Andrew Morris - Sime Nugent - Renny Field - September tour.

How fortunate I was to be able to tour with two amazing singer-songwriters. amazing in their ability, but also their approach to music in general. In a time when so many seem hell-bent on making a grab for fame and fortune, it was refreshing to see two people who had taken a step back from all the bullsh... and re-directed that energy towards the only thing that really matters - the music.

A good lesson for me anyway.

The tour kicked off with a lengthy drive up to Brisbane. Never can quite understand the Pacific Hwy between Sydney & Brisbane - seem to be racing along until I hit Coffs, then disaster strikes by way of roadworks and variable speed-limits galore for the rest of the trip, ensuring the remainder takes an absolute eternity... (or so it seems).

2/9/05 - OPENING NIGHT was at the Troubador, where a good crowd had rolled in to see the show - Andrew Morris headlined the gig in his home town, and it was nice to hear the tunes from his band again after they played with us earlier in the year at the Brass Monkey album launch. A tight unit - great bunch of musicians. 'Twas the first night I had heard Sime Nugent, and found his songs both unique and engaging - I sensed they would be growers as the tour progressed and I was right. His stage manner is honest and unassuming with a touch of wry humour thrown in here and there for good measure.

Not content to learn our lesson the first few times, it seems this was another tour where the temptation of opening-night festivities would get the better of us.....

3/9/05 - NIGHT 2 - JOE'S WATERHOLE, EUMUNDI
Eumundi is tucked away inland - somewhere near Coolum (where we were staying - thanks to CS), although to be honest I was just following the signs and by the time I got there I had lost all sense of direction. It was dark, and I was agitated because I was missing the Bledisloe Cup...

Well the Wobblies ended up losing the match, and up here in Queenslander country, I can only assume that the game was one of the factors that led to a pretty quiet night. Probably about 10 people, plus the other bands. Shame really, because it's such a nice room. James Blundell had 50 payers the night before, so for the 3 of us relatively unknowns, it was always going to be a bit of a struggle. Eumundi not the most convenient of locations for the coastal holiday-goers, so people really need a good excuse to make the trip. (And we were a good excuse, just that they didn't realise it yet...)

Next day was an epic 12-hr stint back to Sydney. Absolutely no thoughts of trying my luck on the inland route - no matter how good those Anzac bisuits in Tenterfield are...

8/9/05 - CLARENDON GUESTHOUSE, KATOOMBA
Never played the Clarendon before, but had been there a couple of times, and it's a really nice place. Very intimate, but enjoyed the opportunity. Just the Renyn Field Band and Sime tonight. Seemed to be related to most of the people in the audience... Thanks!! (Thanks also to the Acylicians - you know who you are...). And Christine & Michael...

9/9/05 - THE VANGUARD, NEWTOWN
Pretty good crowd - Andrew Morris + band joined us from Brisbane and kicked it off. Always love the Vanguard, although I think all the shows this year were starting to take a toll. Seemed to be missing some of the energy which I had a couple of months ago - and as much as I am aware, and try to find it when I am up on stage, there is still something missing. The performance is as good as it needs to be - but missing the extra bit that turns a good show into a memorable one. I can feel it, I think the band can feel it - not sure about the audience.
Still, not a bad night - and some cause for celebration (though I only figured it out a week later) - it is exactly 2 years since the first gig for the Renny Field band. And my brother, the pillar of support that he is, has been there the whole time bashing away on those drums like it's the one thing he was meant to do.... You legend!
(Not forgetting Andrew on the Bass and Jeff on Guitar....)
(And Caddie on the Cello tonight...)

10/9/05 - HERITAGE HOTEL, BULLI
Pretty good show at the Heritage - about 40 people on hand to watch. Quiet, but it's a nice room and by the time we were on, most of the people there had been drinking for long enough that we couldn't really lose...

