Drum roll...

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for your nicely impatient nudges about my next CD release!

I've received some lovely feedback since the Christmas CD was released - I had to laugh when someone said "James it's about time you brought out your next CD, I've been playing your Christmas one all summer!"

I'm soooo bad at juggling things, hence the long space of time between blog posts!

I've been working away busily, via emails (isn't technology fantastic!) with composer Sally DeFord, to put the finishing touches on my latest album, which I recorded the vocals for in Colorado Springs this last summer.

Well, I'm very excited to announce that... my new album "How Can I Keep From Singing?" is now available!

It was so much fun recording the vocals and working on the fabulous arrangements by Sally. I also had the pleasure of recording two duets with LDS singer Allyse Smith Taylor over at Soularium Studios in Alpine, Utah.

The CD also features some wonderfully talented instrumentalists. They include Pianist - Marvin Goldstein, Woodwind player - Daron Bradford, Cellist - Ramona McConkie and Violinist - John Leavitt.

It was so much fun working on this project and I'm really pleased with the outcome.

"How Can I Keep From Singing?" is now available at www.jamesloynes.com and if you are in the UK is also available at the Latter-day Book Stores in either Chorley or Godstone.

Also, Anne Bradshaw (Famous Family Nights) is doing a "CD Give-away" on her blog that gives you a chance at winning the new album!

http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com/2009/11/give-away-james-loynes-latest.html

Good luck! 

:-)

Songs from the Heart - Video

Quick post just to let you know that the show "Songs from the Heart" which was last Friday (11th Sep) was recorded on video in High Definition, so I'll be posting clips on my website and here on the blog when they are edited.

I had great fun performing in "Songs from the Heart." It was a real relaxed evening of live music and comedy, with Kevin Cookson and his band Koo°ler, singer Joyce Kearton and Comedian Don Banks.

Will keep you posted as to when you can see those clips :)

UV Summer Showcase was a hit!

On the 29th August, my choir United Voice North West performed their 'Summer Showcase'. The concert was a mixture of songs they have performed in past concerts and things they have been looking at and working on at weekly workshops (which take place at 7pm, Thursday nights at the Temperance Institute, 65 London Street, Southport... Quick shameless plug there!)

The show was a resounding success and everyone there left feeling uplifted... music just does that doesn't it! (well... some music anyway!) 

The Mayor of Sefton, councillor Alf Doran and the Lady Mayoress, Councillor Gillian Cuthbertson were both present. After the Concert, the Mayor gave an extremely complimentary speech saying "as Mayor, I am invited to attend many events, but I can honestly say that this has been one of the best musical events I have been invited to."

He then went on to thank the choir and request two encores, one of which was a favourite of his "Unchained Melody". (They really did do it well, I loved it!)

The entrance and foyer of the building had a revamp and looked great in "Roasted Red" (I'll put some pictures on of the new look and the concert with this post later)

I was so pleased at how well the evening went. The choir was wonderful, the soloists were wonderful and the acoustics in the Ballroom at the Temperance Institute were just brilliant.

As usual, I'm very proud of everyone involved, well done folks!

(Don't forget... 7pm, each Thursday, Temperance Institute, Southport! - All welcome)

US trip Part 3... Ghost towns, Lobsters and a whole lot of fun!

Well, it's been such a busy time recently that it looks like I have a few updates to do at once. So firstly, the last part of our US trip... Our last port of call was with the DeFord's in Colorado Springs. It was wonderful staying with the DeFord's, they're such a great family. Sally and I worked on new arrangements and recorded my vocals for my next album, which will be available in the next month or so (Watch this space). It was so nice to be able to spend a whole month there and not just live out of our suitcases, and to know that we weren't moving on straight away to the next place. Fran and I had amazing fun... in fact what's actually amazing is that Sally and I managed to get any work done because we all had so much fun whilst we were there. 

We got to see Garden of the Gods and during a trip to Blanding, Utah where Sally and I were scheduled to do a youth fireside, we all got to see Black Canyon, St. Elmo's (a ghost town) and Mesa Verde, where we saw amazing abandoned ancient Native American settlements, which were actually built into the rock face, sometimes 200 feet up the rock face. That was really cool! One of the best parts of the Blanding trip though, was Daniel (Sally and Dennis' son) having us in stitches of laughter with funny games and conversation. Award goes to Danny for most entertaining traveller on our road-trip! 

