| NEWS ARCHIVE:
WELCOME to RAIDERS of the lost ARCHIVE 2007
26 Nov 2007
What a year it's been..
Incredibile, dramatic, emotional, testing, chart-topping,
record-breaking, tiring, but ultimately one of the most fulfilling
of all. And that was just the hangover on New Year's Day..
I started the year at the beginning of the end of the DVD
project 'Love Is Music'. That was all started about a year
before by Mike Last approaching me and saying, "Do you
mind if I film a few gigs - it'll be a right old laugh mate.."
Little did I know how difficult it would be seeing myself
on screen without wanting to chuck something at it (possibly
a natural progression from chucking popcorn at punters/ushers
and the screen at a showing of 'The Man With The Golden Gun'
in 1973). However I had absolutely no idea of how much work
and talent Mike would put into the finished DVD (Of course
neither did he, but then it was all his idea!). We had a posh
screening in a Soho studio which was fab and lots of reviewer
(one) turned up. Eventually some great reviews did get published
and the sales rocketed into double figures in no time at all.
Anyway I think it stands up as a great piece of work in it's
own right as well as being a good representation of what I
do on a stage.
It was just after filming 'She Rules My World'
in the garden (in February with a hot water bottle up my jumper)
that Mike Peters of Alarm fame rang up on my mum's birthday
(not that he knew) to ask if I'd be interested in being involved
with ethe Love Hope Strength Foundation - recently set up
for the worldwide fight against cancer. As we spoke I looked
out into the garden at the spot where my mum is buried as
she had died of cancer a few years before. I don't know what
fate is, but some coincidences don't half blow your mind.
It was a portent of things to come in my incredible year..
New songs had been gestating for a while and I
needed to give birth. After the wider view of 'Treasure Island'
I wanted to focus inwards again and pay tribute to my wonderful
(and long-suffering) family. I wanted to say it all again.
It's easier to be cynical and slag everything off and it's
more difficult to be positive and say "I love you"
in a song without sounding twee or too fluffy. Everyone knows
George Bush is a chimp, but there is magic in this world too.
So I wanted to mirror this more introspective feel in the
music and decided to ban the electric guitar from the album
so that it represented the heart of what I do. I think it
was a good decision.
As for the Foundation I realised my role was to
act the goat and play a few tunes (not a test), but I wanted
to actually raise some cash so I decided to release a single
with the proceeds going to LHSF..and it went to No.1 on iTunes!
I really did a bit of an extra push promo wise and told everyone
I knew to download it and at the same time realised one of
my daft childhood dreams - a number one single! It was at
the top of the chart for well over 4 minutes..(Sons-Of-Folk-Singers-Chart-Whose-Surname-Begins-With-'H')
The 'Plan 9 From Harperspace' tour was brilliant
fun. There were some magical nights and I remember really
getting my teeth into the live version of 'Real Life' expressing
myself on the guitar and pushing the vocal almost into Prudence
Black territory - the soprano who sings so beautifully on
the CD. The whole tour was bowling along on the confidence
in the DVD, the happiness with the new CD and the single and
the crazy notion that in a few months I'd be playing two thirds
of the way up Mount Everest! Training for that was a little
slow in starting however.
The day after a series of in store appearances
was madness of a different kind..my daughter's birthday party.
Out of the frying pan..We'd decided it would be great to record
a song with all of her class singing and make a CD as their
gift. It was Lily's last year at the school so it would be
a great day for them to remember and they'd always have the
CD to listen to. Lily chose 'We're All In This Together' from
High School Musical. It was a great choice with very pertinent
lyrics for the situation..all I had to do was record the backing
track and then orchestrate 30 eleven year olds to sing and
play instruments on top, mix it and burn 30 CDs- all in 3
hours. Kids stuff.. haha. Needless to say they didn't get
the CDs til the Monday...
The next peak was Snowdon Rocks. This was a walk
to the summit of Snowdon with Mike Peters and 200 others with
a little gig on top. On the face of it a good day out and
some decent training for Everest. Ah, but it was much more
than that. This nuts year wouldn't allow anything so simple.
