On a rainy weekend in September 2018, I gathered several musician friends together in Stroud to record some of my songs. To keep things simple, I decided against recording in a professional studio and instead opted to set up in a beautiful, light, airy room in the Old Convent. It was a creative feast of spontaneity and improvisation, fuelled by some spiritual musical energy, laughter and plenty of Fat Toni’s pizza! 

The plan was to have fun, record everything live and capture things in the moment as they unfolded. It was the first time we had all played together and everyone was really excited to see how things would turn out. The songs, which were unfamiliar to the rest of the group prior to the session, provided a foundation from which everyone could share their musical ideas. Moving quickly from song to song after only a few takes and resisting the temptation to listen back, helped to keep everything fresh. Working in this way also helped us to step back, listen and collaborate instantly ‘in the moment’. 

Weaving through different strands of folk, roots and blues, the songs explore the ups and downs of life and our interconnectedness with nature. During the original recording session, local artist and friend Dan Austin stunningly captured the essence of the weekend on canvas, which fittingly became the cover of the group’s debut album ‘Foray’, which was released on 18th May 2019.

Tom Drywood