Firstly, huge apologies for the lack of blogs recently, this is the first in a series of entries called The Catch-Up Blogs!

What do you do when an opportunity presents itself to spend a weekend with a Scottish folk legend & his amazing family in a sleepy town north-west of Sydney?

You go. And you come prepared for anything, because anything can happen when Dougie MacLean & his wife Jenny are in charge.

The town of Colo hosted Dougie and his family as a stunning end to his Australian tour, which also served as a part holiday. Sunas was asked to perform in the series of concerts over the weekend, which was just an excuse for a big catch-up, really.

As we drove into the retreat, an extremely tanned man came over to greet us. Dougie, in his own personal style of greeting everyone, was, well, brown. There's no other word to describe the colour of his skin, he was a deep brown hue. Baked is the word I would use!

'What do you think of my tan, eh?!' was the first sentence out of Dougie's mouth. Dougie's daughter Julie told me that he just loves the sun (not surprising seeing as it rains in Dunkeld 300 days out of the year) and spent literally about four hours per day of the entire tour soaking up the rays. I just laughed. Bridge & I were now the whitest people there -not really a great Australian representation!



The first order of business was a dip in the lovely freshwater creek, which was incredibly refreshing. Again, Bridge, Paul & I slathered on the sunscreen, ever-protective of our pasty skin, while Dougie just ran straight in.

The walk back to the retreat was followed by an absolutely incredible foody chat between Paul & piper Ross Ainslie, who have found a kinship when it comes to anything gourmet. After that it was on. Silences would be punctuated by Ross & Paul discussing in mouth-wateringly delicious detail the dinner menu they would be preparing for us. There were no problems from anyone else!

The next day we were in concert prep. Floors were vacuumed, chairs were placed out, sound gear was meticulously set up. Then Jenny informed us that the ABC were coming to film the concerts. None of us are particularly keen on being filmed, particularly by the ABC! We get uncomfortable, then we man up, get onstage & then... nothing else matters. The music takes over & everything feels right.

Concerts with Dougie mean you are kept on your toes. There was another local band performing with us called Frozen, so rehearsals began in earnest. Dougie songs, tunes with Frozen, and Mannie being asked to accompany Ross on an epic set of tunes, he on bouzouki and Ross on the Highland bagpipes. I could literally see the 'freakout' cogs turning in Mannie's head, but the rest of us knew Mannie would do a great job & were really proud of him. It didn't stop him requesting six or seven rehearsals with Ross though, to which he good-naturedly obliged!



The ABC crew arrived and we met a lovely chap called Martin and his assistant Monica who were busy interviewing Dougie & Ross and filming our rehearsals. Martin started chatting to Mannie, and before Mannie knew it, Martin had set up the camera and began interviewing him as well! I had a bit of a giggle that I'd gotten away with being interviewed before I heard Mannie say to Martin, 'if you need any more info you should speak to Sarah, she knows everything about our tours & trips', to which Martin's gaze (& camera) were directed straight at me. Time for my 'freakout' cogs to turn! The entire time I was being interviewed I was thinking (along with my other bandies, no doubt), 'Speak slowly & don't swear!’ (which, after BBC Cornwall, is the new band motto).

Meanwhile the concerts went off with a bang. Like all good things, it was all over so quickly! Highlights were Dougie yelling at the crowd to ‘Make weather noises (cue audience making terrible whooshing sounds), Dougie’s son Jamie playing the VB beer carton as percussion, Mannie & Ross playing crazy piping tunes and the enormous session of everyone performing the finale of a mash-up of ‘Singing Land’ and ‘Waltzing Matilda’. They were both pretty epic shows, and we finally got to fulfil a long ambition of playing Ready for the Storm with the man himself. Magic.




And then one of the best moments was everyone chilling out on the couch under the carpet of stars with a cider and listening to silence. What a great, great weekend!

After Paul’s nice shiny blog about snow and fun, here’s the real truth. For those of you who think being in a band is a glamorous, exciting and easy job, I have news for you:

It’s not.

Well, not quite, anyway. The performing part is about 20% of the package you see in front of you. The rest is a massive flurry of action behind the scenes: networking, rehearsing, travelling to and from gigs, setting up and packing down from gigs, recording, correspondence via email & phone, promotion, festivals, planning and organising.

To a musician, the performance side is simply the best part of being in a band. To a manager, that sweet moment after booking a nice gig is the best part. When you do both like I do, these two elements combined are moments of pure and utter elation.

In mid-February I received a call from former Súnas member and good friend Brendan who asked if we would be interested in playing a nice gig on Sat 13th March for the upcoming St Patrick’s Day celebrations. I said of course, where’s the gig?

He replied, ‘Russia.’ As you do (my hands started to shake here)! I have to say big thanks to Brendan for thinking of us for this gig, because if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be writing this blog for starters. From there, it was three weeks of the most incredible amount of stress that I have ever experienced in my life (and this was even before we had boarded the plane!), but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Here’s how our amazing gig came about:

We were asked to submit an email to an entertainment agency, and the email was to list who we are, our sound, hi-res pics, pricing and video. Bear in mind, all we knew was that the gig was in Russia (no idea where), it was for one night and if we were successful we’d be flown there & back with all expenses paid. Well we in Súnas don’t do anything by halves. Paul & I worked for NINE HOURS to get this email together – the majority of it was a crash course in learning how to cut the footage taken from our concert at Perthshire Amber last October. Once the email was satisfactory to our critical eyes we finally sent it off in the wee hours of 17th Feb (something along the lines of 2am) and then played the waiting game.

It was five long days before we heard anything. Because I was listed as the primary contact, poor Mannie, Bridge & Paul were on tenterhooks in daily contact with me on the off chance that I had heard something. My most used expression during that period was, ‘As soon as I hear anything I’ll let you know’.

On Sunday 21st I was contacted by a man named Alan who said that it ‘looked as though’ his clients liked us and would ‘probably’ go ahead with us.
That wasn’t a yes in my book! I updated the others, but we still waited. More phone calls flowed between Alan & I regarding visa types and contracts etc, but I couldn’t do anything because we still hadn’t received the all clear! I’m sure he was thoroughly irritated by my constant calls, but I wasn’t going to get my band’s hopes up on the word ‘probably’ (having said that however, Paul gathered everyone’s passports at Sunas HQ, just in case). Regardless of everything, I had a great feeling about this possible trip from the word go. And I bloody held onto it over the next week, let me tell you! Don’t tell me we can’t do it, tell me that it’s a problem and that we can get around it. Never take no for an answer.

After another week of tense waiting, we were given the Official Yes late on Friday 26th Feb. I received one more phone call from Alan telling me all about the gig: It was a private gig for an oil & gas company in a town called Yuhzno-Sakhalinsk in very far eastern Russia. So far eastern that it wasn’t even on the mainland, it is on Sakhalin Island located above Japan. We would be gone for five days in total, including our performance. Alan finished our call with: ‘You need to organise the visas pronto’. I had heard from a few people that Russian visas were a logistical nightmare, so I got straight onto the Russian Embassy website and brushed up on my knowledge. We had to get the visas sent to the embassy in Canberra by Wednesday 6pm at the absolute latest for them to be processed and returned before we flew out. However (of course), it wasn’t as easy as that. Firstly, which visa do we apply for? Business or tourist? My first inclination was tourist, since we were only performing one gig – but because we were performing a gig I then looked at the possibility of the much more complicated business visa. Oh help.

Cue my introduction on Monday 1st March to our absolute angel Svetlana, the company contact who spoke beautiful English tinged with a Russian accent – she sounded like someone straight out of a Bond movie. Svetlana told me we only needed to apply for a tourist visa, and could I email our scanned passports ASAP to book flights please?

Bugger. Our scanner had packed it in. So instead I called Mannie & that night we went straight to his work and scanned the passports (thanks Theo!) while he filled in & signed his visa form & gave me a lovely visa photo that made him look like an illegal immigrant. I then drove across town to Bridget’s place where she filled in her form & gave me a visa pic that was absolutely stunning – she’s so photogenic, not even a visa pic would look bad! Paul & I added our absolutely awful pics – he looks like he hasn’t slept for a year & I look like I’ve swallowed a lemon. I was organising our applications the next morning and feeling quite overwhelmed with the documents we needed when I stopped and looked at our visa photos laid side by side. It made me cack myself laughing!

So I sent out an All Points Bulletin to my bandies:



HAVE YOU SEEN THESE MUSICIANS

• known to be of the Celtic music equivalent

• Slightly hairy, but not smelly

• Will do anything for a pint

• Considered cuddly and extremely dangerous

• Have a penchant for banjos

• Also known by rather naff nicknames

SUBJECTS ARE KNOWN TO SPONTANEOUSLY BREAK INTO SONG OR TUNES. ENSURE YOU KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. IF YOU SEE ANY OF THESE HEATHENS, PLEASE CALL 1800-PATCHOULI.

Aren’t we a pretty bunch. After everything was organised I was speaking to Mannie's wife Annette and filling her in with all the details. The first thing she said was, 'Thank God you didn't send those awful passport photos with the visa applications!' Oops, sorry Annette :)

Lesson: When stressed, find something to laugh about. It lifted my spirits tremendously! There were times through it all when everyone around me was doubtful that it would go ahead, but I chose not to listen. If worst came to worst, it would still have been lovely just to have been asked.

