Colours of the primary persuasion

COLOURS started out as a 'creative exercise' and also as an exploration into the moods that certain colours evoke.
I decided that i would compose and record one song per day over the course of ten consecutive days. The only rules i put on the project was this time restriction. To really capture my own reaction to a certain colour, i felt it best to concentrate within 24 hours for each one.

To keep a long story short, i became engrossed in the project and by the last day (25th December 2008) i had ten songs that i really...liked. This crazy experiment had worked. Before i got too carried away i decided to record 8 cd's and paint some covers, hand them to 8 friends and gather a response.
The response was really positive (at this stage i figured i was mental to want to release an instrumental album). Some of my friends were coming back and explaining, in great depth, the images and visions that came to them whilst listening to the colours. Others enjoyed the idea of guessing the colours, a very child-like and beautiful response it was.

So this is COLOURS, the project that took me from Avoca Beach in Australia to Portland, Oregon and back again. After the project was mixed and mastered i realised i had to release this little friend to the world at large.
Artwork and replication are now in progress and i will release the album at a very special party 1 year (and 2 days) on from when the project was completed. I feel this is another small step forward in my musical adventure and i hope folks will check it out with the open mindedness of a child. - mike

LAUNCH PARTY (with the Vigilantes)

27th DEC 2009;
Lizottes Restaurant, Kincumber NSW

$20 / ph 02 43 682017 - TO BOOK A TABLE!

meolddog@gmail.com
mikemccarthy.com.au

Interviews Installment 3 'JEZ'

This weeks interview installment is with good mate and producer/engineer of the album 'Fire Flood Freedom', Jeremy 'Jez' Reynolds.

Mike
Jez, I recall a gig up near Wyong where i got talking with you about music and recording? Was this your first encounter with me?

Jeremy
I believe it was. You played after my band's set. I remember really liking your music and your personality and thought 'I'd really like to record this bloke' (I had just finished studying audio engineering and was now working at the college studios).

Mike
This is SAE sydney right?

Jeremy
Correct

Mike
Now you weren't the only one i got to talk with that night. Your drummer, at the time, Chris Hawkins came and chatted...this was a monumental evening hey?
Well it was for me... and the future of what would happen over the coming years?

Jeremy
Absolutely, as time would tell!

Mike
So it would seem your not shy of a challenge. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve taken on with me (and the band)?

Jeremy
Ha! Definitely working out 'how Mike ticks'. I was drawn to your personality the first time we met - but it took us a while to work out how each went about his trade.

Mike
It’s interesting you say that. We really did come from a different background in music and are quite different personalities. It’s great we’ve managed to remain mates really!

Jeremy
I think we had enough differences to bring together fresh ideas (or compromises!) and also enough in common (Tooheys old and Jesus) to enjoy time together as mates and with music.

Mike
True indeed. I'm interested to know how you approached the engineering/producing of Fire Flood Freedom (which was our first CD collaboration)...can you give us an insight?

Jeremy
Well it actually started, literally, with the song 'Fire Flood Freedom' (FFF) which we recorded at SAE studio. We were really happy with this, which led to recording an album around it together. The approach was quite simple - after hearing your demos i loved the songs straight up. Even though the budget was limited, I thought the songs lent themselves to a simplistic recording - namely home studio. The songs were so strong they didn't need the polish of a big studio production.

Mike
Yeh, I remember being pretty happy with your plan for many reasons...but mainly because we could achieve something unique.

You were coming from a 'rock' kind of background...was it hard to practice restraint?

Jeremy
Maybe at first - but once the tracks were going down with just the basics, it was clear "less is more" would work. We kept and used some of the guide guitar tracks as they had such a great feel. Another benefit in keeping it simple was the honesty that came through the tracks - there's not a ton of layers - pretty much just what you'd hear coming off a stage with your band.

Mike
I've just been listening back to FFF and i'm impressed with the sounds you managed to pull...what was one of the strangest things you tracked on the recording?

Mike
…and don't say my vocals...

