"...for we are young and freezing"

I spent most of last week in Canberra. I arrived on Tuesday and flew home on Friday. It was, unsurprisingly, extremely fresh. Mid-July is never going to be warm in the capital. The skies were blue though and the days had a sunny disposition, which made it quite pleasant despite the chill. I was reminded of my longer stints in the city, over the course of a couple of winters back in 1995 and 1996. Despite being a long way from home, they were fun times.
I got to spend a couple of my evenings at The Phoenix; it is a most agreeable place. It would be good to get a gig there sometime. I wish it was just around the corner from my house...
I also picked up some more cut-price horror DVDs from Landspeed Records - Dario Argento and Tobe Hooper collections, as well as a couple of cinematic masterpieces; the evocatively named Zombie Flesh Eaters and Zombie Holocaust. I remember watching both of them when living in share houses back in the day.

Canberra can be fun.

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Honda

Well, it's been a long time. After lying dormant for few years, underutilised and undercover, my Honda deserved some love.
I finally got around to getting the old girl looked at in late 2009. I thought it probably needed points, a new battery, and a couple of other minor things. Nope. It needed plenty of work, and I was going to have to pay, and wait, if I wanted a functioning bike again.
I didn't see the bike for just over a year, and was very happy to regain possession of it in mid-April. Unfortunately, Mawson Trail mountain bike rides, work, bronchitis and music commitments have made it difficult for the two of us to spend any quality time together.

That all changed this morning.

Welcome back, Honda.

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Friday on my mind...

It's Friday night and I'm playing a two-hour show at The Ambassadors. For someone who relies almost solely on originals, this is a pretty big ask.
My setlist comprises all of my songs that I know well, and don't mind playing, as well as a host of songs I almost never play. Plus a few covers courtesy of Billy Bragg, Alistair Hulett, Joy Division and Wreckless Eric. Thanks guys, the cheque's in the mail.
The bar is filled with after-work drinkers in various stages of disrepair, and I wonder if the level of weekend-welcoming inebriation is the reason why I'm going down so well. Not that I am bothered, a win is a win. Without wishing to put too finer point on things, they love me.
It's nights like this that remind me why I play for people. And play for myself.

As usual, the time passes quickly and I sense that my singing, my harmonica and my 12-string have passed the audition. I could do this every week; it might be time to seek out a residency somewhere...

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A good day

Some days, everything falls into place.

This morning, the radio shattered my pre-dawn escapism as per usual, and I rose and went about preparing myself for workaday drudgery. At least it was my half-day.
I'd forgotten that we had planned to drive to work, so I walked in without thinking. Nice one David.
I left work at lunchtime, and when I got home I went online and registered my Honda before taking it for a very short ride to fill up the tank. Despite the fact that it was only a couple of kilometres (the real ride will come on the weekend), it felt great to be back on my motor bike. It has been getting fixed up over the last 12 months and has only recently found its way back to my house.
As soon as I got home and flipped the bike up onto its stand, a parcel van arrived. Very timely indeed - it was my Fender Telecaster that I'd recently purchased from Austin, Texas. Welcome to your new life, you little beauty!
I also discovered that I'd successfully bid on a guitar effects rack. I'd made a very skinny bid expecting it to be bested but it turned out to be sufficient. What luck!

Just when I was thinking that the day couldn't get much better, the sun came out.

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A Winter's Tale

Tuesday night. The Metropolitan Hotel is relatively empty as I walk in, escaping the chilly evening air. The true believers are there, and no doubt the place will fill up once things get underway. Although, it is a cold winter's night and I understand why folks may choose to stay at home.
I have a decent chat with a few people; there are advantages when the evening is a little more relaxed than usual. We talk about guitars, life, and other absurd concepts.
I play a few songs. I've been trying to showcase a bunch of different songs at recent gigs - covers, really old songs, and a few new ones. It all helps to broaden my repertoire. Tonight I give myself a night off and play six of my more familiar numbers. Just for fun.

Catching the bus home on a cold but fine winter's night in deserted Adelaide carries with it a sense of romance. For a few minutes I am 17 again.

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Dizzy

I got out of bed the other Sunday, quite early as it happened, to prepare for a mountain bike ride. My Saturday night had been of a half-decent size so I wasn't overly surprised to feel a little dizzy as I lurched down the hallway.
It passed quite quickly and I didn't give it another thought.
When I went to bed that night, I had an attack of the head spins as soon as I lay down. Weird.
It was the same the next morning and night, and for the ensuing days.
Anything strange like this is a concern and, as the early morning/late night spinning persisted for over a week, I decided to consult a physician.
I was hoping it wouldn't be anything too serious, but worry is a powerful thing. After doing his best to allay the most melodramatic of my fears, the doctor pronounced a confident diagnosis of "benign positional vertigo". It turns out that its quite common, and can be helped by the execution of an exercise known as Epley's Manoeuvre, and although this is usually successful, it can always come back.

Great. Now I don't know if, on any given morning, I am going to walk into the hallway, or into the wall.

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Yours Truly. Again.

Back in May, I reunited with my good mate Ken for a weekend of Yours Truly gigs. Ken was in Adelaide for the Alistair Hulett Memorial Fund concert, and we decided to make the most of his four days in town.
On the Thursday evening we caught up, said hello, and had a quick rehearsal just to make sure we remembered the songs. Then it was into the cars and down to Higher Ground to play a short set of originals as part of a SCALA performance. Luckily we know enough of each others' songs that we are just about proficient without the need for lengthy rehearsals. Things happen so quickly in the the Yours Truly universe that any kind of rehearsal is a rarity. The gig provided a great launching pad for the weekend.
On the Friday we journeyed down to Red Brick recording studios. After playing as a duo for a few years now, we figured that it was probably time to commemorate our union and do some recording together. We had a great day, recording eight songs under the guidance of Anthony Stewart, studio supremo. We hope to have the first Your Truly album out before Christmas, with a sneak preview song appearing on the next SCALA CD.
This was another of our whirlwind weekends as we played gigs at The Ambassadors Hotel, The SA Folk Centre, and the front bar of the Governor Hindmarsh. All the shows were different, and we had a great deal of rock and roll fun. The Alistair Hulett concert was a bit special, and I was very happy to accompany Ken through the set of Hulett classics.
We just about had time for a quick pint after the Sunday afternoon show at The Gov before Ken had to make his way to the airport, and beat a hasty retreat back to Sydney.

Adios amigo!

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