{Captivated by Cavalia}

Yesterday I had the pleasure of heading to see Cavalia with my lovely Mother and gorgeous sister.

We headed out of the heat and into the Big Top with plenty of time to knock back a wine before the show started.

The show was incredible! I can not recommend it highly enough. The feats of the performers and horses are second to none. The three of us have ridden a horse or two in our time and know how difficult it is to get those splendid but sometimes stubborn creatures to do what you want with reigns and a saddle, let alone when you are standing on the ground controlling six horses with nothing but words! We were blown away.

While the number one wow factor is of course all of the amazing things the four and two legged performers can do, the set, costumes and music (provided by a live orchestra and singer) were dazzling.

The show has been extended until the 7th of April. If you have no plans over easter and are ready to blown away by these majestic creatures and their human companions I strongly suggest you head along!

Happy horse loving,

KT

{A mid week chuckle at some comical cocks}

The Brisbane Comedy Festival is sadly set to wrap up at the end of this week. Last night I went along to the Powerhouse to see Jon Bennett's Pretending things are a cock.

Haven't heard of Jon? This guy has traveled around the world over four years and taken hundreds of photos of himself, well, pretending things are a cock.

Bolivia - People spelling cock with their bodies cock

The show is a slide show of some of his most favourite shots accompanied by tales of how the whole thing started as well as the stories behind the cocks. It was a good laugh and tickets are only $20. He is doing the show every night for the rest of the week and you can grab a ticket here.

Four girls in a mirror cock

Not convinced it's your thing? Visit his facebook page where you can view most of his 390 cock photos as well as photos from fans (you can even add your own if it's your thing). If you find them as hilarious as everyone did last night and want a hard copy (that's right I made a cock joke!) he has a book available for purchase on his web site.

Happy chuckling,

KT

{Eggcellent Easter Treats}

Ok so I know it's a bit of a stretch but food can be Art, especially when it comes to baking and cake creating. I'm starting to get a bit excited about Easter and am big on giving hand made gifts. I've already started making my own Easter eggs with various fillings (I did this last year) but was searching for something extra to give this year.

I have made mini Christmas pudding truffles using fruit cake and other goodies in the past and last night while moseying through the grocery store I had a brain wave..... I could make Easter truffles using hot cross buns! I was pretty thrilled with myself for coming up with the idea and got up early this morning to give it a whirl. The result in my humble opinion, delicious and super cute!

The best part is they are ridiculously easy to make and in case any of you are feeling creative at this festive time I thought I'd share the recipe with you:

6 Hot cross buns
1/2 to 1 cup Chai tea
350 grams dark chocolate melts
60 grams copha
50 grams white chocolate melts
Small glad bag

1. Tear up hot cross buns and place in a bowl, cover with Chai tea and let sit for 10 minutes, you want it to be moist like fruit cake but not sloppy so go easy on the tea and add more if required.

2. Place mixture in food processor and give it a whirl! It will end up with a cookie dough type consistency

3. Return mix to bowl, melt 100 grams of dark chocolate in microwave and add to bowl, stir until combined

4. Place mixture in fridge for 30 mins, line a baking tray with baking paper

5.  Form dough into small balls (about a  teaspoon of mixture)

6. Place 250 grams dark chocolate melts and 60 grams chopped copha in bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stir and repeat until mixture is smooth

7. Using a fork/ skewer/ truffle dipper pick up the balls and dip in the chocolate mixture, allow excess to drip off then place on baking tray

8. Place in fridge for 30 mins

9. Melt white chocolate and pour into glad bag, cut the corner to create a piping bag and pipe crosses on truffles, return to fridge to set

10.DIG IN!!

Enjoy and Happy Easter,

KT

{O'my! O'Little Sister, Phoncurves and Thelma Plum did impress!}

On Thursday night I threw caution to the wind and went out on a school night! (That's right, i'm a rebel). After a quick feed of delicious gyozas my flattie Cass and I headed to Black Bear Lodge for Thelma Plum's EP launch. Upon arriving we were given the lovely surprise of a welcoming gift - a free copy of Thelma's EP (which has been on high rotation in my car ever since.) Instantly I knew this was going to be a great night!

BBL is one of my favourite valley venues, mainly due to it's cosy feel and elevated position, it's my safe haven from the at times terrifying valley mall below.  The stage set up was no exception and it sat waiting, warm and inviting with soft lighting, a beautiful vase of fresh flowers (apparently arranged by Andrew, Thelma's offsider, a man of many talents it seems) and an old piano that had oodles of character.

