musings

and what a day(s) it has been. in the wake of all the stress over finding a new home in the mountains, the original option in the city has finally become available. so, in a quick appraisal of the situation, I’ve returned to the city. sort of.

where I have landed is certainly nowhere that I’ve ever considered living. I’ve always been, as an old charlie brown cartoon put it, “sydney or the bush”.

I love the inner city. I adore the vibe, the buzz, the energy of being in the midst of a thriving mass of several million. yet, I also long for the country, the peace, the serenity. in an ideal world, I would have two residences - one in the heart of the cbd of a pumping metropolis - and one in a nice rural town, near a good village, where people valued time, conversation and personal worth.

I’ve compromised that ideal. but only temporarily.

the new digs allows me the space and opportunity to get the album finished and move on. it’s also close enough to my old stomping grounds to allow me to re-interact with my old music/arts/lifestyle crew. I’m near, but yet so near.

so, it’s a means to an end. and then, I can finally move forward.

as a kid, my family moved house a lot. I attended six different schools by the time I hit high school. so my early days of rock n’ roll on the road felt immediately comfortable to me. for many years, I never seemed to have had any problem hopping on a train or plane with just a backpack and a guitar, headed for an unknown future in a strange town, country or continent, armed with a few dollars and a couple of phone numbers of friends-of-friends.

but I’ve become acutely aware as I move into this phase of my life that I’m turning more and more into a homebody. for most of the past decade, I’ve almost subconsciously avoided any unnecessary travel and clung to my meager dwelling, much like the early cavemen, sheltering against the elements and the wild. I’m not sure why this is so. I used to garner great inspirations and emotions from watching the broken white lines disappear underneath the car wheels, or gazing at the soft lights far below from the windows of an airplane, wondering who lived down there, what their lives were like, what stories could they tell.

having been in “house moving” mode for a couple of months now has pulled some interesting emotions from within my soul. I’m finding the idea of transplanting my life into another domicile, another part of the state to be somewhat daunting. added that to the endless delays and misfires, and the path seems evident. so it looks like I’ll be staying put up here in the mountains, at least for a while longer. as long as I can find a nice little place that’s relatively easy to keep warm - winters can be pretty tough up this way - I think I’ll be happy enough. once all is unpacked and set up - mainly my recording gear - I can get back to work. meaning, finish this album.

and then get back on the planes, trains & automobiles to share that music with the world.

looking back on the past couple of months’ posts, there’s some pretty long gaps between the words. when I first started this blog - nearly ten years ago - it was intended to be a regular diary & life/career update for family, friends, fans and stalkers (usually mine or someone else’s ex’es). but with the advent of facebook, twitter, etc. the daily mundane and routine seems to be taken care of as this platform for sweeping platitudes and profound epiphanies gathers pixeldust.

but that’s partly due to the simple fact that there’s not a lot going on. I’m still waiting to move house, most everything is packed & ready. so recording is on hold. again. the blues pirates album goes to mastering next week, it should be out early april (both cd and itunes). one rough demo is up on linda’s myspace page. I still need to tell my publishers that I want to release the footsteps compilation as a digital online album for free. I keep rescheduling cowriting sessions until after the move. my son wants to work at the guitar store and my daughter wants to come live with me again.

so, how bout them olympics, eh?