The low cloud that day added some high drama, but when half
way up we had a minute's silence for all of those who weren't
with us, suddenly the emotion hit and the reason we were really
there struck. For the first time a minute's silence wasn't
at a football game for a national figure I was familiar with
or a tragedy involving people I could feel for, but didn't
know. It was mum. My step-dad - the man who made her happy
- was there too and the emotional content of the day was gripping.
Then when we got to the summit and Mike began to play the
clouds parted and the sun lit up the valley below. I began
to wonder how many moments like this Mr Peters could conjure
up. As it turned out, plenty more..
..but first..the Highlands and Islands fling..or
BraveHarp. The highlights of which were many - old friends
on Arran, a great reaction at the Belladrum Festival, a little
tousel of the Edinburgh Fringe, but tops was the Isle of Skye
(again). With the Carbost Inn as our HQ we sallied forth to
the Cuillins. These are Britain's most stunning range of peaks.
Aha great bit of leg-building work to be done here I thought.
Well we had a fair old trek, but eventually decided against
attempting the summit of Scurr Alasdair. I decided that what
with the weather closing in - half way up Alasdair was far
enough. . (insert bottom joke here)
Then it was the festival in Rochefort, France.
Is this the best festival I've ever done? It was the second
year I've done this one and I can't wait for next year. It's
nominally a music festival for the gourmande. Or is it an
epicurean festival for the occasional song fancier? Either
way I'm a bit of both so any way you want to play it, any
day is good to make it.. food is music.. music is drink, music
is drink.. It also happens to be run by a Czech/Brit with
a great line in Clouseau impersonations and visionary ideas
for gigs. This year the incomparable Karel had us all singing
one song each on moving ferry bridge across the river Charente.
Naturally we all had to sing a song with 'river' as the theme.
Logically I chose 'London Calling' ("live by the river!")
and despite the sound of Joe Strummer's spirit whispering
'Noooooooo!' in the briny breeze I changed the lyrics to 'Rochefort
Calling' and a beautiful blasphemy was born. Then it was a
couple of 5-course meals a bottle of Pineau and bed. That
was pretty much how the whole weekend went. By the time they
showed me the 8 foot pic of me on the town hall I couldn't
be sure if the whole thing was one long hallucination or not.
The next trip was slightly different..
On October 10th I found myself on a flight to
Kathmandu. The experiences I had in Nepal will stay with me
for the rest of my life. I trust that a few piss-ups and a
bit of road rage and I'll be fine, but at the moment I really
feel as if things have changed. As all the trekkers said hello
and got welcomed and blessed in the Yak and Yeti Hotel before
the long walk uphill there was the sense that this was going
to be fun and a good experience. I'm not sure any of us thought
we would have the unforgettable, intense physical and emotional
ride that we did.
On the second day we recorded a song Mike had
written at a Nepali recording studio. (the Nepali
recording studio?) Immediately the six musicians got on really
well. Looking back you could have seen how it would all pan
out. Glenn was effervescence personified and laughed a lot
while he played the bass; Jamie played some incredible guitar
whilst floating like an angelic presence and quietly taking
it all in; Cy was in it heart and soul and displayed his openly;
Slim Jim was the epitome of New-York cool, but there for his
friend Mike; and Mike himself, a bundle of bowling enthusiasm
and optimism who is blind to negativity. Meanwhile the production
crew worked twice as hard for a couple of doughnuts towards
the end of play. Oli Powell our resident audio guy quickly
learnt 'erase that', 'overdub' and 'have you got any barbeque
sauce for my doughnut please?' in fluent Nepali. Damien and
Stash our intrepid cameramen instantly proved their double-jointed
minds and bodies by filming from the roof of the van that
took us through the chaos of the streets of Kathmandu. They
were being directed by the MTV guru Alex who swears he was
as surprised as the rest of us when Janet Jackson got her
knockers out at the super bowl. Meanwhile Tom, our podcast
editor and all-round Manc had no idea of the work waiting
for him uphill..
Then it was the flight to Lukla and the start
of the trek. 10 days up, 4 days down. Er..that sounds a lot.
