Big band...Big Music

Tonight I took Mum and Dad to one of my very favourite places in Melbourne (at least on a Tuesday night anyway!)

Every Tuesday night at the Rising Sun Hotel in South Melbourne (on the corner of Raglan Street and some other street I can't remember), the 17 piece Downbeat Big Band is in residence. On alternating Tuesdays, Bobby Valentine and Andy Free sing and tonight was the night for Andy! This band is also great! All the brass you could want for your Tuesday night, plus some. It's kind of a rotating line-up so you see some different faces each week, there are a few regulars, all of them with absolutely NO personality can I say - well that's not entirely true - they're a very funny bunch! Musically, all your old swing favourites and a few modern ones thrown in for good measure.

Personally I like Andy's singing the best. (although this doesn't get me any free drinks - no matter how much I say it!)

If you like your music big and brassy - get along to the Riser on a Tuesday! Tell Andy and/or Bob I said hi!

As a bonus - the food is great too and I can recommend the Grant Burge Shiraz!

Songs Sonnets and Rock and Roll - 4 August 2006

Some of Melbournes finest musicians and actors celebrating the songs of Shakespeare and the scenes that surround them. Book early - this is always a very popular event!

Cast & Musicians

• Richard Piper
• Paul Norton
• Kate Kendall
• Gerry Hale
• Luciano Martucci
• Greg Ham
• Rod Mullinar
• Sam Lemann
• Julie Nihill
• Wendy Stapleton
• Kimberley Wheeler

Where: Hardimans Hotel, Macaulay Road tel. 9372 1340
When: Friday 4th August 2006,
Doors: 7pm, performance commences 8pm
A donation of $15 per person is asked at the door to cover costs

Words: by William Shakespeare
Music: by Paul Norton and Richard Piper
Directed: by Richard Piper.

Rebecca's Up and Coming Gigs

The lovely Rebecca Barnard has a few shows coming up -

• July Sunday 9th gig for Emily's List (set up to get more female polititians into the ALP) at the Hi Fi Bar Melbourne from 1.00pm with Shelley Scown
• July Saturday 15th at Grand Central, Richmond with MY band doing all the new stuff
• July Wednesday 26th at Bar Open Brunswick St Fitzroy with Shane O'Mara
• July Friday 28th at The Palais Hepburn Springs with my band.
  Coincidentally it is Shanes and Rebeccas's 17th wedding anniversary that night so there may be a little post gig celebration that you are invited to if you buy tickets to the show. (from Rebecca's website)

I'll be booking for the Grand Central show :) See you there! Of course there will be a review later :) Watch this space.

June/July at the Northcote Social Club

Chris sent me the latest Northcote Social Club Gig Guide....thanks! Some excellent gigs coming up...I can feel a social life coming on!

• 22 June The Band Who Knew Too Much
• 23 June Lucid
• 24 June The Hot Lies
• 29 June Liz Stringer
• 30 June Kid Confucius
• 1 July Sodastream
• 2 July Sodastream
• 5 July Felicity Urquhart
• 6 July Tooth
• 7 July Snog
• 8 July Custom Kings
• 9 July Clare Bowditch & The Feeding Set
• 13 July Angie Hart
• 14 July Limited Express (Has Gone?) (Japan)
• 15 July Mates Of State (USA) - selling fast!
• 19 July The Audreys
• 20 July The Audreys - selling fast!
• 21 July The Fauves
• 22 July All India Radio23 July Don Walker & The SF's
• 26 July Triosk
• 27 July Emma Heeney
• 28 July Nick Murphy & Shylo
• 29 July Legends Of Motorsport
• 30 July Andy Baylor
• 1 Aug Carus (acoustic)
• 9 Aug Sara Storer

301 High St Northcote www.northcotesocialclub.com

Interesting Article from The Age today.

This article in The Age Newspaper today got me thinking....

