11th July 2019
Improvised acoustic guitar and video effects by Dave Black,
Featherston, NZ.
Category: Music
Solstice Shards 19
Cafes in Conversation
4th May 2019 at Wairarapa TV May Music Marathon
I wrote this in 1999, after moving to Wellington. I was at an open mic night, at an upstairs bar in Cuba Mall that no longer exists, waiting for my turn to play. I had to wait a while – hence a lot of lyrics.
It was my attempt at a beat poet vibe, reflecting my move to the capital city and discovery of a local jazz scene. Continue reading “Cafes in Conversation”
Live 1999
This is what ‘partying like it’s 1999’ actually sounded like at the time:
- by Dave Edwards – electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, vocal, lyrics
- Live at Bar Bodega, Wellington, New Zealand, June 1999.
“If only I could play guitar like that – bastard!” – Chris Knox
Tracklist
| 1. | Cafes in Conversation 03:44 |
| 2. | Banana Wizard 02:59 |
| 3. | I Don’t Need You (to Grind Me Down) 02:15 |
| 4. | Given in Clouds (a wedding) 04:05 |
| 5. | Chairs to Tie the Revolution Down 03:31 |
| 6. | Midwinter Night 03:35 |
| 7. | Locked Without March 04:02 |
| 8. | You Can’t Complain 04:48 |
| 9. | Open the Dogs 04:43 |
| 10. | Summer in Fairyland 03:28 |
| 11. | Tony Was Here (but they put him on ice) 03:19 |
| 12. | The Marion Flow 09:47 |
Chris Knox
On this occasion I was privileged to be the opening act for Chris Knox. So this album is (obviously) dedicated to him.
Chris influenced generations of artists in NZ and abroad; his place in the pantheon is secure.
Background
I was 20 years old, and had moved back to Wellington (my birthplace, though not my hometown). I had with me a cheap imitation Stratocaster; some notebook scribblings; a harmonica in my pocket; and an album and a half recorded.
Continue reading “Live 1999”아리랑
Live 4th May 2019 at Wairarapa TV May Music Marathon –
Banjo rendition of a Korean folk tune 아리랑 (“Arirang”). The banjo is not typically found in Korean music – this would normally be played on a gayageum.
Busan, South Korea
Korean gayageum, 2007
Busan, South Korea
Eastern
4th May 2019 at Wairarapa TV May Music Marathon
Solo guitar version of a tune by the Electricka Zoo, from our 2017 debut album:
It’s based on the hijaz scale and a 7/8 rhythm.
Summer Skin
Live 4th May 2019, at Wairarapa TV May Music Marathon, in Masterton NZ.
Solo guitar & harmonica version of track http://www.fiffdimension.bandcamp.com/track/summer-skin
Originally recorded in Wellington NZ, September 2003, for the album ‘Loose Autumn Moans‘, with a mini string section of Mike Kingston on cello and Sam Prebble (RIP) on violin. It also appears on the Gleefully Unknown: 1997-2005 compilation.
Seafriends
4th May 2019 live solo version at the Wairarapa TV May Music Marathon.
This song was originally recorded in June 2001, at Thistle Hall, Wellington. It was the opening track of the album The Marion Flow.
Julie Bevan – Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope is the latest album by NZ composer/musician Julie Bevan.
Julie has a long-standing connection with Brazil. Its unique music and original styles serve as inspiration to Julie’s multicultural compositions. Many of the tracks on this album were composed and
recorded in Brazil.
The Marion Flow, March 2019
Since last year I’ve been getting back into playing solo acoustic. Here’s a 6 March 2019 version of ‘the Marion Flow‘:
It appears on the Live 2019 album:
Originally recorded in New Plymouth in 1999, it became the title track of my second album:
The Marion Flow (Taranaki, 1999)
The 1999 recording had quite a different vibe – spoken word delivery, electric guitars panned left & right, and Paul Winstanley playing a cymbal through a pitch shifter, turning it into a deep sea gong sound.
The Marion Flow (Wellington, 2001)
On other occasions it became a rock riff, based around just an E note and its octave.
I was surrounded by wider & weirder music too. I moved to Wellington and found a kiwi avant-garde scene with free jazz, noise, and theatre gallore. We eventually finished The Marion Flow album in 2001, after recording sessions at Thistle Hall.
Both the live electric and acoustic versions appear on the
Acoustic (yin) / Electric (yang) 2CD compilation
Two sides of a coin!
Lyrics
The lyrics are some of my favourite. They were scribbled in a notebook sometime in the late 90s. I was digesting the influence of literary modernism (eg lines like ‘yea take in that wake’ a shout out to James Joyce, using nouns as verbs and vice versa, and other general flouting of grammatical rules).
Taranaki and its coastlines inspired much of the atmosphere.
Continue reading “The Marion Flow, March 2019”
fiffdimension 