Audio

Memphis Nights & Presidents Without Countries – Live @ Soulveranda, Austria. Sept 24 2009

Here’s one for any winging Australian who doesn’t know how good they’ve got it – spend some time in a country that is famous for cold people, no interest in westerners and no music industry or any career opportunities. 

For those musicians wanting social and career suicide may I suggest Austria, you’ll have all the chance of success as a surfboard shop in Alice Springs.  But only do it for 6 months….Don’t do what I did – 6.5 years!

It wasn’t all bad.  I did need a change of scene and although I was well aware of the self-destructiveness from my research, for once I was doing something for someone else, and learnt the true meaning of ‘Love makes you do stupid things’.  And nobody does stupid quite like me.

Don’t get me wrong.  People can play music in Austria, in fact most do, and they are extremely good too.  As long as I was willing to just do it for fun and give up any thoughts of any professional  ideas, and if I was willing to play the role of the silly Aussie  stereotypes that they all expected – I could actually have a bit of fun.

So with a beer in hand, an over-sized outback hat and a whole lot of “G’Day Sweetheart” and “That’s not a knife” slang, I ditched the Military costumes (Don’t mention the war) and wore  Hawaiian and snake skin shirts, got myself into a hobby cover band and proceeded to play the fool.

For a laugh I was able to sneak through some original this LP was recorded live deep in the heart of nowhere to a massive crowd of 5 or 6.  Nobody cared and we didn’t care.  Want proof?  Listen to the music that made the earlier Swamp Cats band look like the E street band!

Find the full Album below