Howdy friends,
This here's just a quick g'day from Melbourne, where Bram and I have been enjoying a couple days off before jumping back in the saddle and off to another festival! It's been a good run so far, reconnecting with old friends and making lots of new ones, including two excellent fiddlers named Jeri Foreman and Kat Mear, who've played with us at a couple festivals and will be joining us for a couple more. We also got to join in a Pete Seeger tribute with Pete's pals Mike + Ruthy (who'll be in Canberra tonight, then Beechworth and Sydney) at Kangaroo Valley and Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass fests, two of the lesser-known jewels in Australia's festival crown. There's always potent magic in the air when you bring that many inspiring, living-out-loud people together in one place.
I won't be back here for a year and a half, and I'll be riding on the Festival of Small Halls tour bus then, so I'm gonna sell my trusty van Skippy to my friends Trish and Tom at the end of this ride. He hasn't got all the punch he used to have, but it looks like we'll be finishing out the tour together. We've also managed to fill in our last few open dates (including two with great young Tasmanian songwriter Teri Young!), so here's how the rest of month's looking:
Thu Nov 7 • Violet Town, VIC • Babblers Cafe
Fri-Sun Nov 8-10 • Majors Creek, NSW • Majors Creek Festival (w/ Jeri Foreman)
Wed Nov 13 • Lauriston, VIC • house concert w/ Teri Young opening!
Fri Nov 15 • Seymour, VIC • house concert w/ Teri Young opening!
Sat Nov 16 • Healesville, VIC • Healesville MUSIC Festival (w/ Kat Mear)
Sun Nov 17 • Glenlyon, VIC • afternoon house concert (w/ Kat Mear)
Fri Nov 22 • Eaglemont, VIC • house concert
Sat Nov 23 • Mildura, VIC • Live at the Club
Sun Nov 24 • McLaren Vale-ish, SA • secret show w/ a SURPRISE act!
Thu Nov 28 • Melbourne, VIC • Yarra Hotel (w/ Kat Mear)
Fri Nov 29 • Melbourne, VIC • St. George's Hall with Men In Suits (w/ Kat Mear)
Sat Nov 30 • Albury, NSW • By The Banks Music Festival (w/ Kat Mear)
Sun Dec 1 • Yackandandah, VIC • Arts Yackandandah show at Yack Station (w/ Kat Mear)
I wish I could tell you who we're sharing that South Australia show with, but I can't! All I can tell you is they're a pretty big deal, and it's gonna be a night to remember. It's also gonna be my last show in SA until at least 2021 and likely 2022. If you want in on it, drop a line to scottcooksongs@gmail.com and I'll put you in touch with the organizer. All the details for all these shows, as always, are on my news page.
The morning after our Yackandandah show, Skippy'll be going to his new owners, Bram'll be getting on a plane back home, and I'll be flying to Taiwan via Singapore. My main mission on my old stomping grounds is writing the book that'll accompany my upcoming album out into the world, but I'll also be playing a handful of shows while I'm there:
Sat Dec 7 • Taipei, TW • Tiger Mountain Ramble Outdoor Music Festival
Sat Dec 14 • Hualien, TW • house concert
Fri Dec 20 • Taipei, TW • Bobwundaye with David Chen and Conor Prunty
Sat Dec 21 • Taichung, TW • Lei Gallery afternoon house concert
Pamela will be joining me halfway through the Taiwan stay for a brief taste of my second home (and her first green Christmas!), then we'll be flying to Christchurch together via a stopover in Guangzhou. I'm over the moon to be taking this trip together, and doubly so after talking with our Kiwi songwriter pal Kerryn Fields about her beautiful country! The dates are as follows:
Mon-Fri Dec 30-Jan 3 • North Taieri, NZ • Whare Flat Folk Festival
Sat Jan 4 • Oamaru, NZ • Grainstore Gallery
Sun Jan 5 • Wanaka, NZ • Bar Number 8
Wed Jan 8 • Hokitika, NZ • Old Lodge Theatre
Thu Jan 9 • Barrytown, NZ • The Barrytown Hall
Fri Jan 10 • Nelson, NZ • The Boathouse
Sun Jan 12 • Onekaka, NZ • The Mussel Inn
Wed Jan 15 • Wellington, NZ • The Third Eye
Thu Jan 16 • Palmerston North, NZ • Globe Theatre
Fri Jan 17 • New Plymouth, NZ • TSB Festival of Lights
Sat Jan 18 • Carterton, NZ • house concert
Wed Jan 22 • Hastings, NZ • The Common Room w/ Danny Priestley
Thu Jan 23 • Hamilton, NZ • Nivara Lounge w/ The Bollands
Fri-Mon Jan 24-27 • Auckland, NZ • Auckland Folk Festival
I've got a month off at home in February, and then I'll be releasing the new album with a string of tour dates around the United States in in March and April, and a Canadian trio tour in May and June. All the confirmed dates so far are on my news page, but there's still plenty of room in my schedule, so please drop a line if you'd like to see your town on my route!
I'm too busy organizing all the roads ahead to say much about the roads behind, but I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to the kind people down here who've been taking such good care of us this past month. It's been a great visit, and we've sung for open hearts at every stop. Bless all the volunteer energy that makes these things happen, the good people still willing to gather with friends they haven't met yet, and the tangled grapevine that brings 'em together.
Stay kind, y'all. And we'll see you down the road.
Big love,
s