And Now For a Bit of Culchure, New Zealand-Style. A Little Blues Song Wot I Wrote – The Tariki Schoolhouse

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Mount Taranaki, West Coast, North Island. Also featuring in the foreground, 'Betsy', of New Zealand Bovine Models Inc, TM. The Tariki Schoolhouse lives under this mountain.

Mount Taranaki, West Coast, North Island. Also featuring in the foreground, ‘Betsy’, of New Zealand Bovine Models Inc, TM. The Tariki Schoolhouse lives under this mountain.

I have come to realise that I’ve been disgustingly inactive on my blog recently. You can’t blame me though – it’s midsummer here in New Zealand and there are many things to do other than sit at one’s computer writing (or raving, in my case). Like go camping, or socialize, or get into your garden, or socialize. Or go riding around town on your bicycle and break out your Mohawk Riding Helmet (TM). Or socialize… Continue reading →

Goldirocks and the Three Wild Pigs – it’s Out!!

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It’s official! It’s out! And it’s available online!!!

A few months ago we helped a Kiwi friend of ours record a CD of  New Zealand Music for Kids that she had written. We all had heaps of fun creating it. Picture four Kiwi adults and a cello in a hatchback car, buzzing around Auckland (New Zealand), getting lost while trying to find the recording studio, then playing the ukulele really really fast and talking and snorting like wild pigs. We had a blast, and much to our delight it’s now available to the general public. Check it out – there are all sorts of music styles on it, and it’s the kind of music that adults can actually enjoy when the kids keep thrashing it.

We featured in ‘Goldirocks and the Three Wild Pigs’, a Bluesy modern version of the old story that explains why crime doesn’t pay, plus I played ukulele here and there and also did some background vocals, on a few of the other songs. That’s us on the cover. We’re rather pleased with our hairstyles…

Big congratulations to Jodi, the album’s author. From conception, this album has been fifteen years in the making. You done good girl!!

Check it out HERE

That’s us – Mama and Papa Pig!

That’s us – Mama and Papa Pig!

India 2008 # 12: Uncle Chips and Penguin Spit

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Before dawn I was woken by the sound of what seemed like the Tibetan version of
the bagpipes coming from the temple. Of course, that started off the dog packs
who accompanied this strident sound with what they thought was rather a nice
rendition of the Barking Symphony Number 3 in C Minor. Even that may have been almost tolerable had it not been for the monkey packs singing their Screech
Symphony Number 8 in D Sharp. As any musician will tell you, these particular
notes go not together. Finally, thank goodness, the Tibetan bagpipes stopped
– ‘insert sigh of relief’. Alas, too soon. Horns started up, replacing
the bagpipes, with an accompaniment of drums keeping beat as loudly as
possible. Okay, at least the horns weren’t being played at as high a pitch as
the bagpipe thingys. But I didn’t reckon with the pending cymbols about to be played at a definate clash of tempo with the drums. Conches then competed this cocophony of sound. Continue reading →