Clermont Newsletter Nov 9 2005

Ah dear Folk! A fine welcome back here or new hello from the recent tour meetings.

But should you be here and not want to be, just let us know.

I'll be appearing in most states in many guises between now February so please check out the Gigguide at http://www.andrewclermont.com.au and further news at "Latest News" featuring a pic with Xavier Rudd near Toronto, Canada as well.

- Adelaide this week!, Victoria next, then WA, Taiwan, QLD, TAS, Tamworth - January's Supper Club tickets are already available from http://www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/ticketsales ; as are the Golden Fiddle Awards!

Special Guests are Totally Gourdgeous, Japanese Banjo Champ, Montz Matzumoto, and back by public demand, the extra-ordinairy Sophie Raymond all with many guests - complete with the NoHoldsBarred Fiddle Contest - and all at new times of 6pm & 9pm so you might even have time to sleep!)

At this 2006 TamFest the Fiddlers Festival will be celebrating our 10th Year of performance. If you're coming to Tamworth late Jan it will be a must. Tickets also via the Info Centre then it will be on to NZ and across VIC to SA end of Feb!

I'll be heading to Albany, Western Australia, shortly to teach the 100 or so "Just Fiddling"crew. Previous trips have been with Totally Gourdgeous for their annual music festival in April and workshops on the side. They said

"Andrew! Thankyou so much for your kind plug for Just Fiddling.

We had a rehearsal yesterday and all the kids were very pleased, left clutching your Posters!

What a life you have, touring with your fiddle. It's exciting just reading about it.

More power to your elbow!! Best regards, Margaret Gunson"

Please note: Reason to Breath Tour - Not to be missed!

Parris & Puyu Macleod (Piano /Flute), Christian Marsh (Harmonica) & Mark Atkins (Didgeridoo) first seen together at The Supper Club are touring beautiful worldly music late November through Wyong 20, Armidale 25, Tamworth 26, Bellingen Dec9, Byron Bay Jan 7 & Lake Macquarie Email parris@cloudstudios.com for details.

Seeking to help someone in difficulties? Try AFAP Program Manager Uma Menon (Aust) and Masaja (Kenya - site in French)

London has been home for up to 4 weeks a year over the last

5 years and Hounslow where the we used to see/ HEAR! the Concord and never stopping Jumbos scraping the rooftops, is on the edge of the Tube - a mighty multicultural haven. This year we had a single

nights performance stopover at a favourite temple Ramgharia,

Southall. Supported by fans and friends from as far afield as Los

Angeles, Seattle and even Edmonton and from afar in UK - Swansea,

Wolverhampton, Torquay, Milton Keynes and Birmingham. A great evening of sacred music and was dedicated to the victims of the London (7/7) Bombings.

I was able to catch up with young Piano whizz, Tom Donald

from Tamworth, last seen by us at the Piano Nights of the Supper Club (coming up soon on Australia Day, January). He has settled well into the London multicultural stream and even receiving student scholarship sponsoring from his local Bank manager, go Tom!!

The eagle captured here was part of the Healesville bird

display in Victoria. Step daughter Tash had just completed her HSC

and was holidaying with Pauline & I to celebrate. The Gallery is

essentially finished and holds an amazing amount of Pauline's Art.

It's funny how a building of paintings comes into existence and the

original house still seems quite full - where does it all come & go!!

Bottom line is they are mostly up for sale now along with her 5

verse&drawing books, 3 CDs for peace & healing; and Video to her

first CD featuring her very gentle coloured pencil art.

Third daughter Nayia from gentile days on my Solo CD art of

'The Longing' at 7 years old, expounding her "Moment of Carpe Diem" has now added her impassionedvocals to the new Totally Gourdgeous recording. A short but most fun filled tour of New England area of NSW brought us to Rod MacCormack's Cellar Studio (on a hilltop funnily enough) in Erina, Central Coast (home to the biggest Shopping Mall in Southern hemisphere? The one in Edmonton, Canada has a Wave Beach, Dolphin, Submarine &Ice Skating zones - could take a while to beat that one!! But.. who needs to... We SO enjoyed recording/ living there and are very happy with the results. An ABC radio doco on the making of "Stroke of Midnight" via Scott Levi will help celebrate it's release this Xmas.

Thanks to Superstar Beccy Cole for help there and we wish her the

best in her appearances for the Aussie Soldiers in the Middle East

coming up with Angry Anderson & more. Bec & I toured supporting Tom T Hall, and just prior saw outback Oz as part of the 1994 Brian Young Show. Wow! Over 10 years ago! She even sang wonderful harmonies on 'Letters from Home' on 'The Longing' CD dedicated to my daughters and written on that 94 tour!

