriter and having had huge success to date with boyband D-Side he recently signed a production and publishing deal in Nashville, where he plans to relocate this summer.

If you'd like to hear Derek's song, have a listen to it on his myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/derekryanmusic
Runner up was a beautiful song by written by Nancy Vogl, Leslie Bowe and Geoff Thurman from Illinois, US called 'If Only For Today'. Have a listen at:
http://www.myspace.com/nancyvogl

Once again it's time for this years peace festival. It's hard to believe it's 2 years since I was last in Tipperary! Unfortunately no Main Street Pubs for me this year as I'm still miles away in South Africa. But let me take the opportunity to wish all the contestants in the Song of Peace competition, all the organisers and people of Tipperary Town, a great weekend!

The winner of the Peace Award this year is murdered Pakistani Party leader Benazir Bhutto. Members of her family will be accepting the prize.

SENSE OR NONSENSE

It's a great argument for songwriters having a few down the pub: should the words of a song make sense or not? Well, I like to think of myself as a fairly sensible guy, (although a few that know me would argue otherwise), but I strongly fall on the side of lyrics making sense. In fact, as I probably fit the pigeonhole of 'narrative songwriter', I'll go one step further and even argue for lyrics that tell stories.

Of course, there have been many songs through the ages that have made little or no sense and yet have gone on to be famous. They're usually carried by great melodies and words that 'sound' good, and/or have a great rhythmic feel. Then I'm sure you've all heard lyrics that initially seem deeply meaningful, but when you actually sit down and work them out, don't really 'mean' anything at all. But in that case, the songwriter must have done something right to convince you that the song was 'deeply meaningful' in the first place!

But placing my 'narrative songwriter' cap firmly on my head, let me give you a few arguments and ideas for the story telling approach. Even if it isn't your natural style of writing, it's something worth having in the locker box, so to speak, and who knows, it might inspire a classic tale out of you! I'd also like to share with you one of my favourite techniques to story telling, which has served me well through the years. I call it the 'small scale / big picture' approach.

SIX GOOD WAYS OF TELLING TALES

1. FORWARD MOTION: Just as a strong and varied melody line can drive a song forward, a good story can keep the listener intrigued right up 'till the end. You want the audience saying to themselves... 'this is interesting, what happens next'?

2. SECOND VERSE BLUES!: We all know the feeling. You've written a killer opening verse, and after many attempts you realise that the 2nd verse is basically repeating itself and going nowhere. Now if you'd started in a narrative fashion, and your first verse had the beginnings of a great story, then you might find the next verse and for that matter, the rest of the song flowing much easier. What you can achieve by telling a story is giving yourself a starting and ending point. You know where your going. Why not, therefore, write out a plot first - set your parameters... know how far you want to advance the story line by, say... the end of the first chorus.

3. CROSS THE BRIDGE WISELY. Without getting too much into song form, the bridge usually appears towards the end of the song, and most of the time introduces new melodies, chords and sometimes even a different rhythmic feel. The reason for this, of course, is to add new interest and diversion to the song, before the last chorus or verse rounds it off. So it stands to reason that is a great and natural place to add a new slant to the story as well. Here's the place to add 'another characters opinion', a 'twist in the tail' or an idea that throws new light on the last chorus.

4. RE-LIGHT THE CHORUS: This is often one of the hardest things to do, but can be one of the most satisfying. Although the Chorus words stay the same or similar, they can often be shown in an entirely different light and take on a new meaning each time they're sung. How? By setting up new and different ideas in the verses and bridges that precede them. So, for example, if verse 1 outlined a story of contentment and happiness, this would shine a light of contentment and happiness on the first chorus. But now, if verse 2 comes up with a sudden tragedy or reversal of fortune, this could make chorus 2 sound bitter and ironic. Get the picture - and in a sense that's exactly what we're doing... painting a picture and adding lots of colour

5. POETIC LICENCE: Use language that people today understand. Talk the way normal people talk. It's tempting to bend the words around just to get them to rhyme, but I'll give you 10 to 1 that it's going to sound at the very least 'forced' and at worst 'corny'. If it sounds right when you say it, it'll sound right when you sing it!

