Kate's Thoughts On Track

Time Travel

2011-11-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

I read an article a while back about super-fast neutrinos. Apparently CERN discovered neutrinos that travelled faster than light in one of their experiments, and this proves Einstein wrong, and means that time travel is theoretically possible. Last I heard, scientists everywhere were on a mission to either prove or disprove this themselves, and I haven't heard the latest.

But the thing about time travel is this. Surely if time travel were possible, we'd know. We'd know because we'd be inundated with visitors from the future, right now. Probably in big futuristic tour buses.

As soon as time travel is invented, theoretically any era would be ripe for a visit. And humans being humans, no one will be able to resist popping back to their favourite era. So the fact that we're not seeing time travellers currently, and that there are no extensive records of them in history, means that time travel will never be achieved. Don't you think? Even ruling out the tour bus idea, there will always be someone, someone unable to control their obsessive desire to see who built the pyramids, or meet Jesus, or find out whether the solos in "Flashdance" really were danced by a man.

I've thought this through, using the razor-sharp logic that brought you "Space Rabbits", and have come up with the following scenarios:

#1 Time travel will never be invented. Bummer.

#2 Time travel will be invented but humans will be too wise and wary of the ramifications to use it (NOTE: highly unlikely)

#3 Time travel will be invented and the future humans are among us already, just well-disguised. This might explain the man who looked at me funny in Coles the other day but is probably best not to think about if you have a tendency towards paranoia.

#4 Time travel is indeed possible, however our future selves have never used it because they exploded/moved to another planet/regressed to chimpanzees/became absorbed in the Great Karaoke Wars/are planning for the planet-wide simultaneous performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller dance.

Just a thought.

Sidmouth part 2 -- Silly Songs

2011-08-12T10:32:00.003-07:00

Towards the end of the Sidmouth Folk Festival, to my great excitement, I was invited to join in on a Silly Song session. This is an annual session held by the Middle Bar Singers at the Anchor -- everyone who wants to sings a silly song in turn, unaccompanied. I was late arriving, but they kindly made room for an a capella version of "Space Rabbits of Brocklevoons", and we all bounced along. Then we all sang a very silly song about a gladiator, and I couldn't have been happier.

Then the next part of their annual event took place. They formed a procession, marched down to the sea, waded into the sea, and sang sea shanties.

I didn't go in for a dip, but was very admiring (it was very cold!). Here's me with two of the lovely Middle Bar Singers, Richard and Lynne, I hope we meet again soon:

And here's a video of the Spooky Men lending their voices and legs to Brocklevoons at the Anchor Garden on Wednesday night -- thanks to Cat Manners for putting up this video. Just look at Ryan bounce, that's some quality bouncing right there! Also loving the dance moves by Alex and Lisa, especially the extended "pounce" style by Lisa, and the enthusiastic crowd :-)

Sidmouth Folk Festival

2011-08-04T04:57:00.000-07:00

We are currently camped in a village hall just outside Sidmouth. It looks as if some kind of sleeping bag monster exploded in here ... the hall is bursting with camp stretchers, suitcases, and mysterious objects dragged in from the Spooky Bus and Van while they are cleaned.

It's been a very busy time since my last post about Bristol. Being on Spooky tour is sort of like being part of a circus ... there are about 20 of us at the moment, travelling from place to place, usually a new place every day, and every night a new concert ... often a sold-out concert, which is brilliant. You get into a kind of rhythm ... the nomadic life seems very normal at present. Though it's hectic, there are a lot of laughs.

The Spooky Men were the hit of Cambridge Folk Festival last week, which was an awesome spectacle. I've had a couple of my own shows at the Sidmouth Folk Festival this week. Last night the Spooky Men came and sang harmonies with me on Family Outing (the pirate song) and Space Rabbits of Brocklevoons. The amplification this provides means that there was no shortage of people bouncing for their lives in the audience, and it was a lot of fun.

