Welcome to the February update of Tom Doughty, Acoustic Lap Slide Guitarist, singer/songwriter, dry stone gall bladder builder.

Its all good this time around. I’m busty as hell (keep hitting the TY instead of the Y, but, still being average age 13, it makes me smile). I have a request for you. As I’ve been listening to a programme celebrating 70 years of the BBC Radio Programme ‘Desert Island Discs’ (I’m a big fan) and its very unlikely that you or I will ever feature, can I ask for comments to this newsletter:- Please tell me one of your seven Desert Island Discs and why it would be included? I’ll start the ball rolling with a song that is one of my fantasies, ‘Tilt Billings and the Student Prince’ by Leo Kottke. Its the lyrics alongside the melody that keeps rising like a phoenix from the quagmire of the ashes of the song that gets me every time.

So what’s happening?

Future gigs are getting established, a couple in February, four in March, nine in April, more work with Craig Ogden after our roaring success at the Bridgewater last October and although I would rather be mentioned in the Socialist Worker; we were featured in January’s Cheshire Life. S##t a brick!

We will be at The Two Rivers Festival in Birkenhead on 26th March and the Buxton Opera House 23rd September, with more to follow.
23/24th March sees me return to Zinc Blues Festival in Beauvais, north of Paris. I just loved it last year. Great music and atmosphere. I’m playing my local folk club, Nantwich Jazz & Blues Festival and Litchfield soon, later to Lower Brailes, Bristol University and the Cotswolds.

Here’s the big news: At the second attempt, my request for Arts Council funding to provide concerts and workshops in each UK/Eire Spinal Unit was Successful. Bose are loaning me a PA system, Yamaha Europe are supplying guitars and I’ll be hitting the road between April and June. Most gigs are confirmed but details will be on my gigs page as and when. Concerts will be held in Southport, Oswestry, Aylesbury, Harrow, Sheffield, Wakefield, Middlesbrough, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Salisbury and Cardiff.

O.K., so one of your Desert Island Discs, what’s it to be?

Tom

Related show

• Artist: Tom Doughty
• Tour: UK/Eire Spinal Centres: Workshop and Concert Tour 2012
• Date: Thursday, May 10th 2012
• Time: 7:00pm
• City: Tom Doughty in Belfast
• Venue: Belfast Centre
• Address: BT9 7JB
• Country: United Kingdom
• Box office: TBA
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

• Artist: Tom Doughty
• Tour: UK/Eire Spinal Centres: Workshop and Concert Tour 2012
• Date: Monday, May 14th 2012
• Time: 7:00pm
• City: Tom Doughty in Dublin
• Venue: Dublin Centre
• Venue phone: TBA
• Country: United Kingdom
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

• Artist: Tom Doughty
• Tour: UK/Eire Spinal Centres: Workshop and Concert Tour 2012
• Date: Thursday, May 24th 2012
• Time: 7:00pm
• City: Tom Doughty in Salisbury
• Venue: Salisbury Centre
• Address: SP2 8BJ
• Country: United Kingdom
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

Welcome to the November update from Tom doughty, lap steel guitarist, slide guitarist, singer songwriter and dry bone ball builder.
Well, I might wander off here – Debussy is in the background and it’s a freaky mild day in eary November. The low sun is streaming through the window and it’s a beautiful day.

It’s been a bit of an up and down month what with all dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones….

Well, not much negative stuff so I’ll deal with that first:
I was rejected by the virgin! – in so much as my short film application, – ‘Including you’ didn’t get anywhere despite so much support and positive comments from folk: and then, the following week the arts council informed me that my grant application for concerts and workshops in each of the 12 U.K. Spinal units had been unsuccessful. I can, and will, re apply soon but the whole application has to be re written. A Bugger, but then failure is only a temporary detour and I am keen for this project to go ahead, so i’m in the process on re doing it. Or as my mentor homer says ” that,s it, you people have stood in my way long enough, I,m going to Clown College ”

Which brings me nicely on to my real work, playing the guitar.

Recent gigs have been great fun and in most parts to packed rooms. Colne was a particular highlight over bank holiday weekend. I played my two sets later in the evening so there were more ex SAS members (cider drinkers are all ex SAS or paras) in the audience. It was fortunate that I was once in the SAS myself.

I enjoy festivals and another high spot in a Shropshire valley was being asked back to play at Farmer Phils near Rattlinghope, south of Shrewsbury. Mostly an alternative rock festival with an acoustic stage, great laid back atmosphere, relaxed, fun, the festival goers at what they do best – play about. I,d recommend it as much as what I.m listening to now, Bela Fleck, Kinesta from his glorious African album, Thrown down your heart.

Now the big news: my gig with Craig Ogden at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. I wheeled onto the stage on my lonesome – that beautiful wood lined main stage in fron of 700 people and started playing my solo set. The evening was to me, a total success and I couldn’t have asked for more from myself. There will be a more detailed update next month and video footage as soon as its been edited.

