Accidentally Mexican Independence Day

Last weekend as part of my recovery I organised to catch up for lunch on Sunday with some friends.

Lisa felt like Mexican so we figured we'd go to our usual which is Baja Cantina in Glebe. We didn't actually check if it was open and were a bit dismayed when they appeared to be closed when we arrived. 

However on noticing that there were people inside we decided to very stealthily call and see if they were open. They said yes but they weren't taking bookings, which was fibe because we were standing about 10 metres from the front door. Anyway, as we walked back the reason for no bookings became apparent as they opened a door and put out the chalkboard declaring "Mexican Independance Day Celebration"

Woohoo. So we sat and ate food surrounded by Mexican ex-pats, a full band and the occasional dancer. It was fantastic!

The band. 

Us being celebratory 

Technically speaking Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th so this was actually a little early but fantastic none the less.

x

Final Bigsound post - I swear!

I forgot to share with you all the lovely and talented people that I met in Brisbane.

Check these gorgeous people out -

Hannah Rosa -
https://www.facebook.com/hannahrosamusic

Alex Watts -
www.alexwatts.com.au/

Jazz D'Arcy -
https://www.facebook.com/jazzdarcymusic

Lanks -
http://www.lanksmusic.com

I will add more as I know I've missed people but get stuck into these for a start.

x

Bigsound 2014 - part 3

So it turns out that Bloody Mary's, even virgin ones, are only palatable when seriously hung over.

Blerrrgh!

That was the start of my final day of Bigsound. Don't get me wrong, I was exhausted if not technically hung over, but that did not help. The weirdly vegetarian version of a bacon and egg roll, with a hash brown instead of bacon and some sort of delicious sauce, definitely helped though so bonus points to that. I did hear though that those who pulled themselves out of bed a little late only managed to score gluten free bread and bacon so I guess I had it pretty good.

Peter Noble - though we couldn't quite figure out what warranted the first 3 rows being cordoned off, or the numerous police officers in the auditorium, Peter Noble's keynote was a worthwhile and entertaining start to the final day. Covering pretty much everything from being mates with Bon Scott to his religion (Buddhism) and his views on drug use (which may have been why the police were there but that seems extreme...) he was engaging and dare I say it, adorable. Adding the wild card goal of playing Bluesfest to my list after that one. Hey, if they can book Mariachi El Bronx this year....

Mick Harvey - I'd happened upon Mick playing with Jess Ribiero the night before so I was interested to hear about his career and experience in the music industry. He seems to be a very self-effacing person. Maybe it's the old-school aussie mentality but there always seems to be something about these musicians that makes them feel like they just happened upon this path. Or at least that's how they tell it. Somehow I just don't buy it. I just can't see how you can "accidentally" spend 20+ years quite successfully making a career out of music if you didn't really try, didn't work hard and it just "happened to you". I'm sorry but I call bullshit. Maybe you don't want to admit it but you worked for it, you earned it, so just admit it because quite frankly it makes those of us that are in the midst of working for it feel absolutely despondent at the idea that you just lucked out when we're being told what we need to do is the complete opposite.

20 Questions - I missed the first part of this, I was having a second breakfast of pancakes, as you do.
Some of the interesting things that came out of it for me though were that everyone agrees Australia has shit internet, Bigsound is a fantastic event (duh) and I want Ali Hedrick to be my booking agent because when asked what she wants to see in the industry in the future her response was "good, fast punk rock".  Hell yeah!

Last up for the day was Funemployed with Justin Heazlewood (The Bedroom Philosopher). I'm pretty sure it wasn't the exhaustion making me a little hysterical, but either way this panel was great. Raw, honest chat about what it's like to be an artist in Australia with the likes of Russell Morris, Tim Shiel, Evelyn Morris and Megan Washington all weighing in.

Thus ends this years adventures, I caught up with and said good bye to many new pals, crawled into bed early (but not before writing a new song) and caught a mid-morning flight back to reality Sydney.

Thanks Bigsound, you were great!

x

The previously mentioned pancakes 

Bigsound 2014 - part 2

Well day 2. There were a few tired faces wandering around but a great line up of keynotes and panels got the crowds out.

Surfin USA was an interesting insight into the absurdities of visa processes (you have to basically make up a year long itinerary, when the industry rarely even books that far ahead) and how crucial it is to pick your battles when it comes to choosing your moment to play a festival. 

What fans want is access to artists, basically, and even self professed "super fans" rarely pay for music. (Depressing right?!?)