Earlier in the day, we played the Cronulla Spring Fair. A good opportunity, as we had one of the main time slots - 3pm in the afternoon. The audience (made up of mainly parents and YOUNG children) went into a minor state of shock when I uttered the s.... word. Only my continuous apologies for the rest of the set managed to get me out of trouble...

11/09/05 - BRASS MONKEY, CRONULLA
A nice gig - always is down here, as I have said many times before. Not to many people unfortunately, but I think this can be attributed to the footy finals, and our Sat and Sun performances at the Cronulla Spring fair, which were a lot of fun, but took the crowd from the Monkey.
Might I take my hat off to Jad and the crew once more though, for no matter what sort of night it is, we are made to feel so welcome every time - almost like we are part of the family. That's a nice feeling, and one that is rare around the traps. I hope I can be playing there in 40 years time... seriously...

14/09/05 - LIMELIGHT LOUNGE, GEELONG...
Well people firstly let me recommend that if you are playing a sequence of shows in which you must get up and drive for 8-10 hours every day for 5 days running, probably best not to do it by yourself.... And certainly don't go off buying the Leonard Cohen double-CD to get some inspiration during the trip. Man the thinking, thinking, thinking...
Limelight Lounge in Geelong is a great place. Just me and Sime played this one. I was greeted half way though my set by a 50-person pub crawl which had an Emergency services dress code. Basically, that meant that there was a whole bunch of Ballyhoo, which carried spectacularly across the polished wooden floorboards into the music area, and made the latter partof my set all but inaudible. Fortunately they left for Sime - man I really do love his stuff.

Managed to score myself a brand new CD carrying box - really a fine work of craftmanship form a local down this way who has a dream of putting these things in rural service stations in Victoria, whilst broadcasting his own pre-recorded radio station from an MP-3 player onto the service station's stereo system - the radio station only to play music from the independent artists on display in one of these aforementioned CD boxes. Has to be seen to be believed. Please come to a show and check it out - I will give you the full story. Promise...

15/09/05 - GRACE EMILY HOTEL, ADELAIDE
My first ever show in Adelaide! ALmost killed myself onthe way over. Thought I was doing fine till I pulled up on the outside of a line of cars in what seemed to be an ovetaking lane, only to discover that a Lorry was coming over the top of the hill and heading straight for me. Thank god I got some new brakes a few weeks ago. Also managed to find a brand new way from Geelong to Adelaide via Mt Gambier, which was an extra 2-3hrs. Me being stubborn again, not getting the proper directions, but rather happy to settle for the "Straight down the highway love" version from the old lady at the Gas station... Speaking of Gas stations.... what about the price of petrol!! Yet another reason I should have taken someone else with me..:)
Grace Emily Hotel - a great little pub indeed. Really cosy little back room where the music happens. Again, just me and Sime - but a decent little crowd on hand. Thanks to Hat etc. for coming along. Also a free bed here, which was a nice surprise at the end of a long trip. Did I need to go out after the show??

16/09/05 - GRAINERY LANE, BALLARAT
No I didn't need to go out after the show... What an idiot...
The "Powernap can save your life" signs on the Victorian roads were starting to take on a whole new meaning... Fortunately I managed to get the correct directions this time...
Grainery Lane Theatre is an AMAZING space - quite a large area tucked away out the back of this cool little bar. Tonight was a quiet night, and the three of us (Andrew Morris had joined us..) played in the front bar area. We were competing with the Swans - St Kilda AFL match, so Victoria wasn't the best place to be playing a gig when the whole state is praying that the only Victorian side left will make it into the Grand Final the following week. Sydney won - I was cheering in between songs...

17/09/05 - FINAL NIGHT - CORNISH ARMS, BRUNSWICK
A great night to finish up. A really nice sized crowd on hand to check out the show. Decided just to play the piano tonight, as the other two were on the guitar and it seemed like the right way to go. Thatnks to those of you who came back to see another show in Melbourne. Really like the Cornish Arms.

