I'd first recorded as a solo act when I was living in Shepherds Bush in April 2006. I used to go to 2 studios - 'Bush Studios' right at the Hammersmith & City tube station, and 'Boomtown', a small voice over place down the Uxbridge Road in Acton.
I was having quite a tumultous time personally, and was massively into the 3 albums Ryan Adams had released in 2005.. I think those albums got me into songwriting proper.. certainly in the personal sense.. I'd also just read Neil Youngs 'Shakey' biography whilst waiting for the phones to ring whilst working in a call centre.
At the first session in April I cut 'When She Smiles Back At Me', 'Annie & I' and a tonne of others.. I would subsequently go to one of the two studios every couple of months.. and a have a sort of 'song clear out'.. and they were almost like a journal / confession. It always seemed to come out better at 'Boomtown' so I stuck with that studio.. The songs were cut completely live, and as is still the case, if I didn't get it in 3 takes it was time to move on. I also recorded covers at the sessions, which in hindsight worked quite well to get a specific mood I was trying to capture.
I think the first album was made up of 3 sessions between April 2006 & May 2007, 'Roadtrip' and 'Chelsea Fling' were cut in the final session in 2007.. when I was starting to overdub this mandolin i'd semi learned to play! I was listening to a lot of Gillian Welch, Steve Earle and mainly alt-country.
The EP was the first release I had.. I think I had sent songs off to publishers hoping to get somewhere, and was advised to release an EP. The cover of the Ep is of Shepherds Bush Green headed towards central London.. significantly better than the starstruck, drunk New York album cover!
The songs got a tonne of plays on myspace.. which became part of the cycle.. rememeber that? x