Jeremy
That'd have to be the pot in 'Sinking Feeling'. It was a really big ceramic pot that had umbrellas in it - hitting it with your hand created a deep, round sound. We stuck a microphone in the bottom and recorded a few beats. This was one of the few 'pro tools' shortcuts we took - sampling a few beats then pasting them throughout the song (you can't blame us - it's a really long song!).
Turn that track up with a big sub woofer and you'll feel it!

Mike
So we really did try to keep an integrity in the recording process. Is this something you focus on when working in the studio?
Or is it 'horses for courses'?

Jeremy
Yeh, it depends on the artist and the goal. The really good artists i've worked with have been big on keeping it authentic, and the results are top-notch. Other’s who are trying to pull something off that just isn't them, need a whole lot more studio magic to pull it off.

Mike
Now, you are a bit of a magician in the studio yet you really did open my eyes to getting a good performance onto tape (or file). Did the early days of playing guitar 'live' have a part in this thinking?

Jeremy
Totally - the rather crass expression 'you can't polish a turd' is very true in the recording process. Getting good sounds to tape was the one big thing I was continually taught at college. Things such as EQ are best used when they're enhancing a sound not when they're trying to resuscitate it.
Having a playing background helped me to relate to everything pre-mic - how to tweak an amp to get it singing or when guitar strings are at their best.

Mike
...it makes a huge difference!
It's also 'thanks to you' for bringing Chris Hawkins (Drummer on FFF) across my path. You guys grew up together, playing music and getting up to mischief together right?

Jeremy
Yeh - he's been a best mate since i can remember. His mum, Wendy, taught us both 'Musical Movement' class before we started school. Our band 'Brimstone' was a young fella's dream - garage jams, traveling around and all the mischief that goes along with it! Having him part of the recording and live experience with your music, all as great mates was a blessing to call it 'work'.

Mike
Absolutely. Fire Flood Freedom still gets the greatest response out of all my recordings...a credit to you mate!

Mike
So in your time 'working' with me, have there been any moments you've wandered...'what the heck am i doing here?'… Any strange stories as it were?

Jeremy
Yeh - a few! When it came time to mix FFF you remembered you had a bunch of gigs in Melbourne. So I found myself mixing your album by myself in your bedroom! Another one would be when we headed over to New Zealand on a 'working trip', and found ourselves in a backpackers adventure!

Mike
Ah the joys of working with Mike McCarthy!

Mike
Would you ever consider dusting off the monitors and doing another recording session with Mike McCarthy down the track?

Jeremy
You can take the boy out of the music industry but you can't take the music out of the boy. Definitely.

Mike
Good news!
Well, Mr Jeremy Reynolds, it's been a joy, thanks for taking the time to chat

Jeremy
It's been great to go back to those days. I dusted off FFF (Fire Flood Freedom) today and gave it a spin - 'Lovely Is Love' is still my favourite track - it sums up the approach and character of the album

CHAT - installment 2

From Garden Shed recordings and crazy roadtrips to Melbourne, this week i catch up with Keyboard/Accordian whiz Michael Carney.



Mike McCarthy
Alright Mr Carney, so i'm vaguely recalling a recording session in a garden shed, you were there weren't you?

Michael Carney
yes that's the first time I played with you

Mike
and we were recording for Wisdom is Delight. So was that your first 'gig' with me?

Michael
yes, under the pump from the get go.

Mike
nice... i do recall thinking i must be crazy to get you in on that session because i really hadn't heard you play very much..
i had a sneaking suspicion you'd be fine though.

Michael
I agree, a brave decision. The funny thing I remember about that recording was that I was lumped in the same room as Pete Harding on congas. The engineer ended up having to separate us because of the noise I was making by sliding on the keys!
(It was spilling into the conga mics)

Mike
haha yes i thought that was funny too.. it was extremely tight.

Mike
So from there we started to gig that album (Wisdom is Delight) a little. Were there any memorable gigs for you from that time?

Michael
I guess a first gig's always memorable. It was at Green Point School for a fete, out on the oval. The MC gave you a great plug advertising your first album 'Wisdom is Desire'!

