They do it My Way - original Jazz @ Speedway every Wednesday

Classic is ok; but let’s be original? (It beats being adult about it)

photos courtesy Jonx Pillemer http://jonx.pillemer.co.za/

So it’s been a while. And while winter suggests the onset of a dry season in all but the weather, it’s actually the time of year that music gets slightly more attention out and about.

The trance parties are (almost) done leeching people of their spare cash and spare energy, and the only other competition for the evening’s attention, really, seems to be DVD Nouveau. And we like them, so we’re not going to say anything untoward about holing yourself up in a room with a fire and blanket and loved ones and watching the world through a 2D screen.

Tis the season to be brolly, so I went to Speedway the other day, despite every inch of me yearning to dive under the duvet and not go into that dark night till hunger forced me to. I’d heard there was jazz from Facebook, and also from the co-owner (who makes dainty, well cut men’s shirts on the side). But it was bumping into a pair of my favourite Lips at my favourite cupcake outlet that got me to go. Seductive as my bedspread is, spending days and days in the house with vestibular neuritis (Not neurosis. It was diagnosed by a professional) had fattened my chances of going out instead of going to bed early like a good little office rat should. But then, I was never good.

And this gathering is not good, either. It’s gorgeous. It happens because of love. And by god, in the cosy den you will feel the love, even if you (think you) don’t like jazz. and to be honst, jazz is a diverse enough discipline for me to think that, sometimes.

It's a community effort. The musicians are part of it for the love, currently barely outnumbering the crowd. Lucky us, they’re good at it. Speedway hosts it because it loves music. The people there, come to listen to love live. And on top of it, it’s original.

A diary extract :

We’re quite a way into it when I realise that the slow shifts and anthropomorphic shapes are not the nuance and form of songs I’ve heard before, and neither are they a crash course in consumable jazz, standard to any set. They are original compositions, and it is at gatherings like this that you truly feel the spirit of Cape Town breathing through its creativity and skill. I sound like a fucking nationalist. I’m not. Not least because it’s pointless if you are even half awake in a country rudely ripped from its innocence a very long time ago, and constantly abused with its misguided attempts at expression and misinterpreted ideas of liberation. The spirit of this land entire is a sick and long suffering one, if spirits can be captured long enough to be personified. It is also a persistent and faithful one. And in jazz, we sometimes feel the full impact of those ravages, in its poignant lulls, and sustained manic crescendos. But we also feel the full weight of hope and effort, the insistence of growth, of expansion despite restriction, of progress despite oppression. We’d do well to write more of our own souls into song, and it’s good to see small clutches of consummate musicians being Led Better.

The standing event’s namesake, Ledbetter is a fluid front man, a public speaker who whose body expresses as much as his fingers do.

While they take solo sections like pros, they meld together and make it rather hard to feel who's forging and who's following. In grateful response, the audience is what a decent jazz audience is - rapt because the musos are what decent musos are - tight.

Ledbetter's better judgement takes a tickle at the fickle with absurd song names like ‘Waltz for a yam’ that prompts equally absurd retorts from the wannabe back row. (There are no rows here, just as there are no lyrics)

“That’s like sweet potato time.” One lady quipped. what on earth do you say to that kind of statement? better nothing. can i carry on about the music?

On the whole, the compositions have the essence of classic hits, with some forays into the Far East and fiddles of other disciplines in-between, but nothing so derivative that makes you think, 'oh, professional session musos trying to compose sigh.' Of course while many accomplished jazzos ARE session players in the strictest sense (can play, if you pay) these are, themselves, individuals known for pushing boundaries in local sound. Lee Thomson is a member of various indigent acts, including the genre splicing Closet Snare. Shane Cooper hangs out with Indian classical jazz fusion act, Babu. Kesivan is in Babu, Closet Snare and he has his own Lights. Lots of love there.

It’s hard to pigeonhole their sound, perhaps because it’s fresh, and perhaps because it’s balanced. It’s certainly not as frenetic or exigent as some Monday nights get at Swingers, which, while it's a mainstay, does often oversubscribe to clichéd covers in the first part of the evening.

Anyway, that’s the thing about Speedway. It’s a charming collision of clichés. I like the apparent incongruence in this weekly gathering – smooth or frenetic jazz from juicy jazzos against a tattooed wall with vintage licence holders and racing colours. Musicians immersed in the music as they are committed to making music work for them. It reflects in the array of colours, cultures and birth charts present.

