Blog

5th August 2010

I got to see, and jam with my old friend Chick Willis a couple of weeks ago. Chick is the cousin of Chuck Willis who wrote the Ray Charles classic 'Feel So Bad', and he was in town for the Birmingham International Jazz Festival. Chris Lomas from Parker's Alibi was playing bass for him, and he gave me a call to let me know what was going down, so I went along with a telecaster for a jam. It was so nice to see Chick again. His stories are hilarious, and the music was completely free and spontaneous which is always interesting!

My good mate Morg Morgan is retiring from full time playing to become a music teacher. I'm sure he'll do really well in his new career given his varied life experience and musical ability. I'll definitely miss having 'The Mole' around, but I still intend to play duo shows with him from time to time, so there's a chance you'll get to hear him again at some point.

I've been busy this last couple of weeks in rehearsals with the band for our tour later in the year. The band is sounding great and it's really nice to play in that format again after all these months. My long time rhythm section of Steve Amadeo and Wayne Proctor are of course still around, and Chris Eaton, who many of you (in the UK at least) will have heard in my acoustic trio, has now joined on a permanent basis. I'm really enjoying playing with another guitarist, and he's a mind blowing player. The world famous Mick the Dog filmed the first rehearsals last week, and I'll get together with him over the next few days to put the footage together to give you a taster of how things are coming together.

I'll also be taking the duo with Wayne to Germany in November which will be cool. We had a great time on our Benelux tour in June, and the audience response was overwhelming considering the show only involves the two of us, so it will be nice to tour it again. I've missed being in Germany, it's been a while. Please check out the tour page for details.
Alternatively, the independently run German fansite (www.ianparkermusic.de.tl) will have lots of information on the tour over the coming weeks.

I've been in the studio for the last few days recording two new songs. I'm very happy with the way it's working out, and there'll be more on that soon no doubt. I've got more than enough material for a new album, and I can't wait to get it all down...

18th June 2010

Just returned from a tour of the Benelux countries this last couple of weeks. I went out there with Wayne Proctor, for what is a rough and ready little duo of guitars and percussion and my last experimental line-up before I start up again properly with the full band at the end of the year.

On the eve of our departure we got a call asking if we wanted to open for Jimmie Vaughan at Shepherds Bush Empire. That seemed like a suitably risky first gig for the duo, so we agreed. I've not played there since I opened two shows for Jeff Beck in 1999, and it was nice to go back. Jimmie Vaughan is one of my favourite blues players, traditional but not clichéd, great tone, cool guy, an honour to be involved.

I had previously considered the acoustic trio, with its absence of drums to be a fairly radical concept in the context of my music, but I think having only drums (well percussion in the form of a cajon actually) is probably another giant step "out there". It was actually great fun and enthusiastically received by the audiences. Wayne also plays acoustic guitar here and there in the show, so I get to pick up my electric, which I've been missing of late, so we were able to keep it pretty varied.

It was nice to be back on the continent - always cool at this time of the year, and we had a lot of laughs. It was definitely another good learning experience. That seems to happen every time I try something new, I suppose that's what creativity is all about. I'm ready to start playing with the band again though now. We'll be rehearsing over the coming weeks and months, and shows are now being booked for the end of the year…

p.s. Here's the link to a fan video from Youtube of a new song called 'Humanity Blues' at The Spirit of 66 in Verviers last week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ITq38uUU3k

31st May 2010

Great couple of shows last weekend …really enjoyable …fantastic audiences. My solo gig in Hampshire started out badly when the jack plug on my beloved Martin failed. With no time (or aptitude) to do anything about it, I re-strung a couple of spares and got on with it. It was a really intimate atmosphere, perfect for a solo gig…

The next night I was in Bouchain, France with the acoustic trio. This was possibly the most demonstrative audience we've had yet for this show. We played 5 songs in two encores after a 90-minute set, super crowd. Afterwards the organisers treated us to a wonderfully convivial meal - tres francais, merci tout le monde.

Benelux tour next, great fun on the continent at this time of the year, I can't wait. New dates have been added for the summer and autumn, check out the gig guide for details.

Bye for now…

20th May 2010

Just about to leave for a solo gig in Hampshire, then it's off to France with the trio. It will be so good to be out there playing again. Great audience last time in the Salle des Fetes in Bouchain, so we're all looking forward to it. The rootsie acoustic sound of the trio is particularly suited to a theatre environment, and it is very rewarding to be able to play so quietly and draw the audience in.

Rehearsing for the duo tour from Monday. All new - which is exciting and horrifying in equal measure! Got to work out which three songs will work best for TROS Radio in Amsterdam with acoustic guitar and cajon - not sure if I'm becoming artistically braver with age, or just going nuts. It's going to be fun either way!

