the National and home....

The final week of the tour started with some routine one nighters with us returning to Melbourne, flying to Sydney, driving to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains and then on to Camberra and the National Folk Festival.  I was looking forward to Katoomba to check out the Blue Mountains and maybe see some wild life.  For the first time in Australia I was a bit disappointed.    The mountains were nice, but nothing special despite all the tourism hype about it.  We have prettier mountain views in Western Mass!

    The drive to Canberra was full of empty farmland and long vistas. We passed ‘Lake” George, a huge expanse that was completely without water.  Apparently it’s only a lake in the rainy season.    Canberra is Australia’s capitol  (who knew?) and doesn’t feel much like a city at all. The story goes that the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne was so intense that when it came to creating a capitol they chose to build a city in the sheep farming country equidistant between the two.   They built to impress.  Canberra is all wide leafy boulevards and beautiful parks.     The city has a mall of museums and government buildings ringing a large man-made lake (hmm, where did they get that idea?)

The National Folk Fest is a five-day event held over Easter weekend at a horse race track on the outskirts of town.   It is a much bigger deal than it looks like on paper.   The festival draws over 12,000 a day for a line-up of mostly Australian performers and a handful of international acts.   I was proud of the fact that the two biggest names on the bill were Signature Sounds artists (Chris and Patty Larkin).    The festival has 20 different performance spaces from big indoors stages for 2-3 thousand with video screens to small tents for workshops.   Many of the stages seemed to have themes; my favorite was an outdoor stage that hosted lots of belly dance and other forms of traditional costumed dances.

This is sweetest festival I’ve ever attended   There were street performers, parades, buskers and kids performers in Kangaroo and bird costumes.  There were lots of goofy morris dancers and even a labyrinth.  The food and crafts were fabulous.   The whole thing was very much a family event with several generations together having a blast.   The music was secondary to a fantastic scene. 

Chris performed three sets during the festival and killed each time.   The first set was on the main stage Saturday night.  Neither of us was prepared for the incredible reception he received.    The minute his set was over the merch table was swamped with buyers.  I sold all 100 CD’s that we had brought within 5 minutes.  I could have easily sold another 100.   The same scene followed each of his other sets.   We sold every last disc we had, a perfect way to end the tour.

We took off after our last set Monday for the drive back to Sydney and the long (20+ hours) flight home.   It was a great tour, but we’re both ready to head back home to our families and the springtime   As we were waiting for the plane Men At Work’s old hit “Down Under” came on the airport muzak……..perfect!

10 things I love about Australia

1)  The People    Australians are lovely people.   Friendly, polite, laid-back and funny,  they're wonderful hosts.   They love Americans and are endlessly inquisitive about our world.  I've met Aussies who know more about US current events than our own citizens.   They speak with charming british accents,  but also have their own fabulous slang.     When you factor in the warm and dry climate,   it's as if England moved to Southern California and took the best of both worlds.  

2)  Coffee    This is a cafe society.  Every neighborhood has at least a couple of nice indie cafes, often with outdoor seating and a case of tempting baked goods.   A good cup of coffee is always easy to find.  How good?   Starbucks hasn't even tried to move into this country.  I've visited the 3 most populated cities and have seen exactly 2 Starbucks.    I've become addicted to  the "Flat White".......something akin to a latte with less milk and more strong coffee.  I've been studying the baristas  to see how I can concoct this when I return. 

3) Sports scene    Aussies love their sports and it's a completely different scene than the US.   They're crazy about cricket, rugby, soccer, surfing and especially "footy" or Australian rules football.   It's a sport that's kind of a combination  of rugby andf American football that  is played without pads.  Even though Footy isn't in season right now, rerun games are on TV all the time.   These are a gambling people.  The morning papers are full of betting grids on all sports.    And it's not isolated to games.  The Sydney  morning paper recently gave betting odds on the likelihood that the pope would resign over the latest crisis.

