"Do you get any gigs from the advertising on your van?" someone asked me yesterday.

Yes. Most certainly. It has paid for itself many times over. I can think of a few straight up-USQ University, LEC Festival inRocklea, The Ekka, Brisbane City Council, and alot of private parties. Country pubs always ask too. It certainly catches everyone eye.

Tis a cryin shame but longeviety in the music industry is not a given.Can it be true.....

Two of Brisbanes iconic musicians have moved on or were pushed, not sure till I get from the Horses Month. Joel amd Jo T were not   at Casablanca last week, and BIG Mama was a NO SHOW too. Wow , Amazing. Unthinkable really. Of course they were replaced by other islanders of dubious musicianship and singing abiltity but still hijacking the Caribbean sounds....... Most musicians in Brisbane are amazed J and J lasted sooo long anyway (20 years or thereabouts) with all the trouble it takes to get paid after each gig etc. It will be interesting to see how it pans out with the newies....beleive me they will have some big friends to help support their cause! Good luck to Joel and Jo T..c u around the traps.

ABC 612 Interview for Madonna King

Terri Begley from 612ABC interviewed Alvin for the "Faces of Brisbane" segment featured on Madonna Kings' morning program. Alvin was asked "why he chooses to live in Brisbane?", "what he likes most about Brisbane and QLD?", " how long have you lived here?", "would you go back to live in Trinidad?" and alot of other searching, thought provoking questions that one never really thinks about until someone sticks a microphone under your nose and asks. After the interview and the microphone was turned off and during the photoshoot Alvin, Mr Jahbutu..... said "Damn... Now I can think of a lot of things to say!!!" After interviewing Trix, who wasn't lost for words!,  they gathered to get photos for the ABC web site. Terri was keen to have a CD so that Alvins original "ALIA" song could be played to introduce the interview when aired which will be in a couple of months. We are looking forward to hearing it. Thanks Aunty. Love your work Madonna and Terri. And Richard,Kelly and Spencer, and Macca on Sundays as we hit the road heading for a market somewhere.

It was not Alvins first interview with the ABC. During the Winton Outback Festival 2009 Alvin was asked to "front and centre" at 6am down in the main street with drum in hand for an interview with the local station.They visited us proir to the interview to get all the background history and have a cuppa. Alvin had meet them before when THE BANANA JOE SHOW broadcast a few songs and stories on the School of the Air..so he knew the procedure.

 

The  Gold Coast Marathon was so enjoyable.....  2010

The Jahbutu Band headed off early both mornings to give all marathon racers encouragment .Tunes like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE  brought alot of smiles from the competitors- can't say "runners" as by the time they got to Jahbutu some were walking!. And later in the day the crowds gathered around Jahbutu and their infectious music and and added another dimension to "inspiring" those that need inspiring.....................dancing in the street to the beat of the drum no less. A most enjoyable day for everyone...including the heros of the

occassion-The MARATHONERS !!!!!!!!

---

 

 

I thought all snakes

were asleep for winter by now.  It was a cloudy 21 degree day as the nights have been dipping down around the 11 degrees AND cooler mornings no less......Champion Bluedog pounced in to protect Alvin from a large snake today-LATE JUNE. Admittedly it was not a dangerous snake but really......  it should have been asleep. Anyway it was down tools for Alvin who didnt even want to drive the tractor. So no wood for the open fire until I was called to drive the tractor and gather the kindling. I went to inspect the snake but too late as Bluey had it by the neck and shaking it wildly left and right, bits of snake flew past me too- left and right. I made a quick retreat. It reminds me of a time when we first moved into the Jimboomba acreage. The past owners stored all the left over wood and bricks  from the house near the back fence. Too close to the fence actually because we realized we had to burn the piles of wood as they were infested with WHITE ANTS, yep the tiny destroyer of castles!!!ecchh. So we diligently moved all the wood away from the fence, plank after plank, until there right before his eyes was a green tree snake asleep. This was AUGUST admittedly so snakes SHOULD be asleep. Anyway we moved all the wood and burnt the pile with Bluey getting a small taste of what was to come!. Not long after I  was called  into the bedroom by ALVIN, the place of eternal and wise pleasure (as apposed to taking drugs to get high eg a natural high under the right circumstances!) and there was the mother of all snakes.  Don't get me wrong.......... IT WAS A REAL GREEN TREE SNAKE. damn. I rallied as Alvin lost it, swearing never to enter the house again. I tried to give focus to the situation by asking ALVIN to get a shovel from the shed. Happily he crept away. As I watched the snake desperately try to EAT GLASS I saw Alvin out the window  "bumpin" along,.....BUMPIN along means walkin SLOWLY. Oh God I thought.. "RUN" I yelled out the window to immediagte responce. Minutes later he fronted with said shovel......and after handing it to me promptly left the room. Shit I'd never willingly killed anything in my life but here goes...........I stabbed at the snake and finally seured it under the shovel blade. As I composed myself for the  last thurst Alvin said,,, behind the half closed door,,, "have you killed it yet?" Thats when I lost it ..... man, snake ,dick,  carpet, western red cedar walls, bed, linen, shoes..it had to over as I wanted no more of this.....whatever.  Green snake =0, Black snake =0, Jane.. 1.

