News-May 2008.

Spring seems to have finally burst forth in all it's splendour, and how nice to actually feel warm again! We are currently enjoying lots of blue skies and sunshine, and may it ever remain so!

Gigs

During a weekend trip to Devon in June I shall be playing a few songs on Isca Radio on Friday evening the 6th. This will be for my good friend Doug Parish, who has very kindly offered to be 'mine host' for my wife and myself for this weekend. I'm looking forward to a few hikes across Exmoor! On Sunday the 8th I shall be appearing, in the garden of the White Lion pub in Bradninch, and performing a few songs with my friend Colin Wilson and his band 'The Boys From Melbourne Street'. That's going to be fun, especially with a few glasses of the Irish brew thrown in to calm the inevitable stage fright! See you all there! I also have a date, at an acoustic night at a pub called The Green Quay in Kings Lynn, with my good friend Pete Kiely from 'Stonefield Tramp' on the 14th.

Terry Friend
 

Red Sky Descending

In July I shall be spending two days at David's FFG studio in Bredon mixing a few songs from my new album. Where I will also be joined by Brian Balster, yet another 'Stonefield Tramp' stalwart, who will be adding his touch of acoustic magic to some of my songs. So nice to be working on new material. Let us hope that this year's summer is a vast improvement on last years! Farewell for now.

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News-March 2008.

I think we can all agree that that was a very mild winter, although it is not quite over, and I may yet be made to eat those hastily uttered words of mine! Let us recap on the two current projects...

Stonefield Tramp

Be patient, if you please, for we are nearly there! Yes, as I type these words, last minute checks are being done on the project's art work. I have also seen the proposed design of the T shirt and can now inform you that it is linked to the CD cover and the song 'Luna Bianca'.

Red Sky Descending

My own album project in David's FFG studio in Bredon is slowly taking shape. Kevin Brown, who last sessioned for me on the 'Beneath a Pale Moon' album, was in the studio on Wednesday January the 16th, laying down some guitar on one of the tracks. I recently bumped into Phil Beer at Hitchin Folk club on February the 24th. Always good to see Phil who has also been beavering away on my behalf on this album! Later on this year I expect to be rejoined by my two friends from Stonefield Tramp, Brian Balster and Pete Kiely, when they both add their input to this project. It's so nice to know that my songs are in such versatile and gifted hands! Thanks guys! I deeply appreciate all that you do for me.

A Long, Long War

I am pleased, and honoured, to be able to promote Ken's book on my website, and from the 1st of April you will be able to purchase this item from here. For those of us that took part in it, it was indeed a long, long war. And I'm sure there were times when we thought that it might never end! Thankfully it has. Check out the new 'Ulster Songbook' page on this website.

The Alamo

I recently had an e mail from Allen Wiener, from Washington, informing me that his book on Alamo related music is being published in October this year. I am pleased to be able to tell you that my Alamo song gets a mention! And that's all the news for now, until next time then, take it easy out there.

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News-November 2007.

There has been a fair amount of activity on several fronts since the last News report on this website. Let's begin with the Stonefield Tramp update.

Stonefield Tramp

It has now been decided that a hand finished T shirt will be part of the package on the first 500 copies of the vinyl and CD package of the bands new album 'Full Circle'. Like the vinyl album, each T shirt will be individually numbered. Although Rob Van Spyk has yet to make a finale decision on the actual numbers of this limited edition project, rumour has it that it will only be 1000 pressings. I am also very pleased to announce that the download website www.wovenwheatwhispers.co.uk has chosen a song from this album to feature on an album issued by them to celebrate autumn and winter. The album is called 'All Souls Arise' and the song is 'The Winter King' which was written by, and features the vocal of, Brian Balster. This is the first time Brian has submitted a song for a Stonefield Tramp album and everyone in the band are honoured that this song has also been chosen to feature in this compilation album by Woven Wheat Whispers. You can find a link to the Woven Wheat Whispers website on both the Home and Links page of this, my website, where you will be able to hear Brian's song in full.

New Projects Release

It is always nice to see a satisfactory conclusion to a recording project and in the beginning of October two new CD's were launched on my website. They are my recent studio collaboration with Letchworth band 'Alter Ego'. The album 'Beneath a Pale Moon' which has a distinct country flavour to it. This is the collection of songs that have been mixed and mastered by my good friend Pete Kiely from Stonefield Tramp, and a fine job he did too! Thanks Peter! The second CD was my own 'Folk Flavoured' version of my cherished 18 minute long song 'The Alamo.' Recorded, mixed and mastered at the FFG studio in Bredon. Downloads for both of these projects will soon be available on the Woven Wheat Whispers website. Once again I was joined in the studio on my Alamo project by Brian Balster from Stonefield Tramp and Phil Beer from Show of Hands. Gentlemen, as always, you have done me proud! And I cannot leave this subject without giving special thanks to my two pals in the studio, David Pick and Dave Draper. For, as I am sure you can well imagine, the engineering and production tasks were immense!

