Hey y'all!

I'm already getting in to the southern lingo here in Nashville and it's only been a week!
Time has flown since I arrived here a week or so ago, we've been working hard in the studio pretty much everyday and have recorded a lot of new material which I'm very excited to share with you soon!

I touched down a week last Sunday and headed straight to Downtown Broadway where all the Honky-Tonk Bars are situated and met up with Sarah (http://www.paperaeroplanesmusic.com/) who'd arrived a day earlier. We settled on Tootsie's and spent a good few hours there listening to some great live music before retiring to our hotel rooms excited to be starting work here the next day.

We got picked up by Producer extrodinaire Charlie Peacock in the morning and duly headed to his home/place of work the beautiful Art House (http://www.arthouseamerica.com/blog)

Having introduced ourselves to everyone in the team (Charlie, Andi, Sam, James and Richie) we went straight into our first writing session of the day with the talented Sam Ashworth. He eased us in gently by playing us a wonderful guitar line and vocal melody that fitted in perfectly with the style and method of myself and Sarah.

By the end of the day we had a completed song and decided to record it there and then / performing it as live with myself and Sarah singing full performances of the song together (though in seperate vocal booths!) It was amazing to think we'd only been here a day and already had a new song written/completed and recorded!!

Next day we had two further writing sessions booked in with the amazing Brooke Waggoner (http://www.brookewaggoner.com/) and Matthew Perryman-Jones (http://mpjmusic.com/)

Both sessions yielded songs we were extremly happy with / both different in their style and approach and yet somehow still in keeping with our 'sound' so to speak!

To celebrate Charlie took us all to the famous Loveless Cafe - Here we got to sample some proper good 'old fashioned 'Southern' food including Biscuits (which us Brits would call 'Scones'), Fried Okra, Fried Catfish, Fried Chicken.....do you see the common thread here!

Wednesday we went at it to record some more!
Charlie invited down three extremly talented musicians to play on the sessions - Mark Hill (http://markhillbass.com/) Steve Brewster (http://www.stevebrewsterdrums.com/) and Matt Slocum (of the band Sixpence None The Richer).

Together we laid down the foundations to 3 new songs including the two written only a day earlier. It was an honour to have such talented people performing and playing our songs and a very humbling experience.

The next day we shot a performance video of the song we wrote with Matthew Perryman-Jones with Sam Ashworth at the helm - directing us and capturing all the footage.

Then sadly it was time to say goodbye to Sarah as she had to go back home to Blighty to do some shows with her band 'Paper Aeroplanes' (see previous link).

This brings us to the weekend and our 24hr stay in New York City.

One of the bands Charlie's been working with recently are called 'Zach Williams and The Bellow' (http://www.zachwilliams.com/). He had recorded most of their latest record live at a small venue in Lower East Side Manhattan called 'Rockwood Music Hall' and last Saturday night they showcased a lot of that material. So Charlie, his wife Andi and I headed over to watch them play.

It was a brilliant show and I'm pleased to say I have seen them play in such an intimate setting as I'm sure the size and prestige of the places they are going to play in the future is only going to go up and up so check'em out!

Having touched back down in Nashville early on Sunday morning I decided to do the tourist thing on my day off and head to the Country Music Hall of Fame (http://countrymusichalloffame.org/ )

It's a facinating museum - one I recommend you visit- even if you're not a huge country fan. It's just interesting to see the development of the genre and how it influenced so much of popular American culture.

Then one of those nice surprises. I found out via the Civil Wars's Twitter feed (http://bit.ly/GRPO1L) that 'The Staves' (http://www.thestaves.com/) were in Nashville that night playing at the famout Basement venue - http://www.thebasementnashville.com/about

It was nice to hear some familiar accents eminating from the stage and I felt as if I was back home in London! If you're not familiar with their music check'em out too as they're brilliant.

Not only that but also on the bill was Ben Howard - someone who I had the honour of playing with at Swn Festival in Cardiff last October. There was a whole gang of them making their way back from SXSW in Texas to the East Coast of America in Campervans...what a great way to travel!

