HackettSongs - Steve Hackett Official Website

TOUR BLOG

ALAN HEWITT

"The Best Of Both Worlds" Steve Hackett's 2009 UK tour as seen through the eyes of TWR's roving reporter: Alan Hewitt - December 09

Shepherds Bush Empire Theatre London.
A busy day this one. Spent the afternoon in the convivial company of Anthony Phillips giving him a severe grilling about his recent work including, of course, his participation on Steve's latest album before making my way in the company of TWR's very own web master, Stuart Barnes to the Empire for the first of this year's extravaganzas... More...

Just One More CD - A Merchandiser's Tale by: Alan Hewitt - March 09

The story of how I got involved within the machinery of Steve's tours seems to have become more apocryphal as time passes, so here for the benefit of those of you who may not be familiar with it, here is the TRUE story in brief... More...

Collecting Hackett - A maniac's guide by: Alan Hewitt - February 09

To the unitiated, the fascination that fans of a particular group or artist have for the assorted ephemera that are attached to their careers must seem nothing short of deranged. Funnily enough, my bank manager thinks exactly the same about my collecting "habit". More...

STEVE'S BLOG - Latest muses from Steve

Reopening the musical box - January 12

For the past two weeks I've been starting work on a successor to the Genesis revisited project... More...

In and out with the tide - December 11

Taking a break up in Norfolk, I've had a chance to get down to the sea and enjoy its vibrant energy in the wilder parts of the coast... More...

Winter Londonland - December 11

It's been an action packed year with such an exceptional response to all the band work, or do I mean play?... More...

Whirlwind week - November 11

This week has been all systems go... More...

There's no place like Roma - October 11

At the weekend I took part in the Prog Exhibition 2011 at the Teatro Tendastrisce, Rome, featuring several acts under a huge circus tent... More...

New album - Welcome to an odyssey - September 11

I'm thrilled by the reaction to "Beyond the Shrouded Horizon". Many people have shown interest in the ideas behind the songs, so I'll take you on a brief journey through the album's inner universe... More...

Celebrating new album release - September 11

Last night band members, partners and our publicist Sharon all celebrated the album release together... More...

Hands of the stringbender - September 11

Dear friend, enter this treasure-trove where you'll find a secret map. Herewith exhumed are the bones of an album and the confessions of a committed stringbender... More...

In memoriam to a friend - September 11

I was very sad today to hear the news that Richard Stewart, friend and fellow musician, died this morning after a long fight with cancer... More...

Singing seas and mythical islands - September 11

Jo and I have just returned from a belated honeymoon in the Greek islands... More...

Into warp drive - August 11

Life has been really busy these past weeks, but in a good way, preparing for the album release amongst other things... More...

Beyond the shrouded image - August 11

As there has already been a considerable amount of interest shown so far in the forthcoming new album cover, I felt it appropriate for Harry Pearce to share his personal recollections of taking this intriguing image... More...

Tales of a riverbanker - July 11

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner, but walk the river with me. Of course it's a beautiful day... More...

Straight on to paradise - June 11

Just three days after the wedding, Roger, John, Katrin, Jo and I with Brian and Richard headed off the Italy for an acoustic trio gig... More...

Celebrations & Jubilations! - June 11

Jo and I are overwhelmed by all the wonderful messages we have received to wish us well for our wedding... More...

Final destination in sight - April 11

I once referred to my studio as "The ship". With its blue and white walls and expanses of wood it does indeed have that feel, but perhaps even more to the point, the albums I make invariably feel like a voyage of discovery... More...

The moon's other face - March 11

It's as much perspiration as inspiration in the studio right now, but I of course I wouldn't have it any other way, as reluctant songs allow themselves to be led into the dance. But at night from the Land of Nod dreams can be incredibly vivid and useful. If I'm especially lucky I might awake with a present of a new melody or two.... More...

Awakening the past - March 11

Jo and I were invited by our friend and editor of Dusk Magazine Mario Giammetti to attend a celebration of music in honour of his Musical Box book at the San Pietro a Majella Music Conservatory in Naples... More...

