the U S of A
We’ve arrived in sunny ol’ Los Angeles for our album recording session.. and we are very happy to be here, indeed! Getting out of Melbourne town to get creative with some staggeringly talented folk, especially in the midst of a heatwave, is a pretty *cool* way to spend the Summer. (very Punny…)
We’re in pre-production at the moment, which often entails taking the songs right back to basics, stripping them of their layers (like an onion.. Spinal Tap? Anyone?) and re-jigging, re-dressing and super home improvement-ing them as best we can before putting them back together.
It’s all going extremely well, well, apart from the occasional bout of food poisoning, gastro, pink-eye, a head cold and not being able to sleep past 5 in the morning! Damn you jet lag! So, APART from our health (which is on the mend, yay) it’s all feeling Right On. We feel very blessed to be here having this experience. Doing what we love, learning heaps of new tricks, finally pulling into shape a collection of songs that will hopefully be a good first chapter, and get across what the Verses are about.
Aaaaand, there’s DINERS. Awesome. More pickles please. Izzy’s is the shzzzzz. (see pictures) We were there for lunch, I had the giant pastrami sandwich and orrrrrsum chicken noodle soup and I got Jesse to go back down there and get me more chicken noodle soup take away for dinner.. (because I’m couch bound and blogging.. and I need it. I’ve got the head cold)
I hope to keep you updated as we get further along..
Till next time!
Good bye
This month has been rife with celebrity deaths.. It feels as though the whole year has been.
But none so sad and wasteful in my opinion as amazing musician, Vic Chesnutt. His album, Little, is a top ten favorite of mine, and his huge body of work is so great, individual, sincere, out-there and wonderful.. I am just so bummed he wont be adding anymore gorgeous witty devastatingly sad and sometimes macabre music to that back catalogue.. I had two cd’s that really made my year and grounded me in a turbulent time a year or so ago, and they were Cat Power’s Juke Box and Vic’s Little. I had a nightly routine of lighting candles in the bath room, turning up the stereo and having music baths.. It was so habitual that my housemates started to complain that the sound of running water, Vic Chesnutt/Chan Marshall and my tile-reverbed singing would be forever fused in their minds, ruining the desire to ever hear those two cd’s again..
Poor Rowland.
I’ll write more later,
so,
so,
sad.
The Iced Coffee Chronicals..
As you may have noticed, it’s been exceedingly hot of late. I am happy about this. Very happy. It’s time for skin to turn brown, windows to stay open all night, hair to get a chlorine volume boost, dinner cooking time to be cut in half (buy meat/fish/roo/haloumi, put on BBQ.. Done!) and for… ICED COFFEE. My Favorite.
Since the temperature rose a few weeks ago, I’ve trialed a few different versions of the icey goodthing. I guess I should have prefaced this post with the admission that coffee is one of my major things. One of the joys that I cannot go without. I go to bed thinking about the next morning’s coffee.. It’s true. And that all important first coffee has to be juuuuust right, Goldilocks. So, this is my home set up.. Old faithful- my GAGGIA ‘Classic’ esspresso machine, GAGGIA Small bean grinder (grinding in small, cup by cup batches is the way to go for frrrrreshness and flavour), Beans of choice are boutique importers, Obscura.. Their beans come from Lao, from the Jhai Coffee Farmers Co-op.. Fair Trade, of course!
The hand screen printed artwork on the coffee bags and cups is THE BEST. It was what caught my eye as I wandered past their coffee cart many moons ago..
It is beautiful and unique, and the coffee inside tastes as good as the designs look. I likey that. No false advertising here! If you’re ever in down town Kensington, visit them! They’re right opposite the train station.
Now, onto my Iced Coffee Creations! Take 2 shots fresh esspresso (I like the Obscura blends Naga or Dark Horse for a deep dark morning kick in the taste buds) Pour over ice filled latte glass, at this point it kinda turns into a icey water long black thing.. Pour a dash of milk or Bonsoy soy milk (I’m a soy drinker..but ONLY this brand, Japanese soy masters make Bonsoy and it tastes like awesomeness liquified..) OR just skip milk and head straight to CREAM.. Ahh, cream.. the basis of all my favorite edibles and drinkables.. Pour some on, not whipped, just thick and organic if possible, it should sit on the ice and get a bit frosty, some of it blending with the coffee and milk underneath. Shake shake of hot good chocolate mix on top, Cappucino style.. and you’re done! If you’re feeling decadent some chocolate syrup around the inside of the latte glass will make a nice ice-mocha version.. Mmmmm.. My main musts are.. Lots of ice, the whole thing is mostly ice and coffee, no sugar, cream/milk is sweet enough, and 2 shots of coffee.. good coffee.
Yum!!! Here’s to Spring! And hurry on now Summer! Ciao! I’m off to get caffeinated..
