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

Bite the Mountain

This year I`ve had the privilege to make an album with my Japanese musician pals and the results are `Bite the Mountain` due for release pretty soon on Broken Sound in the UK and Europe. Then It will be released later in Japan.

For now here`s Tower Tower a song from the album which was filmed recently in a storage room at Utrophia art Space in London. I will post more about Bite the Mountain soon plus information about my tour in July with the brilliant Ichi, This is The Kit and Rozi Plain

Tsunami fundraiser at Kings Place

Last month 10 of us put on a night of music, animation and live drawing at Kings Place in London to raise money for Japan Tsunami Redcross Appeal and Nomadamura, (an island south from the disaster who are inviting families who`ve lost everything to come and live there, as well as funding individuals from the island to go to the affected areas and to help) www.nomadamura.net

It`s recently been announced that from ticket sales and the market we raised a total of £1685.30 HIP HIP HOORAY

The night that happened in three sections: section 1 SOLO, section 2 TWOS and THREES with animation from Betsy Dadd and Beatrice Baumgarten, and section 3 ALL TOGETHER with live drawing from Louise Phillips.

During the night people drew the musicians from a table on the stage and sold the drawings on the market

At the end we cut the power and lit candles and played acoustically as a reaction to the nuclear power disaster in Fukushima

Here is a photo diary of the night

Kate (this is the kit), Wig Smith and Ichi at soundcheck

Me and Kate and the patient and level headed Neil doing sound

post sound check, pre performance

at the table on the stage

Wig Smith accompanied by Ichi on steel pan and me on clarinet

Kate and Lou Phillips drawing us from the table on the stage

Kate drawing shadows of cherry blossom

Ichi

at the table on the stage

Betsy drawing

Me and Kano on saxaphone, betsy`s animation projected, with all at the table drawing

Betsy`s animation to the rice song (recipe for onigiri/japanese rice triangles)

Rozi Plain and all with Lou Phillips doing projected live drawing

Kate and all

Carrie Hitchcock and all

Power cut

encore

curtsey


T H E E N D

www.thisisthekit.co.uk
www.myspace.com/roziplain
www.myspace.com/ichijapan
www.myspace.com/wigsmith
www.betsydadd.blogspot.com