Beer stealin and Splendour feelin’..

I have had the coolest week, full of challenges and joy.

First with the challenges. When you play in a band, sometimes comes a time when personell change and move around. Because I busted my hand back in April, I’ve been unable to play double bass with the country band ”Cryin’ Skies” and  have only been singing back ups.  In August we’ve a month of Sundays coming up at the Town Hall Hotel in Newtown and I was gearing my double bass fingers up, rehabbing my hand to be able to play again, learning all the new songs. Then I called Paul (who’s band it is) yesterday and he explained to me that “because the band had been gigging with another bass player, they’d stick with him and becaue they love me, and don’t want to diss me, they’d love it if I could just fill in on bass guitar for the few songs that the guitar parts are trickier?”.  Of course I went into a tail spin and made it mean all sorts of things most of all that I can’t play bass well enough, they don’t like me etc etc. I felt terrible – -sick and dizzy all at once. I got all depressed and quiet and lied when people asked how I was all day. I couldn’t believe the physical effects of my thoughts on my body. The headache and the dry mouth, amazing physical reactions. The I came to a conclusion: All that Paul meant was what he said. I made it mean all sorts of other shit. My meanings not his. The reality is that with the other bass player, the band’s cookin! The reality is that I’ve been out of the loop for three months. The reality is I’m just stoked to be a part of it. Once I got that out of the way, it was like a drug came on – my headache lifted, by brow cleard, my smile returned. I’ve so got to watch out for that stuff.

More challenges – Halo is eating my life. I had to stop playing for a few days as I was getting all jumpy walking through the dark corridoors down to my car park and watching for flood at every turn. I love this game. It’s brilliant. It’s a great game, but when you close your eyes to go to sleep and your right leg twictches and you see nothing but aliens coming toward you and you keep reaching for plasma grenades – you need to give it a rest..

Onto the Joy!

In Sydney over the last week we’ve been having near cyclonic winds batter the coast, and on Sunday arvo I sat behind my big window, drinking red wine (Rawson’s Retreat from Penfold’s  – only $12 a bottle and lovely), listening to New Zealand dub and playing scrabble with my friend Alison while 5-8metre waves PUMMLED North Bondi and the winds blew the beach back up onto the esplanade. It was a delightful afternoon. I then had a disco-nap (the two hour lie down you have before going out on the town) and hit Mike Kerry’s farewell. I love Mike so much and his send off was a cracker of a night! I ended up in a podium dance-off at 3am in a Kings Cross night club with Mel who is our brilliant assistant producer at Whatuwant (she’s the one who you speak to when you call us up). Mel kicked my arse in the dance off – she’s really good. I am a drunk white man at a wedding when on the dance floor. ****LATE EDIT: I’ve been told to make sure you know that not only did Mel have the moves to wipe the floor with me, she also had the most amazing pair of blue suede shoes on while kicking my arse. ****

Anyhow  – I’m watching fuel that new extreme channel on digital and pining for the snow. I’ll see you all at splendour and then I’m hanging in Byron for a few days which is going to be ace..

If you want to listen to some great music while your doing what you’re doing over the next bit  – get the Dallas Crane album, the Ozomatli album, some Neville Brothers, and the new Ugly Duckling record.

Most of all, don’t think that your life will be better when you get out of school, when you get a boy/girlfriend, a new car, a new pair of shoes, overseas, married or whatever. Life will be better now. Make it better NOW. Choose to make your life extraordinary NOW. Not tonight, not tomorrow, NOW. Have fun while you’re doing it too!

email me if you’d like.

x andrewg

First things first. Frenzal Rhomb had an interesting run in the other day – read and hear abotu it here. Make up you own mind – the whole story is there. Very interesting.

Have you been well? I went snowboarding again this weekend, was awesome. Especially since we decided to only two days prior. Snow is great , but all the idol people were freaking out that I’d hurt myself again. Check the Idol website for cool surgery photos too..!

My house is super messy, yet for some reason I opened up my xbox last night and started playing halo. I believe my life will be consumed by this game soon.

Aw.. snowboarding was just so much fun. Hello to everyone to all who said hello when I was down there. It was a blast!

Are you well? Thanks for all the emails you sent regarding last week’s blog. Did you listen to the bands? Did you hear what I was on about?

Anyhow – big show this week, so I have to split. Take care and enjoy your life, because it’s happening right now, and not next week, next year or tomorrow. Now. Go have fun. NoW!!!

x g