Hello everyone... I'm currently in Singapore, but my flight leaves in a few hours for London, then heading straight to the festival..
I'll be playing at the Astrolabe - on friday at 5.30pm. The one day I had to relax in Singapore was wonderful! Had the famous 'singapore sling' (see picture) and visited Chinatown, Little India, Mustapha and the Zoo (surprised to see they have polar bears there... and they're trained!) Will be posting pictures and video here after Glastonbury.. xox
The CD's have arrived in the country today (ahead of schedule which is wonderful!) :) and I'll be posting all the pre-order copies early next week.. Everything is clicking into place and we're one week from departure now (I've even bought some gumboots this time.. taking no chances on the weather at Glastonbury) ;) I'll be taking photos and video-blogging for the first time, and will be posting everything here.. Looking forward to the 24 hour daylight summer in Iceland and touring again..
Here are the photos taken for Morphic Creations the other day.. they have a new website up.. go have a look :) (I love the merino stuff.. it's so warm and comfortable.) xox
Here is some video footage from the live concert, recorded on 16/05/08
[youtube]http://youtu.be/6yU1gbqyL1k[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtu.be/zVqkSSsJ6LI[/youtube]
xox
Here's a little sneak peek at the live album.. three songs you can listen to.. xox
believe-me Believe Me
cause-of-my-pain Cause of My Pain
the-day-before The Day Before
It's been an interesting week, Chartfest was lastnight and was wonderful.. very well organised and nice to see so many people out and celebrating New Zealand Music Month! I've had the flu - or a bad cold.. for a few days now so my voice is sounding different.. it's kind of a novelty, a bit deeper and husky-er ;) I've had it coming for a while now though.. I don't think I've been sick since just before SXSW last year..
Am very happy with the new live CD, it was recorded at AL's just over a week ago, we've been mixing it this week, and this morning the master, artwork and proofs were sent away.. The finished CD will arrive here in three weeks.. and I leave a week after that..
This is a picture of the cover.. (photo by Richard Loader taken on the night) and you can even see the extra microphones on the guitar that were set up for the recording..
It's a very personal album.. James and Michael play beautifully :) and it's almost all new songs.. 11 out of 14 have not been released before.. and there are no covers.
1 soundcheck song * 2 believe me 3 upside down 4 sorry 5 the day before 6 cause of my pain 7 angel by her side 8 nothing new 9 ofie.. 10 hafid thennan dag 11 raking leaves 12 sleepyhead 13 itchy palms 14 feels so good **
I'm sending signed copies of this album as soon as it arrives to anyone who pre-orders before june 8th.. (it will arrive just a few days before I leave) But if you want to pre-order just send an email here through the site (contact button) and put pre-order in the message subject box.. It will be available online eventually, this is just an opportunity to get it first :) and signed how you like.
I want to tell you about Voeveo.. they've set up a site for me here.. and they have a promotion at the moment, they're giving away a free prepay credit if you sign up :) it's like the CD baby of mobile phones.. very friendly site :) you can get wallpapers, ringtones and screensavers etc... (not just stuff from me :) but there is some there..) so go and get some free stuff! :) xox
Just a little note to say thank you to all of you who came last night, it was a wonderful night :) and photos coming soon.. here is one in the meantime..
These people helped make the evening possible; Sound by Toby and Jhonny from Tandem Voice Booth, Filming by Bronnie and Martin Howells, Lighting by Dave and Hang up entertainment, Photos by Duke Muleand Richard Loader, Make up by Jolene Parker of Style Counsel, and the dress is from Frankie.. (thank you Kirsten).. Hjortur on the door. And of course thank you Al Park of AL's Bar, and James Wilkinson & Michael Kime for the beautiful Music..
The live album will be mixed and mastered this week then sent off to be made, and I'm off in a few weeks.. If you would like to pre-order a copy of the album, send an email through the site here and let me know.
We will then send out the pre-orders before I leave ;)
Also.. photos to come from Elemental, which went wonderfully at the Christchurch Art Gallery Last Thursday.. xox
and one more thing.. have a look at this site.. it's all things for your phone.. ringtones, wallpapers etc.. (it's a friendly phone site I promise) at the moment they are giving away a prepay credit.. so you can go get some stuff for free.. there are full versions of a few of my songs there, some wallpapers and more.. -click here for the link..