O Little Sister kicked of the nights performances and for me, was the highlight. This girl has the whole package - talent and personality.  With the voice of an angel, her cute and charming disposition meant the crowd couldn't help but fall in love with her. Warming the audience can be a hard task but Lucinda stood up to the challenge and a few songs was quick to encourage the crowd to move past 'the imaginary fence' that had been erected a few meters in front of  the stage. Everyone eagerly scuttled forward and sat on the floor, legs crossed, like good first graders waiting for story time. It was a total flash back to primary school, especially as most of the crowd were dressed how I did.. well, in Primary school (BBL is a hipster kid hot spot). Her parting words "if you like my music, or just me in general *insert growl that was a tad more cute than sexy here* you can find me on facebook" and you can.

Story time with O Little Sister

The Phoncurves were up next. With their vintage sound and styling they were another perfect match for the venue and complimented the previous performance well. Their music was chocca block full of beautiful harmonies and has a nostalgic sound with a splash of the more modern. They are well worth seeing and you can catch them as they support Dave Di Marco at BBL on the 24th.

After a quick break it was finally time for Thelma. As she took the stage there was a mass rising and the awesome view I had quickly vanished. I clambered up onto my seat and stood to steal a waist up view of Thelma. In a dress that was as pretty as her vocals,  she was spectacular and had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand. Her friendly and relaxed banter left us all feeling like we were some of her closest friends. We were treated to a new song, only a few days old called Nick Cave. The exact lyrics escape me but it was along the lines of "He sings about killing her and I want to kill her". After finishing the song she spun around to tell the crowd, in the same fashion a child would dob on a sibling, that band mate Andrew had just called her 'a psycho'. Insert mass crowd laughter here.

O little Sister, Phoncurves and Thelma Plum

It really was musical magic and I enjoyed my first live gig at BBL with its intimate setting, great drinks and most of all the fact that even though it was a sell out we weren't packed in like sardines! It was also nice to see the close knit Brisbane music community supporting each other... I did spy with my little eye a member of the Cub Scouts and maybe even a member of the Art of Sleeping....

Thelma's EP Rosie is out now - grab yourself a copy, you won't regret it! I'm off to play mine again.....da de da de da de da da F%@k you......

Happy listening,

KT

{Beautiful beaches and brilliant art in Byron}

How nice was it to finally have some sunshine over the weekend? Apart from a few late night and early morning showers, Byron really did turn it on weather wise for my camping adventure to Suffolk Park.

Suffolk Park

I spent most of the time relaxing on the beach or at the camp-site which was heaven! I did manage to break the relaxation a few times with a little wander through the Markets in Lennox heads, as well as a few trips into Byron, where I checked out Retrospect Galleries.

Retrospect Galleries Lawson st, Byron Bay NSW

This place is FULL of amazing works and leaving the credit card at home was a smart move on my part because there were so many I would have loved to relocate to my living room. Here's a little sneaky peaky at some of their current exhibition:

Top: Alberto Sanches
Bottom left: Courtney Brimms
Bottom right: David Green Flamenco

On a previous girls weekend in Byron a good friend of mine made an art purchase. I wasn't with her at the time but have seen the artwork in her home and it is really beautiful. When I walked into the gallery and saw this, it had a familiarity to it and I just knew it must have been by the same artist. I'll have to check with her but I think I'm on the  money...

Mi Amor Errante Alberto Sanchez

Alberto Sanchez is originally from Spain but is now based in Byron. He takes photographs which he prints on museum grade archival paper then hand colours with ink, acrylic and aerosols. He then mounts the images on board and coats them in resin. This layering gives them a great depth and they bridge the mediums of photography and painting. The results are breathtaking I think. Here's what Alberto has to say about his work:

"My images are populated by unearthly characters in recognisable scenarios. Heavy use of hand-colouring and texture results in a range of colourful masquerades and improbable landscapes, in which us, the audience, are forced to participate in the eternal struggle between Good and Evil. They tend to fluctuate between the strictly narrative to the matter-of-fact photographic record, resulting in a hybrid reality of the physical and imagined worlds."

You are always on my mind Alberto Sanchez

I have worked a bit with resin myself but have only used poly. It sets super fast but ends up full of bubbles and foggy. These images and the glass like clarity of the resin certainly have me keen to try working with the slower setting but much clearer epoxy in the near future. I'll be sure to let you know how I go when I get around to it!

Even though Alberto's works are stunning there was one piece in the gallery that stole my attention. It was this mixed media work by Kristen Jackson. The vibrant colours and sheer size (about 1.5m x 1.2m) would make it the feature of any room!

Kristen Jackson

You can visit the gallery yourself or check out their website, you might even find yourself a bit of art for your own home.

Happy browsing,

KT

{Early treats for next week!}

Thank goodness Friday has arrived again! I'm off to the beautiful Byron Bay for a spot of camping in the wee hours of tomorrow morning and won't be back till Monday afternoon, how lucky am I?