The audience is mixed, and it is all ages. Speedway is not a teen scene; it’s slightly more grown up than most places where the sound seeps through the walls. Is it the table cloths? Could table cloths be the mark of an adult? I shudder. Must I now get table cloths?

Violence : The Truth

photo : jezebel

In a candid chat over a rock and roll milkshake, Taxi Violence’s drummer, Louis Nel, reveals al(most everything) about renewed independence, the second coming and a looming departure for northern reaches.

Taxi Violence has rocked the motherland from the far reaches of Oppikoppi to the close-knit Cape cliffs and back and forth for a while now. Not bad for four boys from the ‘burbs who swiped a sensational name from a headline that now gets them noticed every time they’re in the by-line. But then, this is the band who secured sponsorship as 24.com’s favourite and throw their weight around on stage like they’re one of the most engaging live acts in the land, (something that some of the more decent critics don’t deny.)

photo : jezebel

But here’s been some recent speculation about the future of South Africa’s independent stalwarts. It’s all very well that they’re household names on Cape Town and Jozi rock scenes, but they’ve only released one album since they first gigged in 2006 and fans want a bit more than that to take home with them. The muttering goes that while their music is highly digestible, there must be something in their freethinking formula that is blocking the flow. Is it because they turned down an open contract with a label? Or because they haven’t performed abroad yet? Whatever it is, change is on the guest list, because after ages of fanning the flames of success and not quite burning their way to worldwide renown, they’re suddenly single again sans full time manager or dedicated praise-singer, and still doing it their way. Drummer Nel and Jezebel spoke about then and now.

*

Jezebel : industry people are sniggering about the re-release of your debut album, Untie Yourself. Obviously you’re not doing it for them. So are you doing it for your fans?

Nel : Yeah. We sold out of copies of Untie Yourself over a year ago. We became really frustrated because nothing was done to manufacture more units. Somewhere along the line we were so sick and tired of telling someone at the show, ‘sorry we don’t have a CD to sell you’. We took it really personally. I mean, how would you feel if you saw a band live, liked it, wanted the CD afterwards and they didn’t have one for you?

Jezebel : I’d feel they didn’t really care about their public. Which you do. Or they were new. Which you aren’t. So what’s new about Untie Yourself ?

Nel: We’ve changed the packaging…but not the cover.

Jezebel: Same material?

Nel : There’s an extra track “Hold ‘Em Or Fold ‘Em” which we recorded in (bassist) Jason’s bedroom while we were doing preproduction for our upcoming release, The Turn.

Jezebel : Can you hear that it was recorded in his bedroom?

No. Because George is that good. He record and mixed it, and we had it mastered externally. It’s very lo fi; it doesn’t have as much production as you’ll find the track has on The Turn.

Jezebel : how do you feel about the new material, since Jason settled in and you started composing together?

Nel : I’m a little afraid that we might lose a few fans who love Untie Yourself. But on the other hand this is what I want to sound like. I think we’ve finally found the ‘Taxi sound’. Untie Yourself was kind of an experiment.

Jezebel : Were you aware of that at the time?

Nel : Ja. We loved the songs, and it was a very good exercise. I can’t believe it did as well as it did. I mean, a SAMA nomination? After that the first steps were taken towards the new sound. Then a new bassist, with a different style, different sound, his own way of playing.

Jezebel : And to think he once followed you around as a fan, and used to wish he could be in the band , and now he’s helping form the new sound.

photo : jezebel

Nel : He is. He’s brought a new element to the writing.

Jezebel : How does the writing work?

Nel : There isn’t a single songwriter in Taxi Violence. We write together. We’re a very democratic band. Sometimes too democratic. Sometimes we can’t make a fucking decision. I wouldn’t say that Jason has necessarily made our sound darker, coz we’ve always liked the dark element in music. But the new album is more mature. I think we’ve matured. A lot. There’s a song on the new album that borders on adult contemporary, for us. It’s a song that was written by the former bassist (in 2007, I think). Many times we tried to play the song live, but we couldn’t kick it. And then we played it for our big acoustic show (the DVD recording). We then added drums (instead of me on guitar).

Jezebel : you’ve been talking about a brand new album for a while now. You recorded in May. Why did it take so long from your first release? Did you first need to bond over a few sweaty games of squash and find out if Jason really is a great cook?

photo : jezebel

Nel : We were waiting for him to become Kulula mag’s “Hottie Of The Month”. No, seriously, this album more or less 3 years in the making. I think that’s a little too long in South Africa between releases. But a new bassist is a major change.

