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| entry created: Tuesday 8 March 2005, 5:45am (NZ time) | |
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| Location: Simpson Bay |
| Local time: Monday, 12:45pm |
| Music: |
 The drums finally arrived. But, as always... late. The cymbals, stands, and the stool came first, then I had to wait a week before I actually received the bangy-bits - the drums themselves. So really I only had a cymbal set. It looked kinda rediculous. But now the shiny red kit is here and it's rockin!And to test it out we played our first gig as a 3-piece electric band on Friday night, for the Heineken Regatta party (25th anniversary, this year) on the boardwalk in Philipsburg. There were four stages set up along the beach/boardwalk, and we played the central stage, starting at 10:30-ish. I think we did pretty damn good (if I do say so myself!), having only had three days to prepare (since that's how long I'd had my new drum kit for, and we had only just found our new bass player who had to be taught all our songs). We pretty much had a captive audience at the end of the show, as most had moved from the other stages to watch us. It was my first time in well over two years performing on the drums again, and the inevitable drum solo was well received. :o) Also I was using a wireless mic/mouthpiece attached to my ear, so I was also trying to sing while play, which sure is hell ain't an easy task when you bang the drums as hard as I tend to do! The promotion of the Regatta has been very good for us, because they've been mentioning the performing acts in all the papers, posters, radio ads etc etc. I've collected a lot of advertising with our names on it, and we've even been mentioned in island-wide text messages promoting each night as it happens. Of the 25 songs we played on Friday included Sweet Emotion, What I Got, Creep, It's Been A While, Fly, Born To Be Wild, Interstate Love Song, Higher Ground, Mysterious Ways, Under the Bridge, Tainted Love, The Joker etc etc. Our funked-up version of Another Brick in the Wall was a big success, and unfortunately for me they always love that damned Sweet Home Alabama song (oh man am I sick of that!). We now have to learn another 20 or so for our next 3-piece gig this Thursday for a Quiksilver windsurfing competition opening party at Orient Beach. On Sunday we (just Les and I doing the usual two-piece) played on the main stage at the Regatta's closing party, before 'reggae legend' Jimmy Cliff ("who?", you might ask) performed (amidst a thick fog of ganja smoke rising from the audience). (Last year we played before the Black Eyed Peas, which I personally found to be a bit more exciting). The Dutch Side Song seems to be doing well on the island. It's getting regularly played on the three biggest stations, and we feel that we've definitely left our mark here for years to come. We played it at the Regatta and sold a few CDs. It's hot here right now. Waaay too hot. There's been so little wind lately that it's just super still and icky. The Heineken Regatta boats were suffering from the lack of wind, and on the last day the course had to be shortened because of it.  Sunset over Simpson Bay, currently full of participating and spectator boats for the Regatta.  The new kit. Not bad for the price I paid. The crash cymbal could do with replacing, but the rest is pretty acceptable.  I ended up having to take it outside to tune up correctly, since my lounge is all tile and concrete, and almost void of furniture accept for the couch. Makes for a bit of an echo chamber.  The main stage of the Heineken Regatta. Swallowed us two little white boys up pretty good.  It was so damned hot that neither of us could be bothered putting on our shirts.  Playing the harmonica.  It got really busy out there on the water over the weekend!  A record 261 boats participated in the race this year.  The weather was great, but the soft breeze could never completely fill the flapping spinnakers.  The Soualiga Brass Band during the carnival parade on Friday night.  The costumes were big, bright, and Caribbean.  A shot taken from the balcony of Yacht Club Isle de Sol, where we play every Saturday night. It never gets old, driving past all these 150-200ft monsters on our way to work.  The island is full of street vendors selling everything from $1 beers to fake dreadlocks. However, unlike this peanut-lady, most don't have a pigeon standing guard.  The view from my front porch, of the airport runway, and beyond that the lagoon. Notice the line of stationary cars - presumably suffering from the bridge-is-up blues.  Caught. Mid-air. |
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