The VAULT -Windsor

With the Snowtown murders having been made into a tele drama/doco and now a film and also being generally a light hearted motif for people to alight upon and laugh at outer suburban loser types I am attuned to thoughts of grisly murder when entering old bank buildings. In Braidwood recently we stayed in a lovely old house which was attached to a bank and was where the managers family would have once lived. How the other half did live! Foot thick stone walls , lovely high ceilings and great air circulation. Staircases wide and beckonging and bookcases filled with National Geographics going back to the 1920s. In Newcastle we also had the pleasure of playing in an old bank building in the old part of town several times. Run by an old time freak who had worked in Amsterdam for years. He sold grog on the sly and ran this lovely room like a speakeasy with people lolling about on cushions. His experience was in lighting and theatre and he made a real great ambience out of an old room that once rang with the sounds of cash registers and adding machines.He told us he had days for families and just took the kids downstairs to the Vault and locked the door. "Kids love being scared!" was what he said and it made sense.They do! Should we have asked to have a further look around? (Cue forbodeing music) Actually Dean is a lovely guy and nothing untoward would have happened. He gifted the town some thrills.
This time around we drove for an hour or two through , in and around the commuter belt of Sydnmey to some very outskirts where we were to play ina place called the VAULT. this was a delightful building that was a heritage listed bank. people had been cracking gags at us about bike gangs and the like.People came and had a good time and so did we. The old actual vault was a wine cellar. Lovely stone building.
We did two sets and I did a reading. The reading gets people yelling! Breaks the flow. In a good way.
Two sets for a few nights in a row. Two hours of squawking, is taking a toll on my pipes and I am working out ways to take care of myself. Bobby Blue Bland used to turn his head to the side to get a rough gravelly sound out. As opposed to shouting or pressuring it out with wind and throat. He called it his "squall". I have to try and find some moves like that. He would do 250 shows a year. I probably do about 70. And I do a lot for an Australian artist.
Clare played amazingly well - AS USUAL- and sang a great version of PARCHMAN FARM. Stu "thommo" Thomas threw down his version of Princes "sign of the times" to much pleasurable catcalling from the crowd.

Its very pleasant playing with the five piece band. I could get used to it . Can't always afford it though. Two guitars, bass , drums and the incredible Mark "Fitz" Fitzgibbon on keys. You can pull back so much in the playing. So much interplay. Can empty things out and just touch a few notes. Talkin about the guitar here.
Tonight we play at Coogee Diggers with Dog Trumpet. Tomorrow we play at the Clarendon Guesthouse in Katoomba.
On Wednesday I am reading at the Manly City Library and on Thursday we start a run of three Lizottes venues. Dee Why, Kincumber and Newcastle.