Jamming with Bob in Malaysia – VIDEO
Bob and I got invited to play a couple of songs at a local cultural festival last weekend. I made an effort to look as Malaysian as possible but I had a bit of trouble working out how to wear my skirt properly…
Bob and I got invited to play a couple of songs at a local cultural festival last weekend. I made an effort to look as Malaysian as possible but I had a bit of trouble working out how to wear my skirt properly…
“You don’t have any money left at all? Where are you sleeping?” I ask Bob.
“Well… unfortunately, last night I slept under the roof of the public toilet in the park” he admits…
I started to notice that KC really liked certain harmonies. If I played an A or a G chord, she would stretch her neck out and howl a little bit, like she was singing…
Indian fruit is so much better than Australian fruit. Grow better fruit Australia!
The house band kicks off the evening with some slick prog rock, and then segues into blues and R&B standards. I jump up on stage, first chance I get, and it’s great fun. Everyone is relaxed, and happy to jam out…
It’s full of bacteria” he spat. “Look, there’s rats shitting on the floor, and flies landing on the rat poop, and then the flies are landing on the meat!” He looked outraged. “You take two mouthfuls of that curry, and you’ll be shitting through a straw for a week…
Fairy Meadow Beach is in the northern suburbs of Wollongong, on Australia’s south-east coast. Shannon and I have spent a lazy, sunny week here. This is a spot that could hardly be more convenient for low budget travelers. There are plenty of dumpsters nearby, overflowing with fresh fruit and vege’s. We have set ourselves up…
Hitchhiked 900 kilometres across Eastern Australia to Drake Village. Rode my bike 15 kilometres to the banks of the Rocky River. Hiked through the bush, pitched my tent, lived on mung beans and lentils for a week… all so I could be at Rainbow Gathering. Was it worth it? Yep. Absurdly beautiful river. Lovely, lovely…
Old mate from the council comes over, with a security guard in tow, and tells us:
“You can’t busk here unless you have a license”
We look at him like he has just landed from another planet.
“Of course we can” I tell him. “It’s our birth right as humans to play music wherever and whenever we want…”
We rock up to the Goldy’ Rollin’ down the road. KC ‘n The Moonlight Band, Lookin’ for bed and board. We don’t got no money, But we got the blues on be assured. First stop is the beach reserve, Gotta find a place to camp. Ideally next to a BBQ, And a slinky skate…
While we weave, Bianca tells us a story… “Mum has always been an activist. She has always been a proud and vocal Aboriginal woman, but when I was in my teens I was ashamed of who I was. I grew up in a context that was profoundly racist. At school I was regularly…
“When I was eighteen, I just went off and travelled… I didn’t have anybody watching me, or criticising me. I didn’t really have any money, but it didn’t seem to matter. People were so helpful and generous. My family reported me as a missing person. The police saw my truck parked in the street. They were like: ‘why don’t you call your mum? She’s worried about you.”