I was then in almost hourly contact with Svetlana. There was so much paperwork we needed for the visa applications, such as booked flights, hotel reservations, hotel vouchers, official invitation to Russia from Svetlana’s company, official invite and details from the Russian travel agent, official ministerial stamped papers allowing us in the country …

Tuesday passed, Wednesday arrived. Svetlana had sent through everything except the Russian travel agent invitations & the official stamped ministerial invitation. We had until 6pm to get the applications in the post before I would panic and have to fly to Canberra in person to get everything done. I spoke very nervously to Svetlana that morning, and she said that it would come through, she would get it organised.

I arrived home from work at 3pm and Svetlana had emailed letting me know that we would receive the documents by 4:30pm that afternoon. I had two flute lessons to teach from 4-5pm, and as soon as my second student had left just after 5pm I raced to the computer, my heart in my mouth.

No email.

Paul already had that defeated look on his face. OhGodohGodohGod, please don’t let this be happening. So started my frantic international dialling to Svetlana, over 20 times which normally put me straight through every time, but Murphy’s Law, this time I was unlucky. I emailed her, knowing she was probably as stressed as I was, but hoping to receive something soon!

5:05pm. Nothing.

5:10pm. Nothing. I will an email to magically appear in my inbox.

5:15pm. Still nothing. I felt like a group of rubber bands stretched to breaking point.

At 5:20pm I sat back in my chair. I couldn’t believe it. For the first time in the past two insane weeks I actually doubted that we would be going Russia. I looked at Paul and tried desperately not to show on my face that the infamous Súnas optimist was firmly and completely pessimistic at that very moment.

5:25pm. An email from Svetlana marked urgent and containing two words (‘It’s done!’) and multiple attachments arrives in the inbox. I stare at it in complete shock and then scream at Paul, ‘IT’S HERE!!!’

5:30pm. Each application is printed and assembled in military precision. I am focused, I am in the zone. I am actually beyond obsessed, I am completely BAT-SHIT MENTAL.

5:35pm. We’re in the car, gunning it to the closest Express Post Box (literally only two minutes away, but we weren’t taking any chances). Paul is driving as though he’s in a rally and we’re in the lead.

5:40pm. I stand at the post box and post the now-very-thick application.

And then I burst into tears. I just could not believe it. It was gone, we could focus on being excited!

Everything went well until Friday morning. We had flown down to Hobart for the Fleadh Ceol and had just finished having a morning coffee (good sign) when my mobile rang. A lady with a thick Russian accent named Natasha (I kid you not!) was calling because there was a problem with Paul’s visa application.

I was gobsmacked, felt the familiar tightening in my stomach and prepared for the worst, only to be told that we had simply filled in the wrong form. If we filled in a specific one and faxed it to her straight away she would process Paul’s visa as long as we sent the original that day. So we called on the magnificent Alistair, publican of the New Sydney Hotel & host of the Fleadh Ceol, commandeered his computer & printer then set about filling the damn form in. It was a lot more detailed than mine, Bridget’s & Mannie’s! Luckily, there was an Australia Post next door to the pub & the form was faxed off before midday with no problems. I emailed Svetlana the details of what had happened, and we spent the remainder of the day getting ready for our gigs at the Fleadh.

Fate was surely smiling on us that day, because at 4pm Svetlana sent me a text telling me that she had spoken to the embassy in Canberra and that our visas had already been completed and sent in the mail!

There was just one other thing to say to my bandies: WE’RE GOING TO RUSSIA, BITCHES!

Needless to say, I was utterly elated

We have been out of radio contact for a while, apologies to everyone. I haven’t really had the motivation to write anything since our beloved Helen passed away. She was a monumental figure in our lives, and will be missed always. Thank you everyone for your wonderful wishes of strength and support –I can’t begin to describe how they held us together at the end. We have all had good and bad moments since then, as I’m sure you can understand.

Since then, we in Súnas decided after an enormous 18 months of festivals and touring to have a quiet six months to renew energies and begin rehearsals for the next album. Judging from our busy gig guide our carefully made plans quite obviously went to pot, didn’t they? The plans are still there, they’ve just been postponed until after an utterly mental March.

This coming Thursday (4th March) we visit our wonderful friends in Tasmania for the Fleadh Ceol at the New Sydney Hotel in Hobart. We’re performing alongside Martin Spurway-Smith and Zac Johnston as well as our good friends the To’rags, Daideo and the Blue Mosquitoes and Mick Flanagan. The last time we gigged at the Fleadh it was 2008 and we had a cracking time, so I mean it when I say it will brilliant to see everyone again!





The following Thursday takes us to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in Russia for a private St Pat’s gig with the Irish Riverdance crew as support. As you do. We are utterly blown away at an opportunity such as this (and are trying to act cool, but failing spectacularly). I hear Russia is lovely this time of year – in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on Sakhalin Island, the temperature ranges from -5 to -30 degrees. Can you hear Mannie sobbing from here?

Then, 1 day after we return, comes the madness that is St Patrick’s Day. On Wed 17th we’re performing at Harrigan’s Drift Inn at Jacob’s Well from 12-3:30 and then at the Down Under Bar on Edward St in the city from 7-9. Come and say hello!

And THEN we cap March off with a flying visit to Colo in north-west NSW to perform at Dougie MacLean’s Colo Celtic Festival from 19th – 21st. You can check the details out here. It’ll be great fun to get up with Dougie again and play some songs. Hopefully he’ll bring some of his divine 12-year single malt Caledonia whisky with him!


Currently Listening to: 'Eclipse' by Imogen Heap.

What is there to say about Wintermoon?
 
Could it be the lush tropical rainforest location and the deliciously relaxed surrounding areas?
 
Or maybe the gorgeous green eco-vibe that permeates every building, tent, stage and communal gathering area, from candles in the restrooms at night to Jenny Drake’s untamed chickens casually wandering the grounds to the organic freshly picked bananas in the Chai House every morning.
 
Or the talented, humble and inspiring musicians we met along the way and were so fortunate to share the stage with; people who, fuelled by cider, beer or nothing at all would happily natter about anything and everything while relaxing between gigs in the communal area behind the Lunar Stage. The entire weekend was peppered with conversations, jamming, rehearsals, and writing. Wintermoon is the first festival I have performed at where I have come away more relaxed than when I got there.
 
And what of the incredible people who organise this amazing festival and go out of their way to make you feel at home? So many were offered use of Jenny’s shower & use of her car to travel into Calen to buy supplies; sharing tables during meal times with beautiful people along the likes of Chris Cann, Ira from the Perch Creek Family JugBand & Campbell the gentle Swaggie; the amazing sound crew smiling through intense pressure to deliver the best sound for their tent with only ten minutes notice, while happy volunteers greeted me with a smile everywhere we met and then paid us the biggest compliment by dancing at our shows – this festival wouldn’t happen without all of you.
 
But mostly, to the festival attendees who allow us the opportunity to perform and share our passions with you. There are no words except thank you for your support!
 
Highlights for me, other than the ones described above and in no particular order were pulling Paul’s former bandmate and stunning singer Nadia Sunde up on stage to sing Dreams with us, catching every Barleyshakes gig (they ROCK), meeting Richard Kaal, the awesome guys from Swoon & Wishing Well, Bridge & I sharing songwriting tips with Enda Kenny, meeting S. Sean Tretheway and reading his wonderful book ‘The Roadless Traveller’, and relaxing in general – what a luxury!
 
The last Wintermoon concert featured JigZag, and in true folkie style, they pulled every available player (Bridge & I, Lindsay Martin, Erin from Barleyshakes, Richard Kaal, Sarah from Wishing Well, Campbell the Swaggie, Dave Flower, Jay Bishoff and Sally from Dev’lish Mary to name a few!) up to play some solos on a few songs. I shared a mic with Lindsay Martin, and it was brilliant! After we all performed on Stronger the Tree and One Love, the crowd decided we weren’t getting off that easy and demanded one last song for the finale. And what a song! We did crowd favourite ’30 Seconds of Happiness’, which featured scat singing, Aretha Franklin, fiddle solos and the best crowd participation I have ever witnessed.
 
What a remarkable ending to a wonderful weekend!
 

Listening to ‘Kindred’ by Swoon

The support crew at Port Fairy very kindly arranged for a car to take us the 25kms to Warrnambool station, where we’d get a train into Melbourne central to meet with the bus that would ferry us to the airport where we would pick up the hire car that we’d drive to the Burke & Wills festival in Mia Mia. It was a bit more of a palaver than it should have been because it was a public holiday, but I had a nice rock and roll moment chugging through the streets of Melbourne in a bus with my instruments. Don’t ask me what it was exactly, but I’ve always wanted to see Melbourne and to be there after a great festival on the way to another one was quite a nice feeling.

The drive from Melbourne to the Burke & Wills Festival north of Melbourne was an eye-opener for me.
 
