December 19, 2007
a time of reflection and projection. peaceful and excited.
most of this year has been walking new ground and the view has been most pleasing,
if sometimes daunting.
our return to the coach house was a worthy finish to our live performances for the year,
a year with only a handful of shows.
t'was an amazing few days...
having played the coach house for years with a minimum of 2 opening acts,
both of our scheduled openers cancelled days before the show.
we also discovered the night before that a large percentage of our recent
emails letting people know what we're up to - including our shows - have been returning unopened.
add to an already thick plot a pea soup of a fog and a delightfully heavy rain.
this was going to be one to remember.
anyway, somehow a delightful crowd found out about the show and made the journey despite the weather.
always remarkable in southern california.
a comedy trio - the laugh pack - stepped in admirably at the eleventh hour to warm up the house, then it was we 3 for the rest of the evening.
we ended up doing a couple of sets and a few unrehearsed acoustic tunes.
i am truly enjoying the new sound and dynamic that dalbo, drew and i have evolved.
and the reinvention of some of our oldest songs has them feeling entirely new.
next year will see us venturing out more with the show. and we will each, brother hamish included, be developing other projects alone. perhaps a little alchemy will be delved in to ...
i love that eighteen months ago i would not have imagined this past year anything like it has been.
i am learning to take each day as it comes. so much easier that way. and a lot more fun.
rare blessed rain falls gently outside here. for some of you, fierce storms fill the day.
wherever you are ... lang mae yer lum reek.
angus
November 28, 2007
after a year of many firsts i find myself looking ahead to the final show of 07 with excitement.
the coach house is one of the first big venues we played back in the early days of the band. one of the best run venues in the country. good people. we've done many shows there over the years, and a live album. this will be the first one there as the powerhouse celtic tribal trio. i'm really enjoying the reinvigorated sound we've evolved and the repertoire of songs, old and new.
feels good for now. next year is full of all sorts of new possibilities so i intend to enjoy this one mightily ...
last week saw me back in the studio for a bagpipe and didg session for the dvd version of the movie superbad. it had been a while and the challenge was welcome. interpreting bootsy collins with pipes and didg is not something you do every day. i particularly liked seeing the session name written up - "superbad bagpipes" the recommendation came from brother roel. thank you mate ...
next, and right in step with the out of the ordinary theme, was monday's show
with fellow aussie tim davies and his big band. tim is one of the most sort after arrangers in hollywood and only plays with the best. it's always a treat performing our songs with such different arrangements and with those classic, powerful swing instruments behind us ...
and now, in to the rehearsal studio with big dal and drewski to see what surprises we can come up with for friday's show.
see you there?
angus
10/8/07
such an interesting time.
the seasons change around me in my backyard.
i love the coolth of autumn here in LA.
the recent rain has washed clean and enlivened everything,
including the sky ...
and as i write and experiment in this time of no shows,
i change too.
i am finding that with everything so different now,
the possibilities are many ...
i play with technology,
making myself go there when i wouldn't have in the past.
but only for so long...
and then i write, and play with arrangements of songs, old and new.
what is the simplest, most powerful way to present an idea, a song, a part of you?
for the 2 shows coming up it'll be just me and drew.
a warm up at 'the gig' in hollywood then our first festival as a 2 piece, in florida.
tis an ongoing process, determining what those shows will be.
i want them raw and riveting. the process excites me.
8/23/07
incredible winds.
shaking trees and slamming doors.
another rarity here.
then these ravenous fires.
outside there is an unearthly golden light, sun thru the smoke.
like smog making a spectacular sunset.
reminds me of oz and the bushfires we get down there ...
we are safe here, far from the flames.
our prayers are with those who are truly feeling the heat.
may the fires be quickly contained.
and may more rain fall,
and more ...
angus
August 17, 2007
pleasanton. it has only been 10 years since we last played there.
a blink of an eye. a lifetime. much has changed for us all, has it not?
