Declan did an interview and live session for a radio station in New Jersey, and it's now going to be played on a number of other stations in the US, UK, New Zealand and on the internet...But you can access the interview/session at any time at this link http://www.britsound.com/interviews/declanbennettsession.mp3
Annie x
15:08 - Wed 6th Aug 08
US RADIO CAMPAIGN FOR AN INNOCENT EVENING OF DRINKING STARTS TODAY! JULY 22ND!
Hello folks
The campaign starts today!
A copy of my latest record 'An Innocent Evening of Drinking' has been sent to the following 300 radio stations in America. If you live in any of these areas you can get in touch with the stations and request they play your favourite song! Vessel, 4 or 5 beers, Blu Tack and Therapy are the 4 tracks that we've championed so go ahead and get your requests in! This is gonna be awesome if we can generate radio play across the country so please spread the word too if you have friends and family in other parts of the states...
Thank you in advance for your help! The campaign will last for a MINIMUM of 9 weeks so the more plays i get, the longer they might keep playing it....
Let us know how you get on!
Cheers so very bloody much.....
Declan X
CFMH Saint John NB
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21:45 - Tue 22nd Jul 08
I promise to get better at this blogging thing then I realise that the one thing im not great as is keeping promises. Unless its for a really big secret and I promise not to tell anyone. Then I keep that a secret. Or if it's a big surprise for someone and they don't know they're having a party then I promise to keep it secret. Unless I forget and tell them.
Gigs ths week took me to the epi centre of all my wildest dreams and fantasies about who I aspire to be and I found myself playing in a giant chocolate bar at Petes Candy Store. I will be Willy Wonka one day. It was a cool little gig and one where I felt a little naked cos the boys weren't playing onstage with me. Something about no pianos and the cello wouldn't work if it got chocolate on it. So I played on my todd which was refreshing but unusual this past year.
I should apologise to Benny officially through myspace after scolding him in front of everyone for putting 'Freer' up on youtube! Tho I didn't officially say his name he knows who he is and ive given him strict instructions now about which tracks he is allowed to record and put up for the world to see…. Those Utah boys need telling. Hahahahahahaha……..Bette would have said the same thing dude.. ☺
Just so you know, 'Freer' is a new track ive been working on and playing out and the only reason im trying to keep new stuff off of youtube is so you don't hear all my new songs before I release them! That would make for a very boring new record, reet? So its all meant with a heavy dose of love and an wonka scrumdiddlyumptious. Who ever heard of a snozberry? I did. They taste like chicken.
I want to send a big dose of snozberry loving back home to England. I' ve been pretty darn homesick lately. A feeling I am unaccustomed to. The americans have been treating me very well and Tea and Sympathy have been providing the best Sunday dinners known to man but I feel like I need to reconnect. Imagine you are a plug and your hometown is your socket. Now as a young baby plug you get a taste for other more exotic sockets around the world and you go off on your travels… But after a while you gotta reconnect. You'll find some other warm sockets that are nice and cosy but no other socket will compare to the one you were born in. I need to plug back in…. and im heading home and the end of august which is gonna cause electricity in my footballs.
And some gigs back in England are being scheduled as we blog! Keep checking the website for those details.. we'll stick them up as they come in…
RADIO CAMPAIGN
Ive recently hooked up with an amazing company in Minneapolis called Tinderbox and starting July 22nd they will be doing a 9 week radio campaign for my album 'An Innocent Evening of Drinking'. The album will be sent to 300 stations across the US and fingers crossed they will fall in love with it and start playing some tracks! This is where you come in…. im gonna post the list of all the stations the album is going to so if you live in any of the areas you can get you and everyone you know to pick up the phone and request that they play your favourite tracks off the record! The more of us doing that across the country the better chance we have of radio play so this is your chance to really help spread the word and get people to share my music…. I'll post a new blog nearer the time with all the stations on it and then you can get dialing! But I don't know if you can request Limelight…I don't think you americans like the word Fucking. Or bloody. Ouch. Muchos thanking yous…Hmmmm…what else?
Im toying with the idea of an episodic Video blog… episode 1 – Running Late…
We're sorting out a new website..
Im sorting out these bloody T-shirts even if I have to hand deliver them worldwide
My dog mushty passed away last week. RIP. He will be missed but he's in a better place now. That is unconditional love for you.
We humans could learn a lot from our dogs.
Woof X
1:59 - Thu 17th Jul 08
rockwood music hall last night! 12th june 08...smile people..
17:56 - Fri 13th Jun 08
Writing and poetry
Er....Mr crane driver/building planner/brick layer/hammer worker/nob head who thinks its funny to build a new building outside my window at 8am in the morning.....i hate you. YOu are a @****&^):-).
Well seeing as im awake now i guess its on with the monday. Stuart the bulldog is still sleeping next to me. He could sleep through his legs being snapped off. I however, dont possess such honorable skills. Its been a fun couple of weeks. Ive been all over the shop doing all sorts and chasing the sunshine. He is good at hiding. Not as good as when he hides in England but he's still pretty good at it. I spent some time in minneapolis and hung out with Prince. We wrote a few songs together and then i woke up.... :-) and then me and a couple of mates went to Miami! South beach didnt know what hit when this pasty white boy got all up in its grill....quite funny. I stuck out like a sore thumb. Painted white. Hanging in miami was amazing. The sun didnt hide once and after a few days my freckles started to show...its been a while since ive seen them..spending the last 26 summers i the uk hasnt done much for my tanning confidence so it was nice to have the little things back on me shoulders. Then i spent about 14 hours in an airport waiting to go to colorado. Thank god for free Wi-Fi otherwise i might have snapped my legs off. Denver is one of my favourite cities in Mrs USA. She's a beautiful place. And one where one alcoholic drink is equivalent to 3 in NYC. So rather than innocent evenings of drinking they were more like innocent half hours of 2 beers and now im drunk. I hung out with a great friend of mine Kellie Coughlin who, if any of you are thinking of getting married/graduating/random self loving headhots anytime soon, is an amazing photgrapher who can be found at www.kelliecoughlin.com
Go see her! She also introduced me to the wonders of Hot Yoga which i now rate alongside chipotle and customized trainers. Love it. Sweaty and hot and yoga and chanting. Downward dog and yes i'll have guacamole for a dollar 75 extra....i wonder how many times they have to say that a day in Chipotle??? About 8 million i would guess. So i made my way back to the New York and am now taking it as easy as my brain will let me. Me and the boys got recording again and i know some of you keep asking me to put limelight on my page...... well we've put down a few of our favourire live tracks in our acoustic trio style and they will be making their way to myspace very soon!
Oh so heres something i was thinking about - if you were to describe my music, what would it be???...... and think outside the box...not just 'acoustic' - something that if someone said , what does its sound like? you'd say " like thundercats meets john mayer hugging trees" then they;'d go...where can i get my hand on that bloody album????! Leave your answers to this on the guestbook (or on my myspace.com/declanbennett blog)!! After all, its you lot who spread the word about this music and its you lot who share this journey with me so you probably know better than i do...
GIGS JUNE/JULY
If you havent checked out the new gigs for june/july then navigate your eyeballs back to the gigs page and check that batch of babies out. Plenty to keep you appetites wet for a few weeks but i have to say im very excited about the Joes Pub gig on Mon June 30th! I pretty much got down on one knee and asked this venue to marry me last week and she said yes and i said when and she said soon and i said how soon and she said how about june 30th and i said wow that is soon and she said yes it is and i said ok lets do it and she said great, i cant wait to get a new toaster and i said i just can wait to play some new songs on your amazing stage. Get your tickets online 24 hours a day at www.joespub.com or between the hours of 10am and 9pm tickets can be purchased by phone at 212-967-7555. Between the hours of 11am and 5pm tickets can be purchased and dinner reservations can be made simultaneously by calling 212-539-8778. People tell me that if you want a table make sure you reserve one when you book tickets!
Theres a whole other bunch of stuff going on this month aswell so come out and play with us and keep the sunshine happy....she likes shining down on us but you gotta come outside.
Peace and hot yoga
Namaste
Declan
14:47 - Tue 3rd Jun 08
look at whats been going on in NYC....pix pix pix
18:24 - Sat 26th Jan 08
so this is my first attempt..... words literally got the better of me so expression is taking a different format till that runs the creative well dry! welcome to the Phlog....
5:51 - Tue 15th Jan 08
turkey and stuff
england rocked my world. The thought of home is one that i love cos i hold it so close to me while im on my present quest. The strike had only just kicked in so i managed to get out just in time and leave my comrades to deal with the first dark week on the B'way. I left at some ungodly hour on the monday morning when hardly anything was even open in the airport and then had to deal with the crap headsets they give you in the plane cos i sat on my own headphones and bust them. Lucky it was early so i could snooze. And i'd already seen Transformers and didnt think the thrill would be quite the same in 3" by 3" vision. Coventry was wet and chilly but it was so good to be home and with folk i know and love. London was pretty wet and cold too. Its so much lower down there. The buildings are smaller and they make full use of the word 'bend' or 'corner' (architecturally speaking) but it has to be said its way easier to get around NYC than it is in london. And cheaper too! But then you can walk the width of new york city in half an hour. I wonder how long it would take to walk from Stratford East to Chiswick????? Answers on a postcard. But i do heart london and cov. I love home.
The build up to the gig at soho revue bar was a happy one and it all went swimmingly. The lads and lady of the band joined me for this one and we played till the cows came home; and the drag queens who arrived for the night slot. Unfortunately my new album wasn't ready for the night!!!And again i extend great apologies to everyone there. It was so near to being ready but the pressing plant were jam packed and i'm not important enough! Still, i hope your enjoying the live CD you got instead...I think i can put another song up on myspace now too, so keep your eyes on it this week and i'll stick one up! I managed to get a tad plastered post show which is always a favourite past time in London town and i spent the weekend chasing the hair of various dogs.
>I had one wish while i was home and that was to have a proper sunday dinner! We took residence in this great little pub off seven dials on sunday afternoon for beer and roast dinner with the rain still falling. It was a lovely end to a needed week in my kingdom. Had i known the strike was gonna last another week i would have stayed longer!....
But then i would have missed thanksgiving! I hope everyone enjoyed turkey day or tofurkey day if you love the turkey but in a different way... I was thankful for being given the chance to celebrate this amazing time once again (my 2nd thanksgiving ever!) and for the feast laid out in front of me complete with stuffing that only my nan could have done better! We sat around the dinner table and played Taboo ( the game not the musical- cos that would be weird) but i end up shouting out words in my best british dialect that clearly isnt the way you say it here! (the word Zebra springs to mind....i say Zebra...you say Zeebra.) I say stewpid. You say stoopid.
And then it would seem that Christmas time begins! Im restraining right now but i think im gonna cave this week and get the tree up. It feels nice, right? Love the Christmas. Especially the dogs you get that just last for the festive season. I love disposable dogs. Starbux are trying to suck me into their world with their seasonal cups so i wrote a new song in honour of there being 251 starbucks in a 10 mile radius of my apartment. BORING!!!! You do a great decaf vanilla latte but come on dudes....thats just stewpid. and it makes life dull. I dunno, i guess some people function better on familiarity? Pretty boring to me. Its not even all about the crazy money their making. It just makes the world a dull place when we realise we live on planet Starsux. Long live the lad down on 9th and 41st who has has the best selection of damn coffee you've ever seen! You want blueberry, pumpkin, peppermint, chocolate cabbage flavoured coffee??! He got it. Only him.
I did a interview with a brand new internet magazine recently which is pretty cool so ive been trying to attach a jpeg of bit of the article but cant seem to do it here in space so......check out this link and you can subscribe to this new online mag! Im featured in issue 3. Enjoy....http://www.mercurymoonmusic.com. And PS. theres a bunch of new photos up now on myspace on the photo page! Well where else would they be lady...