We're just finalising a series of full band shows for later in the year and the new band sound is coming together really well. The two-guitar approach makes the whole thing rawer than before which I'm enjoying a lot, and the new and old material is sitting well together. It's going to be a buzz to have the energy of the band behind me again…

19th May 2010

Hi Folks,

I've been wanting to blog more frequently of late, but it's been a while since my last one, due in part to my recent sporting effort, but more so because of the fact that I came down with election fever. As such I've been locked away at home, fixated on the rolling news channels every waking hour of the day!

I won't be as vulgar and presumptuous as to impose any of my views on you, but I will say that I think the election contest here in the UK this last few weeks was the most exciting and engaging we've had for some time. In fact, I've been inspired to trawl the internet and even visit my local library for the first time in years to advance my understanding of all things political. Those of you who perhaps quite rightly only care about my musical pursuits may be pleased to know that I'm coming back to life and work at last now, hence this little hello!

I've been writing again and have plenty of new ideas to develop which is always exciting. I'm also itching to play live again and I can't wait to get back out on the road. I'm especially looking forward to going back to Belgium and The Netherlands in June, where 'Demons and Doubters' has been getting some great reviews. I'm in France with the trio at the weekend which will be cool too I'm sure.

Dates are coming in thick and fast at the moment for the summer, so stay in touch with the tour page for that. I'm expecting to be touring in continental Europe again in the autumn and early winter, and I also have UK dates planned for September and October.

I don't know what it is about life on the road, it's often lonely, always exhausting, never healthy, and yet its draw is enormous, especially when you haven't been out there much for a while. Thank you so much to you guys in the US who stay in touch with your kind emails to the website. At this point, I have nothing scheduled for this year, but it's not out of the question, and I'd certainly love to come back in the summer if I can.

That's all for now!

Take care,
Ian

29th April 2010

Hi Folks,
Well we made it, 13 miles of sheer hell, but the whole team completed the course! Our training really paid off actually, we'd punished ourselves with some horrific hills and gruelling courses during the sixteen weeks of preparation, and I felt that the actual racecourse was pretty reasonable. Right now I'm enjoying not having to do any running for a while, but I do intend to keep it up long term, and I may well enter another race at some point.

Thank you so much to all of you who sponsored us, we appreciate your kindness very much. There are still a few donations coming in, but we are well over the £2000 mark. The money is going to Motor Neurone Disease Scotland. There's still time to make a donation, the link is http://www.justgiving.com/HSNC-does-Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Thank you also to those of you who turned up on the day, it was really encouraging to hear you shouting me on at the finish line!!

Take care,
Ian

22nd April 2010

Chris Eaton got some good footage from the gig the other night of a new song - you can watch it on the music page

15th April 2010

Hi Folks,

I've just returned from New Zealand and 2000 miles of driving, swimming in the pacific with dolphins, seeing Killer Whales up close, climbing glaciers, and bathing in the natural hot water of a geothermal creek amongst other things. The south island is absolutely stunning, and the National Museum in Auckland, along with the wealth of Mauri places of cultural and historical interest elsewhere, make the north island a fascinating place too. As ever the jetlag has been a nightmare for me. My body has been home for a week and my mind is due in some time this weekend I expect!

The time off has really done me a lot of good in the sense that having not actually been out on tour properly for a few months, I'm really hungry for it again now, I cannot wait to play. Whilst I have, hand on heart, always enjoyed playing, like any other profession, being a musician involves routines and stresses which reduce its appeal from time to time. At the moment however, I feel the way I did when I was a teenager playing in my bedroom and dreaming of being on tour! It's nice to get that feeling back.

My first chance to get out there will be this Saturday at Wightwick Manor, Wightwick Bank, Wolverhampton, UK. We're going to be playing old and new material, and there are still a few tickets left if you want to be there. Wightwick Manor is a National Trust location, which is well worth a visit. Ticket hotline: 01902 760100. Tour dates are coming in for later in the year and will be announced soon!

In addition to gig withdrawal and jetlag, my third ailment is a knee injury sustained in training for the half marathon run, which takes place next weekend (April 25th). I'm battling back from the injury Rooney style (delusions of grandeur again there, it's clearly not on the same scale of importance!), and I'm hoping all will be well on the day. Injuries are actually plaguing the squad in general at the moment, but everyone is getting there. If you want to sponsor the team, we are raising money for Motor Neurone Disease, and we'd all really appreciate your support. We're aiming to raise £1000 and we're currently at just under £680. Please click on the following link for our Just Giving page if you feel you can spare a few quid. http://www.justgiving.com/HSNC-does-Stratford-Upon-Avon

Take care,
IP

24th Feb 2010

Hi Folks,

My mate 'Mick the Dog' has compiled many things in his time - a collection of bus and train tickets, emergency food rations in case those strange foreign countries don't have anything a dog of his breed can eat, a catalogue of amusing driving noises, and some other unspeakable things.

