Duckworth and Lewis won't save you - a song about cricket...

Well folks, it's been a while I realise but I decided to wait until I had something important to tell you. And here it is! Finally... It's been a while coming, but I'm excited to announce the long-awaited release of my song about cricket - 'Duckworth and Lewis won't save you'. I'm also very excited to announce that ALL PROCEEDS from the sale of the song will go to support Hunga Cricket Club and the development of cricket in the Island communities of Tonga.

To listen, purchase, and read a bit more about it, you can CLICK HERE

Or copy and paste this in your web browser if the link doesn't work:
http://rennyfield.bandcamp.com

This is just a digital release and is only available from the above website, just so I can ensure the maximum contribution towards Hunga Cricket Club. Any assistance you could offer sharing it around to friends/colleagues/cricket fans would be a great help! If you'd like a bit more info, then feel free to read on below...

Gigs at the very bottom if you'd like to come see a show some time. Hope to see you out there somewhere... :)

Love and thanks,
Renny
ox

www.rennyfield.com
www.facebook.com/rennyfield
www.youtube.com/rennyfield
www.twitter.com/rennyfield

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WHY HUNGA CRICKET CLUB?

I first heard about Hunga Cricket Club from a good friend of mine, Pete Morehead, who lives in Tathra on the far south coast of NSW. I've been playing gigs in Tathra for the past ten years or so, and Pete (or 'Mort' as he's often known) was actually the person who first booked us to play at the pub there, years ago when I was just getting started. He's been a great supporter and a great friend ever since.

But Tathra's a long way from Tonga yeah...?

Well it turns out Mort got the opportunity to buy a little bit of land on a tiny Island over there a while back and over the past few years, he and his wife Sue have managed to build a small house for themselves to retreat to during the colder months here in Australia. In addition to that, Pete also started to get involved with the local cricket scene through the Hunga Cricket Club, helping them with gear, coaching, matches and a few other things. All of it, in true Mort fashion, free of charge, just because he can see the enjoyment it brings the local community.

I'd been sitting on this song for a few years, waiting for the right opportunity to release it, and I thought World Cup time would be a perfect chance to not only help the cause of Hunga CC, but also to bring some attention to the development of the game in one of the world's lesser known cricketing countries. Who knows, one day we might even see a Tongan team at the world cup....? Anything is possible.

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ABOUT THIS SONG:

I spend a lot of time touring around in my car during the Australian summer, and one of the things I love most about it is being able to listen to the cricket on the radio. For me, it's one of the iconic sounds of summer in Australia, one of the things that makes me feel at home, wherever I happen to be. I know I should probably be listening to music and getting inspiration etc etc, but I've always just LOVED the cricket, ever since I was a little kid. And driving along a few years ago I thought it might be fun to write a song full of cricketing terms, just for a laugh. Hence I guess you could say cricket was my inspiration, albeit a non-musical one. And so 'Duckworth and Lewis...' was born.

I'm not sure what the actual Duckworth and Lewis would have to say about it - my hope is that they'd get at least a little amusement from it, much like I did when I was driving in my car, trying to amuse myself on the way to the next gig by writing a song about cricket... And I hope you can find a little there to enjoy too, even if you're not a cricket fan.

I know I know cricket goes all day and they walk around a lot and there's not always a lot of action bla bla bla I've heard all the arguments and I understand where you're coming from... BUT I JUST LOVE IT!! And if you don't, then you're really missing out.. Get on board!! :)

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TOUR DATES 2015

FRI 13/3
Three Ways Tapas, Gosford
Solo, 5.30-9pm. Free entry.

SAT 14/3
Kincumber Hotel
Solo, 8-11pm. Free entry.

SUN 15/3
Goldfish Bar, Hunter Valley
Solo, 1.30-5pm. Free entry..

SUN 5/4
Jamberoo Pub
Solo, 1-4pm. Free entry.

FRI 10/4
Breakers Terrigal
Solo, 7-10pm. Free entry.

SUN 12/4
Great Southern Hotel, Berry
Solo, 1-4pm. Free entry.