And the very kind folks at Hobgoblin Music lent Ryan a guitar so that he could accompany me --- I'm so grateful to them.

I'm enjoying walking by the seaside, surrounded by folk music lovers, Morris Men of all different colours and kinds, clog dancers, musicians, buskers ... it's bustling and rich and ancient, somehow.

Other highlights from recent times include a guest appearance from the Ashton Keynes choir the Magnificent AK-47s in my set (all dressed as pirates), the fascinating Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford, and the Baths in Bath. In Oxford we performed at the Holywell Music Room ... the oldest secular music venue in England. Amazing to think of all the people who have stood upon that stage, and what they might have been thinking, and whether they too had a hall-full of sleeping bags and mysterious objects waiting for them after the show...

Bristol update #2

2011-07-21T03:12:00.001-07:00

Click here to read another lovely review of the Bristol show.

We're off to Milton Keynes tonight, and Ryan and I are planning to get the spoons out for the first performance of "Space Rabbits of Brocklevoons" this trip ... will anyone bounce? Hope so!!

Bristol update

2011-07-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a smashing review of the Bristol concert -- it's by Les Gillam from the Bristol Evening Post. Click here to read the review!

Bristol -- St Georges

2011-07-20T02:16:00.000-07:00

The UK Spooky Tour is well underway, and it's going fantastically well. I'm writing this from a bedroom in our new friends George and Rosemary's beautiful house with green hills out the window, dotted with black and white cows. Last night we played at Sedbergh in the very beautiful Sedbergh Parish Church. I played Sparky the Giant Squid during my set last night, so a big thanks to the Sedbergh folks for waving their tentacles around! :-)

I have some pictures of our Monday night concert at St Georges in Bristol (thanks Alex Gill-Chambers for the pics!). It was a huge night, with a 550-strong very enthusiastic, friendly audience-- I've never played to so many people before, and it was an absolute blast. The whole audience joined in with the chorus of Family Outing (the pirate song) in two-part harmonies, bless them, it sounded gorgeous. Also, because of the acoustic beauty of the space, we all performed with no amplification -- a bit scary for me, but it was so worth it! I got to move around the stage while I sang, and even did a little tap dance.

The Spooky Men's Chorale set was filled with huge amounts of fun and laughter (and I mean massive!): here is an extra special moment for those of you who know the Spooky Men ... the Sharing Caring Spooky Circle of Loving Feeling goes vertical!! That's Ryan on the top, supported by Stirling.

For a more detailed account of Spooky goings-on, click here to check out their awesome daily blog!

Packing with "Three Men In A Boat"

2011-07-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

I'm going touring in the UK in a week, as the support act for The Spooky Men's Chorale. This time I'm determined to travel light. So I've been inspired by some classic packing advice: George's, in Jerome K. Jerome's most excellent book Three Men In A Boat: "We must not think of the things we could do with, but only of the things that we can't do without."

The author comments: "I call that downright wisdom, not merely as regards the present case, but with reference to our trip up the river of life in general. [...] Throw the lumber over, man! Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need — a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing."

Three Men in a Boat is one of my favourite books ever. First published in England in 1889, it tells the story of three friends who go on a holiday up the Thames River. It's so funny, and still rings so true, over 120 years later. It's testament to the writer's talent, I think, that the humour in it is still accessible to us even though the English language has changed — the writing style is a lot more formal than you'd find today, but so beautiful. I love it when J fancies he is ill because of the symptoms he has read in an ad for liver pills, Harris and George's disastrous attempt to pack the hampers, the account of Harris singing a comic song, the time he gets lost in Hampton Court Maze, and their terrible experiences trying to open a tin of pineapple. Humans have changed so much over the last hundred years, but not at heart; if this book is any guide, our warmth, curiosity, inventiveness, and general "larrikiness" are inherent in our very DNA. And thank goodness for that.

