Well Sunday came and went and there was no blog... but I can't tell you how busy I was last weekend. Actually I could tell you, but I won't tell you because it'll probably sound like one of those boring travel emails where your friend goes here and there and wasn't that amazing and wasn't that beautiful and I never realised they did that and this is such an amazing experience I can't tell you... I think you know the ones I am talking about.
Anyway, the only amazing experience I can remember from the weekend was playing a gig on Saturday night (ahem... covers gig.... you didn't hear that...) and from my vast collection of obscure cover songs that no-one would ever know were cover songs because they never really garnered all that much attention from the General Public, i picked one that was more obscure than most - and lo and behold some drunk fella wearing a scarf stood beside the stage and sung along word for word. And anyway I thought that was cool. Perhaps "amazing" is slightly overstating, but cool nonetheless.
Now if you'll allow me to slip into semi-diary-entry mode, I am really looking forward to getting over to Europe! Just 2 weeks to go... It's not that I haven't enjoyed being back home (although I have lost my hard-earned Phuket tan...), but I've got a good feeling about getting over there and playing to some new audiences. The other night I sat up for 6 hours watching the US Open Golf 18-hole playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate.... which has no relevance to independent music tours in Europe, except for the fact that during this time I was sending emails to 500,000 people trying to book more shows for my trip. And wouldn't you know it, I managed to get a couple more - including one in Brighton 2 days after I arrive. So thanks to Mr Woods for that one - couldn't have done it without you mate.
I am keeping the gigs updated as they come in. A fairly time-consuming process, but it keeps ticking away. So keep an eye out - I might be coming to your neck of the woods! (Your neck of the Tiger Woods perhaps... oh dear I am sorry. I could have deleted that, but I wanted you to experience my brilliant sense of the pun...). I will also have with me a limited edition Live Album, which features songs recorded at a few different venues whilst touring over the past 6 months. Nice to have a new product, even if it's not an "official" one... What is official anyway?
Before I go, there is one last show at The Excelsior in Surry Hills - and that's tomorrow night (25th June) with The Falls, Sarah Humphreys and Cookie Baker (SA). May even be the best one of the month, plus it's like the European tour farewell gig, so come on down if you can! Dare I say it, we'll probably have a beer or two afterwards...Check the Gigs on my page for more info...
And on that note, I will bid you farewell. (If you made it this far that is...). Hope you are well, and I might catch you at a show sometime soon.
Cheers for now,
Renny
News and updates from the musical adventures of Renny Field...
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Weekly... Volume 11
And the Weekly returns! I think I am far more excited about this than anyone else would be, but only because it represents a return to some sort of discipline in my life now that I am back home instead of riding round Thailand trying to dodge potholes on my Moped...
Moving on, a big thanks to everyone who has been coming along to The Excelsior. We've been getting some pretty nice turnouts all things considered. (By "All things" I obviously mean the fact that it is FREEZING and wet). Good thing I am going to London soon! Ha. Anyway, we've had a couple of great nights, and we've got two more to go, so if you're in the Sydney area and feel like stopping by then I reckon you could do worse. This week (Wed 18th) is a solo show. I am playing with Fergus Brown, Rubi & Jude and Justine Martin. Tix are $10 at the door. Bonza.
Where did Bonza come from? Someone used to say it on the TV... Peter Russell Clarke? No that was Come and Get it... But maybe he said Bonza as well. Where was I?
Last night was a late notice show at one of the newest venues in town (3 days old in fact!) - The Kings Cross Hotel. You know that old place opposite the Coke sign... scary place... nasty place... Anyway things have changed. Go and check it out - 5 levels, fully refurbished! Get in before the cover charge... You know there'll be a cover charge... that's what happens these days.... Not that I can say for sure of course, but i did see a significant number of blokes standing round in trench-coats eying off clipboards full of guest lists. Who are the people on those guest lists anyway? Certainly not me - good thing I learned how to sing and play guitar....
Today some friends of mine had a Spaghettata. This is an Italian tradition where everyone gathers to eat Pasta for a few hours in the house / back yard. The fact that sleet was falling was no deterrent - it was a famous Spaghettata! (Possibly helped by the fact that one of these aforementioned friends owns an Italian restaurant). Personally I think I'll stick to the old fashioned Aussie BBQ for the time being, but you know one day I might be brave enough to attempt a Spaghettata. I just won't invite anyone I am trying to impress. (Although I do fancy myself in the Bolognaise stakes....).
Did I mention the Excelsior this Wednesday? They serve Spaghetti.
In other music news, more recording to be done this week - including a very special guest on lap steel for the song "Exploring". Can't wait to see how it turns out.
AND... That'll do me for now... The Weekly did return yes, but once again it is being typed after midnight on a Sunday night... Which is not the best time for ideas. At least not this particular Sunday night anyway.
Cheers for now,
Renny
PS - For all the latest European tour dates, check out the GiGS section on my home page.
PPS - A great friend of mine Bridget A'Beckett is playing a show at The Basement in Sydney this Tuesday night (17th June). Well worth a look if you're free - will be a great night. Beautiful voice, beautiful songs. Tix available at www.thebasement.com.au
PPPS - Go the Socceroos!
