NEWS (2nd March 2005)

Hello there.
Well, if all goes according to plan there could be as many as 3 or 4 releases with my name on this year. 

Firstly my 2-years-in-the-making solo album, currently aiming for around May. 

Second, there is hope again for an Artery compilation, as I have been contacted by a small record label in the UK who are interested in the project. Currently they are trying to locate and license all the original masters, so we'll see, and I'll keep you informed.

Third, as long as our former publisher gets their act together, we're hoping to finally release the Mindfeel album which was criminally abandoned some 10 years ago.

Fourth, if I can fit it in after all the others, I'd like to do a limited edition of the Flight Commander Solitude and The Snake album. This was only a limited vinyl pressing in 1985 and never released on CD ...I've had several requests for a reissue.

OK, it may be a bit of a stretch, and yes, I know I've been promising my solo album release date for 8 months... but I'll try. You've gotta believe at least one of these four will happen in the next 10 months.
 

On a completely different subject, I never yet mentioned the fact that my older brother Andy is the singer in a rock & blues type outfit called Do$ch. They are gigging regularly around the UK and have earned a  good reputation over the last few years. Their website has some MP3's and their live schedule, so if you like R&B (proper R&B, not that worthless crap they call R&B these days) you might like to check  them out. 
 

Hello then.
Living in the middle of nowhere has its advantages, such as stepping outside and thinking "wow,this is great, I live in the middle of nowhere." There is a downside though. For example, this week it became apparent that the nearest doctor and dentist is 40 miles away. But I can cope with that. 

Sometimes it can take a while to hear bits of news... such as the fact that William Shatner has done a version of a Pulpsong. Y'know, there was a time when that would've been a bit of a mind-blower, but alas those days are long gone... somewhere back years ago when Jarvis Cocker was first hailed as a sex symbol. After that, nothing would surprise me. My mom told me on the phone of the Cocker-Shatner connection just a couple of days ago (this is where I get my pop news from... my mother.) 

Here's a new thing... I did an interview recently for the Mission site "And The Dance Goes On." You can see it here. Thanks a lot to Petra for listening to my diatribe.

Well... I THINK I'm about there with the album I've been promising for so long. I dunno... I'm sending it off for mastering, to my mate back in England, we'll see very soon.

Obviously, I'll announce the release date on this page, but if you would like to be informed via email, just click here (or send me an email some other way.)
 
 

Hello. I've been out of touch, offline, incommunicado for a while due to my move to New Mexico. It was a major production, but happily things are settling down and it's really great to be back here after nearly 7 years in Seattle and New York. 

Yesterday was my kid's 3rd birthday. We had a party for him, which actually turned out to be more of a reunion for old friends.

I know I'm sounding like a broken record now, but the album I've been promising for the last 9 months is delayed again. Sorry. It's not through lack of trying, just lack of time.

Obviously, I'll announce the release date on this page, but if you would like to be informed via email, just click here (or send me an email some other way.)

Cheers for stopping by. Simon
 
 

Hello, and welcome to my space. Some good stuff going on so I thought I'd do an update. First, I've finished mixing my album, so I'll be mastering and manufacturing soon. My friend Michel up in Calgary (or cowtown as it's known) is working on the artwork and layout.

A lot of people are asking me what style of music to expect. Well, I can at least tell you that it's a collection of songs with drums, bass, and guitars... lots of guitars... and vocals. I wrote and played everything and do the singing. I will of course make some MP3 clips available shortly before the release.

Second bit of news is, I'm moving back to New Mexico at the end of June. For years I've been dreaming of settling back there, and now it's really going to happen... boxes being packed, notice is given, tickets booked... the lot. 

The timing of this move means that, although the album will be ready for release, I'll need a chance to get unpacked and sorted out in my new place. Therefore, expect availability around mid to late July. 

Obviously, I'll announce the release date on this page, but if you would like to be informed via email, just click here (or send me an email some other way.)

Cheers for stopping by. Simon
 
 

Hello. Yesterday I heard from my good friend and former colleague, James Bacon, that we should be getting rights of ownership back for all the Mindfeel music (it's a complicated situation.) So we're looking forward to releasing all the great material that never saw the light of day back when we recorded it in the mid 90s. 

Just a few more final mixes to do on my solo album and it'll be finished. I'm getting excited about this 'cos it's sounding great and I'm really proud of it. Still looks possible to get it released sometime in spring.

Obviously, I'll announce all releases on this page, but if you would like to be informed via email, just click here (or send me an email some other way.)

All the best,Simon
 
 

Happy New Add 1 To The Arbitrary Figure of 2003 Time!

I just made the mistake of deleting my last news entry. I don't really remember what it said, but considering how crap my 2003 was it's probably just as well to resign that last bit to the great invisible trash can anyway.

