Hello, bonjour ola etc…

How you all doing? Am grand, my nipples are very sore but that's not as exciting as it may well sound.  I have just begun training for the Dublin marathon which takes place in October mid-way through our 'Last Nights On Tour' tour.  So anyway yes I ran 12 miles on Hampstead heath and have split both my nipples, oh the joys.

So yes, Nizlopi are stopping for a while as I'm sure you know.  We need a break and now feels the right time to take that break being as it's the end of Make It Happen.  Mixed feelings about it mainly cause I'm crap on my own and obviously you worry about lots of things like money, will I miss being so busy? Knowing me I'll be busier next year than ever, just broker.

Talking of other projects, I've been recording with the very talented Liam bailey we recorded three tracks and they sound sweet so watch out for him.  Also I've been playing with Tom McKean and The Emperors and there's even a cool video on their MySpace page filmed on top of a 5-story building in Islington, was a laugh except getting Nanny up the small, thin and  rusty ladder up to the top with a nice drop on one side and I hate heights so was an interesting tense affair. Check out www.myspace.com/tommckeanandtheemperors

At present I'm reading two books: one called "This Book Will Save Your Life" by A.M.Homes.  Only just started it but I'm already enjoying the first 50 or so pages so I recommend that.  Also a book by M.Scott Peck "A Road Less Traveled".  This is very engaging, it's a psychology book concerning relationships, upon many things and just really makes you stop and look at your life and question your behaviour or reactions to certain things.  S tough gem but then life is tough too, it's just facing up to it, accepting it and going through it.

Music wise I've bought so many records since I last blogged.  At present I'm listening to the Kronos quartet play Henryk Gorecki's String quartet no 3.  So beautifully played, but before that was listening to the Esbjorn Svensson Trio.  Very sadly Esbjorn passed away very recently, such a talent and he will be so missed, his music introduced so many people to jazz through a different door, less Charlie parker more Pearl Jam.  I saw them play a number of times and they were amazing every time , luckily me and Rebecca saw them at the Warwick Arts Centre the last time they played.  Rest in peace, Esbjorn.

Well it's almost time for me to stop typing aggressively and say goodbye but first I just want to say a big thankyou to everyone who has come to a Nizlopi show, be it right at the beginning, during the JCB success or perhaps more recently during the amazing Make It Happen tour.  Really, without you it just wouldn't have happened, please come along to our last tour and come say hi and goodbye for now, maybe we could have cake.

I'm going to be writing regularly from now on so if you want to get in touch please do and I will do my best to respond as quickly as I can.

All the best Jpx