Slightly Brighter Friday

Despite a load of personal crap this morning (mostly involving bills & too little money to pay them all immediately!) it's turned out to be a slightly better day than yesterday.

The news of the day however, is potentially gobsmacking. I've been told the quality of the recording from last Saturday's gig is outstanding. I'm going to have a listen to it tomorrow in the studio and bring a copy home, see if I can live with it as it is.

I know I played well but this is a bit of a turn up for the books! It's highly unusual to get really good quality on a number of tracks from one live concert. There's invariably glitches, if not in performance then in sound quality or equipment failure - that's why you usually see a list of venues on the back of live albums. Bat (who's studio I'm using) tells me that in his opinion it passes muster admirably, and this is a man who's opinion I value very highly.

It seems a little too good to be true but I will try and contain my enthusiasm and wait til tomorrow!

Bleak Thursday

Well, it's very dim outside - winter is definitely on its way if not already here. Yesterday my car spat the master cylinder and I'm looking at a lot of money I don't currently have to fix it. (For the unitiated that's the thing under the bonnet that holds the brake fluid and hydrolically controls all wheel brakes.) The one thing I'm grateful for is that it happened when it was up on the hoist at the local garage. It could've happened when I was driving.

I'm feeling like I could set up a whole blog just about cars and the ridiculous ways we've become so reliant on them. But I won't.


King Island Update

As always, there's a balance to be found - with the bad comes the good. I've got confirmation that the King Island trip is going ahead. I'll be on the island Monday 17th and fly out Sunday 23rd July. Hoping for a gig at the Golf Club 21st or 22nd but have to see if I can organise it to get some other local island musos to play too. Again, will post out here and on myspace as soon as I know I'm really pleased and excited about it as this is one place I've never been and always wanted to go!


Recording Update

I think I'm still on a high from last weekend's gig - it was a beauty! - but feeling a wee bit nervous about this weekend's recording session. And I think it's totally appropriate to feel like that. Let's face it, as a musician and writer, it isn't every day that you commit your creations to a particular interpretation that will be held up as the gospel for ever and a day. That's why live performance is so important and so damn hard to record properly. Those little gems are ephemeral, once delivered they're gone and only live on in the minds of audience and performer.

And that's the other thing I'm doing this weekend - listening over the recording of last weekend's gig. If there's anything moderately worthwhile there I'll put it up on myspace for you all to listen to and use it as a promo disc. It all depends on the quality and if I've been kidding myself all week about the standard of my performance! We'll see I s'pose but it's still nerveracking!

Meanwhile, got to get my regular article off to Buzz Magazine for the June issue. It should be out on the newstands in Victoria and Tas by mid next week.

The Bat Gig Filming Aftermath

Post-Gig Thoughts

Thanks so much all of you who came along, emailed, sms'd and generally just wished us all well. It was a really nice gig, great audience and fantastic vibe.

While we were packing up the gear we had a quick look at some of the film footage and room audio. That in itself was surreal! Kinda like a bunch of sports nuts - immediately the match is over, they're busy checking out the game replay!!!! Seriously, it looks and sounds very good and over the coming weeks we'll be sorting out the best of it for promo purposes and I might possibly upload some of my stuff to the myspace page.


Recording

Next thing in my calendar is recording next week. So looking forward to it after last night's effort, but reproducing that kind of vibe is damn hard without an audience! Nevermind, I'll just have to keep myself focussed on how sweet last night was.

At this stage, I'm looking at an acoustic sampler of songs and picking the best for a single release. Four to six songs maximum. Of course, launch and purchase details will be on myspace and here as they become known.

Meanwhile, I'm tired this afternoon (4am finish this morning!!) so think I'll go and blob out in front of the tv for a while. At least I've worked out the time settings on this blog so that's not doing my head in anymore!

Wednesday Stuff

Yes, despite the fact the date counter on the blog site says its Tuesday - its really Wednesday and there's stuff!!!!


Reciprocal Stuff

I've set up a profile and so forth at myspace (yeah, yeah..... so many of you've been telling me to do this for ages, I know!) and the addie is:

http://www.myspace.com/debramanskey

There's another blog there that I'll use for gig and CD launch dates.......... which will of course be seen first here.


Living Writers Week 2006

As part of Living Writers Week 2006 I'm going to King Island District High School to conduct a week of songwriting workshops with some of the students there. I'll be doing this in July and performing some of the work from that comes from that in performances throughout LWW in August.

Its a really exciting project for many reasons - particularly for me as I've never been to King Island before - and I love running these sorts of workshops. Everybody gains so much from the shared experience.

For those of you who aren't familiar, King Island is the northern-most island off the western tip of Tasmania. I'm told its very flat and windy but its internationally acclaimed for some of the best dairy cattle in Australia and consequently some of the best cheeses. I'm already under strict instructions from HIM to bring back a wheel of double brie!!!

I'll keep you all informed of dates, ensuing public performances, and any other media through this blog.


Momentous Birthday

Yesterday the most important man in my universe - my son - celebrated his birthday. I spoke with him on the phone last night and realised just how much I love him, cherish him and so grateful that he's in my life!


