family on the road

home again after 9 days on the road.

i only had to be apart from asa and lichey 2 days at most,

for costa mesa last weekend and for our show in oshkosh wisconsin.

otherwise we were together in old LA,

catching up with friends and family and chilling in the warm weather.

but 2 days is long enough for me. he changes perceptibly even in that time.

he expands like his own little universe.

his new squirming body. and his awareness.

i have realized my main mission in life is to keep him smiling.

nothing takes me higher than to see joy emanating from his little face.

so you see, it is quite a selfish mission. i want to feel good.

and his happiness makes me feel really good. thank you, littlest of maties ...

costa mesa revisited was a pleasure.

a funny little stage in place of the grand old gazebo.

but great sound for us, which makes the playing easy.

and dalbo got to use his own kit, big woody, which doesn't happen often.
drewski continues to expand his world and his sound,
and so the celtic tribal 3 piece comes more and more into its own.

i was touched by all the feedback from new and old fans.

this thing called BROTHER has evolved so much over the years.

- out of necessity with departing brothers and changing circumstances,

and because all things change with time.

but people seemed to like what they were hearing.

many hadn't seen us in a decade or more.

i picture the strapping young kilted man,

now in a pipe band and playing several instruments, including didge,

because he heard us at costa mesa a generation ago.

stories like this make me glad i've found a way to keep doing what i do.

take me outside my own perspective of it all ...

revisiting waterfest in oshkosh,
one of those midwest festivals by a river on a perfect summer evening.
dare i say idyllic? and a wonderful welcome after 3 years away.
thinking about a followup show there sometime soon if we can swing it ...

aunt, grandmother, great grandmother, and grandfather
on lichey's side were introduced to asa in his first few weeks,
visiting us here in the mountains for some truly special time.
almost all my family is on the other side of the world. 

not the easiest commute.
i'm happy to say asa has now also met the first of his family on my side.
a delightful afternoon with my brother jack and family whilst in LA.
makes me realize i want more family time, 

especially for him, as time rolls on.
after years of growing up in each others' pockets,
on the farm, in the city, on the road,
gradually the distances between
- sometimes literal, sometimes figurative - grew.
often it seems that's the way with family.
and of course there's always reasons for being apart.
then of course there's always reasons to come together too.
seems like a we have good reason ...

we now have a good number of 'BROTHER looks' photos
from down the years. can you believe there's been 19 of them? years, that is.

soon i will show the best of the rest we've received and the winner.

yes, i believe we may have the one. prepare thyselves ...

angus

costa mesa 1997, this weekend

                3 rather clean cut brothers, 1997. our last year sharing a stage.

in california with the family.

asa was a champion flying for the first time .

very proud of him. to have him on the road is a dream.

don't wake me up ...

back to costa mesa this weekend with the fellas.

so many memories there.

it will inevitably be very different after 11 years away.

well, we are different too. aren't we always?

all these photos are from '97,

the last year all 3 brothers appeared in BROTHER.

we're all looking rather clean cut,

following some particularly shaggy years.

dalbo's back there too, somewhere off screen,

no doubt looking his usual dashing self.

thanks to imaar and marisa for these ones.

my, what cool pants i had.

i'm told the gazebo we played in no longer exists. 

what other surprises await us? 

however things look i anticipate a joyous sweaty couple of days.

angus

 

what an honour

                                         asa teaches me the art of relaxing

what does it mean to help bring another life into this world?

the total reliance this new person has on my wife and i.

the wonder that he will be a grown man like me, or not like me? one day.

the privilege of us being able to watch him grow and change,

discover himself and his expanding world,

make decisions about who he is and what he wants to do.

how can thoughts like this not overwhelm?

it is a feeling i consciously surrender to.

what an honour ...

angus

archive photos, sentimental fool, costa mesa

 i stepped out with the bleach look sometime in the year before the accident that took us off the road for 9 months. so this must be late '98, early '99? thanks to leila for this shot. i particularly like my joe cocker interpretation.

this was at the vegas renaissance celtic festival. it was so hot the war paint was running into my eyes. i could hardly see. my old bagpipes too, before they fell apart. i'd like to get back to this festival. anyone?  also from leila. what year here leels?

hamish's dreads, not long off the starting block. thanks for this one jude. 2002?

i have had it pointed out

that most archive band photos are most likely not digital,

requiring tiresome format changes, scanning or some such wizardry.

they may also be hidden away somewhere in boxes, in closets, in storage. 

not to worry. 

we shall make this search for classic BROTHER 'looks' an ongoing enterprise. 

when you stumble upon the one that gets you smiling tho,

do send that puppy our way ... info@brothermusic.com

here in the mountains. man, woman, child.

i am very grateful to be around in these early days.

he's still so tiny but growing and changing every day.

it is a privilege to be an eye witness to the evolution of a whole new human.

inspiration for another song today. 

'sentimental fool'. a hint of zeppelin in this one.

which of the new ones to do with drew at the colonial games next week?

a warm up for our return to costa mesa the following weekend with dalbo ...

costa mesa was the first celtic festival we played.

and we ended up having a dream run there from 1994 to 1998.

the only non traditional entertainment. we had quite the monopoly.

costa mesa witnessed our early evolution as a band.

they were incredible days. incredible crowds.

and we? we were pretty clueless. well, i know i was.

there's gotta be some classic archival photos

floating around from those days, n'est pas?

onstage or behind the scenes. 

ladies and gentlemen you have 2 weeks to find your favourites.

spring is truly here. 

new colour - gold, purple, red, white, and a very virgin green -

has pushed thru everywhere.

kind of like the insistent thrusting limbs of a new little human i know.

what a time to be in the moment.

angus