O'Shea Strings

Happy New Year. I hope this month has given you a great start. The last half of 2012 was a rehabilitation into being a real musician again. It has been a pure pleasure to record with Neil Mitchell and be played all over the world  on our recordings. ( Check his music on itunes.) Also check Darcy Fox's recording  on itunes ( Unprotected grounds.) I played on three fantasti tracks and it is a pleasure to play on such a talented writers recording. Also the year finished off playing hillbilly swing on the Prairie Kings cd which is out soon. Not last nor least playing on Meagan Kent's recording was also a lot of fun.

Well the momentum hasn't stopped. Gigs are multiplying by the day and it looks to be a very busy year as a musician again. It is wonderful to move in the circles of real practiscing, performing and creative artist's again. I found being amongst real artists so inspiring that in December I decided to create a book of my own original tunes. So that is why I haven't been around here too much. 92 tunes transcribed to computer, proofed played and read 6 times. Tomorrow is a big day as I intend to do the final proofing with a bound copy of the music. Once that is successful on with the text which I will keep to a minimum. I was going to put the real stories of how these tunes were written and I know that would be appreciated by some, but in reality it makes for some wild reading, and at this stage I opt for a more conservative approach because the music is paramount.

So I woulld say Australian fiddle and Mandolin book will be out and about in a month. Rough copies for my own students will be available next week. It is like climbing Everest and the best technique is one step at a time.

Gigs

With Neil Mitchell at After the Tears Restaurant next door to the Elsternwick cinema. Feb 7 7pm to 9pm

Stompdog. Friday Feb 8 at Oscars Ale House Belgrave. 9.30 onwards

Prairie Kings Saturday Feb 9 at Oscars Ale House 9.30 onwards.

Off to see the Waterboy's tonight. Take care. Peter.

I know why we performers display multiple personalities. Relax, nothing to worry about. Over the last few weeks I have had the pleasure of playing, performing and recording with a diverse group of musicians, and based on observation of some of the worlds most famous actors I really like to throw myself into the part I am playing.

 Last weekend I had the pleasure of playing with Zep Tepi at the Beechworth Celtic Festival. What a hoot. It was great to team up with my old Stompdog friend and Banjo genius  CC Thornley who is always great value. I had a great drive with talented percussionist Bernie Dodd and I am a great admirer of Singer song writer Phil Dean's work. Phil's songs have a distinct feel of the sea, and quite unconsciously I donned a little sailing cap for our performances. Those that know me know that I am not a huge hat person. They look good on some people but I think I look somewhere in between a punter from the 1960's and a psychopath, and as a result don't feel that comfortable wearing one. But Phil's sea faring songs got the better of me and capped I was. I refrained from pirate speak, but when rehearsing and playing I was conjuring up many images pertaining to the sea, and for me particularly Philip Island, where my Mum grew up and where we spent many holidays as kids having the rhythm of the waves and water explained to us by my mum. The sea is very special to me and also my mother whose ashes are scattered in the sea across the road from her final home.

This week I am preparing to record and play with my friend Chris Taylor,s Hillbilly swing band The Prairie Kings. I think I will re watch a few episodes of Deadwood to get me into the mood and the feel. Playing wise of course I am playing along to numerous Hillbilly cd's but have also found playing Bela Bartok's Romanian dances gets me into the feel of, of all things Hillbilly music. There is a certain colour in common to these musical styles, a dissonance in there resoloutions and double stops. The last thing I want to do is sound like an Irish trad player on these recordings, so lots of old timey and Bluegrass tunes this week also. Also when in meditation or just after I have extremely vivid soul memories from those times and can easily conjure up smells, feelings,sounds and visions which facilitates the sounds I want to achieve.

One role I find not too hard is playing myself. I have recently had the pleasure to record on two very talented young female singer song writers albums and will give more information as the recordings are near release, but Megan Kent and Darcy Fox are two awesome young writers who put the music first rather than a misguided image that some artists toy with.

Also Sunday at my regular Winelarder gig I was able to debut not one, not two but three new student music groups. The Mendolin, Red and Black Ensemble and The Clifton/ Harris group all played. The Mendolin are the very talented Rupert Harvey and Brendan Smith on, you guess Mandolin. Red and Black is with Steve Berry and Matthew Milligan and myself. The name relates to the colours of my Violin and also Essendon who I support. Neil Clifton and Terry Harris were my Violin and Mandolin teachers respsctively and were two of the greatest influences on me as a musician. I thank them dearly for unlocking my potential and this ensemble is dedicated to Neil's memory and Terry who is very much alive.

Go to the O'Shea channel on this site and checkout the Neil Mitchell Youtube tunes that have been upgraded by Runrig. It is a real buzz seeing vintage footage of Scottish dancers dancing to a tune that I wrote in my car out the front of the unit I share with my son and ipad savvy cat. The songs are becoming very popular worldwide, and are gaining momentum. It is cool listening to Neil's interviews being conducted on the other side of the earth. Make sure you go to Neil Mitchell Music for more details. Also go to itunes and buy the songs, they are brilliant. Yes go on off to itunes now and lash out the couple of dollars. Also Iam plying with Neil and his mad made Dave Thwistle in Yarraville on the 25th.

So all in all I have been a seafarer, a Celt, a Cowboy,a composer, conductor and an Urban Muso all in a very short space of time in my renaissance as a real musician. Working with the talented, visionaries, poets, virtuoso's and aural artists who are the real heroes of music. I used to think Bernard Shaw's quote was offensive ( you know the one about those that can etc...) but since I have returned to the musicians life you know he is right on the money.

See you at a gig or rehearsal soon.