Iceland tour dates and white sauce..

The Iceland tour dates are up! and here below, the poster can be found in the live section here on the site :) Can't believe it's only a few short weeks away.. it's been about two years since I was last there..

Fimmtudaginn 1 júlí - Draugasetrið, Stokkseyri
Föstudaginn 2 júlí - Oddakirkja, Rangárvöllum
Laugardaginn 3 Júlí - Café Rosenberg, Reykjavík

Föstudaginn 9 júlí - Hótel Framtíð, Djúpavogi

Fimmtudaginn 15 júlí - Græni Hatturinn, Akureyri
and here's the facebook event

Also thought I'd share something with you.. This was made as part of the 48 hour film challenge..

One more poem next week at the end of music month ;)
till then - have wonderful days.

Snowflakes and songs.

It's autumn. Leaves everywhere! I'm going to skip the coldest part of New Zealand winter and head to Iceland for a few weeks. Believe it or not winter sometimes feels colder here.. it's the damp in-your-bones kinda cold, not the smack-in-the-face Iceland cold.

I'd forgotten about this poem. My uncle reminded me and I found it again.. this was inspired by the snow which we don't see often enough on this side of the world. Written in New Zealand three years after we moved here. I was 14.

The snowflake children.   10/10/1997

A shimmering crystal falls from a cloud,
starting her endless journey down.
Thinking her thoughts to herself, yet aloud
to the world in a song that will never drown.

Now it's her moment, her moment to shine
and she'll dance with the wind along her way,
then she'll crash to he ground, breaking her spine.
Her life over now, she had her say.

A second snowflake falls from a cloud.
Coming from heaven his life is a dream.
He dances down, it's his time, he is proud,
then gently touches the surface of the stream.

Perfection is ruined, in the stream he dies.
He is washed away with the unlucky few,
and on the ground his family cries
at the loss of a snowflake whose life was so new.

A thousand lives fall from a cloud
They dance to the bottom, each on their own,
and they never pair off in their own little crowd,
then some of them go to the edge so unknown.

These precious lives so fine, so pure,
their souls are hidden their beauty unseen,
their lives so harsh, what they have to endure.
I show the truth, I´m the snowflake queen.

I'm told it looks like it's been snowing black in Reykjavík, the ash is everywhere.. Found these amazing photos taken at Seljavalla laug - an outdoor swimming pool covered in ash.
Scroll down.. they're really quite awesome pictures.

On may 28th I'll be playing at Al's bar as part of New Zealand music month.. it's a bit different this time, the setlist will by request so if there's something you really want to hear you can request on the night, or here on twitter.. *you can also request covers, I can't promise to do them all but I'll definitely pick a couple to do..

Also - the presale tickets are on bandcamp! and come with a free song.. If you get the song here your ticket/s will be held on the door :)


Once again I feel like I'm flashing you.. so here's another poem. I remember writing this one. It was in Goose bay Kaikoura where I spent a lot of holidays when I was little in a house called Moana (Ocean)  

Am I a witch?    16/12/1997 in Kaikoura

If I were to be tied upon a stake,
all my belongings thrown into a ditch.
People would come from all around the country.
And I´d be burned as the rotten village witch.

When I burst into red flames upon that stake.
I´ll cast an evil spell, upon your souls.
And I´ll speak the words of terror from my little black book,
Megið þið brenna milli stafs og stóls.

The flames from underneath will come and twist around your feet,
and drag you down with flaming force, you´ll scream.
And you´ll wish you hadn´t tied me to that rotten burning stake,
and hope to awake, from just a bad dream.

I think you need to think, before you burn me.
Is my little black book really a spell upon a spell,
or is it just my thaughts, my words, my dreams, and what I do?
or am I infact a wicked witch, from the boiling depths of hell?

And there I will wait..

Happy New Zealand music month everyone!

