The Basics might be reaching the far flung corners of this wide brown land, but they're still managing to find an internet connection to let you guys know what's going on.
Here is their blogging for the last few days:Sunday 26th October.
We awoke underground in Coober Pedy - home to the famous opal mines. It was a beautiful morning, cool and clear and we got on the road fairly early because we wanted to get to Alice before the sun was down. After many trips around the country through the bush, we're pretty good at battling the long drives. We made a few playlists on our iPods and settled back, sharing the driving of six or seven hundred kilometres and although we've done much longer, hotter and harder drives, I must say I was ready to get to Alice...
Alice Springs - named after Alice Todd, wife of Mr. Todd - who'd had found 'a' spring when setting up the telegraph system. Anyway, when we rolled into town I was dry as a dead dingo's donger. Beer. In all it's luxuriant brilliance was soon running down my parched gullet. And all seemed right in the world.
We were staying with Kris' friend Claire, a local copper. A cop? Shit, I'd better hide all the drugs and firearms in the van and did so, discreetly and without flourish. Claire turned out to be a wonderful and accommodating host, with a lovely little Jack Russel Pup called Jose.
That night we loitered around the pool in the police barracks with Claire's friends and ate Mexican food. We were all a bit shabby early on and after everyone dribbled away, I got to have a chat with Claire about her job and her 'clients' which was rather illuminating. But fatigue bit me in the arse and I fell into the swag to enter the Land of Nod.
- Tim
I'm exhausted. What a day. What a long way from the empty feelings of waiting around to play in Collie a couple of weeks ago. Here we are in Haasts Bluff, about 300kms west of Alice Springs - roughly the same direction as Kintore and Yuendemu - and there's never a dull moment.
Had a better sleep last night than I have for a while. Even though I woke up sweating cos it's bloody hot here, I was relaxed and peaceful and slept for a good 10 hours. Got up, had breakfast with the boys, and then to the local community Arts Centre to meet the male and female artists there and see some of their amazing work. Really great stuff. Some of them are 80 years old and still going!
Then started getting ready for lunch!
Met up with the guys from the Sunshine Reggae Band and together with Brownie, they took us 4-wheel driving through some local tracks and gullies and up a hill for a BBQ lunch. No BBQ of course - we brought up a old steel mesh door from the community that we could build a fire underneath and cook the snags and lamb chops over.
It hasn't rained here for 4 months we were told, but we definitely brought the Melbourne weather with us, and rain came pouring down to the delighted howls and dancing of the local lads.
Afterwards we went to the community school and played for the kids there, who were all over us within minutes. They sang a few really, really cute songs for us after, invoking memories of the Indian missionary scene in The Darjeeling Limited. So damn cool!
And then it was a bit of alone time - so I thought, trying to get through emails, but the kids just finished school and wanted to play! They were pressing buttons on my phone and laptop with curious excitement and even though it was a task to get anything done, it was a really fun time and good for the soul.
Then we had our first jam with the Sunshine Reggae Band which, well, I can't describe here. Great players, great vibe - I'm really looking forward to spending more time with these boys.
To close, it was my turn to cook and I dished up a pretty bloody good beef red curry. The locals wanted the recipe afterwards, which I was quietly chuffed about. Need to work on the texture of the rice afterwards.
Hmmm. Okay. So tired! Off to Mount Liebig for a gig tomorrow, need some rest....
- Kris
Friday 30th October.
"Flies in my mouth,
flies in my mouth,
ohhh, flies, ohhhhh, flies
flies in my mouth"
And so I woke up on Day Two out on the Remote Indigenous Community that is Haast's Bluff. I thought I had been given a great hit single from my dreams, like Sir McCartney with "Yesterday". That I had woken up with a great melody and lyrics for a song about flies.
But no. I had flies all over my mug. I got up and made a coffee and went outside. It was already about 40 degrees. I read for a bit and the others started to emerge from their sleepings. "Off to Mt Liebig." Browny said and I knew exactly what he meant: We were going to go to Mt. Liebig.
