heading on down to the where the city meets the sky,
rearview mirrors holding dear where fields of lavender lie.
sounds and smirks and all things done,
wrapped up tight into another day gone.
...it's "back to melbourne", friends. see you all very soon for shows and fun :)
(more to read on the tourblog, as always - see link on right)
f:)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
fit for queensland...
the final stretch....tear.
we're up in brisbane now, enjoying a little re-grouping session before the two final shows of the tour.
only two pieces left. how ironic.
the past week - post organic farm - has been a whirlwind of music, sunshine and large laughs. the lovely lady foursome, Jungal (www.myspace.com/jungal3) rolled into byron bay a little early, with plenty of time for us all to catch up since we've hit the road. our shared gig at the rails on thursday was one stop on their mini-east-coast tour, as well. it's always such a pleasure to play with friends. especially these girls. the gig was heaps of fun, as the rails always is. being the transient, exciting little town byron bay is, we made loads of very fresh friends, who made the trek down a few short streets to check us out, which was so sweet. even sweeter though, was seeing the whole crew from jasper hall (the organic farm), all suited up for the event -- and a big night out before the big drive in (to the mountains) for the next day's early start. ah, can't wait to get back there! needless to say, we made the best of our thursday in byron and jammed with some locals outside of the station until the wee hours!
friday saw us all getting our tans on at the beach, before a short trip to byron for Jungal's show with Aurora Jane (who is also very much worth checking out: www.aurorajane.com) in nimbin. oh, nimbin. this little one-street town is one of those places you really only need to stop into once...for the early afternoon. the lush greenery surrounding the place is absolutely stunning, and the storefront artwork is most definitely worth checking out....but the place itself had an incredibly sketchy tone to it. could've just been the massive drug bust that had apparently shaken it up earlier that day.....who knows!?! (either way, we'll be back...sunday, for our last gig. hahaha. well, the gig will be just oustide of nimbin in a super-cute cafe surrounded by the pretty trees, so i think we're safe).
saturday started off with a very early drive down to coffs harbor (approx. 4hrs) for the Open Arms festival, which Jungal invited us along to for their show. great festival! we had an amazing time dancing along in the mud...especially to Blue King Brown - an insanely talented bunch from melbourne, whose lyrics just spill political and social goooooooodness. check them out, tooooo! www.bluekingbrown.com
our sunday show in brisbane was great. we played at a funky little cafe/bistro called "the joynt", here in the west end...which is a super cultured little 'burb (love it. we've been hanging around these bits for the past few days and just can't get enough!). the set was long and relaxed, which just happens to be my favorite. an excellent opportunity to break out some brand new tunes (there are a few!), as well as the old dusty ones. the sound was spectacular, as well, which made it all even sweeter.
so here we are now, just about ready for the two pieces tour debrief...
i want to do it all over again!!!
...more in store...
f:)
we're up in brisbane now, enjoying a little re-grouping session before the two final shows of the tour.
only two pieces left. how ironic.
the past week - post organic farm - has been a whirlwind of music, sunshine and large laughs. the lovely lady foursome, Jungal (www.myspace.com/jungal3) rolled into byron bay a little early, with plenty of time for us all to catch up since we've hit the road. our shared gig at the rails on thursday was one stop on their mini-east-coast tour, as well. it's always such a pleasure to play with friends. especially these girls. the gig was heaps of fun, as the rails always is. being the transient, exciting little town byron bay is, we made loads of very fresh friends, who made the trek down a few short streets to check us out, which was so sweet. even sweeter though, was seeing the whole crew from jasper hall (the organic farm), all suited up for the event -- and a big night out before the big drive in (to the mountains) for the next day's early start. ah, can't wait to get back there! needless to say, we made the best of our thursday in byron and jammed with some locals outside of the station until the wee hours!
friday saw us all getting our tans on at the beach, before a short trip to byron for Jungal's show with Aurora Jane (who is also very much worth checking out: www.aurorajane.com) in nimbin. oh, nimbin. this little one-street town is one of those places you really only need to stop into once...for the early afternoon. the lush greenery surrounding the place is absolutely stunning, and the storefront artwork is most definitely worth checking out....but the place itself had an incredibly sketchy tone to it. could've just been the massive drug bust that had apparently shaken it up earlier that day.....who knows!?! (either way, we'll be back...sunday, for our last gig. hahaha. well, the gig will be just oustide of nimbin in a super-cute cafe surrounded by the pretty trees, so i think we're safe).
saturday started off with a very early drive down to coffs harbor (approx. 4hrs) for the Open Arms festival, which Jungal invited us along to for their show. great festival! we had an amazing time dancing along in the mud...especially to Blue King Brown - an insanely talented bunch from melbourne, whose lyrics just spill political and social goooooooodness. check them out, tooooo! www.bluekingbrown.com
our sunday show in brisbane was great. we played at a funky little cafe/bistro called "the joynt", here in the west end...which is a super cultured little 'burb (love it. we've been hanging around these bits for the past few days and just can't get enough!). the set was long and relaxed, which just happens to be my favorite. an excellent opportunity to break out some brand new tunes (there are a few!), as well as the old dusty ones. the sound was spectacular, as well, which made it all even sweeter.
so here we are now, just about ready for the two pieces tour debrief...
i want to do it all over again!!!
