3 Mar 2023
Firstly, we did it! We raised part of the funds towards the teeny Eriba caravan we wanted to get to go touring with our music. Then we found one available so off we toddled to Whitchurch to view it. We fell in love with ‘Michelle’, managed to scrape together some extra funds and bought her (having checked that Jim could actually fit inside – it’s like the Tardis, honestly!).
The not so good news – we have had it checked over and find it needs some work on the tow hitch to make the brakes safe but the nearest workshop is fully booked so we won’t be able to use her for a while. The good news is the gas is safe as is the hook up electrics, there don’t seem to be any leaks and the fridge is amazing. And Jim’s joined an Eriba Facebook Group which has helped him find the perfect toaster for a hob with no grill. Facebook has its uses!
January and February were quiet months for us on the music front – only 2 gigs in the diary before we hit the ground running in March – so we decided to start doing some Open Mics to keep up our ‘performance skills’. The first one we went to was great fun and really well attended, lots of people we knew and a lovely atmosphere, but we both went down with Covid shortly afterwards. It was actually on the day that we went out filming on the South Downs for our next single (The Ballad Of Gabriel Oak, due for release on 16th March) that I started feeling rough – watch the video and you might notice a slightly subdued manner in my hilltop dancing – and I tested positive the following day, Jim 2 days later. Sadly this meant cancelling our first gig of the year. We were fully both up to date with vaccines but it hit us hard for a couple of weeks.
Once we were Covid clear we managed to get out to a friend’s Album Launch. Andy Melrose, our label mate on Long Way Home Productions, released his latest album, Lingerwoord, at a live music evening at The Folklore Rooms in Brighton. He had several guests join him on stage and had a good audience in the small but beautiful venue – all in all it was a really good night with excellent music. And we managed to get there by train without any problems, which was a real bonus.
The following night we had a lovely evening at Sakala in Steyning, playing a double header with Nigel Horn. We had arranged this last Spring, but life got in the way, plans got changed, and we finally got to play on 25th Feb to a small but appreciative audience. Helen, owner of Sakala, is a Patron of SAFE in Sussex, a Women’s Refuge charity. She is doing a fundraising Rickshaw Challenge in India and all of the funds from the evening are going into that pot. There will be more great music nights upstairs at Sakala – look them up on Facebook.
Two days after Sakala, we had the monthly Bluebell Roots night in Arlington which is always an excellent night. Philippa who usually cooks up a brilliant meal as part of the evening wasn’t there as she was unwell so it did lack a little something in atmosphere – mainly because lovely Philippa wasn’t there, never mind the food. But the floor spots and the guest of the night were all wonderful. Chris Fox’s playing is very special – he uses a loop station in some songs to excellent effect. It was fascinating to watch his feet tap the pedals to create a full band sound with just his voice, guitar, and on one occasion some strange shell things he bought at a festival. Chris and his Mum/Booking Agent stayed with us that night and we had a good long chat late into the evening and then the next morning over breakfast all about the music and gigging business. It got our enthusiasm fired up again for our own musical future.
Our next BIG thing is our own album launch – The Holloway is released on 31st March. We’re doing a live show at The Grove in Eastbourne that night. You can watch our video all about it here: https://youtu.be/hT5mrXutWuA
Yesterday I think was the first time we both woke up feeling almost back to full strength after Covid – Jim still has a tickly cough and I am suffering indigestion, but luckily we don’t seem to have any serious after effects. We had a good long music practise last night and are feeling good. We’re working behind the scenes on the Jay’s Nest Project and our By The Willow’s event at Pickhams (more about that really soon, I promise!). And we’ve come up with a plan to move towards doing music full time before too long, which is EXTREMELY exciting. Now we just have to commit to a date and set that plan in motion. Hopefully the caravan will also be in motion sometime soon.
Thanks for your support, as ever.
If you want to support us with just a little monthly financial contribution as a Patron on Patreon, that would be wonderful.
Love from
Josie and Jim
