Hello team V&D! Hope this notes finds everyone well, and a chilly hello from down in Queenstown!

I wanted to touch base and say that I'm stoked to hear that a new album is soon on the way and see that you guys are on the way down in Early May, looking forward to a good night on the town already. I've been meaning to pass this story on to you guys for ages and upon hearing the new track from the forthcoming disc I thought what better time then now.

A few months ago I was in Africa, Tanzania to be exact. Amazing, AMAZING place. It's a must go destination. What really struck me about it was the interactions that I had with the local people. This is very much in the heart of the third world – modern conveniences and technology are ideas torn from science fiction here. I was there to travel around and experience the place and visit my friend Sarah who works as a volunteer at the local hospital in the town of Arusha. One night my wife and I were hanging out at Sarah's house having a most unusual dinner – there was an extra seat at the table.

 A young Massai boy from the hospital had walked for days to get to town to get an operation to fix a dodgy knee. He was staying with Sarah for the night as he was so terrified of the town, they thought he'd make a run for it in the night and walk back home (making for a 2 week round trip on foot, without the treatment he needed) This kid of about 14 had never been to a town, never seen a white person before, never slept in a house before, driven in a car, seen TV, a movie, a photograph or heard music that wasn't performed life in front of him. As we sat we tried our best to communicate with the youngster, showing him photos of our home, photos of him taken on our digital camera and we played him music over the small stereo. For the most part this was all too foreign for the young lad – he looked shell shocked and we thought it best to leave him to his own devices and we ate dinner with him at the table with us.

The music was playing in the background as we ate, a mix of all sorts, floating through our conversations. The kid was oblivious to the music, not really paying attention, until one song came on. You could see his ears perk up with the wha-into of "I See a Sign" it was a sound he'd not fathomed before. Intent and concentrating he studied the sounds trying to decipher them. And then at the bridge when the drums kick in and they start pounding out a rhythm he was transfixed. The beat transported this little Massai warrior clothed in traditional clothing, head shaved, spear left at the front door - to the Aoteroa float at Carnival in Rio. Without even realizing it himself, he started bobbing his head in syncro to the beat and a dDub gained a fan - thousands of miles from NZ and a million miles from home…

All the best guys and see you in May