Back and Barking

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A-ha! Yes, that's right, I have returned, or more precisely, Miki and I have returned, from our epic trip around Spain, France and the UK.I know its not really an excuse for being absent from these diary pages for so long, but by way of an apology, let me direct you to Ten Weeks in a Box, our account, in words, sketches and pictures of our wonderful trip. Each day, we'll be publishing an extract from our travel journal so you can relive the highs and lows of our trip, including one or two rants from me when I got a little stir crazy!

I will try and post on here regularly again, but its a busy time right now. I'm working hard on a novel, and also some new songs for BC Sweet, as we plan to do an album next year. After rattling around in a seven metre motorhome for the past few months, Miki and I are downsizing our driving for a while!

The Travelogue is Updated!

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Hello everyone, just got back from our latest trip, and we have NEW words and pictures in the travelogue right now, check it out!!

We've been a bit remiss in publishing an account of our journey through Brittany, La Gironde etc, and it will be coming soon, but as a taster, here's a short article that I wrote on our last but one trip...

Oystermen and Cream Teas

I’m sitting here in the picturesque French port of Mortagne-sur-Gironde, the view from our Motorhome is one of gently swaying reeds, tall on the riverbank, caressed by the unruffled serene brown waters of the Gironde estuary. A haven to a myriad of birds, this “gaping mouth” of France is stuffed with a Foie Gras of humanity and wildlife. The quaint wooden huts balanced precariously on spider-legged stilts, home to the Oystermen, punctuate this strange and beautiful shoreline. Their basket-nets hang silently in the windless afternoon, as the last of the ghostly sea mist is burned away by the determined sun.

This coastline is a riddle, one moment there, a moment later gone, sometimes revealed by retreating waters, sometimes hidden by a cloak of mist, that could almost conceal a ghostly galleon from a forgotten age. The Roman church at Talmont-sur-Gironde, once ruled by England’s Edward 1st, still standing defiant on its rock, the rock of its own faith perhaps, a stunning man made sea wall, that protects the church and village, as much a homage to their god as the holy house itself.

The village within this wall, almost English, perhaps a whisper from the past of Edward’s influence, for it reminded me so much of the Cotswolds, but with Crepes, not Cream Teas.

Miki has wandered off to sketch the harbour scenes here in Mortagne, a colourful array of craft, a rainbow moored alongside the dock, masts and sails dance joyfully on a gentle swell and soft breeze.

The sea can be an angry mistress, but right here, right now, deep into the Gironde, it is peace, and tranquillity on the Cote d’Atlantique……


Kev Moore 17/04/07

Keith Webb - A Professional Life

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The Music world lost a remarkable man some weeks ago. Keith Webb, whose career spanned an amazing SIX decades,from the jazz bands of the 50’s, through drumming for cosmic troubadour Donovan and gravel voiced Terry Reid in the 60's, creating the Prog-Rock band Paladin in the 70's, to working in the 80's with a young Stevie Ray Vaughn. The 90's & beyond saw him backing blues legends in Europe, & playing with The Flying Vultures in Spain. He left us aged 73.

I was incommunicado touring Brittany, and discovered the sad news via an email from Derek Holt from the Climax Blues Band.

Some weeks beforehand, we’d had a coffee together in our village of Turre. It’s an area of Spain rife with musicians, actors & performers. Keith and I gigged a few times last summer, in a band with Robin Sarstedt, good times in the sun. He told me of his plans to visit America & Brazil.Full of life & raring to go.

The tragedy is that Keith left us before writing his memoirs…I was privileged to have him talk to me on many evenings, just sat on my balcony, and the history of rock would come forth, A history he witnessed first hand, and helped to create.

One of the first Plaster Caster subjects, Jimi Hendrix jammed with him, Frank Zappa dubbed him Octopus, in deference to his drumming, he memorably welcomed Led Zeppelin to the USA with champagne on a silver tray, and appeared in the iconic 60’s film “Groupies” as himself, a well spoken member of the rock hierarchy with an wicked wit. The list is endless. He counted Charlie Watts, Keith Moon and Youth as friends.
I was fortunate to have known and worked with him. He was a good friend, and I will miss him.