The road was fairly shit and we bumped along for a couple hours. No flat tyre yet - touch wood. Interestingly enough, when we got there our plastic 12-seater bus was fine and Browny's Trusty Troopy had a flat. When we got there we were told we could stay in an air-conditioned tin, which was a bit more of a comforting thought than camping with the heat, dust and joe blakes.
Mt. Liebig, like Haast's Bluff began as a missionary set up by Europeans back in the day. The community sits under the large, beautiful mountain and like Haast's Bluff has a nice, friendly feel about it. We set up after a few hours of reading and waiting and started playing at around 7.30-ish. We were to perform in front of the local community store, where the backdrop/wall was a beautiful mural of the mountain and community. The locals really enjoyed our tunes and Browny was impressed that more the 90% had come to listen. The kids, who are absolutely adorable, danced behind my amp on the side of the stage, excited by the music, but too shy to get out the front...
...until the Sunshine Band from Haast's Bluff got on stage. And then the booty shaking really happened. The kids would run to the "dance floor" faster the a Bondi tram, perform five seconds of what could only be described as a saucy version of a Sean Paul video and then dart off again at the speed of light to their friends. There were two and a half year olds dancing the booty dance. Gyrating pelvic thrusts, hitched skirts and t-shirts, hands brushing through hair slowly and seductively. There was lots of running through dust and all we could see was their shadows against the lights of the band, little sprite-like Balinese shadow puppets.
The Sunshine Band were great and tight. They finished and the local band "Black Shadow" wanted to get up. Because it was an impromptu performance their band had to be supplemented by members of the Sunshine Band. They were great too and inspired some of the women to get up. This was the highlight of the evening for the locals it seemed, who shone torches on the big, round swaying bottoms and flashed car headlights in delight.
We packed up and fell asleep absolutely stuffed, but very happy that our first RIC gig had been a success and that the room I was sleeping in was free of flies.
- Tim
Waiting.
There’s so much waiting.
Kris has already written about the seemingly interminable amounts of time spent just hanging around between sound check and show time at pubs in regional areas.
Here in Papunya indigenous community tonight we’ve discovered a new strain of seemingly interminable waiting- for the gig to finish!
Last night in Mt. Liebig community, after The Basics’ set, and after our mates the Sunshine Reggae Band had played an hour each, members of the local band the Black Shadows took to the stage...and proceeded to play song after song after song. It was fine because we were staying in some campers on the community that night and could just wander back to the stage in the late hours to pack everything up.
Tonight though, the Black Shadows dudes have come down to Papunya, they’ve brought friends, and there are plenty of other local musos who all want to play a set on the combined Basics/Sunshine Reggae gear before the night is through.
We go through a varied series of patient responses- sitting and listening, taking photos of the kids who dance and run around with boundless energy, wandering outside for a smoke or a breath of fresh air.
After a while though it really starts to feel like the night will never end. We’re onto the fifth band. The feedback from the guitar amp is so consistent you don’t even hear it anymore. The breaks between songs to choose keyboard sounds, confirm chord progressions and tune guitars take longer than the songs themselves. It’s like being forced to sit in on the most ramshackle rehearsal ever.
We find other diversions. Kris ends up riding a broken bike around the community. I try to sleep amongst the dust and garbage in the back of the 4WD. Tim searches maniacally for his cigarette papers; in the venue, outside the venue, along the fence lines in the direction the wind is blowing.
Finally, the last song (which goes for about 20 minutes and features 5 different breakdowns and at least as many false endings) is done. The hall clears out so fast it almost seems like the last 6 hours never happened. I wander in from the 4WD about 30 seconds after hearing the last note and the only people in there are Kris and Tim from The Basics and Jeffrey from the Sunshine Reggae Band.
We pack up quick and are in the bus by midnight. The intensely corrugated road and cramped position in the backseat of the 4WD for an hour zap me of whatever energy I had left. I can’t be bothered washing off the layer of thick red dust that’s settled on me throughout the night. It’s straight to bed back in Haast’s Bluff. Goodnight Papunya
- Wally
