G'day Folks,

The months since the Tamworth Festival have been extremely busy time. Karen Lynne and I released our brand new album "Six Days in December", which were both very proud of. The album features a mixture of songs, some which I had written over the years and which I felt required of woman's touch; along with a number of duets which were specifically written by Karen and I for this project. "The Rush", "Everyone Was Right","The Old time Country Show" are all tracks which have gained wide radio acceptance. The current single, "The Rush", is receiving good air play nationally on the current NFS. "The Song Of The Quilt" has also attracted enormous attention from patchwork and handicraft groups Australia-wide. Karen superb vocals have been the subject of much comment. She has certainly been a great privilege to work with this past year.

I suppose I'm fairly well-known holding strong opinions and essentially those opinions inevitably curse us to political involvement. Under rather feisty political circumstances I was elected to the the CMAA board in January. Much of my time since has been taken up by a round of subcommittees activities in which I am seeking to promote the interests of independent Australian Country Music artists within what has become an industry largely dominated by big business.

Returning home after Tamworth, Karen began to adjust to life after Marty. marriage and moving. She and Marty have bought a lovely house in the mountains close to Carol and I, and have become a big part of our growing family of Blue Mountains country and folk music artists. Marty, who impressed everyone with his banjo virtuosity at the Jamberoo Folk Festival, will be appearing with us again this month at the South Coast Country Music Festival on April 14th and 15th at which Karen and I are the featured artists.

Speaking of Jamberoo, the superb organisional work by Dave De Santi and his committee made The 2000 Ilawarra Folk Festival absolutely the best ever. Singer- songwriter greats Brent Parlane, Enda Kenny and Neil Adam from Melbourne joined fabulous folk bands such Wonagawilli, absolutely brilliant these days with Jason and Chloe Roweth on board and The Fagans who are Folk Music's impressive answer to the Dead Ringer Band. Great harmonies and stirring social comment from two very talented generations of this deeply committed family. Among this cornucopia of musical delights; the Minnamurra rainforest Concert at Twilight was a definite highpoint. I also especially enjoyed the children shows this year working as I was with Australian band Jindi and the amazingly energetic Spanish band, Felpeyu who were the festival 'hit'. Seeing nearly 600 children at one particular show dancing spontaneously and joyously to folk music from another land gave me hope that we may yet achieve a musically multi-cultural world.

On the Live front,

a welcome turn around in the attitude of the Sydney Hilton Hotel in the run-up to the Olympic Games has meant that they have approached me to play in the Henry the Ninth Bar on Wednesday nights in the next two months. After their, thankfully, unsuccessful fling with covers bands in the last few months, they have asked me to feature Australian songs and stories on this night. Clearly their focus is now on the international tourist trade; many of whom will be staying at the hotel during the games; but it does give us a great opportunity to return to the inner-city. The gigs start at 7:30 p.m. which means that they are aimed at those who wish to grab a bite after work, come to the show and still be home in time to be compus mentus' for work the next morning.

Coming up this month we have a number of important events and Karen and I will be featuring at a number of club Auditorium concerts. On ANZAC Eve Karen and I will be playing at Corrimal League Club and on. ANZAC morning we will be playing the breakfast Service at Rooty Hill RSL Kicks off at 6.00 a.m. Friday May 5th finds me in combination with a few other Larrikins at the ride Eastwood Leagues Club Larrikins Night while the following week finds Karen and I together again at Campbelltown RSL, Northmead Bowling Club; and making a welcome return to the Oakdale Workers Club where we celebrated New Year's Eve this year.

We will be touching base in Country Music capitol, Tamworth twice over the next quarter. On May 27th for at the Tamworth RSL while we are there for the week long the Catholic schools state's principal conference. We shall also be doing some kids shows around that time.

As a member of the CMAA board I will be in Tamworth again on Friday June 9th for the Mid year festival which will feature among other things the new Independents CMAA Country Hoedown Concert at The Tamworth Town Hall on Sunday Night. I will be there only in a planning capacity.

Karen will be performing later that weekend out at the Trundle Bush Tucker Planning Day near Parkes.

July 14th and 15th finds Karen teamed up with good friend and Bush Poet, Len Knight for a weekend of shows in a "Clubland". Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL on the 14th and Hornsby RSL on the 15th.

Next Album.

I go back into a recording studio at the beginning of May to work with Nash Chambers from the Dead Ringers on finishing the "40 into 24" album and we hope this will be available before the end of the year. It is intended that this will be a very acoustic album. The new Naked Poets album is also in the works with a release planned again for the Gympie Muster. The Naked Poets ...liev to the amusement of all has been an enormous hit for us and is still selling strongly. Congratulations to Murray for his Golden Gumleaf Award for "Turbulence" See the Naked Poets page at

Home and Hearth.

On The Home Front there is much to report. Matthew who worked on the Oscar-winning movie 'The Matrix' last year has combined with our other two grown children Meghan and Peter in the production of a very youth-oriented dance/pop CD complete with the video clips Called 'Photographs', the interactive CD will be released this month. Peter who has been very busy on the Sydney recording scene since his departure from the drumseat in "the Bushwackers" has overseen the production of the music and recording behind Meghan's lead vocals and all three have contributed songs to the project and play on the CD. It is a classic piece of 90's pop /dance music and I know that have some sure-fire hits there; because I keep reaching out to change radio stations every time it comes on in the car. Seriously however, it looks set to be a very successful project and I'm very proud of all of them. Even before its release, It has been scheduled for airplay on Digital one, Spike radio and Show radio and possibly the Austereo network .

Carol finally 'kicked over the traces' and resigned from her job of some 13 years in a last-ditch attempt to finish the never-ending tertiary course she has been doing part-time over the last seven years. It means that she has spread out into the rest of the House which is now largely empty since Meghan left home at the beginning of this year. Our straggler Josephine is now five. She entered kindergarten the year after her big sister graduated. I think she's finding it a bit quiet here these days. She says she wants to learn guitar now too. As if the rest of us weren't enough. Current family pics now on the Website at

All The best

Pat and Carol