The Weekly... Volume 29

The Weekly... Volume 29

So I continue to battle away up here in recording land. I can't figure out why it takes so long sometimes to complete the most inane tasks. Little doodling guitar parts, the takes, the retakes, the rethinks, the retrys... It's a bit crazy. I figure if you ever want to get someone committed, just send them off to a house in the country by themselves with a bunch of recording gear and tell them to make an album. There's a better than even chance they'll drive themselves insane. Fortuantely my slip into the land of madness is currently being tempered as a result of me being heavily sedated by antibiotics. This must be the first time in years that I have actually had two weeks "off", and then lo and behold I manage to get a throat infection. I don't need to tell you that this makes the recording of an album fairly problematic at best. Unless I was trying to do a Louis Armstrong tribute record of course. But unfortunately I am not. I am trying to do a Renny Field record. And I don't think I sound like Louis Armstrong. At least not yet anyway.

In more positive news, it looks like I will be receiving a cheque for $900 some time in the near future. And whilst I completely disagree with the concept of handing out cash to fix the economy, I would like to thank Kevin Rudd for paying for the first run of copies of the new album. Who needs a recording contract when you've got the Australian goverment.

So that's the buzz. Word out.

PS. Assuming I have recovered in time, there is a show this Wednesday which is worth checking out. Have a look at the gig guide.

PPS. Cough cough cough

The Weekly... Volume 28

**The Volume 28 Challenge**

I will be taking suggestions for the topic of a new song, and I need your ideas. The winner will be announced with the song in 2 weeks time. So all you need to do is comment on this blog with your suggestion, and I will post the new tune along with The Weekly Volume 30. Hey it might be terrible, but it will be good fun. Which is sort of the point. I am not sure if anyone will actually read this in time, but in that case I will write the song about a musician who posts blogs on myspace that no-one ever reads. That will almost definitely be terrible, but it will still be fun. Possibly...

Random ideas more than welcome.

OK moving on...

A story for you all...

The other day I was catching a bus into the city, and there were THREE cameras on the thing. Three! Plus there was a TV screen rotating between the three cameras just to remind everyone they were being filmed. Could someone please explain to me why it is necessary to film a bus-load of pensioners and out of work musicians at lunchtime on a Tuesday? It felt like a scene out of the movie "Speed" - you know the one where the bus has to stay at 50 miles per hour. Only there was no Sandra Bullock for me to save. Which was a shame really, because it was one of those rare situations where the out of work musician may have stood a chance. But yeah - three cameras. How about that. I suppose this is the sort of society we live in. Bugger.

Might mention a gig coming up at the end of the month - you should come along if you're free. It'll be great:

Wed 25 Feb. The Excelsior Hotel. 64 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills.
Supporting Sam Buckingham and Sarah Humphreys.
Solo show. Doors open 8pm. Tix $12.
Renny on stage at 10pm.
Sam and Sarah have been doing a residency each Wednesday in February. I went last week and it was a cracker. It's really nice of them to ask me to play the final spot of the month. Can't wait.

Not a whole lot to report this week (as you may have been able to tell). Recording is still ticking along pretty nicely. I'll start to put a few rough mixes up soon.

In summing up, it's been emotional.

I'll do my best to raise the bar for Volume 29. Promise.

Cheerio

The Weekly... Volume 27

Hola.

Again not so much of a weekly when it takes 3 weeks between entries, but there you go... It is now 2.30am and I have just finished a marathon day of recording. It feels good to be making progress, but I am not sure how effective I am at this time of night. And I don't have a clue why I thought it was a good idea to write a blog at 2.30 in the morning. But then again a lot of my ideas are like that - completely against the laws of common sense. That's just the way I fly sometimes. Take it or leave it.

It's been a fairly productive last few weeks. There was a trip to Tamworth for some shows with Sam Buckingham and Sarah Humphreys. Only Sarah got sick at the last minute, so it was just me and Sam.Which wasn't so bad was it Sam? (I have it on good authority that Sarah is now back to full voice!).

As it turned out, there were a bunch of other people we knew floating around in Tamworth so a few of them were able to join us on stage as well. Which was great. I managed to drive up through the night after a very important game of ultimate frisbee (of course they are all important that's why they call it "Ultimate"). As I was approaching Tamworth, it turned out that Barack Obama was being sworn in, so that was a little moment in history that I was able to enjoy at 4am in the morning somewhere on the New England highway whilst looking for the next 24hr servo with a coffee machine. I think that's one of those "Can you remember where you were" moments. The first black president of the US of A. Well Baz (that's what we'd call you here in Oz), I was with ya. You kept me awake through the lonely miles en route to the golden guitar. So already you have done me a great service, and that was before you got the green light on your financial stimlus package. Good on you.

Speaking of stimulus packages, seeing as I mentioned you on my blog, do you think out of the 1 Trillion dollars that you might be able to throw me a spare $20,000 to go on a world tour once I've finished this album? I'll let you think that one over Baz, I know that times are tough.

So why have I started writing this directly to the US President anyway? Because it's 2.30 in the morning folks. Now where was I?

Yeah - Tamworth. I rather like the Country Music Scene. If you can get over the apparent fascination with backing tracks (which mostly sound like the Karaoke machine at the Pickled Possum) then it's a really great environment for music. I find the country music crowd is more inclined to find something to like about you before they start tearing strips out of you. Contrast that with a few other music scenes (sneaker rock perhaps), and it's pretty refreshing. Makes for a nice environment to play your tunes. Even though Sam and I are not really country, people appreciated what we had to offer. Just as they did last year. So whenever I can, I'll make the pilgrimage to Tamworth - that's the point I was trying to make. And if you haven't been, then I would recommend it. Even just once to say you did.

After Tamworth we played one of the more inspiring shows I have played in a long long while. A good friend of ours Kent Eastwood had set up a gig at the Chapel Theatre in Glen Innes - about 2 hours further north. Along the same highway, but without Barack Obama's encouragement this time. The Chapel theatre was, as the name suggests, an old Chapel that head been converted (into a theatre.... but I guess you got that already....), and it was just magic. Kent, Sam and myself all played a few songs each, then joined each other for a full set after the interval. Yes that's right there was an interval. How good is that. And in true country-style, there were home made cakes and biscuits to eat with our Tea and Coffee. Now that sort of stuff doesn't happen at the hopetoun. Say nothing of the feast that the Eastwoods prepared for lunch that day. Or the bullsh... accomodation that we were provided with. Too good for words. Soul food. Soul food. Certainly made the 8hr drive back to Sydney a lot easier. Gold Jerry.

So it's now 2.43 .And that's about all from me. The shows have died down a little whilst I try to concentrate on getting this record finished off. I can tell you that it's going to be 14 tracks. If you're interested that is. It's slowly starting to sound like something you would listen to. Which is I sort of the point I suppose. It's just that for a while there, I wondered if it ever would....

Goodnight. Adieu. See you soon.

Renny