After the winter 2024 release of the Torn & Tangled EP, I returned to Cream Tangerine studios outside Montelimar in the spring of 2025 to start work on a new album of my songs with studio owner and producer, Simon Widdowson.
We kicked off by recording a pool of 22 song sketches from which we selected and started to develop the ones which inspired us the most and seemed to sit well together. We eventually wound up with an album of 12 songs - including one written and added over the 4 months of recording.
The album, 'Footprints In The Wet Cement', is now complete and will initially be released exclusively on Patreon in high resolution between now and October 10th starting right away with the opening song, 'Quiet Man'.
Vinyl and CD editions will be released early in the New Year with some tracks available via Bandcamp - individual songs will only begin to appear on streaming platforms every month or so.
From the forthcoming EP ‘Torn & Tangled’ - Recorded October 2024 at Cream Tangerine Studios near Montelimar, France.
Produced by Simon Widdowson and featuring:
Tommy Rittizelli (Drums), Laurent Cokeleare (Bass), Romain Da Silva (Lead guitar) and Corentin Roux (Backing Vocals)
'When The Blues Get You' - a new song from The DT Band will be released on New Year's Eve 2021. Recorded at Dark Street Studios in Haverfordwest, Wales in September to mark the 40th anniversary of the first DT Band recordings in Sheffield, England in 1981. This is the first collaboration since 2017 when Roger D'Arcy and Kevin Thompson met up in Cardiff, Wales to record the song 'Lines In The Sand'.
'When The Blues Get You' - written by Kevin Thompson
Vocal and acoustic guitar: Roger D'Arcy
Lead and electric guitars: Kevin Thompson
Electric bass: Tom Symonds
Drums: Joe Thompson
Mixed and mastered by Pieter Snapper at Babajim Studios, Istanbul, Turkey.
The track can be previewed now in High Resolution at www.patreon.com/crookedroger
‘I Never Want To See Me Again’ features the three singles which have been released over the
last year each of which has rightly gained international airplay and attention.
Featuring guest performances from Denis Dunaway (the original bass player of the Alice Cooper
group) Will Wilde on harmonica and Mike Ross on slide guitar the eagerly anticipated ‘I Never
Want To See Me Again’ is certain to please fans of both blues and rock alike.
957 Hit Factory Mix Radio - This Saturday (11th), I will be interviewed live on THE GRIND by DJ Varshir: 8-11pm(UK), Noon-3pm(PST USA) - with lots of songs from me and some Longsongs friends: www.957hitfactorymixradio.com - tune in using the free player on the station website...
The new TBelly single “I Never Want To See Me Again” is out now.
Featuring Dennis Dunaway from the original Alice Cooper Group on bass guitar.
“What a cool song!” - Alice Cooper
Written by Longsongs-published artist, Russell Keefe, for his blues project, TBelly. Available to stream in all the usual places or to download from Bandcamp.
We don't all want to listen to or write multi-million stream pop songs. For independent songwriting to survive (ie artists not funded by record labels), there needs to be a shift in the perception that music is essentially just free 'content'.
Per-stream payouts to artists from all streaming platforms are set at an unjustifiably and insultingly low level - who streams a song 1,000 times? (worth maybe a couple of dollars to the artist but often much less)
There needs to be another model to enable niche artists with a smaller but often loyal following to survive - and there is: Patreon
Recorded in Sheffield, England over the summer of 1981 on a 4 track analogue Teac 144 Portastudio and released as a limited edition cassette album 'Just a dream' as The DT Band (Roger D'Arcy and Kevin Thompson).
Digitally transferred from the surviving 1/4" stereo master tapes by Bill Gautier in 2010 at Martha's Studio, London and remastered by Pieter Snapper in 2017 at Babajim Studios, Istanbul. Longsong was included on the 2017 compilation album '1981 - The Best of The DT Band'.
Released June 1st 2021 as a digital single plus accompanying YouTube video to mark the 40th anniversary of The DT Band. Roger and Kevin have recently started work on a new album, their first collaboration since their 2017 reunion and the recording of the single 'Lines in the sand'.
From the album 'Crooked Tales' by Roger D'Arcy. Released as a single on 5th May 2021 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of Napoleon Bonaparte on the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic. He had been been exiled there following defeat at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Sir Hudson Lowe was appointed Governor of St Helena and sent our to effectively be be his jailor. They did not enjoy a good relationship - both English establishment (including Wellington who disliked him personally) and the French harshly maligned Lowe, perhaps unfairly, for his treatment of Bonaparte.
The track features the sublime Emma Kouros on backing vocals, inspired upright bass from Matthew Hall and the delicate touch of Mirko D'Agostino on drums - all pulled together by producer Pieter Snapper at Babajim Studios in Istanbul.
Studio and live versions of Roger D'Arcy's song for the Irish diaspora has been rereleased to radio worldwide in anticipation of St Patrock's Day 2021 (March 17th)
The studio version features Paul Kelly of The Fleadh Cowboys on mandolin and was recorded at Beechpark Studios in Dublin for Roger D'Arcy's 3rd solo album, 'The Road To Stameen' - The live version was recorded at the televised album launch event at The Barn in Dublin - Roger and Paul are joined by Frankie Lane (Fleadh Cowboys) on banjo plus iconic Irish songwriter Mick Hanly with chanteuse Anne Randolph on backing vocals. The studio version was voted into the Native Family Radio (USA) Independent Weekly Top 20 for several weeks in 2020 reaching number 2. A video filmed in Dublin shortly before the first pandemic restrictions is available on YouTube.
"We drink when we're happy, we drink when we're sad, we've known hundreds of years of sorrow. We weep and we laugh but we'll always be glad that we'll all still be Irish tomorrow"
Album launch concert:
Anne Randolph: 'If This Be Love' Roger D'Arcy: 'The Road To Stameen'