I, like most of Australia and people around the world had watched the news reports in horror and disbelief on the bushfire tragedies in Victoria. It was one thing to watch on TV, but it was quite another to be confronted with the aftermath driving through the Victorian landscape to Andrew Pattison’s winery. No-one said how dry the land is. Parched, brown, dusty grass. At times I likened it to the surface of the moon and this was even before we saw what the fire had done.
 

 
Enormous stretches of blackened trees with orange leaves. It was quite surreal. We had heard reports of a fire headed towards Andrew & Heather’s winery but thankfully the firefighters contained the blaze. Victorians have assured me that once some decent rains fall it’s astonishing how quickly things green up again, and I hope this happens quickly for them.
 
Soon after we arrived a gorgeously healthy dinner was served (by healthy I mean salad, grilled zucchini, roast potatoes & grilled chicken breast, but these were leftovers according to Andrew. It was wonderful!) and Bridget & James Fagan decided to have a photographer snap-off, eg, Bridget took a photo of James while he was taking a photo of Paul & I taking photos of ourselves. Musicians are mental, no explanations are required:
 

 
After witnessing a spectacular sunset and full moon rising simultaneously, we were onstage performing.
 

 

Look closely and you can see the full moon!
 
The only downside to this gig was that Mannie wasn’t with us as he headed back to Brisbane for work earlier that morning. Still, it went pretty well. I have noticed that when we perform my song, ‘Drink Up Me Boys’ the audience tends to become rather teary, so I have now decided that this song requires a disclaimer that tissues may be required.  As we had completely sold out at Port Fairy we unfortunately had no CDs to sell, however Bridget found a lone one buried in her suitcase and Andrew graciously offered to donate his own copy to sell, so we actually sold two. Big thanks to Martin Pearson who manned the merchandise table and sold our two CDs!
 
We then proceeded to have one of the most magical, intimate and memorable evenings I have experienced in a long time. I am giving my personal detailed opinion of each of the performers here, as a broad opinion simply would not do them justice. With glasses of wine, lovely lighting and an audience of 30 or so, I had the absolute pleasure of watching Irish folk singer Enda Kenny, who literally had us all spellbound with his achingly beautiful songs & stunning melodies. His performance was so pure and honest that I decided to buy his albums two songs into his set.
 

 
Enda was ably followed by Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, performing in their element and absolute best form. Nancy’s current songs written while staying in Australia for the past few months are the finest I’ve heard from this incredible duo thus far, and I can’t *wait* to hear the album that captures these. ‘Sweet Peace’ and ‘Queen of the Water’ are still rolling around in my head; testament to Nancy’s songwriting ability and their ability to consistently perform and deliver.
 

 
After Nancy & James was Nano Stern from Chile. There is nothing more endearing for an audience member than watching a talented performer crack jokes and charm the pants off you in your own language. Nano decided to play a softer set than usual and concentrated on beautiful South American folk songs. He may have been singing in Spanish, but we all knew exactly what he was saying. A wonderfully earthy performance by a mesmerising guitarist and singer (who also plays a mean harmonic flute!).
 

 
Martin Pearson rounded the night off by performing songs cabaret style. I had fun watching him – he truly loves to sing, and does a brilliant job. Martin was backed by Alex Legg and Chris Pain, accomplished musicians themselves on guitar and harmonica. The evening progressed into a mad drinking session and telling of odd and peculiar tour stories with more than a few sore heads at breakfast the following morning!
 
We spent the night in Killara, a huge B&B just down the road that Andrew had booked out just for the artists and hit the road the next morning back to Brisbane and the mundane world of phone calls, trash emails, junk mail and preparing for St Pats.

Huge thanks to Andrew and Heather for inviting us to play at this amazing festival, putting us up and generally looking after everyone. It was a fantastic night and we felt so privileged to be a part of it.

Sunday 18th Oct, 7:30am

Urg.

That is all.

Yesterday we woke up really groggily (ok, ok, I did). It was a shame we only stayed one night in Canberra as our motel was fantastic (go Bridget!). Bridge & I slept so soundly we didn't even hear Paul fall out of bed. We were on the road at 10am, and our goal was to reach Harrigan's Irish Pub in Harrigan Waters by 6pm.
Success!

It's a truly beautiful place. We all felt like plebs though, as we'd been travelling all day and arrived tired, sweaty and looking like shite (yes, it really does happen). We were hoping to make a good impression, but it didn't begin well. A lady approached us and asked me, 'What time are you starting?' Thinking she and her family were fans of Celtic music I answered, 'We start at 8pm', to which she replied, 'Oh good, I'll make sure we're gone before then.'

!

Fortunately the Harrington Waters gig was one of our best gigs of the tour, and the audience response was fantastic. It's always an interesting gig when you realise you're playing to a table packed full musicians. A very big hello to Nick, Charlie, Annette & Jeff and sorry for such a quick session after the gig!

We packed up fairly quickly, hit the road at midnight and spent the next seven hours gawping at the stunning fat waning yellow moon hanging lazily in the sky and lighting the landscape in the most eerie hue.

Half an hour ago we reached Jamberoo. Although Paul & I drove in shifts, neither of us has much recollection of the drive. What I do remember will be ingrained in my memory forever. I started driving around 4:30am, crossed the Harbour Bridge at 5am and drove over the Wollongong ranges just in time to see the most spectacular fiery sunrise spread out over the ocean at 5:45am. It was the most incredible sight! Bridget was awake at the time (the girl never seems to sleep, poor thing. Unlike Paul, who has the most extraordinary ability to fall asleep just about anywhere) and I was so glad to share one of my few sunrises with her :)

So now we're sitting at a little café in the town of Jamberoo, and all three of us are just shattered. We're either on the verge of tears or laughing hysterically at everything we hear, see or do. It's very quiet at our table right now, and we're clutching our coffees for dear life (double shot lattes all around).

Today we're performing at the Folk in the Foothills Festival & although I feel as though I'm walking through treacle I'm really looking forward to it. We've been told by quite a few people that it's a great festival. I'm hoping we can have a shower before our first performance at 10:30am, as I've never felt so manky in my life.

This is Sairey, signing off on one of many caffeine induced perk-ups.

What a weekend!
 
Despite me getting sick and developing a mild case of narcolepsy...



Day 2 of Childers was incredible. Once again we caught up with our panpipe friends Walisuma, who just get better and better every year. The boys just couldn’t pronounce the name properly either. Mannie called them his friends 'Wally Su' and Paul called them 'Walimasuma'. Note to my sister Hayley who came with us to Childers last year –the shakers they have that look like peanuts on a string are actually goat toenails (pointed out by my percussion expert friend Kristie)! I wonder if they get the urge to paint them?
 
Mannie was feeling fine despite the ‘enormous’ gash in his nose. Shadow the female 5 pound puppy attacked him with an unprovoked vengeance. I offered to camouflage it with concealer, but Mannie declined -I think he wanted to arouse sympathy. The first gig went really well –despite playing at the inexcusable hour of 9:45am! Mannie was ready to cry because his foldback was so loud, but he slipped the sound guys a tenner with sweet whispers and soon got his way. It was a tough gig, playing outside on a cool winter morning meant our hands were freezing and we couldn’t play very quickly. Hello coffee! Between gigs Bridget & I abandoned the boys and explored the markets. It was brilliant –there’s nothing like two gals on a serious shopping mission! We came away with jewellery and more clothes –Mannie tried to enforce a rule that forbade us to stop spending our hard-earned band money on gig outfits, but he immediately backed off when we both stared him down, with Bridget giving him her best Teacher Look and me nearly freezing him out of orbit. Don’t even go there.
 
Our second gig was, using the wonderfully-coined term, a corker. Playing at the much better time of 12:45pm (I was actually awake here), the street was packed and we played massively overtime at the request of the audience. I must mention my wonderful friend, Brisbane Sunas photographer and salesperson extraordinaire Kristie who at every gig walked around selling our album like hotdogs at a baseball game. We’ve never seen anything like it –a big hello to our new fans and thank you for buying an album! She was also the groomer, fixing things like my unruly hair and adjusting the boys’ collars on their shirts. Thank you Kristie for your help, it was greatly appreciated. You are a champion!
 
Afterwards, we crashed and had a healthy lunch with the lovely Jan & Col (who looks so much like the guy from Jim’s Mowing it’s incredible) and Kristie & Brad. Little Shadow was so tired out at this stage she just snoozed in Brad’s arms. We like her when she’s tired, she’s very cute and far less bitey. Thanks especially to Jan & Col for letting us take over your house again –that massive fry-up breakfast won’t be forgotten in a hurry! All in all it was a wonderful festival, and catching up with great friends made it all the more special. Our next festival is at Neurum Creek from the 12th – 14th September. We can’t wait!