So what's new? Well, rather than wasting my time off this xmas by giving praise to some imagined creator, I applied myself to working on my album, and am getting very close to having it done. So a release by spring is definitely possible.

As well as working on that, I've been having fun watching my kid playing his new junior drum set. Also I managed on one day to achieve the virtually impossible by staying in bed all day. Luxury.

Yes. The holiday season. You can't beat it for not going to work and generally being self-indulgent.

Don't get too weird, Simon
 
 

High everyone?

I've just uploaded a few bits and pieces. There is an Artery video for the song "Potential Silence," which I pieced together myself from what little footage I have. 

Then there are a couple of Mission interviews from the bad old days. I have quite a bit more of this kind of thing... just a case of taking the time to encode it and make all the links. Yet another little project to mess around with in all that spare time I have on my hands. (That was a joke.)

I've also put up the Flight Commander video for "Planecrash on The Sun" ... there's another FC vid to come when I get the chance. 

Finally, after months of the cupboard being bare, the link to my MP3 Page will actually get you somewhere.

Thanks to my old mate Mike for donating some web space. Hope you find something enjoyable amongst this lot.

Allwellandgood.... Simon
 
 

Hello all. 

Bit of bad news...the bloke who was going to finance the Artery CD recently made a somewhat baffling decision to drop out of the project. So that sucks. 

Last Friday was Independence Day. There were many flags and fireworks... or at least I suppose there were. Unable to get a decent cuppa tea anywhere, I stayed home all day in close proximity to the air conditioner... this humidity is horrid. Horrid I say! It's like being in that episode of The Twilight Zone, where the Earth had changed orbit and moved closer to the Sun. 

Well, that's about it for now. Hope you can breath. 

Love, Simon
 
 

How ya doin? A few things to report, so time for an update. 

The Artery CD project is underway! Almost all the original masters have been located, plus I was able to track down an original tape from a demo session we did, which in my opinion has some of the best ever recorded versions of 5 Artery songs. Will obviously keep you updated when a release date seems imminent - most likely later this year.

My own album project is still in the making. Same old problem of finding enough time to do the work. Still aiming for release in the autumn this year. Sorry it's taking so long, but hopefully you'll find it well worth waiting for.

I have removed my short film, "The Unknown" from these pages. I did this partly to clear some disk space, and partly because some people have reported it not playing back properly... when I move up to a bigger and better web hosting service, I'll re-encode the film and put it back in a choice of formats. Meantime, apologies for extraneous links.

....and finally.... my son has started talking... which is really a rather cool experience. Currently he's all about trains. Let nothing be said against Thomas The Tank Engine.

Love on ya!   Simon

I now have a full albumsworth of 10 songs demo'd, and I'm very pleased with them. The few people who have heard them seem suitably impressed, so now I have to figure out how to get some studio time to record everything properly. Still aiming to have this album out this year, and will make it available via these pages.Last week I received an email from someone interested in putting out an Artery CD... which I really hope happens, as it's been on my mind for years to do this. Basically, there are some master tapes to locate, and some permissions to be given. Will keep you posted. 

Sorry my MP3s are still unavailable... seems like nobody gives away free big chunks of webspace anymore. I wonder why?

One of these days I'll find time to tidy up this homepage... As always, feel free to drop me a line.Cheers, Simon

 Hi.  At the moment my MP3s are unavailable, as my locker service (MyPlay.com) is closing down. Please drop me a line if you know of any alternatives. I now have 6 songs at demo stage, and several more ideas on the way... working on them every chance I get. Things are about to go crazy here in New York, as Thanksgiving is in a few days, which heralds the insanity season... oh fear! Someone please make it all go away. All sorts of best wishes, Simon

Hello everyone. I recently saw a great documentary film called "Made In Sheffield" about the Sheffield music scene of the early 80's... which is where I started out. It includes a section about Artery, and has interviews with BBC Radio One DJ, John Peel and Pulp frontman, Jarvis Cocker. Thanks to the kind permission of director, Eve Wood, I've included a clip on this site.

Also, I'm continuing work on my songs, and have started recording demo versions. I don't have a lot of free time to work on this project, so it will be quite a while before I get an album together, but that is my goal, and I'm determined to make it happen, however long it takes.     Cheers indeed!  Simon
 
 

Hi All. Well I'm settling in to life in New York City. It's not driving me quite as crazy as it did at first, and at least being here has inspired me to start writing some songs.

Managed to finish a first edit of my short film, "The Unknown," anyone want to get a sneak preview of it? If you do take a look, please let me know what you think.

Finally, my old oz.net account is now closed, so my URL for the foreseeable future will be this one, and my email is - Drop me a line any time.

Peace and love, Simon