The Jahbutu Band plays NORTHSHORE TAVERN.......... surprizingly the coldish weather is not affecting it. Jahbutu

can feel a bit of a ground swell happening which concidering all the music problems of the past... ( not Jahbutu, but other musos being fined for going over the noise restrictions!!TRUE, and the musos had to pay the fine) ............ its impressive to hear the staff and locals being so keen about Jahbutu. It is a credit to the pub that they have the hindsight, or is that foresight, to have continuity in music giving Alvin time to use all his skills and Sunshine Coast history to create a following. Alvin was a local on the coast for many years playing at The Beach Chalet and then at The Just Cool Caribbean Rest at Coolum. Both venues were famous with the locals, and hence tourists for its quality music. Touring may interrupt the progress but when Alvin and The Jahbutu Band return in mid October 2010 hopefully its will flow onwards and upwards....fingers crossed.

On all accounts Fete De La Musique in Brisbane is a great

success for all concerned. The Jahbutu Band were particulatly happy as the location was fantastic with the setting sun disappearing behind the city skyscrapers. Not very good for a photos but nethertheless a terrific outlook.The river cats and ferries below were busy with commuters,  the Kangaroo Cliffs hijacked by absailers and the parks ful lof joggers, walkers and dogs on leads., grannies pushing grandchildren in strollers and themseves! And what a surprise when they heard in the beautiful music in the distance. Most passer bys stopped and enjoyed the music and view. Some even abandoned the exercise till after Jahbutu  finished their set.Alvin gave a lenghty interview so keep an eye for the footage of the 2010 Fete.

 

 

1. The Jahbutu Band performs in the 2010 Fete De La Musique.

2. Kangaroo Point Bema "World Music Stage"

3. 4.15pm to 5.30pm.

4. Fête De La Musique also means: make music!

5. Fête De La Musique was established in France in 1982 and has been staged in more than 110 countries and 350 cities worldwide including London, New York, Berlin, Rome, Sydney, Bamako, Tel-Aviv, Havana, Tokyo and Cairo

6. It takes place every 21st June, the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.

7. In France and now other cities around the world, Fête De La Musique is celebrated with group upon group of musicians, whether well rehearsed or completely off the cuff, invading cafes, terraces, streets and squares. People sing and dance till dawn, swept along in an infectious wave of celebration that touches the whole nation

8. The event has become a social phenomenon in France and even had a postage stamp devoted to it in 1998

International charter

Fête de la Musique takes place every year on 21 June

Fête de la Musique is a live music celebration aimed at enhancing the scope and diversity of musical practices in all the musical genres

Caribbean Identity Under Seige!

Aussie Caribbean people need to stand up and be counted. Your music and how  it is delivered is under siege. "Caribbean themed" corporate gigs are being delivered by persons far removed from the Caribbean Sea, with not a steel drum,dread or tropical palm tree anywhere to be seen. Its such a shame when there are at least 4 authentic larger bands already existing in Brisbane.The Jahbutu Band refuses to be lulled into situations where Jahbutu are portrayed as token Calypsoians so as to add authenticity to ones corporate gig. A better place would be to have the true Trini and Caribbeanites centre stage backed by other nationalities....... if necessary.

WAKE UP AND GET ORGANIZED CARIBBEANITES......... DO AS DO....

"Beware" Unwary Bands doing gigs with .....

Mad keen about performing your music to a live audience. You jam and get better and better and when confident start to perform in the general public. Bingo all goes well and even better....a music agent  approaches and asks if your interested in getting gigs thru them.Oh boy..its too good to be true. Or sensing the time has come to start playing live you take the photos,lay down the MP3s and approach agents to see if they are interested in your act.......great ...the agent lists you.

Well be wary ..any gig the agent gets you ....you will be locked into a contract that says you can't approach the client for 12 months.Minimum.And if its yearly gig..bingo the agent has you locked in.

Now that may not sound like much but if a client approaches you directly and you do the gig.....the agent still expects their commission and will demand it.

