DEAN Friedman wrote the book on synthesizer music, literally, throughout the 70s and 80s.

The American singer songwriter best known to European audiences for hits Ariel, Lucky Stars, and Lydia, Dean wrote the first ever book on how to use synthesizers and was at the cutting edge of modern technology.

But in his latest tour, coming to Worcester's Huntingdon Hall, he has gone back to basics for inspiration.

In fact, he went into his back yard and sat in his kids' tree house.

"I guess in some respects it's a simpler approach, a more basic view on things," he said.

"I just wanted an excuse to hang out in the back yard with my kids.

But Dean's back yard idyll was shattered by the events of September 11.

"We live just a few miles from New York City. I wrote a few tracks to go on the album about that."

But he hasn't turned his back on technology. Quite the opposite as without the internet his latest album Tree House Journals might never have been made.

Dean raised the recording costs of $100,000 by offering limited-edition signed and numbered CDs of his latest work in-progress for sale on the internet.

Approach

"I'm not the first to take this approach," said Dean.

"I simply appealed directly to my fan base via my website - DeanFriedman.com - and said,

'I'd like to record another album, if you're willing to help me pay for it'.

"I hope it serves as a model for other artists to achieve their own independence from an oblivious recording industry.

"It is enormously liberating. It's exciting for me and good for the listening audience.

"In the past, record companies told people what they can listen to, but with the internet people can listen to whatever they want."

One of his biggest hits across the pond is McDonald's Girl which was official banned by the BBC for mentioning a tradename, but was then covered by Barenaked Ladies and became their first Canadian radio hit.

His other credits include writing all of the music to the TV series Boon and composing, performing and producing the soundtrack to the underground horror film I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle, which includes the track, She Runs On Blood, Not Gasoline.

In the show Dean will be performing solo, accompanying himself on acoustic and electric guitar and keyboards for a selection of earlier hits plus material from his last release Songs for Grown Ups and the soon to be released Tree House Journals.

The show begins at 8pm on Sunday, June 16 at Huntingdon Hall. Tickets £16, £14 concessions £14.50 from the box office on 01905 611427.

David Lewins