1997 was the last year all 3 brothers were in the band.
we may even all have worn tartan kilts.
i remember dawnie and dave, our parents, being there. big dave looked particularly stylish in a BROTHER merch apron. they will be with us in spirit this weekend.
who else will be there?
pleasanton is one of the largest highland festivals in the country.
a lot of music, a lot of people. a lot of sweating. a lot of celebrating.
we're very excited to take the stage again, dalbo, drew and i.
that, rest assured, has not changed.
angus
August 16, 2007
i could not have imagined this 6 months ago.
performing at musikfest without my brother after 25 years of sharing countless stages with him.
well, this is a different stage we're going thru now.
in this time he is meant to be with his family, in his home town.
and i am meant to be here, continuing BROTHER as it is now.
having shared this journey for so long we now compare notes
- on 2 quite different stories and with a very large ocean between us.
it is a fascinating and incredibly liberating time to be in for us both ...
didgeridrew and dalbo, behind me stage right and left have helped make it possible.
i raise my new celtic beer glass to drew.
these last couple of months have seen him expand to take on so much more than he ever has, so now we can make it work with only 3.
and dalbo remains the rhythmic rock. always solid, always inspiring, always smiling.
thanks fellas.
somehow, hamish seems to be right there with us ...
and still helping hold things together behind the scenes, there's leila and james. thru thick and thin, no matter what we throw at them.
we rock and we roll lovelies, do we not?
i think of the challenge of having to fill the front of the stage myself, and of taking on numerous new roles, on stage and off.
i cannot remember having taken such a step into the darkness before.
the darkness of not knowing what will happen, or how things will feel, what they'll look like, or sound like.
i remember not having enough time to be too concerned with what anyone else would think.
just getting thru it all, one day at a time ...
a magnificent hawk just landed in the fairy tree outside.
first time i've seen her this year.
i love it when the wild comes into my backyard ...
so, after 2 wonderful packed and steamy nights at musikfest and an intimate evening in the reids wonderful theatre in quakertown, we're feeling 'match fit'. just like after the first rugby game of the season.
ready and eager for the next ...
but right now, i'm right where i want to be.
see you out there somewhere ...
angus
July 18, 2007
suddenly i find myself here.
not only have drew and i done our first shows together, but we now have the first 3 piece shows with dalbo behind us ...
firstly it felt good to get back on the road, just drewski and me.
nothing too extreme, just a couple of shows up north.
places we know well, places that know us well.
thanks to elaine, peter and chris. looking forward to the next time ...
the two of us at mollys later that week, with a surprise appearance from former bro dez, then straight into 3 piece rehearsal mode.
knowing i wanted it high energy, with all the recognizable elements - tribal and celtic - but different from what we've ever been.
dalbo crazy busy with studio sessions,
so only a limited rehearsal time with him.
second rehearsal friday morning - day of the first show - in big dal's drum room, a long afternoon sound check, an acoustic jam on the garden stage mid evening, our main stage show just after midnight. yes, it was a long day.
the henry fonda is a marvelous theatre. truly a classic.
we had paris - currently off the road from working with the donnas - on sound, helping take the pressure off.
we last worked with paris 2 years ago in milwaukee.
good working with you again mate.
i've never felt like i've had so much to think about before and during a show - things hamish usually takes care of like the flow of the show; new pedals and technology i'm using; new songs; old songs with new arrangements; wings to spread - literally...
and here we were, in this marvelous setting with everyone elaborately masked and costumed. i take my battered old akubra (aussie bush hat) off to shawn strider, the creator of this extravaganza.
people come from all over the country to be a part of it, often creating their own outfits.
the vibe of the event is magical and friendly.
we last worked with shawn at the faerie festival in sedona, arizona, 4 years ago.
it seems very appropriate that this, a place of mystery and possibility, was the first outing for our latest incarnation.
and of course it felt great to be up there on a big stage again,
2 nights running, especially with those 2 rascals behind me.
