|
Last updated 26th August, 2010
Roll On Summer............................................
G'day there, and welcome back to our home in cyberspace, or if you're visiting for the first time, it's nice to see you here, and thanks for your interest.
We've settled in to our new digs in Sydney, after having left Ballina back in January. We are now heading into spring, and yes, we'll be glad to see the end of the cold! I have to say, it's great to be back in our old home town, surrounded by our friends and family, and we are loving the regular gigs. There is plenty more to come!
I also would like to mention the current success by my son Nathan, and my son-in-law Sol. Their band, The Driving Conditions (from Brisbane), finally released their first full-length CD 'Full Throttle' after almost two years of hard work in the studio, and back in April the album entered the AIR charts at number 15 with a bullet!!
Well done guys, we are so proud of you all. You can check 'em out on the web at www.thedrivingconditions.com and you should also have a look at their on-going U-tube adventures, 'Rock n Roll Revolution TV'. Funny stuff, but not for the faint-hearted!!
We will be sharing the stage with them at this years Sydney Blues Festival out at Windsor later this year. More info on the festival at the site, that address being www.sydneybluesfestival.com.au and it's an awesome line-up, with the festival now in its second year. The Xpress & 'TDC' have two shows each there this year and we are all looking forward to it, from the 29th-31st Oct.
WARDS XPRESS....................................
The Xpress has been appearing around Sydney on a fairly regular basis, and I'm sure enjoying playing again with Bruce Stephens and Andrew Couttie. Donny Hopkins (keys) and Richard Booth (sax) have a few dates with us coming up, these are all posted on the gigs pge hereabouts, and I hope you can make it along to a show.
It's been great to have the alternate Sunday residence at the Tudor Hall Hotel in Redfern, and I'm happy to say that the band is sounding great, even if I do say so myself!
SOLO IN SOHO......................................
I'm pleased to report that the solo bookings have also continued to happen. I'm thrilled to be not only appearing in new rooms and venues, really digging the resident Thursday night gigs at GJ's Coffee Lounge in beautiful down-town Cronulla. It must be what things were once like when live acoustic music was heard in the coffee bars.
While most work is good work in the music biz, it's great to have a steady one where its success is not measured in alcohol sales or poker machine revenue!
If you'd like to see what I do when I play solo, feel free to hit the links here to have a look and listen to some of the live solo tunes/footage on our MySpace page
Transit Lounge has been out for a while now, but is still selling steadily through the live gigs, and my thanks to the community radio presenters, who have continued to give the CD a right old flogging on their various radio shows.
Please stay tuned for a 'retrospective' CD, which will feature a couple of new and previously unrecorded tracks, in solo and band modes, as well as a selection of material from all our prior CD's, some of which were very limited in their numbers, but hold up well in today's climate.
A Good Year In 2010.......................................
As you can see, it's been a busy year so far, and it ain't gunna slow down anytime soon! I hope all is well in your part of the world, and that you are getting your share of some of the fine music that circulates around this great country that we are still so lucky to live in!!
If you've taken the time to read thus far, my personal thanks to you for your interest. I am always keen to hear about your own adventures, so please keep me posted of what you are up to as well, OK??, as it's always great to hear from you.
That's about it for now, please stay tuned for more news and gigs, and details of the upcoming John J Francis 'Best Of' release, out soon on the Two-Faced Records label.
Until next time, keep enjoyin' and supporting the music (especially when its live at a venue near you!) and we hope to see you out there somewhere soon!!
Cheers,
RW.
| 