In it, Toby Creswell, rock writer and author of "1000 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them" is quoted as nominating his top three songs of the 80s as Paul Simon's "You Can Call me Al", Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" and Stephen Cumming's "She Set Fire to the House". All great songs, but I have to admit they're probably not the first that come to anyone's mind as top 80's songs!

The 80s was the era of the one-hit-wonder...does ANYONE actually remember Kajagoogoo; and the makeover of previously successful artists - think Rod Stewart and Tina Turner; there were hundreds of really good songs! Please bear in mind I was a hairdresser in the 80's so the term hairdo music really sits well with me...Flock of Seagulls, Depeche Mode, Aha, The Human League, Howard Jones, Tears For Fears, I loved them all!

Now surely we can come up with songs that mean more to us as our indicator of what 80's music held for us...How about Prince - When Doves Cry, U2 - Anything from the Joshua Tree Album (all great songs) something from REM perhaps, or Paul Kelly...., Split Enz, Mondo Rock's "Come Said the Boy" was one of my favourites, the possibilities are endless!

Please add a comment telling me what YOUR top picks are for 80's music....either top Australian picks or top picks general! You choose!

I look forward to reading your lists!

We can cover other eras later!

Up and Coming at the Corner Hotel!

The Corner Hotel in Richmond is a great live music venue - in fact when I first moved to Melbourne my first live gig was a SKA festival there and it was sensational!

Chris forwarded me the Corner Hotel newsletter yesterday so I thought I would list the upcoming shows here..... I think Clare Bowditch is a must see (and I like KissChasy too - will be difficult to choose just one gig that week) and I hear that the Swedish Bnad Dungen are pretty good too!

Again, if you go to any of these gigs I'd love to publish your review here :) Just email me!

• 16/6 The Go Set
• 18/6 'Remote Memory' - a tribute to Elliott Smith
• 23/6 Jen Cloher & The Endless Sea
• 24/6 Musiki Manjaro
• 30/6 The Beautiful Girls
• 1/7 Kisschasy
• 7/7 FourPlay
• 8/7 Clare Bowditch & The Feeding Set
• 14/7 The Casanovas
• 15/7 The Presets
• 18/7 Dungen (Sweden)
• 21/7 'Wrestlerock 2'
• 25/7 Mogwai (Scotland)
• 4/8 Radio Birdman
• 5/8 Ringworm (USA) + Mindsnare
• 6/8 Shane Howard + Neil Murray
• 19 & 20/8 All-American Rejects (USA)

Phone bookings03 9427 9198

Online bookings www.cornerhotel.com

Split Enz @ Rod Laver Arena 11 June 2006

A review - kindly provided by the "The Geofman " (He called himself that!!!)

Was lucky enough to score tickets to see this awesome and underrated band! (in my opinion). I actually saw these guys way back in 1984 in Townsville ( showing my age here) and 22 years later they are still very impressive! Tim & Neil Finn still are quite a musical force to be reckoned with…..

They were supported by N.Z band Evermore, who played a great set and got a very warm response from the crowd - which was a sellout. Excellent stage and light show. The stage resembled something like looking at bacteria through a microscope, and the band came on stage under a cover which made them look like an amoeba which was whisked off and there they were in their zany, colorful outfits and opened up with shark attack, followed by poor boy.

Most of their material was from the albums Dizrythmia, Frenzy, True colors (NO Crowded House), and Corroboree, the line up from 1980-82 (Tim/Neil Finn, Eddie Raynor - Keys, Nigel Griggs - Bass, Mal Green - Drums/Perc, Noel Crombie - Drums/Perc)/

This is some of what was played:

• One Step Ahead
• 6 Months in a Leaky Boat
• Double Happy
• I See Red
• Without a Doubt
• Pioneer
• Take a Walk
• Straight Old Line
• Message to My Girl
• Whats the Matter With You
• I Hope I Never
• Charlie

Their last two songs, "I See Red" and "History Never Repeats" absolutely bought the house down. It was funny that as a drummer I thought that having two drummers would have been a huge sound, but they produced a lovely rythmic balanced musical sound.