The worst part is in the fine print on the contract...probably around clause 5.... THE CONTRACT IS VALID WETHER YOU (THE BAND) SIGN IT OR NOT!!! Can you believe it....The fundamental fact is you are bound to something wether  you sign it or not. The fact that you do a gig (thru the agent) means you agree to the contract wether you sign it or not, wether you return email it or not........!

With the advent of free websites any band can have their own webpage and are open to be contacted by anyone- new or old .Our experience is not to enter into contract agreements...put it in writing that your happy to do the gig but dont want to be contracted to the agent for ANY length of time after the gig.

Don't get me wrong agents have their place but they need to "disclose" LOUD AND CLEAR. Like Insurance companies! Besides most agents these days don't bother with contracts  as they (1) cant police referrals and (2) would not win in a court of law due to RESTRICTIVE TRADES practises. One gig per client per year constistutes unreasonable restriction of trade...believe me a fedral court judge assured me! Any agent worth their salt will understand that the internet has changed the way business is done, how the general public contact bands and agents alike. The whole world of "networking" has changed. Attitudes have changed. Agents need to change attitude too.

"Sista Sista" where art thou.....100% well done!

Intelligent,strong minded,well spoken, compassionate, songful, smokey, appreciative, helpful,public, confident, loveable,caring, hempful,enthusiastic,now a tenor pan player, cooking queen, wordsworth,songful, cool sista

HOORAY

"CROWD PLEASERS"

Yep thats how a BCC employee discribed The Jahbutu Band at the recent Drugarm Healthy High gig in Queen St Mall. What a compliment. We were thrilled to hear it as he would know, he works in the Queen St Mall and sees all the action on a daily basis.Queen Steet Mall hummed with onlookers tappin toes and swaying from side to side as the infectiuos tunes of Jahbutu caught their souls. Some even had a little lunch time dance!

BlueDog GoalKeeper

This is Bluedog Goalkeeper.See him on Youtube helping the socceroos  WIN in South Africa for the World Cup.He is a champian dog ...

WOT ROT

Middle men have a bad name. Well some middle women are just as bad. Such drama, such theatrics, its wayout and very weird.The lack of respect for Alvin who has been in the industry before they were out of school shows how little they know about the industry they proport to work in. A principle is at stake and they should know we don't need them- loyality has to earned and when they don't support us..well loyality goes out the window. I suspect  they took their eye off the big picture and focused on handbags instead of the core business.It is a great shame  our agent couldnt see her way clear to support us when we had supported her for years instead of lending approval to some other arrogant coked up middle man.......It is a shame but Im grateful for the learning curve - we won't be bullied or threatened. No way. The internet, google etc has changed the face of business forever and it is up to us to keep up with it..and thats what we are doing right here,right now.

Zion Sundays to end Sunday 20th June 2010

Jahbutu's last Zion Sunday will be 20th June 2010. Its been a fantastic 8 months for both Jahbutu and The Calypso Bar and we wish the Calypso team all the best with the sale of the Bar and a rosy future for everyone. Thanks heaps guys. The Calypso Bar- the grooviest bar in town, Jahbutu the grooviest band in town!!!!!

 But word has it Jahbutu will be back on a Friday or Saturday soon!! Shall keep you posted.

Anthems at the Gabba, WACA and MCG 2010 cricket season.

 Alvin  at sound check at the Gabba at 6am in the morning!

June 2nd 2010 is a very very special day.

Alvin R officially launches his free download  of the Ep "That's Love"  for his 3rd CD called RISE at the Queen Street Mall gig for Drug Arm "Healthy Lunch". It has taken Alvin 6 months of solid work to get it all organized. Read all about the recording of the EP in India and follow up in Aus and go to the promotions button if you would like to download "That's Love".

Biggest Corporate Conference in Brisbane for 2 years

she said. And she was right. It was a big event. Jahbutu 4pce played  the grand finale for the petroleum conference  at South Bank Beach to a packed , appreciative audience and rave reviews.Well done guys.And what a back drop for the photo with the Brisbane City skyline in the back ground...just beautiful.

 

 

Cartel Bar

Another bar in Caxton Street has taken out a residency with The Jahbutu Band.Check out the gig guide to see when Jahbutu plays Cartel Bar.Nice

Zion Sundays

Once again The Jahbutu Band have been given a specific job.....increase the numbers for Sunday arvo trade.First of all we  were asked to get patrons straight after work on Friday afternoons. That was successfully done..so now Jahbutu's new goal is the do the same except on Sunday afternoon.So after Jahbutus' Cool Man Tour to Gladstone the band swapped to Sundays starting 18th April 2010.Mission accomplished by 30th May 2010. Six solid weeks of good PR and street advertising all worked well for The Calypso Bar, Caxton Street,Paddington.

