Christopher's blog

Just waking up on June 1 after playing at Folklife in Seattle.  This was my 7th Folklife.  This one was the wettest.  I showed up Sunday morning, deciding to not even go to Seattle on Friday or Saturday because of the weather.  The day started wet, with roving showers coming through frequently.  I had changed my set-up to try and keep my instruments dry, but I didn't know how well the strategy would work.  Only one way to know, so I set up in between showers and got to work.  More soon...

Today I signed my first contract with a real music publisher.  I've been self-publishing my music since the mid-nineties, always looking for a bit of help with publishing, marketing, distribution.  The publisher is named SoundsTrue (check them out at www.soundstrue.com), and they've hired me for a special project.  I can't disclose any details, but I can say that I'm very much looking forward to collaborating with them.  So today I celebrate the years of work and play that have elevated me to this wonderful opportunity for expression. With gratitude...

I met Alessandro while busking in Oxford in 2005. He listened to me play for a while, and then in between songs he introduced himself. At one point he suggested that I give some of my music CDs to Peter Gabriel, the incredible musician and founder of WOMAD. I told him that I had no idea how to contact Peter Gabriel, so really I didn't see how this was possible. He implored me to try, so I told him I would check it out. I saw Alessandro a couple of more times that summer, and each time he asked if I had presented my music to Peter Gabriel.

So for WOMAD 2007, I had four goals. The first was to give a solid performance. The second was to receive a positive audience response, and hopefully, to experience an audience that grew in number while I was playing. The third goal was to meet a music agent. And the fourth goal came about from meeting an Italian film director back in 2005.

Still buzzing from experiences at WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance). There were four things that I asked the universe for help with at this massive festival. But my 2007 experiences were born in late July, 2006, in Reading, England.