I think thats all for now....
Peace out kids. Declan X
http://www.mercurymoonmusic.com
15:16 - Fri 30th Nov 07
Home Strike...
Current mood: calm
Home time has been beckoning and now i find myself sat in my mums front room with my dog Miller "Mushty' watching the rain pour down in Cov...it all a million miles away from crazy New York City. Very chill...its like your entire body goes into this deep mode of relaxation. Every singe cell in my body is at ease right now! Its such an elusive thing but so real. I've been looking forward to coming home for the past few weeks and thinking of my mates back home and what life was like when i used to live here. Home doesn't seem to change too much. It sits in a sort of time warp and lets you back in whenever you want to re-charge for a few days/weeks/whatever. What is it that keeps everything so rooted here??? Even physically when your body just automatically releases - i try and relax in london and NYC but something always distracts. sounds, people, food, lights...the thing with big cities is theres always something to be seen and someone to be done!Or vice versa depending on how you take your tea. You leave for a couple of days and somethings changed. Theres a new bar or a new shop, new faces newly refurbished! Then you go back to Coventry and things are rolling along at much the same pace as the last time you were there. And its so bloody nice actually. It keeps that fire burning inside you that knows it has a base and a centre that you can reconnect with when you need to! So for now i'm back on solid ground and watering my roots. Then i can march back to new york next week and be the brightest kid on my block till the xmas rush begins, which is pretty much starting under our noses!I get to experience my 2nd thanksgiving soon and then supposedly put festive decorations up the day after?????!! what happened to the 12 days of Christmas??? On the 35th day of Christmas my true love said to me - "Er... dont you think you've had enough..?" crazy americans....you gotta love em.
Shit is hitting the fan over on Broadway....for those of you who havent heard or dont take an interest then let me fill you in. The stage hands have gone on strike so the shows have all been closed since saturday morning. Seems i booked my holiday just in time! But funnily enough i spent most of sunday in 'Tea and Sympathy' a cute little british hideaway in greenwich village that do a mean sunday roast and a sick cooked breakfast - sick as in the yank slang = good. no puke anywhere. So the day before i head back to the motherland i spend it in a british restaurant having breakfast then going back to join the picket line then heading back downtown for Toad in the Hole!( sausages in batter with mashed potato and veg and loads of gravy- mmmmmmm) I hear the strike is still going on? I guess we wait and see. I support any movement to ensure that working class people are not being abused by a highly lucrative system.
Last week i also spent my final day in the studio mastering my new album!! And im so glad to say its done!!! ...i seriously cant imagine listening to myself singing those songs for at least another lifetime. or at least till i come back out on the road and sing it for you lot which in all fairness im excited about. Just listening to them 5 million times a day gets hard and you feel like your ears are bleeding. ..But im very proud of it and its taken on a great shape and feels like a very natural progression from my first album 'The Painters Ball'. The themes seem relatively similar but more assured, more definite, im carving things better and feel like ive made a nice sonic chair to go with my sonic table and soon i'll have made all sorts of cosmic furniture and remember you are always welcome round for tea, no invite neccesary. Just bring you ears and leave yourself at the door.
Someone asked me the other day if i thought the 'real' me was more apparent in me in day to day life or in me when im onstage performing?? Its sat with me for days. It struck a chord in me cos at first i thought i knew the answer but im thinking that i dont really know. Im still not sure of the difference between the two? In lots of ways they are divisions of myself and we're all divided in certain ways to make a whole. We're not just this whole human being with one feeling or action or word that sums us all up?? i seem to be a lot of things. Im a relaxed bod when im around my friends and i welcome strangers into my life but the head space that governs my writing seems to be a more determined version of me to find truth in life and integrity in humanity and these conversations i have with myself made me want to write it all down and be a singer/songwriter. !! Sometimes onstage im full of beans and other times im quiet. Its not like you're hiding behind a role when you're being you singing your own songs. I can have a bad day at RENT and no one in the audience would know but when you're just being you whats left to hide behind? Whats the difference between me and me?Hmmmmmmm.Now im confused.
ANYWAY!!! - Onto events passed and present! The gig last week at The Cutting Room was a lot of fun. My new muso mate Stephanie Nillis came out to support and knocked everyones head off as did mr joe donohoe who sang his face off and it all sounded ah-bloody-mazing. Check them out www.myspace.com/stephanienilles www.myspace.com/joe1000 go show some independent loving.
And for those of you in London this week dont forget my gig this coming Friday 16th at Soho Revue Bar, 8pm!!!! Playing with my biggest band to date this is gonna be a hell of a noise fest. Tickets still available at http://www.wegottickets.co.uk/event/22074 only 6 quid if you get it in advance!! Or 8 quid on the door.... come on feel the noise and get your tickets now! This is my only UK gig till next year so i promise to sing nice....
Mushty says hi to everyone!
later alligators X
15:15 - Fri 30th Nov 07
steady flow of popcorn..
A STEADY FLOW OF POPCORN....
Listening to : Amy Winehouse
Mood : hahahahaha...visualise little cat face possessed
It seems like i cant go anywhere in this city without the threat of popcorn. In my apartment i own 3 different bags of the stuff that wont go away no matter how much i devour. Hmmmmm. Peanut butter and white chocolate flavoured popcorn? Yes. I know. Im melting it down and injecting it. Or feeding it to my pet cockroaches. I think its so adorable that with New york apartments you get free pets! Ah cockroaches...so cute. Im told they love standing water. Well i love standing on their heads.
Since i last wrote i feel like a lot has gone on. So lets start with the fkn nightmare i had in the studio when i turn up to start the final mixing process for my new album and the new super duper 'best thing you'll ever buy' hardrive that contained EVERYTHING i'd been working on for the past 2 weeks was no more. The damn thing just wouldnt work and without boring you with unnecessary technical terms lets just say the thingy thats supposed to go into the whats his name wouldn't work cos the wotsit was all fucked up!!! Excuse my french but you can imagine how pissed i was. (My english friends are thinking 'he was drunk?') and yes, that night i was. So anyroad, the guys at the place where i bought the stoopid thing were more than helpful and after queueing for an ice age managed to get it back to the men in white coats who in 2 days had it sent back to me with it all in tact with all my music on it!!!!HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!
Awwww....and they all lived happily ever after. Until they didnt.
Not long after saw me filling the shoes of Adam Pascal for 2 nights and i made my pre broadway debut! I was a bag of nerves to be honest. I dont know what it is but it takes me a few shows to get into the swing of things.Despite the fact i did this on tour for 9 months, this is like a whole new thing to get used to. I was like a jack in the box who'd been wound up all day and let loose in the Nederlander theatre at 8pm. Watch your popcorn..that kids on a high.
I had fun. I sweated. I ate bananas. I went to the gym on the way to the theatre. Bad idea. I enjoyed.... I remember being 17 years old and standing in front of Michael Greif (RENT director) in London and them thinking....your a bit too young now mate but we like ya. If someone had said 9 years later........mental.
I played my 2nd gig in NYC last week at the sidewalk cafe. I debuted a couple of songs i hadn't played before and brought out a few that i hadnt played in ages. Im thinking this is good for me. You get so locked into your set cos your like this sounds good here and i like playing this one blah blah blah so tonight i got someone else to write my setlist for me so i had no say and it was liberating to say the least. Maybe i'll get you to write my next setlist for me???! Keeps me on me toes thats for sure. For those of you that didnt get there - heres a clip of middle of your ashtray live at sidewalk! - copy and paste this link into your browser then whack enter - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WffyyKOMbek
EVENTFUL DEMANDS!
You've seen the tab on my myspace page that says 'Want Declan Bennett to perform in your city?' Well keep them demands coming! Its going well...Seattle seems to be in the lead right now followed closely be Arizona! Demand demand and lets just just say that if you can keep these numbers growing then i should find myself back in your city next spring to play my new album for you. You want it...then demand it!!
LONDON GIG
And all my homeboys and homegirls back in our United Kingdom, you can purchase tickets now for the pre release party for my new album 'AN INNOCENT EVENING OF DRINKING'. Taking place on Friday 16th November at Soho Revue Bar buy your advance tickets here - again, copy and paste this link into your browser and whack enter! - http://www.wegottickets.com/event/22074 or www.wegottickets.com. FIRST COPIES OF THE ALBUM AVAILABLE TONIGHT ONLY!!!
LIVE MYSPACE TRACKS
And if you hadnt seen already then i have also put 3 new LIVE tracks up on myspace for your listening pleasure! 'The Painters Ball' 'Middle of Your Ashtray' and 'Smoke' are alive and up there right now......
RENT REMIXED
Another thing is beginning to boil back home and it gives me a chance to give a shout out to a very good friend of mine who for the 2nd time is walking a parallel life with me! My mate Luke Evans who i understudied in the London version of Boy Georges 'Taboo' and then took over from when he left, is playing Roger in the new version of RENT REMIXED in London! Hahahahaha.....we're like chalk and cheese but i guess so the same... Im looking forward to seeing it for real and cheering Mr Evans on. He's in previews right now and they open very soon. I hear its very different from the NYC RENT! Ok...so ive heard a bootleg already... I think its pretty fkn cool....go luke...X
MY BROADWAY DEBUT!
Which brings me nicely to my own proper B'Way debut this last Monday! It was an honour and a pleasure and was certainly a teenage dream come true. Remember those mental dreams you used to have when you were a kid? Like "i want to be Tigra in Thundercats" or "i want to be the black chick with the pole in Dungeons and Dragons"? Ok...so i was weird but i also used to dream of being Roger in RENT. They do come true. I swear they do. Keep dreaming kids...little kids big kids small kids fat kids white kids black kids purple kids boy kids girl kids keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true
keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they do come true keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming keep dreaming cos they most definitely do come true
Over and out. I need to inject. Popcorn.
D X
16:57 - Thu 18th Oct 07
this city rumbles...
I woke this morning and ive been chomping on apples and peanut butter listening to jose gonzales new album and a new british artist SimpleKid. Me and my friend Krystal went to see him last night at the mercury lounge and he fkn rocked. Its always cool to see a fellow irishman floating around this side of the globe.Lyrically he was just flawless and inspiring....listen to Serotonin now. love it. He's on tour round the states right now so keep your eyes out...
Been sampling the delights of NYC as much as i can and often it involves beer and music and i've walked in on some of the best open mic sessions you've ever seen. Not in the original music sense but in the open jam style of a live band who leave the stage open to singers who come and say i wanna sing Like a Virgin by Madonna and they rock out and you let go. We rock up to the Cutting room last monday and i wander on stage, Corona in hand and do a cover of Gwen Mcraes 'All this love that im giving' - Krystal's like (under her breath - give me the beer bottle!) im like...whatever..this is my jam and im about to swallow the mic. Im dead if the youtube footage ever makes it...
So what else? Well we're well and truly ahead with the mixing of the album and im uber excited about the whole thing now - im actually enjoying the new stuff im working on aswell which will follow on nicely.... but until then, ive put up 3 new LIVE versions of Middle of your ashtray, Smoke and The Painters Ball up on myspace and you can go and download them for FREE! Free stuff is always good and they're fun recordings so go enjoy until we get this new record out....PS . apologies to anyone who has blu tack, middle of your ashtray or lessons in love on their page already as it will be deleted! Let us know which new track you decide to put up....
THIS CITY RUMBLES....
