The Jack Stafford Foundation

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The Troubadour Chronicles I have put my songs from the last couple of years on the road into one big album. Yes, one album. 110 songs. It's over 5 hours! So you might want to put it on when you have a quiet night... and then slowly fall asleep. I'd like to thank all the musicians and producers who helped me make this - particularly Kevin Wesley William, Chris Leggerie, Andreas Langhorn, Patrick Fergus, Jasmine Wynants, Ro Halfhide, Emma Hill, Alec Genton, Rory Blahzl, Maria Rosaria della Pepa and Simon Wallace. And of course the people I met on my travels. People who inspired me, gave me a place to stay, and came to the shows. Without whom I wouldn't have anything to write about or anyone to sing to. I've made it free to download so that money isn't a barrier to my music reaching you - but please make a donation if you can. And if you get to the end of it, please let me know your top 12 tracks. I'd like to put out a more easily digestable 'Best of'. Buona fortuna!!!! Photo by Judithdekker.nl DOWNLOAD ALBUM (There are 33 videos too. Click the links to view) 1. Every day's a joy (video) 2. Rise of the renunciate (video) 3. Debt train 4. IKEA 5. Dreams of plenty 6. Daytime TV 7. Mortgage on mind 8. Job applications 9. Cold cold world 10. Viva la revolucion 11. A cruel beginning to my decline and inevitable death 12. Work eat shit sleep 13. Dear shareholder (video) 14. City life 15. Soulseller 16. Every moment matters (video) 17. Killing the kids (Jamie Oliver Blues) 18. ADD (video) 19. Mother feeder and the homecoming kid (video) 20. The sorrow of Gaia 21. The stone age didn't end because we ran out of stones 22. The US economy 23. Another dead man in Afghanistan (video) 24. A day out in Detroit 25. The ballad of Jolie Holland (video) 26. The cabin song 27. Super easy classic rock (video) 28. Renee Vancouver 29. Mel Gibson’s mind 30. Mr Pleasure Man (video) 31. Ode to the lonely stoner 32. Eindhoven: City of light 33. Song to Woody (video) 34. Vanessa & Sebastian 35. Gay OK (video) 36. The art of conversation 37. Five years on (video) 38. Nick Helderman and the immortals 39. Dance for me 40. The waiting game 41. All-knowing girl 42. Girl with the perfect posture 43. The law of diminishing marginal returns 44. Why are they like the way they are? 45. My leaving was a long time coming 46. I want you to fail (video) 47. A journey (The Blair Crusades) 48. The end of the farce 49. Loneliness of the bank CEO 50. Gordon Brown Blues 51. Anywhere but here 52. After the Olympics has gone 53. The trial of toni terry 54. Tales at the end 55. Strange times 56. The obituary of Will Perrin 57. Nights like these 58. Sleep 59. Making my life too hard (video) 60. Bored in Camden (video) 61. Music for a mountain top 62. Peace of mind 63. Letters from a long arm 64. Athens' streets 65. On the train to Rome 66. The Italians 67. I didn't sleep so good (video) 68. The Marie Cubi House Band 69. Wifi? (video/video) 70. The water's on song (video) 71. Cold cure blues 72. Curse of standards 73. Oath of abstinence 74. TV in my mind 75. It is dangerous out there (video) 76. Oh Christchurch 77. Takaka hill 78. The city' s not the same without you (video) 79. The buskers (video) 80. Save the developers 81. The quoll 82. Maria (video) 83. Good life on the road 84. East timor song 85. Peace and love (video) 86. Under the stars (video) 87. Coffee lover (video) 88. Dumpster diving date (video) 89. Queensland rail 90. Troubadour (video) 91. Jailbait 92. Plastic sea 93. Dog's life 94. 34 years old and a birthday at sea (video) 95. Riportarla a casa 96. You can't say no to love 97. Sailing 98. I'm not sea sick, just sick of the sea 99. Gulf of Carpentaria 100. The model 101. The searcher (video) 102. Bad for good 103. Big fish, little pool 104. Liberate Libya (video) 105. Mohamed Bouazizi 106. Revolutions 2011 (video) 107. Letting go 108. Let there be light 109. Love is happiness 110. Son of a gun I have to say I'm pleased with it! Of course I'd change a lot if I had time... but then I have the feeling I'll never get it out. Maybe I'll do some revised issues in the future. It's rough around the edges and I should re-record some of it, but as it is it has a nice story arc, and you can see how my playing changes over the travels, which would be lost if I re-recorded. And with the songwriting, the transition