Thursday, October 31, 2013

All The Same - Cactus Espresso Bar, Ipswich


When we got to Brisbane we met up with some of the choristers of the wonderful Voices in the Wilderness, a choir I run in Adelaide. The choir was touring to Brisbane, so the kitchen table tour merged with my choir tour at this stage. Which meant this night's song was a little more rehearsed than most!

Song written and led by my beautiful mum Kerry. Go Mum!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Chatter With The Angels - Réka's table, Brisbane



I met Reka when she taught me conducting and musicianship at UQ and at Kodaly Summer Schools. She is a world class musical force and it was a true privilege to sing at her table, and have her and her gorgeous hubby Chris jam with us. My ears are just joying (surely that should be a word) listening to what these BEAUTIFUL people made with us from a sweet little pentatonic song. What a blessing!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Only Myself To Blame - Stef's table, Gold Coast



listen to these guys! I met Stef at UQ summer school, and she's a very marvellous musician. Meanwhile Glen is a professional opera singer, who seemed totally at hone jamming some blues. Those top notes are him going off - how awesome is that? And very talented son Aaron.

These guys live in the Gold Coast hinterland and showed us around their sub tropical garden at dusk. Where Emlyn found fireflies.

Black is the Colour - Byron Springs Guesthouse, Byron Bay



We had a cancellation from our normal kitchen tables, so took the opportunity to spend a night in Byron Bay. This is where we went for our last holiday without the kids 8 years ago, and we love the place. Even if it's commercial and manufactured and full of drunken young people. At our boarding house, we managed to sneak a little table singing in, in the morning over breakfast.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Ipharadisi - Erin's table, Lismore



Erin's table in Lismore. Her kids turned up, cooked us breakfast and brought out their djembes. So this isn't a song we normally sing but it seemed like a good one for a drum session. Then Erin took us out to her fiance's farm. Where some profound knots untied inside - some places really are magical.

Lord of the Dance - Bec's table, Tamworth



A table full of Bec's family in Tamworth. Bec and Steve had Lord of the Dance at their wedding, so they requested it. Hope they didn't mind that in our normal way, we flattened a few thirds and swung a bit here and there.
Bec's kids greeted us so enthusiastically when we arrived, and knew our arrangements so sang along with us. Which was awesome.- they are a crazily musical family where everybody plays multiple instruments. The eldest is planning to study conducting at uni, and if she gets there it will be a tribute to Bec and the culture of this family.

You Are My Sunshine - Nancy's table, Dubbo



This is from a few days ago - we are on a catch up blitz today! Now Nancy and Danae are in Sydney where Danae is singing at the Opera House. So this is our brush with fame!

Down in the River to Pray - Amy's table, Lithgow



Amy and her gorgeous brood.

Hubby Michael (whose arms you can see!) and friend Lindsey (who has strategically placed herself almost out of sight!) joined us in harmony.

A few days after this, these families were evacuated, out of the path of bushfires. And although they are home now, as I write this, these families are waiting to see if the three fire fronts in their area are going to combine into one super destructive fire beast.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Brushes & Briars - Chookie's table, Lydcombe



Scandal! this isn't at Chookie's kitchen table. Totally started at the table, but moved to the music room for O Sinnerman where Chookie's sons joined in on keyboard and drum. I saw four car crashes in Sydney during our brief visit in and out. Chookie's menfolk - hubby and two sons - smile when they talk.

Bring Me Little Water Sylvie - Lynda's table, Darkes Forest



Lynda and her family live between Wollongong and Sydney and when they aren't off being outrageously successful at businesses and schooling, they farm sheep and chooks. Lynda invited  interesting, erudite folks for dinner, some of whom sang with us. I often have late night online chats with Lynda and find her a real kindred spirit. Infact when I was at her house, I kept thinking of popping online to see if she was about for a chat!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Thrift Shop - Geoff's table, Canberra



The beautiful Geoff Dunn photographer, in fact the photographer of the stunning photos on our website, requested Thrift Shop. It moved surprisingly well from rap to blues. Towards the end you'll hear Geoff's sonorous tones as he joins in!

Day Whatever We Are Up To - Ainta That Good News - Ken's table, Yass



Ken and Karen's house is in Yass. Years ago, Emlyn and I lived in Canberra and I sang with Ken in a rather mad and wonderful punk opera fusion band, The Suspect Mushrooms. Now he lives in a spectacular house in Yass, with bucolic views of the Yass River and country side. I expected Kevin McCloud to turn up with a film crew. Ken says 'best key is E' so here it is some blues in E! Emlyn's voice not restored to full mellifluousness but he's on the mend.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

day 4 - John's house Melbourne. Or why you should play any other instrument than voice.

Well tonight the storm broke. Emlyn and I have both been feeling poorly for much of the tour and hoping we aren't bringers of disease on our travels. I'm on the mend. Emlyn is a feverish mess though.

Tonight, just as my lungs, eustachian tubes and vocal cords were clearing for the first time on the tour, and I was ready to let rip..

 Emlyn's voice was gone. We sang two songs as he got softer and softer, down to a whispered growl. So John and his family fed us a beautiful dinner and his daughters donated their study for us to sleep in. And all they got was two songs of decreasing volume. John's older daughter kindly played Cello for us, while I badly accompanied her on piano. Thanks to her there was some music making tonight, but it wasn't at the table and outside of this blog's rhealm. I doubt we have a video for you. At any rate Emlyn is fast asleep as he needs to be, so he's not awake to do the editing of the video tonight.

