back in Exeter, reviews

I've been back in Exeter for just over a week. I was rather alarmed to discover a HUGE crack in my saz when I got home. Still sounds as good as ever, though! I think this may have been the result of a seemingly-innocuous knock it took at Union Station in Chicago. Looks like it's going to have to go and see Mr. Oddy up on Beacon Heath soon (local instrument repair superhero who works out of a garden shed).
There have been a couple of encouraging rehearsals with Orbis Tertius? (me, Keith and Henry) and some really nice informal jams with Henry too. He practices his drumming most evenings, and as I'm staying in an upstairs room it's almost impossible to resist the temptation to come down and join in.

I've been meaning to edit that Sloppy Joe-related material, but thus far have been too caught up in other things. I've been mostly listening to Matt Valentine and Erika Elder, fairly endlessly, on a random playlist through and appropriately tiny mono speaker, seems to fit my mood perfectly.

There's a COTD session in Crediton tonight - I only missed one (at St Stephens 10/01/07) while i was away. And the second Dub Magnitude gig coming up fairly soon - I missed the first one, the quality of which apparently surprised everyone involved (and it resulted in this coming gig, at The Globe).

Oh, and there have recently appeared some pleasing responses to music I've put online (and sometimes wonder why I've bothered):

This just in (see down at the bottom) for a recent Ail Fionn compilation. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it, but we now appear to have a couple of fans on a psych-folk forum.

Bhikku, a blogger who's previously enthused about COTD, seems to really like a rough version of "Georgia Buck", and American old-time tune, which I recorded with members of Sloppy Joe during my previous visit to Wisconsin (this was New Year's Day 2006). The whole session in here, as he helpfully points out...

Bob and Diane, a couple from Kentucky got in touch to enthuse about the Dongas online archive, and Bob then wrote this review for the "Rainy Night in the Bell Tent" session:

"The world is a better place because of wonderful musicians like the Dongas Tribe, a group of young folks who make music anywhere, any time because it's in their hearts. The recordings in this file were made in a tent! And yet, the music gives you the feel of being there joyfully listening in to people who live to entertain you, in the fashion of Celtic bards. Their other files are equally fantastic, and I encourage you to give a listen. I can see one problem: I don't have enough hard disk space to hold all of the wonderful music from these talented and dedicated artists!"