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Heh. Popped down to Everland studios and recorded 2 vocals for 2 new songs. Cheers Ben.

I'm still waiting on the mastered tracks for Defiance so I am consoling myself with new shiny things.

I've been singing along to the video tracks for days. This is so non-standard.

Normally you record the rhythm section, drums and base, and guitars and a guide vocal.

In this case we've started with the Guitar + Atmosphere and now the main vocals.

In an effort to be as demanding of me as I was of the chaps, I made myself do single takes. If i made them do it, it's fair that I should have to take the same risks.

Now I'm listening to the Guitar and Vocal mixed together with the video.

Needs some tweaks.

Then we have to record additional instruments, figure out how we want to work with the atmosphere sounds, shoot some more video, blend. Then we're going to mess with the playback options. It's an experiment. 

Did I mention we're recording the next part of it in Coonabarrabran at an observatory?

10 years we've been doing this sort of thing. Studio Album then Experiment! Except that the last 3 albums have been experimental. It's all experimental. For every thing I write up here, there are a lot of OH CRAP THAT DIDNT WORK's that I don't always write up. Well sometimes I do.

I'm really enjoying the music the guys are writing. I like it enough to want to share, which means I need to get on with getting it done.

Speaking of which I'd best update the lyrics section, I imagine these new songs will be coming into the set soon.

Hmmm.

Yeah.

Friday night we're at the Beach Club, Collaroy, from 8:30.

That was quite the Rock and Roll night on Saturday, in the beating heart of the beast, Kings Cross.

Kings Cross has traditionally been the most Outlaw place you could go; Vice City, Sydney.

Ah, my beloved convict, larrikin, Sydney; they're trying to make you go straight. 

I have to tell you, I have a new found respect for the difficulty venue owners face today.

In order to let people in and out of the venue, they're obliged, by local regulation, to scan your ID and take your picture.

Surrendering your privacy to make sure no one does anything naughty does not sit easily with me. I'm not planning on doing anything naughty but I don't feel the need to be monitored. I'm just here to play harmonica, not commit acts against the state.

I understand the rationale, but frankly, it seems a bit much. I get it. Stopping violence etc is a priority, still, the once hard bitten sleazy cross is much gentrified into 'Potts Point' and Sydney loses just a little of her criminal charms.

What do we sacrifice for such safety. Perhaps it will make us confront our own hypocrisy when we can no longer hide in real world anonymity. Nuff said.

Venue is great, my musing's on the increasing over use of civil surveillance notwithstanding.

Happy Birthday to Nigel.

If you've ever taken the time to notice a Zen lesson when it's presented; as Nigel cut the cake, it overturned.

That was a real bummer. But in the fashion of the man, he cleaned up the mess and got on with the party.

Lesson over.

We were also stoked to be asked by Sea Shepherds to sign a guitar they're auctioning for a fundraiser.

RAMMING SPEED!

In an age where the last of the frontiers diminish, where our interconnection lattices the world in permanent memory and permanent record, perhaps we live in the last great age of piracy.

But then again...our past has a way of reasserting itself when you least expect it :-) 

I've got something new and shiny!

No not that.

Although, to be fair, that s very shiny.

oooh...

Stop that. Right. Where was I ?

So...I've started on final artwork for Defiance, gathering the credits. We're waiting on 1 last teeny weeny tweak.

I've abandoned any hope of further tweaking, forest, trees, please. We're done. I said that two tweaks ago. Argh.

But the 5D project (yes it was 4 D now its 5 ok? we added a D) is AWESOME.

After mixing the various mic's together, I realised I had effectively created a super cardioid mic out of the 2 condensers in XY and the 57 pointed at the sound hole.

It sounds glorious. I'm really keen to add the next layers of stuff. Releasing 9th album? yeah who cares I have NEW SHINY THING!!

 To be fair, Defiance was written a year ago. Unsurprisingly, we're now into what we're into now :-) The difference is that we have a much faster turn around because this is principally video.

Oh.

Did I mention that? Yeah. The 5D thing will be our 10th release, but it will be our first 'video album' because it's all about the combination of the image and the sound, because all the stuff is recorded on location and the atmosphere sounds are a part of the sonic thingy stuff artsy omg what the hell are we doing??

Who knows! It's fun! It's Shiny! It sounds really pleasing to the ear. I am keen to share it, but it actually deserves a little more crafting.

Each track is built from one instrument, recorded on location, with video, to create a multimedia piece.

The other instruments will be dry-recorded so the atmos doesn't sum up and get muddy.

We got three base tracks done last weekend, there's a great recording of one of Rosies guitar pieces, at dawn, at Coogee beach, with the sound of the seagulls and the waves, but it's all crystal clear and the footage was great, thanks to the fancy shmancy camera.

For Bill & Paul's song, we need to add other things. That means scheduling. Yay! Meanwhile, the other 2 D's from the project are in pre-production. Which simply means we're trying to work out how to do it.

Mr Wizard wants to try all sorts of tricky online things with the video, so we're going to completely faff about with it. Why not indeed.

I'll post what I can when I can :-)

On Saturday it's Nigels Birthday, Nigels FOTB (friend of the band). So we wrote him a song, in the manner of traditional emotionally repressed Australian Men.

I've slightly sanitised it for the front page, but in many of the places we've played, they'd like it more, if I swore :-)

Happy ----en Birthday to ya mate

I’ve written you a birthday song

It’s a lot cheaper than a gift

The kind present that I’d buy

Isn’t one that you can sniff

Holy sh-t when did we get old

Or are we just still holding on

I’ve used up half a verse I know

And already I’m banging on

So oft it seem the words I need

Come along too late

By apropos of nothing else

Happy ----'en birthday to ya mate

The chicks still think you’re really cool

Your looks are holding well

You’re cultivated, suave & debonair

If you’re not, no one could tell

A true survivor’s got the grit

To make it through these days

But I still think you give a sh-t,

Not like everybody says

And though life’s thrown a lot at you

It’s not too much for your plate

So we raise a glass and kiss yer ass

Happy ----en birthday to ya mate.

An Aussie Bloke is not the type

To wear his heart out on his sleeve

We’re fierce and strong and bold and brash

That’s what we’d have you believe

We’ll hide our deepest sentiments

In our sparring and our jibes

And never confess, except in duress

What we feel inside

so Christ will someone help me out

before it gets too late

the parking meters running, I’ve got to go

so happy ----en birthday to you mate

Happy Birthday Nigel.