Looking back on my ambitions list from this time a year ago it didn’t mention me spending so much time in the US writing for other artists and it certainly didn’t mention not playing any shows for the first time since I was in the first year of school! It’s been a nonstop twelve months full of travelling, writing and new creative experiences. Its quiet possible that when my songwriting spreadsheet (with I’ve kept in some sort of order for many years now) is updated that 2018 could be the most prolific year to date.
In Nashville and Kansas I’ve found songwriting destinations that will form part of my every year from now on, both geographically and friendship wise they’ve opened a new window into a part of my brain previously untouched a true expansion of story telling with words that previously only existed in metaphor.
I also wrote two of my favourite songs I’ve ever written in Belfast back in June so I’ll be certain to return! As always a couple Berlin trips were full of creativity and ending my year in Montreux always gives me the some semblance of schedule, a bookend to a manufactured set of hours and seconds.
The one BIG thing I did have written down this time last year was to fly to New York and make a new record which I did! I had the best time living in my friends beautiful house in Shokan upstate New York and allowing the vibes of the place to truly inhabit the recordings. In the ever changing new age of how we consume music you’ve been hearing the fruits of my musical labour a song at a time so far, I will ALWAYS be an album lover and this collection of songs is structured to run as one piece however I have really been enjoying drip feeding a song at a time and having the individual have its moment to shine unencumbered by track listing.
Okay so its time for me to sit down and set out some ambitions for 2019, they will include playing live, releasing this record AND recording the next one, that is going to be a new fun adventure.
Happy New year and thank you for supporting my music.
A few pictorial highlights below
Steven
