Greenbelt, Max Boyce and new chapters

Played Greenbelt in a bit of a haze after the weekend in Colorado but it was great. Enjoyed the new main stage on Friday night though have had a few letters about my language! As long as they write to complain Pat Robertson about his asking certain leaders to be ‘taken out’ (which was my point) then that’s fair enough.Tried out a new tune on the weekend too. Great to play with Stewart again, that was fun. Thought Michael Franti was exceptional and enjoyed, to my surprise, much back slapping banter with Daniel Beadingfield. It’s been good to be writing a few songs. Sometimes the schedule gets so nuts that picking up the guitar and writing something is the last thing I get to do. Chris is over from Canada for at least a year now to help with that so I’m looking forward to a little more ‘creative’ time. Have also been in the studio carrying on the production of Bill Taylor Beales’s album. On Sunday I played at the CIA in Cardiff for the Welsh Blood service. It was a celebration of the 500th bone marrow donor success and it was a pleasure to be there. Some of the speeches were very moving and a reminder of the fragility of our lives. Great to catch up with Max Boyce who recited me a lyric he has just written that had me close to tears. He then went on stage and made the whole place laugh hysterically, but beneath all that is a very sensitive and articulate poet. Wonderful stuff. Anyhow. I’m looking forward now to the journey ahead. Its kind of a ‘new chapter’ time, with many good things on the horizon and in place. That is of course tempered by the despair on our screens and the feeling of impotence in the face of it all. So I hug the kids and pick up the guitar to say something…tis all I can do.