The end of a great tour, in which I learned a lot about myself, about music, about life, and about being true to who you are and what you are trying to achieve. Seems corny, but that's the way it is... Helped in no small way by two fantastic performers in Sime and Andrew, who have inspired me to think more about the art, which really is the most important part. Thanks for having me on board...

www.simenugent.com

www.andrewmorris.com

Managed to find myself stuck in Albury on the way home after a blown tyre about 20 mins out of town..... Hip hip hooray... Heading home looking forward to a rest from the gigging life....

Will be back soon folks...

Serena Ryder Tour - Jul-Aug 2005

And so the tour begins...

Before I start the diary, my thanks goes out to Johnny Howard (although I probably should be thanking the dude before him, or maybe even the one before that.... who knows), for a little clause which exists in our Australian immigration laws which goes something along the lines of "any touring international artist must have an Australian artist supporting them on the bill" - which meant that, two weeks before this tour was about to start (originally only with Serena Ryder and Hawksley Workman - both Canadian), I was given an unexpected call-up to jump on the at the start of each night and add an aussie element to proceedings. What a great opportunity! Go Johnny!!

27/7/05 - Geelong, VIC
1st night of the tour - The Limelight Lounge in Geelong, VIC - very cool little bar underground. Really looking forward to seeing Serena Ryder play and also checking out Hawksley Workman, who I know only from reading the album liner notes from Serena's latest CD (he produced it.)
Hawksley walks in in some sort of mad grey jacket (was it wool?) with a large Hawk sewn into it on one arm (I think on the arm...) and one of those train-driver type hats which is pulled to one side on an angle - almost American hip-hop style but not the same type of hat. You get what I mean? Not really, neither do I...
Anyways so I get up and play a few songs - only guitar tonight. A bit jaded, had driven the great ocean road all day and only just made it to Geelong in time to have a quick shower and do the sound check. Got myself through it...
Hawksley gets up and, not for the first time on the tour, launches into some sort of speel about nothing in particular and throws some music in for good measure. A friend ofmine described him as a frustrated stand-up comedian - whilst that doesn't exactly give him the credit he deserves as a musician, it is probably in some respects a fair comment, as the on-stage rambling is hilarious! Aside from that, What a voice! No wonder this guy has a deal with Universal over in Canada, although must be a bit strange for him coming "Down Under" and playing to these little rooms... Anyway, loved the set - plays a Tele guitar which gives the whole thing such a great feel - has got the Amp dialled in to absolute perfection... I guess we're all used to the acoustic guitar thing down here in OZ, so the electric really got my attention, and he plays it so well...

He remained on stage to back Serena up - she has such a presence. Every word of every song is sung with so much energy. I was amazed when I got the chance to play with her last time she was here - wasn't sure what I was going to think this time around, but nothing had changed. Only this time she had an electric guitar filling the songs out and some backup harmonies, which made for a really nice dynamic. Such a refreshing energy on stage which draws you in and almost makes you feel you are a part of the song. At this stage, really looking like this is going to be a great tour, and very happy to be on board...

28/7/05 - Republic Bar, Hobart, Tasmania
Flew to Hobart with just my guitar - prob. a bit of an expense, but felt the need to play some Renny Field tunes down in Tassie. Hobart felt a lot like the UK - similar climate, similar buildings and streets... Anyway, that's only my opinion... Gig was really great - heaps of people came to watch Serena play. Rather than describe the show though, I'll leave you with a thought from Hawksley about half way through his set which had everyone in stitches...(prob. not quite exaclty as he said it, but close...)

"Gee it's great to be here in Tasmania. We used to learn about it at school a long time ago. And I bought an atlas once - when I was a kid I owned an atlas and I used to read it before I went to sleep, and I remember looking up Tasmania back then. Yeah,... I used to read my Atlas just after I masturbated... so I guess my first association with Tasmania was kind of a post-orgasmic type of thing, and ...(looks around the room)... that's kinda how it feels right now..."
Hawksley Workman 2005.

Well said sir...