My first house concert here at slideytunes towers was also fun and went well, 40 people turned up and brought their own chairs. what a pleasure to play in your own home in a room that needs no amplification. (Thanks jim). There will be others to follow. I’m hoping to attract a wide range of victims to come and play too. Contact me if you,re within travelling disytance and interested….CW8.

My next few gigs explore the diversity of local venues. The Wirral International Guitar Festival, Chantry Chapel in Wakefield and the Wharf in Macclesfield! A second gig with Craig Ogden has been offered next March and Janurary will see me at intimate Appleton Village Hall, couteousy of Peter Price, a mainstay of the uk acoustic blue scene, a voice that commands respect and a great guitarist.

Till next time, Thanks for your support and interest.
Tom.

Welcome to this update from Tom Doughty Lap slide guitarist. Steel guitar player, singer/songwriter, dry stone ball builder

NEWS & UPDATES

Request: A quick one! I’ve re entered my virgin short film and discovered that one of the judging criteria is the number of comments it receives. So as the Ice Cream man said, ‘please stop and give me one’
Go here: THANKS.

Recent Gigs

Lymm with Tommy Allen/Johnny Hewitt was a blast: A good crowd who were really appreciative and interested. A pleasure to play for; leading nicely into the weekend at Worthenbury Blues festival. What a well organised day with such a contrasting approach and line up – a band followed by an acoustic act with immediate turn around using separate sections of the one massive stage. The audience were up for it too; the weather was great and its really good to meet someone else like me; a peer group; and in some ways there’s not many of us about. I’ll explain: A cervical spinal injury is a pretty specific thing. The obvious bit is you become a wheelchair user; but less noticeable are things like changes in body shape, posture and hand function. However, for those of us who have been injured in this way, its easy to spot another. In a world where you are a very small minority, identifying another like you is really easy and usually a pleasure; and in theory, physically, you know what the other persons life is like. So it was at Worthenbury; from the stage as I was singing my first song, I noticed this bloke in the audience who was just like me. Except, that he was a lot smarter, sporting Blues Brothers suit and pork pie hat. After my first set, we met and instinctively, he knew exactly what he could say to me. it was something along the lines of ‘how the fu##in hell do you do that’? to which I replied ‘not telling you’ followed by ‘there’s a bloke hiding around the back playing the guitar’ Life at that moment was light, fun, in the breeze and we were friends on a level of mutual understanding. I love situations like that. Life’s twists and turns. Of course the disability peer group is only one of hundreds or thousands I belong to, but its an obvious one. The photo was taken by Victoria. She captures the difference between my tin full of picks and my slide verses just some of what you need if you’re a serious drummer! My thanks to Pete Evans and the team of volunteers who made such a great job of the festival.

Concerts for Spinal Units
This is an idea I’ve had brewing for some time but a number of recent events have brought it to my attention again. I’ve played at the Regain National Dinner thing in London at the sublime Intercontinental Hotel and my film ‘Including you’ also is about Spinal Injury and my musical journey; I’m teaching 3 folk, through the internet; all of whom are tetraplegics, just like me. The idea would be to visit each spinal unit in the UK (there are 14) over a three week period and hold a workshop and play a concert for patents, ex patients, professionals and members of the public. It needs funding…..but this is the idea.

House Concerts

Now we’ve moved to Slidey Towers, there’s a music room with space for concerts. Fabuloso. What’s more, the first one is on Friday 19th August and features my old muckker Jim Crawford. Its by invite only and places are limited, so e mail me QUICK if you would like to join us.

There’s loads other stuff too, but for now that’s my musings done!
Till next time
keep picking it …whatever you’re picking

I’m writing this looking at Sepia Photos of the pie men on
a narrow boat. Some are dressed as pirates. They come
from North Manchester, an area well known for pirates.
My music is random from a player: right now its Rockin
Jimmy Byfield & The Brothers of the night: ‘Evry beat of my heart’
‘Slowly Slowly Catchy monkey’ as Miss Marple said.
This weeks’ questions are:
Will I get one of my Evolution Slides into the hands of
Brian May? (Did you see that fantastic TV programme
about Queen the other week)?

Will I develop my idea of a second short film into
something that will attract more interst in my music?
Will my internet lap guitar lessons develop past the first
guinea pig?
Will another CD be in the making?
Will Chem Dry Charlie do a good job on the carpets?
Will I get an article in the National press before my big
gig in October?
There are no answers yet but the Monkey catcher is on
the case; (Slowly, slowly)

www.tomdoughty.com
tom@tomdoughty.com

MAIN STAGE BRIDGWEATER HALL: Can’t wait! Following my successful appearance at the Classical Guitar weekend in January, Craig Ogden has asked me to appear as his special guest at his solo gig on Weds 26th October on the main stage. I will be playing some solo material and also some duets for slide and classical guitar. More details to follow soon

Hope you like my new razzle dazzle web site. More developments and additions will be coming soon including a bog or something. Meanwhile, here’s my short update.

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It’s an age thing. The grumpy old, last of the summer, moaning, groaning thing that we enjoy doing when time goes by so fast and another year gone malarkey. Is it true that you reach 50 odd and every year is only 6 months long and we start asking where’s the year gone?

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