FRI 8/5
Diggers The Entrance
Solo, 8-11pm. Free entry.

SUN 10/5
Potters Brewery, Hunter Valley
Solo, 1-4pm. Free entry.

More dates to come, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/384523085052377/

Time for a little breather...

Hi again everyone, just a quick update from me to say a big THANKS to all of you who've shown your support over the past few years, at home and abroad, it's been quite a journey indeed. I've played in pubs, bars, living rooms, kitchens, under the stars, on the street... I've slept on couches, floors, in tents, and even managed a few nights in the back of my '97 Mirage. (If you don't think that's possible, well it's not. That's why I won't be doing it again). But more importantly than all that, I've met a whole bunch of wonderful people in my travels whose generosity can never really be repaid. Not until I have a place of my own of course, then I daresay the Karmic Hotel might be open for the foreseeable future. Not that I mind of course, what goes around comes around as they say. Which is absolutely fine by me.

Anyway as it turns out, the going around and coming around also has a third lesser known sibling - that being the slowing down. Which is not something I've done a whole lot of these past few years, at least not in a touring sense. But after a few months on the road in Europe last year, and a further 6 months on the road back home, I figured it was time for a little hiatus of sorts. Not the type that will have me hanging up the touring boots for good mind you, just the kind that will see me take a break from the airwaves whilst I work on some new tunes, some new projects perhaps, possibly some new directions as well. No doubt I'll check in from time to time as the journey unfolds but just for a little while I'll be hopping off the communications train whilst I reset the internal compass and get my bearings back a bit. As a friend of mine from Ireland always says - to be continued... to be continued...

Thanks again everyone, see you soon.

Renny

PS - There's a chance that this old blog page could be subjected to some fleeting moments of inspiration - feel free to check in from time to time, no promises...

http://rennyfield.blogspot.com

The photo...

Yeah I was getting to that. This is a shot from a good friend of mine - Anthony Pearse. I could have chosen one that was slightly kinder to my less-than-spectacular abilities on a surfboard, but there's a mysterious element to this that I kinda liked. Anthony is a wonderful local photographer, well worth checking out a few more pics if you get the chance - one of my faves is on the home page right now:

http://www.pearsephotography.com.au/

The Autumn Express, March 2014...

Don't you just love Autumn? The changing light, that smell in the air, the brisk mornings, clear days, it's a great time of the year to be touring in Australia, particularly when you've just survived a scorching summer in a car with no air-conditioning. Not that I'm complaining of course, I've had some wonderful experiences these past few months. Some great gigs, some not quite so great, some neither here nor there, but all of them rewarding in some way, even if just to add another story to the collection. One in particular which I've been enjoying recounting where the pub emptied out around 10pm, at which point the manager on duty decided to stack all the chairs on the tables then retreat to the bar to watch the cricket. Which meant I played my final set for the evening to a room full of stacked chairs. But not just that, there was also one of those old skill tester machines - you know the ones where you control the claw and lower it in the right place to (hopefully) collect a stupid soft toy you're never going to use? Only this one was a Simpsons variety, so it was stocked with Simpsons figurines, cheap watches and the like, and every five minutes or so I would hear Homer's voice, bellowing out some pearl of wisdom like "I don't know Marge". And I thought that was a bit ridiculous, playing to a room full of stacked chairs and and Homer Simpson. The professional in me wonders if I should even tell you about gigs like that, but then again that's part of my story, just as much as any other gig I've played.

The photo above is from a couple of years ago at 'Melodica on the Beach' in Boltenhagen, on the north coast of Germany. I got a chance to play a few tunes with a local pedal steel player, Olic Samlaus, which was a real treat. Travelling alone most of the time as I do, it's not often I get a chance to collaborate with other people, and this I remember as being a real highlight. The pedal steel is notoriously difficult to master, but Olic had such a wonderful sensitivity towards the music he was playing, no matter who he joined throughout the day. Of course it has nothing to do with the Autumn in Australia, but I'm writing this email at an internet cafe in Bali and after browsing the web for a fitting image to accompany this email, this was the best I could find. I did also have a nice picture of Avalon Beach, but I think I used a beach last time. I tend to see a lot of beaches. Again, I'm not complaining.