...more in store...
f:)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
in the rough where the diamond sits...
Out in the rough where the diamond sits,
The search ends in this haven, a perfect fit.
Two handfuls of lost souls, found here under the sun,
This cycle, survival, the only one.
A carpet of trees shades us all underneath,
In the depth of the valley, where minds seep through teeth.
No thoughts unwelcome, only safe to grow strong,
In this salad of stories that go on, and on, and on.
The search ends in this haven, a perfect fit.
Two handfuls of lost souls, found here under the sun,
This cycle, survival, the only one.
A carpet of trees shades us all underneath,
In the depth of the valley, where minds seep through teeth.
No thoughts unwelcome, only safe to grow strong,
In this salad of stories that go on, and on, and on.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Reeling-in the Sun....
As we continued the long drive from rutherglen to belgrave then back again, we found ourselves as exhausted as Ruby’s rubber tires, but giddy with excitement at the anticipation of seeing (and playing alongside!) our good friends, April Maze and Quinn Band, who had invited us to slip in for a quick set at the Marlin Hotel, since, as luck would have it, our touring paths crossed again. This Ulladulla gig was only one hour south of our Nowra show the next day. Ah, fate.
We pulled into Ulladulla with plenty of time to catch a big family dinner with the crew and setup for what was a fantastic(ally eventful) show in this huge, small-town pub on a Friday night. The interesting unexpectancies were all just a lead up to our bar-closing exit towards the beach, for what turned into a three-band-and-friends jam until a disappointing sunrise-shower would have us all in a panic to coil leads and get the full setup of instruments and amplifiers back into our vans. The ‘Maze carried on with us though, despite the wet stuff, for a little circled chant of appreciation of the amazing music that had come before our breakfast-bedtime. We certainly all felt lucky to be alive, living in our respective vans, touring the country in different directions, knowing that our songs would bring us together soon again.
…as it will.
f☺
We pulled into Ulladulla with plenty of time to catch a big family dinner with the crew and setup for what was a fantastic(ally eventful) show in this huge, small-town pub on a Friday night. The interesting unexpectancies were all just a lead up to our bar-closing exit towards the beach, for what turned into a three-band-and-friends jam until a disappointing sunrise-shower would have us all in a panic to coil leads and get the full setup of instruments and amplifiers back into our vans. The ‘Maze carried on with us though, despite the wet stuff, for a little circled chant of appreciation of the amazing music that had come before our breakfast-bedtime. We certainly all felt lucky to be alive, living in our respective vans, touring the country in different directions, knowing that our songs would bring us together soon again.
…as it will.
f☺
Thursday, October 30, 2008
movin' on...
the "two pieces tour" is now in full force. with 6 shows under their belt, and numerous busking and jam sessions taboot, ruby the van has taken us around rural victoria, up to numurkah, yarrawanga, rutherglen, beechworth, wahgunyah, belgrave, emerald, wodonga, and all the little places in between.
faye and brad have been gigging, busking, driving, sampling some fine australian wine, talking, sleeping, and gigging some more.
we're now at the border of victoria and new south wales. once we cross that line, there's no looking back. no, that's not true. but it's exciting to think about what's ahead. three (or more) states left to conquer. plenty more shows, new people to meet, and i'm sure a few more bumps on the road.
for now, i'll just give you a little list of things that we're learned on tour so far:
- never underestimate the friendliness of the small town country folk
- a three hour drive can often mean 4 or 5 or 7 hours in "ruby time"
- rest stops are our little haven. so are country towns, creeks, waterfalls, and forests
- even if the next gig is that night in a town that's 7 hours away, it still makes sense to stop for a little all-you-can-drink wine tasting
- it's really hard to sing a song while a hundred million flies are landing on your lip. might as well just eat them!
