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Bluesfest day 1

The drive down to Byron was not the most enjoyable due to all the roadworks that is going on to upgrade the road capacity and the sheer mass of people heading south for the Bluesfest or making an early start on their Easter weekend away. I arrived safely and in one piece. More importantly I managed to find a really great campsite, only a short walk to the toilets and the bus stop as well as having trees on the western side to keep my tent cool in the afternoon sun 🙂

I was quite impressed with how I set up my tent and fly but I didn’t remember to take a photo till I was breaking camp on the last day which meant that the photo wouldn’t have shown much. Funny thing happened when I made it out to the festival site as in front of me in the line was my little brother’s former girlfriend with her best friend, both of whom I proceeded to see quite a bit round the festival. I thought that was funny.

Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars (myspace) (movie site):
These guys rocked, but alas I don’t have any decent photos so you. You should check them out as soon as you can, the fusion of western popular music with African percussion lines is incredible. The music also is full of meaning and stories about life as a refugee in West Africa. I could take of taken this band home and placed them in the living room and listened to them all day long. This is the music of life. They are pretty heavy tourers so you should check their website for dates and head out to see them.

Ben Kweller
ahh. Mr Ben Kweller is currently supporting John Mayer on his tour at the moment and I must admit that they are two artists that I have known about for a long time but never really gotten round to checking out their music to any great extent. Both put on a really good show. Ben seamlessly moved from guitar to keyboard from sweet sugar coated indie pop to something a little deeper.

Ben Kweller

John Mayer
Before and during his set, the crowd would occasionally break into chants of “Jessica, Jessica” in reference to his girlfriend Jessica Simpson, we all knew she was back there somewhere but we also all knew that if he did bring her out his cred would have gone down with the crowd. He certainly is great with his guitar but towards the end for me all his songs were sort of merging into one sound. Listening to a couple of his songs now though I am really digging it, so who knows.

John Mayer

Wolfmother were up after John Mayer and whilst many people love Wolfmother, they and The Grates are the two much hyped Australian bands at the moment that I just can’t get into at all. So I left the Mojo Tent and wondered over to Crossroads to take in some Ziggy Marley. I didn’t stay for long as my bed was calling me but I enjoyed what I heard. Luckily for me since I left before either Ziggy or Wolfmother I missed the chaos that was the buses on the first night. Which gradually became more organised towards the end of the 5 nights when we all knew where to go.

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wow

I got back from Byron round midday today and unpacked a bit, had a quick look at my photos before going to work.

I have had the most amazing weekend, the last three days especially. WOW. Great music, fantastic people, incredible music.

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals and guests (Bonnie Raitt (2 songs) + John Butler (1 song) + Jack Johnson and Piers Faccini (1 song)) were the closing act of the festival and did an incredible job. It was an utterly amazing, jaw dropping, heat wrenching show. Seriously wow!

This is just a quick post to say I’m home, had a great time and here is a photo. I have about 350 photos to go through from the 32 sets that I took photos at and things to say about the other sets I saw but didn’t take photos. I hope you like your music because for the next little while expect a lot of posts about the BluesFest.

This guy is amazing, this guy is the real deal. This is Ben Harper.
Ben Harper

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Today is Tuesday.

We had a big lunch at work today to celebrate 1000 working days without a lost time injury. Not many stores reach 1000, some stores have trouble getting to 50 days. Not one to miss a free lunch and my boss not one either we re-arranged my shift for today so that it would mean that I would get the lunch 🙂 They put on a nice spread for us with a mini BBQ grill in the tearoom which made the storeroom smell like a BBQ mmm. It made it mighty hard to work though, I was writing up milk credits and this smell was wafting through and making my stomach grumble.

More importantly though today is Tuesday and in two sleeps I will be heading off into the big Blue yonder which is the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival which is held in Byron Bay over the Easter long weekend. I have wanted to go to the Blues Fest year for years now and I am finally making the trip. I am making the trip alone though. I am heading 2.5hrs south of Brisbane to a town which I barely know, to a festival where I know no one for the lesser part of six days.

There is one thing I know I am looking forward to and that is Byron Bay Organic Doughnuts. Sigh those were so good at Woodford. I am also looking forward to spending some time at the beach. I haven’t gone to the beach in so long.

Matthew doesn’t see why I am slightly daunted over the whole shebang. That was till Mum pointed out the fact that Matthew could find and make friends with a broomstick (ok so she didn’t use those words, but Matthew is way more extroverted than I am). We can be walking through the shopping centre or in the city and people will randomly come up and say “Hey Palsson” and start chatting to him.

I may be slightly daunted about the trip but I am also extremely excited. I can’t wait to discover new bands and see old faves for the first time live or for the x time. I mean seeing Bo Diddley will be so cool. We have a compilation CD called Rock Around the Clock that Pabbi picked up for $9.95 at Brashs back in the day (early 90’s) that has Hey Bo Diddley on it. Such a rockin’ song. Closer to home, I am really extremely looking forward to finally finally seeing The Waifs and Paul Kelly and the list goes on and on.

Tomorrow is Wednesday and Andrea turns 21.99726 on Wednesday so we are celebrating. She is taking the off work and we will have fun, till I have to go work in the arvo. Andrea turns 22 on Thursday but I won’t be there, hence the celebration of her turning 21.99726.