29/7/05 - Ruby's Lounge, Belgrave, VIC
Flew back to Melbourne - Ruby's is a bit of a drive out of town (sort of like going to the Blue Mountains when you are in Sydney I guess). A great venue - really artsy - old school, but quite a large room. ALL the big indie acts seem to tour through here and you can see why. Very much a place that people living in the area will come to, regardless of who is playing on the night. That's not to say that people hadn't come down to see Serena, but there were a lot of people there that didn't really know who she was - as usual, she won them over....

Was in the toilet getting through a number 1 before my set and looked at the wall on my right to see a poster of myself... Scared the crap out of me...

And Ruby's is home to the best "Table for one" I have ever seen (always occupied...). Picture a big room with a pretty big stage people sitting round the edges on table etc, then a tall table, siting by itself in prime position with ONE bar stool next to it, and people taking turns to sit at this table for One - never would they venture there with anyone else, even people that came with a group of freinds would go and take the seat alone and return to their friends after a solo beer... strange - perhaps there was something I didn't know about....

Needed some dinner after the show - ventured across the road to what initially seemed to be the standard yeeros/pizza type joint, only a little restaurant attached as well, so we thought we might sit down... What would you recommend?? The old guy who ran this place was as close as you would ever get to the "Papa Guiseppe" stereotype - funny Chef's hat drooped to one side, massive big grey mustache etc etc. He launched into an explanation of the finest feast ever known to man, by the time he had finished, the display of energy in describing this feast was such that it would have been rude of us to turn him down....
Think ENOURMOUS plate of creamy Chicken pasta with vegetables mixed in (all very good) and topped off (like i mean literally on top of the pasta and the chicken....) with, ...........wait for it............... fried Calamari..... Ah yes, the old Chicken Pasta - Fried Calamari combo... And he tried to charge us $50!! - Thanks for the food man, but next time I'll remember to stick to the Yeeros...

30-31/7/05 Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, VIC
Had to play an in-store at HMV in the middle of Melbourne on the Saturday at 2pm. Rocked up with my guitar, a mic, and a speaker, cranked it up to full volume and wailed away for about 30mins. Not sure if I sold too many CD's but did succeed in making quite a racket for a solo acoustic guitarist. Also managed to get a few people dancing (thanks to you - you know who you are..) and by the end of the set there were some new fans who had taken up a seat on the floor about a metre in front of my stool.... slightly discomforting...

Northcote Social club is kind of like some old RSL club, with the standard RSL tables and chairs. Sound check has to be finished by 6pm so they can get everyone in for the "Roast of the Day" dinner special, then kick them out again by the time the show starts at 9pm (at which point they move all the tables and chairs out of the room). Surprisingly a great gig - these shows the most obvious flow-on so far from the shows that Serena had done with Missy Higgins earlier in the year. A really good PA system, and prob. about 150 people in each night. Finally got to play my Piano on this tour...
Serena was joined by Terepai Richmond on the drums (drummer for the Whitlams, DIG and others...), with Hawksley moving to the bass guitar. The band worked so well together - yes they are all professional musicians, but there was defnitely a chemistry there that gave it an extra quality and gave the songs a whole different dimension. Outstanding!

Had too many beers, slept in the back of my Tarago out the back of the club... 9hrs sleep - the most sleep so far on the tour - go figure...

03/08/05 - The Vanguard, Newtown - Sounds Like Cafe Launch..
This show a break from the Serena Ryder tour - good to be back with the band at the Vanguard. Playing tonight with "Dion Jones & the Filth" and Lana DeAngelis. Just about a full house at the Vanguard - really enjoyed the other two bands as well. Home at midnight.. - had to be up at 6.30 the following day for the trip to Byron - back on with Serena...

4/8/05 - Great Northern, Byron Bay, NSW
Thursday night in Byron - free door charge. We got free accomodation! As happened at the Northcote Social club, evidence of Hawksley's profile in Canada comes by way of Canadian backpakers who happen to be in the area and come to the venue, scarcely able to believe they can see Hawksley playing this type of gig (ie fairly small crowds, supporting Serena Ryder...). Pretty good night - mainly just Byron locals who came in to check it out.