Support for Japan - March 11

I was in Naples contemplating the horror of the last day at Pompeii just after seeing the shapes of those who had died from the explosion of the volcano Vesuvius, when a close friend from England called to say that there had been the terrible disaster in Japan... More...

Cheering on - March 11

In the midst of an increasingly hectic recording schedule, my fiancé Jo and I fortunately managed to attend the Montgomery Hall in Wath-upon-Dearn for the Classic Rock Society annual awards... More...

Steve and Jo on Valentine's Day - February 11

On this Valentine's Day, I am very happy to announce my engagement to Jo Lehmann... More...

Happy Birthday Steve! - February 11

Some birthday wishes... More...

Blues for Gary - February 11

It's always sad to hear of the death of a fellow musician, but especially so when it's a guitarist of the calibre of Gary Moore... More...

Stoking the furnace - January 11

All seems quiet on the surface, but the creative melting pot is bubbling with many ideas and several projects... More...

Return to the studio - January 11

After about three years of having to forego recording my studio, I'm now able to be back in there... More...

Defying the elements - January 11

The Christmas lights have gone, it's raining outside, the temperature has plummeted again... but deep inside Hackett Towers, the fires have been lit, they're burning bright, and a new album is beginning to emerge from the darkness... More...

Christmas message from Steve - December 10

Hot off the rails from the UK tour, Roger and I are doing some last minute recording before we're all spirited away to the festive land of Seasonal Cheer... More...

Memory Lane - November 10

On the weekend Jo and I had a 'busman's' holiday, taking none other than the Magical Mystery Tour around the haunts of Liverpool made famous by the Fab Four courtesy of our tour guide Neil and the ever resourceful Mr Alan Hewitt... More...

Subterranean - November 10

In the above photo, beneath one railway and overlooking another is a lone window... More...

Inspiration on the doorstep - October 10

I'm recording at home right now, and when I can make a break for it, I go out walking... More...

Ports of call - September 10

Although I'm back from touring for a bit, life continues to be busy!... More...

Blue fire on Eel Pie - April 10

All the great advances in the '60s guitar sounds centred on the blues. For me around 1966 the earthly centre of blues delights was at the old hotel on Eel Pie Island in the middle of the River Thames at Twickenham... More...

Park days and waterways - April 10

Yesterday I revisited the setting of To Watch the Storms' Serpentine Song... More...

Hercules shines on - April 10

A short jaunt to Coruna, Galicia in the far north west of Spain, started a trifle early in the morning for our normally intrepid team... More...

In the sidewalk steam - March 10

Whilst on hand to receive the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction award with Genesis at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, I was reminded that New York appears to be built on steam... More...

In the Hall of the Mountain Fame - March 10

Make no mistake, the continuous howling symphony that haunts New York City is a shock to the virgin visitor at the best of times, but imagine that augmented by hurricane force winds ripping flag poles from the top of King Kong's favourite building, the Empire State, and it'll give you some idea of the weather that greeted our arrival two days prior to Genesis' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame... More...

The Lamb Wakes Up on Broadway - March 10

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was originally Ahmet Ertegun's brainchild. The idea was to give notable musicians and music business people recognition... More...

Into the night - March 10

Although now I'm practically teetotal I wasn't always so abstemious. I was able to turn in a passable stage performance most nights in my young Genesis days, but once off stage I would head for a drink... More...

All the world's a stage - February 10

In the mid seventies the Holland Park area of London loomed large as a backdrop against a life of relentless touring... More...

The ice between the worlds - February 10

This biting cold winter in which we're stuck was highlighted for me in Helsinki, where amidst the snow on the edge of a frozen sea it wasn't hard to imagine we were in the grip of the Snow Queen's magic... More...

Walking through rainbows - January 10

When I was a child in the mid 50's living at 40 Sullivan House, Churchill Gardens an awesome site confronted me very night from my bedroom window - Battersea Power Station, belching out fumes sometimes from all four smokestacks... More...

Full steam ahead - December 09

It's been a bumper year for guitar solos. Fifteen billion notes clocked up on my patented fretometer designed to thwart any attempt to enter the hallowed portals of the Guinness Book of Records... More...