Anyway, I recommend the book to you, whether you're travelling or not. It's really good company in the same way that Robert Frost poems are, and is also a curious window into a past reality.

Lemon Meringue Pie

2011-06-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

I made this video for fun a while ago ... two robots (one quite tetchy) discuss a recipe for lemon meringue pie.

Some lovely videos

2011-06-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

While in W.A. recently at the Denmark Festival of Voice, I had the chance to see some wonderful performers ... here are some of my favourites, for when you have a rainy afternoon.

The Pepperjacks - incredible playing and stunning harmonies

Kate Wilson - an awesome beat poet, makes paintings with words

Penny Larkins and Carl Pannuzzo - just listen, it's so beautiful...

The Trouble with Teleporting

2011-06-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

My favourite conversation from the Denmark Festival of Voice. We bumped into a couple of our friends in a cafe:

Monica: We've just been saying that what you really need at a folk festival is a Tardis. It gets you to all the different gigs you're singing in, plus it's somewhere to get changed.
Me: Yes. That's the advantage of a Tardis over a standard teleporting machine - somewhere to get changed.
Clive: Plus, when you teleport, you risk turning up as a fly.

So true.

.

Ironfest

2011-05-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Here's me with an old friend, at Ironfest in Lithgow a couple of weekends ago:

The pic was taken at an exhibition by the Sydney Robot Workshop, a club for people who want to build robots. Awesome!

Although it was freezing, Ryan and I had a great time at Ironfest. We performed in a friendly venue, The Shed, tantalised by the smell of delicious coffee and chocolate brownies on display at the cafe. Thanks Ian Walton for the first pic below, and Ian Moore for the second! :-)

Meanwhile, outside on the oval, people dressed up to recreate famous battles, while others displayed their artwork in stalls. The costumes from all eras were amazing, but as previously established on this blog, I am a poor excuse for a photojournalist, and spent my time gawking instead of taking photos.

What I did manage to get, however, is a pic of the Reapers. Representing the forces of darkness, they had a motorbike-jousting battle with the friendly mortal Knight Riders in an attempt to steal the souls of everyone on earth.

(You'll be relieved to know the mortals won!)

A big cheers from Ryan and I also to the Brothers Three, who also performed at The Shed, and joined in with some tap-dancing during our set!

Mr Bandicoot photos

2011-05-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the photos from the Mr Bandicoot show at the Victorian State Library in April (see two posts ago).

That's me and Elsha Lawson-Boyd on stage, and also Elsha being a train with the crowd! It was probably the best audience train I've ever seen, made of dozens of kids going round the library lawn in a conga line.

We were there to help launch the Library's Young Readers Program CD, which is a CD of fun nursery rhymes supplied free to libraries and health centres across Victoria.

Mr Bandicoot is a kids picture book and cd by Anne Lawson (Elsha is her grand-daughter which is extra cool!). It is made up of gorgeous nursery rhymes about tigers, seashells, fairies, trains and more that Anne made up for her kids fifty years ago, sung by me, and the book is illustrated by Hugo Moline and Heidi Axelsen. More info on Mr Bandicoot here!

Awesome Coffee Alert!!

2011-04-19T02:39:00.000-07:00

These fantastic coffees are by Mike at Dr Java in Fitzroy, Melbourne (the cafe is on the corner of Gertrude and Smith St, and highly recommended!). The one with the dog's paws is in honour of my song Fred the Dog, about a dog who learns to talk. (If you haven't seen the YouTube clip click here.)

I'm still having a fab time playing around with kids songs for the album, including Fred the Dog. Recording starts in May. T-Rexes, the Big Bang, space rabbits, computers and Sparky the Giant Squid all get a look-in.

And before that, Ryan Morrison and I are off to the National Folk Festival in Canberra, to do both grown-up and kids shows over the Easter weekend. I love the National ... I can't wait!!!

