logees - how are you? Nice to have all two of you with me again. I am assuming there that "Blogee" is the Oxford-English-Dictionary-Approved term for the reader of a Blog, but I haven't checked...
Here in the land of RHF, I am currently counting down the days till the commencement of the next decade of my existence. Those of you smart enough to join the dots will therefore be able to figure out how old I am, but that's cool by me. I dare say you might have been able to take a reasonable guess by looking at my hairline, which sadly decided to go into an early retirement several years ago. Well I say sadly, but it's saved me a hell of a lot of cash on hairdressers. And in a round-a-bout sort of way, I guess that has helped me afford to put together this next album. Which, by the way, is almost finished.... never thought I would see the day, but I am closing in...
For those of you who are interested, I have been posting another few sample songs this week. As with the prevous versions, these are Demo's of the new album before it goes into the final stages of production. This week, I decided to put a couple of favourites up - Molly Mae and the Birds. Both pretty different to the solo versions that have been in circulation to this point. You might be (a) Intrigued, (b) Surprised, (c) Confused. I am a combination of all those things myself, and I suppose a little bit proud too. Anyway see what you think.
THE SHOWS:
THIS FRIDAY 3RD APRIL - FULL BAND SHOW
THE SUPPER CLUB, 134 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
Tickets available in advance on Moshtix - www.moshtix.com.au
Or at the door - $15.00.
This will be our last full band show before the album launch in the middle of the year.
Supported by James Blow from the Mischief in solo mode.
Music starts 8pm.
Note re this show:
This is also the first of Peregrine's "Late Sets" through April. They are one of my favourite local bands, and more importantly, a great bunch of blokes too. Peregrine will be hitting the stage after us at around 11pm. So it's a BIG Friday night of music for you all - come and be a part of it.
Check out Peregrine at www.myspace.com/playthings
SUNDAY 10TH MAY - SUNSETS AT THE FRINGE (Solo)
Fringe Bar, 106 Oxford Street, Paddington.
Supported by the Beautiful folk duo Ruby for Lucy.
www.myspace.com/rubyforlucy
Music from 6pm. Tix $8 at the door which includes a drink.
There may be a few more shows to add. As always, keep an eye on myspace for updates as they occur.
VIDEO CLIP:
We are in the early stages of putting together a film clip to accompany the release of the new album. It will be a fun sort of affair involving a pub and a crowd of some description.... Not really a gig, but sort of... Hard to explain. Anyway, without giving too much away, I thought I would check to see who would be interested in being a part of the crowd for the shoot. As I said, it's just in the early stages of production at the moment, but if you're keen to be involved it would be great to hear from you. Being independent an all, I can't offer any K-Rudd fiscal-stimulusesque cash handouts, just a chance to be a part of this little adventure, and probably a beer or two at the end of the day. Anyway please reply to this email if you think that's something that might interest you. More info to come.
NOTICEBOARD:
I am aware the noticeboard section has been missing for a while, but I am bringing it BACK. Just a small note this week about a show I went to last night at The Basement in Sydney. An Irish Singer-songwriter called Declan O'Rourke. A wonderful performer, and a really amazing songwriter - one of the best solo shows I have seen in quite some time. There is an intangible quality to Irish musicians that makes them real and engaging. A lack of pretence, a willingness to give themselves completely to their audience. He is big enough already, so I'm sure he doesn't need my help, but I reckon he's worth a listen if you're after some good new music for when you want to sit back, relax, and wind down:
www.declanorourke.com
TWITTER:
I have completed the final step towards online dependency. It is a sad day, but what can I do.....?
www.twitter.com/rennyfield
I'll try to post an update each day.
TALES FROM THE WEEKEND.
Bathurst and the Lost Tuxedo:
Friday night myself and my brother Matt (drums) went out for one of our Duo shows in Bathurst, which we play once every month or so. According to form, and in keeping with Field family tradition, we were late leaving the city and once again attempting to defy the Friday peak hour traffic gods in order to arrive on time for the show. As has been the case for all our gigs in Bathurst, the trip across the blue mountains was punctuated by a thick descending mist and a fairly decent amount of rain, not ideal for a 1986 Corona with severe traction problems and a missing headlight. Two thirds of the trip was also accompanied by a mysterious odour, something like the smell of coolant, being emitted from the engine of my car. Not fogetting the occaional burst of smoke, which I can't quite understand. This has been occuring for quite some time, but I continue to follow the "Ignore it and it will go away" theory for engine problems. To this point, it seems to be working. The going away part anyway, only it keeps coming back....
