OzMusic Day @ Darling Harbour

OzMusic day at Darling Harbour, Saturday 15 November. A day featuring two-stages of grassroots songwriters, one stage for the solos and the other for bands. I played bass in one band and took photos here and there. I stayed back at the end to help with packing up the backline, and, possessing an overworked sense of responsibility I offered to help out with reviews for my friend's magazine. The looks on people's faces when I said I'd do so was the same for everyone, that crumpled mouth look of "ok" that masked a flicker of pleasure and relief for being absolved of responsibility.
It was a cool & cloudy day thankfully, the heat can become uncomfortable if you're staying out all day in this weather. I suppose the clould cover put a damper on things, I certainly felt like it was all business-as-usual and not particularly zingy or bouyant with that.I like the blue balloon in the above photo.

Walkway.

CAROUSEL!!!
The bands performed at the Palm Grove stage although for some reason they didn't bother setting up the stage this year. Playing in the band I would've prefered that they had but it didn't matter a great deal, it's all small-fry stuff.
David Griggs at the acoustic stage. He's an English-expat who's been living in Australia for 13 years now. He is a brilliant singer-songwriter, sensitive yet strong, a little plaintive, tasteful, a fine musician and natural story-teller.

This guy is playing his dad's guitar. I sold the guitar to his dad. It's a BEAUTIFUL guitar. A Maton thinline made of American Rock Maple back & sides & neck, but Australian-made. Neck was too wide & uncomfortable to perform it with my duo. Almost regret selling now, but it's in good hands, both father's pair and son's.Beccy Fielding. Great voice and soulful feeling, uses nice jazzy chords on the guitar with cool rhythms. She attracted a strong crowd.
I enjoyed taking this photo of feet. The red shoelaces stand out!
This guy, Cameron, was a pretty schmick performer.
Megan Barnes, a great singer, showing off her new guitar, a Maton EM225c made of laminate Queensland Maple back & sides & neck, Spruce top.

It had to happen didn't it...SHOW-OFF TIME!! Russell Neal took these photos. This must have been a nice musical moment.
We only get together in this format rarely these days. We still do acoustic gigs together. It's basically bumptious blues rock, like Animals meets Creedence. Gav the guitar player writes. I just choreograph the arrangements and play the bass. We used to have more members and I played keyboards. Eventually I moved onto bass. I don't think my heart was in this gig quite, I was thinking about when to do my laundry.
I wouldn't mind joining another band. It'll have to be lighter music. I don't want to do anything too heavy these days. Something like jazz/folk/rock or something.

He plays drums and cracks backs.Birds in the sky.

So there you have it. A day out, many acts, much music, a day of festivities covered in cloud. I'm not entirely sure I wish to be involved in next year's event. I think, musically, I'll just lead where my heart takes me (like most things in life).

Afterward I drove to Curlewis Street Bondi to pick up a frame that Lady Cool had purchased at Ra Ra Superstar shop. She asked me to pick it up for her seeing as I have a car, so I did. It's sitting beside me now. I had some steamed veges for dinner and later made a walking trip to the supermarket armed with green cloth bags. The laundry will have to wait for the weather to warm up again.

Funny...you do things like gigs, and then they're over as soon as they start, and you sort of think 'what's the point?'

I suppose the same could be said of most things, something just drives us on!

It's the drive, the imperative, the life-force, the qi, that is fundamentally important, using it, harnessing it, respecting it, loving it, and being grateful for it.

As for those reviews, *sigh*, I'll just kind-of make them up!