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.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
UK tour
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.
• 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.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Still alive!
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!
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!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Shock news: Ryan gets RSI in Rabbit Related Rampage
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).
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).
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Perth!
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
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
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Stand By Your Van
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.
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.
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