And that rounds off my first week in Nashville, Tennessee - stay tuned for part two

Al x

 

In telling the story I'm about to tell I guess I should start this post on Christmas Day 2011.
That day I received a copy of 'Nashville Skyline' by Bob Dylan on Vinyl as a present from Sarah (Howells) who sings with me.

It was apt that she chose that one for it was one of the few albums of his I didn't have and little did I know at the time but it's title would come to shape my next couple of months...

A few weeks earlier I'd been watching Jools Holland and had enjoyed the following performance by a band I hadn't heard of namely 'The Civil Wars' - this is them performing the title track from their debut album 'Barton Hollow'

I'd really enjoyed the performance but hadn't followed it up with any research into who they were or where they were from. Then one day whilst on Twitter a friend of mine posted a video of them performing another of their songs and having watched that I decided to purchase their album.

It quickly became the flavour of the month on my iPod and throughout the Christmas period I was constantly listening to it.

Therefore when it came to the time to start thinking of people who I'd like to work with on the new album I thought I'd see where and with whom they'd made 'Barton Hollow'.
It turned out the man they made it with was a Mr Charlie Peacock based out in Nashville, Tennessee. I read his blog and found it refreshing the way he spoke about capturing the magic within a performance of a song. I thoroughly recommend you read it (if you're into that kind of thing) -

http://recordproducer.typepad.com/record-producer/2010/01/performance-product...

Feeling I had nothing to lose I decided to email him and sent him links to a few of my songs, not really expecting anything back....then something really unexpected happenned - A reply!

Following on from that initial email exchange we said we'd reconvene our conversation after the Grammys as unbeknown to me - Charlie and the Civil Wars were up for two this year. Sufficed to say - they won them both! http://www.grammy.com/news/and-the-grammy-went-to-the-civil-wars

Since then I've seen their name plastered almost everywhere here in London - they've cropped up on the Tube / in the papers / on the BBC Breakfast sofa even...!!

I was even fortunate enough to catch them perform a sold-out in-store gig at Rough Trade East last week. It was great to see something which clearly has grown organically without any forced-image led PR campaign - they are just really good live and sing/write great tunes! Simple!

So where does that leave me? 

Well I'm off this weekend to Nashville - home of Country music and the Honky-Tonk Bar.

I will be there for two weeks working with Mr Charlie Peacock and various other talented musicians on new material. Sarah Howells is also coming for a week, so I'll have another Welshie with me for the journey.

I'll be blogging about my experiences whilst I'm out there and sharing with you all that I get up-to.

Finally I couldn't leave you without wishing the Welsh Rugby Team the best of luck on Saturday afternoon in their pursuit of a third Grand-Slam in 8 years! What an achievement that would be..!!

I wonder if they play rugby in Nashville..... 

Four weeks ago I shared with you a brand new song of ours called 'Mrs Evans' from the as yet untitled new album. So I thought I'd try and make this a monthly occurrence and therefore introduce another new song 'Blackbird & The Magpie'. Those of you who have been to a live show recently may recognise this one from my set as it's been "road-tested" a few times recently!

Since I last wrote something on here I broke the 70,000 mile mark on my car!
It's been a year of many miles, especially considering that we've now reached the 1 year anniversary of my Caffè Nero Tour where I clocked some serious mileage!

In February I've been to Pontardawe, Norwich and Shoreham supporting the lovely Webb Sisters. Check them out here - http://www.thewebbsisters.com - They recently dueted with Gotye, currently No.1 in the Singles Charts no-less!

Here's a picture taken by Alexandra Bone of myself and Sarah from the Norwich Arts Centre:-

I did a great little gig at the Gwdihw in Cardiff with the very talented Greta Isaac.
The people from the MMP came down and gave us a nice review.

http://themmp.tv/live/al-lewis-gwdihw-8-february/

Finally then last weekend we then headed up to Bangor, North Wales to perform at a Welsh Language Student Night. They were all up for a good time so it made playing for them an easy job for us the band!