Byron

I know not all of you will be enjoying the day off on Monday. Fearing for your ability to fend off the Monday morning blues without them, I thought I'd better upload my weekly treats early so you don't miss out!

There are some really great tracks to listen too and I hope you enjoy them. P.s. how cute is the band name Simone and Girlfunkle? Make sure you have a listen because their music is pretty sweet too!

Simone and Girlfunkle

Looks like there is some really great stuff happening in Brisvegas next week, I think I might have to take myself along to see the amazing Miss Thelma Plum. What will you head along too?

Before I sign off for the long weekend I want to send out a big congrats to Hermitude  for  nabbing the Australian Music Prize for their album HyperParadise last night (even though it's not likely they will ever see it). Well done boys, you most definitely deserve it! The title track is my fav for sure.

I hope you have the best weekends, I'm sure I'll have some Byron based artsy adventures to share with you all next week so stay tuned.

Happy Friday,

KT

{Wet weather wander in West End}

With flooding meaning my long awaited road trip to Grafton was off I was left with a completely free schedule this weekend. So I decided to take my own advice and head off to West End to check out photographer Rueben Stafford's exhibit at The Box.

I arrived very wet but was lucky to be the only one in the Gallery so I could enjoy the 20 or so black and white shots of abandoned structures at my own pace.

The pictures captured the beauty of the buildings in detail leaving me wondering how on earth they could have been abandoned in the first place. My favourites were the shots of the former Morningside Art College. They depict destruction and desolation (in an eerily beautiful way) in a place that was once all about creation.

This guy has an eye for angles and lighting which means the photos are all stunning. If you are looking for something to put on the wall at home they are for sale for around $200.

When I stepped outside the torrential rain had subsided to a mere drizzle. Feeling brave I decided to head down Vulture street to check out the shop that once stood in The Box's place, Box Vintage. Fashion is Art right?

I couldn't resist the print of a blue dress or the layered frilly collar of a top so I bought them both home to live in my closet! On a retail therapy high I trudged across the road through the rain and had a looksie in Jet Black Cat Music. 

There are sooo many great records in this store! Sadly I don't have a record player to call my own yet, so I left empty handed. But if you are looking for some great tunes on vinyl it's definitely worth checking out. They also have lots of fun in store events like trivia and listening parties (I keep meaning to head along to one of these.... maybe next week?)  Like them on facebook to stay up to date!

The weather was looking like getting worse so I decided it was time to call it quits and head home. It really was a wonderful way to spend the morning on such a wet day, I even stumbled across some street art on my way back to the car.

Happy Saturday and stay dry,

KT

{Hold some tissues for Holding the Man}

Well it finally happened, I saw Holding the Man last night, accompanied by one of my dearest friends Lauren. Yesterday I had every intention of racing home after the play and penning this post straight away, little did I know....

I arrived home last night a sobbing, mess! Never have I been so affected by a play, I'm certain that this one won't leave me for a long time. In one word: Moving.

Holding the Man is Tommy Murphy's stage adaptation of  Timothy Conigrave's memoir that was first published in 1995, a year after his death. The book and the play have both enjoyed great success with the book being listed as one of the "100 favourite Australian Books" in 2003, and the play enjoying multiple sell out seasons across the country.

So what's it about? Well it's a great (and true) love story. A heart-wrenching one with a smattering of temptation, separation, adultery and ultimate tragedy in death. An emotional roller coaster for the audience, it is certain to make you laugh whole heartedly, then leave you in a sobbing pile on the floor. As the lovely Lauren put it "Anyone who isn't crying after that doesn't have a heart". 

Every one of the six actors was just sensational and threw themselves fully into each part they played. There was no holding back from this cast. Eugene Gilfedder, Jai Higgs, Helen Howard, Lauren Jackson, Jerome Meyer and Alec Snow all deserved the standing ovation they received from the majority of the crowd (some where still too taken aback and emotional to stand I think.)

This simply is a MUST see, the best $30 that I've spent in a good while. It's showing until the 16th of March so get your bum (and a huge box of kleenex) along. I'm going to give myself a few weeks to recover and then brave reading the book, my poor house mate will have to deal with the wailing coming from room for a few weeks....

Little Planes Land

On another note it seems that sometimes you can have it all..... well almost. Before we headed off to the theatre to give our tear ducts a good clean out we popped into Room 60 for a drink. Much to our delight Little Planes Land started her set early! Our ears were graced with some warm and soothing vocals, a perfect match for the Shiraz we were sipping. I hope I get the chance to hear more of Jen Boyce and her lovely voice soon!

I'll definitely be heading back to Room 60 for their live music nights, it's such an intimate venue, it's free and they have superb wine!

Happy Friday,

KT