The album is nearly there.  David Baron has done an amazing job of finishing off the music which we started in November.  I am really excited about the next few months.  We have more than enough tracks – It’s going to be called ‘Good Fortune, Bad Weather’.

Anonymous Photograph

Both David and I have created some films for the new songs and will post on youtube in the next few weeks.  I am planning to do some kind of music video shortly with a young filmmaker.  The next stage is to revamp my website.  I have two at the moment simply because I wanted to update my news and didn’t know how to, on my original website so I will try and create one which will avoid the use of flash and be up to date and more to the point.

In regards to music I have to say I am most excited by P J Harvey’s new album which I am waiting to get in the post and can’t believe she’s using the zither or autoharp on some of her songs.  I played around with mine for a couple of years and never got much further than the odd note!  I first came across the zither on a film called ‘Klute’

It is also in the film ‘The Third Man’.  I also very much enjoyed seeing the Pierces who I think are going to be very big this year.  They have great songs, fantastic voices and I know that they have struggled for many years so I can relate! They consist of two sisters and in their videos they are frequently try to kill each other or someone else!  I have to say their performance was very slick but that cool delivery was offset by the performance of one of the funniest guitarists I have seen in years.  On a tiny stage he really went for it-I thought he was going to try and stage dive, smash up his guitar or something!  I like the Pierces sense of humour.

The Bad Girl Of The Family by Fred Melville

My camera has now given up the ghost and I have prepared my keyboard for selling except I can’t take a picture of it at the moment.  I am also hoping to do a little gig in a flat in Paris in March and combine it with visiting my friend Alissa whom I met through David Baron (my writing partner) when he was at the Edison Studios in New York.  The Edison studios was the largest privately run studio left in New York and was hidden behind a lobby staircase in the Edison Hotel off Times Square.  It was like a dream.  Ella Fitzgerald had recorded there and I was very lucky to record a small part of my previous albums there.  My previous albums bridged a period of time which was not only tragic, for other reasons, but also lost.

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Here’s David playing an EMS Putney on one of our tracks:

I have been playing the tracks on my friend’s acoustic guitar (which I am looking after) and love the idea of simplifying things.  I love the loop pedal but it’s become so omnipresent at the moment on the live circuit I really feel like taking a break from it.  I will continue to use it but I am experimenting with other things.  I’ve become super geeky looking at hundreds of keyboards on youtube and still cannot decide on one.  I think a visit to Warner Chappels in Bond Street is a good idea.  I have my eye on one in particular but could only afford it if I could get some kind of credit/ payment scheme!

Lettie with David Baron's EMS Putney

I am lucky as I have more work coming my way in my day job and have been working hard to get myself above the water.

I have been exploring London and have come across Victor Wynd and Suzette Field’s The Last Tuesday Society.  I visited the shop ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ on Mare Street, Hackney and if you have never been there I suggest you take a look unless you get upset at seeing stuffed lions, cats and even dogs hanging above your head!  They give lectures, gallery openings where you get served gin in a tea cup and put on parties every few months where everyone seems to dress up.

My friend Christopher Battye has an exhibition at the Reading Room 65-66 Frith Street until March 11^th.  It’s kind of ironic that the exhibition was put on by a leading digital communications company and Chris doesn’t have a computer! I do find it easier to promote other people rather than myself and I am still largely reticent on facebook but I will have to change this if I am to ‘get out there’.

The truth is I don’t have much time as I am working nearly every day now therefore I would prefer to put my free time into creating music, recording vocals, writing lyrics, and from this week, rehearsing once again.  It is vital that I keep this going if I am to perform again.  I am getting to grips with cubase and recording at home again and created an a cappella that I have posted on myspace.  I like it as it was completely improvised.  I haven’t actually truthfully worked out how to record midi so I had to use my voice! It’s called ‘Don’t You Leave Me’.  Here’s a little video:

I love creating these small tracks like the one I did in the launderette.  I hope I never stop writing ever.

The Big Pineapple Near Nambour Queensland