Wednesday, September 28, 2011

A trip to the City of Love and Light

Totally busy with so much exciting stuff going on! :)

Much to report....

Spent today in the studio with Martin Russell and Richard Marcangelo working on drums for the new single Pretty Big Mess! Al Stewart was here yesterday recording baritone, sax, alto-sax and clarinet on my track Not My Island. This week we also recorded vocals, 12-string guitar and mandolin for my song Behind the Stone. The 12-string and mando together sound so good!! Guitarist Dave Sparks once said, “I like this song, it’s medieval”.

I went to Paris earlier this month and found it to be the most beautiful city I have been to so far! I traveled there on the ridiculously fast Eurostar under the English Channel. 300kms per hour at top speed with the tunnel dug 75 metres below the seabed! The Eiffel Tower was amazing too. I went up there at sunset and watched the full moon rise. Being in Paris is like walking around in a painting. The air smells of a mixture of vanilla, wine and roses in the sun. So beautiful!



I went to see the Greek sculpture The Nike of Samothrace at the Louvre. I love this sculpture for the way she embodies beauty and emancipation from the physical form into the freedom of the spirit. Even though made of stone, she flows like the wind. This amazing masterpiece has inspired a lot of the imagery in my songs and writing. In the song Tasmania, from my first album, she is “the arrow of eternity”.



On 21st September I went to an APRA songwriter talk by Sarah Blasko. She is a great Australian songwriter and I love her musicianship and the artistry in her work. It was really interesting to hear her talk about her songs and writing process.

I spent the weekend past in Northern England at the Cropton Folk and Roots Festival where I played 5 sets and had some fun jamming on my mandolin with the guys from great English Bluegrass band Goldrush.

Very excited to share more tour stories and news of the new album as it nears completion very soon!