Birdie Busch and Pledgemusic.

Pledgemusic is now a force to be reckoned with. Ginger has just released another couple of albums through them and I am waiting for the vinyl copies to come through. I already have the downloads and the albums are interesting, bizarre and fascinating, truly something more original than the usual rock fodder.
They have the Beach Boys and George Benson on their books, big names funding themselves from their own fanbase and making more money than via a record company.
However, the reason for this post is my receipt of a CD from a lovely young lady called Birdy Busch. I discovered her over the Christmas period from one of the email circulars from the Pledgemusic team. It took several listens to find out if I even liked it as it is a curious mix of folk and pop with an element of Country to it. She is most definitely a singer/song writer,  in the vein of Suzanne Vega and a slight reminder of Eva Cassify but with a slightly more off kilter edge to her.
I received the CD yesterday and it was actually quite touching. There was a handwritten post it note in the package thanking me for supporting her. Both my daughters went "Ah!" and I was quite moved, such a small thing but thoughtful thing to do, very personal. The album is quite a delicate thing with space in the songs and a certain American eccentricity to it that you don't see very often. From her bio, she spends much of her time making music and playing and also works in a teashop. That actually explains quite alot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF65HjNeM8E
I have to admit that this isn't my usual listening, as you've possibly gathered from my previous posts but it is hypnotic and peaceful...even my daughters seem to like it. I really hope that she achieves a larger level of success, the World needs more unique and individual songwriters.

Anyway, I will be posting a photo montage of last year at somepoint soon but I just had post this.

Happy New Year.

Well another year passes on and what a year it was. Possibly the best British year within my lifetime. It was actually a very up and down year for me but the overall sense at the end of it is what a helluva year. Ankle issues at the beginning of the year, my daughter had her appendix out, no running for months and then the Jubilee, Tour de France, Olympics, Paralympics, Cricket, Tennis it just went on, so much so that I was in awe of our brilliance. Like many men across the UK I shed a surreptitious tear and still become an emotional wreck looking back on it, what a roller coaster winner of a year. A year when the World really got to know us, take the Royals out of the mix and we are still a jolly nice and friendly bunch of people, I have no idea how or when that happened but bumbling Boris Johnson led the charm offensive and captured the imagination of the UK and the World, a very clever man in the right place at the right time, put that together with the Queen, James Bond and a helicopter, a truly "Oh Wow!" moment for the UK and it set the tone for the Olympics and the rest of the year.
I can say that we have achieved so much this year, we have fought recession and our own pessimism to turn what should have been a disaster on a grand scale into a momentous and moving year of over achievement....I don't want it to end.
I remember talking to a good friend (even though he's French), before the Olympics and he was telling me how lousy the UK is and about various reports on the treatment of workers etc that was being reported in the French press. I sent him this text during the Paralympics:
"Just watching the Paralympics on TV and heard the oddest sound. Turns out France had won something and it was your national anthem. Hadn't heard it for so long and I thought of you"
After the Olympics and Paralympics we spoke and the French press had changed their minds on the British and it also seems that the French Millionaires have as well as they move to the UK. It does make a nice change to be seen as a tax haven in Europe.
It also saw a change in the behaviour of the British people, so incensed were we by big corporations and their legal tax dodges that we all boycotted Starbucks. I also boycotted Amazon and have purchased nothing from Google or Apple since I found out they were all avoiding taxes. This was the first Christmas in years that I didn't order from Amazon and actually left my house and shopped for a change.

My hope is that we continue to rewrite our place in the World throughout this year and more importantly, keep the feelings of positivity and hope. If I've learnt one thing last year it's this, we spend lots of time bemoaning our lot and not enough is given to being happy. There are plenty out there with more reasons to moan and they are usually the most positive people. Time to man up, quit complaining, if you have your health, a roof over your head, food in the fridge and a loving family, what is there to complain about?

Have a happy and positive New Year. Don't forget to smile.