4th Rock from the Sun

2011-04-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

I was at the Melbourne Museum earlier this week. Wandering through the fascinating Minerals section, minding my own business, when suddenly, inside an ordinary glass case, this:

This is apparently a rock from Mars. If you can't read the label in the photo, it says that an asteroid hit Earth, and a bit of Mars flew off, and here it is. The piece itself is 2cm tall, 1 cm wide, and as thin as a silicon chip.

I didn't even know we had bits of Mars on Earth. It seems too incredible to be true. There was no info given on when, or where this bit landed. But its composition marks it as a Mars local.

I love Melbourne. The night before, I had been watching Shaun Tan's exquisite animation "The Lost Thing" on an open-air screen in Federation Square, and now, after brilliant coffee at Dr Java, I had wandered up the road and seen a piece of another planet.

I was in Melbourne to perform at the State Library of Victoria last Sunday, as part of the launch of their Young Readers Program CD -- it was great fun, and I'll post pics as soon as I have them.

The Crossroads

2011-03-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

Hi, and welcome back to the blog. I’m aiming to post more or less weekly this year.

After my big tour with Ryan Morrison last year I needed some time off from music. So I did some other work for a change. On moving back to being a singer-songwriter, I found myself at a crossroads, wondering where to go next. It took me a while, but I was very drawn to the brightly painted sign marked “Record A Kids Album”. So I’m off in that direction this year, with a bunch of helium balloons in hand, and a unicorn and a T-Rex trotting along beside me. It's a lot of fun, and they don't eat much, being imaginary and all.

I find “being at a crossroads” fruitful, but frustrating. Many myths surround this experience, and understandably so, as it's so ambiguous. Exciting, bewildering, unpleasant. Somehow one is in-between, not here, not there. It’s the moment in-between past and future, where different realities stretch out ahead, and sometimes it's hard to leave for a new destination. At the crossroads you are equipped to make your choice with the knowledge you have earned, advice from your loved ones, and a dash of luck. (OK, and maybe Wikipedia, if you happen to have an iPhone on you.)

In my mind, this place is in the middle of a desert. Plain bitumen roads cross the sand, beneath an infinite blue dome of sky. It seems empty, but I remind myself that the desert is never empty, if you know what to look for. I guess the trick is just not to stay too long.

After the Tour

2009-10-20T05:09:00.001-07:00

If I ever write my memoir, it will start like this (read it in a Bogart accent):

"It was a dark, moonlit night at Nanga Festival. I was huddled behind a bushland concert venue. The eucalypts were still and eerie in the half-light.

Inside the building I heard deep male voices, performing a strange, troubling and oddly thrilling version of The Teddy Bear's Picnic.

It was time.

As I zipped up my golden, furry bearsuit, and prepared to storm the stage (to be later tempted off with a cookie), I reflected on how different life had become, since I first met the Spooky Men."

I'm in WA with Ryan, and have been doing some gigs supporting the Spooky Men of the West ... gigs with unexpected fringe benefits. Doing a gig is already pretty good. But doing a gig AND I get to wear a bear suit? Priceless.

There were many great adventures over on the UK Spooky Tour, which everyone is almost now back from. The blokes were amazing, and very well-received in England, Scotland and Wales. My gigs went well too. Fave moments included singing Brocklevoons with the Spooky Men and having a whole hall of 150 people jumping up and down, and also seeing the marvellous countryside in Wales. Also loved getting the news that Brocklevoons won a Grand Prize in Session 1 of the Children's Section of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

It was all awesome over there, but I'm happy to be back in Australia, writing again and staying in one place for a while. How happy? This happy:

cheers and cookies
Kate

Lancaster

2009-08-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

Have arrived in Lancaster to an unexpected problem. The 436 steaks bought for dinner have been inexplicably devoured. Meat crumbs litter the luggage compartment. It's a total mystery.

Banchory

2009-08-27T05:25:00.001-07:00

There was no sign of the Loch Ness monster, and so we piled back into the Spooky Van and headed to Banchory.

