To say recent months haven’t exactly gone to plan, might be a bit of an understatement.  You may remember that the start of the year saw us pretty much all set to release the album. We could barely contain our excitement at what 2010 had in hold for us... all poised, only to be hit by a number of minor disastrophes... but worry not there is light on the horizon. :)

With my adventures under the surgeon’s knife behind me, we were back out and gigging in the Spring (when the shows weren’t cancelled on us that is, which was a bit disappointing), only to have to call a halt as Sonny found himself regretfully having to call it a day.  He said that “I’ve really enjoyed playing with you guys and its sad to leave now”, however changes at work and other commitments meant he couldn’t commit the time anymore, which had become apparent in the preceding weeks, so although a surprise perhaps not completely unexpected.

On a happier note we’ve had a good refreshing break for a couple of months, and are gearing up to make the most of the second half of 2010.  Those that know me won’t be that surprised to hear that I spent a fair chunk of June and July over in South Africa for the World Cup.  Less said about the football the better (as an England fan that is), but what an amazing country.  As expected the bollocks the media spouted in the build up to the tournament turned out to be just that, and I had a great time out there.  The scenery was as beautiful as I’ve seen anywhere, and the wildlife was something else.  I’ve still got to sort through hundreds of photos that I took of lions, zebras, giraffes, rhino and various other animals that I came up close to in the wild.  Amazing it really was; and with England knocked out (and Jorge Larrionda struck off my Christmas card list), I finally got some time to work on some new tunes.

Speaking of new tunes, whilst we’ve been hunting a new bass player, Marc, Rob and I have been getting together knocking up demos of some new songs.  We’re not sure that all of them are quite the right vibe for Dear Acetate, so we may polish-up some of the recordings and stick them up online, possibly under a pseudonym at some point, we’ll see.  Meanwhile Shane’s been pretty busy himself, recording and producing other bands in the studio.

To bring you back up to date, the four of us got together the other week and discussed just what our ‘Plan B’ was going to be.  So far it’s looking pretty promising.  Shane’s back off holidays soon, and we’ve had some interest in the bass player department.  We’re due back in the studio the week after next, and fingers crossed we can start making plans for gigs and the album launch before we know it.

Hope you’re all enjoying your summer (or winter if you’re down that end of the planet).  Look forward to seeing some of you at a venue near you soon!