…a mosquito has given me a hiki… i look out over the hokianga harbour. out the back door of my van… i look back over the week and a half that’s just been… a week and a half that started a month ago whilst supping coffee with karen, roderick & co at the hardware caff…?there i?took a call from Ora, ‘dave can you come do sound for us?’…
so the other day an ol’ buddy flicks me a facebook message askin if i wants to hit the airwaves on bfm… wot!? of corse thort i and responded accordingly.?consequently off i trundled?into maddening auckland morning traffic on tursday to join adam on bfm’s breakfast show. being a regular b listener i was well chuffed to be invited along and had a nice old time yakkin and playin a cupla tracks live to air… go & havva listen if ye wish at the following link http://www.95bfm.co.nz/default,190306,dave-alley.sm
?a weekend or two prior to that, good buddies jonny and eoin and my good old self jumped on a wee plane and hedded for gbi (great barrier island don’t ya know) for a delightful weekend of music and seen-ary.. after a nice little show at the legendary currach (second best pub in the world next to ‘the rising sun’ in newcastle {the one in england i guess after a wee googling}?so i’m told by some dude that works at charlie farleys?on waiheke..)?on the friday night?we shot off on saturday to lunch with some friends and a shwim?at possibly the coolest swimming spot on the island… complete with ye ol piece of rope hangin?from a pohutukawa tree this spot was bliss, cheers emma & grant… then we toddled off to hang out with Sean & Nerissa, the lovely folk who first?invited me out to barrier many years ago to play at Stray Possum.. i was pretty keen to go for a spin on the new jet boat and that we did.. spectacular was the word i guess… as we came around a headland into yet another bay we spotted lo and behold a pod of 20-30 dolphins feeding.. eager to be involved i leapt joyously into the fray and milled around with them… though none of them came to say hi real close up it felt pretty cool to be swimmin amounst ’em… i practiced my dolphin speak humming tunes under water etc then swam in the?most gangly awkward and laughable (to a dolphin) fashion back to the boat…?after watchin an immaculate sunset the?likes of which i’d not seen since ibiza &?a quick visit?with friends of friends on a beautiful super yacht ’round the next bay we throttled it back towards the jetty at which point (being just?after dark) the phosphorescence began really going off… nothing quite like ploughing through the pshychedelic?floating organism in a jet boat, quite mind bogglingly spectacular one must say… so of course yours truly had to take the plunge again and get amounst it.. nothing quite like swimming in phosphorescence on a clear starry night… absolutely mad shtuff!!
?so completely in awe of what we’d witnessed on this most beautiful evening we hedded back up to the house for an amazing dinner of fresh snapper, hapuka & mussels etc (i?plunge from vegetarianism?into pescetarianism {reasonings of which &?why?i could devote another whole chapter to}?on occasions such as these)?followed by a few tunes… as you do…
?the next day saw a chilled day of reflection?& lounging followed by a wee sesh?at the currach in the arvo.. then after farewells and promises of seein the great currach crew again next summer we hedded back to the claris runway to hit the skies again…
weekends such as those make me grateful i’m a muso… thanks to all the great barrier island folk…
?as per usual i invite you all to?peruse the gig guide and come visit my buddies & i at a gig or two…
…d
happy new year folks… and may ’09 be a superb year for ye all. the year ticked over?for yours truly whilst rocking along stupendously in good ol’ Hahei… glorious spot, glorious sunshine and so forth, nice way to start the year.?
on?the last day of ’08?whilst setting up for afore mentioned new years eve gig, i received word from robbie the mastering dude that my album?mix?had been opened up in his mastering software in wellington and the ball was rolling on the mastering front!! this was indeed a?great piece of news to get?on the last day of the year. am expecting to have the mastered album back in the post any day now…
?the highlight of this year to date, apart from a blissful few days in the far north, has been the Parihaka festival in the Taranaki.? one needs to like reggae & groove music to venture near this festival and luckily for me i love the stuff… the two days i spent there were most groovaliscious with Petone band?Hikoikoi being the stand out act for me, just immaculate!
?anyways, comin up this week the?mulleteers are at bollix this friday nite with waz on gat filling in for jono so don’t be suprised if we throw in a bit of blues… and i’m looking forward to the ecofest in Levin with Jon Sanders on sunday…
?hope to see you out there.
d
to be sure, the weekend just gone was one of superb moments in musical exploration… tursday saw a wee jam at 121 with an old jamming buddy from the java jive days, roscoe… dude still plays a mean gat i reckon.. with nigel gavin kicking along for the sonic ride it was quite a delightful journey and folks there seemed to agree… saturday nite and the mulleteers gathered in good form to play our favorite ol spot ‘the dogs bollix’. yeee haaa. now the mullets are a curious band and some times we’re good, and sometimes we are kaka. this particular night the stars must have all lined up and the gods of all things musical must have smiled wide cos man we rockt!!!! the ten people there were pretty darned impressed and the four members of the three mulleteers all agreed for once that it was indeed a kick arse night.. aint that the way sometimes.. band rocks stupendously and no-one is there to appreciate it.. any way. mullets are back at bollix this saturday, late notice so get yerselves along there…
?sunday yours truly had his first duo gig with the highly talented dave khan… jeeeeesuz! dude can play!! had a ball! anyways… we’re doin’ sundays from 6-9 at o’carrolls in vulcan lane if you find yourself in auckland on a sunday, get on down there…
?any one with a spare cheap toyota hiace lying around… get in touch..
?d
p.s, pukekohe light opera clubs’ production, ‘the producers’ was bloody brilliant.. popt along on friday and was wowed!! top stuff..