One of our three 12 seater prop-job planes was diverted and
landed in a field briefly before taking off again and finally
landing at Lukla airpath. It really isn't a lot longer than
your average garden path and although it has got a nice slope
to help the aeroplane avoid the mountain at the end of the
runway it's what you might call hairy. When we disembarked
we were all so relieved to be alive the trek seemed like nothing
and we were raring to go. On the trek to Monjo we were treated
to a feast of majestic scenery. With each turn the views got
more impressive: mile long waterfalls and what looked like
mile-high bridges that we would be walking across and above
all the peaks. But these were peaks of green with lush valleys
below - now referred to as 'kids stuff'. We were all pretty
tired, but elated after the first day and we settled down
to a good meal of tasty rice, dahl and momo and retired early.
A couple of days later we got our first views of Everest with
a sort of glow around it. Legendary, mythical and the highest
point on our earth - we were all captivated. That was also
our first view of any of the snow-capped peaks aside from
the flight and suddenly the enormity of the physical ask was
uppermost. We walked 100 miles on the trek and from where
we were then, it looked like it!
In some ways Namche Bazaar was the pivotal point
of the trek. It's the last bit of civilisation really, being
the largest Sherpa trading settlement. It's market day every
day, the bars are alive and there's even an internet cafe!
We came in to town with a swathe of cloud over the peaks,
but when we woke it had gone to reveal some towering snow-capped
peaks that dwarfed us and gave us more of the ever-increasing
scale to ponder. It was such a privilege to feel so small
and humble. The whirl of Western existence and the incredible
need to move fast through life was evaporating under the silent
stone that made much more sense. During the night I'd witnessed
my first bit of sleep apnoea. Glenn my room-mate breathes
quite heavily when he sleeps - actually you could probably
keep track of his breathing from outside the room. (ever seen
an airbus 380 take off?) The altitude induces sleep apnoea
and it wrecks your sleep pattern.. when your roommate stops
breathing for 10 seconds..as ever Glenn sailed on oblivious.
He had sung the song that morning to set the trek off on the
right foot and had felt a shortness of breath as he sang,
allied with the physical exertions of the hike, maybe that's
why he slept through.
Slowly, underneath all the physical effort and
wonderful sights the bond between us all began to strengthen.
Each night one of the trekkers would read out their journal
for the day. These were illuminating, entertaining and gave
us an account of the day from a part of the group we might
not have been with. Almost everyone on the trek had been affected
by cancer and the journals turned out to be the most moving
testimonies of ordinary humans as to why they were there.
I remember one written by Aden who was one of the few who
hadn't been affected by cancer at all, but by then he was
so much part of the 'family' (as Stan first put it) that he
was as affected by what we were doing as anyone else and it
transferred a great feeling of belonging as he read. Eran
delivered a powerful and personal account of a dream he had
of his cancer returning, but gave it a positive spin by saying
he did not want to be called a 'survivor' anymore, but that
the trek was about letting go of cancer altogether. I think
every journal produced tears and ovations.
Then I did what I had gone there in many ways
to do: play 'Imaginary Friend' for mum. This is the song I
started singing to myself the day she died. It's the only
song I've ever written just by singing it and probably why
the guitar follows the vocal melody in the middle. I'd found
myself at home ridiculously shouting for her like a 10 year
old when I knew she was gone and that's how the song started.
The trek for me personally was all about mum. I wanted to
pay tribute to this wonderful woman. The ripples from her
good deeds in her life are still being felt and it was the
fourth or fifth day in that I found myself playing it at the
Everest View Lodge with Jamie playing some beautiful, sympathetic
guitar alongside me, even though he'd never heard the song
before. Gradually the other trekkers tuned in and the emotion
hit everyone there and for me mum was among us. I hadn't felt
as close to her since she had gone. The trek turned a corner
for me at that moment and took on an even greater significance.
