**PLUS** for the very special first time ever, we’ve actually been organised enough to pull together some merchandise to sell on the road. Or rather A Merch. We think it’s pretty cool…what do you think?

It’s called the Cowper GeekStick, and we figure at $10 it’s the best thing out there. It’s basically a 4gig USB stick with the entire video and audio works of Cowper up to this point on it. They are hand numbered by me, and hand copied (well…not bit by bit) by Jay.

The idea is you buy it, you copy it, and then hopefully you pass it on to someone else. Or overwrite it with holiday snaps of you and that guy that time in Turkey (hey Jeff! How’s Lisa?).

So far we’ve only got a couple…because you can probably guess that we aren’t exactly making money on this merch. But if people like it (or are just in desperate need of a USB stick between meetings and I just happen to be out front of the office busking…) then I’ll probably do a couple more so I have enough to cover the whole tour.

SO EXCITEMENT!!!!

Tash Parker Tour

The lovely Tash Parker, whose song “I Take The Blame” was one of my favourite tracks of last year, has fashioned herself a bit of a dual state residency, and has been nice enough to bring Cowper along for the ride.  To say that Jaymis and I are excited to be taking Cowper to Melbourne for the first time is a serious understatement…check out the gigs page for times, etc and as a hint: you can guarantee that we will be staying for dinner so come and say hi and have a laugh with us!

Rowley

so i can’t quite tell you stuff yet.

but i can soon.

suffice to say, a few days ago i was playing a 1960s hollow body electric guitar and it *wasnt* mine.

and it was amazing.

More soon, but I did want to remind you all that I already have 6 gigs in the next few weeks as follows. Go to the gig page for more details.

Wed 20 Apr 18:00 Brisbane Open Air Concert, South Bank
Wed 27 Apr 18:00 Brisbane Open Air Concert, South Bank
Thu 5 May 18:00 Brisbane Open Air Concert, South Bank
Thu 12 May 18:00 Brisbane Open Air Concert, South Bank
Thu 12 May 20:00 Beetle Bar supporting Laneway and The Yearlings
Wed 18 May 18:00 – 23:00 Nanna Nights, HiFi Front Bar (Vinyl) West End

aaaand more to come

viva los cowper!

Just how many do you think are able to say they opened for Neverending Story?!?!

At this point, the level of my significant enthusiasm for this particular gig should be pretty self evident. So much so that I’m going to trial something here. If you actually read this blog, and want to come to this movie, then comment or email me and if you’re the first person then I’ll give you a free ticket. As much as it seems like blatant potential ego boosting to ask such a statement, it’s actually more that I’d genuinely like to meet the person that both (a) supports Cowper, and (b) finds the notion of seeing Neverending Story quite exciting.

So yes…a LOT of things have happened in the relatively short time since I last posted. For one, Letterbox Lullabies happened. What this is exactly probably isn’t as obvious as it should be, but rest assured you will find out soon enough.

Jaymis and I have also been filming yet another amazing physical-challenge film clip for a song.

I’ve been dragged out of album recording hibernation for both a residency and an awesome support gig.

[Not So Good] I’ve been diagnosed with a bad back so I can’t surf or do anything very physical for about 3 months; although this bodes well for my music!

My folks’ place is almost repaired after the flood! relief finally for my poor sister who has been hosting my parents the whole time since they found out that there is no foxtel at my place.

Did I mention Letterbox?!? I can’t wait to elaborate more on this one for you!

Soooon…! later!

Rowley.

SO much has happened in the 3 months since I left on tour to Europe that it is best to save myself several thousand words, and just include four simple photos.

In order, they are (i) The closing of The Troubadour; (ii) the ‘renovation’ of the Bear Den studio; (iii) the closing of the Lofly Hanger; and (iv) the recording of the debut Cowper album.

Oh my, two thousand and ten…what more could you possibly have in store?

It’s been a crazy year, an exciting year, an eventful year.  So much so that I’m calling it done and taking it out of the oven 19 days shy of the official end of the year.  Because if one more thing is crammed in, I think it’s going to slump into a gutter with a kazoo whistle in its mouth, a smile on its face and bags under its eyes.  SUCH has been the magnitude of the year.

