Short and sweet

No, that’s not the name of a new ep. Although it could be but that would make me sweet. Which I ain’t generally.

Kia ora, it’s Billy here making honest attempts at more regularity. A quick update as to general goings on with us Teacaddies.

We’re gearing up for our two shows at Downstage Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand. You can read all about it here and book tickets etc. The dates are 28 and 29 of October 2011. We’re looking at making this quite a special presentation of our latest album All Mountains Are Men. The idea being to play the album in it’s entirety with some special guests along for the ride – filling in the cracks and filling out the sonic. If you saw our release gigs in July then this is a step up from that and if you caught our BATS show last year then this is the conclusive grown up version of that. Alas, you may not see us in our dressing gowns this time around.

Betty has been doing some writing, swift and decisive experiments in simplicity. Whilst I have been deep in the digital, tunnelling ones and zeros and causing all sorts of complications. The clash of all this is yet to be determined! But we’re hoping to sneak some time together soon in a secret new location so we can thrash it out.

As always, we’re happy to hear from you. Keen on your thoughts about the latest album especially.

Hope you’re doin’ goodly. Spring is on it’s way!

More correspondence

Further to the last post. I’m happy to say that Jane was completely okay with my explanation. We’re going to sort her out with the cheaper standard CD version. And hopefully she’s taken advantage of the free download too.

Huzzah! Happiness!

Billy.

Correspondence

From the complaints department.

We don’t get many complaints, well, not many we can’t ignore. But this one made me feel bad. I’ve changed the name of the complainant in the interest of privacy and included my reply. Whaddaya do huh? Interestingly I’ve had no response, which has me wondering if what I wrote was well received or not.

And no, by posting this I’m not ‘laughing’ at this person, or any of our fans, I’m genuinely hoping that Jane is satisfied with the outcome of her letter of complaint.

Billy.

To: earlgreyrecords@yahoo.co.nz
Sent: Saturday, 13 August 2011 3:26 PM
Subject: About ”All Moutains Are Men” by Rosy Tin Teacaddy

Hello, In a first time, I would like to apologize for the grammar mistake that I might write as English is not my first language. I had had the pleasure to see performing the group call Rosy Tin Teacaddy. I bought their first album and I was looking to get the second one which I bought this afternoon. I am writting about the price retailled for the album ”All Moutains Are Men”: 37$NZ at ”JB Hifive”. I was a bite resilient to get it at first sight because I found it a bite expensive. My friend from Greymouth game me 35$ to get the cd for her as well, but as you can see it won’t work. Would it be possible to know the reason behind such pricy price? I do admit that the ”book case” has a lot of work on it, but people wanting to support musical talent pay to go to see them performing, keen to pay a little bite more for their cd…but 37$, are you laughing at us?!?! To get a cd is something else more than to watch a cd booklet as a ”musical therapy”! What are other option proposed by you to get their second album at a more reasonnable price? I paid 20$NZ for their first one somewhere early May 2011; I am surprised by the gaps between both price album. I am looking to hear from you, because I would like to be able to get one for my friend in Greymouth as well to keep this actual one in my hand for myself. Thanks Rosy Tin Teacaddy for your music, pleasure to listen it! Jane. FROM: Billy Earl and Betty Grey TO: Jane Sunday, 14 August 2011 5:36 PM Hi Jane, Thanks for your email. I understand your thoughts concerning the price of our latest CD. I’ll try to explain. There are several reasons why the album costs what it does. - The version on CD with the booklet is a Limited Edition. There are only 500 copies in existence, once they have all sold there will be no more. - The overheads (that’s the cost to us) to produce this album were huge. You’re right, the booklet was a very expensive thing to make. - Our distributor (that’s the people we give the CD’s to to post out to the retail shops) didn’t want an option on a cheaper version. We also don’t make any profit per unit from the copies bought from shops. We do from ones we sell ourselves. We have a cheaper version available, it’s only $20 and the CD comes in a very simple cardboard sleeve, however it is only available directly from us via mail order or at our live shows. We also have a digital download available for $15. Jane, we love what we do and we wanted to make a version of our new album that would feel really special to own. That cost a lot of money to produce, our money, money that we have to make back so that we can make more albums. Unfortunately this version doesn’t suit everyone and I’m sorry if you feel that we are being greedy, or ‘laughing at you’ – I assure you we are not laughing and we are not being greedy. It’s difficult being an independent music group with no backing from a label or corporate sponsor. We do it all ourselves, it’s hard work and not very rewarding. We are simply hoping to carry on doing what we do – and that takes the support of our fans. To make it up to you I would like to offer you something. Below I will write 2 codes and instructions on how to use them to get download versions of the new album – for free. You could send one to your friend in Greymouth and perhaps the other to another friend? Your friends will need to go to this web page: http://rosytinteacaddy.bandcamp.com/yum On this page is a box where you need to write the code into (it’s easy to copy and paste it). Then just click the button that says ‘gimme’. You’ll then be redirected to the download page. Here are the two codes: XXXXXXX XXXXXXX If this doesn’t suit you then I could send you the cheaper CD. Thanks for taking the time to get in touch with us, Kind regards, Billy Earl

