Howdy Folks.
I swear I couldn't make this stuff up:
Wanna know what we're doing in between laptop accesses? Got to www.Facebook.com/stormcellarband - doing all our mobile blogging there.
Headlines:
1. All our tour funds frozen, QANTAS blames ANZ Bank, Bank Blames QANTAS, we rent u-Haul :-) First world problems.
For the second year in a row we have arrived to find our accounts frozen as the bank and airline merrily argue about how many times we should pay our airfares.
On the one hand, MJEB almost had to be sedated (yes I am writing in the third person, no I am not kidding).
On the other hand, we're still here, doing something we love.
More importantly, you have never seen as much love and support as we have received.
Thank you R, X, X, M and MP for rescuing us, and to the Novaks for the use of every sleep surface they have.
This is the 2nd year where we have been rescued.
We took a bunch of precautions this year before we left including notifying the bank and the travel company wrote to the airline and still...
This has had a bit of an impact on the tour and I'm still sorting some stuff out, but again, we're safe, well, and blessed by so much support.
2. Making Albums Is Fun!
Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. Last year when we got stuck in KC thanks to QANTAS, we would up recording enough stuff to make a full album, that turned out to e Kansas City Gold (for the love of mike go buy a copy we need the bread).
Maybe QANTAS wanted us to spend longer recording at the Static Shack this week. Maybe we should consider them some sort of Artistic Muse.
So here I am once again conflicted, having a terrific time recording the 9th album. Last night at 1am we finished the new song to record with some local musicians and dang it, it's fun, the constant panic attacks and desire for Valium not withstanding!
Today we're working with some top local dudes and we're writing stuff! That's what we're meant to do. Got to remember the gratitude.
3. Inside the US is way more normal than the impression we get in Australia.
I gotta stop watching the wrong TV shows. It's not the same here as portrayed, just like when we have bush fires and we start getting mates from the US calling to see if we're all right, blood is not running in the street and people are still people.
I've been talking to a few folks and some of them are scared about the future, even when the things they worry about seem strange to an Aussie. But I can vouch first hand that to ask for their help when in need is still to receive it.
The better angels of our nature still prevail in a door held open, a car allowed through an intersection and in the care I see them exhibit to one another. There's still a little Norman Rockwell in there :-)
Bugger, I wanted to write more but Brother Bill wants me to sing the new song we just wrote before we record it in...um...two hours.
We have a gig Wednesday at Sam Ash, Indy, 8-8:30 In-store, then the Nickelplate festival in fishers Sat 3 and then....crap gotta go more shortly.
Later.
MJEB