Jezebel : Change seems the word of the day. You've discontinued your professional relationship with your former band manager, Sean Wienand, (Headline Artists). How did you come to a decision about that?

Nel : It was hard. We’ve reached a point in our careers where we needed to get to take the next step. We rethought business plan and strategy. Our main objective was to not be dependent on a single person to do the behind-the-scenes stuff, we decided to work with people based on their strengths. On a commission basis. This way, if we make a mistake, it’s our own fault.

We’ve decided to remain self-managed for the time being. We’ve reached the stage where we can, and over time we’ve also surrounded ourselves with people who are very good at what they do.

Most bands think that they can’t do it themselves. I feel the only reason you’d need a manager is if you or any of the other member don’t have the time to run around and do things, or if you don’t have the connections to strike deals. If you’re good at networking and have a day job that allows you free time, then you can be your band’s manager. But I do think you need a good booking agency. Preferably a company who has strong ties locally and internationally.

Jezebel : Who’s handling your booking, then?

Nel : Southern Pulse. It’s made up of the founding member of Roadshock, Leon Retief (ex-drummer for Chris Chameleon’s defunct cult clan Boo!), and Oppikoppi Productions.

Jezebel : Aha. Which begs the obvious question - going overseas any time soon?

Nel : We’ll be going over with them in September / October, to Germany and Holland, and they’ll act as tour manager. When you go overseas, you’re basically starting all over again. Going over to Germany is going back to square one. The strategy with Southern Pulse is to do it country by country , a 3-tour plan (one this year, one – or two, depending – next year) . When Boo! Was still playing and touring they did something like 17 tours to Europe in all. Leon started making connections and networking, he’s a very together guy, and obviously saw a potential future in it. His ties are mainly in Holland. His perceptions are that after 3 (successful) tours , you can start to estimate your impact on the markets there.

What’s your idea of a “successful” tour?

When you get rebooked the next time, for more money, and more people attend.

Jezebel : You’re going to Germany for Popkomm? A friend from Berlin told me it is very commercial.

Nel : It’s not a music festival they way we know. It’s more a music industry gathering. People exchange music, bands play throughout Berlin. So it’s more a shmoozfest.

Jezebel : Sounds like a step in the right direction. Any parting thoughts?

Nel : In a nutshell, we’ve made some really difficult business decisions, hopefully the right ones. It’s easy to get despondent. It’s the passion and love that drives you. I just want to play.

We want this album to get what it deserves. I feel it - it’s going to be groundbreaking…for me, at least. I suppose that’s good enough.

Jezebel : What does this album deserve?

Nel : it deserves-

Jezebel (interrupting): YOU . [pan left to audience. Oh, wait, this is a blog! Well, then, alt tab to Facebook…] See if you can Untie Yourself again (available now), or take The Turn in August. Because, as lyricist and vocalist George Van Der Spuy pointedly points out, “life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived”…

photo : jezebel

---

On the other side of Violence, we spoke to another stick man, Leon Retief about booking agency Southern Pulse’s take on Taxi …

Jezebel : What is your vision for your partnership with Taxi Violence?

Leon: To take over the world. one Taxi at a time.

Jezebel : How is Taxi Violence being vehemently independent a positive for Southern

Pulse?

Leon : I come from a strong [background of] independence, I have learnt that each band and label is structured differently and need different tactics to expose and promote them.

[Jezebel’s note : Leon toured with monkipunks Boo! as drummer For many years ]

Jezebel : Any concerns about the new client? Their timing seems a bit off, and I’m

not talking about the drummer. One album in almost five years... no overseas

visits…

Leon : We start a fresh relationship irrelevant of their past. I believe Taxi will do well in Europe and I am willing to spend time on them and do my best.

Jezebel : Any idea (given your experience abroad) how their sound might go down with

diverse European audiences?

Leon : I have been playing it to a few people while currently on tour and the reaction is pretty good.

You don’t need to come from any special place to sound good. The song is King. As I think they have great songs, I don’t see any problems on this side.

photo : jezebel

Jezebel : From what you've seen, how difficult is it for an unknown act to break into an established scene in Europe?

Leon : It is hard work like anything else. You have to tour and sell yourself constantly. There is a bigger market here, so you have more work than in South Africa, where it is relatively easy.

