The Search

"Where do I start?" he pondered. "There's so much ground to cover. So many nooks and crannies. So many places it could be."

"I'll begin my quest in the bedroom - they spend a lot of time in there." he thought, nosing around the furniture, leaving no corner unchecked. "I must find it. It must be here! They've been here all morning - playing, laughing, eating together - I can sense it. There's warmth, energy, freshly-cooked aromas in the air."

The bedroom proved unfruitful so he started down the hall into the lounge room.
"Look at the mess they've left - DVD's and weekend papers everywhere - all of no use to me. They must have left some trace behind!"

As he clawed behind couches and peeked under mats he could'nt help thinking of the situation at hand. "Being left alone to fend for myself and the family - the least she could do is help out a little! Always entertaining and socialising - a different person, different meals every night - never sparing a thought for us."

As he entered the dining room the air felt heavier. "This is where she brings them to drink wine, stuff their faces and drop food all over the floor - filthy they are!" But the dining room was unsuccessful also. Although he could tell they'd been there, they'd left no trace behind.
"Where did I see them last? Where could they have hidden it?" he wracked his brain to think.
"...of course - the kitchen!"

He was close now, he could feel it. The sweet smell of success. "Oh how I wish I could stop thinking of Uncle Paul!" he lamented. His path had taken such a similar turn to Uncle Paul's, but hoped his life was not as ill-fated.

"It always looks like this after they've been here together" he sneered, eyeing the empty glasses, plates and coffee cups strewn about. "This is where I saw them. They were near the bench, laughing, cuddling. Then he had it, in his filthy hands, and he walked..."

"The fridge!" he exclaimed, darting across the room. And there it was, gleaming on the floor, hidden away in the corner behind the fridge. "There's so much dust, so many wires behind here - doesn't she ever clean? Must be very careful...". As he felt his way towards it he was happy. Proud that he had come this far, rested in the thought that he wasn't a failure, he could look after his family, be happy again. The wooden base was sturdy making it easy to pick up, but it was stuck. It was so yellow and juicy and soft, it seemed to catch on something.

"This one's for you Uncle Paul" he pledged, yanking at the cheese with his claws. But in his triumph he didn't hear the click of the latch; he didn't see the flash of the metal; he didn't have time to feel the trap come down on the back of his neck, making this cube of cheese left for him, his very last.

Soundtrack to my life...

As you read my blogs you will soon discover I have great passion for both music and travel. For the last 9 years I have worked in live music venues, both at home in Sydney and here in London. One of my many dreams is to one day produce a travel program that tours the world critiquing quality live music venues and clubs across various continents and countries, providing a unique insight into the local music scene and after-hours culture of a featured city or town. I believe understanding different cultures, experiencing and learning from our worldwide community can bring people together and help create harmony - and what better way to do this than through music and dance?

It is with this in mind that I have started writing reviews on...

Both music venues and live shows -

http://sistersinsmundodemusica.blogspot.com/

As well as on the nocturnal life of a bartender -
http://sistersin-creaturesofthenight.blogspot.com/

Working behind a bar in a venue comes with the fantastic perk of being to see bands on a constant basis, getting behind the scenes of the venue and shows and seeing how it all works. Working in the UK in the past year alone I have seen the likes of Prodigy, Primal Scream, Motorhead, Mogwai, Biffy Clyro, Underworld, The Kooks, The Pogues, Paul Weller, The Foals - and that's not including the side-splitting comedians I've seen or festivals I've worked!

So I hope you enjoy my reviews, and please feel free to leave comments and suggestions - whether they be of a new band, venue, or just to tell me to shut the hell up - all communications are welcome here!

All I Know...

I'm new to this people, so bear with me...

I'm a 29 year old from Sydney who, for the last 9 years, has devoted her life to the 'behind the scenes' of the Australian music industry. At 21 I became assistant entertainment booker at The Metro Theatre - one of Sydney's most popular live music venues. It was my dream job, and for the next 4 years I learned about the industry, music, life and love, saw the best bands and DJ's the world has to offer, frequented many a sophisticated party, aftershow, festival, and made way too many friends - all of whom I am forever indebted to and am constantly thinking of.