Listening to 'Les cousinages' by Genticorum

Well after my blogging efforts last night I promptly came down with a cold. The boys & Bridge filed an injunction against me & it is now illegal for me to come within five feet of them :) I'm on cold & flu tablets and the pseudoephidrine has kicked in, so I'm feeling no pain! We're currently sitting in a little cafe chilling out before our first gig in a few hours. Our sound check consisted of me, Paul & Bridge yelling at the sound man to turn the mando down. Unfortunately it didn't work. We're sticking to our healthy eating plan & Mannie is still on his anti-chicken crusade. It's a gorgeous day today, lovely and cool. Hopefully it won't be too windy during the gigs otherwise I'll have to invent really peculiar ways to play my flutes! Time for a drink :)

It's my turn to blog noi :) I'm bouncing around in the back of the van with Bridgey. This is through no fault of Mannie's, he's a very safe driver. It's the bloody roads! They seem to get worse the further north we go. So we're coming up to Maryborough now, and my backside has pretty much upped and left. Yay, break time! Back soon . . . ok, on the road again. Paul insists on having the window open & we're all freezing. Bridget is camped under my blanket & Mannie has been grumbling since Brisbane, so he's just stopped the van, rummaged around the back and come back wearing an All Blacks beanie. He looks like a Belfast thug! Ok, now he's pulled it off and decided to pump up his tyres. Maybe it'll look a bit suspicious :) Paul has taken this opportunity to clean the windscreen with the beanie :) Back on the road. Again. Mannie went to turn in the direction of Brisbane, leading Paul to say, 'Left, Mannie!' because left is the way the iPhone told us to go. About an hour ago the boys were geeking out to a Ricky Gervais podcast (thanks to the everpresent iPhone!), while Bridge & I turned on the iPods (listening to Eliza Carthy & Kathryn Tickell respectively). There really isn't much chance of resting back here, which is annoying as we desperately need it. It's been a long week. I think I'll settle in with some Lior and see where it takes me :) Til later, Sairey.

Such a lot has happened in the past week.
 
There will be a blog posted about our experience at the Medieval Faire soon, but for now I must dedicate this blog to wholesomeness that is . . . Mannie.
 
Last Tuesday we were due to rehearse, however due to Bridget having the Black Lung we decided against it. Besides, Tasmanian legend and all-star Sunas member Helen was in Brisbane, so plans were made for Mannie, Paul & myself to catch up with her at our favourite venue, the Three Monkeys.
 
Anyone who has visited the Monkeys knows that sometimes you have Buckley’s chance of finding a vacant table. Fortunately we managed to find one in the beer garden next to the water fountain. The moment we all sat down, the laughs started. They always do. For some reason the boys are extra immature when around Helen (don’t be fooled, she’s just as naughty as they are). Our laughter attracted a lot of curious stares from people using the water fountain. Mannie gets particularly animated when retelling a story, and was in his element all night. We let him go; Mannie loves nothing better than to be the centre of attention.
 
Tonight was no different.
 
While we were waiting for our beverages, we were entertained with a dramatic retelling of naked Tassie moonlit frolicking fuelled by 8 ciders (it’s true!). Mannie paused to what appeared to be to catch his breath. But no. Instead, a look of intense concentration appeared on his mischievous face. Mannie looked directly at me, took a deep breath, leaned forward in his chair . . .
 
. . . and farted.
 
This was not your standard fart. This was a long, loud, split-your-pants-to-kingdom-come fart. We’ve never heard anything like it. As is the usual reaction to Mannie’s arse performances, we fell about laughing hysterically. What made it even more hysterical was that a man was standing directly behind Mannie at the water fountain when it happened, and without even revealing he’d heard this abomination, continued stoically filling up his cups with water while we were crying with laughter. Let me digress. This fart was so loud that several tables of people not only heard it, but laughed along with us, then stopped and watched the four of us nearly fall out of our chairs with hilarity for the next 10 minutes. One guy called out, ‘Gimme 5 minutes and I’ll match your efforts!’ Our waitress chose this exact moment to bring us our drinks – she had heard it too!
 
It took us quite a while and a second order of drinks for us to calm down.
 
I know I’ve said it before, but damn, I love this band :)
 
 
Listening to: ‘Santiago’ by Loreena McKennit

Well it may seem like we’ve drifted off the radar entirely, but I assure you we haven’t. We’ve been busy writing and rehearsing new songs and tunes for the next album and are looking forward to unveiling the material in the next upcoming gigs. Watch out for some songs sung by the lovely Bridgey, which I’m profoundly thankful for!
 
From a creative perspective it’s nice to plan the next album with four individual inputs from scratch (not to say that Bridget wasn’t involved with the creative concept of A Breath Away From Shadow, but a few of the tracks had already been decided on before she joined Súnas). Of course, we’re still coming down from finishing the first album; the second won’t be out for a little while yet!
 
Speaking of albums, A Breath Away From Shadow was recently reviewed in the Courier Mail and we were thrilled to have been given 4 out of 5 stars! We’ll post a copy up soon. Some other exciting news is that Travelling Man & Turn That Boat Around has been added to the BBC Radio Wales Celtic Heartbeat program playlist. We got some lovely comments from the host, Frank Hennessy and his show can be streamed from here. We also have special events in the pipeline, so keep an eye on the gig listings; we’ll update everyone as soon as we can!
 
Thanks again for your support, much coffee to yeh ;)

Listening to: ‘Mercy Street’ by Peter Gabriel

Well it’s been an absolutely mental few weeks for Sunas. Paul came down with the Black Lung (*cough cough*) and I developed laryngitis and promptly lost my voice completely! It was the first time in a while the boys could get a word in! Meanwhile throughout this Bridget was busy organising the launch for everyone as we were all out of action. We were on track for what promised to be a stellar although hastily arranged double CD launch with George Jackson and Davydd McDonald. My voice came back on the Friday beforehand, so Bridgey and I got together and learnt a few tunes to play with George & Davydd as a finale. We were joking that it was her turn to get sick, and she faithfully promised that would get sick on Monday – AFTER the launch.
 
Saturday midday. My mobile rings, it’s Bridget. I answer, but it’s not Bridget, it’s her father John telling me Bridget was on her way to hospital with appendicitis. I felt my stomach turn to ice, and after 15 ‘Oh my God’ proclamations, I let the boys know we would be playing Meadowbrook sans our beloved fiddler! The launch was still going ahead. Saturday, 2pm. Bridget’s mother Paula called me to tell me that Bridgey was in emergency surgery having her appendix out. The surgeons said she should be able to make the launch, weren’t sure if she would be able to play, but were forbidding her to sing. They also wanted a copy of the album! Paula was utterly wonderful, and before saying goodbye, forbid me to panic. OH MY GOD, WHO’S PANICKING???
 
Cue 4pm. I’m in the van travelling with Mannie to Meadowbrook discussing Bridgey and hoping she’ll be ok for the launch. My mobile rings again. It’s none other than Bridget herself – straight out of surgery, may I add! Mannie was so excited he nearly drove us into a ditch. She was calling to let me know that she wouldn’t be gigging that night, but would do her damndest to be at the launch the next day. Meanwhile, she was sending the wonderful Georgia to come and help us out ‘with a list of a few things to do’. Ok then! Fortunately we managed to secure my sister Hayley (with an hour’s notice) to gig that night, it was wonderful to sing with her again!
 
Sunday dawned bright and early. We arrived at the Jubilee Hotel and got stuck into setting up. Georgia arrived shortly after and handed me the clipboard. ‘A few things to do’ turned out to be an entire A4 page filled with things to confirm, do and check off! Well Georgia and Davydd turned out to be my right hand people. Big thanks to you legends! They kept me sane by helping getting things accomplished while the boys sound checked (Mannie: ‘One, two, buckle my shoe!)and did secret men’s stuff (Paul holding the mic and slapping Mannie on the top of his head so it came out through the speakers. Mannie: ‘Ow, my head!). George’s family were also invaluable helping us setting up – thanks guys. I kept a stressed wary eye on the clock, and by some miracle we all managed to be ready by 2:30pm.
 
Not only did Bridget manage to turn up (held together by stiches and Panadol), she also looked absolutely stunning AND managed to play fiddle! I asked her if she would be ok to play tunes and she brushed me off, giving me this ‘I’m fine, my arms are a long way from my appendix’ look. She lasted the entire launch, what a trooper! (although I have it on good authority that by the end of the night the Panadol was replaced by Nurofen with healthy slugs of whisky). The launch was packed to the rafters – thank you to everyone who came along and supported us! We had the most incredible time. I am especially proud of my sister Hayley, who once again came through with the goods (and vocal talent), literally driving straight from work to the launch and running on stage as we were about to start. I was so thrilled to have her there! Huge Sunas thanks to Georgia the Door Minion, Ben & Kristie the CD Minions, and Paula & John AKA Bridget’s Minions. It was a privilege to play alongside George & Davydd for our big finale tuneset – these boys are incredibly talented. I was so elated I wanted to play it all over again!
 
To all of our family and friends, well-wishers, minions, groupies and stalkers (please circle one): We couldn’t have done this without you. You guys rock!
 
This is Sairey, signing off with freshly diagnosed glandular fever. Seriously! According to my doctor, I’m nearly over it (apparently). I’ll get through it. We’ve started calling it ‘Doing a Bridgey’.


Listening to "The Scientist' by Martha Tilston

Hi all,
 
Bridget & I spent Easter bashing about at the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and we had quite a weekend. Bridgey was invited to play with the National Celtic Fiddle Rally and I went along firstly as a punter and secondly to play sessions and catch up with lots of friends.
 
