The bits of stuff that fall in the cracks between Life, Music and outrageous fortune.         May   Close this window to return to Mike Rudd & Bill Putt's Stop Press   Madder Lake's Andy Burns brings up another new track A session with Madder Lake 12.5.12 - For a host of reasons it's not every day you get asked to put some harp onto a couple of Madder Lake tracks. For one Madder Lake hasn't been that prolific of late - unless you count the Aztec Music re-issues it's been decades since the last Madder Lake album was released. So, last Wednesday night I trucked on down to Ashburton to be met by the Lakes' Brenden, Kerry and Andy, (pic) and a miniature pomeranian (I think) whom I was told was the producer. Anyway, I manfully huffed and puffed and eventually came up with some stuff from which they assured me they could extract something useful. Afterwards they played me some of the other tracks - bloody crackers they were too!   Party, party.. 1) Wazz orders some platters at the Plaka 2) Birthday boy Steve and his sexy entourage 3) Chris dances with Teri at Steven's 60th 4) Steve blows out the candles on his cake Two birthday parties in a row has repercussions 7.5.12 - I was looking forward to Friday night. I'd been invited to help celebrate Dr Marg Sellers' birthday (pic 1) at the Plaka (Greek) restaurant in East Ivanhoe. I'd brought along one of the Heathcote Gold bottles of shiraz that Jeremy very kindly left me after his sojourn at my place and this, combined with the stubby of Greek beer, may well have been my undoing. I felt alright when I got home, but when I went to bed I realised that my heart was just a little too excited to let me sleep. The knowledge that I had a big day ahead probably just added to my apprehension and the next morning I arose with perhaps a couple of hours of fitful dozing behind me. I rolled up at the Box Hill Golf Club and loaded in the PA and other paraphernalia, grateful for the help of Vermont Street's Eric Yap. It was Chris' fellow Vermont St resident Steven's 60th and I'd been booked to play (solo) as part of the elaborate birthday celebrations. Actually it was a gift gig - I've not been pro-active in pushing myself as a solo act and so it was an opportunity to bone up on the Rudd repertoire, which is different again to the other combos', and push through the nerve barrier to an essentially uncritical audience. And that's the way it worked. Everybody had a good time - Steve made a dramatic stage-managed entrance flanked by Teri's glamorous daughters (pic 2) and there was lots of karaoke (a Vermont St specialty) and Chris eventually danced with Teri, (pic 3) (the Vermont St supervisor) after declining to join in for most of the day. I should really do this sort of thing more often.     back to the top