How does it feeeeeeeeeeel?!

Before I crack on, here’s my next few live dates as they stand at the time of writing:

Once again I find myself homeless. Well, maybe that’s not quite the right term as I’m never short of a bed and am lucky to be welcome in many peoples’ homes, but circumstances have meant I had to leave the communal house I was renting a room in. The old place is up for sale, my furniture is in storage, and I’m honing down my possessions and moving my essentials into a friends house to look after it and feed the cats while they go to Texas for a while. It’s incredible the amount of crap one can accumulate over the years! One more trip in the car though and I think I’ll have everything moved.

As much as I love the romantic idea of just having my guitar and a small suitcase and hitting the road and making do the reality is that I own three guitars, a bass and a banjo, amps, microphones and a PA system that I need for making a living. I have a laptop to social network, blog, research, shop and communicate. Then comes all the kitchen utensils, food items, cameras, books and clothes; all the non essentials that I’m reluctant to lose or leave behind. I’m also fond of picking up stones, bits of wood, pine cones etc but that’s another story. Saying that, I’ve been fairly disciplined in taking a lot of things to the charity shops and recycling centre, and given some bits and pieces to people I know will use them.

I suppose we’re all quite attached to possessions and although it’s mostly too tough a prospect to go the whole Bhuddist hog and give everything away and shave your head I believe it is good for you to de-clutter and pass on useful items to others regularly. Verging (again) on the hippyish I also believe it comes back to you. I always find that with a bit of patience, those things I really need tend to come my way, often as gifts or present themselves when the tie is right.

Anyway, coming back to the present: here I am at another friend’s house, in front of the laptop with a cup of tea. The tea is of the Yogi range which always have little quotes on their tags, ranging from the simple and profound to bizarre and laughable. This afternoons tea says “Remember you exist with a purpose”. Excellent. Well, I’m not dead sure what that may be yet but I hope it’s more than being Uncle Wes, the one with the beard, without a proper job or a house who goes around playing music to variously inspire or scare the ever increasing number of kids my friends keep having!

Apologies, I haven’t said a thing about music yet.

Still fresh in my mind is the Conor Oberst show I saw last Monday at The Barbican centre in London. Conor Oberst is the singer and main songwriter behind the band Bright Eyes and I’ve been a fan of his music if not his attitude and lifestyle for many years. Brad Blackwell who plays double bass with me (and many others!) mentioned months ago about the show and boked the tickets  and we met up in the big smoke to see a magnificent show in the impressive Barbican Centre. The sound was great, we had good seats, the set was long and full with some of my favourite songs from Bright Eyes, his solo records and even the Monsters of Folk project record. The backing was simple and impressive from electric guitar, piano, vibraphone and violin and there were more than a couple of spine tingling moments of lyrical and melodic beauty that, being less of a man, might have caused me to sigh and my eyes well up. Overall I can report that for a fan it was well worth the ticket price, the travel, the ‘orrible rush hour tube experience and inspirational for a songwriter aspiring to develop such a rich and extensive back catalogue. My only gripe was having to drink my ale out of a plastic cup during the show!

Although miniscule by comparison I had my own intimate solo show at the Church Street Townhouse in Stratford on the last night of January. Annie Dressner from New York via Cambridge came to play too and we winged our way through Whiskeytown’s “I Don’t Wanna Know Why”, an old favourite for both of us. It was a very quiet and listening audience in the back room of the pub and I was able to play a handful of my new songs that hadn’t been gigged before as well as bring Liz Crowley on to join me on some older ones. They seemed to get a good response and I got some useful and detailed feedback from my management team and some close friends about the whole performance. I’m happy it went well as it’s surprisingly nerve wracking to play on your own and to air brand new material for the first time.

Coming back from London yesterday and amidst my packing and sorting I had a call about an interesting opportunity to record some vocals for a song at very short notice. Within a couple of hours I had driven to a studio owned by a guy called Harry Lightfoot who, amongst other things, does regular commissions for television. I recorded vocals for the hymn “I Vow To Thee My Country” that follows the Holst melody. It’s not my usual style or method of working but we got it down to our mutual satisfaction and Harry produced it and sent it off this morning.

So, you may hear my dulcet tones on the next Downton Abbey or something in the future or more likely none of us will hear anything about it again, but still it was good to have the experience, meet Harry and see his studio and also meet his absolutely huge and docile dog.

I hope the year holds many more such events and that another change of scenery will inspire yet more songs.