North for Easter

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So another Sunday rolls around and Miki and I have decided to take time out from the Street Gallery this week to try and catch up on all things Goodaboom. You will see we have a new Song of the Month for April, Funkktion, which recently received GarageBand.com's Track of The Day Award, and our Photos and comments from our recent European jaunt will be appearing in the Travelogue. Miki also publishes a new "Give me a title" painting today. Being as Easter is almost upon us, Miki and I put our heads together(not easy when there's about 2 feet difference in height) and came up with an idea for a little eggstreme fun. Its Kev's Easter Eggsibition, and its now showing in our 3D Gallery, featuring a collection of daft egg-inspired cartoons and hideous puns all accompanied by a murderous rock version of Irving Berlin's Easter Parade all created by yours truly,and Mildew Bookworm insisted on introducing and hosting the whole thing. We think he's getting a bit pushy, but well, we did invade his planet, so we let him have his own way sometimes.

Tomorrow morning I fly to the UK and face a busy week seeing my Dad, catching up with old friends, seeing family and having pre-production meetings with Graham Oliver for our forthcoming album project, which I'm very excited about. Hopefully I'll get to make some entries while I'm over there. Miki joins me there next Sunday, and the following week we fly to Brittany to tour France for some days in the Boomobile! So we'll have lots to tell you in the coming weeks!

The Rain in Spain (stays mainly in Albir)

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Drip, drip, drip...Yes, a little taste of England has been with us here in Spain for a few days now. I refer to the seemingly endless downpour to which we have been subjected. I shouldnt moan, it throws the glorious days of sunshine into sharp relief! Anyway, onto more exciting things! For the second time in a few weeks, I've been lucky enough to become recipient of the Garage Band website's track of the day award for my song "Funkktion". My last funk offering, "A Cat called Caramel" grabbed the award too, so I'm well pleased. Caramel's currently No.33 in their chart, and Funkktion's entered at 44. It's also garnered some good reviews. It's a painful process sometimes, when your songs get slated, but either way, its good to get feedback on your music, and a lot of the comments really do prove useful and constructive. You should be able to check out Funkktion on Goodaboom shortly, as I think we'll be making it track of the month for April! Also, look out for our Easter surprise, coming soon!!

Purification

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So there we were, Miki and I, enjoying the sunshine, minding the Street gallery on a windy Sunday afternoon, when I hear Miki whisper, terrified, under her breath, "I dont want to talk to that woman!!" Now Miki is normally quite sociable with the passers-by and prospective clients, so I was a little surprised by this outburst, until she told me about the woman purposefully heading our way. Unfortunately, she didn't tell me about her until after the event...

Miki pulled her cap down firmly over her face and did a good imitation of being part of the lamp post against which we were sitting. The woman came to me, pointing at Miki's Bullfight paintings and wailing "No bien, No bien!" I grinned at her. I'm good at that. "Espanol?" she asked, rather desperately for my liking. "No!" I replied quickly, for once relieved to be English. She continued to remonstrate about the paintings, saying they should be destroyed. "They're only paintings," I said helpfully, with another, hopefully annoying, cheery smile. She proceeded to burst into tears and head across the street.

Miki miraculously returned to life. "Her name is Puri, short for Purification" she said, "and she believes she's been sent by God to purify the human race."She went on to tell me that Puri apparently has a relationship with a guy, but he's in heaven. Bummer.She's well-known for scrounging cigarettes and alcohol from people on the basis of being, well, loony I guess. I understand she's had a few one-night purifications, too. Care in the community's a wonderful thing. I guess she's really taken her name to heart, living up to the maxim of ritual cleansing:"To Remove guilt, sin or uncleanliness". Except she seems to have got it confused with tomming around and cadging cigarettes and booze out of people. And she sometimes appears normal if she thinks people suss her out.Dont you just LOVE the holier-than-thou brigade? I know one thing, it's given me fresh impetus to finish The Heretic's Song. Every cloud has a silver lining. I wonder if its the one her fella lives on?

There's another definition for Purification in the dictionary:
The Process of ridding oneself of something, harmful, inferior, or unwanted yes, Puri, I'll remember that next time you approach the street gallery!

Disclaimer: The author of this piece strongly advocates the treatment of mental health within the confines of a secure and stable environment. He performed many free concerts for patients in a Mental Health Hospital in his youth.

We're Back!!

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After completing a massive circle around Europe, taking in 3 countries,3 hotels, and every conceivable form of weather from unseasonable 20+ degrees sunshine in Germany to frankly scary -6 degrees snowdrifts in the Pyrenees, we are back in Albir to begin the task of chronicling the journey, and hopefully entertaining you with our words and pictures. Keep checking in to see new stuff, as we'll be adding items daily. My daughter Hollie has just released her first video with her band Theft of a Doll Its called Blood On Powder Blue, and as her Grandad has just come through a serious but successful operation in England, I'll dedicate it to him...