6. POEMS vs. LYRICS: A lot of people think they're the same or similar. They're not! Poems are more often that not read, and only sometimes listened to. People can linger on them and mull them over. Lyrics are almost always there to be listened to. You've got 3 to 4 minutes to tell your story, and the words flow much faster when sung than when written! Keep it simple and to the point. I want my listeners to understand what I'm saying after hearing the song for the first time.

SMALL SCALE / BIG PICTURE

In 2003, I decided to enter a 'Song of Peace' competition and needed a song that was something to do with the idea of peace. At first I had big ideas about things like: the evils of war / stop the bullets flying / stop letting the children suffer / 'give peace a chance'... although I'm sure someone's done that one already! But can you see the way I was thinking. Big scale, big sweeping message, shouting out indignantly from the rooftops! And here's the problem I had. It sounded just that... Indignant, preachy and contrived. It was just a kind of generalised complaining. On top of that, it sounded like it had all been done before.

So I changed tack and did the exact opposite. I went small. I build characters and individuals into my story and put them into the heart of the action. I gave my audience people they could identify with and imagine. I didn't preach the message, but told a little tale that completely got my point across. This was the story of 'Give It A Minute':

A little boy is playing with a ball beside the wall of a divided district or country. It could be anywhere! Through a peephole in the wall he spots an unhappy kid from the other side. So he takes pity on the boy and with a child's trust kicks the ball over the wall to him. Now the boy's father appears scolding him for playing with 'people unlike us'. As he drags him away he tells his son to forget about the ball... 'you won't see that again!'. The ball then bounces over the wall, landing right next to the departing father and son.

There you go, a simple little tale with a big message. The point's made, I didn't preach, praise or condemn yet hopefully I made the listeners think. It worked for me, it's worked for Hollywood and even Jesus often made his point using parables.
.
MERRY MELODIES
We're living in the age of rhythm, and often the beat is king! In the recent past, we went to extremes and got down to the bare bones of just drums and bass, with the same patterns repeated over and over again ad nauseam. Of course, in this style there's very little place for lyrics other than the occasional 'sample'. Great if you like it, but I say let's leave that stuff to the DJ's and 'producers'. I'm proudly a songwriter! The good news is, I'm seeing a massive trend back to melody. Take some of the stuff the up-and-coming British bands are turning out. People are singing the words to songs in the streets again . (They never really stopped, they just sang older songs!) So make the words count. Don't only give them a melody to hum, give them words to remember!

Be a myspace friend and sign up for the blog at: http://www.myspace.com/robrusselldavies

From now on I'm doing a monthly newsletter called 'Keepin' Up With Rob'. If you'd like to sign up for the email version, then please add your email address and name below.

Email:
Name:

I'll also be putting the newsletters here on this 'news' page.
Here's this months:

*Keepin' Up With Rob*

*The Newsletter of Songwriter and Musician, Rob Russell Davies*

www.robrusmusic.com
Hi everyone and thanks for taking the time to read my first
newsletter. The idea behind 'Keepin' Up With Rob' is to keep you
informed as to what's happening with my music, to let you know about
current and future CD's and downloads, and just to chat about some of
the loves of my life... music, songs, songwriting, the people who make
the music, and anything that's hopefully interesting.

STAYING FRIENDS

The basic plan is to send every friend on my list an e-mail about
once a month, or when there's something important or exciting to tell you.

CROSSING THE RIVER

The biggest news to share with you is that at long last the new album
'Crossing The River' is finished. Like the first album 'Telling
Tales', this album is filled with songs in different musical styles
but all with a story to tell. If you'd like a copy of the album,
please use CD BABY to buy it. I can personally vouch for them as being
a safe and reliable way of buying music on the net. In fact I believe
they're now the second biggest net seller of CD's after Amazon, and
are brilliant for independent musicians like myself!

