Happy New Year!! Thanks for all your support during one of the most difficult years that many of us will ever have experienced.
The year started well, with plans for a Spaceheads tour and the recording of some brand new material, which then had to be abandoned when the global pandemic took hold.
Music has been particularly badly hit by the restrictions we are living under … as well as the frustration for fans having no live events to attend – with no gigs to play, musicians, crew and venue staff have no way of earning a living in an industry where many rely on regular work to make ends meet.
However, livestreaming took off online and I livestreamed daily during March and April playing from my bedroom studio, improvising loopy trumpet tunes along with video projections of patterns and atmospheres as well as commentary on current affairs!
There was a slight respite in the summer where I managed a few socially-distanced gigs including a Spaceheads one at the Farm and playing atop a barge on a canal with the audience in a park opposite!
The remainder of the year was spent recording a new James album, which presented its own unique challenges this year, as we were unable to meet to rehearse and record, with all the work being done remotely. The album will be released in 2021 and has a working title of “All The Colours Of You” …. and a live James album entitled “Live In Extraordinary Times” was released in December 2020, comprising a double CD, double vinyl and a DVD of two of 2019’s shows in Philadelphia and Madrid.
Let’s hope that the promise of a mass vaccination programme will mean the return of live gigs in 2021, for the sake of the whole Industry. There are already some festivals planned and a major UK Arena tour next November and December 2021 …look out on my gigs page and let’s hope that Spaceheads too can pick up from where we were so rudely interrupted, with more gigs and recording during the coming year.
Meanwhile, the pandemic is biting harder than ever …please take care and stay safe …. I will be continuing my daily livestreams through January and February – on both Facebook and YouTube and you will also be able to support me if you’re able to, via my Ko-fi page …catch me if you can!
