Been a while since I last blogged ...  it's been a busy couple of months:)

I started producing some new albums and have been wrapping up some others.  Just started working with English Folk singer Sam Lee on his new album.  A musical manifesto is emerging; folk without guitars (refreshing and reminds me of a similiar approach I took with Lisa Knapp's Wild & Undaunted).  Instead we're using Shruti and Jew's Harp and other assorted sundries.  I'm enjoying providing string textures and the odd backwards plucked fiddle. Sam recently won a BBC folk award for his club The Magpies Nest and this outing sees Sam move from promoter to centre stage.

Been finishing final touches and tweaks to J Eoin's new album.  Myself and J have had many a creative day and after a hiatus (due to throat problems - not good for a singer but now thankfully resolved) all vocals have been recorded. I've enjoyed producing J's music and having known J as long as I have it was only natural that the musical sparks would fly as well as they have. 

Recently spent a day on a track with Lisa Knapp for the forthcoming Folk Against Facism album. Lisa recorded a version of The Banks of the Bann produced by myself ....very creative day and as always the musical energy flows with Lisa in the studio...look forward to hearing the album:)

Other various musical outings have kept me busy: just started producing an album for a twenty piece choir, finished mixing Tony Maude's new album, just received a nice nod of approval from Eric Bogle for a new production of one of his tracks, been producing/preparing tunes for a forthcoming Will Oldham collaboration, Burning Wheel's album and various other sessions.

At the moment I'm having a siesta in Prague! I find the vibe of this city is getting my own creative juices flowing no end!  Myself and Lisa have spent the last week wandering the streets of the beautiful Old Town enjoying the Easter Market festival. Spent some time  looking for bargain violins, continued scoring out my speech project for rehearsals next week, tried to get into locked churches to see severed arms from days long gone and helped Bonnie choose a marionette.

Was a great gig last night at Utopia studios in Camden.  Unusual in that the gig was in the live room of a recording studio...invite only audience in person but online for all of cyberspace to see.  We had an online message board on stage which allowed us to read comments about the gig as they came in...felt intimate in a strange way.....I reckon that this style of webcast will continue to grow and with ever increasing online speeds there's no reason for video chat/audio speak from the cyber audience to be a near reality as well. Not quite the same as going to a real gig (by a long stretch) but an avenue worth exploring.

The Popes played a blinding set...I enjoyed myself...the crowd boogied away....sweated buckets (and it only January)......till the next time....

Had an enjoyable session this week working on a  classical crossover production.  The group is a new act called Moda and they consist of three female vocalists from America, Croatia and UK.  The band are from the same stable as Bond and Vanessa- Mae and I'm sure they will be a huge success.
The album is being produced by legendary producer Youth (always a pleasure to work with) ably assisted by Tim Bran (founding member of Dreadzone ).  I was drafted in to play a few instruments on four tracks.  I played fiddle and faux classical violin, mandolin, bodhran and whistles and the recording took place at Coombehurst studio in Kingston.  I was joined on the session by Guy Ritchie's favourite piper:)  Old friend and great muso Brendan McCauley played uilleann pipes and flutes on the session.  Brendan has recently been signed to Decca records as part of Guy Ritchie's punchbowl band ...the album is out worldwide 1st March and rumour has it that the label is going guns blazing in promoting the record. Many congratulations to Brendan and the rest of the lads:)

Well it is a few days since the Christmas bells have rung!! The turkey sandwiches are probably just about finishing but in case one still hankers after a little Christmas spirit (God knows there is always enough build up to it!)...here's a video of myself and the delightful Lisa Knapp celebrating Christmas:)

Delighted to see that The Popes have been picking up rave reviews for their latest release, 'Outlaw Heaven.' The album was written by frontman Paul (Maddog) McGuinness whilst he was a guest of Her Majesties Pleasure in pentonville. I think the writing reflects a certain sense of introspection and unleashed creative energy/rage one doesn't usually encounter in today's overly saturated market of ........low barrier to entry/ record in a box/computer makes the decisions really/limitless amount of tracks/decisions.....do we have to make decisions (ouch) in recording/producing/writing....... albums. Outlaw Heaven is an album of real songs with real lyrics......I love it.

I played fiddle and did string arrangements on the album. Well done lads.

"They are best known as Shane MacGowan's other band (now fronted by the equally gravel-voiced Paul "Mad Dog" McGuinness), and this strings-led cut from The Popes' excellent Outlaw Heaven album is what The Waterboys would have sounded like had Mike Scott sipped from the streams of whiskey. A true rough diamond."  Dave Simpson - The Guardian

"You’d imagine that surely Shane MacGowan’s brains have melted by now - but no! Stick the mad bastard in The Popes and watch the fireworks start flying again. McGowan is ready to meet his maker on ‘Outlaw Heaven’, a lusty barnstormer that toasts the great dead rebel-poets. Elsewhere, he lustily advises us “Don’t let the bastards grind you down!” on ‘Bastards’. When Shane’s not about, the LP is guided by the cozy and wise burr of Paul McGuinness. This isn’t just an Irish party album with fire in its belly, it’s also the most warm, celebratory and downright mortal LP you’re likely to hear in 2009. 8/10".... Rick Rawlins - Clash Magazine.