 

 

 

With it being a new year and all I thought I'd share with you this video of myself and Sarah Howells performing a brand new song of ours called 'Mrs Evans' from the as yet untitled new album (due in 2012) at her flat in West London.

Hope you all like it

Al x

p.s Here's a picture of my little DIY studio (well it's just a microphone and a laptop really) where I'm making my demos in preparation for going into the studio and recording them proper!!

When I last posted something on here I was in the middle of touring with Eleanor McEvoy, so that seems like the logical place to pick up on this new post!

Thanks to everyone who came along to see us on the 'Alone Tour'.
After the Eastney gig we headed North and I got to visit Hebden Bridge and Kendal in the Lake District for the first time. Both places I hope to be going back to in 2012. It was also nice going back to places such as the wonderful High Barn in Braintree and Cox's Yard in Stratford-on-Avon. Every night was an absolute blast providing us with a delightful audience and a gorgeous setting.

Special thanks goes to Eleanor for having me along - she was always on top form every night and set a great example to me as the 'young pup'..! You can see my collection of pictures from the tour here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwwLTqW

On a cold Sunday in October I dropped in on the lovely Jen Long at BBC Wales HQ in Cardiff to perform a few songs for her Introducing in Wales show on Radio 1. I was sad to hear that the BBC are planning to get rid of such shows across the UK in the next round of BBC cuts, it would be a very sad move if the show went as for local bands looking for that initial exposure on radio it is a great platform to get your music heard. Good luck Jen whatever happens x

The following day I travelled down the M5 to Clevedon near Bristol to perform at the most famous Shed in Britain (Shed of the Year no less) for Mr Jon Earl (who you see pictured in his shed)
He's had an array of artists perform in his shed including Eleanor McEvoy and my friends Paper Aeroplanes and Emily Baker so I was pleased to be joining such an illustrious list.

You can view the session here: 
http://www.songsfromtheshed.com/Al-Lewis-Session--144(2563961).htm

October also saw the release of my new music video for Treading Water. Directed by the brilliantly talented Rosie Collins - Click here to watch the video: YouTube / Vimeo

I rounded off the month by attending the Welsh Music Prize award ceremony in Cardiff as part of the Swn festival which I was also appearing at during that weekend. It was rather surreal for me to be standing next to James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers and Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals, bands who I'd grown up listening to and then there I was nominated alongside them for 'In the Wake'. Personally it was a great way to celebrate the past year and a bit of releasing and promoting the album as I was accompanied by most of those who'd been involved with me in some way or another in making it!

I didn't take a camera with me but this video gives a flavour of how the night progressed:

Gruff Rhys was a worthy winner and someone who's flown the flag for Welsh music for over a decade so I think he was a good choice for the inaugral winner, my favourite song from his winning album Hotel Shampoo is Space Dust #2 - check it out! I'm a sucker for harmonies/duets!

Here I am in Eastney/Southsea on a glorious Monday afternoon in late September - nearing the halfway point on this tour supporting Eleanor McEvoy!
It's been great to be back on the road doing a series of dates with a great artist in great venues with lovely audiences to boot!

We kicked things off in Birmingham at the Glee Club - a wonderful place that always treats its artists really well (including the support acts).
Thursday and I was back in London - we were performing at the Irish Centre in Hammersmith. A great place that is sadly threatened with closure but with the support and goodwill of people like Eleanor and the comedian Dara O'Brien among others - hopefully it will survive to live another day!

Friday and it was off to Winchester. One of the few places on this tour that I hadn't yet visited. A pleasant afternoon was spent wandering past the stunning Cathedral and the surrounding streets. Fact of the day - Winchester is the former capital of England - who knew!!

Saturday and it was my birthday, (late twenties in case you're wondering) I was treated to a delicious meal at the 'Le Mistral' French restaurant in Nottingham (go check it out if you're in the area http://www.lemistral.co.uk). The gig that evening was at the Glee again - always a pleasure to play!