5/8/05 - Sound Lounge, Currumbin RSL (Gold Coast), QLD
Dragged myself up to HMV Surfers Paradise for an in-store in the middle of the day. Prob. the best HMV store I have ever seen - like a little novelty building that you might have seen perhaps in a nursery rhyme or something similar - show was from 2-2.30pm. A difficult one, but as is always the case, just happy that I was asked to play there, and the exposure is great.

No surf today... bummer. I brought the board up...

Sound Lounge is a newly created venue on the 1st floor of the Currumbin RSL. People seem to get down here on a Friday night, regardless of who is playing. Having said that, there were plenty who had come along to see Serena and Hawksley. Long room, but a great vibe when there is plenty of people. Maybe a couple of hundred in for this show (??), but enough to make it feel great. And a very appreciative audience. Serena & Band sounded the best I have heard them yet on this trip.

6-7/8/05 - The Troubador, Brisbane, QLD
Not before another HMV in-store, this time at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast... a bit tragic...

I had heard plenty about the Troubador, but still not really what I was expecting. (Not in a bad way - just I had a picture of it I guess and it didn't end up being anything like that). Located in "The Valley" (Fortitude Valley) - which has a crapload of bars, restaurants etc. Pretty cool vibe about the place. Troubador is long narrow room with couches and those soft cube-stool thingys (can't describe them any other way...). Very lounge-bar-esque. Quite an intimate Vibe, and not quite the crowd everyone was expecting I suppose, but still a pretty good turnout nonetheless...

Saturday night after the show was spent wandering "The Valley" looking for a decent place to have a beer and eventually settling for a joint that looked like everyone had gone back in time to New York in the early 80's (and maybe now a bit...)- the whole underground rock'n'roll vibe thing happening - same fashion sense, same feel to the bar. A cool place, but wouldn't have expected to find it in Queensland! Sunday another in-store at HMV Queen Street mall, Brisbane - tucked away up the back of the store, but not so bad... Had a ten-pin bowling challenge with my brother. Best of 3 - Matt 2, Renny 1. So pissed off.... This has become our "thing to do" when out of town.

Had to drive back to Sydney on Monday - went completely the wrong way. Almost fell asleep about 1000 times. Had to stop for coffee every 20mins. Highlights were, in no particular order, the Anzac Biscuit in Tenterfield (no I don't know why I was there either - but it was a bloody good Anzac biscuit!), the Chinese dinner in Scone (which almost came back up on the way to Sydney), and a killer steak sandwich in god knows where... Happy to report that the upgraded Toyata Tarago (now a '93 edition...) is running like a DREAM!

9-10/8/05 - Brass Monkey, Cronulla
Brass monkey back to its best here again - always love it, always will. Excellent.

11/8/05 - The Basement, Sydney
Best show of the tour as far as numbers were concerned. A fantastic night. Having said that, made an unsuccessful foray into the McDonalds "Salads Choice" menu, and a wise person reminded me that McDonalds is there for a reason, and that doesn't involve Salad, nor should it....

13/8/05 - Green Rock, The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills
Back with the Renny Field band tonight - Serena and Hawks were down in Canberra. This night was put on by the NSW greens in aid of Chilout and the Asylum Seekers centre - both are Charities which try to assist in the fair treatment of refugees in Australia. An important cause, and great to be offered the gig - on the bill with Gelbison, Waiting for Guiness and The Stiff Gins. A superb night, really quite a surprise actually - we were on first and prob. still got a crowd of around 150, which made for a great atmosphere. The other three bands were all fantastic, particuarly Waiting for Guiness, who had the room moving around like you wouldn't believe... I am told the night raised a few thousand dollars for the aforementioned charities as well, so hats off to everyone involved!

