Saturday, December 18, 2010

One Road, Three Perspectives (Part 1)

I've started walking a new (and ever so slightly quicker) way to work this past week, and one particular street has come to my attention on three occasions. The first, was on my way home after a MASSIVE storm. The storm was so massive, that I had to stay in the building an hour after my shift finished, waiting for umbrella appropriate weather. Of course, by the time most of it cleared, I didn't even need an umbrella. The walk was just beautiful! Everything was so different and wonderful. It reminded me of that feeling you get when you're pushing through something, and then it finally finishes. Like when someone stops tickling you, or you finish sneezing, or when you've had a really long, stressful day on your feet and you finally lay down to go to sleep; that feeling of relief and relaxation.

Have you ever noticed how people behave differently in the rain? They take more notice of their surroundings, because it all looks different. They're forced to stop and take a moment to breath. People are more chatty and excitable in storms. Strangers speak to each other, because they're sharing a common, out of the ordinary experience. Everyone's fascinated by lightning, and they watch it in awe. In a couple of houses I walked past, there were small groups of three or so people standing and sitting in their front doorways with a cup of tea or a cigarette, just silently looking at the after affects.



Anyway, the street. I walked down it like it was completely unfamiliar to me, it was just so beautiful. Because I was walking up hill, the water was flowing down the overflowing drains so fast, and it sounded like a real river. In contrast to the masses of still water gathering in people's driveways, it looked extraordinary. It took me so long to get home because I kept stopping to take photographs. They can't possibly be an accurate depiction though, without the scent, sound and movement of the water.

The photograph's are still inside my camera, so above is one of Nirrimi's, and below is Patrick Self's.



x

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Walk Me Through the Clover.

As I was drinking my tea this morning, something very unexpected happened. In the room next door, my brother was watching a music show (the kind where they play music videos of Rihanna singing about rude boys, etc.), and I heard something kick ass. Kieran and I nodded knowingly to each other, it was clear that what we were hearing was worth remembering. Stonefield.



Influenced by the rawness of the 60s and 70s, these guys have something really special. And this bit I didn't believe- one of the members is only 12 years old! The sisters are all between 12 and 20, and are Australian of course. They won the Triple J Unearthed High competition this year, and shiver me timbers did they deserve it. This is the sweet clip that goes with their awesomeness:



x

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Self Pitty is a State of Mind.



Last Sunday night, I was lucky enough to witness a wonderful concert. The Jezabels put on quite a show!! I wasn't too familiar with their music before the concert, I was accompanying my dear friend, who unfortunately got sick that day and couldn't come :( Of course, I was instead accompanied by another fantastic human being.

Not being a massive fan, I wasn't expecting amazingness. Don't get me wrong, I was definitely looking forward to a pleasant night of live Australian music (which has come to be, over the past couple of years, one of my most favourite, treasured things to exist), in the extremely hot but unquestionably charming venue, the zoo. I knew not what I was in for. This concert was devine.

At first, I was punched in the face by the powerful vocals of Miss Haley Mary. That woman has a voice box in her that could enchant the worst of Grinches of the music world. After the punch wounds began to heal, I started to notice the other talents that were casually sharing a stage with this voice. The drummer with the great shirt, who made rhythms so perfect for subtly dancing, that it seemed almost involuntary. The keys player and the guitarist, who sung sweet harmonies, while constantly filling the songs with perfectly placed chords. The four of them together had so much energy and momentum. Their enjoyment was contagious.





Not only were the band members extremely talented and passionate, but the music they were playing was sublime. It made me feel like I was in a quiet, homey coffee shop in a small cold town. I like being in quiet, homey coffee shops in small cold towns. It reminds me of road trips; driving through beautiful towns, thinking time, a break from normal life. There's a sense of serenity that comes with road trips, and somehow it was brought back to me through this music.



So if anyone ever says to you, "Hey, would you like to see The Jezabels?", I would recommend you answer them with a big fat "YES".

x