I have always been a fan of Sean Moeller's Daytrotter. It is a site that offers unique sessions and recording of great bands. It is a subscription service but the catalogue is worth it. They also do unique eye-catching graphics by Johnnie Cluney. Each artist gets their own portrait. A couple of weeks ago I went into the studio with Bernard Butler and recorded 4 songs from 'Hendra' for them for the first time - and got my portrait drawn! Take a listen.
News — In Full
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Hear New York Radio Sessions
During last week's whirlwind US trip I visited both WFMU and WNYC in New York for live sessions and interviews. At WNYC on their regular Soundcheck show (pictured snapped just before we started) presented by John Schaefer I was joined by Bernard Butler for three songs - Hendra, Golden Ratio and Spring. The day before, it was 9am in the morning when I sang and chatted at WFMU. Major technical issues in the studio left me with a 2 minute soundcheck and then microphone routing problems during the interview, but, hey, it's volunteer radio, folks. I played Hendra and Golden Ratio live. Thanks to both stations for having me!
A further session and interview for WFUV will air in July. Also look out for an upcoming appearance on NPR's 'All Things Considered', two interviews with Sirius XM, a live acoustic performance for People.com, and a three-song filmed session and interview for Yahoo Music all over the next few weeks.
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Romany and Tom published in US
Following its ace reception in the UK, June 10 sees the publication of 'Romany and Tom' by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. Buy, read and hear the book. Links below.
"Neither sentimental nor savage, yet often wise, moving and entertaining within the same paragraph, Romany and Tom is a major achievement to rival any of Watt's recordings." THE GUARDIAN
"Elegantly written and clear-sighted … Watt’s reluctance to sentimentalise the experience makes it that much more powerful" THE INDEPENDENT
"A poignant, life-affirming work." FINANCIAL TIMES
“Watt has written about personal trauma before in his 1996 memoir ‘Patient’. This … pulses with the same combination of clarity and kindness. Unsentimental and humane’ 4 Stars. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
‘Watt’s beautiful, faithful memoir of his parents. It made me bawl roughly every thirty pages. This is such a rich book, smoky social history … deftly punctuated with some wonderfully unlikely show business vignettes. Most impressive of all is the book’s near-perfect structure. Sly and seamless, its abundant layers offer one of the most complete depictions of a marriage I have ever read.' NEW STATESMAN
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In depth interview, BBC Radio 2
This week I dropped round to BBC Radio 2 and spent an hour with Janice Long talking about 'Romany and Tom' and 'Hendra' and picking a couple of records to play. The interview has been clipped out of the show and can be played back on the BBC iPlayer.
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Hendra now out everywhere
My new solo album 'Hendra' is out today in North America, which means it is now available everywhere. Features Bernard Butler, Pink Floyd's DAvid Gilmour and Ewan Pearson. Hope you are all enjoying it. Thanks for all your support. Means a lot. Links to buy all formats below.
"As a demonstration of Watt's song-writing prowess, 'Hendra' is pretty much perfect.” ALEXIS PETRIDIS, THE GUARDIAN
“Beautiful songs penned from mid-life.’ 4/5, UNCUT
"His belated return to where he started oozes class. Adds up to something quite profound." 4/5, DAILY TELEGRAPH
**** Mojo | **** Q | **** The Guardian | **** Daily Telegraph | **** Daily Mirror | **** Metro | **** The Line of Best Fit | **** Evening Standard | ***** Sunday Express (Album of Week) | Album of Month, Rolling Stone (DE) | Album of the Month, Magic (FR)
