10/8/2010
More of the same. Did some food shopping, nursed a bit of a hangover.
Went to dinner at a cool little Mexican place across the road from the hotel. Joined by Alex, Jo and Piet. Good food and a nice bottle of wine. Back to the hotel for an early night.
Tomorrow, Campbeltown....
Friday, August 13, 2010
Day 14 - Day Off, Sydney
9/8/2010
Day off today, washing, sleep and more washing. Dinner with an old friend and a few drinks with the boys afterwards. Fun!
Day off today, washing, sleep and more washing. Dinner with an old friend and a few drinks with the boys afterwards. Fun!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Day 13 - Evans Theatre, Penrith
8/8/2010
We have a 10am lobby call this morning. We're driving into Sydney to check into the hotel, and the band are going to skip sound check so Joe, Pete Timbs, Matt Rule and myself can attend the blockbuster game at the S.C.G. this afternoon, (Roosters vs Saints).
I'm a long suffering Roosters fan, and my team are starting to play well at the right end of the season, so it's a big game for me.
We got our manager (Gregg Donovan) to organize us tickets for the NRL box, so we will be well looked after.
The drive into town is slow. We stop in Blackheath to get some lunch, then wind our way down through the Blue Mountains, and on into the city.
We check into the hotel then it's straight to the game. We eventually get a table and have something to eat from the complimentary carvery.
Taking our seats in the stand for kick off, it's obvious the game is going to be an arm wrestle. The Roosters have the first 20 minutes go our way, then the second 20 is all the Dragons.
The second half is more of the same but we make too many mistakes...
The final score is Dragons 19-Roosters 12. It's a loss, but we played well, and i get the feeling if we meet them in the finals we can reverse the scoreline....
The crew are busy getting the gig set up....
The Evans Theatre is part of the Penrith Panthers Leagues Club complex. Its a big room with tiered seating and a dance floor at the bottom....
There is enough room to put up the backdrop......so up it goes....
Once again there is another freak occurrence at Penrith, although i think he might be faking it this time....
We make it out to the gig and just miss the Snowdroppers set, but Colzy catches this photo of them in full flight....
The Amy Meridith guys are about to take the stage, and I'm thinking they might have a good show tonight...
They come off saying "there were a lot of haters out there tonight". Not such a good gig then....
Phil and i have to do an interview for a gig we are doing in Perth at the end of next month. The guy brings his camera down and we go to one of the empty change rooms knock it over....
We prepare for a Sunday night clash of the punters as me make our way to the stage. Everyone is pretty tired, it's been a long week, but we will give it our all just the same.
It takes the crowd, and us, a while to warm up....
But pretty soon Phil is spitting beer in the air and they start to get moving....
And before too long, it's a really into it Sunday night crowd! It's hard to get people along at that time, but we do pretty well, and all in all, by the end of the show we have had fun. But we sure played everything really fast!....
Finish the show and pile back in the van for the 1 hour drive back into town. Not much conversation, we're all wrecked. Looking forward to the next couple of days off in Sydney.....
We have a 10am lobby call this morning. We're driving into Sydney to check into the hotel, and the band are going to skip sound check so Joe, Pete Timbs, Matt Rule and myself can attend the blockbuster game at the S.C.G. this afternoon, (Roosters vs Saints).
I'm a long suffering Roosters fan, and my team are starting to play well at the right end of the season, so it's a big game for me.
We got our manager (Gregg Donovan) to organize us tickets for the NRL box, so we will be well looked after.
The drive into town is slow. We stop in Blackheath to get some lunch, then wind our way down through the Blue Mountains, and on into the city.
We check into the hotel then it's straight to the game. We eventually get a table and have something to eat from the complimentary carvery.
Taking our seats in the stand for kick off, it's obvious the game is going to be an arm wrestle. The Roosters have the first 20 minutes go our way, then the second 20 is all the Dragons.
The second half is more of the same but we make too many mistakes...
The final score is Dragons 19-Roosters 12. It's a loss, but we played well, and i get the feeling if we meet them in the finals we can reverse the scoreline....