14/08/05 - Heritage Hotel, Bulli
Smallish crowd on hand to see the last show of the Serena Ryder tour. The Heritage Hotel has without a doubt the BEST Steak sandwhich you will ever eat - not to be missed folks! A nice vibe, but definitely somewhat of a "wind down" show for us all I think. Still love the Heritage - look forward to getting back down there with the band in September.

Thanks to Serena for having me on the tour - a really great experience, and enjoyed checking out some venues that I have never been to before. Thanks also to Hawksley for his encouragement, in particular his assistance that I continue to play "The Black Keys". Thanks also to Kate the tour manager for all your hard work.... and to John Sinclair in Melbourne for his hand in setting it up.

And finally thanks to eveyone who came along to a show - particularly to those of you who came and said hi, or offered words of encouragement. This was without a doubt the best bill I have played on so a bit hard to make an impression in those circumstances and it was nice to be appreciated. (If you've made it this far I am amazed - quite an epic this entry - I am going to be more brief in the future, but this was my first full-length "tour" so to speak, so you'll have to forgive me...).

Keep an eye on the gig page for all the details of upcoming shows near and far..

Cheers for now.

R

Check Out:

www.serenaryder.com

www.hawksleyworkman.com

www.rennyfield.com

26 Reasons - Melbourne Launch Tour

Tues 7th June

Trip to Melbourne was comfortable, due mainly to the fact that fate had intervened by way of a blown head gasket in the '84 Tarago and forced us to hire a New car - Hmmmm. reliable, comfortable, a great drive, but then again not very Rock and Roll.... Arrived after midnight, found our apartment. Try fitting 6 in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment and then an extra couple on the way. Somewhat of a tight squeeze...


Wed 8th June - Manchester Lane, Melbourne.
Right in the middle of town this one - looked pretty classy on the internet and did not disappoint on arrival . More of a Jazz venue, which is not necessarily the best home for us, but a show is a show, and this one had its own type of excitement anyway as it was out first in Melbourne.. Supported by Bridget A'Beckett, who is releasing an album later in the year. www.bridgetabeckett.com - great singer. Pretty quiet night around 30 or 40 people, but seemed to go down well enough. Safely negotiated - the Melbourne tour was officially in full swing.


Thurs 9th - Cornish Arms, Brunswick
Cornish arms is around 10mins North of the city centre. More our style of venue than Manchester Lane I think. Were supported by a couple of great bands - Kanvas Grey (www.kanvasgrey.com) and Sixteen Millimetre. "16mm" are some friends who I met about a year ago whilst google-searching the internet for places to play in Melbourne. Ended up finding some Melbourne band website and shooting an email to about 5000 bands to try and get a gig down there - I think two responded to this random unsolicited spam email - one of which was 16mm -good on you guys! But aside from them being "Crazy emailing Sydney artist - Friendly" , I also really dig their stuff. They'll be touring some more -check 'em out. www.sixteenmillimetre.com .

Cornish arms certainly somwehat of a name venue in Melbourne - gets some great touring acts so a good oppotunity for us to have a headlining show there from out of town. Quite crowd, but an enjoyable show - will be back down there again pretty soon I imagine...

BTW - Cornish arms has some GREAT TUCKER!


Friday 10th - The Espy, St Kilda
Probably the best show of the trip - Heard the reports about the Espy being a music lovers Venue and it did not disappoint... Pretty full room to watch us despite being on first. This night we played before the Hampdens (WA), "The Winks" (Canadian folk act) and "The Red Paintings".

Sat 11th - HMV Burke Street

Time for some more in-store antics. Big posters around the Store heralding the arrival of the Renny Field Band- a bit bizarre somehow... Band staggered in at Various intervals - a few late nights starting to catch up with us here, but still managed to pull it off... Sigh of relief after this one as we had Saturday night off. Went and watched some AFL Saturday avo at the MCG, hit the town with friends Saturday night. How good is Melbourne! People talk to you!!

