I'm new here

...well not really - as I have been a stranger for a while. Been hunkering down for winter in Auckland. But the Film Festival is starting next week so we'll be putting our coats & boots on and watching a few big screens. Am particularly looking forward to seeing 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' about Banksy, and the new Polanski film 'Ghost Writer'.

Today, wishing I was in the U.K. where Dylan is headlining the Kent Hop Farm festival supported by the amazing Laura Marling & others.

This is very beautiful. I recommend listening with your eyes closed. "I maybe crazy but I am the closest thing I have to a voice of reason"... (Gil Scott Heron)

Some of the people can be all right part of the time...

I've never seen this video before but the lyrics to this have cracked me up every time since I first heard it about 35 years ago

Musical preview: The Hold Steady

I've liked their earlier music and this up-coming release sounds pretty good too...

Mr Zevon speaks from beyond the grave

I have to admit I don't know what happened in the 70's - I seem to have missed out on Warren Zevon completely. I only discovered him by accident last year when I happened to hear 'My Shits All Fucked Up" on the TV show Californication.  Tamsin & I were watching at the time and we looked at each other and said "who IS that?" As soon as the show finished we googled the words and discovered the man.  I downloaded a couple of albums from eMusic which are all good, and disappointedly found out Warren had died in 2003.

I recently found a copy of his biography "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon" in a book sale and am reading it interspersed with the John Lennon biography by Phillip Norman. I don't think there's any risk of me getting  confused though, Warren was a one-off kinda guy.

Here are a couple of songs for the initiated or un-Zevon'd

Laura sings beyond her years

When I heard the Guardian rate Laura Marling alongsides Dylan, Laura being a mere girl of just 20 from England, you can imagine my scepticism.

However I am amazed to find she has a fantastic voice. This song 'Devils Spoke' sounds like a cross between Led Zep and Joni Mitchell. Her new album "I Speak Because I Can" is a great record.

The song below is the title track.



On the home front, we've bought a load of fishing gear and plan to fish us some snapper over Easter. They are called 'pannies' I think becuase they fit just nicely in the frying pan.

Citizens of Womadia gathered, danced, ate, sang and departed

New Plymouth hosted WOMAD over the weekend, and it was our third return to the festival where we became citizens of Womadia. It's such a great site, spread over the beautiful Brooklands park with 3 main stages and 2 smaller stages so there is always something worth seeing and a chance to talk to the artists during the workshop/chat sessions. More than ever the audience was mixed of all generations from babes & toddlers to grannies with walking frames -  a real family gathering.

Saturday was only dampened slightly by a feint sprinkling of rain and did not diffuse the joy and energy from the crowd or the bands.  Sunday the sun shone all day and I could see large doses of sunscreen being applied along with beer and other substances.

Best acts for me were Calexico from Tucson Arizona (saw them twice), Babylon Circus (France) and House of Shem (NZ). Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (Chicago) looked interesting but we missed their performance and saw their workshop where they played a little bit of music. It was hypnotic though.


Babylon Circus made the crowd dance and forget the light shower of rain... (I am near the front of this bouncing crowd)
 

Calexico rocked with Southern US and Mexican flavours...

Luckily we were able to stay with the lovely Patricia and Richard who looked after us splendidly. A good weekend all round. And the wonderful Mount Taranaki shed its usual veil of clouds for us ...

Angelina

This is pure poetry in this little known song.
And I always laugh at the line that rhymes Angelina with Subpoena.

Well, it’s always been my nature to take chances
My right hand drawing back while my left hand advances
Where the current is strong and the monkey dances
To the tune of a concertina

Our boat

Today we took the boat for a test run (sea trial) and it passed, so it will be ours by the weekend.
I managed not to embarrass myself by reviewing my breakfast, in fact I didn't feel at all queasy.
Still need to think of a name for her.

Tunstall does Tangled

Excellent cover.

Love KT's voice and seems she may be a Bobcat too...



Postscript, I've just found this one too - she is definitely a Bobcat



And another - this gets better and better. I love Billy Bragg too. Some good finds today.

Bob and Obama and a nameless boat

 

Great shot. They both seem really pleased to be there. 

On the home front, it is hot and humid which saps my energy so I am largely being lazy. 

We are shortly going to spend a few days at a beach bach near Whitianga with my cousin who has been travelling around NZ for the last few weeks in a bid to escape the frozen waste of northern Europe. 

When we come back we will take delivery of our boat that we are in the process of purchasing and will sign up for Day Skipper and Marine Radio courses. More will be revealed next week. In the meantime we are need a name for the boat and I have been given approval to use a Dylanesque name, so am thinking of a song title or character. So far on the possible list are:

• New Morning
• Desire
• Isis
• Jokerman
• Baby Blue
• Expecting Rain

Any other suggestions welcomed.