Publishing is a critical part of your team (as if you had any doubt :) ) but it's not always a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket. If you've got a great label, that are ok publishers, let them be a great label and find a great publisher instead. 

Last session of the day for me was the Indie labels panel. My heart already belongs to indie labels anyway but it was a great reminder that they're the ones able to take greater risks and will allow the artists they work with to "drive the car". 

Everywhere you looked people were talking about creating a buzz and having a story as an artist. I'd love some panels next year that discuss how to actually do these sorts of things.

Maybe by next year I'll have figured it out myself and you guys will be the first to know :p

As for Bigsound Live, it was a busy night so I'm going to sum it up in pictures. 

Lia Mice

Luca Brasi - who brought out the who's who of local punk and hardcore industry and media.

Mise En Scene were fantastic, I now count myself as a fan. 

I happened across Jess Ribiero so I guess I have the god of rock'n'roll to thank for that happy discovery. 

Closed out the night with a pink lemonade and Marlon Williams. A perfect ending to a looooong day. 

X

Bigsound 2014 - part 1

Neil Finn talked LSD spiked m&m's, dancing with the stars and feminism. 

Canadians love us as much as we love them.

Agents are the new A&R. 

Oh, and trying to sell merch is a waste of time in India.

So far, Bigsound has been a blast. So much interesting content, so much passion and devotion to our industry, and so many interesting and lovely people. 

Where it's all happening, the Judith Wright Centre. 

I'm trying to balance wanting to see everything and talk to everyone with not exhausting myself on the first day. 

Tonight I'm hoping to catch Kathryn Rollins, Lanks, Steve Smyth and Lime Cordiale.

X

Big Sound

I'm going to Bigsound!

So excited. I didn't go last year but I did the two years before that and it is always the best time. 

I will attempt to record as much as possible of Bigsound 2014 however this may be spread across twitter and Instagram as well so keep an eye on those - @elanor_jane

Paper and poppies

Well it's no secret that I'm a fan of cupcakes, it's in the name!

While I was away one of my gorgeous friends came across a pic on her social feeds from a new bakery, not far from her, in Woolooware. She was hearing rave reviews from a few friends that had ventured down and thought it would be a good place to check out for our semi-regular high tea. 

Unfortunately for us though our excitement got the better of us and we decided to go down on the first available Saturday that we were all free, which was last weekend, and coincidentally the last Saturday of the month which is the only Saturday that they DON'T do high tea. 

Oh well. 

Last weekend we headed down in the morning to beat the rush. Ha, that didn't work but we did get a table after a little while and managed to score that last 2 scones of the day which should tell you something about this fledgling shops booming popularity. 

Seeing as we couldn't do official high tea we decided to create our own selection of tea, cupcakes and scones which worked pretty successfully. 

They have a huge range of tea which you can also buy to take home if you fall in love with it and they provided a tea timer (pictured) to ensure the perfect brew. Major points in my humble,tea obsessed opinion. 

The also do delectable hot chocolate for the less tea inclined. 

They have a huge range of cupcakes, tarts, brownies and donuts so we were in no way disadvantaged by our lack of high tea fare. The decor is beautiful and bright with a nice mix of vintage feel and clean finishes. They even pulled out an extra table and chairs to accommodate their eager patrons, how's that for service. 

Our selection on the day ended up being a peanut butter and a Nutella brownie, lemon meringue, pink lemonade and gaytime cupcakes, as well as a caramel filled donut (not pictured)

Not only did we overdose on delicious sugary goodness we were also so enamoured that we all got things to take away for our significant others/flat mates.

Their brilliant baking genius even made this easy for us with cake-in-a-jars! How could we refuse, really?

Finally, I know I've met a like minded soul when both pink lemonade soda and cupcakes are in abundance.

All in all I would highly recommend a visit to Paper and Poppies. If you can catch their high tea let me know how it was!

X

Ps - they also do wedding/occasion cakes (see top photo) if you are the way inclined. Check them out here: www.paperandpoppies.com

Cebu

So the trip to Cebu was crazy busy, very eventful and awesome as I finally got to meet our team there. I pretty much didn't stop while I was there so this one's just a photo wrap up. 

The view from the hotel across to Mactan

Fresh made lemonade with a shot of sugar syrup to control the sweetness

The most amazing Ginger tea I have ever had at the wellness centre 

The team after knock off ( too busy while we were on the clock, for photos)

Parasol lights in the restaurant at the Marco Polo Cebu

We got presents from the team!

KTV!!!!

Me, hard at work

The obligatory jeepney pic

Loved it x