It's a wrap for Christmas - December 09

Blessed are the cracked for they shall let in the light... whilst it's sleeting down outside the window, be of good cheer... More...

Yes it's Copenhagen! - December 09

One of the many salubrious pals on Out of the Tunnel's Mouth was Chris Squire, which made for an interesting approach to the tracks he contributed to - specifically Fire on the Moon and Nomads... More...

Selling Progressive by the Pound - October 09

Whilst the Prog genre is currently being reappraised to the extent where it's arguably hip once again to admit to having had a record collection that included a Yes album or two, not to mention the occasional Procul Harem (or was it Progul Harem?)... More...

Live Longer - October 09

Amongst the group of people we spent the evening with after Marco's concert at Westminster Cathedral was Jo Cummins, who had been active that day in supporting a walk for Lynn's Bowel Cancer Campaign, Live Longer Walk in Hyde Park... More...

Marco's Magical Organ Recital - September 09

When I was a nine year old kid I remember being chased out of Westminster Cathedral with a bunch of other little urchins for making too much noise... More...

Out of the Tunnel & into the Living Room - September 09

This year has been full of problems turned into unique solutions and triumphs out of disasters. More...

The Passing of a Legend - August 09

There must be something significant about great guitarists rarely making it past the age of 94. Witness the death of Andres Segovia, still active into his 90s. Now the passing of Les Paul at the same age... More...

Smoke Signals - August 09

I wrote this blogette because Steph Kennedy wanted to know more about the album cover... More...

Time Bandits into the frame - July 09

Many moons ago in the early '60s Dad painted an intriguing picture entitled Rooftops of Dubrovnik... More...

The "Din Machine" Part II - The Last Overdub - June 09

Once again I've become a proud father of... a new album! More...

A Window on the Din Machine - May 09

Just to put you in the picture regards recording progress, my album's reaching that stage when the team gets to do all of the things that change it from a sketch into a proper painting.... More...

Orvieto Remembered - April 09

As reaction to the website has been so positive of late, I thought it might be a good time to glance back at an event which took place a short while before hackettsongs.com was up and running... More...

Italian Earthquake - April 09

Hard on the heels of the band’s recent Italian visit where we once more enjoyed the warm hospitality and enthusiasm of all our Italian friends, it was sobering to watch news reports of the L'Aquila earthquake and see the terrible tragedy unfold.... More...

A Silent Drum - John Mayhew - April 09

With the passing of John Mayhew it seems as if the book of Genesis has all of a sudden become a slimmer volume... More...

Rehearsals and Other Rackets - March 09

On 4th March the new thoroughly electric band convened in Darkest Putney... More...

The Snows of Sarajevo - February 09

Having just participated in the Organic Art Life Festival with Djabe, my Hungarian pals, I'm trying to get a feel for what life must have been like during the siege of 1992 - 1995.... More...

Songs of Experience - February 09

As Rock itself gets older, the obituary column gains more entries than we'd all like. I know I recently mentioned John Martyn and our brief encounter at the Townhouse, but how to pay homage to all the fallen, let alone do them justice?.... More...

A note on John Martyn's recent passing - February 09

In 1981 I was lucky enough to be in the Townhouse Studio with both John Martyn and Phil Collins just as Phil was playing John the latest mixes of 'Glorious Fool'.... More...

Addicted to Books - January 09

There are three books featuring characters that made very entertaining company recently, between recording sessions.... More...

THE WELL - Hackett related reflections

London - February 09

Where does a certain Stephen Richard Hackett get his ideas and how do his songs take shape? More...

London - January 09

Just walked past Steve's old house in Princedale Road in Notting Hill, dropping off some borrowed Chelsea season tickets, lent by a kindly eye surgeon - I suppose that's one way of ensuring you get a good view of the game. More...

MARIO ON STEVE

'Steve Hackett - The Defector' by Mario Giammetti - January 09

Introduction to the book 'Steve Hackett- The Defector' Translated from Italian. By Mario Giammetti. Edizioni Segno, Italy, 2005. More...