A Band-Changing Experience.

There are photos from the most recent tour in the Gallery, and we're Blogging the current Jan 2007 tour too.

So, the First Tasmanian Tour.

This trip had been on the cards for a long time, ever since our keyboard player Helen took off on her pastoral relocation a few years ago. She bought a beautiful old house out to the west of Hobart and basically converted it into a B&B. Well, 'basically' is never a word that can be associated with Helen. This place is magnificent, a convict-built mansion older than Melbourne. Mannie and Paul had visited several times and we'd all talked about the possibility of travelling down there to play, but these things are fairly hellish to put together, especially when you're self-managed, as we are.

Covering costs is always the problem.
But of course we'd forgotten the number one rule from the 'old' Súnas line-up: Never doubt Helen when it comes to anything involving human interaction. When she was playing with us, we lost count of the number of times she would drift off into the audience during a gig break, and those now-famous words would be heard: "Hi. I'm Helen...."
So with Helen as 'our Man in Hobart' (far right in picture and below with the infamous Rabbit) we set about trying to put a few gigs together. As luck would have it, and old friend of ours from Brisbane was getting married, and playing at her wedding served as a great start point for us. With the Cygnet Folk Festival running across the same
weekend we were going to be in Hobart, we didn't hold out much hope of finding venues (and we were a whisper too late for the festival itself), but again, Helen struck, and we managed to snare back to back gigs at the New Sydney Hotel, the Lark Distillery and the Bush Inn.

Every gig was different, and somehow we managed to find a new level with each one. Usually, when we play a string of gigs back to back, we can expect to have at least one average one, where the gear mucks up or one of us fails to spark, but this just didn't happen. In fact, even now, months on, we're still pinching ourselves over what happened.

And the good thing is, this looks like it's going to become an annual event.

So, here are some thoughts and moment from us. They're in no particular order:


Sarah:

Losing track of time at Helen's

Walking outside the house at night to an incredible silvery view of the full moon over the mountains. It stopped me in my tracks, I was absolutely mesmerised.

Playing piano and singing for hours

Watching Rachey dance while playing her fiddle (go girlfriend!)

Trying not to watch Mannie laugh himself stupid for fear of joining him!

Laughing myself stupid anyway (thanks Paul!)

The return of Paul's pancake hat!

But my best memory would have to involve Helen's husband Mark (aka Rabbit - for reasons we won't go into here). Mark is a copper down in Tassie, and his final shift before holidays was the night we did our first gig at the New Sydney Hotel. Here's the itinerary he set himself:


11pm - Work

7am - Come home, have a beer.

7:45am - Have another beer.

8:45am - Into my 3rd beer.

10:30am - Openening the nextest beer now. Feeling fine.

11:05am - Having my 7th beer (I think). I like beer. Beer is thirsty for yummy people like me.

11:30am - Needing more beeeeeeer *burp* S'funny when pipple think I've under the afluence of incohol.

Etc, etc, and so it went. By the time I got up at the crack of noon, Rabbit had consumed about 8 beers. You'd think he would have finished there, but oh no. He went and had a spa and drank more beer. Thus goes the remainder of his somewhat sodden itinerary (translated by me):

12pm: Onto my 179th beer. I think I'm adding to the bubbles in the spa.

12:45pm: People!! In my spa house!! Must splash them and then have another beer quickly!!!

1:30pm: Beerbeerbeerbeerbeerbeerbeerbeerbeerbeerbeerbeerbeer, la la LAAAAAAA!! LOVELY BEER!!

1.45pm: Oopps, out of beer. Must run nekkid into house for more.

2pm: I love my magical disappearing pants!

5:30pm: *snore* Mmmm, beer *snore* more beer *snore*...Shit, was I supposed to wash the wedding car??* I love Mannie!
    



"No Chicken, No Play."  







Paul:
For me there are few things that stick in in my memory, especially when I am quiet and still.

Returning home from the Saturday night gig, beautiful fractured Vangelis piano music seeping from the stereo,  driving west along the wide, glassy still Derwent river, perfectly reflecting back the full moon and the mountains.

    Packing up the gear at the Lark Distillery, with Kate Rusby playing as our 'goodnight' music, but none of us wanting to turn it off (Kate brings us all down to earth wonderfully after a gig). Must have been the slowest gear breakdown ever, with a number of requests for 'just one more'. Actually, thinking back, we all stopped what we were doing to listen to 'Who Will Sing me Lullabies?'. Just wonderful (Photo).

Sarah pretending to slow-motion ninja-kick Mannie in the head with her giant Tomb Raider boots.

And of course, the non-stop laughter of being surrounded by people I love.



Mannie:

   Seeing Helen moved to tears at the joy of us all being there
Getting everyone to sing the chorus of Sunny Sailor Boy in the New Sydney Hotel

Watching the sun go down at 9pm

Laughing so hard I was actually sick (thanks Paul!)

Standing back and listening to the band playing and knowing how lucky I am to be with these talented people (my other family)

Not being asked "Are you the father of the two girls?"

Playing a ceili with Geoff and Di

Driving from place to place with the band and spending more than just a couple of hours together.

Driving past a river to get anywhere.