So anyway, we made it with 10min to spare. Which isn't really 10min to spare when you still have to unload the car and set up the PA and a drum kit, but the owner is an understanding sort of chap, and for that reason we love him, and we keep driving throught the rain once a month. As fate would have it, for some reason the microphone cable was missing. Not my microphone cable, the one belonging to the pub's PA system. And so ensued a wild goose chase round the streets of Bathurst to find a microphone cable, which we eventually borrowed from a pub up the road. Incidentally, I have accidentally returned to Sydney with said cable, and one of my tasks for this afternoon is to go to the post office and mail it back Express Post. Apparently the Sunday afternoon Bingo host was not a happy camper.
So the gig - when we eventually got away - was pretty cool. At least it started that way when the people were there... And slowly one by one through the course of the night they each departed. Until around 1am, when there was one person left, and we were still delivering the performance of a lifetime but at the same time wondering where it all went wrong...? It was halfway through the final song - to one person - that our audience member told us he thought the pub was closed. Not to worry, we finished the song anyway, only to discover that he was a friend of the bar staff, and in fact the pub had been closed for the last 15mins. Which roughly equates to 3 songs. I could spend I lifetime wondering why no-one bothered to inform the band that they could stop playing, but I'll just content myself with the fact that I have another great story to tell at my shows in the future (when they are attended by more that one person that is....). Was this the most tragic gig ever? No that would go to last year's solo show in Youghal on the South-east coast of Ireland, where for a period of 20mins I performed to an empty room. And I mean EMPTY. Not even the bar staff - they were serving people in at the other bar. Did I stop? No way. That was the best 20mins I have EVER played. Really. If only I had a way of proving it....
I should mention that my mother and grandparents attended the show in Bathurst, which was a nice surprise, and a nice opportunity to give them a rousing send-off when they left after the first few songs. There is something stangely fulfilling about watching your mother and grandparents waving to a pub full of wasted 20-somethings all going crazy for them.
So the gig finished, there was time for a few hours sleep at the Kings Hotel before a quick bite to eat in the morning and the trek back to Sydney across the mountains. The whole way back I was trying to think up a name for the new album (actually the whole way across I was doing that as well....) but to this point, I still haven't got it. Not to worry, it will come to me eventually.Taking suggestions...
So the lost Tuxedo... Well I didn't realise it was lost until 2.50pm when, after dropping my brother off and running a few errands in town, I arrived back at my house in Manly only to discover that it was not where I thought it would be. This was a problem, because the black tie wedding was due to start at 4pm. In the city.
It's funny, I had some sense that it would be missing on the drive home, but also some vague self-assurance from deep within that, even if it was missing, I would be able to get my hands on one somehow. This is another personality trait of the Field brothers - the ablility to make good in a seemingly helpless and chaotic situation. Most people would just avoid getting themselves into the helpless and chaootic situation in the first place, but that's not the way we work...
Anyway, I made a record of the sequence of events prior to getting to the wedding (in a Tuxedo). This might give you an interesting snapshot into a day in the life of Renny Field (it reads better if I describe it in the third person...).
2.50 Arrives in Manly and realises there is no Tux
2.55 Finds black pants
2.56 Miraculously discovers a formal shirt
2.57 Realises (tragically) that the shirt need cufflinks, but remembers that he used them at Shane's wedding and they might be in the same bag
2.58 Finds cufflinks in the last pocket of bag
2.59 Calls lifeline thrift store in Balgowlah who have black jackets
3.00 Shower, shave, change, including iron shirt.
3.10 Leave home in Manly
3.20 Find and purchase decent fitting jacket from the appropriately named "Lifeline" store amidst a sea of confused pensioners who think I have no chance of making the wedding.
3.21 Depart Balgowlah bound for the city for what should be a 30min drive on a good day.
3.21 - 3.44. Mark Webber is sighted on Military Road, Cremorne, attempting to attach cufflinks whilst speeding down the parking lane.
3.45 Arrive in city and get the last space in a cheap car park
3.55 Arrive at wedding in the Rocks with 5mins to spare.
3.56 Come to the realisation that I am an absolute legend.
3.56.02 Come to the realisation that I need to change the way I live my life
3.56.04 Come to the realisation that this is probably not possible.
4.00 - 12.00. Enjoy a great wedding. Looking like a millon bucks (or at least my version of a million bucks).
Sunday: ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Well done if you made it to here.
See you next week. Thanks for your continued support.
Renny
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