So if your wanting some good vibes on a Sunday arvo you know where to go.

 

Alvin sings WI Cricket Anthem at MCG

Alvin was invited to sing the WI Anthem at the MCG  for the One Day International  Feb 7th, 2010 between obviously Australia and The West Indies. I asked Alvin who he would be barracking for...... and he said "It's a hard one as both are my team." "So I suppose you go with the one who wins?" I suggested. "Yeah well that'll be the West Indies then" he announced. Doesn't matter anyway as it was a great day at the MSG and a great day to catch up with "d'boys" and get a few autographs.

Cricket Heroes

Its True- Alvin is a cricket fanatic. So there was no saying "NO" to the 5 hour drive and no fee to play at an evening hosted by Sir VIv Richards and Rodney Hogg.  Besides Alvin and Viv had meet previously and it was time to catch up again. The event was held at the little sleepy town of Woodgate, just south of Bundaberg. It was a big night for the town too as the only club in town , The Woodgate Bowls Club was booked out. It was great evening with Sir Viv and Rodney, and the food was great ( new kitchen), the decoration very impressive and money was raised for local charities. Alvin set the scene with some light music and after proceedings got the locals up and dancing. Well done .

Operation CD RISE

Part One

"Lets Go...If we don't go now we never will....I Will Organize It." I said. It was going to be a tight deadline as we needed to be back in Australia for Alvin to sing The West Indies Cricket Anthem at the MCG for the first One Day International against Australia, but well worth the effort. A few quick enquires and our man in Bangalore,South India (Paul Santiago) had our accommodation sorted and booked. I then looked after the air fares....then the visas. Bummer.....Alvin's passport was due to expire and with less than six months left before expiration. The Indian Government denied him a visa unless it was renewed,pronto... so he quickly shot off an application to the Aust Government for a new passport as we were due to fly out in 10 days. Time to get all the music organized, melodies to create, songs to write!, scripts and words to complete.....seriously it was a tight deadline. Amazingly the passport arrived with 2 days to spare. DONE AND DUSTED..we were going to Bangalore to record Alvin's 3rd CD solo album.

Part Two

Bangalore at night can be a little daunting especially when its your first time to India. Negotiating the taxi fare to our accommodation was the first of many such dealings....."negotiations" and I suspect an "overpriced service especially designed for tourists".  The taxi was a new model Toyota, with real working air conditioning, windows that wound up and down, and the standard blinker ....called a horn, luxuries we grew to appreciate the longer we stayed in Bangalore. On the hour trip to Maxims Guest House we  watched wide eyed the passing parade..men walking along the streets and gathering around curry house or bars, dogs, not many women around, light bulbs without shades and we took in the traffic chaos.Our request for bottles of water bought our taxi to several stops outside little shops ( more like double doorways) dotted along the pavements, and finally our taxi  driver reappeared with 6 dusty plastic bottles, thank heavens. He wiped them clean before giving them to us.

We were greeted  by the night porter (who slept on a church pew at the front door every night and worked by day somewhere else) who kindly carried our suitcases up to our 3rd floor room. Just as well as we had our first bout of breathlessness.We hit the bed literally as it was rock hard, but no matter as we had jet lag to bring on the ZZZ,s.

 

Part Three

India is very very very busy. Bangalore almost has half total population of the whole of Australia and its just one of many huge cities in India! The roads are full of motorbikes and scooters, rickshaws and small cars.They blow their horns to let people know they are coming but as there are so many of them it just becomes a noise in the background until they are almost upon you.We have seen a few cows wondering around the streets-they are sacred and just go anywhere they like.If I were a cow I'd get out of the city!

I love to see all the ladies in their Saris. They are all different colours and prints.The women even work on buildings sites in their flowing Saris ....they carry besser blocks on their heads up scaffolding in saris its amazing to see. Some even scoop gravel and dirt into hessian bags and carry then on their heads into the building sites. Groups of children play in the piles of dirt whilst their mothers work. It's like a work-site daycare centre. One little girl was about 18 months with no nappy on but a plaited decorated string worn like a belt around her waist. She was cute and happy.

The food is great but you have to like spicy food like chillies. So far no dellie bellie as we are drinking only bottled water. The food is really cheap. We go out to lunch everyday.The accommodation is satisfactory but the mattress is only 2 inches thick placed over a wooden plank, It really is a bit hard on the old bones. But I'm not complaining as I have a real toilet that flushes, (not like the starters blocks (swimmers terminology)) and a running hot water shower.

The morning after arrival we received a phone call from Tullu, he was the drummer for the sessions. He informed us the he would pick us up to attend a meeting with Alwin, the MD and the other musicians to plan our course of action. As it turned out the meeting point was at Alwin's  house (guitar player and MD) which was right around the corner and took a whole three minutes to get there.