Aside from some strange rumblings and banging noises coming from the luggage compartment, the trip was pleasant and uneventful, and we had a terrific gig.

Now we're heading south.

Loch Ness

2009-08-26T02:37:00.000-07:00

no sign of the monster so far.

UK tour

2009-08-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

Awesome UK trip so far ...

• we stayed in a castle at Kinnersley
• sang in a giant yurt in the gardens of said castle ... Kate's first UK gig, yay!
• camped in tents in a London backyard
• ate a giant silver cake shaped like a tool that a host had baked in honour of the Spooky Men
• have met buckets of interesting people, including a lady who once shared a taxi with Kurosawa, and a former deep sea diver
• held divining rods at Avebury Circle and found something (maybe moles)
• had very merry times in the Spooky bus
• and are currently trying to see the asteroid shower through a blanket of clouds in Cornwall.

Ryan says he thinks he saw a shooting star this evening, but it may have been a moth. Further info will be supplied as the drama unfolds.

The Spooky Men are doing awesomely, and have had brilliant and enthusiastic receptions all over the UK. We are all currently on tour break, and my next gig is in a week or so.

Still alive!

2009-08-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's an interesting fact that if you have a tour blog, and do not update it, people will email you to ask if you are still alive. Oops!

We are definitely alive, and happy. Glad to have had such a great tour, and excited about the next bit: the UK. Ryan is already there, with the Spooky Men's Chorale, and I'm about to join him to do support for the Spooky Men on the second half of their tour.

Here are some highlights of things I learned on tour:

1. If you wait until your fear goes away to try something new, you'll be waiting forever. Feel the fear and do it anyway, as Susan Jeffers would say. It gets easier.

2. The Nullabor is very beautiful, it clears your mind and calms your soul.

3. Anyone who tells you that the Eyre Highway is dangerous, and that you'll need to take a gun, probably travelled it in the 70s.

4. Love and friendship are everything. There is no greater meaning to life. Except music, in third place. And, all right, a good coffee in the morning, in fourth. Which reminds me:

5. There is no good coffee on the Nullabor. If you screw up your eyes and bravely face it, you can pretend you're somewhere exotic and you're drinking some kind of local specialty.

6. Stock up on Mi Goreng noodles before a tour.

7. Don't jump and sing at the same time if you want to make it through a set.

8. Avoid bedbugs at all costs.

9. When spirits are low, try this:
POACHED PEARS
Peel pears, core them, cut them in half and put the halves face down in an ovenproof dish.
Cover them completely with generous amounts of sour cream and brown sugar
Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes or until pears are soft and topping has caramelised.
Great with ice cream!

10. And finally, when you buy a secondhand van, for goodness sake get someone to check the radiator!

Shock news: Ryan gets RSI in Rabbit Related Rampage

2009-05-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

It’s lucky the Space Rabbits chose my kitchen to visit. Obviously the whole ‘having spoons’ thing was good for them, but also, visiting a songwriter is a great way to publicise your planet. Live versions of ‘Space Rabbits of Brocklevoons’ are now on YouTube and MySpace:
Live in Perth
Live at Fairbridge love the kids!
Audio from another Perth gig, with Stephen Taberner on double bass.

But there is a cost to all the fun and frivolity. It has come to my attention that Ryan has developed RSI … Repetitive Spoon Injury. Apparently he has terrifying bruises on his thighs, but since he won’t let me photograph them, you will have to be merely alarmed at the state of his pants:

Who knew spoon playing was such a dangerous business?

We are still in Perth, travelling back to Denmark in a couple of weeks to do workshops in singing (Ryan) and songwriting (me).

Perth!

2009-04-21T01:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry not to have updated the last rather dire post, but there hasn't been much opportunity for internet in the last little while.