And remember, if you or any of your friends wishes to patronise a hard working musician and has a room/boat/caravan/treehouse/field (i have a good tent!) they are willing to let for a few months then let me know (wesfinchuk@gmail.com)

Oh – and in further news, I have a support slot for Billy Bragg in June in Stratford!  More on that to come.

Stay warm, eat your (seasonal) veg and be good to yourself,

w

The first snow of 2013 is falling here in Leamington Spa. Will it turn to grey slush in hours or settle in an 8mm covering over everything and bring the country to a halt…before it turns to grey slush? Will we have hourly news reports of delays and jams on usually busy moving roads and of tens of poor people being ‘stranded’ in the 5 mile stretches of wilderness between the BP garage and the drive through/’drive-thru’, so we can concentrate on our extreme weather and forget about the war, genocide, poverty, and unchecked corruption and abuse elsewhere?

Whoah, but I digress!  Excuse me. That’s me after two days back in the city after a healthy dose of fresh air and wide open spaces in a beautiful part of south west Scotland.

I was fortunate enough to be invited up to Galloway for a week to stay with a friend who has a wee cottage there. They were great company and an enthusiastic guide to the area being someone who had been to holiday there and fallen in love with the place some years ago.

The only internet was in the local pub (oh no!) and phone reception depended on which hill you were on and which way the wind was blowing so that meant a healthy distance from technology as well as buildings and people. Hill walking, wood walking, fires on the beach, picnics, art galleries, rain, fog and sunshine. It was a relaxing and inspiring week and I already have one song, very nearly complete, from the week. There’s also a short punk song, but I don’t think you’ll ever hear that!

I sadly said goodbye to Creetown and the Solway Firth and came back at the end of last week for various commitments in the Midlands. Last night was my first gig of the new year at The Yardbird Jazz Club in Birmingham. I played with Ben & Jools and we seemed to get a good reception. My manager Ian came over as did a table of friends from around Coventry which was good as it always warms me to see some familiar faces who’ve made the effort to leave town to see a show.

My residency at The Star & Garter in Leamington continues into the new year starting tonight as does the Great Western Open Mic in Warwick on this coming Wednesday and Rix’s in Coventry on Thursday.

The Grand Union Sunday afternoon Melody Lounge is evolving into a singer/songwriter evening that is in the planning now and I’ll of course be setting up another one-off evening event “Wes Finch & friends present…” and inviting a few friends to play in a couple of months.

I’ll be back at all my usual Midlands haunts playing solo and with By Lantern Light. Keep an eye on facebook and twitter for details.

I will be playing a solo show of all my own songs on a night with Annie Dressner on the 31st at The Church Street Townhouse in Stratford and then 3 weeks later we’ll both be sharing a stage again as Annie has invited me to Cambridge to play a place called Hot Numbers. Annie and I are planning to duet a Whiskeytown cover at these shows too which I’m looking forward to!

Things seem to be kicking in again as people gear up into the new year after the whole Christmas and New Year festivities palava.

Here’s to a good, productive year full of positive change & experience.

And here’s a new acoustic EP that Ben and I made that is available as a pay-what-you-want download (minimum 25p per song!).

Tip for January: eat more green food and less beige food, it makes you feel better!  :)

w

In this little lull between Christmas Day and New Year I find myself house sitting and cat feeding for a couple of friends. Time for some peace and quiet, some inevitable left-over Christmas veg and a good bottle of red from a good friend to enjoy a little of tonight.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the time off the regular day to day treadmill and spent it with loved ones and are looking ahead to 2013. With the Winter Solstice on the 21st I feel like the new year has already begun in all but the number and am looking back on the last and ahead to the next 12 months with a huge mixture of feelings.

I’m proud of what I’ve achieved musically this last year; my learning and my output ad the connections I’ve made. I’m grateful to have been able to make music and being creative my full time occupation and hope that continues with success next year. There are plans afoot, projects beginning and gigs being lined up and confirmed and I’ll reveal all these as we go along.

In the meantime I’ll keep you up to date with the next couple of months. I’ll be seeing the new year in with my good friends By Lantern Light, playing guitar and bass throughout the night at our regular haunt, Ego in Kenilworth. Then after taking a break on the Scottish coast to take long hikes and feed my creative imp I’ll be back at The Star & Garter in Leamington on Monday nights, exploring the blues, country and soul tunes that keep revealing themselves to me at my residency there. I’ll continue to work with the other venues such as The Grand Union and The Great Western and see how a new residency and role as booking agent for Rix’s in Coventry pans out.

