Boolarra Folk Festival/The Gables
March 3rd and 4th

March 3rd
I decided to go busking at the Boolarra Folk Festival an the Saturday, as through some sort of mixup, the Concrete Pumpkins missed the deadline for acts.

I set up next to 'The Spud Man', which was a good choice in the sense that I was in the shade, but a bad choice because I could smell the spuds cooking but couldn't eat one. Eating and singing are mutually exclusive events.

I started out on wood lap steel and then moved to the metal bodied guitar. This was first and only problem. I was using a Fender Acoustasonic 30 amplifier to plug the guitar and the iPAQ into. For some reason the pickup or the wiring in the metal bodied guitar has failed, so I was forced to work by muscle power alone.

Although I was getting tired and hungry, it was the feel of the rain drops that determined when I should pack up.

I enjoyed myself and raised a few dollars selling my CD's and coins from people generous (not tight) enough to spare a few coins.

As I packed up I could hear a slide guitar on the stage and wondered who that could be. The next song answered the question, 'Powerhouse Blues Band'. Good to hear Peter Gray having a go at slide.

There were a bunch of acoustic musos jamming under the veranda at the old hotel and they looked like they were having a good time.

March 4th
Had a gig at The Gables with 'The Retro's'. Catchy name eh? Accomplices were Karl Moore (Guest vocalist), Karl Loehr (Bass) and Michael Dickson (Drums)

We did the same gig last year and the first anniversary has come up.

In case you don't know, Karl Moore has been writing lyrics to songs that we are helping out perform as songs in public. A lot of Karls songs deal with local towns, etc, and that gets a lot of local people involved in his work.

Karl got a bit excited and sang a little too hard in his first set and ended up with sore throat that precluded him from singing anymore. He tried, but we had the abandon the attempt as the mind was willing, but the throat wasn't.

Last year I had played a set on lap steel and the owners of The Gables were disappointed that I hadn't brought the instrument with me. Maybe next year?

Footnote
I pulled the metal bodied guitar apart Sunday night and found that the pickup had failed. What I earned on Saturday won't cover a replacement. Oh the life of an Artist!