For the past few weeks I've been doing teaching a songwriting workshop at Hurunui college, as part of the New Zealand music commission's mentoring program.. Yesterday was the last day and the groups I worked with performed their new songs in front of a room full of students :) it's always so amazing to see the results and I have such a wonderful time seeing these ideas come to life...
Here's a photo taken yesterday at the final performance


If you're following on twitter you probably know we've been trying to find out what's wrong with my wee kitten Freyja.. she's had some mysterious bumps since a month before christmas and we've done so many tests to try and find out what it is that's causing them... Found out that they're allergies - and finally got all the results back..
She is allergic to over 16 things! 5 trees, grasses, orris root, tomato, lamb, housefly, house dustmites, egg, cotton, tuna and a few more... Scary that such a little living being can have so many big problems.. Lucky she's an inside cat so the grasses/pollens/trees won't be too much of a problem. The next step is to order a vaccine and try to desensitise her to the things that are hardest to eliminate, dustmites and cotton.. Here she is again:

And some more news ** there's a brand-spanking-new website up on Bandcamp!
Some completely unreleased stuff is up there! it's such a wonderful site! you can name your price for single song downloads or whole album downloads.. For the first time 'Live at AL's' is available with all the lyrics! (they show up on your ipod/iphone/mp3 player when you play the songs) and lots of extras - including live video footage from the night, and the Feels so good music video, photos, artwork and more!

There's also a live album called 'Live in Reykjavik' that was recorded at the album release concert for 'Hafið þennan dag' and has never been available online :) and an unreleased EP that was recorded just after the release of 'Not so sweet' in 2001..

So go have a look :) --- you can listen to all the songs there for free :) :)

Hope you're all having a wonderful May!
And as promised, here's another of my early poems..

And there I will wait    Written May 1997

If you want to find me, go to the moon
and look for a pathway of stars.
Pass the crystal roses and the water of life
and head for a planet called mars.
There will be temptations like lying and lust
and obstacles causing delay.
And then theres the words hiding deep in your mind
if I go, will she force me to stay?
Cross the fields of silence, but don't make an attemt
to pick the black daises of fear.
But don´t worry, your journey will soon come to end
I can feel it, I know you are near.
The diamond dewdrops of sorrow will shine
on the grass of dreams in the night.
You will walk through the forest of stories and lies
very soon, I will be in your sight
You will push your way through the burning bush
of promises made but not true,
And there in the pond of hope I will stand,
and I will have been waiting for you.

                                                Hera Hjartardóttir.

Early early poetry

I've just been doing some tidying in my computer (it's amazing how much invisible disorganized mess there is..) and found a mysterious forgotten folder with some of my early poetry from when I was about 14. I was just starting to write music and was performing my poetry at the Wunderbar in lyttelton on cabaret nights. I couldn't have found a better performance school really..

Anyway, there's some pretty wonderful stuff coming up and the Iceland tour is mostly booked! I'm playing next weekend on Friday 30th at the Grosvenor bar with Dr Sanchez - who also desiged this awesome poster:

We will be doing a few songs together too! so do come if you're in the area ;)

Next month - May is New Zealand music month! and there are so many things on to see, do and listen to! I'll be playing at AL's bar on the 28th! (more info on that soon)

But I thought I may as well share one of my early poems with you.. (maybe even one a week during music month..) This one below is called Purple woman. I remember writing it. I was sitting on the beach in Tumbledown bay.. (and I remember I wrote it with a pencil and the sun was setting..)

Purple Woman    26 / 12 / 1997

I was alone, in a place far away,
and I had no reason to run.
So I sat down, on the velvet smooth grass,
and was bathed in the light of the sun.

I had come there to think, in silence, alone,
not to be noticed or seen.
And then I was taken by awe, and amase,
as the copper sun, turned green.

The clouds went red, and the sky went black,
and the grass went brittle and dry.
And oh, how I wished, that someone was there,
to prove that it was not a lie.

The hills opened up, and a woman stepped out,
shining of power and might.
Her skin was purple, her eyes were blue,
and her hair was snowy white.

I walked upto her, I guess she got scared,
c'os she screamed, then she ran for the hill.
Then she disappeared, and everything changed,
and the world was once again still.

I was confused, had it been true?
my mind had come to a spin.
I thaught I´d experienced feelings towards
the woman wit purple skin.

I went back home, and went to sleep,
I never mentioned that day.
C'os who would believe, that the sun had turned green,
It made no difference, anyway.

