Dear all,

 

Well an international trip does of course mean a blog. Like many musicians, I’m sat in a cafe using wifi and not paying for very many drinks at all relative to the amount of time I’m spending here. I have of course done a couple of blogs about my time in Canada but I’d like to do an overview if I may.

 

First up was the ludicrous plane ride from Halifax to Charlottetown on the 15 seater plane or whatever it was. Quite surreal. Then came a nice welcome from the organiser of the exchange Rob Oakie, one of the best people you can ever meet. We went for some food where I was greeted with quite the most enormous portion of chips Continue reading “Canada report” →

Dear all,

 

Just a note to say I appeared on Canadian TV yesterday with Meaghan – check it out here: http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/ctv-morning-live/cml-music-1.1225848

 

Danjo

Dear all,

 

I have had the most remarkable evening tonight and one man’s story has touched me very much. Meaghan and I had a great gig tonight in Pictou and we both concluded a good way to celebrate would be a nice pint somewhere. The town was utterly closed it seemed with no signs of people, lights or openness of pubs but we decided to go for a wander anyway. Amazingly, we came across an open pub. It looked frankly pretty rough, almost to the point of thinking best leave it but we so fancied a little drink we thought we’d go for it.

 

How glad I am that we did. The barman was a very friendly soul and conversation flowed about each of us and he happened to mention he’d been sober for 21 years after a longer period of alcoholism. I know what you’re thinking – barman spouts a load of exaggerated nonsense about his shady past to impress us. I can assure you such was not the case. This man’s story was so manifestly bullshit-free and more to the point it was obviously so heartfelt. His past Continue reading “Inspiring people” →

Dear all,

 

I write to you from a very sunny Prince Edward Island out in Canada. It’s been a marvellous couple of days. The journey was pleasingly hassle-free, largely. There was a little bit of a sweat on making my connection at Halifax Airport as the plane was a little late, the turnaround time wasn’t great, the queue for security was mammoth and they wanted to question my motives for coming! Anyway I convinced them I was just here to play the banjo (maybe that was the problem?…) and made the hilarious 24-seater flight to Charlottetown in a plane that it seemed doubtful would remain level Continue reading “Greetings from fair Prince Edward Island” →

Dear all,

 

After my German adventure, it’s been a quieter time on the gigging front before my tours of Canada and then in November the UK with Indian maestro Suhail Yusuf Khan. However, lots has been happening including a rare wedding gig in St Andrews and on Saturday a double-gig day, firstly at the London Guitar Show in…well London at 1.30 before getting the train back to Stafford and playing at the triumphant re-opening of my dear old local Joxer Brady’s, reopened as The Market Vaults. It was a pretty mighty gig and wonderful that Joxers looks better than ever and has the same wonderful people in there. UFQ have also been rehearsing hard and I am incredibly excited about it. The material is great and varied so I hope many of you will come and see us on our May tour next year.

 

Before Canada, there are two more gigs over here. First up is a private birthday gig to a couple of hundred people (!) in Staffordshire for the wonderful Andrea who has been to many gigs of mine over the years and is one of the loveliest people you can ever meet. So that’ll be fun and then comes Belbroughton Beer Festival which should also be a belter. Then comes Canada where I’ll be teaming up with top singer Meaghan Blanchard do check her out at http://meaghanblanchard.com/

 

Now, I’ve heard on the radio a few times lately about One Direction, a boyband of almost outrageous mediocrity who have somehow become world superstars. Indeed, I was compelled to write this particular rant because I just heard about one of them taking part in a charity football match and getting slightly injured (and I mean really slightly, i.e. he fell over) in an accidental collision with a footballer (you know someone with a talent) and thousands of their fans giving said footballer abuse on twitter. These are presumably the same fans who camped overnight for four nights prior to trying to see them at a film premiere about their barely credible rise to stardom. Now, we live in democracy and of course anyone is entitled to their tastes. I also accept that music is not everyone’s first priority and they’re happy just hearing what they hear on the radio and all that. But seriously, are people really now so mind numblingly lacking in thought or effort that they’re prepared to swallow that four (or is it five, not sure?) utterly average singers with precious little charisma and even less writing talent are worth this much fuss over? People might have had this reaction to the Beatles and the Stones but at least they actually had a talent, something interesting! It shouldn’t depress me but it really does.