To go to my CD BABY page:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/rrdavies
Downloads will soon be available on itunes and many of the bigger
websites. Please check out the 'Buy' page on my website for the
different companies.

Here are some comments from my CD BABY album page:

'Rob's music sounds like nothing or anything you've heard before.
It's easy listening with edge and bite!'

'Crossing The River' features more magical story songs from award
winning songwriter Rob Russell Davies. The only person to have won the
'Tipperary International Song of Peace' competition twice and a
finalist and semi-finalist in the UK Songwriting Competition, these
are songs from a man who obviously loves melody, big arrangements,
sharp and meaningful lyrics and great storytelling.

You'll hear well crafted tunes hinting at many styles like blues,
pop, jazz, folk, classical and of course Rob's South African roots.

The lyrics actually make sense, telling wonderful stories of love,
hate, betrayal, war and mythology.

Superb singers Naomi Murray, Craig Michael, Beth Wheatley and John
Mycroft make the songs come alive each with their own individual style
and delivery.

Every song has a story to tell:

'The Tipperary Song' is an epic and beautiful love song, inspired by
the most famous song of World War 1, which moves from the battlefields
of Flanders to the streets of Tipperary Town in Ireland.

In 'Crossing The River' we get a new and interesting look at the
Biblical story of the prodigal son.

A touch of menace runs through the some of the songs... comical and
tongue-in-cheek in the bluesy 'Red River', bitter and revengeful in
the reggae-like 'Wild Accusation', and downright disturbing in the
show-tune 'Emily'.

Rob almost invents a new style of music in the African blues/jazz
crossover song 'Rainmaker Blues' while the words and music of the
ballads 'Earth Angel' and 'Taking The Easy Way Home' simply sound like
they've always been with us.

Here's what people are saying about Rob's music:

'You quickly grow into these songs ... they feel a bit like the
standards of today and maybe even tomorrow'

'The opposite of shabby writing. The words make sense, the melodies
work and the arrangements and musicianship show sheer experience'

'Tipperary could and should become as much of a standard as the
original!'

'At first it's quite gentle and non-assuming... But gradually you get
sucked in and realise that there's a lot going on here!'

'A songwriter who respects and challenges his audience... Clever
musical ideas and words that beg to be followed'

HELP NEEDED - WHO WANTS TO BE A CRITIC!!!

Who fancies themselves as a reviewer? I need (hopefully favourable!)
reviews on my CD Baby page for 'Crossing The River'. All you need to
do is visit my page at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rrdavies and log in
at the bottom of the page (it's all free) and write a review... it
would really help to spread the word.

THE BEAUTIFUL CAPE

As many of you know, these days I'm based mainly in Leeds in the UK,
but am also spending an increasing amount of time in the country where
I grew up, South Africa. The funny thing is that when I lived and
worked in South Africa in the 70s and 80s, I hardly got to do the
'tourist thing' and see the beautiful places that the rainbow nation
has to offer, even though I spent most of my time playing in bands in
some of the best hotels and in the nicest areas!

But for the last few weeks I've finally got to do what I've
threatened to do for some time, and that's spend time in the Western
Cape. And what a place it is! Of course, everyone knows Cape Town, and
it certainly didn't disappoint. But the big surprise for me was the
beauty of the Cape Peninsular with it's pale white sand beaches, the
famous Cape kelp (a kind of seaweed) with white rocks jutting out to
sea surrounded by those imposing mountains often covered with table
top clouds. Fantastic and unusual little towns with names like Hout
Bay, Fishoek, Simon's Town, Kalk Bay and of course, Cape Point are
dotted up and down the peninsular . Then of course there's the famous
Cape wine and the wine estates - but I won't go into that too deeply!