Goodies for Patience in the thick of Winter.

It’s been a year since Billy and I set out in the stuffed hatchback for Lake Tarawera – oblivious of what was to greet us or what we might create. First off we thought we’d just do a small fairly cheap run of our lakeside tinkering but oh, how the project has swollen by it’s own virtue since then. Instead, we offer 500 bound, hand-numbered boutique booklets, beautifully designed by Paul Shakesby and replete with lyrics for all you fellow wordsmiths out there. They won’t be cheap because… well, they’re not. Although for those of you who, like us, may be a little hard-up in the cash department, we’ve decided on running a down-scaled version too. And of course, for those ipod happy amongst amongst you – downloads.

So it’s with great excitement we let you know the Tarawera album, All Mountains Are Men, is ready to land into your mittened hands in perfect timing for winter.

SLOW BURNER FOR A COLD WINTER
What do you get when two musicians are sent in song-writing exile to the scene of New Zealand’s largest volcanic eruption? You get a crackling new album rising from the ashes.

In 2010 Billy Earl (Andy Hummel -The Woolshed Sessions, Rhian Sheehan) and Betty Grey (Holly Jane Ewens) of Wellington folk duo Rosy Tin Teacaddy spent six weeks on the shores of Lake Tarawera as recipients of the Wild Creations… artist-in-residence programme – a joint venture between the Department of Conservation and Creative NZ – where they set out to research, write and record their translations of local history and isolation in a site-responsive manner.

The result is a work that explores the lead-up to, and aftermath of, the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera and subsequent loss of the self-appointed eighth wonder of the world – the Pink and White Terraces. Rosy Tin Teacaddy have made use of historical anecdotes and found sounds, while holding fast to their harmonic and word-wizardry roots, in their new full-length release, All Mountains are Men. Presented with hand-numbered booklets, AMAM extends the duo’s artistic concept beyond the audio as they translate stories of the past into a present-day archival treasure.The BATS theatre show, Coffee Cups and a Porridge Pot at Frying Pan Lake gave audiences a taste of this experience in May 2010.

Forthcoming single, Telegrams and Ashes, uses snippets from newspapers of the day with a dedication to the local telegraph master. Sitting on a bed of backwards guitar and finger-clicks there is little to suggest this album is merely two folkies strumming away in the back-blocks. There is cheek amongst the ruins too, with songs like Blow Your Top where the duo imagine “the lake and mountain flirting with one another, in a present context – Facebooking, perhaps”, while the lament, Beauty, My Dear swells with loss and hope; ‘Can’t have a clear sky, without a frost/Beauty, my dear comes at a cost’. Simultaneously cinematic and intimate, this album is layered as deep as the lake bed and seeks to provide fans with a slow burner through the cold winter months ahead.