Mike
haha yeh not the last time that kind of thing has happened...
I turned up to a venue that had done their own posters for the gig and i was down as Mike McCartney...
I remember being down in Melbourne with you early on in the piece...how old were you on that first trip south?

Michael
I'm not sure how old I was! I remember we developed a penchant for op-shopping on that trip. Probably because there wasn't an incredible lot to do in all those little towns we visited. We played a bit of putt-putt golf too, didn't we?

Mike
yes we did.. i think i won...

Michael
I was sure it was me.

Mike
quite likely...
that trip was pretty funny, can you share a highlight from that tour... and don't say 'backseat games...'
this was 2002 maybe?

Michael
Yes that sounds about right. Tthat means I would have been 19! I remember Matt Jacoby (from Sons Of Korah) put on a beautiful little house concert. Up until that point I had never experienced a house concert. Was a really relaxed and comfortable setting with interested listeners. It was a really encouraging thing for me to experience at that time.

Mike
At that stage did you ever think you could make a living from playing music? Or were you looking to go down a different career path?

Michael
I think at that stage I was studying Sound Production at North Sydney Tafe. I was working a little bit with a post-production engineer in Crows Nest who specialised in TV. That was the career I was quite intent on at that stage.

Mike
Nowadays you also hold a degree in Communications, yes?

Michael
Yes. After finishing at TAFE I applied to go to UTS for a degree in Media Arts and Production, still in that trajectory of working in sound and/or film production.

Mike
You've continually used all those experiences yet haven't entered full-time work in the field, what has motivated you to continue pursuing gigs, recording and teaching music?

Michael
I can't really say it's been a controlled decision, sometimes life makes decisions for you in a way. Whilst I was studying at UTS (Sydney University) I was playing music for part-time work and upon graduating I was offered a job at a school for piano teaching. I took it and since that point my life/work has been in music. It could have gone other ways quite easily I suppose.

Mike
Are there moments where you just think GOSH being a musician is the craziest life? what the heck am i doing?

Michael
That thought has definitely run through my head whilst trying to stay awake, driving home from Sydney after a late and uninspiring gig. Also the absence of steady routine can be difficult. For the most part though, I don't have too many meltdowns!

Mike
We've been playing music together for almost 10 years now and we've traveled quite a bit together...what was one of those moments where you just thought "this is so funny" or "this sux get me out of here!"?

Michael
As for a "this is so funny", I think it was the gig Shan mentioned in his interview. Where we turned up to 'Sylvania' instead of a bikey fair at 'Silverwater'. By the time we rectified the situation we were playing to a bunch of stallholders packing up their displays. Actually maybe this gig counts for "this sux get me out of here" too!

Mike
True...So we've learnt from these experiences and now your working on a new project a long way from Silverwater bike club meets...can you tell us a little about the M Carney/David Rowson Collab?

Michael
Dave and I have been friends for quite a long time, and it's funny, he's a filmmaker who has a massive interest in music, where as I'm a musician who really loves films. Because of that, I think we've both really taken an interest in each other's art forms. Dave would show me a film which I’d be astonished at, and he would always be interested in my instrumental compositions.
We first collaborated on a film he shot called 'Architecture Down'. He shot a series of building reflections in puddles around the Sydney CBD, and put one of my pieces to the images. We liked the chemistry and decided to make more and more projects like this.

Mike

And now you have released 'Tears of a Candle' as a cd/dvd, a full collaboration between two artists! Where can people go to find out more?

Michael
www.tearsofthecandle.com

Mike

Great, well i've appreciated your time and it's a joy playing music with you mate!

Michael

Same to you Mike.

Mike
Any last thoughts or comments?

Michael

Thinking back on all of my music experiences, it's playing with you that I've learnt a lot about leaving space for notes, words, rhythms to breathe. I think a lot of people learn to breathe again listening to your music, as I have done.

Mike

Oh thank you! That is encouraging to hear.

