Wardrobe blunders

Isn’t it funny how exciting it can be preparing to go to a festival, deciding what outfits to take, trying to cover for all weather types, choosing comfort but also something a bit cool. My everyday wear is rather basic; I can’t seem to go past my yoga tights, jumper and my sneakers most of the time. That’s right, daggsville, and I’m reminded of that nearly every time I’m seen in this attire. Though on the weekend when I was packing for a fantastic time away at Queenscliff music festival, for some strange reason I decided to pack three different sets of clothes that hadn’t seen the light of day in quite a few months. Why do our brains work that way? Why did I think it was a good idea to pack the same clothes that have been sitting in my wardrobe for 6 months and think that maybe, just maybe the right occasion hadn’t come along yet? Well let me tell that a festival wasn’t that occasion. There’s a reason why I hadn’t let them on my body for all this time. Turns out they look and feel much better on the hanger than they do on me, so the lesson learned is that I know myself better than I think and I’ll definitely go for the tights, jumper and runners combo next time.

Beth

The Album cover

The weekend saw us play dress ups in front of the camera at a hidden away studio space in Fitzroy, taking photos for what will end up being the album cover and the face of what The Little Stevies will be for the next 18 months. The fabulous Simon Nicol was the superb photographer who put us in positions, told us where to look and where to put our limbs. I can’t say I’m particularly comfortable in front of a big black lens the size of a basketball, but with a little direction (…actually who am I kidding, a lot of direction) we managed to come up with some very cool shots. Meredith Earls, our amazing artist who does all our artwork was also there acting as fashion stylist, doing the tough job of being brutally honest when it came to outfit choices. Just in time for the mammoth storm that came Saturday evening, we ended up down at the beach to achieve our final shot. You’ve got to give us credit for persistence to get the perfect shot, because there was a whole lot of water soaking us from all angles. Ending up looking like drenched rats, there was no other way to finish up but by hoovering down some very tasty fish n chips by the waters edge. What a fun day.

Beth

Sunday night in front of the box

The Aria’s are a celebration in our family household. It’s been an event for as long as I can remember. Embarrassingly we have been known to dress up, pour champagne, invite friends around and get a bit rowdy in a somewhat party type tradition. But that happens in the lounge room, on the couch, in the privacy our own home where there are not live to air cameras broadcasting it around the country for all to watch. I couldn’t help thinking though whilst I was watching the show that I had looked forward to so much for the past week, that this year’s Aria’s which are meant to be the biggest most celebrated awards for Australian music, were basically an extension of the party I was having at home; scattered, casual and boozy. Putting the performances aside which I thoroughly enjoyed, I couldn’t understand why the big boss in charge of running the show chose to present it with such little class. We Australians already struggle to get noticed on an International stage, so why make it harder for ourselves by forgetting to highlight our best qualities and bringing in the token International guest to make it all worthwhile? Oh well, fingers crossed it will blow our socks off next year.

Until then,
Beth

What has just been

Sitting at home in Melbourne on a Sunday afternoon, in a place where I’ve reconnected with all my everyday things that I have missed so much having lived out of a suitcase for the past two months, I’m collecting my memories of what has just been and am trying to make some sense of it all. Maybe in my wildest dreams I imagined moving overseas for a couple of months to make an record and then tour around one of the largest countries in the world, but not for a second did I actually think reality would present itself with such an opportunity. But it did, and we have had the best time. I’m not going to lie though, it wasn’t all ‘smell the roses’ type scenario; certain parts were more challenging than others. But that’s all part of it, and looking back on it now I wouldn’t of had it any other way because what kind of a boring story would that have made? Ethan Allen, our producer, was superb. As I listen to the final mixes of all the tracks on my I pod, its making me excited and proud and really appreciate what an excellent job he did with this album. So we’ve given birth to this album and now I cannot wait to show it off.

Beth