A great, tight band still rocking on!

Thanks for the run down Geoff - some of us weren't so lucky as to attend :)

For movie lovers :)

Stumbled across this blog that has movie reviews for just about any movie you can think of! Great! They're quite detailed so if you don't want to be put off....probably best not to read them till after you've seen a movie! (Just to see if you agree)!

For Canberra Punters

Matt sent me an email about a gig in Canberra this Friday!

The Green Room,
Altree Crt, Phillip (above O'sheas)
Doors open at 8.30,
18+, Free Entry
Embryonic 8.45-9.15 (Matt's Band)
Escape Syndrome 9.30-10
Sound Pilot 10.15-10.45
After Close 11.11-30

Four bands - free entry what more could you want :)

If you go - write me a review and I wil post it here :)

Happenings at Hardiman's

Rick and Jane from Hardiman's sent a list of their up and coming events and there are a lot of gigs happening there over the next few months!

• Downstairs at Hardiman's is as busy as usual with great food and entertainment on every night.
  
• Now with enthusiasm help and support of the music industry in particular Gerry Hale, Paul Norton and Jane Clifton, Upstairs @ Janie's is evolving as the room to play. Don't miss Special Events @ Hardimans - Upstairs @ Janie,
  
• Sundays has grown to be something extra special with entertainment starting at 4pm and continuing into the evening with Wendy, Paul, and Michael.
  
• Tuesdays GERRY HALE'S INNOCENT BYSTANDERS with special guest every Tuesday $10. Last night Gerry special featured a Blue Grass Jam Session.
  
• Friday the 16th June THE AUSTRALIAN VAN MORRIS ON SHOW : Tickets are $20 - not to be missed and booking fast.
  
• Mondays in July Jane @ Janie's! Spend the evening with the fabulous Jane Clifton -tickets $15.
  
• Friday the 3rd August Sonnets Songs & Rock and Roll

PS: Gerrys bluegrass jam session was fantastic and looks set to build into a great event every month. Hardiman's is becoming a really great music venue! And a bloody great pub to boot!

New Guitar

I just won a 'new' guitar on e-Bay...actually it's an older Cort Earth 50E-NS Electric/Acoustic but my first one so I'm pretty happy with myself...will see if I like it and then perhaps next year upgrade to a newer one ;). I have to make myself practise and then I will deserve a new one...I will won't I?

My new guitar has (according to the seller) a Mahogany back, sides and neck with rosewood fingerboard which has mother of pearl dots.The machine heads are closed and chrome plated. (I have no idea what that means - guitarist out there please enlighten me!!) The top is edged with a fine 5 ply binding. It comes with a Cort CE-300 Active EQ system and pickup which enables you to plug into any amplifier, if required.

I'm so excited! I'm electrified at last!

I've also seen some lovely resonators at The Acoustic Centre, and at Beltone Guitars (you can even hear some at this site). I want one of these so badly! LHM (Littlest Household Member) loves the gold Dobro - my boy has great taste! The Acoustic Centre is luckily for me right close by my work and I can go drool over them whenever I want!

After Friday night - Bill needs to keep one of these in the boot of his car!

My dream though is to win lotto then drive myself out to the Maton factory and have a one-off-specially-designed-girlie-guitar just for me!

What the?

Mark Chopper Read has his own MySpace website...it's listed under HipHop/Hardcore/Rap! What the??? Is there anything at all this man won't try - stand-up guy, artist, author, poet and now rap superstar!

Now you might be wondering how a good girl like me (where is that angelic halo when I need it???) happened upon Chopper Read's blog...I'm not quite sure, I was just checking out Top Jimmy's MySpace (nice friends TJ :o)) and followed a few links and there it was!

Bloody good read, and there are some downloads there too! So have a listen - IF you're into that sort of thing!

Usual Sunday Bliss

Again, I ventured into Hardiman's for my usual Sunday night.