Moving on, a big thanks to everyone who has been coming along to The Excelsior. We've been getting some pretty nice turnouts all things considered. (By "All things" I obviously mean the fact that it is FREEZING and wet). Good thing I am going to London soon! Ha. Anyway, we've had a couple of great nights, and we've got two more to go, so if you're in the Sydney area and feel like stopping by then I reckon you could do worse. This week (Wed 18th) is a solo show. I am playing with Fergus Brown, Rubi & Jude and Justine Martin. Tix are $10 at the door. Bonza.
Where did Bonza come from? Someone used to say it on the TV... Peter Russell Clarke? No that was Come and Get it... But maybe he said Bonza as well. Where was I?
Last night was a late notice show at one of the newest venues in town (3 days old in fact!) - The Kings Cross Hotel. You know that old place opposite the Coke sign... scary place... nasty place... Anyway things have changed. Go and check it out - 5 levels, fully refurbished! Get in before the cover charge... You know there'll be a cover charge... that's what happens these days.... Not that I can say for sure of course, but i did see a significant number of blokes standing round in trench-coats eying off clipboards full of guest lists. Who are the people on those guest lists anyway? Certainly not me - good thing I learned how to sing and play guitar....
Today some friends of mine had a Spaghettata. This is an Italian tradition where everyone gathers to eat Pasta for a few hours in the house / back yard. The fact that sleet was falling was no deterrent - it was a famous Spaghettata! (Possibly helped by the fact that one of these aforementioned friends owns an Italian restaurant). Personally I think I'll stick to the old fashioned Aussie BBQ for the time being, but you know one day I might be brave enough to attempt a Spaghettata. I just won't invite anyone I am trying to impress. (Although I do fancy myself in the Bolognaise stakes....).
Did I mention the Excelsior this Wednesday? They serve Spaghetti.
In other music news, more recording to be done this week - including a very special guest on lap steel for the song "Exploring". Can't wait to see how it turns out.
AND... That'll do me for now... The Weekly did return yes, but once again it is being typed after midnight on a Sunday night... Which is not the best time for ideas. At least not this particular Sunday night anyway.
Cheers for now,
Renny
PS - For all the latest European tour dates, check out the GiGS section on my home page.
PPS - A great friend of mine Bridget A'Beckett is playing a show at The Basement in Sydney this Tuesday night (17th June). Well worth a look if you're free - will be a great night. Beautiful voice, beautiful songs. Tix available at www.thebasement.com.au
PPPS - Go the Socceroos!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The not-so-Weekly... Volume 10
Well hello again. It seems the "not so weekly" has remained just that, but alas my attempt to write last week's blog on the way home from Thailand was thwarted by an over-zealous hostess who decided that the computer would interfere with the navigational equipment... "Exactly!" I said. "I was hoping we could get lost so I can stay on holiday a bit longer... ".
Hostess - 1
Renny - 0.
And so I have made it home feeling rather refreshed after a month in Thailand. The stomach bug seemed to disappear after a few days (thanks for your concern), and the minor injuries sustained in the moped mishap seem to be fading away (although not as fast as my hard-earned tan...). Overall thoughts? Hey I had a great month, and it was worth it to head over for the experience. It was, after all, an all expenses paid trip to a resort hotel, and they don't come up all that often! And Phuket?, well that was, as Yolanda Thomas might say, a beautiful disaster. If that makes sense...
Would I do it again? Sure, but not on a regular basis. Because as good as it was to have a rest from the "real world" (as I like to refer to Sydney), there is certainly a limit to how many 4 hour gigs you can play to average crowds of around 6-10 people. And when, after having played a song to the best of your ability, you are greeted by a wall of silence, well that can be somewhat disappointing. Fortunately I had figured out a way to remove myself from the gig "experience", and play through the songs in my on little world. A world which needs no acknowledgement and no encouragement. A world which exists only for the duration of the gig before instantly becoming a distant memory. But despite acquiring the skill to find this "world" when I needed it, it is not a place that bodes all that well for a successful career as an independent singer-songwriter. A lucrative career as a covers artist perhaps, but that's not really what I am trying to achieve here... Not yet anyway.
Having made it home safely, I can't tell you how nice it was to be back at The Excelsior last Wednesday night - playing a show to people who wanted to be there, wanted to hear some good music. And it was also a real treat to share the stage with some of my favourite local artists - Kitch, and the guys from Move Trees. Just a great night, and reason enough to be back home. As I have mentioned before, we've got great lineups every Wednesday this month, and I'm looking forward to the rest. Ruby for Lucy, Sarah Bird and The Mules coming up this week (11 June).
The other great thing about being back home is that I can get to work on this album. To be honest, I really underestimated the size of the task - to self-produce, and do the bulk of the tracking at home by myself. It's as much a discipline issue as anything else, because it's all in my hands. Not that I need to be disciplined by other people, but it's been difficult to switch over to that slightly obsessive mindset - which is where I really need to be to get it finished. Fortunately I have moved back up to the northern beaches, which means I don't have motorbikes and garbage trucks waking me up 5 nights out of 7... And whilst I miss the proximity to the "action" (if that's the way to describe city living...), I am enjoying the peace and quiet up here. It's a beautiful part of the world - something I am reminded of whenever I go away and come back. We've got it pretty good here.
