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Stuff and things again.

For the last 6 weeks I have been working on 'Special Projects' - nothing earthshaking, the normal things we have to do, as a band, every now and again.

You may have noticed my blogging has been slow, I'm in a positive frame of mind and if I was to list the long string of curse words I have uttered recently, you may be forgiven for thinking me more peeved than I actually am.

The Music Industry is...well it's not quite the wild west anymore, sometimes it requires...'full and frank' discussion.

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Anyway.

We've been working on some live video stuff and it's taking way longer than expected. See there I go.

If I list everything that's running behind schedule it will sound like complaint. Which it isn't.

Each thing has its own orbit, its own trajectory, its own tide.

Coordinating multiple humans and actions is the choreography of work. It's like trying to make connecting flights, or catch a bus AND a ferry.

You miss da boat, you wait for the next one. Oh wait, here comes one now. gotta go.

Some blessed downtime

Circumstances have led to us having some quiet time, what a relief.

In the background, we've been doing Things.

As Rosie says, we Do the Things

I've tried a bunch of things recently. Usual combination of stop-start-retry-nope-oops-and-LOL.

The video for Low Low didn't fly and it occurred to me that it might be time to go back to some classic video styles.

Making narrative video takes longer and needs planning and luck.

Oh I almost forgot. I was bitching about it to Friend Of The Band 'Roscoe' and he decided to make a video for our 'hippiest' song. Given that his predilections run towards 'Apocalypse Now', this stands to be an...interesting....treatment of 'road rise up'

With luck, I'll catch a tide or two this week and we'll start to see work moving again.

testing the JBL Eon ONE at a pub gig with Jim Finn

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TL:DR - worked but was too close to Jim for the soundwave to work as well as a foldback unit.

Plenty loud for the audience.

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Pub 2 - same again, he didn't move the speaker though to a new position so we need 1 more test.

Reports were Plenty Loud from Audience, Jim thinks the unit is under powered.

I reckon we need 1 more test with the unit offset as we did at the markets. Jim had it right up his clacker so to speak. 60 cm from an open mic. wow.

Another moment in the stormcellar

Long drive. Good show. Rosie went off, I got this moment at the end of one of the last songs. Heh.

No seriously tho Rosie played like WTF. Far out.

company until better times

Tonight we're playing a show in Newcastle, and when I get up this morning and again read the news, I take a moment to wonder if it's right to even get out and play music. The synagogues in NZ are shut, in solidarity with people whose faith they don't share. It makes me wonder about what we do, what's the way to show respect.

The best I can come up with, is that every time we play music, it's defiance of the darkness. Grabbing a moment back from it.

I also think about the people I spend my time with, my band mates, my beloved friends and community.

Maybe the answer is, be with people right now.

Be with community again, friends, family, strangers, neighbours, people you don't know but what the heck I like you anyway.

No amount of light can prevent the dark, but it must be there in equal measure to show that it is not the only thing, there there is still good in the world, that it's illuminated every day in an uncountable number of unseen kindnesses.

This earth, us earthlings, we are not irredeemable, but we have to work at it.

There are more of us, me, you, than of those who seek hate and some form of oblivion.

It's not the normal run of things.

Be with people now, even if it's online.

We'll keep each other company until better times.

Sending our love across the tasman

Our hearts go out to our Kiwi Cousins, and to all those affected by the events in Christchurch. This madness is intolerable. If you value a civil society, if you value peace under a southern cross, then it's your responsibility to stand against this and every other form of hate.
We mourn for the loss and send our deepest sympathy across the Tasman.

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