Further east, we also did the Garden Route. Once again, beautiful
towns and beaches. But the real surprise there might have been getting
to stroke an Elephant... never thought I'd do that... and watching the
wife ride an Ostrich... never thought I'd see that either! Oh, and
before you ask... yes I was to chicken to ride one myself!

KEEPING IN CONTACT

So, don't be a stranger. Songwriting can be a lonely profession and
friends and feedback are always valued and I really would love hearing
from you! I can be contacted personally on the website by leaving a
message in the guest book or by sending an email. If you know anyone
who would like to be sent my 'Keepin' Up With Rob' newsletters, then
please ask them to add their names to my email list on the website.

Thanks for you time.
Rob.

The new album is available to buy at CD Baby as a CD. Downloads will follow soon. Please click on the cover below to go straight to my page.

Well it's been really hard work to get it done, in between moving house both in the UK and in South Africa, and having a few big birthday parties to plan. (How old - not telling... too old!) But at long last, the new CD is finished. It's called 'Crossing The River' and features 12 new tracks written during 2006, 2007 and 2008.


It will shortly be available to buy from CD Baby, and of course, as soon as it is, I'll add some links in here. Downloads will also be possible in the near future - more info as soon as they are.

Please take a listen to some music clips and have a look at the lyrics on the 'listen' page.


Here's some album notes from my CD Baby page:

'Rob's music sounds like nothing or anything you've heard before. It's easy listening with edge and bite!'

'Crossing The River' features more magical story songs from award winning songwriter Rob Russell Davies.

You'll hear well crafted tunes hinting at many styles like blues, pop, jazz, folk, classical and of course Rob's South African roots.

The lyrics actually make sense, telling wonderful stories of love, hate, betrayal, war and mythology.

Superb singers Naomi Murray, Craig Michael, Beth Wheatley and John Mycroft make the songs come alive each with their own individual style and delivery.

Every song has a story to tell:

'The Tipperary Song' is an epic and beautiful love song, inspired by the most famous song of World War 1, which moves from the battlefields of Flanders to the streets of Tipperary Town in Ireland.

In 'Crossing The River' we get a new and interesting look at the Biblical story of the prodigal son.

A touch of menace runs through the some of the songs... comical and tongue-in-cheek in the bluesy 'Red River', bitter and revengeful in the reggae-like 'Wild Accusation', and downright disturbing in the show-tune 'Emily'.

Rob almost invents a new style of music in the African blues/jazz crossover song 'Rainmaker Blues' while the words and music of the ballads 'Earth Angel' and 'Taking The Easy Way Home' simply sound like they've always been with us.

Here's what people are saying about Rob's music:

'You quickly grow into these songs ... they feel a bit like the standards of today and maybe even tomorrow'

'The opposite of shabby writing. The words make sense, the melodies work and the arrangements and musicianship show sheer experience'

'Tipperary could and should become as much of a standard as the original!'

'At first it's quite gentle and non-assuming... But gradually you get sucked in and realise that there's a lot going on here!'

'A songwriter who respects and challenges his audience... Clever musical ideas and words that beg to be followed'

Well done to Craig Michael - he of the magic voice and fellow 'duelling pianist'. Here's his review from this year's 'Showcall' auditions organised by The Stage Magazine:

"You don’t see that many keyboard vocalists around, so the appearance of Craig Michael got your attention from the off. As it was, I thought his opening tune - Billy Joel’s Piano Man - was outstanding, really punchy and vocally spot-on. Then, when he combined with another great keyboard player - Micky Watson of the Showcall band - during Elton John’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me, the effect was right out of the musical top drawer."

I entered 3 songs which are destined for the new album in the UK Songwriting Competition and all 3 made the semi-finals. The songs are Earth Angel, Crossing The River and Wild Accusation. Thanks, Craig and Naomi for singing them so well.

Lots and lots of stuff currently being written and recorded and hopefully the new album will be ready in a few months.

First of all, thank you everyone who has bought the CD or downloaded tracks off it so far. Your support is fantastic and what keeps me going!