Anyways you know the drill - gigs down below. Come say hi if you can. Send me an email any time, I'll be here. Or there. Or somewhere in between. Catch you soon,

Renny x


THIS FRIDAY NIGHT

A special mention of Friday night's show at the music lounge in Brookvale. A beautiful new venue on Sydney's Northern Beaches, and a dedicated listening environment in the spirit of The Manly Fig, The Shack et al. Tickets can be booked in advance on the website, and it's BYO everything - food, drinks, whatever's gonna keep you in good spirits for roughly 3hrs of great live music. I'm sharing the bill with Larissa Mackay and Natalie Magee - for info and tickets, you can try this link. They've even got a picture of me without a hat on!

theacousticpicnic.com


TOUR DATES 2014

FRI 14TH MARCH
The Acoustic Picnic @ The Music Lounge
Brookvale, Sydney
Doors 7pm. Tix & Info:
http://theacousticpicnic.com/

SUN 16TH MARCH
Gosford Sailing Club
Free Entry, 2-5pm.

THURS 20TH MARCH
The Goulburn Club, NSW
Entry by donation. 8pm.
www.goulburnclub.com.au

FRI 21ST MARCH
Kings Hotel, Bathurst
Free entry, 8-11pm.

SAT 22ND MARCH
Oriental Hotel, Mudgee
Free entry, 8-11pm.

SUN 23RD MARCH
Tarana Hotel
Free entry, 12-4pm.

SUN 30TH MARCH
Garden Concert, Avalon Beach
Entry by invitation, email for more info:
renny@rennyfield.com
Donation, 1pm.

SAT 5TH APRIL
The Schack, Narrabeen
$20, Doors 7pm
www.shackfolk.com
Supporting Rory McLeod

SUN 6TH APRIL
Huskisson Pub
Free entry, 4-7pm.

THURS 10TH APRIL
High Tea, Sydney
Entry via Faecbook, or email:
renny@rennyfield.com
With 'Once upon a Rooftop'(Germany)

SUN 13th APRIL
Tall Timbers, Ourimbah
Free entry, 4-7pm.

THURS 17TH APRIL
Dapto Hotel
Free entry, 8-11pm

FRI 18TH APRIL
Culburra Bowlo
Free entry, 7-11pm

SAT 19TH APRIL
Tathra Hotel
Free entry, 8-11pm

SUN 20TH APRIL
Mollymook Golf Club
Free entry, 8-11pm

Keep an eye on the website for updates:

www.rennyfield.com

Or street corners for busking...

Over and out x

Summer touring in Oz...

Well folks it's been a nice couple of weeks back here in Australia, a chance to breathe a little after a decent little stretch of shows on the other side of the world. An unforgettable experience as I have said before, but no doubt the Australian coastline will respond in kind in the coming months - it never seems to disappoint. A part of me always feels sad to leave Europe towards the end of the year, but a quick trip to the beach usually settles any lingering doubts about the decision. It's a good place to come home to.

Anyway just a quick email today to give you a look at the upcoming tour dates (below). Melbourne next week, then NSW for the rest of the summer. Would love to see you if you're nearby, would love to hear from you if there's any other places you think I should visit. Because as you may have guessed, I do like visiting places. It's one of my favourite things to do...

Cheers for now, see you out there somewhere...

Renny
ox

www.rennyfield.com
www.facebook.com/rennyfield
www.youtube.com/rennyfield
www.twitter.com/rennyfield

TOUR DATES, 2013-14, CLICK HERE

Till next time, thanks for the memories...