And i had proof of it yesterday while we were recording vocals in the studio...... ok so this vocal mic is worth more than a lot of something really expensive and when it came to mixing we could hear this low low earthy rumble coming through the mix and Mark looked at me and said its the mic picking up the subway trains! Now let me add that we are now on the fourth floor of a building in an unbelievably sound proofed room.....crazy sensitive mic but even crazier the stuff we dont see or hear. The noise of life that is around us all the time that a naked ear cannot hear, The perspective of a life that we dont always see! Its philosophy but its brilliant. Ive been toying with the idea of going on a philosophy course while im here but theres a part of me who understands from previous quests on searching for something that that journey is one that is never ending! You can search and ask and look and find, before you find yourself back at the place where you started - searching for something. Man you gotta stop this sometimes.. And sit with your mic and listen and accept. It fascinates me but Im undecided. Maybe i'll check it out and fill you in. Has anyone else done any kind of course like this?? Fill us in. Thoughts?
PS....follow this link...this is what i got up to last night after a bunch of margaritas....lovin lisa loeb... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwXvEedPBZM
hope you're well .....
in a bit...
XX
4:50 - Mon 24th Sep 07
I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps...
And i guess thats just what ive been doing for the last 2 weeks now! I sleep well here. Despite the crazy air conditioning units that stick out of the wall like mutant bugs. Its a rare treat for a english gentleman. And a surprise for me too.
RENT is going well, rehearsals have been chill and everyone has been very welcoming. The theatre has an incredibly relaxed atmosphere, like this operation runs like butter off a piece of hot toast. The walls wear voices from the past 12 years who have lived loved laughed and died through RENT. It is alive and apparent. It is loud and at peace. I feel like i was brought here for some reason of which i am still not sure... The cast are brilliant and the energy that they have injected into the audiences is electric. You cant phone this stuff in. They're on it and it shows. It was wierd watching the show after being on the tour for 9 months, the difference in my head from mondays show to saturday nights is huge! Im back in RENT mode i guess and the music has made its way back in. I went down to the Lower east side last sunday and caught up with Jodie Manross who i met while the tour was in Knoxville. Knoxville! The memories - im thinking fractured fingers and big splints! She is a beautiful singer/songwriter who was playing at a benefit for breast cancer. Loved it. The vibe down in the village is so raw and so real. You feel it in your skin.
You can feel it in your nails, never fails to amaze me
This mass maze of buildings scraping the clouds of the sky
Like the birds of manhattan needed some place to play
So lay out with me and my friends under a new york sky
And live the life of the lover who loved a life of big apple pie
With cream on the side and sugar in your bread
Accompanying the coffee that soaks up your head
Tommorows a headache we can keep at bay
If we just stay awake and play play play play play play play play play play play play play play play play play play play play play play play
Yesterday was labor day. And we went out to play! We went dancing in central park. The people were on roller skates and the DJ was super cool. We danced to house music till the sun went down. It looked beautiful. I think of london a lot and what we could learn from the crazy people here. i feel like they rub off on you. People singing at the tops of their voices on the subway. Men tap dancing for tips on the L train . Japanese men repeating the english they've just been taught at college so one day they can commmunicate better and get a better job. Women who take your hand and say 'Dont be shy honey, come on and dance in the middle with us'. Kids who dance in synchronization then skateboard back to their multi racial posses to dance some more. Hippys with flowers in their bra's and thats just the men. Angels in the park sitting high above the tears of the city. Hot dogs for free and the best effing kettlecorn you've ever tasted. Women speaking out in union square. Artists speaking out everywhere. Subway staff who clearly couldnt give a ' ' that you dont know how it works. Live and learn. And open your mouth and let it all out. These little town blues are leaving today
The bagels here are good and the cream cheese is tasty. The coffee is good and starbux is from here on in only allowed in emergency situations. 1 a month. Emergency ONLY! Times square on a saturday hurts my head. Times square at 5am sunday morning is beautiful and weird. Food is huge. So's my stomach.
Ive pretty much just been going to rehearsals in the day and then watching the show at night. And watching re-runs of six feet under. And the simpsons. I have a gig this saturday. Upstairs at the Living room in the lower east side, ludlow st. My new guitar will be there. He's japanese.
Londoners and fellow brits! London gig booked in for Fri November 16th at the Soho Revue bar. FIRST COPIES OF MY NEW ALBUM 'AN INNOCENT EVENING OF DRINKING WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE NIGHT! Twill be a party to remember....
Bye for now, i need a bagel ...
Much love
Declan
17:46 - Tue 4th Sep 07
1st day in new york! back in the us and a...i love this city.it has so much energy that it brings a heavy cocktail of excitement and anxiety. Its definitely a buzz that brings people and keeps people here. I love it. The big apple is a big drug. Was wierd leaving england again. It seemed like the last 3 months were spent in limbo. Limbo is fun for a couple of weeks but it gets boring. The last london gig before i left was so cool. A load of people came down to show their support and it was such a good night. Ferris and Bishi played and they were brilliant. "I cant promise i'll stay sober" - that line from a Ferris song is still stuck in my head. It says so much. Such brilliant music from lovely people. Aaron and me got our acoustic freak on. Our first gig we've done on our own acoustically. Great vibe. We finish with 'Young hearts run free'. They do. Uncontrollable. DJ Slack plays us out. We drink champagne and so do our friends.
Hotel in NYC is cool. Nice TV. Bathroom products by Aveda. Coffee in NYC by starbux. Its depressing and makes life so dull having a carbon copy coffee company on every corner of every street! I try to resist but its saturated and im a tourist and finding my feet. And they're helping me along with a decaf latte. You really dont need caffeine in this city. American TV assaults your senses! Oh how ive missed it!! I miss british TV the most, i remember that much. Its less incredible. More subtle.Less sugar. More fat. No wonder theres hurricanes. But... Its a sort of role reversal. British TV is more similar to American newspapers. American TV is more like British tabloids. Remedy : avoid tv and newspapers. Listen to music! Assault your ears with the music and declare war on your emotions. Music is power! tv and newspapers beware. Our ears are free from what the eyes see.
Time is back on my side! I was supposed to start rehearsals to day but im not opening in RENT now until October 8th. Apologies to anyone who have already bought tickets! Out of my hands. Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp have been extended on Broadway for another 4 weeks so i shall wait a little longer! No worries, i can suck the city in. But really, sorry for folks who had tickets. Ring the box office. Change them if you can! Shout and scream. Or be calm. whatever works for you. Until then dont forget that my first solo gig in New York City is still upstairs at the Living room ('Googies lounge') on sat sept 8th. Come and listen and we'll drink and enjoy some great music all night long. Details on www.declanbennett.co.uk or on ourspace.
What else...? I will be going back into the studio over here to mix my new album in a couple of weeks which is exciting. Its taken great shape and im feeling good about the music. The pictures for the album are once again created by Mr David Angel who i bloody love working with. He has awesome vision and is super talented. He makes my head come alive and that is a great feeling. He's a great artist. So i'll keep you updated with all album news and the whole process from here on in. I need a video camera so i can share it!
Im hungry.
God is huge here.
People say 'what?' when i speak!
Communicate twice.
Keep me posted
Declan x
23:03 - Tue 21st Aug 07
check out my myspace page...
http://www.myspace.com/declanbennett
19:23 - Sun 19th Aug 07
bit late putting this up - written about three week ago....
Had some sweet gigs as of late but finding this british weather is starting to annoy me now!! Come on, i just want a slice of sunshine. Just a bit....please..thanks.
Ive been holed up recording and recording and hitting brick walls and they punch me back, then i kick it even harder till i either give up and find a new wall or shake hands and camly walk round the back of it. To greener pastures! Supposedly...anyroad, its a long process, one im still not hugely accustomed to and one that at times can be boring as hell and others like some crazy high. I ended up with a load of dodgy computer issues when we came to recording all the percussion last week but i got the drawing board back out and proudly tried to walk back to square one, which happened to be more like square 4 so all is not lost! I still hate computers. I remember when music was all sung by hand...
The studio is a weird and wonderful place.I like seeing the songs create shapes while they float around in their naked sonic-ness and grow at different speeds all the time. Its that feeling of wanting to create something that says it all perfectly. Perfect....dodgy word...gets misinterpreted a lot. Brains dont know what to do with it. Completely against nature! I want to create music that has conviction in itself and its words...i think thats what happening and as an artist you hope that someone gets it. They are in tune with you and the harmony is beautifully apparent. I wonder what it must be like to be a stupidly huge star where you have to connect and try and be in tune with all those listeners. Im not sure that it always works that way. Depends on the creation and what your trying to do i guess. It must be overwhelming and there has to come a point where what you write is what you write and your job is not to sell it as many times as you can but search for the ears that will listen. Lend me your ears and i'll sing you a song. Makes perfect sense! And the beauty is in the different ears. The music all comes from the same place but its the ears that transform it and define it in a million different ways to a million different people. The ears.....hmmm....never thought so much about ears till now! Genius invention. And are put to the test when your doing this recording lark and hearing the same thing over and over and over and over...dont know when to stop listening....***~@:*!!!
So incase the news didnt reach your ears yet!...im going back stateside... start spreading the news...im leaving today, im gonna be a part of it la la la la la.....Im going to go and play Roger again in RENT but this time on the big white way in New York City!( i think thats what they call it) Yep. I've been asked to join the Broadway cast from Sept. 10th till late March '08. My girl Harley Jay will be joining me too. I spy hospital visits. I'll be back before Christmas to do some gigs and a pre-release of the album so you can get it before the shops do and i already have my first gig in NYC booked for sept 8th upstairs at The Living Room in the lower east side! Cant wait. So im running around like a nutcase sorting my life back into boxes and singing down a blueberry mic at the same time. So make sure you come out to the next couple of gigs cos they're gonna be my last ones for a couple of months...the band are joining me in Cov and The Kings Head in london on aug 3rd shall be a purely acoustic affair. Mines a pint of Hoegarden if the weathers good! ...So i guess i'll just have a jack daniels then.
Hope everyones well...
Later...Declan x
14:53 - Tue 14th Aug 07
Glastonbury...
Glastonbury came round after its year off and picked me up out of my head im used to chilling with and laid me down with the earth and the wet and the mud that should come off my wellies by next year. The sun tried her best but was clearly resting, she must have been tired from shining on LA, i hear LA is so hot these days, California is hot and london is still cold and rainy....but down south we trod, police on our backs and dogs making us feel guilty but with guitars on our backs to show that guilt wont get us, we came in peace, depsite the efforts of the dogs and their sniffing police. The mud didnt suprise, as we lie down on wednesday to wake to thursdays rain that would fall again and again and by friday day, daytime with little spears of sun that pierced a slate grey sky just enhanced our fun...and boy did we have fun, we had buckets of fun and we didnt run out. Ever. The fun just ran and ran and came as frequent as the rain and our disappointment come as little as did the sun last weekend in Devon. Bjork danced herself into me and i felt the fear of energy that knows no one can stop me when it fills you up so hard, you can represent music and be anything and be anyone and let the killers know that depsite the sound, we feel it anyway, we feel it anyway. These ways as music plays and people live and stop watching themselves if only for now, drinking cider from pears, amy winehouse shares her soul and hides nothing. We saw the cider on her face and we were joined in matrimony. They'll try and make us go to rehab but we'll keep on singing and bringing it all home and to the earth and let Mother Nature decide if she thinks were fine cos we wont go go go. The guitars sat and dreamed all night long, the rain fell more as the days grew long so i head up to a small world and speak my head and know that my heart doesnt always believe in everything ive said but when you sing it, you cant bring it anywhere but home so i do my thing and sing the songs i write and sing it to whoever will listen but as long as im listening then i believe everyone can hear, through the poets of ages who have tread these fields, glastonbury after glastonbury, bowie after dylan, mitchell after joplin and now tilston after chapman and bellowhead after the english folkers, now we sport pholkers and they're singing their songs and this festival is where it all belongs. Cos someone got it right, someone rightly said that we must build a space for the music and the head that questions its life in a world of dead, it knows its alive. Your soul flies free at glastonbury, you leave work at the desk and your opinions behind, this is a zone of freedom and the freedom to find that the alternative is there if you'll only see but looking wont do it you have to be it and feel every last bit of rain as it pounds the shit out of your tent again, but whats a bit if water when the music can fly straight through it!! Its untouchable, the melodys and notes dont feel the weather, they gather together and say come on people, be yourself and think bigger, and bring it all home where you'll always be, dont pack it away until next years glastonbury... xxx
2:48 - Thu 28th Jun 07
VIVA LA VIE BOHEME
Sorry for the folks who saw this blog was up and then went down again…me and computers don’t always get on.im slack slack slack...heads up donald. (my mate..his sir name is slack)///anyroad..
