G'day Folks

It's been a .....confusing three months..Starting with The National Folk Festival in Canberra where we celebrated the 4000 gig.

As to the actual 4000; it fell, as Fate would have it, on the little Cafe Stage to only about 100 people. What was supposed to be a 15 minute set was stretched to about 30 minutes, thanks to a little insistence from the crowd and some Prima Donna behaviour and some sheer stubborn resistance from me. The next night in Budawang Pavilion, performance 4001, Andrew Clermont and I performed to several thousand people and got a huge response.

I quite liked they way that those two gigs summed up the last twenty three years. Everything from the biggest to the smallest; the most wonderful to the most ignominious; the most high profile to the most ignored and somehow by knitting them together ....'I got a life' and I remain enormously grateful to the fans that it was the one that I always wanted. The other highlight of the National was to work as Karen Lynne's 'sideman'. Thanks to Alison Cone and Karen Burton for the articles in Cornstalk and to Tina Luton and the folks at 'Aussie Post' for the great coverage The articles are now available on the Website.

Karen Lynne Frencham and I have been working extensively together since the beginning of the year and a lot of folks would now be familiar with her from gigs at Jamberoo, Mt Kembla, Shellharbour and Dural.

 This quarter took us out on the road together for the first time; sometimes with Andrew Clermont, along a full concert tour across the Northern Tablelands saw all-but sellout shows. The Chapel Theatre in Glen Innes for St Joseph's School, and the YCW Club in Armidale for Armidale Hospital fundraiser started the run and were very successful.

A BIG thanks to organisers, Jim Maher in Armidale, John and Carolyn Hamilton in Glen Innes, Ralph and Cheryl Chamberlain in Parkes, Bill and Mary Long in Oberon and to John and Joy O'Connor for their efforts. The funds raised from the Community Concert Programmes have benefited a lot of organisations now but it is the energy and the commitment of the local organisers which make it all possible. If you would like to know more about that programme please feel free to call us or see the Industry page on the Webpage for details.

The Cottongrowers' Awards in Moree in May were also major success. The event has grown in both size and prestige and congratulations go to David, Brian, Lloyd, Michelle and all the team at Greenmount Press in Toowoomba whose brainchild it was. The two day event brought Karen's extraordinary voice to the attention of a whole new set of fans. Karen's version of my song 'Song of The Quilt' has received a lot of support from fans and is headed for a spot on her new Album to follow up the multi-nominated 'Labour of Love' Album.

'The Rush', 'Everyone was Right', 'Who are These People?" for the sacked Eden Cannery workers, "One Lullaby", The Cod That Ate the Moon' and 'The Light' are new songs treading the boards this quarter and several of them are the result of extensive co-writing with Karen.

I have not traditionally written with other people but I think there is something in the way Karen approaches a song that has given me permission, I suppose, to come to the writing process in a more gentle and sensitive way. I guess my songs have always had a harder edge and I know there's are lot of people who prefer that; particularly among my folk following; but I think within a body of work; something of the romantic is always necessary...

Perhaps it's Karen's heavily Country Music background but she really does understand the emotional nature of those kind of songs and after so much social comment and political material it has been liberating to write some of that stuff. Besides.... she has such an angelic voice, she's an irresistible vehicle for any songwriter and she's a fantastic friend as well, so the touring has been wonderful. She will be touring, however in the UK in August so we may not see her for a little while now.

The Canowindra Balloon Festival was a BLAST. That piece of precision flying where the AGFA balloon grabbed the car key from the 80' pole after navigating the balloon in from 5 km away was amazing. It gave them a one in three chance for the car. O.K.; so they struck out when the envelopes were opened but that didn't detract from the feat and he took home a gold ingot as a consolation prize so the crowd was happy. The music and the balloons were a joy but the FIREWORKS!   did us all proud again. Karen and I were so lucky to do the spot prior to the pyro technica The size of the crowd (some- where around 25,000) was mind boggling at that point Yet another great event to mark my April.
Speaking of Karen, her wedding to Banjo Player extraordinaire Marty Louis from Acoustic Shock is scheduled for late November....The day after my second son, Peter, marries his mentor's daughter, Rebecca. Becky used to watch Peter, at the age of 5, come around every Saturday morning for Drum lessons with her Dad, Jess Zappia. Now we know why he was always so keen to impress.

Both families are thrilled. Speaking of Pete, his engagement, his commitments with Pearl Drums and his new band called of all things....The Alien Sex Gods!!!!! (Don't even ask about the CD cover!!!!!).. has meant that he has finally decided to part company with The Bushwackers so it certainly is the end of an era. Peter will however be returning to the drum seat for one last time, for the Double header Pat Drummond/Bushwacker shows that we are doing together on the 6th and 7th of August. Not to be missed

Thanks to those who turned up to support us on Anzac Day. Andrew Clermont, with his protege Jody Moore, took over the stage for a fiddle duo spot which was the high point of the night. Thanks to Jody for the surprise appearance.

Since it's release on the NFS promotional CD 'The Road To Damascus' has received huge airplay which has I must admit taken us by surprise, given that it's so wordy and long; and the album has sold strongly.

A new single, 'Somebody Else's Slides,' will now be released from 'Through the Cracks'. The upshot is that the new album will probably not be released until November.

Speaking of new albums, however, 'The Naked Poets' The Bush Poetry/comedy/cabaret show that we staged in Tamworth over the last few years to sellout crowds is about to release it's first CD. The Naked Poets are Marco Gliori, Murray Hartin (from The John Laws Show) Ray Essery, Shirley Friend, Bobby Miller and yours truly musical links, songs, general interjections and production.

Recorded live to a packed house at The Tamworth Golf Club it really is a very funny album and very different. I've always had an involvement in both Comedy and Poetry so The Naked Poets has been a chance to indulge that
Called "The Naked Poets .... Lie...v" The tracks include:- The Mr. Whippy Ripoff - Marco Turbulence - Murray Little Rays Of Sunshine - Ray Toilet Paper Linedance - Pat The Story Of My Life - Marco The Swimsuit - Shirley Aliens - Bobby The Burglar - Bobby Snakeman - Marco Somewhere In The Car - Pat Australia's Boring - Shirley Raymond Roots - Ray My Weight - Cast FinaleThe CD will be released at The Gympie Muster and fans will be able to get them at any of Pat's gigs after the August tours or through the mailing list or the WebPage.

Two gigs that I hope you will all support this quarter are the double headers with The Bushwackers and with Anne Kirkpatrick in early August. It's always great to team up with acts of this calibre. As usual, we will be doing a set apart and a set together at the end of the night.
Something really different at both shows so put aside the weekend of Fri, 6 Aug at Woolaway Woolshed and Sat, 7 Aug at Wentworthville Leagues for the Bushwackers show and the evening of Fri, 13 Aug for The Anne Kirkpatrick Show at The Dural Country Club.

All the best

Pat and Carol