SOLO PROJECTS
The first album I released under my own name was "Hapless Days", in 2005. This was an album of songs, created through studio overdubbing (most elements performed by me, but also featuring some guest violin and flute on a few tracks). When it came to performing these songs live, it seemed neither practical nor interesting to attempt to recreate the elaborate arrangements featured on the album, and I set about working out ways to perform versions of the songs on just guitar and voice. These solo versions in turn became the basis for the repertoire of the band Alex Ward & The Dead Ends, where they were expanded back into guitar(s)/bass/drums arrangements. Subsequent songs have tended to be written on guitar as solo vehicles and then turned into full-band arrangements by the Dead Ends, and albums of songs to be released under the AW/Dead Ends moniker.
My solo live performances have been of numerous types including freely improvised solo clarinet performances (with and without amplification); solo guitar performances variously involving free improvisation, instrumental compositions and songs; and live guitar with pre-recorded accompaniment playing a 20-minute composition entitled "Serpent's Turn". From 2018 I have been using clarinet and guitar together in solo performances. Two solo clarinet albums have been released: CREMATED THOUGHTS (Treader, 2008) and PROPRIOCEPTION (Weekertoft, 2017), and a solo guitar album is planned.