Hello Weekly! We seem to have a problem.... I have neglected you till a tad too late on this particular Sunday. So you see whilst I am currently achieving the short-term goal (that being to write something every Sunday), I am also typing this at 10.30pm on a Sunday night when I really should be sleeping courtesy of some late nights this weekend... This is unfortunate, but for all you people - all 3 of you - that actually pay any attention to the weekly, I will press on.
BUT, before I do - a word from my sponsors:
THIS THURS 3RD APRIL!!
Full Band Show - The Hopetoun Hotel
Renny Field Band on Stage 10pm
Supported by:
Three Quarters Hazel
Brendan Maclean
Tammy Ingram
Tickets $10 at the Door. Should be alotta fun.
Woo.
----------------------------------
This week has been a good week. Many of my friends it seems are reaching that age when getting engaged and married is the done thing. And I think thats great for them - brilliant in fact.
Typically, I have not often thought about that sort of thing happening to me any time soon. Those of you who know me will realise this is not because I am some sort of international superstar rock god with a woman in each town (not even a folk rock god with a woman at each festival), but rather because these things take time - and I seem to be pretty good at taking my time, which is fine by me - no real rush is there.
But you see this week there was a minor "bombardment" of sorts. In fact there were 2 engagement parties and a wedding. Plus someone else asked me to be a best man (slight exaggeration to achieve effect - that was last week....). And as I made my way through the various celebrations, I have to admit to getting caught up in the emotion a little bit. Couldn’t help it really... lots of happiness, lots of good times. And in a sea of emotion such as this, the mind starts to wander - thoughts take hold and suddenly I am thinking to myself "you know what, one day I will have to start thinking about all this stuff....". And one day I might....
BUT - for the time being, I have tours to keep me occupied, and shows and recording - and so instead of carrying on with the current reflection on my martial status or lack thereof, I will instead turn my attention back to the world of music - specifically the March Walkabout tour - which I was only half way through....
-----------------------------------
MARCH WALKABOUT Cont’d:
WED 12 MARCH - THE ESPY, ST KILDA
Well the crowd at Ruby’s the night before didn’t hate me for my boot story, in fact some of them even bought a CD, which was nice of them. Armed with my millions, thoughts turned to the night’s accommodation, which I had hoped might be a quaint little bed and breakfast where a woman resembling the Grandmother in Happy Gilmore would gently wake me in the morning after 10hrs sleep and give me Scones and Hot Chocolate before waving me on my merry journey.
Alas, the Bed and Breakfasts all seem to be a little out of the price range. In particular the one I called that offered me the honeymoon suite and a personal butler for $278 - that may have been a bit extravagant, even for International Rockstar gods with women in each town. So instead of waking up to the smell of freshly baked scones and hot chocolate, i had to content myself with the sun streaming in through the window (all the windows...) of my 1986 "Autumn" (that’s the official "colour") Toyota Corona. Fortunately, unlike the previous night in said Corona, this time I found a 24-hour Woolworths not so far from the gig - which sold me two large blankets for $44 - and you know what they actually kept me pretty warm. A lot warmer it must be said than the night before - where my missing sleeping bag (how does one lose a sleeping bag?) made it necessary to employ the use of a hoodie and my beach towel, and a particular "Curled Up" position that my old dog once taught me.
So armed with a "better" night’s sleep - I was all set to head back in to town and check out the Nick Cave exhibition at the Arts Centre. Here I must say that if you are passing through Melbourne, you really do have to check it out. Whether you are a Nick Cave fan or not (and I have to confess to not having the greatest knowledge of Nick Cave and his work aside from the ones that everyone knows...), it really was a fascinating exhibition. Here is a man who has dedicated an entire lifetime to being an artist in every sense of the word, and reaped the rewards as a result. It was pretty damn inspiring to be standing amongst old notebooks and personal possessions, and reading about what has been such a fascinating career. Another moment, and there has been many in the past year, where I am reminded of how important it is to follow the path, and remain on the journey.
Armed with this inspiration, my drive to St Kilda was one of great expectation, and the show did not disappoint. My good friend Cara Lanyon joined me on the keys, and it sounded fantastic. It’s fun trying to collaborate with different people where possible, and it was nice to have someone else on stage with me in a different town. Even if it was just for 2 songs - thanks Cara - you Rock! I always enjoy playing at The Espy, and I will continue to do so as much as possible. Shame I couldn’t do more Melbourne gigs on this trip, but there were a few shows waiting for me back near Sydney, so I set off later that night, and found myself a nice service centre about 100km north where those $44 blankets once again came in handy.
Oooh - and before I forget - Lucy you also Rock - for showing up in another state! Word.
FRI 14TH MARCH - HERITAGE HOTEL, BULLI
I just realised how much i typed for that last day.... Oh Dear... Are you still with me?? I think not...
Waking up in a service centre is good. The coffee is crap, but it’s drinkable. And the "breakfast stop" is out of the way immediately, which usually gives you a few solid "punch-it-out" hours before needing to stop again. (Assuming you didn’t eat the stale Bacon and Egg Rolls that were left over from the day before... they have a habit of getting through the digestive system a little faster than normal...).
Anyway Wednesday I returned to Sydney Via Wagga to pick up some PA gear from Bess... and on this trip, I discovered a new artist - who has become a favourite. Bess gave me an Album by a fella called Mike Clifford from the States. And long drives are good for getting right into a particular CD - especially when the i-pod is out of batteries. Now I’m not sure if my interest in the music was brought about my my semi-delirious state whilst I once again tried to amuse myself by playing I-Spy against.... myself...., but I’ve had a few listens since and this guy is GOOD! Check it out - Mike Clifford - New York. (But beware Googlers.... there is also a Michael Clifford who is a bucket hat-wearing Country music dude from Texas(?) - it’s not him, it’s the one in New York...).
On the Thurs-day, Renny created Sleep.
On the Fri-day, that was when we did da gig:
It’s been a while since we last played The Heritage Hotel, but the room is still one of my favourites, and despite there being a wee crowd on hand, it was a really nice night. Good to have the band back as well, and we got to run a few newbies. We were joined tonight by Alisa Fedele (not Alicia as I almost typed) and a friend of mine from Adelaide who goes by the name of "Cookie Baker". Not that she bakes anything in particular you see, but hey it’s a memorable name, and it was a memorable first-up effort for her NSW tour, because how she pulled off that outfit in the Bulli pub I will never know! I thought it looked GREAT, but the regulars who just come down to bet on the Dapto Dogs - I don’t think they were so sure... Anyway, top tunes and a great night. Gideeeeup. AND - No need for those $44 Blankets - the hotel had a room for us! Gideeeup again.
Right this is ridiculous - my talent for meaningless rambling is apparently carrying on despite my lack of sleep, and I need to wake up early in the morning....... so I will leave it at that - with 2 more shows left on the tour - because then there’ll be something to write about next week.
Ciao for now.
To be continued....
-----------------------------
PS - THANKS to Corrina Steel and Bill Chambers for having me on the bill last Wednesday night at the Excelsior - it was cool man.
PPS - CONGRATULATIONS to anyone who got engaged or married this week - you are also cool man.
PPPS - I wrote a new song the other day. I am yet to determine if it is cool man
No comments:
Post a Comment