Yesterday we were back on the south coast - in Brighton. Lazy Sundays in Brighton are a great way to siphon money on delicious Crepes, Cappuccinos and Smoothies...!
Komedia was a lovely crowd and it was great to see Emily Baker perform again (cheek out her song 'Hit & Run' - tune!)
Which brings us to today and Southsea (where the second of the pier shots is taken)
After today we head back to the Cox's Yard - Stratford upon Avon- a venue I've had the pleasure to play a few times now - so it'll be great to be going back there with Eleanor!

It's been an honour and a pleasure to support Eleanor on this tour. She is a great example of an artist whose longevity is a credit to her songwriting convictions and I hope some of her talent and professionalism will rub off on me!! ;)

Until next time.. X

To many outsiders the National Eisteddfod can seem like a strange almost other-worldly event that takes place almost in its own reality.
Though it has it's roots in deep druid traditions the Eisteddfod is now much more than simply a chance for Welsh speakers to congregate in one place and reminisce - it is a celebration of the language and of music/art/theatre/prose all eminating from Wales.

The BBC sent the Welsh tenor Wynne Evans to the site this year for him to experience the Eisteddfod first-hand. The show which aired on Sunday is a nice snippet of all that goes-on and even features a guest appearance by no-other than myself :)
You can catch it again on iPlayer here for a few more days: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01350b3/Eisteddfod_with_Wynne_Evans/

I had one of my busiest weeks at the Eisteddfod this year. It began on Monday night with the concert in the Pink Pavilion with a full-blown orchestra. Myself and Arwel had the privilege to have our songs arranged for the Orchestra by the talented John Quirk. It was quite an experience to hear the songs in such a different setting and great to share the stage with such legendary Welsh acts from across the ages - Meic Stevens. Elin Fflur, Caryl Parry Jones, Tecwyn Ifan and Huw Chiswell.

Tuesday began quite sedately with a couple of nice acoustic shows at the Mantais tent on the site. That was quickly followed by our first 'Band' show on the Main Performance Stage which conveniently is located next to the beer tent :)
It worked out well that as we came on the sun began to shine and  there was a nice group of people sitting/listening to the music enjoy a nice cold refreshment! In the evening we played a show at Central Station for 'Cymdeithas yr Iaith' (Welsh Language Society) alongside Daniel Lloyd and Mr Bryn Fon. Sufficed to say there were a few pints consumed that night!

Wednesday saw us once again performing on the Eisteddfod site itself and we were also invited to do an acoustic set for Alan Thompson's Evening Show on BBC Radio Wales which was broadcasting live from Wrexham for the whole week.

Straight from the radio session it was a quick hop over the road to soundcheck for Maes B - Sion from the band was a very busy boy that night - not only was he playing with us but he was also playing for Elin Fflur and Gildas (all in the same night!)

Thanks to Wendie for the next picture - she was assigned the role of chief photographer for the night by her other-half to get good use of the new camera :)

Which brings us back nicely to Thursday and the performance for the TV Crew following Wynne Evans around the Eisteddfod!
All in all quite a busy week, filled with many a highlight and memories to keep.
Finally for those of you who are interested - Al Lewis Band will be appearing on the first episode of the new series of Nodyn which starts this Friday (12th) on S4C (you many remember pictures that were taken from the shoot on a previous blog).

http://www.s4c.co.uk/cerddoriaeth/e_nodyn.shtml

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So this has been an incredible couple of days for gigs!
Yesterday morning I found out that one of my heroes Jackson Browne was the special guest on the couple of dates that Jonathan Wilson was doing here in London this week (Thank You Twitter). So I duly booked my tickets for the show last night at the Borderline in Soho and held my breath in the hope that the rumours were indeed true. As these picture can testify they were.....

It was a great show and we were treated to Browne classics "These Days" and "Take it Easy" and Dawes (his backing band along with Jonathan Wilson) were great in their own right too! Check them out: http://www.dawestheband.com/

On Sunday I got to see another of my idols James Taylor in Cardiff - another brilliant show from one of the founding fathers of the 'Laurel Canyon Collective' along with Jackson Browne. He finished the set with "You've Got A Friend" the Carole King classic!

I think next on my list of people I need to see live is The Boss.....!