Looking like  great weather for a long day of music and conviviality.
Real nice way to start the day with Fiona Boyes easing us in with some mighty fine finger pickin’ blues.
Like the song ‘walkin around money’ . The preacher has arrived from his gig. Fiona just sang a love song to New Orleans.
Got the shuttle bus from the resort and for some reason we did a tour of Moana and picked up no one!

At the Bridge listening to 1920 not bad. They have run out of wine glasses so Wendy is drinking her Chardonney out of a pot.

In the Echuca club which was up until very recently a men’s only club. Listening to Safari Motel
Over to the Echuca Hotel for George McFloyd and was happy to see Peter Howell on bass. We had a good rap with Stringybark McDowell. Place is packed in the courtyard and it takes a long time to get a beer. Snuck into the front bar where Geoff Achison is doing a solo acoustic set.
Back over to the Bridge for Loius King and the Liars Club. Gotta love a bit of rock a billy

Down to the Harvest Bar for White Lightning. Burgers on offer in the attached cafe. Asked if they could cut Wendy’s preferred   burger into quarters and do you believe they would not do it? Not sure if it was too hard to do or some other reason. Anway I complained a couple of times with no success. Third time I cracked it and went off at the burger chefs and then walked out. Next thing I know is someone with authority came and apologised and took our burger order.

We are at the Harvest Hotel for Geoff Achison and the Soul Diggers. Intersecting concept where you have a very big pub restaurant with diners and  a bday celebabration and they have no idea who is playing. Then you have the music punters who wanna listen to the music standing around the perimeter. As the non music people left the punters swooped on the vacant seats like a Williamstown seagull after  dropped chip.
Someone Tell Me Something That I Don’t Know – this song rocks
What an incredible version of Robert Johnson’s Walking Blues it just went off to a different hemisphere

I have been looking forward to this weekend’s Echuca Winter Bliues Festival. We are planning to hit the road at 11. The trip gives us a good opportunity to give our new Hyundai i30 a run in. Unfortunately Wendy can’t drive her new car as she has not yet recovered from her car accident in early June. Terry and Phoebe are making the trip with us and in fact Terry is our chauffeur. I will of course be in charge of the travelling music. Let’s hope I can remember what Cara showed me last night about plugging in the iPod into the sound system!

It will be good to get away and listen to some awesome live music. It has been a very upsetting 9 days since we learned of the Williamstown RSL development/closure. Way Out West however can feel very proud of our reputation for bringing the best oh music out west. We have this last week had overtures from seven different venues offering us a home.

We are an hour into the road trip and the weather is not the best. Terry said the car is running well and I have the iPod playing the tunes.
We plan to stop at Tooborac for lunch and a craft beer. Terry and Phoebe are now officially beer snobs.

We arrived at the pub a 2nd ordered a Gunslinger American style pale ale. Next door to the pub is a little pie shop $7 for a amber beef pie which seemed a bit pricy but they were very big and tasty. Marshall and Jenny have just arrived.
We are back on the road around 1:15. The rain is now very heavy and it does no look like letting up.
We booked in to accommodation at 2:45, the next shuttle bus back into Echuca is at 3:45

At the Americana listening to Jimi Hocking with 19 WOW members. Gotta love voodoo child on the mandolin!
Gotta love happy hour 5 o’clock
Jimi finished up with a very enthusiastic ‘Most People I Know’

Had a good chat with Hugo T Armstrong stayed tuned,  we threw around a few artists names and one of them is one of my favourite New Orleans musican/singer and songwriter and we both would love to see him in Oz.

Now on stage is the incredible Sydney keyboard virtuoso Lachy Doley not only a great musician but he has a very soulful voice.

We did a bad thing. Thought we would no a New Orleans thing and take Wendy’s wine with us. Problem is no to go cups here. I smuggled out her glass of wine

Walked around to the Gypsy Bar for some Shane Pacey Trio and a kebab. Boy the weather has turned  bit nasty but it’s not stopping Shane ripping it up. Caught up with Big Lee

Three metre walk for Jesse and Blues Mountain. Man these guys can play. Oh yeah we ‘went down to the cross roads.’

It’s just after 8 and too cold to be outside. We have hit the front bar of the Shamrock. Listening to the Piano Wizard

Brocko and Geoff in the house caught some of Benny Walker and now the Three Kings rockin the house