Stargazing in New Zealand My autograph collection became a lot more valuable on Tuesday. It cost me a pair of concert tickets, a CD and a tram ride, but that's nothing compared with the signature of the UK's poet laureate, Simon Armitage. Simon Armitage's signature on my copy of the Dark Sky Reservation CD. That…Read more Dark Sky Reservation
Month: April 2026
Salamander
A curious salamander Nearly all the pieces featured in these pages so far revolve around electric or acoustic versions of the guitar or the piano (or both). And tracks with neither drums nor other forms of percussion are even more scarce. So that salamander could be forgiven for being curious about the band I have…Read more Salamander
Stick Jam
Careful, guys, steps ahead ... How many ways can you think of to use a stick? You might throw it for your dog to fetch. If it's a nice straight stick, you might use it to keep your runner beans upright. Or you might drop it off a bridge in a game of Pooh sticks.…Read more Stick Jam
The Gathering
A nighttime gathering. Dancing at a rave in the woods, perhaps? A review of Mark Wingfield's Elemental album on the Cirdecsongs blog prompted another expedition into unknown regions of cyberspace. The burning question was "Who is that guy?". It turns out that Mark Wingfield is an English jazz guitarist with strong connections to some of…Read more The Gathering
Crotchety Man 