All Mountains Are Men will be released with a blessing by local kaumatua at Lake Tarawera on June 10, in conjunction with the 125th commemoration of the eruption of Mt Tarawera. The ceremony includes the opening of a walking track around the lake, and a handing-over of the cottage where the pair stayed, from DOC into the guardianship of the Tuhourangi people. This will be followed at 7pm by a concert in the stunning historic Bath House in Government Gardens – now the Rotorua Museum of Art and History. The following evening, Saturday June 11, Rosy Tin Teacaddy will play at the Buried Village, Te Wairoa, Lake Tarawera, joining Cornel de Ronde (GNS Science) as he shares his findings of recent exploration of the Rotomahana lake bed and the discovery of remnants of the Pink Terrace. For both these evenings, bookings are advised. Contact the Rotorua Museum (07) 350 1814, or the Buried Village (07) 3628287.

Rosy Tin Teacaddy will be touring All Mountains Are Men throughout the country with Bond St Bridge (AKL) who is also promoting his new album, Spring Summer Awesome Winter.

Fri June 17 PAEKAKARIKI, St Peter’s Hall
Sat June 18 WELLINGTON, The Garden Club
Wed June 22 NELSON, Playhouse
Thurs June 23 LYTTLETON, Wunderbar
Fri June 24 DUNEDIN, Chicks Hotel
Sat June 25 OAMARU, TBC
Sun June 26 BLENHEIM, TBC
Fri July 1 AUCKLAND, Wine Cellar

Sometimes life is like a Guns N’ Roses Song.

Yup. Billy here.

In this instance I’m thinking of the Gunner’s tune Sweet Child O’ Mine; there’s a recurring lyric in the bridge of the song that builds to that epic outro -’Where do we go, where do we go now, where do we go’. Etc.

Well. Sometimes it’s the East Cape of New Zealand or to Sydney Australia or, I guess anywhere at all. Sometimes we might find that we’ve just squirrelled ourselves away into the deep dark recesses of a duvet (that’s ‘doona’ for our Australian readers). More often the real world has called and wants it’s drone worker bee back, or the kids all need to have braces and suddenly there’s no internet. Occasionally it’s like the car keys that fall behind the sofa, you’ve found yourself swimming towards the bottom of a bottle of gin and seemed to have grown gills. Whatever the reason sometimes the answer is just ‘because’.

The reason I mention this is because I’m suspicious of ‘neglected blogs’. I’m resentful of those blogs that are constantly (albeit irregularly) updated with excuse laden grovelling for why there’s been no news, no tidbits, no constant chatter – no, CONTENT.

Everyone wants content. We want our RSS feeds to be abuzz. We want updates, notes and alerts especially from those sources where that special addiction has kicked in, where there can not BE enough ‘more’ – only more will simply do, a never-ending stream of more, inexhaustible, unwavering, more simply for the sake of it, more.

Well, quite.

However, we here at Teacaddy central have a relaxed relationship with more. Some times we’re rather satisfied with some. When we feel like it we will indulge our selves in doses of bugger-all. When ever we do crave a need to have a fix, fill a hole or dabble on the canvas of the life of this blog’s rich (well, lowerclass really) tapestry, we shall. We will, in whatever capacity we are able. This of course has one. Tiny. Problem.

You.

Hmm. What will we do with you? Well, we could lie and say how awfully busy we’ve been writing copius amounts of new music under many different monikers and touring the world releasing all manner of ‘made for virus’ popular offerings. Or, how we’ve taken to wearing spectacles with no lenses, entered creative roles in innovative branding start up companies that will be transforming the media landscape completely and are ironically selling hand-made craft-items on our hand-made-craft-item-online shop. Or, we could spin a yarn and say how stressful things have been of late, how the pressures of trying to keep on track has weathered us, beaten us, how we’ve become despondent and that this, goddamit, is our last attempt at changing the world with our ‘unique’ sound, how if only this time, someone will just give us a break and offer us a record deal then we’d be able to finally fulfil our potential in a truly sustainable way and fundamentally tap into what we know now to be our ‘artistic vision’.