by saturday it felt like i had just a little less to think about, and more time to enjoy it all.
the feedback was wonderful. we had several people that had last seen us well over a decade ago, people who'd never seen us, and people who'd seen us recently.
the excitement from everyone in what we're doing was humbling.
and that really makes it all worthwhile ...
with hamish not able to be here in this time after years away from home and family, i had decided, finding myself back here in LA, to keep rolling anyway.
not knowing when he'd be with us again,
not knowing what it is we're ultimately creating or where we'll end up, but feeling more and more excited by the process.
let it continue...
peace
angus
June 21, 2007
a whole new time.
first day of summer and almost all the jacaranda blossoms have fallen.
no more purple rain this year...
drew is here and we're playing together again after seven months apart.
i'm really enjoying seeing where we can take the sound with the 2 of us.
drew has some wonderful new toys. let the games begin.
this weekend we head north for 2 shows - a scottish pub and a classic old west saloon...
a very different time.
hamish is in oz with his family, and helping the home country slow down.
i find myself in LA, reinventing.
we explore how we will continue what we do on different sides of the pacific right now.
an invigorating challenge after years of doing it the same way.
we've begun making the back catalogue and unreleased tracks available for download.
it feels right to be looking at our history as we determine where we'll go from here.
both cameras have been out of action but it is time to be documenting the process again.
sometimes it's a little daunting. more often it is exciting.
and yes we have some bigger shows booked at the end of summer.
where will we be by then? who will we be? stay tuned fellow mongrels.
peace
angus
May 7, 2007
today really feels like summer, smells like summer.
two baby squirrels in the jacarandas outside my back door.
two motherless baby opossums inside in a split level condominium that my mate ash just created.
all impossibly cute and full of promise...
so much happening, so many different futures or combinations thereof.
each a baby possum? very intelligent creatures i'm told.
a bizarre analogy, i admit.
but it does feel very fresh, exciting, healthy, to be doing things differently...
both hamish and me playing solo for the first time after more than twenty years sharing a stage...
still exploring how we may play together as time rolls on, honoring our separate lives.
still exploring how to get around the logistical challenges of rising on road costs and of being on different sides of the world...
there is some news on the way for BROTHER in america this year.
we're just working out some details.
suffice to say we will be together here sometime before years end...
i thought i'd have been back in oz again by now but circumstance has dictated otherwise.
still things to do here, business to take care of, shows to play...
my first out of town shows coming up.
it appears i'll be heading north next month.
but first, molly malones again this weekend.
mr dale, care to join me squire?
angus
March 30, 2007
the finger calluses are coming along nicely.
dalbo joined me on the djembe for a few songs at genghis (the church
pews) on friday.
felt like we'd been jamming every day, not apart for over 4 months.
these shows are such an interesting ride for me.
(quite apart from having to decide what to wear each time) they are becoming a kind of workshop.
for my own sanity and that of you lovelies turning up for every show, i want each one to be different.
so i'm trying some very new material that is still finding form, and blowing life in to some of the older BROTHER songs, songs we haven't played for years.
digging bone and blackstone have both come out of the mothballs.
now screechville is calling ...
it is indeed a grand exercise for me.
and yes, there are rumblings about spreading the wings a little further.
we shall see...
and now it's time to sweep the back porch. ah, the zen of sweeping...
angus
March 29, 2007
thursday. end of the day.
love how the light comes in low thru the trees, all golden.
first show down.
i can't remember feeling any apprehension before a show.
and i've done a few thousand.
this time however i was maybe just a little ...
dare i say i was blown away by the wonderful crowd that turned up.
i was going to sit down on stage but there were no seats left...
it's a whole other world up there when it's just you.
exhilarating in its own way.
kind of bizarre not to have the fellas making it happen with me.
but that is this time. each walking his own way a while ...
i do it all again tomorrow at genghis cohen.
never played there before.
seen many others tho.
audience is in church pews. interesting ...
