U S of A

America - big cars, big food, big dogs. Nice people.

I just spent the last 5 weeks traveling about the States - L.A, San Fran, NYC and Texas.

I stopped in L.A where I spent some time with Mia Dyson. We wrote a duet together, which was rather curious, not what you might expect from us. We ended up recording a demo of the song at a chap called Pete McNeal's studio. I met Pete in January this year when he was over drumming for Toni Childs. Pete also plays with Norah Jones and Brett Dennen and was in the band Cake for quite a few years. We recorded live onto his tape machine - he had to push play and then run around behind his kit and start drumming!

This is a photo of Mia with a fake mullet! GOLD!!



We also caught up with Ben Lee and his wife Ione and met his ADORABLE baby girl Goldie. She is so cute it hurts.

Hmmmmm.... what other rock star tales can I tell you? Well I got to meet Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame and check out his office in Hollywood which was very lush. He has a John Lennon inspired white recording studio set up there where we listened to some new Mia Dyson mixes. Dave was very quietly spoken, the ultimate rockstar with his dark glasses and suit jacket/bling. Eurythmics sold 300 million albums back in the day! Ahhhhhhh the days when people actually sold records, remember them?

I also met Joan Wasser of Joan As Police Woman by chance in NYC. She was very sweet and put me onto some good guitar shops... where I ended up buying the most beautiful Santa Cruz acoustic guitar. I love my new guitar so much, it almost brings tears to my eyes when I pull it out of the case.

My friend Rebekah took this shot on a hot New York day. It was my Sex in the City sitting on a stoop moment. I had just scored the dress for $30 so I was happy.



I'm about to start writing for a new record, some ideas are starting to flow in. I want to thank you all for coming out to the May tour with Jordie. We sold out nearly every room we played which was a huge success for us and proof that YOU are out there and listening. Allelujah!

Jen
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ARCHIE ROACH

On Sunday the 7th of March I experienced the most moving concert of my life. Sitting side of stage in the dark, I watched Archie Roach perform a raw and heart-wrenching tribute to the life of his partner and musical soul mate Ruby Hunter.

Archie had been named as the Port Fairy Folk Festival ‘Artist of the Year’. The program noted that this would be his official Live CD launch, a celebration of his enormous contribution to Australian music culture. When the program was printed no-one expected that he would be in mourning, having only just buried his wife the Friday before.

This was Archie’s first performance since Ruby’s death, he hadn’t made the scheduled performance the day before and there was speculation as to whether he would make today’s show. No-one expected him to, not so soon after Ruby’s passing - it would be too hard.

At 3pm, an hour before his CD launch, an announcement went out through the festival that Archie would be performing at 4pm. Fitting then, that the concert was held only miles from where he was born in Framlingham, his traditional lands in South Western Victoria.

All weekend, reports came in about the massive storms tearing their way through Melbourne. Whilst the nightly news showed unbelievable images of flooded streets in the heart of the city, people phoned relatives and friends back home concerned about hail damage.

Port Fairy had only seen a few showers over the weekend but Sunday afternoon held that sense of foreboding. Heavy storm clouds gathered in the sky as a brisk change came off the ocean. People crowded into the huge tent at Stage One, where perhaps two thousand or more waited in sombre anticipation for Archie Roach to appear. There was a strange electricity in the air and the big question – How was Archie going to make it through the show?

What was to follow was the most honest, courageous display of humanity I have ever witnessed in a public arena. For just over an hour, Archie Roach spoke and sang about his love for Ruby and his enormous grief, sharing tales of their rich life together. He wept openly, asked the audience to carry him through with their strength, acknowledged that all of us had had our personal challenges and survived.

I have heard great leaders speak, stood side of stage during an address from the Dalai Lama and watched extraordinary performers at the height of their careers, but Archie Roach offered something more – permission to grieve, to fall apart, to be human.

Next to him a spotlight fell upon an empty chair and microphone, honouring the place Ruby had always taken by his side since their humble beginnings in the Altogether’s.

I had come to the festival as a performer, sharing personal songs about my mother Dorothy’s Alzheimer’s disease - something I have often wondered whether to share. Was it too personal? Too much? Too self indulgent? Watching Archie answered my question. No. Music can heal. Sharing real experiences has a unifying effect. Our stories are at once personal and universal, with their power residing not only in their words but in their context.

Archie shared that losing Ruby didn’t leave one huge hole in his life but many small ones. Only earlier that day he said it had struck him that he would never eat another meal prepared by her.

In the damp darkness, the acrid smell of wet trodden grass mixed with human heat rose above the tent. A solitary cricket chirped in the wings. I could see the audience from where I sat – transfixed. A real man, unafraid to show the depth of his sorrow, Archie Roach allowed us to sing Ruby Hunter home.

Back to their mother
Back to their father
Back to their sister
Back to their brother
Back to their people
Back to their land
All the children come back
They come back.
Yes I came back.

Archie Roach - Took the Children Away.