But all of that would be bollocks.

Truth be told. Yeah, we took it easy for a moment, but we weren’t resting on our laurels. And we felt there’d been some hints from us as to what would happen next and when, but we weren’t totally sure and it felt wrong to make something up. In case we let you down.

So, to recap. Last year we were lucky enough to be selected to go on the Dept of Conservation Artist In Residence program that is run in conjunction with Creative NZ. We went to the shores of Lake Tarawera in the Rotorua lakes region of NZ. There we absorbed, researched, wrote and recorded new material all based around the landscape, people and history of the area. We went there with a genuine desire to WORK and to not squander our time, we went knowing that we didn’t want to let down the people that had let us go there, we went dedicated to getting something done. Yup, this means a microscopic slice of your hard earned tax-payer dollars went towards us having a wonderful opportunity to write YOU some new music. I’m pleased to announce that you’ve made a most marvellous investment. In fact, so good is the product of your investment that we couldn’t help but offer you a return that was many thousand times more valuble than what you laid out. And, we wanted to put a pretty bow around it – and that takes a bit of time, so thanks for your patience, because we’re almost ready to show and tell it.

Now. Show and tell involves a little more than recording some songs on your tape deck in the lavatory. Sure, you get some nice reverb but it’s going to sound like; well, shit. So we took the recordings we’d made at Lake Tarawera to our sound technician Gil and said to her “Please Gil, can you make this sound any good?”, to which she replied “Hell yes” and we thought “Thank Christ”. Of course at the same time we went to our man Paul and said “Crikey mate we need some boutique sexy packaging for our new release because everyone reckons that no one’s wants CD’s anymore but we figure that a lot of folk who listen to us still do want CD’s so how do we make it that it’s a really nice looking product to ‘have’ as an object and a thing in their house to put on their stereo when they feel like and to look at too what do you reckon, will you make us a thing that will look nice on our Mum’s coffee table/dashboard of our mate Boggy’s van? To which he said, “Yes.”

And we said, “Sweet.”

Then we looked at each other and thought (because we don’t really need to say much to each other as it’s all rather Na-noo Na-noo with us. Plus, my Mum just called and asked if I wanted a lesson in sentence structure that contains speech construction, which is pretty spot on so in the meantime it seems a bit easier to ‘think’ things than say them) if we’re going to go and play these songs out in public to (hopefully) paying audiences we should learn all the chords that we wrote the songs in and all the words that we jotted down that we sing along to the chords with. So we’ve done quite a bit of that too.

And we’ve been making a few other plans and schemes also. Mainly because we personally think this album could very well be listened to by other people at some stage. So it’s good to prepare just in case that happens.

In general I thinks it’s fair to say the album is definitely almost finished. We’ve got three more songs to mix then the whole thing to master and then it’s launch time.

We even have a release date. June 10, 2011. That’s exactly 125 years after Mt Tarawera erupted. And we have something to say about that. And we hope you might like to have a listen. We’re building on giving you that opportunity.

Stay tuned.

Billy. x

Getting Summery

Hey ho, Billy here.

Just a quick note to let you know of up coming shenanigans. We’ll be playing new song on the Good Morning television show on Wednesday 17 November. It’s a ghastly early morning wake up and singing so soon in the day is rather disturbing but we’ll battle on regardless. A week and a bit after that we’re jetting through to Napier to play at the City Showcase music festival thingy … mostly because we’re playing in the Napier Cathedral which we imagine will sound gorgeous and as Betty has said ‘you may not find god but it will be heavenly’ (or words to that effect).
City Showcase, Waiapu Cathedral, Napier
Friday, 26 November 2010 at 19:00
Cathedral 28 Browning St, Napier City.

Oh, in between then on Sunday 21 November we’ll be doing our usual slot at the world famous Paekakariki School Fair. Always a pleasure.

