12.02.08

Hi all.

Just to let you know Steve's latest movements.

Steve has been busy recording keyboards for 'Into The Ether' with the brilliant John Beck of IT BITES. John has now completed seven of the ten tracks for the album including some accordian on one track and he will also add some backing vocals in the near future.

Aside from that Steve has also been laying down some acoustic and electric guitar parts for Martin Orford's upcoming solo album, 'The Old Road' and has penned lyrics and sung lead vocals on a track called 'Out In The Darkness' which also features Nick D'virgilio on drums, Dave Meros (Spock's Beard) and Gary Chandler of Jadis.

Steve is thrilled to contribute to Martin's album as he holds him in high regard as the songwriter responsible for many of the great vocal melody sections of IQ's albums.

'Into The Ether' will have a Volume 2 in the future as Steve has tussled with himself as concerns the final ten tracks to make the final outcome. He had forty five songs written that all fitted within the framework of the project. This has left what he considers to be some very strong material for a volume 2 to follow.

07.11.07

We now have links to Steve's favoured online stores and direct download sites including GEP, Burning Shed, Inside Out and the Jadis Online Store. If you buy or download Emotional Creatures 1 & 2 from any of these sites Steve will eventually receive royalties to help finance future albums. To check this section out, please go to the discography section or click here.

07.11.07

Steve is just about to start adding guest musicians to his third album "Into The Ether" volume 1.

Nick D'Virgilio will be the first by adding his
excellent Drum skills to four or five tracks, starting on the 9th Nov. The guest list will be less extensive than the Emo albums with Steve keeping more of his original parts as with "Julia", "Therapy", "Goodbye" and others from Emotional Creatures 1 on which Steve played everything but the Drums.

Steve has written 45 new songs that he has whittled down to his favourite eleven or maybe thirteen. The new material is Rockier and Poppier for want of a better word, and less 'proggy' than the Emo stuff, though the songs remain very strong and highlight Steve's desire to develop and change. Some of the same guests will appear plus a few new surprises.

Steve still intends to tour Emotional 1 and 2 fully banded at some point in the future even after the release of Into The Ether. Talks are taking place on the logistics of achieving this.

There are also new photos in the gallery section, taken by Willem Klopper during Steve's recent support for Spock's Beard in Holland a few months back.

The Steve recommends section is also now active, with Steve's top 20 albums listed.

06.02.07
Marillion Convention

This event happily coincided with my birthday, so I knew I was going to have a great time. The day we left for Holland was also the day that the pre-release copies of PART TWO: EMOTIONAL CREATURES arrived….A real “smell the glove” moment. I was travelling with Norman Holland, Paddy darlington and Martin Orford..( Widge, to many) We were due to meet up with the cosmopolitan Rob Aubrey when we got there.

The journey took a while, and when we arrived late on Friday, we found Rob had got there first and “bagged” the best room… nothing new there. That said, the accommodation was fantastic, brilliant views of the sea.. As I was going to be playing on Saturday, I didn’t want to get too blasted, so we ate, had a wander round, and enjoyed the Marillion gig.

I have to say, that all three nights Marillion played a blinder. I hadn’t seen them perform for a while, so it was a real treat for me. When the time came for me to play, I was quite nervous, however after the first track, I realised that the audience were a very warm crowd and I even spotted a few people singing along…. That really lifted my spirits and put me at ease, and made the whole experience an enjoyable one.

On Sunday, I spent a few hours meeting with people and signing albums they had bought. I was joined by the artist that created the covers on Part one and Part Two… Danny Flynn. He was also asked to sign the album… his signature is, in itself, very artistic.

The journey home was uneventful, but it gave me a chance to reflect on a memorable weekend. Marillion were brilliant, the food and facilities were “top drawer” but what struck me the most, was the friendliness of the Marillion community. Whole families had attended this event and everyone was having such a great time. I got the chance to meet and speak with some really friendly people including Stephanie and Lucy who played a massive part in ensuring the whole event ran smoothly. It was great to be invited, and it was one of my most memorable birthdays.

Steve