Thursday, 29 May 2008
Sometimes it takes us a while to catch up on things.
Over the years it has frequently been suggested that Hughesy is a world-class procrastinator, and acquaintances over the years have been moved to suggest that not only could I procrastinate for Australia, I could take the brand new convenient excuse downhill with the wind at my back.
A bit over seven years ago ‘Er Indoors and I were sitting in a Byron Bay pub talking to Mark from WA towards the end of the 2001 Bluesfest. We’d just returned a hire car after seeing Little Feat off at Ballina airport and were looking back over the events of an amazing couple of days.
And the best thing you’ve seen over the weekend? I asked. We’d seen the Feat, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Joe Camilleri and the Revelators, Tony Joe White, Midnight Oil and a couple of other acts. I knew he’d caught most of those as well as Joan Armatrading.
Well, came the reply, there’s this guy called Harry Manx who’s got this amazing guitar...
A quick glance at the 2001 Bluesfest schedule reveals that he was talking about the guy who went on first in the second-largest tent on the Friday afternoon.
Hardly a household name.
I filed this snippet away for future reference, intending to do something about following it up.
Over the intervening years I heard tracks turn up on the Raven and the Blues podcasts and the Radio National music shows I make a point of listening to without hearing anything that made me sit up and take notice.