After what has shaped up to be one of the worst weeks of my entire 40+ years on this planet, a wee gig at the tiny Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas - via South Uist and Shetland - made it all go away in less than a second.
Yes, mere moments into the first tune I was nearly in tears - quite literally. I never dreamed I'd get to see Julie Fowlis on these shores let alone in my own city and in such a perfect venue. I have been a huge fan of Julie since hearing her on Archie Fisher's BBC Radio Scotland Show "Travelling Folk" prior to the release of her first CD. What an amazing voice and musical talent! And then, to top it all off, there's Jenna Reid, Shetland fiddler extraordinaire, in the band. I really thought I was in heaven. The band played a fantastic two sets culminating in an encore with Julie playing the Pipes, much to the annoyance of the Dublin-based bouzouki player, who is world-class, I might add. And what a beautiful sound from such a wee lass playing the scurl!
Even though all the songs were in Scottish Gaelic it did not matter. What a beautiful language for music. The band's version of the Beatles "Blackbird" in Gaelic was absolutely amazing but far from the highlight of the evening. In fact, I can't pick a highlight. It was just a fantastic show from an incredibly talented band of musicians and I am completely honored that I could attend such a performance.
All is right with the world again so thanks Julie, Jenna... You're wonderful!
Yours Aye!
Neil
Brewing and blogging in Austin, Texas wishing I were somewhere in Scotland.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Hoose Is Flooded!
Hello from the La Quinta Hotel in South Austin, Texas! And, be forewarned, this has nothing, well, next to nothing to do with beer.
Yes, it is quite sad, but true, yesterday the entire lower floor of my hoose (Scots for "house") was flooded by a burst braided hose attached to the sink in the half bath. The only recently installed (2-3 years ago, I can't remember exactly) bamboo hardwood floors are destroyed as well as untold other things residing on this floor. (BTW, Tony, your favorite sofa - and mine - seems to have survived, thankfully). The recovery people pumped over 100 U.S. gallons of water out the house and that doesn't include the amount of water that flowed out of the hoose and down the street.
However, despite this hick-up and the fact that I am more stressed-out about my day-job than at any time in the nearly twenty years that I have worked in said occupation for said firm, a couple of much more significant things occupy my mind at present.
One, a man at my said firm died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Friday last, only soon to turn 49 years of age. He had four children and although I didn't know him personally and can't quite place him, he worked in the same building and floor as myself and also attended the church that I presently attend. The church had a Memorial service for him today, his name was Mr. Ron Spence. What I can't come to grips with is the anguish his wife and children must be going through right now and for far longer than they care to think about to come.
Additionally, I sent an email to Tom Morton this morning describing my water plight in a combined informational/sympathy-seeking mentality. So, as usual I tuned in the to show via the internet at 8AM my time to either hear mention of the email or just listen to the show to ease thinking about the mess. However, Tom wasn't on at that hour and instead BBC Radio Scotland was broadcasting live from Aberdeen at a Memorial service for the, in total, 17 men killed as a result of a helicopter accident related to the off-shore oil industry. What struck me most was that here was I, waiting for my normal Tom Morton show only to be pre-empted by a service consisting of a number of all too familiar hymns and scripture readings from both Protestant and Catholic faiths. Why would this strike me strange, you might ask? Well, in today's America, this would never, ever happen, in my opinion. I won't say any more but I sincerely applaud the BBC for halting their normal broadcasting - even if it is my beloved Tom Morton Show - to remind everyone that everyday people matter and that these types of tragedies are important to be not only aware of but empathetic too. We're all people and sorrows like this affect us all in one way or another; directly or in familiarity.
My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to all the families involved in both of these tragic events.
So, no, I haven't got around to any more to do with SXSW primarily due to my aforementioned stress with the job. Tape-out is approaching so hopefully things will improve come end of May!
Until the next time, All The Best!
Yours Aye!
Neil
Yes, it is quite sad, but true, yesterday the entire lower floor of my hoose (Scots for "house") was flooded by a burst braided hose attached to the sink in the half bath. The only recently installed (2-3 years ago, I can't remember exactly) bamboo hardwood floors are destroyed as well as untold other things residing on this floor. (BTW, Tony, your favorite sofa - and mine - seems to have survived, thankfully). The recovery people pumped over 100 U.S. gallons of water out the house and that doesn't include the amount of water that flowed out of the hoose and down the street.
However, despite this hick-up and the fact that I am more stressed-out about my day-job than at any time in the nearly twenty years that I have worked in said occupation for said firm, a couple of much more significant things occupy my mind at present.
One, a man at my said firm died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Friday last, only soon to turn 49 years of age. He had four children and although I didn't know him personally and can't quite place him, he worked in the same building and floor as myself and also attended the church that I presently attend. The church had a Memorial service for him today, his name was Mr. Ron Spence. What I can't come to grips with is the anguish his wife and children must be going through right now and for far longer than they care to think about to come.
Additionally, I sent an email to Tom Morton this morning describing my water plight in a combined informational/sympathy-seeking mentality. So, as usual I tuned in the to show via the internet at 8AM my time to either hear mention of the email or just listen to the show to ease thinking about the mess. However, Tom wasn't on at that hour and instead BBC Radio Scotland was broadcasting live from Aberdeen at a Memorial service for the, in total, 17 men killed as a result of a helicopter accident related to the off-shore oil industry. What struck me most was that here was I, waiting for my normal Tom Morton show only to be pre-empted by a service consisting of a number of all too familiar hymns and scripture readings from both Protestant and Catholic faiths. Why would this strike me strange, you might ask? Well, in today's America, this would never, ever happen, in my opinion. I won't say any more but I sincerely applaud the BBC for halting their normal broadcasting - even if it is my beloved Tom Morton Show - to remind everyone that everyday people matter and that these types of tragedies are important to be not only aware of but empathetic too. We're all people and sorrows like this affect us all in one way or another; directly or in familiarity.
My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to all the families involved in both of these tragic events.
So, no, I haven't got around to any more to do with SXSW primarily due to my aforementioned stress with the job. Tape-out is approaching so hopefully things will improve come end of May!
Until the next time, All The Best!
Yours Aye!
Neil
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