Our Top Songs From Damian Lewis’ Album Mission Creep

Damian has played guitar since he was 13-years-old and supported himself by busking through Europe – France and Spain to be precise – before his acting career took off. And let me tell you, his Martin guitar has proven a useful fallback. He has been quoted as saying, “I wanted the album to give a sense of a journey to this point, from busking ’til now” and that is exactly what he has accomplished with his debut album Mission Creep. He has proven to be a heartfelt songwriter and his sophisticated songs bleed of love, loss, vulnerability and authenticity. Stylistically Mission Creep covers a broad spectrum of genres, from folk and jazz/loose swing to rock and rootsy blues. So it’s no surprise that we blogmates picked different styles of songs as our top three. Some of us selected the more rockin’ blues songs while others singled-out the more jazz notes.

On stage? Well Damian is a compelling performer at music venues, singing with passion and tight-pant swagger, all the while backed by a phenomenal six-piece band playing a sonic palette of acoustic guitar, keyboards, saxophone and clarinet, mixed with bursts of electric guitar and sprinkles of the French harp (harmonica). Damian Lewis, the musician, is in his element. Period. Ladies and Gents, here are our top three songs by Damian Lewis from Mission Creep.

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Happy St. David’s Day – Damian Lewis and His Welsh Roots

happystdavidsday

Happy St. David’s Day, everyone!

Today is the Feast Day of St. David, the patron saint of Wales. Thus, in honor of the day, why not talk about Damian and his Welsh roots?

HereĀ isĀ Damian talking about himself as a “Londoner” and “British”Ā at Times Talks London.

So far so good… Damian is proud of his Welsh roots, and we’re talking about Wales today!Ā But… what do I talk about when I talk about Wales? What do I really know about Wales except the fact thatĀ Damian is half-Welsh? Well… I can drop a few Welsh celebrity names like a pro…Sir Anthony Hopkins,Ā Catherine Zeta-Jones,Ā Richard Burton, Gareth Bale… and, of course, theĀ wonderful Denise Salway aka the “Knitting Witch”Ā that creates the wonderful “Wolf Hall in Wool” collection and who made, for Damian, a special personalizedĀ gift!

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From Lockdown to Mission Creep: Damian Lewis’ Music Journey – Part II

ā€œI wanted the album to give a sense of a journey to this point, from busking ā€˜til now. I suddenly had a lot to say. People will judge if itā€™s any good or not, but for me, it felt entirely natural.ā€ – Damian Lewis

photo credit: Rhys Frampton

You can read Part I here. We had a cliffhanger at the end of Part I… Steve Abbott introduced Damian to Giacomo Smith, one of the bestĀ  jazz musicians workingĀ  in London today…

Then Jay Rayner ofĀ  Out to Lunch podcast let the world know about Damian performing Dr. John’s “Such a Night” with Giacomo and his band Kansas Smittys – and asked Damian if the experience was as fun as it looked… Continue reading “From Lockdown to Mission Creep: Damian Lewis’ Music Journey – Part II”

An Intimate Performance: Damian Lewis in “Lift Me Up I am Dying”

“Severn-Iā€“lift me upā€“I am dyingā€“I shall die easyā€“donā€™t be frightenedā€“be firm, and thank God it has come!”

John Keats

If there had been no Covid pandemic, they would have marked the 200th anniversary of John Keats’ death with a new production of the play Lift Me Up I am Dying in the house that Keats died – now the Keats-Shelley HouseĀ  in Rome. But when it was clear that a live performance would not be possible, the creator Pele Cox came up with an alternative: she would have Zoom meetings with the actors who happened to be in lockdown and then let themĀ  film themselves and bring to life a half-hour film based on the last weeks of Keats’ life. And they did.

Today marks the 203rd anniversary of John Keats’ death and we re-visit the intimate virtual performance Damian gives in Lift Me Up I am Dying.

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Guitar Man: Damian Lewis’ Music Journey Part I

ā€œIā€™m looking forward to getting out there and playing the songs Iā€™ve written and been recording for my debut album. Be good to be back on stage, this time with a guitar in my hand.ā€

ā€”Damian Lewis

You know what I did in the title, donā€™t you? If you know a certain ginger man who thinks he is the ā€œsecond coming of Elvisā€ that is returning to stage with a guitar in hand, you go and title your related post after a lesser known ElvisĀ gem.

So… if you are not living under a rock, you know that Damian returned to stage, this time, with a guitar in hand turning his fantasies into reality. He released a few singles in spring 2023 followed by his highly acclaimed first album ‘Mission Creep’ in June, and is already working a second album. He did live gigs in London, played at music festivals, rocked the paddock at the British Grand Prix, and went on a UK tour the second part of which is coming up in March.

https://twitter.com/FanFunDamian/status/1758882092744581219

If you want to see Damian and his new beard on stage, you can find all gig dates, venues and ticket information here. Continue reading “Guitar Man: Damian Lewis’ Music Journey Part I”