First of all a huge Happy Christmas to everyone from us guys and management of Headspace.

I would also like to say hi to all the people that came along to the Wakeman Xmas extravaganza at Marlborough college on Saturday and Sunday the 19th & 20th December.

The 2 nights, rather confusingly titled “Sadly, the Queen couldn’t make it” has become somewhat of a regular event with Rick Wakeman’s fan club Xmas dinner on the Sunday which this year raised money for Children’s Cancer charities.

I played a few pieces with Dad, and on the Sunday night, I played and sang “Hallilulia” with my sister Jemma singing some harmonies. I was also joined on stage by my 4 year old daughter Skyla (who is less familiar with it as a Lenard Cohen song, and more familiar with it as a song from the movie Shrek) who also sang the chorus’s with me. It was a beautiful moment that I can’t really put into words, but it made at least 2 grown men (that I know of) cry!

I played a couple of TV shows with Will Young in the weeks leading up to Xmas; Cheryl Cole’s show and Graham Norton, both of which were good fun - although the organisation at Cheryl Cole’s tv show was shocking and we were left in a dressing room for about 8 hours without so much as a glass of water. You’ve got to love TV  -  anyone who thinks it’s all showbiz air kisses and champagne, think again….

Ozzy’s new album is being mixed in the new year and it looks like my 6 co writes are on there which is great news. There were rumours in a UK magazine that the 2 year world tour starts in June so that means we’ll be coming to a city near you, wherever that is!

Damian’s been busy in Holland. The show was in Tilburgs 013 venue. There was an orchestra and a great band made up of musicians he has worked with over the years. The turn out was great especially due to the heavy snow conditions and it was filmed.
There was a great line up too, such as Jorn Lande , Christina Scabbia ,, Simon Simons and Charlotte Wessels. here’s a link to the event:

http://christmasmetalsymphony.net/

Pete is now back from his 2 month US tour with One Eskimo and is currently (most probably)  still in a queue at Kings Cross station trying to get on a eurostar train to Paris for Christmas. Lee is snowed in somewhere in Sussex and Rich is pulling his hair out with wedding preparations. We are all excited at the prospect of us all being in the same room together as a band and who knows, might even get to have a play…..

That leaves us wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ! Album recording starts 2nd week in Jan and we’re all very excited…. watch this space……

It’s 4 am in the morning and it has suddenly occurred to me that it is my turn to do the blog; something I have to say isn’t one of my strong points.

There is snow on the ground in London and the council have done there best to prepare for it. The path ways have been cleared away and have already formed into the perfect ice rink; great for any commuter who might have the pre-sight to bring their skates or a death trap for anyone who doesn’t have the balancing skills of a tight rope walker.

So it is in this environment that I think back on what has occurred this last month, it is also another chance for me to listen to the demos of the headspace album as I run along the tow path of the Grand Union Canal, snow beneath my feet, like a duvet under my step. The guys in the band are all away doing their thing but we are coming together over the New Year and I am looking forward to it. The album sounds great; it is very focussed with strong melodies souring over complex instrumental parts. I think a lot of people are going to love it, particularly if they have followed the bands from our past. It is progressive through and through and as with all good prog, a concept album.

So I leave any moment for Heathrow, today I am flying out to Amsterdam, performing in Tilburgs 013 at the Christmas Metal Symphony. Looking forward to it being a good chance to catch up with a few friends and hopefully you, if you are not there then I take this opportunity now to wish you the best Christmas!

Damian

11th Dec 2009

Raining in California

Yes it’s true, Santa (not in the yuletide sense) Monica beach is grey and wet so that means more reason to stay inside and write some prog. Working on the last piece at the moment and emailing parts across the globe, I guess really in the grand scheme of things we have it a lot easier than our progressive predecessors when it comes to technology. Although the flip side of that would be the more difficult state of the music industry on a financial level, oh well every silver lining…I think ultimately with so much technology we are in state of higher creativity with the tools at our disposal, being able to record and send things around to each other, with such manic schedules, allows us to create music that if we waited until we were all together would not be written at all.

Tour with One Eskimo has been going strong in the US, driven over 7000 miles in the last few weeks and I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed (goldilocks?). Been getting some great radio play and have done some nice live sessions out here for KCRW, MTV and World Café. Also, got to work with Les Camacho who worked as the live engineer on the last Pink Floyd tour, great guy and had some great tales of Floyd, gotta love that.

All in all the schedule has been pretty hectic out here, but progress on the new album has been coming along nicely, armed with my trusty macbook pro and an apogee duet there’s not much that can’t be done in the van, although slightly awkward to play guitar around corners, best to keep recording to straight stretches of interstate…that sounds like a quote for sound on sound.

Adam and Damian are hitting the Wakeman studios next week for some vocal recording, tracks have been rough demoed so far and this album is sounding great on a lot of different levels.  I arrive back in the UK the day after they get done, so looking forward to hearing what they come up with. Without giving too much away, there are a lot of layers to the story line and with plenty of emails flying back and forth things are shaping up nicely. Saying that, there is plenty to do so bare with us we will get this done very soon.

People can catch Lee being festive with It Bites on 20^th Dec 2009 for their Christmas special in Reading, and some more touring in March 2010. Master of thumping Rich Brook can be seen at a florist in South London organising for his upcoming wedding debut as the groom. Congrats Rich, looking forward to seeing your first dance, which will probably be in an odd time signature.

As for me it’s off to San Francisco tomorrow, then Portland, Spokane and finally Seattle. Most info of the tour can be found on www.oneeskimo.com

Tune in on the radio KXLY studio blue session Tues 15th Dec at midday in Spokane and KMTT mountain music lounge Wed 16th in Seattle.

Also been enjoying listening to the new Transatlantic album The Whirlwind, great sounding album full of cool stuff.

See you on the road…or Rich’s wedding

Hello All!,

My turn for the weekly report on all things Headspace….I’ve been in rehearsals with conductor Anne Dudley working on a live show with ABC this week. Very different set of playing skills needed from the Headspace stuff. Very interesting though. Been programming up lots of retro drum samples to use on it.

I’m joining Adam from next week working on some TV show’s with Will Young so at least two members of Headspace will be in the same room at the same time!. I also received some audio files from Adam this week so I can start recording some ideas over a new track for the Album from home.

As well as all this, I’m planning my wedding for Jan 1st 2010! The chaps are, hopefully, all coming up to Edinburgh for it so we may even get to have a play! First time in 2 years!

Pete is still in the US on tour for what seems like an eternity lapping up the freeway life.

That’s all for now. I’ll be putting some footage up of myself recording the demo’s some time soon on the youtube channel.

www.youtube.com/headspacetheband

Take care all!