Hi I'm Jake and I make knots

Also music. And live videos. And sometimes chickpea stew.

Lynn Hatzius captured it perfectly with this album illustration. I adore it.

One of the great realisations of my life was that what stands in the way of my happiness isn’t a lack of information but a lack of courage. I know what the good decisions are. I’m just waiting to become a person who makes them.

Knowledge doesn’t magically give me the ability to become a better person who does the right thing. Try to teach me something, but if I’m hungry, upset, bored, distracted, tired or emotionally spent, I’ll probably not take it in. I’m very much like my toddler in that respect.

Time and time again I see the good choices. Sometimes I make them, but often they’re just out of reach, something other people do. Knots is a song about this.

Every day we are fed the thread, what will we do with it? Knit a nice jumper? Or get hopelessly tangled?

I know these knots do me no good
Still just cannot help myself
When the threads are in my hands

In some ways it reminds me of the (partially) failed promise of the internet. Opening up the totality of all the knowledge of our species was meant to liberate me. But I’m not off volunteering tonight, chucking at Joyce’s joke about the chickpea stew¹. No, I am hunched over a device. Again. Tired. Numb.

Well… I’m only human.

The good news is that I know what it feels like to suddenly get it, to make better choices and never look back. I’ve done it before and it felt easy, obvious, almost effortless. And everything happens in its own time.

Here’s the video.

Click the image, or this link to watch it.
Download the MP3 here.
Listen to the audio here:

This live version was all one takes, 2 or 3 attempts, no comping or editing. I just tried to be instinctive and build it into something. So it’s a little wobbly in places / exudes rustic charm².

Yes it would have been technically better with a thoughtful arrangement (like Kate St John’s strings on the record) and fewer weird unflattering camera angles. But I overcome my knots by being lighter, quicker, less precious, and by letting go. So this is me trying to put that into action.

Let me know what you think of it?

Two apologies…

1. Only two emails so far this month, so not quite my usual schedule. I chose to prioritise family and paying the bills which will happen from time to time. Hope that’s ok.

2. Substack went rogue on me and included an annoying upgrade button in the middle of my last post. It was a sneaky, dastardly move but I should have spotted it. I’m sorry, it shouldn’t happen again.

Live Dates

I’m back on tour this spring, hope you can join me at one?

Many venues are finding it hard to stay afloat these days. Sadly, Tall Trees in Cambridge just couldn’t keep up and has had to cancel all its future shows including mine. We looked hard to find an alternative venue but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. Refunds all round and we try again another time.

Thursday 23rd February 2023 - London Green Note. *SOLD OUT*
Wednesday 29th March 2023 - Windermere Old Laundry Theatre. Tickets.
Thursday 30th March 2023 - Manchester The Castle. Tickets.
Saturday 1st April 2023 - Isle of Bute Butesong Festival. Tickets.
Sunday 2nd April 2023 - Nottingham, Running Horse. Tickets.
Wednesday 19th April 2023 - Suffolk Riverside Theatre. Tickets.
Thursday 20th April 2023 - Cambridge Tall Trees. Refunds.
Sunday 23rd April 2023 - Winchester Railway Inn. Tickets.
Friday 28th April 2023 - Leamington Spa Temperance. Tickets.
Sunday 21st May 2023 - Bristol Louisiana. Tickets.
Friday 22nd September 2023 - Lintrathen Lodge at Lochside Wee Bear Cafe. Tickets.
Saturday 23rd September 2023 - Dundee Masonic Hall. Tickets.
Saturday 7th October 2023 - Purley On Thames St Mary’s Church. Tickets.

View all confirmed dates on a map here: https://share.jakemorley.com/livemap

The STALOT Live Video Series

10 down, 2 to go. Check out the other videos in this series.

1. So I Had This Dream

2. Hands

3. Other Ideas

4. Asking For A Friend

5. Keep Me Around

6. Captured

7. Childish Thoughts

8. Trace It Back

9. The Everything Goes Back To Normal Button

10. Some Things are Like Other Things

11. Knots

12. No Drama

There’s also a video playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Z0AIn26cVAsafDmGO87vQctd9wLty6Y

Knots lyrics below. Love you lot. See you next time.

Jake

Lyrics

It started with a thread
I was trying to find the ends
But somewhere along the way
I got tangled

I forgot what goes where
In such a muddle, me
I know these knots do me no good

Still I just cannot help myself
When the threads are in my hands
No I just cannot help myself
When the threads are in my hands

A reflex to me now
Loop it through and underneath
So pleasing in a certain way
But oh, what a jumble

Now I can’t move ‘til they’re untied
And I know one move would set this right
Cos all these knots do me no good

Still I just cannot help myself
When the threads are in my hands
No I just cannot help myself
When the threads are in my hands

1. ahh lol. Classic Joyce.

2. Delete as appropriate depending on whether you prefer the truth or estate agents.