Onwards and upwards we went. Music was all over
- Mike seemingly constantly playing, indominatable, unstoppable
and undeniable; Jamie teaching the Sherpas to play guitar;
the Sherpas teaching me a famous Nepali folk song; Slim Jim
playing his tambourine; Cy pouring out his soul and Glenn
playing my request: a beautiful Squeeze song called...'Letting
Go'. We battled killer Yaks; we were blessed by a Lama and
we played him a song; we looked out for each other; we felt
very small and humble; we laughed a lot and we built our own
little mobile temple and proved that humans are not just the
planet's deadly virus, but that we can be an incredible force
for good. Onwards and upwards..
A few days later we neared our goal of Kala Pattar
and Everest Base Camp. The altitude sickness kicked in, for
me - head-in-a-vice headaches, nosebleeds and nausea. We were
all feeling it to some extent. Then another extraordinary
moment as Mike gathered us all in song for the final push
and Jake, a double summiteer (and one of the team that found
George Mallory's body) delivered one of Mallory's speeches
about why humans climb mountains. It basically said that there
was no actual tangible benefit to climbing Everest, but that
it is exactly what we are all about - pushing ourselves and
challenging ourselves to experience life and really live it
before our time is up. Of course our particular trek did have
a tangible benefit, which added to Jake's speech, yet on its
own the words were not only incredibly moving (possibly due
to Mallory's tragic story and his presence with us on the
mountain) but also Churchillian in motivation and we literally
sprung up towards Kala Pattar..
The gig itself was fantastic. I wouldn't like
to study the recorded audio in too much detail (It's not easy
to solo holding hand warmer pads) but the elation of the acheivement
I can still touch. We did it! There were about 80 or so people
there. All of us, with a few people the street teams and PR
machine had enticed along. One of whom was Juan from Uruguay
who didn't know why, but had been planning to be on Kala Pattar
on 21st October 2007 for some time in honour of his father
who had died of cancer years before. That was the sort of
weird synchronistic moment that seemed to happen hourly on
this unforgettable journey.
After most of us had started the descent back
to Gorak Shep, Jake took me up to the very summit of Kala
Pattar where I tied off some prayer flags for people I have
known or families I know with holes in through cancer and
other loved ones. These flags are small, brightly coloured
with a prayer written on them in Nepali. The idea is you put
them up and the wind blows the prayer out into the ether.
My idea of spirituality doesn't go beyond genetics, but hearing
echoes of Mallory's words I thought about the touching beauty
of the defiant song of life being sung in the face of death
and lost it a bit as I spoke a word or two for mum. The flags
also provide a vibrant contrast to the stark lunar landscape
when you are 7 or 8 thousand feet above the tree line and
I was glad I'd piggy-backed on the local culture.
The next day was the trek to Base Camp. Base Camp
is a bit like an airport with the excitement of departure
for teams waiting to attempt the summit. We played a few songs
there and I nipped in a quick version of the Galaxy Song for
a bit of even wider perspective (the highest performance ever
of a Monty Python song!) The trek back was hard. I was weary,
but I was glad I chose to go.
That night, like many of the trekkers before me,
I eventually got the Gastro attack. I got violent double-ended
expulsions throughout the night. Big up Glenn for being a
great room-mate and a fairly competent nurse. The next day
was the first day down - an 8 hour trek and I had absolutely
no energy at all. For the first time in my life I was having
hypnogogic fits whilst walking! Then I started hallucinating.
I think Eran's journal had inspired me to put mum's voice
into my head. She was saying things like, "Go on son
you've done well, but it's time to let go. You leave me here
and I'll be fine. Get on with your own life now." I was
looking back over my shoulder in tears and with each step
I was getting further from her. It didn't feel good, but I
knew I had to go forwards. I suppose I really was letting
go a little bit more. Wow that was powerful stuff. Eventually
I fell. The magnificent Sherpas and Alan, a Leukaemia survivor
and summiteer helped me back to reality and on my feet and
down the mountain. Under the watchful eyes of them and Ade
we neared Pherice, our destination. Out of the gloom came
Jake, He knew we were late in and rescued us with a flask
of lemon tea. Nectar! Now I know what it is to be tired. I've
never been tired before, really. I have all sorts of new scales
to measure things against. What a privilege.
The trek down only took 4 days. Down was the new
up though, as all of a sudden we switched from calves to quads
and knees. Eventually we landed in Lukla where an extremely
weary, but ecstatic group of trekkers and Sherpas partied
until very late (maybe 10pm?!!) and celebrated in fine style.