UPDATE:: Here are some Photos from the evening.. these are taken by Richard Loader
Happy New Zealand Music Month everyone! A lot ot things going on here in Christchurch.. I will be playing at Chartfest at the town Hall on the 23rd, and ELEMENTAL at the Christchurch art Gallery on the 15th.. and AL's Bar (Friday 16th) will be the oficial 'going away' concert.. For those of you who don't know we will be recording a new live album on the night and getting some video footage as well.. so come and be part of it ;) recommending getting tickets in advance..
Then I'm off to the UK and Iceland, will be playing at the Glastonbury festival and touring in Iceland.. Dates here as they are confirmed ..
'CHART - The Christchurch Music Industry Trust is music industry representative body for contemporary popular music in Christchurch. With a dedicated manager and a Board made up of passionate local music advocates with extensive industry experience, CHART acts as a support and advice network for the Christchurch music industry. CHART hosts regular professional development events, live music showcases, seminars and workshops and manages www.christchurchmusic.org.nz - a web portal promoting the Christchurch music industry and showcasing the city’s vibrant music scene.''
This morning I posted tickets to Martin who sent me this: I'd like to bring my wife, Lisa.. she's never been to one of your gigs.. so if we won the tickets, I'd be able to get a babysitter and we could both come! :-) See you on the 16th! :-)
I've been rehearsing with James and Michael and am very much looking forward to playing with them! it's not long now.. less than two weeks.. I love the new sounds.. and James will be singing with me on an Icelandic track! ;)
Thank you to Kitty who sent me a Scary trousers shirt from the Never Wear store.. go have a look ;) xox
Just wanted to share these photos with you.. these are my animals Brjánn/Brian the sphynx, and Loki (he's a chinese crested) ..Loki is still a puppy, and being put in his place as you can see ;)
Also.. coming up the night before the Al's bar concert, is ELEMENTAL - this is an open exhibition that is up for one night only.. featuring musical performances, wearable art and body paint, fire performers and much more.. it's at the Christchurch Art Gallery.. (tickets for the AL's concert will be available there too) Here is one of the posters: click here for more info on this event..
The concert is now an open event on facebook :) so click hereto join or invite people.. Everything is booked and sorted for the trip, so this will be the official 'going away' gig... :) although I'm only away for a couple of months this time.. - a lot of you have asked about copies of the Icelandic album 'Hafið þennan dag' so at this concert it will be available (a limited number) for the first time in New Zealand!! *If you're somewhere else in the world and have been looking for this one.. you can email here through the site and make an order :) these are very limited so there is no 'ordering system' just contact :)
We will be doing some video footage on the night too so if you're somewhere else, you'll be able to see some of it online soon after :) and we are recording a live album as well..
I did some photos with Morphic Creations over the weekend.. will pop some here when they're ready :) Merino is definitely the way for winter - and Glastonbury for that matter.. Someone had a theory on the weather there.. ''every five years it goes crazy..'' It's been 3 years since I played there so hopefully no thunder this time ;) - Looking forward to a double summer ;)
I have one VIP double pass ticket to give away for the concert at AL's bar.. all you have to do is tell me who you want to invite and why you should win ;) send through the contact here on the site and I will post the result here next monday..
and here is a photo, taken by Richard Loader at the Cathedral Square concert last month.. xox:)
Hello again :)Am posting here below what went out to the mailing list this week... This is what it looks like so you know - no spam or ads.. just updates and where I'm touring.. :)
Just a little note to let you know where I'm at. The official New Zealand Music Month concert is on Friday the 16th of May at AL's bar - the poster is up on the site at http://www.herasings.com/
Tickets will go on sale at the end of this month, will send out another note when they're available..
This will be a very special concert for several reasons.. I'll be performing with very special guests James Wilkinson (guitar) and Michael Kime (double bass)
The 16th of may was a very special woman's birthday.. and was also the day of her funeral two years ago. This woman was Bára Björnsdóttir - and she was my grandmother. I will also be recording a new - Live album at this concert.. so come and be part of it ;)
Also - There is a new button on the site - Now you can subscribe to the blog with RSS www.herasings.com/blog
I am on tour again at the end of June, and will be performing at the Glastonbury festival in the UK before heading to Iceland. The Iceland tour will start mid july.. Many smiles :) xox Hera
It's been a busy wonderful week, my Stage Ninja cables arrived in the post, and am very much looking forward to using them! Thank you guys!! The Al's bar concert for New Zealand Music month is confirmed for May 16th, and I will be performing with very special guest James Wilkinson.. it's been many years since we've played together :) .. Keep an eye out too for the Chart concert in the Town Hall *It's on may 23rd and I'll be on the acoustic stage.. more info to come..