Alvin has started  to record his new CD and is getting very excited about it.... the musicians are excellent.The only problem is 2 notes on Alvin's drum were damaged in transit (thanks  Singapore Airlines) and we need to find a hammer to fix it. Looks like we will get a few gigs as well.

Part Four

"Yes my darling Jane" he said " you were right again..this is  a fantastic experience....., and fancy "Recorded In India" will be on my next CD. *(I knew all along it was the right move.)*

 Alvin is busy rehearsing. The musos are fantastic. The real studio is booked for next week so they have 3 more days to organize pre production on  5 more tracks. I hang around and take photos  and videos. We go to lunch everyday which is a highlight. Prakesh, the bass player is in charge of "eating and menus" and so far the food has been delicious. And so cheap.... we shout most times as its the least we can do.....costs about $7 for 5 of us for a full meal. Mostly curries, masala chicken, rice, flat bread, hummos, pickles etc. All the Indians eat with their fingers. So far we've had traditional Indian, Thai and Moroccan food. All yummy and spicy.No idea whats on the menu today.

Pre-production  is at a studio above the guitarists house. His name is Alwin- one letter out from Alvin!! He is married  to Rashim who is an ENT specialist (doctor) and stunningly beautiful.They have 3 children who are so cute especially Gia -the youngest. Alvin is going to write a song about her one day. Everyone speaks English so Im having long conversations about Tom and Jerry etc. Mary the maid has good English too. Mary has a child but her grand mother looks after it whilst she works  for Rashim. Alwin is in demand for his music- even Bollywood calls him.

.The accommodation at Maxims is clean, like a house on 4 levels but we don't go down to the bottom level. The entry is on the 2nd level.Too embarrassed to ask about the bed- must be getting used to it now. I often stand on my Juliet Balcony and take in the views..... traffic,buildings, some trees  and pollution. We are getting asthma a lot and suspect the smog.

The traffic is crazy. Alvin has mastered it but I'm still hesitant. Alvin says we'd never get anywhere if we waited for me..or for the traffic to die down.The cars and bikes don't go fast its just that there is so many of them. They dodge the walkers and other traffic but there is no centre line or from what I can see road rules. Everyone walks on the road as the pavements are very unpredictable, sometimes non existent.

I spent half of today with the tailor. Business shirts are $8 but that's the expensive ones with cuffs for cuff links. 2 Aussies came in whilst I was there.. from Perth. we had long chats..they lived just down the road as children and had returned to visit old family  and school friends.I haven't made it to the markets yet but will organize it for this weekend as Alvin will be working both days solid. Got invited to a gig last night but Alvin worked. Next week we should be able to see a few.

Part Five

On Saturday we ventured into Commercial Street. Good name - no guessing there! The Markets.

We got in there about 10 am to find most of the shops closed as the markets start around 11am. It was great to wonder the streets ans watch as the locals get organized for another commercial day! Slowly the place came alive- and to be sure the place was humming with hoards of people by 12 md. We went into a few shops one in particular was a brass shop full to the rafters with brass door knobs, bells, gorgeous hand blown glass and brass lanteens in every colour imaginable, elephants etc. It was a treasure trove but we didnt buy anything due to the weight.

We hired Tanveer and his rickshaw to get us into the CBD. Tanveer was a mad cricket fan with Ricky Ponting his favourite. He swapped scores  etc the whole way with Alvin.We read the Indian Times every morning  over breakfast(60rupee omelet which Shanti cooks for us daily) (and I would like to say..in a tranquil beautiful setting but unfortunately the Bangalore traffic serenades us) and in every issue Cricket is front page news and its often about the Aussie Cricketers.There are 85 channels on the TV and at least 10 are dedicated to cricket. No complaints here.

So back to Tanveer and his mighty rickshaw. We had to be a the American Express office by 2pm. We went to the original office to find they had moved to another location. Tanveer took it upon himself to get us to the new office hell or high water. "I make it Mam...he said. Into the traffic we went manically scooting around all the cars, rickshaws, motorbikes, pushbikes, dogs and people, swerving  left and right to get a better position in the already heavy traffic. It was a thrilling race against time ( well for Tanveer at any rate) and yes we made it just in time.

 There is an add on TV for trainer wheels for scooters that are very popular. The add is directed at the saris wearing drivers of the Indian population, but not very encouraging for we tourists. There are plenty of girls who ride the scooters with their saris flowing behind them and I have even seen women riding the scooters in their burkas (Muslim), with just their eyes visible.At the local supermarket their is a security guard posted outside guarding open lockers for customers.I watched a young girl arrive in her black burka and then proceed to remove it, put it in her locker and walk into the supermarket and commence work as a check out girl. Not sure how that works but I did see it with my very own eyes.