Gig Reminder

Sat 20th May, The Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Arts Centre $10/$5 concession 7pm start
This gig will be filmed and recorded - look forward to seeing you there!

Not a lot more to tell really. Its been a hard slog of a day - mostly I think because of the weather - very grey and overcast. I know it sounds like conspiracy theory but I get very easily jaded when the sun disappears for more than a few days!

Really looking forward to the weekend gig - Bat gigs are always the best fun!

Happy Mothers' Day

To all my friends who are mothers - hope you had a great day.

I had a nice quiet few laps up at the pool and felt pretty ok after the first 250m. Swimming has become my new drug!

Started talking with the very pregnant woman who was sharing my lap lane. She's got nine weeks to go and pointed out her four others in the public area. As much as I wish her well, I'd rather her than me. I simply could not imagine anything more perverse than going through all that again!

Came home to a lovely phone call from my late mother's day present. He was born a few days after mothers' day quite a few years ago now and is almost as forgetful as I am over such things. On the other hand, he'll ring me out of the blue sometimes for no apparent reason, was thinking of me and just wanted to say hi.

Spent the rest of the day doing housework with HIM and prep for dinner tonight...... his parents over for mothers' day dinner...... on the menu tonight, tempura calamari, madeira roast chicken and veggies, garlic basil bread and home made lemon pudding. I love cooking with this guy, he's so good to work with.

Tomorrow, prep of a different kind...... time to get ready for the gig at The Peacock Theatre on the 20th with Bat and the Band.

Freedom of Expression

A 10-Point List of Good Things I Can Do & Don't Have to Tolerate Anymore

After more than two years of it, I am no longer in a position of representing any NFP organisation, I have no-one's interests at stake apart from my own. Thanks to HIM I've been relearning lots of useful skills in the past couple of months.

As a result I've got together my 10-Point list of things I can do whenever I damn well please and don't have to do for anyone.

1. I don't have to be nice to anyone anymore because my employers demand it. (Including creepy board members)
   
2. I don't have to put up with being semi-public property and being harrassed anytime of the day or night. (Including creepy board members)
3. I don't have to put up with lousy sound engineering anymore to "keep the peace"
4. I can switch my mobile phone off for as long as I want.
   
5. I can tell the truth about what I think of people's music &/or performance. (Including creepy board members)
6. I don't have to go to gigs that I don't want to be at.
7. I don't have to play for nothing anymore.
8. I don't have to put up with purile, souless trash that masquerades as new music and can celebrate the real innovators.
   
9. I don't have to suffer fools, amateurs and wannabes. (Including creepy board members)
10. I can tell people to f@%k off when they annoy me. (Especially creepy board members)

Things to do on a day when feeling less crap & Gig Alert

Gig Recording & Filming Alert - next weekend

It's a very overcast Saturday, finally starting to feel a little better....... to fill you all in its been a dreadful few months of pretty well constant illness since giving up cigarettes......... and I have to be better by next weekend.

Saturday May 20th, Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Place, Hobart Tasmania
"Bat" (With the Band) 7pm start
Supported by Debra Manskey (Ex Wild Pumpkins at Midnight)

For those of you who are still unitiated, "Bat" is Malcolm Battersby, one of the most amazing guitarists and nicest people in the known universe. Check out his website and have a wee chuckle. It needs a makeover but will get that in the next few months.

The Bat Band and I are planning to head out into the wild unknown of "the road" in the next few months so hopefully we'll be coming to a venue near you in the next few months.

Also, this gig will be recorded and filmed, so if you are in this part of the world and want to be part of the general mayhem, come along!

Cruise and Ferry Gig Opportunities

Anyway, another guitarist mate is coming over for coffee this afternoon. He's a covers man, specialising in 80's soft rock stuff - not my thing at all - but I respect how good the guy is and his right to listen to the cheesiest music known to the human race. I've found him the perfect job, working on cruise ships out of England. He's been desperately trying to find a suitable vocalist for the past two years to take up contracts overseas through an agent in Melbourne but there just don't seem to be the female singers out there that fit the bill.

If it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't do my own original material and I couldn't pack His Imperious Majesty (HIM = boyfriend) in my suitcase I'd probably head off for a six-month stint. The money's ok and accomodation is provided but it is hard work, performing six days per week or the duration of the cruise for shorter trips and no provision for time off or sick leave.

For those of you who are interested in such jobs, check out this page on the Vocalist UK website
It lists stacks of cruise ship and ferry entertainment links. Good luck!

That's all for this post. HIM & me are making old-fashioned baked beans today and I have to go take care of the navy beans so they don't overcook. Might put the recipe up if they turn out ok.... I haven't made 'em for years!

What to do on a day when you're feeling crap

At long last a place I can rant to my heart's content!

I will try to link this to the website as efficiently as possible! Then again, maybe I'll wait til I get Lime Spider to do me a new pro site for the single release.

For the sake of all you old-time friends/fans, I'm posting a reasonably current pic..... enjoy!