It's a long weekend here in Melbourne, so I took some friends with me, Geoff (drummer with Beyond Therapy), Janine from work, and I also met up with Amanda and Al.

Now, it's a very funny story how I came to catch up with Amanda after 23 years! Amanda and I went to high school together (up to Grade 10) in Tasmania. I left school and did a hairdressing apprenticeship and I'm not sure what Amanda did.

The very first night I ever went to Hardiman's, I went on my own, and settled myself in on the Chesterfield to listen to the music (not sure who it was that night). I saw this couple on the sofa across from me and the girl looked really familiar! After a while I plucked up the courage to go ask her if her name was Amanda and shock horror she said yes AND she recognised me too (which concerned me somewhat because I was really hoping I had changed A LOT)! So there you have it, 23 years later, in a small pub in suburban Melbourne I bump into an old school friend.

I'm really looking forward to Amanda and Al's birthday party soon...lots of nice new people who don't know me :)

Because of the long weekend I suspect, the downstairs bar was packed again, we managed to get a table and enjoy some yummy food (steak for me, risotto for Geoff and spring rolls for Janine), a few glasses of wine of course and the inimitable talents of Paul, Wendy and Michael to chill to.

Geoff was a first-timer and suitably impressed and has vowed to bring the rest of the band to check them out soon as well :) A job well done I think - single-handedly building the fan base of my favourite trio :)

I know I keep going on about it - but really if you like your music live and acoustic then you can't go wrong at Hardiman's on a Sunday night. Absolutely the best! Lots of stuff you will be able to sing along to (if that's your bent) and a heap of stuff that you wont know but will have to go hunt down after you've heard it! If you fancy yourself as a bit of a twinkletoes, there's plenty of dancing to be had too...really there's something for everyone!

Look forward to seeing you there!

Also it's come to my attention that lots of people are reading my blog....so please leave me a comment so I know you've dropped by!

Beyond Therapy - Unplugged!

Have you ever said you would do something - then hours later wondered what on earth you've let youself in for.....?

Janine, Ruth and I were right there last night.

I promised Geoff I'd go to see Beyond Therapy play their acoustic gig at Cunnigham's in Yarra Junction. No issues there - I'd pretty much go just about anywhere to check out a band! I THOUGHT that the venue was located at the start of the Warburton Highway (might take me an hour or so to get there from the city right?...Mistake number one!

I left home around 4 pm....dropped LHM at the place where he was sleeping over (cool!), drove back into the city and picked up Janine from work at Southbank (4.45), quick cup of coffee, drove down to Albert Park to collect Ruth (with fabulous new hairstyle - 5.20) and then we made our way to the Eastern Freeway!

Geoff had kindly booked us a table for dinner at 7.45...I thought, "great we'll be early", and the three of us were starving so we were looking forward to a good country pub feed! Mistake number two...We finally FOUND the pub at around 7.35 so we weren't early at all, however the 'good country pub feed was delivered!!

The drive was a lot of fun, but the night got better from there.....

Firstly...the pub. What a sensational place. From the minute we walked in and warmed our behinds in front of the fire, till the moment we left, we had an absolute ball! There's something about country pubs that just wins you over, the location, the atmosphere, the people (and last night) the music!

Tiffany, the lovely waitress in the dining room sorted us out with some great food, Ruth and I liked the sound of chicken kiev and Janine decided on some risotto, sides of garlic and cheeses and herb bread filled us up after our trek...(I know! I know! all that garlic - but we didn't plan on kissing anyone ok!) Geoff kindly bought us a glass of red wine had a bit of a chat and then headed off to start up the band! (Actually they had to come collect him as they thought he'd absconded, when really he was just out the back enjoying a glass of red with the ladies!)

We ate dinner, drank some more wine, and missed most of the first set - bugger! (sorry guys but we really were starving!)

The very small room was choc-a-bloc of the most fabulous characters you could think of...