CHATS with the band (installment 1)

In this, the first installment of CHATS with the band, I catch up with Shannon Kelly (drummer/fisherman). From Biker gigs in Western Sydney to playing in front of 25,000 people at WYD 09, Shan shares thoughts from his time playing music with me and fellow band members.


Mike
Shan, you've been playing kit (drums)for me for the last...how long exactly? 5 years?

Shannon
yeh that sounds about right I think

Mike
i guess 'shelter and the sea' was the first recording you played on, right?

Shannon
yeh the live recording was a blast, nice way to get chucked in the deep in with recording..... we're live and no mistakes!

Mike
yeh that's how we learn best sometimes...

Shannon
true

Mike
so do you remember the first gig we played?

Shannon
ha, I do... it was the walk for cancer gig up in Newcastle where we would have an audience....... if they were walking past us at the time......( I also just met my wife so I was trying hard to impress her)

Mike
and you did...yeh i remember that one! One of the many strange gigs we've done. What would be the 'strangest' gig you've done for me?

Shannon
way too many to choose, I think the first one was a good way to start..... and I'm sure there is plenty others... that interesting gig where we mixed up the suburb in sydney, ended up in the east, should of been in the west..... got there late, and played to an angry bunch of bikies

Mike
now that was fun! i remember i got you guys to wait in the car while i tried to sort out the money after that one...i think i got you to keep the car running...just in case.

Shannon
yep you sure did..... like a protective mother bear you were

Mike
shan, i'm listening back to 'calm wind' and i'm noticing how the rhythm section shows such a great deal of 'restraint' but it's still solid. Did you approach the sessions with a 'plan in mind'?

Shannon
Percussive and creative was the plan, and the rest just kinda happened on the day. It may of been the 14 coffees a day, but that was a pretty memorable few days.... the band just seemed to gell

Mike
i agree. I'd thrown you in the deep end again...recording live!

Shannon
yeh, learnt so much though

Mike
we rehearsed quite a bit for that recording, right?

Shannon
yeh i think we did a few but its funny how things changed in the studio

Mike
did you enjoy the lead up to the recording? was your playing evolving around that time?


Shannon
the process of practicing for, and doing my first main recording was pretty special, a very new experience.__And my playing definitely changed, I had to learn a greater level of sensitivity to get the sound that you were after..... and to be honest, that recording changed me as a drummer, and formed my style of how I approach drumming and music today

Mike
i feel like i learnt to 'simplify' on that recording, my approach was became a 'less is more' i think...

Shannon
alot more listening would be the best way to sum it up, more creativity aswell

Mike
that's key hey!
On the DVD you and Tim have a deep discussion about 'double dipping' has there been a resolution to the debate?

Shannon
no, and I think it will always be a sour point, ha! I know I'm right, thats the main thing

Mike

What has been the 'highlight gig' with mike mccarthy?

Shannon
now thats an easy question..... World Youth Day in Sydney for sure, playing to alot........ ALOT of people. And just the whole lead up to playing, it was by far the best, although there has been some close seconds with many small, intimate gigs, where we played great and everything just seemed to work

Mike

yeh that was a lot of fun. the lead up especially

What are you presently working on in the musical arena?

Shannon
still the usual teaching, and the odd gig with soultraders ( which is really the Mike McCarthy band re adjusted)

Mike

Well it's been a pleasure chatting Shan. We have a gig on the 27th Dec at Lizottes, Kincumber i should let you know of hahaha..looking forward to playing some more music with you mate!

hopefully you're about?

Shannon
oh great!I was looking forward to a gig with you!! See ya there and good chatting to you too mate

Black Saturday

How the blackened dice falls
and tinder burns
bracken forlorn
this sticky sap curse

money with blood
destitute pets
and a deathly still air
after raging winds

oh love it's gone
the dice fell odd
none could've known
your summer spot

run Laurie fast
Jimmy hide in the bath
towels and blankets
long tightly charred

It's coming, it's rushing
too hot and quick
a thousand wild horses
passed over head

Rumbling lasts
months on end
seventh of Feb
again and again

again and again.