I noticed Sally wrote in her blog:

One highlight of their visit was July 4... Independence Day... and to honor, er... honour the occasion, they regaled me with our national anthem. It was something quite out of the ordinary to hear "...and the rockets' red glare... the bombs bursting in air..." done in proper British accents by singers costumed for the occasion... a red, white and blue tiara, bow tie, socks... I have pictures, but I think I'll let James decide whether or not post one lest I leave myself open to retaliation. 

It's true, we did! Below is a picture of the lovely get-up we donned for the occasion (it was first thing in the morning before we were truly awake and showered!)

It was also Fran's birthday the next day and so I planned a surprise trip to a very beautiful hotel complex called the Broadmoor in Colorado. It's a lovely place and the food was fantastic. We both decided to try something we hadn't had before. Fran wasn't so keen on the pheasant, though it was done well, but I loved the Steak and Lobster which I ordered... however I mistook the Price for an order number and won't be having lobster again until our bank account recovers!

But of all the eating places we visited, the most frequent was our new found love... the Rumbi Island Grill, a Hawaiian themed restaurant. We have lamented regularly since getting back home that we don't have Rumbi here... we miss their sweet potato fries... mmmmmmmm

It was a fantastic visit and we're so grateful to Sally, Dennis, Danny and Jen for making us feel so incredibly welcome in their home.

P.S. we also miss being honourary members of the Colorado Springs Academy Ward Choir :-(

We'll be back!

Garden of the Gods and the balancing rock (Held up by Fran!)

In the 2nd Picture also: Dennis and Daniel DeFord

Trying to get a stamp at the post office to no avail 

(At the St Elmo Ghost town)

They also had humming bird feeders outside the gift store, (I managed to get one mid-flight) and you could feed the wild (well... tame now) chipmunks.

The amazing Ancient Native American settlements at Mesa Verde:

Me visiting Boulder... well, actually 'on' a boulder at Arches National Park in Utah.

And my favourite "falling of the cliff" picture which Dan and I staged (Sally was sat in the car, otherwise I don't think we'd have gotten away with it!)

Waiting for the fireside in Blanding:

The beautiful Broadmoor hotel complex and the slightly pricey Lobster tail... Not at all slimey like I thought it would be :)

4th July and all dressed up... (We'd only just got up, so we look rather disheveled!) 

And the stack of games that proves how much fun we had and how remarkable it is that we ever got any work done! :)

Our favourite place to eat in Colorado springs (Rumbi):

Duets, Donkeys and Diners!

The second part of our US trip took us to Utah. We stayed with friends in Pleasant Grove and South Jordan. It was great fun visiting friends. There's something so cool about knowing people on the other side of the Atlantic! It really is a small world. :)

Then we travelled to Soularium Studio in Alpine, where I worked on a recording project with LDS singer Allyse Smith Taylor. It was great to be invited over to record two duets with Allyse. They will both feature on Allyse's CD, which will be available sometime in August and my own next album which is due for release in September/October of this year.

We all had a lot of fun at the Studio. My very good friend composer Sally DeFord was there (she wrote all of the songs on the Album). Also involved were LDS pianist Marvin Goldstein, Violinist April Moriarty and Wind and Reeds player Daron Bradford. I also had the pleasure of meeting and working with vocal coach and talented performer Sam Payne and the owner of the studio Dan Carlisle, who has worked on such projects as "The Work and the Glory."

Also on a side note, between the restaurants 'Blue Lemon' and 'Kneaders', lunch time was a big hit. They both make fab soup and sandwiches!

I'll keep you updated on the albums, when they are to be released and where you can buy them. :)

Last year we visited a little eating place in Lehi called Porter's Place (a saloon type restaurant which tributes Orin Porter Rockwell, bodyguard of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young). Here we encountered drinks like "snake venom' and a burger like no other. We had to laugh at it's name (The Destroying Angel!) That was until we saw it and realised just how big this burger was. What was more concerning was just how easily I ate the whole thing, the potatoe wedges and it's side order of barbecue beans! When the waitress brought the burger over, she said "don't worry, I'll bring a box for you to take away what you don't eat" and when she returned: "wow, I don't think I've seen anyone eat the whole thing before!" So of course this burger is now to become a tradition. Below is a picture of the beast :)

As if the names of the meals in the menu weren't funny enough, the meal was brought to a unique finish when we stepped out of the door to a sight you don't see everyday... A man and wife walking their dog and... donkey! Ha! We couldn't help but laugh, to which the lady smiled and said "we're only walking the donkey"... brilliant! 

