Step into Christmas

It's Christmas once again and this time last year I was wading through drum tracks and getting stuck into mixing for WAHDID. An awful lot has happened since then, and there's been some stonking reviews including some great coverage in Classic Rock Presents Prog. Since the release on F2 Records, I've been busy with interviews, articles and radio shows too, and I'm finally getting the feeling the album has really put me on the prog map at last. It's been a stonking year for prog all round with some amazing releases.

It's time to move on though and I've got the urge to write the next one. The ideas are flowing and I've already got the bare bones of about 4 new tracks. I'm already talking to two exciting and well known guest musos in the prog community, and if it comes off it's going to be very exciting.

As well as writing a new album I'm trying to resurrect an old one. Many folk have enquired about my first album 'Freed from the Anguish' and how they can get hold of it. It was never actually released as a CD but sold for a while as a digital download, and the truth is after the mammoth increase in production standard in WAHDID, I wanted to bury it as I didn't feel it was representative of my output anymore. Hence it was made unavailable and can't currently be purchased. The good news is it will return in slightly different form as an EP. I've taken the best tracks and I'm busy re-recording, and remixing, these for a release hopefully in the first quarter of 2012. Included in these will be reworked versions of 'Please Save Me' and 'Falling Down' which will be renamed 'Freed from the Anguish'. The theme of the EP is a characteristically melancholy piece about a man facing battle on D-Day and his thoughts about those he's left behind. Graeme 'Twig' Bell has also kindly agreed to undertake digital scribbling duties for the cover.

Since WAHDID was released I decided to invest in some more studio gear and I'm now the proud owner of a 8 core Mac Pro running ProTools 9. There's also a much needed mic upgrade on the way, although the most essential piece of equipment will be my portable heater which I'm going to have to work remotely if there's any chance of me leaving the warm house for the studio during the winter months.

In the meantime I'm intending to enjoy Christmas and spend some more time with the family. Have a good one folks and here's to another amazing year for prog in 2012.