4) Universal health care   They have it and they love it  Everything is covered....everything.   I spoke with a breast cancer survivor who told me of her treatments in great detail with several rounds of chemo, surgery, aftercare and more.  Total cost?  Nothing....not a dime.  Not one co-pay.    She received first class treatment through the entire process.   Every Aussie I spoke with couldn't understand the US healthcare debate.  How could anyone be opposed to universal health care?  What are these people protesting against?   I had no answers to these questions.   The Australians pay for their health care system with a small income tax (1.5% of income) and hefty sin taxes .  A six pack of beer costs almost $20.  A gallon of gas $6.  Don't even consider smoking cigarettes.  

5)   Landscape    The entire country of Australia has a population of 22 million people and ninety percent of those live in the five largest cities and suburbs.   It's a country roughly the size of the US with small fraction of the population.  It makes for a lot of open space.  Much of the interior is desert or jungle, but  what I've seen is ever changing and gorgeous.  Lot's of exotic wildlife, too.

6)  Food  It's been said that Australians have no cuisine of their own and while that might be true, I've eaten very well here.   The proximity to Asia makes for many choices of ethnic food and we've enjoyed them all.   Mr. Smither is quite the foodie, which makes him an excellent travel partner.    Since all the cities are on the coast there's great seafood.   I'd never heard of Barramundi before this trip, but it's quickly become my favorite fish.   Australians love their "brekky"  and we've indulged in some pretty big morning meals such as this breakfast stack.....fabulous!   They do serve Kangaroo, but I'm not going there.  

7) TV   There's nothing on.....ever.    Each time we check into a hotel I'll flip on the TV and turn after 5 minutes and a couple of spins around the channels I turn it off.   At seems that half the channels are devoted to sports.  Cricket is always on.  Chris explained the fine points of the game so I almost understand it, but it''s still the most boring TV sport ever.    The rest of the channels are devoted to bad movies and the worst of American television.   The TV news is pathetic.   The only bright spot is they seem to show Flight Of The Conchords a lot.    This must be why they hang out in cafes and attend concerts...nothing on telly.

8) Public Transportation   This country has great public transport.   Every city has  a tram or bus system and it's always clean and easy to navigate.   Melbourne has no less than 4 different rail systems including a free tram in the downtown.   Even flying within the country is pleasant.    It's as if 9/11 never happened as the security check is a breeze.  No taking off your shoes,   showing  ID or boarding pass,  no toiletries in little bags and you can even bring your water bottle.   It's so nice to see people greeting loved ones at the gate just like the old days. 

9) Goofy town names   Wee Wa, Wollloomooloo, Tumbarumba, Wagga Wagga, Coober Pedy, Mullindolingong, Buddabaddah.....I could go on and on.

10)   Being called "mate" by total strangers

Apollo Bay, Burst Pipes and Cockatoo's

As we drove from Melbourne to the southern coast town of Apollo Bay the sky became darker and a light drizzle began to fall. The ride through mostly farmland was uneventful except for the fact that I spied my first Kangaroo (or Wallaby as they look pretty similar).    The rain stayed with us the entire weekend, which was a shame as the Apollo Bay Festival is in a gorgeous setting, with lush green hills sloping down to Caribbean blue waters of the Tasmin sea.    The festival takes over the whole waterfront of the town with 11 stages and a buskers competition as well.   It made for quite a din at times with jazz combos competing for sonic space with trashing rock bands.  Like most Australian festivals the big stages were in tents, a good thing given the weekend forecast.   We checked in and were given our accommodations at the home of our soon to be friends Brian and Sue,  a pair of school teachers with a lovely house overlooking the bay.  