TOP TEN ALBUMS OF THE PAST DECADE

I’ve been reading everyone else’s top ten albums of the year and stumbled across Paste magazines top 100 albums of the decade. It got me thinking - what were the top ten albums of the last decade for me?

I thought it would be hard. So many great albums, how would I fit them all in? But it was actually much easier than I thought. Sure there were some amazing albums released in the last decade, a lot of them not here on my list. But I realised that for me, the top ten albums are the ones that take me back to a moment in my life - as corny as it sounds – the soundtrack to that time in my life.

We all have them, the records you put on and the memories flood back. The images might be of a house you lived in, or someone you loved, or a day you took a drive and listened to the album and had a good cry. I'm a big fan of driving and crying.

As I compiled my list I had a sudden sense of how much had come to pass in my life in the last decade. I felt a good dose of nostalgia as I thought about these albums. I realised how much I LOVED these albums and still do.

My list isn’t about covering all of the genres of music, I’m no expert when it comes to hip hop for example. Nor am I a music editor who needs to assert how musically brilliant or edgy a release was in order to uphold their reputation. I don’t even listen to a whole heap of music, there would be hundreds of albums that I might have liked better than the ones below, that I’ve simply never heard.

For whatever reason these are the records that found me and owned me. My list.

I encourage you to take the time to do the same. It feels bloody marvellous.

1.Time (the Revelator) – Gillian Welch (2001)

2. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood – Neko Case (2006)

3. Yankee Foxtrot Hotel – Wilco (2002)

4. Seachange – Beck (2002)

5. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea – PJ Harvey (2000)

6. Sunset Studies – Augie March (2000)

7. The Covers Record/ You are Free – Cat Power (2000/2003)

8. Abattoir Blues/ The Lyre of Orpheus - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2004)

9. Essence - Lucinda Williams (2000)

10. Wires – Art of Fighting (2001) & Future Suture - Ned Collette (2007)

MISGNOMER

The flight to Perth is like going to New Zealand or Asia. You get a good old fashioned proper meal with wine and beer if you so desire - none of this snack pack rubbish with more packaging than actual food. Then a B grade movie and an icecream. Before you know it - four hours have passed and you are safe and sound in Perth.

Some facts: Perth like Melbourne is flat. The Short Macc cafe in Fremantle has the BEST fruit and muesli EVER. Felicity Groom & The Black Black Smoke are an excellent band. Bunbury hasn't changed since we last visited in 2006.

In fact the SAME football team were staying at the Prince of Wales this time around but instead of bursting into our bedroom in the middle of the night (like last time) they chose Alex, Matt & Andrew's (Black Black Smoke) room instead! The boys awoke to find a young nubile footy player standing naked at the end of their beds at 3am... A different take on the virginal offering.

On our drive back from Bunbury to Fremantle we took a little detour to the Ferguson Valley. It was reminiscent of some of the lusher parts of NZ or Tassie. We went with the sole purpose of visiting Gnomesville and weren't disappointed,. Thousands of gnomes were planted there from all over the world, fulfilling their destinies in purpose built houses and living the dream. Geoff considered taking one of the gnomes but I reminded him that such an act would bring him seven years of badness.

Our show at Mojo's in Fremantle was a good one. Despite being our first ever headline show in W.A a nice big crowd turned up and filled the room. It was an interesting mix of people of all different ages and backgrounds - I like this, it means you aren't a fashion band.

We'll be heading back to W.A next year for the Nannup festival and will definitely play another show of our own in Perth.

Next stop Adelaide!

JC/ESEA
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Big Fat National Tour.

Well our second album Hidden Hands has been officially launched!

We had plenty of pre-orders online, a sold out launch in Melbourne and a packed house in Sydney - thank you for your support!

We are now excited to announce our biggest tour yet - with our first ever headline shows in Tassie and WA.

Check the shows link for dates, you can book all of your tickets online at:

http://jencloher.oztix.com.au/?Event=11098

Look forward to playing for you soon.
JC/ESEA
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PRE ORDER Limited 50 copies of our new album.

It's a couple of weeks until our new album is out, but we are offering 50 signed, very limited edition copies of our new album HIDDEN HANDS.

The first 50 copies will also include an exclusive previously unreleased download PLUS the chance to win one of three JC/ESEA show bags, which include:

- Double pass to our national tour in September (nearest town to you).

- Limited Edition Tour EP.

- JC/ESEA Tee in your size.

To grab a copy visit our friends at Music Plug http://www.musicplug.com.au

They are reliable, fast and ship to anywhere in the world.

We look forward to playing for you soon!

Jen Cloher & The Endless Sea
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Tour EP now available.

If you missed out on grabbing a copy of our Limited Edition Tour EP when we were touring with Mia, you can now buy a copy at Music Plug by clicking on the STORE link on this website or copying this link to your browser:

http://www.musicplug.com.au/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=132

There are three tracks all previously unreleased.

1. Eden With My Eve
2. Ode To Warren Lan Franchi
3. Ruby Night

There's only a few copies left - being a limited edition and all!

JC/ESea
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