WINTER IN AUSTRALIA AIN'T COLD

One of these days I’m gonna sit down and write a letter to all the good friends I’ve known……We don’t really do seasons in Australia do we? I mean, I’m still in the ocean and it’s the first day of winter. And prob will be for another 3-6 weeks. But I live in Sydney. It’s gotta be cold waters anywhere south of say Tathra, like quite cold. But the water would also be chock full of beautiful whales heading north. What an annual time to be alive.

I was just listening to the test pressing of the new Alex Hamilton record. That felt like winter. So much so that we are now making sure it comes out in winter and you can listen to it next to a fire. Finding the space to indulge in tunes, or vibes, or live shows, or art, it’s important right? I mean next week I’m heading to Vegas for two nights of  Dead & Co at The Sphere. I may not ever come back mentally. We shall see. Me and my lawyer(sic) are then spending two nights at the Joshua Tree in (Gram’s room not available). I’ve just been reading a book on Leon Russell by Bill from Buffalo Tom (who we toured once….watch my tailights ffffaaaaaaaadddeeeee……great song). He tells tale of the shenanighans that Leon and Gram and co got up to in those rooms. We hope to feel those spirits. I felt the spirits in Joshua Tree once before. I was really, really high in an AirBnB and had noticed all the street name were Native American tribal names. I swear tribal reps and spirits where deep with us that night, in fact I know ‘cause I had several conversations with them that night. Saw them shufflin’ around the room etc. That felt special, as did the hot tub at that house gazing at the stars.

Anyways, it’s winter? We just announced the Out On The Weekend festival. Its such a passion. It’s so unreal. Like Boogie. And like Boogie just not as big as maybe it should be you know, it is/isn’t about money, but it really is cause you gotta sell tickets to survive. I guess some people don’t get that, “Hey, its cool, its’ really intimate” but if the promoter ain’t planning and budgeting intimate, just watch him/her/they crumble a little bit in the backend. But this year is gonna be as great as ever, just like Boogie was. There is an insane/crazy/maybe thing gonna happen there too. Maybe. Can’t tell ya, but fuck me, if it happens we will be handing out gaffa tape at the entrance for people to strap their heads so their minds don’t explode when it happens. But don’t wait for anything, just roll with the punches to get to what’s unreal. That’s what I say anyway.

Actual surfer /record label icon Azdog Curnow said farewell to the Spunk label last weekend. I went to the last one with the Mayor at Sydney Opera House. Suitable attired and retired, we experienced THE MIDDLE FUCKING EAST. Don’t know where I was when they were a thing, but, and maybe a little bit it was the drugs, but they are something special, special, special. Soft, hard, mellow, up, funky, cool, sexy, warm. Isn’t it great to find out about something. Then came Aldous. Really, what is she? I don’t think unique is a good enough word. I just want feels like that to be felt by everybody and then be whatever they want to be after it. She is something amazing, so, so deep and wacky and straight up. Explosions In The Sky, they were great too. I wanted to play lead on every track. But thanks Aaron. Think about Spunk. It’s kinda a tone, level and style through out all the acts in a lotta ways. All done from the ocean and wave pools!

I’ve been on a Leon Russell and Delaney and Bonnie bent while reading the Leon book. Fascinating to see all the twists and turns and sagas an drugs and stories and mental health and Clapton riding the wave, and my mate Bobby Keys in the thick of the earlier stuff. It’s all connected. Everything. Well, maybe except The Band, they kinda stand alone, but are in and around  everything when shits getting real in the formulative music years for me. Like Ron Wood if think about it. Read his book, you’ll see.

Last year I visited Tulsa, Oklahoma to see Wilco at Cain’s Ballroom. A real old dance  hall that Bob Wills sorted built. The Sex Pistols also played there, as did everyone and everyone still does. I was shown the hole is the wall where Sid smashed his fist through, and visited The Church while there, not the church, THE CHURCH! Leon Russell’s old studio, now museum, studio, cultural centre….and who did I bump into….Wilco?? I went over the road to the diner that Leon ate at every day. I felt vibes, I feel vibes, everyone can. Oh, there’s also the Bob Dylan Centre there too. Who knew? I literally walked past it and went what the fuck is this? Is this real? The Woody Guthrie Museum is just down the street too. Why is Bob’s museum in Tulsa? Cause he wanted to be on same street as Woody. True story. Some things never change in one’s career. Anyways, knowing Wilco would be interested I nudged them to go visit (knowing they would get a personal tour as it was actually closed on that day), and superstar Pat Sansonic took note and off we went. We saw it all. The answer my friends, is blowin’ in the wind.

Went to this unreal record fair last week. Picked up joyous products from a Cold Chisel Breakfast at Sweethearts (go see them this year, prob last time ever) promo poster to a Daddy Cool EP all signed (the great Hanna no longer with us of course), a bunch of Doug Kershaw to go there, Canned Heat (only to discover I already have them), a sweet 70’s Louisiana comp called Saturday Night with another mate Tommy McLain on it (who also appears in the new Roadhouse remake movie I’m told). I was checking out a 1976 Eagles Live in Sydney bootleg (don’t really do bootlegs but I have a fascination with The Eagles….don’t judge me, judge yourself). Anyway, John Foy was next to me and said, me and my mate recorded that and told the story of why it is called “Welcome To The Late Show”. Also got a top Elton John box set for $30 with 5 mint lps for my sweetheart daughter Gracie who got a turntable for Xmas from daddy. Parent tip. Excellent box sets of classic Artists are cheap as shit normally and have the hits. Also got a Lee Conway LP I had never seen ever, produced by Doug Ashdown whose song “Winter in America” is on my mind, and started the Spotify radio roll for this musing. I also got this sweet Little Richard record called “The Second Coming”. Have you seen that Lil’ Richard doco?. The Greatest!! Anyways, side one is actually mispressed as The Who live??And then on that Spotify radio comes the great Roger Daltrey song “Giving it All Away”…… ooh, I know better now, I know better now, giving it all away…see you at in “the” Spring.