Thank you all for the lovely comments :) I'm going to try to answer some questions here, A lot of you asked about the bread shoes.. The bread was fresh from the bakery.. and it felt lovely to wear them ;)
The bath of red wine was not quite as warm as it looked.. but it smelled so nice with the oranges and cloves in.. (and I was quite surprised that it didn't stain..)
April Fool's day story: This came from Sommer; (your package is on the way..) :)
My dad used to be a truck driver and when I was little, every April Fool's Day, my mom would help me pack his lunch, where I always would include some hard boiled eggs along with a one unboiled one. Every year, my dad would call home to report how he had been driving down the interstate, gotten a little hungry for a snack, grabbed an egg out of his cooler and gave it a good crack on the steering wheel, only to get covered in goop.. I thought it was hysterical.. what a good sport he is! :)
And this picture made me laugh :) (thank you Bill)
**Those of you who found me through the Cute Overload link should go have a look at theDisapproving Rabbits site... super cute!
Speaking of cute.. I went swimming in the sea withHector's Dolphins this afternoon.. it was a wonderful experience! They are so small! and beautiful!
xox
Hello and happy April Fool's dayI am an april fool. The day I was born my dad told his friends but they all thought he was joking (really) and I have heard of at least one person with the same birthday, whose parents told him it was on another day to spare him the jokes.. It has not been bad at all :) Although when I was little, my friends would wrap things in sellotape over and over - and over.
So I wanted to share something with you here..
The picture below was taken in 1994, I was 11. It was posted on a version of this website a long time ago but here it is again;
This year has been wonderful :) I've had a chance to work with some brilliant people here in New Zealand, and to work with my friends :)
Hoping you all have a wonderful day! Here is something that was uploaded just now * The day I got my very first guitar (I was 8 years old) I sat in front of the mirror on the lounge floor and pretended to play this song. It was written the year I was born, and it has been a favorite for as long as I can remember.. I then performed this song at Bubbi Morthens 06,06,06 concert, the day he turned 50.. as a tribute..
[youtube]http://youtu.be/g2LkGR1Aa4g[/youtube]
And one more photo for you ;) This is my cat Brjánn/Brian, when he was a kitten.. you can see him as he is now, in the Feels so good music video - yes he is a sphynx cat like in the Austin Powers movie, but he is black and white - which makes him pink and grey ;) (can get sunburned on the pink bits)
The concert in the square today was wonderful (for me) The weather was exactly what I had hoped for ;) warm but not too much sunshine.. Meant I could wear the Morphic Creationscoat I've been talking about here.. it's black and merino coated so it wouldn't have felt great in the New Zealand sunshine ;) Here are a couple of photos;
And here are a couple more from the Main Divide concert, Photos by Chris McKeen (some of these a perfect example of not being able to 'photo smile' - at least while singing)
RIght that's enough photos of me.. But now here is something: the first person to send me a story of how they were fooled on April Foolsday will get a special package in the post ;) (no matter where you are in the world) xox
Happy easter everyone. It's been a lovely few days involving lots of dark chocolate. I met with Rae and Halee and they are putting the pattern on the back of the coat (that is the coat they made for the music video) Will post photos here when it's done..
I will be playing this friday (March 28th) in front of the cathedral in the city centre. Part of the CHCH City council friday lunchtime concert series and is from 12.15-1.15 This concert was originally scheduled for the 15th of Feb, but that day was rained away.. Toby and The Voice Booth have made a video for the Press 'Earth Hour' competition and it features a snippet of me playing guitar (this is from the last demo recording session over there, the song is called impossibly and is unrecorded.. no vocals in the video though) The Voice booth is a recording studio here in Christchurch where I go every now and then to record 10-20 new song demos.. I've also done a few podcasts with them there-here is a link to those ;)
Something special goes up here on the blog on April Fools day.. come have a look ;) can anyone tell me how they have been fooled on this day? ;)
May events are being scheduled.. lots going on this New Zealand music month.. I will be playing at Al's bar on May 16th with some very special guests (will keep them secret for now but it will be different ;) more info soon)
xox Hera
I'm not playing today but I will be wearing green :) Hope you all have a wonderful day and don't drink too much green beer (I imagine it would not sit well in the stomach..)