I’m already starting to think about another “Evening of Live Music & Entertainment’ (snappy title, eh?) in a similar vein to last month’s Maudslay show in Coventry and have some solo, originals only shows booked in too.

After meeting Annie Dressner at the House Concerts York show earlier in the year we decided to hook up and do a couple of other gigs together. Unfortunately Annie couldn’t make the Maudslay show due to illness but we now have two shows lined up in a kind of exchange deal – you play my town, I’ll play yours!

On January 31st Annie and her husband will be coming to The Church Street Twonhouse in Stratford on Avon  where I’ll play a solo show too. It’s a great place I often play on Sunday nights and we’ll be hiring out a back room, inviting a lot folks and not charging on the door but passing a hat around. Then on February 21st I’ll be heading to Cambridge where Annie resides and playing a similar show in her neck of the woods. Details to be confirmed nearer the time.

A video of  ‘September’ from Annie Dressner.

On Sunday 13th January I’ll be doing a show with Ben & Jools at The Yardbird in Birmingham. I’ve not played here before but have heard good reports about the place. Please come down if you’re in the area. My man Chris Tye will be playing too along with a couple of other guys.

Aside from these there’s plenty of private shows lined up, demo recording, website revamping and organisation to keep me busy.

Enjoy your turkey sandwiches/curry/soup. I’ll see you soon,

w

Hellhound On My Trail Video

The link above is from the show last week in Coventry that I organised and played at along with Shanade Morrow and Chris Tye. This Robert Johnson song was filmed by Matt Hernandez who had just opened the night with some great instrumental guitar pieces.

The night was a success, full of people enjoying the music and we raised enough money to pay all the acts, helpers and sound man and feed everyone involved. A truly self sufficient evening and great for me to see and play in front of my parents and a couple of very old friends who surprised me on the night. Shanade and Chris & his band played superb sets and Drew Coleman served us well on the sound desk. My thanks and appreciation to all.

Russell Whitehead took photos and made a little video montage of a few things too – see it here.

Ten days and a string of covers gigs later I am just back from our last recording session (for now) at Blackdown Studios. Today Leo Steeds the producer for this project was playing some keyboards on the last of the three songs and I attended to give my opinion and input on proceedings.

We left satisfied with the results and I’ll now leave Leo to mix the whole affair and call me in for a final listen before it’s sent off for mastering.

This EP of demos will be used by my management team to present to record companies and the like. We have one specific one in mind to target first. Let’s hope this can be a key into the next room in this career.

Well, winter is creeping in but as soon as the next dry and bright day comes along I’ll be out there in my boots with a camera and a notebook for lyrics. Maybe see you out there too.

All the best folks. Stay warm, eat your greens and don’t take yourself too seriously

wx

It’s another sunny morning in the shire, and I’m up early brewing some coffee and making toast, hoping I can get a short walk in before heading into the studio at lunchtime.

I’m returning to Blackdown Studios today to record a new song called ‘Pinch of Salt’ with some instrumentation that’s a little different from my previous stuff. Leo Steeds, who’s normally in the control room will be playing a baby grand piano, Ben will be brushing away some percussion and we have booked a cellist called Beth, (who’s a busy lady with a number of projects when she’s not touring with Eliza Carthy) to sit in on the session. Matt Holt, the other half of Blackdown Studios and a fantastic musician too will engineer today as we’re planning to get a whole live take with the 4 of us in the same room. To be honest I’m going to be the weakest player in the building! Hearing the two tunes that have come from the previous session though, I’m excited about the session today. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Anyway, back to walking: Being in the wonderful position of having a lot of daytimes free at the moment I’ve been making a real effort to get out walking whenever it’s a dry and bright day at the moment. We’re heading into to those grey winter months but now is still a time with a lot of beautiful colour about in the trees and weird and wonderful fungi popping up. Some wellies, given to me by a neighbour have been brilliant for stomping over boggy fields and through streams.

I walk for exercise, for inspiration for writing, to mull things over, for meditation or to clear my head. I walk a lot on my own because I enjoy it but I also go with friends and enjoy how a conversation ebbs and flows over the route.

I like to walk until I’m tired and then walk some more so that when I stop and rest it feels good and I feel like like I’ve earned that pint or hot cup of tea. It’s makes for a perfect balance to sitting in a recording studio for 6 or 12 hours and I’m going to miss it when the winter really draws in!