from sardonic to spiritual. I'm definitely a different person than when I started travelling... more interested in meditation, well-being and other people. I'm taking a break from travelling now because when you're on the road it's very difficult to be productive. I'm working on a new album about Ayurveda, have three film ideas, make some music videos, and want to apply to festivals. As well as trying to get some assistance from music companies to make life easier, so I'm putting some effort into that as well. As always you can follow updates on the blog or go back over the last 3 years if you really truly have nothing else to do! I toured Europe, North America, New Zealand and South-east asia. There's still lots of places still to go and all to go back to. Here's a map of the chronicles (people who've visited me, not people I've visited) with website hits for last year: Read the full post Jan 19, 2012 Add comment Share Christmas album Happy New Year!!!! I hope you had a Merry Christmas. I was in the South of Italy with my girlfriend's family for my first Italian Christmas. It was an experience! They know how to get it on. One big singalong. Then I had my second musical Christmas, coming over to England on 28th for another Christmas dinner and another jam. With my brother Simon this time, who was visiting from the States. He's a fantastic harmonica player and has already played on lots of my albums. For this year's Christmas album I recorded a few of the songs I played at shows in 2011. Simply, on the laptop with Simon. It's just a bit of fun. Hope you enjoy them. 1. Love is the drug - ROXY MUSIC [2:08] 2. Dancing queen - ABBA [2:14] 3. Live it up - MENTAL AS ANYTHING [1:50] 4. Rawhide - NED WASHINGTON [2:06] 5. Work song - NATHANIEL ADDERLEY, OSCAR BROWN JR. [3:52] FREE DOWNLOAD I've nothing planned for this year. Let's just see what happens. I'm sure good things will come. I hope for you too! Read the full post Jan 14, 2012 Add comment Share Midnight mass When in Rome, do as the Catholics do. Read the full post Dec 25, 2011 Add comment Share Perdifumians Read the full post Dec 25, 2011 Add comment Share Merry Christmas Season's greetings to everyone around the world! It's been an amazing year. I met amazing people and have enough memories to last me a lifetime. Thank you to you all! I'm in the south of Italy near Salerno with Maria and her family for a real Italian Christmas. The sun is shining, the pasta is bright and the pope is on TV. They're mad for the nativity here. Every house has a scale model of the Jesus and Mary show. I was in Napoli a few days ago and there's a whole street that sells just nativity kits. It's a real industry. It's nice to kick back and take a break from travel and music. After the last show in Germany I went via Amsterdam to Gent to watch the 6-day cycling for my father's 65th. Then lost my passport in Brussels (travel stamps and all) and had to go back to England to get a new one. Then Salerno for a week, Amsterdam for a week, and then back here. It's to england on Wednesday for another Christmas (my brother's back from Austin with his family to) and new year. Next year I have zero planned, which is a great feeling. Just the chance to explore the interests I've collected on my travels. There's a new Buddhist temple in Rome with a retreat going on so I can sit still there for a week. Whatever makes you happy hey ;) And I've found an Ayurvedic doctor in Rome where I can get a Panchakarma for another week. It's expensive but worth it. I have become obsessed with ayurveda and spend all my time reading textbooks about it. It's like discovering the musical scales of life when before I'd been tapping random keys. Read the full post Dec 25, 2011 Add comment Share Geldern Thursday was in Geldern in a small bar. Not many folks but those that came were lovely. Read the full post Nov 22, 2011 Add comment Share Duisburg Friday was a real party in Duisburg. A student house with great people hosted me. Read the full post Nov 22, 2011 Add comment Share Essen Maya was my host in Essen for one of the best shows. They all spoke excellent English and it went down really well. Read the full post Nov 22, 2011 Add comment Share Waltrop David hosted me in the community house he lives in on a farm outside Dortmund. A lot of people made it out to the middle of nowhere. Thanks for coming! Read the full post Nov 22, 2011 Add comment