We've done our best to avoid one another and give a bit of breathing space to this passion project now hurtling into its 11th year.
11 years! Quite remarkable really, I did a timeline the other day and realised the accordion player has now been in the band for five years, which is ages; it only feels like he replaced the guitar player the other day, but he's almost been in the band longer than him!
The timeline also drew attention to just how top heavy we are, or bottom heavy if you like, in the first 5 years we released two albums and an EP, and the next 5 years we released sweet diddly squat. Although that is soon to change as the third album is well on its way. We've just received the demos back from our recording sessions in Wales and they are sounding very encouraging. Everything is in place for us to record and release next year with only the small matter of raising thousands of pounds left to cross!
In other news we are expecting the piano player back this winter after 18 months away in Portugal, we're not sure how long he's staying mind, or whether he's back in the band again, I'm not sure he does either, and it will be pretty hard to dislodge the deputy now but perhaps there's room on the broom for both, we'll see.
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| we can't dislodge the deputy ! |
In more other news we are launching the podcast next month, or Oddcast to be precise. Myself and the bass player will be recording the first session very soon, of course he doesn't know this yet, but that's the plan anyway, or my plan at least. It will likely be an hour of music and songs and we'll take questions and suggestions and it will be hopelessly bizarre as you can imagine and in time guests will come and go and all of the secrets will find their way out because you can't quite censor your tongue like you can your hand. And if successful, it could go some way to replacing this medium, which is now in it's 8th year and 91st entry having amassed a readership of over 25 thousand! Another remarkable feat the timeline recently threw up.
In yet more other news I have just returned from Holland and Belgium having taken my mother out to see some friends and do some research for our upcoming bicycle tour next year. And no I don't mean me and mother, I can't remember her ever being on a bike in my lifetime! Rather the band are planning a cycling tour and have been ever since the bass player and I road out to Brittany some years back.
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| -- The Odd Folk's flying bicycle tour -- |
This image has always inspired me and with Holland and Belgium being so flat it seems like the best place to try it. I don't know whether the full band will attempt this, our most foolhardy adventure yet, but I know at least three of us will. It will also be filmed so you can all watch us get horribly lost, have our instruments stolen while we camp in a forest somewhere north of Antwerp and generally fall foul, fall over and fall out. But it feels quite apt trying this on our 11 year anniversary, which is, of course, the 'steel' anniversary and bikes are made of...! So there is logic somewhere along the way.
Lastly, in final other news, we are planning Merry Folking Christmas this year, if the climate allows of course, so hopefully that will go ahead and we can all raise a glass together. Well not all of us, because not all of us live in Penzance, in fact in the demographic of blog readers, hardly any of you do, so really very few of us will raise a glass, in person at least. But what the heck, you get the drift.
Until next time :)