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Rocky Road to Dublin Brisbane

Matthew, some of his friends and I went to see The Disables and Dropkick Murphys the other night. Damm what a night it was. It was a really, really great night. I mean how can you go wrong when you mix a Bagpipes, an Accordion, a Tin whistle or two with hardcore punk?

The last time DKM played Brisbane it was +18 only, this time however it was all ages and I saw at least one 6-8yr old there with ear muffs on, as well as quite a few young teen boys there with older brothers or their fathers. When I was waiting outside the show I saw one dad ask his son how he liked the show and the boy had a smile on his face as wide as Sydney Harbour. It was a fantastic night. We didn’t get a chance to see Mouthguard who played first as Matthew and his friends decided to have a few more rounds at Dooley’s leaving me sitting outside the show waiting for them with their tickets. Oh Well. Matthew didn’t think I was going to like The Disables but I thought they were pretty cool.

When I got in the car on the way into the Valley, a DKM song was playing on the J’s and then during the break between The Disables and DKM, Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show ( actually I am 99.9% certain it was a cover though because it sounds nothing like it does on my Old Crow CD, don’t know who was doing it though) was played (along with a whole heap of Agnostic Front). Wagon Wheel is a song that Women in Docs normally play in their live set. I thought this was all pretty cool 🙂 I was probably the only one in the room who was singing along to it, as I don’t think many of the other audience members would be up on Old Crowe Medicine Show. They are definitely not DKM 🙂 I had a great time people watching, checking out all the different mohawks and various other spikey hair dos.

The Disables
The Disables

Lets go Murphys, Lets go.
DKM

Leave your worries at the door boy, they’re not going anywhere
Hail, hail the gang’s all here
All the boys.

I have to say I would love to see them at their annual St Paddy’s day show in Boston, that would rock. Though the below Youtube clip is not from a St Paddy’s show but just them doing a super cool song.

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Ordinary day, just like any

Mum is up at IBISCA this weekend having fun looking after a group of high school kids who were awarded bursaries to attend for the weekend. The house as a result has been quiet. Yesterday I worked all day and then went out to a local pub with a bunch of people at work to celebrate two of the girls turning 40. That was the first time I had gone out with people from work since most of the “old school” night fill people had left, it was a very different scene mainly in the reversing of the gender ratios, going from two or three girls and a heap of guys to a heap of girls and two or three guys.

Went out for a long bike ride this morning which was really good, it has been a while since I have gone on a long ride. I went out a bit later than I had planned to. I had planned on getting up at 6am and heading out but I didn’t get out of bed till 7ish and got out the (garage) door close to 8. I was dead tired from having a late night last night but it was a case of well if I don’t go I will never go and then I would be a slacker. Which is not something I want to be.

I made biscuits this arvo between watching a tape of Rockwiz from last night (I like Spicks and Specks for the comedy but as a music quiz show Rockwiz is way cooler). Deni Hines was a crack up! Before tea, I made a batch of mixed berry muffins which will be frozen and taken out one at time when in need of something for morning tea at work or a snack on the run.

It is stock take this week at work which means instead of only getting up one morning at 4:18 to start at 5am, I will be doing it twice maybe three times since I can’t remember my roster. I have nothing against starting work at 5am, the store is quiet with everyone hard at work and customer free till we open at 8am. The issue I have a problem with is the sun and when it decides to get out of bed. There are 52 weeks in the year and only 9 or so of those weeks does the sun decide to rise above the horizon before or as I start pedalling my bike to work. Riding to work in the dark whilst that does not worry me, it can be rather depressing when you are cycling to work and not even the birds have started their morning singing.

I picked up the recent Po’Girl CD yesterday on my lunch break. Po’Girl were one of those cool bands that I discovered at Woodford. I am really impressed with the CD, I have listened to it through a couple of times and I’m happy. Hearing those clarinet strains and those harmonies takes me right back to Woodford. sigh, Those were the days my friends lol.

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a walk or two with a new friend

I have a new friend. Well I have a new friend by association of my camera. Last week I picked up a near new copy of a Sigma 30mm 1.4 off the camera board I frequent, from a guy who lives locally. I got it for a steal and a half. And by george it is a nice lens. Just about the same as the 50mm on a film camera as on my digital camera it comes to be about equivalent at 48mm.

I took it with me to The Farm on Sunday (well I took my whole camera bag because who wouldn’t?) when we went to have dinner with Grandad and Aunty Margaret who has been up looking after him after his most recent skin cancer removal and skin graft. I cooked tea for us all and Mum and Margaret provided desert (Chocolate self-saucing pudding, enough said). These are my two favourite photos from the little stroll I had.

I have always loved the Antigonon that covers the old tank stand, just such a pretty pink flower and it does so well in this climate (read it will climb anywhere it can) and well who can resist some tree fern goodness?
Antigonon on the Tank Stand Tree Fern

Today, it was my turn to cook dinner and earlier in the day I had spotted an ad in the paper that said Aldi was selling their salad leaves at half price for the moment. $1 for 120g is a very good buy. Since Aldi is just a stones throw from where we live, I picked up my camera and a $1 coin and went for a walk. This is what I saw.

The power lines overhead.
Power lines

A rose peeking through the fence wire.
a solitary rose

Weeds standing strong in the setting sun.
Weeds on my street

I must say I like this lens very much indeed.

Now for some music to share. Susan Enan. Sweet Music. I discovered her from watching Bones (see Clare MP, even though it might be far-fetched I found a cool artist. Bring on the Wonder was the song that was on Bones but I must say I like Monoplain thirty times more.