The Sherpas got their bonuses and Sandeep did a bit of crowd
surfing in the bar. Glenn was singing on the bar, actually
I think we all did at some point. Ah yes now I remember, some
of us ended up dancing in a 'club'. They had some decks and
a floor, but it was full of whole families. I think I had
a beer..
Back to Kathmandu and we visited the hospital
in Bahktapur that we were there to help. Nepal is a poor country.
That doesn't mean to say they don't have fantastic doctors
who deliver great 'care with love'. However it does mean that
they don't have the machines to deliver up to date scanning
procedures and diagnosis. Well up til now anyway. With the
money LHS has raised ($300.000 and counting - which goes a
long way in Nepal) this hospital will become the state of
the art cancer hospital in the region. There are people in
Nepal with money. But if they get ill they pay hospitals in
Delhi to treat them, because the hospitals in Nepal are poorly
equipped. Now thanks to the foundation that won't be the case
anymore and the hospital will become self-sustainable. They
will also be able to fulfil their commitment to deliver proper
long-term care to the poor of Nepal with the new resources
at their disposal.
The next major event was the gig in Kathmandu.
We played the first gig in Durber Square by westerners to
20,000 people! I sang 'Imaginary Friend' again after an impromptu
and unexpected (even by me) a capella version of 'Amazing
Grace'. After 'Imaginary Friend' I sang the Nepali folk song
'Resham fi ri ri' that had become an anthem in my mind. It
was such an incredible moment - indescribable feelings welled
up in me. Mostly sheer joy. The crowd sang back. I have been
lucky enough to have quite a few unforgettable moments on
a stage, and this has to be right up there. The acheivement,
the fulfillment and standing there in honour of mum with my
new best mates on stage and my other new best mates all around
the stage with the doctors from the hospital looking on..it
won't ever get better than that..will it?!
Back in the UK and I find myself being tutted
by a busy middle aged woman in Heathrow Airport for having
my trolley in her path and I think of the leper I met a few
hours earlier with stumps for hands. The contrasts like that
are endless and I'm a bit lost and readjustment is going to
be slow..
Great idea - straight into a small tour! In fact
it worked out really well. I ended up stoking the fires of
everything I'd seen and done by talking about the trek and
the Foundation every night and playing the occasional song.
Every night was fantastic for me. Moving and funny as I relived
it all with some decent versions of the songs thrown in. Everyone
who came seemed to tune right in to what I was saying and
I felt a real connection with everyone again. It's good to
know there are people out there in BritainLand who aren't
much like the woman at Heathrow at all. I had a collection
each night and you generous people donated £1230, including
one sound engineer who donated his fee! Thankyou folks I love
ya!
As you might expect I'm brimming with new songs
and ideas (think 'yak dung' and mountains) and I don't think
it will be too long before another CD is done. Thanks for
coming along for the ride. If this missive just isn't enough
there is some fantastic coverage of the trek, with podcasts,
journals and photos from each day at Everest
Rocks. If you would like to donate to the cause
online you can do so here.
Thankyou.
I am, currently, Nick H
27 June 2007
Miracles 5/5 review
Here's a review from Twisted
Ear for 'Miracles'. This is just a sample of
the great response the album is getting. They also have a
forum
and if you disagree with the reviewer make yourself known
and maybe suggest where the review wasn't glowing enough.
Nick Harper - Miracles for Beginners
 
Written by Tommy Jackson
I believe in Miracles...ahem
This album is simply superb. There really isn't any better
way to put it. Nick Harper has the enviable combination of
skills that enables him not just to write a killer tune, but
also, to be able to get it down on record in a way that most
artists simply cannot match, and on Miracles for Beginners
it all comes together in spectacular fashion.
Opening strongly with the title track, Harper immediately
allays any fears that he has finally made a bad album. With
a definite Spanish feel to the guitar work, this is a fantastically
written allegory to the everyday miracle that is falling in
love. With beautiful subtlety, and with his trademark humour,
Harper draws the listener in, and by the end of this first
track, he has pretty much won the battle.