I spent the first night of the fest roaming around and checking out the local talent.   I was quite taken with a group of young kids in a New Orlean's style brass band called the Megahorns.  It was remarkable how this group of what looked lke schoolboys were able to channel the funky sounds of Dirty Dozen and Rebirth with great spirit.  The crowd loved them.    I was able to catch both of the evening's main stage headliners The Flatlanders and New Orleans supergroup Little Band Of Gold.    The Flatlanders were in good form splitting the songs equally among Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock.   It felt like most of the crowd was unfamiliar with their music as the response was muted.  It's always a pleasure to see Joe Ely sing "Dallas".  Little Band Of Gold rocked the house despite some serious sound issues and jet lag.   The 8 piece band features Louisiana legends CC Adcock, Warren Storm & Steve Riley with everything from a horn section to pedal steel guitar.  It was a little strange to see a band so unique to a small American scene be well received halfway around the world.    I left  the show early as I was beat.  On my walk home I heard what sounded like a small orchestra pounding our AC/DC's "Back In Black".....I had to check it out.     The group was called Foreplay....3 violins, 1 cello and a very eclectic repertoire.     It's impossible to underestimate the popularity of AC/DC here,  as they are Australia's most successful musical act ever.   I somehow passed by the opportunity to take the "Bon Scott Tour" in his hometown of Fremantle a few days ago.   

We awoke Sunday to another grey day.  Chris had his main stage slot in the mid afternoon right before the festival headliner Kasey Chambers.   After Chris came off stage Kasey ran up and gave him a big hug and gushing compliments.  I don't think the grin has left his face yet.    Kasey is one of Australia's biggest stars and a huge crowd turned out to see her play a great set.    The festival ended in late afternoon with a fantastic 9 piece African band King Marong & Afro Mandinka,  a super high energy group with great dancing.   The perfect way to close a festival.....even in the rain. 

That night Brian and Sue made us a lovely lamb supper and I retired early only to be woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of running water and muffled voices.   I thought  this is a strange time to be talking a bath, so I got up to investigate.   My first step was onto a wet rug and I quickly realized what was going on.   A pipe had burst and there was 2-3 inches of water through the entire first floor of the house.   We helped clean up the best we could,  but it was a major hit for our hosts.  

As we left town on Monday morning the sky had begun to clear and we had a fantastic drive up the coast along the Great Ocean Road.   The road hugged the coast through 50 miles of amazing, unspoiled park land with dramatic cliffs on one side and a steep drop to turquoise seas on the other.    We stopped a couple of times to take pictures and decided to spend the night in the small surfing village of Lorne.   I went for a long walk along the beach and watched the surfers and fisherman.   A great relaxing day.  Chris' hotel room had a balcony, and every time he stepped out a Cockatoo or two would land looking for a handout.   After we presented cookies we soon had a small flock!   Amazing.

It's back to Melbourne to meet up with Signature's latest addition Patty Larkin, who is here to play a couple of festivals this week.

2 days in Freo

We landed in Perth late at night after a 4 hour flight and 3 time zone changes.   It's easy to underestimate the size of Australia....it's roughly the same as the US.    The west coast has only one major city in Perth and is otherwise sparsely populated.  It's hard to see why.   The coast line is beautiful and climate  superb......at least this time of year.   Perth and the surrounding area is one of the wealthiest  regions in Australia as it was the focal point of the Gold Rush in the 1800's and continues to benefit from the mining industry.   We picked up our rental  car and drove a half hour south to the port town of Fremantle or Freo as it's known by the locals.   The morning light revealed a lovely small town with unusual victorian architecture.    The downtown buildings were mostly  two story structures  with 2nd floor patios that had ornate wrought-iron railings.   Underneath these patios were dozens of open air cafe's.   Downtown Fremantle looks remarkably like the French Quarter in New Orleans.  This town has the highest population/cafe ratio I've ever seen.  It seemed like most of the townsfolk spend  their day lounging in cafe's.   Of course that is how I spent much of my time there as well. 

Luckily for us Chris was scheduled to perform for 2 nights at a funky cool club called Kulcha.     This gave us the chance to unpack the bags, do some laundry and otherwise relax.     The beach was in walking distance, so I had a couple of swims in the warm aqua blue Indian Ocean.    This trip felt more like a beach holiday than a tour stop.  Unfortunately it was abruptly ended by a 4am alarm in order to catch an early flight back to Melbourne. 

Melbourne

One of the amazing things about Australia is proximity of the outback to the major cities. Less than an hour after leaving the rural splendor of the winery we were at our hotel in the Brunswick section of Melbourne. Over 90% of the population live in the five largest cities. When you consider that Australia is about the same size as the US, you realize just how much outback there is.