• Al, with the biggest akubra I've ever seen, kindly offered all three of us a swag on the floor of his "snowy mountain hut" if we didn't want to drive back to the city. (Apparently we'd have to put up with the smell of horse shit because he said he wouldn't take his boots off!!!)
  
• Jools, leather pants and the most violent foot-stomping I've ever witnessed - I worried for my toes! Jools' mates whose names I don't remember who danced all night just about and urged us to do the same!
  
• Johnno the birthday boy and his mates, who were very untidy when mum came to pick them up at the end of the night, but they were having a ball! ( I think you know you're getting old when you look around the pub and wonder if two-thirds of the patrons (AND their mothers) are old enough to actually be there!!!)

Now to get to the important bit (poor Geoff has rather impatiently read all through the stuff above to get to this)...the band.

Acoustic is definitely the way to go in this tiny venue! Perfect! And once the lead singer (go Gary!) upped the volume so we could hear him - it was great! Geoff the percussion was really very good and Bill you really should leave the guitar smashing to the big names, it really get's expensive when you do that! (poor Bill was so enthused, his guitar came off the strap, fell and cracked the headstock)... luckily musicians' faithful "gaffa" saved the night!! No such disasters for John though!

A really good mix of oldies and newies that we could all sing to! Favourites...hard to pick, but definitely the AC/DC songs which took on an almost (but not quite) "Hayseed Dixie feel. Others included (all the pub-favourites) and in no particular order - just what I remembered in my bleary haze this morning (and no coffee yet - ran out of milk!):

• Gloria / Jailbreak
• Betterman
• April Sun in Cuba
• Hard To Handle
• Mustang Sally
• Walking By Myself
• Run to Paradise
• Jessies Girl
• Boys Light Up
• Summer of 69
• Backstreet Pickup
• Blister in the Sun
• Wild Thing/Louie Louie
• (edited to add a couple of Elvis songs too)

Is it just me, or is it hilarious hearing teenagers singing along to songs that were written before they were even born!?

Anyway the band was great (did I say that already?) and before I left, I made sure I told the publican exactly that, so expect to be booked again guys;) I'll remember to pack my saddlebags and a water bottle for the drive next time!

Sundays in June - Camberwell

Each Sunday afternoon in June, you can pop along to Chi Wa Wa's Cafe Bar and Restaurant, have a cup of your favourite coffee (and cake of course) and hear all your jazz favourites performed by Jo Abbott; (piano and vocals) and Andy Free; (bass and vocals).

1.00 – 4.00 pm

At Chi Wa Wa’s
Café bar and lounge
212 Camberwell Road
Camberwell


Pop along for a coffee or two and say hi to Andy for me :) If you ask him nicely - he'll do requests!

By the way...

A few weeks ago I was lucky to be at the Chapel on Chapel (sensational venue) to see Bruce Mathiske. Bruce is arguably one of the best guitarists in Australia. I spent two hours (right in the front seat too) mesmerised by his incredible ability....AND he played the didgeridoo at the same time!

For the most part, it was just Bruce, his Maton acoustic/electric guitar and a weird but wonderful amplified didgeridoo! No flashy set, a few lights, and a bottle of water, nothing was required to make this guy sound and look good - all eyes were on his fingers anyhow!

From the very first second he started playing, you could see this guy was just having fun, loving what he does!

He played everything from 'Eleanor Rigby', 'What a Wonderful World', Paul SImon's 'Gumboots' the haunting 'Soft Day In Athlone', 'Nightmare with Strings', some of the most beautiful 'landscape music' I've ever heard, along with Jazz, latin-influenced songs, and some good folksy ballads (assisted vocally by his uncle whose name I just can't remember - sorry unc!).

If you are a guitarist, or aspire to be, this guy is a must-see...he will blow you away with his skill and make you want to practice 24 hours a day! Check out his website - you can download a few things there and have a listen!

Damn nice bloke too!

