Stone Walters

Happy Monday to you all!!!!

I hope the weekend gave you the chance to do the things that refresh and recharge your batteries…if not there’s only 5 more days to go and you’ll get the chance to do it all over again!

Now for a little confession. I love blogging. It’s quickly turning into a new addiction. But at times it can be a little frustrating because I’m dyslexic. Everything I write contains so many ‘typos’, extra words, and sentences with the end of my thought at the beginning, that I’m often afraid no one will be able to make sense of what I’m trying to say except me!!!

But what is particularly special is the effect numbers have on me. In fact if you want to see my brain fry just ask me for my telephone number…you’ll be guaranteed a dazzling light show as my eyes roll round and round in my head and smoke shoots out my ears!

I once heard a story of a performer whose dyslexia constantly made him think that the audience was behind him on the stage. So he kept looking behind him because he thought the audience was creeping up on him. Wow! Can you imagine that? Hats off to him for finding a way to continue to express himself in spite of the challenges.

This got me thinking. I can’t begin to tell you the amount of times I have shut down, clammed up or even avoided a situation because I was afraid my dyslexia might go into full gear making me look, shall we say, less than intelligent. But in the words of Ann Landers ‘Dilemma’:

“To laugh is to risk appearing a fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk rejection.
To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
Only the person who takes risks is truly free.”

Thanks for that Ann. So in the likely event of future typos or strangely constructed sentences please forgive me. I’m just dealing with the creeping crowd behind me!

Love Stone

PS See you tomorrow!

The next time you need a confidence boaster to get you motivated, or simply when you’re feeling a little down, read this to yourself:

I asked God for Strength….And He gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked God for Wisdom……And He gave me Problems to solve.

I asked God for Prosperity… And He gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked God for Courage….. And He gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked God for Love….. And He gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked God for Favours….. And He gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted….I received everything I needed!

Another great and funky tune from Sam Sparro who brought us the modern classic “Black & Gold”. He’s currently on the road promoting his album. Check him out if this is your kind of thing.

And here’s “Black & Gold”.

A nice little track to enjoy the heat of summer with, or based on the weather outside my window wish summer would stay for more than 5 mins!

Natty’s debut album “Man Like I” is out this week for £5 from selected digital stores. Close your eyes, turn it up and picture yourself on some hot beach somewhere…then head over to lastminute.com!!!

I’ve been trapped in the recording studio with deadlines to meet and little time for “sleepy-sleepy” (as they’d say in the Dominican Republic). But…I am now a free man. FINALLY!!! And I’m itching to get on the road with some live dates.

So stay tuned and I’ll let you know when we’ll be in your neck of the woods.

Until then thank you all so much for your patience and I’ll see you soon.

I’ve just uploaded my track “Trouble” to Samsung’s F400 Share competition where they’re asking people to vote for 2 tracks that will be used in a forthcoming campaign. Voting closes on 29th June and as I was a little late uploading I’d be grateful if you’d pop by and vote for me!

Just go to www.f400share.com and register, then click on ‘Listen and Vote’, from there select ‘Browse All’ - I’m about 3/4 of the way down the scroll bar.

Thanks and spread the word!

Love Stone

PS Click the link below to get a free download of an alternate version of “Trouble” – enjoy!!!

Back from a much coveted opening slot for Mary J. Blige on her UK tour here and a spot on the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy here is the UK’s very own Bryn Christopher with ‘The Quest’ (Out June 9th in the UK).

Stevie Wonder has just announced dates for his European Tour for Sep’08.

The opening concert will be at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on September 8. Other dates include Manchester, London, Holland, Sweden, Germany, Norway and Italy. The tour culminates on September 28 at the Bercy in Paris.

“IF”

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

–Rudyard Kipling