The crew are busy getting the gig set up....
The Evans Theatre is part of the Penrith Panthers Leagues Club complex. Its a big room with tiered seating and a dance floor at the bottom....
There is enough room to put up the backdrop......so up it goes....
Once again there is another freak occurrence at Penrith, although i think he might be faking it this time....
We make it out to the gig and just miss the Snowdroppers set, but Colzy catches this photo of them in full flight....
The Amy Meridith guys are about to take the stage, and I'm thinking they might have a good show tonight...
They come off saying "there were a lot of haters out there tonight". Not such a good gig then....
Phil and i have to do an interview for a gig we are doing in Perth at the end of next month. The guy brings his camera down and we go to one of the empty change rooms knock it over....
We prepare for a Sunday night clash of the punters as me make our way to the stage. Everyone is pretty tired, it's been a long week, but we will give it our all just the same.
It takes the crowd, and us, a while to warm up....
But pretty soon Phil is spitting beer in the air and they start to get moving....
And before too long, it's a really into it Sunday night crowd! It's hard to get people along at that time, but we do pretty well, and all in all, by the end of the show we have had fun. But we sure played everything really fast!....
Finish the show and pile back in the van for the 1 hour drive back into town. Not much conversation, we're all wrecked. Looking forward to the next couple of days off in Sydney.....
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Day 12 - Orange Ex-Services, Orange
7/8/2010
We get a late checkout from our Bathurst hotel, so it's midday by the time we all saunter downstairs and pack our belongings into the van.
The drive to Orange only takes 50 minutes, so we head into town to grab a coffee and some breakfast. That done we set off on the road.
In no time we are checking into our brand new luxury suites at the top end of Orange town. This is definitely the nicest place we have stayed for a while...
I drop my bags in the room and head into town for lunch and a bit of sightseeing.
Orange is very pretty, there are loads of vineyards in the area and you can tell it's a place where wealthy Sydneysiders would come for the weekend. The main street is lined with coffee shops, and shiny new European cars.
Here are some tourist shots...
Tonight we are playing at the Orange Ex-Services club, so i swing past the gig to take a look...
Sound check goes well, no problems, so it's back to the hotel to do some clothes washing, and watch a couple of games of football.
I'm not doing too well in the tipping this week, so i switch off the box and get ready for the gig.
By the time we get down there Amy Meridith are onstage, and the Snowdroppers are packing up. They recon it's a good crowd and a fun gig, but would you trust these faces....
Pretty soon it's our turn to take the stage, and take the stage we do...
Krisso has a problem with his kick drum halfway through, so Kez has to join us on stage for half a song. I think he liked it...
During Chemical Heart Phil got up close and personal with a security guard. Very funny...
The show goes well and everyone agrees Orange has been one of the better stops on the tour. Head back to the band room after the gig and meet a few of the locals. Hang out for about an hour then head to the hotel for a game of dice with Nick and Krisso.
Colzy heads back with the rest of the crew and they settle in to their usual, after gig warm down.
Here is Kez in post-gig relax mode....
And Tony modeling the latest in post-gig crew wear. Shame about the fly, or lack thereof....
Tomorrow, Penrith Panthers...
We get a late checkout from our Bathurst hotel, so it's midday by the time we all saunter downstairs and pack our belongings into the van.
The drive to Orange only takes 50 minutes, so we head into town to grab a coffee and some breakfast. That done we set off on the road.
In no time we are checking into our brand new luxury suites at the top end of Orange town. This is definitely the nicest place we have stayed for a while...
I drop my bags in the room and head into town for lunch and a bit of sightseeing.
Orange is very pretty, there are loads of vineyards in the area and you can tell it's a place where wealthy Sydneysiders would come for the weekend. The main street is lined with coffee shops, and shiny new European cars.
Here are some tourist shots...
Tonight we are playing at the Orange Ex-Services club, so i swing past the gig to take a look...
Sound check goes well, no problems, so it's back to the hotel to do some clothes washing, and watch a couple of games of football.
