feet in the ground

as i listen to the mastered songs

i watch my one year old son dance and air drum.

when he recognizes and responds to my music,

my heart is truly warmed.

today we make the final album decisions -

song sequence, mastering tweaks,

artwork, proofing.

after conferring with the fellas this morning,

one in los angeles, one in philly,

it seems we have the sequence.

a good mix of songs old and new.

of sounds ancient and modern.

BROTHER now ...

asa and dad check the artwork

it rains here after a few sun drenched days.

days spent outside weeding, planting flowers, erecting fences,
and digging garden beds for veggies.

reminds me of brother hamish, green man.

he with his feet in the ground.

and i think of the huge veggie garden we had growing up.

and the little orchard.
naive for sure, but we were lucky farm kids.

thank you dawnie and dave.

we're looking forward to growing much of our own,

especially with a small and ever hungry human to feed ...

maybe we'll get a goat.

angus

making it up as we go

yes, it's coming soon. but where are we at right now?

after the night of the concert i initially wanted to mix,

master and get this collection of songs out there as quickly as possible.

but often with music, as with haircuts,

a bit of distance helps in being objective.

also, circumstances dictated otherwise ...

so, after having driven family and home across country

for the second time in 2 years,

we took some time to settle in. a trip to oz was next,

for asa to meet my family and have his first birthday.

and his first surfing lesson.

after getting back to states, the fellas,

guy and i spent a week tweaking and mixing

and are now living for a wee while with the "mastered" tracks,

making sure we're happy with the sonics.

in 'the green house', mixing with guy

we're going for a new sound here, making it up as we go

and how you master a record is part of that process.

at the same time, leels and i work on the artwork and promo plan.

so, that's where we're at for now.

this beast shall be known as 'out from under'.

stay with me in the coming days and weeks

and i shall point my view toward you as we ready this beast for release ...

angus

"Hey, what's happening with the new BROTHER album?" Funny you should ask ...

it's almost ready. but let me back up a little first ...
3 years ago,
when my brother hamish decided to stay in oz after the last tour there,
i came back to LA wondering what to do next.
i'd never considered the thought of BROTHER without him there.
every gig i'd played since high school had been with him.
9 years before, the 2 of us had made the decision to continue
without our other brother fergus (now jack avalon)
and that was challenge enough.
this time decision was all mine and i can't say it was easy or quick.
but the more i thought about how i could make music with just dalbo and drew
- 2 very different musicians and 2 rascals i really enjoy being around -
the more it excited me.
it necessarily meant the sound once again would change.
and more drastically than ever.
somehow that is what seems to happen with this band.
it has kept it very exciting for us along the way musically
and yet challenging for leels from a marketing stand point.
we'd been many things, many bands,
but for the first time ever BROTHER would be a 3 piece.
a powerhouse celtic tribal trio as it were, and as it is.


right away i deliberately gave us the task of interpreting a good number
of the older repertoire we hadn't done live in many years.
at the same time i had a growing list of new songs i wanted us to play.
and that set the stage, so to speak.
now, 3 years down the line we are still a 3 piece
but each of us fills many a pair of boots.
more than ever, big dalbo commands the back of the stage
with his pounding tribal rhythms and presence,
triggering sounds and sampling my guitar when i switch to the pipes.
up front with me, didgeridrew has truly evolved from a a great didg player,
into somewhat of a sonic master.
several didges, keyboards, whistles, melodica and throat singing
are all a part of this tribal dj's arsenal.
suffice to say i am proud of the leap the 3 of us took
3 years ago as a new band, and proud of where we've taken the sound.
i walk onto any stage with these 2 blokes and feel ready for anything.
this new album represents our sound right now. BROTHER today.
we all wanted to get to this stage before realeasing a new album.
have no fear, the sound will continue to evolve.
as we often remark to each other, it feels like we've only just begun.
but for now, it is almost time for the latest from BROTHER.

angus

more images from oz