The weekend passed so quickly, but Bridge & I were lucky enough to play two chalkboard gigs. Can I just say that Bridge is a wonderful addition to this band? I was so proud of her. We are indebted to Davyyd McDonald and Mackenzie for backing us on guitar and bodhran. Davyyd did an admirable job considering both times our rehearsals went like this:
 
Bridget: ‘Mr Thompson’s, two reels, first in D major, second in F major, three times around each, I’ll call the changes’
Davyyd: ‘Yep’
Bridget: ‘Slow song, jig in G minor. Follow Sarah’
Davyyd: ‘Yep’
Bridget: ‘Acapella song, Sarah sings, then we sing with her’
Davyyd: ‘Yep’
Baidget: ‘Triple A set, all in A, starting with a jig then two reels, fast’
Davydd: ‘Yep’
 
And off he went!  Poor Mackenzie, he was literally dragged up by Bridget in the second chalkboard gig to back the Gravel Walk tunes on bodhran. All I got to say to him was, ‘One, two, three, go!’ Spontaneous chalkboards are so much fun. Cheers lads, job well done.
 
Eddi Reader was headlining this festival. She is absolutely nutty and completely adorable. Her vocals on My Love is like a Red Red Rose was just spine-tingling. Actually, the entire performance sucked me in and left me breathless. Due to popular demand, she also played her most well-known song ‘Perfect’ – and was better live than the recording! Definitely one to see when she tours.
 
I had the most brilliant moment meeting Irish singer-songwriter Eleanor McEvoy. She’s the type of person who is cool without having to even try. What an amazing performer. From guitar to bodhran to fiddle; I’m not kidding, Eleanor plays everything and has such a dry sarcastic sense of humour – that’s my kind of woman! I bought her album Out There and asked her to sign it and she then asked if I was a musician? I replied yes, I’m in a band, but we’re not playing at the Nationals, I’m here to enjoy the music. So then she asked me if I had a CD (which I did – always carry one, you never know who you’ll bump into!), and I gave her a copy, which she ordered me to sign, and then swapped our Sunas CD for her latest album Love Must Be Tough. Instant fan here.

 
I have a crush on Pascal from Quebec folk group Genticorum – who wouldn’t when he speaks French and sings so beautifully? Oh, he also plays fiddle and uses his feet as percussion while singing. Disgustingly talented. Bridgey has stars in her eyes after spending a mammoth 7 hour session learning fiddle tunes from him – you go girl!
 
The rest of the time Bridgey & I were girl bonding, ie, drinking cider (terriblyterribly important!), watching performances, spending far too much money (as was in my case) or just hanging out at Mike & Beth’s Celtic stall (the coolest one, I might add), sometimes doing all four things at the same time. It was mental and we had a blast.
 
Nationals aside, home grown news here: We have some gigs coming up starting in mid April on the 12th at the Meadowbrook Hotel, but I’m waiting on a few more to trickle in before that, so check out the Gigs page over the next few weeks. Hope you all had an amazing Easter and stayed safe on the roads. We look forward to catching up with everyone at our next gig.

 
Well. Once again Súnas journeyed south to Hobart where we were fortunate enough to headline the annual Fleadh Ceol (literally translating to Festival of Musics). There was no mammoth packing ritual performed the night before, we all took separate bags (Mannie took one filled entirely with socks’n’jocks – I think he’s terrified of another muddy Woodford episode), so check-in was relatively smooth. Once again, I got the mickey taken out of me when I took off my giant Tomb Raider boots to go through security checks (the guy behind the screen made the comment that I wouldn’t want to fall off a boat with them on as I’d definitely drown). Once on the plane Paul moisturised, Bridget started taking the piss, I slept and Mannie glued his face to the window (it’s amazing – if he could stick his head out he would).
 
We all made it to Hobart safely after an event-filled stopover in Sydney consisting of stealth farting, Fat Maccas with a side order of deep fried fat and Mannie chucking a tantrum because Bridget & I had the nerve to be distracted from his edge-of-your-seat puppy story by a man who looked like a walking latte – we kid you not! Thanks to Helen we had the pleasure of staying at the wonderful Stanton B & B for the night (those beds are just too damn comfy) before venturing out to the ABC studios in Hobart for a live-to-air broadcast. You will all be happy to know I didn’t say ‘arse’! We had a great time, huge thanks to Tim Cox for having us back, and especially to Dave the Sound Man for making us sound decent.
 
Our first gig at the Fleadh was at 11pm to a packed house. There was literally standing room only; it was brilliant. We caught up with old friends including Brian the Flute, Tom & Jeremy from the To’rags and Mick Flanagan. Not surprisingly, Bridget knew everyone! We were introduced to the lovely and incredibly talented fiddler and guitarist Ken Maher, who was staying at the New Sydney hotel with us – he was a frequent visitor to our rooms (I think the constant laughing drew him in, it was like camping). The insult of the tour unanimously belongs to Mannie, who told a whinging Paul to ‘stop being so precious and go back to your bubble’. Helen and I laughed so hard we had to be picked up off the floor!
 
Saturday morning proved bright and sunny (and HOT - 28⁰!), and we decided to busk at the Salamanca markets. Well. Not only did we busk, but we managed to (unintentionally) piss off the majority of the buskers and start a turf war down there – it’s on, people. We’re watching our backs for Octopus and particularly Unicycle Man, who was kicked out to another spot and will probably take his revenge on Mannie. We made $16.75 in change and sold quite a few albums (thanks Helen!). Meanwhile, Mick Flanagan busked in the Hobart Mall and made $70! See, ya gotta get cosy with the locals. Somehow I doubt we’ll busk at Salamanca anytime soon.
 
Our gig on Saturday night was once again packed to the rafters. Although it was a powerhouse performance, I felt quite ill during this gig, it was hot as all arse. I blame my Medusa hair. Our Salamanca busking turf war story got back to people before we’d even returned from the markets, and we received a lot of ribbing from Mick! We performed Mick’s song ‘Dicky Goodchild’ and I must admit, watching him watch us perform it gave me quite a few heart palpitations! I had the most wonderful night after we had performed. Mick and I played together in a session until the wee hours (try 3am). Who was more pissed between us remains to be seen. I thought it was me, but Mick kept calling me Susan, and Bridget Mary. I had to be lugged up the stairs by Bridget & Helen, but I made it up to the top bunk where I was sleeping. Helen was sleeping on the bottom and was very scared, but my anti-ralphing policy remains intact, go me! Mannie was certain I’d cash in.
 
We had a lovely afternoon gig on Sunday. The highlight of the tour for me was when we began our last gig with Caledonia and the entire pub sang along with me. It was a real goose bump moment! What a great audience. I was thrilled to catch up with To’rag Tom’s daughter Lindsay and Moira & the guys from Dadeio and the Blue Mosquitoes, who gave us a copy of their demo to listen to (my review will be posted here shortly). We made some great new friends and had the pleasure of catching up with old ones. Sunas would like to send out huge thanks to Peter & Mary Grubb for inviting us down to the Fleadh, and Tom, Claire and Brian for emceeing each day (you guys did a great job!). Thanks also to Dot & Roy for their constant support, but particularly to our beautiful 5th member Helen, without whom we would never have come down here in the first place.
 
This is Sairey signing off to sleep.

To all of our readers/groupies/minions/stalkers (please circle one), apologies for the lengthy amount of time between blogs. Since the enormity of Woodford we simply haven’t stopped. We’ve been busy rehearsing new material and gigging as well as organising everything ‘album’ (more info coming soon!), plus gearing up for a mini Tassie tour and a *mammoth* Pat’s weekend.
 
Bring it on, I say!
 
Bridge & I have discovered that when the two of us get together to work out new & rearranged material (these duo rehearsal nights are rarities, but both boys happened to be busy), we get it DONE. Straight down to business! At one point we were ticking the seventh song off her list of things to do when we realised exactly how much we had accomplished, and in a very short time period – for once I was actually going to be home, showered and in bed before 10pm. As much as we joked that the boys faff around (particularly Mannie, who is destined to remain Peter Pan forever), they were missed (sort of).
 
I must mention Bridget’s sister here, because I committed an atrocious act in a previous blog and didn’t mention her by name. Poor Georgia has laryngitis, so when I came over I avoided her like she had the plague (which she pretty much did - sorry I treated you like an outcast leper Georgia), but I hope she feels better pronto. Bridge doesn’t seem too concerned about her health (must admit, being the oldest of four I can commiserate with this) – when asked how Georgia was she gave the standard sibling answer, ‘she’ll live’. Get well soon Georgia (4 name mentions – am I back in the good books now?)!
 
Last night we got together to rehearse and catch up after being AWOL for a week. Paul had an excited kid-at-Christmastime look on his face. We all took one look at him and started guessing why:
 
‘You brought coffee!’ – Me (sadly no – he FORGOT!).
‘You have another season of the Gilmore Girls!’ – Bridget (they’re both *huge* fans, much to mine and Mannie’s disgust).
‘You bought me a banjo!’ – Mannie (who lives in hope).
 
Sadly, no was the answer to all of these. Paul ceremoniously opens his guitar case and reveals . . .
 
 . . . a guitar jock strap.
 