I'm not doing too well in the tipping this week, so i switch off the box and get ready for the gig.
By the time we get down there Amy Meridith are onstage, and the Snowdroppers are packing up. They recon it's a good crowd and a fun gig, but would you trust these faces....
Pretty soon it's our turn to take the stage, and take the stage we do...
Krisso has a problem with his kick drum halfway through, so Kez has to join us on stage for half a song. I think he liked it...
During Chemical Heart Phil got up close and personal with a security guard. Very funny...
The show goes well and everyone agrees Orange has been one of the better stops on the tour. Head back to the band room after the gig and meet a few of the locals. Hang out for about an hour then head to the hotel for a game of dice with Nick and Krisso.
Colzy heads back with the rest of the crew and they settle in to their usual, after gig warm down.
Here is Kez in post-gig relax mode....
And Tony modeling the latest in post-gig crew wear. Shame about the fly, or lack thereof....
Tomorrow, Penrith Panthers...
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Day 11 - Panthers, Bathurst
6/8/2010
Left the hotel at 10am for the 4 hour drive from Wagga to Bathurst. We head into town and grab some breakfast and do a quick bit of shopping. I go into the Sturt mall, but it's just full of bottle shops and chemists..
Pretty soon we are thundering down the road. We go through some interesting old Riverena towns, many of them featured in famous songs by Slim Dusty or John Williamson.
To give you an idea of the style we are travelling, here's the van....
It's soon lunchtime and we stop at a little town outside of Cowra called Koorawatha....
Dotted along the dusty main street is a pub, a mechanics, and a plant nursery connected to a cafe, and that's where we choose to eat. The Triple J Cafe...
I use the bathroom out the back then join the boys inside to order. The cafe is a narrow rectangular room, with long rows of weathered wooden tables and chairs lining the walls. The smell of stale cooking oil fills my nostrils, and the pre-bagged burgers in the bain-marie make me decide I'm not that hungry.
Then i notice this sign on the wall....
Good on you John. If there were more people like you this world would be a much better place.
We keep moving down the road, pass through Cowra (a very tidy town), and in no time we are at the hotel, in the home of Australian motor sport, Bathurst!
The Charlotte Apartments are nice, but it's bloody freezing and the heater hardly works. But it has a great view of the trotting track...
As i turn and face the hotel i have a political vision, forget about Gillard or Abott! Krisso the patriot for P.M......
I'm looking forward to the agenda announcement...
Head off to sound check and check out the gig. This is our first all ages show of the tour, and the kids and the adults are separated by a nylon rope connected by a series of bollards. Must be an honest lot here in Bathurst...
Things are working well at sound check, so we head back to the hotel and watch the Parramatta V's Titans game. Titans win!
Head back to the gig and Amy Meridith are on stage. Check out a bit of their show and the all ages crowd are really digging them.
We take the stage at 10.45pm and have a good show. Once again the security take a while to get it together and our tour manager Nick has to do a fair bit of crowd control.
At one point a couple of boneheads start a fight which spills out a side door onto a set of stairs. We consider stopping the show but it comes under control pretty quickly.
After the gig have a beer with the other bands then head back to the hotel for a game of poker. I go out early and head back to my room for some much needed sleep.
Tomorrow, Orange....
Left the hotel at 10am for the 4 hour drive from Wagga to Bathurst. We head into town and grab some breakfast and do a quick bit of shopping. I go into the Sturt mall, but it's just full of bottle shops and chemists..
Pretty soon we are thundering down the road. We go through some interesting old Riverena towns, many of them featured in famous songs by Slim Dusty or John Williamson.
To give you an idea of the style we are travelling, here's the van....
It's soon lunchtime and we stop at a little town outside of Cowra called Koorawatha....
Dotted along the dusty main street is a pub, a mechanics, and a plant nursery connected to a cafe, and that's where we choose to eat. The Triple J Cafe...
