The Week in Review...

Hi folks!
 
So after a few days decompressing from our trundle through sunny Queensland we were back at it again, this time in sunny Perth.  I fly over on the Thursday and meet the other guys at 94.5 where we are scheduled to play a little upstairs soiree for some competition winners.  To our delight the station has supplied a full rider which we happily tuck in to. It's one of those acoustic shindigs which is always a bit unusual for us as we are not really an acoustic band.  Still what we are is professional.  And amiable for that matter, especially after a few drinks!
 
The next morning I wake up at stupid o'clock because my body clock is still on AEST so I wander down to the river and go on a little shuffle.  It's a spectacular morning with a pink sky and crisp air.  It may have been the insufficient oxygen filling my lungs as I made my way along but I found myself reveling in what a truly pretty city my old home town is.  There really aren't many cities in the world that I've been to that could serve up a winter morning like that.  Anyway, I have little time to get sentimental as we have a rock and roll show to perform at the excellent Astor Theatre.  Interestingly the last time we as a band were at the Astor was to film the video clip for one "Military Strongmen" single way back in '97.  Back then it was a cinema but today the old art deco building is a fully fledged performance venue and one of the best in Australia if I may be so bold to claim.  It helps that the backstage room is a tiny cinema where we can watch Rolling Stones live videos while partaking in our rider before our own show.  Whilst watching the Rolling Stones it tickles my funnybone to ponder which Stone each member of Jebediah would be.  I decide that Vanessa would be Keith Richards as they both smile a lot on stage and have a certain otherworldly charm.  Chris would be Ronnie Wood both for the fact that they play guitar but also share similar facial features and a certain saucy mincing manner.  Brett is good old Charlie Watts, the straight foil to the posers along the front.  I guess that makes me Mick.  Hmmm....
 
Tonight’s show is a triumph.  Less than a year ago we had a finished album that we had been working on for so long but with no knowledge on how it would all roll out.  I think it's fair to say that the situation we found ourselves in on this night would have been close to our greatest hope back then - a sold out theater in our home town.  Fortunately the audience seemed to be in a mood to celebrate too so the gig flew by in a blur of sweaty singalongs carried by a wave of emotion.  Nights like tonight last long in the ol' memory banks, no matter how many times you toast them afterwards.
 
It's good to have the Saturday off to recover so we can board the plane to Adelaide all feeling fresh as Spring daisies.  We settle in to our old stomping grounds at the Old Lion for a quick light lunch before speeding off to soundcheck at the Governor Hindmarsh.  Strangely it is the bands first ever show here, even though it has been a bastion for live music for many many years.  It's good to finally be here and it's good to know the room is primed to bursting point when we take the stage.  Tonight’s show is fun affair with some of the best singing along of the whole tour.  Most notable is the amount of clothing thrown on stage towards the end of the show, including a few ladies intimates that were promptly thrown on Vanessa's head.  Once again the bandroom is a scene of much jubilation post show.
 
On arrival at Adelaide airport in the early hours of the following morning it is brought to our attention that whilst we have been merrily plying our wares a massive volcano has erupted in Chile and is spewing a thick cloud of ash across the lower southern hemisphere - egads!  I'm supposed to be ducking back to Melbourne for a couple of days before our appearance at the State Of Origin rugby, however no flights are going in or out of Melbourne airport and my flight is cancelled.  We decide not to tempt fate and I book a flight to Sydney for later in the day.  I wave goodbye to my comrades as they board their scheduled flight to Sydney and head off to the Qantas club where I plan to make up for my inconvenience with free Qantas club wine.  After an agonising 7 hours at the airport I finally get on my flight to Sydney.
 
Our next appointment is at the big NSW versus Queensland State of Origin rugby game on Wednesday night.  None of us have ever been to the rugby before and only a few of us profess to know much about the sport at all.  With the weather threatening constant down pours we are briefed that if it rains at show time our little stage on wheels will not even make it out on to the ground and we will play from inside the bowels of the stadium.  Fortunately for us the rain holds off and we stride out on to the ground pre game in front of 83,000 roaring spectators.  Only trouble is they aren't really roaring for us.  In fact we can only guess how many people even noticed we were there at all.  We played a remarkably true rendition of the recorded version of "Comet", with only my vocals showing any sign of weakness.  No one made any mistakes or showed any flaws except for me.  It was a tad disheartening.  Then we finished and marched off and the next act went on.  Understandably the crowd were waiting for the real show to start, which involved lots of men trying to push lots of other men up lots of other mens bottoms.  Much to our delight NSW won giving the home crowd something to be happy about.

 
And that wraps up the week.  We now have a couple of weeks off before another Queensland assault, involving a pub in Surfers Paradise, a massive round tank in Cairns and a festival in Mackay.  Should be a blast so why don't you join us?  Thanks to everyone who has come to a show and made this tour a huge success so far.  We are all absolutely tickled pink.
 
CHEERS!
 
KM