Well time flies as they say, and 'Telling Tales' is getting on for a year old! With this in mind and to bring the price in line with most download prices, I've reduced the Baby price to $9.99. Please click on the banner below to go straight to my page on CD Baby.

I've also listed many more download companies on the 'buy' page, who are now selling the full album and separate songs from it. All are established and recommended by CD Baby!

Congratulations from me to Pippa Marland and Rob King for winning the 2007 Tipperary International Song of Peace Contest.

The winning song 'Blessed are the Broken' was composed and performed by Pippa & Rob of the Celtic/Jazz band 'Carmina'.

Check out the Tipperary Peace website here for a write-up and pic. (There's also a link to their website on the links page)

I've added more gig dates for the Duelling Pianos and Rob Russell Solo - please check out the gig guide

A second run-out for Craig and myself at the Beacon proved a great night. Thanks to everyone who came, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. It seems that a bit of rehearing really helped and the big numbers like 'Duelling Banjos', 'Bat Out Of Hell', 'Suspicious Minds' and 'Greatest Love Of All' went down really well. Here's a few pics from the night. You might recognise the Blues Brothers, and the long wigs are supposed to be Meat Loaf and songwriting side-kick Jim Steinman... um... we're still working on that!


Lots of gigs are starting to come in now for the pianos - please keep a check on the gig guide and come pop in sometime.

Join us on FRIDAY 11th MAY

It's a second outing for the pianos. We've been practicing new stuff... have some important auditions coming up and this is a great night to get a taste of what's to come. Hopefully, a party atmosphere, loads of lager, and maybe even guest artists!

Make a note, and if you're not far... please come and join us!
8 pm FRIDAY 11th MAY,
The Beacon Pub, Broad Lane, Bramley, Leeds 13

Congratulations go to Naomi for landing a lead role in the Upstagers Theatre Company's production of Les Miserables. We went to see the show last saturday at The King's Hall Theatre in Ilkley and it was great. Here's what Sara Hustler of The Ilkley Gazette had to say:

"Naomi Murray had the daunting task of performing probably the show's most famous number, I Dreamed a Dream' , with she did with such ease. I even found her performance reminiscent of Ruthie Henshall and she certainly showed the harrowing journey Fantine took through her life before her untimely death."

[Full review at http://www.ilkleygazette.co.uk/entertainment/entertainmenttheatre/entertainmenttheatrereviews/ ]
Pity they killed you off in the first act Naomi, but at least you had the 'ghostly comeback' and you got to sing one of the 'big' songs!

A couple of weeks ago, Craig and I tried out the duelling piano's concept on an unsuspecting crowd at one of our favourite pubs - the Gashouse Tavern in Drighlington, Bradford. We knew it would be an 'interesting' night and suspected that it might even be a little 'unrehearsed', but we never planned for the fantastic reception we got from the crowd.

With that in mind, and of course knowing that not every venue will be so... um... 'friendly', we've decided to put the show together in earnest. So, folks... look out for...
I'll keep you all informed about future shows, and if you're free then pop in and see us!

Talking of future gigs, I've now added a gig guide to the website.Included will be all of my solo nights, future duelling piano nights and any charity or special concerts featuring any of the original songs. Please feel free to check it out from time to time.

Well I thought that being a musician was supposed to be about sex, drugs and rock 'n roll! But I'm not so sure now... and it almost seems to be bordering on... well... work!

But I'd much rather be busy than doing 'nowt' as we say in Yorkshire! Anyway, so far 5 new songs have been written and recorded, and I've added some extracts to the 'listen' page in the form of 2 medleys. Thanks to Beth, Naomi, Craig and Tim for their talent and time. Please have a listen and I hope you like them.

I've also started a page on 'Myspace.com'. It's still in the early stages but I hope to add and build on it as much as possible soon. Click here to visit and if you have your own myspace page, then please add me as a 'friend' and I'll do likewise.