I would like to mention that sometimes it is easier for unknown acts that are genre-related to play EU because of the circuits. In other words, a Ska band can play a full house to a new audience in Linz, Austria, not because they are good but because they played Ska. These are factors you have to calculate when arranging a tour. It is like playing to a full house of South African people in London. A lot of South African bands don’t want to play this type of show. But when you think of 15 pounds a head and 500 people in venue, things change.

Jezebel : Lastly, what do you feel is an ideal set-up for a band in an increasingly digital age and a shrinking global village - to straddle two continents? To relocate to the first world (and all its competition and infrastructure? To use international experience to create more hype at home? (tricky question. necessitates considering what success really is, also where the media, music

and the public fit in to it)

photo : jezebel

Leon : Each to his own. I believe using the international scene but always returning home is the best. But that doesn’t mean it is for everyone.

Every band in this day and age should have a MySpace account. EU promoters work solely on MySpace. Bands need to be organised and almost self-managed even with a manager. What I mean is that they should be self contained before having extra people cutting the pie. It never works when a band sits on its laurels and expects everyone else to do the work.

Taxi Violence on MySpace

other linky links:

Popkomm

Southern Pulse

Jason Groupie Ling

SAMA

oppi koppi oh oh eight

Dust, dassies and dirty musicians

Dear darling dassies and elephants and rockers and sycophants and... Well, you know who you are…

Yissis! But we’re brilliant when we’re in the Highveld. We drove up in droves, set up camp under thorn trees, and hardly slept. That’s the royal we, mind you – Mordor, music and media citizens alike. We washed under taps (well, almost) or didn’t wash at all, got trashed, littered like good, middle-class majority whites, soaked ourselves in sound and sun, and sang together. The best one- liner I heard has got to be the most ubiquitous, too –

Oppi

Koppi!

(And that includes ‘we like your ass’ from a band I like. Is it because I’m black?)

En route to Oppi

The magic started in the car on the way. My mate Bastion doesn’t like his beauty sleep, and spent the night before the trek mixing mix tapes for the drive from Jozi to dassieville. We were listening to a Dylan classic that Georgia governor, Jimmy Carter, ostensibly based his knowledge of agricultural labour theory and reform on(It sounded like Johnny Cash on a happy day). Exactly as we were harmonizing the chorus lines about brothers and sisters and hardworking misters, we drove past the song’s namesake. I kid you not. Maggie’s Farm. That was us, whistling out the window at the high speed of forty kilometers per hour in the Oppi koppi Q, criss-crossing freeways out of Joburg in an attempt to get there faster. It failed, of course, but we did overtake the same people seven times!. How did we know they were dassies too? There’s something about pillows and overlywrapped packet packages and joints squashed up against windows pressed with too many people and their interesting hairstyles that’s such a giveaway on the not-so-open, still-pretty-urban road. Thing is, we were wondering about that not-to-scale map, and the fact that Jozi never seems to end! (well, it IS six thousand square kilometers, after all. And if that daunts you, console yourself with the fact that it’s also a veritable garden, what with its green belt being one of the biggest in an urban setting in the world. Not that it’s so green this time of year.) Anyway, that was when Oppi bit. Big time.

And it was my first time. Also I’m impressionable. AND I’m a band whore according to cokeheads. Why, then, do I only give it seven out of ten? The line-up was wicked and the showers were warm (at 7 am, they were; ask Shower Boy!) I’ll tell you why. Because I’ve rocked the socks off the Daisies in the Kouebokkeveld (with a vaguely adequate line-up) and even fell in love there, and I’ve showered naked with boys and girls together at Bombomella (Israel, the unholy land) and even fell on my face there, and both fests involved preplanning so exact that the carbon footprint was covered before it was even made, and the pumpkin plants were flowering all over the stalls when the fans arrived. Respectively. A great festival takes care of all angles – production, music, its party animals, and the poephols. Luckily Oppi had few of the latter, but it lacked a lot when it came to wires and tummy wares.

It seemed a fest of howyousay, niche niceties. The media tent was utterly wicked, facilitating a relaxed, professional space for media and musicians to meet and greet, talk shop, talk shit, and get the shot and then have some shots (free bar; essential). Only a few halfwit beginner ‘critics’ abused the good intentions of the Levi’s Original Music Magazine slash 24 dot com slash Speakerbox team, and were duly told where to put their pouting, potty mouths and misplaced, malignant intentions. Amen to gentle men. Silver bullets belong in barrels.

