Some road-reckless-boy-racer took the turn at the end of our road a little too sharply and crashed into the brick wall. Between the road and the brick wall was the box where all the broadband connections lived and that was smashed to bits. Suddenly we're on a digital fast and it's spookily like the 1980s all over again. Even though it has been a week, we still reach for our phones and computers. That's how used to instant access we are.
At the same time, there's a space that developing in our days. Of course I have to go out to find wifi so I can get important work done, but when I'm back home, if work has to be done, I pick up the phone and ring, like we used to do it, instead of sending an email. Once that's done, well, I have a life.
And I also play guitar, which makes me very happy, and write songs. Songs for my solo album, songs for the album Aaron and I are making in September, and songs for the Laurel Canyon Project. As we're seven days into a twenty-two day (estimated) repair, I'm getting to play a lot of music. It's like being on retreat only I'm home and I get to hang out with Jo.
What with all the writing and playing, I'm dreaming songs and guitar as well. Last night I dreamed I was preparing for a big show in London and the promoter wanted me to sing a Richard Thompson song. I didn't know the song so gave Richard a quick ring (you know it's a dream if that happened) and asked him to send it to me so I could learn it before the evening's concert.
When it arrived it was like an IKEA flat-pack. Chords here and there. Lyrics in all mis-matched in little plastic sleeves with no obvious order. I look at my watch. I don't have time to assemble the song and learn it before the concert. I ring Richard back but he's not picking up. Thankfully, I wake up before I get too fraught with anxiety.
A few days before Aaron and I played an outdoor gig in St Ives. Thankfully, the rain held off long enough for us to do the whole show. Just up the road there was a battle re-enactment, complete with canon and musket blasts. Our audience thought it was thunder. When we sang “Let it rain, let it pour,” the opening lines to “Deep River Blues”, the audience groaned. A very loud group of motor-bikers rode by a couple of times adding to the general din of the afternoon and made “Tornado Smith” feel extra relevant. Next a souped-up car blasted by, loudest of all the day's sounds. Our music audibly disappeared in its wake. Boy-racer, I thought.
UPCOMING CONCERTS LATE SUMMER 2025
(All Brooks Solo Unless Noted)
AUGUST
3rd Brightlingsea Festival, Brightlingsea, Essex
14th Crail Folk Club, Crail, Scotland
17th The White Horse, Misson, Nottinghamshire
SEPTEMBER
7th Springthorpe Village Hall, Springthorpe, Lincolnshire
11th Old Riverport Jazz & Blues Festival, St Ives, Cambridgeshire (Brooks & Aaron)
13th Guitar Workshop (day), Elm Farm Music, Leicester (Brooks & Vera)
13th Concert (eve), Elm Farm Music, Leicester (Brooks & Vera)
19th Milkmaid Folk Club, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
20th Acoustic Tearoom, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria
21st Workshop & Concert, Keighley, West Yorkshire
23rd Hoy At Anchor, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (Brooks & Aaron)
25th Kirkcaldy Folk Club, Kirkcaldy, Fife (Brooks & Aaron)
26th Cambridge Folk Club, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (Brooks & Aaron)
28th The Folk House, Bristol (Brooks & Aaron)
OCTOBER
1st Chapel Arts Centre, Bath (Brooks & Aaron)
2nd Lyceum Folk Club, Newport, Wales (Brooks, Aaron & Jon)
3rd Tin Shed, Flintshire, North Wales (Brooks, Aaron & Jon)
4th Knoydart, Lochaber, Highland Scotland (Brooks, Aaron & Jon)
5th The Wee Bear, Kirriemuir, Scotland (Brooks, Aaron & Jon)
9th The Soundbox Presents, St Mary’s Creative Space, Chester, Cheshire (Brooks & Vera)
10th Centenary Centre, Peel, Isle of Man (Brooks & Vera)
11th Old School Hall, Armathwaite, Carlisle, Cumbria (Brooks & Vera)
12th The Globe, Hay on Wye, Powys, Wales (Brooks & Vera)
16th The Chantry Chapel, Market Hill, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire (Brooks & Vera)
17th The Brunswick, Brighton and Hove (Brooks & Vera)
19th The Green Note, Camden, London (Brooks & Vera)
(photo by JenFoto)
SOLO USA 2025!
OCTOBER
25th Six On The Square, Oxford, NY USA
29th The Exchange, Bloomsburg, PA USA
NOVEMBER
1st Old Sloop Presents, Rockport, MA USA
4th Folk At The Farmhouse, Burdett, NY USA
5th “What About Wednesdays,” Weybridge, VT USA
7th Lyrics Coffeehouse, Redding, CT USA
8th The Bull Run, Shirley, MA USA
9th Sailing Into Song, Newton, MA USA
PLAYLIST 2508 HOLD ON TO THE LIGHT
I've got summer by the reins in the hopes it doesn't race on by too fast. All in due time, but just not yet. Use the code at the bottom of this email to download your free tracks.
AMERICANA UK MINI GIG
AmericanaUK invited me to film a short ‘gig from home’. I think it clocks in at about 16-minutes. You can watch it HERE.
QUICK LINKS