Starsailor Message Board 22-12-2006 'Well how was 2006 for you?'
Zitat: Starsailor
Hello All,
Well how was 2006 for you?
It's definitely been a fun-packed year for us lot. It's hard to say what was the highlight but meeting The Rolling Stones was definitely up there! One minute they were posing for photos with us and the next they were on stage! A surreal and magnificent moment.
I also finally got to meet Richard Ashcroft the other day at Vernon Kay's leaving party. The Verve were definitely one of the reasons I wanted to be in a band so it was a thrill to get to speak with him.
The Teenage Cancer Trust show was great to be involved in too. We were very pleased that Roger Daltrey found a place for us on the bill at the last moment. We actually went down a night early so we could see Ricky Gervais and a host of other great comedians at the comedy night.
Gig-wise the Marktrock show in Belgium was great. The goodwill of the crowd, the surreal line up (Sugababes, Ice-T and us!) and the fact we were headlining all combined to make it the best gig of the year for me.
Another gig we headlined was The Ripcurl thing in Newquay. In fact most of the festivals we played at night were amazing. We got to add our names to the long list of legends who have graced the stage at The Montreux Festival in Switzerland and of course we always love playing the V Festivals! Getting to spend so much time in France for another year is never a bad thing either!
And just when we thought the year was winding down we ended up finishing the year of in the US. Travelling back and forward no less than 3 times in as many months! Can't complain though we definitely had fun over there.
Turkey, Austria, Portugal, Germany, Holland and Spain we have not forgotten you! We had a good time visiting these places too. How could I forget Scotland! We made a few trips North of the border, which is always fun. Oh and we played with Roger Waters the day England got knocked out of the World Cup so there were a lot of highs and lows on that occasion!
I have compiled below a list of our favourite albums and films this year and also gigs by other artists. Feel free to post your own musings on the year just passed and I wish you all a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!
James
Albums:
The Feeling - Twelve Stops and Home (James) Bruce Springsteen - The Seeger Sessions (James) Kasabian - Empire (Stel) Josh Rouse - Subtitulo (Ben) Gnarls Barkley - St Elsewhere (James) The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldier (All Of Us) Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat (James) Damien Rice - 9 (James and Stel) Guillemots - (James and Stel)
Gigs:
The Raconteurs in San Francisco (James) Peeping Tom in Manchester (Stel) The Flaming Lips in Montreal (Ben) Gnarls Barkley in Seattle (James) The Rolling Stones in Munich (All Of Us) Rufus Wainwright in Barcelona (James)
Films:
The Departed The Prestige Munich Good Night and Good Luck Syriana Borat The Last Kiss Babel
There were a few Sporting Highlights too but in the interests of neutrality I wont go into them!
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is a Gift - That's why it's called the Present
Re: STARSAILOR MESSAGES
From Russia With Love - 22.01.07
Zitat: https://forums.starsailor.net
What an amazing few weeks we have had!
Firstly we found a great little place near Henley to write and record songs for our next album. We are now in great shape with around 15 songs written but we will continue doing tracks until we are happy we have got the best songs we could possibly write. The last 4 tracks we did are called: 1) Let Go 2) Do You Believe In Love? 3) Won't Stop Now and 4) Change My Mind.
I think we have struck a great balance between our heavier side and our more emotional downbeat side. There are some stompers certainly but also the ballads are back! I can't wait for you to be able to hear some of these songs and we hope to be able to play them live for you in the near future.
Thanks to all the staff in the local pub who kept us fed and watered during the time we spent in Henley and also to Barriemore Barlow (drummer with Jethro Tull!) whose recording/rehearsal space we were using.
We then jetted off pretty much straight from the studio to Moscow for our first ever gig in Russia. We were really well looked after from the moment we stepped off the plane and we left Moscow with some very fond memories.
The promoter took us out for some great sushi (not something I would have thought Moscow was famous for!) and the crowd for the concert sang every word. Alcoholic was the highlight of the set, it being the most well known song in that part of the world although 'This Time' had a great response too.
A special mention also for the support band Blast who took us out to a club the singer owned in Moscow. Thanks to Mandie who came an awful long way to see us. I hope it was worth the journey? The Vodka was certainly flowing and the flight the next day was a bit of a chore, particularly for me who was sick as a dog!
The rest of the band decided to drink through it with hilarious results! I'll spare you the details. I very nearly missed the flight after I got lost the somewhere near the Kremlin the morning we were leaving. With my phone out of battery and very few English speakers I was in a bit of a panic until a kind lady in a near by Japanese restaurant gave me directions back to the hotel.
Many congratulations to our agent John Giddings and his new wife Caroline who got married recently. It was a great honour for myself and Barry to be asked to play at the service.
See You Soon,
James
Re: STARSAILOR MESSAGES
oooh man ..ich kanns kaum abwarten neue takte von ihnen zu hören !!