I use the bathroom out the back then join the boys inside to order. The cafe is a narrow rectangular room, with long rows of weathered wooden tables and chairs lining the walls. The smell of stale cooking oil fills my nostrils, and the pre-bagged burgers in the bain-marie make me decide I'm not that hungry.
Then i notice this sign on the wall....
Good on you John. If there were more people like you this world would be a much better place.
We keep moving down the road, pass through Cowra (a very tidy town), and in no time we are at the hotel, in the home of Australian motor sport, Bathurst!
The Charlotte Apartments are nice, but it's bloody freezing and the heater hardly works. But it has a great view of the trotting track...
As i turn and face the hotel i have a political vision, forget about Gillard or Abott! Krisso the patriot for P.M......
I'm looking forward to the agenda announcement...
Head off to sound check and check out the gig. This is our first all ages show of the tour, and the kids and the adults are separated by a nylon rope connected by a series of bollards. Must be an honest lot here in Bathurst...
Things are working well at sound check, so we head back to the hotel and watch the Parramatta V's Titans game. Titans win!
Head back to the gig and Amy Meridith are on stage. Check out a bit of their show and the all ages crowd are really digging them.
We take the stage at 10.45pm and have a good show. Once again the security take a while to get it together and our tour manager Nick has to do a fair bit of crowd control.
At one point a couple of boneheads start a fight which spills out a side door onto a set of stairs. We consider stopping the show but it comes under control pretty quickly.
After the gig have a beer with the other bands then head back to the hotel for a game of poker. I go out early and head back to my room for some much needed sleep.
Tomorrow, Orange....
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Day 10 - The Capitol, Wagga Wagga
5/8/2010
Feeling a bit shady as I load my bag into the back of the van. Haven't had a night on the beers for a while, and the lack of match experience shows...
We are driving to Wagga and it's gonna take about 4 hours. Hmmm
After a quick stop at Nuggets Crossing for some breakfast, we head out on the road.
We are taking the highway that crosses over the top of the mountains. It looks to be a fair distance shorter than going through Canberra, although you may have to carry chains in case it has snowed overnight.
Just before we turn off we stop at a petrol station to see if chains are required. The attendant says no, so off we head..
There is a fair bit of snow on the ground, but the road is clear and you can get along at a decent pace...
There are no servos in this part of the world so we stop at an old disused ranger station for a toilet break.
We have a look around, then Joe decides to throw a snowball...
Sean cops a direct hit...
And retaliates with a shot in the face....
Kris avoids the action and goes and finds a friend...
Get back in the car and continue the journey...
The road gets harder to navigate the further we go, but pretty soon we are descending down the mountains, and driving through pastoral land on the way into Tumit.
We hit the Hume Highway for a few k's, then take a turn off about 20 minutes out of Wagga.
We arrive safely and check into the hotel.
Head down to have a look at the venue and do sound check. The Snowdroppers are back with us now and it's good to see them. We have been taking the piss out of them saying they look like Mumford & Sons. They have made up a song for us sung to the tune of Little Lion Man! It goes like this..."it's not your fault it's mine, I liked dead cat in year nine, but Jedediah were better...." very funny!
Phil bought a box of poker chips in Jyndabyne, so we head back to the hotel and get a quick game going before we head to the gig....
The band room tonight looks like the Saloon bar in Launceston before they renovated it...
The gig goes well. Once again it's a big crowd, and they are right into it. It takes the security a little while to realize it isn't a school fete, but they get it together eventually.
After the show we go back to the band room and cool off. My friend Karen and her husband join us for a drink, along with an assortment of people we know and don't know...
It wraps up pretty quickly and we head back to the hotel for a late game of poker. We put $5 each in the tin and deal 'em up.
It gets down to just me and Joe, and he beats me with an ace high flush. Lucky bastard.
Get into bed at 2am and set my alarm for a 10am lobby call.
Tomorrow, Bathurst....
Feeling a bit shady as I load my bag into the back of the van. Haven't had a night on the beers for a while, and the lack of match experience shows...
We are driving to Wagga and it's gonna take about 4 hours. Hmmm
After a quick stop at Nuggets Crossing for some breakfast, we head out on the road.