Ray and Halee from Morphic Creations have a great new website up.. go have a look :) They made the black coat with the red lined hood in the Feels so good music video
Here are a couple of pictures, taken about 21 years apart.. I fell in love with that red tartan dress.. it was on the cover of the Not your type album.. then a few weeks later my mum sent me this scanned photo from christmas 1984..) And I still love tartan things as much as ever.. it runs in the family I think ;)
Neil sent me his latest book the other day.. The Graveyard book.. It comes out on Halloween in the US..
And it's so hard to say this because I love all his books.. but I think it is my favorite so far.. I absolutely disappeared into it, and l cried when I finished it.. The characters are so real and wonderful.. and the scary bits are really scary.. It's about a boy who grows up in a graveyard, raised by ghosts..
You can follow it and even see the different ideas for the cover on Neil's Journal.. (If you haven't been there already) ;)
I'm off to an interview this morning on Plains fm.. it will be broadcast on Saturday if you want to tune in - 96.9fm :)
The concert at the Yellow cross last night was lovely, very different as the stage is on a mezzanine/balcony type thing and I found myself playing about two meters above the crowd which was strange..
Thank you all for the lovely comments :) Do keep sending :) and any questions too..
-and right now.. you can read Neil Gaiman's novel 'American Gods' online for free..
(it is one of my favorites.. I've given it away at least 15-20 times.. highly recommended)
This has been a long time coming, I have been on my way to blog something for years now and here I am.. It's been a wonderful few weeks, Wellington was lovely and it was nice to catch up with some old friends there too. The main divide concert was very memorable.. it rained almost the whole time but stayed warm.. (you can see the drops of rain in the picture.. even my guitar got wet..) It's nice to know in these extreme weather conditions, that the people who are there - really want to be there ;)
Here are a few others I remember;
Iceland - close to christmas time a few years ago, I played outside in the 'christmas village' in Hafnarfjordur.. There was a blizzard and no heating on the stage.. My guitar wouldn't stay in tune and the strings were cutting into my fingers... It was a guest spot so I was only there to play three songs or so but it was sooo cold.. (I actually tried to play with leather gloves on) But I remember the crowd so well.. everyone was huddled together with hats and scarves on and pink faces.. it was wonderful..
Greenland at the Arctic team Challenge 2006 The arctic team challenge is a multisport competition where teams from all over the world race in east Greenland, climbing mountains, kayaking between glaciers, biking and running in the extreme conditions.. I played on a beach in the middle of nowhere, it was basecamp where the teams got to rest for a little while. It was beautiful.. I sat on a rock with the water and glaciers behind in the evening sun.. It was cold but I played there for about 20 minutes before we moved the entire concert inside the big orange tent.. (also playing in thermal underwear, rain pants and hiking boots is not something I do very often) You may not believe me (I did not believe it when I was told) but the mosquitos in Greenland are very hard core (not sure how they survive in the middle of nowhere but there they are...)
Glastonbury festival 2005.. it was the year of the giant mud-bath.. Lightning struck the main stage and it rained so much.. I had to play with no shoes on because there was an acrobatic act on after and it would have been very dangerous with mud on the stage.. (although on the outdoor stage I was fine in my gumboots - that were one size too small because they had sold out.. squished my toes in for a few days..) I was standing only 10 meters from our tent when lightning struck right by the entrance.. THAT was scary! (I dived in and screamed.. it was a big loud boom)
I want to say one thing here. Some of you may know that Arabella Churchill passed away recently. She played a huge role in the development of the Glastonbury festival, and was a wonderful woman and friend. All my love to you Jess and Haggis...
And then there is the complete opposite of the scale.. New Zealand in the summer time - And there have been a few of these.. when it's almost been too hot to play, I've been sunburned just on one side from standing in one spot for an hour..
This blog is so new to me, there are a lot of things I want to tell you about and at the same time I don't know what to say.. So please do send me your comments (through the contact page) and feel free to ask any questions
xox Hera
