Hi there;
I’ve had a lovely few months since last posting a blog or a mail-out; I hope you’ve enjoyed the respite too..

Since August I’ve written and have been performing a few new songs (“Cappadocia” “White Wine Wednesday”,and“Ribbons and Bows”) and over Christmas, which I spent looking afterJacobi Samuel, two more songs appeared, “Books and Hearts” and one as-yet untitled song (Orig: “Too Thin to Go Round”). This has effectively multiplied my annual output by a factor of at least 5, about which I am very happy of course.....

I’ve not been playing many gigs but have enjoyed those I’ve done – last Saturday saw me performing with Dansaul at the Red Lion Folk Club in King’s Heath, Birmingham, and trawling back through my diary I see I played Hull for the first time in December, where I met Mike Waterson’s nephew, Eliza’s half-brother (I think). When I met him Eliza was in hospital expecting the imminent arrival of her child. Dansaul were also unusually active in September, performing as many as several gigs before retiring exhausted. (It’s a sign of our age that one of our band members raised his eyebrows, leaning towards me saying “I’m 47,you know” - I congratulated him on his firmity - and that when one of us bends over, he wonders if there’s anything else he should do while he’s down there..)The festival we were booked at was Swanage, which was, to quote my subsequent mail-out: “for a while not so much on-sea as under-sea, which made the atmosphere and the turn-out all the more remarkable.”
Dansaul also hosted a session in November which raised funds for Oxfam, joined amongst others by Rob Ryan, a great fiddler from Oxford. Dansmall appeared at the Newhampton club in Wolverhampton, and I’m hoping to put up some tracks recorded there soon.
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Coming up, Dansaul have a gig at the Pump House in Watford (see my friends list) with support from Alice Liddle and Jamie Huddlestone (also from Oxford). Tickets at £8 are available from carriecharles@hotmail.co.uk

Last but by no means least, Jon Boden is coming to Stony Stratford on March 3^rd to promote his new concept album, “Songs from the Floodplain”, support tbc. Tickets at £10 are available from www.myspace.com/danplews.

I saw his band “Bellowhead”’s sell-out gig at the Roadmender in Northampton and it rates in my top five, possibly top one, gig, of all time, which is why I’m promoting him here in Milton Keynes. His other projects have appeared on Jools Holland, The Proms Live from the Albert Hall and headlined all the major UK roots and folk festivals. Just in case you’ve never heard of him. And he did his first tour with me. I’m so proud. Tickets will probably sell-out, so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Here’s what it’s about, more at www.jonboden.com

"Deeply resonating folkapocalyptica from the lead-singer of Bellowhead:

Jon Boden’s second solo album Songs from the Floodplain (released March 2nd 2009) builds on the critical success of 2006’s Painted Lady in bold style. In it he imagines a rural community surviving in the aftermath of apocalyptic turmoil, coming to terms with what they have lost and confronting the new order, alongside the every day concerns of love, loss, fear and hope. The subject matter is dark but the songs are surprisingly upbeat, catchy and often uplifting.

For the live show Jon is backed by the remarkable Remnant Kings, who weave the traditional instrumentation of concertina, banjo and fiddle into a post-industrial tapestry of electric guitar, thumping bass and clanging percussion. Songs from the latest album combine with the long awaited live debut of tracks from Painted Lady, and occasional traditional rarities.

Jon continues to tour heavily with big band folk phenomenon Bellowhead and the critically-lauded Spiers & Boden, so take advantage of this rare opportunity to catch him performing his own remarkable songs, in this revelatory new outfit.”

So that's all for now folks, look forward to seeing you soon.

Dan Plews

Oh, yes, there was something; on Wednesday I became a daddie to little ? (Jacobi , Anachie, Samuel, Cobbie Cob Cobbington).
He loved his mummy so much he wanted to stay in (Obviously a sensible little chap). Dr. Scalpel wasn't having any of it and whipped him out along with lots of red stuff and mum was a bit poorly. She's better now and he's adding to the 3.95 kg he weighed when he came out. He likes the normal baby stuff. 

Unfortunately I think he has Hoepner fingers, so maybe not a guitarist. He doesn't seem to be getting on too well with the Piano yet either. He'll be of marriageable age in 2024, so please refer any eligible duchesses. Oh, unless you're Keira Knightley, in which case, you and your cheekbones and surprised eyebrows can piss off.

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Currently listening: The Seldom Seen Kid By Elbow Release date: 2008-04-22

11:03 PM 

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- A text telling me Jon Boden was on BBC4 live from the Albert Hall - I asked the sender to send him a text letting him know I was at the King's Head in Buckingham :-)

- A (relatively) rather large royalty cheque...:-)..and a new song...

In August I'm spending some time in Germany where I will be picking up baby stuff as I'm to be a father in September (how did _that_ happen?), spending a week at a songwriting course (thanks, royalty cheque :-) and panicking rather a lot..

September sees three Dansaul gigs in one weekend - One in Milton Keynes (4th), two in Swanage at the excellent festival (5/6th).

Anyone buying a CD between now and the September gigs will get £5 off entry to the MK gig - you can buy either, both or neither at www.myspace.com/danplews

September also see the departure of James and Karen from the King's Head in Buckingham where I have held a weekly open mic for more than two years. The open mic will continue to run until the second week in September, with its future uncertain after that (although the right noises are being made). This week's session will be hosted by someone else as I'm away.

That's it for now - wishing you love and good music

Dan

Where idiots behind wheels wear shades behind tinted windscreens and are dazzled by women whose reflective silver lame handbags and gold lame eye make-up blend bad fashion and good road sense.

Where city scaffolding is twisted tree trunks under pink Tuffa towers and people seem keen to start new buildings before the old ones are finished.

Where flaunting wealth means talking on a mobile for the first twenty minutes of the opera and paying more for the call.

Where housing developments designed to spell out the initials of the local bully's name when viewed from passing weather satellites enjoy a water supply less predictable than the British Summer.

Where bloated dead dogs at the side of the road warn of the hazards of walking along the verge, and rusting bus skeletons scree slowly down stone-strewn slopes while cats' eyes stare from potholes in the road.

Where people light votive candles in monasteries, then tie votive offerings of cloth to nearby tree branches as their pagan ancestors did before the church was built on the shrine's ruins.

Where the church turns a blind eye while Yezri Zoroastrians sacrifice animals for God, Satan, or good measure, and the priests themselves bless sacrificial animals whose meat is given to the poor.

Where pretty polyglot guide-girls recite chapter and verse about Ararat, genocide, and religion, and about great national poets and intellectuals, who discussed and wrote poems about Ararat, genocide, religion and pretty polyglot girl guides.

Some things I found to be more familiar: it's more painful to form a snowball than be hit by one, and it's hard to remain straight-faced when everyone around you is laughing.

(Gallery Here)