Somewhere, Out There

Last weekend was a wonderful time of Homesongs and other musical adventures. It was lovely to meet Norman and Rosie and Tommy, whom I' had previously only “met” online through H4Life. And it was the connections with them and their music, and their connections with the people who came to listen, that made the whole experience such a joy.

Afterwards I got a very uplifting email from Norman. I quote it in part below. For me it expresses a reflection of the dilemma that many performing songwriters, myself included, experience. The question we ask:

Is there a relevant place for me and my music somewhere out there?

Norman sent me his email after I’d sent through money he was owed from the weekend:

”the money was never the point, it was the spirit of Homesong, which you brought to life for us all to see. I'm so grateful. To be honest, as I was telling Rosie and Tommy in Tarbert, I'd planned in my mind that next year with the new Heaven Sent album would probably be the end of me performing. I just didn't think I had it in me. This weekend has seen the performer step forward in a way I never expected to see, and actually connecting with people who'd never heard my stuff. And I think it brought out the best in Rosie and Tommy too - just the quality of attention that people brought and the lovely sense of community among the audience themselves.”

Norman has written further about the weekend in a great blog with pictures - Mulling Over Kintyre (groan!). And have a listen to the great songs on his website too. He’s my kind of songwriter.