Ive only got 5 weeks left!!! Its a poignant time right here now on the RENT tour. What seemed to be taking forever is now taking the pace of an olympic gold runner...the train is getting faster and the end is nigh. I cant say im not happy cos im over excited to go back to english soil and watch some decent television. But i'll miss the food and of course this incredible piece of theatre which has became a huge part of my life. BUt anyway..theres stiil time left so i'll squeeze another blog in before i board the BA17 to london heathrow. Stuff is all good onstage, its hard doing the same thing 8 times a week but you have good days and bad days and weird days and tired days and crazy days. I spent my 26th birthday in a pool of alcohol and bad dance routines. I liked Tucson a lot...wanna go back someday and play. Had a great gig (well kind of) in dayton, ohio...my strings broke on the first song and then my fingers bled down the guitar i borrowed (soz harley)..its bound to find its way onto youtube...i have the footage.BUt for now check my video page on www.myspace.com/declanbennett for the acapella version of 'smoke' bleeding fingers and all. I wanna take this opportunity to thank everyone who brought me a box of samoa cookies! It was, quite frankly, ridiculous. And im back in the gym now thanks to 50+ boxes i must have recieved. Thats about 1000 rings of joy. Thats about 1 million miles on the treadmill. Im knackered. We've had some new folk join the tour which is all good, nice to get some new energy on the bus aswell as new personal odours. Meant in the nicest possible way. i stink frequently. yes i do.
Got a load of UK gigs booked in for when i get back so all the homelanders get your tickets and come hear my dodgy accent ive picked up! NOt really. Its still the dodgy cov/london one. Im feelin full of goodness to come back and play on home turf.January seems so bloody long ago. And aaron and mal are gonna be out a lot with me fingers crossed so check out the space or www.sumladfromcov.com for details! The big London one will this time be in an old public toliet (restroom, yankees) called Ginglik under Shepherds Bush. Some of you have seen me play at an acoustic night there before but i've gone and hired the whole place out for the night so we can do a big old session and get up to no good. GINGLIK - SUN 3rd JUNE!Cov gig news to follow. more details to come. If your not on the mailing list, you can join on this site so you can keep up to date with everything. And a lot of folk out here have been asking me to come back to the US and play. Lets just say, we're sorting it out in good time. i'll be back once this new album is sorted....im gonna start recording the new album in June as soon as i get home. Dont forget, the new EP 10 Nelson Rd is up on itunes right now. Go fetch. nice nice nice.......
New song ‘Therapy’ from the EP is also up on the myspace player to tempt your palettes! Feel free to add it to your pages pages pages.
And a final thank you to everyone’s continued support of the music and the RENT stuff, its all appreciated way more than can be seen when you see me drag my ass out of the venue at 11pm looking like I’m stranded at the borders of purgatory.
Over and out.
D XXX
PS. the cadburys creme eggs taste different here...an observation.
PPS Aaron Lavigne, a fellow singersongwriter on tour has a new EP out!...listen at www.myspace.com/aaronlavignemusic ..good lad.
0:32 - Mon 16th Apr 07
my new ep's up on itunes now!!!
it's called '10 nelson road'
and it's under 'declan bennett'
five tracks...
blu tack
therapy
4 or 5 beers
lessons in love
heaven on earth
i recorded it in london during my christmas break, and it also features mal and aaron, who played with me at the soho revue bar gig...enjoy X
declanxxx
14:41 - Fri 9th Mar 07
OK...so i shall start this blog with the voice of a new born cookie head...oh and that would be a girl scout cookie head. Now i remember being a scout when i was 13 and i remember we had girl scouts too and i remember we had woggles round our kneckerchiefs and badges on our arms for learning how to tie our leg in a knot whilst falling out of a tree.But alas....i rememer nothing of girl scouts selling cookies to raise money...and let me suggest that the UK catches on cos i swear, once you get one of these little bitches in your mouth (the cookie..not the girl scout) you will probably die and sit on a gold throne in cookie heaven. Especially when you devour the Samoa...a circular thing of great joy and humble nature full of coconut and dribbled with caramel and chocolate. The word ridiculous springs to mind. As does 'sugar' and 'substance abuse'. The girl scouts are the devil in disguise selling these amazing things only at this time of year and only in this country it would seem. If that is not the devils work then i know nothing of unfathomable temptation i cannot resist. Eat them now. I heart Samoas. (Apologies to the girl scout shop i ran into today on my wayback from ihop. I saw the sign and had to see if you were selling them. You weren't. You'd put an order in for more. I am thinkin about stealing your car and your children. But thanks for the poster.)
Oh rent rent rent, how we gonna pay last years rent? In daylights in sunsets or in cookies. Guess i'll stay homeless cos i aint giving mine to no one. Anyroad....im here in Redding, California, the northern part i think and theres meant to be a snow storm coming 2m so we may get stranded in the mountains on the way to Reno. Sounds like fun to me.
Show is going well but the times they are a changing! Krystal has left the tour and i have a new bird to kiss. She has nice lips too so i guess thats ok. Good luck Miss Joy Brown..You'll be missed. See you in NYC. Welcome back Jen Talton! 3rd time lucky! Also Mr Melvin Bell left us recently so good luck to you too texas tornado...
The world of youtube has caught onto my antics outside of RENT and you can see a few clips from gigs ive been doing when im half asleep after 5 shows in a row and desperate to sing something to help pay my own rent. enjoy...I had a top night in Tempe, Arizona last weekend, home of Harley Jay , my flat mate who makes videos of people to pass the time and also has no money to pay our rent. We met the cast of Jonathan Larsons other great piece of work 'Tick Tick BOOM!' and went to see it on our night off at the brilliant performance space Soul Invictus and they were incredible. Great job folks. Love your work. And on the sat night i headed down there after the show to play a set and got drunk on jack and ginger. It was ace.( 'lessons in love' on youtube - pre drink...honest)
Santa barbara earlier this week was beautiful and we had a good laugh except no one accepts my UK ID over here so i gotta carry my passport around with me and the picture in there is well....ugly. What can i say..we all have a passport face.
I've been writing new stuff lately and itchin to get this next album underway. Im playing a lot of it out to get them growing and to make room for more to come in. Its a process. That i love and that drives me crazy at the very same time. I sometimes wonder if i'll end up cutting my ear off. And then i think dont be silly. I'd have real trouble hearing the guitar....
Please send boxes of samoa cookies to any theatre where we'll be playing at. Address them to me.
Ok…ive picked up this blog again about a week later! Reno was fun although I nearly died from exhaustion on sat night! Im a wimp. Sunday we headed to Las Vegas! Fun fun fun…I bet collectively about $100! I clearly have an addiction. Tho I definitely spent more than that on cabs and margaritas….so there. Gambling is for wimps.
We had no shows in vegas, it was purely pleasure.. so we felt guilty for not doing shows for 3 days and swung by Fort smith, Arkansas for a one nighter last night and it was a cool gig. I got a text at 4am this morning to ask if I’d heard the tornado alarm???!! No, but now I could hear the wind screaming down my ears I couldn’t sleep so I stayed awake in bed wondering how my friends and family would take the news that I’d been killed by a tornado..thank god it never fully formed (like the guy at reception calmly pointed out, ‘oh they don’t always stay down, they just pop in and out of the sky)- yeh, thanks mate. Im from Coventry, UK. I jump at the hairdryer being on too high.
Im still alive and kickin tho as we roll into Waco, Teaxs today…now theres a few stories ive heard about this place..im sure you know the one I mean…let me tell you about the HUGE sign that sits above the road by our hotel..it says in big letters some guy saying “‘I questioned Homosexuality’ –Change is possible…discover how…”
– fucking outrageous. DEC x
PS. Gigs coming up this week -
This thurs (8th march) 3pm @ Amsterdam Espresso - Detroit
Next Sun (18th March) 7:45pm @ The Mint - LA
PPS. You want me to come play in your city? Click on the 'demand it' tab on my myspace page and DEMAND IT!
17:00 - Wed 7th Mar 07
Just a quick note - if you want me to come and play in your town log onto
http://eventful.com/performers/P0-001-000026815-3
and I'll see what I can do...
16:34 - Fri 23rd Feb 07
January january january…happy new year and all that even tho its almost February…
So we start the new year with resolutions to be happy and healthy and stuff and more stuff but this year I forgot to make one so I guess I’ll just resolute to have more fun. And not take things too seriously…that’s not asking too much of myself. Oh, and im making a resolution to stop asking too much of myself cos I just figured out im only human…took me a while…
Jan 12th saw my first gig back in the UK in 4 months and my only one before I came back out on the 2nd leg of the RENT tour. It was great to see so many people come out to listen the music…I was a happy chap that night if a little nervous! I’d got so used to performing in front of 2000 people that a room packed with 150 made me get jelly legs. I don’t know…maybe im a bit more exposed..! Thanks to Aaron and Mal who joined me for the gig that night and who are also party on the new EP I recorded while I was back home! Great musicians. I thank Mother Nature for bringing me to them. The new EP is again a work in progress of what will eventually become my 2nd album due out later this year which I’m psyched about. Can’t wait to get it finished! What can I say? I hate studios..they’re so impersonal…the click banging in my ears telling me to play in time! And Time is money in those boxes! A classical player I am not…An interesting player I strive to be! I want to be an Indigo boy (as in the girls).
More news on the “No.10 Nelson Rd EP” comin soon…. Thanks to everyone who came to the gig too, I really appreciate the support…it means a lot. Thanks for helping me do what I do.
I get on a flight to New York City the following week and chill there for a few days before me and my newly purchased old skool Nike high tops board a plane down south! Zac Morris eat your heart out.
So im back out on the 2nd leg of the adventure and after a brilliant opening in Columbia, South Carolina, I have to say my voice is thinking…what the hell happened here?! I think the shock of not singing like this for 6 weeks has kicked in and im a sick boy! I took myself down to the doctors this morning and met Ron, the ENT doc (ear nose and throat don’t you know…) (I didn’t).. Catholic with 4 biological kids and 4 adopted ones and he confirms my bad throat and sinus stuff and off I trot with the biggest bill I’ve ever had from a doctor in my life! The entire trip + medication cost me $400 (£200)….can you F-ing believe that??!! I can hear my English friends screaming at the tops of their voices now! Well keep on screaming friends in the beautiful knowledge that you can waltz down the doctors tomorrow and get seen for free on the NHS and pay a tiny fraction for the damage done to your poor wailing throats! Woe is me….so it goes that I won’t be doing the show tonight! Apparently what ive got is contagious and I don’t want to give it to Krystal….or Harley….what?! I don’t kiss Harley….that much.
Nor will I be playing at Wetlands after the show as planned! Apologies to anyone who shows up. I’ll come back to Chapel Hill after the tour and do a one off gig at the ENT building hosted by Ron… Bring your kids.
To be continued…. XXX
1:07 - Wed 31st Jan 07
slfc headin home for xmas...
Only a few days to go....
