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Howdy Folks, my right foot is sore after a big weekend of driving back and forth. I know how the truckers must feel. 2am on the way back from Newcastle last night...I mean this morning..rain, trucks, poor visibility, yikes. It's enough to make you want to start taking the train to gigs :-P

We started on Friday at the Lakes Hotel, shout outs to Jerry, Paul, Steve and Bernie. The weather had been closing in all weekend and Friday night was hot, humid and sticky but inside the air conditioning was doing a proper job. However, on the load out, we had to go from the crisp cool environs of the pub back to the Swamp Humidity, sweat dripping from us as we DIY roadie'd our gear back and forth from the van.

What we need is a very large external air conditioner (winter!).. or Roadies (Carl S, come back, we miss you!)

On Saturday we trekked up to Katoomba for a first stop with One for The Team, with Mortimer Selassi and Buster Chais on 89.1 RBFM.

Jo F dropped in so we could do some acoustic live stuff in the studio in between the comedy bits and a good time was had by all. Cheers to Morty and Buster.

Our next stop was the Katoomba RSL, but as we were leaving the studio and I looked at the carpet and saw a strangely familiar design..

I find this photo appealing and somehow deeply disturbing at the same time, however, coffee was forthcoming, crisis averted. Still, that big spigot pipe is a worry.

Ah yes, we tried out a new desk for the gigs this weekend,  we were lucky enough to get an Allen & Heath Mix Wizard as recommended by our mate John McC...verdict?

Brilliant. Most straight forward, logical, well thought out, well kitted out mixers I've used. John, you were spot on. 4 aux sends (what, individual fold back?? Surely you jest...)

And once again I might have gone slightly overboard on lights :-) Still testing different setups

After the gig, Rosie and I dropped in to the the Jam at the Family Hotel in Katoomba where Jo finally sang lead vocals! YAY! Jamming was great but it meant a late finish. Yikes. Talk about night owl time.

On Sunday night we drove through a rain squall to get the to the Kent Hotel for our final gig of the weekend

Did I mention the rain?

I remain amazed by the Novocastrians who can still be out dancing on a Sunday night at 11:30 pm :-) 

Cheers to everyone at the Kent.

After that weekend, I am thoroughly exhausted and looking forward to a brea...Sorry, what was that? We're off to Tamworth next week for a run of shows?

Oh.

Right, well I guess I'd better ice my driving foot down, we're off again!

Recently, readers would have seen me post this blog, which, all things considered, could be interpreted as, in the light of certain phrases, with due regard to the ...(ahem) 

as smug.

Yep. Smuggly Smuggins over here.

As per usual, the universe righted itself with a right ear blow out after my second gig of using them. Now I gotta try and get these sorted before Tamworth (Noooo!!) and I have of course chosen an overseas supplier. Where possible, local sourcing makes a difference. I shall report on my ignom..igom...further shameful difficulties as i proceed. 

Will I get'em fixed/ Replaced? Write another blog and say @%^#* in increasing font sizes? @%^#* @%^#* @%^#* 

Stay tuned.

It's big weekend so far with, two gigs down, one to go. it was a late night last night with an after-show drop in to at a jam in Katoomba, where Jo F sang a version of Bobby Mcgee that I liked - Ok, a little context here - if you've been around the jam nights etc you will have noticed that it's uncool to play certain, 'over used' songs.  Some Jam sessions have written exclusions NO MUSTANG SALLY.

Bobby McGee is one of those songs. It's pretty, it's popular, people dig it, Janice was great, everyone knows it, you can sing along. So much to recommend it. Right now, somewhere in the world, at a jam session in a bar or a pub, someone is murdering it whilst other musicians wince.

However that was not the case with Ms F.  We're very lucky when she drops into our gig and it was great to hear her singing lead Vox. 

As she reminded me, every now and again you have to remember why you play music in the first place, the joy of the experience.

Anyway, we have another session on in a few hours so I guess I better go get ready and have one last look at these earpieces.

ARGH!!

A big weekend coming up with three gigs, starting on Friday night up North at The Entrance, at the Lakes Hotel from 8:30pm.

On Saturday we're in Katoomba with special guests the lovely Ms Jo Fitzgerald at the Katoomba RSL from 8:30pm

On Sunday night we'll be up at the Kent Hotel in Hamilton (Newcastle) from 9pm.

All gigs are free entry.

There was a lot of good music in Sydney on Saturday night, with acts in town for the Sydney Festival, so we were kind of surprised to have a big turn out. Cheers to the Carlingford crowd for coming out in support of Mr Wizard.

It was a remarkably pretty afternoon for those out and about, the weather was slightly cooler than we're used to at this time of year.

The Bald Rock is one of the classic sydney gig spots in a city that seems to be shedding venues, a place where you can still catch local heroes such as Chris Turner

As I went back outside after we'd finished setting the PA up, I caught the last moments of light and was suddenly struck by a line from that Paul Simon Song, 'when the world gets weary and the sun goes down, ever since the watermelon'.

I have no idea what that means, but it came to mind. Make of it what you will.

There's a lot of good live stuff at the Baldy over the next while, if you're up for a night out and live near Rozelle, check'em out.

Cheers to everyone for starting the year off so well for us. With some acoustic sets coming up over the next few shows we had a chance to bring out songs like Rest My Bones for a spin and they went down a treat. Good to know we remember them, and if I get into lyrical difficulty, I am keeping my smart phone handy with a link back to the lyrics page on this site :-)

We have a massive next few weeks of playing, with three gigs next weekend and then Tamworth the week following. Yikes!

More soon.

Oh, whilst we were driving the other day Mr Wizard wanted me to get a shot of the old power station at the edge of Rozelle and I got a peculiar double exposure, which is hard to do on an iphone. Glitchy Goodness.

A reminder that we start our gig onslaught for 2013 with a gig at the Bald Rock tonight in Rozelle from 8:30pm.