Swinging Saturday Night

This Saturday 10th June, Navilus are playing at the Clayton RSL from 7.30 till 10.30. So, if you want to dance yourselves into a frenzy (swing dancing of course) get yourself down there.

My friend Andy will be singing and he's very smooooooth!

Sunday at Hardiman's

Last night was my usual outing to Hardiman's. I'd spent the entire weekend with Economics and Management Science textbooks and my pc and quite franky I needed a glass or two of red and a nice litte sit down.

Fortunately, last night at Hardiman's was "rockin" to say the least - a great tonic for the brain drain I was experiencing. Usually, the downstairs bar is not too crowded, very relaxing and quite the chill-out place, but last night the place was jam packed with people having a great time - which really goes without saying as Hardiman's really is a great pub (must be the people)!

The Norton/Stapelton/Cristian trio were there being their usual sensational selves and the bigger-than-normal crowd of twenty-somethings were very appreciative, as were the regulars (we're a little more than twenty-something) who were herded into the far corner as tables and seats were at a premium last night!

This would have to be one of the best trios in Melbourne, if not THE best and they never fail to deliver whatever it is you're looking for at the time. They play a great mix of songs to sing along to, and for two guitars and a tambourine they have a really big sound. If you like acoustic Sundays then make sure you check out Hardiman's. It's worth the trip just to see Rick's monstrous wine glass, Jane's sparklers AND to devour one of their huge parmigianas!!

Rick and Jane are the best Sunday hosts and always make everyone very welcome - just like going home for a Sunday dinner really and as I settled down on the arm of the chesterfield lounge, I thought to myself that I could have quite happily just stayed there all night.

Songs that have a lasting effect....

I had a bit of a discussion last night about songs that have an 'extraordinary' effect on you....so I thought I would make a list here of songs that "do things" to me.....and the reasons why....if I know them!

• Amazing Grace - a really powerful song that I have trouble singing without tears.
• The Winner Takes it All - An ABBA song. I was about 15 or 16 I think and my first boyfriend dumped me to this song....on occasions depending on my mood - it still makes me teary! (I'm a girl after all!).
• I Can't Make You Love Me - *sigh* read the lyrics......unrequited love at it's best!
• She's Only Happy in the Sun - Ben Harper...don't know why.
• Now I Can Dance - lots of reasons.....none of which I care to share here :)

Now I have successfully let you in on just how "girlie" I am...I'm going to listen to something happy!!

Songwriters Speak

I ordered my copy of this book today....can't wait for it to arrive now although I did borrow a copy so I can start reading this weekend.....yes I know it's not economics...but much more interesting.

Some of the songwriters interviewed include:

• Nick Cave
• Deborah Conway
• Richard Clapton
• Joy McKean
• Iva Davies
• Colin Hay
• Archie Roach
• Daniel Johns

...just to name a few.

In the preface, Debbie Kruger writes about her book " ...this is not essentially a book about the interntational success of Australian music. It is a collection of in-depth conversations with songwriters whose work has left an indelible imprint on Australia's cultural landscape. It is an insight into the hearts and minds of some of our greatest musical poets." (page 11).

It is also sad that ill health and the eventual passing of so many of our great songwriters meant they couldn't be included in this book. Debbie tells us that Ted Mulry's passing was one of the catalysts for getting the book started...and also shares her sadness that Slim Dusty passed away before she was able to speak with him.

I was raised on country music, and I would have loved to hear what Slim himself had to say about his life and songs.

Slim was the favourite with my father. Any great long trips in the car would have dad bringing out the Slim Dusty cassette's (and now CDs). We knew all the words, and while we would never let the kids from school know we liked it - secretly I think we did. The songs were all such great Australian stories and many of them became our favourites. I know now, that my son still likes to hear his granddad's music and sings along with them too!

I recall living in St Mary's (see Teddy Bear's Picnic post) and seeing my first 'live' music gig. It was held at the St Mary's Town Hall. I saw Slim Dusty and Joy McKean, and their daughter Anne sang too - she mustn't have been much more than 10 or so. I think there were also a few others including Reg Lindsay and Chad Morgan (what a character).