*Black Saturday destroyed 2,029 houses and killed 173 people. I had been in the Kinglake area a week before this tragic bushfire, everything seemed so dry and all the houses seemed so vulnerable to me.

Tuesdays at Norm's

He'd only heard of this world in Tom Waits tunes, Hollywood...movies. Not too familiar here. He was losing his will in this place, Norms Diner, drinking filtered coffee and eating two scoops of ice-cream from a bowl. Meticulous, withdrawn.

On the corner of La Ciegnega you could see him through the clear plate windows, not as lost as he seemed. From an outside perspective you could almost think he fit the picture.

"things aren't too bad...I could be lost at sea", he ponders
"then what do you do? Fish, eat, wait and survive the days best you can...picture death or avoid it with delusion. Think about the cremer the waitress might bring any second...she re-fills for the third time. How many people have drank from this cup?"

He recalls the taste of beasts, red blood flavour of sirloin, smells perfumes of the sea, mineral perfumes. He breathes out slow whilst the waitress casts a sideways glance.
The streets are so straight, traffic stops and starts, brake light red, traffic light greens that guide the city tide. This dangerous earth.
He wanders who it is that pays all these people to dress so smart? to walk these streets? Perhaps a wind blows to stir the tree and the US dollar is gathered by the quick and deep pocketed people whilst the rest are left to search the vacant streets for trees of their own. All he wants is a re-fill of coffee, another shot at the lights just to hear them go "POW!" when you hit it.

The black liquid comes as does relief and addictions circular motion continues without relent.

"We're all stuck, all reliable on someone, something or anything but ourselves." he challenges himself.
"How do i get 'there'? Where is the best spot to buy film near here?"

He feels better for coming here... to Norms Diner, leaving thoughts out there in the air, where birds will intercept, formulate the seed that might gently fall and find soil, good or poor, to begin its journey back skyward to reach some other eternal traveler.

KORDUROY TV 'All Yew'

Korduroy TV have used 'Pink' from my forthcoming 'Colour' album. I wrote and recorded 10 songs, using 10 different colours over 10 days. Each day i'd use a new colour to inspire an instrumental piece, super fun and a fine creative challenge! Stoked Korduroy have picked up on the project!

Four winds

And they raged
those four winds
somehow all at once
forming circles

to crescent among
the formless few
mind no refuge
body confused

there amongst brambles
with rabbits and thorns
a little light shone
battling the storm

break into strides
oh little lover
time close at hand
the world to discover

*for Kirsty and Eliza

JWT radio blog archive

the press release to radio for the album 'The Harrowing Account of John William Tate'. JWT is still running strong, i'll be touring NSW with PJ Wolf later this month.

Mind over Matter

south pacific blue


In the narrow window between morning and afternoon, the man rubbed his burning eyes with both hands. The skin would be burning again tonight and sleep would not be easy. Not only the skin but also the shoulders, especially the left, right under the blade.
He hadn't been in the salt water longer than two hours for almost a month.

It was an early morning rise and dance with the waves that had rendered him useless. It was still dark at 5am when he pushed off on the skateboard loaded up with a 7'6 single fin, wetsuit and towel from an already crowded Californian car park.
Old and young were filing down the long path as he whooshed past, trusting in his balance and praying earnestly. His fearless leader, Harris, had said it would be fast but he hadn't expected this.
Before long the two were talking story whist walking under the rail tracks and through onto thick sand.

"They saw a 10 foot shark here yesterday"
"no kidding"
"yeh, there are plenty of sightings here, nothing to worry about though."
"guess not eh", the man replied bravely.

In a clearing they suited up and could begin to see faint outlines of surfers turning, correcting and zipping along the clean lunges of water.

"It looks real good"
"yeh it's been firing the last four days, didn't think it'd still be on", mumbled Harris.