Many chance happenings direct what we do next or influence

how much we'll appreciate a moment in time. The main photo here is

outside the Nairobi Snake park in the Aloe Garden. Just a casual

stroll and I spotted this little gem of a snake endeavouring to hide

in the green. Closer, closer and closer till only 15 cm away and

yay! A frozen moment to reflect much that is in life. The moments

where we were willing to go a little further, wait a little longer,

say yes when many would say no or visa versa.

Everyday has these precious possibilities, keep your eyes and hearts on the precious, the rest tends to follow.

Grateful regards to you all, our friends across the planet. Thanks for the help when you could, the support when you did, and the follow through on the concepts set in motion along the way,

Long Hugs, Andrew Clermont & Bands

Should this text be too small,click on "View" way above and adjust "Text size"

So now the world via the pics attached - beginning via Adelaide at the time of last main mail out. All these photos are taken from my 3CCC Vid/Still Panasonic Video Camera while still in my hand!

I had the best birthday weekend with a fine finale at the Psychic Fair in Wayville Show grounds the last June with Tamerisque, all family version of my fav SA group Brigalow. They are (from me -Janet (piano), Alex(mandolin/fiddle), Hugh(violins) & Jane(synth clarinet) Gordon) who, together with Dya Singh, Totally Gourdgeous and a further stella gathering of Artists & faithful, will head to Woodford Folk Fest this Xmas just outside Brisbane. I've been joyfully sharing music with the Gordon family well over a decade (see pics in PhotoHouse on my main website). They cast their "Enya meets Bach in a Bulgarian Gypsy camp" style all over SA and this year the National Folk Fest (where young Alex saw little sleep after meeting & bouncing notes with NoHoldsBarred Fiddle Champ Jess Randall) onto Woodford, Cygnet(Tas/ Jan) and Fairbridge Festival in the West after next Easter. And great CDs as well!!

Woodford features the mighty Fire-event and the Art of Fire is a fascinating realm - here be a snap (taken at 1/8000 of a second!)from the Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival last week, of the flames feeding the jams late into the night - The Lawnmowers surprise appearance entranced many both off and on stage - soon to reappear at the Harrietville Bluegrass Festival, Vic snow zone. Nov 19/20.

Qantas 747 museum as viewed from Lance Smith's Motel, Longreach, Central QLD while on the Fiddlers Festival Arts Tour last year. Lance brings a couple of Bus loads of CM fans to Tamworth and ensures the music lovers make it to The Supper Club each year. Cockatours is the tour group name if you want to suggest it to potential visitors.

The Head Qantas pilot landed the 747 Jumbo Jet to it's final home, without being able to see the too short runway! Thousands turned out for the successful spectacle and well worth a visit anytime.

Here we begin the animal dedication from across the planet - the poetically placed 'roos.

Next, in Nairobi's near to city wildlife park, this wildly purring cheetah with surprised young onlookers was very tough furred but so relaxed it was unbelievable that it's 60 to 80 mph running speeds were possible.

The Dya Singh group were invited back to Kenya for 2 weeks this year. Appearances included a highly ornate Hindu Temple and many warmly welcoming Sikh Gurdwaras (temples). We took in a good amount of safari sight seeing provided by our hosts, family of Sardar Swaran Singh Garial and his close friends Charanjit and Gurpreet, the Sikh Supreme Concil and Mr. Jandu of Arusha, Tanzania. All was largely mediated by our dear Satt Matharu, contact person for Kenya based in UK and special thanks to our Nairobi driver, Jonalan and all who provided the amazing food.

In Tamworth on return this year I was coincidentally back in time for the second fundraiser to include the Chikuni Mission near Monze, Zambia - about 7,000 Zambians and 6 white people - part of the $15,000 raised that evening will go to the Women of Chikuni to help gain work independance (last year we provided sewing machines). The concert featured performances from Opera Star Anna Lisa Kerrigan and Parris & PuYu from The Supper Club plus a last minute addition of Didgeridoo from yours truly. Anna had mentioned that our Didgeridoo & Vocal duet last year in the Betting Ring of the Tamworth Racecourse (moved vaguely indoors due to rain)became her most bizarre performance ever! Particularly in the pounding rain and wind on the corrugated iron!

To complete the Kenyan event, I was able to meet with the headmaster of a student I sponsor there and after fair haggling, completed payment for her school years. Kenya has a wild corruption

record - even the World Bank won't lend to the government - so seeing exactly where the money goes is quite a bonus.

I can't thank the bands and groups I am part of enough for the opportunity to participate in helping in these varieties of ways across the planet.

A devoted photographer & videoist I relish any chance to get close to wildlife as you may well have noticed! So there I was walking back from the London Tube station at Hounslow West and glance into a parked car and lo & behold - a python! And not being backward, there I am holding the slithery and weighty beast!