Busy day yesterday.  Had The Straw Bear Band in the studio.  Lots of fun and creative work. I first saw them about eighteen months ago where we trod the same floorboards at a gig in North London. Their founder and frontman Dom Cooper (also with The Owl Service) has a very striking voice reminiscent of Peter Bellamy.

I'm producing their next single. Yesterday's session was on a track called "Nottamun Town."  A dark, dark song which saw us bowing cymbals, abusing hammered dulcimers, beheading bass drums and throttling a harmonium.

'The Straw Bear Band' have a magpie nature.

Lyrically mixing folklore, myth, history and fiction.

Musically they're just as eclectic. Ranging from

delicate acoustic song to scratchy electronica,

ending up like a Joe Meek production of Tim Buckley.

Recently their sound has taken another turn,

and live they create a kind of 'medieval Krautrock'

or 'garage-folk'

Truer words were never spoken.

Harmonium take below. 

I recently learned that I will be producing a track with both the legendary Dick Gaughan and marvellous Naomi Bedford behind the mic.  I'm delighted for Naomi that she has (very deservedly) such wonderful guests on her second album. I've been a long time admirer of Dick Gaughan's work and can sense that this will be a spine tingling track. I will keep you updated:)

Splendid afternoon at Resonance FM where I was guest on Carole Finer's show 'Sound Out'

Played some live music and some tracks from my forthcoming 'Speech Project' album.  Many thanks to Carole and the helpful staff at Resonance:)

Here's the audio of the interview.

at the resonance studio

I'll be a guest on Carole Finer's Sound Out show on Resonance FM (104.4 FM) ...London's Arts Radio station.  The show is at 2.00pm this friday (4/12/09) and I'll be talking, playing live music and airing some new compositions.

If you haven't yet heard resonance FM then I strongly urge you to check them out.  They are like no other and their eclectic, sponsorship free programming is very, very fresh and ...vital! One of my favorite stations in the universe!!!

The station broadcasts on air in London only but can be heard globally on the web.

Well done to Kev Boyle for a 4/5 star review in this month's Mojo magazine. The album was produced/instrumentalised and mixed by myself at the tunehouse studio:)

Kev Boyle ****

Palestine Grove 
BLUE SKY MUSIC BSMCD 002

His gruff voice can make Tom Waits sound like a choirboy and his maverick songs dart erratically between the anger of the title track, moving narratives, charged anthems, adapted traditional tunes and a knockabout return to one of his best-loved songs Bon Cabbage, but this London Irish stalwart could be the British Isles' answer to Tom Russell. Outstanding multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver helps smooth the edges on an album brimming with character. Colin Irwin

Interesting weekend...spent two days rehearsing and filming for the BBC Christmas live session.  The TV gig was comprised of Bellowhead, Jim Moray, The Unthanks, Thea Gilmour and Lisa Knapp.  

The concert was held in Shoreditch Town Hall to an invite only TV audience and dress code was strictly Dickensian.  I found out about the dress code 10 minutes prior to going on stage when someone asked me where was my costume. With some well aimed creativity (and a rummage through an unattended costume bag) and help from LIsa, the transformation was complete and I became .......(drum roll) ...a little bit more Dickensian:).  So complete was the makeover that someone asked me at the aftershow party if I was The Artful Dodger.  At this point...the angels all sang in chorus and I felt like I had succeeded.  Mission completed I headed off into the cobbled London streets to find a safe carriage home.

The show will be aired on BBC 4, 17th December @ 9.00pm

Lovely weekend:) Just spent two days recording/producing some very inspiring music with the super talented Justin Currie.  Just a quick post and I will be posting more in depth "stuff" from the weekend's work in a later blog.  Just to say that the studio was a hub of exciting activity (many cameras flashing and filming as well as much great recording). Many thanks to Paul Jackson for capturing the spirit of the session on lens. 

Justin in one of the nicest individuals I've worked with in a long time...totally without ego and very much filled with creative energy.  He has the ability to make the microphones sound (even) more expensive than they already are....!

On Sunday myself and Naomi were joined by Bobby Valentino.  Bobby is a rare individual in that he's probably played one of the most famous fiddle riffs in recorded music being a member of The Bluebells  and playing on the original recording of "Young at Heart." He's a fine musician who has played with many a great artist ( Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bob Geldof, Alabama 3, Shania Twain)
He played some blindingly good music...more on that in a later post.

Justin and Gerry

photo by Paul Jackson