On Friday 10 December we’re playing with our good friend Bond Street Bridge at St Peter’s Hall in Paekakariki. Our first (sort of) proper show since the hall was relieved of the little library and we’re sure it looks and certainly sounds so much more delicious.

There’s rumours that we’ll also be playing at the Summer City wotsit at the Wellington Botanic Gardens … but we’ll confirm that for sure once we know. But that’s a lovely rumour anyway.

In the meantime we have a new album to mix. We’re extraordinarily proud of these new songs and are chomping at the bit to get this done. Realistically it won’t be out until early 2011. But we’ll be sure to sneak you some early peeks. In the meantime come and hear the new material live at one of the gigs mentioned.

We look forward to seeing you and serving up our latest offerings.

Yum.

Billy x

When the Pigeon Can’t Make it Through

Blessings, Betty here,

Our apologies at the lack of post during our recent and final excursion into the volcanic wonderland. Our pigeon flew the coop in search of riper berries and a springtime missus. But the musically drawn opossum (scratching at the french door like a drugged monkey) was his stupid friendly self, while somewhere down in the gully, Porky the Wild Pig woke from his resting place in the old 1950′s Humber to break squeals into dark nights.

And dark they were for the first few days. It seems between when we left last time and arrived this, something surged the power and most of the lights were out. And blew the oven. And subsequently left us bereft of both hot water and cold. But good old Rob at DOC to the rescue and the kinks were ironed out in a jiffy. We really didn’t mind being smelly for a few extra days. In fact, we’ve grown to expect it.

Linesman for the County.

Plus, the linesman came to visit and Billy got excited.

I learnt amongst other things to relish running water and cut myself a fringe, while Billy got a sore back from all the computer-hunching and grew himself a beard.

But together we completed what we set out to achieve within the first stage of this Wild Creations project: a new album.

Although there’s still some way to go between now and when you can hold it, we’re fairly chuffed with what we’ve got to work with – 12 tunes all written and recorded in situ. Personally I’m looking forward to the design phase, while Billy’s eager for the mix.

Betty and Fringe

We’ll keep you posted as we start airing the songs to willing ears.

Oh, and before I sign off; congratulations to Rob and his partner Georgie at DOC, who during our stay had a baby girl. And although we were unable to perform at the birth, are still quietly stoked at her name – Billie.

Let’s hope she doesn’t grow a beard.

Billy and Beard

Although if I dare say it Billy – you do look smashing.

B x

Lost In the Ether

Is it day four or five? Maybe six?

Nope. She’s a week gone already and today it’s stopped raining. Briefly. The sky’s still got that don’t-make-a-wrong-move-suckers-or-I’ll-let-rip look. It’s morning and I’ve just delivered Billy breakfast in bed – fruit toast with plum jam and a large coffee. Not my finest work, but outweighs the usual grunt. I’ve done the dishes too. This always strikes a flare in the dear boy’s eyes given how fond he is of cleanliness.

We’ve had our friend Ed to stay with his enormous lens, a pet guinea pig, two stylish tripods, a wacky mind and an adorable three-year-old. Having such activity in the house seemed to ameliorate the writing frustration and put paid to the imaginings of ghosts for a few days, and now the house is remarkably quiet – settled in mist.

We ventured up to the top of Rainbow Mountain courtesy of Rob at DoC and a four-wheel drive. The day was picture-perfect – blue and crisp allowing spectacular views to the Ureweras, the snow capped peak of Ruapehu and down to a steaming Waimangu Valley. Ed got some footage of us and it sure was nice to sing about a mountain sitting on the very top of one.

I’ve been writing a song about my historical heart-throb, Mr Alfred Warbrick – a dashing celebrity in these parts some 120 years ago for his boat-building prowess and gallant rescue missions post eruption. He lived a long life but from what I can garner appeared to have remained unmarried. Oh Alfred, if only we could go back an age….