At first glance Melbourne pales when compared to Sydney, mostly because it lacks the gorgeous waterfront and stunning modern architecture. Melbourne shows the undeniable influence of the British, and at times I thought I was walking in London during a heat wave. It didn't take long to discover that this city has it's own charms. Our hotel is in the middle of a leafy section of town that boasted a huge, lush park across the street and an incredible restaurant row just down the block with an amazing array of small ethnic eateries. There's a great tram system that runs everywhere, and it was fun exploring the city by hoping on and off the trams. Chris is to play 3 separate shows in the city over the course of a week, so there's plenty of time to poke around.

Our first Melbourne show was held in the Brunswick town hall and hosted by Chris' Australian agent John,McAustian, a slightly eccentric but completely charming man who books tours for a number of American artists. This is the fifth tour of Australia for Chris, and he has a large and enthusiastic fan base all across the country. The Australian audiences are amazing. They arrive early, are extremely attentive and quiet and then buy LOTS of CD's. One of my primary duties on this tour is to man the merch table each night. The moment the show is over they storm the table, and it seems like every member of the audience buys at least one disc. The remarkable part is that CD's in this country sell for $30 each! Every show I walk away from the table with a huge wad of bills. At this rate Chris will sell over 2,000 CD's on this tour alone. Who says the CD is dying? There's no evidence of that here.

The day after the Brunswick gig Chris has a taping for a national TV show. It's a weird set that looks like something out of Wolfman Jack's Midnight Special circa 1972 with strobe lights and a smoke machine. Chris plays the same songs over and over again til they get the lighting and sound just right. I can't wait to see what it ends up looking like on TV. After the show we wander around Melbourne killing time before out 9:30pm flight across the country to Perth.

the outback

My third day is Australia couldn’t have been more different than the first two. I arrived in Melbourne and met Chris at the airport. We were picked up by a wonderful guy named Peter and driven to the gig about an hour outside the city in the town of Lancefield. It was remarkable how quickly the landscape moved from city to suburb to beautiful and sparsely populated hill country. It reminded me very much of the hill country outside of Austin, TX. After a stretch on a long dirt road we arrived to Burke & Willis winery and were greeted by our amazing hosts Andrew & Heather, who’ve created one of the most unique music venues that I’ve ever enjoyed. The winery was not what I had pictured at all. It was just a smallish house, several outbuildings and lots of farm equipment lying about. What made the place special was the spectacular and unspoiled 360-degree view. The show was held in a large tent behind the house where a crowd of 150 or so was enjoying the opening acts, a three-course meal and the delicious wine. It was a perfect sunny day and it just couldn’t have been lovelier. Chris went on about 5pm and played a very long and much appreciated set. Afterwards it seemed every member of the audience bought CD’s and had their picture taken with him. What I found most amazing is that no one left after the show. Heather insisted that we meet her prized Clydesdale horse Mr. Clumplers and brought him over to the stage area where he grazed the rest of the evening. Most of the audience stayed for hours wandering about visiting and enjoying more wine. Along about 9pm our hosts brought out more food for the 30 people or so who were still there and we had another meal followed by a jam session with Josh White Jr. who had arrived to perform the next day. I crashed in a guest room at 11 or so with the party still in full force.

Day 3

I was surprised when I awoke the 2^nd day feeling great.   I had booked a bike tour around the city, which turned out to be a lot of fun.   Our group of 7 and tour guide Rob hit it off especially after the mid-point stop at the oldest pub in Sydney.  The riding became more difficult but  very fun.  We rode across the bridge and enjoyed amazing views.   After lunch with the group I made plans to meet up with new friends Shan (from Singapore) and Jeremy (from Melbourne) later that night to go see a reggae/ska band from New Zealand called the Black Seeds.   It was a fun show with a huge crowd of 1,500+ pogoing away to the music.  I left early as I had a morning flight the next day to Melbourne.  It was time to meet up with Chris and get to work.