Another Xmas over and another year has raced by. It certainly is true that as you get older, time seems to speed up. (Maybe time is dictated by drummers!!)
Anyway, my New Year’s wish is that 2020 will be a very happy, healthy and productive year for us all. The 11 date Grumpy Old Christmas Tour was great fun and so much so that already Kilimanjaro are booking a further 15 shows for this coming December in towns that were missed out last year.
January is already full of stuff to do and there’s lots of composing to be done and that is progressing really nicely.
The first couple of months will include recording a new prog album for release in late March. It’s going to be instrumental and very keyboard heavy! (now there’s a surprise!)
Looking ahead to the rest of the year.
On Friday 31st of January, I will be a part of a group of musicians unveiling a plaque at Stowe School for the Beatles, where they apparently played one of their first concerts south of Liverpool. There will be a short concert afterwards with son Adam, his daughter (my granddaughter) Skyla, Bernie Marsden and myself on piano. The concert will be 100% Beatles music.
On Tuesday March 3rd, I will be a part of a major concert which has been organised by Gary Brooker in aid of the Royal Marsden Hospital. He has put together a tremendous line-up and, as I mentioned on stage during the Xmas tour, I’m the only one taking part who I’ve never heard of!
Later that month, rehearsals will start for the participation of the English Rock Ensemble at the prog rock festival dates on the 28th at Shepherds Bush and the 29th in Sheffield. It will be great fun to get the band back together.
During April and May there will be around 15 � 20 Grumpy Old Rockstar shows in the USA and Canada in towns and cities that we didn’t manage to get to on the tour last year. This will be the first leg of two, with the second 15 � 20 shows being later in the year.
More rehearsals in May with the ERE as we fly off to Switzerland for a one off concert on Saturday 23rd, and more rehearsals for me as it looks pretty certain that I will be doing a piano and orchestra show on the 15th of August.
On Friday 11th of September I will be a very proud participant in a concert at the British Embassy in Rome in aid of Animals Asia. We will also be slotting in a concert at The Mill at Sonning as we all missed doing it so much last year.
There is an awful lot more in the pipeline which will be confirmed in the next few weeks.
And so from myself, Rachel, Teaser and Cobweb.....we’d like to wish you everything that’s good about life in this New Year......and finally....my New Year’s resolutions.....
- To stick with the diet and to have dumped at least another stone and a half by the end of the year.
- Get playing golf again.
- Start playing tennis again.
- Ride my bicycle more. (I’ve had it for three years and it’s only been ridden once).
- See a lot more of the kids and grandkids.
- To adopt a pair of rescue dogs.
- get the GORRs up on time!
- to try and achieve all the above!!!
Cheers, Rick