Billy has alighted from bed, pleased with the tidiness of workplace and kitchen, ready he says to write a song. Fancy that. Good thing we’re here. Our songs this trip (so far) seem to straddle the real and the imagined, the loathed and the adored. They deal with those sequestered, they ache for the revival of a perfect world.

We’ve both read Don Stafford (a local historian of repute who passed away when we first arrived here)’s book Wild Wind From The North which details Hongi Hika’s gruesome revenge on the Te Arawa people. It’s a fascinating but spine-tingling read and I’m interested to see how the idea of utu or retribution might surface in a Teacaddy tune.

I trust the real world is still there, just as we left it. The pigeon hasn’t been visiting much lately so I do apologise for the tardy contact. It seems the deeper we get into winter the more isolated our mountain makes us.

Best, Betty x

P.S: I have a terrible head-cold that is destroying olfactory pleasure and making recording a great deal more nasal. Feel free to send home remedies or pharmaceuticals.

belated burblings

Yes, well righto. Billy here. It’s been a while.

Having just wasted precious minutes cursing blue bloody murder at the moronic man at the Word programming department who deemed double spacing to be the acceptable norm and therefore the default setting in the 2007 version, I am now frightfully unsettled and contemplating a wee glass of something to quiet my nerves. However I shall carry on regardless. Greetings, yes. (Please note, I now have a template saved with my own preferences … of the word processing application variety, that is).

So. Betty and I pulled off the remarkable adventure that was a four night season at BATS Theatre. With aplomb, I may add. There were many happy punters streaming from the joint every night after the show and a couple of glowing reviews that meant a certain smug self-satisfaction was allowed to quickly pass over our faces, before our second stint at Lake Tarawera beckoned.

And we’re here now. Betty is rabbiting on over some tourist pamphlet or other. She’s determined to read them all aloud it seems, as though I may share in her excitement at ‘origami tuataras’ and ‘the world’s SECOND Tower of Pisa, right here in Rotorua’ – I assume the first is THE Tower of Pisa. The blurb screams ‘bring your sense of humour’, so it must seem as though I’ve lost mine, but really I haven’t. It’s there. Bubbling away. But I hurrumph all the same … for no particular reason, just sometimes it’s nice to hurrumph.

There was no need to hurrumph at all after the show season had ended; I wish to extend once more our most humble thanks to our ever faithful crew, supporting loved ones and the BATS Theatre staff, without them there wouldn’t have been a show at all. If you came along, bless you. If you missed it, well, tough titties.

So. On with the show. Betty and I made the trip up again with little hassle, despite a strange goings-on under the car that made an uncomforting rattling sound, we arrived. The cottage was just as we’d left it, silent and waiting. We spied immediately that Rob, the lovely chap from DoC Rotorua had bestowed some firewood upon us and had even set the fireplace in preparation for our arrival. Betty hurriedly set about in attempting to light the fire, before even unpacking the car. After urging me to try and fix the firebox (I took a couple of panels off and pointed a lot) we ultimately only succeeded in filling the entire cottage with smoke; alarms sounded, it was quite eventful. We concluded that the flue seemed to be blocked and that it would take some special attention to deconstruct the firebox any further. It could wait ‘til morning.

That day we did a run into town for some provisions. We stopped in at a op-shop next to the supermarket and delighted in finding me the dressing gown of my dreams – green and vaguely tartan, scratchy thick wool and rope binding, with a big collar thing you can fold up like some character from Star Wars; only $4 too, total bargain. Soon after our return back to the cottage, laden with food and miscellany, Rob arrived to check that all was well. We did mention the slight issue with the chimney flue and he immediately set to work in discovering the cause. After removing some internal workings to gain access to the flue, and some poking and prodding; suddenly a very mummified bird’s body dropped down into the firebox. Betty and I were most bemused at this; Rob however was unfazed and simply muttered something about ‘there might be more than that one’ before plunging again into the depths of the flue. A brief foreboding echo of sliding sounds preceded the inevitable avalanche of petrified corpses that descended, entirely filling the woodburner and threatening to pile out onto the floor. Peals of nervous laughter followed (from Betty and I at least), whilst Rob calmly set about extracting the birds for their final farewell. To which there was bugger all pomp and ceremony – they were flung out into the wilds in a plume of ashes that hung in the air like a grey mist.

