Ahh, High St, Northcote. Sunny and breezy with trams and people going about their day. I sit and type to you trying to avoid the glare although the warmth is welcome. Guess what??? Over the weekend I had the joy of winning the Roddy Read Songwriting competition (part of the Maldon Folk Festival) with my song “Black Silk”!! I’m pretty stoked, especially since there were some really awesome songs in the finals (all so different, “like comparing carrots to cars”, said Jemma, my bassist “which one do you like best, Carrots or Cars?”). I won a pretty snazzy trophy and a Cole Clark guitar (presented to me onstage by my eloquent mate Lloyd Spiegel, which was a real hoot).
Stue and I are furiously procrastinating about getting all packed for our trip to Sydney and Newcastle tomorrow: the new charango is causing a little headache as it is 5.4cm too long for the hard case! I hope to cradle it in its pathetic little soft case on board, although I guess someone may mistake it for a weapon. That reminds me: read this beautiful speech by Harry James Angus (solo artist and member of the Cat Empire) about the true worth of music and musicians. ox Melissa