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This Saturday will be the show I have been organising for a while and where my friend Matt Hernandez (and good walking buddy!) will play some instrumental guitar before Shanade Morrow, Chris Tye and then myself play sets. It’s happening in Coventry where I used to live and I’m hoping it will be a smooth running success. I don’t do a lot of this kind of thing but I think I’ve covered everything I need. Let’s hope so.

It would be great if you can make it down, it starts at 7.30pm at the Maudslay pub in Coventry, this Saturday, the 10th of November.

I’m going to give the song below a bash and also do a couple of covers from my free downlaod online covers albums.

Have a good weekend,

w

The Swimming Song by Loudon Wainwright III

PS – just back from the studio. Forgot to post this yet. It went very well and Beth was a fantastic player who fitted right in with the whole thing, had a great tone and came up with some cracking lines for the song. After an hour or two of feeling our way around the song we seemed to nail the feel and flow of it and got some great takes down. I’ll return to the studio next week to review them. I’m glad to give my sore fingers a rest!

It was hard work, concentrating and playing the same song over 6 hours but fun at the same time. And it never really feels like hard work when it’s something you love, anyway. Can’t wait for you to hear it

w

Howdy,

Last time I wrote I was preparing for a big show I was putting on at a local theatre called The Criterion in Coventry on Saturday 26th May. I’m happy to say it was a fantastic night and I’ve had nothing but extremely positive feedback from folks about it.

All the acts (Lucy Anne Sale, Stylusboy, Kel Elliot and my band) performed a blinder which was no doubt aided by the excellent sound on stage and front of house that was engineered by Drew Coleman (Cox’s Yard, Taylor John’s House, live sound for Bellowhead, and the man behind my Mayflower album).

Kel Elliott’s Dad, Paul put in a great appearance as out master of ceremonies in a shiny suit and bow tie. The theatre staff were encouraging and helpful and their lighting engineer Karl Stafford did a great job making us all look good on stage.

It was a great pleasure to play and we all felt very comfortable and pleased with the show. It was a long day and lot of preparation and it paid off well. Thank you if you came along or were involved in any way. I know it was only possible with a lot of people chipping in and mostly for free!

Here’s a few links to photos and reviews of the night:

Encore Magazine review

Stylusboy’s Blog & Review

Some photos and blurb from Redwood Photography

Photos by Russell Whitehead of the night

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Well, whatever you think about the Queen of England her Jubilee Anniversary weekend is a good time to be a working musician. I have 7 shows over the long weekend, the first being a highly enjoyable night at The Grand Union in Leamington Spa, playing outside on a jam packed patio. Everyone but Ben on drums managed to keep undercover from the light rain.

Tonight I’m back with the By Lantern Light guys at where it all began for us, Ego in Kenilworth. Watch out for a live studio CD we’ve just completed coming in the next few weeks.

On Sunday I’ll be playing a solo show at the Church Street Townhouse and then gigging in Oxford on the bank holiday Monday & Tuesday.

I love being this busy!

Well, I’ll leave you with a cover song I learned and recorded this week in my bit of down time. It’s Ben Leftwhich‘s ‘Atlas Hands’ that I worked out in an alternative tuning. Check him out if you don’t know him.

See Video Here

P.S. There be a black spot on the sun on Tuesday = “The transit of Venus”. It’s Venus moving across in orbit. Happens twice in a century. You wont see it again. Older than HRH.

Hey All, hope you’re well.

I’ve not been blogging for a loooooooong time, sorry about that. I’ve been dipping my toes into the world of twitter, hitting facebook hard for promotion and generally being very busy with a few different projects. But today, lucky as I am to be sitting in the garden in this heatwave that’s been sprung on us, I thought I’d write a little new blog entry.

So, what’s been going on?

The Mayflower album project was successful in funding the first run of CDs. I’ve been busy thanking people, sending CDs out and selling CDs at gigs. I’m chuffed that the funding project worked, pleased with the physical product and grateful to so many people that I’ll never be able to thank enough.

Although that’s the end of that chapter though it’s the start of a new exciting and busy one. Plans are being made for a PR company to work on getting Mayflower under the noses of the right people for some reviews and airplay. That’s something that will be coming into effect over this summer and autumn.

I’m also delighted to have a new manager who is working on my behalf to raise my profile with some great gigs and opportunities, a man who relishes the bits of organisation I like less i.e. the phone calls, the follow up emails, the negotiating and the pestering! He’s a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guy and we have had a bunch of positive meetings so far. We’ve already got a couple of great gigs lined up well outside of my usual circuit which I’m very much looking forward to and plans to push on soon.