All's well. We made it across the incredible, beautiful Nullabor! We've been to the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and performed at Fairbridge Festival in Perth, and will now tour with the Spooky Men of the West before doing three house concerts of our own. We've decided to end the tour after that ... mid-May ... and continue with the northern part of the trip at a later time.

more soon!!!!! thanks for your messages!!
Kate and Ryan

Stand By Your Van

2009-03-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I are currently marooned in Mallacoota, in Southeast Victoria. This is entirely the fault of Jessie Graham, the third (rather bolshy) member of our party.

Jessie Graham is a Ford Econovan. In her previous life she used to transport jumping castles. I suppose this should have been a warning to us that she was a machine accustomed to a certain amount of excitement and drama.

Having given us some worrying moments up north, Jessie Graham had been as good as gold all down the coast.

Perhaps we didn't pay her enough attention. Perhaps we should have given her flowers, or praised her more often. It turned out she was only biding her time until the next outburst.

We had had a great day at Wangaratta in Victoria, teaching creative writing and body percussion to school kids, and doing an interactive concert for them (including the highly exciting new Space Rabbits of Brocklevoons which involves lots of bouncing by all concerned.) Then we headed across to Mallacoota in Eastern Victoria for more of the same.

After a few ominous bangs crossing the Great Dividing Range, and a strange incident involving the total disappearance of all the recently re-filled coolant, Jessie Graham overheated and carked it at night in isolated Cann River, on the way to Mallacoota. (In an interesting side note, apparently many musicians break down there on the way to Mallacoota. It's called "The Cann River Triangle". You have been warned.)

We tried refilling the coolant (again) and test-driving her to a (closed) service station, whereupon she spat out all the coolant all over the engine cover in a scene reminiscent of The Exorcist.

I'll spare you the details of why we couldn't get towed the 70km to Mallacoota. In the end, very, very kind people from Mallacoota arranged to come and get us, and Jessie was towed away in disgrace somewhere else far away, amidst ominous talk of head gaskets. Luckily, thanks to the help we got here, we were able to make it to the school, had a fab day with the kids, and had a truly beautiful evening singing for the folks in the Mud Brick Pavillion.

There are many worse things in the world than being marooned in Mallacoota. Our hosts took us on a boat ride to isolated, exquisite Goanna Bay, ran our gig for us, and patiently helped us sort out our ridiculous problems. We're staying amidst beautiful bushland, full of birds and little creatures, and have lots of time to spend watching pelicans catch and gobble down fish, and other such fascinating things.

Jessie will take a while to repair, and it'll probably cost a bomb. Having already had to cancel one festival appearance this weekend, we are leaving her here, and returning to Melbourne by coach in order to make it to the Apollo Bay Festival next weekend and an ABC interview in Melbourne on Tuesday night. We'll have to come back and get her later.

I have to honestly say I feel a bit discouraged. If Jessie does not recover, the next leg of our trip ... across the desert to Perth ... may have to be replanned. We both feel determined to continue so I guess we'll have to wait to know more once the mechanic has had a proper look this week.

Best in show

2009-02-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

Come see Ryan, me, and the unearthly blue glow at our gig in Moruya tonight (Sunday 1st March, no matter what the heading up there says)...

As ever, for details of this gig, or the ones in Melbourne and Canberra next weekend, click on the picture at the bottom of this page or visit my myspace page (there's a link on the right).

It's our last night on the South Coast, before heading back to Melbourne for a few days. We've seen and heard some remarkable things on tour so far.

Best fact:
Appin was the first town in Australia to use solar panels ... in 1958!!!!!!

Best rumour:
The Bega high school is built over an old cemetery ... and the graves are still there ... oooh ...

Best irony:
The signs along the road to Honeymoon Bay:

I knew the course of true love never did run smooth, but no one mentioned laser hazards.

And finally, winner of the "Things I wish I hadn't noticed" category:

Coasting South

2009-02-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I are staying on the South Coast in NSW, camping on a cliff that overlooks the deep blue sea.