Blue Sky Thinking is not dissimilar to Pink Floyd's
Wish You Were Here in many ways, with Harper's lilting
voice and flawless finger-picked guitar making short work
of a beautifully crafted song of desire and unrequited love.
One of the most accessible tracks on the album, and one of
the best.
Proving that he can turn his songwriting hand to just about
anything, Harper's narrative of the 1520 meeting between the
English and French monarchs in The Field of the Cloth
of Gold is simply exemplary. Well written, modern folk
songs are few and far between, but in Nick Harper it is a
skill which is alive and well. It is a breathtaking departure
from the norm, and if there is as ambitious an idea executed
so well this year by anyone working in popular music, I can't
wait to hear it.
Few allegories to racism will reference both an albino rook
and an animated film featuring a young elephant, but it is
a challenge which Nick Harper seems to relish. The song in
question is Magic Feather, and its whimsical approach
is in stark contrast to its subject matter.
Harper's soulful vocal talents really come to the fore in
the emotionally charged 2 Secs. It is a thought-provoking,
despair-charged song which is not so much depressing, as resigned
to the fact that this is about as good as life gets. This
is both the musical highlight, and emotional low, of this
album.
The power of the music can easily mask the sharpness of Harper's
wit, but this should not be overlooked, as it adds a depth
and an edge to the overall experience which elevates him above
other similar artists. Simple is a superb paean to
mediocrity, ironically celebrating the pre-packaged, easy
cook, disposable attitudes prevalent in modern society
To sum up, this is an album which, for fans of great songwriters
and great guitarists, is an essential acquisition. New listeners
will be hooked, and old fans will be satisfied with Harper's
latest output. Simply outstanding.
20 June 2007
Miracles in the top 20
The new CD has charted in the top 20 of the weekly
chart announced by BBC Radio 6. Click here
to keep tabs on this phenomenally successful album that just
doesn't know where to stop. (42mins.- ed.)
7 June 2007
'Evo' no.4 in Mojo playlist!
This month's issue of Mojo magazine has published
a tribute to Nick's tribute to Evo Morales. Surely the start
of massive media hype surrounding the new CD? No mention of
Nick in the readers chart yet though..
28 May 2007
Single on iTunes!
The new single 'Blue Sky Thinking' is now available
for
download from iTunes.
It's my first single and probably my last! All proceeds from
sales will be donated to the LoveHopeStrength
Foundation. At last I'm doing something
tangibly useful instead of acting the goat and playing the
guitar just for fun..
..My inspirational, beautiful, gifted mother died
a few years ago of cancer. Her life touched many others in
a very positive way, but was cut way, way too short by this
far-reaching disease. Today British scientists announced they
have found almost all the genes responsible for breast cancer
and are well on the way to finding the ones responsible for
other forms. This will enable us to target people most at
risk with simple screening procedures in the near future.
In the early 70s the 5 year survival rate after diagnosis
with cancer in the UK was 21%. Today it is 46%. There is hope
and things are getting better, but funding for this kind of
research needs to be ramped up and not scaled down.
"Blue Sky Thinking' is about making your
dream happen, so to me it fits in with the aims of the foundation
- set up by Mike Peters and James Chippendale who have both
successfully fought off cancer.
Thanks
Nick
PS If you haven't got iTunes you can download
a free PC or Mac version here.
9 May 2007
New CD on Amazon!
The new CD 'Miracles For Beginners' can be pre-ordered
here!
The CD will not officially be available until June 4th and
will not be initially available on this website. Amazon may
be the quickest way of getting the CD by post. Of course it
will also be available in all good retailers across the land..
8 May 2007
DVD in the shops
Don't trust the web? Dog maimed the postman? Fear
not the DVD is now available from all good music retailers
across the land. If by some small chance your local shop has
sold out of its allocation then simply memorise the secret
catalogue number (SR0007DVD) and quote it to your friendly
shop assistant and your copy of the brilliant new DVD will
appear as if by magic in a day or so for your collection.
27 Apr 2007
Live DVD for sale!
