Blog Entry Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Posted by Hayden Category: Uncategorized

So, after my last blog where I was living my best life as a couch potato for at least a few hours, I had to venture into the wild world outside on Tuesday, January 7. My work van, bless its rusty soul, needed new rear shock absorbers and front tyres. So, I trekked to Rockingham, a place where cars go to get new shoes, or in this case, socks for their suspension.

I hit up Bob Jane and Auto Masters – those magicians of metal and rubber. They sorted out my van faster than you can say “check engine light.” With the van now less likely to shake me into another dimension, I figured why not celebrate with an arvo session at the pub? But, the good times had to end early because, surprise, I had the NBN guys coming next morning to upgrade my connection. 

These two heroes in work boots showed up at 10:30am, probably thinking they’d need to explain the internet to me like I was born in the 1800s. They finished by 2pm, and now I’m connected via a shiny new fibre optic cable. No more communication blackouts – which is crucial if I need to Google “how to escape a bushfire” during the season.

Fast forward to Thursday, January 9, and I was strumming my guitar at a private gig in Waikiki. The crowd was so chill, you’d think they were all part of the plant I left with – a chilli plant, mind you. It was like performing for a bunch of friendly, fantastic people who just happened to enjoy acoustic music and spicy food which was incredibly tasty. 

The next day, January 10, we embarked on what felt like a trek to Mordor, but was actually just a long drive to Pemberton for a gig at 6 PM. Tagging along was my buddy Robert Watson, the human kazoo – I mean, harmonica player.

We rolled into town with time to burn, so we checked into our digs and set up shop on the pub’s veranda. I got my acoustic guitar ready, and Rob, armed with his “tin sandwiches” (that’s harmonica for the uninitiated) and a mic, we launched into some tunes so smooth, they could’ve been used to butter the bread at the pub. We kept the crowd bobbing and weaving like they were at a slow-motion dance-off until the clock struck 9pm

This was the perfect chance to tinker with our set list, prepping for the next day’s gig at Nannup Brewing Company, where we’d start our melodic assault at the un-rockstar time of 1 PM on January 11.

Robert and I arrived at around 11 a.m. and Setup on the Veranda of the Nannup brewing company

The weather was playing nice for once, creating the perfect vibe as we serenaded the crowd with our mix of blues and Irish folk. After we wrapped up the gig, we had a quick brew with our mates from the Nannup Soap Factory – because nothing says “rockstar” like discussing saponification. Then, off to Barrabup Pool where we set up camp, took a refreshing dip, and feasted on lamb cutlets with baked beans, all masterfully prepared on our camp stove. We turned in early, which meant we were up and at ’em in time for our gig in Bridgetown with our pal David Nolan, who had his jazz kit ready before you could say “jazz hands.” I fed him a drum fill that meshed perfectly with our sound. As the “Brady Rd Trio,” we dove into two hours of blues and folk that had the beer garden grooving. The time flew by so quickly, it was like we cast a spell: “Abracadabra, hocus pocus, time warp, speed up, and oh look, it’s over!”

We wrapped up the gig feeling like we were on cloud nine, packed our gear, and made our way to Greenbushes Pool for a night of camping under what was, surprisingly, a beautiful afternoon sky. We spent the evening belting out tunes like we were auditioning for “American Idol” – but without the judges or the talent, just pure acoustic bliss. The moon was out there, shining so bright, we half expected to see it wearing sunglasses and holding up a lighter to our performance. By the time we were done, the stars had come out to see what all the ruckus was about, turning the night into something that looked like daybreak decided to crash the party. I hit the hay with a smile so wide, it could’ve been mistaken for the Cheshire Cat’s.

Come morning, we were greeted by a not-so-welcoming sleety rain, which was nature’s gentle nudge to hit the road. We made a pit stop in Balingup for some divine Eggs Benedict and coffee – because nothing says “morning after camping” like a fancy brunch. Robert had to split to meet his builder in Jarrahdale, while Dave and I took our separate paths. I made it home by 1:30 PM, unpacked the van, and promptly collapsed onto my bed for a well-deserved nap that felt like I was catching up on all the sleep I missed since the ’90s.

All in all the weekend was fantastic and it’s great to have company on the road especially on the long journeys down south 

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