Three and a half months, 40 shows, a bit of recording, two weddings, a whole lot of driving and a few dodgy kebabs and now here I am, back in Australia, a bit exhausted on the one hand but extremely thankful on the other that music continues to give me some incredible opportunities. Still no Kombi van, but these things take time (especially when they become vintage collectors items, who's idea was that anyway? Dear me.). The highlight? Well the people I'd have to say, I love meeting new people. Good people. In different parts of the world. People you barely knew 6 months ago who are now good friends, sure to be a part of your life somehow in the years ahead. The lowlight? Well not to get all TMI on you, but that'd probably be taking a dump beside the autobahn on an old metal toilet with no seat. Come on folks, we've all been there, it sucks. But if that's the worst that can happen to you when you play 40 gigs in Europe, then I reckon that's alright. (Sorry it's just the first thing that came into my head, never question the muse...!)

Sunday night in London was the final show of the tour, a real pleasure to share the stage with some very good friends and share the experience with a good few more who'd made the trip down on a rainy old Sunday evening. In no particular order, thanks to Evanjack, Schrav, Jimmi Nolan, Redvers Bailey, Tom Figgins, Emily Dolan Davies, Diana from Berlin and finally Jay on the desk for a wonderful night of music. Couldn't have asked for a better way to finish the trip! It seems a shame to leave London again in many ways, but Sunday's gig reminded me there'll always be a place for me whenever I return, either as a resident or a visitor. It's a nice feeling to have, a feeling of belonging, of being part of a community, the type of feeling that's not always easy to find when you spend so much time on the road. And it's nice to know that wherever I am in the future, my friends in London will still be a part of the journey, even if we're not always in the same place.

So to round off the tour blog, let me say a final thanks to everyone. And by that I mean EVERYONE who's played a part in the tour over the past few months. Too many to name individually, but rest assured I've made a mental note of each and every one of you as I've been typing this final entry. It's been a heck of a trip, one I'll never forget and not the last by any means. Sooner or later I'll have to stop somewhere sure, put some roots down for a while, but for the time being there's places to see, people to visit, discoveries to be made and music to be shared. In the short term there's also a beach waiting for me in Avalon, where I'll likely nod off for the next week or so before hitting the road again. Will be taking a bit of a break from the interwebs for a while (let's call it some time out to work on the base tan...) but I'll be back with more news soon enough. Till then stay well, keep smiling and keep singing, even if its just in the shower. Or in a toilet beside the autobahn for that matter, that's ok too. A little strange perhaps but completely fine if that's your calling. For those of you who'd like keep track of my whereabouts over the next few months, best to visit the website and navigate your way from there. More dates to come this week...

www.rennyfield.com

Will leave you with a little clip from last week in London, recorded with Evanjack and Redvers in Scotty's basement. Fare thee well folks, fare thee well x

Now I've really lost count, London...

Well folks I've made it back to London, suitably cold and grey for my arrival, although in fairness there was a bit of sunshine for the flight in which gave me a nice view of the Thames and the various famous old landmarks. Not forgetting the London eye-sore of course, that beacon of all things naff tourist. In more recent news, I've just cut myself on a loose razor in my bag for the third time this trip. Whoever invented the phrase "third time's a charm' obviously didn't have this in mind because it's not a charm at all, it's a real pain in the ass. And now as I'm typing I have to hold my right hand in such a way that I don't get blood on the keyboard. Dear me, it might be time to go home and unpack the suitcase for a while. But what a trip it's been....

Saturday I drove up through the mountains of Northern Italy and into Austria (below), where I took a break for a night in Innsbruck. In a moment of blind inspiration / temporary insanity, I decided it would be a good idea to go busking at the Christmas markets. This despite my moral stance against early-onset christmas markets such as these, being the middle of November and all, it's really taking it a step too far I think.... Anyway there I was trying to extract as much warmth as I could from each of the two degrees celsius on offer, and in between the hand rubbing/blowing I managed to sing a few tunes for the people of Innsbruck and other passers by, who were kind enough to shower some affection on me by way of small denomination coins, enough to buy myself some further love handle enhancement for the beaches of Australia, this time in the form of a big old Wiener schnitzel, apple strudel and wheat beer. It's a good thing someone invented rash vests... Still, Innsbruck was beautiful, I could happily live there, no problem. Maybe I could learn the ski jump too. I wanted to be a ski jumper when I was younger, having been inspired my the infamous "Eddie the Eagle" at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, remember him?? What a legend. Such was my determination to follow in his footsteps I actually rang the Australian Olympic Committee to see what I'd have to do. Alas, reality prevailed, as it so often does. But for a brief moment I imagined myself flying through the air, emulating one of my childhood idols, and I still remember how excited that made me feel....



