Back to bass-ics...

Music of the Day
The Tubes – Now
Frank Zappa – Strictly Commercial
The Bad Plus – Suspicious Activity
The Album Leaf – A Lifetime or More
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Live Set Run Through
Neal Morse – Testimony

A text yesterday from Alan Brodie alerts me to the death of erstwhile keyboard player for The Tubes and, latterly, The Grateful Dead, Mr Vince Welnick – suicide at just 55 brought on by depression and cancer...



In honour of the man, I listen to The Tubes' 1977 album “Now” this morning...

An e-mail offers the possibility of an acoustic gig on 30 June, with the caveat that it may need to be postponed if England are kicking off at 9pm that night....

We go out for breakfast to Patisserie Florentine and then to Home Base for wallpaper and paste and various decorating accoutrements before heading round to Anne’s friend Lynn’s to borrow her rickety pasting table...

Lynn’s son is a dab hand at making tablet and, after a lovely coffee and a tour of Lynn (and Ross)’s new house, we leave with bag of tablet in hand...

If I play this proposed end of June gig, my set is to be around 35-40 minutes so I tailor my recently collated live setlist to this and end up with one song each from “Doveloveshawk” (1999), “Ampersand” (2002), “Anotherhappyday” (2003), three from “Deeperdown” (2005) and four of my new songs...

I do a quick recording of vocals and guitar of these onto the computer and then add bass guitar, first time I’ve played it since Jamie and I bought it last year, and then listen back - not bad...

I may ask Jamie and nephew Andy to accompany me..

In the evening we watch “Dr Who”, USA v Italy in the World Cup, “CSI NY”, “Law & Order : Criminal Intent” and “World Cup Match of the Day”...

Highlight of the Day : Playing the bass again