People are very friendly here. Even the warning notices seem more like thought-provoking haiku poems ...

I spent this weekend ensconced at the Cobargo Folk Festival. It is a folk singer's dream place. The marquees are set up on a hill in the showground in Cobargo, and everyone camps at the bottom of the hill. All around are great green hills, studded with eucalypts and that tufty brown scrub stuff. And cows, and those sheep with the off-white wool and black faces.

And the people who were there were the most loving, supportive, and hugest crowd I've ever had outside of my Mountains home crowd. It was quite overwhelming ... I looked out during my first gig and saw a couple of hundred people absolutely beaming at me. Just lovely.

Apart from this very warm reception, my other favourite music moments were Mal Webb's thrilling gigs (I did actually nearly fall off my chair laughing) and The Fagans' harmony workshop ... singing in harmony in a room full of people is a really beautiful experience. I didn't get heaps of time to listen to lots of other gigs ... though I did love the Ellis Collective and Glover & Sorrenson ... because I was pretty busy with my own 3 ... and also did a kids' performance and a creative writing workshop during the weekend.

I don't have any photos, but the official photos will no doubt be up soon at the festival website.

Ryan has just rejoined me after a week in Melbourne with the Spooky Men's Chorale (if you need cheering up today, click here to Build Your Own Spooky Man, a game which he has recently designed. He he he!) We have a couple of concerts in Jervis Bay and Moruya this weekend before heading back to Melbourne for a bit (see picture at the bottom of this page for gig details.)

Our Sydney and Gosford gigs were small but fun, and we were greeted at the Clarendon with a very groovy home crowd. There are two things that have really hit home with me during the tour: firstly the unrelenting kindness and support of new friends, old friends and strangers (especial thanks to the Bowers at St Marys Church, the Bissets in Sydney, Claudine Walker, my folks and everyone who made it along to our gigs), and second, the possibility of some really unusual moments when you step out of your usual routine (thanks to Dianna Bisset for this pic!):

Yes, that is a wombat on the left. Spud has been cared for by Dianna since she was a little orphan tyke (Spud, that is, not Dianna), and has now been paired up with a bigger wombat so she can learn to be a wombat for real. And yes, that is a sitar ...

have a beautiful day
xx Kate

Gigs This Weekend

2009-02-12T17:11:00.002-08:00

We're performing at 3 Sydney-ish gigs this weekend:

Friday 13th Feb 8pm
Cafe Churchspace, 37 St Johns Rd, Glebe $15/$10 conc

Saturday 14th Feb 8pm -- Valentine's Day!
St Marys Heritage Church, 3 Mann St, Gosford $10

Sunday 15th Feb 3pm matinee
The Clarendon Guesthouse, 68 Lurline St, Katoomba $18/$10 kids

hope to see some of you there! :)

Grey Days

2009-02-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a very grey and sobering few days. All our love to you all, especially those in Victoria, we hope you and your families are all okay.

It rained here on the Central Coast last night ... buckets and buckets. This morning the air smells fresh and beautiful. I had my hair cut at a barber shop in Umina, feeling grateful for the simple things ... the rain, the warmth of the shop, the comfortable chat of the hairdresser, the phone ringing with appointments to be made for ladies named Eunice and Beryl. People are treating each other very gently ... there have been big fires up here at Peats Ridge too.

Ryan and I have been doing a lot of singing in preparation for this weekend's gigs. Ryan's also been immersed in design work: a couple of interesting music-related projects that we'll tell you about soon. I've been posting off cds and press releases to radio stations and newspapers along our route south, asking for interviews and airplay. We've also been sticking up posters and leaving leaflets on countertops everywhere.