More recently he has compiled some of his bootleg footage from last October's acoustic trio tour of the UK. The footage can be seen on the 'Music' page. That tour was a lot of fun and very musically satisfying, and I'm grateful to 'the Dog' for capturing those moments. We'll be doing another trio show on May 2nd in Guisborough, Cleveland.

I'll also be playing several solo gigs in the UK in the coming months, as well as some more with Morg Morgan on keys. Talking of which, the second show at Ripley Town Hall on Sunday 7th March has now sold out. Sorry to those of you who were not able to get tickets, I hope to come back again before long.

Also, I'll be back on the continent in June with a new show featuring Wayne Proctor on percussion. Throughout the 'Up Close and Intimate' series, with the solo, piano duo, and acoustic trio gigs I've explored lots of interesting avenues, but rhythm/percussion is an area I have not really touched upon yet.

The duo with Wayne is actually very varied. We plan to kind of rock it up at times in a Seasick Steve kind of a way, but it also works surprisingly well with the more sensitive material. I've written lots of new songs recently, and I expect to be trying those out on this tour too, which will make it all the more interesting and challenging for us.

I pre-recorded an interview and live session with Paul Franks for BBC WM this week. It goes out on Paul's show on Monday 1st March, at 6:45pm and you can listen to it on BBC iPlayer, by clicking on 'listen again' and selecting 'Drivetime with Paul Franks'. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wm

The running is going from strength to strength, although my knees are proving to be a weakness at this stage. We're running about half the distance now and the entire seven-strong team is doing very well. The half marathon takes place on 25th April in Stratford, and we'll be raising money for Motor Neurone Disease. If you would like to sponsor us, we'd be very grateful. The link below will take you to the fund-raising website which features a very unflattering, very non-music biz kind of a photograph of the team!
http://www.justgiving.com/HSNC-does-Stratford-Upon-Avon

That's all for now.

Take care,
IP

1st Feb 2010

Hi Folks,
I played a solo gig at Koo Japanese restaurant in Ludlow, Shropshire last Wednesday. I realise that this opening sentence alone is enough to suggest that I'm going insane, but in fact the whole thing worked out really well. It had a kind of Greenwich Village café feel to it. It reminded me of the great time I had in 'the village' during my US trip in the summer of 2008, and made me wonder whether it would be possible to re-establish a kind of beatnik coffee house scene over here?

I put that to Lord Byron Pryce and his girlfriend Mari who run the place. Lord Byron, was actually the forerunner to the now world famous 'Mick the Dog' who many of you will have met at gigs over the years. Lord Byron used to come on tour with me back in the Parker's Alibi days, but he hung up his tour manager's pint glass and turned in his badge, in favour of a quiet life in the Shropshire hills - an extraordinary fellow.

The audience dined first (great food there actually) and I played when the eating was all done, so it felt like a really intimate and attentive gig. My set lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes, and I tried out some more new songs. I'm really enjoying the freedom that solo gigs afford in terms of trying out new material and experimenting with new ideas and approaches.

The first month of my marathon training was completed yesterday with a thirty minute run along the local canal. This month is going to be a lot harder with more lengthy sessions on the cards. The after-run roast with the six-strong team, (including Morg Morgan incidentally) was fantastic as ever, but I think the wine drinking may have to be curtailed a bit if the training is going to actually benefit any of us. I woke up slightly hung over today, lacking the clarity that might have prevented me writing some of the banal stuff above about Lord Byron - he is an extraordinary fellow though.

Anyway, I'm off to set up my home studio again, lots of new songs to work on. Hope to get them out to you as soon a possible.

Take care,
Ian

15th January 2010

Hi Folks,
I've just got back from a couple of days in The Netherlands, where I played a solo acoustic set at EuroSonic in Groningen. EuroSonic is an industry event where the guys and gals who organise Europe's festivals and other live events get together to discuss business and check out new acts.

It was unusual and a little daunting to play a solo set under the microscope like that, a situation which was greatly helped by the unexpected presence of several fans, friends, and familiar faces who showed up for the event to join the industry folk - thanks guys, it was great to see you there.

I really enjoyed it actually, I played a set consisting of a couple of old songs from 'Where I Belong', most of the songs from the new EP, 'Demons and Doubters', and two new songs 'Half Way Home' and 'Your Basket Has Never Been So Full'. I'm having so much fun with music at the moment, which is very rewarding, lots of new songs coming and a healthy sense of abandon emerging in my sometimes overly self-restrained personality, which I think is a good thing for creativity.

We (my manager Ralph and I) nearly missed the plane home this morning due to the length of time it took for me to explain the wealth of bizarre electrical devices stashed in my hand luggage, but we made it and I got home in time to go out running. Oh yes - the half marathon idea is coming to fruition, I'm officially in training!

Take care,
Ian