Its 5am Monday morning and Im sorting through tracks for the latest recording project at ‘Braymont’ just out of Gulgong. I have Kerry Ellen here, she played yesterday at the Gulgong RSL, to do a 5 track EP of material which I am doing all the backing for as well. She is also projects officer for Orana Arts and has been instrumental in helping me access grants for the Gulgong Folk Festival and in starting up drumming workshops with Kings of Congo Congo…nice to give something back.
The recording side of the business has taken an upturn since the release of Rainbows End and word seems to be getting out that I also record other people , not just myself. My last job was star student Brooke Colley in her first ever venture into the studio and I have another local girl Katie Gilbert lined up for Wednesday this week.
The week that was after the Blue Mountains Music festival was spent mostly here in the studio and at the Paragon for 2 gigs; one on Thursday for the monthly Mudgee Music Jam where I took onstage 3 of my vocal students for their compulsory performance “update” and here is where this little gem by Brooke Colley was filmed by Elizabeth Walton. She’s a great talent and only 15 and really is quite an exciting prospect.
Brooke Colley / Hurt
The other event at the Paragon was for a benefit for a local Mudgee lad in his twenties with brain cancer. Turns out I used to work with him and his brother at Eltons, a local eatery , when I was cheffing round. The place was jam packed and “Fig Jam’ really turned on a searing performance for our first ever Mudgee appearance [we’ve been playing everywhere else for almost 6 months now]. Refreshing to see so many old faces and musical cohorts coming out of the woodwork and I know I surprised the hell out of a few of them. It was also Elizabeth Waltons first outing on keyboards with the band and she lent some keyboard finery to Lovely/My time/Valentines Day.. all recently recorded at Pirate Studios.
I attended ‘The song and the sigh’ an exhibition by Sam Paine, my great friend and media champion from the Mudgee Guardian, at Lyra Burghaus’ ‘My little dress shop’ which is sadly closing now after 2 years of operation in Gulgong. Both these guys have brought a sense of style to the are which transcended rural eegance with a certain 1920s chic . Sam is off to New York this week and Lyra is off tho Europe and Asia. Hopefully both will be back because I find it hard sometimes filling downtown Gulgong with any sense of bohemia!!
Richard Lawson Music 