We are taking the highway that crosses over the top of the mountains. It looks to be a fair distance shorter than going through Canberra, although you may have to carry chains in case it has snowed overnight.
Just before we turn off we stop at a petrol station to see if chains are required. The attendant says no, so off we head..
There is a fair bit of snow on the ground, but the road is clear and you can get along at a decent pace...
There are no servos in this part of the world so we stop at an old disused ranger station for a toilet break.
We have a look around, then Joe decides to throw a snowball...
Sean cops a direct hit...
And retaliates with a shot in the face....
Kris avoids the action and goes and finds a friend...
Get back in the car and continue the journey...
The road gets harder to navigate the further we go, but pretty soon we are descending down the mountains, and driving through pastoral land on the way into Tumit.
We hit the Hume Highway for a few k's, then take a turn off about 20 minutes out of Wagga.
We arrive safely and check into the hotel.
Head down to have a look at the venue and do sound check. The Snowdroppers are back with us now and it's good to see them. We have been taking the piss out of them saying they look like Mumford & Sons. They have made up a song for us sung to the tune of Little Lion Man! It goes like this..."it's not your fault it's mine, I liked dead cat in year nine, but Jedediah were better...." very funny!
Phil bought a box of poker chips in Jyndabyne, so we head back to the hotel and get a quick game going before we head to the gig....
The band room tonight looks like the Saloon bar in Launceston before they renovated it...
The gig goes well. Once again it's a big crowd, and they are right into it. It takes the security a little while to realize it isn't a school fete, but they get it together eventually.
After the show we go back to the band room and cool off. My friend Karen and her husband join us for a drink, along with an assortment of people we know and don't know...
It wraps up pretty quickly and we head back to the hotel for a late game of poker. We put $5 each in the tin and deal 'em up.
It gets down to just me and Joe, and he beats me with an ace high flush. Lucky bastard.
Get into bed at 2am and set my alarm for a 10am lobby call.
Tomorrow, Bathurst....
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Day 9 - Station Resort, Jindabyne
4/8/2010
Blue skies and crisp morning temperatures greet me when i step out of my hut in Kosovo village. The view over the dorms is just magic...
Krisso is awake and there is a makeshift tennis court at the "resort", so we head down for another set.
I take this one out 6-1, and that's the match. Final score is 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Krisso has got a lot of work to do to salvage some pride in the next battle. May i suggest he gets a little court time, maybe a hit out with someone better than me, and that means anyone!
Pretty soon it's time for the crew to load into the gig. Krisso and I go and check out how things are going.
Our truck driver and rigger, James Leydon, has shown up overnight, and he is carrying all our extra gear plus the P.A.. James has done loads of touring with us over the years, and he used to play guitar in Craig Mclachlan and check one two!...
The gear gets loaded in and I notice something really quite bizarre! Tony is helping!.....
The gig itself is a bit of a box, but there is a really low roof over the stage and a strange pointed roof. It's probably gonna be pretty hard to pull a decent sound in here, but Tony is up for it.....
Sean is gonna drive us up to Thredbo village so we can check out the snow.
We jump in the van and head to Nuggets for some lunch before we head up.
The drive takes us into the Kosciusko National Park. As soon as we go past the ranger station we come across an echidna in the middle of the road. Joe jumps out and tries to encourage it to the safety of the other side...
He makes his way over to the scary beast....
And I'm not sure if his technique is fully sanctioned by the RSPCA!...
The echidna is not really responding to the encouragement, and the rangers are right there, so we decide to leave it to the experts....
We get to Thredbo and it's looking good. Lots of snow and cloudless blue skies, so we take the opportunity for a quick photo shoot...
We grab a coffee and watch the skiers and boarders make their way down the mountain. Looks like a good day for it and i wish i had a couple of days off to partake!
We get back in the car and drive around to Friday Flats (the beginners area) to check out the gift shop.
Krisso needs to have a nap so he finds a quiet spot in the sun....