I think it was that experience (and Young Talent Time of course) that propelled me headlong into a desire to entertain and I sang at every opportunity!

After quite a few years of not singing, recently I got up the courage to start again and I'm very glad I did. I didn't realise how much I missed being in front of an audience.

Debbie, I am very grateful for your hard work in allowing us to delve into the minds of those around us who have talents we can only aspire to. Thanks!

Reminiscing

Geoff so kindly reminded me of the very first song I ever sung in public....I was 5 and the occasion was the St Mary's District School (Tas) concert...the song...The Teddy Bears Picnic....the words...as below!

If you go out in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go out in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for teddy bears,
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today.
Watch them, catch them unawares,
And see them picnic on their holiday.

See them gaily dance about.
They love to play and shout.
And never have any cares.
At six o'clock their mommies and daddies
Will take them home to bed
Because they're tired little teddy bears.

If you go out in the woods today,
You'd better not go alone.
It's lovely out in the woods today,
But safer to stay at home.
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

CHORUS

Every bear, that's been good
Is sure of a treat today
There's lots of wonderful things to eat
And wonderful games to play
Beneath the trees, where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

CHORUS

Songwriting

I'm working on the music for a song I wrote a couple of weeks ago. The motivation behind this song is of course a love gone wrong - aren't they all!

I'm having a real time trying to stop it from sounding really angry! This is probably because at the time I WAS really pi$$ed off...perhaps I should just make it a devastatingly cranky blues song and be done with it....!

What key was it that was meant to be the saddest key of all? I'll have to get the Spinal Tap DVD out to watch again!

As an aside, my little man (LHM) wrote his first song tonight - it floored me! It's really insightful and lovely and almost made me cry and I can't decide whether it's because it's great (for a ten year old - MY ten year old) or it's just a great lyric. Mind you I came back to earth with a thud when he asked me what rhymed with "snoring"!!!

I will have to teach him a lesson in knowing when to stop :)

Research

I've been listening to a lot of music lately trying to get together a list of things I might like to sing....always a good thing for a singer to have handy!

Tonight I stumbled across a couple of goodies!

A really cool Melissa Etheridge song "You Can Sleep While I Drive". It's a duet with Jewel....if you get the opportunity - give it a whirl on your record player!!!

The lyrics....

You can Sleep While I drive
Written by Melissa Etheridge.(© Almo Music Corp./M L E Music.)

Come on baby let's get out of this town
I got a full tank of gas with the top rolled down
There's a chill in my bones
I don't want to be left alone
So baby you can sleep while I drive

I'll pack my bag and load up my guitar
In my pocket I'll carry my harp
I got some money I saved
Enough to get underway
And baby you can sleep while I drive

We'll go thorough Tucson up to Santa Fe
And Barbara in Nashville
says we're welcome to stay
I'll buy you glasses in Texas
A hat from New Orleans
And in the morning
you can tell me your dreams

You know I've seen it before
This mist that covers your eyes
You've been looking for something
That's not in your life
My intentions are true
Won't you take me with you
And baby you can sleep while I drive

Oh is it other arms you want to
Hold you the stranger
The lover you're free
Can't you get that with me

Come on baby let's get out of this town
I got a full tank of gas
With the top rolled down
If you won't take me with you
I'll go before night is through
And baby you can sleep while I drive

I've also been listening a lot to Neko Case, and Corrine Bailey Rae...I've got a bit of a 'thing' for the ladies lately! Hmmmmm hope that is not indicative!

If you have a song suggestion - please let me know...remembering of course I'm one half an acoustic duo!

Beyond Therapy - 10 June 2006

Lucky boys (and lucky gig-goers) two gigs in one weekend for this great 80s/90s pub band!

Nyora Hotel
46 Davis St Nyora!

And it's FREE ENTRY! Bonus!