In support of international charity Postcards For Peace, whose goal is to end discrimination and violence through education, I’ve joined with twenty five other incredible musicians to contribute a song to this album

The title, A World of Hope, comes from the lyrics to Jo Hamilton’s ‘There It Is’ (one of the first tracks contributed to the project) and it is a fitting name for an album that features 26 songs of war and peace, of hope and of love, of living life to the full, of not giving up and of having the courage to face adversity.

It includes acts that have truly earned the right to be called legends, Grammy award nominees, multiple BBC Folk Award winners, acts that have enjoyed chart success and artists that spend their lives travelling the world to get their music heard. From octogenarian Peggy Seeger to teenager Breeze Redwine, every single one … Read the rest

Friends in France, I’ll be returning in June for another series of concerts. Join me!

You can see the full list at www.jakemorleycom-2.onyx-sites.io/live… Read the rest

EU / UK Tour starts next month.
Lend me your ears – I’ll give them back I promise.
Tickets at www.jakemorleycom-2.onyx-sites.io/live/.
Your likes and shares also spread it further.
Thank you!… Read the rest

Ladies and Gents…. My new album The Manual is available to download between now and midnight on Thursday 8th October here: http://po.st/pledge. If you miss the deadline, you’ll have to wait until the official release next year ….
What an adventure. I hope you like it. Stick your comments below.
x… Read the rest

Two days in… my original Many Fish To Fry target guitar has sold and a huge list of you have already ordered the new album from po.st/pledge. THANK YOU.

If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’d like to say a few words about this fine companion – a Tanglewood TW-12 – as it heads for a new home.

In September 2007 I was sitting on my bed writing a new song called ‘I’ll Be On My Way’. In hindsight, it involved singing nothing of importance and then passive-aggressively muttering the title. The guitar part involved tapping – that’s the technique where you produce a note just by pressing the string against the fretboard without using another hand to pluck it. It was by all accounts a tricky guitar part. I couldn’t see the frets very well so I tried turning the guitar over flat on my lap. It … Read the rest

My Valentine’s Day this year was a double date with BBC Radio Bristol and my gorgeous new guitar. People get so hyped up that day. Giving flowers and chocolates is evocative of love, but it’s mostly about desire, which is a different thing. There are so many things about Valentine’s Day that look like love until you get a little closer and realise they just aren’t.

It’s the same with song lyrics. Think about how often we use “need” and “love” interchangeably, when they’re just not the same. The Decemberists, who I saw in Bristol this week, have a big chorus that goes, “I wanted you, I needed you, to make me better,” and it feels like an anthem for dependency, not love. Colin Meloy is no linguistic slouch, so that’s probably exactly what he meant. Saying “I need you” when you feel too weak to cope alone can … Read the rest

One of the biggest privileges of being a musician is getting to meet lots of people.

Not everyone loves it. When asked “There’s someone here who would like you to sign their CD” I’ve heard artists say “oh just tell them to fuck off”.

That might sound like unforgivable disrespect of your audience, but some artists thrive on being untouchable. They know the illusion is more powerful to their audience. Deprived of reality, the illusion never shatters. Would you rather Dave Jones disappoint you with what Heroes is really about or retain the magic and mystery of David Bowie? Not that that’s what was happening with the artist I’m thinking of. They were just being an arse.

If you’ve met me you’ll know I’m usually quite relaxed talking to people. But for some reason everything changes if I’m looking at a camera and not a person. I get self-conscious, manic, … Read the rest