Sun 12th - HMV Chadstone & Eisternwick Hotel

Final day of the tour - kicked this one off at one of those massive shopping malls about 30mins from the city... Bit of a Bizarre in-store - couldn't set up near the entrance, and had to be content with the very rear of the store, which basically meant that no-one knew we were there.... But managed to win over a few folks who stumbled in by accident, so not all bad... One gig to go...

Eisternwick was a double-set gig - 2 hours of Power. Good to get through some material from the old CD which we haven't had the chance to play for a while. Pretty good crew in for a Sunday night as it was a public Holiday Monday the next day. Eisternwick reminds you of the typical Sydney sports-bar setting with the stage set up in front of the TAB screens overhead - only difference is in Melbourne they have grapsed the concept of "listening" to the band - and thankfully black curtains were draped across the front of the screens so we didn't have to deal with Bluey and his mate yelling at the TV because their greyhound got checked around turn 2... Gig seemed to go OK - the pub has asked us back to play another show at the end of August - so no complaints there...

Thanks to all of you who came along to a show on our first Melbourne trip. First of many this year I imagine... Looking forward to getting back down there late July with Serena Ryder, and then again at the end of August with the full band ....and September......).

All made it back to Sydney in one piece - thanks for asking...

That's all for now - be back soon...

26 Reasons - Sydney Launch Tour

Fri 3rd June...

HMV IN-STORE, PITT ST, SYDNEY -
The first "gig" of the 26 Reasons Launch tour. Arrived at HMV around 2 hours prior to start time. Greeted by an odd little stage up the back corner of the store - this was our first in-store gig as a band. I am thinking as we arrive - how are we all going to fit on that..?? Somehow we manged.
Funny sort of thing an in-store show. Standing on the stage, you look out over the various aisles of CD racks to see a room full of people browsing through what's on offer. I guess the band for the main part basically replaces the CD player for around 30mins. Having said that, a big thanks to those of you who came along to the show and formed a little audience of sorts. And despite my ramblings - yes HMV we did appreciate the opportunity to play and sell some of the new CD's , so thanks to you too! Not helped a great deal in this show by our tired old little PA system, but not to worry - 1st show negotiated safely enough - good warm up for the Vanguard...

THE VANGUARD, NEWTOWN
Crowd was rolling in nice and early for this one - our first ever sold-out show!! I had a last minute call up to go and do a quick interview with Fbi radio in the afternoon which threw a bit of a spanner into the works for the sound-check, but over the years I have become quite accustomed to running round lie a mad-man, so this wasn't unexpected. If it wasn't a radio interview, it would have been a problem with the Tarago...
The Vanguard is a superb venue - and this was the first time the band had been able to do our own show there. Steve "Gramophone Man" Griffiths warmed the crowd up as I tried to figure out what was wrong with my guitar and finalise some sort of set-list (very out of the ordinary for the Renny Field Band...). Sarah Griesser came out and played a fantastic set as she always does - myself and my brother Matt really love her stuff - go and see her if you get the chance.
5 minutes before we were due to hit the stage I realised that I had left my guitar in the car... Nice work, but again not entirely out of the ordinary. Standard gig for the Renny Field band usually involves the following just prior to starting:
Renny: Looking for a guitar Pick or other related item.
Jeff Stanley: Gone to the toilet
Matt Field: Missing
Andrew Fisher: Standing ready to play next to the stage with hands on hips wondering if we'll ever get on in time...
Set-List: erm...

So anyway, we played and played, and to be honest it was all a bit of a blur. Someone told me we lasted for nearly 2 hours! From what I can remember, we all had such a great time up there! My thanks to our guest Cello player - Caddie - for coming on board for the launch shows at late notice - you legend!

What's the worst part about doing a launch TOUR?? Unlike the 1st CD launch 18months ago, we weren't able to hit the town till 6am, because management had organised another in-store for 1pm the next day (In the shire!). What's that all about...??!! Not to mention the 3 other full shows that were still to be played over the weekend - including a Double on Sunday, but more on that later.. Home to bed...


