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December briefing

We had another practice session today, albeit without Nancy as she wasn't too well. We've been having 40'C plus for the last couple days, so at 33'C and humid was a day to get your health back.

Anyway, it was good fun. Jammed away for a few new songs, Zeppelin, Floyd, Beatles and John Foggerty covers = did pretty good. Should fit a few in the repertoire by next time we play. The foggerty song was resonant with some Ramones I've been listening to recently, an interesting correlation and proof to my mind of the musical significance of the Ramones - pop and punk and rocknroll all in one.

Anyway - we are yet to confirm a pre christmas gig, possibly at Rosewater FC. Will do all we can to let you know if we confirm it. And there's a hint of a mid-north 'ashes' tour sometime next year. We'll let you know about that also.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

Getting (it) back together

At rehersal on Sunday we all played together again as a band for the first time in three months. Really, more of a structured jam than a rehersal, it was nice to actually be doing it again. Even at our worst, we weren't that bad. There's a lot of derusting required, but that won't take longer than another session (or, at the most, two). And what we pulled off was more than sufficient for entertainment value.

Which is the baseline in this game.

Back on the Road (some of us are...)

Nancy and Steve played their duo number last Friday night at Rosewater FC, where The Negotiators played a cool gig earlier in the year. It was a fundraiser for one of the locals (who was there when the band played) who had a nasty accident. The raised a fair bit of cash and Nancy's vocal chords held up. And it sounds like all enjoyed the evening for what it was.

The Negotiators have a full band rehersal this Sunday, the first time in how many months? I think we have a gig booked at Rosewater FC somtime before xmas. When I know more, I'll post it up here.

After a full on break from the music game, it sure will be a bit of a change of gear to get ready for summer!

Good News!

Great News! Nancy has got the provisional all clear from the doc, she can sing again! This is fantastic news, as we can soon get the show on the road again. This will be like a 'reborn' experience I think, hopefully totally refreshed and artistically recharged, The Negotiators will be able to hit the stage with a bang through summer.

Hope we didn't lose too many of you in the meantime...

Thoughts on the Break

Readers, fans and band members will all know that The Negotiators have had a bit of break recently. This has been necessary as our singer, Nancy, has had a bit of a sore throat. Which means that we've cancelled quite a few gigs (pissing off a few publicans no doubt) and had almost a total break from rehersing.

In my case this has gone one step further, and I've hardly even picked up a guitar for a couple of months. I have an excuse though, as whenever I play something Nancy tends to sing along to herself, and she had to have a total break from it. Anyway, having a few weeks off has meant that I've had more than a couple of weeks without band stuff happening in it for the first time in years. The break's been lovely.

Having my weekends returned has been great. It's pretty stressful if you work all week and then don't get to have a couple of days off. I know that many people work longer and possibly harder than I do, but that's just the way I am. There's so much more to life than working for the man, and if it takes a day to get over the working week then I like having a day to actually do things for their own sake. Thus, the value of weekends.

When you're in the band, you lose this regular weekend guarantee of sanity, in exchange for late nights, long afternoons, heavy lifting duty, exhaustion. And when you're not doing it on stage, you're practicing to do so. It's a long road indeed...

But Rock'n'roll is more than just playing on weekends. That would truly make one a 'weekend warrior'. There's an extension of this into 'real life', it happens whenever we are living as though always capable of those exquisite feelings within that rock music draws out on a good night. And when you start walking around with the music in you then, if that music is rock, you can be a little ocean of sanity in the day to day days that eat up the years.

And when you realise you got the music in you, you realise that the work and the weekends were worth the while!

Waiting Times

We're still waiting for a final opinion from Nancy's doctor as to whether she's fit to sing again. Should know in about three more weeks. Until then, there's not a lot to say.

Steve and Nancy went up and played in Burra pub with a friend of Steves doing a lot of the vocals. Although not under the Blondie and Dagwood label they've used before, it's another of those lite MIDI based shows with a guy, his keyboard and computer, plus vocal and guitar to do the leads plus a PA in a pub with no room for the real thing. Sounds like they had fun and were, apparently, asked back for new years eve.

Speaking of which, I've previously stated that we were likely to be playing new years eve at the Cumberland Hotel, but it seems the pub lady forgot about this and wasn't too pleased when several of the punters reminded her. So I should state here as semi-officially as our band ever get - WE DON'T KNOW IF OR WHERE WE'RE PLAYING ON NEW YEAR's EVE.

I'll let you know when we know.

Promise.