- three people sleeping in ruby ain't all that bad
- four people sleeping in ruby means leg cramps for weeks
long live the road!
x lisa
(and faye, brad, and ruby, too!)
faye and brad have been gigging, busking, driving, sampling some fine australian wine, talking, sleeping, and gigging some more.
we're now at the border of victoria and new south wales. once we cross that line, there's no looking back. no, that's not true. but it's exciting to think about what's ahead. three (or more) states left to conquer. plenty more shows, new people to meet, and i'm sure a few more bumps on the road.
for now, i'll just give you a little list of things that we're learned on tour so far:
- never underestimate the friendliness of the small town country folk
- a three hour drive can often mean 4 or 5 or 7 hours in "ruby time"
- rest stops are our little haven. so are country towns, creeks, waterfalls, and forests
- even if the next gig is that night in a town that's 7 hours away, it still makes sense to stop for a little all-you-can-drink wine tasting
- it's really hard to sing a song while a hundred million flies are landing on your lip. might as well just eat them!
- three people sleeping in ruby ain't all that bad
- four people sleeping in ruby means leg cramps for weeks
long live the road!
x lisa
(and faye, brad, and ruby, too!)
Beechworth-it.
Oh, Beechworth! Your bakery and bottomless coffee: a sin,
Your streets with their “old western movie” grin,
A sepia tone over all who walk about,
Smiles on our faces, worries – without.
Oh, Beechworth! You heard us, as we busked near the Post,
The sun set, wiped your boutiques, as you stood, the finest host.
In water holes, we filled our bellies, water rushing through,
By your lakeside we stayed inside, for sleep we wanted too.
Oh, Rutherglen! You listened closely and some further away,
Through the vines, our voices carried, tired lips, so much to say.
But your happy clappers pushed us through the old familiar sounds,
Such spirit, we could feel it, this Sunday, all around.
Oh, Rutherglen! You lent us your locals, and their brick haven tucked away,
A treat for tired fingers to find such a place and space to lay.
You dipped us in your sweetest fruit fermented juice,
And waved us on our merry way, all well-read and loose.
Thank you!
f☺
Your streets with their “old western movie” grin,
A sepia tone over all who walk about,
Smiles on our faces, worries – without.
Oh, Beechworth! You heard us, as we busked near the Post,
The sun set, wiped your boutiques, as you stood, the finest host.
In water holes, we filled our bellies, water rushing through,
By your lakeside we stayed inside, for sleep we wanted too.
Oh, Rutherglen! You listened closely and some further away,
Through the vines, our voices carried, tired lips, so much to say.
But your happy clappers pushed us through the old familiar sounds,
Such spirit, we could feel it, this Sunday, all around.
Oh, Rutherglen! You lent us your locals, and their brick haven tucked away,
A treat for tired fingers to find such a place and space to lay.
You dipped us in your sweetest fruit fermented juice,
And waved us on our merry way, all well-read and loose.
Thank you!
f☺
Monday, October 27, 2008
from st. leonards to belgrave
after faye and brad's sunday stint at st. leonards vineyard, we retreated back to our good friend kat's parent's humble abode to enjoy a few days of quality r n' r. the winery gig wasn't what we expected, but was still an enjoyable day of live music, good food, and yummilicious local wines.
isn't there some sort of statistic about how many flies the average person swallows in a lifetime? i'd say that we each capped our max at this point! welcome to rural victoria, australia, aka fly country.
next stop -- ruby's in belgrave. it was a bit of a back-track, as we had to drive about 5 hours back towards melbourne. poor planning on the manager's behalf (woops!?). but it was all worth it. our fabulous-o friend kat joined us on the journey to belgrave as we passed beautiful green rolling hillsides, wild animals, and small country towns. the set at ruby's was short and sweet...and we ventured back to the oh-so-familiar emerald backpackers, where faye and i temporarily lived while doing some farm work last month. for some reason, the little town of emerald keeps pulling us back in for more. our sleep that night was slightly more squished than usual, as kat, brad, faye, and i all attempted to find an inch of space to sleep on in the back of ruby. i feel so much closer to these kids than ever before, and there are still many more cosy nights up ahead.
:) lisa
isn't there some sort of statistic about how many flies the average person swallows in a lifetime? i'd say that we each capped our max at this point! welcome to rural victoria, australia, aka fly country.
next stop -- ruby's in belgrave. it was a bit of a back-track, as we had to drive about 5 hours back towards melbourne. poor planning on the manager's behalf (woops!?). but it was all worth it. our fabulous-o friend kat joined us on the journey to belgrave as we passed beautiful green rolling hillsides, wild animals, and small country towns. the set at ruby's was short and sweet...and we ventured back to the oh-so-familiar emerald backpackers, where faye and i temporarily lived while doing some farm work last month. for some reason, the little town of emerald keeps pulling us back in for more. our sleep that night was slightly more squished than usual, as kat, brad, faye, and i all attempted to find an inch of space to sleep on in the back of ruby. i feel so much closer to these kids than ever before, and there are still many more cosy nights up ahead.
:) lisa
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