The wait is over and the DVD is on sale. See Nick
run through some of his best known songs in glorious 5.1 sound
and also give an airing to a new song from the forthcoming
CD 'Miracles For Beginners'. Film-maker Mike Last has captured
the essence of the Harper experience live whilst adding the
thoughts of musicians, friends and even the legendary celebrity
DJ Mike Read to tell the story of how a singer-songwriter
can survive to make music in the modern world without the
shackles of the music business or the pretentions of 'success'.
Track listing here.
6 Apr 2007
Nick on top of the world
Nick has been confirmed for a gig at base camp
of Mt. Everest in October this year. He will be part of a
45 strong team recruited to launch the lovehopestrength
foundation, a private foundation set
up for the global fight against cancer. The foundation is
running a number of unusual concerts this year culminating
in the historic acoustic show on the roof of the world. Nick
is extremely excited to be part of this very worthwhile cause
which is close to his heart as well as being on the trip of
a lifetime.
19 MAR 2007
Nick uses giant's kilt for vocal booth
As you can see from the picture Nick is still
recording for the new CD. This photo was snapped ninja like
by our intrepid reporter Lily Harper who has since had her
pocket money stopped. Nick is singing here beneath a large
scotsman who does provide excellent cover for recording in
winter as well as supreme acoustic rejection benefits. To
Nick's left is an old duvet (French undergarment) suspended
on a couple of Spud's cymbal stands for self same purpoises.
Song title order juggling chart can be seen blu-tacked to
the hamster cage door on the right and clearly visible at
the top is 'Miracles for Beginners'. So surely the rumours
must be true that this is the title of the new CD? "Might
be..", says Nick. Charmed I'm sure..That's all from Wierdshire
just now - more soon...
4 MAR 2007
Tornado hits the parish..
Hello Folks! It's me Harpicles the brave. I haven't
been in touch for a while - treat 'em mean and keep 'em keen
I say. Apart from being mean I've also been writing and recording
the new CD; working on the DVD; booking the spring/summer
dates; doing the artwork for the posters etc.; sleeping occasionally;
running past mirrors very quickly; sawing up the hawthorn
tree that fell during the high winds (we really did have a
tornado hit the parish - wish I'd sampled the violent and
then eerie soundtrack that accompanied it. It ripped the roof
off Farmer Giles' barn don't you know. Strange weather we've
been having eh?). In amongst all this I've also been attending
to much more important work, like building railway tracks
for the domestic terrorist we have living at our house and
taking said offspring through their first in-depth study of
Peter Sellers and the art of the pratfall; feeding the host
of goldfinches some niger seed; sorting out the leak in the
roof and having the occasional drink..
I'm writing this in the lull before another small
storm - the recording of the director's commentary for the
DVD at crafty
productions' studio. Yes folks we are going to watch the
whole thing for the first time today - exciting stuff! Mike
has done a fantastic job with it - it's more of a film than
just a collection of live songs and stands up really well
as piece of work on it's own as well as an accompaniment to
what's gone before. I hope that you regular Harpernauts will
find some entertaining stuff in there as well as enjoy some
live performances that must be OK cause even I can bear em..wierd
when you see yourself on telly innit?..We've got a release
date of Monday April 30th which barring disaster looks like
we might be able to hit - incredible! Like clockwork really.
It's called 'Love Is Music' and will be available in the shops
and I shall take a few on
the road with me in May. I had no idea how much time and
work goes into making good video, but I reckon you will feel
the wait will have been worth it..
Tomorrow it's back into the studio and on with
the new album..more soon..
Fondest regards..Harpic
2 MAR 2007
Festivals Announced
Festival dates are starting to be announced for
Nick this summer. These include the lovely Larmer Tree Festival
in the deep South and Devizes Festival - the ultimate stopover
on the way to Glastonbury for Northern and/or Eastern types?
More festival dates coming soon! Details
here..
Incredibly I've waffled on enough for the past
to be chronicled here:
RAIDERS
of the lost ARCHIVE 2006>>
RAIDERS of
the lost ARCHIVE 2005>>
RAIDERS
of the lost ARCHIVE 2004 >>
RAIDERS of
the lost ARCHIVE 2003 >>
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