when you don’t tour often, the idea of one show in the middle of a gig drought, is both exciting and petrifying. it’s not just one night in a string, where you have a chance to redeem or bury yourself each evening. it’s everything. i mean, i like my shows to mean something more than ‘do-a-little-dance, make-a-little-love, get-down-tonight’ at the best of times, but the stakes are raised on your own personal best when the odds are 1 in 365 (we all know i now play more often than that, but poetic license made me lie a little cos it just sounded so good). getting to the point (jeezus, it was only a decaf), i had the jitters. i thought i had mastered that monumental problem of stage fright…………………………………………………………….guess not. i was so worried about forgetting the lyrics to the new songs, of which i had challenged myself by adding half a set of new or rarely played tunes, that i even forgot the lyrics to songs i’ve played a million times. on the personal best world book of records, in the angie-amnesia category, it was an all time high.
but, i wasn’t worried. i actually managed to have a wonderful evening in spite of my own efforts at sabotage.
i have found some wonderful and willing friends to play with me, which is no mean feat in this town. they all have their own successful acts, (mike plays with my ex-husband, in morrissey’s band. ben plays in porcelain. jay’s band is 50 cent haircut.)
that will inevitably make them unavailable for gigs, tours and rehearsals for gigs and tours, but there are three of them, so i could get lucky here and there.
the song that felt the most like home for me was, don’t be shy’. it’s one of the songs from the devotional project craig and i are working on right now:
don’t be shy
you should always ask why
every day is a prayer for you to say
every night is a time to be alright
all your life
you’ve been waiting for a sign
been ashamed, been careful, been afraid
there’s no need to hide, no need to tread light
nothing’s right
it’s all made up in your mind
it’s okay it’s all there for you to play
it’s a ride, you can fight or you can fly
as soon as the song began, the feeling was so uplifting, if not happy/sad…..the way i like em. it really represents the way i feel and where i am at in my path. i think more than a few of these tunes will find their way on to the angie album.
which is moving along at a swift little pace! i have more than half an album’s worth of songs. i can’t believe it myself.
the show was a symbol, for me, of the milestone i have reached, as i played a bunch of songs that none of my friends had heard. i felt very proud of myself.
i’m getting prepped for my oz trip in august. the hoi dates are locked and it looks like we’re going to have some serious fun….and some whimsical, fly away, fluffy fun, too. dean has put a really special show together. i can’t wait to get to sydney and join in the rehearsals, he’s such a kindred, kindergarten spirit.
had my manager, will, come to stay over the weekend. speaking of kin-kin spirits! we drank, as all people who come into contact with me are wont to do, we did karaoke (sang blur’s ‘tender’ together), as is also an angie staple activity, we danced, we ate good bad food, and we lounged about my air-conditionless apartment in the heat. sadly, he flew back to melb last night, but i’ll see him in less than two weeks.
we’re putting together plans for some solo shows for the aug/sept trip, as well as working on where to put my music, now that it has climbed out of my head and into a listenable format. it’s a very exciting time for me.
thanks to the forum people who came to the gig and posted reviews. i really appreciate you making the site more of a community.
it’s all coming together,
love and peaceful thoughts,
ang x