Share Cologne The after-party downstairs in the kitchen after a lovely show last night in Cologne. Elke hosted me and did a fantastic job. A great end to my German week. Read the full post Nov 22, 2011 Add comment Share More house concerts this week All in Germany. Send some friends down if you can. I'll send you the addresses if you ask. 17th (Thur) - Geldern (at the Dorfkrug) 18th (Fri) - Duisburg 19th (Sat) - Essen 20th (Sun) - Waltrop 21st (Mon) - Cologne Read the full post Nov 15, 2011 Add comment Share Collaborative track I put guitar and vocals for a new track online here: http://kompoz.com/p/28272 If any musos want to add some music on top that would be great. Read the full post Nov 12, 2011 Add comment Share Rome Back with the extended family in rome. Turbulent times in Italy though. Let's hope the bastards gone for good this time. Read the full post Nov 11, 2011 Add comment Share Hannover Another big crowd last night. 50+. I've been lucky to get such good organizers. Claudia and her two kids did a fantastic job putting it together. They're hosting house concerts every two months now. Addicted. Theyre so organised. Germany, you've got to love it. Although I think I did too much banter and too many lyrical songs last night because even if you speak good English it's still hard to catch everything as the words come flying by. It would be nice to have a bit of a band with me, drums and double bass would make it more about the music than the lyrics. Read the full post Nov 6, 2011 Add comment Share 2nd night in Bonn Bonn was a treat. So nice to play without having to change towns, and to not have to leave the same living room was even better. Shows are two sets of 45 minutes and I did all different songs the second night so katrin had something new to listen. I have so many songs now, I could have done a third and even forth night if I practiced my back catalogue to remember ones I've long forgotten. 300+ songs now. The only downside is I feel less of a need to write new ones, although I did come up with one about bob diamond, the barclays ceo, and played that with katrin on piano. Read the full post Nov 5, 2011 Add comment Share Bonn double bill First of two shows in Bonn last night, the same living room. Katrin is an old friend and a formidable organizer. 30 people last night and more tonight. Hanging out in the daytime, visiting in the hospital and baking in the afternoon. Read the full post Nov 4, 2011 Add comment Share Kaiserslautern A fantastic show with 40+ people. An orchestra and a choir, unfortunately they didn't all play along. It's a big technical university town and lots of smart people there. Really a show to remember. Thanks so much for Johannes and flatmates for fixing it up. See you next year! Read the full post Nov 3, 2011 Add comment Share Jamming with the flatmates Jackie, Philip and Johannes on the ukes. Read the full post Nov 3, 2011 Add comment Share Zurich Zurich was wonderful last night. A big thanks to everyone who came down and susanne and family for hosting at the last minute. I didn't play on the stairs. It was just for the after-party. All the shows this week are through couchsurfing and if they're all as good as this then it's going to be a great week. I'd forgotten how beautiful Switzerland is. With the leaves changing. Quite breathtaking! Read the full post Nov 2, 2011 Add comment Share Rome Back to the sights and sounds of italia Read the full post Oct 27, 2011 Add comment Share And the food Read the full post Oct 27, 2011 Add comment Share Pageturner Wicked event last Thursday in the Pakhuis Wilhelmina. Ottoboy here in his duo phase Read the full post Oct 24, 2011 Add comment Share Temple Diez Very atmospheric Amsterdam band www.templodiez.com Read the full post Oct 24, 2011 Add comment Share Occupy! Read the full post Oct 24, 2011 Add comment Share The Bellbines Read the full post Oct 24, 2011 Add comment Share Older Posts »	Jack Stafford is a nomadic troubadour. He has been roaming the world since 2009, writing narrative folk songs about people, politics and places he visits. And then playing them in the next country in the troubadour tradition. Once he has enough songs he records an album in each territory. This collection is called 'The Troubadour Chronicles'. 600 shows, 120 songs, 40 countries, 8 albums... one big adventure. Update: Jack is now back travelling in Europe and playing house concerts.