Barbados

A family trip to Barbados needed to be undertaken as that was the location that my eldest daughter Fiona had chosen to be married. And I have to say that I thought she had chosen well, both in her future husband and the wedding location. It was so nice to be experiencing that good old tropical atmosphere again and it reminded me so much of the two years that I had lived in Singapore/Malaya in the late sixties. The wedding went off perfectly, despite the weather! Oh yes, you can go all that way and still get rain and grey sky! But, luckily, there was a large enough break in the rain to allow the ceremony to go forward without a hitch and outdoors too! And, of all things, the lady that took the photographs, was also the photographer for the recent Tiger Woods wedding. And I shall be installing some photos into the Gallery shortly. I will say though that it was very, very warm dressed up in that suit! There was still a week to go afterwards and a very relaxing time was had by all and I finally got to get a decent tan! Going down in the submarine to view coral reefs was good, as was being able to witness a Turtle come up onto the beach one night and lay its eggs. Fact is, most days, we were accompanied by a couple of them every time we went in the sea. I must say returning to the normality of the daily grind in the work place after a holiday like that was not easy. My tan is fading away already and May seems a very long time off! Until the next time then, take it easy out there!

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News-August 2007

Here we are, about half way through August, and at long last a turn around in the weather! And about time too! June and July were just as patheticly devoid of sunshine and warmth as was May! But for the last week or so it has been much better. By now I normally have a rather nice tan, not so this year and I have spent the last week catching up with things regarding the sunshine! It would be nice to have a firm foundation for our family trip to Barbados later this year. Well now, that's enough of idle gossip, let's talk music!

Beneath a Pale Moon

Next week I shall be with my production people at SRT in St Ives, near Cambridge, for the mastering session for the new Album 'Beneath a Pale Moon' and the new version of my 'Alamo' song. My good friend Simon will be working his usual magic and I am expecting to be able to launch both new projects on this website by the end of September.

Another Message from the White House

Yes indeed! That White House! Which was nice to get, for it was confirmation that the specially framed edition of the limited edition Alamo print had safely made its way to the Presidents ranch in Crawford, Texas. This time the card was signed by both the President and the First Lady, and I'd like to thank them both for their kind acknowledgement of my gift.

 

Stonefield Tramp

The new album 'Full Circle' is now in its finale stages of production. When released it will be as a limited edition package of a vinyl and cd copy of 2000 copies only. With the cd version containing more songs than the vinyl one. The cd is also being issued with two slightly differant front covers, one for the American market only, and the other for the U.K. and the rest of the world. I have no intention of explaining why this is being done and, in any case, it will not be all that long before you will be able to find out for yourselves! Be patient now, for the hour approaches!

FFG in Bredon

I have booked a date for a recording session at the studio in Bredon this month in order to lay down a new song that I have recently written. I am rather proud of it, and certainly intend to add it onto the new contemporary album that I am working on with big David and wee Dave.

Tewkesbury Floods

I regret to inform you all that my dear friend Brian, a founder member of Stonefield Tramp and a staunch companion in the recording studio on many of my songs, was also a victim of the recent devastating floods. He has lost everything from the downstairs section of his home and no doubt faces a long and expensive struggle to regain his losses! I'm sure you will all join me in wishing both him and his wife Julia a swift return to normality from their present dilemma.

A Live Performance

A rather rare thing for me! It occurred in Stoke on Trent on Monday the 4th of June as I attended one of my beloved former military Boarding School reunions. That school being Prince Rupert School in Wilhelmshaven in Germany. I blame those pints of Beer that my good friend Derek got for me after the main evenings sit down dinner. It was rather late, and I was feeling very relaxed, when, another dear friend, Jenny pulled me into the bar where a couple of the guys were fooling around with a guitar. She leaned down and asked me if I was going to play anything. I suddenly found myself striding forward, I grabbed the guitar and played 'Miss You' and 'Wild Blows the Wind.' Jenny wanted me to do 'In a Wind Swept Cemetery' as it is one of her favourites. However, as no capo could be found, I had to let her down. One of the other girls leaned over and asked me if I wrote my own songs. I replied that I did. She said 'Well, they are good ones.' I don't get feedback like that very often and it's so nice when it happens. I love those reunions for, to me, they are a very important link to what I refer to as my 'lost childhood.' Jenny also declared herself to be my number one fan, which rather took me by surprise, and delight I may add! And for those of you with a Sherlock Holmes tendancy, she is indeed the Jenny in the gallery page of this website and holding onto the earlier Alamo cd at the Shrine itself in San Antonio, Texas.

And that is all for this time. I expect on my next visit I may well have one or two tales of Barbados to mention.