I laughed. I couldn’t help it! I discovered it protects the head and strings of the guitar in instances of being battered around while travelling. Well it cracks me up every time I see it, so it does the job in any case J
 
Well until next time, we’re a busy lot, so hopefully I can berate Mannie into writing his third blog of all time (meanwhile I think I’m up to blog #572) and keep everyone updated. We have album news coming veryvery soon – watch this space!

Listening to: 'Heal Me' by Lior

Saturday 29th Dec

A night of blissful uninterrupted sleep. No catapulting to speak of, although I was up at the ungodly hour of 5:15am! It's just not right to be up and awake at that hour, but my sleeping patterns are totally buggered right now. You don't come to Woodford to sleep! I woke up to Soup City. Even the ground under the tent is squishy. Ew :) Thankfully we were gigging later on in the day so I was able to have at least one coffee, go me! The rain has stopped today, and things are drying up surprisingly quickly. Wasn't Paul disappointed (but incredibly thankful at the same time) when Bridget's lovely parents John & Paula presented him with gumboots he didn't need to wear!

I had a very interesting (and early) conversation with Andrew, the owner of the Troubadour -we've scored a chalkboard gig tomorrow night at 7pm, woo hoo!

The first order of business was watching Grand Master shakuhatchi player Riley Lee at 9am. Even he was slightly stunned at having to gig in gumboots! His playing is just brilliant, and I just floated away & enjoyed the moment. Afterwards we geared up for the amazing Japanese drumming sensation TaikOz. Bridge fell in love with one of the drummers, and he has been referred to as TaikOz Boy ever since. Aah, crushes! Speaking of crushes, Paul nudged me to turn around soon after the TaikOz gig, and who was hanging out by the Guiness tent, but none other than the lovely Riley Lee. Well, off I went to have a chat & hopefully have a photo taken (Aah, yes, must confess this was my crush). Well Riley was the connsumate gentleman, very softly spoken & very obliging for a photo! So I walked away very satisfied, only to be greeted with Mannie & Paul stuffung their hands in their mouths to stop laughing. A cacophony of shakuhatchi teaching ribbing followed me back to the tent. Aah well, I guess I have to allow the boys to have their fun once in a while so I can lull them into a false sense of security :) We hung out for a while & then got ourselves ready for our second gig.

Second gig, Duck & Shovel, 4:45pm: I experimented a little with this gig and wore red lipstick & a very short black dress. Those who know how much I dislike wearing make-up will realise how major this was for me! I was mostly afraid of getting it all over my whistles & flutes, but it wasn't too bad. As for the dress, I figured, what the hell, it was Woodford & I've only got a few more years to get away with wearing something like that. Plus it was damn comfy! The gig was an absolute corker. We slowed things down for this gig, and God, did it go off in an oddly mellow way! The Duck was packed to the rafters & it was Paul's turn to utterly kill Mannie in the piss-taking stakes -the topic was snoring. This prompted Mannie to shoot back with the gem, 'I don't snore, I purr!' We finished with Ready for the Storm & The Gael, & the response Bridget received afterwards was stunning. Job well done, Bridge! As soon as we had finished, Mike the manager of the massively cool Chai tent ran up to us and asked if we could play in their World Music Chalkboard that night. Well we were thrilled & of course said yes! So off we went to the Duck Bar to wind down & gear up for another gig later on. Thank you so much to the lovely Gary who very kindly provided us with lattes after the gig - they were *wonderful*. We also met Jeff, a lovely gentleman who had taken several shots of us in action and asked if he could be our gig photographer. Well we were more than happy for him to snap away, & he has become somewhat of our official Woodford snapper :)


Third gig, Chai Tent, 6:15pm: There was a little more pressure with this gig than I orginally thought. Firstly, I met Katie Noonan from george, & she was watching us. Then I saw Julia Stone hanging out after her gig with her brother Angus -and then I saw Chris, my boss from my day job! Well damn :) The gig was very chilled out. I had some lovely hippie juice (consisting of a blend of mint, pineapple & mango juice - just divine) & we had a fantastic time. I think Chris liked the gig! In my opinion the Chai tent is the coolest tent at Woodford. It's always packed. I was knackered after this gig though. The adrenaline wore off with a vengeance. I really do sometimes forget how much of myself I give to people when we gig. I've spoken to Paul about this, and he suggested that I just don't give as much. Well I'd rather cut out my heart than give less than everything. I just can't. I feel like I cheated people.

Came back utterly exhusted. I barely had the energy to organise dinner - spaghetti bolognaise. It was very filling, just what I needed. Tonight I can hear the sounds of The Waifs playing in the Amphitheatre. Bridge went to check them out with her sister. The music is pretty loud, but I have no doubt I'll sleep well tonight!

Friday 28th Dec

Well I slept quite well apart from my little episode where my mattress slid off the camper bed and catapoulted me face-first into the side of the tent, which completely freaked me out as I couldn't move much. My trusty tent-sharer Bridge's reaction went something like this: 'Whaaa? Wha? Hmmm? *pause* 'Mna mna mna . . . *roll over & go back to sleep* Thanks for your help, Bridge! :) I somehow managed to right everything & slept very lightly for the rest of the night!

It rained all night and today there's mud everywhere, so Bridge & I decided to gig in our gumboots. Not so fashionable, but damn, my feet were warm & more importantly, dry, so I just went with it. They go with everything, anyway.

First gig, Concert, 10am: We definitely weren't expecting such a turnout in the 1000-seat plus Concert tent at 10am, but that's what we were greeted & finished with! I had been fretting a bit over our first gig (my mouth ulcer proved it!), & I made sure I took my time warming the ol' vocals up (Mannie was also fretting a tad, but his bodily functions served to remind him just how nervous he was - frequently!). I was too busy distracting myself with vocal & whistle warmups to actually be nervous, so there you have it. Once again I had no coffee before the gig (but you should have seen me attack the caffeine afterwards!), and it was a wonderfully mental performance for us all! The audience cheered when I did my soundcheck (one of my standard favourites, 'The Fairest of all Yarrow' by Kate Rusby) - thanks everyone. Paul took his time tuning his bodhran between songs, which Mannie took as an opportunity to take the piss in the most hilarious manner. He was utterly on form in this gig! The venue was packed & we were enormously proud of our first effort at Woodford. The feedback was incredible. We went straight to the Guinness tent to celebrate (Bridget told me cider is a morning drink, and she's a teacher, so she must be right), played more tunes and just relaxed.

Caught Trouble in the Kitchen's gig in the Troubadour, they were just brilliant. The Troub is THE tent to play in, so I hope we can play a few chalkboard gigs - you have to be invited to play. We'll wait & see. It was Mannie's turn to cook tonight, chicken & a yummy sauce with rice, using Bridget's awesome cooking utensils. It's been quite cold today, so this was exactly what I needed. Angus & Julia Stone played a great gig at the Amphitheatre, & right now The Cat Empire is playing. I took a stroll up to the Amphitheatre before to see what was happening, & it was just mental. I kid you not, literally 20,000 people were squashed together dancing in the mud to their music. I was just hoping I didn't fall over in the mud :) Back to camp I went, I was knackered. Bed now. Goodnight.

PS, Paul has been whinging like a girl because he didn't bring any gumboots with him & the floor of everything is pretty soupy now, so today we all went in search of size 11 gumboots. Turns out they'd sold out everywhere - the only ones available were pink psychadelic swirly ones straight out of Austin Powers selling for a mere $90!! Bridge placated him by placing an SOS to her parents to bring some tomorrow when they come to spend the day. Mannie declined to get a pair - he's assuming the rain will clear up over the next few days. I'm not so sure about that . . .

Thursday 27th Dec

I was up at 4:45am, on adrenaline and a mere 4 hours sleep. I was so nervous I was actually sick - God Sarah, pull your head in - a great start to the Woodford week! I finally managed to be packed and ready to go around 7-ish when I received a phone call from Paul:

Me: 'Haven't you left yet?'
'Erm, no, Mannie's running late again'
'What's his excuse this time?'
'He slept in. He got up 15 minutes ago.'
'Are you serious?'
'Yeah, he said he's really sorry, but he schlep in.'
'He schlep in, huh. Is that a new Mannie-ism?'
'He reckons he'll be over here in 15 minutes'
*Me laughing* 'Mmm-hmm. Sure he will!'

Cue 8:30am when the big white van finally pulls up. I go to give Mannie a hug & he greets me with, 'If you say one word about me sleeping in I'm gonna boot you up the date.'

Well Good Morning Mannie!! It can only get better from here :) My reply was that I wasn't going to say anything until we were well & truly on the road, and then it was open season. And how :) Paul was on such a roll he made myself and Mannie laugh so hard on the drive up that I cried & Mannie had to stop the van, get out and throw up on the side of the highway - nice one Paul! :)

Today consisted of making camp. Bridget is Camp Queen with her awesome camping gear - table, stove, tent, etc. It craps all over Paul's stuff (it really does! Something he was quite vocal about too), much to mine & Mannie's delight :) It began to rain as we were setting up, so Bridge & I dragged out the trusty gumboots - hers are funky shiny purple ones :) Mine are the standard fashionable black rubber ones that have been worn only once since I bought them - Woodford 02/03, so it's fitting that I should drag them out at this one! We heard from a doom & gloom-er that a cyclone is headed this way. Not quite sure if he's serious or seriously taking the piss.