Sat 4th June

My head hurts.... The aforementioned in-store performance seems likely to be more difficult than expected...

HMV IN-STORE, MIRANDA
On the road for this one far too early for my liking. Detour via Shire music to pick up a new PA system - more expenses... Credit Card buckling under the immense strain... Must sell CD's...

Never mind my complaining - the residents of the Shire can take their hats of for their appreciation of fine music! (Or fine music according to us!). HMV Miranda proved to be our best in-store gig in the CD sales department. The new PA was cranked up a treat which pretty much meant that anyone passing by was going to cop a dose of "26 Reasons", whether they liked it or not. Probably worked in our favour the whole "Passer-by" thing, something which was not possible at HMV in the city because we were up the back of the store. Anyways, got through the set, quick photo of "26 Reasons" in the no. 1 spot on the chart rack (well it was for that 30 mins - OK so maybe Coldplay might just sneak past us for the month, but it will be close...) had some food, headed off to the brass monkey...

BRASS MONKEY, CRONULLA
Wow - another one of these sound-check things! Starting to lose my nerve a little here. A bit out of my comfort zone when I'm not racing to a gig in the Tarago trying to warm up the voice by singing along to Casey Donovan on the Today FM hot 30 as that's the only station I can pick up.... Anyway, had a few hours to kill for a change, which was nice.

Arrived to the Brass Monkey to be greeted by the news that the night had SOLD OUT! You people of the Shire have really outdone yourselves... A great night followed with some cool tunes by Brian Howson and and impressive act from Brisbane - The Andrew Morris band. I'm looking forward to checking them out when they are back down this way. Also got to play "One More Song" (My song about the Brass Monkey) to a full house a the Brass Monkey - a nice treat indeed!

End of the night - pack up..... Damn... Sleep..... 2 Shows tomorrow!


Sun 5th June

A real test today - the Vanguard had given us an extra show on the Sunday night, which was real nice of them. Only problem is we already had an Album Launch (and DVD filming) booked in for the Heritage Hotel in Bulli that afternoon. Van making funny noises...

Got to Bulli on time and the film crew were in . A big thanks to Pat from musicOZ for setting the whole thing up at fairly late notice. Set seemed to go pretty well, although despite playing "One More Song" about 5 THOUSAND times before without any trouble, sure enough the moment the tape was rolling I managed to forget a couple of lines in the second verse.... Typical...
The set will also be featured on Foxtel digital, as well as a short interview i had with Charlie (host of the show) aterwards.

Mad dash back up to the vanguard in Newtown for our last show of the weekend. Brother Matt set off pretty quickly to get the gear back up there in time. Sadly the old Tarago had other ideas - it seemed that the "Funny Noises" i had heard earlier in the day were in fact something to do with the radiator, and Matt sensibly pulled over somewhere near the airport with the temp. gague disappearing into the stratosphere well beyond the dangerous "Red" section...
Nothing that a few bottles of Mt franklin couldn't fix... well at least it got us to the Vanguard, i have since discovered the van has a blown head gasket... Solong to a dear friend...

Vanguard show was our best i would say - A big thanks to everyone who came along on the Sunday. Thanks also to Eugene Wulf and Brian Campeau for their impressive sets to open up. Sunday night wasn't sold out, but it was approaching the mark, so nice to get some flow-on interest for a second night. Time for a few drinks after the show - but not too many - one more HMV in-store to go the next day....

Mon 6th June

The last Sydney show! - HMV Mid-city - we had come full circle. 7 gigs in 3 days, and it was all we could do to get through our allotted 30mins! PA was cranked, voice died whilst singing the last note, band fell off the stage at completion. (Alright so it wasn't that bad - i'll stop whinging).


At the risk of repeating myself, THANKS TO EVERYONE who came to see us at one of the Sydney launches - your support was amazing and nincredibly encouraging for the entire band!!! thanks also to the Venues and the other bands we played with.

Melbourne tour diary soon to be posted...