Both 'Let Me Find Peace' and 'Crossing The River' have made it into the next round of the International Songwriting Competition for 2006. Over 14,000 songs have been entered this year and the semi-finalists and finalists will be announced in February.

It's a question a lot of songwriters get asked: Did you write the tune or the lyrics first?

For me, the quick answer is more often that not... the tune. But sometimes a few catchy lines of lyrics can be the starting point. Often it's just a title, and of course a good title can be just about the most important thing. In a book I recently read, a well known songwriter estimates a good title to be 50% of the job done! In my opinion, a good idea is important too, especially as my natural tendency is towards storytelling.

I regard every song I write as a project. I met a guy once who found it quite amusing when I mentioned that I'd probably written about 10 songs the year before. He told me that he was up to about a song a day... that must be about 364 a year - presuming he has Christmas day off! His modus operandi was simply to strap his guitar around his neck, paper and pen at the ready and let the inspiration roll! Then, out with the recorder, one take... and Bob's your auntie - song done. Now if that works for him... then great. The fact that he's writing so many should surly mean that there's a few winners coming through.

I suppose if I adapted that process, then I'd simply pull up a stool, tinkle away at the piano (being more of a keyboard man that a guitarist) and I could probably at least triple my output! Not a bad idea I suppose for the odd song, but in general terms it's not me. In my humble opinion, a finished product means a fully arranged song, well sung, well recorded, a good production, properly mixed and mastered. That's what I want to hear, and I suspect that's what most publishers and music business people want to hear too. Yes, some publishers will tell you that they can hear a good song's potential on a hissy old cassette sung into a cheap mike with a slightly out of tune guitar in the wrong key with a ...let's say... interesting vocal. Well I'm sure that some can.... but I'm not going to be the one to put them through that. Here's my basic way of working... well it's what works best for me:

1: The song is written in rough... The words are checked and checked again until I don't think I can do any better. The key is changed, the melody fiddled with, the song length and tempo are considered, the form and a basic arrangement begin taking shape.

2: I play it on the keyboard and sing it to family and friends to see what they think. I take on board their criticisms and possibly rewrite again. Quite a few songs have been shelved at this point because of things other people have pointed out. Sometimes that hurts... but I make sure I listen and then analyse every point made before I agree or disagree with them.

3. I begin the arrangement on paper. Yes the old fashioned way! Just about every song I've written has a full score. You'll be surprised at the number of mistakes and weaknesses I find merely looking at that manuscript paper. Often silly things like... where's the singer going to breathe?

4. I arrange the song on computer - sticking with the score and also adding in extra ideas. So as not to get too bogged down looking for sounds, I usually start with sounds from a pretty decent keyboard I've got, but later many are changed to plug in sampled instruments. (Try finding realistic guitar strums or saxophones on most keyboards!)

5. The singer(s) are booked in to do their bits. This can take longer than you think. People are busy... good singers are working... people get bad throats... and quite often, I'm at fault, falling behind and have to postpone sessions.

6. The song is mixed. This alone can take me a few days - especially when I'm using a lot of plug in instruments which are turned to audio tracks to give some relief to my hard pressed computer!

7. The song is mastered. I do this as best as possible with some computer-based mastering programs, but of course the results here can never match what the big recording studios can do. But it's worth experimenting here, a well mastered track can make a big difference to the overall sound of the song.

So you can see why I call each song a project! I often wonder why my neighbours still smile at me. Sometimes they're still hearing the same song weeks after I've started it! (But I do try to keep the volume down, at least until the mixing / mastering stage when you've got to belt it out!)

Another favourite question people like to ask is... What inspired you to write this or that song? Here's a few answers in relation to my songs:
Give It A Minute: I simply woke up one morning with the melody in my head. I must have been dreaming with a soundtrack!

