Thursday 29 January 2015

Life Affirming Times in Old Deutschland ! MHx (Songs & Whispers Tour Diary 4)



Not long to go now in Germany and I've got to say this last week has brought me so much happiness and joy to be amongst people, performing music and working so hard ... certainly 3 shows in particular have given me so much resolve in the power of live music, the connection between beautiful people and affirmation and reaffirmation that life is good, what I'm doing is good and we're on the right path !

Peace, Love & Tea ... Frieden Liebe und Tee !!

There are so many countless stand out moments in the last few weeks I could write a short novella on the great times I've had, I hope the next few nights down south in Duisberg, I only hope the good people around Dortmund, Dusseldorf and Dinslaken are as good to me as the great folks in the north west have been.

Here's me with Lucky, Annika's Songs & Whispers office dog, and now my good friend, I love that little chap !

Aside from the big city lights of Hamburg and Bremen, I've particularly enjoy seeing the smaller towns and villages, the places like Quelkhorn and Achim covered in snow, seemingly like German postcard spots, beautiful places and beautiful people, so much history.

But tonight's show in Syke was one of the most enjoyable I have played anywhere, ever ! A massive amount of people turning out in a beautiful space, a museum of contemporary art, much like my favourite home town show at the Nottingham Contemporary art gallery,which I hope to heading back to before the summer, and talking of heading back, I will definitely definitely definitely definitely be back in Germany before you can say "eine tasser tee mit milch!"

Fur meine Frau ...



Original post:
http://songsandwhisperstourdiary.blogspot.de/2015/01/life-affirming-times-in-old-deutschland.html

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Ich Liebe Deutschland ! MHx (Songs & Whispers Tour Diary 2)


10 days into the the German leg of the Peace, Love & Tea European Tour and, I have to say it, I'm starting to become quite fond of this little old place ! So rich in colour, people, there's a vibrancy, a history, even a warmth in the midst of winter, I know everyone's driving on the wrong side of the road still, and the kms make no sense where my miles would, but what can you do in the middle of the German countryside snow ?? Write a strongly word letter to the Kaiser, Napoleon or Angela Merkel and hope to find a post box ? I don't think so ...

Anyways, music ? Yeah, I've played quite a lot of it, and - like Ringo Starr upon the 'Helter Skelter' - "I've got blisters on me fingers!" but alles gut ! And it is to Hamburg I am heading tonight having just played a great little show in the theatre of the University of Bremen.

Last night I was right up on the most far north-western coast of Germany, a place called Emden, just over the harbour lay the Netherlands, I played some English songs, it was an old Polish cake shop, of which the now Turkish owner told me he sells beers to all ages, even 70 and 80 year olds who remember it as the only place you could buy cakes on a Sunday for 50km, students from each part of Germany and Holland gather and speak great English, and some of those from Belgium speak up to 5 languages, the beer and tea and coffee is from afar a field as Brazil and the wine from Lating nations of Italy, France and Spain, I have found Americans, Russians, and Scandinavian folk drinking Guinness ...

... I ate Börek (Turkish pastry filled with egg, mushrooms and spinach) and vegan pancakes in Canadian maple syrups in amongst the crowd was an old stained glass window maker from Birmingham with a lady friend, and next time an English or an American tells you that "Germans and/or Muslims have no sense of humour" tell them that's just not the case. I met the loveliest young man whose family originated from Jordan in the Middle East but he was born in the little town of Delmenhorst just outside of Bremen.

The graffiti under one of the autobahn bridges reads "The Only Good Nation is Imagination" and I say all this I say as a European, Internationalist, happy and healthy member of the human race plying my trade on the continent ... we are all one and interconnected with our own cultural and spiritual reference points but Love and kindness connects us all ! Cast aside any ideas or anyone you come across espousing the ideas of fear, embrace one and all, and never feel uneasy ! Peace, Love & Tea x

And remember ... Your Eyes Are Made Of Gold ...



Original post ...
http://songsandwhisperstourdiary.blogspot.de/2015/01/ich-liebe-deutschland-mhx.html

Friday 16 January 2015

Frieden, Liebe und Tee !! January 2015, MHx (Songs & Whispers Tour Diary)

Matt Henshaw Newspaper Germany

One week driving and performing through Britain, France, The Netherlands and Germany, and what a ball I am having !! The press clipping (left) is from this week's Oyten - Bassen newspaper where I have just played, in a private bar called Dohm-Eck, a great little place, only open twice a month, once for the wonderful Songs & Whispers artists.

The good people of Oyten, Bassen, Bremen and Bremervorde have so far made me feel like a star in Deutschland, such fantastic people, kind, warm-hearted, good-natured and willing to listen, enjoy and appreciate people making music.

Conversation so far has centred around tea, football and the cost of cigarettes and alcohol in Britain !! And, I suppose, how mein Deutsch ist nicht gut ... but I get by ... tee, tasse, untertasse, löffel, milch ... I know all I need to know.

Alles gut back home and I'm loving my time in Germany, and I'm already thinking about next time !