Over the years I be came obsessed
with the purple beuty I'd seen,
I painted her picture and dreamed of her eyes,
a godess, a leader, a queen.

I longed to see her, and so I went back
to the hills and the velvet smooth grass.
I sat down and I waited for her
and I let the time slowly pass.

An hour went by and I knew that she knew
that I'd come to see her that day,
but this time was diffrent, she came towards me
and she didn´t run away.

She came up close and took my hand
With nails as sharp as knife
my mood was mellow, I was in a trance
in her arms right then was my life.

Her hair blown back, in the wind
so white, so clean, so fresh,
I felt her lips upon my skin
and her teeth sink into my flesh.

A tingling sensation, not terror, not pain
I feel blood running down my skin
as she feeds on my body, eating my mind
I feel numb for there´s not much within.

My blood on her lips, my blood on her hands,
my blood running down her breast,
her beastly ways, her gnashing of teeth,
I feel this is my final rest.

so all that is left, in a puddle of blood,
is my quivering, lonely heart,
lying under the sky so black,
and the green sun, just like at the start.

And now I´m up here, on the other side,
looking down at the hills and the grass,
looking at him, he's waiting for her,
and I let the time slowly pass.

I wish I could tell him, to go back home,
ti hide, to flee, to run.
To not be charmed by the purple beast,
or the rays of the shining green sun.

Hera Hjartardóttir.

And here's a photo from then-ish. Taken at the cranmer centre in a semi-abandoned stairwell where I used to go and write music and practice (I didn't know there were offices upstairs at the time, and they could hear me - no one ever came through that way..)
Aah the baggy pants with reflective strips.. and the spaceish-smurf shoes that I used to love..


Ok now I feel like I've just flashed you all...

Please do come say hi and leave a comment if you like on twitter..

xoHera

On tour with Amanda Fucking Palmer

Hello! It's been a crazy few weeks! *I want to start by telling you the Brooches and Necklaces are now available to buy online! here at the herasings felt website! -we've had requests for earrings too... so they are coming soon :) It's so wonderful to have these ready and out there now.. And extra special thanks to Mel at Blackswan designs my Collaborator ;)

I've been touring this last week with Amanda Palmer, playing in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland.. The photos here below are in no particular order:

Backstage in Christchurch at AL's bar - where Amanda had her first peanut slab!

Backstage after the first concert in Wellington with Neil and Amanda..

During the final show in Auckland at the Kings arms, where we did an onstage exorcism using an old Icelandic spell.. *yes, she is holding the first twilight novel (which we are both guilty of having read) it was passed out into the crowd and we both signed it after the show.. *photo by Andrew Ashley

Amanda in Wellington - photo by Brendon

and me in wellington - photo also by Brendon

Tomorrow night I'm singing one song with ED Muzik and the burning sensations at AL's bar where they are supporting Minuit.. Looking forward to it :) *you can hear the song here

Then I'm heading to Greymouth and back on Sunday for a concert..

Also coming up is a show upstairs at the 'Dux De Lux lounge' in christchurch at the chch Folk club on April 11th.. and then there's New Zealand Music Month in May!

You may have seen on the Facebook site that I'm heading to Iceland this summer June/july and will be playing around the country although this time it will be a short stop.. * sign the mailing list here on the left if you want to know more about the Iceland tour etc..

Life is Fucking Awesome and I love being in it!
xoxox Hera

Collaboration Creations..

The 'secret project' is Secret no more.. I have been working on this with the very talented Mel from Blackswan designs.. We have a couple of Collaboration Creations that will be available on the Amanda Palmer tour which starts this Friday in Wellington!

The Brooches are laser cut from acrylic and recycled rimu, the necklaces are on a black ball chain which can easily be cut to suit. They will be available on Felt in a few days - here *you can also contact through the felt site to pre-order..

Here are the dates one more time:
Amanda Palmer - NZ tour support.
Friday 12th March at Bodega, Wellington
Tuesday 16th March at Al’s Bar, Christchurch
Weds 17th March at The Kings Arms, Auckland

xoxox and see pictures below ;)
Hera