Listening to : Christmas radio (take note UK - they have stations here that play nothing but xmas music all day long and have been doing since thanksgiving, thats a whole month of xmas! Get it sorted!)
So im wrapping the past couple of weeks up here as i head into my first home stretch on whats been an unbelievable experience out here in the US and A! Im sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Buffalo New York in my pyjamas cos the wireless internet dont work in my room....i have cinnamon and raisin bagels hanging off my lips and decaf coffee staining my teeth and me and jack daniels and ginger have a date tonight in a drag bar next to the theatre....what has my life came too?! Seriously, its been a blast and i've seen parts of america even americans havent seen.
Baltimore was cool, despite some folks saying it was a bit dodgy....My lovely friend and PR extraordinaire Annie and her famously talented man David Angel (who takes all those brilliant photos of yours truly) came to visit and it was great to have some familiar faces around for the weekend) and the audiences were great so big up to you all. I also bought some uber cool t-shirts and had great pizza so im a happy covboy.
Cue monday of the penultimate week and we rock into Buffalo to HEAVY snowfall and our own suite in the hotel....its hilarious, i have glass doors that lead to my bedroom...camp. And i have a pink bedspread and grey curtains....stop it.
The audiences this week have been amazing and the show seems to be in good shape. Its still wierd to think that people go so crazy about this show 11 years later...we pretty much sold out our whole week here in the Shea's PAC (3000 seat capacity) . I've been holding out well,tho im starting to flag and relying on ricola to get my voice through Act 1. Maybe i should warm up before i get to the theatre...dig. My finger is pretty much back to normal minus the nail and i cant wait for the london gig in january! I debuted my nailess finger thursday just gone at Ms Kittys here in buffalo with Mr Bob Z and Heidi Maria, some great local artists. The community scene here in buffalo is brilliant - hometown of Ani Difranco The Goo Goo dolls... says it all.
So i have 2 more shows today and then me and some of the lads are doing a mini road trip to Cleveland before we head to Cinncinati on thurs. I unfortunately wont be playin Cinn. cos i've been invited to Matt Lucas' wedding back in london next sunday!Im going as Robin Hood, Dec in Tights, cod piece and all. And big leather boots.....im getting excited just thinkin about it.
So over and out for this end of the RENT tour 2006! Im back in the big smoke for 5 weeks and then i head back out here end of january to kick off the madness again. My new years wishes will be that maybe someone will find me funny out here, that i'll learn that they drive on the wrong side of the road out here so i dont get ran over, that free continental breakfast will always finish the minute you wake up and the do not disturb sign is there for a reason but hotel maids with vision are not required for this line of work. Oh and i hope to be happy, healthy and all that stuff too cos thats important.
Watch out for a new EP comin your way late jaunary, its all being put together when i get back!!!!
Bye bye bye.....flying home for xmas
slfc in usa headin back to uk xx
PS.. to whoever my secret santa is who gave me a fake lottery ticket that said i'd won $10,000 dollars......eat me X
PPS. Great xmas present ideas! my album The Painters Ball by sumladfromcov available to order from all good record stores , www.amazon.co.uk (they deliver to USA) or download from www.itunes.com! Remember the album is under the artist name 'sumladfromcov'! later....x
17:36 - Sun 10th Dec 06
slfc in usa wk7/8
So Rochester was rainy but also turned out to be a cool place that was nice to be in for our first whole week! And before i go any further i have to give thanks to Mother Nature for putting an English pub on my doorstep!We came across 'The Old Toad' lookin for somewhere to eat late at night and was greeted by an accent from Chester!And then the bar girl comes to take our order and guess where she's from? Birmingham! (uk...)15 mins away from my hometown...crazy stuff..so we swopped general statements of amazement and ordered a pint which incidentally is smaller here than back home...but you can order as many as you like so im like..ok, no probs.
I did my 2nd live TV int. and had great coffee all week. I also went to see the hand specialist and my finger is healin well!Im playing guitar onstage again so im chuffed to bits. The show continues to rip up stages everywhere but we're all a bit knackered...So we leave Rochester and im late for the bus cos i went on the coffee run for me and my vegan sidekick... and say goodbye to Ms. Erica Dorfler who's gone on to greener pastures that pay way better...big love honorary brit x
I enter Canada for the first time...supposedly canada is a spiritual home for me my starchart once told me , so i eagerly wait an epiphany as we cross the border but after no angelic extravaganza im happy just to see that the Kit Kats in Canada are the same as england. Small pleasures..Harley Jay is astounded by such insane chocolate dimensions and i witness the moment with spiritual joy...i knew it would happen.. and the Queen is on the money too..genius. Kitchener, Ontario was fun and i experience RENT fans arguing and crying in the rush ticket line...i wish i had the footage..and 'Tim Hortons' a 24 hour diner cum dunkin donuts affair that gives good donut...but please USA, Canada and surrounding areas, stop putting mustard in all your sandwiches...its wrong.
I celebrated my first Thanksgiving with a trip to Niagara Falls!the place where ive decided all the worlds clouds are made. Then we gathered round the dinner table and had turkey and red wine and said what we were thankful for...
Im thankful for this experience, my family, my mates, my health, for music, for open minded people who tolerate every colour of life and for my dog mushty who has mastered the art of 'being'. ..i read a really cool quote today that i wanna share...
'Just when the caterpillar thought it was all over, he turned into a butterfly....'nuff said . X
6:46 - Tue 28th Nov 06
slfc in usa week 5/6...
Listening to :Imogen Heap
Broke my finger and set fire to my jumper onstage
Verdict - im an legal alien who is a liability
"mimi's running out of time...Rogers running out the door"
"oh no..no more...i've gotta go...."..oh no rogers not going anywhere, rogers got his hand stuck in the table..oh no rogers pulling the table across the stage by his finger..oh no, rogers yanked his hand free...oh no..blood...lots of..oh no..."
" you heard..." ...
So thats kind of how it went last sunday night in indianapolis whilst on stage 20 mins before RENT finished. The rest of the scene was a slight blur and depsite running off and shaking like a british kid in an igloo, i went back on, clearly devoid of any common sense and finished the show. 'Your Eyes' (my finale song sang to a dying mimi) should have been sang by her to me as i was reeling in and out of conciousness by this point! So i come off at the end and had to deal with some random woman claiming to be the 'tour doctor' who kept telling me that my wound wasnt fatal but going into shock was! thanks for that luv..i feel loads better now...i get to the hospital and realise my badly cut finger has actually gone right through and into the bone and ive broken it and have to have 8 stitches put in and my fingernail ripped off. At this point im supposed to be at a bar downtown called Locals only to play a set but im busy in casualty (american version:ER) with a woman who is insistent on spelling my name with a D and a U in the middle (D E C D U L A N) and a copper who's trying to stop the lads from the cast filming it... oh we laughed and i have all the footage!funny..but it fkn hurt...check the picture out on my myspace profile!
So i've been out of sync since then, my planetary line up is all over the shop and my 'chi' is scattered and soiled. But 2 days off the show (sorry Knoxville) and 2 days off in Birmingham (Alabama..not north of Cov) gave me some head space...although the painkiller Vikadin probably had something to do with the space my head was in...I've been back in the show since friday night in Birmingham and all is good but i cant play acoustic guitar onstage which quite frankly annoys the sh*t out of me!Im bearing up and learning slide guitar, i will be a country and western singer by the end of this tour...not.
Pre-accident, we skirted around illinois once again before embracing Benton harbour and Peoria where i got a couple of gigs in and sampled the local strip club for all of 5 minutes.
The whole cast hosted a caberet concert after the show on Friday night and me and Harley Jay who plays Mark in the show did a rendition of 'Take me or leave me' which left Chante and Tracy fearing for their jobs...The benefit was for the Birmingham AIDS foundation so much love goes out to them for all their incredible work. The show continues to hit people hard and i get uber cool messages from people from all walks of life which is totally brilliant and it makes this whole experience something more than just singing on a stage to an audience. Its hard being on the road a lot and im starting to get tired but ultimately, being able to play this story every night is a job to be cherished so i remind myself the power of what we're doing. I wish you lot from back home could come over and see it!dont worry...there'll probably be some crap video of me on youtube soon so you can see for yourself! haha..the camera always lies!!Just got to a rainy cold Rochester but starbucks has red cups again!hooray... im a sap xx
PS. home is where the heart is x
6:55 - Tue 14th Nov 06
slfc in usa week 3/4..
so much to tell you, so little space on the intre-web...firstly, i cant talk to automated telephone messages in this country cos they dont understand me.
secondly, lets get the halloween thing sorted...americans celebrate halloween like catholics celebrate easter...its amazing and it isnt even 31st yet. We really need to up the stakes back home and get this festivity up and running. We rocked up in columbia, missouri and after a day of travelling from Iowa city we had a night off!an odd occurence...but we got word of a haunted house in the area and decided to give it a shot. NOw these things are the norm apparently at this time of year- i've never been to one before but someone in england needs to get one going because it is 'awesome' as my friends would say... For $20 i s**t myself holding onto everyone in our group for dear life cos a man with a baseball bat and blood over his face took a liking to us...turn a corner and theres kids havin something extracted from a part of their body i couldnt make out for the blood, a bizarre eminem lookalike with a drug problem who collapsed in a lift (sorry..elevator) while we were all happily makin our way to the 2nd floor...cue screaming, freddy krueger, jason, pitch black hallways and mental cases jumping out of the walls and into your path, we were all a little bit more scared than we would let on. To round up the evening, the 6 of us were put in a maze made of wire mesh when 3 men carrying chainsaws tried to stop us finding the way out...crazzeeeee...i heart haunted houses!And just for the record, i won 3rd place in our halloween costume party for 'Hand to the Face'....not in the jerry springer kind of sense...i actually had a hand crawling out of my face...lots of blood and gore and won a $10 starbucks gift card...yes thats right. Pumpkin lattes rock.
So RENT is going good, this past 2 weeks have been travel heavy..we hit texas, nebraska, iowa (three times) missouri and illinois.. I did my first proper gig of the tour at Duggans in lincoln, nebraska! my slfc usa debut! It was cool, we took over the stage after the open mic and i played a set before some of the cast took over into the night...all good fun sponsored by jack daniels and ginger (my new favourite tipple)I've been listening to some good stuff out here too, its all pretty rock heavy but im liking it...and i play electric guitar in the show too so im thinkin of embracing it for some gigs...'Faithful Lover' loves being electric these days! Im settling into the theatre thing again which is cool but i miss doing gigs so im trying to book as many in as i can when a travel day fuelled by Applebee's + 2 shows permits me...me and Harley Jay do not do Applebees for digestive reasons but let me not put you off.
The weather is getting colder and colder and the shops in the mall all still strangely look the same no matter where you go, or how far or in which direction..oh the touring life!but we get cosy on our bus and head off into the desert once more to bring this incredible show to the people without passports who are lapping it up...my favourite audience members are the old ladies at the top of the show you bet will have left by the interval and at the end they are the first ones to stand up cheering. Puts a big fat smile on my face and makes me feel blessed to be part of it all.The message continues to be spread...no day but today...
zzzzzzzz im sleepy....clocks go back tonight...smile. Leave for Macombe, illinois in the morn. Hello UK..miss u xx
8:00 - Sun 29th Oct 06
slfc in usa...week 2/3...soz x
SLFC in USA Week 2/3
MUSIC : TORI AMOS
FEEDER (THEY LOVE IT)
MUSE
THE KILLERS
ALTAR BOYS SOUNDTRACK (GO MITCH)
SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS - (I CANT PAY MY
RENT BUT IM BELLY MAMBA...)
So i promise not to get really bad on updating my blog...i have been a little slack but im here, i have a few hours off, so my experience since the last blog has been...