The man stumbled around in the dark whilst Harris threw up a heartfelt prayer and ran off into the boulder strewn surf. The rolling of the rocks in the shorebreak was like a well rehearsed mantra, it caught the mans attention and he stopped just shy of the water to think on the sound.
In all his travels he had wandered 'how did i arrive here?' Just as the old familiar phrase came to him he decided to sit and stretch a while;

"I still haven't moved that van" he pondered.
"It got me here, i suppose, and now i'm on the beach at five thirty in the morning, looking at perfect lefts and rights. Whaddya know, here comes some light...did he say 10 foot..."

In the lineup men clambered over eachother for the best waves. For the most part there was cautious respect between the surfers. It is a common thing among idle men to talk of useless things.
The talk here, between waves, was of Jack's party the other night or "you got that new boat out for a run bro?", "Dude! you shoulda seen us fly"...and the like.
Then a set of waves come and all is washed away by the potential rush of riding water.

Five pelicans hover in perfect formation just feet above the wave, meanwhile a floundering body of humans fight over the one peaking wave. The man has taken a few sneaky rides and feels thankful to have even witnessed this crazy event. He uses 'mind over matter' to drag his beaten shoulders and arms to shore. Waits another thirty minutes for Harris and then they make the long journey back to the car. The sun now menacingly high.

"I surfed 'The Wedge' the other day, 25 foot"
"you're a nutbag" said the exasperated man
"it's only good to surf when it's that big"
"yeh right..."
"well, i did have to get rescued but got some good photos.."
"i bet"...water and food was all the man could fit into his thoughts.

Fatigued and sore the man found his way to the living room floor.
He thought about his age and how it really is no excuse. He questioned why he felt guilty to sleep at midday on a thursday. Thoughts quickly turned to dreams and across from the tracks he heard the hound moan, willing him, urging him on.

Master & Friend

There were five minutes between first nodding off and the knock on the window. Startled, he looked up to see a security guard holding a piece of paper in one hand and a stern finger in the other. The stern finger suggested the guard wanted to discuss something.

"You can't park that vehicle here with that for sale sign on it ya know"...
"No, no i didn't", he said still half asleep.
"Well, i've written out this ticket of warning, you'd best be on your way"
"Right, sorry i didn't realise, i was just leaving now".
"oh alright, well i'll tear up the ticket, now you know though."
"Righteo, thanks", he said relieved.
"guess i won't be getting much time to sleep in this mall", he thought to himself.

Driving on and out of the park the man considered perhaps he'd been let off. The Mexican's hadn't called about buying the car and he figured it best to gun it toward San Diego in order to sell his bounty. At least that way he would be at his destination and not stuck 300 miles out.

A call came through. Jason, says there's a place with 20,000 people and a good place to hang and sleep. An interesting concept to the man, he thought it would be a huge summer festival. He was close to getting it right but nowhere near 'getting it right' at the same time.
Isla Vista is not a festival, per se, more of a party town for rich college kids. They look for freedom in escapism and in eachother. The outcome is late nights, loud house music and backyards filled with empty beer cans and wounded egos. Not wounded for long though.

The man wanders what has led him to this place. He knows there's been a spirit guiding his every move, he's wafted along and found community in the strangest of places. He's gathered peace in the most restless and violent of streets. Two prophets gave him words, a hybrid seed, a pasture being cultivated and prepared. He'd heard this kind of thing before, yet the shivers it gave told him he should pay careful attention.
He Listens.

Down in San Diego, a three legged hound barks short breathless noises. Calls for the man, wills him to venture on. He's learning about obedience so he collects his things, packs the van and points south once again. A servant to his Master and Friend.

Malls 'n' Dawgs

A lone man rolls into a town called Santa Barbara, he's just spent the last month meandering down the West Coast of Oregon and Northern California. The 1984 Chev van is tired after another long day on the 101 and grounds to a halt under the shade of a mall tree.
The man steps out of the blue bonaventure and is greeted by two young mexican gardeners in a golf buggie.
He is perplexed, 'what have i done this time'.

"Sweet Van", says the smaller man.
"Thanks"
"you sell this?"
"yeh"
"how much you asking gringo?"
"a grand i guess"
"hmm" ponders the taller man.
"800!" he suddenly says.
"aww i wanted at least 950 mate"
"hmmm" they ponder in unison.