Our final destination was with Jay Richards and his wife Carri in Logan. We had a lovely time visiting with our friend Jay who is a producer and director over in Logan with his own company Music Theatre West, who perform at the beautiful Ellen Eccles theatre. Jay gave us our own private tour of the theatre and rehearsal rooms. They really are fantastic, only strengthening my dream to one day own my own theatre. Back in October 2008, Jay produced and directed his musical production of the Louisa May Alcott novel Little Women. The songs are beautiful and his orchestrations are wonderful. I'm still hoping to direct a UK premiere of Jay's Little Women early 2010... so watch this space.

This time round we weren't able to fit a visit to the Salt Lake temple into the trip, so we were thrilled when Jay and Carri took us to see the Logan temple. It really is a wonderful building. It's castle like architecture holds such history and we were treated to some fascinating stories Jay and Carri recounted to us of the temple the couple were married in.

Utah was great. Watch out folks... we'll be back! 

Dan Carlisle and Sam Payne at the controls in Soularium Studio, Alpine

Me in the booth!

Allyse Smith Taylor and I after recording

For a monster meal, vist...

Yum!

Walking the Donkey! :)

The beautiful Logan temple

Our trip to the 'Happiest Place On Earth!'

Well It's been at least 7 weeks since my last blog post, and though there's no excuse, there's definitely a reason... I've been having way too much fun!

Our trip to the USA was more or less split into three separate chunks, so I'm dedicating a post to each...

Now, those who know me well will know that I've always been a huge fan of all things Disney (huge not being with reference to how much weight I've put on whilst on holiday!) But I'd never been to Disney World. Now, my wife Francesca loves me, but not necessarily my mild obsession with the Mouse, so I was so excited when she suggested we go to Disney World at the start of our US trip.

What can I say? Disney World is my favourite place ever! I loved it, Fran loved it, how can you not love it? You don't really have to be a big Disney fan to enjoy the fun and magic there. The shows are so well done and the attention to detail everywhere is fantastic. If you've never been, get saving, it's well worth the money (though from experience, make sure you say 'yes' when they ask you if you would like the meal plan option. It's not a scam, we said 'no' and now we're poor!)

Oh, and if you ever go to Disney, make sure you have a try at the 15 minute Character Drawing classes at Disney Studios. We both enjoyed it so much we went round several times!

- "For the third time, James drew forth the sword and there arose from the people a great shout..." :-)

- The house Fran and I are gonna move into when we can afford it! :

- The hotel lobby and exterior (and the cute Disney touch, with towels shaped like Mickey!):

- Our favourite Disney parade "The Pixar Street Party Bash":

- The very cool Disney Character Drawing class:

How to make friends and entertain people!

I'd like to introduce you to a new friend of mine. It was my birthday earlier this month and my wife Francesca surprised me with how well she knows me… I’m such a child and I’ve always had a knack for talking in silly voices without moving my lips… well, on the morning of my birthday, I woke up to this little fella, a ventriloquist monkey puppet as my present (pictured below, entertaining Nana). His name is Ginger and I can’t resist taking him with me now to entertain family and friends every time we visit.

Hmmmm… maybe I’ll take up ventriloquism! ;)

I forgot to remember...

You may remember me mentioning that I directed “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and played the lead role at the end of last year, but was waiting on some photos. It was a great success and lots of fun to do. Most of the cast had never even been involved with anything like this before and they did a fantastic job! I made a lot of new friends doing the show. The photos I have at the moment don’t really do it justice, but just for fun I have posted a few below. (Don’t worry, I’ve been given orders by Francesca to never really grow my hair long!)

Update at last!...

Well, I made a point of not promising to blog every week, because I know what I'm like!  Since my last entry there's been lots going on...