However wonderful this life was I began to feel an itch; a stirring; a calling if you will. As I deemed this job my life's destiny I threw myself into it hook, line and sinker, eventually able to do it with both eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back (do excuse my horn-tooting). I was ever aware of how lucky I was to have my job - one that I enjoyed, excelled at, was full of perks, and had wrangled my way into with no formal qualifications or university degree. So I had quite the crisis on my hands when I realised it was boring me to tears.

Deciding to leave the position to someone who desired it I fled far and wide to Guatemala, Central America, and spent just over a year bumming around, working in bars, touring Mexico, Honduras, and generally lazing about. But alas, there comes a time in every backpackers life when they run out of money. However fortune smiled upon me once again and I was faced with 2 options: the first coming from my current job in La Antigua at Mono Loco (the crazy monkey). My lovely bosses offered me the position of head bartender and party planner after one of my drunken ideas - a 'Mr Mono Loco' male beauty pageant - came to fruition and was a roaring success. Considering I got my job at Mono Loco by falling asleep drunk on a toilet (fully clothed, seat down, I might add...), this offer was a gift from the gods by any means. But as fate would have it a call had been received from Sydney around the very same time from one of my previous employers, The Annandale Hotel. I'd moonlighted there as a door girl whilst working at The Metro and saving money to go away. The owner/operators - The infamous Rules - now informed me they were looking for a venue booker and would cut me a sweet deal if I came home. Torn between my leisurely lifestyle as a Guatemalan party planner with a looming credit card debt (which I still have to this day), and another crack at my dream job, I donned my sensible cap and returned home to book my very own venue.

Coming home was amazing. The day I got back the Tigers won the NFL Grand Final, as a result The Dale was pumping, all my friends were there, everyone was plastered, Mum had no idea of my return and nor did anyone else, so my homecoming was nothing short of spectacular. Drinks were drunk, intoxicants were taken, kegs were checked, there was kissing, hugging, dancing - it was heaven. Of course all this faded to black 2 weeks later, as post-traumatic-travel blues and the fact you have returned to reality sets in, and you long to be anywhere else. Don't get me wrong - seeing all my family and friends and having such a fantastic job to return to was great. And once again I was doing what I loved - booking and seeing bands, partying, schmoozing, pushing paper, sending worksheets to bands that never got read, listening to endless demo's of which 1 out of 100 were good - the rest having been recorded by tone deaf, fingerless mutes - staring at a screen all day, fighting with bands, promoters, WiFi routers, printers...

Yep. You guessed it. It was the return of... the itch! How could this be?! How could the job I loved so dearly and had strived for since the age of 15 be tormenting me so? How had I become so complacent?

The time had come once again to do a runner. The only way to justify it this time was to head to merry old England as all Australian's do and try my hand at the music biz over there. If I enjoyed the work in a different location it was the city of Sydney driving me mad. If I enjoyed the re-location and still hated the job, career-wise, I was screwed. So after 3 months of heaven travelling the USA and visiting all my friends from Guatemala, I arrived in London with a Working Holidaymaker Visa and £20. I got a bar job the day I got here and set about cracking the English music scene.

That was February 2008. It is now January 2009 and I'm in much the same position as I was then. I work 3 jobs - 2 bar (Hammersmith Apollo and Brixton Academy), 1 retail (HMV) - and like everyone in London, am eternally broke. Don't ask me how, I have no idea. I have tried time and time again to enter the London music industry but to no avail, and to be honest, it doesn't much bother me. I'm having the time of my life making new friends and unforgettable memories, and love the city of London. Other than that, I'm stumped.

I know I don't want to go home.
I know I don't want an office job.
I know I've recently started writing... A LOT.
I know I want to play guitar.
I know I want to learn languages.
I know I want to travel.
I know I'm sick of being broke.

That's all I know.