I returned from Europe refreshed and ready to dive back into the studio and keep working on the album with Matt Redlich at Massive Studios (yep that’s me i the 6th photo down, looking a little tired at 1am after a few takes) .  All is going very well and I’m extremely happy with the 4 tracks we’ve put down so far.  I expect to have the album finished by the end of March, so we might drop a few releases and bits between now and then.

But that was the easy part really.  The sad, more difficult part was returning home to the news that The Troubadour and the Lofly Hangar were closing their gigging doors for good.  This very serious double death in the family has resulted in 2 of the drunkest, craziest and fortunately happiest months of my life for many, many years.   Lots of love to Cori, Jamie, Phil and the Hangar crew for giving me so much happiness, and the opportunity to play some amazing gigs with Cowper and my other bands.

WHICH leads me to the next bit of news…in addition to playing Keyboards, Odds and Ends for Surface Paradise, I’ve also joined the Edward Guglielmino fold for a while as the bass player.  It all happened rather quickly after a few drinks at the Troub, 48 hours before gigs at both the Hangar and the Troubadour closing party in the same weekend.  The next gig for me is actually with Surface Paradise @ Rics on the 21st December if you are looking for an excuse to come and hang out!

Which leaves me to the last but by no means smallest bit…I’ve been working hard in the background on the Bear Den studio.  Two reasons – one, with the album coming out early in the new year, Jaymis and I have already begun working on the touring show.  Believe me, it is going to be amazing.  The second reason is that with the Troubadour and the Hangar closed, I’ve been working with some friends to organise a bunch of music events like last week’s Tash Parker gig around the traps for all the music orphans out there.  The first one will be at the end of January…more info to come; but stay tuned also to music/Cowper fans around the world as we intend to live stream these events straight to you too

Ok, that’s me done for a bit.  Expect a lot more writing now that the mourning/celebrating/drinking has levelled out a little bit!

R.

it was so much fun.

today i am getting these albums (one is free for goodness sake), because these guys, HUNZ, rocked my world last night…it the most fun i’ve had running cameras for live visuals in over a year.

today i’m looking forward to…to…to…shit. everything really.

more unconvention.
more music.
another gig for us tonight at the free after party.
and then on a slightly less musical note…australia vs germany in the football tomorrow morning at 4am. i plan to still be awake.

it’s going to be a good day.

i’m sitting here writing with a beer to my right and a pile of minties and fantails to my left, in a vain attempt to calm my racing brain after a coffee fueled day of amazing people and events. these past few weeks have been a rollercoaster – new toys, new gigs, new people. fantastic. today just happens to be a particularly fine example:

5am – on the road down to the coast for my first surf in a month after four consecutive weekends spent either interstate, locked up in a studio, or celebrating winter with friends
10am – kingscliff finally delivers a breakfast they can be proud of, supported by some of the best banter seen so far this year.
11am – the obligatory weekly this american life roadtrip back to brisneyland
12:30pm – power nap.
12:50pm – helter skelter shower and pack before heading to the edge for a few hours of reading up, setting up and playing with my new toys.
4pm – hit it off to the tune of some great laughs with new found creative friends Jen and Jasmine to kick off a fun new creative project for later this month. VERY exciting, and involves a new physical challenge for rowley, which we do like.
6pm – raced home to HQ for a dinner of home made spicy fishu with Jaymis and Rach. These are the only people I know who hand make an amazing dinner, and then wait until after dinner to decide what they want for dessert, and then head back into the kitchen to make that too. (it was affogato, and sticky date pudding…yum)
9pm – head back out in the car to head to a friend’s birthday party for another round of new and interesting people, including some great kids from the creative fold of map magazine, one of my favourite (and few) regular reads.

and that takes me to 12am, where i’m kicking back with the aforementioned beer and fantails (don’t knock it ’til you try it) and trying to finish the poster for next Sunday’s Unconvention Afterparty Spectacular with Tash Parker at the JOYnt, which EVERYONE should come to seeing as though it’s a Long Weekend and all.

these are EXCITING times, people!

i hope you’re having an awesome weekend too.

cheers,
rowley

the result is below, for your amusement.

Howard Hughes (Avid Reader Tour recorded live in Newcastle) from Cowper on Vimeo.

ps. if you don’t know the sooty show, then you really, really should.

Rowley was already set to play with Matt Redlich’s “The Lonely Sea And The Sky”, but a last-minute withdrawal from the gig left us with a surprise Cowper set as well.

More photos on Flickr.