VARIOUS BITS AND PIECES:





















a-ha have announced only three concert dates (Update: extra gigs in L.A. and New York have been added, up to five now) for North America in May as part of their 'Ending On A High Note' tour, and they are in New York and Los Angeles. To say this is a big disappointment is a major understatement, still hoping they manage to add some Canadian gigs to the list. I bought a ticket to one of the New York shows and will plan a road trip to see them if that is the only option.

Speaking of a-ha, band member Magne Furuholmen has teamed up to form a group called Apparatjik with Coldplay's bassist Guy Berryman and singer/guitarist Jonas Bjerre from the band Mew. They have just released their debut cd called "We Are Here", I look forward to hearing what it is like.

Lo-Fi-Fnk have leaked a song of their forthcoming album, the song is called "Marchin' In" and it is available to download from their blog. The song is good, a bit mellow, but it is great knowing that we are getting closer to the album finally being released, 4 years after the amazing 'Boylife' cd.

Nik Kershaw just released a cool solo acoustic album called "No Frills" on Monday. You can order it here from his new nicely redesigned website (and they accept PayPal which is great).

Loving the new Two Door Cinema Club album 'Tourist History'. Favourite tracks are the previously leaked demo track "Something Good Can Work', 'Come Back Home', 'Do You Want It All' and 'This Is The Life'. Check them out if you are a fan of a band like 'Upper Room'.

U.K. band Captain are on a bit of a hiatus (after their second album 'Distraction' ended up not getting officially released by EMI) but a couple of months ago started a new mailing list (sign up here) to try and gauge fan support. When you sign up you also get a free download of an unreleased Captain song called "Back In The Knife Drawer". This track was part of sessions they did in Oxford prior to the recording of 'Distraction'.

Teitur has finished writing his next album and plans to record it in March, hopefully it will get released over the summer.

The Human League have signed with Wall Of Sound Records, hopefully their new cd will be out this year.

I just found the Facebook page of Viv who ran the Thompson Twins Fan Club 'Teefax' back in the day, may try and get in touch to see what she has been up to, hope she is doing well.
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NEW 'NIK KERSHAW' TRACK ON CAT NAV BENEFIT CD:



Musician/songwriter extraordinaire Nik Kershaw has donated a very good new song called "What Is" to a benefit cd released in the U.K. titled 'Cat Nav - Guide Cats For The Blind Vol. 4'. The song is available on iTunes Canada and some other iTunes sites around the world. You can also get the cd tracks through Amazon by clicking here. Nik is playing some festivals and dates in the U.K. this summer as well as gigs in Germany and Israel, check his website for details.

THE TWO NICK'S/NIK'S:




Nick Heyward has a sample of a new song called "Pure" up on his MySpace page, if you're a fan check it out. He is one artist definitely overdue to release another album, it is nice to see him post often on his MySpace blog. Nick looks like Matt Hales of Aqualung in this picture, see Matt here.







Nik Kershaw has booked some acoustic shows in the U.K. this summer, if I win the lottery I'm there as I've never had the chance to see him in concert (although it appears both shows are already sold-out). He also has a Festival gig in Denmark and is part of a Here & Now Summer Show gig in the U.K. with people like Howard Jones and Heaven 17 (dates below) and a Retrofest gig..

31/05/2008
Solo Acoustic
The Cellars at Eastney, Southsea, Hants - SOLD OUT

01/06/2008
Solo Acoustic
The Cellars at Eastney, Southsea, Hants - SOLD OUT

14/06/2008
Esbjerg Rock Festival, Esbjerg, Denmark

19/07/2008
Here & Now Summer Show, Blickling Hall, Norwich
KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS, KIM WILDE, NIK KERSHAW, HOWARD JONES, PAUL YOUNG, HEAVEN 17, CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT, ALTERED IMAGES, THE REAL THING, CHINA CRISIS, DR & THE MEDICS

30/08/2008
RetroFest, Strathclyde Country Park, Lanarkshire, Scotland

TEITUR TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM "THE SINGER":

















One of my favourite artists Teitur is releasing a new cd called "The Singer" on February 11th in Scandinavia with other territories to follow in March and April (at one point the working title of the album was "Laughter in an Empty Room"). You will be able to hear the songs on the Teitur website and his MySpace page from February 11th. Teitur will also be touring with a full band from 14th February until the end of May around the world (some dates are already listed on his MySpace page). Teitur writes a bit about the songs on his bin website, where you can also watch a movie shot in Fridhem on the outskirts of Visby in Gotland during the recording sessions. One of the songs on the album - "Stop Wasting My Time" was co-written with another favourite singer/songwriter of mine Nik Kershaw.














Here is a quote from Teitur on the website about the new album -

"This album was made in tranquility and isolation. The result is a very natural and somehow nordic sounding record. A producer friend of mine told me this album is “heart and mind” music more than “body and soul” music and maybe he has a point. There are very few syncopations in the music and the setting is minimalist and dramatical with vast colours and large empty landscapes. Furthermore it has similarities to a musical or a book of short stories."


Tracklisting for "The Singer"
1. The Singer
2. Your Great Book
3. The Girl I Don't Know
4. We Still Drink The Same Water
5. Catherine The Waitress
6. Legendary Afterparty
7. Guilt By Association
8. Start Wasting My Time
9. Letter From Alex
10. Don't Let Me Fall In Love With You
11. You Should Have Seen Us