After releasing “The Last Leaf To Fall” back in 2014 I definitely caught the composing bug. I really enjoyed the process, although stressful at times it felt good to finally share some of my original works with the world.
Originally I had it in my head that I should release an album every couple of years. In principle this sounds great as I honestly believe I have enough material to do so, but in practice the amount time needed to record, doubt yourself, edit, doubt yourself and then master, along with some more self doubt actually becomes draining. Why am I doing this again?!
The years between 2013-2015 were very busy. From being a best man, to getting married myself, to buying our first home, to having our first child, it all became a blur and overwhelming. I used music as an outlet during this time and I was relatively productive. To mark special occasions or events I tend to write a piece of music to show my feelings at the time.
“A Busy Couple Of Years” was the culmination of these years. Along with a smattering of my favourite pieces over this time, it told the story of our life as the music progressed through.
“Final Words From A Best Man” was written for Thurstan and Sarah Gray after Thurstan asked me to be his best man at his wedding which back in the Autumn of 2012. “Rainbow Moonstone was written after visiting Norwich and buying a rainbow moonstone necklace for my then fiancee, Kate, as a engagement gift. ”Happy Marriage Mrs Laurence" was written for Kate on our wedding day and the name is a spin on “Merry Christmas mr Lawrence” by Ryuichi Sakamoto. “A Crossroads of New Beginnings” was written after finding out that Kate was pregnant. “Grace” and “The Unused Name” were both written with both baby names in mind. “Grace's Lullaby” was written as a soothing piece to put Grace to sleep at night ( it didn't work very well) and lastly, “Paper Carnations” was written for our first wedding anniversary. This tune is a bit of a black sheep as rather than being overly romantic it was actually born from quiet sentimentality and nostalgia at looking back at the last few years. Phew!
Along with these musical markers came a handful of other pieces. Some of my favourites are “Life Changes Key”, “Life's Kaleidoscope” and “Song For Grey Skies”.
I knew I wanted to release it as another charity album as I liked the idea of the proceeds going to a good cause so I chose a local hospice to me, St Helena Hospice. The album released back in 2016. To be honest I was relieved and needed to recharge. I wouldn't release any new music for another 6 years which seems mad to see how time went so quickly.
The experiences of recording both my first 2 albums taught me a lot but also left me with several questions. Not least, about how to market and promote myself better. All in good time I guess.