After lengthy discussions the Mexicans take his number and wish him a good day.
The man decides he needs coffee, though his money is running low he knows he can order an americano on the budget he has. He needs time to think. Some clarity would be good.
'If i sell the van, i have money and my boots. Only LA and the surrounding desert stands between me and a plane flight'.
'If i don't sell the van, yeh, i'll point it toward Mexico and go tonight'...he considers.

The van he acquired in Portland is a dirty shade of blue, no rust but plenty of age within it's mechanics. He had gotten it for a steal from an ex navy man who was tired, just generally tired. Tired in an American sense and done with it. Perhaps some of that feeling was sold with the van as it had crept in to the man's mind at various times. Perhaps.

His journey had been full of interesting folk from many orientations and as he thought back on it he felt thankful and comforted on the journey that lay ahead.
So he sits drinking the 'Americano' in a paper cup thinking faraway thoughts and wandering about the dog with three legs and just how long can one sleep in a shopping mall carpark for.

The Oyster and the Elk

The Wild Elk lay like old Italian men at 2pm on a monday afternoon. Redwood forests, full of Giants and Bigfoots, were like a slow blur as Mazzy Star kept the old van running up and down mountain ranges.

It had been three and a half hours of mild weather and open road. I pulled over to stretch the legs and buy a beer and chicken sammy. The strawberry blonde behind the counter blew a bubble , chewed and said in her most uninterested tone, "why'd ya choose the one dirty table in the whole place?"
I smiled my most uninterested smile and said, "i can move if you'd like", she disappeared.
After posting some green form off to the department of border security for a breach of some kind on my last visit to the US i boarded the Bonaventure and pointed south.

The sudden change in weather was like a punch in the guts and it was now i knew i was out of Northern California and into the heat of mid Cali coast. Yet there was no coast to welcome me just a group of hippies who wanted to take me, my bus and guitar captive for an unspecified length of time. Instead i chose a comfy cafe, banana smoothie and the modern comfort of typing on my computer. What a cop out, but hell i knew it would turn out better this way. I love hippies but i'm just not that committed to the cause, plus i come from a family with a heightened sense of smell.

It's been a steady progression this degradation of beauty. Never has it been so evident than when i drove out of the Giant redwood forests of Oregon/North California and into Civilisation where flat tyres, fuel prices, street beggars, and a Target store stood by a beautiful Salmon river. Here i am, part of the mess, flying by with it all as my oyster.

My friend Keison and his band letting me sit in on a few...great guys and a very enjoyable night somewhere in Japan 2005.
Photo taken by Tadashi Yaguchi

my traveling companion for the coming months sojourn down the west coast of Oregon and California. The 'Bonaventure'.

LA

Huntington

I never meant to find myself walking through a sea of people that included priests, construction workers, joggers and an array of weathered surfers. Yet here i was at Huntington beach on the afternoon Fred Hemmings was inducted into the Surfers Hall of Fame.
I stopped, leant against my guitar case and took a moment to breathe and listen. As this happened i heard the eloquent words of Mr Hemmings wash across the corner street crowd.

"Who are we as surfers?" he mused, "We are Scientists, Artists, Businessmen and women, mothers and fathers...most of all we are a tribe of people that share in a common delight..."or words to such effect. It was beautiful and it summed up the situation we all found ourselves in.

With the US open unfolding on the beach out front, i saw Kelly Slater get mobbed by a crowd as he came in from a heat win, Rob Machado go and find a peak to himself during his slow heat. It was all happening and there were so many people from all walks of life...Truth be told i found the sun and crowds a tad overwhelming. So i found Jon Wegener, helped him set up his humble stall filled with paulownia offerings, then jumped in his overcrowded 'tradies' four-runner and we split!