The media area was also the spot from which UJFM became the early morning wake-up call to those who weren’t already woken by the freezing cold, neighbouring beats, or caterwauling cretins who refused to put the night before to bed. I wasn’t impressed by the DJs, their half-baked play lists (hello? This is SA, 2008, not somewhere first world, 1999) or their cheery promptitude (well, we’ll make it a word, just for today), but I was delighted that there was constant commentary around the whole fest that made for a family vibe. Guess they were right about what you can and can’t choose...

That choice thing again became an issue (sigh. We have such issues with it here, have you noticed? First not enough of us had it, now all of us have it and we don’t know what to do with it so we let bigshots tell us what to do with carrots and showers instead while they don't fix the power crisis, and we use condoms to carry water…) The line-up was wicked, I thought. Representative enough to please people whose tastes stretch beyond the borders of rock, but selective enough to choose more or less decent acts within the most popular genre bracket. i wished bands like The Sleepers and our soon to be overseas Josh Grierson were included for kudos. The band wish list voted by you (which, btw, it turns out the original winner declined to be part of because what they offered him and his peeps to play wouldn’t have covered their travel costs there and back) was lame. It sounded like noise, from start to finish. Oh, I lie; Jurgemeister was almost decent, belting out hardhat heaviness that broke the Thursday ice. But Friday and Saturday made up for it with so much choice, a wise music lover was hard-pressed to decide. I focused on bands I hadn’t seen, bands I love and must always see, and getting enough sleep to write about the bands my editor thought I should see (he was, for the most part, right, but I will never forgive him for making me miss out on hotstix). Reviews on levis here:

Overall (levis version)

http://www.levi.co.za/musicmag/Category/Detail/Detail.aspx?ID=769

Dave Ferguson

http://www.levi.co.za/MusicMag/Category/Detail/Detail.aspx?ID=737

foto na dans

http://www.levi.co.za/MusicMag/Category/Detail/Detail.aspx?ID=734

kidofdoom

http://www.levi.co.za/MusicMag/Category/Detail/Detail.aspx?ID=733

kwani experience

http://www.levi.co.za/MusicMag/Category/Detail/Detail.aspx?ID=732

zebra & giraffe

http://www.levi.co.za/MusicMag/Category/Detail/Detail.aspx?ID=731

josie field

http://www.levi.co.za/MusicMag/Category/Detail/Detail.aspx?ID=724

fire through the window

http://www.levi.co.za/MusicMag/Category/Detail/Detail.aspx?ID=736

As you can see, I wasn’t bowled over by everyone, but that’s more or less the way it goes, isn’t it? If we all liked the same stuff, we wouldn’t go to music festivals, would we? Or would we?

And was it my imagination or were audiences quiet? No, wait, for the purposes of watookal, let’s use a diplomatic word like… meditative… or contemplative… or idunno, introspective. (diplomacy is my new hobby, and I’m bad at hobbies) Oppi is not the time for introspection, I promise you! Even the former drummer of a famous up-and-coming act and the former lover of the same act were wise enough not to dwell on things too much during the dusty daze. Days. Daze. And no, I’m not going to tell you who they are. I’m not in it for the story, you realize? (that one’s for you, Mr 13 :31) Perhaps we’re still getting used to the idea of freedom of expression, and it takes more than a day or two of liquor and sun and ice to crack our lekker, lacquered shells? There’s hope yet, to be sure, but it feels like the music (re)public is a little intimidated? Come on guys, they’re doing this for you!

Toplist

Most spectacular Kidofdoom

Most anticipated foto na dans

Most rewarding josie field (for musical growth)

Most surprising new academics (finally a band to dance to, and break your shoes instead of your neck)

Most rock & roll taxi violence

Most refreshing voodoo child

Most underrated HoneyB (our favourite black, mid-tempo House DJ!)

Most kak idontknow, I don’t wager over the contenders, I just block my ears.

Speaking of wagers, I won my first game of poker ever with a lot of help from my friends (well, back then before Saigon's 'calamari' and duck curry poisoning I still thought I had some), and while everyone covered sharp teeth with sweetly smiling lips and said nice things like beginners luck (you know, like it's charity or something), I realized that gambling and intuition have a lot in common. As do acting and winning! I went shopping with the cash. Of course. I mean, what else do those of my ilk do – work? As if. A baby blue dress for an open blind. Not bad for an Oppi virgin!