As leaflets have been on my mind, I was drawn to the following ... I have a certain fellow feeling for whoever designed this leaflet:

Not only because it is The Only Circus With LIONS, but because of the geese. Their performing geese are so good they're listed even before the dogs and the Double Wheel of Death. And you know how clever dogs are. Believe me, if Ryan and I had geese that good, we'd be pushing them too.

much love to you all, stay safe, hope to see many of you this weekend (click on the pic at the bottom of the page for gig details),
Kate and Ryan

On The Streets

2009-02-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

A huge hooray to the Warren kids who have been putting posters up in the Blue Mountains for us! I keep getting emails from people who have seen the posters. This is very exciting. I feel like the shoemaker with the elves who make all the shoes for him at night while he's sleeping ... you know that story ... yes, you do ... anyway, thanks guys, that's awesome.

Meanwhile Ryan and I are on the Central Coast, promoting our upcoming gigs. I am fond of telling friends that we are being "hounded by the press". When asked for details I am forced to admit that this only means that a nice lady from the Central Coast Express Advocate rang up and asked politely to interview us, and we politely said yes. It's just that "hounded" is such a great word. Would you believe ... a very small hound? Would you believe ... chihauhaued by the press?

I also did an interview yesterday on ABC Central Coast Radio with Brad Storey, who impressively had researched my entire life on the Internet, and quizzed me on the French legal system. I played Fred the Dog live to air, right before the cricket. :)

There will be more radio interviews next week: one on FBi94.5FM in Sydney on Tuesday 10th after 8:30 with Dave Regos who runs a great folk show "In the Pines", and one at CoastFM963AM up here on the Central Coast on Wednesday 11th about 10:15am.

We've become very fond of the Pearl Beach cafe, who have excellent coffee and breakfast, and wireless Internet. They've become rather fond of us too, and having hung up a poster and put our cds on high rotation, they invited us to make a guest appearance at their "Mamma Mia" night last night. A host of very kind locals gave us a fantastic listening-to before the movie. It's a great movie, if you haven't seen it. Meryl Streep is gold! Here's my take on the evening ... impressionistic, you understand:

Ange Takats sent me some pics from her album launch in Eumundi last week, hooray! Here's me with Ange and Pete Uhlenbruch.

Both these pics are by Sunshine Coast photographer Andrew Seymour.

The Tour Begins

2009-02-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Kate Rowe and Ryan Morrison Grand Touring Blog. We'll be posting our adventures here as we know a lot of you would like to keep up with our news day to day. The only thing is, 7 days in, I'm not sure if Ryan and I are cut out to be photojournalists. We keep forgetting to photograph things.

Did we remember to capture the drama of our broken down van on departure day in outback Victoria? The searing 43.4 degree walk along the highway? The all-important flushing out of the radiator? No, we forgot.

Did we remember to take beautiful artistic shots of my first gig at Ange Takats' album launch in QLD, singing to a warm and happy 150-strong audience about Frank and Fred? Of Pete Uhlenbruch and his eerie Icelandic songs? Or of the gorgeous Ange herself, resplendent in red ballgown as her spinetinglingly beautiful voice soared across the darkened room? No, we forgot then, too.

How about our open air gig in the park at Peregian Originals the next day -- Ryan's QLD debut? Surely then we remembered, amidst the picnicking crowds, the dogs, the icecreams?

How about pics of the beautiful quirky house we were hosted at, that looked like a scene out of a fairytale, or the enormous crashing waves of Yaroomba beach, and the luminous white crab that scuttled across the path?

Or the second van breakdown involving a loud bang and a chunk of ice falling off the gas converter? (nice!). The kind NRMA man? The huge cawing ravens fighting in the car park where we slept alongside the trucks?

Nup. Afraid not.

We did, however, collect ourselves in time to photograph the Big Prawn, on our way out of town.

Also Macadamia Castle.

We'll try to do better, we promise.
Love, Kate and Ryan

NEXT INSTALLMENT: ON THE STREETS -- USING OUR COLLECTIVE WITS TO PROMOTE OUR SYDNEY, GOSFORD & KATOOMBA GIGS