Happy New Year 2018
Dear fans and friends, wishing you all a great year ahead and hoping that we'll meet you all again soon.
I've now been running my official website through this WIX program for over 3 years and I have to say it's been so easy to add and update my tour dates page whenever I have had new shows come in.
My only concern of late has been the lack of attention I might give to other parts of this website especially the 'Latest News' page which I do admit should've been updated several times since June 2016 when I was letting everyone know about our support slot on the Robert Plant Summer tour of 2016.
Well, I'm here now, and I'm glad that most importantly I've been able to keep on top of my tour dates page.
I'm also aware that many people don't search for news updates beyond their facebook/twitter, etc, but to me the TOUR DATES page on this, my 'official' website, is still central to news on my concert schedule. So, don't forget to visit this page every time you're curious as to my whereabouts! :-)
Right then, what do I now mention as 'Latest News'? I'm looking forward to a busy year ahead rocking the stage at clubs, events and festivals throughout Europe and we're planning a new album release on vinyl of original tracks from across the years (watch this space for more info as this develops - we are mastering the tracks this month). Also that I'm enjoying family life here in central Spain with my wife Sarah and our boy Louie Ray who last November celebrated his 5th birthday.
So, you ask 'where does the time go'?
When I'm home there's a thousand home and garden duties! I'm often either in the kitchen washing dishes and cleaning up or I'm in front of the PC watching world news and browsing through my inboxes and social media pages. My wonderful 'life saver' of an assistant Jo Hill in Kidderminster, England, has messages for me often on an hourly basis regarding decisions and booking enquiries as they come in. Thank you Jo for everything you continue to do for me! x
When I'm away from home it's spent mostly in queues at boarding gates across Europe or I'm already sat in those planes trying to sleep.
If in Spain I'm driving through scenic landscapes so often under a clear blue sun filled sky with hardly any vehicles in the way. Spain's city centers may well be a hell for parking and unloading BUT driving across the country from city to city is such a dream of an experience; no vehicles, no people, just beautiful landscape and open motorways.
If in the UK then it's being sat in chaotic traffic jams and roadworks quite often under a miserable dark grey rain filled sky. I do also land in other parts of Europe where I'm picked up at the airport, taken to the hotel and the show and often treated very well by everyone involved.
I admit, it is nice when I don't have to worry about driving myself as I'm not the man I used to be, thanks to several bad experiences in recent years.
Falling down some stairs at an old hotel in France a few years ago spraining knees and ankles - I now walk down stairs like a careful old man.
Two years ago I was involved in an awful car accident on our way back from the grocery store with my wife and son also in the car. We were driving at moderate speed on a main road 5 minutes from home when an idiot pulled out in front of us hitting the back end of our Peugeot Partner forcing the car to spin and roll like a ball ending up on it's roof and me and my family in shock for months afterwards, That horrible experience has left me with some level of post traumatic stress disorder which in turn effects my confidence when I'm in charge of the steering wheel and in my lack of trust over other drivers in general.
August 2016 also saw me in Avila hospital for almost 2 weeks with serious pneumonia. I'm happy to say I recovered within weeks and I've been relatively fine since.
What other bad things have happened to me lately? Oh yes! Last October while in the UK for a few shows I was driving under a motorway bridge on the M6 towards Birmingham when someone dropped a large brick on my car scaring the shit out of me! As far as I know no one got hurt but a second later or earlier could have seen serious consequences for me and others around me!
That same week flying back to Madrid from B'ham on a ryanair flight full of mainly drunk Spurs fans who I thought were going to start a riot on the plane once we were up in the air even though the flight crew used the threat of 'police will be waiting at arrivals'. For me the plot thickened when the ring leader who was sat in the seats directly behind me started throwing Elvis remarks towards me hoping for a response!
We all got through it and I'm still here and however bad some people may be I know each day I feel more grateful that I live my life the way I do! By giving pleasure to so many of you wonderful people by doing something that I love and making enough from it to cover my way through life.
To all my friends, fans and family, I send all my love and I hope to see you all soon. x
Mike