 So instead - a reflection on what's it's like so far. I grew up in a singing family - mum came from a singing family. I like to think singing is my unbroken thread back to my celtic heritage. To me, singing and home and family have always gone together. And I know you sometimes meet people who sing in public, unsolicited and it's not a good thing (Hyancinth Bucket) so I've had to learn to become aware of and curb singing when I'm in public, because I grew up where singing was more normal than not singing, and I was barely aware of doing it.

 Emlyn and I don't exactly 'practise' because music is just part of what we do together in our lives. The only time we officially set aside to work into our music and bed down ideas is when we take it to the kitchen table. Some of the families we've visited have been highly musical and some folks have been music appreciators rather than music makers. I have realised what a blessing I have had for singing to be a natural part of my whole life, because I've seen it isn't everybody's experience. So for some folks, music making at their table has been totally exotic.

 It's given me yet another reason to believe music education matters - PEOPLE'S SOULS CRAVE MUSIC. When we were at Inverbrackie, the folks there were a rowdy, noisy audience. Partly because there were a lot of children. Partly because we were the only thing on offer so it was us or nothing - but acappella singing isn't everyone's cup of tea quite frankly. And perhaps folks who discovered we weren't their thing didn't feel comfortable walking out on us. Or maybe there were cultural reasons it was rowdy - the culture of the place or the cultures of the people - that I didn't understand. But we got people engaged by getting them to clap. We ditched all our slow songs, and I made up body rhythm ostinatos (fancy word that means repeated pattern) for the folks to join in for everything. And it worked - except when I got tripped up by the rhythms myself - there was a lot to be processing in real time one way and another. it seemed to me these folks craved active music making, but were not at ease singing along with us.

I've realised I define music as something done with and for other people. Which means music education needs to involve group music making and performing. Band, orchestra, choir, jamming whatever. And performing regularly because music is something to share.

 On another note I had wondered how we would find daytime homelessness. The times between when we leave one house in the morning, and are expected at the next house in the evening. It's been bloody fantastic. We have camp chairs and tour cake and parks. The other day Emlyn set up temporary office in Geelong city library with wifi, a powerpoint and a table. (what more does a geek really need?) and I slept on a beanbag in the corner. I did grab a book to read, to try to look more library appropriate but I fell asleep cheered on by a fellow sleeper on a nearby couch who made no attempt to appear to be reading.

The other thing I've noticed is how lovely people are. How kind they are to their children. How welcoming and accommodating they are with us. After the election we can all feel a bit dismal about being Australians, but this has been a restoration of faith.

Day 3 Rachel's table - Geelong



Rachel's gorgeous little boy had been singing Row Row Row your Boat earlier that day. So we tried it, just mucking around to see what would happen, in the great kitchen table tradition. Starts a little shaky, but finds its stride.

Rachel out did herself by not only cooking spaghetti bol (Emlyn's favourite dinner) but by producing some singers - the sopranos of Grace Notes, an acappella female trio. These girls joined in with us on some of our songs much better than when I tried to read their music and join in with them! tut tut. The glamorous blond in the corner is Nat, and you can see Brett with James on his lap.

The next day James created his own drum, based on the one he's holding now.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Day 2 Tracy's table - Ballarat



I know of Tracy through my mum, when mum went to a workshop run by her and came out with her own song! It's a beautiful song which has been translated into numerous languages and is being used for a documentary. Go mum!



So i was intrigued to know what sort of person had inspired my mum to write this song. This sort of woman. Jamming along with us, with her lovely children, and husband adding kitchen sounds as he prepared dahl, rice and tofu curry.

Musical and lovely family. Tracy teaches musical theatre singing and is currently directing and producing a play. When we arrived her children performed for us.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Day 1 Table 2 - Kat's Table Penola



This night Penola had that beautiful country stillness and quiet. Kat tells me Penola isn't always that way.

This is her kitchen table and her requested song. Not in our normal repertoire, and after a rather large glass of Coonawarra wine, we needed some little actions to help remember the verses.

Day 1 - Annie's Table, Mylor




In the Adelaide Hills, just down from where we live is Mylor - winner of the highly coveted "Most likely Aussie town to be the set of an English Village Murder Mystery Series" three years running.

Here lives Annie. A true pagan bard. When she heard we were going on tour she made us TOUR CAKE. (This is our first tour - we didn't know about cake.)


So thank you Annie for both the cake, and the induction into an essential aspect of touring!

Here's Annie with her drum. I love making music with this woman, We don't talk about the music, we just do it and communicate IN the music. That takes sensitive, true musicianship.

Feste's Song from 12th Night

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Day 0 - After singing at Inverbrackie

CROWD SURFING

So it begins: our crowdsourced tour of kitchen tables around Australia. 

Today we left our beautiful teenage son and his XBOX with my mum. (thanks mum!) It's the longest we've ever been away from him.  

Months back, we sent the word out on social networks calling for kitchen tables. 


The offer - we'll sing at your kitchen table. In exchange, feed us and put us up for the night. Invite guests if you want, or not. Ask for a donation if you want, or not. Promote it if you want, or not. It's your table after all.

In two hours we had three weeks of kitchen tables booked. Mostly people we've never met in RL.We've got plans to sing at a detention centre for refugees, we'll be singing for an art class who will draw us as we perform, we'll be jamming some four part stuff with a lecturer in choral conducting and her hubby, running workshops at a high school in how to take folk songs and craft them into new things, and a jam in our nation's capital with some of the members of a punk/opera fusion band I sang in nearly twenty years ago.

We think it's going to be a wild ride, but we can't know. We are nervous. I keep getting shots of adrenalin. This will certainly shake us out of our comfortable - middle class, middle age, middle everything - groove. 

Our hands are in the crowd now.