Starry, starry night.

I took my 2012 Fringe bow on Thursday, when I did my thing at Shimmering West as part of SCALA and Higher Ground's Fringe performance showcase.
In the days leading up to the gig, I felt flat and low, and I'd just about convinced myself that I didn't want to play. Grumpy and knackered, a lovely combination. The mood prevailed right up until the time we left the house for the show.

From the moment I got to the venue, however, I felt better.

I sat and listened to Annette Flanagan, as she played a few songs in front of a small but engaged crowd that had come to see her. People that I knew from Higher Ground milled around the square, soaking up the vibe. In the distance I could see Guy Masterson and a few others from the Centre for International Theatre, doubtless relaxing before the commencement of their evening performances. There was a mild buzz around the place, as people emerging from other Fringe shows, or waiting to get in, sat in the beautiful dusk to listen awhile. Others were just happy to be at Shimmering West for the duration, enjoying the weather, food, drink and bonhomie.
By the time I took the stage, I felt so much better. What a tonic this performing lark sometimes can be. I pulled a song out of the hat for a sound check and by the time we'd got it all sorted I was half way through. The song was going well so I decided to press on. So I unexpectedly opened with Where Did You Go? and we were away. The crowd seemed interested in staying, and I felt extremely comfortable chatting from the stage. I worked through a range of songs, choosing whatever I thought would match the mood of the crowd and the banter. I thought I'd have a crack at my brand new song, so What in the World? had its world premiere. It didn't sound too bad.
Day turned to night, and I signed off with Say Goodbye, wishing everyone well as we basked in the splendour of the full moon. I was genuinely, unexpectedly and quite gently urged to do an encore. I was scrambling for ideas but decided to finish with a version of Looking For Something.
The Shimmering West/Higher Ground/Art College/Light Hotel complex captures the spirit of the Adelaide Fringe perfectly. For me, it is the heart of the annual event.
I'd have to go back a long way to find a more enjoyable gig.

Bravo!

www.bleakumbrella.com

in my studio

Mental.
The pace of things lately has meant that I have been hot-tin-roofing from one thing to another with almost zero preparation. Without me realising, last Sunday arrived and afforded me less that 48 hours to write and record a song for the Alistair Hulett Memorial Fund's Songs for Social Justice competition. In addition, it was the end of February and I still hadn't delivered a February song, in line with my commitment to write at least one song per month in 2012. The pressure was on.
I'd been bouncing a few ideas around in my almost empty skull for a while, so I dragged together a song called What in the World?
By Sunday night it was pretty much done, lyrically and musically. Simple, but quite effective, in my opinion.
Monday was spent reacquainting myself with Shabby Road Studios, and recording the song. Performer, arranger, engineer and producer. Piece of cake.
I got to use my Telecaster on a recording for the first time, which was nice.
I sent the song off just after tea on the Monday evening, relatively happy with how it ended up.

Instant Karma, baby.

www.bleakumbrella.com

last night's gig

I played at Higher Ground last night. I think it was my first gig of the year.
I'd made the decision earlier in the week that I was going to play a set that didn't include a single song from my A Drop in the Ocean album, just to see if I had enough other songs to do the job.
A Drop in the Ocean was a sort of bringing together of all my recorded work to that point, so I was keen to see if I'd written enough decent songs in the decade following its release to fill a short set. Pathetic really; such is the paucity of my songwriting in more recent times...
Some of the songs were a bit of a stretch, but I managed to acquit myself with a modicum of aplomb. It was refreshing to please a (small) audience with a bunch of songs I don't always play, certainly not collectively.
The set did include my latest composition, I Never Noticed, and I just about managed to get it out without breaking down. Good on me.

www.bleakumbrella.com

on the radio

I did a little spot on Radio Adelaide last Saturday. It's usually a pleasant way to spend a little earlymorning time, talking about oneself and playing a couple of songs, and this experience was no different.
Not a great deal of talking this time around though; what I did have to say was squeezed between two performances on the 12-string. I think the broadcast was running behind schedule. Suits me, I don't generally have that much to say in any event. Well, I guess I do, but who wants to listen to the ramblings of a vaguely intelligent but definitely different individual?
As well as playing Shining Light, I debuted a brand new song called I Never Noticed. I blogged about this song, thinking it was finished, over a year ago. Well, after numerous rewrites and rearrangements, it is written now.
I think I'll play it live next week. I hope someone notices...

www.bleakumbrella.com

in the studio

I spent yesterday afternoon back at Red Brick, putting what I hoped to be the finishing touches to the Yours Truly album. I was dog-tired when I got there, and there was no glamour or romance about the process. Anthony is a great guy, and the studio is one of my favourites, but there's no joy in listening to the same short phrases being repeated, ad nauseum, in an effort to get them sounding right. All I wanted to do was finish...
On and on we went; I guess it was a credit to us both that we didn't just pull the pin and have a beer. I still felt like crap, but discipline was my co-pilot.
Whatever my feelings, it was with a great sense of satisfaction that I, some hours later, walked out of the studio with a finished and mastered CD in my bag.

Thanks, Anthony. Hopefully I'll see you again soon. Red Brick is brilliant.

www.bleakumbrella.com

High Flying Noel

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I was in Melbourne. I went across, with a mate, to see Noel Gallagher play at The Palais Theatre in St Kilda. Sure, I could have seen him do a set in Adelaide at the Big Day Out, but the gig would have been of a much shorter duration and I would have had to contend with Soundgarden playing at the same time on the other stage. So it was off to Melbourne...
The concert was brilliant. A reasonably well-oiled and expectant crowd packed the sold-out Palais, and (It's Good) To Be Free welcomed us all to the show. After a couple of songs Noel invited everyone to stand up. Everyone did, and stayed standing until the gig was done. I guess you don't mess with Noel; even the mellow 45 year-old version knows what he wants, and expects to get it.
The set was evenly split between songs from the new album and timeless Noel classics, made famous by that other band. The High Flying Birds' album is great so I wouldn't have cared if he'd just done new stuff, but I was happy to hear Whatever, Talk Tonight, Half the World Away and the rousing Don't Look Back in Anger, a fitting closer.

Seemingly, the entire audience was happy to sing those last two out loud. Without being asked.

Setlist:

1. (It's Good) To Be Free (Oasis)
2. Mucky Fingers (Oasis)
3. Everybody's on the Run
4. Dream On
5. If I Had a Gun...
6. The Good Rebel
7. The Death of You and Me
8. Freaky Teeth
9. Whatever (Oasis)
10. Supersonic (Oasis)
11. (I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine
12. AKA... What a Life!
13. Talk Tonight (Oasis)
14. Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks
15. AKA... Broken Arrow
16. Half The World Away (Oasis)
17. (Stranded On) The Wrong Beach

Encore:

1. Little By Little (Oasis)
2. The Importance of Being Idle (Oasis)
3. Don't Look Back In Anger (Oasis)

www.bleakumbrella.com

Sweat Lodge

Hot. I am trying to resist the call of the air conditioner. Going solar has made me a bit more careful about using electricity from the grid. Perhaps too careful about using electricity from the grid. And the aircon chews heaps of power.
It's going to reach 38 today, and is tipped to be 37 tomorrow. Only 34 for the rest of the week though, so I'll be searching for my thermals.
I've tried to fight it today, but these brick houses are really just large ovens, and once they heat up they stay hot. The fans have done half a job, but not enough. It will be the air conditioning tomorrow, for sure.
This was a well-intentioned, but awfully sweaty, mistake...

www.bleakumbrella.com