And finally - because I feel I should leave you with one more bit of useless information to add to the large quantity of useless information you have just read - I joined Fitness First. No, I can't believe I did it either... No I don't really know why... Yes i know I have signed a pact with the devil, but there was no choice. I knew I would be travelling... Needed to join something I could use in different places... For years, I have taken a stance against such establishments. And now I am just one of the crowd. Is all hope lost?! What have I become?!
Having said all that, listen up all you independent musicians, because there is certainly a benefit, and that benefit is this:
(I borrowed that style of speech from Kevin Rudd)
If you are on tour and you can't be bothered paying for accommodation, then you can crash in your car/van, wake up in the morning, go to fitness first, do a bit of a workout (if you're that way inclined), have a shower and a shave, get changed and VOILA! You are ready to take on the new day. Rejuvenated. Refreshed. No hotel necessary! You see I am full of ideas.
And I am also full of crap.
But I thought the fitness first thing was a good idea... At least till I sell enough CD's to pay for a hotel room... But I have to finish the CD first don't I.
See you next time.
Renny
PS - Did you know you can book tickets to the Hundred Club in London?!
www.wegottickets.com/event/29580
Not long to go now!!!
Hostess - 1
Renny - 0.
And so I have made it home feeling rather refreshed after a month in Thailand. The stomach bug seemed to disappear after a few days (thanks for your concern), and the minor injuries sustained in the moped mishap seem to be fading away (although not as fast as my hard-earned tan...). Overall thoughts? Hey I had a great month, and it was worth it to head over for the experience. It was, after all, an all expenses paid trip to a resort hotel, and they don't come up all that often! And Phuket?, well that was, as Yolanda Thomas might say, a beautiful disaster. If that makes sense...
Would I do it again? Sure, but not on a regular basis. Because as good as it was to have a rest from the "real world" (as I like to refer to Sydney), there is certainly a limit to how many 4 hour gigs you can play to average crowds of around 6-10 people. And when, after having played a song to the best of your ability, you are greeted by a wall of silence, well that can be somewhat disappointing. Fortunately I had figured out a way to remove myself from the gig "experience", and play through the songs in my on little world. A world which needs no acknowledgement and no encouragement. A world which exists only for the duration of the gig before instantly becoming a distant memory. But despite acquiring the skill to find this "world" when I needed it, it is not a place that bodes all that well for a successful career as an independent singer-songwriter. A lucrative career as a covers artist perhaps, but that's not really what I am trying to achieve here... Not yet anyway.
Having made it home safely, I can't tell you how nice it was to be back at The Excelsior last Wednesday night - playing a show to people who wanted to be there, wanted to hear some good music. And it was also a real treat to share the stage with some of my favourite local artists - Kitch, and the guys from Move Trees. Just a great night, and reason enough to be back home. As I have mentioned before, we've got great lineups every Wednesday this month, and I'm looking forward to the rest. Ruby for Lucy, Sarah Bird and The Mules coming up this week (11 June).
The other great thing about being back home is that I can get to work on this album. To be honest, I really underestimated the size of the task - to self-produce, and do the bulk of the tracking at home by myself. It's as much a discipline issue as anything else, because it's all in my hands. Not that I need to be disciplined by other people, but it's been difficult to switch over to that slightly obsessive mindset - which is where I really need to be to get it finished. Fortunately I have moved back up to the northern beaches, which means I don't have motorbikes and garbage trucks waking me up 5 nights out of 7... And whilst I miss the proximity to the "action" (if that's the way to describe city living...), I am enjoying the peace and quiet up here. It's a beautiful part of the world - something I am reminded of whenever I go away and come back. We've got it pretty good here.
And finally - because I feel I should leave you with one more bit of useless information to add to the large quantity of useless information you have just read - I joined Fitness First. No, I can't believe I did it either... No I don't really know why... Yes i know I have signed a pact with the devil, but there was no choice. I knew I would be travelling... Needed to join something I could use in different places... For years, I have taken a stance against such establishments. And now I am just one of the crowd. Is all hope lost?! What have I become?!
Having said all that, listen up all you independent musicians, because there is certainly a benefit, and that benefit is this:
(I borrowed that style of speech from Kevin Rudd)
If you are on tour and you can't be bothered paying for accommodation, then you can crash in your car/van, wake up in the morning, go to fitness first, do a bit of a workout (if you're that way inclined), have a shower and a shave, get changed and VOILA! You are ready to take on the new day. Rejuvenated. Refreshed. No hotel necessary! You see I am full of ideas.
And I am also full of crap.
But I thought the fitness first thing was a good idea... At least till I sell enough CD's to pay for a hotel room... But I have to finish the CD first don't I.
See you next time.
Renny
PS - Did you know you can book tickets to the Hundred Club in London?!
www.wegottickets.com/event/29580
Not long to go now!!!
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