The other night we went out to watch Nick and Paul (PAN- Aussies.. with Paul having worked with Alvin in The Banana Joe Show). It was a lovely restaurant,  food good, clean, modern, with a fantastic terracotta tiled ceiling and a fab little venue for music. Alvin and Paul will play there next week.Yesterday  we jumped into a rickshaw to go to a very good restaurant that we had been to with the musos. The driver assured he knew the place.We knew he was going the wrong direction but we sat back and took in the sights and sounds- we saw a horse pulling a beautifully decorated cart full of PVC plastic pipes longer than the horse and cart put together!!!, saw roadside butchers with goat carcasses hanging in the wind( read flies, dust, smog), saw a man walking along carrying dead ducks in both hands, saw roadside vendors with clothes displayed up a 6 meters high rock wall and the whole wall was covered. We went thru Commercial St missing the pedestrians by inches. Finally we made it to the restaurant, had a delicious lunch and almost repeated the drive home albiet a more direct route. Headache material. The total cost of our little excursion which included rickshaws, lunch, 5 rupees to the beggar outside the restaurant,and a tip for the restaurant...$9.00 AUD!!!

The Herb N Spice Restaurant, Bangalore is sponsored by the Havana Club...

Part Six

Home after a day at the real studio..and vegetarian curry lunch. Oh boy the CD is going to sound great. Today the drummer laid down his tracks,Alvin should be singing tomorrow, and steel pan the following day.We are extremely impressed with the whole set up. Including 2 airfares etc we should be ahead $$$ wise as the musicians are so accomplished. Being here means you concentrate on just one project and can fast track every detail. Alwin is highly sort after for Bollywood movies and is just the nicest helpful  man. All the musos are very enthusiastic about the CD.

Ive been observing the Indian habit of the head wobble and have come to the conclusion that its an essential part of Indian communication. As a silent gesture it can mean anything...noun, verb, adjective and when combined with words its purpose/ meaning is empathized.... almost a double meaning. What ever... its a lovely mannerism that I find fascinating. Every Indian does it too, man woman and child.

One the way to the bank and Alwin's house there is a lady who strips sugar cane (about 3 meters long) and proceeds to crush it into a drink which she sells to passerbys. Today must have been maintenance day as she was had the machine all in pieces,( lying on top of a banana leaf) using a spanner, hammer, and oil to repair it. All this as she squatted on the roadside in her pretty yellow sari. We haven't tried to drink as she mixes it with water but business is brisk when shes there.

Just down the road on the way to Alwin's house we pass the "ironing couple"- a husband and wife team ( and a teenage daughter who helps when not at school).They have a little trolley about 1.5 mts long with a covered top which they park on the curb under a light so they can work late. Actually its a drain which the husbands stands in so he can iron on the  stone pavement which is about a metre high (ironing board height)The wife uses the  trolley as her ironing board. They use old irons filled with coals from a fire they lit in the drain. I think the  coals are like the ones used in webber BBQs in Aust.The coals last about an hour. The weight of the iron is a bicep workout  to say the least. It costs 4 rupee a shirt which is about 10 cents..they work from 10 am to 9 pm everyday except Sundays. I asked them there names but  I am unable to write them down as each word has about 15 letters in it.

Its a good thing the ironing couple don't rely on electricity as most days that we have been recording at Alwin's the electricity has been cut for 4 hours at a time.It has been annoying but what can we do except go to lunch! It is quiet common as the grid is overloaded.We found out alot of the idiosyncrasies of Bangalore from Paul and his sister Kate and their friend Moralie. Paul toured South East QLD with Alvin and The Banana Joe Show for 10 years with QLD Arts Council and it was Paul's idea to visit India and record there. Paul and Kate grew up in Bangalore and visit their mother who still lives there. We spent a few night with Paul and Kate but missed meeting mumsey- a shame as we heard alot about her life.

 

Part Seven

This morning we woke to the sounds of the randiest pigeon in Bangalore. The traffic noise had already kicked in but Mr Pigeon was on a mission. Fortunately SHE moved on taking him with her. Last night Alvin and I went out to celebrate end of pre production. Done and dusted. 7 songs in 9 days. Alvin and I went to the Sherlock Bar in Frasertown. We drank Kingfisher beer, watched Australian Cricket Week  and wrestling (USA)  and listened to early eighties disco music all at once. The walls of the bar were marble..floor to ceiling in salmon pink and chunky textured cream. Ummm. I was the only woman there until at the very end another Indian lady joined the scene. There was no dancing and the place was 3/4 full.  The 2 Indian men sitting beside us drank straight brandy and honey with water.