My other band By Lantern Light (that features Matt and Ben from the Dirty Band along with our good friend Garfield Mayor) has been in the studio making a live record of a collection of our songs. It’s going to be a busy summer for us, having been invited to play a lot of private parties and events and we look forward to having a CD of our raucous and rockier sounds to bring along very soon. http://www.facebook.com/pages/By-Lantern-Light/145169052239627

Lastly, this Saturday I’ll be putting on an event at a local independent theatre in Coventry. It’ll be an evening of music and entertainment partly to raise funds for the theatre and partly to showcase some great music. It’s a new thing for me to be organising a night like this and I’m learning a lot of lessons fast but so far it looks like it should be a fun and busy night. We’re sold out already!

I’m looking forward to showcasing a couple of Mayflower songs that haven’t had proper outings yet and to be playing with a brass quintet from the Royal Spa Brass band. I’ll let you know how it goes

here’s the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/events/273381966089464/

Right, off to enjoy a bit of sun before rehearsals tonight. I hope you get a chance to do the same,

w

Since finishing the recording of Mayflower one of the many little jobs I’ve been doing is to record an album of cover songs to include in the Thankyou Package that I’ll be sending out to people who have pledged money to fund the disc production of the album.

Drew and I have been busy trying out a number of songs, adding bits, taking bits away and we have been left with 9 songs we feel good enough to present for your listening pleasure. A couple of these songs will only be available on a lovingly hand crafted, recycled card, home designed and printed CD to folks who pledged £50 or more to the Mayflower funding project. The package will feature a print of Liz Crowley’s specially commissioned painting on the front too.

(There will be one or two extras available to anyone who would really love one – just ask!)

The rest of the songs chosen I will be making available on my Bandcamp site as free downloads here. Go help yourself

I thought I’d write a little about the songs I’ve chosen but first off I’ll let you know what they are . (Please note, these are different to the covers that certain WeFund pledgers have commissioned me to record – it will be their decision to let them be for general aural consumption or not)

American Tune by Paul Simon

How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? by Blind Alfred Reed (you’ve maybe heard Springsteen or Ry Cooder cover this one)

Shoals of Herring by Ewan MacColl

Chelsea Hotel No.2 by Leonard Cohen

Hellhound on my Trail by Robert Johnson

Time You Old Gypsy Man – words by Ralph Hodgson, music Sean Tyrrell

Dimming of The Day by Richard & Linda Thompson

Done This One Before by Ronnie Lane

Dark As A Dungeon by Merle Travis

Hi All,

I hope you’re all well and looking forward to saying goodbye to Winter.

I am so very chuffed and grateful for everyone who has showed support and pledged money to ensure the physical production of the Mayflower CDs. I’m overwhelmed by the number of people who’ve gotten involved and so pleased that we’re going to be able to make the quality of CD I’d hoped. Thank you!

In one weeks time the deadline for the WeFund project will have passed and the we can send the artwork and songs off to be pressed.

In between meetings and gigs with By Lantern Light, playing some of the new Mayflower songs out and about, and making preparations for the Mayflower release it’s been a busy few weeks since I got back from the peace and quiet of the Lincolnshire coast.

Drew and I have finished recording the cover songs for a CD to be part of the Thank You Package for people who pledged funding for the Mayflower album. It’s been a fun project to make some renditions of songs I love and try and put a new slant on them. Liz Crowley has painted a cover for the CD again (she also did images for “…live from the Coleman Kitchen” and “[sic]“)

Although most of the songs will eventually be available via my bandcamp page the physical CD will only be given to fans who’ve pledged via WeFund. I’ll write in detail about the choice of songs in a separate blog in a couple of weeks but the collection will feature some traditional folk songs, a tune by Paul Simon, Richard Thompson, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Ronnie Lane, Blind Alfred Reed, Robert Johnson, Ewan MacColl and a poem by Ralph Hodgson set to music.

My good friend, band mate and Photoshop wizard Matt Lakey has designed some promotional material with me using some of Rob Bridges’ images and Liz Crowley’s new design – again, stuff that will be given away to Mayflower pledgers and on sale later at shows.

in between my own gigs and work I managed to get out and see Stylusboy launch his new 4 Walls CD at the Warwick Arts Centre. Also playing that night was Chris Tye who I thoroughly enjoyed too. Here’s a live video of a beautiful new song from him. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMhDo33hx2g