Since then Betty and I have had an unusual time of it. Or maybe it’s just me. Days flicked by in a movie montage and it has felt to me like a struggle at times. I’ve been wrestling the taniwha of song – I am shirtless and browned, glistening in the sunlight; like Steve Irwin only taller, more handsome and speaking Queen’s English. I’ve been thrashing with the beast, collaring it and then being shaken off, bitten at and battered by tail and tongue. It’s the moments of suspension in the water that scare me most – when for a second the monster is like a dream, circling out there somewhere, licking its wounds. When, so deep beneath the surface, the sun flicks over head polarised through murky greens; and below is nothing but blue-black and bones. Like an insect caught in the amber of kauri gum or a wayward spirit trapped in the pounamu necklace of a mighty warrior. The thing I fear the most is how easy it is to breath in that moment. How the cool water of the lake in my lungs might help the words to come, how much I would learn from the pumice and mussel shells lying on the lake-bed, how I could fall asleep under an eiderdown of mud with a rainbow trout tucked under my head for a pillow. What dreams I’d have then, what magic would be unleashed.
However, as I am not some freshwater mer-man I must struggle on with my earthly toil, poor Betty, I don’t know how she puts up with me. All I seem to do is worry.

Oh well.

Billy.

Excited much?

Yeah. Well, just a touch. Billy here.

So, those of you who are keeping up with things are possibly wondering what the heck is up with us. It was a flurry of activity a month ago whilst Betty and I were at Lake Tarawera for the first instalment of our time away writing our next album. And you could easily be led into thinking we’d taken the foot off the gas and were lazing around baking scones and trimming our toenails. But alas, we got even busier. You see, we got wind of a wee chance to throw ourselves into some agency based ‘creative’ work. I’m deliberately going to be a little vague on it for no other reason than the only significant outcome was that it was fun to do, we pulled it off, it put a few pennies in the Agee jar and was completely and utterly knackering. All this kicked off right as we went into action stations for our current project: http://www.mukuna.co.nz/wellington/central/gig32689.htm

Cos’, ya know … six months ago it seemed like a really great idea to go to the wonderful Steph, head honcho at BATS Theatre in Wellington and arrange a four night season to do … something. Our dear friend Hannah K Clarke sort of egged us on and we thought nothing of it – ‘sure thing’, we said. Of course this got the mental wheels in motion, we couldn’t exactly just turn up on the night and play some songs … I mean, we’d have to put some effort in right?
Right on. So, without letting you in on too much, we’ve sort of made a stage show thing, based around the new songs written at the lake. It’s not quite theatre, but is a little bit more than your average gig – well, one of our average gigs, not that we are ever completely average, partially sometimes, avoiding total mediocrity. But anyway.
So the more we delved the more we realised we had something really quite special to share. Helped along by Ms Clarke and an ever expanding crew of talented production facilitators we’ve been massaging and shaping this little idea into (hopefully) a delightful little hour or so of live … hell, let’s call it ‘entertainment’. It’s certainly been fun to put together so we’re figuring it’ll be a fine ‘come along and have a look/listen’ type scenario. So do.

I guess I started on this blog entry to offer some insight into the show, a little tantalising titbit or two, but really anything like that would be a spoiler – simply put; Betty and I invite you to an evening performance of our latest offerings, presented in a way we hope will help the experience stay with you just that little bit longer. Jolly good.
I can say, there’ll be copies available of a limited edition CD of demo tracks, written and recorded in situ at the lake, plus an equally special brand new tea towel design for all you domestic gods and goddesses out there.

So come along if you’re able, we think you might have quite a lovely time.

Cheers,
Billy