Yesterday I meet a friend of Prakesh, the bass player. Meenia comes from Kerelle, an overnight bus trip east from Bangalore. She is 45 yrs, childless, an artist and lives with her retired German husband.(ex antique dealer) She lived in Germany and Holland for some years but left saying it was too sterile and organized !!. Whilst the guys were working we popped out to the local Art Museum and College ( her old college). There was an exhibition of modern art by Ramesh Terdal - very good artist.The museum was a very old colonial building in need of a good paint. The lighting was very poor and did nothing for the artwork on show. The paintings were hung from star pickets nailed to the walls about 5 meters off the ground. They were once painted white but now the rust was showing thru. The whole place was in darkness and as we wondered from room to room a lady turned on the lights for us. Outside in the yard it was hard to distinguish between artwork in progress or rubbish but as we left a group of men were creating a masterpiece in the central roundabout.

After lunch Meenia and I away-ed to Commercial St as Meenia is going trekking soon and needed a new, dark blue backpack, big enough to carry all her art gear, easel and cameras etc. It needed to be a dark colour so as not  frighten the birds she wants to see, photo and paint. She specializes in birds and plants painting them in detail. She is trekking thru the largest Indian National Park which borders Burme, China and India. it is very remote, and she will need a guide with her at all times. Apparently you can see into the valleys of China from the highest point- altitude sickness does not bother her. Meenie also suggested that Alvin and I are suffering from mild altitude sickness  as Brisbane is at sea level almost and Bangalore is on a pretty high plateau.

As usual we are eating fabulous  Indian food with our friends. Curries taste better eaten with the fingers I am told... though I havent tried it .Alvin and I are the odd ones out when dining. The dish we order the most consists of 6 bowls containing 4 different curries, curds and a sweet dish, a larger bowl (teacup saucer size) of rice and then pickles, salad  and chutneys placed directly onto the large ( bigger than dinner plate size) stainless steel serving tray with a lip at the end.( so the food doesnt fall off the side) The trick to eating all this food is to take all the smaller bowls off the tray, upend the rice in the middle and then proceed to add the curries and mop it up with fingers or chappattis. It is a ritual for them.

Whilst waiting for the guys to finish recording a guy approached  to make offering to the hindu god. Meenia explained the process. A flame was burning in a small cup representing one of the most essential elements of earth..fire. It burned with incense. We stood, smelt and waved the flames( incense) into our noses ( I instantly go asthma) and then proceeded to decorate our foreheads with red and white dots. The red comes from a sacred tree and the white comes from ash.Red is for fertility and white is for godliness. This is done twice a day. Now I know why half the population has decorated foreheads, some quiet elaborate.

Part Eight

I was born and breed in Coffs Hbr- home to the Big Banana in Aust. My father even had several hobby banana plantations. I thought I knew a few things about bananas but in India I have seen more different types of bananas than I ever imagined. Besides the good ol" Cavendish and Lady Finger I have seen the cutest miniture banana, only 2 inches long and so so sweet. They are served with lunches as just described in part 7. I bought some hugh  bananas from my local fruit vendor which tasted horrible but Alvin informs me they are called Plantin and they have them in Trinidad and need to be fried.  Shanti the cook took care of those.

India is certainly a dusty place.. its true.. and there is a lot of rubbish..a lot, everywhere. Street sweepers sweep the streets with their cocyea brooms then collect the piles of dirt and leaves, dung and house rubbish and  place said rubbish into  communal piles of rubbish in designated places. The big piles of rubbish are favourite haunts of the cows and stray dogs who rummage through it, pushing the rubbish  every which way and making even more mess. Sadly even people go thru them too. About twice a week a smaller truck comes and people man handle the rubbish(again) into the back into the truck, only to go around the corner almost, to join a larger pile of rubbish. It is such a business someone oneday will coordinate the whole messy thing and become a millionaire.The good old plastic bottle and bag have such a lot to answer for- the world is drowning in plastic and it will kill humans  eventually I am sure. Recycled plastic bags- fiddlesticks - they last 1000 years in stead of 3000 years that's the only difference.India is  a fine example of how long they last. The Indian Government advertizes to ban the plastic bag which is a start.It appears to me most people keep there own patch clean its more the bigger picture that's missing.Sometimes there are signs on walls "Do Not Dump Rubbisb Here" so I suspect the locals just choose the dumping spots until told otherwise. The is no such things as wheelie bins etc.

