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