summers here 2007

Hi folks two months since I wrote anything...baaad! Myspace has taken over my life!

The tour is over now and I can get down to some writing.The album will be finished in time for an autumn release when I will scrap with all the big guys for a little airpay!

I absolutely loved touring.It's so different than when I did it years ago.When I was really young and just starting out I was incredibly lonely.All those hotel rooms and restaurants with travelling salesmen eyeing me up wondering what on earth I was doing there on my own!
Now it's just me ,my guitar and radio 4... heaven! I found that I got into the rythmn of motorway driving after a while and it became a pleasure to drive. Finding the venue is always interesting, a bit like treasure hunt!

I can't wait to get out there again.I'll be doing my best to book a gig near to you.

My other project is a musical I've been asked to write for my friend John Gorman.I have no idea how it'll turn out at this stage but I've already written 3 songs so that's a good start! Wish me luck!
I hope you all have a great summer.I'll be back when I have some news.
lots of love
Clairexxxxxxxxxx

The Pet has a pet!

First can I say the "pet pic" has been discovered and is available to anyone who wants to see it.I won't be publishing it myself cos it looks weird to me! I mean,I don't think I look very sexy!I look too innocent! If you really want to see it then of course i will e-mail it to you but I'm in no rush!

What i wanted to tell you is that I have a new pet of my own!
Go back a few years and picture this.Myself and my friend Sarah Pay in a Landrover on our way to the south of France to collect two dogs.Sarah was bringing in 2 dachsunds to breed a litter andI was to have a puppy.At the last moment she decided that she had too much on her plate and asked if I would have one of the dogs instead.So we set off to Toulouse to collect them with our children in the backof the car(one of mine 4 of hers!)
We navigated round Paris no problem and spent a fun couple of days while the paperwork was prepared.I became the proud owner of the most beautiful dachsund I'd ever seen.We called him "Murphy" cos my daughters wanted to be the "sisters of Murphy".Sadly my dog had something wrong with him and I had to have him put to sleep.It was an awful day for me and I missed him terribly.I think it rated in my top five worst days of my life.
Sarah moved to Leicester and when I visited her I always made a fuss of her little dachsund,Finnalie.Last weekend I played a gig at "The Musician" in Leicester( and hello to anyone who was there).Sarah very kindly put me up for the night and while I was there she expained that she was selling her farmhouse and getting rid of her animals.She asked me if I would like to take Finnalie home with me! so here she is and lying at my feet as I write this.It's like re-creating a part of my past and I couldn't be happier.
love to you all
claire xxxxxxxxxx

Teeside Tunes

Oh I'm so excited to be paying in Teeside again.This weekend to be exact, at "The Studio" in Hartlepool.I'm taking along some members of my family to cheer me along and we've decided to film it to see if we get anything we can use for the DVD.Yes, I know I said I'd be doing one but hey,look how long the compilation has taken!!
Mick has had technical problems.His computer went haywire and had to be sorted by a very serious person.Thank heavens he was able to save the files so the project will be moving forward again soon.
I just want to say hi to the lovely people I met at the start of my tour in Heswall and Chester and a big thank you to John Gorman and Sue his partner who looked after me so well. John is so funny ,he was the perfect foil to my sad songs....remind me to write some funny ones one day!
love
clairexxx

album-update

Hello my friend thank you for dropping by.I just wanted to update you on things.The recording with Mick Greenwood is finally coming to fruition.I have re-recorded 3 songs and I'm really happy with the outcome though there is one thing that always happens with me in the studio.I usually put down a guide vocal at the start of the recording process which goes on to be saved and that's what has happened this time too.I figured out that,in future, if I sing the song but substitute the words "this is a guide vocal" somewhere in the song then perhaps the producer will let me go back in once everything has been recorded to re-do what was meant to be a just a guide vocal!
Mick has played everything and arranged the backing vocals.It has taken longer than I thought so I've had to put back the release date but I don't mind.It is very tempting to re-record more of my early songs but I want to do another album of new stuff plus I must record the songs I wrote with my sister....ah so much to do, so little time!
love
Claire
ps thanks for the help with the spam thing, I didn't realise I could do it myself! Ps I'm not angry with Mick,it's flattering to think he likes my first takes!

Penthouse Pet !

I thought that would catch your eye! Hi how are you? thanks for dropping by to catch up with this absentee blogger. I've recently been in touch with an old fan who remembers an interview I did years ago with Penthouse.It was in the days when my modest fame was starting to wane, around the release of Abracadabra.Those were pretty dark days in the UK, all three day week madness.
The only press I could get at the time was an interview with Penthouse.I duly did the photo session and word came back from the magazine that they weren't going to run the piece because the pictures were too modest! Yes, this is the music business remember! So I was despatched back to a house near the Kings road to take some more raunchy pictures.This time the photographer started egging me on and the result is a little more risque(half a nipple!) but I can assure you very tame by today's standards!
Well, the furore! I believe someone was sacked at the record company,though I didn't find that out until much later. Understandably I was very upset at the time (I always took myself so seriously!) but not any more! I'd give anything to see that picture again.Does anyone out there have a copy?
love
claire ps back soon....promise... and sorry about all the spam(and the exclamation marks...love em! see!)

Gig info

I just wanted to let you know that it's very easy to see where I'm playing.All you have to do is go to my home page and click in the top right hand corner where it says"Click here to hear my music"
You will be taken to my myspace site where my gig info is posted.You'll be able to read about my up and coming gigs and listen to a selection of songs.I will be changing them from time to time.
love
clairexxx

A big Thank you from Guatemala

Hello my friend I hope you're well. I just wanted to let you know we had a fantastic time on November 18th at our Guatemala fund raising event.We raised a fantastic £361 which,by the time it reached Quetzeltenango had become 4780 quetzels! I have had grateful messages of thanks from our friends on the ground.They have bought one scholarship already and some gas for the house the students live in.
To say thank you to everyone who helped on the night, I arranged a little party at my house .
I'd read somewhere about December 7th being the feast day of " Burning the devil" in Guatemala .I thought it might be fun to burn a devil too! I made a head out of rolled-up newspaper and covered it in kitchen roll,you know, horns, ears, nose and drew a face on it and stuck it on a broom handle where it watched me from the corner of the kitchen while I made snacks for the guests.
When I set fire to it there was a strong wind blowing and it whipped the flames up into a fury.Unfortunately a bit of burning sellotape landed on my bare arm and now I have the mark of the devil himself... and me a good catholic girl!! pass the vitamin e someone! what a hoot!(p.s. I try to be good!) xxx

Guatemala update

Hi everyone,Here's the line-up for our Guatemala evening.Dale J Weeks, Su Austin(my daughter), Adeline, Zoe Konez, Donna Terenzi, me and Step Murray(TymonDog) .It will be a singer/songwriter extravaganza!The lovely Pete Prescott, who may get up and give us a song, will compere but Phil Hudson can't be there cause he's going to Sweden or somewhere(don't tell Judith!) We're all going to let our hair down and party till they throw us out which may be anytime after 12am. Please come and support us ,those kids need it.
love
claire
ps Jonathan Claire IS going to be there after all!