Category Archives: history

The Long Way Home

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, glass cage, history

You can’t generally speaking walk in someone else shoes they say. Perhaps you can try but mostly its not a good idea if you can avoid it.  I had been trying to do exactly that for the last couple of years subconsciously since the loss of my co-conspirator and leading light of the Delta Lady’s. I though we might be able to keep something going but it was not really ever going to work without that unique individual. So despite the help from others (notably Lorraine Lucas who stepped up for a while during a time when I was basically still pretty much deep in shock and  traumatised) once covid stopped gigs in March 2020 the spark such as it was really could not be rekindled.  There is one final Delta Ladies Album which Vicky Martin had mixed. It’s my hope to release this as a final testament as it were. Its been hard to come to grips with much that’s  happened since April 2019. I have lost a few others along the way since then sadly.  Vicky’s partner Ralph perhaps most notably who was very supportive and a good friend to me who died unexpectedly in November 2020.  

I have continued with my solo musical endeavours which were always separate to my work as part of the Delta Ladies and which had been going on  for a a while before both Elephant Shelf  and subsequently the Delta Ladies,   The last proper Delta ladies gig after Vicky’s death was at the Retreat in Reading in on Saturday  February 8th  2020 (16 years of solid gigging).  Since then I have also been working on a couple of projects with Jon Bickley (a singer songwriter)  mostly remotely until the last couple  of months. Also one one or two other remote collaborations.  I do miss people and just making music with people, but I have lost the kind of confidence needed to start from scratch.   

It’s been nice to see many friends starting to pick up where they left off and take their acts back out to gig again.  The lockdown and much else has sadly left me in a position where I do not see much of an opportunity personality  to be able to play   live music at present.  

Maybe at some point that will change again, but the magics been lost for the moment and new spells perhaps must be cast by some new sorcerer. Perhaps some other dawn will light the way. If not it was good while it lasted.  

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

   

                        

Windows and Wonderings

Diana Stones Songs, glass cage, history, music, Musings, other, whatever

What’s new and how are you? It’s a lovely day in the neighbourhood. The sun’s out and there is a light breeze.  It’s a perfect Truman Show/Stepford Wives crossover day with a hint of the matrix for seasoning as it seems as though it is  the same people walking past every half hour or so.  Makes you wonder at times without a doubt, what’s real and whats with out outside.  The world though a window. Now with a constant band of changing strolling players. Some in Joggers motley, others in black attire. Some wobbling, some striding,  some swaying from side to side like landlocked sailors home from the sea after months away from dry land still feeling the uneven rhythm beating out slow parade drum march for them to synchronise to. And dogs, old, new, many and various. A cavalcade of wonder. Birds landing in great flocks for insect suppers on the ground or perhaps a seed feast? Then in a moment all gone and the ground is quite void of avian foragers. 

Other than looking out of the window, whats occuring. Well music,music, music of course but you knew that. It’s a sunday even as I type this. I have been out for a bit of fresh air and also doing  the studio stuff for a few hours. During recording sessions there is a temptation to idly gaze out of the window at times now the building site has gone or maybe that’s just me.  So the music I am working on has as is often the case got a life of its own and moved in a  very different direction than I originally envisaged. But often when that happens the end result can be a lot more interesting if it works out.  Well that is my excuse and I am sticking with it.

Diana Stone at the Keys 2020
Diana Stone playing Piano May 2021
Diana Stone Studi picture
Diana Stone Is Trouble
Diana Stone Sunny uplands
Indeed

The days go in a flash. In the last week or so I have been getting up fairly late though I have been sleeping very well in the main.. last night I watched “Searching for sugar man” about the singer/songwriter Rodriguez who had two albums that flopped in the US in the early 70’s but became a cult star in South Africa. the legend was that he had committed suicide on stage. Actually it turned out that he had just gone back to building labouring in Detroit. Eventually he went and played gigs in South Africa several times but still lived a quiet life in Detroit in the same house he had lived in for 40 years. he has 3 children and is still around at 79 years of age. Its an interesting story of a very humble man IMO. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixto_Rodriguez

I was struck particularly by the fact that his life style was simple and he said to his work mates after his first trip to SA to play gigs that he had two lives. Something about him struck a chord. His acceptance of life as it really is perhaps?

The things I would like in life are not in the power of anyone to grant me. Those things I could have in the worldly sense, seem trivial. Whilst I would not choose it I can see why some are drawn to a very simple life. I don’t think it would work for me though.