India has the fastest growing "middle class" of any society in the world at this very moment. Mainly thru IT developments. Bangalore is the fastest growing city in Sounthern India. It has doubled in size in 10 years and the economy is booming.The government is trying to cater for the huge population influx - they are building a skyrail around the city CBD and out to the airport, in order to get rid of the rickshaws that cause so much congestion and pollution. Today we passed a new IT city built on a 35 acre swamp. New buildings with lots of glass, mostly a blue colour. There are plenty of adds for call centres..."Wordsworth training- Learn to speak nice English" It is amazing to think IT is so successful here, especially when just outside my Juliet Balcony at Maxims telephone wires are held up by a dead tree.

Alvin and I discovered our local park the other evening at sunset. It is about a 1/4 acre in size with walking paths around the perimeter and down the middle. There are seats, a small rose garden and a huge tree, and as its watered GREEN grass. We joined the locals in walking around and around in circles, well squares really. For a change we walked down the middle and changed direction! Some people even jogged but mostly they just walked... for hours round and round. Since then we have noticed alot of parks similar to ours but we have the best because of the huge tree.I think its the nearest we've been to real oxygen since arriving too.

We went to street art show on Sunday- its was fabulous. The whole street was an avenue of huge trees and the  for 2 miles was closed to traffic. All the art was displayed on the fences, specially erected frames or pavements, some was amateurish but some was excellent. Some of the paintings were 4m x 4m big. We bought 2 painting of "ruins" which we are visiting tomorrow. They were already framed and we got a lot of head wobbles when we asked for them to be unframed! I could have bought heaps.

Then we tried to go to Safina Plaza but the rickshaw man said it was closed and took us to a silk shop ( where he gets commission). Didnt matter as the jeans were great and Alvin got 4 pairs plus I got some shirts and tights too. Then he took us to several other shops but we didn't buy anything- much to his dissappointment. He was a bit cheeky as he asked us  "to cooperate with his family" (meaning food for his family etc) After the 3rd tourist shop that we were just not interested in Alvin said.... "its time for you to cooperate with us and take us to our restaurant, we are hungry and 2 hours late and if we have to cooperate anymore you'll have to PAY us!" He laughed.He drove us to Suzie's Kitchen for a Trinidad lunch which was really good. Yummy salads which I hadn,t seen much of.The rickshaw man slept in his rickshaw whilst we chatted to Suzie who comes from Tobago, married an Indian in London, moved to Bangalore and was so homesick for Trini food set up her own restaurant. Photos of Viv Richards and other cricket memorabillia decorate the place. She came to our gig at Herb N Spice and danced the night away. Felix was another Trini who came and he played against Alvin in the National Youth Soccer League.Silly me thought the rickshaw man would drive us stright home but no... he had 2 more shops for us to visit. Again we didn't buy anything so finally he gave up. We were exhausted.

Part Nine

Our last day in Bangalore was full on- sightseeing trip to Mysore to see temples, palaces,churches and of course tourist shops. Actually we spent more time at the shops than at the attractions,.Best of all was the Maharajah Palace which he still lives in. We had a guided tour and had all the painting decribed to us. They are amazing as the eyes of the horses, elephants and Rahs follow you as you moved about. The columns were fantastic , so inticate and so much gold! Weren't allowed to take photos so we bought a DVD from the tourist shop. I asked the attendant if she had meet the Maharajah and she said she had. Then I asked if he was a nice man and she said NO! We meet a lot of interesting people on the bus, we were the only....whities I was going to say but no...non Indians is more correct. Sorry Darling. Cricket was a common theme in most conversations and Alvin was very popular when they found out  he  will be singing at the MSG. We ate in tourist 'eat' houses and yes I went to the toilet and it was a starters block and when you flushed the water spreads out over your shoes. Knew it had to happen sometime. When we left Maixims I had the courage to mention the hard bed and was told they were in the process of replacing all the mattresses.......so on that note I said "I'd be Back!"

Last smells-

The small of India lingers in my clothes..curry, rickshaw smoke and rickshaw vinyl, petrol smelling smog,open sewerage drains 6 meters wide with not much water in them!,incense, cow dung, sandalwood, curry

Last visuals-

A lady jogging in her burka in one of the parks I mentioned, 2 sheep being transported in a rickshaw, plastic rubbish, temples as small as 3m x 3m with hindi priests bowing with hands pressed together, a real freeway like we have in Aust, 3 lanes wide but 6 cars abreast, free trolleys at the airport but porters wanting a tip, saris in every colour possible and worn by young and old, fat or thin, dark stright hair in one plait, head wobbles

Last auditory's

Beeping horns, talk of cricket, bollywood songs and movies, traffic, beeping horns My last impression is of a race of people who are so accepting- of religions,creeds,colours,hard work,no work, clean,dirty- a truely amazing country.