Invisible Ink: From a song writing book that suggested using things like phone calls and letters for inspiration. Invisible Ink is basically a letter. Postcard From The Bush, is a 'Dear John' postcard - she's that pi**ed off with him that she doesn't even bother with a letter!

Shine: Inspired by a TV program I saw about a famous comedian. (Who?... not telling)

Haunted Eyes: I simply wanted to write a train song that was a bit different. When it got onto the 'Ride The Train Series' I followed up with Wrong Side Of The Tracks, another train song although more in a country style.

Red River: The idea was to write a blues song with an African theme with amusing words. (This one's on the new album)

Damascus Road: I'm a big believer in the concept of a small story carrying a big message. People often don't like being preached to and many peace songs I've heard tend to do exactly that. My idea was to paint this picture:

A soldier on an important mission comes across an injured girl at the side of a deserted road. He has two choices. He can either proceed with his mission, or try to save the girls life by carrying her back to safety. Now I don't know about you... but I think there's lots of issues there! A similar technique is used, in Let Me Find Peace and Give It A Minute.

Crossing The River: A new slant on one of my favourite biblical stories, The Prodigal Son (also on the new album)

And lastly, another question I've been asked is... How long does it take to write a song?

Well the quickest I've ever done was while waiting for a taxi to arrive... OK so it was a local company known for taking their time, who did eventually fire their operator... but still, I got the words and melody done before it arrived and enjoyed my pint even more when we (eventually) got to the pub!

The slowest - is the next one I'm about to start programming. It's called Wild Accusation and the original idea first came to me while I was in Johannesburg in Wizard probably around about the mid 80's. So if I finish it this year - then it's probably taken about 20 years! I wonder what my guitarist friend will think of that!

All the best.... Let's hope it's a good year!
Rob.

Well done to Naomi for getting onto local radio station Real Radio (FM 106 - 108). If you're in the UK, tune in on Christmas day to listen to a song or two, and also hear her chat with guests McFly! She'll also be on the breakfast show tomorrow (Fri 22nd) and on Christmas Eve. (Real Radio is also available online)

If you can't wait and want to hear her sing now - then please check out the LISTEN page.

People who're re-visiting the site will notice that it's had a bit of a face-lift! The new backdrop and look etc. is more down to necessity than to me not liking the old look. For some strange reason my picture moved, covering up some of the text - and try as I might, I couldn't move it back! (Some sort of confict I think between Explorer / my server and my web server) But anyway, I quite like the new look... what do you think?

New songs are being written at the moment and Beth, Naomi and Craig have all been in the studio recently helping out. A few samples will be added to the LISTEN page in the new year.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year!

You can now download the entire 'Telling Tales' album or individual songs from it.

Click here to go directly to the album on Apple iTunes. Each song costs (only) 99p - so go on, be a devil and make my day!!!

The album is also available for download on lots of other sites. Please visit the 'buy' page for a complete list.

Since being back in the UK, I've been kept quite busy gigging the nights away. It was a bit nerve-racking but good fun to fill in for Peter Sarstedt at the Old Tramshed in Shipley last week - good night too! ...And we've got tickets to see him when he get's there in November! Thank's John!

At the moment, I'm in the middle of writing an album's worth of new stuff and we start recording next week. A couple of new song titles to wet your appetites:

Rainmaker Blues
Red River
Show Me What You've Got
The Wrong Shade of Blue
Earth Angel
Crossing the River
Wild Accusation
(We've Never Been) Back to the Moon

There's a strong jazz/blues feel running through a lot of the songs, a sprinkling of pop / reggae and a few have some interesting Africanesque lyrics! (Well I hope they're interesting!) I'll keep working and more news soon...

While in South Africa I had the opportunity to go through loads of old photo albums. I came across quite a few... um 'interestering' ones, especially of Flagship, Wizard and Wozani. Check them out on the 'photos' page!

When you go through old pics it really makes you realise how many people you've lost contact with! So please folks, if you happen to stumble onto this website and recognise your pic, or know someone in a pic... well get in contact!