Yesterday I went to support my friend (& bassist) Jack Bird at the Seven Stars in Bristol. It turned out to be an excellent afternoon of music and I fortunately got to catch up with a lot of the people whose gigs I had to cancel lately – so it was an opportunity to explain myself. For those of you that weren’t there (and may I say a big thank you to the Get Well messages I’ve received over the 4 months I’ve been out of action) thought I’d use this space to dispell any myths that seem to be making the rounds. I stopped gigs (against my will) because I was physically too unwell. In chronological order (with overlaps): Flu; Chest Infection; Pleurisy; Gastro-entiritis; Shingles; Anaemia; Kidney Stones (PAINFUL!); Arhythmia. . . These things happen, eh.

But I’m back now – not that easy to kill off, me!  ;-)  Forgive me though if I take my foot off the gas for a bit – there’s a reason my body broke!!! It’s understandably quite hard to appreciate sometimes I know, but even when it doesn’t look as though I’m doing anything at all the fact is I never stop working. Picture a duck on the surface of a pond, to the eye serenely floating about when in fact he’s paddling like mad underneath just to stay afloat! The same is true of many of us I know – we are all the same. I guess the message here is Don’t Paddle So Hard You Forget To Stop And Get Your Plankton!

Lol.

Gigs are starting to pile up from May onwards – I’ll let you know about these nearer the time – including some interesting side projects … And of course the mythic Album is due to become reality very soon. I have been writing a hell of a lot lately too so there is plenty more new stuff on the way. I’ve got back to work with my band also (Benita Johnson & Company) - who have all been very stoic

This weekend was, I think, the start of the Chinese New Year (Tiger). Since Western New Year wasn’t so hot for me I’m taking this as the point where I review where I’ve been and make resolutions for where I’m going. Change takes time. Overall I’ve invested a lot of time, effort, ££ and heart into the music side of things. If you believe that your rewards are always in proportion to your investments, stands to reason that nothing is for nothing. I believe that.

x Bj x