Highlights for today were listening to Sarah Blasko do her extensive soundcheck from the Amphitheatre - she sang for a good half hour, it was fantastic!! Paul made a spicy/sour vindaloo for dinner on Bridget's awesome stove, using her awesome saucepan (not quite sure what the desired taste was supposed to be though. Still, it was yummy), and I'm sure we'll all pay for it tomorrow. Much exploration was made, & I've concluded that the Guinness tent is a pretty kewl place, particularly as it sells cider. We caught up with ex-Sunas member Brendan & played a session until the wee hours (it was great to get the session blood fizzing again!). Tomorrow is our first gig in the enormous Concert venue. I'm excited and ready to throw up again. Nerves normally don't get the best of me - in fact I rarely have them. I'm more at home on stage than anywhere else, so this is really unusual that I have butterflies. Will have to get over that one quickly. The rain has set in now, and I have a feeling I'm going to be very glad I brought my gumboots with me :)

So on Sunday night we were starting on one of our last tunes to record. Bridget was in the booth this time. The pressure we put on ourselves to get it right first time is enormous, and we were all feeling pretty frazzled (Mannie & Bridge from lack of sleep, Paul because he is Paul & me because my stomach was still very frag from my party the night before).

But Bridge being the trooper she is was ready & waiting. Snaps for Bridget!

Paul sets her levels, yep, everything's good to go, so he presses the record button and we sit back and try to be quiet. 30 seconds later Bridge stops, then shakes her head at Paul. 'I can't hear anything!' Methodically (or anally - pick one), Paul checks sound levels, headphone levels, mic levels & can't find anything wrong. He gets up and hunts down cords looking puzzled and a little frustrated. Then he laughs:

'Plugging your headphones into the jack extension might fix it!'

Bridge looks down at her headphones and gives us this adorable sheepish little grin. Well; Mannie, Paul and I just about wet our pants from laughter. Bridge, being the good-natured soul that she is, held up the offending jack so I could take a picture. It broke the frazzled mood nicely, I might add

She then proceeded to nail her fiddle take!

It's been an interesting night! We're back recording. No, seriously - we are! One bonafide, complete and shiny Súnas album will be launched by the end of the year :)

Our everchanging lineup has delayed things somewhat, but now Bridget is on board we're back and raring to go. This afternoon the boys and I headed back into the studio to lay the beds down for our new song Travelling Man. After the first pristine take of Mannie's bouzouki track we had a listen back and could hear an odd thumping sound between picked notes. Mannie looked like he was going to vomit, and informed us that the noise was his pinkie finger hitting the side of the bouzouki and he couldn't change his playing for this song. But then he brightened and ran downstairs to the first aid kit, returning with a roll of surgical tape and a handful of serviettes. I sighed. Mannie was planning on mummifying his pinkie to 'muffle' the sounds. After a few great takes we could unfortunately still hear the pinkie 'servi-thumping'. Paul, moderately concerned at this point, devised a plan of lending Mannie his clean hanky to muffle the servi-thumping. I've never seen anything more comical in my life, Mannie looked like a maimed soldier bravely struggling through the pain of an enormous white bandage. Amazingly, it worked, and Mannie's final take sounded beautiful sans the thumping. I had to take a photo of Mannie's 'injury' in all its glory! Sets the scene nicely, I think :)

Watch this space for more recording gossip. And believe me, there will be!

Listening to: The Pearl by Harold Budd & Brian Eno

Today changed my life.

It's 8pm, and I'm sitting in Helen's living room trying to work out what I'm going to say, because I have a mountain of words and images building up in my head. I have actually made up a playlist to help me write about my day.

Here are the tracks:

Reflections in Suspension - Steve Roach
Paddy Fahy's Jig/Sean Ryan's Jig - Martin Hayes
Lament for Frankie - Solas
The Lark Ascending - Ralph Vaughn Williams
Dear Irish Boy - Eileen Ivers
The Green Place - Steve Roach

Today a friend of Helen's and Sunas, Alan, invited me to go hiking in the Tasmanian rainforest. I immediately accepted, and my trusty boots made an appearance once again. Helen dropped me off at his place, and off we went. I asked where we were going. A place called Timb's Tracks, he replied, and then proceeded to tell me about the logging in Tasmania and the impact it will make on the state.

Now anyone who knows me knows I detest politics. I hate voting and couldn't give a shit about politicians. They're a bunch of whinging girls bitching and backstabbing and making big promises they never keep. Why would I want to support that?? No thanks.

But when we arrived at Timb's Track located an hour west of New Norfolk, politics came up and slapped me in the face. Big signs about Howard and Lennon in each other's pockets. Tree sits and lookouts and protestors's hangouts. I'd heard about the logging problems, but being a political ignorami and a Queenslander this was very confronting. The section of forest Alan was taking me into is officially public land which is declared to be clearfelled come January next year (clearfelling means to clear forests of trees by use of chainsaws and other machinery for woodchipping, then burn the remainder by helicopter dropping napalm, leaving no useable soil to grow anything for years). To add insult to this, the old-growth forest which is to be clearfelled will end up being paper in Japan because Japan have protected their own forests against clearfelling!

Well if that lovely description wasn't already an eye-opener, then what happened next was. We entered Timb's Track, and Alan chose that moment to tell me we were illegally tresspassing an exclusion zone and could be arrested if caught. I hadn't seen a soul, even the protesters were away for the day. I kept that in mind as we began making our way into the forest.

I have *never* seen anything so beautiful in all my life. I was instantly and humbly reminded how insignificant I am on this planet, and that I'm a part of something so much bigger. Eucalyptus, sassafras and myrtle trees towered above us. The trippiest part of this was seeing all the snow there. I've only ever been in humid tropical rainforests, so wearing two pairs of woollen socks and a weatherproof jacket in a cold snowing environment certainly changed my perceptions somewhat! There are ancient ferns which live there. Ferns which only grow one centimetre per year. There were some enormous ones which were quite possibly 800 years old. And *everywhere* I saw strange red markings on the trees. I asked Alan what these were for, and my heart broke when he replied that the logging companies had marked them for destruction to build a road through the forest to begin the clearfelling (see my Tassie photo album, I only took a few of the many red markers).

The wind was blowing, but it was so calm and luscious down on the forest floor. There was so much room to walk around. Apparently this is the problem. The undergrowth of the Styx Valley is home to many species of endangered moth and fungi. Once this is napalmed, they're gone forever. The forests will eventually grow back in an estimated 80 years, but the results will be that the new undergrowth will be so dense that no-one could possibly even *walk* there, letalone organisms living there!

We eventually came across a tree-sit *50* feet up in the treetop. The protesters were away today, so it was empty. Alan affectionately refers to them as the ferals, but these people are anything but. They aren't dole-bludgine spliff-smoking tree-hugging hippies. These people come from around the world to protect forests. They take holidays from their jobs to come and support something they believe in. I was dumbfounded as to how they got that thing up there, and my respect for these
people deepened.

The part which people misunderstand the most is that the protesters and Green politicians aren't protesting to stop all forest logging, only the old growth forest, which has never been logged. Nothing can be salvaged from this. Instead they ask for the logging companies to undertake sustainable logging of dense forests which were cleared by settlers 100 years ago.

Alan being a photographer, decided to take some pics while the wind had died down. The silence was indescribable, the closest word that comes to it is heavy. I know many people say this, but I felt like I was being watched. To quote Legolas from The Two Towers while he was in Fanghorn Forest, 'This forest is old; full of memory'. Alan took a 360 degree shot of me in the forest, in my daggy jeans and boots looking up into the light. My soul *felt* beautiful being in there. It truly lends itself.

There are some things that you can't put in a picture. One is the smell. It was like I was breathing fresh air for the first time, so crisp and clean and pure. The sounds were soothing. Rustling of the trees, small birds chattering away, but an odd silence, as thought the forest knows of its fate and is waiting with baited breath. And the temperature. Not freezing, but cold. Cold enough to retain the snow in the undergrowth, and the forest floor was cold enough to numb my feet through thick rubber soles and two pairs of woollen socks!

At that point in time it clouded over and started to rain, so we put the cameras away and off we went again. It's not all glamorous and romantic in there - it was wet and cold and very muddy. I was covered in mud and water, and my boots took a total beating! The funny thing was, numb feet aside, I didn't care. My eyes hurt from so much to take in. And the *colours*. So many muted greens and browns mixed with the unblemished patches of white snow. I instantly fell in love with the place, but it will most likely be gone by the time I go back down to Tassie in March next year.

The protesters won a small victory in that the logging has been delayed due to their efforts of tree-sitting, blocking the roads and the upcoming federal election. However, it's a hollow victory, because they logging companies can't do anything as the forest is too wet, so they were happy to agree to their demands and wait - it's what they want. As soon as the election is over it will be business as usual.

I feel like I want to cry from what I witnessed today. The forest isn't hurting anybody, yet the amount of legalities and money being poured into a campaign to clear it is utterly *staggering*. The most disgusting factor in this situation is if the government run into a legal problem which may take them to court over this matter, they simply change the law to overcome the problem. I am someone who cannot stay silent from seeing such greed with my own eyes. I am not an instantly converted greenie, but I don't want to be a political ignorami, either.