Besides the juicy stories fed me by the rotten social grapevine that is skinder and kakpraat, there were a lot of GOOD one-liners and stories, and some were captured here : http://www.24.com/entertainment/default.aspx?p=feature&i=992161

(you’ll recognize yours truly even if you haven’t had the pleasure…)

oh! and honourable mention to the most fascinating stranger (who also packs a wicked punch in her interviews, and gets renowned egomaniacs to actually SAY the bullshit they believe about their band's music)

Michelle Marais, SA Tunes

Sound is important, and it’s not easy to get right at a fest because of tight schedules and high band turnovers. So you might’ve thought that after ten years, Oppi would’ve sorted that out, chosen the best sound guys they could afford, and had enough technicians on hand to fix faults. They didn’t, at the smaller stages. Repeatedly. I’m not informed enough to know whose fault it is, but as I’ve heard most of the acts I saw in various other venues before, I know that it was either the sound guys or the sound systems. And that is simply not good enough. Luckily the big stage was packed with enough power to blow up a small town, and put its energy to good use for acts like Taxing Violets, The two twos, Aching etc.

Food was kak. Crap. Horrible. Who eats fast food 24/7? Come on. Sort it out. And get more stalls, too.

The only reason I didn’t kill the loudmouths who played bad music at the break of dawn was that I was working, and so I was up before them. But know that you are the spawn of Satan’s spoof and next year I will hose you down with honey for the ants to come and eat to your bones.

While I’m ranting, here’s a brief list of What NOT to do at Oppi :

Ø Erect a tent on top of someone else’s unless of course you want them to move away, in which case it worked. If you arrive in the pitch dark and can’t see, have the human decency to feel about a bit with your hands; it’s probably the only time you’ll be allowed to, anyway.

Ø Take pictures of people butt naked if they happen to forget they’re in public while they’re changing on their doorstep. It’s illegal. For you, and them. Only they can sue you, and all you can get out of them is a little public embarrassment.

Ø Ask for drugs from your bosses, and your boss’s boss.

Ø Walk barefoot. Get on someone’s shoulders.

Ø Forget your sunscreen. It may not be as sexy as they make it out to be, but Oppi is HOT.

Absolute chaos is an oxymoron, and there were lots of those at the fest, though nobody was violent, and moon bags left in the middle of the road to seduce recovering thieves were ignored until their hung-over owners crawled back to them again. By day three (or is it four?) faces were grubby, eyes were bloodshot, and asthmatics were sick of wearing bibs around their noses and mouths just to be able to breathe. My heartfelt empathies; I’m glad that my snot is back to its normal disgusting colour. And speaking of mementos and memories, all I came back with were two t shirts and lots of lovely band buttons, all of which I’ll wear with pride. Of course, the Foto Na Dans EP “Pantomime Op Herwinbare Klanke” isn’t a memento, it’s a trophy. I got it at Oppi, ; you can get yours at Rhythm Records.

Jezebel

p.s. going away for a bit had the uncanny effect of making me see Cape Town with new, more appreciative eyes. (is that possible? Ok, yes, its winters SUCK) back in Jozi waiting for Kulula to wake up or go to sleep or whatever it is it needs to do before I can come and polish my tush on its faux leather, lime seats, I’m thinking, god, I couldn’t live here. I need reference points – something to remind me of forever (mountains, and the high, crystal skies), something to remind me of finity (the oceans, effectively drowning our sorrows and we like to think our carbon footprints (or is it the other way round?)). As the crime capital of various statistical analyses, it doesn’t seem like the wisest place in the world to let irritating realities like energy limits plunge whole roads into darkness, but truth hurts. This might be the most developed metropolis in Africa, and the business capital of SA, but it lacks a lot. I’m back to the Mother city, secure in the insight that we really have a blessed lifestyle. And the majority of good music, too!

Now, if we could just play nicely together in this little fishing village, it would be unbeatable. Having said that, this is the very last time I am going to mention the lowQ muso who has decided to tell nasty lies about me in some kind of stupid attempt to bolster his ego. Worst was that he spread his seed to bigmouths with small brains whose main job, it seems, is to encourage gratuitous rudeness and unfounded aggression (and that’s coming from a girl? Sies) I would like to remind him that he was once in exactly the same position as he has put me in now (scuse the pun), and I treated him with respect and sincerity. And btw, bru, AWOL means Absent Without Leave, and as far as I know, you don’t miss a beat? Well, you’re gonna miss me.

So! Been there, got the t-shirt, see you at Daisies!