and this time i believe the rumour's true.
some other scallywags you know may join me on stage.
i think it was decided i had to do the first on my own, baptism of fire and all.
well, i like it hot.
come roast with me.
bonsoir to you all
angus
saturday march 17
i'm in LA.
dalbo's in texas.
didgeridrew is in philly.
you are god knows where.
hamish is on the south east coast of oz.
i watch steve, the blind cat, cautiously explore the courtyard.
we're all getting a feel for new territory, a new time, a new world if we want ...
dalbo will be back next week for a long overdue cuppa tea with me.
drew, more and more the primal sound wizard, may be playing with the harvest soon.
hamish had to get off the phone to be a part of the biggest surf of the season, (according to big dave, father of us both) ...
it's colder here than i thought it'd be
but you have to love that in a town where the sun's always shining.
and yes, the sun's shining.
my first solo show just around the corner.
after so many shows, so many years playing in the band, it is strange. exciting.
happy st paddy's day...
saturday march 24
a crow walks on the grass in front of me.
sid the squirrel buries an impossibly large nut beneath one of the jacarandas.
i spent 15 hours waltzing on a marble floor on wednesday, as one does ...
fingers are quite sore from playing the acoustic so much.
am i ready for the show tonight?
am i ever ready for any show?
am i ready for right now? i reckon so.
i shall be there. meantime, i'm loving the hint of rain today.
happy saturday.
angus
March 15, 2007
i am back in LA for a while to check on things here.
hamish remains in oz, doing the same ...
jet lag and daylight savings are messing with my mind.
but i don't mind... things are still getting done.
everything feels different as we all roll on.
i embrace the change.
i'm missing the cleanest clearest water in the world but the days are lovely here, the sky blue enough ...
hamish and i have been doing some school workshops in oz, something we've done on and off since our first days in LA.
and we've been playing shows, just the two of us.
stripping back the music to the voices and acoustic guitars.
usually i'm on bass or electric guitar.
i've been enjoying the challenge of not doing things as we've done them before.
otherwise we stand in our own way.
i've written more the last few months than i had in years.
while i'm here i want to keep playing.
haven't played on my own before, feels like it's time.
old and new and unwritten come together.
there's much brewing in the land of the mongrels but all in good time.
maties dalbo and drew are both powering on in this time
- check out theirspaces ...
'we can be apart so long
we come together
no time gone'
see you soon?
angus
January 18, 2007
i watched the sun rise red gold over the sea a few hours ago.
feeling very right to be here at this time.
getting ready for the official release of 'slow down' on australia day,
january 26th. the day europeans began settling this country
and changing everything.
slow down. that is the focus for us. in more ways than one.
this year will unfold as it will.
hamish and i don't know what it will look like
but we know it will be exciting and momentous.
simplicity focus belief. letting each day be all it can be.
to all of you who follow our journey,
i trust you're feeling inspired and hopeful at this time.
our paths will meet again.
here and now we don't know when or how.
we hear drew will be at making wild music at midwinter
with bob and chris from downtown harvest.
may the celebration with bill and karen be large...
i'm fondly remembering being snowed in back in '03.
i shall have a surf for you all ...
angus
January 5, 2007
we begin the year in this magical ancient land
after a festive season shared with family.
a whole new experience for me
after so many seasons spent in another amazing big land
on the other side of the world ...
i am inspired and focused and writing more than i have in ages.
hamish and i find ourselves singing on the back verandah most days,
2 acoustic guitars, 2 voices.
i feel all the places we have visited this last year inside me too,
colouring my thoughts, my decisions, my art.
i have an army of mini dv tapes waiting to be explored.
exciting and daunting ...
'slow down' is the mantra for this time
and the name of the song we have ready for release any day now ...
the full moon lights up the bay these nights,
a shimmering silver expanse ...
anything is possible when you see something like that.
2007 looks and sounds powerful to me.
let it be full of joy for you and those around you ...
angus