We tied up rehearsals in NYC and flew out to Melbourne, Florida to meet the rest of the cast who were staying on with the show. Very cool people and stupidly talented to say the least...and some are just plain stupid. Haha....!not really...i heart them all. I have to learn to not tell any jokes im used to telling in England cos they just do not translate well at all...seriously, i am not funny here...it hurts.
So...the tech rehearsals were not too painful, the hotel was great, right next to the beach and the joe train took us to rehearsals every day and Mitch sang all day every day in the car...he has been dealt with.
We love mitch, he's picking up the english accent well. I had no idea what to expect when we opened, everything had happened so quick that it was a bit of a blur but the audience were mental and we did good. This theatre business is so different to the gigging life where i get to sing stuff thats all sits quite well in my range and if i dont wanna do something one night i can change it...its discipline at its hardest but its a huge pleasure to get to sing these songs every night. And when i get back to the hotel i can keep my english tone in check with a sumladfromcov session and a jack daniels and ginger...thankyou new friends for the introduction! I havent lost my accent on stage, although my character is clearly supposed to be american the creative team were not adverse to the idea that Roger probably spent a lot of time in the UK when he was younger! Honestly, thats the truth, he really did, its an artistic choice...i swear...
Er...so we shuffled on to savannah (big shout out to my Dad who got to the show there) and the the peace center in Greenville, South Carolina where we did our first 5 show weekend.
The bus journeys have been long and the Wendys/waffle house/sonic burger many but we caught up on some old skool 'Saved by the Bell' on the bus (what a fkn great show...childhood memories!)and done some heavy sleepin to the sounds of iced tea being stirred...
Tallahassee saw us performing in an arena which brings back fond memories of my Point Break days! I had a tear in my eye.....too much eye liner dec...yes im a rock star, the pretty boy front man who wasted opportunity...( for those of u who know the show) ..and we just finished our second 5 show weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. The audiences were great and the theatre was incredible inside...kind of camp but ultimately cool! Friday afternoon before our first show i did a live session on the wfpk radio, played Lessons in Love and Blu Tack , which i have to explain since you dont get blu tack here....oh the cultural differences are lovely, even down to such a daily necessity as blu tack...
Hope alls good back home over the water...any breaking news?...my life is theatre and muffins and chat shows and right now this is the 5th episode of the fresh prince of bel air to be shown in a row!fill me in as Sir Craig David would say...
I'll blog next week....
Later xxx
5:48 - Mon 9th Oct 06
SLFC IN NYC - 1st week...
Start spreading the news, im leavin the day after 2m...
Firstly, i heart NYC and the fact that people eat muffins and cookies every day for breakfast and no one gives a toss if they're organic or not, they just taste good...
Anyroad...I've settled in well and meeting all the cast was cool and we have a cool bunch of us to put this show on the road!We're rehearsing at 520 8th avenue (ripley greer studios) and its hot and sweaty. They dont do days off here cos theres so little time but its not too intense and we do the deli every day and england needs to catch on to the whole 'deli' thing cos it rocks!
Its been an education so far at the very least...RENT has some serious history but i didnt realise the impact that AIDS had on Jonathan Larson (the writer) during the 80's/90's when his friends were dropping like flies from this shocking disease and the government were doing jack so his frustration and hope and fear were brought together creatively to make this utterly special piece of theatre. We met his ex-girlfriend on wed and she told us all so much that when i saw the photos of her close friend Ali 2 minutes before she died from AIDS the experience hit home and i thought...fk..this is so much bigger than us. Its message is everything ...how do you measure a year in the life? how about love?...make this moment count cos its happening right now.
im loving the cultural differences so far...the fact that i take the 'lift' and stand in a 'queue' and they take the 'elevator' and stand in a 'line' is funny especially when they have no idea what the word 'queue' is??!hilarious...love them. The word 'awesome' is used every other word and while im being taught the lingo , im also resident english accent teacher...
So im having a top time and i love the fact that i woke up the other day and beyonce was singing live round the corner in times square! All broadcast live on TV (with its million channels) and i didnt even have to get out of bed. Obviously not the hardcore beyonce fan you thought i was huh?
Off to florida on monday to start tech week and then we open week on tues in melbourne at the king center!
Hope alls good back home, would love a normal bacon sandwich and nans cup of tea....
off to a party 2night on avenue B...get me...im sooo east village xx
3:20 - Sun 17th Sep 06
STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS
A very exciting thing has occured people! A new project has arrived and it involves me going Stateside! I've been asked to play the part of singer/songwriter Roger Davis in RENT the rock-opera, on the current USA tour.
I'll be visiting at least 30 towns and cities before Christmas, and many more in the New Year, so if you're anywhere nearby, I'd love it if you'd come along to see the show. My album will be on sale at the theatres while the show's on, too, and I'll hopefully be playing the odd gig along the way, so keep checking back for up-to-date info.
And if you live in any of the towns the show's stopping off at, it'd be great if you could write to me on my myspace page (www.myspace.com/declanbennett) and let me know of any contact names and details for any good acoustic venues or radio stations who might like my music who you recommend in your area - much appreciated!
Don't worry, while I'm away, I'll still be writing regular blogs on the news page, there'll be new music going up on my myspace page each month, and the new album will still be out next year. Who knows, I'll probably have yet another album's worth of material written by the end of the tour, too. And I'll be back in the UK in December/January, so look out for some gigs then.
I'm armed with lyrics and tea bags....can't wait but I'm gonna miss home. My leaving present to you...a free live download on this website coming very soon. Watch this space. Keep the home fires burnin'....dec X SLFC IN USA X
STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS
20:44 - Tue 5th Sep 06
BEAUTIFUL DAYS......SAT 19TH AUG
the closest to glastonbury so far...so beautiful. Played in the bimble inn on sat eve to a chilled crowd and loved it. The atmosphere was lovely and the folks were festive! And for good measure i played a set at breakfast this morning outside the chai chapel....thanks to jess and morwenna for having me!against all the odds it was a nice way to kick off the sunday session. I hope everyone enjoyed the rest of the festival....i totally want to go back next year. Gary and charlie...nice to meet you, go easy on the day-glo cider, evil lurks in every corner...was a pleasure to get wasted with you's last night!And thats all folks...no more festivals for me this year!ah man....what am i gonna do for the next 9 months?lets wait and see....xx
20:28 - Sun 20th Aug 06
stainsby festival and godiva festival!...hahahaha....
stainsby was ace...we stayed with annies sister which was all good and about 30mins walk from the festival so we chickened out on the whole tent business but we've had our fairshare so far this year! The festival had such a lovely homegrown vibe in one field with 2 tents and lots of dogs... and the line up was great and i caught some folks ive never seen before which is always nice! Had a decent length set and if theres one thing that a folk audience get right everytime is that they listen listen listen!!Except for one pissed up bloke who offered me a kebab halfway through 3 words...i swear, thats true...so i had an attentive, appreciative audience for the most part and we created a good vibe. Thanks to the festival goers who've been in touch since the gig! And getting home that night after some oddly named ale that sounded more like a ride at alton towers and some good old carling proved an event in itself and i think theres a picture on the pix page on myspace now to prove it(myspace.com/sumladfromcov)!think small hedge paths, corn up to your ears, cows appearing out of thin air, invisible fences, flip flops and stinging nettles oh and just to top it off i had to carry my guitar.....loved every minute of it! and cov was cool but it was so hot man i felt like i was doing a gig in a microwave. Nice to see some old cov people and well done to the city for keepin it free, lets get some camping in there next year!!tho im not so sure cov's ready for camp yet......much love xx!
11:07 - Thu 20th Jul 06
GOLDEN CROSS COV...WED 14TH JUNE
All hail justine and the X folks for creating a lovely vibe on this wholesome wednesday eve!Playing in cov is always somethin special and when everyone comes out even tho its a school night then im a happy child and my inner child is happy..yeah!It felt fresh from the word go like i was playing stuff i've never even played before which was weird but its nice to see people feeling songs like Blu Tack even tho he's still a little young lad. I must give due respect to my partner in crime C.Keane for not battering me for some of my lyrics tho i know we share the same views!!!love u m8. and also thanks to the girl who was shocked to hear that i was selling my album for £10????!!!she said if she was still in 'london' then she'd expect to pay £10 for someone in the Top 10! Dont get me started...........why are some people insistent on killing music by demanding they should be given it for free?.I hate financial politics especially when my music is concerned but its weird how some people see artistic endeavors as ones that should be free of financial gain.Would you ask an independent artist living on a shoe string to give you their latest painting cos it made you feel like it was worth more cos there was no exchange of money? We as artists face this problem on a daily basis. Promoters all over the country put on acoustic nights and charge people to get in and the artist gets nothing. Or they have to bring in 'at least 30 people and then you get a £1 for every person you bring in after that'. Great.So you get 31 people in and come away with £1 and someone challenges you on how you can get away with charging £10 for your album?!...You said you could teach me a thing or 2 about the industry.? I think i just taught you.... kiss kiss kiss xxx
PS. For the record Justine is not one of the above mentioned promoters!She's one of the good guys x
14:00 - Thu 15th Jun 06
LOndon Kitchen EP launch..sun 4th june
festival blues kickin my stomach round and my heads disconnected from the rest of the city in which i wake till i remember whats happenin in an hour...breakfast...mmmmmmmmmm. Just what we all needed me thinks, sun shining and everyones chompin on their favourite brekkie and im downin coffee even tho its decaff!god, im must have been so hardcore once. I donned a pink shirt and gave ryan some new ropes and off we went like an old fashioned troubadour. It was so lovely to have everyone there together at breakfast!theres something about that time of day that puts people in a good place and you can feel the satisfaction in the room not to mention the free badges. BIg thanks to Jonathan and co. at the breakfast club...im sure we'll do some more soon cos they just work in such a good way. and thanks for comin people, i know some of you (donald and fame) fought long and hard through hellish hangovers to be there which has been noted! so of course we all went to soho square and got drunk then cos it was sunny and and everyone else is doing it so why cant we????!perhaps dec, cos i had a gig that night in cambridge....but i got through it and now im just a little sleepy.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
0:16 - Tue 6th Jun 06
fri something of june - WYCHWOOD FESTIVAL!!
1st festival of the summer!!wahey, strap that green thing round my wrist and call me a hippy cos the summer has begun and the weather was everything. Wychwood is such a nice home grown festival with some really diverse artists playing which makes it a totally special experience for everyone.Mine and seth lakemans set overlapped but i caught the end of him and he rocked...and i opened the Other Stage at 6pm on the friday to a happy bunch of festive folk who were easing themselves into the weekend with their first rounds of beer! And it was great to meet you lot who'd seen me in worcester last year, and the borderline lot too...thank u muchly...but the best part of the evening had to be silent disco!!The guys from this festival machine saw my set and asked me to play later that night in the silent disco tent...cue 11pm and the whole crowd headin into the tent and being handed cordless headphones to listen to not one but two different DJ's!you could choose which one you wanted to listen to until cue 1am- i get up between the DJ's and provide the sumwhat lighter touch to the dance tent!so you can now tune your headphones into any of us 3 on stage and it wasnt until i threw in an acoustic version of 'Firestarter' that i realised how many people were actually listenin....the best laugh i've had in ages...check the pictures out on myspace!funny as f......xxx isle of wight..here we come x!
http://www.myspace.com/sumladfromcov
0:05 - Tue 6th Jun 06
BORDERLINE LONDON SUPPORTIN AMY..
