Bristol Introducing session

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jr38q

3 days left to listen,
slightly self indulgent 40minute chat about my album,
all the songs get aired and three of them were played live in the studio

Bite The Mountain Tour continued

travelling forth pack-horses style

WINCHESTER

Greg Ashby warmed up the stage to the friendly crowd in Winchester Hyde Tavern with beautiful songs old and new. Incredibly excited about his new album in the making. His last (Greg's Songs) has had 'heavy rotation' (favourite Japanese phrase) in my player

www.myspace.com/gregashby

Rozi Plain with Kano

Ichi

and onwards to Reading South Street Arts

READING

Rozi

BRIGHTON

Perhaps my favourite show of the whole tour. Wilkomen Collective's Danny of Laish hired out a cosy basement room which became packed on selling out. Everyone in that room was a-glowing with good energy and the intamacy was truly helped along with the absence of any PA, or even plug sockets come to think of it. And I had the privilege of being joined by Danny, Marcus and Emma of the Wolkommen Collective, as well as the trusty Rozi and Ichi

POOLE

The last night of Club Anenome, although we reckon it's just hibernating, tentagles retracted, resting but poised for action when the time is next right, hey Paul!?

TRUCK FESTIVAL

Illustration of me and Kano at Truck by Tom Watson

WILDERNESS FESTIVAL

No photos of my performance, but lovely memories, wonderful warm crowd, a friendly heckler, apples from a tree given to those who could dance to my songs or who came on stage to join in, alone in the Wilderness, but not alone. Made some new friends including fellow Folk Guild Stage performers Steve Fin and Jack Cheshire.

the amazing art of balancing stones on show

GREENMAN FESTIVAL

CINEMA TENT

A week before Greenman we had our heads glued to screens making films. It was worth it. Thank you Arctic Circle for having us in your amazing space.

Here are photos of Ichi to film of Japan, Me to Betsy Dadd's animation, The Hedgehog ensemble (Bristol's finest Kano and Steve, Marcus and Emma of Wilkommen Collective, Ichi, Rozi and myself) to Hedgehog in the Fog by Yuriy Norshteyn, and Rozi Plain to Betsy Dadd's animation www.betsydadd.blogspot.com

CHEPSTOW

days song writing retreat

river severn, castle, gaps in the clouds, Japanese picnic

ATTIC

While I was in Chepstow Ichi was building new sounds from old

CAFE KINO

James Boyce played a beutiful set on a chair with Middle Ones singer singing too, on a chair

The new percussion instrument that Ichi made gave his set a home-made techno edge, while people of stokes croft gathered outside to watch

Bite the Mountain Tour halfway mark

Me, Ichi, Rozi Plain, This is the Kit have been swirling about playing in the south of England on the Bite the Mountain Tour to mark the release of my new album, and to have fun hanging out and playing together again. I've been having such a lovely time with tooting brass, percussion and steelpan on my songs by all the pals above plus Kano on saxaphone and Andy Skellam on guitar. All has been super dooper but if I had to say what sticks out then the highlights sofar have been The album launch part 1 - King's Head in Crouch End, where the whole of Tristram added parts without even needing much of a rehearsal, and Ichi's set at Cafe Oto was tip top, he pulled out suprises even for me (and I've seen him 100's of times) - it was the perfect antidote to my nerves.

Now just over the halfway mark, off to Oxford in a few hours with Wig Smith to play at Modern Art Oxford and Truck festival.

Here's our tour so far in a few pictures

Before we set of to play shows Ichi was busy building new instruments in the attic, including new and improved stilts that double up as double bass

Meanwhile I was nervously unwrapping and listening to my album that plopped onto the doormat

Me, Ichi, This is the Kit, Rozi Plain and Whalebone Polly all had sets at the cosy Watts Festival in beautiful Devon

bed of bails

haybail fun

The arrival of Andy Skellam, preparing to drive into deeper Devon

After Watts festival we met up and camped for a night with the bicycle tour gang led by Jesse Morningstar. Most of the gang were from France in a band who's name I can't remember at the moment, but who I loved. A shame we couldn't manage it this year but determined to join them on bikes next year, toot toot, pip pip

We camped on Sean's (ex Moonflowers) farm in Seaton, and were treated to his salad leaves and hedgerow delights, thank you Sean

Ichi at Miss Peapods, Falmouth

Me and Kate of This is the Kit, Miss Peapods

Kano's drawing at the Cube, Bristol

side of the stage, The Cube, drawing to raise donations for the Tsunami appeal

The Cube

Ichi's set at cafe Oto, one of my highlights

dad's cake decorated by me, sister Betsy and Ichi

In April we planted Japanese gobo seeds in my mum's veg patch and low and behold they grew big and strong

and delicious

O WIND

My brother George is designing Kites for ships for his PHD. Imagine how brilliant it would be to see the seas dotted with huge kites pulling ships. Another friend writes a blog on environmental issues and has written about these kites here http://jamesmapope.wordpress.com/

getting ready for tour

JULY TOUR

I am making textiles and Ichi is fixing a sort of trailer suitcase on his bike ready for a super dooper tour. (although we will only be testing the bike trailer for a few shows, hopefully paving the way for a peddling future, we'll see) On tour we will be joined along the way by This is the Kit, Rozi Plain, Wig Smith and Tristram. Come and say hello x

to pre order Bite The Mountain go to http://www.brokensoundmusic.com/shop.htm

Here's a film from Ichi's recent show in New York at Le Poiison Rouge, a night curated by Deer Hoof



COME AND SEE US TOURING TOGETHER SOON x

Rozi Plain and Tennis Coats

2 things to be enjoyed.

Rozi Plain - my pal


And Tennis Coats - I saw Tennis Coats play at Cafe Kino in Bristol a few days ago when I supported them