It's time to go back for sound check, so we head back to The Station.
The check is pretty good, it wont be the best onstage sound we've ever had, but we'll get through it.
Amy Meridith, who are supporting us for the rest of the tour, turn up today. They seem o.k. (very polite) and i a watch them run through a few songs....
Head out to the dining hall at the resort and grab a bain-marie dinner...not good.
Then its back to the room to get ready for the show.
Get back to the gig in time to catch a bit of Amy Meridiths set. The crowd are into it. They are basically a pop band, but they have a song on the radio and people seem to be genuinely enjoying their show.
Pretty soon it time for us to take the stage. Its a pretty wild crowd! Lots of stage diving and crowd surfing. Red bull must sell well down here...Its a great show and the large audience seemed to have a ball.
An old friend named Pete was there, so i catch up with him and his mate Brad after the show. We drink a few beers and have a laugh. They end up missing the ski tube so when we get kicked out of the venue it all moves back to my demountable. They stumble out at 4am and i pour myself into bed.
9am lobby call in the morning. That's not going to be fun....
Blue skies and crisp morning temperatures greet me when i step out of my hut in Kosovo village. The view over the dorms is just magic...
Krisso is awake and there is a makeshift tennis court at the "resort", so we head down for another set.
I take this one out 6-1, and that's the match. Final score is 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Krisso has got a lot of work to do to salvage some pride in the next battle. May i suggest he gets a little court time, maybe a hit out with someone better than me, and that means anyone!
Pretty soon it's time for the crew to load into the gig. Krisso and I go and check out how things are going.
Our truck driver and rigger, James Leydon, has shown up overnight, and he is carrying all our extra gear plus the P.A.. James has done loads of touring with us over the years, and he used to play guitar in Craig Mclachlan and check one two!...
The gear gets loaded in and I notice something really quite bizarre! Tony is helping!.....
The gig itself is a bit of a box, but there is a really low roof over the stage and a strange pointed roof. It's probably gonna be pretty hard to pull a decent sound in here, but Tony is up for it.....
Sean is gonna drive us up to Thredbo village so we can check out the snow.
We jump in the van and head to Nuggets for some lunch before we head up.
The drive takes us into the Kosciusko National Park. As soon as we go past the ranger station we come across an echidna in the middle of the road. Joe jumps out and tries to encourage it to the safety of the other side...
He makes his way over to the scary beast....
And I'm not sure if his technique is fully sanctioned by the RSPCA!...
The echidna is not really responding to the encouragement, and the rangers are right there, so we decide to leave it to the experts....
We get to Thredbo and it's looking good. Lots of snow and cloudless blue skies, so we take the opportunity for a quick photo shoot...
We grab a coffee and watch the skiers and boarders make their way down the mountain. Looks like a good day for it and i wish i had a couple of days off to partake!We get back in the car and drive around to Friday Flats (the beginners area) to check out the gift shop.
Krisso needs to have a nap so he finds a quiet spot in the sun....
It's time to go back for sound check, so we head back to The Station.
The check is pretty good, it wont be the best onstage sound we've ever had, but we'll get through it.
Amy Meridith, who are supporting us for the rest of the tour, turn up today. They seem o.k. (very polite) and i a watch them run through a few songs....
Head out to the dining hall at the resort and grab a bain-marie dinner...not good.
Then its back to the room to get ready for the show.
Get back to the gig in time to catch a bit of Amy Meridiths set. The crowd are into it. They are basically a pop band, but they have a song on the radio and people seem to be genuinely enjoying their show.
Pretty soon it time for us to take the stage. Its a pretty wild crowd! Lots of stage diving and crowd surfing. Red bull must sell well down here...Its a great show and the large audience seemed to have a ball.
An old friend named Pete was there, so i catch up with him and his mate Brad after the show. We drink a few beers and have a laugh. They end up missing the ski tube so when we get kicked out of the venue it all moves back to my demountable. They stumble out at 4am and i pour myself into bed.
9am lobby call in the morning. That's not going to be fun....
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