The london leg of ms wadges tour and not all going to plan but all planned out in the end!some musicians can be very demanding and as for their managers, well...cue hardcore annie with contract in hand and all is said and done..u go!..Hello jaya and handbag, thankyou for strectching my artistic abilities with alternative EP artwork!and hi to hari and co. great to see you boys, cant wait for breakfast! and to the girl who thinks all photos of me on my website arent me but some 'model'??...i'm worryingly flattered at the parody of myself i obviously create in real life....it is me i swear!!!!ask david angel, he was there and his camera is bigger than yours so there x
23:42 - Thu 1st Jun 06
RIGA SOUTHEND SUPPORTIN AMY..
phoenix nights eat your heart out!!!!!and this is the only venue i've ever been to where the guy who introduced me made me sound like a bingo ball....me and annie checked out the seafront and the longest pier??check those girls behind the burger bar dressed up to the nines, my favourite..and nice to catch up with some new folk at the gig where all dues go to the soundman who was wicked...played blu tack and storm again and as far as new songs go im enjoyin playin them a lot and i can start to see the shape of the next album doing nice things to me which makes me happyyyy!bye bye southend...we'll meet again..
23:36 - Thu 1st Jun 06
THE GALLERY COV BREAKFAST EP LAUNCH..
This was exactly what i planned and more!!we had such a nice sunday vibe and the best bacon sandwiches in cov served by my close mate Kate Kavanagh.love ya mate...music on a sunday morning really does have its advantages and i for one am hooked and cant wait for the london one!!big thanks to Wes aswell for jumpin in and doing a little set for us while fightin a hangover...and he wasnt the only one..and even tho the whole point was to devour a good brekkie and bottomless coffee, we still had a few hardcores who were sat with bacon sarnie in one hand and a pint in the other. Coventry, you rock...hard...even on a sunday morn xx bring on the breakfast gigs x
23:29 - Thu 1st Jun 06
SUPPORTIN AMY WADGE AT BIRMINGHAM GLEE CLUB...
Totally cute venue that is so intimate and a great brum venue. If you've never seen anyone here go go go! Nerina Pallot is there very soon..check her out... I tried a new song tonight called Blu Tack. Always odd when you do a song for the first time. Its pretty delicate but progressive aswell and thats what its all about right? Although i did all other tracks from The Painters Ball, stuff like justify which i havent played solo for ages! I had a blast and cos its so near to cov my mum and best mate carmel came over! and my mum is sooo rude after 3 glasses of wine.....i wont go into details!PS . Amy is pulling out some wicked solo performances...nice one babe, your rockin the house every night xxx
pS THE KITCHEN EP IS FINISHED!HOORAY!
17:33 - Sat 13th May 06
videos on myspace...
Well check me out....!im not one for nerding my way round a gigabyte unless theres money involved but i have to say im a mini but chuffed that i worked out this one... (its so easy i hear u nerds cry) Live video of Interlude/Faithful Lover on myspace page now!www.myspace.com/sumladfromcov
PS..New EP comin along nicely xx
www.myspace.com/sumladfromcov
10:53 - Wed 19th Apr 06
ACOUSTIC LOUNGE CLAPHAM - TUES 11th APRIL 2006
Now this was a good night with a top vibe and sum great musicians, a cocktail for happiness and im sure we all felt it. I dont venture south of the river 2 much but its venues like this that make u wanna do it more often! The wallpaper on the way upstairs particularly caught my eye and it was everything i could do not to lick it. The sound boys knew their craft and the promoters being muso's themselves kept the candles alight and the mood present so it was a joy to play, a total joy. And the other musicians on the bill were all fkn brilliant.I played a bunch of new stuff which is always an experience for me cos its like leavin your kids with a new babysitter (im guessin...) but the babysitter was a good lass and she can come again.... how now to matt and anna and folks and the sat nav ladies who always keep me smilin! And robbie shelley (old friend o'mine) Good to have you back in the loop!catch u's soon, Happy Easter!!!
15:49 - Thu 13th Apr 06
CRANBROOK SCHOOL - CRANBROOK KENT - THURS 23RD FEB
Well now, i havent been to school in a long time and certainly not to play stuff that i'm writing now so here i find myself merrily rolling along in cranbrook which is a lovely place, and i'm supporting a great comedian called something who i cant quite remember and i'm dead sorry cos he was actually brilliant but i'm a tad drunk whilst writing this so be accomodating...thanks xx! ...The guys and gals at the school were ace and attentive and the set went down well, no hardcore catholics to take offence and no hardcore parents to tell me to pull my trousers up! The staff at the school keep me well watered and wined which was grand and annie didnt refuse a glass of red either... So big shouts to everyone at Cranbrook for supportin the cause and buying my album! i had a great time and hopefully will be back there soon...maybe i'll lodge there next time (its a boarding school) i know...naughty things happen at those places dont they..? count me in x
1:01 - Thu 2nd Mar 06
PICTUREDROME NORTHAMPTON SAT 18TH FEB
My god, the mission i had to get home from this place was not on my original plan of the evening....getting the train back to london from Northampton to be booted off at watford then coached back to euston with a bus that stank of sick and toilets...oh what fun we had!!!nightmare...
So apart from the half chatty audience who weren't really there for the music anyway, it was sound to be invited down here by the lovely Pip + simon....the venue is this mental cinema/theatre cum bar vibe with acoustics like the grand canyon. And the comedy award goes to Monty 'The sound man' aka the barman aka the chef aka the cleaner aka the glass collector! To look up to the sound desk halfway thru the set to ask for more in the monitors to see an empty desk and the soundman on the floor clearing glasses and serving food was comedy to say the least....Can i have my guitar up in the monitor MOnty??!! Course mate, do you want ice with that? xx
12:14 - Sun 19th Feb 06
Marrs Bar sun 5th feb..
So this place feels like a 2nd home seeing as i've played there a lot in the last 6 months but each time is special and i beg you to check out the acoustic sundays here....awesome. Its a bit wierd doin full headline sets just acoustically but once i get up there it feels like it flys by, the only timer being the beads of sweat that are growing scarily close to falling into the amp of the guitar and i swear i'm a gone-er one day!but we play on...i got some new stuff in there and just before 'Heaven on Earth' cast my mind back to last time i was there when sum old folks came into the gig just before i started that song and left as soon as i'd finished. I guess their God is a bit different to mine? U cant fool a catholic...But much to my pleasure everyone stayed and the request for the Willy Wonka song admittedly took me by suprise!BUt i stand by my words and confirm that the original is still the best bloody film in the world!!! soz jonny but Gene's a classic. Brian, i hope your bones are intact xx
18:17 - Mon 6th Feb 06
Half moon Putney.....by annie windley!
So, I’ve got a deadline on a feature, numerous important e-mails to write, not to mention 10 albums to review, but, hey, I’ve decided to write about the Sumladfromcov travels around the UK, so all the rest will have to wait! Let’s make a start (relatively) close to home - the Half Moon in Putney, on Thursday 26th jan. That’s almost a foreign country to us norf londoners. I mean it is technically south of the river, but Mat, Dec and I all trekked over the murky Thames and made it safely to the cosy confines of the music room at the back of the pub. The lovely Amy Wadge who’d asked Dec down to support came rushing over to tell us they’d all just seen Declan on a Tricia repeat - the fame, the shame! (he was only supposed to be watching in the audience, but ended up making the best comments on dieting on the show!!You’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen it ). Post soundcheck, preshow was spent in the chippy, grabbing a bite to eat while a particularly gruesome documentary about cosmetic surgery played on the TV - nice! Back at the venue, it had filled up - all the tables taken, so Mat and I sat on the floor along with quite a few more, till the sound guy prised Declan (resplendent in ripped jeans, with his check pyjama trousers underneath... very fetching) out of the dressing room. The audience was attentive, responsive, and a very chummy - at times hilarious - time was had by all. The highlight had to be the climax of 3 Words, when Declan is finally about to say those special three words to that someone special... ‘When I sit you down and say the words...’ he sang, cue dramatic pause. But just at that moment, a woman, oblivious to the silence and rapt attention in the room, came in from the bar and said loudly and very audibly ‘Oh, you awright?’. Not exactly the three words everyone else had in mind, but it was the best comedy moment you could have asked for, and prompted much cheering and applause when Declan stopped laughing enough to finish the song. The barman even bought an album on the strength of the moment . ‘Things like that just don’t happen in real life...’ he said. (Maybe not, but this was a Sumladfromcov gig, after all...)
18:08 - Mon 6th Feb 06
too2much Fri 20th jan Soho London
toooooootooooo22222much....well i certainly over did it after put it that way. I had a top night with appearances from loads of pretty faces and i got a chance to do loads of new stuff which was nice and soul bearing...! Despite installin a talking ban(!), its a sorry state of play for a muso but i had to do it man, the atmosphere was electric and i have to thank everyone for creating that.Dead special. Jimmy the soundman deserves an award for his greatness and justin and oz deserve a pint for remembering what the songs sound like....I love you fellas!And miss delia spiers, you're an angel and you were great, thankyou so much and goodnight xx
16:38 - Sat 21st Jan 06
MR KYPS POOLE WED 18TH JAN
so you walk into a bar that looks like a community centre from the outside and then you walk in and go whoah! phoenix nights eat your heart out and then this place transforms into the one of the best acoustic nights i've ever played at. The sound (nice 1 rich) the lights, the people!it was a seriously cool night so romin and co. should be well proud. Its great to see these places tucked away in the middle of a seaside town and i get the impression theres not much else around them parts so it truly rocks with a music lovin vibe driven by folks who really want to listen. And the beers dead cheap so naturally we all got pissed. especially annie..
big love to the myspacers who came down, im eternally bound to your musical ears now 4 eva and eva amen...thank you loads!xx
11:27 - Fri 20th Jan 06
Mailing list!
just a quickie (for 5 dollar) to say that if you haven't recieved a regular email from Covboy records about sumladfromcov from the add. info@sumladfromcov.com then its because we probably
can't read your writing when you wrote it down at the gig! Some of you have said that your mate is gettin them but your not and thats probably the reason!seriously, sometimes its like readin a doctors note...
So if you haven't had an email from us in the past month then rejoin the mailing list via the website so we can get you back in the loop! And also make sure that you have the new email address saved in your address book info@sumladfromcov.com and double check your junk mail and check the emails haven't been going in there.....c ya x
12:20 - Thu 5th Jan 06
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Hope you all had a good one and are recovering well...i hope you've got off to a flying start although i imagine we're all still getting through that 2nd packet of paracetamol.good luck for 2006, you never know when your gonna need it...x!
11:51 - Mon 2nd Jan 06
IM IN DUBLIN!!!]#
ah jaysus...hows the crack? the crack is grand and the guinness is flowing yet nobody knows where the hell they are going!cos they are all far too pissed.....strawberry fields 4eva?i'd have to agree...mines a pint thankyou paddy xxx
20:58 - Wed 28th Dec 05
and that makes me a support for a no.1 act! not bad...
Nizlopi, well done boys...your an inspiration x
11:50 - Mon 19th Dec 05
MASSIVE APOLOGY
People...i sincerely from my heart apologise to those of you that turned up for the gig on tues night only to be greeted by the arseholes at the trafalgar...s'cuse my french but the truth is apparent.
Basically the gig was cancelled because after it started smoothly, out of nowhere about 150 people landed on the bar from next door all pissed up and being rowdy as hell. The performance space is at the end of the bar so after being surrounded by these knobs and one girl bashing my guitar thinking she was funny and the mic stand being knocked around everywhere i stopped playing and refused to carry on until the bar managers created a safe space to play in. This they did not do so i had no choice but to pull the gig. I was totally gutted but i wasnt gonna let anyone perform in those condtions.
So again, a massive apology to you and a big thanks to Oscar, Delia, Joe, Emma and Kirsty who were all booked to play and were all so cool about it. Your all amazing.
So in return, all of you who were turned away on tues, can you please email me your name and you will be put on the free guest list for the sumladfromcov full band gig at Too2much in soho on Friday 20th Jan 2006!
