Wednesday, August 5, 2015



Oh Darn it! The last time I posted on here, I was 60! Now I'm 62!!!!!

It's been way too long but life keeps throwing me curves, day in day out I wake up and there is so much stuff to do!!! So much to create, so much to screw up! So much to love! So much to understand! 


My Valley Fever is apparently behaving itself, next scan in 12 months. I have not dyed my hair for 6 months, that's far more scary than Valley Fever for me at this point! Is this my silver lining? Really, this is hard for me to take, seeing the soft, shimmering glow of grey creeping across my head. The jury is out at the moment, but I can distinctly remember telling my mum "You don't need to dye your hair, let it be natural" Now it's my turn and yes, it scares me. 
I feel like an addict, I have a box of color in the bathroom cupboard in case I change my mind. 
I did that when I gave up smoking the last time in 2004, kept a packet in the kitchen cupboard until I finally felt strong enough to chuck them away.  

The DVD 'Tone Poems Live' was released since I was here last, I am putting the Youtube trailer below.

It's fantastic and yes, I know I'm biased, but this DVD is something to be proud of. 
The Producer Brian Brinkerhoff who also funded the project, pulled together some of Steve's favorite players. Players who he knew would be able to do the job in the limited time available and do it brilliantly.

Everybody did such a wonderful job, Brian, Paul Lani the co producer and engineer. The stage designers, the lighting and filming. The musicians of course, Phil Aaberg, Alvino Bennett and Tony Levin. 


The DVD is a very intimate look at what and who Steve Hunter is as a player now. He got a chance to play in an almost perfect setting given his poor eyesight and with the cream of players by his side. I would love to see the DVD made available for streaming but that takes money, so maybe one day. 








For ages I had the idea of using fabrics like silk, satin and velvet, to create large wall art. Finally this year I was able to experiment with the method and got myself my first Etsy Store up and running. 

There is something about the depth of color in a piece of silk that for me beats most paint, and of course there is the texture. I love the zone I get into when I am doing one of these and I love getting messy with glue and stuff so there you are! I get all that out of my wall art projects. 









Setting up the Etsy store was so much fun, I recently decided to do another one! It's like opening your own  shop in the middle of New York City! You walk around on the internet high street and there you are! You nab your spot and you have something new and cool to offer. Of course I have yet to make a profit but it's early days. 


For my second store I took a selection of my own photographs, tinted most of them slightly with a sepia tone and put them inside a cream colored background. I called the shop 'Cream Of The Cropped'. I have three different sizes of print all on a satin finish paper, they can be printed with no text but I also have some cool short quotes of inspiration running across the bottom of them as a choice and as a further choice you can have your own text along the bottom. 


If lots of people buy my prints I will be able to go on a photo shoot adventure to some interesting places to take more shots, that is my dream and I'm sticking to it! 













As well as arty things I have been busy doing important admin and publicity work for Steve to keep the cogs turning.


What is The Deacon doing? Well, he is recording new music for licensing out for TV and Film. The hard truth is that his deteriorating eyesight has taken away most of his love of playing live shows. I'm sure if a project came up that he felt confident enough about, something where the lighting could be managed for instance (like the recent DVD) then he would still consider it.

People often say, well if Stevie Wonder can do it..... But Stevie Wonder went blind at a very early age. His whole life has been in darkness whereas Steve's has been decreasing gradually, and more this past couple of years. One month he can see and do certain things on the computer or around the house, the next month those things are more difficult or impossible. 
It's an ever changing goal post which is frustrating, annoying, depressing and very risky in a live music situation. I am rarely more than 40 feet away from him and that's ok, he is my rock and I am his. 

His whole life has been based on being as good as he can possibly be and if small mistakes are because he is going blind, they are still mistakes!! That is how he sees it. I hate that he is so reluctant to play live but at the same time I can completely understand why not being able to play whatever notes he wants without fear of screwing up would put a damper on it. 


I loved it that he joined Michael Lee Firkins on stage at Jason Becker's 'Not Dead Yet' concert last year (He will always be there for Jason) but we nearly had a disaster as I tried to get him onstage. The wooden steps were not quite wide enough for both of us, I decided to go behind him but by then he had started putting his left foot into thin air. It was only the quick thinking of Dave Lopez that stopped Steve and his guitar crashing to the ground. This was a lesson to me, we must always check our route before hand when we have light, so we know what we are going to do safely in the dark.






Steve will be starting his new album soon, I cannot wait after hearing what he has been coming up with on the library music. 



I recently updated my personal website, with photos and music videos.



It's boiling hot here in AZ, only about six weeks to go then we have at least six months of perfect weather. So, I hunker down and get on with things as best I can. I hope to go over to the UK sometime before the end of the year, I need to hug my kids and my mum and dad. 

Meanwhile I have Steve which is just fine by me plus we have some wonderful friends who keep us motivated at a time when the music business and self employment are not generous bedfellows. 



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