Jon Mulvey

Day Four and a Half; Five and Half of Six !
The gigs are going absolutely unbelievably well.  Mangawhai Tavern was an excellent room and the sound was superb.  Pete did a great job on bass and the entire band was fantastic. 

Well Day Five started with our band of music geeks spending the entire morning working out compound polyrhythms.  So with metronomes going, practice pads and even the staff paper – we worked out numerous polyrhythms and they were funky.

Off to the ferry and Auckland to get to Waiheke Island – gorgeous white sands and turquoise waters, ferns and dense forests.  Got to the venue and the stage had been built for us that morning – full color ads, newspaper interview – it was a great promotion.  Graham Hooper was the best host and promoter had us in the Hauranka Lodge with it’s stone swimming pool.  Too bad we’re actually working 

The Rocks venue offered us food and it was a Japanese restaurant – some of the best food any of us have had.  Delicious vegetarian offerings. 

Well it started raining and we thought oh no one will come out – but yes they did !  Wow, what a night.  Jon Mulvey was the absolute star – singing, playing his backside off and in some cases with his calisthenics that might have been true-what guitar playing.  Jon is so in his element in fronting a band ! The crowd went wild.  Pete jumped in the groove in the funkiest Maori  fashion – but the highlights were Ced and Steve doing the craziest stuff behind us on the double drum riser.  I guess those compound polyrhyhtms were working !  Even the flute player pulled one off and the women loved the flute.   My stage presence has certainly taken a leap in the last while – although possibly the trades on Look of Love with Jon might have been a bit more than provocative !  But the people loved it and didn’t stop dancing.   The night’s performance was almost epic !  We’ve already been asked back for March and talking about big festivals and venues from both nights.

Day Six.One Quarter.

Having a lot of trouble getting internet access so don’t know when we’ll be posting.  Jon, Pete and I got on the early ferry.  Unfortunately, the driver didn’t ask which ferry and we got to the wrong one – of course being musicians we got there at 3 minutes to 9 for the 9.00 departure and had to buy new tickets!  But no worries. 

Through the airport and off to Nelson where Jon and I are going on a major 5 day motorcycle ride through the Southern Alps – down to the West Coast glaciers and up the West Coast rain forests – our next blogs will be about our trip – until we meet up with the boys and Pete again in Nelson for more playing.

Cedric and Steve are still in Waiheke Island – hopefully having a wonderful day.  Tomorrow they get to return all the backline, drive on the left side of the road, maneuver Auckland and get themselves to Nelson where they’ll hang until we meet up with them in 3 days. 

More later…..