Rob Dickinson, former frontman of (The) Catherine Wheel and a favorite in these parts, is returning to Arizona for a Jan. 26 show at Anderson’s Fifth Estate, where he played acoustic exactly one year ago to that date (a show I recorded – Parts I and II – though mp3s are no longer active).

That means he’s been on the road for the better portion of the past year to promote his solo debut Fresh Wine for the Horses, an album that, despite its unfortunate cover, has found a comfortable spot with me as I continue to come to grips with Catherine Wheel’s dissolution. In situations like Dickinson’s, it seems easier to cling to the nostalgia, but I’ve found Fresh Wine seriously enjoyable when I’m able to separate it from the Catherine Wheel days.

Of course, that’s hard to do when the latest issue of Filter offers a somewhat random retrospective on Catherine Wheel, including an interview with Dickinson and recollections from Tim Friese-Green (of Talk Talk and CW’s producer) and Belly’s Tanya Donelly. A nice Q&A with Dickinson offers some valuable insight:

“As I’ve been touring for my solo record, I’ve been really gobsmacked with the longevity of the music … These people have reignited my pride in what we did. We made some really good music and that’s what I remember first.”

At any rate, I swung by Dickinson’s newly designed Web site after hearing the news of his upcoming Arizona stop, and in the downloads section is an mp3 of him covering the children’s lullaby Hush Little Baby, which only seems fitting as we will be welcoming our third little niece into the world on Saturday (congrats to my bro and Linds).

For more on Dickinson, go search the Chromewaves archives, where Frank’s exhaustive work is always appreciated here. Dickinson’s site even uses some of his photos, which is just freakin’ cool.

Filter also filmed Dickinson doing an in-office performance, which is posted here.

• Rob Dickinson | Hush Little Baby
• Rob Dickinson | Heal (Live on WOXY Lounge Acts, 8/16/06)