The inspiration…
In June 2022, I was setting up to play for a primary school group when a proactive and clever teacher brought a young fella with significant challenges down early to direct a movie of me playing by the fire. What a good idea, I thought. Only twenty-five years, and over two hundred thousand school kids late - I’m a bit slow!
The plan…
Is to use my small window of time at my Wahluu campfire, before my school kids arrive, and while the fire gets going, to catch a song, tune or poem that happens to be on my mind. I’ve generally found it’s a work that’s not part of our normal extended repertoire, and to go for as much variety as I can manage.
The performances…
In the spirit of campfire yarning, what you hear is a quick camera point, and the first complete take. I’m sure you can hear and see me remembering each particular Fancy - there is something close to the heart in a fresh take.
The stories…
On Goldfields gig days, I try and grab a bit of time laying flat, to help manage the head-pains. It helps! I’ve been using that flat time to scrawl out a few thoughts around the current Fancy to accompany the performance, while dreaming of the particular music and words, and the fire.
Sharing…
Once I grab a performance, I add a few last thoughts to my scrawls, quickly trim and crop the video, and share to my Facebook pages.
The web page…
I’ve heard from a couple of people who’ve been downloading and collecting the Fancies at home, and a few others who’ve made suggestions about an “album”, so I thought I’d gather them in one place. In all their raw-boned, ragged, rough-edged reality, here they are…