This gig is gonna be rockin and its the least i can do to say sorry.
Big love everyone...dec xxx
11:03 - Thu 15th Dec 05
STOP PRESS!!!!
This sunday 11th december, sumladfromcov will now be HEADLINING at the Marrs Bar in worcester! This gig was originally me supporting Nizlopi but the boys are doing fiercely well and are filming a TV slot that night on TOTP! BUt this means that me myself and I have been asked to keep the night on and it gives me a great chance to do a big old set in worcester. So anyone that couldnt get tickets to the Nizlopi gig cos it was sold out can now get some for this sunday 11th dec! Anyone who's got tickets for the gig already can still use the same ticket on the night and also for the re-scheduled Nizlopi gig on mon 19th Dec at the marrs bar where i'll still be supporting. It'll be great to have you all down there to see me headline at The Marrs Bar, its a Covboy first so t'will be nothing short of cool...big love ..declan (sumladfromcov) xx
15:48 - Mon 5th Dec 05
LIVING ROOM @ CB2 CAMBRIDGE 1st DEC!
So it started with a kiss...well more like a row with the cab driver but after annie tried to lodge a complaint down one of those bloody walkie talkie things we swiftly departed...
K..i had been at a wedding the night b4 so you can imagine.. but i held it 2gether and got away with sporadic sweat patches but then i did do the 1st 4 songs wearing a scarf. Big thanks to the 'phils' who run the night and to the bar staff who didnt understand what you said until the 4th time you said it, you were all lovely and a shout out to summer from the states who came down to listen and to the rest of the cambridgers who spoke nice words....hope you all had a good night! had i stayed longer, i would have been sleeping on those cushions for sure .C U next time , i'll bring my bicycle xxx
12:10 - Fri 2nd Dec 05
AMY WADGE SUPPORT BRIGHTON, WINCHESTER, CRAWLEY
AAAhhh! BIg thanks to the little 'woj' for inviting me to support her on her tour this week! It was cool and i played to some great audiences who love to listen which makes it very nice to play hay hay...
The whole arts centre vibe is not one im familiar with but it makes a refreshing change to sweaty dives and the sound systems are pucker....and one woman called me a philosopher! Shes my best friend now and shes moving in on wednesday xxx
www.amywadge.com
11:49 - Mon 21st Nov 05
TOO2 MUCH SOHO SUN13TH NOV 05
Well this gig has to first be put in the category 'RANDOM' and 2nd in the category 'BRILLIANT' for loads of reasons that unless you were there i wont bore you with! A night of so many different acts you'd be hard pushed to find more choice in that massive Tesco they opened in Staines...
Alongside Simon Amstell from Popworld, that Gina (cant remember her 2nd name) who presented the MObos, a string quartet who were blatantly on class A's and a whole host of singers, dancers and all round performers sits little old me and Ryan (my guitar...)
And due to my string breaking half way thru the set i take it into the unplugged and unknown and do an acapella 3 words which was a nice change and i made even better friends with him that night...to the girls emma lemma remma and femma your the best, big love to you, to tamsin...you own it mate and we all agree on that...and to jaya! the garlands you gave me from Krishna were a beautiful and i thank you from the bottom of my heart.NIce one CHris, you did a great job and HUGE THANKS GOES TO JIMMY THE SOUNDMAN! Cos those boys can make or break the whole evening and i saw smiles everywhere xxx
23:51 - Mon 14th Nov 05
ACOUSTICITY COLCHESTER SAT 12 NOV '05
So what was i saying about musicians as promoters who know how to put a great gig on?Its stands true to its form and James at Acousticity proved once again that when an artist puts on his own night, the artists on the bill are shiny happy people!Thanks mate, for the pringles, the twixes, fruit, snax drink etc etc!!!sounds like a small thing but seriously, its total luxury compared to most places...
And the headgate theatre is a great venue...a tiny theatre that seats about 70 people, a proper sit down and listen gig which fills me with joy when i play cos i know the folks are hearing what im doing! So i threw in a new song 'Heaven on Earth' that i've been toying around with for a coupla months and it was fun to do even if he is still a little baby...bless....hope to see sum of u at TOO2Much 2nite for a solo acoustic set....hope your all shiny happy people 2 xxx
14:30 - Sun 13th Nov 05
THE MARRS BAR WORCESTER SUN 6TH '05
Brian Marrs ( Mr Marrs bar) is officially the musicians promoter dream man! Serious respect this fellow musician who after years of plodding round sweaty dives and dealing with promoters who dont give a toss, created one of the best venues any artist could play in! His love for the scene of live music resonates throughout the building and he's got some wicked plans to extend...watch that space! And like before, the gig was great and Amy Wadge was the dogs ***** so well done her, shes a lovely lady and she rocked. Elle and louise, nice to see ya, ta for the water....me was on the verge of flu last night...boo hoo...and thanks to all the new lot that came and chatted after...remember to check out www.myspace.com/sumladfromcov where you can see photos of the gig (which you may well grace one day) and possibly a sneak look at some dodgy b&b wallpaper! WHERE DO YOU BUY THAT STUFF FROM? I know nothing and style has once again proved in the eye of the beyholder....
13:35 - Mon 7th Nov 05
2TOO much...
luuuuuke evans...good man, nice one! Had a good laugh with me old mukka luke evans who hosts this new night at the old raymond revue bar. Havent done a gig as a trio for a bit too which woz all good.And the old faces, gemma emma lynn and jayne, hooray! you made it!we thought we'd upset you....and mr daly, anna and friends, you rock, thankyou for spreading the word!And to the little lady that left in a strop, sorry sweetheart for not being 'SHOWBIZ'....next time i'll wear my my wig xxx
13:42 - Sun 6th Nov 05
LOVED IT...!
Massive thanks to mr Seth Lakeman & co. for asking me to support him last night at the phoenix arts centre in exeter! I loved it, great crowd (very attentive) you could have heard my pants drop had it been required of me...
And to the funny box office guy or whoever was responsible for billing me as 'Declan Donnelly', spuggie and noddy have been told and are making their way down south with jeff to sort you out....
NO seriously, it actually happened!Had i not come out of sound check through the main entrance, id never have seen it and the audience would have been expecting an acoustic version of 'Lets get ready to rhumble'! Im guessing Byker Grove is gonna haunt me 4eva, ollie and brett, i blame you both x
Then i ran into my old course tutor from college who'd moved down there (we havent spoke since i sat outside her classroom singing Kum Bye Yah with my fellow piss abouts) but we were all smiles and warm wishes. Lovely to see ya! Annie and me sampled the southern delights of the local pub/club scene then seth and i sampled the southern delights of the local cows with cheese on top....not sure whether either were particularly good for my health. Seth, you rock, x
16:16 - Mon 31st Oct 05
MYSPACE
GO CHECK OUT THE NEW SUMLADFROMCOV MYSPACE ACCOUNT AT THE LINK BELOW! JOIN UP AS A FRIEND AND LETS SPREAD SUM COV LOVE....
www.myspace.com/sumladfromcov
1:25 - Fri 28th Oct 05
Orchard @ NOtting Hill Arts Club...25/10/05
Ok, so there were mic issues in the sound check and it felt like i was trying to sing down a toilet roll and apparently this technical hitch was due to the concrete wall behind me..?yeh...of course....any road, twas a good gig despite the minor hitch and considering i went to sleep at 7am this morning and Justin arrived at my door to rehearse at 11am, i didnt do too bloody badly! BIg hello's to Matt Daly and girfriend for coming down west to see us! and Mr Donald slack...our fingers are crossed for your flat hunt!Faaem and Louise, much love to you both, im guessing your night is still goin strong! And finally, Siobhan Fahey (ex banarama and glam trash queen of the moment) it was a pleasure to return the favour,after all, i got one of your CD's in 1988 at the NEC!! Haha...swings and roundabouts man...xxx
0:30 - Wed 26th Oct 05
SMOKE ON I-TUNES...
No, this isnt a message condoning the use of tobacco whilst downloading the latest tune onto you ipod, this my amigos is the future...!!
A Sumladfromcov live favourite, 'SMOKE' is now available on I-TUNES as part of this years 'IN THE CITY' music conference!So anyone who hasnt got the album can now pay pennies for the finale album track, so get it on your pods, inhale deeply and enjoy....but be warned...over exposure to this track will seriously increase the pleasures of listening to original music and is highly encouraged to everyone who wishes to become addicted!love xxx
www.apple.com/itunes
12:59 - Wed 21st Sep 05
IN THE CITY!!!
Sum exciting news....
This October see's the annual arrival of the biggest music conference in the UK, 'IN THE CITY'....
Held up north in Manchester, this event will play host to all the ladies and gentlefolk who currently make up our industry e.g all the record labels, booking agents, promoters, A&R, directors, presidents, the ladies who keep the bank balance at a pretty level, the boys who make the popstars look like porcelain dolls and who knows, probably the tea boy.... and guess what? amidst this weekend of seminars and knees-ups they've asked 50 new artists/bands to play at venues across the city for the pleasure of the above posse and sum-me-from-coven-try has been invited!Well funk me... So on sunday Oct 2nd, sumladfromcov will be performing to the industry peeps at 'Bedlam' on Peter St. in Manchester city centre at 9:15pm! This event is huge and is gonna be very special my cherie amours, so get the weekend off work and come up north to 'IN THE CITY'.The gig is free to everyone so no excuses!...check gigs page for finer details, i'm going to sit up all night and work on my mancunian lingo xxx
23:01 - Mon 5th Sep 05
Endorse it in dorset?...not sure about the name but the poster is comedy and im quite excited about playing there tonight, sounds proper cute....and for those of you that didnt get the email, the next big sumlad gig is at the 12 bar club, denmark st. london on mon 22nd aug...onstage 9:30pm,come join the fun and throw your hands up for Mr Homewood and Mr Oscroft who will also be gracing the tiny stage with me; such pleasure for such a small fraction of your wage, even if your a dole-ite!Or maybe not...who the hell can live on £40 a week?
11:02 - Fri 12th Aug 05
sorry for taking so long...
I didnt realise that its been a whole month since i blogged you lot, so, like any of you were that interested in this lad from cov's world(!) hello again!
Am listening to diana ross with a glass of red wine, yes its all a bit gay but hey kids its a saturday night and anyway its old skool diana...not that chain reaction shite...i got the vinyl of 'THE BOSS!'...love it xx
Ok, so now ive made myself look like a billy no mates on a saturday night, can i just make it clear that i am actually on my way out!honest to bloody god...
So let me share a mental creative spasm i experienced today over a bacon sandwich this morning and my cup of tea with soya milk (a dairy intolerance dont you know...) I've been a bit creatively stagnant lately and let me tell you its fkn frustrating. I guess its like being a painter and you wake one day to find that all the paint shops are closed till further notice and lo and behold your all outta your own! Not nice....and part of me had been hanging on this happening but not in the way that it has. See, i got the 2nd album in the bag...its done and written and we're gonna record it in the autumn but in my true impatient style i was starting to fret that i although i have a few other songs kickin about, what if i dried up and had none for a 3rd album??!!!Oh my god...talk about living 2 years ahead of the bloody moment!So anyway,the songs for the 2nd album like i said are done but you've only heard like 2 or 3 or something and im sitting on 10 tracks that for some reason (something like boo hoo check me the vulnerable artist bearing my soul reason!)i aint been putting out there. Ok, so i have to give myself a break cos theres only enough gig hours in a week and beautifully, the gigs ive been doing of late have been to whole new crowds who never heard anything off The Painters Ball so its an incredible pleasure to play those songs that you guys have welcomed so warmly into your own musical lives but i as an artist am feeling a need to creep slowly into the next phase of sumladfromcov - dom, t