I had the great pleasure of performing at a private function at the Scarisbrick hotel for over one hundred lovely ladies, in aid of the North West Cancer Research. It was a fantastic afternoon, we all had a great time and a good laugh together and raised a substantial amount for the charity. Many thanks to all the ladies who sent letters of thanks. Apparently it was a first in a very long time for them to have a singer entertain them, as they usually have speakers after lunch. My particular favourite letter was from an elderly lady who said "I wasn't looking forward to sitting and listening to a singer, but I had a marvelous time. What a lovely voice and such a talent"... Thank you so much for that! It was a real pleasure to entertain you all.

There have been some very exciting updates church music wise. The "Angel to Watch Over Me" CD which I sang the title track for, made it into the 'Top Ten Best Sellers' list at deseretbook.com and since then I have been contacted by LDS female singer Allyse Smith Taylor, who is currently preparing for her next recording project. She has asked if I would make a couple of appearances on her next album, which will be accompanied by veteran LDS musician, pianist Marvin Goldstein. So I'm very excited that my wife and I will be flying out to the U.S. this summer so I can record on Allyse's album, after which we'll be heading over to Colorado to work on my own next album with Sally DeFord.

I'll also be meeting with producer Jay Richards and will discuss bringing his musical adaptation of "Little Women" over to the UK... so watch this space!

I guess in this business, you have to be flexible, so unfortunately, because Francesca and I are away for part of the summer, the United Voice North West choir's Disney summer concert "Once Upon a Song" has had to be postponed until further notice. However, there are still plans to do the concert early next year. In the mean time, they will be performing their "United Voice Summer Showcase", which will take place at the New Millennium ballroom, London Street Southport on 29th August 2009 @ 7:30pm (details will be on my home page at www.jamesloynes.com)

I mentioned in my last blog entry that I'll be doing some work on the Temperance Institute (where the ballroom is)... Well I've made a start! Just so you can see how messy I get when doing DIY (and because the building is really amazing inside) I've posted some photos below.

So amid making musical plans with Sally DeFord (over more than 5,000 miles, via e-mail) and undercoating every square inch of woodwork at the Temperance, Fran and I are rushing around like headless chickens, trying to make sure every needful thing is sorted before we fly... I guess it will be a good feeling once we're in the air... you know, when you really can't do anything about anything til you get back!

Will keep you updated on what happens while we're over in the States...

"Things To Do"

Well, welcome to my blog! Gosh, I feel like such an old man. I've never written a blog before, but thought it would be such a good way of keeping you all up to date with what's happening, so everyone doesn't think I've vanished or something if I haven't added new songs or pictures in the last few weeks!

There's so much going on at the moment and I'm so badly organised that I sometimes only get as far as writing my "Things To Do" list and looking at it for a long time!

The church music side of things is quite exciting at the moment. Covenant Communications have produced a book inspired by the beautiful song "An Angel to Watch Over Me" written by Sally DeFord. It's a song about the wonderful things our Mother's do for us as we grow up (a perfect Mother's Day gift). They have also produced a CD to go with it, on which I have had the privilege of singing the title track accompanied by acclaimed pianist Marshall McDonald, on the grand piano which used to feature on the Donny and Marie show! "An Angel to Watch Over Me" which also features such artists as Jessie Clark Funk and Jenny Jordan Frogley, will be available March 2nd (2009) and can be purchased at all Deseret Bookstores or at www.deseretbook.com

I've also just finished mixing the CD my choir (United Voice) recorded. "Sing Out!" is their debut CD and was a lot of fun to do! I know they'll all be so glad to finally get their hands on their copy. We're having a CD release party on Thursday which should be good fun.

We're also building up to our next big concert, which will be taking place in the summer. I'm really excited about this next one. "Once Upon a Song" will be a celebration of over 100 years of Disney magic, with hits including 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Part of Your World', 'Under The Sea', 'A Whole New World' and many others... what more could you ask for!

We'll be performing in our home venue this time (The Southport Temperance Hall) It's a wonderful old building, built in 1836, with a ballroom and balcony (just lovely). However, it's a little tired looking, so were going to be giving the entrance and the ballroom a good makeover! (You know one of those jobs you keep telling yourself will only be a small one - a bit of emulsion, new carpet... easy!) Anyway, that's todays job. I'm off right now to go and start work on all that.

Lots more to tell, so keep checking back.

See you soon!

     

Above: Southport Temperance Institute