The lyrics I sketched out for the current track may well not work with it I suspect  or will have to be altered considerably but they may spark a better idea of course.
And the track is now an instrumental because its turned in to something very atmospheric in a very different way that I thought it would.  No problem though. It’s all exploration and surprises.  Much of what I create lands in a different place than the intended destination. However if it’s a good place I have learned to just go with it. 

My body is complaining. I have been trying some new stretching and resistance exercises and I may have overdone it a bit again. Hopefully that’s all it is.  It’s very tiring and tedious though. My posture is much better a year down the line, but I am still getting a  lot of joint and muscle pain. It’s difficult to know how much activity is too much or too little.  My feeling is as I  have become more active and now ache more, which seems a bit counter productive really. 
On difference is that with my head and neck straight I can draw a line straight down my back to my feet. The hump is still there but has moved further down my back and so appears less obvious.  Is this contributing to the pains as muscles adn joints adapt.Maybe?it maybe too much phone use is contributing to it from what I read. Nearly 18 months with lot of time spent  at home has certainly upped the hours using such devices.  I don’t seem to have much of an appetite again. I am not sure why but maybe I am simply not doing enough physically day to day? That seems the most likely reason. 
I sincerely hope that  Afghanistan’s future does not turnout to be a total disaster, but I can’t see it ending well.  I hope I am proved wrong. 
Some words came into my head this morning and the 1st verse of a song got written. Next to tackle the chorus which may not be quite so easy. 

‘To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.’

(Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3)

  

 

 

   

The land of Woo and Wonderment

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, history, Musings, whatever
Diana Stone Is Trouble
Diana Stone Is Trouble

This could be it or not. Well I got my wish for it to cool down and it has. A lot.
I have had some news about collaborative projects going ahead  so that’s good news. 
I feel a bit worn out and I have not been out much this week due to the heat which has dampened my spirits.  My back is playing up a lot too. and I feel like I have been in a fight.  I can’t get going musically at present. My latest release for Amazon/Spotify/YouTube and Apple music and the rest has just been cleared for release and will be available from August 6. 

 

At present I am feeling somewhat wrapped up in my own thoughts. A few things are praying on my mind somewhat.  My own mortality being one of them.  It may be that having been thrown back on my own resources I have focused too much on the bad things then I was busy doing gigs and just trying to figure out how to keep paying the bills I was mostly quite happy. Now I am likely to have financial stability for the rest of my natural life be that days weeks or decades. I ache but that comes and goes. Some days I feel I will die imminently. The fact that my dad went so quickly sort if makes me feel as I might do the same despite any mitigating circumstances in my own life (40 years of being veggie/ vegan almost) and having various tests in my late 50s for health that showed no increased risk of anything much. I have too much time to think. I always think I will be dead in a month or so of something dreadful. And I worry about running out of money all the time and what may happen.  It’s not entirely rational  I know.  

I have been continuing to scribble down musical ideas  as usual this week of course.
And sticking some new letters on my computer keyboard as they are wearing off again.
Yes I need a new one so I really ought to sought that out as it  could be cheaper than the stickers. It will do for now though I guess. 

After having lived here for nearly 4 years  we have finally said goodbye to the building site opposite our place and now have an open park leading down to the water meadow country park and the river Great Ouse. I finally set foot on the path today and it completely changes the outlook from out veranda.  Plenty of people are now using it. It will take a while to get established as there is not much grass at the top end yet and the ground is very dry.  

I have hardly been out for a week., the recent spell of very hot weather was a little too much for me to deal with.  Also no music related visitors or a places to be. I need to check the car is OK or it might sulk.  I have had it for 5 years now. It’s got a few dings and scrapes on it so it looks a little careworn now rather like me  🙂 It has over all served me very well and I have done around 60,000 miles in it. Mostly to and from gigs. This last year it hasn’t really moved much at all though. The odd drive in the country and a few of music related trips down the M1. mostly though its been standing about looking a trifle forlorn. 

Some of the solo projects I have been thinking about have slightly stalled, (Covid restrictions have affected things of )  plus also as much due to a bit of a wobble in confidence.   One thing that has occured is words coming to me again. Words for songs, perhaps words for other things too. After a long time of having really nothing to say.  Living in your own head too much in a great wash of introspection may be OK if you are a genius writer or scientist or philosopher  but not perhaps if otherwise. Forcing myself to actually write down what’s going through my head is actually quite helpful to give a little extra clarity.