Dear all,

 

Sorry long time no blog. My German adventure I shall come to, but first up was a wee gig in Welbury in Yorkshire for a beer festival gig which was very nice. There were quite a few kids there who particularly enjoyed it which is always nice. There will be banjo players in the future! Then came a set at the wonderful Towersey festival, always a favourite of mine and this was no exception. The banjo went bananas as I started so getting through reels was a bit of fun but it settled down after that and a fun gig was had. Also enjoyed Fabian Holland and Vamm who were also on the bill. I actually did two sets come to think of it, one in the village hall earlier in the day and that too was good craic. The towersey spirit deserves a mention here. With my German gig looming I was using my, well Pat McGarvey’s (thanks Pat) flight case which does not allow room for the strap to be on the banjo. I’m sure you can see where this going…like a prat I didn’t have my strap on, as it were, and two fine chaps ran around trying to find me one and they did so many thanks to them!

 

So then Germany. I had been once before for a social visit to a chum living in Hamburg but this was my first gig there. I arrived into Cologne airport and discovered that trying to get out of the airport on foot is no less than an extremely mammoth task. When after much walking backwards and forwards thus looking a burke I found a walking underground thing I used it and navigated my way to my hotel. There I was informed that precious little happened around there and Continue reading “Ich mag Deutschland” →

Dear all,

 

Further to my previous rant, I have to add a postscript. I ate out with my parents the other night and they were served a fine selection of cheese and biscuits for dessert…on a piece of slate. A chopping board is bad enough but at least you can justify it with the thought that food is often on a chopping board at some stage during preparation. But a piece of slate? That is beyond ridiculous. A chopping board could be seen as too lazy to put it on a plate, but to deliberately choose to serve something on a piece of rock rather than a plate, designed for eating food off? Kindly naff off.

Dear all,

 

I had an email from a follower of this blog who suggested I should post my favourite albums…so I’m going to do it. So coming up will be a series of blogs on my very favourite albums, possibly in some sort of countdown form possibly not. Anyway thanks for the suggestion, John. You will make me experience a very very difficult decision making process which I’ll probably change my mind on every day!

 

Cheers to all readers I do love doing these blogs and I’m glad some of you enjoy my ramblings,

Danjo

Dear all,

 

What a bloody marvellous weekend I’ve just had. Broadstairs has long been one of my favourite folk festivals but this was actually my first ever time there solo. I had a few gigs, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed but certainly topped by the set on the main stage on Saturday night where I nearly sold out of CD’s and generally had one of those gigs that seemed to go very well. I say that, there was one little issue. I was midway through a guitar song when a string broke which in itself was fairly annoying but I thought I had an ingenious solution. I carried on singing, got the audience to clap the beat and then Continue reading “I want food on a plate” →

Dear all,

I am thrilled to announce that I will be joining the amazing Urban Folk Quartet at the end of the year, replacing departing member Frank Moon. We’ve been rehearsing together and I can’t wait for you all to hear it! UFQ will be touring in their current lineup til then but 2014 promises to be a UFQ-tastic year for me, alongside my solo gigs. Check them out here if you don’t know them already:

http://www.theurbanfolkquartet.com/

I am so excited to be doing this, I have long been an admirer of the band and especially of Joe Broughton whom I saw with the Albion Band when I was about 12! He was in pyjamas and had a pony tail so times have changed in some respects…Anyway, it’s very very exciting and I’ll certainly be experimenting with the banjo even more than normal! Look forward to seeing you all at a UFQ gig and of course my solo tours which will continue.

Very best wishes,

Danjo