Hi Everyone,
How you doing? Happy Thursday.
Hope you've all had a great week since my last blog! I certainly have cos it involved a visit to the homeland which is always good.
So last Thursday was a busy two show day and both shows were great. After a good sleep I woke on Friday morning and went to meet my friend Callum who also works at Ghost but lives around the corner from me. He recently had an operation and is off the show for a few weeks resting so I drove him to the supermarket so he could get a bit of exercise walking around the store and then we had a lovely brunch. We had a massive smoothie with the most fruit in it you've ever seen. So I then got on the train in to London and as I was reading my book I suffered a massive crash from all the natural sugars that I'd consumed in the fruit! - Yeah that's right, my life is so Rock & Roll that I get a comedown from too much fruit! Should be considered a class A substance! I was so sleepy. I could have literally fallen asleep whilst walking around London.
Luckily I had quite a relaxing afternoon planned! I had an appointment with my body repair man aka the physio Fabi who is a genius (he let me sleep for half an hour while he fixed my broken parts) and then I had an hour's complimentary massage in the Bowen Technique - it's all part of the set up when I initially joined my gym. I got the massage as part of my membership! It was kinda weird. He poked a couple of areas on my back and then left the room. Re-entered after 2 minutes and poked another couple of places on my neck and then left the room again. The next thing I know, he's waking me up from a deep sleep saying the session had finished and that I had been lay there for a full hour! Whatever he poked completely knocked me out and sent my body into complete relaxation mode! Good times!
I then had a guitar lesson before work which was fun as was the show that night. After a good sleep on Friday night I woke nice and early to top my car up with fuel before driving into central London so that my car was there ready for when I finished the evening show so I could jet home to Wales as soon as I could. I had a nice hour to kill in the sunshine once i'd parked the car so I headed to the park and sat on a bench while I choreographed a routine in my head for all my workshop kids on the Sunday.
After the first show on Saturday I sat in m dressing room watching a DVD with a mate and then ate lots of sweets to energise myself for the second show.
Saturday night's show was great. It was a fab crowd and a great way to end the week! I then rushed to meet my friend Gareth who was coming to Wales with me to teach and boy was I grateful for his company in the car. It took a good 4 hours to get back. I arrived my parents farm at 3.15am and headed straight to bed.
I woke on Sunday morning feeling like I had done two shows of Ghost and then a long ass drive home the day before (oh wait I had) - I forced myself to wake up and then headed to the theatre where I was running the West End In Wales Sunday Funday 4 hour workshop. We had 45 kids and it was a really great afternoon. I love working with passionate kids and teenagers because it reminds me of how I was in my youth and keeps me inspired to work hard and makes me very grateful for how my life has turned out and that I'm getting to do what I love for a living! There was some serious talent at the workshop and I'm hoping to see lots of them again at this year's summer school in August!
If anyone of you are interested in coming along to my last ever course in North Wales - the dates are August 13th-18th and you can download an application form from www.WestEndInWales.com - Everyone is welcome providing you're between 10-18 years old! Spread the word! The LAST EVER summer school!!!
Sunday evening I chilled at home with my family. My Mam cooked us all my favourite dish which is her home made Chicken And Mushroom Lasagne and I ate loads of it. I then had a fun night with everyone being silly and having a laugh as we bid my brother farewell because he headed to Las Vegas early in the week for his 30th birthday celebrations! Him and 15 other lads. I have to admit I'm glad I didn't take him up on the offer of joining them as that holiday is going to get messy!!!
I had an early night on Sunday before waking up on Monday nice and early and jumping in my car with my Mam and we headed back to London. The drive was great. It was so nice to have a good few hours just Mam and I to chat and laugh and enjoy seeing each other. She is one of my best mates and I love it when we get to hang out!
We arrived london in the early afternoon and I took her for some nice food before she joined me in the recording studio as I recorded some backing vocals for a track on my new album. It was officially the last thing I had to record and it felt great! My mum loved seeing how it all worked - I tried to get her to sing a record a line os I could say she's on my album but she refused!
For those of you who didn't hear I am releasing a deluxe edition of my album which will be available on June 18th to buy. It's what I've been working on so much in the recording studio for the past couple of months but not been able to let on about it until now. It's the same concept as my debut album but with English versions of the songs that were recorded in Welsh the last time plus a few bonus tracks including another duet as well as the one originally on there which is 'Alive' featuring Ashleigh Gray! There will be 15 tracks in total!
Thanks to all of you who have been in touch on Facebook or Twitter or mailed my manager to say you're excited about the album. It has been a lot of hard work fitting it in around Ghost because the show is so vocally demanding but I'm thrilled that it's out soon and i'll be doing an official album signing at Dress Circle shop in Covent Garden on June the 16th so if you want the album a whole 2 days before then make sure you're there. Will be great to see you all in person and thank you for your continued support! More details will follow nearer the time.
Also the week before that, June 11th is the official release date of the single I have recorded with Siobhan Dillon who I play opposite in Ghost which is a beautifully arranged duet version of Unchained Melody which has never been heard anywhere before. It's not the version that's in the show, although it still has a ghostly eerie feel to it! We love it and are very proud of it and can't wait for you all to hear it! Also what we decided to do was add two extra tracks to the single (making 3 tracks in total) which are karaoke versions of the song - so one will have just my voice on it and the other will just be Siobhan's so you can sing a duet with whichever one of us you decide! I've had lots of people say to me that they'd like to sing a duet with me - well….now's your chance! Ha.
So back to this week. Monday evening my mum watched the show with a friend of mine (it was her 3rd time - lord knows how many times she'll come before the end of my contract). Afterwards I drove us both home and we sat with a cuppa to have a good chat before getting to bed.
We woke on Tuesday and I took her to a lovely local cafe for brunch before taking her to get on the train back to Wales. I am heading home to Wales this weekend again as I have 3 days holiday from the show starting Monday next week so I am heading home to enjoy my family and embrace as much silence as possible where I won't be required to sing or shout or even talk unless I choose to! Absolute bliss and most definitely overdue and needed!
After bidding farewell to Mother Evans I couldn't be bothered heading home again so I went to chill and watch TV in my dressing room and play a bit of guitar before heading for a swim and a steam before work.
After the show I headed home and was more than ready for my bed. The weekend and having Mum down here had certainly caught up with me.
Yesterday (Wednesday) I woke and had a chill out morning before heading for physio and then I had a meeting in the afternoon which went really well and then I headed to work a little early as Siobhan and I needed to sign a batch of the single CD's for the record label before the release next month. I'm so glad to finally be able to talk about everything. I feel like I've been working on so much which has been kept shtum for some time! It's all good stuff and I reckon it's gonna be a great summer!
So last night's show was amazing. The audience were fab and after having a really good day I thoroughly enjoyed performing the show. I love singing the music of the show (especially when my voice decides it wants to be well behaved!).
So this morning just leaves me here chilling with some meditation music on whilst I write this and then I'm gonna head into work for a good old two shows! Bring it on!
Thanks for reading folks and for you amazing support as always!
Keep believing and love your lives!
Sh-Boom!
Mark