Peace, Love & Tea, MHx
http://MattHenshaw.com

PS. my latest YouTube video - 'Stop Me Girl' - keeps on accumulating the views too, so Happy Days ! Stay Cool, Stay Beautiful, One & All x



Original Post: http://songsandwhisperstourdiary.blogspot.de/2015/01/frieden-liebe-und-tee-january-2015-mhx.html

Monday 5 January 2015

Happy New Year ... Bon Voyage !

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY !!

Well, that's Christmas done and dusted for another 12 months, now we're into 2015, and I was hoping to write to you today about Sheffield Wednesday's amazing gallant victory in the FA Cup against Manchester City, yet alas it wasn't to be ... anyways, I've put something new for this year on YouTube that I think you'll enjoy, a piano ballad by the name of 'Stop Me Girl' listen and download NOW !!



Here's me teaching the next generation of my family how to play it, this is my little baby cousin Esme, isn't she just beautiful !! And you can also listen to my full in depth interview on BBC Radio Leicester in full on YouTube now too ... don't forget to subscribe to my channel and listen out for the new singles on their way later this year !!

Matt Henshaw Baby EsmeMatt Henshaw BBC Radio Leicester

Peace, Love & Tea European Tour starts this Friday ...

Wish me luck in all and everything in Peace, Love & Tea on the road, Speak Soon !!

... and don't forget to drop an email to bookings@matthenshaw.com if you want me to come and play in your town, venue, living room, school, parish hall, wedding, bar mitzvah, etc. in 2015 ...

Spread The Love, tell a friend to tell a friend !! And I'll be sure to be in touch on my travels ...

DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'YOUR EYES ARE MADE OF GOLD' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/your-eyes-are-made-of-gold-ep/id904335049
https://play.spotify.com/user/11100320251/playlist/7CJI4WcomJKYozyujcN4hK

Peace, Love & Tea, MHx
http://MattHenshaw.com/

PS. keep your orders from the Peace, Love & Tea Shop coming in !!!

Friday 2 January 2015

Thursday 1 January 2015

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Martin Luke Brown ... again ...

First off, check out that trouser and shoes combo !! Aside from the top tunes thus exemplifying why this chap has found his way firmly into my heart and fired the imagination of many more through the last 8 months since I first wrote "Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Martin Luke Brown" ...

Since playing at my Cookie, Leicester show Martin has released the earworm 'Nostalgia', been picked up by BBC introducing, snapped up by a label, agent and publisher, toured with Jess Glynne, dropped out a catchy little ditty by the name of 'Stitch' to his eagerly anticipating ever growing mailing list just in time for Christmas 2014, and been over to Africa to Spread The Love just that little bit further !

I'm sure 2015 will be a year higher into the ascendancy, I'm excited and so pleased that someone I can call a "buddy" is absolutely smashing it such a sick way [sic] ... most of all I'm glad I managed to get him up with me and the DMU Gospel Choir when I did, no doubt bigger stages and set pieces are calling !!

Peace, Love & Tea, MHx

'Like' and follow 'Matt Henshaw Recommends ...' on facebook ...
Martin Luke Brown ... again ...
Josh Wheatley
Casino Empire
Elizabeth Cornish
The Strangler Figs
Sky Valley Mistress
Jesse Wright
Siobhan Mazzei
Georgie Rose
Tapestry
The De Montfort University Gospel Choir
By The Rivers
Martin Luke Brown
Joy Mumford
Three Girl Rhumba
MotorMouf
Samuel Idwal
Abandon Her
Stef Baker
Emily Carr
Becky Edwards
Mahalia
Mia & The Moon
Rosa-Leigh
AJA
Kate Rendell
Esther Van Leuven
East Midlands Girls
Ones to Watch for 2014
The Bobcats
Savanna Bones
Mattayoux
Matt Zara
The Simpletones
Charlotte Carpenter
Leah Sinead
Matt Henshaw Recommends ...

---===DOWNLOAD LINKS===---
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'YOUR EYES ARE MADE OF GOLD' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/your-eyes-are-made-of-gold-ep/id904335049
https://play.spotify.com/user/11100320251/playlist/7CJI4WcomJKYozyujcN4hK
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'ALWAYS IN THE WAY' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/always-in-the-way-ep/id875188981
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/always-in-the-way-ep
https://play.spotify.com/user/ilsonowl/playlist/2tHGjyz7EpEZpvgc8HpuRm
DEBUT 'IT AIN'T EASY/MY LIFE - EP' !!!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/id814589358
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aint-Easy-My-Life-EP/dp/B00I8ZDJZC/
https://play.spotify.com/album/733AAcf7c2KcZ75SUFlpi3
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.emusic.com/album/matt-henshaw/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/14753983/
http://www.7digital.com/artist/matt-henshaw/release/it-aint-easy-my-life
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.napster.co.uk/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015 !!

Matt Henshaw Linked In 2014

Happy New Year peoples one and all ... 2014 was one hell of a ride ! This is me featuring in the Summer 2014 Linked In promotional campaign, and it's true, now more than ever. I feel "match-fit" and hardened by the road, and boy, have I seen some road !? I'm all ready and geared up for hitting the continent and I hope you'll be keen to follow my travels.

Here's a video that's now a year old, very proud of it I am, and it started last year off very nicely indeed, you might have to hold your horses for new music this year, but don't worry, it's on it's way !! Peace, Love & Tea, MHx