April 23, 2025 Hammond Park, Botany Park Markets was my first gig of the week with Jodi and Tony. I literally hit the ground running with only one day off between playing at the Endeavour on Monday, April 21, 2025, and my next event at the Hammond Park Botany Park Markets, held by Jodi on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
I set up my equipment one meter away from where I parked, under the gazebo Jodi provided. It was cloudy and overcast, and the weather was looking dicey. Sure enough, the heavens opened up. A quick-thinking move from Jodi saved the day with a see-through mesh screen that fitted the gazebo. It stopped the rain from soaking my equipment. Trade was good, with a couple of CDs sold in a bustling market. I enjoyed the event and felt confident I had played well.
April 24, 2025 The next morning, I had a bit of a sleep-in, got up around 9 a.m., had breakfast, and then jumped in the van with a spare change of clothes and tooth brush. I made my way to a small town named Gabbadah, 126 km from home. I arrived around 11:45 a.m. There, I met with a longtime friend, Conan Chapman of Peak Audio Records. I worked with Conan in the Pilbara; we go way back. Conan had asked me months ago if he could record a song of mine. In the meantime, he had built the studio inside the garage at his property with state-of-the-art acoustics and top-of-the-line equipment. What a great setup—I was impressed. Conan needed me to play a song for him to record and get some practice as an audio engineer.
Conan set a microphone in front of me and pressed record. I started playing a song I wrote back in August called “Stormy Weather.” After about 30 minutes, we had four solid acoustic guitar takes of the song, with Conan overdubbing some classy guitar parts. I played double bass and mandolin and sang my heart out. We had the foundation of a song ready to mix. We finished in the studio around 7 p.m. and sat down to a beautiful homemade lasagna prepared by Conan’s wife, Larinda. It was delicious, and we enjoyed it with a few drinks. After some engaging conversation and many laughs, it was soon time for bed. I stayed in the spare room and slept soundly.
April 25, 2025. The next day, Friday, I woke up around 7:30 a.m. to the smell of coffee. Conan was already working on the song when I opened the door to the studio. He was excited, editing the best parts of the song at the keyboard, and we had a listen. It was starting to sound great. “Do you want some breakfast, Hayden?” asked Conan. I said, “Yes, please,” and watched as Conan and Larinda prepared a delicious banquet of food. It was fantastic. For the next few hours, Conan worked on the song while I relaxed on the studio couch, listening to the song unfold. He re-recorded me playing the double bass more accurately this time, and soon it was time for me to leave and head to my next gig. Conan airdropped an MP3 of the song to my phone. I said goodbye to the lovely couple, thanked them for their hospitality, and off I went down the road, listening to the song on my van’s stereo. It was sounding great.
The next event same day was The Vault in Kalamunda. I enjoyed the challenge of loading in via an elevator to the top floor—it certainly saves the back compared to lugging equipment up stairs. Shirley was there, offering her support, and I commenced playing at 6 p.m. It was ANZAC Day, so I played some traditional Aussie war songs that tug at my heartstrings. I held it together and got great applause from the crowd. I finished the gig around 9 p.m. then back down the elevator, and was traveling home by 9:40 p.m. I went to bed straight away, as I was exhausted.
April 26, 2025
On Saturday, I headed to Chidlow for the 10 a.m. markets. Meandering my way through the beautiful Darling Range one hour and 20 minutes later, I arrived, to a beautiful location at Lake Leschenaultia. It was my first time playing here, and I arrived around 9:20 a.m. I liaised with Dave, the organizer, and he pointed to a spot under a large tree. I dragged my trolley, which has seen better days, loaded with equipment down the grassy embankment. I was tired and hoping for this to go smoothly, which it did. I played for four hours with a good rest in the middle and earned a decent amount in tips. Pretty soon it’s was pack up time. I was ready to head off for a much-needed rest. I arrived home relaxed on the couch and fell asleep in the recliner.
April 27, 2025. With just one gig scheduled for the evening, I arrived at the Mandurah Food Truck Frenzy around 4:10 p.m. I said a quick hello to Ben, the organizer, and set up just inside the entrance of the park, with my van close by to use as power for the Bose L1 and PAR lights. With shorter days, you find yourself playing the last hour of the show in the dark, so the PAR lights help to see when packing up and provide a bit of ambiance. As the sun set over the ocean the mood was amazing at the market location at Eros Reserve. The punters were plentiful, and I had a good earn in the tip jar. I packed up and headed home to relax in front of the TV. I soon began to fall asleep on the couch, so I decided to go to bed.
April 28, 2025
I woke up around 7:45 a.m., got straight into my van, and headed down to Speedy Spanners to collect my caravan. It was ready. I arrived just after 8 a.m., and Jenny gave me the paperwork. I towed the van back home and parked it in the driveway, ready to pack for a future holiday adventure.
Mark and Pete arrived just as I parked the van. They were here to record more of the concept album they had written. We went to the café for breakfast first thing, then hit the studio until after 7 p.m. that evening. Getting a lot done in a short amount of time, the nine songs are starting to come together. I bid farewell to my friends, cleaned the house, and then had a few listens to the CD of the nine songs we had made.
I eventually went to bed around 11 p.m. and had a good sleep before waking up to write this blog.
Have a great day and I’ll be back soon.