It sure was a circus down there but you can always learn a hell of alot at the circus.

so cal

driven to the earth
wing and wheel
through cities
beyond the hills

Tomorrow I will have spent a week in San Diego, CA. Today i saw a man holding a sign that read "broke traveler, anything will help". I thought he might like my hat to shield his burnt face from the sun...he declined politely. That speaks volumes about my hat.
This week i plan to travel north and have a little look, meeting friends and making new in LA.

Northern Territory

The hum of the Cessna had me reminiscing of maths classes in high school. I'd lose my concentration to an audible drone and try to sing up the major scale over it, sure i was a nerd but i wasn't a mathematician...
Flying over billabongs and mountain ranges of red dirt and scattered scrub, the phrase "classic croc country" kept coming into my head and making me giggle to myself. I don't know exactly where i had heard that phrase but it helped me tune out of the reality of my circumstance...that is, being 6,500 ft above the earth in a tin can with wings bolted on the sides. The things we do.

We arrived on the island of Elcho (or Galiwin'ku), it was about lunchtime and the weather had me longing for a swim. They tell me it's not a good idea to swim up this way due to crococdiles, box jelly fish and the reef tip sharks. So i risked my ankles and walked out to a little sand island and there i was in the 'top end'.

Sons of Korah and i played some music on an outdoor stage that night and the locals came out and sat around campfires. I had a sword fight with a young fella who taught me a few moves and then proceeded to chop off my arms and legs, then send the plastic, flashing sword straight through my gut...no-one could have prepared me for that.

herbs

I was thinking of my herbal toothpaste and why it's so cheap. Other herbal products seem to be more expensive when it comes to other items aside from toothpaste. Perhaps it's just a case of me being in the right place at the right time. Isle 5, sale on herbal toothpaste. It tastes pretty good to me too.

Here is a photo i found from when i was in Adelaide last year. I spent three days in this hotel room eating muesli with yogurt, drinking coffee in the mornings and beer at night, writing and dribbling all at once. I must get back there soon.

lizottes flyer

Here's a wee flyer i did up today for the next 'John William Tate' concert at Lizottes on 23rd April.
On the sunshine coast currently, celebrated Tom Wegeners birthday beachside yesterday. I stood up on his brand new finless 'Tuna 4', amazing feeling and even more amazing that i made a wave on it...i won the 'NO WAY HOZAY' competition, which is a career highlight for me...hahah! In a post competition interview i was quoted as saying 'It's been a long time coming'...

The portrait shot here was taken by my good friend Darren Paine of DJP photography fame. www.djpphotography.com/

a day on the road

Woke up in Bellingen en route to Noosa today. I followed the white lines to the sounds of 'She&Him' and the '2 dimensional disc of mystery' compilation my friend Dave Rowson put together...brilliant soundtrack.
I decided on a surf at Wategoes in Byron Bay, a good choice in the end. I had 'ankle to knee high' waves and a sea ulcer determined to grow itself into a monster on top of my knee.


Now in Southport at my friends (DJP and Benita's) sitting in front of a fan and looking forward to another day on the road tomorrow.

Balance

How much we owe to balance. It's often easy to lose and more often something we take for granted.
I'm looking at a painting on my wall that has an old vinyl record precariously balancing on the edge of it. I put it there a month ago and still it sits finely on the edge.

The LP (out of interest) is an old Mick Jagger solo recording...it's a fine balancing object.

The Summer Rain

I finished reading the Book 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy about a month back. Although i wasn't enthralled at the time of reading it has stuck with me (as only a very few novels have).

The day i was lent the book i drove to a burnt out forest that looked down over the sea. I sat in a cave and began to read. Oddly, the story is set in a similiar scene to where i found myself that day. Although, in the novel, the characters are trying to get to the sea and everything is destroyed and burnt out.

I mention this book as it seemed to have a deep impact this week. Australia has just witnessed it's worst natural disaster on record with the 'Victorian Fires'. Many lives sadly lost and many others left terribly injured and/or homeless. It hits home as i'm often reminded of the fragility of life on earth. As pointed out in 'The Road', isolation and desolation are real in who we are as humans but so too is courage and desperate perseverance.