What a powerful day. I'm looking forward to the music that will pour out of me once I clear my head of the images and thoughts. I feel like I've watched a movie backwards.

What a wonderful wake-up call!

Well Friday's gig went off because Renee's entire family decided to come and see us perform. It wasn't my best gig vocally (and not Hayley's either, she was sick with a cold, poor thing, but did a great job like the trooper she is), but I had a fantastic time and they made the most brilliant audience! Kudos to your lovely grandparents, Ren, they're lovely, particularly your grandmother who sang with us all night and wanted to take Mannie home (what is it with Mannie-lovin' Nannas?? Must be a hair thing). It was a late night as usual, and we were playing the Zillmere Multicultural Festival the day after.

Saturday morning dawned bright and far too early - well for me anyway, because I was woken up at the crack of 9am (scream!) by Hayley's boyfriend Graeme telling me that Hayley couldn't even get up letalone sing.

Shite.

Anyway, the boys and Ren picked me up on the way to the gig, and of course Mannie had his little esky cooler thingy full of cans of Bundy rum. Ren was having some and I laughed because I said to her, 'I didn't think you liked rum?', and with a completely straight face she answered, 'I don't', and proceeded to chug half the can down :)

The scene is pictured as normal - I enter the van hurling obscenities like the vulgara I am. Mannie is driving with no shoes like the gimp he is, Paul and Mannie are bantering as usual like the old ladies they are, and Ren was trying her hardest to act amused, but failing like the crap actor she is.

Woo, sets the scene for a FABULOUS Sunas gig!

I couldn't stop laughing at Mannie, because Paul kept razzing him about having rum before any sort of public gig. Mannie must have taken offense at this (whyso, my Eamon? It's true), because he said he couldn't go anywhere without getting pissed. This continued throughout the day - long after the small amount of alcohol wore off. Mannie kept bitching about it, and goddess help me, I laughed :)

So. The gig. Me being the muso I am, I forgot to bring a hat, so I ended up buying this fun-kee straw number. Coupled with my tie-dyed velvet dress I looked like a hippie cowgirl or something! Mannie mumbled under his breath about not being able to wear a hat because he was too pissed. It was disgustingly hot. Just before we went on the sound guy came up to me, handed me a bottle of water and warned me, 'Be careful up there, it's really warm'.

Yeah yeah, we've played in the heat before, let me up there.

Oh. My. Furnace.

We were playing in direct sunlight at 2pm in the afternoon. I managed one song and one tune before my trademark Medusa hair went up under that hat, and to hell with what the boys thought!! I have never been so hot in all my life. I was terrified Jem, my flute, was going to crack. As it was I had a hard time keeping everything in tune! Mannie, in his shady comfort, shouted to Paul that he couldn't play in the sun because he was too pissed, and I snorted into my whistle mid-play and made it shriek - good on ya! Paul
looked like he had run a marathon, his face was bright red.

The gig itself was great fun, just really uncomfortable in the horrible heat. The audience were fantastic, they really got into it. I got horrendously sunburnt. Ren has gorgeous olive skin and didn't seem particularly affected at all, until she confided that she thought she was dying up there. Crap actor indeed! Ren could spend the entire day in the sun, lucky cow! Mannie smirked at me when he saw my sunburn and said he couldn't get sunburnt because he was too pissed. I was too exhausted to punch his head in :) We all practically staggered off-stage from heat exhaustion - Paul looked like he was going to pass out. That one little half hour gig totally sapped me of whatever energy I had left - I had to go and recuperate in the back of the beloved van.

We headed back to my place for coffee and rest, and as soon as they boys and Ren left, I had a shower and fell straight into bed.

What a weekend!

Thanks to the Festival organisers for having us and for putting on such an eclectic day -despite the heat we all had a great time!


Listening to: 'Here Comes The Sun' - The Beatles

Ok, firstly, welcome Renee! I have already concluded a few things about our latest orgasmic addition: Renee loves coffee & Tim Tams (gets our vote instantly!). And she's hilarious on coffee. Last week when we were rehearsing before Pat's she had three coffees and proceeded to have a blinder of a night! No bloody wonder you were so knackered at Pat's

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

Every now and then we do a gig where I come away astounded because I see a part of someone that they're very careful not to share. It's always a privilege. I've been in this band 6 years come February, and every single one of my bandies do things that just leaves me stunned and all smiley. Like the time Paul brought faerie lights to string up over the banner & we all sniggered, thinking how poncy! But they looked amazing & we all retracted the poncy remark (but still sniggered because that's what we do best - take the piss) and the faerie lights have stayed ever since. But it threw us all - Paul decorating?

Que??

So, again, we arrive at the Meadowbrook Hotel on Friday afternoon to set up. It's all going well for two reasons: Mannie's back (and no longer digestively challenged) and Rachi has remembered her box (hallelujah!). Then Paul comes in with a huge garbage bag which we all regard rather suspiciously (the anti-Santa sack?). We've done the sound check & Rachi & I go to get dressed and made up. I come out, and stop and just look. Our set has been transformed into an amazing Christmas display. There's tinsel hanging from the speakers, tinsel on our mic stands - even coloured Christmas lights running along the top of our foldback speakers (see photo - oh he is the very model of a model Mannie mannequin!).

My first thought was, yep, Paul's been decorating again :) It looked fantastic. The only thing missing was a blow up Santa for Mannie! I have no idea if Paul received any ribbing for his startling display of Christmas spirit (and it was pretty startling!), but I'm pretty sure the only comment made was a sack-size reference from Mannie. *sigh* Boys. PS, you would never have known we had gigged there apart from the mountains of shredded tinsel we left behind!  
 
A highlight from the night was when I had a lovely moment with Rachi just before we came back from a break. There was a stunning piece of music drifting from the speakers in D minor, and she was sitting quietly improvising harmonies on her fiddle, completely unaware of anything but the music. I picked up my silver whistle and we both started playing different harmonies to this beautiful instrumental piece of music. I don't know about Rach, but I let the music take hold & forgot anyone else was in the room. It was just my whistle and her fiddle. Things like this are precious to me, and there was quite a bit of eye contact to see where the other person's harmonies were going. We ended up finishing when the music did, eyes locked and smiling. It was magic :) 
 
 The rest of the gig was brilliant, and we had a fantastic audience (which always makes for a great gig). At one point, however, Rachi & I were quite cheerfully ready to throttle Tony (aka Minion #2) & Kimmi for attempting (and succeeding quite a few times) to distract us while we were singing 'Dreams' by the Cranberries. We sing in harmony the chorus which goes 'Ahhhhhhhh' (that's right, just like that). And then I spy Tony grinning and holding up a napkin he'd shredded into the shape of an 'R'. Well at this point I started to laugh. I don't think Rach had seen it at that point, but it's damn hard to attempt to sing angelically while cracking up! So we go around for the second repeat of the chorus, me with my eyes closed in an attempt to not look at Tony, and then Rachi makes a strangulated sound and starts to laugh. Aah - she's seen him. I open my eyes mid song to grin at her, and glimpse Kimmi in the act, her naughty smile mirroring Tony's, holding up her own 'R' napkin. Well at this point both Mannie & Paul have seen it & are cracking up as well. Bad Tony & Kimmi - we're professionals, didn't you know that? Anyway, we composed ourselves, my eyes remained firmly shut & the song finished without any further incident, but not before I gave Tony & Kimmi a look that would make Mannie cry :)

Our crazy groupies/minions/stalkers - we wouldn't change a thing!

Betcha they're gonna try it again, too.


Listening to ''Fleur De Mandragore/The Ash Plant/Siobhan O'Donnell's'', by Lúnasa

The Sairey Diaries: Album Confessions

Friday October 7th: Tonight is album night. I'm so excited! Mannie's just tired. Paul is surprisingly calm, and Rach is crapping herself - should make for an interesting night :-)
Update, 8:45pm: Well apparently it's my fault we started with the Faerie Set, bad Sairey! Recording is taking longer than expected. Not sure why - there's alcohol aplenty and we're all feeling the love! Well, Mannie is, anyway :-)

Update, 9:20pm: Mannie and I have been banished to the verandah outside because Paul and Rach have developed a complex of people watching them record - but I find it so incredible watching someone playing their instrument and having it sound so RAW. It doesn't worry Mannie or I - aren't we the exhibitionists! Personally I think he likes the look of the cans on his head - he must think he looks distinguished or something.

Later, 11:55pm: Mannie is piking big time - Paul and I are trying to get him to sober up so he can play some more, and heagrees with us (and then promptly takes a massive swig from his cider, rock on Mannie!). I'm pretty happy, but not completely off my tree. Thankfully my mouth hasn't run away with me - or if it has, everyone is too scared to mention it. Rach, on the other hand, is chugging back the port as though her very life depends on it. It's fascinating in a sick kind of way. She's blaming Paul now, oh the joys of band life! I think recording has unofficially finished for tonight.

EP Status, End of Recording Session #1: We've imbibed half a brewery and recorded half a tune :)



Listening to ''The First Pint - The Flying Wheelchair - The Humours Of Derrycrossane'', by Kevin Crawford