..darauf trink ich doch grad mal nen Wodka ..
==Can you feel it ? Love is here !==
Re: STARSAILOR MESSAGES
und ich erst...
Re: STARSAILOR MESSAGES
nicht mehr soooo lang
dort hinten wird's hell und schwarz wird zu grau wird zu rot wird zu licht und benommen, verschwommen erkennen was man will meine welt aufgehoben, meine welt in 3 wörtern erklärt
Re: STARSAILOR MESSAGES
Hi All,
While I have a bit of time on my hands I thought I would let you all know what has been going on recently in the world of Starsailor. We have completed another set of demos in Henley which produced 3 new songs. The one which everyone is raving about is called 'Lights Out' or 'Tell Me It's Not Over' (we haven't decided yet!). It's got a massive drum beat, reminiscent of 'Doves' and 'U2'. Another couple of these and we will have a truly great album.
I had a great time in Barcelona where I went to watch Liverpool play in the Champions League. It was particularly pleasing to find we were staying in the team hotel when we arrived! They were on their way over to the Nou Camp but I managed a quick word with Jamie Carragher and wished him well for the game. Later on in the evening we enjoyed a pint with Peter Crouch and Jamie Carragher's Dads who were over for the game with various members of 'The Coral'.
This week was 'Bring Your Dad to Nursery Week' although a little daunted by the prospect of a class full of unruly four year olds, I was asked to bring my guitar down and play a couple of songs. I played 'Yellow Submarine' and 'Octopus's Garden' introducing a new generation to 'The Beatles'.
This time next week I will be on my way over to the States to play SXSW. I will of course keep you up to date. I may even write a nightly report but that depends how exciting it is. Maybe I will just give you the edited highlights at the end.
So what about the rest of them? Well Barry is getting nervous and excited, as his wife Kelly is about to give birth. Ben is planning his wedding (to Kate) and looking after his property portfolio and Stel is enjoying some time at home with his family.
Catch up soon,
James
==Can you feel it ? Love is here !==
Re: STARSAILOR MESSAGES
das Album wird ... ja, es wird ... schön, sehr sehr schön ist das ...
Re: STARSAILOR MESSAGES
Zitat: little girl
Hi All,
...We have completed another set of demos in Henley which produced 3 new songs. The one which everyone is raving about is called 'Lights Out' or 'Tell Me It's Not Over' (we haven't decided yet!). It's got a massive drum beat, reminiscent of 'Doves' and 'U2'. Another couple of these and we will have a truly great album.
macht einen ganz hibbelig gell..
°° i'm so tired, sheep are counting me °°
Re: STARSAILOR MESSAGES
UND WIE!!!
Re: STARSAILOR MESSAGES
Swiss mountains, snowboarding fans and football legends
Hello All,
Well, its been a pretty hectic few weeks since I last wrote a message. First off, all the best to Barry and Kelly following the birth of baby Joseph. Hope you are all enjoying the first few weeks of family life.
Before the new arrival we managed to record a few more songs down in Henley. We are very happy with the results and once again, some of the songs we recorded could well turn up on the album or as b-sides. For the record, the tracks are currently called 'Rebel Blues', 'Miss You' and 'Here's To The Man'.
After a little break it was off to Zermatt for the unplugged festival. Accompanying us on this latest trip was none other than Mark Collins from The Charlatans. Although he is no stranger to the Starsailor set, it had been a while since we played with him, so we promptly booked a quick rehearsal (round Stel's Mum and Dad's!). Barry stayed at home enjoying some time with the new baby and Ben's magnificent drumming was sadly not in keeping with the semi-acoustic nature of the gig.
Following our arrival at Geneva airport we jumped on the bus (already stocked with beers!) and headed for the Swiss mountains. Many thanks to the organisers of the festival, particularly Heinz, who invited us to his magnificent Chateau and introduced us to none other than Frida from Abba!
That's not all, American songstress Suzanne Vega (who was due to play the following night) came down to the gig and shared a few glasses of champagne with us after the performance.
During the gig we slipped new songs 'Change My Mind' and 'Tell Me It's Not Over' into the set. They seemed to go down really well particularly 'Tell Me It's Not Over'. The reaction to it was even better than when we played 'Four To The Floor' which is a very good sign.
Stel's almighty hangover was soon cured with the excitement of the gig (ah, the healing power of music!). There was a very familiar face in the front row with a camera. We soon realised it was Belgium's biggest Starsailor fan Tina, who had snowboarded over for the gig from the other side of the mountain! (I did not know this was possible).
I will be meeting another legend on Friday (this time from the footballing world) Scottish international Gary McAllister. I am playing a little acoustic gig at Anfield in aid of the Marina Dalglish Appeal and Gary Mac is the guest speaker. The event sold out very quickly, so I am looking forward to playing the prestigious venue and helping a very worthy cause.
