In early 2002 I upgraded my computer, licensed a digital audio workstation called n-Tracks, and began writing and recording in earnest for the first time in years. The writing – and the recording – were cathartic and often inspirational. Some of the songs on this album have great back stories, and several still feature in live sets.

I had little enough to work with. I bought a new acoustic guitar and still had the flute I’d been given (second hand) when I was ten years old. A friend donated a three octave keyboard controller with several keys that either didn’t work, or only worked when pressed double strength. I had a cheap dynamic microphone; an SM58 copy. Worst of all, I had only a cheap ghetto blaster for foldback and mixing.