musings

three things that make me happy: playing music, cooking and living in a nice rural setting. I’d always wanted to combine all three, and attempted it a couple of times in years past. but something was always absent from the equation, all seemingly okay at first, but never quite “connected” properly. if that makes any sense.

this time, it feels different. we have a nice opportunity with this cafe, it offers a lot of potential, but only after a very long hard slog to rebuild business. it’s a double-edged sword at present, I enjoy running the kitchen on my own when it’s a casual pace, but have a hard time coping when we’re really getting slammed. by the same token, we’re not nearly busy enough regularly where we can afford to bring in any hired help. we’d spoke to our old chef about coming on board here, but he’s got his hands full down in tassie.

but it’s enjoyable. I was talking to a pal over in new england, he ran a similar place for a while. he found parallels between running a fooderie and playing music in that in both, we give of ourselves to please others and we enjoy what we create as well. I understand what he means. pulling off a killer take on a tune and watching people smile is very similar to finding some in-season goodies at the markets, creating something cool for the specials board and hearing the “wow” from customers when it’s served to them. so overall, I dig it.

and now the local gigs are happening. the new trio is starting to come together, and we’re picking up a few nice pub gigs in the nearby villages as well as across the road. nothing fancy or ‘concert’, just three blokes in the corner, playing some jj cale, allan toussaint or taj mahal to some nice folks that enjoy it. problem is, the gigs are weekends, when I need rest and early morning starts. but I should strike a balance in time.

and the village here is a nice place to live. absolutely stunning environment, pleasant and interesting locals, lots of weekenders from the big smoke and plenty of overseas tourists to break up the regularity. the rent’s cheap, the air’s perfect and the weather’s, well… unpredictable.

so on the surface, it all seems to add up to my own private nirvana, no? except I’m still not feeling… I dunno… ‘happy’? probably not even ‘content’. the financial crunch is a big part of it, granted. but I’m finding I’m still not quite letting myself settle into it all and just…. enjoy. I do sometimes, at times I really love it. but there’s other times when I really wish I wasn’t here, the cafe, the lack of the city, the lack of my old career, my old self.

maybe it’s just because life was simpler then. the other day, during our sunday music session, I came out of the kitchen during a lull in orders to watch karl broadie perform. as he filled the room with his wonderful modern folk-meets-troubadour storysongs, the rain drizzled outside and I suddenly felt a reconnection with my ‘old’ self about twenty-five years ago. living in cold, dingy apartments in the states, doing small acoustic gigs around town. I was broke but happy. I had not much in material goods but I had a dream. I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from, but I knew where the next song was going.

looking back now, I know I couldn’t really live like that again. I’ve gotten too used to well, not luxury as we know it in the west, but certainly more comfortable surrounds. but there was an honesty about those halcyon days, a pureness and singularity of purpose that I’ve either misplaced or it no longer exists in today’s world, at least for me.

and maybe that’s what I need to bind all three of those elements I begun this post with.

picked this up from *ahem*, facebook. as with the ‘find your porn star name’ process, this is how you arrive at your ‘debut album cover’:

1 - Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random… Read More… Read More” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band. (alternatively, if the first article you hit is short, hit Random Article two more times.)

2 - Go to “Random quotations”
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days

Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

if you’re bored, give it a shot.

more birthdays this week: jim finn turns the big 5-0 tomorrow, wish I could be there to share a beverage.  happy b-day to amanda, her of the flop-eared mule blog; and to neville.

I’ll be playing at the impy pub’s tuesday songwriter sessions, tonight’s being recorded for recast on blu.fm. still not sure when, must remember to ask someone.

I’m starting to get an inkling of what winter may be like here in the mountains. it’s been consistently cool all week, hovering around 10c/50f. rain has been lightly drizzling in a way that reminds me of oregon. between that, and the facebook adds, messages and notes from various old sneakers friends, fans and family, I could be forgiven for feeling a little nostalgic.

sometimes, I try to recall exactly how and what I was feeling then. stumbling around the streets of portland and eugene with a guitar and a dream, little money but a lot of drive and ambition. I’m sure that there’s no way I could have imagined ending up here, where I am now. I often wonder if, given the chance to go back in time and give my younger self a pep talk, what I’d say. if I’d try to change anything. if I’d try to change myself. and where that journey may have taken me.

