We've already had a moment, her and I - Renee holds the world record for the smallest yet *heaviest* bag on the planet. I'm not kidding.
This bag is one of those trendy things that are the size of a small dog & tuck under your arm. So you're getting that this bag is small. Well I went to pick it up and give it to her and damn near dropped it from the weight! I jokingly questioned her whether she carried weights around in it, and she promptly withdrew a pouch which was full of change. It must've weighed at least 4 kilos!! Her explanation was that she was saving change for the parking meters. Jakers, how long is she parking for, a decade? This struck me as hysterical. Renee is safe from everything now. Heaven help someone who'd want to cross her in a dark alley!We're gonna get along just fine :)
St Patrick's Day is always enormous & overwhelming, and this one was no different. We played Gilhooleys Albert St on Saturday. The only word I can think of to describe that gig is incredible. I have never seen Gilhooleys so packed! So we were ready to go, and had my sister Hayley & Renee as backup (on vocals & fiddle respectively). I stepped up to my mic under the new lights and proceeded to cook the gig away. Those lights are hotter than Satan's furnace. Add to that the incredible throng of people literally jammed in the pub plus a generally hot day & you've got a winner of a gig! The crowd's reaction was amazing. Our highlight was during 'Dreams' when the entire pub decided to roar out the chorus as they would at a footy match. It was the eeriest & most wonderful 'swing yer pint' moment!
We also got into trouble from one pungent Irish listener who was definitely in Camp Renee - he had a go at Mannie and demanded that we 'turn down the rest of the crap, I want to hear the fiddle player!' Mannie complained afterward that he always has to deal with people who love everyone but him - we love you Mannie!
Despite the stress, heat & exhaustion we really did have an amazing time. Hailze & Renee were so high on adrenaline they looked like they could do that gig all over again! Huge thanks to our girls, they did a stellar job, I'm so proud of them!
Karen & Dave's party was awesome. We met their wonderful family, played tunes, traded stories & generally just wound down from the gig. I actually fell asleep for 45 minutes (thank God I don't drool!) as the last remnants of energy from the Gilhooleys gig drained out me. I was utterly exhausted.
Sunday brought us to the beautiful Bearded Dragon at Tambourine.
For all the hype & adrenaline we experienced at Gilhooleys, this gig was the opposite - a lovely relaxed little gem. We played on their main verandah to families at picnic tables. Alfresco gigs are always tricky for me, because if it's really windy I can't play my flutes! Luckily there was only enough wind to keep us cool during sets, and only one big gust toward the end. The highlight from this gig was actually after we had finished and were packing up at dusk. The sky turned all sorts of ribbony sunset colours & faded to an indigo star-smattered sky - just beautiful!Again, I just want to add how amazing Hayley & Renee were. St Pat's throws everything at you and they handled it beautifully. Kudos to Renee especially for learning so many tunes in such a short period of time (a week!). Cheers girlies! Huge thanks simply must go to:
Petey, our loyal no. #1 fan. We've missed you, buddy, and Grant. Good to see you both.
Dave, Judy, Martin & Narelle, our wonderful support crew who provide an invaluable wealth of feedback & most importantly, drinks!
And last, but most definitely not least - Tony, aka Minion #2, who spent $50 on a cab ride to the Bearded Dragon just to come and see us! We ended up buying him drinks because we felt so guilty.
Happy St. Patrick's Day - bring on 2008!
Listening to "Meyju" by Alio Die
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