So anyway here I am a musician not a ski jumper (also quite exciting in a far less life-threatening way), in the city this latest adventure started, taking shelter from the cold in a cafe in Bethnal Green, waiting for my Yoga class to start in an hour or so, thankfully in English for the first time in a couple of months... It feels a bit surreal to be honest, hard to believe Europe proper has been and gone. But I haven't really got to the reflection phase just yet, I think I'm still in travel mode. Looking forward to a brief rest when I get home to Sydney, then it's back into it again for the summer. I used to get a bit stressed about not having a proper base, being on the road so much, lacking a sense of place. But I've learned to live with that. And I know that that time will come, it's just not the way things are at the moment. So what's the use in worrying? Better to appreciate the opportunities I'm being granted by the status quo. And know that I'll have a good few stories to tell the grandkids, which is important I think. My own grandparents have set me a pretty good benchmark.

By the way did I mention THIS? I think I did. Sorry to repeat myself, but we'd love to see you if you're in London this Sunday. The big farewell spectacular spectacular. More spectacular than your average spectacular. Can anyone reading this remember the last time I held one of those...? The years go by so quickly. Best make the most of them while we can yeah?

Bye for now... x

Day 50-something, I've lost count, Umbria, Italy

Hello again folks, greetings from a record store in Perugia. Not where I'm staying, but I took a day trip here instead of going to Rome. It seems a shame to be so close to Rome and miss out, but you know by that logic you could do all sorts of things all the time and end up being very very tired (this is the usual logic I live by, hence the expert knowledge on this style of travelling). So for once, I've decided to take it easy for a few days, and accept that there will be future trips to Rome, or maybe not, or maybe somewhere else, but right now I'm enjoying Umbria, a beautiful part of the world in it's own right. Why am I here? Well because of a Yoga class in Avalon, obviously. Because as we all know if you attend a Yoga class in Avalon, you end up meeting someone from Italy, who then becomes a good friend and invites you to stay with her in Gaglioli for a few days (pictured). And you'd have to be mad to pass up an offer like that. Even madder than being 2hrs from Rome and not visiting perhaps...?! Peace. I'm at peace with this decision.

And in addition to thanking my good friend Sara for inviting me to experience Umbria for the first time (and playing flute with me last night!), I must also thank her sister Valentina, who runs a vintage clothing shop in Foligno (Vintageroom Foligno), the venue for last night's concert. I'm not entirely sure how much of my ramblings were understood by the mainly Italian-speaking audience, but I've had a similar problem with English-speaking crowds in the past, such is the nature of my oft-nonsensical banter between songs (although I'd like to think I'm on the improve....). And comprehension aside, it was great to play my first gig in a vintage clothing shop! Why did I have to come all the way to Italy to do that I wonder? I'm not sure exactly, but I'm glad I did. And I'm glad I started going to Rick's Yoga classes in Avalon, for the Yoga and the new friendships. Anyway here I am with the beautiful Trabalza sisters of Foligno/Gaglioli, not long after the show, when we'd all finished having a late night cup of herbal tea. Why drink beer when you can have tea with honey? This is my type of place!

And so that'll do me for the time being, it's been a relaxing few days and a nice little wind-down in Umbria. The picture below is from Assisi, of St Francis fame. A special place indeed. Tomorrow I'm heading north again, back to Berlin, then off to London for the last show of the tour. Would you like to come along? You really should, it'll be awesome. Guaranteed awesome. My very good friends are playing, and I hope to have a few more friends there to celebrate the end of a wonderful few months on the road. Click here if you'd like to find out a little more...

Ciao for now! x

PS - Anyone in Innsbruck tomorrow?