cafe trade picked up a little with the change in the weather. it’s still not nearly enough to be self-sustaining, and with a big drop in work for both the gypsy gal and I, we’re spending a lot of time juggling creditors. hopefully things will pick up, they say the easter season is always busy here. by end of april, we should have a clearer picture on how viable this cafe biz may or may not be.

with all the holiday houseguests come and gone, I’ve finally started renovating the room for the studio. don’t think I’ll go too crazy, aside from the fact that I have no time or money. it just needs a good clean up and few minor construction bits. I’m really looking forward togetting back to the songs. it’s been far too long.

there may be another regular gig or two for the new trio, but it’s pretty hard with the cafe schedule. a commercial kitchen with hot oil, grillplates and sharp knives ain’t a good place to be when you’re tired and/or a little hungover. I’ve been asked to perform at the local songwriter’s sessions the next time they’re taping for broadcast on blu.fm, the local community station. I’ll post a link when I know what date.

the cool temps continue. each morning has started with a light mist as the village is surrounded by the low clouds. the tee shirts and shorts have been replaced by heavy track pants, thick socks and jumpers. the windows and doors are closed at nights. the gas heaters have been brought out of storage and dusted off. they gypsy gal’s electric blanket is plugged in. I’m making a large pot of bolognaise sauce with plenty of garlic and chili. red wine for dinner sounds splendid. the faint odor of rainforest incense fills the house.

it feels like winter.

alright, so I finally succumbed and joined facebook. surprisingly to some, given that I’m supposed to be ahead of these curves. but facebook, to me anyway, started as something us-based college kids were into. I had myspace for music stuff and linkedin for biz contacts, so why did I need yet another sapper of precious hours?

anyway, I did. so if you’re a facebooker, find me there.

other news: it’s really cooled off here which is a huge relief. went from 45c/113f on sunday to 15c/69f just now. the mist rolled in last night and the rains have been a steady drizzle. makes me feel like I can get some things done instead of suffering under the swelter.

my step-daughter flew out this morning, we’ve got a quiet(ish) guest-and-kid-free house again after a couple of months of, well, guests and kids. we’re now starting to take stock of this cafe thing and whether or not to stick it out come lease renewal time.

happy b-day to annie and to glen.

everyone here has been inundated with the news, so this post is for my overseas readers.

108 killed as of early this morning, expected to rise.

video report.

google map with fire locations.

legendary newsreader brian naylor amongst the dead.

audio of a rescue attempt.

and reports are that many of these fires were deliberately lit.

did the first gig with the new band last night. went down very well, according to local feedback.

good thing I’m not gigging tonight, as I’ve just seriously burned two fingertips on the salamander’s heat elements.

the only thing closer than front row seats at a springsteen concert is the cameraman’s posi.

temp in the cafe kitchen topped 50c/122f again.

the gypsy gal’s eldest daughter is here for a few days. we’ve done the proper parental thing and have immediately put her to work.

we have a birthday bash and a wedding to go to after we shut shop. I’m still feeling last night, and we’ve still got sunday to get thru.

homemade pickled octopus is great with a cold beer.

aussie cricket is about to enter a long dark spell.

michael leunig if a friggin’ genius.

fitty cent is a frigging idiot.

lucinda williams is still number one of the americana charts, deservedly so.

ketchup originally developed from an asian fish sauce called ké tsiap.

both are great with a cold beer.

and I thought it was cooler in the mountains. it’s been mid-30’s (celsius, 86f) for weeks, and the cafe kitchen topped out at 51c / 124f the other day.

still trying to find time for writing and recording. the gypsy gal’s eldest daughter is arriving tomorrow, so the studio/guestroom renovations will have to wait. there’s so much to be done and so little time.

happy b-day to ali o’reilly, sorry we missed the housewarming party. having a cafe open on weekends means we miss a lot these days.

anyone catch springsteen’s halftime show at the superbowl? there’s a few bits & pieces on the net, but I wasn’t about to get up in the early morning just to see it live. this year, bruce. last year, tom petty and the heartbreakers. does this say something about the general spirit of the times, that the much-coveted halftime entertainment slot is steering away from the teeny pop / boy band quagmire of the past two decades? let’s hope so.